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Good morning! Make a comeback today. Inside:
⚽ Cape Verde, again
⛳ “Villain” wins U.S. Open
🥅 Blockbuster bros
Adversity? It was a gritty Sunday
As I write this, the cliched Sunday scaries are enveloping my brain. It’s not actually that scary; more of a relatable (I hope) anxiety about the week ahead. Work, parenting, etc. There’s a reason the cliche exists.
It’s the lens through which I watched some incredibly gutty wins yesterday. Is this just pattern recognition? Encouragement from the sports universe, the athletic beyond? Desperation? I don’t know. But we did see a ton of triumph yesterday, so I’m just going to roll with this:
1. Cape Verde!
What else can we say about these guys? I’ll never forget casually watching the World Cup newcomer’s shocking 0-0 draw against Spain in a Houston bar last week, exchanging dumbfounded glances with people I didn’t know. Their performance yesterday against Uruguay was even better.
We should start with the first World Cup goal in the country’s history, which was superb:
CAPE VERDE’S FIRST-EVER WORLD CUP GOAL IS A BELTER FROM DISTANCE 🤯
🎥 @FOXSoccerpic.twitter.com/a0PHBP8GYF
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 21, 2026
They scored another in a 2-2 draw that probably should’ve been a Cape Verde win, but let’s not focus on that. This team, which no one expected to do anything of note here, has a 66 percent chance to advance to the knockout rounds now. They’ve taken a point off two teams that have three World Cup trophies between them. Can’t write anything better than that reality.
2. Wyndham Clark’s (mostly) self-inflicted adversity
Clark won the U.S. Open at the notoriously difficult Shinnecock Hills yesterday, which should be the biggest achievement of his career despite having a U.S. Open title on his resume already. But the forces Clark dealt with yesterday, both inside and outside the ropes, are something I’ll ponder for a long time.
Clark, 32, is still trying to rebuild his reputation after destroying a locker in frustration last year at Oakmont. The fans in New York this week openly rooted against him because of it. Clark’s final-round 73 gave him just a one-stroke victory after entering the day with a six-shot lead. Tough wins come in all flavors. Read Brendan Quinn’s excellent write-up of the entire drama.
3. A season-saving MCWS win
The men’s College World Series finals are heading to a winner-take-all Game 3 tonight between North Carolina and Oklahoma after the Tar Heels, who came into this tournament as the No. 5 overall seed, won yesterday to stave off elimination. That’s the simplest form of adversity I can imagine.
We can credit an 18-year-old phenom reliever for the literal save. Read about him here.
On to that blockbuster:
News to Know
Andreas Rentz / Getty Images
Tkachuks, together
The trade of the NHL offseason is already in the books as of last night after the Florida Panthers sent three first-round picks and a second-rounder to Ottawa for Brady Tkachuk. The star winger joins his brother, Matthew, on a talent-laden team that won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025 before missing the playoffs this year. See trade grades.
Pierre LeBrun took us inside how the trade — which could kick off a crazy summer — went down. Read that here.
Serena’s fully back
Serena Williams, fresh off her return to doubles play two weeks ago, will officially play in the singles bracket at Wimbledon, starting a week from today, as a wild card. The 44-year-old will also join her sister Venus (46) in the doubles field. Serena has not played a Grand Slam main draw since the 2022 U.S. Open. Read our full explainer here.
More news:
Egypt won its first-ever World Cup game with a huge comeback against New Zealand. Mo Salah scored the go-ahead goal, of course.
Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, the American League home run leader, won’t participate in the Home Run Derby next month.
France coach Didier Deschamps joined the chorus of players and officials complaining about the World Cup playing surface at MetLife Stadium. Read his comments.
Giants first baseman Rafael Devers tried to refuse a pinch runner in the ninth inning of yesterday’s loss to the Marlins. More context here.
Things You Need to See: Of course this is how it happened
Thirty years ago yesterday, the Los Angeles Sparks played the New York Liberty in the first game in WNBA history. The W — fresh off a CBA that changes the course of the history of this league — got the perfect anniversary present.
The Sparks and Liberty played again last night in the official 30th anniversary game, and naturally, it featured a buzzer-beater. Watch it first before we get to context:
NNEKA WINS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY GAME AT THE BUZZER FOR THE SPARKS ⚡😱 pic.twitter.com/3NMxj79RKO
— ESPN (@espn) June 22, 2026
That’s Nneka Ogwumike, Sparks star and 15-year WNBA veteran, who drained the winner. She’s the fourth-leading scorer in league history. She also wears No. 30.
Our full report from the game is worth a read. What a moment.
Watch Guide
📺 World Cup: Group play
1 p.m. ET-11 p.m. on Fox, FS1 and Telemundo
We have another full day today, starting with Lionel Messi and Argentina versus Austria at 1 p.m., France and Kylian Mbappe versus Iraq at 5 p.m., Erling Haaland and Norway versus Senegal at 8 p.m. and a finale of Jordan-Algeria. Beautiful Monday stuff.
📺 MCWS: North Carolina vs. Oklahoma
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
As we said above, the best-case scenario for the layman fan here. Winner takes the national title. Loser gets riddled with a lifetime of sports regret. Tensions at a peak. This is why we watch.
Pulse Picks
Our college sports staff is using the first World Cup in America since the 1990s as an excuse to look back at that time. Genius nostalgia stuff if you ask me. Today’s opener posed a great question: Did college football peak in the ‘90s?
Zach Harper has an NBA mock draft predicated on chaos. This was fun.
If you want to nerd out on baseball, read this story about the surging Nationals today: How a pitch design team could chart the club’s future.
Wait, why are players in the World Cup cutting holes in their socks?
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Brody Miller’s story on Clark’s redemption arc. I guess we’ll see.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our big story on the MetLife pitch.