NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – In this edition of FFF: Willie Fritz is talking titles at Houston, what’s next for USA Soccer, and a PSA for restaurants in the city.
FOOTBALL
If it wasn’t for Willie Fritz, Jon Sumrall probably wouldn’t have left Troy for Tulane.
Fritz made the Green Wave winners in his time Uptown. He went 54-47 in eight seasons at Tulane, got the team to four bowl games, including a Cotton Bowl win over USC.
Sumrall took that success, and then brought Tulane to another level. With 40 new players on the roster in 2025, Sumrall elevated the Wave to a College Football Playoff berth.
In two seasons at Houston, Fritz is 14-11, with a win in the Texas Bowl over an LSU team that was quarterbacked by Michael Van Buren.
In the Big 12, Texas Tech is now king. BYU and Utah also own very strong rosters.
Houston possesses an over/under win total of 7.5 games this upcoming season. The same as Tulane.
Cougars are in the upper half of the Big 12 betting odds, but they won’t contend for a national championship anytime soon.
But don’t tell that to Fritz. He told On3 he left Tulane for Houston because, “I wanted to have an opportunity to win a national championship.”
Do the Cougars have a good football program, yes. A great one, no. Will they, way more money will be needed. More than Texas Tech, no chance.
I could argue Tulane holds a better chance of getting back to the CFB playoff than Houston does in the future. Right now, it’s Tulane 1-0 Houston, on those berths.
FÚTBOL
The United States getting knocked out of the 2026 World Cup in the Round of 16 is a disappointment. On home soil, with a loaded roster, quarterfinals should’ve been the floor.
Instead, the United States Men’s National Team lost in the Round of 16 for the fourth straight time. So what’s next for the Stars and Stripes?
Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson all started against Belgium, and will probably be on the 2030 World Cup roster.
Here’s a few new names to keep an eye on in the future:
– Midfielder Zavier Gozo (Real Salt Lake)
– Forward Julian Hall (New York Red Bulls)
– Goalkeeper Diego Kochen (Barcelona)
– Defender Noahki Banks (FC Augsburg)
Gozo and Hall are racking up goals in the MLS, Kochen isn’t getting playing time at Barcelona so he will go out on loan, and Banks is a dual-national with Germany and the U.S. fighting over his services.
FOOD
This is a public service announcement for all restaurants in the New Orleans area. If you possess a social media account (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), please use it to inform your customers when you will not be open.
If you’re a Tuesday-Saturday joint, that’s cool. List that on your social media pages. If you take some extra time off around a holiday and that could bleed into the days you’re usually open, post it on your pages.
There was a particular po-boy joint in Metairie that was getting some publicity on social media. I checked the days they’re open, and Monday was one of them. Now, July 4 was on a Saturday, but most restaurants were open by Monday.
This one wasn’t. If they would’ve posted on their IG or Facebook, I would’ve known that.
I went to Bear’s as a backup plan, and the roast beef rocked as usual.
So restaurants, use your social media, please.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.
Subscribe to the Fox 8 YouTube channel.
Copyright 2026 WVUE. All rights reserved.