There\u2019s a lot to unpack today. <\/p>\n
Starting with Thursday\u2019s World Cup<\/a> game in Philadelphia and the late night United States men\u2019s national team match with Turkey, where the U.S. allowed a last-second goal that cost them in a 3-2 loss in its World Cup group finale game.<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s also the NHL draft tonight, with the Flyers on the clock with the 21st pick \u2014 and the MLB announced the first phase of fan voting for the All Star game. Can you guess which Phillies are in the running to start?<\/a><\/p>\n But before we get into all that, Alex Coffey delivered a powerful story on the late Hall of Famer Roy Halladay. Halladay, who won two Cy Young Awards in his 16-year career, including in 2010 with the Phillies, died of blunt force trauma and drowning after he crashed his Icon A5 into the Gulf of Mexico in 2017. The night before, he was with his team.<\/p>\n Halladay served as a pitching coach at Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, Fla. The boys he coached are now men, and they still cherish that 2017 season.<\/a> <\/p>\n But what the players didn\u2019t realize was that they were giving Halladay something too: \u201cA way for him to enjoy baseball in a very pure form again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport<\/a>, sports.daily@inquirer.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Flyers decided to make some moves ahead of the draft and traded veteran forward Garnet Hathaway to the Panthers, along with a 2026 sixth-round pick, for a fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-rounder.<\/a> <\/p>\n The Flyers now own four picks this weekend, but all eyes will be on Danny Bri\u00e8re<\/a> and Co. in the first round. While they have quite a ways to go till their pick, here are nine players who could be there.<\/a><\/p>\n And if you missed our Reddit AMA, where Jackie Spiegel answered your questions, we\u2019ve got all the highlights here.<\/a><\/p>\n What we\u2019re \u2026<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc0 Analyzing: How Labaron Philon Jr. will fit in with the Sixers backcourt led by Tyrese Maxey<\/a> and <\/a>VJ Edgecombe<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83e\udd14 Wondering: Now that we got that covered, what is Philon like on and off the court?<\/a> <\/p>\n \ud83d\udc40 Seeing: Hershey\u2019s Co. celebrated Christian Pulisic<\/a> with a pop-up \u201cSoccerland\u201d at Dilworth Park on Thursday.<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udea3 Learning: Drexel men\u2019s rowing has three boats heading to the Henley Royal Regatta in England.<\/a><\/p>\n In between the two dense blocks of orange and dark blue, fans came bearing jerseys and flags from any national team you could think of \u2014 even some Eagles jerseys \u2014 in the stands at Philadelphia Stadium on Thursday.<\/a><\/p>\n Cura\u00e7ao vs. Ivory Coast was the least marquee matchup of Philly\u2019s World Cup slate, which made it the easiest ticket for local and passionate soccer fans, as well as diehard supporters of both nations. <\/p>\n In the end, it was the fans in orange who went home happy, as Ivory Coast secured its first trip to the knockout rounds with a 2-0 win. For Ivory Coast forward Yan Diomande, the accomplishment was a triumph.<\/a><\/p>\n And check out what fans of all allegiances were saying after watching both Ivory Coast-Cura\u00e7ao and Germany-Ecuador in Lemon Hill Park at the FIFA Fan Festival.<\/a><\/p>\n Don Mattingly<\/a> is officially the Phillies\u2019 first All-Star. The interim manager will be on the National League\u2019s staff as an honorary coach.<\/a> <\/p>\n As for the players, Alec Bohm<\/a>, Bryson Stott<\/a>, and Brandon Marsh<\/a> are each second at their respective positions after the first phase of fan voting. Surprisingly, Bryce Harper isn\u2019t among them.<\/a><\/p>\n Another day, another ninth inning comeback for the Phillies, who were powered by Harper\u2019s two-run homer to complete a third straight late-inning comeback win over the Nationals.<\/a><\/p>\n While the offseason focus was centered around the impending trade of A.J. Brown<\/a> and new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion<\/a>, the Eagles new cornerback Riq Woolen had plenty of buzz during spring workouts.<\/p>\n Woolen has an opportunity to flourish at a spot where the Eagles\u2019 defense struggled last season. His skill also allows them to put All-Pro Cooper DeJean<\/a> in position to be even more effective. <\/p>\n With that being said, let\u2019s take a look his film from Seattle and see why the Eagles are excited about Woolen.<\/a><\/p>\n Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best sports images from the last seven days. This week, the World Cup craziness continues, despite thunderstorms attempting to put a damper on Philly\u2019s celebration. Check out our best sports photos of the week.<\/a><\/p>\n We compiled today\u2019s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Gabriela Carroll, Jackie Spiegel, DeAntae Prince, Matt Mullin, Gina Mizell, Jeff McLane, Devin Jackson, Ariel Simpson, Owen Hewitt, Mia Messina, and The Inquirer photography staff.<\/p>\n By submitting your written, visual, and\/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer\u2019s Terms of Use<\/a>, including the grant of rights in Section 10.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s it for me this week! Have a great weekend, we\u2019ll be back in your inbox on Monday. \u2014 Bella<\/p>\n