It was toasty outside here in the city of Seattle, yesterday and today: 92°F (33°C).
It will cool down tomorrow, though. Elsewhere in the United States there are communities that deal with much warmer days, with flash floods and with tornadoes.
And look at the cheeky post of German magazine Die Zeit on X, about a First World soccer fan’s dilemma:
‘The big question after the World Cup: What gives life structure now, with no more football on TV?’
Answer: All right, I guess I’d better go return the deposit bottles now.
It took 106 minutes of play and 20 shots by Spain to score the one and only goal of the game.
(Argentina not only disgraced themselves on the pitch with their play, but afterwards as well. They acted like losers— sore losers, with their ‘charmless petulance’ as Adam Crafton writes for The Athletic in the New York Times.)
As for the half-time show: just, no. It was not worth watching, and it disrupted the whole game.
Image posted on cnbc.com by Alex Livesey-Danehouse/ Getty Images Sport/ Getty Images
It’s wildfire season and dozens of wildfires are suddenly burning in Oregon, reports the New York Times. The state told thousands of people to be ready to evacuate.
In the northeastern United States, smoke from Canadian wildfires will likely linger in the air for the World Cup Final that is set for Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
So far, predictions are that conditions will be noticeably improved compared to previous days, though. 🤞
What 1966 also had, as every single human being in the British Isles knows, was Gordon Banks, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and the patrician tones of Kenneth Wolstenholme’s narrating the World Cup final at Wembley Stadium between England and West Germany. “Some people are on the pitch,” Wolstentholme said, his voice rising, with England 3-2 in the lead. “They think it’s all over.” Whomp went Geoff Hurst’s left boot, clumping the ball into the roof of the net in the final minute. “It is now!”
Those two hours are among the 20th century’s most enduring contributions to Britain’s national mythology. Little else comes close, especially for the still-dominant English part of the country. It remains the first and only time England won the World Cup and the mark by which Britain measures itself — not only in soccer but also, in that squishy phrase, its place in world affairs. That moment, alongside the Beatles, Twiggy and miniskirts, Britain told itself perhaps it remained a world-beater after all.
– From Matthew Rose’s guest essay today in the New York Times, titled “England Defeats Itself. Again.” (The byline states ‘Mr. Rose is an Opinion editorial director and a long-suffering England soccer fan’.)
So Argentina and Spain will play for the World Cup on Sunday.
It really looked like England would defeat Argentina today, but no.
England had scored a goal after 55 minutes of play, and then Argentina scored twice, right at the end of regular time (at 85′ and 92′). Oy.
A local soccer game was held tonight at Miller Playfield on 19th Avenue East, likely a scheduled match from the Greater Seattle Soccer League. The clouds displayed beautiful pastel colors in the fading light.
My set of Japanese stamp purchases from the proxy shopping service in Japan arrived today.
I buy stamps from 5 or 6 sellers from all over Japan. The purchases are sent to the proxy service warehouse by the sellers. The proxy service combines my purchases into one package and ships it out to me. 😚
One of the sellers used a colorful ‘action folder’ of the Hanshin Tigers to protect the pages with the stamps inside.
The Hanshin Tigers (阪神タイガース, Hanshin Taigāsu) are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. (Two main circuits in the national baseball league are the Central League and the Pacific League.) The Hanshin Tigers are one of the oldest professional clubs in Japan. They played their first season in 1936 as the Osaka Tigers and assumed their current team name in 1961. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc. The Tigers team plays its games at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, which in the Hanshin area of Japan between Osaka and Kobe (part of the greater Kansai region). There is no parking lot at Hanshin Koshien Stadium (parking is completely prohibited around the stadium). A typical ticket price for a Hanshin Tigers game at their home field, ranges from roughly ¥2,000 to ¥9,000 (US$13 to US$60), depending on the seat location. [Sources: Wikipedia, Hanshin Tigers website]
Arthur Fery (23, 🇬🇧) is the first men’s wildcard* to reach the Wimbledon semifinals in 25 years—matching a feat last achieved by Goran Ivanišević in 2001.
*An invitation granted to a player by tournament organizers, allowing them to compete in the main draw of an event without having to qualify or rely on their world ranking.
Fery has defeated Damir Džumhur, Otto Virtanen, Zizou Bergs, and Grigor Dimitrov, before thrashing ninth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 7-6, 6-0 yesterday in the quarterfinals.
He faces second seed Alexander Zverev for a spot in the finals tomorrow.
Update Fri 7/10: The fairytale has ended. Zverev dispatched Fery in straight sets, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-4.
It was a deflating, abrupt, way-too-early end to a run that felt like it could deliver so much more. – Henry Bushnell writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
Well, it is the end of the road for World Cup 2026 for the US Men’s National Team.
The near-goal from the Belgians in the very first minute of the game turned out to be a warning of things to come.
The US team played did not play well and it was all a little painful to watch to the end.
I wonder if the scandal surrounding Folarin Balogun’s reinstatement had impacted the US team’s performance.
(On Sunday, Trump called up FIFA President Gianni Infantino and had him overturn Balogun’s red card disqualification from the game against Bosnia).
Tonight’s picture of the Space Needle and helicopter has (unintended) Apocalypse Now vibes. (One of the 1979 movie’s posters features an orange sunset and Viet Nam War helicopters.) The lettering on the flag on the Space Needle says “THE UNITED STATES OF IRRATIONAL BELIEF” with the logo of the US Men’s National Team below—playing on the idea that American fans have “irrationally” latched onto the belief that their team can defy the odds and win the tournament.
Whoah. It would have been a cataclysm in the sports world if Cabo Verde had upset Argentina, I thought, as the match ended.
Afterwards, the Argentina supporters seemed a little stunned, drained— and definitely relieved.
Tim Reynolds writes for Associated Press:
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — All that Vozinha wanted out of this World Cup was for his mother to see him play.
He got that — and so much more. Cape Verde didn’t win a match at the World Cup, and somehow, that didn’t seem to matter. The African team’s debut on this stage was unforgettable, thanks largely to the 40-year-old goalkeeper who nearly engineered a soccer story that would have been counted among the greatest upsets in sports history. Cape Verde’s magical ride ended Friday in the Round of 32, with the Blue Sharks falling to Lionel Messi and defending World Cup champion Argentina — as most expected. Final score: Champions 3, Cinderellas 2, in extra time — as probably very few expected. “We have dignified Cape Verde as a national team in most parts of the world,” Vozinha said in Portuguese. “Today, we fought on an equal footing against Argentina.”
Headline from Associated Press and photo from Lynne Sladky/ AP.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The U.S. men’s national soccer team charged into the World Cup’s round of 16 by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday, but suffered a devastating blow when star striker Folarin Balogun was shown a red card.
– Paul Tenorio, Henry Bushnell and Tom Bogert writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
So that means that the U.S. men’s national team will return to Seattle on Monday Jul. 5 to face Belgium in a round-of-16 match.
One could argue it is one of the biggest sporting events in Seattle’s history.
Forward Folarin Balogun celebrates his goal in San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the USA against Bosnia and Herzegovina after 45 minutes of play. [Headline from The Athletic/ photo by Alex Pantling/ FIFA/ Getty Images]
SO— Germany is out, and so is The Netherlands!
Congrats to Paraguay (nickname ‘La Albirroja’, after the red-and-white striped jerseys they wear) and Morocco.
Brazil survived their clash against Japan, scoring the winning goal for a 2-1 victory only in the very last minute or two of regular time.
Paraguay and Germany were still deadlocked at 1-1 after overtime. Paraguay won the dramatic penalty shootout by 4-3. This is a still from a clip of the festivities on the streets of Asunción, capital of Paraguay. Asunción is one of the oldest cities in South America and the longest continually inhabited area in the Río de la Plata Basin; for this reason it is known as “the Mother of Cities”. [From the Instagram account (santipenapy) of President of Paraguay Santiago Peña]
They gave it their all, but eventually, in added time, a brilliant strike from distance broke their resistance. South Africa dominated possession, patiently building up from the back and then waiting to beat the press at the appropriate moment, though in attack they struggled to create clear opportunities.
At the other end, their last line of defence repeatedly repelled Canada. Defenders Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Aubrey Modiba made heroic clearances, the former denying Jonathan David with an open goal gaping in the second half, while goalkeeper Williams made a string of important saves, too.
– Chris Waugh writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
Headline from The Athletic in the New York Times/ picture by Alex Grimm/ Getty Images. Canada will play the winner of the Netherlands-Morocco match, on Sat. July 4th.
Before tonight’s Egypt-Iran match at Lumen Field, the stadium held a moment of silence for the victims of the recent devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
Later tonight, I headed down to Seattle Center for the post-game drone show. It only featured a few hundred drones and lasted just 12 minutes, but it was still great to watch.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Turkey stunned the United States with a 98th-minute winner and beat the Americans, 3-2, in a World Cup group-stage finale that meant nothing but nonetheless entertained 70,000 fans here at SoFi Stadium.
Although the game technically had no stakes — the U.S. had already clinched the top spot in Group D, while Turkey was already eliminated — both teams played with passion and intensity.
– Paul Tenorio, Henry Bushnell, Tom Bogert and Asli Pelit writing for The Athletic in the New York Times
P.S. The government of Turkey is pushing for their country to be referred to as Türkiye (say ‘Tour-key-ye’) henceforth, and especially in international contexts. They don’t like to be called the same name as the Thanksgiving bird. It’s just that we don’t really have an u with umlaut (ü) in English for writing it.
The commentators on the game tonight complied but it sounded to me that they all said ‘Turkey-yay’ which I believe is not quite the right pronunciation.
Headline from Seattle Times with photo by Marcio J. Sanchez/ Associated Press
MONTERREY, Mexico – South Africa reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in their history after rescuing their campaign with an exhilarating 1-0 victory over South Korea at Estadio Monterrey.
The win seals the first fully known matchup of the knockout stage: South Africa against Canada.
Having entered the night at the foot of Group A, Bafana Bafana surged into second place in Group A thanks to Thapelo Maseko’s 63rd-minute winner.
– Tomás Hill López-Menchero reporting for The Athletic in the New York Times
Happy Friday.
It was already weekend early this morning, since it is the Juneteenth holiday here in the United States.
Team USA secured a place in the round of 32 with today’s win.
I went down to the The Press Box sports bar at 10.30 am to watch the USA-Australia game with my amigos. There were lots and lots more people out and about by Pioneer Square and around the Stadium compared to the Belgium-Egypt game of Monday.
Andy Yamashita writes for the Seattle Times, about the game: The Americans, propelled by a sold-out crowd that rattled Seattle Stadium’s press box with every shot, launched themselves into Friday’s game with intensity, deploying their high press almost immediately.
The Australians, in comparison, struggled to get out of first gear.
Australian fans pose for a picture on a ferry, with the Seattle skyline as backdrop. I assume that is a stuffed kangaroo and not a real one! [Photo from the Seattle Times]U.S. soccer fans march through Seattle to the match with Australia. [Photo by Ruth Fremson/The New York Times]
It was an uninspiring and ugly match, but South Africa managed a draw against the Czech Republic (Czechia) today.
Tomorrow is the much anticipated USA-Australia match, right here in Seattle.
There was no flag hoisted on the Space Needle by late afternoon.
Hopefully there will be one tomorrow, to celebrate the USA team and cheer them on.
Mexico has qualified for the next round with their 1-0 win against South Korea today. South Africa and the Czech Republic still has a slim chance to make it out of Group A into the next round. [Table from The Athletic in the New York Times]
Max Mathews writes for The Athletic in the New York Times: I was at a bar watchalong in a faux English pub with no other English representation than The Athletic. When the third goal went in, the place — dominated by Colombian fans — went wild. Bar bell ringing, Latino music on, chants of “Viva Colombia!” Los Cafeteros* are vociferously supported here in diverse, Hispanic-influenced LA and will be a tough nut to crack for any side facing them at the tournament.
*Los Cafeteros (Spanish for “the coffee growers” or “the coffee makers”) is the famous nickname for the Colombia national football team. It is also used informally to refer to the Colombian people, reflecting the nation’s rich heritage and its status as one of the world’s top coffee producers.
[Google AI Overview]
Daniel Muñoz from Colombia displayed an exquisite touch to direct this ball into the goal. It came flying in high from midfield and he redirected it with his right foot. [Still from video clip on foxsports.com]
I had a little FOMO (fear of missing out) at home this morning, and took the train down to Pioneer Square and Seattle Stadium* nearby just to feel the excitement, and take a few pictures.
*Lumen Field’s name for the next few weeks, capacity for 69,391 spectators.
The Belgium vs. Egypt game had already started at noon by the time I got to Pioneer Square. Everyone with tickets was packed inside Seattle Stadium, of course. There was a screen and outdoor watch party in Pioneer Square, and insides ones at all the bars nearby.
From a vantage point outside the stadium, one could see the large jumbotron screen inside, as well as some of the cheering fans.
Two amigos and I went down to the Seattle waterfront at noon to check out the watch party for the first World Cup match— Mexico vs. South Africa.
Bafana Bafana* was up against it, playing in the home stadium of the Mexican team, and lost by two goals to nil.
*The South African team’s nickname, meaning ‘the boys, the boys’, from South Africa’s Nguni languages (Zulu and Xhosa).
A summary of the game by Luke Brown from The Athletic in the New York Times. xG stands for Expected Goals. PPDA stands for Passes Per Defensive Action. It is a modern soccer analytics metric used to measure a team’s pressing intensity and aggressiveness.The view from the steps next to Seattle Aquarium. The screens could have been larger, we thought— but maybe the space on Pier 62 did not allow that. To the right of Pier 62 is a barge for more people ,with another screen.Ferries and sailboats on the water in Elliott Bay.Washington State’s ferry system celebrates its 75th anniversary this month. The ferry system began operation on June 1, 1951, after the state government acquired routes, vessels, and terminals from the Puget Sound Navigation Company, a private company that had a virtual monopoly on ferries in the region.A view of the barge by Pier 62 that allowed for another screen and watch party viewing area.The Cunard Line’s luxury cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth, is at Pier 66 today before setting sail for Ketchikan, Alaska. Launched in 2010 and refreshed in 2025, the ship accommodates up to 2,081 passengers and features a formal ambiance with elegant, Art Deco-inspired decor.A closer look.
The San Antonio Spurs earned their first win of the NBA Finals, claiming a 115-111 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
So far, the road team has won all three games in the series.
New York still leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 32 points, while Stephon Castle had 23.
Jalen Brunson paced the Knicks with 32 points, and OG Anunoby had 28.
– Daniel Shirley, reporting for The Athletic in the New York Times
The San Antonio Spurs star player Victor Wembanyama (22 yo) stands 7’4″ tall and wears size 20.5 (55) shoes.
He grew up in the western suburbs of Paris, France, and honed his skills in the French basketball system, playing for teams like Nanterre 92 and Metropolitans 92, before being selected first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
His nicknames are ‘Wemby’ and ‘The Alien’.
These screen shots are from ABC Network’s broadcast of tonight’s game.
