Author: Lajina Hossain

The December 9 episode of NXT was quite an episode, and it included a lot of fallout after Deadline. This included wrapping up the night with a serious match.

Jeâ€Von Evans won the Iron Survivor Challenge match at Deadline. That means he had a match against Oba Femi at New Yearâ€s Evil on January 6. However, Evans couldnâ€t wait.

The main event of NXT this week saw Oba Femi put his title on the line against Jeâ€Von Evans. This match came down to the wire, and it looked like Evans was going to win the title, but then Ricky Saints pulled Evans out of the ring out of nowhere.

After that distraction, Oba Femi leveled Jeâ€Von Evans, and he planted him down with a Fall From Grace to retain the title. This was a heartbreaking loss for the Young OG, because he nearly had the title won.

This loss also blew Jeâ€Von Evans†chances at an NXT Title match after his Iron Survivor Challenge victory. Ricky Saints looked Oba Femi over in serious fashion after this match, as he screwed Jeâ€Von Evans out of a big win.

We will have to see how this all turns out for the NXT Title scene. We have a new #1 contender match scheduled for next week already, so Evans†chance is done.

Whatâ€s your take on Jeâ€Von Evans losing this opportunity at Oba Femiâ€s title so fast? Do you think that he is main roster ready? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

December 9, 2025 10:08 pm

Source link

This content was first published inGolf Journal, a quarterly print publication exclusively for USGA Members. To be among the first to receiveGolf Journal and to learn how you can ensure a strong future for the game, become a USGA Member today!

Golf’s great irony is that golfers don’t do it, they play it. No doubt you’ve been part of a conversation where someone says, “I love to golf” or “I’m golfing today.” You instantly know one thing: That person missed the memo that using the word as a verb is akin to fingernails on a blackboard. I mean, does anyone go “tennis-ing”?

It’s not enough to hit the shots, you’ve got to talk the talk, which can sometimes be challenging for a game that seems to have its own language. The patois includes technical terms like carry and fade and even “moment of inertia” ditM-O-I. You have to take divots on doglegs and hit explosion shots to elevated greens. On the slangier side, you must know your breakfast ball from your banana ball, and you’ve seen both while playing better ball — which is not the same as better golf. You can even dine out on cabbage and chili dip and the occasional fried egg. When it comes to clichés, you’ve played cart golf, army golf and more than once made the acquaintance of the ubiquitous blind squirrel.

Your mastery of “golf speak” signals your insider status, but don’t get too comfortable. Do you know that bogey once meant par and par meant you should check in with your financial advisor? “Curlew” or “whaup” probably aren’t part of your lexicon, but trust me, you’d love to have one. The language of golf brims with color and life, like the game itself, but both evolve. Consider the modifications to match-play vernacular, where those tongue-tied by “all square” were instead just tied, and anyone who didn’t like “dormie” found they couldn’t lose.

Those changes to match-play vocabulary emerged from the 2019 revisions to the Rules of Golf, which have played a role in shaping speech about the game since they were first codified by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in 1891.

“The widespread use of a golf language coincided with the rise of the printed word,” says Elizabeth Beeck, exhibitions curator at the USGA Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J. “That’s why so many of the common terms emerged around the 1880s and ’90s, the start of the industrial age, when it became easier to travel and communicate on a broader scale.”

Still, many golf terms stretch back centuries, and contested origins are common. What follows is an attempt to sort through the competing etymologies, past reporting and scholarly guesswork to deliver a history of some of golf’s most fundamental words. As for curlew and whaup, they’re names of a European seabird that were proposed and disposed of as stand-ins for hole-in-one… which turned out aces.

Par

Like “muckraking” and “gag order,” par came to the world via a journalist bending the language. In this case, one Alexander Hamilton (A.H.) Doleman, an amateur golfer and writer from Scotland who competed in the 1870 British Open at Prestwick, asked professional counterparts Davie Straith and James Anderson to predict a winning score. After conferring, the pair said a perfect outing on the 12-hole course would amount to 49.

Par comes from Latin and means “equal” or “equality.” At the time of the championship, Brits used the word to describe a stock’s average performance; one could trade above or below that standard. A few days later, when Young Tom Morris shot a 149 over the three-round competition to win his third straight Championship Belt, Doleman wrote that he’d finished two “over par.” Doleman himself finished 20 shots back, which is why his greatest contribution to the game is linguistic.

Even that success took time, though. The first standardized Course Rating system didn’t emerge until the 1890s, and par itself didn’t gain official recognition until 1911, when the USGA codified a rating standard that called it “perfect play without flukes and under ordinary weather conditions, always allowing two strokes on each putting green.” The R&A followed suit in 1925.

Robert Neubecker

Bogey

Bogey originally meant what par does today in the sense that it represented the target score for any given hole. That definition emerged in 1890, when the secretary of Coventry Golf Club in England, Hugh Rotherman, established a scoring standard at his club. He called the target total a “ground score.”

For the Scots, since the 1500s, a “bogey” represented a demon or gremlin, leading to the term “bogey man” and a popular song of the 1880s called “Hush! Hush! Hush! Here Comes the Bogey Man.” By then the term connoted an elusive figure who was difficult to capture, something like the modern Bigfoot.

As the ground score concept spread, golfers replaced that phrase with “bogey score” and adopted the idea that they were chasing or competing against Mr. Bogey. A good player might be called a real “bogey man” and anyone who fell short of the standard “lost to Mr. Bogey.” At the United Services Club, open only to the military, they altered the persona to Colonel Bogey, who stood guard for decades.

As equipment and courses improved, good golfers could easily beat the Colonel and “par” emerged as a target score for pros and proficient amateurs. It was well into the 20th century when U.S. golfers began to use bogey as a term meaning 1 over par, which at the time was just another reason for the game’s founders to dislike Americans.

Robert Neubecker

Birdie

“Bird” was “lit” before it became birdie, if that makes sense. The standard term for shooting 1 under par on a hole is purely American, and it derives from the slang term “bird,” which at the dawn of the 1900s meant anything excellent.

Its specific application to golf, according to legend, traces to Atlantic City (N.J.) Country Club, where A.B. Smith, his brother, William, and George Crump, who designed Pine Valley Golf Club, were playing the second hole. A.B. hit his second shot close on the par 4, and when he tapped in for a 3, called it “a bird of a shot.” After that, the threesome began calling any such feat a “birdie,” and it stuck. The club commemorated the event with a plaque that puts the date at 1903.

The Americans weren’t done with birds. The eagle landed on 2 under par for a hole shortly after the arrival of birdie, with A.B. Smith and friends again claiming credit, although the term wasn’t fully accepted everywhere until the 1930s. The logic was simple enough — if a regular old bird was good, the symbol of the U.S. must be even better.

Smith and his companions used double eagle for 3 under, but that nomenclature was largely undone by a different bird, the albatross, which emerged as the preferred choice in the 1920s. The exact derivation appears to have gone undocumented, although the species brings a logical continuity since it’s a majestic and exceedingly rare bird.

Robert Neubecker

Caddie

This is where the story of the game detours to France. There are written references to “golf” in France dating to the 1400s, and many speculate that caddie comes from the French word “cadet,” which means “boy.” As the story goes, Mary, Queen of Scots, encountered the word on her travels and brought it back to her homeland, where it came to refer to anyone working as a porter or messenger. Eventually, it made the leap to golf.

That sounds tidy enough, but there’s a problem. Other historians say the French didn’t play golf at the time of Mary’s visit, but a different game that used only one club, for which a caddie wouldn’t have been necessary. Whatever the truth, Mary spoke French, as did many nobles, and “cadet” made its way to Scotland (as did “dormie” from the French “dormir,” meaning “to sleep”) and became “caddie” by the 1600s. Dictionaries tagged it as a golf-centric term by the mid-1800s.

Robert Neubecker

Fore

It feels like “fore” should simply be a shortened version of “foreword,” used as a general warning to those ahead of you. It’s not.

A more fun possibility revolves around military history, particularly the formations of riflemen aligned in rows, with one set kneeling in front of a standing set. “Beware foreword” served as a warning to the soldiers in front when the back row was firing and, according to the theory, that eventually morphed into “fore.” There’s a particular connection to Leith Links in Edinburgh, Scotland, which stood next to a fort, bringing soldiers and golfers into close contact, although the warning there related to a pair of cannons flanking the entry. Either way, it puts the fear of getting plunked by a small white orb into perspective.

A second option concerns forecaddies, which were popular in the age of the feathery ball, because they were expensive and hard to make. To keep track of those leather-wrapped projectiles, forecaddies would stand in the landing area. Before hitting, golfers would yell “forecaddie” to alert his man that the ball was incoming. Eventually, they shortened the warning to “fore.” This, as has been noted, holds a certain logical appeal, since the words “caddie,” “forecaddie” and “fore” all emerged around the same time.

Robert Neubecker

Golf

They say success has 1,000 fathers, which might explain golf’s unresolved paternal roots.

Contenders for the title include colf, kolf, chole, kolbe and kolven, all of which basically mean “club” and are associated with some sort of game that involves hitting an orb with a stick. Some historians trace them back to the ancient Greek word kolaphos or the Latin words colapus or colpus, meaning “to strike” or “to cuff.” The games also seem to have some root in the Roman game paganica, which featured a feather-stuffed ball hit with a curved stick and was spread throughout Europe by the conquering legions.

Other experts propose that the Dutch game kolf — played with a stick and ball on frozen canals or fields – migrated across the North Sea to Scotland. Of course, it doesn’t help that once the game arrived the Scots called it all kinds of names, including goff, goif, golf, goiff, gof, glove, gowf, gouff and gowfe. In Gaelic, the word is goilf.

The truth is elusive, but all that matters is that at some point the Scots began playing a game directly related to the current version of the sport and agreed to call it “golf.” Back then, they may have even “golfed,” but no one does that anymore. At least not if they really know what they’re talking about.

ORLANDO, Fla. – While the main focus this offseason has been on improving the offense, the Pirates†first free agent signing is instead addressing a key need in the bullpen.

According to a source, the club is in agreement with two-time All-Star Gregory Soto on a one-year, $7.75 million deal, pending a physical. The club has not confirmed the deal.

Soto, 30, gives the Pirates not only a much-needed extra leverage arm, but also the southpaw the bullpen was lacking.

Soto is coming off a campaign where he went 1-5 with a 4.18 ERA over 70 games, totaling 60 1/3 innings for the Orioles and Mets. While his ERA has been north of 4.00 the last three seasons after posting back-to-back All-Star campaigns in 2021 and 2022, most of his peripherals graded out nicely. That included holding hitters to a 4% barrel rate – which put him in the 97th percentile of pitchers – a 31.5% chase rate and 29.9% whiff rate. That yielded 70 strikeouts and a healthy 25.1% strikeout rate.

He did have some pronounced hand splits in 2025, though. Right-handed batters had an .801 OPS against him last season, while left-handers hit .192 with a .549 OPS.

When Soto clicks, he pitches off of his sinker that sits in the mid- to upper-90s and his wipeout slider, which had a 45.5% whiff rate. Heâ€ll also mix in a four-seam fastball and a sweeper. Batters hit .314 off the sinker this year, but that average was just .200 in 2023. The pitch profiles similarly in terms of movement, but it is a tick slower, going from an average of 98.1 mph to 96.8 mph.

Missing out on Kyle Schwarber opened up the Pirates again on the free agent market, and while upgrading the offense is the greatest priority, adding a lefty to the mix was important as well. The bullpenâ€s potential leverage arms consist of Dennis Santana, Isaac Mattson and Justin Lawrence, all of whom are right-handed, and Soto gives the club someone who can manage lefties. The Pirates selected the contract of lefty reliever Tyler Samaniego earlier this winter, but included him as part of a trade with the Red Sox for Jhostynxon Garcia.

The Pirates†bullpen is expected to look different in 2026 than it did at the start of 2025. Gone are the Opening Day de facto closer and setup man, David Bednar and Colin Holderman. Reliever prospects Brandan Bidois and Ryan Harbin have had their contract selected and been added to the roster. The backend of the bullpen is potentially still in flux, but Soto should figure to be part of that mix.

The Pirates†roster is currently at 39 players. Sotoâ€s contract is not official, meaning the club can still potentially select a player in Wednesdayâ€s Rule 5 Draft.

Source link

Months after Travis Scott’s disappearance from WWE, Logan Paul has opened up about this scrapped match.

Earlier this year at Elimination Chamber 2025, Travis Scott appeared alongside The Rock and helped John Cena turn heel on Cody Rhodes. He later appeared at WrestleMania 41 as well, although things soon fell apart between Scott and WWE. Recently, during an appearance on Chris Van Vlietâ€s Insight, Cena declined to go into detail about the situation. However, on his ImPaulsive podcast, Logan Paul shared additional details on it.

“I was very excited, obviously, for him to enter the WWE, and we were supposed to team up with one other person,” Paul added. “It was supposed to be three-on-three, and the day that it was supposed to be announced, he didn’t show up.”

Sharing his thoughts on Scott’s absence, Paul continued, “I think what happened is, my guess, he probably realized at some point that it’s really physically demanding, really hard and a lot of work. It’s probably too much commitment for someone who is a rock star of his caliber. Like, Bad Bunny loves it and put in the time and became a good wrestler.”

“Wrestling is a lot about navigating pain. It hurts, and I think at some point, Travis probably realized it’s pretty hard. I would like to see him make a real run at it, but yeah, I think that’s what happened.â€

At Money in the Bank 2025, Cena had teamed up with Logan Paul to face the duo of Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. Based on Paul’s comments, this might have been the match that would have been a three-on-three contest.

Exclusive access to podcasts and newsletters

previous story

Source link

Chris Paul said he’s “at peace with everything” following his stunning removal from the LA Clippers roster earlier this month.

The Clippers cut ties with one of the greatest players in franchise history following a three-hour, late-night conversation between Paul and top basketball executive Lawrence Frank. Paul and his leadership style reportedly clashed with head coach Ty Lue and the team believed he had become disruptive.

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

“Stuff’s been a little crazy in the past few days — to say the least,” Paul told People.com in an interview published Tuesday. “But honestly, I’m home. My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th.”

The Clippers and Paul, who said he is retiring after this season, are currently in a holding pattern as he’s not eligible to be traded until Dec. 15 at the earliest. Paul said he’s excited about whatever comes next.

“I’m actually at peace with everything,” he told People.com. “More than anything, I’m excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”

Paul had rejoined the Clippers in late July on a one-year deal. He averaged a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 16 games for the Clippers this season.

Source link

• 

  Dave McMenaminDec 9, 2025, 04:29 PM ET

  Close

  • Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
  • Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart was cleared to practice Tuesday after being sidelined with a back issue for the past two weeks, giving L.A. a defensive boost heading into Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.

“Back’s feeling good,” Smart said. “Felt good in practice today. So we did some tests, passed the tests. We’re going to give it a shot tomorrow. See how it feels.”

Smart, 31, missed the Lakers’ last six games with what the team termed a left lumbar muscle strain.

The former Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals for L.A. this season after signing as a free agent in the summer.

Meanwhile, the Lakers prepared at practice Tuesday for the potential return of the 7-5 center dynamo, Victor Wembanyama, to San Antonio’s lineup. Wembanyama, who is averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.6 blocks, has missed the Spurs’ last 11 games with a left calf strain.

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

“I’ll be doing as much as I can, but it’s a game plan where the whole team has to guard him,” Lakers center Deandre Ayton said of Wembanyama. “Just shut him down and make everything uncomfortable for him and that’s what we’ve been working on … just really just leaving the focus on him on the defensive end and making our defense create our offense in transition.”

L.A. beat San Antonio 118-116 on Nov. 5, and Wembanyama was held relatively in check, finishing with 19 points on 5-for-14 shooting, 8 rebounds and 5 turnovers while fouling out.

Since that game, the Spurs have gotten former All-Star De’Aaron Fox back in the lineup and have gone 10-5 over their last 15, with Fox averaging 24.3 points and 6.5 assists.

“He is obviously a very dynamic guard,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Fox. “You got to do a good job of containing drives. And it’s not just him. Their guards. [Stephon] Castle … obviously when [Devin] Vassell gets going off of dribble handoffs and putting not only pressure on the rim, but just his jump shooting, they’re good movers. … They have good movers on their team and so it’s going to be a challenge. And Fox is, he is one of the best guards in the league.”

After going 4-0 in the group stage of the NBA Cup, Wednesday’s game is do-or-die. Win, and your team advances to Las Vegas for the semifinals Saturday and a chance at the $530,000 cash prize per player in the championship game. Lose, and your team is out and each player takes home $53,000.

“I’m just happy for the fans,” Ayton said of the challenge the Cup presents. “Fans get to see a different part of the NBA, like it’s a March Madness type of vibe, and they come to see us play and we put on a show.”

And as for L.A.’s chances of capturing its second NBA Cup title in the three years of its existence? Said Ayton: “Seeing where we are in the season, why not us?”

Source link

John Cena admittedly got very emotional at a certain point during his retirement tour this year.

WWE Superstar John Cena was the latest guest on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet. When asked what his favorite moment of his retirement tour has been, Cena pointed to his match against CM Punk in Saudi Arabia, admitting the entire experience ended up making him cry.

“That moment with Punk in Saudi. That transcends wrestling,†John Cena said. “To see cultures bridged. To see genuine forgiveness. Iâ€m watching that pre-show bawling. Itâ€s a pre-show. Unfolding before our eyes is accountability and genuine forgiveness and the bridging of cultural gaps. People who might not know a lot about each other or understand each other are getting along in harmony through this one thing that we dig: wrestling.

“What a global conduit to peace, excitement, and happiness. Iâ€m just glad that I was his opponent so I could be attached to that moment. That pre-show, man, that is what we do. He made that trip knowing it was going to be uneasy and knowing he was going to have to be accountable, and just leaned in.

“In a moment, people were like, ‘Oh, Iâ€m heard. Yes, Iâ€m ready to forgive.†Astonishing. To top it all off, ‘I think weâ€ve bridged the gap here,†and then for him to go out and smoke in the promo. Drop heat in the gimmick. It was beautiful. The one that almost got me to break, in between one of his lines, he said, ‘I miss you already.†I almost lost it right in front of him. Thatâ€s one of the best moments Iâ€ve ever been a part of.†[H/T: Fightful]

READ MORE: Logan Paul Claims Major Celebrity No-Showed WWE Appearance To Set Up Match

What do you make of John Cenaâ€s overall comments? What was basically your favorite moment from his retirement tour this year? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

Source link

The December 9 episode of NXT was quite an episode, and it included a lot of fallout after Deadline. That being said, the stories carried on, and that meant a new Superstar was able to debut.

Shiloh Hill has been getting attention with his dark web inspired gimmick. His promos have also given fans a look into his legit past as a college athlete. This week, we saw the LFG season 2 winner debut. He was more than ready for his moment in the spotlight.

Shiloh Hill received a nice entrance and jumped right in the ring. His opponent for this debut match was against Lexis King, and he started out by taking the fight to Brian Pillman Jr in quick fashion.

The newcomer had a ton of momentum behind him. Then he ripped out his mouth guard, complete with one of his teeth, and he handed it to the referee before he kept going. Shiloh Hill was billed as a “different breed of individual,†and thatâ€s an understatement.

After a flurry of moves, he finally got the pinfall on Lexis King. This was a big debut for the LFG season 2 winner, someone who was The Undertakerâ€s prized pupil. This is just the beginning for Hill.

Whatâ€s your take on Shiloh Hill debuting for NXT like this? Do you think that he will be a big deal in WWE soon enough? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

Source link

John Cena

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

John Cena was moved to tears after wrestling C.M. Punk at the WWE Night of Champions PLE on June 25.

“Gosh, one of the moments in sports entertainment thatâ€s larger than sports entertainment is Phil Brooks (C.M. Punk) going to Saudi Arabia,” Cena said during his appearance on the Dec. 9 edition of Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “That s— made me cry… like, awesome, awesome. Accountability, vulnerability, apology, forgiveness. Cultures melding into each other and then he comes out and does my gimmick. Like, how do you follow what I did? He came up with this crazy idea. Iâ€m like, ‘Dude, you have to do that’ and he crushed it. He absolutely just crushed it.

Cena was asked what his favorite career moment was and he said it was wrestling Punk at Night of Champions. He also told Van Vliet that Punk is his “wrestling soulmate” when discussing why their match in Saudi Arabia was so meaningful to him.

Punk appeared at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia after being critical of the WWE relationship in the past. He ended up apologizing for a tweet he posted in 2021 when he wrote to The Miz that said he should “go suck a blood money covered d— in Saudi Arabia.”

Punk ended up apologizing for his comments directed at The Miz at the Night of Champions kickoff event ahead of the PLE when he was booed by the fans in attendance. One fan near Punk asked him to apologize and Punk said, “I sincerely apologize to you and all of Saudi Arabia.” Punk blamed the tweet on being in a bad mood when he sent it.

WWE has strengthened its business ties with Saudi Arabia since forming a relationship with the country in 2018. WWE is hosting two of its big four PLE’s in Saudi Arabia in the next couple of years. Saudi Arabia will host the Royal Rumble on Jan. 31, 2026. WWE recently announced that Saudi Arabia will host WrestleMania 2027 in Riyadh.

Source link

• Joey Lynch

  Close

  Joey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.

Dec 9, 2025, 08:02 PM ET

Australia’s game against the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup won’t be the biggest game that the Socceroos have ever played at the global footballing showpiece.

In all honesty, between round-of-16 appearances against eventual champions Italy and Argentina, the drought-breaking win over Japan in 2006, the knockout-stage-securing win over Croatia in that same tournament, or group-stage games against defending champions such as France and Spain, it would struggle to break into the top 10. But when Tony Popovic’s side run out to face the Americans in Seattle on June 19, it might just be one of the most hyped games that the Socceroos have ever played.

Drawn into Group D at next year’s tournament alongside the co-hosts, as well as Paraguay and a European qualifier to be drawn from one of Slovakia, Kosovo, Türkiye, or Romania, Australia now, for the most part, knows what they’ll need to secure back-to-back appearances in the World Cup knockout stages. Supporters, meanwhile, can start to plan their journey alongside the Socceroos throughout the group and possibly beyond, trying to figure out how they’ll source tickets amongst high demand and significant prices, but also grapple with accommodation costs that a quick perusal of booking sites would suggest will run them back more than a grand for just a couple of nights.

– O’Hanlon: How the 2026 World Cup killed the ‘Group of Death’
– How travel will impact 2026 World Cup group stage, and why it matters
– 2026 World Cup Group D: How U.S. matches up against group-stage foes

Both cohorts also now know that their journey will begin on the West Coast of North America, with the Socceroos’ opening game against the European qualifier to take place in Vancouver, followed by the Seattle clash against the Americans and then a meeting with Paraguay in Santa Clara. Travel and logistics-wise, this should prove relatively simple for the team and travelling supporters alike, while the timezone also ensures favourable broadcast times for those watching at home. It also means that, for the most part, the sweltering heat of the North American summer will be dodged.

And while the progression of the eight best third-placed sides across a record 12 groups at the expanded 48-team World Cup somewhat reduces the jeopardy compared to previous 32-team tournaments, this also means that Popovic’s side’s knockout destiny likely rests upon their form in the Pacific Northwest.

Which brings us back to the United States. While Mauricio Pochettino’s side was placed in Pot 1 of the World Cup draw by virtue of their status as co-hosts (with Mexico in Group A and Canada in Group B afforded similar privileges), the USMNT’s FIFA ranking of 14 wasn’t too far off earning that right — only bettered in Pot 2 by Croatia, Morocco, and Colombia. In recent months, the side’s form, which had been stuttering and raising a few alarm bells, has taken a turn under their Argentine coach: unbeaten in five with wins over Japan, Uruguay, Paraguay and, back in September, Australia. And highlighted by the likes of Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic, they field top-line talent playing at some of the best clubs in the world.

When you add the luxury of hosting the tournament, which, Qatar aside, generally correlates with improved performances, the Americans are the favourites to top Group D and should hold hopes of staging a deep run into the competition. Indeed, if they don’t achieve the former, it will have to be considered a letdown on their part. Even if, given how difficult Australia and Paraguay (who conceded just 10 goals across 18 South American qualifiers) have proven to be in competitive games, to say nothing of Türkiye potentially joining, topping the group will perhaps not be as comfortable as some of the more boisterous sections of their professional commentariat, one of whom described Australia as a “lay-up” suggest.

play

3:17

Should USMNT be happy with their World Cup draw?

The “Futbol Americas” crew react to USMNT’s 2026 FIFA World Cup group draw.

From an Australian perspective, this means that if they can take something from that game in Seattle, a point or even a win, they’ll go a long way towards the knockouts — being able to take points off the strongest team in your group, assuming that they go ahead and do the job against your other rivals, carries obvious benefits.

Further, heavy lies the crown of favoritism and expectation, and with the weight of anticipation on the Americans’ shoulders from an expectant home crowd, it’s very easy to envisage the game being played out in a manner that suits the Socceroos’ strengths and tests their opponents with something they’ve struggled with: the hosts taking the onus of possession as they seek to break down an Australian outfit comfortable in sitting back in a low block, who can then look to pick their moments and break through in transition. This feeling may only heighten if the United States are frustrated by the stout Paraguayans in their opening game.

Their recent fixtures may have exposed the perils of regression to the mean and heightened scrutiny of the side’s urgent need to improve in possession, but if the Socceroos can be clinical — as they did when they vastly outperformed their expected goals (xG) in World Cup qualifying and secured wins over Japan and Saudi Arabia — this approach can prove effective. It wouldn’t be pretty — by any stretch — nor probably fun to watch. But if it gets wins at a World Cup, Popovic, who has already engineered one unfancied run when he took an unheralded Western Sydney Wanderers to a 2014 Asian Champions League crown, wouldn’t mind too much.

Yet the footballing aspects of the game against the United States are only part of the picture of why it will likely be so big. For one, this will be the first time that Australia has played a host nation since 1974, when a team largely comprised of semiprofessionals captained by the legendary Johnny Warren were grouped with West Germany. This means that the spotlight will be well and truly on Lumen Field when kick-off arrives, and that the stands and build-up will be just that bit more circus-like than otherwise.

While there were inevitably plenty of hot takes about the quality of Australian sides that took on Germany, Brazil, and Spain before they played in previous tournaments, these weren’t written in English and easily consumed Down Under. Nor were they as readily available as they will be in 2026, where the ability to spew outrage and polarisation is not only available to anyone with an internet connection but boosted by algorithms and monetisation programs that ensure that even the most Johnny No-Mates or Becky Bad-Opinions amongst us, Aussie or American, can be seen by tens of thousands if they hit the timeline just right.

Combine this with more of the “lay-up”-esque analysis likely to ramp up as kick-off approaches and the hyper-online and prickly habits of Aussie footballing fans (observe their reaction to the late Grant Wahl’s suggestion that the Socceroos’ might not have been very good in 2018), Australian sporting fans (just look at Oscar Piastri’s online following), and there’s going to be a lot of kindling for the fire. Common sense? Goodwill? Touching grass? The actual human interaction being fun and friendly? Not on my internet!

On- and off-the-field, then, the Socceroos being drawn against the United States promises to be big, potentially defining both of their World Cup campaigns. Toxic, too. But big. And fun.

Source link