Sports
Brazil are trapped in a cycle of apathy – just as rivals Argentina thrive
Brazil have endured so many low ebbs over the past 15 years that it can be hard to remember them all.
The historically embarrassing 7-1 defeat to Germany at their own World Cup? Sure, but don’t forget the moronic reappointment of Dunga as coach in the immediate aftermath or the twin Copa America meltdowns of 2015 and 2016. The doomed, drawn-out pursuit of Carlo Ancelotti has to be on the list, too, as should about six other federation-level failures. You’d need a team of forensic experts to properly sift through all this rubble.
There is also a more recent option that might have passed you by. In November 2023, led by their second interim coach of the year, Brazil welcomed Argentina to Rio de Janeiro for a World Cup qualifier. They lost 1-0, a predictable result that nonetheless tipped the crisis-o-meter towards ‘existential’.
It was Brazil’s third defeat in the first six rounds of qualification. It left them sixth in the 10-team South American group. Venezuela, no one’s idea of a major football power, were above them in the standings. So were Ecuador and they had started the campaign with a points deduction.
The expansion of the World Cup and an extra automatic qualifying spot for the CONMEBOL region (there are now six, with an inter-continental play-off for the nation finishing seventh) ought to have reduced Brazil’s chances of failure to nought. Instead, they were flirting with disaster.
Sixteen months on, the situation is under control. A hard-fought victory over Colombia last week lifted Brazil to third. There is an eight-point buffer between them and seventh. We can say with some certainty that they will be at the 2026 World Cup. The drama is over.
That, though, is not to say that all is sunshine and roses. Indeed, as Brazil prepare to face Argentina for the first time since that reversal in Rio de Janeiro, there is a lingering sense of unease about the direction of travel.
Vinicius Junior celebrates his late winner in Brazil’s 2-1 win over Colombia on Friday (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
Brazil’s results have improved, but it would be generous to say they have been playing well. They were stodgy in the extreme at last summer’s Copa America and recent matches have followed the same template: there are little spurts of inspiration, most of it individual, but also long periods when Brazil are fretful and frantic. They started well against Colombia but let all momentum seep away, as they often do.
Vinicius Junior’s late winner, a deflected strike from range, owed more to pluck and luck than any collective plan. “I hope it unlocks something,” Vinicius Jr said after the game. He is not the only one.
Dorival Junior, who took over as coach in January 2024, is a likeable character. He arrived with a reputation as a firefighter, someone who could avert the impending crisis. On that count, it’s job done. Mathematically, Brazil are safe. The question now is whether he has the tactical acumen to turn them into a proper team.
The jury is very much out on that one. He says he wants his star forwards — Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr, Raphinha — to play with freedom, but more structure is needed against organised defences. His system can leave Brazil’s two midfielders exposed and he is slow to react to shifts in the pattern of a match. “Sometimes it’s difficult to get your message across clearly,” he said after the Colombia game, an admission that was far more revealing than he can have intended.
Another line from his press conference — “We’ve seen a considerable improvement in every game” — drew the ire of the Brazilian press. “You need a magnifying glass to see any progress,” deadpanned Jessica Cescon of GloboEsporte. “We need something different, a gust of originality,” wrote Tostao, the former Brazil striker.
The juxtaposition with Argentina is a painful one on every level. Few would ever admit to such heresy, but all sensible Brazilian football fans will feel an acute pang of jealousy when they look across their southern border.
Most obviously, there are the trophies. Argentina won the World Cup in 2022, something Brazil have not managed in over two decades and don’t look like doing any time soon. The last two editions of the Copa America have gone Argentina’s way, too. Brazil won that competition in 2019, but that seems a long time ago now. For the past six years, this has been an incredibly one-sided rivalry.
Part of the charm of this period of Argentine dominance is that it was so unexpected. Argentina, like Brazil, spent the 2010s lurching between crises, yet found a winning lottery ticket down the back of the sofa. Lionel Scaloni has not solved every issue behind the scenes — he came close to walking away from the job last year after allegedly falling out with the federation hierarchy — but he has filtered out the noise and the nonsense to transformative effect. Brazil would kill for a little slice of the same.
Dorival Junior took over as Brazil head coach in January 2024 (Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images)
On the pitch, Argentina are everything Brazil are not: settled, drilled, coherent. Obviously, the presence of a world-historical footballer is always likely to swing things in your favour, but Argentina know how to get by when Lionel Messi is absent, as he will be in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. This is Scaloni’s seventh year in charge and you can tell. Brazil’s players, as Marquinhos put it this week, “are still getting to know each other”; Argentina’s dogs of war know each other inside out.
Perhaps the most stark contrast, though, is to be found in the stands and in the streets.
It is impossible to think about Argentina’s World Cup win without remembering those amazing scenes of support and jubilation in the country’s cities: the swaying seas of fans in city squares, the tears, the singing, the lads clinging to telephone poles, hollering themselves hoarse.
Success always breeds attachment, but there is something extra here, genuine communion. Argentines do not just watch these players; they feel in tune with them, represented by them, ennobled by their many attributes. (And, less positively, defensive of their flaws.)
Things are different for Brazil. There is, understandably, no great groundswell of support for the Selecao in its current iteration. More interesting is the lack of any great national outrage about the team and its diminished standing. The overriding feelings are apathy and drift.
This is not a new phenomenon. Brazilian pundits have wrung their hands about the lack of connection between the national team and the public for years, maybe even decades. The players are asked about it all the time. Every game is painted as an opportunity to get people onside, to start forging a new, united front. It’s an impossible thing to track empirically, but the persistence of the discourse tells its own story.
A few factors are usually cited as reasons for the malaise. One is that many national team players have no real links with the Brazilian public, having left the domestic scene before playing much — or any — senior football. Another is that Brazil spent years playing friendlies all over the globe, prioritising revenue over kinship.
Then there are the usual, tired tropes about players caring more about their bank accounts and club teams than they do for their country, an argument completely undermined by the willingness of those same players to cross the Atlantic multiple times per year to get jeered whenever they don’t win 3-0. (It would be unfair to conduct any analysis of the team-fan relationship without noting the strains of entitlement and impatience that exist within the Brazilian fanbase.)
It’s not clear how you solve any of this. It’s not clear that you even can. The best hope, you’d say, is simply to start winning things — to kickstart a virtuous cycle that obscures all of the fissures, much as Argentina did when they appointed Scaloni in 2018.
As Brazil head to Buenos Aires, to another raucous stadium, to yet another exhibition of symbiosis between team and public, they will know that there is a path out of purgatory. Bottling lightning like Argentina did, however, will not be easy.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
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Back in January, the odds that King James would retire before the beginning of the 2026-27 season were slightly longer than the odds that he would give it another go.
But as of now, it looks like LeBron will, in fact, give it another go but with a team other than the Lakers.
Here are the latest odds for where James could land next season at DraftKings Sportsbook as of June 30.
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LeBron James Next Team Odds
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Washington Wizards: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
NBA free agency begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. However, hours before its official start, LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, made a jaw-dropping announcement.
According to ESPN reporting, Paul notified the Lakers that the franchise could move on without LeBron because he plans to play elsewhere for the 2026-27 season.
James played for the organization for eight years — the longest he’s played for any other team. While in L.A., King James broke the all-time scoring record, won an NBA title and earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP.
The imprint he’s left on the league in his more than 20 years has been immeasurable.
Where will LeBron land next season now that his time in Los Angeles is over?
In addition to his tenure in Los Angeles, he’s played for the Cavaliers and the Heat, winning titles with all three franchises. He won Rookie of the Year, has four regular-season MVPs and is a 22-time All-Star.
James has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 boards and 7.4 assists over the course of his career.
During the 2025-26 season, he helped lead the Lakers to a 53-29 record in the regular season. The team secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and defeated Houston 4-2 in the first round.
Eventually, Los Angeles got bounced by Oklahoma City in the conference semifinals, 4-0, which marked LeBron’s last dance in Hollywood.
Sports
Contributor: U.S.-born Brian Gutiérrez and Obed Vargas signal a new era for Mexico’s national team
After the total failure that was Mexico’s participation in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage, the future looked very dire for “El Tri.” By 2024, the situation had worsened after another international failure at the Copa América. The 2026 World Cup co-hosts had even more pressure now. In a crisis-control move, the Mexico Football Federation opted to bring back its proven problem solver, head coach “El Vasco” Javier Aguirre, for a third stint.
In a short time, Aguirre was able to shape “El Tri” into a competitive squad by breaking from his usual approach. The man who shockingly demoted then-24-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa in favor of a more experienced player prior to the 2010 World Cup was now relying on upstarts.
Aguirre’s 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup features 14 debutants on soccer’s grandest stage.The crown jewel of this nucleus is undoubtedly 17-year-old wonderkid Gilberto Mora, but there are also two American-born players who are also expected to become pillars of the team: Brian Gutiérrez, from Berwyn, Ill., and Obed Vargas, from Anchorage, Alaska.
Under Article 30, Section A, Part II of the Mexican Constitution, individuals born abroad are considered Mexican by birth if they are children of Mexican parents — a Mexican mother or a Mexican father. Gutiérrez’s parents are from San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco, while Vargas’ father is a native of Morelia, Michoacán, and his mother was raised in Mexico City.
“Obviously, I’m taking it day by day and just trying to enjoy the experience,” said Gutiérrez about the opportunity to play for Mexico at the World Cup. “I talk about it a lot with my friends and family. Honestly, it’s amazing… I’m just living in the moment.”
Gutiérrez, 22, and Vargas, 20, are not the first players born in the United States to represent Mexico in a World Cup. That distinction belongs to Miguel Ponce and Isaac Brizuela, who were both born in California and part of the 2014 squad. But the comparisons largely end there.
Unlike Ponce and Brizuela, Gutiérrez and Vargas were fully raised in the United States and went through their entire soccer development on American fields. Ponce and Brizuela were also fringe contributors; they didn’t see any minutes in Brazil 2014.
Meanwhile, Gutiérrez and Vargas are already getting important playing time with the national team. Both were part of Mexico’s historic group stage where, for the first time in history, the team won all three of its games. Gutiérrez was a starter against South Africa and South Korea, while Vargas came off the bench to help preserve the 1-0 lead over South Korea.
Their protagonism in Aguirre’s squad could also signal another new era for the Mexican national team — one in which Mexican American players are just as vital as those born on Mexican soil.
“Brian and Obed are two young players of Mexican heritage. They are very talented players who have made great progress recently. We called them up, and they convinced us with their performances,” said Aguirre prior to the tournament. “I believe there are many Mexican American players who, in the future, will continue strengthening Mexico’s youth national teams, including the women’s side. That makes me happy because they were not born in Mexico, yet they have a deep love for the country and have shown it by choosing to represent us.”
Both Gutiérrez and Vargas are also products of MLS academies.
Gutiérrez, a skillful and dynamic attacking midfielder, rose through the ranks of Chicago Fire’s youth system and made his senior debut in 2020. In December, he moved to storied Liga MX club Chivas, his childhood team. It took time for Gutiérrez to establish himself as a starter for Gabriel Milito’s squad, but his game-changing talent was there — enough to catch the eye of “El Vasco.”
Vargas, a box-to-box midfielder, developed through the Seattle Sounders youth system and debuted with the senior team in 2021. A strong showing against Atlético de Madrid in the 2025 Club World Cup led to the Spanish club adding him to its roster this February. This move also put him in Aguirre’s World Cup plans.
“Playing for Mexico at the World Cup is a dream come true for all Mexican American kids,” said Vargas. “Obviously, with the World Cup being in both countries, it’s special to me. I have connections and ties to both countries.”
For so long, it was said Mexican American players just could not earn a place with Mexico at the international level. Players like Édgar Castillo and Alejandro Zendejas — born in Juárez but raised in El Paso — represented “El Tri” up to the U-23 level, then switched and played for the U.S. Jonathan González (Santa Rosa, Calif.) represented the U.S. at youth level and then chose Mexico, but after a few call-ups he fell out of the picture.
But in this World Cup cycle, Mexican American players have stood out more than ever.
Aguirre’s preliminary 55-man World Cup roster included six Mexican American players. Richard Ledezma (Phoenix), Efraín Álvarez (Los Angeles), Jorge Ruvalcaba (Rialto), and Julián Araujo (Lompoc, Calif.) ultimately missed the final cut. Of the four, Ledezma and Araujo came closest to making the team, but for different reasons fell short.
Vargas believes it was only a matter of time before the talent broke through.
“I think Mexican American players have always been there. The quality has always been there. Obviously, the growing passion for the sport in the United States has helped fuel the development of many of those players,” said Vargas. “I think it’s amazing to see so many Mexican Americans doing well with the national teams of both the United States and Mexico. Dreams come true for kids, and that continues to inspire the next generation of Mexican American players coming through in the U.S.”
Gutiérrez and Vargas, like many standout Mexican American players over the last 15 years, began their paths with “El Tri” amid a long-standing tug-of-war between their birth country and the country of their parents. The Mexico men’s national team and their U.S. counterparts have increasingly become rivals, both on the field and in recruiting dual-national players.
For Mexico, the United States now represents a prime area for scouting outside its territory. According to the Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) tabulation of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, approximately 38.8 million U.S. residents were either born in Mexico or reported Mexican ancestry or origin.
Not only do Mexican American players expand the national team’s talent pool, but as some argue, they also bring a different element that can be a major advantage for the program.
Former Mexico youth coach and current Guatemala coach Luis Fernando Tena recently raised eyebrows in an interview with ESPN Deportes by stating that Mexican American players possess qualities that can set them apart from homegrown Mexican players.
“They have an American mindset. They grew up with that mentality and with good nutrition, and that makes them different,” said Tena, who led Mexico’s U-23 team to the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. “They are more disciplined, work harder, and are more focused — something that we sometimes don’t always find in many Mexican-born players.”
Gutiérrez and Vargas started their international careers representing Team USA at youth level, but FIFA’s one-time switch rule allowed them to change allegiances.
Vargas said he chose Mexico because he simply “followed his heart.” His love for his heritage and the Mexican national team outweighed everything else.
As for Gutiérrez, he was motivated to make the change because his time at Chivas convinced him. In Liga MX, the club has been at the forefront of tapping into the Mexican diaspora in the U.S. Their long-standing “Mexicans-only” policy limits the club’s talent pool when acquiring players. Because of this, Mexican American players are becoming a vital lifeline for Chivas.
“As soon as I arrived at Chivas, I knew my decision was to represent Mexico because we play with 100% Mexicans, that’s just how it is,” said Gutiérrez.
Opportunity may have also played a major role in Gutiérrez’s and Vargas’s “one-time switch” decisions. Both had no clear pathway into the U.S. senior squad, while Mexico offered a clearer route — and a chance at the 2026 World Cup.
In a 2023 interview, El Paso native Ricardo Pepi, who made the one-time switch from Mexico to the U.S., said on the Men in Blazers podcast that his decision was influenced by the fact that the U.S. had him in mind for the senior squad, while “El Tri” did not.
“It was just easy to decide. The U.S. wanted me to join them in World Cup qualifiers, which is a big deal,” said Pepi. “It’s a unique opportunity, being at a World Cup, and something I didn’t even have to think about because Mexico wanted me for the U-20s and eventually the first team. I was like, ‘I’m past that.’”
Although Gutiérrez and Vargas chose Mexico and embrace their parents’ culture, their duality is still present. They carry their communities with them.
A year ago, when aggressive ICE raids and mass deportations swept through many immigrant communities in the United States, particularly Mexican immigrant communities, a visibly frustrated Aguirre refused to comment on the situation, saying he was “apolitical” and not “a spokesperson” for the Mexican people.
This was not the case with Gutiérrez and Vargas, who both addressed questions about the ICE raids during Mexico’s World Cup media day in Pasadena, where they switched seamlessly between English and Spanish.
Gutiérrez answered without hesitation. His hometown of Berwyn is a suburb of Chicago, a city that in September was targeted by “Operation Midway Blitz,” a major federal immigration enforcement surge. According to the Chicago Tribune, between 3,800 and 4,500 individuals were detained or arrested during the operation.
Gutiérrez’s words reflected the strain felt throughout his community.
“It’s been a hard, hard year for us,” Gutiérrez said. “It’s affected a lot of families, and I take playing for Mexico with great pride and hope to show it on the field.”
It’s no secret that a large part of Mexico’s fanbase is composed of Mexican Americans. They are the ones who help fill massive NFL stadiums for “El Tri’s” annual MexTour, a slate of mostly inconsequential friendly matches that are often seen as a cash grab for the Mexican Football Federation. The presence of standout players like Gutiérrez and Vargas is a major development for this segment of the fanbase.
By featuring players with shared cultural experiences and struggles, the connection between the Mexican diaspora in the U.S. and “El Tri” can only strengthen. The ties now go beyond simply sharing the same roots; Mexican Americans can now gravitate toward a team with players who represent their dual identity. And this can bring a true sense of belonging.
Sports
Paraguay stuns four-time World Cup champions Germany in penalty shootout after controversial call
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Paraguay stunned Germany, the four-time FIFA World Cup champions, after moving on to the round of 16 after winning 4-3 in a penalty shootout on Monday in an absolutely thrilling match with a key controversial moment sprinkled in.
That moment came in extra time, which was needed after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes plus stoppage time between these two opponents.
Germany had dominated throughout this match, but Paraguay had made the best of their grade-A chance in the first half when Julio Enciso buried a header in the 42nd minute. The Germans were able to finally get on the board, though, in the 54th minute when Kai Havertz saw his own header flick into the back of the net.
Julio Enciso of Paraguay celebrates with teammate Gustavo Gomez after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 29, 2026. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
From there, Germany was on the offensive, getting chance after chance with some from Paraguay tossed in. But when extra time began, it seemed only a matter of time before Germany would pot another and take the lead.
It appeared to happen when Jonathan Tah rose up and smashed a header on a corner kick past Paraguay keeper Orlando Gill. The German faithful inside Boston Stadium went ballistic, but that was short-lived after the head official went to the VAR screen to review a potential foul.
CURACAO STUNS GERMANY AT WORLD CUP WITH HISTORIC GOAL THAT SENDS SUPPORTERS INTO UNDERSTANDABLE FRENZY
During the corner kick, Germany’s Waldemar Anton seemed to obstruct Gill’s movement toward the ball, and ultimately to defend Tah’s header. And if he was simply trying to sell the foul, it worked.
After review, the goal was annulled with the referee explaining that Anton’s actions had prevented Gill from properly getting the chance to stop the header.
After the 30 minutes of extra time, neither side was able to break the 1-1 tie. As a result, the tournament’s first penalty shootout was set to determine who would move on to the round of 16, and who would be heading home.
Things did not start off on the right foot for Germany when Havertz stepped up to the ball and saw Gill make a save. Maurício used that momentum and scored his first to immediately put Paraguay in a good position to win.
Both sides would ace their next two penalties apiece before Nick Woltemade’s attempt was saved by Gill. Paraguay, now, had a chance to win it all, but Antonio Sanabria missed the team’s fourth penalty.
Orlando Gill of Paraguay celebrates after Julio Enciso scored the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 29, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Nadiem Amiri kept Germany’s hopes alive with a made shot on the team’s fifth attempt, but being that penalties are determined by five shots, Fabián Balbuena had the opportunity to win it all. However, Manuel Neuer, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in soccer history, let alone Germany’s squad, kept up clutch with a save to force another round.
With slight momentum on their side, Tah stepped up to the penalty area with the chance to get another game-winning goal, this time with his boot. But his attempt was a miserable one, belting it over the crossbar and into the stands.
Paraguay, elated after the miss, sent José Canale to the box and he didn’t disappoint. Neuer guessed the wrong way and Canale tucked his shot under the bar and Paraguay celebrated as you’d expect: pure joy.
It’s the first time ever Germany has lost in penalties at the FIFA World Cup.
Germany was left shocked on the pitch, as their 2026 World Cup journey comes to a close. And it’s hard not to think what-if when they appeared to have the game-winner on the scoreboard only for it to be taken away by a call that will certainly be debated for some time.
Paraguay’s midfielder Julio Enciso celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on June 29, 2026. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Paraguay will now await the winner of the round of 32 match between France and Sweden, which will be played at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
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