Goalkeeper Raúl Rangel was 18 years old and playing for Chivas de Guadalajara’s youth academy the last time Mexico faced South Korea in a World Cup match in 2018.

Three years ago, when asked who might be the next great goalkeeper for the Mexican national team, Rangel named himself ahead of veteran Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa. A bold statement for a player who was just making his professional debut.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old goalkeeper will defend El Tri’s goal during his second World Cup match at Guadalajara Stadium — where he usually plays home games with Chivas — when Mexico takes on South Korea at 6 p.m. PDT on Fox/Telemundo in the second match of Group A.

“I told everyone, ‘I see myself at the World Cup.’ Some people laughed,” Rangel recalled. “I’d been picturing myself on the national team for three years.”

Mexico and South Korea won their opening matches — El Tri against South Africa and the South Koreans against the Czech Republic — so the winner of this match will take first place in the group and secure its spot in the next round. The incentive is clear for Mexico, as the group winner will play the next two knockout rounds at Azteca Stadium, where El Tri has never lost a World Cup match.

The second-place team, on the other hand, would have to travel to Los Angeles for its next match. While the opponent could be tougher, Los Angeles would be a comfortable destination for South Korea — it has a strong fan base in L.A. and wouldn’t have to contend with Mexico City’s high altitude.

After an opening match in which Mexico coach Javier Aguirre acknowledged that the pressure of the first day affected the team’s performance and that the emotional atmosphere at Azteca Stadium had “weighed heavily” on several of his players, the coach and the players hope to deliver a sharper performance against South Korea.

“Yes, there was a bit of nervousness, a bit of fear,” Mexico midfielder Erik Lira admitted after the opener.

“We need to be more decisive; the win has calmed the nerves we’ve had over the last few days,” Mexico defender Israel Reyes said.

But if Mexico wants to excel, it needs not only to put its nerves behind it but also to improve tactically. Mexico, a co-host of the tournament alongside the United States and Canada, is aiming to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup and advance beyond the round of 16. El Tri has won only one match in the knockout stage — in 1986, when it defeated Bulgaria 2-0 at Azteca Stadium.

“I think that mental aspect has been missing for us. We have to believe that we can achieve great things,” Rangel said. “I truly believe I’m going to be a champion with Mexico. We have a responsibility as hosts.”

The match will be played at Guadalajara Stadium, 5,138 feet above sea level, and will mark the first time Mexico has played a World Cup match in the city.

Chivas, Mexico’s most popular club team, has the most players on the national team with five and all of them will get to play their second World Cup match on their club’s home turf. Brian Gutiérrez, the Mexican American who played a key role in the opener as South Africa was hit a with a red card while trying to stop him, and veteran Roberto Alvarado, who recorded an assist against South Africa, joined Rangel as Chivas starters in the opener. Bench players Luis Romo and Armando González, who also saw action in the opener, also play for Chivas.

Mexico captain Edson Álvarez challenges South Africa’s Themba Zwane during a World Cup match at Azteca Stadium on June 11.

(Carl Recine / Getty Images)

Aguirre will have to make at least one lineup change against South Korea, with Edson Álvarez replacing César Montes, who is serving a red-card suspension. Álvarez is coming off an injury and it’s unclear how he will navigate the stress. Aguirre is also expected to give playing time to 17-year-old prospect Gilberto Mora in midfield — possibly in place of Gutiérrez — and to bring in Jorge Sánchez for Reyes at fullback.

South Korea arrives with a mix of European experience and a hunger for glory. LAFC star Son Heung-min is playing in his fourth World Cup and scored against Mexico in 2018. Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich has been a rock in defensive midfield, while Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in — who, interestingly, played under Aguirre at Mallorca — is a constant threat in creating plays. Joining them is Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord in the Netherlands.

The South Koreans have also been training for weeks at Verde Valle, Chivas’ training facility, which has allowed them to acclimate to the altitude. With the support of the Mexican crowd, they won their World Cup opening match against the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium.

“It was like playing a game in Seoul,” Hwang said after the match, thanking Guadalajara for its support.

“[Mexico] is a good team, but, as you’ve just seen, we can take on anyone,” Hwang said after his team rallied from a 1-0 deficit to beat the Czech Republic.

The week, however, was not without controversy for the South Korean team, as the squad barred press from their home country after audio of media criticizing the mandatory military service exemption granted to Son was leaked. The audio also included criticism of coach Hong Myung-bo.

South Korea and Mexico faced off in September ahead of the World Cup, tying 2-2 in Nashville.

The World Cup stage, however, will be different and brings immense pressure.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) had a few more shakeups to its talent and personnel roster on Wednesday.

Anthem Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of TNA, announced that it had parted ways with pro wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer and former TNA world champion Tessa Blanchard in a press release. Fox News Digital confirmed Blanchard’s departure on Tuesday.

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“TNA Wrestling today announced a workforce reduction, designed to streamline operations and sharpen strategic focus and profitability,” the organization said.

“TNA’s creative leadership team will see an immediate shift. Tommy Dreamer, who has worked in TNA’s Creative and Talent Relations Departments, is leaving the company as TNA and Dreamer mutually agreed to part ways.

“TNA Wrestling also has come to terms on the release of Tessa Blanchard.

“We wish Tessa, Tommy and others the best in their future endeavors.”

Dreamer announced his departure in an emotional interview on Busted Open Radio earlier Wednesday.

Additionally, pro wrestler Sami Callihan announced he had parted ways with the company.

“Thought I was getting called today to be offered a position in creative… nope. I’ve parted ways with TNA.  Oh well… onward to the next adventure,” he wrote on X while encouraging fans to watch Pro Wrestling Revolver.

Dreamer, Blanchard and Callihan’s departures are the latest to hit the company.

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TNA announced Steve Maclin and Myla Grace departed the promotion earlier this month.

Justin Herbert is starting from the ground up in Mike McDaniel’s new-look Chargers offense.

The 28-year-old quarterback has dedicated much of the offseason to tweaking his footwork — putting his left foot in front of his right from the shotgun, against traditional NFL form — to fit Los Angeles’ new offensive coordinator’s scheme.

McDaniel prioritizes getting the ball to playmakers in space as efficiently as possible, as he did for four seasons as the Miami Dolphins head coach with speedy wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and envisions Herbert’s flip in footing accelerating and syncing the timing of passes with receivers’ route breaks.

“If guys train it so that they don’t have to think about it and they can be comfortable, you can do a couple things that put the defense in a bind with how you do your footwork,” McDaniel said at Chargers minicamp in El Segundo. “I don’t mandate it. With Justin, I really just showed him where I thought it would be advantageous, and he didn’t blink for a second and was excited to attack it.”

“The patternization in Mike McDaniel’s system has required some footwork changes,” added head coach Jim Harbaugh. “[Herbert’s] been working very hard, very hard at those. And as you would expect, Justin has picked it up.”

McDaniel said he got the idea as an up-and-comer on staffs in Houston and Washington alongside current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and pointed to Matt Ryan and Tua Tagovailoa as recent quarterbacks with whom he has implemented the stance change and reaped positive results.

Herbert, who has been one of those traditional right-handed quarterbacks to have their right foot forward from the shotgun, has embraced his new coordinator’s methodology.

“It’s about playing the way that [McDaniel] sees the quarterback position being played,” Herbert said, “and talking about how we can get the ball to the receivers in a position where they can run with it and allow them to do the things that they’re so good at: making plays.”

To accelerate his adaptation, Herbert has thrown less in practice sessions and done plenty of drills without a football — two markers that are simply unlike the seven-season veteran, who is known to sling the rock plenty at practice and in games.

McDaniel and Harbaugh added that, besides helping Herbert adjust his feet, keeping the ball out of their quarterback’s hands during the offseason will help him stay fresh later in the regular season.

Herbert is on board, but made it clear he does not require any maintenance.

“I’ve thrown a lot of footballs, and it’s May and June and I didn’t think it was as necessary to throw as much now,” Herbert said. “And do everything I can to get the footwork ready and get the offense down. The throws, they’ll be there. We’ve got plenty of time in camp and throughout [organized team activities] to get timing. I think it’s been smart by everyone, taking it easy.”

Herbert added that it’s better to focus on where his feet are now rather than in a live, meaningful game. However, Harbaugh and McDaniel said Herbert is ramping up his throwing in practice with training camp looming.

The Chargers expect big things out of McDaniel’s offense after they averaged a subpar 21.6 points per game in 2025.

Harbaugh and McDaniel are hopeful for career years from Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey and Tre’ Harris — exactly what the wideouts want to hear.

“As you all know … the timing, that’s a different aspect for us than we’re used to, but I think it’s great,” McConkey said. “It just gets the ball in the playmakers’ hands and lets us go to work.”

Before any dreams of the Chargers winning a Super Bowl on their home SoFi Stadium turf can come true next season, Herbert must simply get his footing, with his feet and new playbook.

“I’m sure you guys are eager to see him execute in a high regard in the stuff that we’re doing,” McDaniel said. “You got to be patient … that’s been part of the very calculated, very deliberate, intentional process that we take into the offseason.”