This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
⚽ It's not such a good morning for ...
THE UNITED STATES WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
Millimeters of difference, miles of disappointment. The United States women's national team crashed out of the World Cup, falling to Sweden in penalty kicks, 0-0 (5-4), in the Round of 16, their earliest World Cup exit ever.
- The USA was in good shape through three rounds of the shootout after Nathalie Björn sent her attempt over, giving the Stars and Stripes a 3-2 lead with Megan Rapinoe stepping up. But Rapinoe, who hadn't missed a penalty for club or country since 2018, shockingly missed hers, too.
- Alyssa Naeher came to the momentary rescue with a huge save on Rebecka Blomqvist, giving Sophia Smith a shot at glory. But Smith missed, and Hanna Bennison forced sudden death.
- After Naeher and Magdalena Eriksson both converted in the first round of sudden death, Kelley O'Hara hit the goalpost. Naeher then got to Lina Hurtig's shot and batted it away twice. But video review revealed the ball snuck over the line by the narrowest of margins, sending Sweden into joyous delirium and the United States into disheartened disbelief.
The USWNT finished the tournament on a 238-minute goal-less drought, their longest in a World Cup. While they generated opportunities (11 shots on net), excellent goalkeeping by Zecira Musovic helped keep things scoreless. The defense, meanwhile, remained excellent, which is reflected in Sandra Herrera's player ratings.
Craving even more coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup? Don't miss a beat of the action from Down Under, subscribe to CBS Sports Golazo Network's daily Morning Footy podcast for all the latest news, previews, analysis and more!
Ultimately, the team struggled to bridge the age gap in the attack: Alex Morgan (34) and Megan Rapinoe (38) likely have played in their final World Cup and aren't the players they once were. Smith (22), Trinity Rodman (21) and Alyssa Thompson (18), meanwhile, aren't yet the players they will be. The United States had never had fewer than five different scorers in a single World Cup until this year, when they had just two: Smith and Lindsey Horan.
Speaking of bridging gaps, the margin between the world's top teams continues to narrow, something the United States must adapt to, writes Pardeep Cattry.
- Cattry: "This tournament marks the end of an era in many ways, but not just as it pertains to the USWNT's dominance. The quality gap is closing at a rapid pace -- just ask Germany, Brazil, and Canada. ... The USWNT coach -- be it Vlatko Andonovski or a new hire -- will need to demonstrate a tactical prowess that will allow the four-time World Cup winners to beat a crop of rising talent. ... Not everything is down to the coach, though. The federation will need to ensure that it invests wisely in its youth program after a string of unimpressive results."
Speaking of Andonovski. Sandra has a list of candidates the U.S. could target to replace him if they move on.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
- Josh Jung fractured his thumb.
- Brandon Marsh (bruised knee) is on the IL.
- Tyler Glasnow (back spasms) was scratched from his start.
- Alex Verdugo got benched for being late.
|
|
|
|
|
|
🏆 And a good morning to everyone else, but especially to ...
THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS
It was a wonderful weekend in Canton, Ohio with nine new members being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Ronde Barber
- Darrelle Revis
- Ken Riley
- Chuck Howley
- Zach Thomas
- DeMarcus Ware
- Joe Thomas
- Joe Klecko
- Don Coryell
We have highlights from all of the speeches here.
Now, we turn our attention to the 2024 class .. or rather, who could be in the 2024 class. Bryan DeArdo broke down the list of candidates, and two in their first year of eligibility stick out.
- DeArdo: "Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates have the best shot at being inducted in their first year of eligibility. ... Peppers was a nine-time Pro Bowler who made the 2010s All-Decade Team after racking up 159.5 career sacks. Also a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team, Gates was a Pro Bowler for eight straight years. He's currently first all time among tight ends with 116 touchdown receptions, while his 11,841 receiving yards are the third-highest total."
👍 Honorable mentions
- Lionel Messi scored again. Surprise! (Not.)
- The Eagles beefed up their linebacking corps with Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack.
- The Panthers signed veteran pass rusher Justin Houston.
- Florida State picked up five-star 2024 safety K.J. Bolden.
- Four-star 2024 running back Nate Frazier is heading to Georgia.
- How about this heartwarming story out of Eastern Michigan?
⛳ Justin Thomas misses FedEx Cup Playoffs by smallest of margins; Lucas Glover wins
Justin Thomas battled and battled and battled. He came up a few inches -- and one spot -- short. Now he'll wait. Thomas, needing birdie to sneak into the top 70 and qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, hit the pin on his birdie chip on the 72nd hole of the Wyndham Championship and settled for par ... and 71st in the standings.
- Thomas entered the tournament having missed five of seven cuts. It's been a tough season for the two-time PGA Championship winner; he missed the cut in three of the four majors with a T-65 in the Masters. It's his first winless season since 2014-15.
- Though missing the playoffs is a bummer, it's especially tough for Thomas because he won't be able to make his case for a Ryder Cup captain's pick, nor will he be able to accrue points toward earning an automatic selection.
Thomas loves the Ryder Cup. He owns a 6-2-1 record in two appearances, but more than that, he's a tremendous competitor and teammate. He's a guy you'd want to bring with you to Europe -- where the United States hasn't won since 1993 -- this fall ... if he were playing better golf.
As for someone who did play his way into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Lucas Glover needed at least a solo second at the Wyndham Championship, and he ended up just winning it instead, leaping from 112th to 49th in the standings. Patrick McDonald says Glover will be "firmly in the mix to see at least the second weekend of the playoffs."
Elsewhere, Bryson DeChambeau shot a 58 to win LIV Golf Greenbrier. It's the first sub-60 round in league history.
😲 Realignment reactions: Winners and losers, plus Nick Saban, Deion Sanders chime in
It finally happened. After slipping and struggling, the bottom fell out of the Pac-12, with Oregon and Washington set to depart for the Big Ten in 2024 and Arizona, Arizona State and Utah joining the Big 12 in 2024.
Shehan Jeyarajah declared winners and losers from a whirlwind day in college athletics, including...
- "Losers: Oregon and Washington -- Both programs earned a rightful place in one of the top conferences in college football. However, their arrival comes through the back door with a diminished share. ... To make matters worse, the Big Ten is a logistical nightmare for the newest West Coast additions. ... At least USC and UCLA earn $75 million per year to make the nightmare trips; Oregon and Washington will be struggling on a budget."
- "Winner: Arizona -- Football moves the levers of power in college athletics, but few schools can be happier about the boon to their basketball programs than Arizona. The Wildcats rank among the greatest college hoops programs of all time, and they are now set to join the unquestioned top basketball league in college athletics."
Both Nick Saban (here) and Deion Sanders (here) shared their thoughts on realignment.
The Pac-12 is now the Pac-4 -- Washington State, Stanford, Cal and Oregon State -- and those schools are none too happy about their current predicament. They're in a broken conference with no media rights deal, and, as Dennis Dodd writes, don't expect anyone to take responsibility.
⚾ MLB Power Rankings plus weekend recap: José Ramírez lands punch heard 'round the world
When it's late summer and your team is struggling, it's easy for frustrations to spill over. But rarely do we see it like this. José Ramírez and Tim Anderson traded punches, with Ramírez landing a haymaker, sending the White Sox shortstop to the dirt and inciting a benches-clearing incident.
- Ramírez slid into second base between Anderson's legs, and Anderson kept his tag on for a while. Ramírez took exception, pointed at Anderson, and the fight was on. Here's the video.
- Anderson, Ramírez, Guardians manager Terry Francona, Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, Guardians third base coach Mike Sarbaugh and White Sox manager Pedro Grifol were all ejected. The entire incident lasted roughly 15 minutes.
- Later, Ramírez said Anderson has "been disrespecting the game for a while."
To put it nicely, neither of those teams are featured highly in Matt Snyder's MLB Power Rankings. Here's the top five:
- 1. Braves
- 2. Orioles
- 3. Rays
- 4. Rangers
- 5. Astros
📺 What we're watching Monday
⚽ We're watching the Women's World Cup. Here's how.
