Category: Sports

Just like that, only eight remain. 

Two compelling days of Sweet 16 matchups that featured nothing but power-conference programs produced four nail-biting finishes and four lopsided blowouts. When the dust finally settled, the Elite Eight housed six teams seeded No. 3 or higher and two upstarts in No. 9 Iowa and No. 6 Tennessee.

The Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, ACC and SEC all have at least one team remaining in what feels like a relatively accurate cross-section of the sport. Three 1-seeds are still alive in Arizona, Michigan and Duke, the tournament’s No. 1 overall team. And No. 2 UConn is now within three games of its third national title in the last four years. 

Here are my takeaways from the Sweet 16: 

1. The Big Ten continues cruising toward the Final Four

[MEN’S BRACKET: NCAA Tournament Bracket, Leaders & Stats]

When the Big Ten sent six teams to the Sweet 16, the league established a new record for dominance in that round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. And when four Big Ten schools prevailed on Thursday and Friday to reach the Elite Eight — Michigan, Purdue, Iowa and Illinois — that set another high-water mark for the conference. Never has the Big Ten felt closer to snapping its 26-year drought without a national title than right now. 

“College basketball has been cyclical forever,” Michigan head coach Dusty May said after his team handled No. 4 Alabama, 90-77. “Hopefully this is a long cycle for us in the conference. I think now that the playing field has been leveled out as far as finances and things like that, the environments in the Big Ten are second to none, the brands, and now I think we’re developing a different type of basketball identity with the West Coast schools joining us. 

“I know our league is incredibly tough. The coaches are off the charts.” 

Given the head-to-head matchup between No. 9 Iowa and No. 4 Nebraska, there was always going to be at least one Big Ten school bowing out in the Sweet 16. Second-seeded Purdue started the party on Thursday night by outlasting No. 11 Texas, 79-77, on a last-second tip from forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. Michigan and No. 3 Illinois — which strong-armed No. 2 Houston — both eased into the Elite Eight. The Illini have climbed all the way to fourth in the KenPom rankings thanks to an improving defense that is now among the top 21 nationally. They’ll face the Hawkeyes in a regional final that is guaranteed to place one Big Ten team into the Final Four. 

If the presumption that Michigan is still the conference’s likeliest national champion holds true, then a potential matchup between the Wolverines and fellow No. 1 seed Arizona in the national semifinals looms as a potentially defining moment. 

The Wildcats, who racked up 109 points against No. 4 Arkansas on Thursday night, have the requisite front-line size to contend with Michigan’s leading trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara, who combined for 38 points and 25 rebounds against Alabama. Any team that can oust Arizona is more than capable of winning it all. 

2. UConn still carries the Big East in the NCAA Tournament

When St. John’s flamed out in disappointing fashion against Arkansas during last year’s Round of 32, it was easy to point toward the Red Storm’s poor perimeter shooting as the primary reason. Head coach Rick Pitino’s team, which finished the campaign ranked 340th in 3-point field goal percentage, missed 20 of its 22 attempts from beyond the arc against the Razorbacks.

Though St. John’s still struggled with perimeter shooting this season, checking in at No. 218 nationally ahead of its Sweet 16 matchup against top-seeded Duke, with the NCAA Tournament came a flamethrowing reprieve. The Red Storm buried 10 triples in the opening round against No. 12 Northen Iowa. Eleven in the Round of 32 against No. 4 Kansas. And 13 more in what ended as an 80-75 loss to the Blue Devils. 

Instead, what ultimately undid St. John’s is something that teams coached by Pitino almost never encounter: a significant rebounding disadvantage (minus-13), an inability to control the interior (minus-12 on points in the paint) and the concession of too many extra possessions (minus-9 in second-chance points). For a team that prides itself on being stronger, tougher and more tenacious than any opponent, this is the kind of loss that will sting. 

The elimination of St. John’s left second-seeded UConn as the Big East’s only remaining participant in this year’s tournament. Whether that distinction would last another few days or another few hours was firmly up in the air, especially after the Huskies squandered a 19-point lead to fall behind midway through the second half against Michigan State.

When head coach Dan Hurley needed baskets, he turned to his most experienced players: fifth-year senior Alex Karaban and fellow senior Tarris Reed Jr. The duo combined to score the last 11 points for UConn over the final four minutes, fending off a Michigan State team that only shot 39.7% from the field and 25% from 3-point range. 

In doing so, the Huskies earned their 17th consecutive win in the Sweet 16 and beyond, a run that includes back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. UConn is still the Big East’s best program in March.  

3. Arizona keeps bucking the 3-point trend by dominating the interior

In this day and age, when a college basketball team scores 109 points in a regulation game, it’s generally safe to assume that perimeter shooting played a prominent role in the offensive explosion. Teams around the country are taking — and making — more 3-pointers than ever before in accordance with modern analytics that have infiltrated the sport.  

But a box score from Thursday night at SAP Center in San Jose, where No. 1 Arizona smashed No. 4 Arkansas, 109-88, was yet another example of how the Wildcats are thriving with an offensive system that goes against the grain. Head coach Tommy Lloyd’s team now ranks fourth in offensive efficiency despite maintaining the third-lowest 3-point attempt rate of any team in Division I, according to KenPom. Only 26.4% of Arizona’s points come from beyond the 3-point line, which ranks 360th out of 365 programs this season.

The Wildcats only attempted eight 3-pointers against Arkansas, making five of them. Instead, they relied on overwhelming size and strength on the interior to generate one high-quality look after another around the rim. Sixty of Arizona’s points came in the paint. Another 30 came at the free-throw line after forcing Arkansas to commit 25 fouls, a byproduct of relentlessly attacking both the rim and the offensive glass. Not a single player on Lloyd’s team shot worse than 50% from the floor.

“You think about this new era of basketball with spacing and shooting 3s,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer told me in February when discussing Arizona’s unique style, “[Tommy Lloyd] has flipped a lot of that on its head where, no, we’re just gonna beat the crap out of you at the rim and out-rebound you, beat you in the free throws, score in the paint and score at the rim, and we’re going to hit wide-open 3s. I give him a ton of credit for just having a true identity for how they want to play and sticking to that, and he’s had a lot of success.”

4. Unthinkable late-game blunder stains Nebraska’s fairy-tale campaign

There were 58.8 seconds remaining in a one-possession game when the mistake that Nebraska fans will never forget swiftly capsized an incredible season. A referee handed the ball to Iowa guard Kael Combs along the baseline for an in-bounds pass with the Hawkeyes leading, 71-68. All the Cornhuskers needed was one defensive stop for a chance to then tie the game.

But as Nebraska’s players began working through defensive assignments in the final seconds before Combs made his pass, it quickly became apparent that there weren’t enough Cornhuskers on the floor. They only had four players. And that blunder, which head coach Fred Hoiberg took responsibility for in his postgame news conference, allowed Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras to break free for a layup that resulted in a three-point play. The lead ballooned to an insurmountable six points.  

“I’m from the south of Spain, from a small neighborhood called El Palo,” Folgueiras told reporters in the locker room after the game, “and we are known by being, you know, a little more life smart than some other places. So I just noticed that they were all trying to figure out who they were guarding and there were just four players on the court. I made eye contact with Kael (Combs), the ref gave him the ball, and after like two or three seconds of me jumping and saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!’ we [still] had enough time to get the fast break because there were just four players and I was the only one open at the end of the court.”

Said Hoiberg: “Put that one on me. It was a miscommunication, and I’m the head coach. Put that one on me.”

This marked the second time in as many NCAA Tournament games that Folgueiras, a transfer from Robert Morris, worked his way into Iowa lore. A few days prior, in the Round of 32, he buried a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining to upset No. 1 Florida and push the Hawkeyes into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. On Thursday night, his heady play at a critical juncture propelled Iowa to just its fifth Elite Eight appearance in school history. Now, the only thing standing between Iowa and the Final Four — a place it hasn’t been since 1980, the year before head coach Ben McCollum was born — is Illinois. 

Joy and elation for the Hawkeyes were juxtaposed with stunned sadness on the opposite bench, where a Nebraska team that won the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament game had made an unfortunate mental error at the most inopportune moment. Social media platforms quickly flooded with ridicule for Hoiberg.

“It stings,” Hoiberg said. “This one hurts about as bad as any [loss] I’ve been a part of, just because of what this group is all about. We don’t get to lace ’em up anymore together as a group. They have been all about the right things. These guys will be a part of history of Nebraska basketball forever, for winning the first NCAA Tournament game, getting to the Sweet 16, most wins in the history of the program, highest ranking. They just did so many things to elevate our program.”

4½. What’s next? 

Here are a few storylines to watch as we move into the Elite Eight: 

No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 3 Illinois (Saturday) — Game after game, the idea that Iowa made the best hire in last year’s coaching cycle gains more traction. Maybe this is what athletic directors everywhere should have expected given Ben McCollum’s incredible track record of winning. He won four Division II national championships with Northwest Missouri State in a six-year span from 2017-22. He made the Sweet 16 eight times in the span of 10 tournaments at that level. Then, when McCollum finally made the move to Division I ahead of the 2024-25 season, which he spent as the head coach at Drake, he won 31 games and reached the Round of 32 in the Big Dance. Everything he touches turns to winning. 

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 1 Arizona (Saturday) — There were many things to like about Purdue’s victory over No. 11 Texas in the Sweet 16: the continued hot shooting from guard Fletcher Loyer, the incredible efficiency from forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, the impeccable ball control that only resulted in four turnovers. And yet, there’s an underlying idea that the Boilermakers still haven’t beaten an elite opponent in this tournament. They pummeled an overmatched Queens team in the first round, upended a Miami team whose ACC brethren have almost all imploded and outlasted Texas, the 10th-place finisher in the SEC. Arizona, which entered Friday as the only team in the country ranked among the top five nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency, is nothing like Purdue’s first three challengers. 

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 1 Duke (Sunday) — Five different Blue Devils logged more minutes than guard Caleb Foster in Duke’s victory over St. John’s, but an argument can be made that none were more impactful. Sure, Isaiah Evans (25 points) and Cameron Boozer (22 points) handled most of the scoring punch. And yes, the interior defense from forward Maliq Brown was exquisite. But adding Foster back into the mix after he missed the last three weeks with a fractured foot restores this team’s trajectory in short order. Foster contributed 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in just 18 minutes against St. John’s and afforded Scheyer the luxury of renewed lineup flexibility, plus another capable ball handler. With Foster on the mend, the Blue Devils are surefire national championship contenders. 

No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Michigan (Sunday) — Two things can be true simultaneously: On one hand, a 37-game sample size of eye tests and advanced metrics is more than enough to declare Michigan one of the sport’s elite teams. On the other hand, the Wolverines have largely breezed through the NCAA Tournament untested thanks to some good fortune. They beat a 9-seed in Saint Louis from outside the power conferences. They beat an Alabama team that was without its second-leading scorer, Aden Holloway, due to off-court issues. And come Sunday, they’ll face Tennessee instead of No. 2 Iowa State after the absence of All-American forward Joshua Jefferson caught up to the Cyclones. 

It’s still too early to see how teams are shaping up, but the first Saturday of the MLB season always feels a bit special.  

We’re answering the big questions ahead of Saturday’s MLB on FOX slate, including the Yankees eyeing a sweep of a Giants team that still hasn’t scored a run: 

1. Did the Yanks do enough to get on top of the AL East? What could be the determining factor?

Thosar: The Yankees are running back almost an identical roster as the one they ended with last year because they’re relying on rising stars to take steps forward, and the rotation has the chance to be the best in baseball this season, particularly after Gerrit Cole returns from Tommy John rehab sometime around May. Catcher/first baseman Ben Rice has elite offensive metrics, second baseman Jazz Chisholm is motivated to have a super successful walk year, and catcher Austin Wells is due to breakout at the plate. If things go right, then the offense is built to go as far as Aaron Judge takes them, and the Yankees have done enough to win the AL East. Of course, it’s not that simple, either.

Their three determining factors are health, wins against division rivals, and sharpening their fundamentals. The Yankees performed poorly against the Blue Jays and Red Sox in last year’s regular season, with Toronto winning the season series (8-5) and Boston dominating (9-4) in head-to-head matchups. Those results cost the Yankees the division title last year. This season, they have to prove they can step up against the top AL East teams from beginning to end. As much as the Bronx Bombers want to make a deep postseason run and go back to the World Series, they also have to play just as hard and keep up their intensity in the long 162-game schedule.

The familiar June swoons and lapses in concentration have led to fielding errors and a complete absence of fundamentals in recent years. Too often, simple mistakes have been at the heart of frustrating and avoidable losses, to the point where opponents are just waiting for the Yankees to slip up. This year’s team needs to be dialed in every step of the way.

2. The Giants are an intriguing team for their manager move in Tony Vitello. What’s the upside here?

Thosar: Vitello’s jump from college coach to MLB manager is unprecedented, but the allure and hype around his hire will quickly wear off if the Giants don’t win consistently. Already, Vitello has made some questionable comments about his perspective on wins and losses that have made fans wonder if he’s ready for the big leagues. So he’s facing a ton of pressure to win games, all while staying true to the core beliefs and coaching tactics that led to a .772 winning percentage as the University of Tennessee head baseball coach.

For the Giants, Vitello’s upside is his ability to think outside the box and bring a new culture and edge into the organization. He’s known to bring a fiery and emotional coaching style that could certainly help inject energy into a Giants team that sometimes falls flat. If Vitello can help establish a clearer identity based on grittiness and aggression, that will actually matter over the course of the long season. Vitello is also known to be an excellent communicator, which should help younger players develop and lead to faster buy-in throughout the clubhouse.

In the end, though, the new Giants skipper will have to learn in-game tactics on the fly and quickly adapt to data-heavy processes in MLB without getting overwhelmed by it all. It goes without saying that Vitello has a lot on his plate in his rookie managerial season. But if he can avoid burnout and lead a team that overperforms expectations through energy and a fearless style of play, then this hire might just work out exactly how Buster Posey expected it to.

3. Similarly to the Yankees, the Orioles are in a crowded AL East. How legit could the O’s be this season?

Kavner: I think they’re a real threat. I don’t expect them to win the division, but I do expect them to get one of the final wild-card spots and get back to the playoffs. The Orioles weren’t messing around this winter coming off last year’s embarrassing last-place finish, finally spending to put established talents around their young core. Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward give them more power. Shane Baz increases the ceiling of the rotation, and the signing of Chris Bassitt (and re-signing of Zach Eflin) lift the floor. Ryan Helsley gives them the closer they’ve missed since Felix Bautista went down. The early-season injuries to Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg hurt, but when healthy, this could be one of the best lineups in baseball and help make up for any concerns with the pitching staff.

As of Friday afternoon, FanGraphs had them as the clear No. 4 team in the division (12.3% chance to win the AL East) but with a nearly 50% chance to make the playoffs. I expect the difference between the first and fourth place teams in this division will be only a handful of games, and though they’ll all beat up on each other throughout the year, I think four teams make it into the postseason from the AL East. The division is that good.

4. We have a bunch of guys who showed out during the WBC. Who is poised for a standout MLB season?

Kavner: It goes without saying that Bobby Witt Jr. will have a standout season, so I’ll take a different player from both clubs (who were teammates for WBC champions Venezuela) and go with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Maikel Garcia. I know, I know, SCORCHING HOT take here that Acuña will be good. But another year removed from the latest ACL tear, this could be the year we see Acuña looking closer to his 2023 MVP form.

Now, I’m not predicting another 40-70 season on two surgically-repaired knees, but he can still scoot. Acuña’s sprint speed last year wasn’t far off from 2023, and though he only stole nine bases last season, he was also only caught once and was clearly being careful in his first year back from the knee injury. This winter, he hit four homers and stole 11 bases in 16 games in the Venezuelan Winter League. He hit another two homers and stole another two bases at the World Baseball Classic. Another 40-40 season in which he re-establishes his place among the game’s elite could be within reach. And behind Shohei Ohtani, Acuña is as good a guess as any to win another MVP trophy.

García’s breakout All-Star season last year in Kansas City might’ve flown under the radar for those outside the midwest, but he put his name on the international map at the WBC. In a tournament that featured many of the game’s superstars, it was the 26-year-old Royals third baseman who took home MVP honors. Bobby Witt Jr. is the team’s star, but with Garcia’s keen eye at the plate, strong bat-to-ball skills and pristine defense at the hot corner, I expect a strong follow-up as the team’s co-star.

Terry Francona had every reason not be a fan of the Automated Ball-Strike System, after the Cincinnati Reds‘ 3-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.

However, the longtime manager was taking the long view after game one of 162.

Francona saw a walk by Eugenio Suarez on a full count overturned to a strikeout in the fourth inning while Connor Phillips‘ ninth-inning strikeout of Boston’s Roman Anthony — also on a full count — overturned to a walk.

“I think our pitchers are going to have to get used to thinking the inning might be over, and it’s not,” Francona said. “It’s almost like when a guy comes out and you say, ‘Hey, way to go. Can you get one more?’ So you’re going to have to stay dialed in.”

Teams had a 61.3% success rate on challenges, going 19 of 31 through the first 12 games of the regular season.

Using Hawk-Eye technology, 12 cameras measure whether a pitch crosses the strike zone with accuracy of about one-sixth of an inch.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora was pleased after they were 2 of 3 on challenges. Even though there was one challenge he wished one of his hitters would have made.

Trevor Story was up with two outs and runners on first and second in the fifth inning. Story was caught looking on a fastball by Andrew Abbott that looked to be a ball.

“You just have to make sure. There was one early where Trevor is in that situation again, he’d probably challenge,” Cora said. “We thought the pitch was up. We don’t mind him challenging there because it changes the whole thing, right? We were talking about it. It’s a different ballgame now.”

The Red Sox did have a successful challenge in the bottom of the inning when Garrett Crochet’s cutter just got the lower half of the strike zone against Suárez. Instead of Suárez drawing a walk, catcher Carlos Narvaez’s challenge resulted in the third out of the inning.

“He made a really good pitch right there. I thought it stayed down and it was a ball, but with the new ABS, good for him,” Suárez said.

[More MLB: A Three-Peat In Sight But Dodgers Aren’t Thinking October … Yet]

Anthony’s challenge paid off. Instead of the third out of the inning and a strikeout, it was overturned to a walk and put runners at first and second. Story and Jarren Duran followed with RBI singles to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead.

“I knew it was a ball. I was pretty confident,” Anthony said. “It turned the game around in a sense. It was good to turn that around, get on base and score there. I trust my instincts and discipline at the plate. I’ve had many in the past, up, down, in and out. That was a good example. Probably not even close. Just kind of knew it there.”

Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz became the first batter to have a ball four overturned to strike three during the third inning against the Mets. New York catcher Francisco Alvarez challenged and it showed the pitch caught the inside corner. The Mets were 2 for 3 on their challenges.

Minnesota and the Chicago White Sox both went 3 for 4 on their challenges, while Tampa Bay was 2 for 2.

Phillies reliever Zach Pop failed his team’s first challenge in the eighth inning against Texas’ Brandon Nimmo. Pop challenged James Hoye’s ball four call but it was confirmed on replay and Nimmo walked.

Manager Rob Thomson didn’t mind the challenge.

“I was good with it. It was a 10th of an inch off. That pitch decided an at-bat late in the game, we’ve got the lead. On the defensive side you want to use that challenge,” he said.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Jason Heyward, who launched his 16-year major-league career with the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and won a World Series title with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, announced his retirement on Friday.

Heyward played in 34 games with the San Diego Padres in 2025, hitting .176.

For his career, Heyward hit .255 with 186 home runs with six teams. He also played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The outfielder won five Gold Gloves, including four straight seasons from 2014 through 2017.

Heyward, whose nickname is “J Hey,” played his first five seasons with the Braves and set career highs with 27 homers and 82 RBIs for Atlanta in 2012. He was drafted by the Braves in 2007 from Henry County High School in suburban Atlanta.

Heyward played for the Cubs for seven seasons, from 2016 through 2022. He said he plans to focus on his Jason Heyward Baseball Academy, a youth development program based in Chicago.

“I wanted to reach this moment and know without a doubt that it was time to walk away, and I do,” Heyward said in a statement. “No second-guessing, no looking back, just gratitude.”

Heyward said playing 16 years in the major leagues “gave me everything, and now I get to give some of that back. Through the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy, I get to mentor the next generation, keep my hands in the game, and make sure kids in my community have the opportunities and the space to dream the same way I did.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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MARIETTA, Georgia — Christian Pulisic has been in this position before. The 2022 World Cup goalscorer has been a U.S. men’s national team starter for nearly a decade now. 

He’s won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea. He’s one of the faces for both the USA team and AC Milan, one of the most storied clubs in soccer history.

Now, with the USA set to play its final two tuneups — the first against powerful Belgium on Saturday — before coach Mauricio Pochettino names his final 26-player roster for this summer’s World Cup on home soil. 

The anticipation for the tournament – the largest in its history with 48 teams spread across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada – has ratcheted up significantly. Even for a mainstay like Pulisic.

“You can feel the intensity in the trainings,” the team’s headliner said before practicing on Friday at the facility of MLS side Atlanta United.  “All the guys are wanting to really stake their claim, and they want to be on that World Cup roster. There’s no doubt about it. Everyone wants to prove themselves.”

It’s been more than four months Pochettino’s squad last convened, when they routed Uruguay in November to finish 2025 on a three-game win streak and unbeaten in five — all against nations that will participate in this World Cup.

Star-studded Belgium and Portugal, which the Americans will face on Tuesday in the second of two matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will provide an even sterner test. Both opponents are ranked in FIFA’s Top 10, and will be part of the field this summer.  Convincing performances in Georgia’s capital could capture the imagination of fans and do wonders for the team’s confidence and momentum ahead of the main event.

– USA Kits Revealed: ‘Stars’ and ‘Stripes’
– USA’s World Cup Schedule: Opponents, Times
– 2026 World Cup Schedule: All Teams, How to Watch

The goal over the next week, as veteran left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson said, is: “Making sure we put in two performances against very good opposition and kind of sending the message that we can compete at the top level and show teams who are coming to our home soil that we’re a team to be scared of.”

Still, their World Cup opener against Paraguay isn’t until June 12. While getting good results in March would be ideal, nobody will remember if the co-hosts fall flat when the whole country — and the rest of the world— is watching.

To that end, there will be some degree of experimentation in these two matches. Pochettino and his Belgian counterpart, Rudi Garcia, have agreed to allow up to 11 substitutions for each team on Saturday.

That bodes well for an American team who is fighting some injuries. World Cup alums Tyler Adams and Sergiño Dest were already missing this month and Pochettino said on Friday that center backs Chris Richards and Miles Robinson are likely to miss both games with aliments they sustained in training.

That will open the door for others.

“We are going to use all the players in the two games,” the former Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach said.

“It’s a great opportunity [for] trying to do things, testing players, testing situations, but keeping the competition high and competing really well. We can be able to maybe [make] some changes during the game. But keeping our level of competition — that is the challenge.”

It’s one his players are embracing.

“Hosting the World Cup on home soil comes with its pressures,” standout midfielder Weston McKennie said when addressing reporters before practice. “But we’re all competitors on the team. We all chose this lifestyle. We all chose to be professional soccer players, and being competitive — having pressure — is something that you live with day in and day out. So I don’t think we really feel [much] pressure. I think we kind of invite that. We kind of like it, and we’re just really excited.”

“I wouldn’t want to be in any other position,” Pulisic added. “I’m so lucky. I feel privileged to be in this position. There’s pressure. I feel it, yes, it’s there, but it’s nothing that I can’t handle. We’re going to attack it head on.”

Starting on Saturday.

“You can definitely feel the energy in the team and feel that it’s getting a little bit more serious,” Pulisic continued. “The excitement for the tournament’s obviously starting to get real.”

2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch

The World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps.

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MARIETTA, Georgia — There was a moment not long ago when Antonee “Jedi” Robinson thought he could be out of the 2026 World Cup picture.

Injuries and setbacks have plagued the U.S. men’s national team and Fulham star fullback for about a year and a half, and with this summer’s tournament on home soil looming, he didn’t know if he’d have enough time to get back in the mix.

“Yeah,” Robinson bluntly told reporters on Friday during the USA’s training at the practice facility of MLS club Atlanta United when asked if missing the World Cup was on his mind.

But USA manager Mauricio Pochettino called Robinson up as part of the 27-man roster for March camp, which features matches against Belgium (Saturday) and Portugal (Tuesday) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This is the last training camp before Pochettino announces his final World Cup roster on May 26, so being with the squad now is important, especially for a guy like Robinson who hasn’t appeared for the national team since matches against Jamaica in November 2024.

Robinson sustained a knee injury in October 2024 during friendlies against Mexico and Panama that ultimately required surgery the following spring. It prevented him from playing with the USA at last year’s Concacaf Nations League semifinals in March, as well as the Gold Cup that summer. He was called up to the USA last October, but Robinson said he pulled himself out of camp because he wasn’t 100%. Robinson has played 15 of 31 Premier League matches for Fulham this season, including the last three. 

He hopes to feature in Pochettino’s lineup this week.

“I’m fully fit at the moment, fully available for all games, all training,” Robinson said. “I’ve been able to get myself in pretty good shape. Back at the club, I’ve been available for everything. I haven’t missed any training sessions, and I’ve been sort of progressing how I’m feeling. [Now it’s] translating to playing games and getting back up to being sharp and being ready. 

“I feel physically good, back in form and looking forward to hopefully getting a chance to do that in this camp.”

– USA Kits Revealed: ‘Stars’ and ‘Stripes’
– USA’s World Cup Schedule: Opponents, Times
– 2026 World Cup Schedule: All Teams, How to Watch

Robinson started every match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He’s been a reliable left back for club and country, was considered the top left back in the Premier League last year, and was voted U.S. Soccer’s male player of the year in 2024. When he missed the Nations League semis a year ago, teammates like Tim Ream spoke of how Robinson is “extremely difficult to replace.” For a player of that stature, when healthy, it would be sensible to think of him as a shoo-in for a World Cup roster. But going through injuries created anxiety for Robinson.

“There was a lot of concern for me to be honest,” Robinson said. “I mean, obviously I had surgery on my knee, the rehab didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped it would. Even when I came back and I was trying to train and play, I still wasn’t quite ready.

“And then I came out to my first camp in October and I couldn’t play. Had to kind of take myself out, go back to club and still miss some time. So yeah, I mean, realistically I’ve not played a U.S. game for over a year and a half now, I think. So there was no sort of certainty on my end that I was going to be fit and available and make it because it just seemed like there was kind of no light at the end of the tunnel.”

Robinson said he utilized “a lot of different methods” to get through this low point. He sought outside help for rehab and different opinions on how he could change up what he was doing to get in better physical condition. He also received a series of injections to help his injury heal. He said Fulham was “really good” at managing his load early in the season. He played nine games for his club in December and January before taking a breath in February where he sat out four games – three of which he was on the bench and available.

“And then obviously for myself, I try off the pitch to make sure I’m doing as much as I can to be in the best physical shape,” Robinson said, noting that he gets in the gym early before practice to do everything he needs to do in order to train. “And in the evening when I put the kids to bed, I’m doing more stuff, training myself into good shape. 

“It’s been a long road, but I’m feeling really good. I felt good in training this week, and I’m happy to be where I am now.”

The USA needs Robinson healthy, given the uncertainty along the back line. Center backs Miles Robinson and Chris Richards both missed training on Friday. Robinson suffered what Pochettino called a “minor” groin injury earlier this week in training, while Richards reported to camp with a knee issue. Both are being held out of at least Saturday’s game vs. Belgium. Meanwhile, right back Sergino Dest was not called up for this window after sustaining a hamstring injury in a club match earlier this month. 

“I’m really excited to be back with the boys and this is kind of my last opportunity to play games before the summer with the team and show that I can still contribute to the national team and do well,” Robinson said. “So I’m hoping I get the chance and give everything and put myself in a good spot.”

2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch

The World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps.

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