last but not least, Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni takes to the mic says the team’s training session today was impacted by an 11 p.m. arrival last night and that they had to cut it short so they could attend today’s press conference, placing more emphasis on tomorrow’s session

back in business at the Javits Center! Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez: “After winning a final with a broken finger, you’re told you would have to undergo surgery and have to miss the entire group stage and you start to question yourself,” added that he has remained calm despite the issue

Spain’s Luis de la Fuente doesn’t bite on a question about Argentina’s more physical game: “I’m sure both Spain and Argentina will have a game plan where great talent and football will rule over everything else and the referee will be there to support us”

pre-match press conferences are underway ahead of the World Cup final Spain’s Rodri: “I told this to my teammates in the semifinal, we needed to be more eager to win than fear losing and that’s what we [will] do on Sunday”

England’s Harry Kane: “it’s a normal mindset to want to hold onto the lead” but 20 minutes is a long time, says it’s the same story as previous World Cups with struggling to keep momentum

again, in case you were curious if this is a pro-Argentina crowd or not -- "God Save the King" was completely drowned out by the Argentina fans

vibe check in Atlanta: kickoff isn’t roughly for another 90 minutes and the stands are far from full but the Argentina fans are in full force jeering the England players as they walk out onto the pitch no love lost between these two teams!l

took the scenic route to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the World Cup semifinal — a *ton* of Argentina fans out there, some England fans scattered in there and yes, one guy wearing a Weston McKennie #USMNT jersey

presented without comment, England’s Marc Guehi on tomorrow’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina: “The keys to the game [are] to score and not concede”

sights and sounds from Marietta, GA, where fans were waiting during a brief downpour to see Argentina — Lionel Messi trains, Alexis Mac Allister gets asked if it’s soccer or football (he picked the latter), plus a sign for the under-construction NWSL training grounds across the street

England’s Jude Bellingham, when asked about the ball hitting the sky cam before his first goal: “Didn’t see it”

weather at kickoff for Norway and England — 89F, 67%, heat advisory still in effect but we might avoid thunderstorms so there’s that!

England’s Harry Kane on the golden boot race: “i think there’s great completion … but my main goal is to win the World Cup, not the golden boot”

hello from Hard Rock Stadium, where Norway’s Stale Solbakken just cracked a joke when asked if his team has overcome the loss to France “No.”

I think the ire towards Pulisic is down to his form mostly — he *should* be better than one #USMNT goal since Nov. 2024 but perhaps more importantly, he doesn’t have a habit of being a big time player he’s inconsistent at best in those settings but there’s also pattern of him disappearing entirely

a few more stops ahead of me at the World Cup but I will miss Seattle, my favorite spot so far there wasn’t a pocket of the city that didn’t embrace the sport, an eatery with a TV that wouldn’t show games & no shortage of people blasting commentary while walking around — vibes were spectacular

#USMNT’s Tim Ream: “it’s just one of those [games] that I probably won’t personally think about for a few days” both he and Tyler Adams denied that the pressure of the moment got to the team

Just kidding - lineups are out now! #USMNT go unchanged from the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which means Folarin Balogun does start; Belgium, meanwhile, have both Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku on the bench

#USMNT supporters — including a game-ready dog — out in full force here in Seattle ahead of their round of 16 game against Belgium at the World Cup lineups will be out in about 15 minutes

#USMNT’s Mauricio Pochettino on the Folarin Balogun decision: “we were punished enough … in a decision that was complete[ly] unfair,” celebrates the choice from the independent disciplinary committee

Belgium’s Rudi Garcia on the decision that allows Folarin Balogun to be available for tomorrow’s game: “I didn't know that July 5 was equal to April 1 at FIFA” that’s all he’ll say on the matter, though, describing further questions on the topic as “a waste of time”

the gang is all here minus Cristian Roldan, who has trained on his own every day since June 22 #USMNT

I was (unintentionally) behind the #USMNT before Mauricio Pochettino threw out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game tonight and let me tell you, the word “vamos” was heard several times before they walked out

before #USMNT training begins today, Mauricio Pochettino is doing a bit of work of his own with a baseball he’s practicing ahead of throwing the djesf pitch at the Seattle Mariners game today, Matt Turner at one point giving him a few pointers

#USMNT’s Folarin Balogun will only serve a one game ban said he felt a range of emotions after scoring and getting a red card in the same game but is calm now and pivots to “supporting the boys” in whatever they need

rejoice, fans of being able to discern one team from another while watching soccer! the #USMNT and Belgium will *not* be wearing clashing kits this time - US will go with the navy stars kit, Belgium will wear the light turquoise for their round of 16 game on Monday

another person Tim Ream was really proud of — Malik Tillman, who has gone from shy benchwarmer to (still shy but less so) standout on the #USMNT in the span of a year “He just wanted to feel like he had a place. He's a quiet kid but he's just come up [by] leaps and bounds”

#USMNT’s Tim Ream slipped into proud older teammate mode post-game about the team’s resolve after the red card: “It was a steely focus and unless you're on the field and you see it in guys' eyes, it's hard to understand but it felt so comfortable, even down to 10 men”

#USMNT’s Malik Tillman, still in a bloody sock after someone stepped on him and split his shoe open, said today’s game ranks “pretty low” for him in terms of overall performances was “not satisfied” at halftime but was overjoyed about his goal and said he couldn’t have envisioned it even yesterday

looks like full house for the #USMNT (and another flyover), this time in sunny Santa Clara healthy number of Bosnian fans in the building but unsurprisingly, it is a pro-U.S. crowd