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Commentary: World Cup shows MLS still needs to achieve major goals to grow the game
Remember when we were sure the World Cup would suffer from all the issues that had everyone seeing red before the first ball was kicked?
And remember when we were certain soccer could never catch on in this country?
Despite controversies over visas and ticket prices and transportation, and in spite of consternation over expansion and new rules, the game has, as usual, proved too good to fail.
And we, the American people, have become unusually engrossed in it.
We’ve been tuning in on TV in record numbers and, even at exorbitant prices, helping to sell out our 70,000-some-capacity stadiums. Before group play was even finished, this tournament — staged also in Mexico and Canada — already outdrew the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted by the United States and set an attendance record of nearly 3.6 million.
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Expanded World Cup brings drama as Canada ousts South Africa on stoppage-time goal
When FIFA expanded the World Cup field from 32 to 48 teams for this summer’s tournament, the gnashing of teeth and clutching of pearls was as predictable as it was loud. The field would be watered down, the traditionalists protested. The group stage would be a series of blowouts, the sharks would devour the minnows.
In fact, none of that happened.
What we got instead was plucky Cape Verde playing No. 3 Spain to a draw and becoming the smallest nation to reach the elimination rounds. We got Austria advancing on a goal six minutes into stoppage time — eliminating unbeaten Iran, which deserved better — and Canada, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo all winning World Cup games for the first time.
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Canada holds off South Africa, advances to round of 16
Canada 1, South Africa 0, final
Canada raced onto the SoFi Stadium pitch as the final whistled sounded.
The Canadians fended off a spirited late push by South Africa and advanced to the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in the country’s history.
LAFC had a hand in this victory.
LAFC’s Stephen Eustáquio scored the game winner and former LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau delivered a key save, holding South Africa scoreless.
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LAFC’s Stephen Eustáquio scores for Canada in stoppage time
Canada 1, South Africa 0, 90th minute + 2
As the pro-Canada crowd grew restless in stoppage time, LAFC
LAFC’s Stephen Eustáquio controlled a header from the middle of the box to just outside it and put away a right-footed shot to give Canada 1-0 lead.
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Canadian star Alphonso Davies makes his World Cup debut
Canada 0, South Africa 0, 78th minute
Canadian star Alphonso Davies made his World Cup debut as a substitute. He has been recovering from a hamstring injury injury and has not played since last month.
The super sub immediately helped create a shot on goal, but Promise David’s shot was wide left.
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South Africa and Canada can’t covert good looks at goal before second hydration break
Canada 0, South Africa 0, 67th minute
With Canada generating more runs, South Africa had a rare clean look at goal in the 62nd minute.
Oswin Appollis shook free of one defender just outside the top of the box, but his shot sailed wide right.
Canada had its best chance of the second half two minutes later.
In the 64th minute, Canada started a run up the middle of the field, but a shot by Tani Oluwaseyi was blocked by South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and the deflection was narrowly booted away by South Africa’s Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
Neither side could score before the hydration break in the 67th minute.
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Canada closes first half scoreless, frustrated by calls
Canada 0, South Africa 0, halftime
Canada left the pitch frustrated it didn’t get calls late in the first half and couldn’t put home chances. Players stopped coach Jesse Marsch from confronting the refs after the halftime whistle.
In the 44th minute, Canada pinballed the ball in front of South Africa’s goal and somehow left without a goal.
Moïse Bombito’s header off a corner kick was blocked. The ball bounced around and Tajon Buchanan’s righ-footed shot was saved by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
During the third minute of stoppage time, Richie Laryea was making a run and fell to the pitch. Canada felt there was a foul and they should have been awarded a penalty kick, but after quick VAR review, South Africa was given a goal kick. Video did not appear to show any contact triggered by the South African player, with Laryea getting his legs tangled and tripping.
Time expired in the first half with Canadian players and staff still complaining to officials about the decision.
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Canada earns shots, but can’t put anything on target
Canada 0, South Africa 0, 24th minute
Canada has created more meaningful runs so far in the first half, but it has struggled to score.
In the 17th minute, Canada earned a corner. The ball was passed to Jonathan David in the box, but his shot sailed wide right.
In the 22nd minute, Canada earned a free kick. The ball was lofted into the box to Derek Cornelius, whose soft header in the middle of the box easily saved.
South Africa countered, but Teboho Mokoena’s shot from far outside the box was blocked.
The teams too their hydration break in the 23rd minute.
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Canada and South Africa scoreless early
Canada 0, South Africa 0, 10th minute
South Africa has had an edge in possession, but Canada has been aggressive to disrupt any meaningful runs.
South Africa got the first shot on goal in sixth minute, but Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau easily handled Teboho Mokoena’s attempt.
Canada mounted a promising run up the left side. Stephen Eustaquio fired a shot from outside the box, but it sailed high and off target.
The ensuing Canada corner in the 10th minute sailed over the box and fizzled.
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And we’re off ...
Canada 0, South Africa 0, 1st minute
The first knockout match of the 2026 World Cup has kicked off at SoFi Stadium.
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Mexico coach Javier Aguirre answers critics by leading his team to World Cup knockout round
GUADALAJARA, Jalisco — Before the World Cup, critics and fans of the Mexican national team debated whether Javier Aguirre’s third stint as head coach was the right decision. Two games later, the coach has led Mexico to the tournament’s knockout round.
Thursday’s 1-0 victory over South Korea at Guadalajara Stadium made the World Cup co-host the first in the tournament to advance while also clinching the top spot in Group A with one group play game remaining. After South Korea’s goalkeeper fumbled a ball, Luis Romo scored the goal that gave the Mexicans six points and pushed them to the top of the standings.
El Tri will close out the first round against Czechia (6 p.m.) at Azteca Stadium on Wednesday.
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South Africa starting lineup is set
The South Africa lineup is set for the knockout round.
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Fox embraces a hybrid ad approach during World Cup hydration breaks after backlash
Fox has adopted a new split-screen approach to ads during the World Cup’s mandatory hydration breaks, after a stir among viewers over how it had been handling the pauses.
At the start of the tournament, the network aired full-screen ads during the three-minute breaks, cutting away from the field during the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. Soccer fans complained that they were missing on-field action, and the backlash mounted.
By the Mexico-South Korea match last week, Fox had changed course, running split-screen advertisements for the first time: two side-by-side panels, one keeping the camera on the stadium while the other played a commercial. The approach hasn’t been consistent, though. For Friday’s U.S.-Australia match, the network reverted to full-screen ads.
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Born in Brooklyn, raised in London, Folarin Balogun lights up the World Cup for the U.S.
SEATTLE — If a pregnant Nigerian woman had been allowed to board a plane 25 years ago, the U.S. team’s path through this summer’s World Cup may have unfolded much differently. Instead, a gate agent turned her away, insisting it wasn’t safe for her to fly from New York to London.
So Florence Balogun returned to Brooklyn, where she had been visiting relatives, and waited for her second son to be born. And when Folarin arrived a few weeks later, entering the world just hours before Independence Day dawned, he did so as an American citizen.
It was that quirk of fate that allowed Balogun, who lived just two months in the U.S., to represent the country on soccer’s biggest stage.
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Canada lineup set with Alphonso Davies opening on the bench
Canada’s Alphonso Davies said he was cleared to play, but his last match was May 6 and he opened the team’s knockout round match on the bench.
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‘The clear choice by far.’ Why rising U.S. star Alex Freeman chose soccer over the NFL
SEATTLE — Growing up the son of an NFL wide receiver, Alex Freeman said he felt a lot of pressure to play the American version of football, not the one the rest of the world plays.
“I always got asked if football was the path,” he said last summer. “But I always had a secret love for soccer.”
And he had to keep it a secret because he wasn’t sure his father Antonio, a Super Bowl winner with the Green Bay Packers, would understand.
But his stepfather did. Jake Hinkle introduced Alex to the sport and served as his first coach while his mother Rochelle urged him on.
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L.A. defies the skeptics for a World Cup marked by unity, mutual respect, fearlessness
The run-up to the World Cup in Los Angeles was marked by anxiety over how immigration enforcement, travel restrictions and anti-Trump backlash would affect the spirit and attendance of the games.
But on the streets of L.A. over the last week, something very different has happened.
Fans from a kaleidoscope of cultural backgrounds have come together to act out the kind of world — and city — they want to live in.
On the shuttle bus from downtown to Inglewood on Monday, there were scores of people with Farsi-emblazoned shirts and crowds of grinning Kiwis as one would expect for the Iran-versus-New Zealand showdown that evening. However, there were also clusters of striped blue Argentina T-shirts, plenty of Team USA jerseys, and a loud group of fans chanting “Viva Mexico” from the back of the bus.
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Commentary: Thanks to the World Cup, I’m finally learning the words to the Mexican national anthem
I rose from my living room couch before Mexico’s World Cup match against Czechia when the Telemundo announcer stated it was time for the Mexican national anthem.
The public address system at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City played a short string intro. My back straightened. I pressed my right hand against my chest horizontally in the traditional gesture that accompanies the tune. And then I recited the opening lyrics to a song I’ve heard all my life but that I only began committing to memory this month:
Mexicanos al grito de guerra / El acero aprestad y bridón / Y retiemble en sus centros la tierra / Al sonoro rugir del cañon
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‘Why not us?’ How Mauricio Pochettino taught the U.S. to believe it could win a World Cup
A bowl of lemons sits on a table in the conference room Mauricio Pochettino has turned into an office at the U.S. men’s soccer team’s beachfront resort in south Orange County. The citrus fruit, the coach believes, has the spiritual ability to absorb negative energy. On the corner of another table, the flame from a candle flickers.
“I like candles,” says Pochettino, who believes they release therapeutic fragrances and create a calming environment.
But it is the massive, blood-red mural covering the entire south side of the room that truly reveals what Pochettino believes. In the center of the wall, just behind the coach’s desk, white block letters spell out “Why Not” above a script “U.S.,” which, despite the periods, is meant to be read as “us.”
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‘Worth every penny’: This is how much fans spent to attend the World Cup in L.A.
“Do you have an extra ticket?” a man shouted outside SoFi Stadium last Thursday.
The World Cup has been drawing fans from around the globe. But for many, getting a seat in the stadium has come at a steep price.
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Some were lucky enough to nab $400 to $500 tickets through official World Cup lotteries, others paid thousands of dollars to catch the action IRL. Tickets for the upcoming USA versus Turkey match were selling for more than $1,400 on resale sites.
The demand has been so high that authorities have been warning fans about how to avoid ticket scams.
As crowds flocked into the stadium, we asked attendees about how much they paid to get into the most-watched sporting event in the world. Here’s what they shared.
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Pico Rivera’s Cristian Roldan may be last made-in-high-school U.S. World Cup star
SEATTLE — Cristian Roldan and Haji Wright grew up less than three years and 30 miles apart, Roldan in Pico Rivera and Wright in Culver City. The odds that they would go on to become teammates on not one, but two, U.S. World Cup teams seem astronomical.
Yet despite starting at the same time and place and arriving together at the same destination, the two players followed completely different paths to get there.
Wright joined the Galaxy’s academy at 14 and signed with Schalke of the top tier German Bundesliga days after his 18th birthday. Roldan was still playing for El Rancho, when he was 17, making him the only member of the U.S. World Cup team to play four years at a public high school.
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‘A great vibe.’ Pacific Northwest joins Los Angeles in an embrace of World Cup fever
SEATTLE — Jaysen Dickinson flew to Seattle from Vermont to cross an item off his lengthy bucket list.
“To see the World Cup and the U.S. play in the World Cup,” he said.
Kim Fletcher and her 17-year-old son Kelan caught a 5 a.m. flight from Sacramento last week for the same reason.
“It’s a must-do right now,” she said.
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Why this World Cup could do for Canada what 1994 did for soccer in the U.S.
VANCOUVER, Canada — When the first men’s World Cup game played in Canada kicked off last week, Anthony Totera sat in the stands and wept.
“It was a dream come true,” said Totera, who has spent most of his 57 years on earth promoting Canadian soccer. “I can’t describe the emotions. It was something surreal.”
If the 1994 World Cup, the first held in the U.S., forever altered the direction of American soccer, this summer’s tournament, which Canada is sharing with the U.S. and Mexico, has the potential to do the same for that country.
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Harvard alum Matt Freese took an unusual path to starting in goal for U.S. at World Cup
Playing in goal for the U.S. men’s national soccer team is a little like playing right field for the Yankees. You’re following a long line of great players, making the comparisons — and the high expectations — unavoidable.
Matt Freese is the latest to be thrown into that crucible. But he considers that pressure to be a privilege, not a problem.
“I wouldn’t say it’s intimidating, I would say it’s inspiring,” he said before the U.S. training session Tuesday morning in Irvine. “It’s a long line of goalkeepers that I’ve looked up to for my whole life — and there were some before my life as well.”
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Commentary: Christian Pulisic is the spark the U.S. will need in the World Cup’s knockout stages
Christian Pulisic is back. Back like Captain America, revived and ready to go after being put on ice for a spell, needed to save the day.
Forget everything else about Thursday’s match against Turkey at SoFi Stadium and marinate on that.
Never mind the United States’ 3-2 loss in their final World Cup Group D match; the result was inconsequential. The Americans knew they were going through to the round of 32, and more, they’d already won the group. No pressure is a privilege, well-earned.
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2026 World Cup knockout round TV schedule, game previews and results
Group play is over and it’s knockout time at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The round of 32 is underway, with Canada, Brazil, Paraguay and Morocco winning their respective matches and moving on to the round of 16.
Here’s everything you need to know about World Cup knockout stage matches being played Tuesday and Wednesday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).
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Looking back at the first 17 days of the World Cup
The first 17 days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup offered plenty of memorable moments.
Check out The Times’ daily recaps ahead of Sunday’s round-of-32 opener between Canada and South Africa:
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Recapping Day 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
South Africa pulled off a stunning 1-0 win over South Korea Wednesday night, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.
Cristiano Ronaldo snapped out of his goal scoring slump to lead Portugal to a win, while Ghana held Harry Kane and England and Colombia rallied to beat Congo.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Recapping what happened at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Harry Kane tied a World Cup record during England’s win, Cristiano Ronaldo was held scoreless during a draw, Ghana stunned Panama and more during Day 7.
Stars Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi all scored while leading France, Norway and Argentina to wins on Day 6 of the 2026 World Cup.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday. Get the latest news, results, standings and highlights from the 48-team tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Folarin Balogun scores twice and Christian Pulisic sets up two goals to lead the U.S. to a 4-1 win in its World Cup opener over Paraguay on Friday.
Follow along for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. Get the latest news, results and highlights from the 48-team, 39-day tournament.
Mexico defeats South Africa 2-0 in a game that featured three red cards. Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored for Mexico in front of 80,824 fans.
