Didn’t we almost have it all? (or at least a big World Cup win…?) Okay, so maybe that USA-Portugal match was a little bit of a bummer and you need a Monday morning pick me up. Look no further than the American Outlaws tribute video reminding us why we should all still “believe” in Team USA! or get excited because Wimbledon starts today!

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

World Cup

Where do broken hearts go? The United States tied Portugal 2-2 on Sunday evening in a game that felt more like a loss than a draw. Portugal scored 5 minutes into the game, and the US’s first goal by Jermaine Jones came in the second half. Team USA would go on to take a 2-1 lead after Clint Dempsey scored a goal late in the second half, and looked to be well on their way to getting the win. That is until Cristiano Ronaldo set up a beautiful cross that led to a last minute equalizing goal by Silvestre Varela in extra time. And with that, the game ended in a tie. So, what does this mean? Can Team USA can still advance? It’s slightly complicated but here is how the Group G could play out with the last two games this week between Portugal and Ghana and the United States and Germany on Thursday:

• United States: Will advance with a win or tie against Germany
• Germany: Will advance with a win or tie against the United States
• Portugal: Will advance with a win against Ghana and a Germany/United States win if they have the tiebreaker with the loser
• Ghana: Will advance with a win against Portugal and a Germany/United States win if they have the tiebreaker with the loser

Not complicated at all, right…? In any event, GO TEAM USA!

As you can see, so many big things have happened with the World Cup! We’ve been very impressed by the Netherlands, Argentina, Costa Rica and France. We also LOVE the celebrations. Now, let’s take a look at who’s qualified for the tournament so far:

• Who’s in: Belgium, Netherlands, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Argentina
• Who’s out: Spain, England, Bos/Herz, Australia, and Cameroon

There are a few big match-ups to look forward to this week, including: Brazil vs. Cameroon on Monday, Italy vs. Uruguay on Tuesday, Honduras vs. Switzerland on Wednesday and France vs. Ecuador on Wednesday. The single elimination tournament starts Saturday. Go Soccer, Go America!

Basketball

There may not be any games, but it’s still a big week for hoops. This upcoming Thursday is the NBA Draft, where some of the best young basketball prospects will hope to hear their names called by Commissioner Adam Silver. What should we expect? Before this weekend, experts were predicting that Kansas’ star freshman Joel Embiid would be the Number 1 pick. Sadly JoJo injured his foot last week and will be out for 4-6 months to recover from a stress fracture. What does this mean? Well, Joel Embiid will still likely be a top 5 pick, but it’s much more likely that the Cleveland Cavaliers will select either Jabari Parker of Duke or Andrew Wiggins of Kansas with their Number 1 pick. One other name to know is Dante Exum — he’s a talented point guard from Australia who will likely also be a top 5 pick. What’s the other fun thing about draft night? The trades! Trust us, there’ll be lots of them.

Also, our hearts are with Isaiah Austin. The former Baylor basketball player was preparing to hear his named called in this week’s NBA Draft. Unfortunately, after undergoing preliminary health tests in a workout for teams, it was discovered that Austin has Marfan Syndrome, a career ending condition that will effect his heart. Our thoughts go out to him in this difficult time.

The NBA Draft isn’t the only  interesting thing going on in the hoops world. There are lots and lots of basketball rumors floating around about what will happen with star players Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. Carmelo is expected to opt out of the final year on his contract with the Knicks. He is a free agent who can choose his path — whether he wants to stay with in New York or go to another team like the Chicago Bulls. Love, on the other hand, is still under contract but is very unlikely to stay in Minny for one more year. So, the odds of the TWolves trading him are very high. The  Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics both appear to be interested. Stay tuned… something could happen as early as this week!

Speaking of free agency, the Miami Heat is another team to keep an eye on. After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Championship just a week ago, the Heat are right back in the news. President of the team Pat Riley held a press conference last week where he declared he will do whatever it takes to keep the big three (LeBron, DWade and Bosh), and will look to add younger players to the roster. This summer is going to be interesting, indeed!

Other

The NCAA is in the midst of a class action antitrust lawsuit against former college athletes. The O’Bannon case, filed by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon, challenges the NCAA’s use of student athletes to make a profit and questions whether or not the athletes have a right to the profit as well. The case was filed five years ago, but has been many years in the making. Much has been made of NCAA President Mark Emmert’s testimony and what it means. This is definitely complicated, but is absolutely relevant to understanding the dynamics in NCAA sports, possible reforms, and what might change going forward.

And the winner of the Women’s US Open is…Michele Wie! It’s the first Major win of her career and a long-time coming. Congrats!

Michael Vick is getting ready for a new stage in his football career. The new quarterback of the New York Jets spoke with reporters about his career, his mistakes, what he’s overcome, his comeback and what he wants most in the future: a championship ring.

In all things NASCAR, Carl Edwards won at Sonoma Raceway to get his first road racing victory of the year.

JUST FOR FUN

Tatted Up
The wild ways that die-hard sports fans commemorate their favorite players, teams, and games

 

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

“Socker”
Did you ever wonder why we call it soccer?
The debate on why we call the World Cup sport by a different name than everyone else

The next generation is here
The children of the 90’s are the new faces in women’s tennis
They’re full of potential, and fighting to reach the top — watch out for these ladies!

Inclined to fight
Taking a swing at segregation in boxing
Ever wonder about how the history of segregation impacted boxing?

A twist on #WCW
Social media — a great way to share your experiences with everyone around you
Looking at the history of the World Cup through fans’ anecdotes

Reflection
Remembering the life and death of Eddie Griffin
Grantland’s Jonathan Abrams writes about the life of the once-promising hoops star