NEW YORK — Lionel Messi and Argentina will try to become the first team to defend a World Cup title since 1962 in the final on Sunday against a Spanish side that could boast the next generation’s greatest player in Lamine Yamal.

The path to the afternoon kickoff in East Rutherford, N.J., has been decidedly more emotional for Argentina, who twice came from behind and twice required extra time during the knockout phase.

That included two late goals assisted by the current generation’s greatest player — 39-year-old Messi. Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scored in a dramatic 2-1 win over slightly favored England in Wednesday’s semifinal.

But manager Lionel Scaloni said the outbursts of emotions that have accompanied each win are exactly what is needed to process such a run, which may well be Messi’s last. It’s also a reflection of the seismic support that has followed the Albiceleste to stadiums across the United States.

“We’ve recovered something which is extremely valuable, which is the fact that people are watching our games on TV, wearing the Argentinian jersey and hugging each other,” Scaloni said through an interpreter. “This feeling of unity, we really feel it. People are with us, supporting us and backing us. And that’s very emotional for us. And it’s good to express emotions. I believe that’s part of life. It’s part of what we are. And that makes you even more human.”

Incredibly, Messi enters the weekend tied with France’s Kylian Mbappe for the tournament lead with eight goals, and with four assists is one shy of Mbappe’s teammate Michael Olise. (France play England in Saturday’s third-place match.)

After winning Copa America titles in 2021 and 2024 with Argentina, Messi is attempting to help his homeland become the third back-to-back World Cup champion, following Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Pele’s Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Meanwhile, his teammates have been trying to embrace the moment, a luxury they didn’t have in 2022 when they shouldered the pressure of ending a 36-year World Cup drought.

“I am enjoying this World Cup much more than the one in Qatar,” admitted 33-year-old goalkeeper Emi Martinez through an interpreter. “And for me, being in my fifth final with a national team, well, I don’t want to take credit away from me. I am eternally thankful to my teammates, and I just want to enjoy. I’m going to jump on the pitch with a smile, as this is something that many players cannot achieve.”

Neither the 1938 Italy nor the 1962 Brazil national teams faced a final opponent as revered as the Spaniards, the defending European champions and three-time UEFA Nations League finalists.

Other than a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in their opener, Spain have rarely looked seriously in jeopardy and were dominant in a 2-0 semifinal victory over favored France.

And they’ve done all of this with only one goal from the 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, who began the tournament still working back to 90-minute fitness after recovering from a left hamstring strain sustained in mid-April playing for FC Barcelona.

The presence of Messi on the other team will bring comparisons for Lamine, whose only goal came in a 4-0 group-stage win over Saudi Arabia. But Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said comparison is unwise.

“Messi is a one-of-a-time-in-history player, and he’s an example, a role model for youth and younger players, his attitude, his behavior,” de la Fuente said through an interpreter. “Lamine has to be Lamine Yamal himself, and the best way we can support him is by helping him be the person we know today because he has a great potential, a great future.”

Spain are looking for their second World Cup crown after their 2010 triumph in South Africa with an earlier generation.

With Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo and Rodri in midfield, this group is arguably as talented, if not necessarily as flamboyant, as that 2010 group. And they insist they are just as determined to leave their own legacy.

“We are very much satisfied with the team’s process, but we are far more ambitious than this,” Rodri said through an interpreter. “We have a great challenge ahead of us on Sunday, a very beautiful challenge in order to make (people) proud of this generation.”

–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media

Ron Hunt, the hard-nosed second baseman who became the first Met to start in an All-Star Game, died Wednesday at age 85.

Hunt, who set a Modern Era record with 50 hit-by-pitches in the 1971 season, had been in hospice care for a month.

Hunt played for five teams during his major league career, including time with the Mets (1963-66), Dodgers (1967), Giants (1968-70), Expos (1971-74) and Cardinals (1974). He collected 1,429 career hits across 12 seasons and was known for his tenacity.

“No one played the game harder than Ron Hunt, our first All-Star,” vice president of media relations Jay Horwitz wrote on Medium on July 4. “He would do anything to help win a game.”

Perhaps best known for his penchant for wearing a pitch, the two-time All-Star was plunked 243 times in his career, sixth most in MLB history.

“Some folks give their bodies to science,” Hunt famously said. “I gave mine to baseball.”

Born Feb. 23, 1941, in St. Louis, Hunt signed with the Milwaukee Braves out of high school after standout prep careers in baseball and football. The expansion-team Mets purchased his contract following their inaugural 1962 season and made him their starting second baseman, where he made his major league debut in 1963.

Hunt had 145 hits, 28 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs that season, finishing runner-up to 22-year-old Reds star Pete Rose for the 1963 National League Rookie of the Year Award. That was statistically the best season of Hunt’s career, but he continued to endear himself to fans and teammates with his no-nonsense approach to the game.

He was the Mets’ first All-Star starter, singling in his first at-bat for the National League during the 1964 Midsummer Classic held at his home field, Shea Stadium.

Hunt’s fearless play both in the batter’s box and on the field earned him a career 32.7 bWAR. It also resulted in 16 baseball-related surgeries and might have contributed to the onset of Parkinson’s disease, which affected him in his later years.

Hunt is survived by his wife, Jackie; his daughter, Tracy; and son, Ron Jr.

–Field Level Media

A former Charlotte FC executive contends he was fired because of management’s favored treatment of female employees and is suing the parent organization on the grounds of gender discrimination.

Attorneys for Dustin Swinehart, formerly the club’s director of community engagement, filed suit Thursday in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte, with Tepper Sports and Entertainment named as the defendant.

The Tepper group owns both the MLS team and the Carolina Panthers of the NFL and is led by billionaire David Tepper.

In the suit, Swinehart contends he was dismissed over an email he did not send and that in his time with the organization, he has heard women make racial slurs and appear intoxicated at public events with little to no discipline.

Swinehart played in the United Soccer League for 14 seasons and was inducted into its Hall of Fame. He has said he was the first employee hired by Charlotte in 2020, two years before the expansion team took the field on Feb. 26, 2022.

According to the court filing, the lawsuit stems from an incident that occurred in the first week of August 2024. Twin brothers walked away from a club youth soccer camp, leaving with the half-day campers even though they were registered for the full day. They were found “walking down the street alone” and were safe. It was the fourth day of camp.

Team leadership called for an executive-level video meeting the following day, with Swinehart taking part despite, he has said, not being at the camp the day the twins left.

Those in the meeting discussed safety procedures to be implemented and agreed to refund the camp fee paid by the family. According to a report from The Athletic, the group was told by Kisha Smith, Tepper Sports and Entertainment’s chief human resource officer, not to put anything in writing to the family.

The family was working cooperatively with the team and placed some of the blame on the children, per reports.

Later, per the lawsuit, Swinehart approached his boss about offering the family a luxury suite at Bank of America Stadium for a soccer match. The boss thought it was a good idea, so Swinehart asked one of his staff members to get in touch with the family about the offer.

His direct report followed through. Via email. And Smith learned about the contact, confronted Swinehart and put the wheels in motion for his termination, with insubordination cited as the reason.

One of the points made in the lawsuit is that Smith didn’t have the power to declare such an edict.

“I got fired for being kind, and I got fired for an email that I didn’t send,” Swinehart told The Athletic in an interview on Friday. “And that’s really tough. That’s really sad.”

A Tepper group spokesperson declined to comment to The Athletic, citing the active litigation.

Swinehart’s lawsuit lays out his allegations of violations of policy or misconduct by women in the organization. He said Tepper Sports and Entertainment prioritizes promoting women and has closed its eyes when it comes to their behavior.

“The evidence shows that had Plaintiff been female, he would not have been terminated. After all, he was the longest-tenured CFC employee and had amassed an exemplary employment record without a blemish. The incident for which he was terminated caused no harm to Defendant,” the lawsuit states. “Rather, his sole offense was to irk Defendant’s powerful CHRO because his direct report confirmed the family’s receipt of the refund and their interest in attending a match in a suite via email instead of a phone call.”

Swinehart told The Athletic that he supports women in the workplace, but that the Tepper organization’s actions — or inaction, in some cases — have left male employees to ponder their futures with the club.

While Swinehart said he supports gender-diversity goals, he said TSE’s public desire to be a leader on the issue has left some male employees unsure where they stand and has contributed to turnover.

“I think specifically, to kind of the celebration of the advancement of women, it felt more presented as, ‘This is great. Look at all the things that are happening,'” Swinehart said. “But you could just start to notice, like, OK, so where does this leave me or where does this leave other employees with opportunities?”

He has requested a jury trial, as well as punitive damages and compensation for unpaid salary.

He also wants Tepper Sports and Entertainment to make changes, he told The Charlotte Observer in an interview.

“Honestly, I really, really do want Tepper Sports to be a better place,” he said. “I am a deep believer in the power and platform of sports. … I think Charlotte’s better if Tepper Sports is as strong and as healthy as it can be.”

–Field Level Media

Lost in all the discourse about how the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark is — or isn’t — officiated is this: When she’s scoring and dishing out the assists in concert, there are few players in the world better than Clark.

The first-ever 45-point, 10-assist performance in WNBA history Friday night was evidence of that. All of that was needed for Indiana to pull out a 110-107 home win over the Seattle Storm as Clark drained the tie-breaking 3-pointer in the last minute.

Clark and the Fever will try to author an encore on Saturday night when they finish their back-to-back set at home against the New York Liberty.

Clark needed just 18 shots to score all those points, thanks largely to 6-of-10 shooting from the 3-point line. She also marched to the line 19 times, sinking 17. For good measure, she came up with a key blocked shot in the final minute.

“I felt like I had good opportunities and I was aggressive early,” Clark said of her performance. “I was able to get to the free throw line a lot … we found a way.”

Clark and Indiana (15-10) will face a well-rested opponent. New York (13-11) hasn’t played since Sunday, when it lost 93-91 to Toronto in Montreal. The Liberty’s game against the Dallas Wings on Thursday night was postponed due to issues with their charter flight to Texas.

Mechanical issues forced the team to spend 12 hours on the tarmac before they deplaned. The game was rescheduled for Monday night.

New York is going through a puzzling stretch. It’s lost three straight, which was preceded by an emphatic win over the Minnesota Lynx and a victory against the Las Vegas Aces in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.

Perhaps because of that, or because of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s ejection Sunday for hitting Toronto’s Marina Mabrey with a shoe in the last two minutes, first-year coach Chris DeMarco went off on the officials after the latest loss. Laney-Hamilton reportedly was attempting to get the shoe back to teammate Jonquel Jones, who lost it on the court.

“I’ve never seen a ref make such an atrocious call when he’s on the other side of the floor,” he said.

Indiana center Aliyah Boston (lower leg), who sat out Friday night, is listed on the WNBA injury report as questionable.

–Field Level Media