Sports
Australia coach defends controversial PK decisions
June 25, 2026; Santa Clara, California, U.S.; Australia coach Tony Popovic celebrates after the match. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Patrick Beach and Mathew Ryan were taken by surprise when Australia coach Tony Popovic executed a goalkeeper substitution just before a penalty-kick shootout against Egypt on Friday.
“You have to talk to the coaches about that,” Beach told reporters post-match. “I found out at the same time you guys did.
“Obviously there was a plan that was put in place, and it wasn’t for us to know about.”
Popovic defended that decision as well as his choice to tap 18-year-old defender Lucas Herrington with the match on the line after Egypt eliminated the Socceroos from the World Cup in the round of 32.
Egypt and Australia played to a 1-1 draw before the Pharaohs went 4-for-4 from the spot while Australia missed their first and fourth attempts in the shootout. Australia were vying for their first World Cup knockout victory in national team history.
When it was evident the match would require penalties, Popovic pulled out Beach in favor of Ryan. Beach had made three saves, including a last-second parry over the bar of Egypt’s potential game-winner during second-half stoppage. But Ryan is the national team’s captain and former No. 1 choice in net.
Ryan failed to stop a single attempt. He guessed the wrong direction for the last three.
“It didn’t work, so we can look at many things in the reasons behind it, but with Matty’s experience and, I think, if you looked at his record in saving penalties, Patrick is new as a goalkeeper not just with the national team, but even in club football,” Popovic said, citing the 22-year-old Beach’s lack of big-game experience. “We just felt that Matty’s experience will be the difference. In the end, it didn’t work out that way, but not because of Matty’s poor judgment or lack of ability. They took really good penalties.”
Beach went on to say he and Ryan “are here to do the job of whatever works best for the team” and he felt nothing but respect for Popovic. Ryan revealed that he, too, was caught by surprise.
“No, no, (I wasn’t told) before the match,” Ryan said in the mixed zone. “Just as extra time was beginning, (teammate Paul Izzo) and I got told to warm up and the first time I got told was five minutes before half time of extra time, that if we weren’t going to make any more subs then right at the end they were gonna put me in there.”
As for the other end of the pitch, Popovic caught heat from fans and analysts for his choice of penalty takers. He had subbed out two potential options, Nestory Irankunda and Cristian Volpato.
Defender Harry Souttar went first and cleared his shot into the stands. Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabli went on to convert to keep Australia’s hopes alive, but then Popovic chose another defender in the teenaged Herrington, who plays for Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids.
He clanged his shot off the crossbar before Egypt potted their fourth straight goal to win the shootout.
Popovic answered defensively when a reporter asked about the decision to tap Herrington.
“I’m sure you’d be saying something else if the young kid scored,” he said. “You’d probably be sitting there saying how wonderful it is that an 18-year-old took the penalty and scored.
“I trust him to play in a game that we needed to get a result against Paraguay, and a game where elimination was on the line. What’s the difference with a penalty?”
Herrington admitted “a lot of people would be wondering why I stepped up” to the spot.
“The coaching staff, the team, had my back,” Herrington said. “I was confident, so I knew where I wanted to put it, I did my routine and just unfortunately didn’t go my way. So I’ll keep working on it, keep working hard and hopefully come back.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
England's Reece James (hamstring) doubtful against Mexico
June 6, 2026; Tampa, Florida, U.S.; England’s Reece James celebrates after the match. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images England defender Reece James has a lingering hamstring injury and is doubtful to play in the Three Lions’ round of 16 match against Mexico on Sunday in Mexico City.
Manager Thomas Tuchel said on Saturday that James would have to get medical clearance to possibly be a substitute for the match after not training fully with the team since the injury in the scoreless draw with Ghana on June 23.
The Chelsea defender, 26, missed the 2-0 group-stage win over Panama on June 27 and the 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of the Congo last Wednesday in the round of 32. James was the only player absent from Saturday’s training session in Mexico City, according to a BBC report.
England’s Jarell Quansah, 23, played right-back against Panama before exiting with an ankle injury. The Bayer Leverkusen defender missed the last match against DR Congo but is available to play Sunday, Tuchel said.
“You saw that Jarell trained, Jarell trained fully, is fully available,” Tuchel said. “Reece can maybe make it onto the bench. He needs a last assessment from the doctors and medical opinion if this makes sense.”
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, 27, has been dealing with a hamstring issue but is expected to start for England against Mexico, per reports.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves' Martin Perez looks to maintain perfect record against Mets
Jun 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Martin Perez (33) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Veteran Atlanta Braves left-hander Martin Perez will try to maintain his perfect record against the visiting New York Mets on Sunday afternoon when the teams play the third game of their wraparound four-game series.
The Braves have rediscovered their offense. Atlanta hit four homers in Friday’s 5-3 series opener and launched five home runs in Saturday’s 14-3 win.
Perez is 5-0 with a 2.94 ERA in 11 career appearances (seven starts) against the Mets. He beat them in New York on June 13, allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings.
New York right-hander Nolan McLean (5-5, 3.78 ERA) will be matched against Perez (6-5, 3.27).
Perez took a loss in his last start, a 5-3 home setback to St. Louis on Tuesday. He allowed four runs in five innings, all of them coming in one inning when he surrendered a pair of home runs, one of them a three-run shot.
“It was one pitch, really one pitch was three runs,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “Other that, like he always does, he kept us in the game and worked around some things.”
Since rejoining the starting rotation on May 19, Perez had made eight starts and gone 4-3 with a 4.17 ERA. He has allowed three or fewer runs in six of those appearances.
“It’s obviously a long season and there’s going to be highs and lows,” Perez said. “One of the things this team can focus on is trying to get that momentum swung back this way.”
McLean is coming off a six-inning scoreless effort at Toronto on Tuesday, when he allowed five hits and two walks while striking out seven. It was a nice rebound from his previous start against the Chicago Cubs, when he was tagged for six runs in six innings.
“That’s who he is,” interim Mets manager Andy Green said on Tuesday. “It’s been fun seeing him kind of bounce back from a tougher stretch. I know last game, a little bit was made out of like a couple of home runs that skewed the line, but (today) he was just mixing his pitches incredibly well.”
McLean has made two career starts against Atlanta, going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA. He started against the Braves on June 12 in New York and did not receive a decision, allowing two runs in four innings.
“He’s got different ways to end at-bats,” Green said. “He was competitive the whole day, he was in the zone the whole day and that was, start to finish, as just clean and dominant as he’s been all year, so it was awesome.”
The Atlanta offense has come to life and scored at least five runs in each of the last four games, three of them wins. Austin Riley hit a three-run homer on Saturday to end a 36-game homerless streak; his last homer had been May 20 at Miami.
A bright spot for the Mets continues to be Carson Benge. He singled on Saturday and has hit safely in nine straight and reached base safely in 16 consecutive games. Shortstop Francisco Lindor was back in the leadoff spot and had two hits.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nats' Cade Cavalli takes mound vs. Pirates as he awaits suspension appeal
Jun 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli (24) throws to the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to keep manufacturing runs as they go for a series win on the road against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.
In Saturday’s 7-1 win, the Pirates did all their damage without an extra-base hit. Pittsburgh had 11 singles — four of which didn’t leave the infield — and stole four bases.
The ability to generate offense by stringing together hits, taking extra bases and swiping bags is a trait Pirates manager Don Kelly said has become a strength.
“We have a lot of resilience,” Kelly said. “We’ve talked about how we’ve shown the ability to bounce back.”
The Pirates shook up their bullpen prior to Saturday’s game. Evan Sisk (left elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day injured list, and Hunter Stratton was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. The right-handed reliever developed a two-seam fastball while in the minors.
“(It’s) something that goes arm-side,” Stratton said. “I think it’s really going to help me moving forward.”
The Pirates selected Stratton in the 16th round of the 2017 MLB Draft and he appeared in 47 games between 2023 and 2025. He was reacquired in a trade with the Braves on June 18 and is looking forward to helping stabilize the Pirates’ bullpen.
“Everybody has been great,” Stratton said. “They’ve welcomed me. I’m just happy to be back. I can go out there, have quick innings and fill up the zone. Just help in any way I can.”
Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.62 ERA) is scheduled to start for Pittsburgh. The right-hander’s last outing was in an 8-0 road loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. Chandler allowed five earned runs — his most since April 23 — on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.
He’s made one career start against the Nationals and is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA. He has walked none and struck out seven. Chandler has lasted at least five innings in his last eight starts.
The Nationals are set to give the ball to right-hander Cade Cavalli (5-4, 3.69), who tossed a gem in his last outing. Cavalli held the Boston Red Sox to one run on one hit with no walks and 13 strikeouts in an 8-1 win on Tuesday.
Cavalli is making the start as he appeals a seven-game suspension issued after a bench-clearing incident against the Red Sox which resulted from him taunting Willson Contreras after striking him out.
Cavalli has two career starts against the Pirates and is 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA. His last appearance against Pittsburgh was on April 13 where he was tagged with the loss, lasting 1 1/3 innings and giving up four runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
After James Wood crushed a first-pitch fastball to deep right field in the first inning on Saturday, the Nationals’ bats went quiet. Wood’s 23rd homer accounted for the lone extra-base hit of the six hits Washington managed.
Nationals manager Blake Butera said he wants the club’s leadoff hitter to get as many at-bats as possible.
“Woody is a really good hitter,” Butera said. “When we get him up to the plate as many times as possible, we like our chances.”
After piling up 12 hits in the 9-5 series-opening win, Wood said the Washington hitters have to wisely choose the pitches they want to drive.
“We need to take the same approach,” Wood said. “Be disciplined and get a good pitch to hit.”
–Field Level Media
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