Sports
Curacao keeper Eloy Room delivers 'unbelievable' performance vs. Ecuador
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group E – Ecuador v Curacao – Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. – June 20, 2026 Curacao’s Eloy Room celebrates after the match Tim Howard, a United States men’s national team legend, stands alone in World Cup history with his 16-save performance in the Americans’ 2-1 Round of 16 loss to Belgium in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
But he may have been a bit worried on Saturday night, when Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made 15 saves in a scoreless draw against Ecuador Saturday night in Kansas City to earn Curacao’s first-ever World Cup point.
At least Room hopes so.
“A little bit annoyed that I don’t have the record from Tim Howard, but I think he was sweating in front of the TV because I was close,” Room quipped in his press conference after the match.
In some ways, Room made history in the match. His 15 saves are the most in a World Cup match by a goalkeeper who kept a clean sheet. It’s also a record for a 90-minute match, with Howard’s performance coming in a 120-minute extra-time match.
The fact that it came just one match after Room made four saves on 12 shots on net in Curacao’s 7-1 opening loss to Germany in Houston makes it that much more unbelievable.
“I think I need a statue in Curacao now,” Room said.
According to some statkeeping websites, Room actually tied the record. FIFA’s total of 16 saves by Howard is not a consensus tally.
That discrepancy doesn’t seem to be affecting how Room views the game whatsoever.
“It’s going to be an insane memory,” Room said. “You don’t think about it when you do it but of course it’s going to be something you look back to. For me as a goalkeeper, this is almost a perfect game.
” … It’s unbelievable. And I cannot do it alone. I did it with the team and my defenders and the midfielders, strikers. We did it as a team.”
While Howard played for Everton in the Premier League when he delivered his historic performance, Room has never reached those heights. The 37-year-old Netherlands native came up through a few Dutch academies and squads before settling with the Columbus Crew, with whom he won the 2020 MLS Cup.
Now, though, he’s not even in the top-level American league, playing for Miami FC in the USL Championship.
Up next, a chance for Curacao, the smallest nation in population and size to ever qualify for the World Cup, to punch a ticket to the knockout stage if they can beat Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on June 25.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers place RHP Blake Treinen (elbow inflammation) on 15-day IL
Apr 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen (49) pitches during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images The Dodgers placed right-hander Blake Treinen on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation ahead of Saturday night’s game against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.
Los Angeles recalled right-hander Chayce McDermott from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.
Treinen, who turns 38 on June 30, is in his sixth season with the Dodgers. He has a 4-1 record and 3.52 ERA in 29 relief appearances this season with 25 strikeouts, 10 walks and one save. The 2018 All-Star has a 49-42 record, 83 saves and a career 2.93 ERA over 560 games (seven starts) with the Washington Nationals (2014-17), Oakland Athletics (2017-19) and Dodgers (2020-22; 2024-26). He has tossed 621 strikeouts against 233 walks.
McDermott, 27, is entering his second major league stint of the season. He made one previous appearance with the Dodgers, tossing one shutout inning with a strikeout May 17 against the Angels. He has an 0-1 career record and 11.85 ERA over six games (two starts) at the major league level, pitching sparingly for the Orioles the prior two seasons.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Travis Bazzana's career night powers Guardians past Astros
Jun 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) watches his three-run home run against the Houston Astros in the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Travis Bazzana recorded his first career four-hit game and first multi-homer game while Joey Cantillo worked a career-high-tying eight innings as the visiting Cleveland Guardians rolled to an 8-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Bazzana finished 4-for-4 with three runs and five RBIs — also a single-game best. The former first overall draft pick homered in the first and fifth innings and carried the offense alongside Kyle Manzardo, who finished 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Cantillo (6-3) logged more than six innings for the first time this season en route to his third quality start. Cantillo allowed one run on four hits and struck out a season-high-tying nine batters.
Bazzana started the scoring with haste, drilling the first pitch of the game from Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-3) out to right-center field. Bazzana spotted the Guardians a 1-0 lead with his second career leadoff home run and sixth homer of the season.
Arrighetti appeared to settle down following the Bazzana blast and retired six batters in a row. But even after receiving some help from his defense in the third, Arrighetti faltered that frame.
Astros center fielder Jake Meyers erased Patrick Bailey as he attempted to go from first to third on a Bazzana single for the second out of the inning. But Manzardo followed with his ninth homer of the season, a two-run shot to left-center that plated Bazzana and lifted Cleveland to a 3-1 lead.
Two innings later, with Steven Kwan (hit by pitch) and Bailey (single) on base, Bazzana blasted his seventh home run 406 feet to right-center as the Guardians stretched their advantage to 6-1.
Arrighetti, the American League Pitcher of the month in May, continued his June swoon. He allowed a season-worst six runs on six hits while posting eight strikeouts over six innings. Arrighetti is 0-2 with a 6.95 ERA across four starts this month.
Cantillo surrendered three consecutive hits in the second, including an RBI single to Yainer Diaz that plated Isaac Paredes. He was untouchable the rest of the way and retired the final 14 batters he faced.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Eloy Room helps Curacao earn first World Cup point with Ecuador draw
June 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.; Curacao’s Eloy Room reacts. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images Curacao found a comfort level in their second-ever World Cup match, pulling off a 0-0 tie with Ecuador behind the play of goalkeeper Eloy Room to earn the country’s first-ever point in a Group E match Saturday night in Kansas City.
Room made 15 saves, just shy of the record 16 made by the United States’ Tim Howard in a 2014 World Cup match against Belgium. The effort helped Curacao rebound from a 7-1 loss to Germany in their World Cup debut last Sunday.
At the final whistle, Room went to his knees, and the 37-year-old bowed his head onto the turf in relief.
Ecuador’s disappointing World Cup run continued with a second consecutive scoreless match. They lost to Ivory Coast 1-0 on Sunday.
Neither team was officially eliminated from advancing to the knockout round, although they will each need a win on the final matchday to stay alive.
Ecuador (0-1-1, 1 point) has a daunting task ahead with a match against Germany on Thursday at East Rutherford, N.J. Curacao (0-1-1, 1 point) will complete their group-stage schedule with a simultaneous match against Ivory Coast at Philadelphia.
Among the many high-level saves Room made, the most impressive might have come in the third minute on a shot from close range from Ecuador’s Enner Valencia. With a clean look at goal, Valencia’s shot was stopped on a dive from Room to his left.
The stop set a high standard that the goalkeeper from Miami FC of the second-division USL Championship was able to maintain throughout.
Ecuador primary held possession on Curacao’s end in the closing minutes. Early in stoppage time, Ecuador substitute Angelo Preciado took a shot from long range that rebounded off the top of the crossbar.
Room reached 15 saves on a long-range shot from Ecuador’s Pedro Vite in the 80th minute. Ecuador was unable to get another shot on target despite constant pressure.
Ecuador dominated the run of play with 63% of possession to 26% for Curacao. Ecuador also had a 28-10 advantage on shots with Curacao taking three on target.
–Field Level Media
