Sports
Kylian Mbappe calls France 'sloppy' after semifinal loss
July 14, 2026; Arlington, Texas, U.S.; France’s Kylian Mbappe looks dejected after the match as France are eliminated from the World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Kylian Mbappe offered a blunt assessment of France’s World Cup semifinal exit Tuesday, saying his team was too “sloppy” to keep Spain from controlling a 2-0 victory in Arlington, Texas.
The France captain pointed to breakdowns in both the game plan and its execution after Les Bleus were denied a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup final. Spain consistently created an extra man in midfield, leaving Rodri and Fabian Ruiz with the time and space to dictate possession.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard,” Mbappe said. “Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us.”
France entered the semifinal having won its first six matches and scored 16 goals, but struggled to establish its attack against Spain. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro doubled the advantage shortly before the hour mark.
Mbappe said France’s plan had been to apply pressure high up the field and prevent Spain from settling into its preferred possession game. Instead, Spain regularly played through the press and quickly recovered the ball whenever France briefly regained it.
“We didn’t play the game we wanted, technically, tactically,” Mbappe said. “When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win.”
The Real Madrid forward also criticized France’s work with the ball, saying poor first touches and missed opportunities prevented his team from testing Spain when openings appeared.
“We were too sloppy technically,” Mbappe said. “We could not hurt them when we could have.”
Didier Deschamps tried to shift the match by removing Adrien Rabiot at halftime and later introducing Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki. The changes did little to disrupt Spain’s control, and Mbappe was held scoreless after entering the match with eight tournament goals.
He remains tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot lead. Mbappe also scored eight goals at the 2022 World Cup, when France lost the final to Argentina in a penalty shootout.
“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that,” Mbappe said. “We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
France will face the loser of Wednesday’s Argentina-England semifinal in Saturday’s third-place match in Miami Gardens, Fla.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mystics dominate second half to beat Tempo for 3rd time
Jul 14, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison (21) dribbles the ball past Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen (44) during the second half at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Kiki Iriafen had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the visiting Washington Mystics on Tuesday night in their 79-62 victory over the Toronto Tempo.
It was Iriafen’s 10th double-double of the season.
Shakira Austin added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Mystics (12-10), who have won all three meetings with the Tempo (10-14) this season. Michaela Onyenwere contributed 15 points to help the Mystics to their fourth win in five games.
Julie Allemand scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Tempo, who have lost five of their last six.
Nyara Sabally contributed 13 points for the Tempo. Toronto’s leading scorer, Marina Mabrey, was held to eight points after entering the game averaging 21.6. She committed four turnovers and went just 3 of 13 from the field.
The Mystics surged to a 26-13 third quarter to take a seven-point advantage into the fourth.
Austin pushed the Mystics ahead by 12 points with 6:29 remaining, scoring back-to-back layups. Sonia Citron’s bucket increased the lead to 14.
Toronto’s Isabelle Harrison had eight points when she fouled out with 4:37 to play.
With defense a priority, Toronto led 17-12 after the first quarter.
Toronto led by 11 after Harrison made a driving layup with 5:56 to play in the second quarter. Iriafen’s three-point play trimmed the margin to eight with 4:16 left. Lucy Olsen nailed a 3-pointer and added a layup to cut the lead to four with 1:18 remaining. The Tempo led 32-26 at halftime.
Toronto shot 38.2% (13-for-34) from the field in the first half. Washington shot only 27.8% (10-for-36) in the half.
The Mystics opened the third quarter with a 14-3 burst to lead by five with 6:12 to play while dominating in the paint. Allemand answered with a 3-pointer to reduce the lead to two with 4:25 to go. The Mystics worked the lead back to eight points when Lauren Betts converted a layup with 3:02 left. They led 52-45 after three quarters.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rays’ Junior Caminero (hand) out after HBP in All-Star Game
Jul 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; American League Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) is hit by the pitch during the third inning against the National League at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero departed the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in the third inning Tuesday night after he was hit in the left hand by a tailing sinker from St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Riley O’Brien.
Caminero immediately hit the dirt after being caught by the 1-0 offering. He eventually sprang to his feet and jogged off the field into the American League dugout, as the Chicago White Sox’s Miguel Vargas came in to pinch-run.
The Athletic reported that Caminero went for X-rays.
The 23-year-old Caminero was making his second All-Star appearance. He has 28 home runs and 59 RBIs in 94 games this season for the Rays and is slashing .279/.372/.555.
Caminero reached the semifinals of the Home Run Derby on Monday night before he was eliminated by eventual winner Jordan Walker of the Cardinals. He connected on the event’s longest homer, a 491-foot shot to left-center.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
Sports
IOC asked to investigate FIFA president's role in Balogun reversal
June 27, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.; FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FBI Director Kash Patel in the stands before the match. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The International Olympic Committee has received a complaint alleging FIFA president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly breached rules on political neutrality in his support of President Donald Trump.
FairSquare, a nonprofit organization and advocacy group, asked the IOC to investigate, among several instances, Infantino’s possible involvement in the suspension of a one-game ban for striker Folarin Balogun, enabling him to play for the United States in a round of 16 match on July 6 against Belgium.
Infantino acknowledged receiving a call from Trump, who publicly lobbied for Balogun to play, but the FIFA president said he did not interfere with the decision-making process.
Balogun played as the USMNT was eliminated 4-1 by Belgium. He had received a direct red card in the 64th minute of a July 1 match for a foul on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemovic. The U.S. went on to win 2-0 with 10 men in the round of 32, and Balogun was suspended for the next game.
A red card or suspension cannot be appealed. FIFA, however, posted this message without further explanation to its website on July 5 about its use of the rule book in the case: “By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year.”
“All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said on the day of the game against Belgium. “And, you know, again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.
“I think they made a really brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible and nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it’s fine, nobody talks the referee’s decision to red card.”
Infantino said FIFA’s judicial committees act autonomously in a statement on his behalf on FIFA’s website.
“Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected,” the statement read.
FairSquare, in its complaint, is questioning the credibility and integrity of Infantino, who also became an IOC member in 2020. The organization said he “is obliged to adhere to strict rules on political neutrality in the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, adding that the IOC can expel members who don’t fulfill these obligations.
“As outlined in the FairSquare complaint, there is compelling evidence that Infantino has committed five clear breaches of IOC rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the US President,” FairSquare posted on its website.
One “serious breach” in the complaint was the Balogun situation with Infantino possibly giving in to pressure from Trump. Another was Infantino promoting a FIFA fan site for the 2026 World Cup, “which appears to have been part of a data-harvesting campaign run by entities linked to President Trump,” FairSquare wrote.
Another alleged breach was Infantino’s supportive post on his Instagram account after attending an event linked to Trump’s presidential inauguration in January 2025.
Infantino also publicly endorsed Trump for the Nobel Prize in October 2025, and he made more supportive comments in November. In December, Infantino presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center.
FairSquare also made a complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee in December, which was supported by the Norwegian football federation as well as 50 members of the European Parliament in a separate writing on June 29.
The IOC and FIFA did not respond to requests for comment from multiple media outlets.
–Field Level Media
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Mystics dominate second half to beat Tempo for 3rd time
