USMNT could change its World Cup narrative in Gold Cup final vs. Mexico

Main Image

<p>-

  • USMNT could change its World Cup narrative in Gold Cup final vs. Mexico</p>

<p>Safid Deen, USA TODAYJuly 5, 2025 at 3:02 AM</p>

<p>You ask former U.S. men's national soccer team standouts Marcelo Balboa and Stu Holden about the Concacaf Gold Cup final, and the competitive spirit just oozes from their soul.</p>

<p>Especially since USMNT will face its biggest rival, Mexico, in the Sunday, July 6 match at NRG Stadium in Houston.</p>

<p>"Listen, you never want to lose to Mexico," Balboa, 57, told USA TODAY Sports, before he joins the Gold Cup's Spanish-language broadcast on Univision, TUDN and ViX. "I'm retired. I haven't played against Mexico a long time. Even when I play in the old legends games, I don't want to lose to Mexico."</p>

<p>Holden – who will be on the Gold Cup call alongside play-by-play announcer John Strong on FOX – still remembers how humiliated he felt after playing in USMNT's 5-0 loss to Mexico in the 2009 Gold Cup final.</p>

<p>"Man, I would give anything to step on that field on Sunday," Holden said. "And I'm going to step on the field – I just won't be allowed to kick a ball."</p>

<p>Coach Mauricio Pochettino, breakout star Diego Luna and the USMNT have a golden opportunity to rewrite the team's narrative ahead of next summer's FIFA World Cup.</p>

<p>They could end a tumultuous summer on a high note by lifting a trophy, setting the stage for a World Cup where they could at least be competitive against some of the best national teams in the world.</p>

<p>A loss, however?</p>

<p>Well, here's where it's important to maintain some perspective.</p>

<p>USMNT has been a club on the fly before the World Cup – hiring Pochettino last September, and trying to field a capable roster that won't embarrass itself when the U.S. co-hosts the tournament next summer with Canada and Mexico.</p>

<p>By no means are they ready for the World Cup just yet. But they'll have to be when next summer rolls around.</p>

<p>Star Christian Pulisic is one of several players not with USMNT during the Gold Cup this summer – his decision to rest upsetting several former players turned analysts, especially after the U.S. lost friendlies to Turkey (2-1 on June 7) and Switzerland (4-0 on June 10) before the tournament.</p>

<p>During the Gold Cup, the U.S. beat Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 on June 7, beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 on June 19, beat Haiti 2-1 on June 22, advanced past Costa Rica 2-2 (4-3 on penalty kicks) on June 29 and topped Guatemala 2-1 on July 2 to reach the final.</p>

<p>U.S. goalkeeper Matthew Freese (25) celebrats with defender Walker Zimmerman (5) during a semifinal match of the 2025 Gold Cup at Energizer Park.</p>

<p>Pochettino has 10 wins in 15 matches since taking the job, a run that included a four-game losing streak going into the Gold Cup. Would another loss to Mexico – in the Gold Cup final – be a failure for Pochettino and USMNT?</p>

<p>"No, not at all. The fact that this team got there, I think it's very valuable for Pochettino and his coaching staff," Balboa said, adding it's a prime opportunity for the players pushing for a roster spot to play for USMNT in the World Cup.</p>

<p>"Listen, nobody wants to lose. Is it a failure? I wouldn't think it's a failure at all. I think it's just one of those games that it could go either way. One mistake could cost you the game. But at the end of the day, you can't say one game that you lose to Mexico in the final, the tournament was a failure."</p>

<p>Holden said he's cautious to put a label like "failure" if this group of USMNT players fall to Mexico because "it would be me getting a little bit lost in the moment."</p>

<p>This Gold Cup experience is about Pochettino finding his way as the USMNT coach.</p>

<p>It's about players like Luna, who scored both goals against Guatemala, making a name for themselves.</p>

<p>It's about others like forwards Brian White and Patrick Agyemang, midfielders Max Arfsten, Jack McGlynn and Sebastian Berhalter, defenders Chris Richards and Alex Freeman, and goalkeeper Matt Freese solidifying their chances to make the World Cup roster.</p>

<p>Holden believes a Gold Cup win could solidify USMNT's belief in itself, and send a message to its pool of players that the club is heading in a clear direction under Pochettino's leadership.</p>

<p>"That means: You fight like hell on Sunday, and you beat your fiercest rival, and you cap off a great month, and we have a great storyline to tell for the next year," Holden said.</p>

<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gold Cup: USMNT could change World Cup narrative in final vs. Mexico</p>

Read original article


Source: AOL Sports

Читать на сайте


Source: AsherMag

Read More >> Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities

USMNT could change its World Cup narrative in Gold Cup final vs. Mexico

<p>- USMNT could change its World Cup narrative in Gold Cup final vs. Mexico</p> <p>Safid Deen, US...

Injured bald eagle, healed with fish skin, released back into the wild

Main Image

<p>-

  • Injured bald eagle, healed with fish skin, released back into the wild</p>

<p>Karissa Waddick, USA TODAYJuly 5, 2025 at 3:03 AM</p>

<p>A badly injured bald eagle saved by a pioneering fish skin treatment is back in the wild, just in time for the Fourth of July.</p>

<p>The bird, named Kere, was on the verge of death when volunteers brought her to the Winged Freedom Raptor Hospital in northern Wisconsin last August. Her leg was ripped open from knee to ankle, and maggots and bacteria had begun to fill the dried-out wound.</p>

<p>"It was horrendous," said Veterinarian Kim Ammann. But the doctor saw a flicker of hope: the eagle was somehow standing on the bandaged-up leg, and its talons still worked.</p>

<p>"That's when I started to figure I was going to need something to close the wound," said Ammann</p>

<p>A few Google searches later, Ammann stumbled on the Icelandic company Kerecis, which transplants the skin of North Atlantic cod to help heal human wounds and support tissue regeneration. The treatment had never been used on a species of raptor before, but Ammann took a leap and sent them an email.</p>

<p>Almost "immediately," she said the company reached back out and offered the descaled, medical fish skin free of charge to the all-volunteer veterinary hospital.</p>

<p>Within weeks, Ammann gave Kere, who is named in honor of the company, the first of two successful surgical skin grafts. The rest of her recovery included about 10 months of grueling wound care, bandage changes, and a mini vacation in the hospital's Eagle flyway rehabilitation enclosure.</p>

<p>"There was something very special about the fact that she was an eagle and that she was allowing me to do this," Ammann said of the bird. "That tolerance was part of what made it possible."</p>

<p>Veterinarian Kim Ammann applied a fish skin graft from the Icelandic company Kerecis to Kere the bald eagle's leg.</p>

<p>By June 22, the wild bald eagle was ready to soar free again. The date was more about ensuring Kere had "the majority of the summer months" to reacclimate with being wild again. But the symbolism of releasing a bald eagle so close to the Fourth of July wasn't lost on Ammann</p>

<p>A group of about a hundred viewers gathered to watch Kere take flight above the forests and fields. Amann described the day as "magical."</p>

<p>"She could decide whether she wanted to go east or west. She could decide what lake she wanted to go to," Ammann said. "I was so happy for her to have her independence back."</p>

<p>A conservation success story</p>

<p>Bald eagles, an iconic symbol of the United States, are among the most protected species in the country.</p>

<p>But they haven't always been.</p>

<p>Kere the bald eagle was released on June 22, 2025 after her rehabilitation at the Winged Freedom Raptor Hospital in Wisconsin.</p>

<p>The bird's population began plummeting in the late 1800s as American industrialization began changing the landscape, destroying their habitats and introducing lead into the environment.</p>

<p>In 1940, the federal government enacted The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibiting people from hunting, selling or possessing an eagle ‒ in effort to prevent further population decline.</p>

<p>But decades later, pesticides, including DDT, seeped into waterways and further endangered the species. The chemicals were believed to thin bald eagle eggs, decreasing the bird's reproductive success. The bald eagle population hit an all-time low in the 1960s, with just 417 nesting pairs in the continental U.S, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.</p>

<p>The United States banned DDT in 1972 and passed The Endangered Species Act in 1973, to protect quickly disappearing species like the bald eagle. The raptor was taken off the endangered species list in 2007 as conservation efforts led to a population surge.</p>

<p>Today, there are an estimated 316,000 bald eagles in the lower 48 states. And in 2024, they became the country's national bird .</p>

<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bald eagle treated with fish skin flies free in time for July 4</p>

Read original article


Source: AOL General News

Читать на сайте


Source: AsherMag

Read More >> Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities

Injured bald eagle, healed with fish skin, released back into the wild

<p>- Injured bald eagle, healed with fish skin, released back into the wild</p> <p>Karissa Waddick...

Turkey sends firefighting aircraft to Syria as wildfires rage on both sides of the border

Main Image

<p>-

  • Turkey sends firefighting aircraft to Syria as wildfires rage on both sides of the border</p>

<p>July 5, 2025 at 3:11 AM</p>

<p>1 / 2Turkey WildfireA helicopter drops water to extinguish a fire raging across a forested area in Odemis, near Izmir, Turkey, Friday, July 4, 2025. (Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP)</p>

<p>ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey sent two firefighting aircraft Saturday to help battle wildfires in neighboring Syria as Turkish firefighters battled a blaze on their side of the border and one person was reported dead in the country's west.</p>

<p>Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched to help beat back flames in Syria's northwest Latakia region, according to Raed Al Saleh, the Syrian minister of emergency and disaster management. He posted on X, saying "sudden wildfires in Turkey" delayed their arrival by almost a day.</p>

<p>Turkey has been battling wildfires since June 26.</p>

<p>Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said Saturday that firefighters successfully controlled 10 major fires in western Turkey, but an injured forestry worker had died, the third in the municipality of Odemis in Izmir province.</p>

<p>Authorities said most of the fires in Izmir were caused by faulty power lines.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, in Hatay province, which borders Syria, emergency crews continued fighting a blaze that broke out Friday afternoon in the Dortyol district near a residential area and rapidly intensified due to strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.</p>

<p>Some 920 homes had been evacuated as a precaution against the advancing flames, Governor Mustafa Musatli said late Friday.</p>

<p>Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects had been detained in relation to 65 fires that broke out across the country.</p>

<p>Fires that have hit Turkey, Greece and Syria over the past week have been fueled by soaring temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity. In Turkey, they led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and damaged some 200 homes.</p>

<p>The Syrian Civil Defense expressed concerns over the presence of unexploded ordnance from the country's past conflicts in some of the wildfire areas.</p>

<p>Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.</p>

Read original article


Source: AOL General News

Читать на сайте


Source: AsherMag

Read More >> Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities

Turkey sends firefighting aircraft to Syria as wildfires rage on both sides of the border

<p>- Turkey sends firefighting aircraft to Syria as wildfires rage on both sides of the border</p> <p...

Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board

Main Image

<p>-

  • Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board</p>

<p>NICOLE WINFIELD July 5, 2025 at 3:29 AM</p>

<p>FILE - Pope Leo XIV leaves after celebrating a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, June 29, 2025, where he conferred the pallium on newly appointed metropolitan archbishops. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, File) ()</p>

<p>ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV signaled commitment to continuing the fight against clergy sexual abuse by appointing France's Bishop Thibault Verny to head the Vatican's child protection advisory commission on Saturday.</p>

<p>Verny, 59, replaces American Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston. O'Malley was the founding president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, an advisory group Pope Francis established in 2014 to advise the church on best practices to fight abuse and protect children.</p>

<p>As the abuse scandal spread globally during Francis' 12-year pontificate, the commission initially lost influence and its crowning recommendation — the creation of a tribunal to judge bishops who covered up for predator priests — went nowhere. After many years of reform and new members, it has become a place where victims can go to be heard and bishops can get advice on crafting guidelines to fight abuse.</p>

<p>Verny, who is currently the bishop of Chambery, France, has been a member of the commission since 2022 and heads the child protection council of the bishops conference in France, where the church has been rocked by revelations of decades and abuse by priests and bishops. He was among commission members who met with Leo last month.</p>

<p>The bishop has been responsible for doing an annual audit of the French church's centers for receiving victims, an initiative that was started after a devastating 2021 report into the French scandal estimated 330,000 children in France had been sexually abused over the past 70 years by church personnel.</p>

<p>Cardinal O'Malley praised the appointment, saying Verny has developed in-depth experience helping victims and working with law enforcement and civil authorities to ensure accountability "for the serious failures of the church in France."</p>

<p>In a statement, O'Malley also praised Leo for continuing to consider the commission a priority.</p>

<p>"The Holy Father's words and deeds in these early months of his pontificate assure the world that the Church will not grow complacent in her efforts to as best possible ensure the protection of children, vulnerable adults and all people in our communities," he said.</p>

<p>Verny, for his part, praised O'Malley's leadership as courageous and having served as "a moral compass" for the church, a reference to O'Malley's occasional statements of outrage when even Francis bungled an abuse case.</p>

<p>"I am committed, together with the members and personnel, to building on that legacy," Verny said in a statement.</p>

<p>The American-born pope made the appointment the day before heading for a six-week vacation at the papal summer retreat south of Rome.</p>

<p>___</p>

<p>religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.</p>

Read original article


Source: AOL General News

Читать на сайте


Source: AsherMag

Read More >> Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities

Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board

<p>- Pope Leo XIV signals continuity on fighting abuse with new head of child protection board</p> <p...

Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana

Main Image

<p>-

  • Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana</p>

<p>Emilee CalamettiJuly 4, 2025 at 9:40 AM</p>

<p>Louisiana's state capitol building. ©By Nolan Mckendry</p>

<p>(The Center Square) — State Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, said President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" would affect 1.6 million Louisiana residents' access to healthcare.</p>

<p>"Me and my lawmakers down in Baton Rouge have some very serious concerns about the potential cuts to Medicaid and SNAP," Jenkins said during the Thursday Caddo Parish Commission meeting. "Significant federal cuts could lead to a multi-billion dollar loss for Louisiana."</p>

<p>Jenkins made it clear he was not giving any political statement towards the bill but was specifically focused on numbers.</p>

<p>According to Jenkins, the massive budget reconciliation bill proposes cutting $1 trillion to Medicaid and $180 billion to SNAP nationwide.</p>

<p>Data released by USAFacts showed roughly 847,100, or 18.4%, of Louisiana residents received SNAP benefits monthly during fiscal year 2024, larger than the 12.3% receiving benefits nationwide. In 2012, nearly 948,800 people in Louisiana received monthly SNAP benefits. In 2024, Louisiana ranked third in the U.S. for the state population receiving SNAP benefits.</p>

<p>KFF data shows that as of May, 1.8 million people in Louisiana have Medicaid, and 79% of Medicaid spending is federally funded. Louisiana currently receives $13 billion in federal funds for Medicaid.</p>

<p>The state budget for the 2025-2026 year is $47.9 billion-- $24.2 billion of the budget is state funds, and $23.7 billion is federal funds. Of the $23.7 billion federally funded dollars, $16.4 billion supports healthcare for Louisiana residents.</p>

<p>The Center Square previously reported positive and negative responses from lawmakers surrounding the passage of the president's bill, which he is expected to sign into law on Friday. The bill is said to add $4.1 trillion to the primary deficit over the next 10 years, raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, add cost-saving reforms to Medicaid and SNAP and fund border construction.</p>

<p>"Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Congressman Steve Scalise, Americans just received: largest tax cut in history, no tax on tips, overtime and social security, permanently secure our borders, permanent increase to the child tax credit, protects two million family farms from punitive double taxation, unless American Energy Dominance, modernizes the American military and ends fraud, waste and abuse in our federal government," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said on X.</p>

<p>Landry, U.S Rep. Julia Letlow, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, all Republicans, shared their support for the bill. Democratic Congressmen Cleo Fields and Troy A. Carter released statements of concern.</p>

Read original article


Source: AOL Politics

Читать на сайте


Source: AsherMag

Read More >> Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities

Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana

<p>- Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana</p> <p>Emi...

Caitlin Clark to miss fifth straight game for Fever vs. Sparks

Main Image

<p>-

  • Caitlin Clark to miss fifth straight game for Fever vs. Sparks</p>

<p>Field Level MediaJuly 4, 2025 at 6:22 PM</p>

<p>Jul 1, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on against the Minnesota Lynx in the second half during the Commissioner's Cup final at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images (Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images)</p>

<p>The Indiana Fever ruled Caitlin Clark out for Saturday's home game against the Los Angeles Sparks due to her lingering left groin injury.</p>

<p>Clark will sit out for a fifth straight game and miss her 10th game of the season, including the Commissioner's Cup final Tuesday, when Indiana toppled the league-leading Minnesota Lynx 74-59.</p>

<p>The Cup final does not count toward the regular-season standings, but nonetheless, the Fever have won three straight games during Clark's absence.</p>

<p>Indiana coach Stephanie White said at the time of Clark's injury that it was "very much a day-to-day thing." After Saturday, the Fever are off again until a home date with the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Clark, 23, sat out five games due to a left quad injury before returning to action against the New York Liberty on June 14. The second-year guard is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds in nine games (all starts) this season for Indiana</p>

<p>Clark won Rookie of the Year honors and made the All-Star and All-WNBA teams in 2024-25 following a record-setting career at Iowa.</p>

<p>--Field Level Media</p>

Read original article


Source: AOL Sports

Читать на сайте


Source: AsherMag

Read More >> Full Article on Source: Astro Blog

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities

Caitlin Clark to miss fifth straight game for Fever vs. Sparks

<p>- Caitlin Clark to miss fifth straight game for Fever vs. Sparks</p> <p>Field Level MediaJuly 4...

 

NOVA CELEBS © 2015 | Distributed By My Blogger Themes | Designed By Templateism.com