You're locked in to Sports Desk, let's get into it.
The United States Men's National Team's World Cup dream is done, and it wasn't pretty. Belgium dismantled the USMNT four goals to one on Monday, ending what was supposed to be a generational moment on home soil. The buildup included real controversy — FIFA had suspended Folarin Balogun's red card ahead of the match, only for Belgium to rub salt in the wound by publicly daring anyone to overturn their dominant result. The window was wide open for American soccer to announce itself, and they couldn't walk through it.
Shifting gears to the octagon, Conor McGregor is back. UFC three twenty nine goes down Saturday, and The Notorious is promising a masterpiece performance against Max Holloway in what shapes up as a blockbuster rematch. McGregor hasn't made that walk in five years, and heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is already predicting a vintage showing. Whether the thirty seven year old can deliver against a sharp, battle-tested Holloway is the real question hanging over fight week.
Meanwhile in NBA Summer League, the Oklahoma City Thunder dropped to oh and two in Salt Lake City after blowing a twenty point lead to Atlanta, falling eighty two to seventy seven. Payton Sandfort was electric off the bench with twenty five points in just twenty one minutes, but it wasn't enough to hold the Hawks off.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
