Sports
Pulisic rates 9/10 as Japan win gets USMNT back on track
Goals from Alejandro Zendejas and Folarin Balogun led the United States men’s national team to a 2-0 victory over Japan in a friendly at Columbus, Ohio’s Lower.com Field on Tuesday.
Following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to South Korea, the USMNT quickly bounced back with a more proactive attack through an experimental 3-4-3 formation. In a first half that included 63% possession, the home side created danger through high-pressing fullbacks Max Arfsten and Alex Freeman. After a clever dribble from Arfsten in the 30th minute, the 24-year-old launched a cross that found Zendejas, who impressively volleyed the ball into the back of the net.
The U.S. continued its attacking influence in the second half.
In 64th minute, the Americans doubled their lead after a pacey run from Christian Pulisic led to an assist for Balogun’s goal. Despite Japan shaking things up with second-half subs that wrestled back some of the momentum, the 2-0 result was cemented by the final whistle for the home team that had a late second wind in the dying minutes of the match.
Looking ahead in their ongoing World Cup preparation, coach Mauricio Pochettino and his U.S. roster will take part in friendlies next month against Ecuador on Oct. 10 and Australia on Oct. 14.
Manager rating (scale of 1-10)
Mauricio Pochettino, 8 — Credit where credit is due. Pochettino took a tactical gamble after not only ringing in five different changes from his previous XI but also testing out a 3-4-3 formation. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, there were some questionable defensive moments in the new setup and goalkeeper Matt Freese was kept fairly busy by Japan’s opportunities. Nonetheless, the overall performance is a step forward after the loss to South Korea.
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USMNT Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best; 5 = average)
GK Matt Freese, 9 — USA’s starting spot in net appears to be his to lose after earning a clean sheet thanks to his six saves. He fumbled the ball during one of those interventions, but it didn’t end up hurting the scoreline.
DF Tim Ream, 6 — An inconsistent but decent evening for the captain. While he was a vital distributor that was able to get forward, Ream also found himself losing aerial deals and occasionally chasing attacking players.
DF Chris Richards, 7 — Not bad from the Premier League player who added more confidence to the backline. Provided crucial interventions but also had some imprecise passes going forward.
DF Tristan Blackmon, 6 — An improvement after his shaky debut last week. Although his decision-making may not be at an elite national team level, Blackmon still dished out some important clearances.
MF Max Arfsten, 8 — Looked much more comfortable in an advanced role. Wasn’t the strongest during defensive moments, but that may not matter much when you consider his attacking presence that created the assist for the first goal.
MF Cristian Roldan, 6 — A mixed bag from the central midfielder that was able to win back possession, but also didn’t regularly win his duels in the heart of the XI.
MF Tyler Adams, 7 — It wasn’t a vintage Adams performance, but it was still a big improvement from last week. Some crucial interventions in the midfield and plenty of accurate passing.
MF Alex Freeman, 7 — Granted, Freeman wasn’t superb defensively and could have done a better job with his distribution, but he should hold his head high with the ground he covered on the right flank and his overall involvement in the attack. A promising 90+ minutes.
FW Christian Pulisic, 9 — Roamed around, created his own opportunities with recoveries, dropped deep and then clinched the well-earned assist for Balogun’s goal.
FW Folarin Balogun, 8 — A clear upgrade over Josh Sargent. Balogun linked well with the frontline and created plenty of danger with his attacking presence. Briefly went quiet before scoring the second goal of the match.
FW Alex Zendejas, 9 — Zendejas dove into a tackle that earned a yellow card early on but quickly bounced back with his goal and clever movement in the final third. A statement performance from the highly involved Club America winger.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
FW Diego Luna, 8 — An energetic cameo from the young player that was a focal point in the buildup and almost earned an assist in the final minutes.
MF Jack McGlynn, 8 — Nearly scored twice, with the second shot rocketing off the crossbar.
MF Sergiño Dest, 7 — Provided the pass that led to McGlynn’s shot that hit the crossbar. Another player that could benefit from Pochettino’s change in formation.
MF Luca de la Torre, 7 — Accurate with his distribution and almost secured an assist from McGlynn’s first short-range opportunity.
FW Damion Downs, N/A — Subbed on in the 79th minute.
DF Nathan Harriel, N/A — Subbed on in the 84th minute.
Coventry City will return to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years after securing their promotion from the Championship with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers on Friday.
A founding member of Premier League in 1992-93, Coventry have not been back since relegation in 2000-01.
– How does manager Lampard compare to others from England’s ‘Golden Generation’?
The West Midlands side will now rejoin the elite after a stunning campaign in the second tier under manager Frank Lampard.
Lampard’s side only needed a point from Friday’s match at Ewood Park to seal promotion but looked like being denied after Ryoya Morishita gave Blackburn the lead, before Bobby Thomas rose highest to head in from a free kick in the 84th minute.
The goal and the final whistle minutes later prompted wild celebrations from the more than 7,000 travelling Coventry supporters packed in to the away end in Lancashire.
The Sky Blues’ lowest ebb came when they dropped into the fourth-tier League Two in 2017 but they have fought their way back and, after losing to Luton in the playoff final in 2023, have stormed the Championship under Lampard this season to secure their Premier League return with three matches to spare.
They will have to wait to secure the title, with second-placed Ipswich now 11 points behind with five matches to play.
Friday’s result also means a return to the Premier League for Lampard. The former England international, who won three Premier League titles as a player with Chelsea, spent 18 months as manager at Stamford Bridge followed by a year in charge of Everton.
He last coached in the top flight during nine games as Chelsea interim manager at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Coventry spent 34 straight years in England’s top division and garnered a reputation for a series of dramatic escapes from Premier League relegation before finally succumbing to the drop in 2001. The club won their only major trophy with the FA Cup in 1987.
PA contributed to this report.
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LAS VEGAS – WWE star Danhausen has been an eccentric delight since he joined the company and made his debut at the Elimination Chamber back in February.
Danhausen has the knack for “cursing” his WWE opponents. Stars like Dominik Mysterio, Kit Wilson and The Miz have all felt the effects of Danhausen’s abilities, and it seems like the New York Mets are also suffering.
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Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz, a long-suffering Mets fan, told Danhausen earlier this week on social media that if he could lift the “curse” on the Mets, he would “do everything in my power to get his face on the side of a (WWE production) truck.”
Danhausen said that Gewirtz had a deal and wanted to have his face on the truck immediately. However, it appears that deal has not come to fruition.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza stands for the Star-Spangled Banner before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago on April 17, 2026. (Erin Hooley/AP Photo)
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen told Fox News Digital on Friday morning. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Hours later, the Mets lost their ninth straight game to the Chicago Cubs 12-4.
Danhausen enters the ring during Monday Night RAW at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on April 13, 2026. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
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The Cubs dealt with the “Curse of the Billy Goat” for years before winning the World Series in 2016. It appears the Mets have to deal with the Danhausen curse, at least for now.
Meanwhile, for Danhausen, he’s set for his first WrestleMania appearance in some capacity. Reports have indicated that he will have at least one segment with John Cena at WrestleMania 42.
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The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a week away, and prospects from all over are hoping to hear their names called, especially on Thursday night in the first round.
Having the “first-round pick” tag next to your name in the NFL is a rite of passage – teams believed you were worthy enough for their top slot, hoping you can be an immediate impact player for the franchise.
But that pick also comes with high expectations – the player is expected to perform right away and do so with Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods along the way. It can be hard for those rookies, as they’re trying to get acclimated to the speed and physicality the NFL has compared to college football.
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Broadcaster Greg Olsen looks on before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Greg Olsen, the three-time Pro Bowl tight end and FOX Sports NFL analyst, was once in that position being the 31st overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. And while he knows that each situation is different depending on the franchise the prospect lands with, the expectations are the same – fans want to see you perform.
So, how does one deal with that?
“Handle your business, be a great teammate,” Olsen told Fox News Digital, while also discussing how he’s taking his analyst duties to the next level with NFL IQ. “Earn the trust of your teammates, earn the trust of your coaches first and foremost. Because, at the end of the day, if you play well and the guys in that locker room believe in you and you continue to get opportunities, the fan support will come. As the team wins and you play well, all of that takes care of itself.”
For Olsen, he recalled thinking perhaps the New York Jets or Carolina Panthers would take him in the first round after a successful career at Miami. But, when the Jets traded up to nab first-ballot Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis, and the Panthers later selected his Hurricanes teammate, linebacker Jon Beason, he didn’t know what was happening.
That’s the beauty of the NFL Draft, though, as the Bears took him despite Olsen not really interacting with their staff during the pre-draft process.
Greg Olsen speaks on radio row prior to Super Bowl LIX at the Ernest Morial Convention Center on February 06, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
In today’s NFL Draft world, Olsen understands the information these prospects have is much more vast. In turn, fans have the same knowledge given the world of social media, and how reports, mock drafts and expert analysis shapes their understanding of how front offices think during this exciting time of the football season.
With that, comes a challenge Olsen knows he didn’t have to deal with as a rookie, but these first-round picks next week will have to weather that storm.
“In today’s day and age where everyone is so worried about outside opinion, they’re so worried about articles being written and social media and what’s being posted, you could lose track of, ‘Well, while you’re worried about that, you’re not taking care of home base.’ I think it’s more challenging today than 20 years ago when I came into the league, but I think that’s something guys have to hunker down and understand it’s not easy, but you control you and typically things fall into place,” Olsen said.
Olsen added it will be a “very complex, stressful day” for all those involved next week, but first-round pick or not, it’s the fulfillment of a life-long dream. That’s all that matters.
“You hear your name get called and a life-long dream, something you’re excited to embark on, became real. I got drafted by one of the premier franchises in all of football, coming off a Super Bowl appearance a couple months earlier. It was a really great place to start my NFL career,” he said.
Greg Olsen, the Chicago Bears’ first-round draft pick, talks to reporters after a summer training camp practice on July 30, 2007, at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
INSIDE THE FRONT OFFICE MIND
While Olsen enjoyed 14 years in the NFL, his next chapter of the game is providing keen analysis for FOX Sports broadcasts during the year.
To help him do that in the offseason while looking at the NFL Draft and free agency pickups by each franchise, Olsen has been using NFL IQ, the new interactive hub created by the league and AWS (Amazon Web Services), powered by Amazon Quick.
Ahead of the draft, NFL IQ transformed raw data from the NFL Combine, as well as team needs, free agency moves made and more, for this hub that provides fans access to key insights and puts them in the shoes of front office decision makers. Whether it’s the casual fan or a top analyst like Olsen, NFL IQ is an easy-to-use way to deepen football knowledge, especially at a crucial roster-building time like the draft is.
General shot of NFL IQ, the new interactive hub from the league and Amazon Web Services, powered by Amazon Quick. (NFL IQ)
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“This is the most educated fan base in NFL history, and I think that’s a good thing,” Olsen said.
“Fans actually have a way to access the exact same data, the exact same information that the teams and everyone are using for their own interest, whether it’s something casual or for people who really want to dive into the nitty gritty. I think it’s a really fun set of tools for the wide array of people who touch the NFL space. I know firsthand as a fan, and now a professional in the industry, it’s a huge part of my interaction of the game.”
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