Sports
USMNT’s second half vs. Ecuador gives positives for Pochettino
AUSTIN, Texas — At first glance, the term “tale of two halves” doesn’t seem appropriate to describe Friday’s 1-1 draw between the U.S. men’s national team and Ecuador. The U.S. had a sizable possession advantage throughout, created good chances, and dominated La Tri for long stretches. But looking from a different angle, it is applicable.
In the first half, even as the U.S. controlled the tempo (64.4% vs. 35.6% possession), it was Ecuador that controlled a key area. They made more of the little plays that mattered. That ability is in line with their recent history. They are a side that have ridden defensive solidity, excellent goalkeeping when needed, and an opportunistic attack to finish second in World Cup qualifying behind reigning champions Argentina. Along the way, La Tri conceded a miniscule five goals in 18 matches. While 14 goals scored isn’t exactly prolific, it proved to be enough to qualify for their sixth-straight World Cup.
In this match, for a half at any rate, Ecuador checked every one of those boxes. The defense was adept at constricting space, deflecting passes, and forcing the U.S. into blind alleys. On the rare occasions when the U.S. broke through, goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez was there to deliver a pair of outstanding saves, including a deflection off the post from a Chris Richards shot in the 26th minute.
In attack, Ecuador punished the U.S. with a transition goal in the 24th minute. U.S. midfielder Aidan Morris came up empty when he tried to jump on a transition pass to Jordy Alcivar, and Ecuador midfielder’s subsequent feed to Enner Valencia allowed the Pachuca striker to get into a one-vs.-one situation against Richards, which he made the most of to fire home a shot just inside Matt Freese’s far post.
That play, full of little victories that turned into a critical sequence, defined the first half.
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In the second half, the U.S. reversed the trend. It defended with more composure, upped the tempo in attack and scored a goal off the press in a play that featured Tim Weah, Tanner Tessmann and Malik Tillman, and ended with Folarin Balogun scoring off Tillman’s centering feed. The U.S. did what it could to find a winner, but couldn’t break through again.
That said, it was a performance that reflected well on the USMNT, even if the scoreline wasn’t entirely satisfying. It showed plenty of dynamism in attack, with Tillman and Weston McKennie using plenty of clever touches to find Balogun in the kind of spaces behind a defense in which he thrives. Defensively, it looked solid in a formation that echoed the approach in the Gold Cup, where it played with a fluid back line that often defended with four players, but allowed left back Max Arfsten to be tilted higher up the field.
But among the more encouraging aspects of the match was the U.S.’s ability to win more of the little battles in the second half, and turn them into critical plays. Establishing that habit is a vital piece to achieving success in the 2026 World Cup next summer. In that kind of competition, the teams are so evenly matched, especially in the knockout rounds, that it is often little details that are the difference between advancing deep into the tournament and getting an early ticket home.
For much of this calendar year, at least in matches involving most of the first-choice squad, the U.S. wasn’t making those little plays. Friday’s match, as well as last month’s encounter against Japan showed a side more able to come out on top in those sequences.
0:36
USMNT hosts Ecuador in friendly, draws 1-1
In case you missed it, the USMNT battled back for a 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Friday.
How the U.S. did that is open to interpretation, but suffice it to say, it’s multifaceted. The U.S is at last playing with the kind of energy and desire that manager Mauricio Pochettino demands, as evidenced by the USMNT winning 53.4% of its duels, 73.3% of tackles and 65.0% of aerial challenges. That creates a platform for more effective attacking play. For Pochettino, that development is almost a relief.
“I’m so happy that we don’t talk about other things like commitment, attitude or things that like this, that normally in the past we were,” the U.S. manager said afterward. “I think that is massive step up … If we are better and we show that we are better than our opponent, we can win. If we don’t show that, it’s because it’s a soccer problem.”
He added: “We showed great mentality and that is in the way that we want to build to the World Cup.”
But this is also a team that looks to be gaining some comfort with Pochettino’s system. It certainly has taken some time — far longer than expected when Pochettino took over the program 12 months ago — but that long sought-after cohesion is now progressing, and the team’s confidence is growing. The U.S. is playing more instinctually, rather than overthinking situations.
“If you’re thinking of, ‘Oh, I have to move here or I have to move here,’ then all of a sudden you start to think more [rather] than just doing,” U.S. defender Tim Ream said. “And now all of a sudden you see it; the ideas are taking hold and so now everyone’s just doing and able to really just give everything at all times.”
Combined with U.S. team’s high level of fitness — long a strong suit of the side — and you have a team that can gain the upper hand and maintain that advantage as well. For Ream, that started to show in the second half, not so much in physically overpowering their opponents, but in slowly wearing them down. It creates a snowball effect where every challenge won feeds the team with more energy.
“We started to make more of the plays. We started to look the fresher team as the game wore on,” he said. “And listen, as someone who has been on the other side of that, you know and you smell that. You’re like, ‘OK, these guys are starting to flag, they’re starting to be a little bit gassed,’ and you actually feel more energized and it allows you to get on top of them more and start making more little plays, being connected better. I think we were connected pretty well in the first half, but I think even closer connections in the second half. I’ll tell you what, it takes a toll on teams, and it did today.”
That improvement, from tactics to mentality to fitness to execution, is even more impressive when you consider who was missing. Alejandro Zendejas, so inspiring against Japan, sat out the match with a knee injury that already has him on his way back to club side Club America; Antonee Robinson, whose return to the USMNT fold figured to give the side a huge boost, didn’t make the gameday roster; Christian Pulisic was reduced to a 17-minute cameo off the bench; Tyler Adams (his partner is about to have a baby) and Sergiño Dest (injured) didn’t even make the roster.
The U.S. is without a doubt a better team with those players. Pochettino has a challenge on his hands in determining who will make his World Cup roster and who will get on the field once that’s decided. But, given where this team has been, and the progress it is making, it’s the kind of puzzle he’ll be more than happy to try to solve.
Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack is the latest voice calling for serious reforms in college football, including a holistic rethinking of the calendar, collective bargaining with athletes and consolidation of TV media rights in order to build a sustainable future.
Wildhack told ESPN he believes it’s imperative for college sports — and football, in particular — to embrace the current moment as a chance to make wholesale changes to address ongoing issues such as the transfer portal, in-season coaching departures, player eligibility and revenue gaps.
“We have a tendency to look at things as a one-off, and we need to look at the sport holistically,” Wildhack said. “When you’re in a moment when you have that popularity and the support from the fans, you have to build on it and make it better.”
Wildhack, a former ESPN executive who has served as AD at Syracuse since 2016, said the sport’s popularity should not be an excuse to continue avoiding addressing key issues but rather an endorsement for finding solutions now. His concerns have been echoed in recent days by other power brokers in the sport, from Georgia president Jere Morehead and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
At this week’s American Football Coaches Association convention in Charlotte, coaches attempted to tackle a portion of the eligibility issues by unanimously supporting a plan to extend redshirt eligibility to any player who participates in less than nine games in a season.
Meanwhile, a subcommittee of coaches and athletic directors met in Charlotte outside the AFCA’s formal agenda to discuss changes to the calendar that one athletic director described as “very productive” with a focus on “progress not perfection.”
Still, Wildhack’s public endorsement of collective bargaining and television media consolidation marks one of the most emphatic pushes toward significant reform from a current athletic director.
“There needs to be collective bargaining,” Wildhack said. “The players should be getting paid, no question about that. But with collective bargaining there’s rules that have been bargained for. It’s a legal document that everybody has obligations they’re required to uphold. That’s where we need to go.”
Wildhack said an agreement with “real teeth” is necessary, too, to combat schools who are “flagrantly disregarding” the guidelines set forth by the College Sports Commission.
Wildhack also called for a holistic reimagining of college football’s calendar, which has been a hot topic among coaches and fans after former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin departed for the LSU job before the Rebels’ began a playoff run that ended at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. In the run-up to that loss to Miami, Kiffin and Ole Miss battled over how many departing assistant coaches would be available to the Rebels rather than joining the rest of the new LSU staff in Baton Rouge.
In the midst of the calendar debate, college football’s commissioners are set to meet this weekend to discuss expanding the College Football Playoff beyond its current 12 teams.
The final — and perhaps trickiest — piece to the puzzle, Wildhack said, is revenue generation.
With the $20.5 million in revenue sharing that began this year, schools have been forced to scramble to cover costs, and the revenue gap between the biggest brands in larger conferences and the “have nots” in smaller leagues has grown significantly in the process.
But Wildhack pointed to the strong ratings for bowl games and this year’s College Football Playoff as evidence that the sport is leaving huge sums of money on the table by failing to negotiate TV deals as a unified bloc.
Wildhack pointed to the ACC’s new success initiatives and brand distribution model as ways to still ensure the biggest brands in college football won’t take a financial step back by agreeing to consolidated TV rights, but said it’s in everyone’s best interest to consider options to increase TV revenue nationally rather than by conference.
“There’s no 100% approval rating, but let’s take what we have now and make it better,” Wildhack said. “The time is right and there’s so much opportunity here that’s being left on the table. If we address the key issues and can begin to make progress, we make it better for everybody, and the sport will thrive. There’s no question.”
Sports
Dolphins’ Darren Waller says he was kicked out of exit meeting with coach Mike McDaniel before firing
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The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Mike McDaniel last week, and Darren Waller almost found himself right in the thick of it.
“I was at the scene of the crime, bro. I think I was the last person to see him before he got fired,” the Dolphins tight end said in a recent appearance on Johnny Manziel’s podcast.
Waller said he was in his exit interview with McDaniel discussing possibilities for the 2026 season before owner Stephen Ross “kicked the door open” roughly 10 minutes into their discussion.
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Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller (83) catches the ball in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium on Oct. 5, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
“He comes in and, like, joins the conversation,” Waller said. “We’re just all talking, reflecting on the year, and Stephen Ross was like, ‘Love to have you back next year.’ Then the conversation kind of just hits a lull.”
Waller said Ross was then giving him a specific look, which Manziel understood.
“It’s time for you to get the hell out,” Manziel said laughing.
“I looked at Mike, and he said we’d finish the conversation later … I go out of the meeting, get a massage, check my phone and see he was fired. I’m like, ‘This s— is cold.’”
Ross cited a need for “comprehensive change” after the team missed the playoffs for a second straight year with a 7-10 finish this season.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel runs to the locker room after the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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The Dolphins made back-to-back playoff appearances in McDaniel’s first two seasons as head coach but were eliminated both times in the first round. The following season, they were eliminated after suffering an unexpected loss to the New York Jets in the team’s season finale.
McDaniel’s final season in Miami was tumultuous, highlighted by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s struggles and his eventual benching in the final three games of the season.
As one of his last major moves as head coach, McDaniel said this week that the Dolphins would hold a quarterback competition for the 2026 season, a decision Tagovailoa seemed to welcome this week when he confirmed he was open to a “fresh start” somewhere else.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel address reporters. (HAL HABIB / The Palm Beach Post / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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In addition to replacing their head coach and finding a reliable candidate for the quarterback position, the Dolphins will be looking for longtime general manager Chris Grier’s replacement after he was fired mid-season.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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The New York Mets have reportedly made a big addition to their lineup.
The Mets and Bo Bichette are in agreement on a three-year, $126 million contract on Friday, according to multiple reports. After falling short in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, who reportedly signed a whopping four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets pivoted to Bichette.
The deal includes opt-outs after both the first and second seasons of the contract, according to multiple reports.
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Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Bo Bichette (11) runs after hitting a three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning during Game 7 of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. The game was played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 1, 2025. (John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images)
Bichette, 27, had a good season for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, hitting .311 with 18 home runs and 94 RBI in 135 games. He sustained a knee injury in September during a collision at home plate and missed the remainder of the regular season, the ALDS and ALCS.
He returned in the World Series and was a big contributor to the Blue Jays, who were just two outs away from winning it all. In seven World Series games, Bichette hit .348 with one home run and six RBI.
However, during the World Series, he moved off his normal position of shortstop and manned second base, because of his limited mobility with the injury. Bichette graded out poorly as a defensive shortstop regardless, and it does not appear that the Mets signed him to play shortstop, as they have Francisco Lindor there currently, who is a good defender.
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Bo Bichette (11) of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a two-RBI single in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2025 World Series at Dodger Stadium. The game was played in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Harry How/Getty Images)
The Mets acquired Marcus Semien to play second base from the Texas Rangers earlier in the offseason, and he won a Gold Glove last season. With Semien and Lindor seemingly locked into second base and shortstop, respectively, it appears the Mets signed Bichette to play third base.
Bichette has never played third base in his professional career. If the Mets do indeed try Bichette at third base, it would mean their corner infielders could be making their professional debuts at their respective positions.
The Mets signed Jorge Polanco earlier this offseason to be their first baseman, despite him having never played there in his big-league career.
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Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette watches his three-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning of Game 7 of baseball’s World Series. The game was played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Regardless of how the Mets align their infield, Bichette is a major boost to the top of their lineup. In seven seasons, Bichette is a career .294 hitter with 111 home runs and 437 RBI, along with 60 stolen bases.
The top of the Mets lineup will look very different next season with the additions of Bichette and Semien, along with mainstays Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil all having departed in free agency or via trade.
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