USWNT vs. France, AEW Fyter Fest, CWS Finals and More to Watch This Week
June 24, 2019
This week brings win-or-go-home knockout rounds in three world soccer competitions, one series for all the glory in Omaha, Nebraska, and a widely anticipated debut in All Elite Wrestling's second event. Summer is here and it's hot.
Must Watch: Team USA vs. France in World Cup Quarterfinals
After a tight 2-1 win over Spain Monday afternoon, a huge quarterfinal match awaits the USWNT on Friday, when it will take on host nation France in the FIFA Women's World Cup at 3 p.m. ET on Fox.
Megan Rapinoe scored two penalties to put the Americans through, while France reached the quarterfinal stage on Sunday with a dramatic 2-1 win over Brazil that needed extra time.
The French team is the second-biggest favorite to win the tournament and will be by far the largest challenge to the United States' efforts to repeat as world champions.
The match will be played at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, where nearly 50,000 fans will create a great atmosphere for both teams.
For full 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup results and knockout bracket schedule, go here.
Watch This: College World Series Championship Series
The final champion of the 2018-19 college sports year will be crowned this week at the College World Series in Omaha, when Vanderbilt and Michigan begin play in the best-of-three championship series Monday night.
The Wolverines have reached the College World Series eight times, winning it all in 1953 and 1962, while the Commodores have been four times now, winning the title in 2014.
The series should be excellent, as neither team has dropped a game in Omaha so far, each going 3-0 in pool play to reach the final series.
Vanderbilt will be the home team for Game 1, and Michigan will be the home team for Game 2. Game 1 is Monday, Game 2 is Tuesday, and Game 3, if necessary, is Wednesday. Every game will begin at 7 p.m. ET and air on ESPN.
To keep up with everything you need to know about the series, including live scores and updates, go here.
What's on B/R Live This Weekend
All Elite Wrestling Fyter Fest
AEW's second event is this Saturday night, FREE to stream on B/R Live. Fyter Fest will feature the official debut of Jon Moxley after his surprise appearance at Double or Nothing.
More matchups for Fyter Fest include The Elite vs. The Lucha Brothers, Cody vs. Darby Allin, and a Fatal 4-Way of Adam Page vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jungle Boy vs. MJF.
For a complete preview of everything you need to know for Fyter Fest, go here. To stream AEW Fyter Fest free on B/R Live, go here.
The World Is Watching: Continental Soccer Tournaments
1. United States at the Gold Cup
The group stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup concludes this week, and the United States men's national team will play the final match of the round on Wednesday night against Panama (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1).
The Americans looked the best they have all year in Saturday night's 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago that secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
A win or draw against Panama will clinch first place in Group D for the USA, while a loss will drop it to second and force a match with a group winner in the quarterfinals.
Here are the other matches to wrap up the group stage this week, with all airing on FS1 and all times Eastern:
Monday, from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
Bermuda vs. Nicaragua, 6:30 p.m.
Haiti vs. Costa Rica, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, from Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles
Jamaica vs. Curaçao, 8 p.m,
Honduras vs. El Salvador, 10 p.m.
Wednesday, from Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. (also where USMNT will play Panama)
Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guayana, 6:30 p.m.
The top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the quarterfinals, which are Saturday night in Houston and Sunday night in Philadelphia. For scores, results, and the full schedule, go here.
2. Copa America
Monday is the last day of the group stage in the Copa America, with six of the eight quarterfinal spots already secured. Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina are already through.
The final two places will come down to four teams: Peru, Paraguay, Japan, and Ecuador, with only Japan and Ecuador having a match left to be able to control their own destinies.
Everything will be set by Monday night when group play concludes.
Both matches are at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+:
Ecuador vs. Japan, from Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Chile vs. Uruguay, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Once the last eight teams are confirmed, the quarterfinals begin Thursday at 8:30 p.m. with Brazil playing a team still TBD.
For full Copa America results, standings, and knockout schedule, go here.
More To Watch This Week
1. NBA Awards on TNT
The NBA Finals are over and the draft is complete, but there's still one more piece of business to put a bow on the 2018-19 season.
Individual honors will be given out Monday night at the NBA Awards on TNT. The program begins at 9 p.m. ET on TNT, with a live red-carpet show streaming on NBA on TNT's and Bleacher Report NBA's social pages, as well as on NBA.com, beginning at 8 p.m.
Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Hall of Fame center and star of Inside the NBA, will host the awards show.
Among the closest awards to call are the Kia NBA MVP among Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Paul George, and the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year between Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Deandre Ayton.
Additional honorees will be Magic Johnson and Larry Bird receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award and sports broadcasting legend and cancer survivor Robin Roberts earning the Sager Strong Award, presented annually to an individual who has been a trailblazer while exemplifying courage, faith, compassion and grace.
For a full list of award categories and nominees, go here.
2. Yankees vs. Red Sox in London
Major League Baseball takes its biggest rivalry to Europe this weekend with two games in England. The longtime AL East rivals will play on Saturday and Sunday at London Stadium, where Olympic events were held in 2012.
It will be the first time ever that these two teams have met in the regular season in a city that is not New York or Boston.
The Red Sox will be the home team for both games, with Rick Porcello starting on Saturday and Eduardo Rodriguez on Sunday. Yankees' starters are still to be announced.
Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET on Fox
Sunday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN
3. MLS is Back
Major League Soccer returns from its international break with a bang this week, with five of the seven teams currently in Eastern Conference playoff positions playing on Wednesday, including a big matchup north of the border:
New England Revolution vs. Philadelphia Union, 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Montreal Impact vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
D.C. United vs. Orlando City SC, 8 p.m. on ESPN+
Toronto FC vs. Atlanta United, 8 p.m. on ESPN+
On Friday, the West-leading LAFC travels to play the Colorado Rapids (10 p.m. on Twitter, MLS Live). On Saturday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the LA Galaxy, second place in the Western Conference, head to San Jose to play the Earthquakes (10 p.m. on ESPN+).
For the full schedule as the MLS returns to action, go here.
The league also announced its Fan XI for this summer's All-Star Game in Orlando against Atletico Madrid on July 31. It's led by four Atlanta players and two from each Los Angeles team. View the full lineup here.
Quick Catch-Up
1. Cardinals legend Albert Pujols marked his first return to St. Louis since winning a World Series with the team with a home run and a curtain call.
2. Spanish club Mallorca, part owned by Stu Holden and Steve Nash, earned promotion to La Liga on Sunday night. They celebrated accordingly.
3. How much would it take for you to switch seats on a plane? Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who is 6'5" and 240 pounds, found out that for one traveler, $1,500 is not enough to give up a seat with extra leg room.
4. The Women's World Cup has unfortunately turned into a daily episode of pull-your-hair-out replay decisions as it takes away goals, forces retakes of penalties, and slows the pace of play due to video reviews of minuscule potential infractions. Cameroon was its latest victim over the weekend.
5. The NBA draft wasn't the only one with some craziness last week. In the NHL version, the New Jersey Devils picked American star Jack Hughes first overall and then pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Nashville Predators to acquire P.K. Subban, one of the best and most fun players in the league.
6. The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Colorado Rockies over the weekend. The Dodgers hit a walk-off home run to win each game of the series. A different Dodgers rookie hit the walk-off homer each day, capped yesterday by Will Smith, who was just called up Sunday morning.
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