Yesterday in Sports 06 22 26

Welcome to the Underdog World Cup show from Underdog Podcasts. I'm Chris Horvidell and every day during the tournament we're breaking down the matches, the moments, the teams under pressure, and the games coming next. This is the Underdog World Cup show. Hey, I'm Chris Horvidell and this is Yesterday in Sports. What happened yesterday and why it matters. And we start at the World Cup because Spain apparently heard everybody complaining about their opening draw against Cape Verde and said, fine, you want goals, here, have all of them. Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta with Lamine Yamal scoring 10 minutes into his first World Cup start. Mikel Oriazabel added two before halftime and Spain went from, should we be worried to, alright, we're Spain, in about 24 minutes. Today's episode is brought to you in part by our friends at NordVPN, but a little bit more on that later. The bigger World Cup history came in Vancouver where Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 for its first ever World Cup win. And that's one of those stats that feels like there's no way that that's right, but that's right. Congratulations to Egypt. New Zealand led at halftime through Finn Sermon, but Egypt flipped the match in the second half. With Mexico equalized, Mo Salah scored the go-ahead goal and Trezeguet finished it off with a header. Egypt has been playing World Cup matches since 1934, so waiting 92 years for a win is a little longer than they expected, but now they've got it and nobody can ever take that away. Cape Verde kept its incredible tournament going too, drawing 2-2 in Miami. Kevin Pena scored Cape Verde's first ever World Cup goal on a long free kick and Elio Varela tied it in the second half after a Uruguay mistake. Cape Verde now has draws against Spain and Uruguay. That's two former world champions, two points, and a tiny island nation making everyone else's scouting department look like they forgot to do their homework. In the WNBA, the league got basically the perfect 30th anniversary moment. The Los Angeles Sparks beat the New York Liberty 98-97 on a buzzer-beating 3 from Nika Ogwumike. These are the same two teams that played the first WNBA game back on June 21st, 1997. The Sparks trailed by 17, Ogwumike finished with 24, and then she hit the shot on a night filled with league legends. It's not subtle storytelling, it is the sports god's writing in all caps. In hockey, the Florida Panthers made the loudest move of the draft week, acquiring Brady Kachuk from the Ottawa Senators. This means Brady and Matthew Kachuk are now together in Florida. Ottawa gets Florida's two first-round picks this year, another protected first in 2029, and a second-round pick. Florida gets a three-time All-Star winger, a former captain, and immediately becomes more annoying to play against, which is kind of the Panthers' brand. An interesting thing to watch in hockey, Bowen Byram could become a major NHL trade name. Reports have multiple teams checking in on the Sabres defenseman, who's one year away from unrestricted free agency and carries a 6.25 million cap hit for next season. This is exactly the type of player who turns draft week into chaos. Good player, expensive next contract, and a front office that has to decide whether he's part of the long-term core or the thing you move before the price gets too uncomfortable. In baseball, the Phillies followed up their completely ridiculous Saturday with a much more normal 6-2 win over the Mets. Normal of course meaning Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both homered. Schwarber's blast was his fourth of the series, Harper added his 17th of the year, and Zach Wheeler mostly kept the Mets quiet, the Phillies winning a series against the Mets on national television. I will say, a pretty decent way to spend a Sunday night. The Orioles walked into Dodger Stadium and beat LA 12-1. Colton Couser had three hits, a homer, and four RBIs, Pete Alonso added a three-run shot, and Baltimore took the series. The Dodgers losing two straight doesn't happen very often, and basically getting Little League run-rolled emotionally by the Orioles is one of those let's-forget-this-ever-happened-in-move-on moments. Now let's head to the NBA, where the Hawks are quietly having themselves a pretty interesting couple of days. Garden C.J. McCollum reportedly signed a one-year, $21 million extension to stay in Atlanta. The Hawks also reportedly acquired Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City for two future second round picks. And that Wiggins bit is interesting because it's really an apron-saving deal for Oklahoma City. The Thunder were so deep, so expensive, and so stocked with draft picks that they basically had to move a real rotation player to manage the money, trim the tax bill, and open up a roster spot before the draft. It's going to be interesting to see what they do with Hartenstein, I think they'd like to resign him, and with Lou Dort moving up. Dort probably on his way out of Oklahoma City. For Atlanta, I like it. McCollum continues to give them an adult veteran in the room. And Wiggins is a guy who has been underrated for a very long time and should be more productive with real minutes. He gives them a usable wing who averaged 9.4 points last season, can defend space to floor, and play a role without needing the offense built around him. It's not a superstar move, but it's a smart move. And sometimes smart is better than splashy, which I know is boring, but it's true. In Omaha, North Carolina beat Oklahoma 6-2 to force a winner-take-all Game 3 in the Men's College World Series Finals. Oklahoma scored first, again, but UNC answered with a long ball, including a two-run shot by Cooper Nicholson. Oklahoma had its nine-game winning streak snapped and now the national title comes down to one game. That is college baseball at its best, weird momentum, exhausted bullpens, and every parent in the stands looking like they haven't slept since regionals. In tennis, Francis Tiafoe beat Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 to win Hale, the biggest title of his career. He became the first American man to win the tournament and he did it against a fellow American on grass in Germany. It was truly a day of history all around sports. And finally in women's cricket, South Africa beat India by 6 wickets in the T20 World Cup behind a huge unbeaten 81 from Marazon Kapp. India had been unbeaten, South Africa needed a statement, and Kapp delivered one of the biggest innings of the tournament. Look, I know everybody's not waking up checking cricket scoreboards. That's why I'm here. Sometimes the best sports story of the day is hiding in Manchester and sometimes it comes with a chase, pressure, and one player just deciding, no, I got this. Before we get out of here, a quick word about NordVPN. If you're online as much as I am, checking scores, reading reports, booking travel, or logging into accounts on random Wi-Fi, NordVPN is one of those tools that just makes sense. It helps your connection be more private and secure. And honestly, in a world where half of us are one airport Wi-Fi login away from disaster, I'm very much in favor of making life a little bit harder for the bad guys on the internet. I'm Chris Horwadel and that's it for today's show about what happened yesterday. We'll see you tomorrow.