On this episode of Yesterday in Sports, Chris Horwedel recaps a busy day across the World Cup, Wimbledon, MLB, NCAA basketball recruiting, and the Tour de France. The show opens with Morocco beating co-host Canada 3-0 in the World Cup Round of 16, as Azzedine Ounahi scores twice and Soufiane Rahimi adds a stoppage-time goal. Chris explains why Morocco’s second straight World Cup quarterfinal appearance proves this is no longer a one-tournament underdog story, while Canada exits with real progress after its first World Cup win and first trip out of the group stage.
France also advances, surviving a physical Paraguay test in Philadelphia with a 1-0 win. Kylian Mbappé scores the winner from the penalty spot for his seventh goal of the tournament and 19th career World Cup goal. Chris breaks down Paraguay’s compact defensive shape, the brutal 102-degree conditions, France’s ability to win ugly, and the setup for a major France-Morocco quarterfinal rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal.
At Wimbledon, the women’s draw gets completely shaken up as Alexandra Eala stuns defending champion Iga Świątek in straight sets, becoming the first Filipino player to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam. Elise Mertens also knocks out Elena Rybakina, opening up the bottom half of the women’s draw. On the men’s side, Arthur Fery delivers one of the wildest stories of the tournament, reaching the fourth round after fighting through nosebleeds and multiple deficits in a five-set win over Zizou Bergs.
In MLB, the Dodgers continue to separate themselves with a 3-0 win over the Padres behind seven shutout innings and 10 strikeouts from Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Freddie Freeman homers, Andy Pages drives in a run, and Los Angeles moves to 10-2 since June 22 while San Diego drops its eighth straight game. The Mariners also make a statement with an 11-0 win over Toronto, as Logan Gilbert dominates, Randy Arozarena hits a grand slam, and Seattle moves into first place in the AL West.
The developing-report section focuses on a potentially market-changing NCAA basketball story: UCLA reportedly offering 17-year-old Barcelona prospect Nikola Kusturica a two-year, $12 million NIL package. Chris explains why that number is stunning in the context of European basketball salaries and why the NCAA may now be competing directly with elite European clubs for top teenage prospects.
The episode closes with the Tour de France, where Jonas Vingegaard takes the yellow jersey after Visma-Lease a Bike wins the opening team time trial in Barcelona. Chris highlights Vingegaard’s early gap over Tadej Pogačar, his comeback from a terrifying 2024 crash, and why the Tour’s biggest rivalry is already engaged from day one.