(MELBOURNE, Australia) — The United States was knocked out of the World Cup by Sweden, in a match that pitted the reigning champions against a hard-charging team on a winning streak.
The game closed out 120 minutes of regulation play without a goal, despite the U.S. squad having several close calls. The even match-up continued into the nerve-wracking penalty kicks, which themselves went into sudden death.
The odds leaned back and forth during the kicks, with both Sweden’s Nathalie Björn and the U.S. star Megan Rapinoe missing their shots, which started a string of four-straight missed kicks. After Sweden’s Rebecka Blomqvist shot was saved, U.S.’s Sophia Smith missed her shot.
In the end, the ball crossed over the line after U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher blocked Lina Hurtig’s shot. Because she couldn’t save it again, the game was over. The final score was 5-4.
The U.S. squad were the favorites entering the tournament, having won the last two World Cups, held in 2019 and 2015. They were also top of the pile in 1999 and 1991.
But their footwork in the group stage didn’t equate to many goals, or victories. They handily beat Vietnam in a 3-0 match, but their matches against the Netherlands and Portugal both ended in draws.
They exited the group round with five points, trailing the Netherlands by two. This was the first time in Women’s World Cup history that the U.S. earned fewer than six points during the group stage.
Sunday’s match was the United States’ fourth-ever World Cup game to enter extra time, with all three prior going all the way to penalties.
Swedish goalkeeper Zecira Musovic made a few big saves, including stopping a strong charge by Alex Morgan in the final moment of regulation play.
The first half of play had been controlled by the U.S. team, which monopolized possession and had at least two shots on goal to Sweden’s zero. But the score was nil-nil at the midway point.
By midway through the second half, Sweden began to apply more pressure, with possession evening out. They put together a few set pieces that were closer to success than they’d had previously, but they still struggled to finish.
The U.S. squad wasn’t on its back foot, however, as they were still getting more chances on goal than their rivals, with two more shots on target.
Sweden’s first shot on goal came in the 85th minute.
Rapinoe, the star U.S. midfielder, entered the game in the eighth minute of extra time, with the scoreboard still blank. She was a member of previous World Cup-winning squads and this tournament is expected to be her last as a player.
Sweden, which was ranked third in the tournament, was the runner up in 2003, their top placement since the initial 1991 tournament.
They topped their group with nine points after handily trouncing Argentina, Italy and South Africa. Only two other teams, England and Japan, left the group round undefeated.
The United States and Sweden have played each other in every Women’s World Cup since 2003.
“It wouldn’t be a major tournament if we weren’t facing Sweden,” said Lindsey Horan, the U.S. captain.
The Round of 16 match began at 7 p.m. local time, or 5 a.m. ET, at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(CHICAGO) — In two new lawsuits filed against Northwestern University, former football players allege they were subjected to demeaning and tortuous hazing as freshmen by veteran teammates and that coaches either knew about it, encouraged it or ignored the allegations when they were told.
The lawsuits filed Monday in a circuit court in Cook County, Illinois, allege the conduct by coaches and upperclassmen teammates created a “culture of violent, intimidating, sexualized abuse and hazing, and extreme mental abuse resulting in degradation, humiliation, embarrassment, and at times, causing devastating physical and mental illnesses to individual football players.”
The legal actions mark the fourth and fifth lawsuits filed against the Evanston, Illinois, school in the hazing scandal that prompted the firing last month of head football coach Pat “Fitz” Fitzgerald, the winningest coach in the university’s history.
The court documents claim Fitzgerald and his coaching staff knew or should have known about the hazing “initiations” and “traditions” of his Wildcats’ football program. The complaints allege the behavior “groomed” incoming freshmen players to believe it “was normal.”
The lawsuits are seeking actual and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees and costs.
The lawsuits accuse Northwestern of negligence, willful and wanton disregard for player safety and well-being, and violation of Illinois’ Gender Violence Act.
“With each filing, we have a clearer picture of the routine abuse that occurred in Northwestern’s football program and continues to haunt these young men,” said national civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who along with the Chicago law firm Levin & Perconti is representing the plaintiffs in the litigation. “The code of silence has been broken. The brave survivors filing these lawsuits are standing up to their alleged abusers and the institutions that reportedly allowed this twisted culture to prevail.”
Eight former players are now suing the university over the alleged abuse they say they endured while members of the elite Big Ten Conference football team.
Lawsuits follow independent investigation
The latest lawsuits were filed on behalf of Warren Miles Long — a former running back on the team, who played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks — and an unnamed player referred to in court papers as John Doe 2.
In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, Northwestern officials said the university is taking steps to address allegations made by former players during a six-month independent investigation that preceded the filing of the new lawsuits.
“Shortly after learning the results of the independent investigation into hazing on the football team, the University announced a series of steps including the monitoring of the football locker room, anti-hazing training and the establishment of an online reporting tool for complaints,” according to the university’s statement. “These steps, while necessary and appropriate, are just the start, and we will be augmenting them in the coming weeks.”
The statement adds, “The University is working to ensure we have in place appropriate accountability for our athletic department. We will engage an outside firm to evaluate the sufficiency of our accountability mechanism, and to detect threats to the welfare of our student-athletes. We also will examine the culture of Northwestern Athletics and its relationship to the academic mission. Both of these reviews will be conducted with feedback and engagement of faculty, staff and students, and both will be made publicly available.”
While the independent investigation, conducted by attorney Maggie Hickey of the law firm ArentFox, did not find “sufficient” evidence that Fitzgerald and his coaches knew of the ongoing hazing, it did conclude that coaching staff had “significant opportunities” to find out about the conduct.
Following the investigation, Northwestern President Michael Schill initially suspended Fitzgerald on July 7 for two weeks without pay. But when the university’s student newspaper The Daily Northwestern published a story detailing allegations of hazing and sexual abuse by a former player, Schill terminated Fitzgerald’s employment on July 10.
In an open letter to the university community, Schill wrote that “the hazing included forced participation, nudity and sexual acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values.”
In a statement to ESPN, Fitzgerald said he was surprised by Schill’s decision to fire him. He said the independent investigation “reaffirmed what I have always maintained — that I had no knowledge whatsoever of any form of hazing within the Northwestern Football Program.”
Long history of hazing alleged
The lawsuits acknowledge hazing has been prevalent in collegiate sports and fraternities since the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Northwestern scandal comes after New Mexico State University fired its head basketball coach this year and agreed to an $8 million settlement with two basketball players who filed a lawsuit alleging they were sexually assaulted by teammates. The new lawsuits also cite hazing allegations raised in 2000 that caused the University of Vermont to cancel its hockey team’s season, and the dismissal of four players from Georgia Southern University in 1999 for hazing.
In the lawsuit filed on his behalf, Warren alleged that as a freshman in 2013, he was subjected to a hazing ritual dubbed “running,” in which a group of upperclassmen teammates wearing animal masks and calling themselves the “Shrek Squad,” forcibly held him down and touched his body, groping his genitals and buttocks while playing music from the horror film “The Purge.”
“Warren was so fearful of what might be done to him and was forced to physically fight back…,” according to the lawsuit.
‘Shrek Clap’ and other hazing rituals
Warren and John Doe 2 also detailed another hazing ritual dubbed the “Shrek Clap,” in which freshmen players were forced to do pull-ups, pass rush drills and other practice drills while naked.
“If the players refused to get naked or comply, they would get [the “running” ritual], which they had already been groomed and primed to accept as the ultimate punishment,” according to both the new lawsuits.
Warren alleged he and other freshman players were also subjected to a hazing called the “Car Wash,” in which they would have to run a gauntlet of naked upperclassmen teammates to get to the locker room showers.
“Due to Northwestern’s status as the premier academic school in the Big 10 and Coach Pat Fitzgerald’s charisma and promises about protecting players, both the plaintiffs and their families thought Northwestern would be the best place for them to play division one football,” said Margaret Battersby Black, managing partner at Levin & Perconti. “They could never have imagined the abuse they would face. It was a huge betrayal of trust.”
(NEW YORK) — An up-and-coming American cyclist who was a member of the U.S. National Team was struck and killed by a car while he was training for a race over the weekend, his team said.
Magnus White, a 17-year-old U.S. athlete from Boulder, Colorado, was making his final training preparations over the weekend before his next race — competing in the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships beginning on Aug. 10 in Glasgow, Scotland — when he was struck by a car on a bike ride on Sunday, USA Cycling said in a statement confirming his death.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the news that 17-year-old Magnus White has passed away in a training accident,” USA Cycling said. “White fell in love with cycling at an early age through Boulder Junior Cycling. He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community.”
White won the 2021 Junior 17-18 Cyclocross National Championships before going on to compete with the USA Cycling National Team for a full season of European Cyclocross racing. He finished out the 2022 season at the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas and represented the United States at another Cyclocross World Championships event in Jan. 2023.
White was preparing to take the next step in his burgeoning career after earning a spot on the Mountain Bike World Championships team before the accident on Sunday.
The investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing and it is not immediately clear if criminal charges are being pursued.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time,” USA Cycling said. “We ride for Magnus.”
(NEW YORK) — An up-and-coming American cyclist who was a member of the U.S. National Team was struck and killed by a car while he was training for a race over the weekend, his team said.
Magnus White, a 17-year-old U.S. athlete from Boulder, Colorado, was making his final training preparations over the weekend before his next race — competing in the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships beginning on Aug. 10 in Glasgow, Scotland — when he was struck by a car on a bike ride on Sunday, USA Cycling said in a statement confirming his death.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the news that 17-year-old Magnus White has passed away in a training accident,” USA Cycling said. “White fell in love with cycling at an early age through Boulder Junior Cycling. He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community.”
White won the 2021 Junior 17-18 Cyclocross National Championships before going on to compete with the USA Cycling National Team for a full season of European Cyclocross racing. He finished out the 2022 season at the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas and represented the United States at another Cyclocross World Championships event in Jan. 2023.
White was preparing to take the next step in his burgeoning career after earning a spot on the Mountain Bike World Championships team before the accident on Sunday.
The investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing and it is not immediately clear if criminal charges are being pursued.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time,” USA Cycling said. “We ride for Magnus.”
(NEW YORK) — An up-and-coming American cyclist who was a member of the U.S. National Team was struck and killed by a car while he was training for a race over the weekend, his team said.
Magnus White, a 17-year-old U.S. athlete from Boulder, Colorado, was making his final training preparations over the weekend before his next race — competing in the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships beginning on Aug. 10 in Glasgow, Scotland — when he was struck by a car on a bike ride on Sunday, USA Cycling said in a statement confirming his death.
“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the news that 17-year-old Magnus White has passed away in a training accident,” USA Cycling said. “White fell in love with cycling at an early age through Boulder Junior Cycling. He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community.”
White won the 2021 Junior 17-18 Cyclocross National Championships before going on to compete with the USA Cycling National Team for a full season of European Cyclocross racing. He finished out the 2022 season at the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas and represented the United States at another Cyclocross World Championships event in Jan. 2023.
White was preparing to take the next step in his burgeoning career after earning a spot on the Mountain Bike World Championships team before the accident on Sunday.
The investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing and it is not immediately clear if criminal charges are being pursued.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time,” USA Cycling said. “We ride for Magnus.”
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) — As the Women’s World Cup shines a global spotlight on women’s soccer, Kansas City, Missouri, is paying more permanent tribute to the sport. The first stadium in the world built for a women’s professional sports team is under construction there.
The Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League will train and play in the $120 million facility starting next spring. It will seat 11,500 fans when it opens but can expand to 22,000 in the future.
A venue being purpose built for a women’s team represents a “breakout moment” in women’s sports, says USA Today columnist and ABC News contributor Christine Brennan. She adds that being located in Kansas City amplifies its significance since such a project might be more expected on the East or West Coast.
“To have it be happening in Kansas City really is a wakeup call for the rest of the nation,” Brennan said. “Where are you? Why aren’t you doing this also?”
One reason the stadium is happening there is that Brittany Mahomes, a founding partner of the KC Current, and local hero husband Patrick Mahomes, MVP quarterback for the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, are among the team’s co-owners and financial backers of the project. They join a growing list of celebrities investing in and drawing attention to women’s soccer.
Natalie Portman is a founder of LA’s Angel City Football Club, which also counts A-Listers Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain among its investors. Tennis star Naomi Osaka is part owner of the North Carolina Courage, while former first daughters Chelsea Clinton and Jenna Bush Hager are helping bankroll the Washington Spirit.
Brennan thinks this trend is enhancing interest in the sport for fans and potential investors.
“The idea that you’re going to a game and the owners are not these unknown old guys sitting somewhere in a box, but they’re people that you’re watching on TV or in a movie theater, I think that is a wonderful development,” Brennan said. “It is now cool and fashionable to be around women’s sports.”
But while the Mahomes’ backing is instrumental, Mayor Quinton Lucas asserts that when Kansas Citians talk about the Current and the stadium, “they aren’t really saying ‘Mahomes.’ They are just saying there’s this cool soccer team. We’re getting to know the players. We’re getting to know the team. We’re learning more about women’s soccer.”
The mayor said the commercial and retail development planned around the stadium, located alongside the Missouri River, will mean economic growth of about $1 billion in the area.
“I think what we’re seeing on the riverfront is not just the stadium, but it is a mecca for women’s sports, certainly for other economic activity in Kansas City,” Lucas told ABC News. “We believe in women’s soccer as an anchor for something substantial.”
Other cities apparently share Lucas’ vision. According to Dani Welniak, Kansas City current vice president for communications, the project has spurred national and international interest.
“I can’t tell you how much feedback we get from not only Kansas City fans, but people across the globe who want to know how we’re doing this, who want to bring a team to another state or even build upon the women’s teams that they have overseas,” Welniak told ABC News. “And so I know from the conversations that I’ve had, bigger picture, people are inspired.”
Heightened interest in the new stadium coincides with record interest in the Women’s World Cup. Last week’s U.S. vs. Netherlands match drew an average of 6.43 million viewers, according to Fox Network, the largest TV audience ever on U.S. television for a group stage Women’s World Cup game. Fox said the audience peaked at 8.45 million viewers.
While Brennan doubts that NWSL games will ever achieve such an audience, noting that national teams in big tournaments always draw more viewers, she does think the huge interest will mean growing investment in women’s sports, as exemplified by the stadium in Kansas City.
“As a business leader, you take one look at the numbers of the Women’s World Cup, you look at the untapped potential of women’s sports,” Brennan said. “And if you’re a businessperson, you go, ‘That is the market I want to get into. We’ve maxed out on the men.'”
Optimism surrounding the future of women’s soccer in the U.S. surges with the national team’s performance in the quadrennial World Cup, especially after its victories in 1999, and again in 2015 and 2019. The hope in Kansas City is that this project means a lasting forecast for success.
“Every four years I think we get this new sentiment,” Lucas said. “But this stadium says this is permanent. This interest in women’s professional sports, our respect for them, our love for them, our investment is something that’s permanent.”
The Kansas City Current came close to winning the NWSL championship last year, losing to the Portland Thorns in the title game. This season the team has stumbled, falling to last place in the league. Yet the stadium project seems to represent much more than the team, regardless of its record.
Welniak feels its broader significance is stirring.
“I have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter,” she said. “And to know that she is growing up in a world where she will know nothing different than women having their own training facilities and their own stadiums is something that makes me incredibly emotional.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Miami 8, Detroit 6
Colorado 2, Oakland 0
Seattle 4, Arizona 0
San Diego 5, Texas 3
San Francisco 4, Boston 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
LA Angels 3, Toronto 2
Cleveland 5, Chi White Sox 0
Kansas City 2, Minnesota 1
Tampa Bay 8, Houston 2
Baltimore 9, NY Yankees 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta 8, Milwaukee 6
NY Mets 5, Washington 2
St. Louis 3, Chi Cubs 0
Pittsburgh 6, Philadelphia 4
Cincinnati 9, LA Dodgers 0
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Minnesota 87, Connecticut 83
Atlanta 80, Washington 73
Seattle 85, Indiana 62
Chicago 104, Phoenix 85
New York 87, Los Angeles 79
Las Vegas 104, Dallas 91
(NEW YORK) — LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, has been discharged from the hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during basketball practice at the University of Southern California earlier this week, his doctor said Thursday.
“Thanks to the swift and effective response by the USC athletics’ medical staff, Bronny James was successfully treated for a sudden cardiac arrest,” Dr. Merije Chukumerije, cardiologist from Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, said in a statement. “He arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center fully conscious, neurologically intact and stable.”
The 18-year-old has since been discharged and is resting at home, the doctor said.
“Although his workup will be ongoing, we are hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support,” Chukumerije added.
Bronny James, a rising basketball star and incoming freshman at USC, was taken to the hospital on Monday after suffering cardiac arrest at a practice. The teen was first admitted to the intensive care unit and was later listed in stable condition, a family spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, “LeBron and [his wife] Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”
LeBron James spoke out on Twitter Thursday, saying, “Everyone doing great.”
“We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love. Will have more to say when we’re ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us!” the NBA star said.
“I’m so grateful,” he added.
I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers. We feel you and I’m so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love. Will have more to say when we’re ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your…
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via Getty Images
(LAS VEGAS) — WNBA star Riquna Williams was arrested Tuesday for alleged domestic violence against her wife, according to a Las Vegas police report.
Williams is being charged with nine counts, including three felony counts of strangulation, one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon, one felony count of coercion with threat of use of physical force and four counts of domestic violence, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) arrest report.
Williams accused her spouse of being unfaithful, according to the police report.
The Las Vegas Aces player took her wife’s electronic devices, credit cards and identification card, and left to stay at a hotel, LVMPD said. Williams returned and allegedly logged into an account, found evidence of cheating, and then punched and kicked her wife, eventually allegedly strangling her, Las Vegas police said.
Williams allegedly told her wife while she was strangling her, “I’ll kill you here and walk to the jail myself,” according to the police report.
A lawyer for Williams did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Williams denied being the primary aggressor during the incident, claiming she was the victim, according to the police report.
Williams was released from custody on Wednesday, according to court records. Her next court appearance is on Aug. 2.
The fight allegedly lasted about an hour, according to authorities. Police noted injuries to the victim’s body, including a scratch on her throat, a welt on one of her eyebrows and a scratch on her right thumb.
The Las Vegas Aces said in a statement that Williams won’t be allowed to participate in any team activities.
“As an organization, we condemn domestic violence of any kind. At this time, Riquna Williams will be precluded from participating in team activities,” the Aces said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Our thoughts are with the parties involved in this situation. We are currently gathering more information, and as such we will not have any further comments at this time.”
The WNBPA, the union representing WNBA players, said in a statement Wednesday, “We have been advised of the situation involving one of our members in Las Vegas. We are monitoring the situation and have no further comment at this time.”
Williams joined the Las Vegas Aces before the 2021 WNBA season, only playing 21 games for the team last year because of an injury to her foot, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
