After 11 years of marriage, there are very few things Aurora and Jamaal Brown don’t see eye to eye on. Then FIFA announced its first scheduled World Cup match in Philadelphia: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador.
“Ivory Coast is going to win and I will celebrate with some drinks,” Jamaal playfully teased his wife over the phone Saturday evening. “I am telling her, we are winners.”
The Jacksonville, Fla., resident grew up with friends from the Ivory Coast and recently found out through a DNA test that he has ancestry from the West African country, a genetic inheritance he takes seriously.
Aurora Brown and the family pick out a soccer jersey for dad at FIFA Fan Fest in Philly. Dad Jamaal had stay back home in Jacksonville, where he will be rooting for the Ivory Coast. But Aurora is sticking with Ecuador.Michelle Myers
As an Ecuadorian native, Aurora thinks Jamaal is wrong. But she is letting him “live in delusion” because she and their kids were able to travel to Philly to support the Ecuadorian team. Jamaal had to stay behind to take care of his grandma.
“If they weren’t playing against Ecuador, the whole family would be Ivory Coast fans,” Aurora said while attending FIFA Fan Festival at Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill on Saturday with her family. “We are going to buy him an Ivory Coast jersey for Father’s Day so he feels the love.”
Walking into the Lemon Hill park area, the mother of two was stunned to see so many Ecuadorian soccer shirts and flags, but no Ivory Coast representation.
Soccer fan Plinio Rada waves the Ecuadorian flag at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday ahead of Ecuador’s first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Waves of yellow, red, and blue paraded down Center City and into the arteries connecting with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. An unusual scene in a city with little Ecuadorian representation.
Both the Ecuadorian and Ivory Coast communities are considered small in the Philly metro area.
According to the Census Bureau, 15,415 Philly-area residents claim Ecuadorian ancestry. And numbers for Ivory Coast residents are hard to estimate because the bureau doesn’t tabulate them.
Maryland resident Michelle Diagne, 35, felt that absence.
The Ivory Coast native came to visit her Philly family from Rockville, Md. But realizing the tickets were too expensive, she and her two teenagers settled for attending fan fest and watching Sunday’s game at home.
While she had hoped to see more Ivory Coast fans in Philly, Diagne said just knowing the “Elephants” are playing in the U.S. fills her with pride.
“It makes me feel like we count,” Diagne said.
Ecuadorian native Magaly Moreira, 60, shares the sentiment. After decades living in New Jersey, she had never seen such a display of her country’s people.
“It fills me with happiness, pride, and so much joy,” Moreira said, Ecuadorian flags painted on her face. “It’s our opportunity for us and the players to represent Ecuador.”
She was one of thousands of Ecuadorians attending “El banderazo Ecuatoriano” outside the Art Museum. An event organized by group +593 (the country’s international calling code) that made fans put aside the traditional “Ecuadorian hour” to show up more than on time to support their team.
“Ecuador, Ecuador, Ecuador, vamos Ecuador,” resounded through the Rocky steps as the fans chanted, many sporting the Ecuadorian soccer jersey.
Defeating the heat, a crowd of all ages — from newborns to seniors — cheered and danced to the traditional highland dance “Zapateando Juyayay,” showcasing pride for their country, waving flags, and hugging each other with hope.
With a broken leg and dragging a wheelchair, Darío Galarza and his friend Marco Gallardo flew in from Ecuador two days ago to support their home team. They did not expect to see such an outpouring for their national team.
“The U.S. is accessible for us because we share the same currency and it isn’t far, but we didn’t expect to see so many people,” Gallardo said.
Ecuadorian soccer fan Demetrio Govrea watches fans during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
For Galarza, skipping the World Cup wasn’t an option. After undergoing surgery for his leg last month, he made it a point to be as recovered as possible to fly to Philadelphia.
“I guess it’s true, you will always find an Ecuadorian in every corner of the world,” Galarza said. “At least I knew it was going to be me because I wasn’t missing this for the world.”
As a man inside a guinea pig costume began a conga line around the Rocky statue, 77-year-old Ecuadorian Francisco Castellanos couldn’t help but reflect on the wonder of seeing so many Ecuadorians together and the weight of representation.
“There are so many of us here that now we must win,” Castellanos said. “Whatever it takes,” he added, as the crowd erupted chanting the Ecuadorian national anthem.
“I feel like, when we face pitchers, they’re always a tick up or ready to face our lineup, or at least our top three guys,” Harper said. “I feel like they’re always hunting and wanting to throw harder or throw their A-plus stuff against us.”
OK, sure. But this was absurd, even for Misiorowski.
Nobody has ever thrown harder than the Brewers’ 24-year-old ace. In overpowering the Phillies in a 95-pitch, 15-strikeout, one-hit 6-0 shutout, he set a record with a 104.5 heater to Schwarber in the first inning. His first pitch was clocked at 103.4; his last came in at 103.1.
Misiorowski might’ve had extra juice, too, considering the opponent.
Remember last summer, when several Phillies players squawked over Misiorowski getting named to the National League All-Star team after a handful of major league starts? They believed Cristopher Sánchez was more deserving.
Maybe it was a bad idea to poke “The Miz.”
Now, like then, Misiorowski denied any resentment or additional motivation to subdue the Phillies.
“It’s about the same as [facing] the Yankees, the Dodgers, any of those big-market teams,” he said. “You want to throw well against them. That adds adrenaline to it.”
In any case, it’s scarcely hyperbole to suggest it was the best game pitched against the Phillies since … well, ever. And it makes you wonder what Sánchez could do to top it Sunday against the Brewers.
Here’s the list of pitchers who struck out at least 15 batters and allowed one hit or fewer against the Phillies, who, keep in mind, have been around since 1883:
“I’m glad we faced him,” Harper said. “I’m glad we were able to see that. Obviously we’ve got a chance to play those guys in the postseason, so happy that we were able to face him today.”
After Misiorowski struck out Justin Crawford to end the game, Brandon Marsh asked Harper if he’d ever faced anyone with a fastball that resembled that. Harper cited former Mets ace Matt Harvey for a comparison.
But with extension that the 6-foot-7 Misiorowski gets at the end of his delivery, it somehow looks even faster to the hitter.
“It wasn’t like it was a blur coming at us,” Schwarber said. “It’s just hard to kind of compare because you don’t really see it consistently, right? When someone’s throwing 94-95, you can say, ‘Hey, that really plays up.’ You don’t really see that, so you can’t really explain it.”
Misiorowski and Sánchez are developing a rivalry en route to what might be a photo finish in the race for the Cy Young Award.
Sánchez one-upped Misiorowski in May by not allowing a run in five starts, part of a 50⅔-inning scoreless streak that was the longest ever by a left-handed pitcher and fifth-longest overall. Misiorowski gave up one run in six starts and was edged by Sánchez for NL pitcher of the month.
After Misiorowski’s mastery Friday night, Sánchez gets to answer with a start in the series finale Sunday.
“It’s a different animal when he’s on the mound,” Harper said of Misiorowski. “Just like what Sánchez is for us.”
Extra bases
Derek Hill made his Phillies debut Saturday night, two days after being acquired from the White Sox for two minor leaguers. Hill, who plays all three outfield positions, started in center, where he has the most experience. With the Phillies running platoons at two outfield positions, interim manager Don Mattingly said it’s possible Hill will continue to play center — with Edmundo Sosa in left and Brandon Marsh moving to right — against left-handed pitchers. … Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus (elbow) has allowed one run on five hits in two innings so far on his injury rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley. … Sánchez (8-2, 1.54 ERA) will be opposed at 2:10 p.m. Sunday by Brewers lefty Kyle Harrison (7-1, 2.72).
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden was arrested on Saturday in Houston on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon in a motor vehicle, according to the Harris County District Clerk’s Office.
Harden was arrested at 3:41 a.m. and booked just before 5 a.m., then posted $100 bond and was released from police custody, according to charging documents, which said he had a handgun in plain view that was not in a holster.
His arraignment is scheduled for June 22, according to the clerk’s office website. Harden is listed as a Houston resident in court documents.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers are aware of the arrest of James Harden this morning and are in the process of gathering additional information,” the team said in a statement. “We are in contact with James and his representation and will continue to monitor developments as they become available. At this time, we will have no further comment.”
A message sent to Harden’s representatives from the Associated Press seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Harden, 36, just finished his 17th NBA season and has the right to exercise a $42.3 million option to return to the Cavaliers next season. He indicated when Cleveland’s playoff run ended with a loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals that he would like to remain with the team, which would suggest he’s willing to forgo the option in favor of a longer contract with the Cavaliers.
Harden is an 11-time All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection who earned MVP honors in the 2017-18 season while playing for the Houston Rockets and is averaging a career 24 points, 7.3 assists, and 5.6 rebounds. After being acquired in the Ben Simmons trade, he played for the Sixers from 2022 to 2023 and averaged 21 points, 10.6 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 79 games before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 31, 2023.
In search of its next center, Villanova went to northern Italy.
The Wildcats will sign 7-foot-3 Italian professional Luigi Suigo, the school announced Saturday afternoon.
Suigo, a 19-year-old from Tradate, in the Lombardy region, went through the NBA draft process and attended the combine but decided to withdraw his name from the pool and will play college basketball instead. Suigo faced a Saturday deadline to withdraw and maintain NCAA eligibility for the 2026-27 season.
The draft projections for Suigo, who played professionally this past season with Serbia’s Mega Basket, were at the back end of the first round and into the second round. One mock draft at The Ringer recently had Suigo going 27th to the Boston Celtics. Another mock draft at ESPN had Suigo going off the board at No. 39.
The Ringer’s scouting report called Suigo a “huge piece of clay just scratching the surface of his two-way impact.” His strengths include his major paint presence on the defensive end, where his 7-foot-6 wingspan is disruptive. That size also is useful in the pick-and-roll game. The scouting report notes that Suigo has soft hands and that his shooting form is better than his shooting percentages.
In 26 games with Mega Basket this season, Suigo posted averages of 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1 block in 18.8 minutes. He shot 64.9% on his 111 two-point shots, 27.1% on 48 three-point attempts, and 64.7% on 34 free throws.
Suigo, who reportedly considered signing with BYU, also has experience representing Italy in international competitions.
Suigo is part of a growing trend of European pros coming to the U.S. to play college basketball in the modern world, where Division I hoops effectively is professional basketball. The Final Four in April featured multiple former European professionals, most notably on Illinois’ roster.
The NCAA, according to a report from Sports Illustrated, recently distributed “eligibility requirement guidance” that could affect the eligibility of international professionals. It’s unclear how the guidance will be enforced, and when, or if players from the ABA League, in which Suigo played, will face difficulties with eligibility.
For now, Suigo is the latest international player to choose college basketball in an era when the higher levels of the sport offer paydays that oftentimes exceed a player’s earning potential in the pros. The 30th and final pick in the first round of the NBA draft makes just over $3 million in his rookie season. Wooing Suigo to put off the draft to play in college may have a price tag higher than that, though it’s unclear what Suigo will earn at Villanova during the 2026-27 season. Financial agreements between players and schools are not made public.
Suigo will slot in as the starting center, which was the missing piece of Villanova’s roster overhaul this offseason. He’ll have 6-foot-10 power forward Kwame Evans Jr., an Oregon transfer, next to him, and 6-foot-6 Ohio State forward Devin Royal rounding out the frontcourt. Elijah Crawford (Illinois-Chicago) likely is the starting point guard with returning leading scorer Tyler Perkins the other starter in the backcourt.
Suigo’s addition brings Villanova’s roster to 12. Villanova added another portal player Friday night in Towson forward Abdou Samb. Samb figures to fill out a deep reserve role for the Wildcats, who will have a solid bench rotation. That bench includes returning forward Matt Hodge, who is recovering from ACL surgery, transfer guards Jake Fiegen and Buddy Simmons, incoming freshman guards Adam Oumiddoch and Carter Fisk, returning reserve center Nico Onyekwere, and Samb.
Coach Kevin Willard wanted to get bigger and more experienced after his younger Wildcats struggled at times against the top teams on their schedule last season. The roster rebuild accomplished that. Suigo may not check a box in the experience category, but there won’t be many bigger players in college basketball next season.
Yes, it was only one game, and these U.S. players know that better than anyone. But they also know how big this was.
It’s not an overstatement, especially for a fan base that has endured so much frustration over the last 12 years. It’s OK to savor a moment of real happiness, and the rest of the nation is welcome to join the party.
It’s especially worth saying that this team’s biggest players delivered on the biggest stage.
Christian Pulisic was dazzling, especially with his playmaking on the first two goals, before exiting at halftime as a precaution after a hit to his left calf.
Christian Pulisic celebrates after his playmaking helped force the Paraguay own goal that opened the scoring.Jayne Kamin-Oncea
Folarin Balogun again showed why he’s the striker the U.S. program craved, with clinical finishes on the second and third goals. Weston McKennie drove the play from the engine room, starting with a charge downfield to set up the first tally.
Tyler Adams was the midfield general, and Chris Richards was impeccable on the back line: 6 of 10 duels won, three clearances, and a perfect 84-of-84 passing. Gio Reyna, so long maligned, capped the night with a thunderbolt.
While the instinct at halftime was to compare this game to the Portugal one in 2002, the final whistle brought another comparison.
Just 15 months ago, many of these players left this Los Angeles-area stadium at a low point: humiliating losses to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League final four.
Chris Richards (left) celebrates after Gio Reyna’s late goal capped the U.S.’ win over Paraguay.Jayne Kamin-Oncea
Richards and Adams were asked if they thought about that time as they returned to the ultramodern venue typically known as SoFi Stadium, and both said they did not. But they had no doubt about how far their program has come.
“I think you’ve seen a complete culture shift,” Richards said. “There [were] a lot of question marks last March about if we have that fight, if we can do it, if we can go all the way, especially without having any real competitive games. But I think we proved it to everybody tonight.”
Adams spoke of the team’s growth “as players and individuals, but also just understanding what the manager wants, exactly how to instill that every single day, the culture of the team, bringing more players into the fold. We’ve come a very long way.”
It bears saying that Balogun missed those Nations League games because of injury. But the search for a marquee striker had gone on long before then. But it bears repeating: He has delivered.
¡TRIUNFAZO DE ESTADOS UNIDOS!
El equipo de las Barras y las Estrellas goleó a Paraguay en su debut en la Copa del Mundo.
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 13, 2026
“When I committed, and throughout the whole cycle and the whole journey to me being at this point, I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation, showed me so much support,” he said. “And for me, the most important thing has always been to be able to repay that. I feel like today’s a great opportunity, and I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”
He called it “a dreamy night,” and speaking soon after the final whistle meant he had only started to process it.
“I’ve not been able to take it all in,” he said. “When I get back to my hotel and I rest, I’m sure I’m going to really be able to be in the moment and experience how much of an amazing night this is.”
A true home advantage
Another contrast between last year and this one came from the stands. While the players were the best actors, the crowd of 70,492 played more than just a supporting role.
A view of the crowd from field level during the national anthems.Mark J. Terrill
The compounded fear of seeing laid-back LA pay FIFA’s exorbitant ticket prices vanished when the national anthem singers found themselves joined by a rising chorus. There were “USA!” chants all night, real and organic, from the moments before kickoff to a key stretch late in the game when the players needed a boost after Paraguay’s goal.
Player after player said they felt it on the field.
“Walking out to that makes it feel real,” Adams said. “Seeing that support, you don’t want to let the fans down and the country down.”
Pulisic said: “It meant everything for us. A half like that, for it to go as it did, and have the fans really excited about it our performance, it felt amazing.”
Some of the U.S. fans in the stands on Friday.Jayne Kamin-Oncea
Last summer, McKennie stood at the White House with his club team, Juventus, and watched President Donald Trump make that moment about something totally unrelated to his visit. This time, the Texas-born son of a retired Air Force staff sergeant could express his own form of patriotism.
“Hearing the national anthem and hearing the fans singing it, in that moment, it’s one of those things that just pushes the feeling even further,” McKennie said. “Where you’re like, ‘I’m proud to be American, this is my home, this is my country.’ And that’s something that is hard to describe — it’s something that as a player you just feel whenever you just see that.”
Medford’s Brenden Aaronson said the anthem gave him “goose bumps,” even though he was on the bench and didn’t play. Cristian Roldan, another unused substitute, called the atmosphere “beautiful.”
“I had gotten some texts from a few mentors that said, ‘Make sure you take a moment to take it in,’ because they know I otherwise I wouldn’t,” he said. “And so I did. I just looked up, and it was a breathtaking sight, I would say.”
Pochettino, an Argentine who has spent his coaching life in Europe, felt something, too.
“It was amazing for our fans to watch this type of game,” he said. “And today, I am so proud, and we are so proud, because I think we are winning a lot of fans, adding fans [of] that sport here in America.”
This was just one game, of course. But it was a big one, and not just because it was the highest-scoring U.S. men’s game in World Cup history. At the final whistle, it opened a path toward even bigger things to come.
The waterfronts of Chester and Wilmington are roughly 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from Abidjan, the Ivory Coast’s largest city. But, for at least three weeks during the FIFA World Cup, the Ivorian men’s national team will call the banks of the Delaware River home.
Les Éléphants hosted an open training session at Subaru Park on Friday evening, two days before they begins their World Cup campaign with a match against Ecuador at Philadelphia Stadium (aka Lincoln Financial Field) on Sunday (7 p.m., FS1).
Ivory Coast is the only nation scheduled to play at the Linc twice during the World Cup’s group stage, and it is the only team that will stay and train in the Delaware Valley during the tournament.
Ivory Coast is the only team with a base camp in the Delaware Valley during this summer’s World Cup.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
The team has set up its base camp at Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington and will train at Subaru Park in Chester.
Ivory Coast’s open training session Friday evening was the second free event it has staged for the Philadelphia community. Les Éléphants beat Union II, 2-0, in a tuneup friendly on Monday that was open to the public.
The team took its official squad photo before a training session that featured some light 11-on-11 work before being welcomed to the region by a committee of representatives for Visit PA.
Ivory Coast manager Emerse Faé addressed the crowd briefly in French after the session, saying the team has received a “warm welcome” in the region since its arrival last Saturday.
“We were well-received by the delegation here,” Faé said through a translator. “We want to see you on Sunday for the win.”
For some, Friday night’s open practice was an opportunity to familiarize themselves before seeing Ivory Coast take the field for a match at the Linc.
Sam Shovers and Joe Santillo bought tickets to see Ivory Coast’s final group-stage match, a clash with Curaçao at the Linc on June 25.
“We wanted to get acclimated and support,” Shovers said. “I always wanted to go to the World Cup, so I’m trying to just get as invested and ingratiated in the vibes of it as possible.”
Members of the Ivory Coast national football team signed autographs and posed for photos following their practice Friday at Subaru Park. Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Shovers was wearing a plain orange T-shirt, while Santillo sported an Ivory Coast-specific shirt he ordered from Amazon.
The friends said they plan on adopting the Ivorian team as one of their favorites for the tournament and have spent the last few weeks learning more about the nation and its culture — Santillo is quick to point out that Ivory Coast is home to the world’s tallest domed church.
The team is of special interest to Shovers, 30, who majored in African studies in college.
“Most of my studies were with sub-Saharan and English-speaking parts of Africa,” Shovers said. “This part of West Africa has been an exciting area to get excited about.”
Around the world
Many fans in attendance at the open training were sporting the orange Ivory Coast kit or other unofficial gear, but jerseys of all kinds popped up throughout the crowd of about 5,000 people.
Sam Haile, 47, showed up to Friday’s session wearing a red Liverpool jersey. He said he cherished an opportunity to watch a potential future star for his favorite club up close.
“It’s good to see a World Cup team coming to our community, letting us watch the free training,” Haile said. “They’ve got a couple of really good, top players.”
Haile said it was also an opportunity to get into the spirit of the World Cup without paying for an expensive match ticket. He planned on attending the Union’s Soccer Celebration to watch the U.S. match Friday night, and the FIFA Fan Festival later in the tournament.
Haile was born in Ethiopia before coming to Philadelphia to enroll at Drexel in 1997. He’s stayed in the region ever since, moving to Middletown, Del., in 2009. Haile said he will be supporting the Ivorians through their World Cup run, calling it “a pleasure to watch them.”
“I have a little bit of a feeling for them,” Haile said. “I hope they will go further in the tournament and stick around in Wilmington until the end.”
Cultural exchange
While Philadelphian fans got an introduction to Ivorian culture on Friday, the Ivorian squad got a taste of Philadelphia’s, too.
Jamie Pagliei, better known as The Philly Sports Guy on social media, gave the team an official introduction over Subaru Park’s public address system after the training session ended.
With his face painted red, white, and blue for the U.S. game later that night, Pagliei praised Philadelphia Soccer 2026 for helping to bring free events like Saturday’s training to the Philadelphia region during the tournament.
“I feel like that, out of every city that’s hosting, that Philadelphia and Pennsylvania is doing it right,” Pagliei said. “We are going to be the ones that might be the snapshot that FIFA uses, that says, ‘Hey, this is what we want out of our host cities moving forward.’”
As the Ivorian players walked off the field, some stopped to admire the West Powelton steppers and drum squad, which performed throughout the concourses and in the River End on Friday.
Antoine Mapp has been with the steppers since the group’s founding in 1991. He’s worked Sixers games and Phillies games as part of the teams’ official drum lines, but Mapp said drumming in front of Ivory Coast’s stars was the most starstruck he’s been.
“That was a surreal moment,” Mapp said. “I’ve been around the biggest stars in the NBA. That, right there, was probably the biggest moment I’ve ever felt, to have a whole football team standing there watching us perform. It’s an awesome, surreal moment.”
When organizers announced two years ago that Philly’s FIFA Fan Festival site for the World Cup would be at Lemon Hill, many Philadelphians responded with a collective: Huh?
Located between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Girard Avenue, the grassy site in East Fairmount Park hasn’t hosted many big public gatherings, though it was the staging and undressing area for the Philly Naked Bike Ride in 2022.
In my many years in Philly, I’d never covered an event at the site — and I’d never been to a FIFA Fan Fest either, which features live broadcasts of the games, entertainment, vendors, and soccer-related activities. So I went on Thursday, the opening day of the 39-day festival, to bring a minute-by-minute report of what I experienced to you.
Using a zoom lens technique, Mexican fans watch the FIFA World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa on a giant screen during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
I knew the journey wouldn’t be easy. Not only were temps forecast to be in the mid-90s (with heat indexes over 100 and a heat health emergency in place), you can’t drive to the site, or get close with ride share apps. Roads around the venue are closed and street parking has been restricted to neighborhood residents.
To get to the event, the city is urging guests to take the Philly PHLASH bus, take SEPTA’s bus routes 32 or 48, use a bicycle, or walk. I chose the latter.
12:30 p.m.
I begin my journey at LOVE Park, where I see a group of five friends in their team Mexico jerseys — and a sixth in a white T-shirt and sombrero — getting their photo taken with the LOVE statute.
Alexis Arellano, 29, tells me they’ve come from Atlantic City to catch the Mexico v. South Africa game at the FIFA Fan Festival.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You’ve got to take advantage of everything they got going on. It’s in our backyard,” he said.
12:39 p.m.
I stop into the pop-up Philadelphia Visitor Center hospitality hub at the park. The space is tiny, but the air-conditioning feels like silk sheets on my sweaty skin. I strongly consider buying the $14 portable fan that sprays wooder at your face and ponder at a bucket hat that reads: “Freedom has a Philly accent.”
12:45 p.m.
I head over to the public bathroom trailer that’s temporarily been installed in LOVE Park in front of the circular building known as flying saucer.
“What a waste,” I think, as I look up at the very cool saucer, which remains closed and empty, despite a call-out last year from the city for ideas to reactivate the space in time for the World Cup and the Semiquincentennial.
The new, temporary public bathroom trailer set up in LOVE Park.Stephanie Farr / Staff
I step inside the bathroom trailer. Not only is it air-conditioned, it’s outdoor-wedding-quality nice. Next to the trailer is a sink of water fountains and water bottle-filling stations.
1:15 p.m.
After making my way down the Ben Franklin Parkway, I spot another, larger hospitality hub across from Eakins Oval. This one has several large boards in front of it you can stick your face into to get a photo with Gritty, Rocky, or Patti LaBelle.
When I step inside the hub, I almost weep tears of joy because it’s so cold. It has much of the same items as the other, but with more Rocky merchandise (“Yo, Adrienne! Buy my stuff!”).
The pop-up Philadelphia Visitor Center hospitality hub across from Eakins Oval.Stephanie Farr / Staff
Outside of the hub, I meet Valentine Emeré, 20, and his parents, who are on holiday from France and had no idea the World Cup was in town. They’re in Philly as part of an East Coast tour of the U.S.
“It’s a very good city, it’s a living city,” Emeré tells me when I ask his thoughts on Philly. “We really like how many things there are to do.”
1:41 p.m.
I arrive at the FIFA Fan Fest welcome center tent. Aside from the oppressive heat, the walk was easier than I expected. I pass the Philly Phestival Marketplace, a row of vendors selling everything from nail polish to onesies that read “baby jawn.”
1:48 p.m.
At the Glitterbrush Facepainting booth, I chat up Martiza Quendo of North Philly, who wore a team Mexico shirt, and Marissa DeMatteo of South Philly, who was repping team USA. They’d just had their faces painted and told me they came to Fan Fest because they love free merch and “participating in Philly.” Mostly they were there for the live Luis Fonsi concert after the Mexico vs. South Africa game.
Martiza Quendo of North Philly, at left in a team Mexico shirt, and Marissa DeMatteo of South Philly, at right in a team USA shirt, pose after getting their faces painted at the Philly Phestival Marketplace.Stephanie Farr / Staff
1:52 p.m.
As several hundred people wait in line for the gates to open, visitors pose for pictures in front of a large soccer ball surrounded by fresh flowers, a photo-op that looks straight out of the Philadelphia Flower show. An enterprising street vendor nearby tries, without success, to sell umbrella hats.
“You think business would be better in this heat,” he says.
2:10 p.m.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker joins fans in a Mexican chant before entering the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on opening day of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. Fans gathered to watch Mexico face South Africa in the tournament’s opening match.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Gates open to the festival, a little behind schedule, but folks get in calmly, quickly, and with little trouble. Some come in singing, others run in waving Mexican flags. My colleague, photographer Jose Moreno, later shows me pictures of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker walking in with the crowds.
2:18 p.m.
I stop by the Home Depot activation, billed as “Beckham’s Backyard,” which features the facade of a home with a 12-foot-skeleton in front of it. An employee tells me this mimics a backyard with Beckham’s flair.
“He’s not here though, right?” I ask.
“I wish. This would be a lot more popular if he was,” he said.
Inside, there is a giant Home Depot bucket with a TV screen inside showing games. The nearby Casamingos stand selling margaritas for $17 appears to be far more popular.
2:26 p.m.
I ask an employee manning the Bank of America activation why the line there is so long. He tells me they’re letting people make their own bracelets — with very cool Philly and World Cup charms — for free.
2:28 p.m.
At the Visit PA pavilion, the lines for the free prize wheel and claw machines — which dole out Visit PA-branded merch — were very long.
But nobody was at the “Soccer Jawn” video game, which pits two players head-to-head in a Pong-like game of soccer on a big screen. I yell to a young woman passing by to battle me and she accepts my challenge.
Biance Yetta, 16, of Easton, beats me 5-4. In my defense, she plays soccer on a traveling team and I’ve never played before in my life (though I’ve probably played way more Pong).
2:38 p.m.
A message plays on the 60-foot-wide main screen of the festival from astronauts aboard the International Space Station. I’m too far away to hear everything they say, but I can make out the words: “Sharing one planet, one game,” and that makes me smile.
2:40 p.m.
I walk into the massive FIFA Fan Fest store, which is so well air-conditioned I almost fall to my knees and thank the gods of consumerism.
I browse for a bit, but when I check the price of a FIFA cropped women’s sweatshirt — $104.99 — I walk right back out.
2:56 p.m.
The national anthem of South Africa begins and crowds gather around the big screen. Folks try to hide under what little shade is available, but most of us are forced to swelter in the sun.
Shortly thereafter, the Mexico national anthem plays and many in the crowd — which now numbers in the thousands and is mostly team Mexico fans — sing along.
It feels electric being in the middle of them and watching the game begin, but I have more of the festival to explore.
Mexican fans sing the national anthem before the start of the FIFA World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
3:04 p.m.
I approach what looks like a nice little area called “The Orchard” and am immediately stopped by a security guard. I’m informed it’s a VIP-only area for sponsors (enjoy the perks, 12-foot Home Depot skeleton).
Next to it was another public viewing area with a smaller screen showing the game. This one had picnic tables under shade (huzzah!). Nearby was a food area with booths selling street corn, cheesesteaks, and churros — none of which sounded appetizing in 94-degree heat. I’d spotted a single water ice stand at another food vendor area across the way earlier, but the line was 42 people deep and there was one guy working the booth.
3:24 p.m.
I spot a woman in a Phamassador T-shirt, the Visitors Center program that’s recruited 10,000 volunteers to be ambassadors of Philly this summer.
Ruth Bangura, 19, tells me she’s a Philly transplant who’s “obsessed” with the city and wants to help others become obsessed, too. Despite the heat, she’s loving the “good energy” at Fan Fest and loves seeing people waving flags of all colors coming together.
“Everyone is different but at the same time, we’re all here for one game. This is the best thing that could ever happen to the United States right now,” she says. “This is the melting pot, this is what America is supposed to be instead of differentiating each other and dividing each other.”
Soccer fans gathered to watch the FIFA World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
3:31 p.m.
As I walk by an American Heart Association tent filled with CPR dummies, staffer Jennifer Russ asks if I want to learn CPR. She teaches me chest-compression as music that’s 100-to-120 beats per minute plays in the background. Like “Staying Alive,” these are songs you should time chest compressions to.
Russ’ manager tells me they’re on site because CPR is a skill they want people from all over the world to learn.
“And, honestly, sports is one of the main places cardiac arrests happen,” she says. “So this is great because it’s just such a big footprint.”
3:46 p.m.
Back at the big screen showing the game, I introduce myself to Mla Mhlongo, 34, a native of South Africa now living in Claymont, Del., who came to support his national team. He tells me that when the World Cup was in South Africa in 2010, they showed all the games at outdoor parks, so Fan Fest feels like a small tase of home.
Mla Mhlongo, a South African native now living in Delaware, waves the South Africa flag in support of his home country at FIFA Fan Fest in Philadelphia.Stephanie Farr / Staff
“I’m enjoying the game with a lot of people; I’ve taken a lot of pictures with people from Mexico and people from around the world,” he says. “The World Cup is supposed to unite the world and it does that.”
4:06 p.m.
An Eagles chant breaks out in the crowd.
4:23 p.m.
I need to find shade. I head to one of the misting tents with fans, but the mist evaporates before it even reaches me.
4:38 p.m.
Once I cool down a little, I realize how hungry I am. I consider a jerk chicken wrap, until I realize it’s $24. I settle on a hot dog and soda for $14. I try to pay with cash and am told everything is card-only.
4:42 p.m.
As I sit to eat in the shade near the smaller screen, I realize that hardly a single person is on their phone. They’re tuned into the game or each other and I think about how nice — and rare — that is.
4:52 p.m.
I try my hand at the Philadelphia Union’s activations, which test your soccer shooting and passing skills by having you kick balls at a series of blinking lights. They’re fun — and one of the few activations that doesn’t require you to scan a QR code. I fail miserably at both games, at one point kicking the ball into the crowd outside the tent.
5:05 p.m.
Mexican fans celebrate after Mexico scores against South Africa while watching the FIFA World Cup opening match on a giant screen during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
The match on the big screen ends and fans of Mexico cheer their team’s win. People make their way to the stage under the screen for the Luis Fonsi concert. I spot the two facepainted Philly ladies I talked to earlier right up against the stage barrier.
5:17 p.m.
Singer Luis Fonsi performs during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Fonsi takes the stage. A woman with a man in a Mexican wrestling mask, both of whom are wearing Mexican flags as capes, dance in front of me. I see a mom and daughter singing together in Spanish and a man dancing through the crowd, his arms raised. Everyone is happy and smiling.
5:30 p.m.
I leave early to beat the crowds and walk back. On my way out, I see a man at a picnic bench reading Booked by Kwame Alexander. He tells me the American Federation of Teachers is giving books away for free at the Philly Phestival Marketplace. I stop by the booth and talk with Leslie Koelsch, deputy director of communications for the federation.
“We launched the Summer Reading Cup and we’re giving away thousands and thousands of soccer-themed books this summer to get kids excited about reading,” she tells me.
5:42 p.m.
Just outside the fest, I see a sign for the “LOVE Park shuttle” and a row of four school buses. A driver tells me they’re giving free rides back to LOVE Park after the fest. It’s a wonderful service, but the buses don’t have air-conditioning and the first one isn’t anywhere near full yet, so I decide to continue on foot.
5:55 p.m.
Walking along the Parkway, I think about all the events I’ve covered there — the good and the bad, the celebrations and the protests — and I look at all the nationality flags waving in the warm breeze.
Soccer fans gather to watch Mexico play South Africa on a giant screen during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
I’ve had conversations with many people over the last few months who find it very hard — if not impossible — to consider celebrating anything amid the current climate of our country. But when you attend one of these events in Philly that brings people from all over the world together, you get something you don’t get when you sit at home and watch all the horrors of the news.
You realize how much people want to connect with one another, and how easily we still do, when we choose to.
Soccer fans gather to watch Mexico play South Africa on a giant screen during the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill on Thursday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
NEW YORK — So much in American soccer is defined by change that sometimes the constants get overlooked.
But one constant will be front and center during the World Cup and hopes to be welcomed by longtime and new fans alike.
This will be Rob Stone’s 13th tournament between men’s and women’s, in a 28-year run that spans nearly half his 57 years. His first was in 1998, when he was a reporter for ABC and ESPN, and he worked seven for those channels through 2011. In 2012, he moved to Fox, where he became the lead studio host for every World Cup the network has aired since the first in 2015.
Now comes a summer like none before, from a logistical and personal perspective.
— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) May 13, 2014
“The fact that it’s on home soil, you do allow yourself a moment to hit the pause button,” he told The Inquirer, “and rewind back to old MLS Cups in the ’90s and covering the U.S. team in ’98. And then do the math of where you are now, and the responsibility that’s on all of our shoulders. It’s a cool moment.”
The interview occurred amid mountains of preparation for the first World Cup with 48 teams and 104 games. It’s so much time and tonnage that Fox will have four studio hosts: Stone, Rebecca Lowe (borrowed from NBC), Jules Breach (from England’s TNT Sports and Channel 4), and Pien Meulensteen (from England’s Sky Sports).
“I’ll probably reflect better on it in late July when it’s done,” Stone said. “Right now, it’s like a refrigerator on your chest, and you’re just trying to catch your breath and be healthy and ready to run at a sprint pace on Day 1. This is a massive undertaking for our network, for sure, but I think more so for our country.”
Most of Fox’s studio coverage will come from the network’s Los Angeles headquarters, a perk of a home World Cup. But Stone will be on site at U.S. games, and perhaps other big ones, and is happy to be taking the show to fans. He has experience with it, too, as the host of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff college football pregame show.
Rob Stone (left) with Landon Donovan and Maurice Edu at last year’s Concacaf men’s Gold Cup final.Fox Sports
“College football and soccer have always, to me, been kind of blood brothers,” he said. They run in the same circles: it’s the same amount of passion and that energy and that tailgating and that tribalism. So I’m really excited that Fox is saying, ‘Let’s get out with the people’ and really do have our finger on that pulse.”
That will be the most true for the U.S. team’s second group-stage game, against Australia on June 19 in soccer-crazed Seattle. It’s the most-anticipated group game for many U.S. fans, not because of the opponent, but because of the expected atmosphere.
“That home-field advantage from Seattle should be amazing,” Stone said. “And I am so happy for that city that they get the opportunity to host their national team, and not just in a tuneup game, but in a game that could absolutely determine where they go through the course of this summer.”
The studio sets’ locations hadn’t been finalized when Stone spoke, not least because there are a lot more security layers at a World Cup than a college football game. But the idea is as clear to him as it undoubtedly is to fans: to “have a much better vibe and be able to report that, and let the viewer understand a little bit to a better extent what World Cup soccer is all about.”
An electric atmosphere is expected when the U.S. plays Australia on June 19 in Seattle.Seattle Sounders
‘A distinguished, educated soccer culture’
How does he handle the always-delicate balance of teaching new fans while not alienating diehards who don’t want to be condescended to? That exists in other sports, but it’s especially pronounced in soccer.
“It’s a really interesting conversation because if you compare the soccer tent in the U.S. to ’94, it’s worlds apart, right?” Stone said. “This is much more of a distinguished, educated soccer culture than it was back then in the early ’90s. But there’s still growth. There’s still opportunity for more.”
The specifics of a home tournament come into play for him here, too, with the potential for even bigger audiences than World Cups already draw on U.S. television.
“We definitely want to make sure that the newbies feel welcome to come in with the soccer intellectuals, if you will, and make it one big happy family where we can all get certain levels of enjoyment out of it,” he said. “But we have to be welcoming to new people and that new generation of the soccer fan, and this is a great opportunity to do it.”
Rob Stone (center) participates in Fox Sports’ World Cup media day in late May.Fox Sports
He added that he thinks “about the millions and millions of people who became soccer fans in our country because of ’94. We have another opportunity to do that this summer.”
Stone’s experience and professionalism have long drawn praise from across the industry.
“I mean, Rob Stone is American football for me,” Lowe said, only to realize her British roots had spun a double entendre. “I mean, he’s also American football, right? He’s American soccer.”
“His passion, his depth of knowledge, and his experience means that when you turn on your television, you are listening [to] and watching somebody you can be safe with,” she said. “There are so many avid football fans in this country who know everything about the game, and so does Rob. They need somebody on their screen reflecting back that level of knowledge, but also that depth of passion. He just gets it.”
Rob Stone (left) on the call with John Harkes at an ESPN soccer broadcast in 2008.Lorenzo Bevilaqua
‘A grind-plus-one’
Longtime Fox analyst Stu Holden played for the U.S. national team in the 2010 World Cup, which was Stone’s last for ESPN. The two have known each other well for a long time; Holden joined Fox in 2014 and quickly became its lead game analyst.
“He is, and will be, remembered long, long after he’s done in television as one of the most important people in sports broadcasting for American soccer,” Holden said.
Stone also can teach his Fox colleagues who don’t know the sport well. Though it isn’t to some fans’ taste, the network is unabashed about wanting to bring in big names from other sports and popular culture.
“If you’re coming into a World Cup cold, I’m worried about you,” Stone said. “Alexi [Lalas] and I have talked about this for decades. Whenever a new talent comes in, and usually it’s a former athlete, we get to him or her really fast and [are] just like, ‘Hey, this literally is a marathon, and you need to be prepared mentally and physically before it starts.’”
As much of a grind as a World Cup is, he said this edition is “a grind-plus-one.”
Longtime ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap sent The Inquirer this photo with himself (bottom left), Rob Stone (bottom right), cameraman Nicolas Servant (top left), and producer Jim Witalka (top right) on the field at the Stade de France during the 1998 World Cup.Jeremy Schaap
For all the highs and lows to come this summer, the end also will bring a major moment. This tournament is Fox’s last of its 15-year contract with FIFA. The women’s World Cup will move to Netflix for next year’s tournament and 2031, and negotiations for the next round of men’s tournament rights haven’t started.
Stone doesn’t know what the future holds for those rights or for him. But he is aware that this World Cup could be not just Fox’s last, but his last.
“I’m not ready to say it’s an end of an era yet, because who knows where the next men’s World Cup is going to go,” he said. “I’m 100% looking at it like I’ve got more to go, and I’ve got plenty more in the tank. … There’s certainly that possibility out there that’s it for Fox. And if it is, we’re going to finish with a bang, just like we started.”
The 76ers’ first major offseason task has been completed, after Mike Gansey was introduced Monday as the new president of basketball operations.
“It’s just one good decision at a time as far as [creating] change,” said president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment Bob Myers, who led Gansey’s hiring process.
Additional obvious offseason checkpoints will be tackled in the coming weeks. The Sixers hold the No. 22 overall pick in the June 23 NBA draft, which was Gansey’s specialty in his previous job as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager. Shortly after that is free agency, which the Sixers are expected to enter with limited financial flexibility with three players on max contracts.
Yet here are some more subtle questions still lingering following Gansey’s hiring:
Elton Brand is expected to transition to another role and title with the Sixers.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
What will Elton Brand’s role/title become?
Brand was not spotted during Gansey’s news conference, evidence of the decision that Brand will not continue as general manager.
Brand had previously been the front office’s top decision maker, before taking a step back to the No. 2 role when Daryl Morey was hired as president of basketball operations in 2020. Still, Brand was respected inside and outside the organization, and turned down interest from other teams to stay with the Sixers in past years.
But now Jameer Nelson has been promoted to that No. 2 front office spot, while Brand is expected to transition to another role and title. What exactly will those responsibilities entail? And how visible will he be moving forward?
Nick Nurse will be back for a fourth season as Sixers coach. Will his coaching staff look any different?Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Any other changes to the front office or coaching staff?
The most candid comments during Monday’s media availabilities came from Myers, who said the Sixers need an identity.
They were mediocre on both ends of the floor in 2025-26, ranking 16th in offensive efficiency (114.3 points per 100 possessions) and 17th in defensive efficiency (114.4 points allowed per 100 possessions) during a 45-37 regular season. Rebounding and three-point shooting were particularly glaring issues, especially during the playoffs.
It is unlikely that the Sixers can make fixes by immediately overhauling the roster, given how Joel Embiid (32) and Paul George’s (36) ages and health struggles make their max contracts difficult to trade. The best short-term outcome might be that those two former perennial All-Stars play more than the 75 combined games they suited up for during this past regular season, allowing the potential this team flashed during its first-round upset of the Boston Celtics to sustain.
As far as additional nonplayer personnel changes, it is possible that Gansey does not make any prominent new front office hires for his first season.
In addition to Nelson’s promotion, vice president of player personnel Prosper Karangwa has agreed to a contract extension, The Inquirer confirmed. Assistant general managers Ned Cohen and Fan-Hal Kuong, plus Delaware Blue Coats general manager Ariana Andonian, got shout outs from Gansey during Monday’s news conference.
On the coaching staff, Nick Nurse obviously will be back for a fourth season. But are there any possible changes in the assistant ranks to address shortcomings on either end of the floor?
Last year, for example, Coby Karl did not return (neither did Bobby Jackson, who took an assistant job with the Sacramento Kings). And Mike Longabardi was promoted from Blue Coats head coach to the Sixers’ bench, where he took on defensive responsibilities.
Job movement from the front office and coaching ranks continues throughout the offseason, and can often be triggered by other teams.
Mike Gansey says he wants to build a positive work environment with the Sixers.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
How will Gansey establish his culture?
Gansey’s go-to saying Monday was that he wants “fountains, not drains” — aka people who enhance the work environment instead of suck the life out of it. He wants employees to enjoy coming to the facility, to create alignment through communication and collaboration, and to add players who want to be Sixers.
The most cynical outsider could define those words as workplace culture jargon. And shifting that in a meaningful way is a challenge with this organization, which has a reputation of instability, at best. One could argue that always stems from the top — no matter who is in key basketball leadership roles — and ownership has not changed.
Still, it will be interesting to monitor how Gansey aims to set his organizational tone in these initial months. Do things feel tangibly different with young players around for much of the summer, then when everybody reconvenes for informal workouts and training camp?
It’s Week 5 of the Eagles’ season. They’re 2-2, but their record is not the concerning thing, not really. They have lost their most recent game, at home to the Los Angeles Rams, but that loss, in and of itself, is not the concerning thing, not really. The Rams are favored to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, after all, and any team would struggle to hold Myles Garrett at bay, and the Eagles could not.
No, here’s what’s concerning: Jalen Hurts is doing the one thing that he generally does not do. He’s turning the ball over. He’s throwing interceptions, and it’s clear that those interceptions are born of his acclimation to the Eagles’ new offensive system under their new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion. The Eagles would be at least 3-1, perhaps 4-0, if not for Hurts tossing the ball to their opponents too many times.
The question cuts to the core not only of the Eagles’ fortunes this season but their long-term future. And Hurts’ future. And Sirianni’s. Spend just a few minutes watching one of the Eagles’ recent minicamp workouts or listening to Hurts and Lane Johnson speak about Mannion’s offense, and you understand how big a change this will be and how committed the Eagles are to making it. Hurts will be under center more. The offensive line’s blocking techniques and schemes will be different. Oh, and A.J. Brown isn’t here anymore.
Put simply, this transition may take some time, and it may be rough at the start. If it is, it promises to force Sirianni to choose between riding out Hurts’ rite of passage in Mannion’s system and falling back on one of his primary coaching principles: Above all else, protect the football.
“As long as I’m the head coach here, we’re going to be very diligent about winning that turnover battle and winning the explosive-play battle,” Sirianni said Wednesday. “I know it’s like, ‘OK, that sounds simple,’ but there’s an art to it because you’ve got to be able to create explosives in different ways and sometimes that puts the ball at risk. But at the end of the day, that ball is still the most important thing.
“We’ll know how to create explosives in that time, but taking care of the ball is the most important thing, and we talk about this all the time: Can we come out of a game with every drive ending in a kick? Whether that’s an extra point, hopefully, whether that’s a field goal, or whether that’s a punt.”
Will Jalen Hurts be given the bandwidth to struggle in his early moments within the Sean Mannion offense?Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
A quick review of the last two seasons provides plenty of evidence that Sirianni is pastor of The Church of Do No Harm. In 2024, Hurts threw the ball at least 30 times in each of the Eagles’ first four games and was intercepted four times as the Eagles went 2-2. Over the remaining 13 regular-season games, he surpassed 30 pass attempts in a game once, and he threw just one interception, and the Eagles rode Saquon Barkley, their O-line, and their defense to a Super Bowl victory.
In 2025, Hurts’ most daring passing performance — and, in Sirianni’s eyes, his most destructive — came in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Hurts made some dazzling downfield throws that night … and tossed four picks, including one in overtime that ended the Eagles’ hopes of winning. His subsequent four games were a case study in cautiousness. He attempted just 15 passes in a rout of the (awful) Las Vegas Raiders. He had 185 passing yards on 30 attempts against the Washington Commanders, then threw for a piddling 110 yards (in freezing and windy weather, granted) against the Buffalo Bills, then managed just 168 yards on 35 attempts in that maddening wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Eagles wouldn’t have hired Mannion if they believed such an approach were sustainable. The combined greatness of Barkley and their offensive line was responsible for the offense’s quick-strike and big-play capabilities in 2024, and it had the added bonus of cutting down the occasions when Hurts or anyone else had to put possession of the football at risk. But those circumstances and conditions were ideal and difficult, if not impossible, to replicate, and the Eagles couldn’t and didn’t in 2025.
Now they have Mannion, who is regarded as a sharp, up-and-coming mind in the NFL. And they have Hurts, who for the sake of his own improvement and his team’s fate has to master a system unlike any he has played in before. And they have Sirianni, whose instinct has been to minimize any possibility of a big mistake. Something might have to give, and the season just might come down to the head coach and his ability to resolve a fundamental conflict within himself.
