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Christian Pulisic ended a five-month goal drought on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, and the relief on his face when the ball hit the net said everything. The United States beat Senegal 3-2 in a match that showed this team's ceiling and its floor in the same 90 minutes, which is exactly what a final tune-up is supposed to do. Eleven days from Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, Mauricio Pochettino got what he needed.

There is a lot more to get into today. Germany and Brazil both won warm-up matches on Sunday and are making their cases as legitimate contenders after years of underdelivering on the biggest stage. The World Cup rulebook got a significant rewrite, and the changes are already catching teams off guard. Kick Into Summer is running daily now, and there is plenty of tournament news to work through. Let's get into it.

Eleven days. That is how long the United States has before Christian Pulisic steps onto the field at SoFi Stadium (sorry, the Los Angeles Stadium this summer) and the World Cup becomes real. Sunday's 3-2 win over Senegal at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte was the last real audition before the tournament begins, and it delivered exactly what a tune-up is supposed to: a win against quality opposition, a full roster rotation, and a clear picture of both the ceiling and the floor.

The first half was the best 45 minutes this group has played under Mauricio Pochettino, especially the first portion before the hydration break. His 3-4-2-1 pressed Senegal into errors from the first whistle, and by the seventh minute the combination play was already producing. Pulisic drew the defense wide, Ricardo Pepi combined with him, and Sergiño Dest arrived at the back post. Clean, purposeful, and rehearsed because it was. The second goal in the 20th minute was better still: Alex Freeman carried forward and played a perfectly weighted outside-of-the-right-foot pass to Pepi, who found Pulisic from a tight angle. Pulisic dribbled the keeper and finished. That was his eighth match with both a goal and an assist for the U.S., tying Clint Dempsey for second on the all-time list behind Landon Donovan. Pochettino had said earlier in the week he was certain Pulisic would score at the World Cup. Hopefully this is a good sign for more to come this summer from Captain America.

Freeman deserves his own paragraph. The 21-year-old finished the first half with 39 touches, completed 27 of 28 passes at 96%, won aerial duels, and made three clearances while still carrying forward to create. What he does structurally is as important as the individual numbers. With Freeman absorbing defensive responsibility in behind, Dest pushed higher and functioned as a winger, completing all four of his dribbles and finishing 17 of 20 passes. That right side pairing is a genuine weapon. Freeman is now 15 consecutive appearances into his USMNT career and making the case for himself every time out. He is the youngest player on this roster and might be its most important tactical piece.

The second half was a different story. Ten of eleven halftime substitutions disrupted the cohesion, Senegal made it 2-2 through two Sadio Mané goals on either side of halftime, and the visitors had 70% possession and completed 206 accurate passes to the U.S.'s 76. Both Mané goals came from American mistakes, and Pochettino was direct about it afterward: the chances Senegal created came from U.S. errors, not Senegal quality. Miles Robinson's turnover and Chris Brady's hesitation on the second goal are the kind of details that get cleaned up or get exposed in a World Cup. The work continues.

Folarin Balogun got the winner in the 63rd minute and it was the moment of the match. Timothy Weah found Weston McKennie, who then played it back out wide to the on-rushing Weah. His cross was intended for Balogun, a defender got a touch, and Balogun had the composure to stay with it and find the finish. One goal, one assist, two key passes in 49 minutes. Pochettino said postgame that the McKennie-Balogun connection is one of several partnerships forming that could matter when the tournament starts. That is worth filing away for June 12.

One moment worth noting that did not involve the ball: during the hydration break in the 24th minute, Pochettino gathered his players and showed them tactical clips on a laptop, mid-game. He has used video with players since 2009, but this was the first time he was able to do it in the middle of a match. Whether FIFA will permit it during the World Cup is still an open question, reporters were very concerned about it in the post-game press conference for some reason. Video is used on the sideline of other sports regularly so it would be an interesting line for FIFA/IFAB to draw here after adding the hydration breaks for a prescribed amount of time (three minutes) in every match this summer. Pulisic, for what it's worth, said he'd welcome timeouts in soccer altogether.

Eleven days out from Paraguay, this team is still coming together in real time, and that is not a concern after this performance.

Ten days before the opening match, FIFA and the International Football Association Board have agreed on a significant package of rule changes that will shape how the 2026 World Cup is played and officiated. Some close loopholes that have frustrated coaches and fans for years. Some will catch players off guard in real time. All of them are worth knowing before June 11.

The most talked-about change involves the so-called goalkeeper tactical timeout. You know the one: the keeper sits on the turf, signals for the physio, and the entire outfield squad jogs to the touchline for a team talk. Then, the moment the coach finishes his instructions, the keeper springs back to his feet. FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina has made clear that will not be permitted at the World Cup. When a goalkeeper is injured, players from both teams must stay where they are. They cannot leave the field to speak with coaches. The rule mirrors a temporary measure the NWSL introduced earlier this year. Collina did not mince words: "It's quite weird that there really is only the referee, the physio and the goalkeeper on the field of play. All the other players leave the pitch, and it is not good." No yellow cards will be issued for violations, but referees have been told to be proactive. All 48 nations were briefed at a recent coaching workshop. The tactic, memorably highlighted in November when Leeds boss Daniel Farke accused Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma of feigning injury to break up play, is now firmly in the crosshairs.

VAR is getting meaningfully expanded powers as well, and the most significant addition involves fouls committed before set pieces are put into play. If an attacking player commits a foul before a corner or free kick is taken, and that foul has a direct impact on a goal, penalty, or disciplinary sanction, the VAR can now step in and recommend an on-field review. Collina pointed to a specific example: England's goal against Uruguay at Wembley in March, where Adam Wharton blocked the run of José María Giménez before Cole Palmer's corner was taken, allowing the ball to run through for Ben White's tap-in. Under the old protocol, that could not be reviewed. Under the new one, the corner would be retaken. "We think this is very unfair, that the goal is given when the defender is prevented from being able to defend," Collina said. The measure applies only to attacking fouls, not defensive holding, and will be reassessed after the tournament. VAR can also now review red cards issued from a clearly incorrect second yellow, and can check whether a corner was correctly awarded, provided the intervention happens quickly before the restart.

Covering your mouth is now a red card offense in confrontational situations. The rule traces directly to a Champions League match in February when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni was accused of directing homophobic slurs at Vinícius Jr. with his hand shielding his mouth. Prestianni received a six-game UEFA ban. Collina's framing is simple: friendly conversations can continue as before, but confrontational exchanges conducted out of view of officials now carry the sport's most severe on-field sanction.

The time-wasting crackdown rounds out the package. Referees will use a visible five-second countdown on goal kicks and throw-ins, with possession flipping to the opponent if the countdown expires. Substituted players have 10 seconds to leave at the nearest point on the boundary line. Fail to meet that deadline and the replacement cannot enter for at least a minute, meaning the team plays short in the interim. Iceland found that out the hard way in a friendly against Japan on Sunday, when a substitute who didn't exit in time under the new protocol meant his replacement could not come on. The next stoppage was Japan's winning goal. Outfield players who receive on-field treatment must also leave the pitch for 60 seconds after the restart, with exceptions for severe injuries and goalkeepers.

Collina's stated goal is matches that move, with stoppages earned rather than manufactured. Whether it fully holds up across the pressure of a World Cup is a separate question. But the officials have been briefed, the teams have been warned, and the countdown is on.

This is what the World Cup does to a country. Lionel Messi (and Rodrigo de Paul) stepped off a plane in Kansas City last night to arrive at Argentina's base camp, and every television channel in Argentina carried it live, the kind of coverage reserved for heads of state. No goals, no trophies, no match on the line. Just a man (and his bodyguard on the field) getting off a plane. That is the weight one person can carry for an entire nation, and the reason the next six weeks will feel like nothing else in sports.

Between them, Germany and Brazil have won nine World Cup titles. However, Brazil has not been back to a final since winning the tournament in 2002 (over Germany) and Die Mannschaft has not gotten out of the group stage since winning the tournament in 2014 (after thrashing Brazil in the historic 7-1 semifinal victory in Rio). Whatever the past says about these programs, the present has been a more complicated story. Sunday was their chance to change the conversation before it gets started, and both took it.

Germany was the more convincing of the two. A 4-0 dismantling of Finland in their final home friendly before Tuesday's departure for the United States was exactly the kind of performance Julian Nagelsmann needed to see. Deniz Undav was the story, scoring twice and setting up a third in a display that puts real pressure on Kai Havertz for the starting striker role. Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala were both on the scoresheet, and 18-year-old Lennart Karl, the youngest member of the squad, was a constant menace with his pace and delivery. When Karl hit the post in the 55th minute and then delivered a perfectly weighted pass two minutes later for Undav's second goal, it looked less like a youngster finding his feet and more like someone who belongs.

The intrigue surrounding this Germany squad runs deeper than one friendly result. Nagelsmann recalled Manuel Neuer from two years of international retirement to be his goalkeeper, a decision that raised eyebrows although Oliver Baumann started yesterday. Neuer, at 40, is making his fifth World Cup appearance. He is the only surviving member of the 2014 title-winning squad. Nagelsmann called it an experience decision and framed it around the aura Neuer brings to a group. Whether it proves to be a masterstroke or a sentimental miscalculation that leads to an awkward goalkeeper room will be one of the early tournament storylines to watch. Germany opens Group E against Curação on June 14 in Houston, then faces Ivory Coast and Ecuador. The path to the knockout stage is manageable. What happens after that is the real question.

Brazil's 6-2 win over Panama at a packed Maracanã, in front of more than 72,000 people, was louder and messier and more Brazilian about it. Vinícius Júnior scored a beautiful goal 90 seconds in from outside the box, Panama leveled on a deflected free kick in the 13th minute, and the first half was more complicated than the scoreline eventually suggested. Carlo Ancelotti's side had less possession than Panama for most of the opening 45 minutes and looked more comfortable on the counter than in control. Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães were doing too much creative work on their own. It was not the commanding display the occasion called for.

Then Ancelotti made ten halftime substitutions and the second half was a different match entirely. Rayan added a third, Lucas Paquetá added a fourth, Igor Thiago converted from the spot, and Danilo Santos finished off the scoring. The depth and energy the substitutes brought was striking enough that Ancelotti acknowledged postgame it was creating real selection dilemmas. That is a good problem to have. Neymar was not in the matchday squad as he continues to recover from a calf injury. His availability and eventual role remain one of the larger questions hanging over this Brazilian summer.

Both teams close their pre-tournament preparations in the United States on Saturday. Brazil meets Egypt while Germany faces the hosts in Chicago, the last tune-ups before the real thing begins. For two programs with history as long and complicated as Germany's and Brazil's, Sunday felt like a reminder. The talent is still there. The hunger looks real. Whether it is enough to go all the way is what the next six weeks are for.

Ten days. The tournament that has been building for years is almost here, and the final pieces are falling into place across six continents. Rosters are being finalized, squads are boarding flights, and the rule changes that will shape how the game is played this summer are already catching teams off guard. The World Cup is no longer something to anticipate. It is something to prepare for, right now.

On The Field

Mexico named their 26-man roster on Sunday with Javier Aguirre leaning heavily on a new generation while keeping a few familiar faces around. Guillermo Ochoa, at 40, is named to a World Cup squad for the sixth time, though he enters as the backup to starter Raúl Rangel. The most intriguing selection is 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora of Club Tijuana, who could become the youngest Mexican man to appear in a World Cup. Five Chivas players made the squad, the most from Guadalajara since South Africa 2010. Raúl Jiménez and Santiago Giménez lead the attack. El Tri open the tournament on June 11 at the Azteca against South Africa.

Canada received difficult news over the weekend. Midfielder Marcelo Flores, named to Jesse Marsch's 26-man roster on Friday, tore his ACL in the Concacaf Champions Cup final on Saturday and will miss the tournament. Flores had switched allegiance from Mexico to Canada earlier this year. Marsch called the news devastating. Questions also remain around the fitness of captain Alphonso Davies and several others, with Canada facing Uzbekistan on Monday before a final tune-up against Ireland on Friday. They open against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.

Off The Field

The visa situation surrounding South Africa's squad became an embarrassing distraction over the weekend. The team was set to depart Sunday for Mexico City, where they open the tournament against co-host Mexico on June 11, but had not secured U.S. visas for some players and staff. South Africa's sports minister called it a debacle caused by an administrative error and publicly demanded answers from the South African Football Association. Visas for all players were secured by Monday, though four staff members, including an assistant coach and team doctor, were still working through the process. South Africa will play at the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010.

Atlanta is getting ready in its own way. Global Grub Alley, a pedestrian food truck corridor organized by the Food Truck Association of Georgia and Showcase Atlanta, will run along Walton Street between Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Broad Street on each of the eight Atlanta game days and the day before each match. Twenty to thirty food trucks are expected, open from 11am to 7pm. No ticket required. It is one block from the official fan festival at Centennial Olympic Park, which runs June 11 through July 19.

Argentina injury update: Lionel Messi is carrying a minor issue and is not expected to play in the friendly against Honduras, but is expected to play against Algeria and be available for the tournament. Emiliano Martínez has a small fracture and will miss both pre-tournament friendlies. Gonzalo Montiel suffered a muscle tear, with Agustín Giay and Nicolás Capaldo called in as cover.

Czech Republic finalizes roster: Coach Miroslav Koubek cut his squad from 29 to 26 immediately after a 2-1 win over Kosovo on Sunday. Seventeen-year-old Hugo Sochůrek made the final cut after becoming the youngest player to appear for the Czech national team. Adam Hložek returned from a long injury absence and scored. The Czechs open against South Korea on June 11 in Guadalajara and play South Africa in Atlanta on June 18.

France injury concern: Defender William Saliba aggravated an injury and is reportedly a doubt for the tournament. France open Group I against Senegal on June 16.

Switzerland-Jordan ends in weather chaos: Their friendly on Sunday was interrupted by heavy rain and had to be restarted after a 15-minute delay, eventually ending in the 91st minute with Switzerland winning 4-1. The episode is a reminder that severe thunderstorms are a real possibility at World Cup venues across the United States this summer.

New York-New Jersey Fan Hub goes free: Admission to the World Cup fan hub at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, will be free for all guests. The hub opens June 14 and runs through July 15 for group stage and knockout round matches, with a 60-foot screen on the pitch and live entertainment.

FIFA Secures Broadcast Deal for India Through 2034: FIFA has reached an agreement with Zee Entertainment to deliver the 2026 World Cup and a portfolio of 39 FIFA competitions to Indian audiences through 2034, including the Women's World Cup 2027 and World Cup 2030. Coverage will air across Zee's UNITE8 Sports linear channels and the Zee5 digital platform in multiple languages, targeting one of the sport's fastest-growing markets.

San Diego Takes the NWSL's World Cup Break in First Place: The Wave moved to 25 points with a 2-0 win at Chicago on Sunday, capitalizing on Portland and Utah's 2-2 draw to climb to the top of the table. The Thorns and Royals trail by a point, while Washington, Gotham FC, and KC Current are four points back with at least one game in hand each.

Lexington SC Wins the 2026 Gainbridge Super League: Lexington defeated Carolina Ascent FC 3-1 in overtime before a sellout crowd of 7,715, completing one of the more remarkable turnarounds in recent American soccer history. The club finished last in the league's inaugural season before going 14-3-11 this year to claim the title.

KC Current Launch Free Youth League on Kansas City's Northeast Side: The 9th and Van Brunt Soccer League, presented by CVS Health, will serve 120 kids ages 8 to 10 with no registration fees, no equipment costs, and no barriers to entry. Every participant receives a Nike jersey, cleats, shin guards, and two soccer balls. The league runs July 11 through August 29, opening the same day the World Cup quarterfinal is played in Kansas City.

SDH AM — Monday, 9:05am: Jon Nelson hosts Abe Gordon from 92.9 The Game and Bart Keeler from the Soccer for US podcast, with Bart coming straight from the USMNT-Senegal match in Charlotte yesterday. You will hear Mauricio Pochettino's postgame comments, updates on Atlanta United academy teams at MLS NEXT Cup, and the Gainbridge Super League championship recap alongside news from around the World Cup.

Atlanta Soccer Tonight — Monday, 10pm on 92.9 The Game: The show goes nightly starting tonight, and tonight's edition covers the USMNT win over Senegal, PSG's Champions League final victory, and the latest World Cup news. You will hear from USMNT legend Jozy Altidore and Telemundo's José Luis López Salido. Listen live on 92.9, watch the full show on YouTube, or catch it afterward as a podcast on Off the Woodwork.

Manchester City Complete the Women's Double at Wembley: City beat Brighton 4-0 in the Women's FA Cup final in front of nearly 44,000 fans, claiming the club's fourth FA Cup title and first league and cup double. Khadija Shaw opened the scoring with a header before Alex Greenwood added a stunning free kick on the stroke of halftime.

James Milner Retires After 24 Premier League Seasons: The 40-year-old Brighton midfielder announced his retirement, ending his career with 658 Premier League appearances, the all-time record. Milner made his debut for boyhood club Leeds at 16 and played 61 times for England across a career that included titles with Manchester City and Liverpool.

Leah Williamson Ruled Out of England's World Cup Qualifying Matches: The Arsenal captain and England skipper will miss upcoming qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine with a hamstring injury. England sit top of their qualifying group with four wins from four and can secure a spot at the 2026 Women's World Cup in Brazil with an unbeaten result in Spain on Friday.

Davide Ancelotti Hired as Lille Head Coach: The son of Brazil World Cup coach Carlo Ancelotti signed a two-year deal to lead Lille in next season's Champions League. The 36-year-old previously served as his father's assistant at Bayern Munich, Napoli, Real Madrid, and with the Brazilian national team before a brief stint as head coach at Botafogo.

Ralf Rangnick Expected to Decide on AC Milan Role Within Ten Days: Milan are in talks with the Austria national team coach about leading the club's sporting operations following a sweeping front office overhaul. Rangnick is currently preparing Austria for the World Cup and is expected to deliver his decision before the tournament begins.

Arne Slot Bids Farewell to Liverpool: The Dutch manager, who led Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season at Anfield, published an open letter to supporters ahead of his departure. A new chapter begins at Liverpool this summer.

Eleven days from now, Christian Pulisic will walk out at SoFi Stadium and the questions will stop being hypothetical. Sunday in Charlotte gave this team and this country something real to hold onto: a player who looks like himself again, a 21-year-old defender who might be the most important tactical piece on the roster in Alex Freeman, and a coach who knows exactly what he has and exactly what still needs work. That combination, heading into a home World Cup, is more than enough reason to believe.

Song of the Day: "When You Were Young" by The Killers. The band was great ahead of Saturday's Champions League final in Budapest, and the song's DNA fits today perfectly: the weight of expectation, the moment arriving whether you're ready or not, and the belief that someone can be a hero if you just let them.

Jason