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Seven days. That is all that stands between us and the opening kick of the 2026 World Cup, and the world is moving fast. Algeria just walked out of De Kuip with a win over the Netherlands, triple espresso is back together in Brazil, and the Real Madrid presidential race has somehow involved legal threats from Manchester City. The countdown is real, the stakes are rising, and today's edition has everything you need to get ready for the biggest week in soccer in a generation.

The Netherlands walked into De Kuip on Wednesday night expecting a confidence-boosting farewell before boarding their flight to New York. They walked out with a 1-0 loss and a lot to think about. Algeria, making their return to the World Cup stage after years away, produced a disciplined, energetic performance and got their reward four minutes from time when Anis Hadj Moussa cut in from the right and drove a powerful shot into the far corner. The goal came on his home ground. Hadj Moussa plays his club football for Feyenoord, so he knew exactly where he was.

Ronald Koeman was not in a generous mood afterward. He acknowledged the Dutch dominated the opening 25 minutes and created multiple clear chances, then watched his side lose the thread entirely. "If you get four or five clear chances, you have to score," he said. "We started making things more difficult for ourselves. At times we lacked aggression and were simply too nice." Virgil van Dijk echoed the frustration, noting the Dutch should have been two goals up before Algeria ever found their footing. The Netherlands leave for New York on Thursday, face Uzbekistan in a friendly on Monday, and open Group F play against Japan in Dallas on June 14.

Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of the legendary Zinedine Zidane and wearing a protective mask after facial injuries in April, made several key saves and quieted ongoing questions about the position. Algeria face a massive test to open their World Cup campaign, drawing World Cup holders Argentina in Group J in Kansas City on June 16. Wednesday's result does not hurt their confidence going in.

Elsewhere on the warm-up calendar, DR Congo drew 0-0 with Denmark in Belgium as they prepare for their first World Cup appearance in more than 50 years. It may end up being their only tune-up after a planned friendly against Chile in Spain was cancelled by local authorities. Congo open against Portugal on June 17. Panama, meanwhile, beat the Dominican Republic 4-2 at home in a busy, rotation-heavy send-off, with goals from Tomás Rodríguez, Víctor Griffith, Cecilio Waterman, and Kadir Barría. Panama face Ghana, Croatia, and England in Group L. And South Korea edged El Salvador 1-0 in Provo, Utah, with Lee Dong-gyeong converting a free kick in the second half. The result was clean but the performance raised questions, with Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in both starting on the bench. They face the Czech Republic in their Group A opener in Guadalajara on June 12.

Nearly two years after winning Olympic gold together in Paris, Trinity Rodman, Sofia Wilson, and Mallory Swanson are on the same training field again. The USWNT opened camp in São Paulo this week ahead of two friendlies against Brazil, and for the first time in 604 days, the trio known as Triple Espresso reunited in a USWNT kit. That the name has taken on a life of its own is not lost on them. "The name just happened and then just took off like a rocket," Swanson said with a laugh, noting that Brazilian media were already using it at yesterday's session.

The absences for Wilson and Swanson were not injury-related. Both became mothers since that gold medal game, and both are navigating their first extended international camp away from their newborns. Babies Josie and Gigi stayed home with their dads, and while the players were candid about how difficult that is, they kept the tone light. "It's the hours where you're not busy that it gets tough," Swanson said. "But their dads are getting very good quality time with them, and they're loved and well taken care of. That's what we just have to keep telling ourselves." Trinity Rodman, for her part, offered to be the team baby in the meantime.

Emma Hayes has been deliberate about managing these returns. She described a consistent check-in process with players during their absences, keeping them connected to the program so that coming back to camp felt less like starting over. "Emma does a really good job of not putting pressure or too many expectations on us when we come back in," Rodman said. "She takes it very slow and doesn't give us too much responsibility. She just lets us get our feet under us again." Hayes, speaking separately earlier this week, framed it through a pointed analogy: if a player misses nine to twelve months with an ACL injury, the program manages their return with full support. The same should be true for players who have children. "We still need to have patience with those players," she said, noting that Wilson and Swanson are the eighteenth and nineteenth players to have children while on the USWNT roster.

The two friendlies against Brazil, Saturday in São Paulo and then in Fortaleza, serve as preparation ahead of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying this fall. Hayes was direct about the sequence: qualifying comes first. "Between now and November, our focus is on qualifying. We have to qualify for the World Cup." On Brazil specifically, she was genuinely complimentary, calling them a world-class team that makes games relentlessly difficult, with the ball in play roughly 40 percent less than in a typical match due to the physical, one-versus-one nature of how they play. She also had warm words for Brazil's coach Arthur Elias, noting a mutual respect built through parallel club careers in different parts of the world. Rodman, when asked about Brazil's most dangerous players, declined to single anyone out. "I think almost everybody on the field for them can score," she said. "They're all pretty dangerous."

There are goals, and then there are moments. Anis Hadj Moussa's winner Wednesday night at De Kuip was the second kind. His first goal for Algeria. Scored at the ground where he plays his club football for Feyenoord. Against one of the tournament favorites, four minutes from time, to send the Netherlands into their World Cup departure with a loss and a lot of questions. He cut in from the right and drove it into the far corner, and the traveling Algerian supporters who packed that end of De Kuip went absolutely wild for a goal that meant everything all at once. Home ground. First international goal. World Cup warm-up. That is why we watch.

Real Madrid holds its first contested presidential election in 20 years this Sunday, and the campaigning has officially left the realm of normal. Incumbent Florentino Pérez, 79, who has run the club for 23 of the last 26 years, faces challenger Enrique Riquelme, a 37-year-old renewable energy entrepreneur. Both men spent Wednesday night trying to out-promise the other, and by Thursday morning one of them had a legal threat from Manchester City to deal with.

Pérez went first, confirming what had long been rumored: José Mourinho is coming back. A video dropped Wednesday night showing Mourinho in a Real Madrid shirt saying "sí," paired with the caption "MOUcha historia por hacer." Mourinho managed the club from 2010 to 2013 and would replace Álvaro Arbeloa, who oversaw back-to-back trophy-less seasons. Pérez also told Spanish newspaper AS that Liverpool center-back Ibrahima Konaté, a free agent, will join the club under his presidency, and that more top defenders are coming behind him.

Riquelme responded by appearing on popular TV show El Hormiguero and holding up a Real Madrid shirt with Haaland 9 on the back. "Haaland has a release clause and wants to join Real Madrid," he said, also promising to bring Ballon d'Or winner Rodri from City. He went so far as to offer a financial guarantee, pledging to cover 100 percent of members' annual dues if he wins and fails to deliver either player. Manchester City was not amused. The club issued a statement Thursday calling the claims untrue, saying there is "no chance of this happening and no contractual clause to enable it," and adding that they are considering legal action over the use of Haaland's image. Haaland's agent Rafaela Pimenta and his father Alfie issued their own joint statement: "All very entertaining but not true." Haaland signed a contract with City through 2034 in January 2025, described at the time as among the most lucrative deals in sports history.

This is a well-worn tradition in Spanish club elections. Joan Laporta promised to sign David Beckham from Manchester United during his 2003 Barcelona presidential campaign. Beckham went to Madrid instead. Riquelme is playing by the same playbook, but the immediate blowback from City, Haaland's camp, and the obvious reality of a contract running to 2034 makes this particular promise land with a thud rather than a roar. The vote is Sunday. Pérez remains the heavy favorite. And wherever Erling Haaland ends up, it will not be because of a shirt stunt on a Spanish talk show.

One week. That's all that separates us from the opening kick of the 2026 World Cup, and the world is moving fast. Ceremonies are being finalized, squads are being trimmed, injury reports are dropping daily, and a few teams are still sorting out some very human logistics before they board flights to North America. The tournament starts June 11 in Mexico City and runs through July 19 in New York/New Jersey. Everything happening right now is the last mile of a four-year journey.

On The Field

The injury carousel is spinning hard this week. Switzerland striker Breel Embolo missed his team's flight to San Diego after a 2018 criminal conviction, finalized in April, triggered a visa review at the U.S. embassy in Bern. The Swiss federation confirmed the conviction did not involve physical violence and said they are awaiting approval for Embolo to join the squad. He has scored 24 goals in 86 internationals and is Switzerland's expected starting striker when they open against Qatar on June 13. Austria, meanwhile, will head to the tournament without midfielder Christoph Baumgartner, who suffered a thigh injury before their friendly win over Tunisia. Coach Ralf Rangnick opted not to call up a replacement. Austria open Group J against Jordan on June 16 before facing Argentina and Algeria.

Uruguay is taking a calculated risk by keeping midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta in their squad despite a Grade 2 calf injury. The Uruguayan Football Association confirmed he will stay, with their medical staff projecting his return for the knockout rounds. He is expected to miss all three group stage matches. Uruguay face Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde in Miami before closing the group against Spain in Guadalajara on June 26. Argentina have a similar situation with Nico Paz, the Como sensation who arrived in camp carrying a knee injury. Spanish outlet Diario AS reported concerns about the severity, while Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports said the camp remains optimistic. Argentina have not called up a replacement.

Canada's Alphonso Davies gave an emotional and candid availability Wednesday, walking back remarks from a since-deleted interview that had suggested he would miss the opener. Davies said his availability depends on how recovery goes over the next several days, but left the door open. "Anything is possible in life," he said. He spoke about doubting himself through multiple injuries, about being a 17-year-old who lobbied FIFA for the co-hosted tournament, and about how the prospect of missing it hit him hard. Davies trained separately Wednesday. Stephen Eustaquio will captain Canada if Davies cannot go. Their opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto is the most anticipated game in Canadian soccer history.

Off The Field

The three opening ceremonies are taking shape, and they will be unlike anything the World Cup has done before. Italian producer Marco Balich, fresh off the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics ceremony, is producing all three shows across Mexico City, Toronto, and Los Angeles on June 11 and 12. Each will run about 30 minutes of musical entertainment following a parade of flags and ball presentation. Mexico City features Maná, J Balvin, and Tyla. Toronto brings Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé. Los Angeles gets Katy Perry, LISA, Rema, Anitta, and Future. The unifying theme across all three is the celebration of football itself, with each show rooted in its own national identity.

Bank of America and the Veteran Tickets Foundation announced a joint initiative to distribute more than 4,500 tickets to U.S. veterans, active military, and first responders across all 11 host cities, including tickets to the semifinals and final. The total commitment across Bank of America, Vet Tix, and FIFA is $2.25 million. Tickets will be made available through vettix.org.

France is dealing with a bonus dispute between the squad and the French Football Federation ahead of their departure for the United States. No agreement has been reached on performance bonuses or the number of match tickets allocated to players. FFF president Philippe Diallo set June 10 as the deadline to resolve the matter and confirmed discussions are ongoing, with players reportedly wanting bonuses to kick in only from the semifinal stage to increase the amounts.

Lamine Yamal injury update: Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said Wednesday that Yamal will sit out Thursday's warm-up against Iraq but expects him to be available for Spain's June 15 opener against Cape Verde in Atlanta. "If nothing changes, he could be ready to play on June 15," de la Fuente said. Spain also plays Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Uruguay on June 26, both in Atlanta and Guadalajara respectively.

Germany arrives: The Germans held their first U.S. press conference Wednesday after arriving Tuesday. Kai Havertz pushed back on questions about internal competition in a deep attacking corps that includes Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, and Deniz Undav, who scored twice against Finland on Sunday. "No one fears anyone," Havertz said. Germany face the U.S. in a final warm-up Saturday before opening tournament play.

Brazil in New Jersey: Carlo Ancelotti's side trained at Columbia Park on Wednesday in front of roughly 200 fans, a FIFA community requirement for all host-city-based squads. Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães return to the starting center-back pairing for Saturday's friendly against Egypt in Cleveland, the last tune-up before Brazil open against Morocco on June 13 at New York/New Jersey Stadium.

Morocco's dual-national model: With Morocco drawing significant attention as a tournament contender, a new AFP feature details how the Atlas Lions built their roster through a deliberate, scout-driven strategy to attract dual-national players from Europe. Players including Achraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech have described choosing Morocco as a decision of the heart. Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said the federation presents sporting projects to families rather than financial incentives. Morocco reached the semifinals in 2022 and returns to the World Cup with one of the most closely watched squads in the tournament.

SDH AM is live this morning at 9:05 on YouTube and Twitch with Jon Nelson at the helm. Jon will have highlights from yesterday's matches, sound from Triple Espresso and Sergiño Dest, and the day's top news. Hour two is the Power Hour, with Fubo TV's Nino Torres and Pulso Sports' Niko Moreno weighing in on everything happening as the World Cup countdown hits single digits.

Tonight, Atlanta Soccer Tonight is live at 10pm on 92.9 The Game, the Audacy app, and the 92.9 The Game YouTube page. There will be plenty of match action to recap, sound from USMNT training this morning in Fayetteville, and Noel White joins for an Intersection-style crossover. A good one to tune in for the night before the weekend's first round of friendlies.

Atlanta was not on the list when FIFA awarded the 1994 World Cup to the United States. The stadium was too small, the Olympics complicated everything, and the city missed the cut. What followed was 35 years of building, including the 1996 Games, the arrival of Atlanta United, back-to-back MLS attendance records, Copa América, the Club World Cup, and now eight World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this summer, including a semifinal on July 15. I traced the full arc of how a city that got told no turned it into one of the premier stages in the biggest World Cup in history. It's a great read with the tournament a week away, and you'll find it at soccerdownhere.net.

FIFA's new offside technology: FIFA unveiled an upgraded semi-automated offside system for the 2026 World Cup that will send a real-time audio alert to the assistant referee if a player is more than 10cm offside, down from the previous 50cm threshold. AI-generated 3D avatars of all 1,248 players will be created to produce clearer offside animations, and new technology will also determine whether the ball crossed a touchline before a goal was scored.

Pelé's 1958 shirt headed to auction: The blue No. 10 shirt Pelé wore in the 1958 World Cup final, when he scored twice as Brazil beat Sweden 5-2, is expected to fetch more than $6 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York in July. The shirt sold for £59,000 at a London auction in 2004.

Glazer family exploring Manchester United stake sale: Bloomberg reported Wednesday that some members of the Glazer family are discussing whether to sell part or all of their stake in Manchester United after more than 20 years of ownership. The family has not made a collective decision, and some members remain opposed. Any sale would likely draw interest from Middle Eastern investors and wealthy American buyers.

TSV 1860 Munich in crisis: The German club was denied a license to compete in the 3. Liga next season after failing to provide roughly 2.7 million euros in required financial guarantees. Despite finishing eighth on the pitch, 1860 Munich will drop to the Regionalliga and face potential insolvency if further funding cannot be secured.

Guillermo Almada to Club América: Uruguayan coach Guillermo Almada has reached a verbal agreement to become the new manager of Club América ahead of the Apertura 2026, according to TUDN reporter Gibrán Araige. Almada previously managed Santos Laguna and Pachuca in Liga MX, winning a title with Pachuca.

Copa Libertadores round of 16 set: CONMEBOL confirmed the schedule for the Libertadores round of 16, with first legs running August 11-13. Marquee matchups include Palmeiras vs. Cerro Porteño, Cruzeiro vs. Flamengo, and Rosario Central vs. Corinthians.

Brighton sporting director departs: Jason Ayto left Brighton after just nine months as sporting director, the club announced Wednesday. Technical director Mike Cave will take over his responsibilities ahead of the summer transfer window, which opens June 15.

One week from today, the opening kick of the 2026 World Cup drops in Mexico City, and something is shifting in how these warm-up results feel. The Netherlands losing at home to Algeria is not a catastrophe, but Ronald Koeman was not pretending it was fine either. South Korea ground out a 1-0 win over El Salvador with Son Heung-min on the bench and came away with more questions than answers. These games are not counting yet, but the teams playing them know exactly what is coming, and the margin for "we'll sort it out later" is shrinking by the day. Later is almost here.

Triple Espresso is back together in São Paulo, the Real Madrid presidential race has gone fully off the rails, and Algeria has real momentum coming into the World Cup. It is a good week to love this sport. SDH AM is live at 9:05 this morning on YouTube and Twitch with Jon Nelson, and Atlanta Soccer Tonight is on 92.9 The Game tonight at 10 with Noel White joining for an Intersection-style crossover. Lots to talk about. See you out there.

Song of the Day: "Drifting, Falling" by The Ocean Blue. That suspended, weightless feeling of being right on the edge of something, one week out and everything still ahead.

Jason