USA faces off with Venezuela in WBC final
A WBC final with geopolitical narratives, Musgrove struggling to get healthy, Wave FC sign a record-setting contract, Iran tries to move World Cup games to Mexico, and a bunch more!
You really can’t control who is playing in the final round.
With juggernauts like Japan and the Dominican Republic out of the World Baseball Classic, and fan-favorite Italy seeing their time come up last night, we have been left with a final that feels too symbolic to ignore.
USA vs. Venezuela. A battle between baseball teams, but staged as a battle between countries.
It was only a few months ago that US special forces invaded Venezuela, after many threats from the American President, and kidnapped the President of Venezuela.
The last time I checked, Nicolás Maduro was still sitting in a New York City prison and awaiting some form of trial. Meanwhile, Trump has made the entire affair about oil (and, in effect, about Cuba).
I imagine there are some Venezuelan people that are happy with how the US has intervened into their country and some that are not. I won’t pretend to understand the situation, but I do think it’s impossible to ignore it as the backdrop of tonight’s WBC final (especially with Team USA cosplaying a special forces platoon).
Maybe the baseball will be good enough that we barely notice it? Here’s the hoping!
Now, onto the links…
Baseball!
Venezuela topples Italy to clinch matchup in WBC final with Team USA - The Athletic
For the first time in the WBC’s 20-year history, Venezuela will play for a championship. By taking down the upstart Azzurri on Monday, the team earned a matchup with Team USA in Tuesday’s finale. To hear the players tell it, the scene afterward inside the home clubhouse resembled the boisterous parade of fans streaming toward the exits.
Why Team USA has a rookie pitcher starting with a WBC title on the line - The Athletic
The usage of McLean in Tuesday’s finale at loanDepot Park highlights the tension between the excitement of the WBC and the responsibilities its participants owe to their employers that has hovered over the American club for weeks. Nowhere has that tension been more apparent than in the group’s pitching plans. When the roster was announced during the winter, Team USA boasted its finest collection of arms in the brief history of the exhibition. Yet they will hand the baseball on Tuesday to a player who has made only eight MLB starts.
Padres say Mason Miller’s availability for WBC final TBD - ESPN
San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen said a decision on the availability of All-Star closer Mason Miller for Team USA’s World Baseball Classic championship game Tuesday against Venezuela is to be determined.
Miller helped shut the door on the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s 2-1 win in the semifinals, securing the final six outs of the game. Stammen said the decision for Tuesday’s game will be made after evaluating how Miller is feeling.
How Musgrove’s likely IL stint affects Padres’ plans on the mound - MLB.com
Joe Musgrove will “most likely” begin the regular season on the injured list.
That’s what Padres manager Craig Stammen said prior to the club’s 3-1 win over the Giants on Monday afternoon at Peoria Sports Complex.
“It’s getting to the point where he’s taking enough time off that it would be hard to ramp him up to get him to be a viable starter that can throw five innings and 90 pitches. So, like I said, this was part of the plan, and we knew he was going to have to take some time off.”
Soccer!
Sources: Catarina Macario signs record NWSL deal with San Diego - ESPN
United States forward Catarina Macario has joined the San Diego Wave FC ahead of the closing of the NWSL’s transfer window on what is believed to be the biggest total contract value in women’s soccer history, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Macario has signed with the Wave through the 2030 NWSL season for a total contract worth roughly $8 million.
Toluca seeks home comeback against visiting San Diego FC - Concacaf
The MLS side pulled off a massive 3-2 victory in the first leg despite receiving a pair of red cards and finishing the game with only nine players on the field.
David Vázquez notched a brace, and Anders Dreyer delivered the winner for San Diego. SDFC will be without two key players for this match as Marcus Ingvartsen and Manu Duah were sent off in the first leg.
😴 CCC Wrap: Don’t sleep on San Diego FC - Getting Concacaf’d
San Diego goes into the second leg (also at altitude and in front of one of Liga MX’s best crowds) without Ingvartsen and center back Manu Duah after their sendings off, but Toluca suffered a huge blow on that San Diego field as midfielder Marcel Ruiz tearing his ACL.
In most matches, that World Cup-ending injury would be what the game is remembered for. This one, however, will go down as a game very much worth staying up for.
Odds & Ends
A look at the eight teams traveling to San Diego this week for the NCAA Tournament - San Diego Union-Tribune
One team is busing from 100 miles away. Three others are flying more than 2,300 miles. One plays here every year. One has a fan base that visits every year. And the other two are coming from the Midwest, one with a history that began with the coach who invented basketball.
Oregon’s Dante Moore opens up about struggles with mental health in letter to governor - The Oregonian
“Early in my college career, I found myself struggling deeply: I was depressed,” Moore wrote in the March 3 letter, shared exclusively with The Oregonian/OregonLive. “The pressure and expectations that come with playing quarterback at a high level felt overwhelming at 18. Around that same time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.
“Watching her endure chemotherapy while I tried to stay focused on school and football challenged me mentally and emotionally. It was heavy in ways that are difficult to put into words.”
LA 2028 soccer schedule: San Diego to host bronze-medal matches, men’s tournament to open Games - The Athletic
San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium will host the largest number of matches with 11 games across the men’s and women’s tournaments, including the men’s bronze-medal match on July 27 and women’s on July 28. One men’s semifinal on July 24 and one women’s on July 25 will be staged at the 35,000-capacity venue, in addition to a women’s quarterfinal on July 21. Six women’s group stage fixtures will also be hosted at the stadium, which is the second largest soccer venue being used for the Games.
Iran ‘negotiating’ with FIFA over moving World Cup games to Mexico: embassy - Yahoo Sports
Iran’s football federation is “negotiating” with FIFA to relocate the country’s first-round matches at the World Cup to Mexico from the United States, citing the conflict in the Middle East, Iran’s football federation said.
Iran’s participation at this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been thrown into doubt since the war began late last month.
“When (US President Donald) Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said on Monday in remarks posted on the X account of Iran’s embassy in Mexico.
“We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”