IQ - Soccer Wiretap

Kylian Mbappe was critical of France's tactics following their 2-0 loss to Spain in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas. France was attempting to reach a third consecutive World Cup final.

"We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that's hard," Mbappe said after the game. "Fabian [Ruiz] and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us."

Spain took an early lead when Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty following a foul drawn by Lamine Yamal against Lucas Digne.

"We didn't play the game we wanted, technically, tactically," Mbappé said. "When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don't win. Spain respected their game plan and what the team usually does. They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan was to press them high so they could not install their rhythm.

"Because they are better than us at controlling a game. We didn't manage to do it. We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have."

Mbappe also blamed mistakes made by the players.

"Even when we recovered the ball, our first touches were not good enough. That gives a defeat. It is a huge disappointment. But if we are objective, we didn't put all the ingredients to go to the final," Mbappé said.

Andoni Iraola acknowledged Liverpool still needs additional signings as preparations begin for the 2026-27 season. The 44-year-old addressed the transfer market during his introductory press conference Monday.

"Obviously we've signed two players already but we need more players, we know this," said Iraola. "The club is working on this. Me as a coach, selfishly I want the players here from day one ready to train for preseason but understand football doesn't work like this. I know the club is working hard for those signings and I'm trying to help also."

Liverpool have added center-back Jeremy Jacquet from Stade Rennais for an initial $73.7 million and Victor Munoz from Osasuna for $46.2 million this summer. The club has also seen Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konate depart.

Iraola was appointed Liverpool's new head coach last month on a two-year contract, replacing Arne Slot following a fifth-place Premier League finish that came just a year after the club won the title.

Asked about expectations for the upcoming campaign, Iraola declined to set specific targets but acknowledged the challenges facing his rebuilding squad.

"I think we have to accept there are difficult situations right now in terms of both sides, a lot of very important senior players leaving that have achieved almost everything here and also some of the very important players injured," said Iraola. "We haven't started training and we already have Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni with long injuries. So in terms of improving the team we have to consider we have to replace very important players that were making very good numbers and also we have a situation, especially with those three that are going to miss some time, that we also have to find a way to replace."

Iraola also addressed the disconnect some supporters felt with the team at Anfield last season, an issue he hopes to resolve through his squad's style of play.

"I would like to give them (the supporters) a team that they can feel proud of," said Iraola. "I think football and especially Liverpool is about connecting, connecting with the people, connecting with our supporters. I've been on the other side at Anfield. You can feel the stadium and I would love to have this every time we play but that has to come from us, from inside the pitch. We have to be a team that works hard, intense, aggressive, vertical so everyone can be identified and everyone can feel comfortable supporting this team."

France has produced more World Cup players than any other country this summer, with 99 French-born athletes representing various nations across the 48-team field.

French-born players make up a significant portion of several national squads, including France (23), Algeria (13), Haiti (12, DR Congo (11) and Senegal (10). Paris alone accounts for 56 players at this year's tournament, surpassing Sao Paulo as the sport's leading talent pipeline.

The Netherlands ranks second with 67 players born in the country, followed by 50 from Germany and 47 from England. 

French Football Federation technical director Hubert Fournier credited the Ile-de-France region's dense population and structured club system for the output.

"It's quite an incredible pool of talent in a relatively small area," said Fournier. "There's a high concentration of players with very well-structured clubs. And then everyone draws from this Ile-de-France pool because afterwards they go to other clubs; they don't all stay in Ile-de-France."

Fournier pointed to decades of grassroots investment and expanded professional training centers as key factors.

"Until recently, there was just one professional training centre, that of Paris Saint-Germain," said Fournier. "Now there are several, there's Red Star, there's Paris FC, and they have organised training programmes."

Not every talented prospect stays within the French system. Midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, an 18-year-old from Lille, chose to represent Morocco after progressing through France's youth ranks.

"Bouaddi is a talent we've followed for many years," said Fournier. "And we know that in his age group, there's no other Bouaddi. It's a significant loss for our federation. But it's his choice."

Fournier said Morocco's growing infrastructure, including a training complex comparable to France's Clairefontaine academy, has made rival federations more competitive for dual-eligible players.

“They've been exposed to different styles of football, which brings a certain creativity and produces players who are a bit different, like Riyad Mahrez (Algeria's captain at this World Cup), (and French squad members) Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembele,” he says.

“The fact we've had this immigration for several generations means that not all young talents can play for the French national team, but because of their parents' and grandparents' origins, they also have the capacity to play for national teams.

“That’s why we have this number of players.”

Every country in the 2026 FIFA World Cup has now played their first two matches of the group stage and seven countries have qualified for the round of 32.

The biggest surprises on the positive end have been Ghana, Australia, Cape Verde, Sweden and Egypt.

Türkiye has been the biggest disappointment of the tournament as they entered the World Cup with an 80 percent probability of advancing, but have already been eliminated after they failed to produce a result in either of their first two matches. Ecuador, Uruguay and Czechia also began the World Cup with a strong probability of advancing with it now being well under a 50 percent proposition.

Current Polymarket odds for every team to advance to the knockout round:

• Colombia: 100%* (+12% from 88%)
• Mexico: 100%* (+9% from 91%)
• United States: 100%* (+16% from 84%)
• Germany: 100%* (+4% from 96%)
• France: 100%* (+4% from 96%)
• Norway: 100%* (+15% from 85%)
• Argentina: 100%* (+4% from 96%)
• Canada: 100% (+16% from 84%)
• Brazil: 100% (+3% from 97%)
• Switzerland: 100% (+6% from 94%)
• Morocco: 100% (+13% from 87%)
• Japan: 100% (+21% from 79%)
• Netherlands: 100% (+10% from 90%)
• Spain: 100% (+3% from 97%)
• England: 100% (+4% from 96%)
• Portugal: 100% (+3% from 97%)
• Egypt: 100% (+27% from 73%)
• Ghana: 100% (+50% from 50%)
• Ivory Coast: 98% (+19% from 79%)
• Austria: 96% (+15% from 81%)
• Croatia: 95% (+12% from 83%)
• Belgium: 94% (0% change from 94%)
• Sweden: 93% (+30% from 63%)
• South Korea: 93% (+24% from 69%)
• Australia: 91% (+43% from 48%)
• Paraguay: 88% (+24% from 64%)
• Algeria: 81% (+13% from 68%)
• Scotland: 75% (+5% from 70%)
• Cape Verde: 72% (+41% from 31%)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: 70% (+3% from 67%)
• Senegal: 69% (-2% from 71%)
• Iran: 60% (-2% from 62%)
• DR Congo: 56% (+13% from 43%)
• Uruguay: 37% (-50% from 87%)
• Saudi Arabia: 32% (-5% from 37%)
• Czechia: 25% (-45% from 70%)
• Ecuador: 24% (-65% from 89%)
• South Africa: 16% (-21% from 37%)
• Qatar: 13% (-9% from 22%)
• Uzbekistan: 6% (-27% from 33%)
• Curacao: 6% (-2% from 8%)
• New Zealand: 6% (-26% from 32%)
• Iraq: 4% (-12% from 16%)
• Haiti: Out (-12% from 12%)
• Turkiye: Out (-80% from 80%)
• Jordan: Out (-19% from 19%)
• Tunisia: Out (-39% from 39%)
• Panama: Out (-29% from 29%)

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The United States men's national team lost 2-1 to Germany at Soldier Field on Saturday in their final pre-World Cup friendly, but manager Mauricio Pochettino said the result does not diminish his confidence heading into the tournament.

Kai Havertz put Germany ahead with a close-range header inside two minutes. Antonee Robinson answered with a spectacular full volley from outside the penalty area to level the score before Leroy Sane's 57th-minute strike proved the winner.

"I was thinking we were lucky… it was an amazing challenge for us," said Pochettino. "To see how we react, to see how we show character, show togetherness and play under pressure. In that moment I was upset (to concede), of course, but it was good for us to see the reaction of the team. The reaction was amazing."

Robinson, who celebrated his goal with a backflip, departed in the 62nd minute with cramps. Goalkeeper Matt Freese, expected to start at the World Cup, played the full 90 minutes. Pochettino held all 11 starters through the 62nd minute before rotating freely.

The result extends the program's winless run against European opponents on official FIFA match dates to 12 games, a stretch dating back to March 2021.

Midfielder Tyler Adams credited the physical nature of the contest as useful preparation.

"The result didn't go our way and to concede that early makes it difficult," said Adams. "But we showed character and energy and resilience.

"The guys were going at it like a World Cup final and that's what we wanted to see. We want to show our skill and quality, but we will also be combative and fighting and winning duels. If I see one of my guys kicked, I'll be going straight after them."

The United States open Group D against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12 and are +100 to win and +245 to tie, according to the latest World Cup odds. The United States are 39 percent favorites to win Group D on Polymarket.

France enters the 2026 World Cup with the most valuable roster in the tournament at $1.76 billion, according to squad valuation data from Transfermarkt, with England ($1.507 billion) and Spain ($1.449 billion) ranked second and third.

Portugal, Germany, and Brazil round out the six nations surpassing the $1 billion threshold in total squad value.

Spain's Lamine Yamal and Norway's Erling Haaland share the top individual valuation at $238 million. Haaland alone accounts for roughly 33 percent of Norway's total $691 million squad value. Kylian Mbappe ranks third among individual players and leads France's roster.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ranks seventh among individual players but will not appear in the tournament after Georgia failed to qualify.

2026 World Cup Squad Valuations

1. France: $1.760 billion
2. England: $1.507 billion
3. Spain: $1.449 billion
4. Portugal: $1.173 billion
5. Germany: $1.148 billion
6. Brazil: $1.049 billion
7. Netherlands: $962.78 million
8. Argentina: $940.13 million
9. Norway: $691.15 million
10. Belgium: $624.34 million
11. Ivory Coast: $610.54 million
12. Morocco: $561.43 million
13. Senegal: $543.84 million
14. Turkiye: $543.61 million
15. Sweden: $492.18 million
16. Uruguay: $466.10 million
17. Croatia: $448.16 million
18. United States: $438.90 million
19. Ecuador: $432.63 million
20. Switzerland: $382.49 million
21. Colombia: $350.46 million
22.Japan: $320.74 million
23. Algeria: $295.44 million
24. Austria: $278.53 million
25. Ghana: $269.50 million
26. Canada: $226.15 million
27. Mexico: $220.63 million
28. Czechia: $216.41 million
29. Scotland: $195.79 million
30. Paraguay: $176.70 million
31. Bosnia-Herzegovina: $174.34 million
32. DR Congo: $165.49 million
33. South Korea: $159.91 million
34. Egypt: $133.95 million
35. Uzbekistan: $98.13 million
36. Australia: $89.07 million
37. Tunisia: $80.44 million
38. Haiti: $64.29 million
39. Cape Verde: $62.68 million
40. South Africa: $56.64 million
41. Saudi Arabia: $46.78 million
42. Panama: $39.73 million
43. New Zealand: $39.50 million
44. Iran: $36.86 million
45. Curacao: $29.65 million
46. Iraq: $24.38 million
47. Jordan: $23.58 million
48. Qatar: $22.92 million

Folarin Balogun has spent his career defying the obvious path. Born in New York, raised in London, developed at Arsenal, broken out on loan at Reims, and sold to Monaco for €30 million in 2023, the 23-year-old striker arrives at his first World Cup as one of the United States men's national team's most important attacking threats.

Last season at Monaco, Balogun recorded 13 goals and four assists in Ligue 1 while adding five goals across 10 Champions League appearances. That form has positioned him as a decisive weapon for Mauricio Pochettino's side as the tournament opens on home soil.

Balogun embraces the weight of that expectation.

"My role is to finish games, to deliver in high-pressure moments," he said. "In any card game, there's always that one card that can decide everything. I see myself like that."

The striker said pressure has been a constant throughout his career and that he has learned to treat it as fuel rather than burden.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Balogun said of the scrutiny strikers face. "It's high pressure, but also high reward. I want to be remembered as someone who was decisive in big moments, and to do that you have to embrace the pressure."

That composure, he said, was forged through experience rather than natural ease.

"It comes from experiencing both good and bad times," he said. "I've learned to stay neutral, not get too high or too low."

Balogun said the most significant lesson his career in Europe has delivered is adaptability, a quality he now considers central to his identity both on and off the pitch.

"Living abroad for the last few years, being around different cultures, and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations teaches you to adjust," he said. "Now I feel comfortable with that."

When asked what emotion surfaces first when he imagines the World Cup stage, his answer was immediate.

"Excitement," said Balogun. "It's about doing well, making people proud, and making myself proud."

U.S. Soccer formally opened the Arthur M. Blank National Training Center on a 200-acre site south of Atlanta in early May, giving the federation a permanent home for the first time as the US men's national team prepares for this summer's FIFA World Cup. 

The facility, which cost $250 million, spans more than 400,000 square feet and includes 17 outdoor playing surfaces, 20 locker rooms, 19 meeting rooms, two indoor courts, and a 10,000-square-foot gym. More than 350 federation employees will work on site daily, consolidating all national coaching, high-performance, and administrative staff under one roof.

"It is best in the world, in my opinion," former sporting director Matt Crocker told ESPN before his departure from the federation in April. "It's going to be pretty incredible from our national teams' perspectives, but obviously also coach education, refereeing, community usage; we want it to be the home of soccer in America."

The project was funded through a combination of sources, including a $50 million donation from Atlanta NFL and MLS owner Arthur Blank, corporate backing from Coca-Cola, and land donated by Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy. Ground broke on the site in 2024.

All 27 US Soccer national teams will have access to the facility, including nine extended national teams. The center features elevated wheelchair viewing decks, dedicated power soccer charging areas, and customized locker rooms to accommodate those programs.

Local organizations are already seeing benefits. Neil McNab, executive director of Atlanta's Rush Union Soccer, said youth players have been invited in for events and described the facility as a catalyst for the broader regional soccer community.

"There's an aura around the complex," McNab said. "This is not the finish line. This is a starting point."

Aston Villa and Sunderland dramatically outperformed their underlying metrics during the 2025-26 Premier League season, while Wolverhampton Wanderers produced the division's most extreme negative gap between expected and actual points, according to data from Understat.

Villa finished fourth with 65 points despite underlying metrics projecting just 51.07, a positive gap of nearly 14 points. The figures suggest Villa's results were driven by exceptional finishing efficiency, elite goalkeeping, or a combination of both rather than consistent process-driven performance.

Sunderland's debut top-flight campaign produced an equally striking result. The newly promoted side collected 54 points against an xPTS of just 42.03, nearly 12 points above projection, making their seventh-place finish one of the season's most surprising outcomes.

At the other end of the table, Wolves finished with just 20 points despite underlying metrics projecting 35.44, a shortfall of more than 15 points. The gap points to chronic problems converting chances and preventing goals in ways that defied statistical probability. Leeds and Crystal Palace also fell well short of their projections, underperforming by 9.50 and 8.88 points respectively.

Among the top three, Manchester United showed the largest overperformance gap at +6.55, finishing with 71 points against a projection of 64.45. Arsenal's title, by contrast, was the most process-backed of the three, with the smallest overperformance margin among the top sides at +5.13, suggesting their 85-point haul reflected genuine dominance rather than favorable variance.

Chelsea's 10th-place finish represented one of the more damaging underperformances in the division. Their xPTS of 58.85 projected a likely European contender; their actual return of 52 points left them outside the continental places entirely.

2025-26 Premier League: Actual Points vs. xPTS

1. Arsenal: 85 (79.87 xPTS, +5.13)
2. Manchester City: 78 (73.95 xPTS, +4.05)
3. Manchester United: 71 (64.45 xPTS, +6.55)
4. Aston Villa: 65 (51.07 xPTS, +13.93)
5. Liverpool: 60 (61.54 xPTS, -1.54)
6. Bournemouth: 57 (60.33 xPTS, -3.33)
7. Sunderland: 54 (42.03 xPTS, +11.97)
8. Brighton: 53 (55.35 xPTS, -2.35)
9. Brentford: 53 (57.24 xPTS, -4.24)
10. Chelsea: 52 (58.85 xPTS, -6.85)
11. Fulham: 52 (45.08 xPTS, +6.92)
12. Newcastle United: 49 (54.83 xPTS, -5.83)
13. Everton: 49 (46.17 xPTS, +2.83)
14. Leeds United: 47 (56.50 xPTS, -9.50)
15. Crystal Palace: 45 (53.88 xPTS, -8.88)
16. Nottingham Forest: 44 (42.24 xPTS, +1.76)
17. Tottenham: 41 (49.25 xPTS, -8.25)
18. West Ham: 39 (43.49 xPTS, -4.49)
19. Burnley: 22 (24.31 xPTS, -2.31)
20. Wolves: 20 (35.44 xPTS, -15.44)

When Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah from Roma for $49 million in the summer of 2017, few outside Anfield took notice. The Egyptian had managed just two goals in 19 appearances during an earlier stint at Chelsea. The signing was not driven by traditional scouting, as it was instead the product of data analysis.

Salah's transfer has since become the defining example of how analytics transformed soccer recruitment, a ripple effect still felt across Europe today.

The signing almost did not happen as manager Jurgen Klopp preferred Julian Brandt of Bayer Leverkusen. But Liverpool's recruitment committee, led by technical director Michael Edwards and director of research Ian Graham, built a data-driven case that proved impossible to dismiss.

"He came out as the best wide forward in Europe aged 24 or under," Graham told The Athletic. "Mo came with the baggage of having failed in the Premier League, but our data analysis helped us to understand that we could ignore that."

The foundation for that approach had been laid years earlier when Fenway Sports Group purchased Liverpool in 2010, bringing a data-led philosophy borrowed from their success in American baseball. FSG's John Henry had helped end the Boston Red Sox's 86-year World Series drought in 2004 using statistical analysis.

Luke Bornn, who served as Roma's head of analytics in 2015 when Salah was on loan at Fiorentina, said the numbers were overwhelming even then.

"His data was so overwhelmingly strong that it was pretty clear that the option to buy was an absolute no-brainer," Bornn said. "It was just a case of looking at this guy's ability to progress the ball."

Liverpool were not alone in pioneering data-driven recruitment. Arsenal had purchased analytics firm StatDNA in 2012, while Brighton and Brentford built entire club structures around statistical modeling. But Liverpool's combination of financial resources and analytical rigor, validated spectacularly by Salah's subsequent impact, forced the rest of the game to pay attention.

"Liverpool were not the first team to use data," Bornn said. "But going in with Ian Graham and Michael Edwards at the highest level, I think that's really what raised the attention. How many articles were written about AZ in the Netherlands over the last decade? Very few. How many are written about Liverpool's analytics? Hundreds, and Salah took that to the forefront."

Salah finishes his Liverpool career with 257 goals in 441 games, a record surpassed by only two players in the club's history. His signing remains the clearest illustration of what the sport's data revolution can produce when backed by organizational courage.

"Using data consistently is really hard, because you're consistently overriding your human intuition," Bornn said. "It's that 20 percent, when there's a real disconnect with what you see with your eyes, where you get the benefits."