US Men Dominate Paraguay 4-1, play Aussies in Seattle on Fri 3 pm on Fox (coverage starts 1 pm)
Wow – What a Win. I have been watching US Soccer since 1989 – that’s 37 years – and never have I seen the US offense look like that. It was truly amazing. Let’s see how Australia in Seattle goes first – but another show like that and I will gladly eat my words on Pochitino. Whatever he did – it worked when we slaughtered a really good Paraguay team. Listen folks this Paraguay team gave up 6 goals in qualifying – did not lose to Argentina (with Messi), Brazil and Uruguay. So when I said I was scared vs Paraguay I mean it. In fact you heard it here first – Paraguay will win a game against either Turkey or Australia.
Back to the US – that pentagon approach employed by Poch – had Paraguay confused with its high press. Paraguay literally didn’t pass midfield more than a handful of times and should have had a clean sheet. With Pulisic on fire in the 1st half – the US team looked as good as anyone in the first round of play. Balogan was on point up front – (I am sorry for saying perhaps Pepi should get the start – boy was I wrong!) McKinney, Tilman and Pulisic were in-synch and along with Balagun check these goals were simply unstoppable. It could have been 5-0 at the half. Overall the US simply dominated a very good opponent unlike anything we have seen before in World Cup play. Everyone played well – the D was solid with the Crystal Palace man Chris Richards stepping in from injury to the middle where he worked with Ream and Freeman to nearly shut Paraguay out. Its going to take a better effort vs a motivated Australia – who is feeling disrespected by the US press. Of course all eyes on our talisman Pulisic who sustained a calf injury in the first half and sat out the 2nd. He’s been training alone this week trying to get ready. Hard to think he won’t start however. Here’s who I see taking the field – (if Pulisic is out) – I think Tim Weah comes on right and Tillman goes left. Much like my daughter Courtney are going to find a way into this game – I think the US will find a way to win a really hard fought – rough and tumble battle against Australia – 2-1.
TV Schedule – Games on TV
Thurs, June 19
9 am Fox Czech Republic vs South Africa
12 noon Fox Switzerland vs Bosnia
3 pm FS1 Canada vs Qatar
6 pm Fox Mexico vs Korea
Fri, June 19
3 pm Fox, Tele, Peacock USA Men vs Australia World Cup
6 pm Fox Scotland vs Moracco
8:30 pm Fox Brazil vs Haiti
11 pm FS1 Turkey vs Paraguay
Sat, June 20
10 am Fox Netherlands vs Sweden
1 pm Fox Germany vs Cote dIvore
5 pm FS1 Ecuador vs Curacao
9 pm Fs1 Japan vs Tunisia
Sun, June 21
9 am Fox Spain vs Saudi Arabia
12 noon FS1 Belgium vs Iran
3 pm FS1 Uraguay vs Cape Verde
6 pm FS1 New Zealand vs Egypt
Mon, June 22
10 am Fox Argentina vs Austria
2 pm Fox France vs Iraq
5 pm Fox Norway vs Senagal
8 pm FS1 Algeria vs Jordan
Thur, June 25
10 pm Fox, Tele, Peacock USA Men vs Australia World Cup
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Reffing
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Why Adidas has embraced Trinity Rodman as the U.S. face of its men’s World Cup marketing
Neil P. Mockford / Getty Images
By Asli Pelit
June 17, 2026 6:00 am EDT
I love a good World Cup commercial.
Who can forget Nike’s 2002 Secret Tournament commercial? Or this year’s Rip the Script? Stacked with soccer stars from the past and present, and handful of Hollywood heavy-hitters to make it relevant for casual fans. Bingo.
When Adidas unveiled its flagship World Cup commercial a few weeks ago, the creative team similarly packed it with soccer royalty, including England’s Jude Bellingham and Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, two players expected to help define this World Cup. In the spot, Timothée Chalamet assembles a three-a-side team to take on a mythical street-soccer trio in a fictional city.
His first two picks make perfect sense.
The third is Trinity Rodman.
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Not Christian Pulisic. Not Weston McKennie. Not Gio Reyna. Rodman, the U.S women’s national team and Washington Spirit winger.
Adidas’s choice was no coincidence. Nor is it a slight against the U.S. men’s national team. Rather, it speaks to Rodman’s place in American soccer today and highlights the unique position women’s soccer occupies here.
Rodman and her “Triple Espresso” teammates (Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson) perform in front of American audiences every week with their NWSL clubs. Their success happens in stadiums across the country, creating a level of connection and familiarity with fans. (Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna was featured heavily in commercials leading up to the World Cup, but was not selected to Mauricio Pochettino’s final roster.)
“The players are legitimate global stars,” Kyle Sheldon, chief operating officer of Name & Number, a soccer-specific creative and marketing agency, told The Athletic. “The domestic league (NWSL) is arguably the strongest in the world, top to bottom. Unquestionably, the fact that those players are in the U.S. backyard constantly has a significant impact.”
Sheldon attended a Spirit match earlier this season when Rodman scored her first goal of the season after almost a year hiatus from the league. “It was sold out,” he said. “The pop in the stadium when she was introduced was, from my experience, second only to David Beckham and Lionel Messi where I have seen them play.”
That is a remarkable comparison for any American soccer player, let alone a 24-year-old still entering her prime, working to make her own way on a U.S. team that has won four of nine Women’s World Cup titles.
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“There really is this love for her and for what she represents,” Sheldon added. “For how she handles herself, that really is amongst the best in U.S. soccer history. She still has a long career to go, but I think it speaks to the impact of having that player playing domestically versus abroad.”
Trinity Rodman is one of the NWSL’s most marketable players.Claudio Villa / Getty Images
During the men’s World Cup on U.S. soil, Adidas is not the only company that tapped Rodman. She appears in marketing for State Farm, Sam’s Club, Dick’s Sporting Goods and even Dove Men+Care. Yes, Dove Men+Care.
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While Rodman has fewer than one million Instagram followers, a platform where she regularly shares these partnerships, marketers say follower counts alone do not determine influence.
“When Trinity drops something or goes on Instagram Live, the ripple effect captures attention,” Laura Correnti, CEO and founder of Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment told The Athletic. “Brands are so pressed for stopping people in the feed.”
The modern sports economy is no longer driven primarily by audience size. It is driven by attention. Everything Rodman does becomes news. From her injuries to her fashion choices, she generates headlines. Her relationships attract coverage. She possesses something marketers covet but few athletes achieve: cultural gravitas, paired with authenticity.
And if Rodman’s commercial value still needed validation, the NWSL essentially provided it. Last year, the league created its “High Impact Player” mechanism, a roster-building rule designed to help clubs retain transformational stars by allowing teams to spend beyond traditional salary restrictions. Around soccer circles, many simply call it the “Rodman Rule.” The comparison Sheldon immediately thought of was another player whose value extended beyond wins and losses.
“The only other time you’ve really seen something similar in American soccer was David Beckham,” Sheldon said. “The league created a mechanism to bring Beckham to MLS. There are parallels there.”
The NWSL created the High Impact Player rule, in part, to keep Trinity Rodman in the league.Scott Taetsch / Getty Images
Rodman is not Beckham. Not yet. But the fact that league executives felt compelled to create greater roster flexibility to retain a player of her stature in the face of lucrative opportunities in Europe and would-be domestic rivals speaks to her importance. (Beckham, by the way, is also massively capitalizing on this World Cup with a handful of near-ubiquitous national TV ad campaigns, including Adidas, Home Depot, Lay’s, Stella Artois and McDonald’s.)
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“I think we’ll look back and understand that it was one of the most consequential rulings that had to happen to preserve the longevity of women’s soccer in this country,” Correnti said. If Rodman had left for Europe, the NWSL would not only have lost one of its best players, but it would have lost one of its most valuable commercial upsides. “I truly believe it would have been detrimental to the future commercial success of women’s soccer in this country.”
The phenomenon reflects years of groundwork laid by women athletes who were forced to become marketers long before most male athletes needed to. For much of the modern era, U.S. women’s national team players earned a fraction of what their male counterparts made in playing salary. To close that gap, the women embraced the opportunities presented by social media, built quantifiable personal brands, cultivated sponsorships, created content and learned how to remain relevant between matches.
Think Alex Morgan, who realized and capitalized on her on-the-pitch success for commercial gains very early in her career and, even in retirement, remains active in nationally televised brand campaigns and as the founder of an investment fund, backing an array of businesses focused on women’s sports and its audiences.
“Women inherently have done these brand deals and capitalized on these opportunities out of necessity,” Correnti said. “Now that’s changing.” According to Correnti, social media, athlete-owned media and NIL have accelerated a trend that favors athletes capable of building direct relationships with fans. The next generation increasingly follows people rather than institutions.
“We’re entering the individual-over-institution era,” Correnti said. “People aren’t asking, ‘Am I a fan of the men’s national team or the women’s national team?’ They’re saying, ‘I’m a fan of Trinity Rodman.’”
That may be the most important business lesson of this World Cup.
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