US soccer great Tobin Heath hoping Club World Cup spurs more growth for game at home
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tobin Heath might know something about what makes soccer resonate within the U.S.
Her resume, in part: She won NCAA titles in college at North Carolina, then went on to win two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women's national team and two World Cup titles as well, all of that coming after she was inspired by the 1999 Women's World Cup.
And so far, she thinks the Club World Cup could have a similar effect.
Heath — who is working as part of FIFA's technical study group for the tournament, alongside the likes of former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, former German star and U.S. men's national coach Jurgen Klinsmann and others — said Saturday that a match she attended earlier this month between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors, with a full and jammed stadium in South Florida playing host to that matchup, shows what could be possible in this country.
'As an American, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life to witness that passion and energy,' Heath — during a FIFA briefing with the technical group — said. 'It's something I never believed I could see in my own country. And the stadium was literally shaking. You could feel it, and the fans were absolutely incredible. So, I know the power of these home competitions. ... I know the power of these games in our country, to change the landscape of this game in our country.'
The attendance for the games in the Club World Cup has varied widely; some stadiums are jammed, some pretty much empty. With the tournament entering the knockout round and some strong matchups ahead — including Lionel Messi and Inter Miami taking on his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, on Sunday in Atlanta — there should be plenty of good crowds throughout the remainder of the event, as FIFA looks to build momentum toward the World Cup that's coming to North America next year.
'This is a fantastic dress rehearsal for us,' Heath said.
Only one U.S.-based team made the knockout stage: Messi's Inter Miami, though some wonder if that's a club that will have a true pronounced effect on soccer in this country. Messi is the biggest name in the sport and has an enormous following everywhere, one that obviously existed long before he came to Miami two years ago.
'Messi has not the best data of this tournament, but he's certainly the most influential player of this tournament — because without him Inter Miami would never qualify,' Wenger said.
The job of the technical study group is simple: watch all the matches, either live or on television (with the benefit of many screens and angles), assess style of play and determine what is making teams successful. The level of data collected from these matches is beyond deep; reports are more than 50 pages thick and measure everything from time it takes a team to recover possession after a giveaway to how hard players are sprinting at key times of a match.
'This tournament has blown me away,' Heath said. 'It's made me even more excited for the summer to come, and I couldn't be more proud of this country. It shows that football is deeply embedded and deeply personal to our country. I can't wait to see the growth.'
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Blue Jackets delight in their fortune, add four more on NHL draft's second day
COLUMBUS, Ohio — NHL general managers and scouts have been known to make grandiose comments when draft weekend is complete and a new batch of prospects has landed in their pool. That sixth-round draft pick? He was way higher on their board. That seventh-round pick? Yeah, he reminds them of (insert generational talent here) … yeah, Patrice Bergeron! Advertisement That's why Don Waddell's comments on Saturday afternoon demanded confirmation. Did the Blue Jackets GM just say that? Yes. Yes, he did. The Blue Jackets drafted highly touted defenseman Jackson Smith with the No. 14 pick on Friday, surprising exactly nobody. They selected goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov at No. 20, surprising many, as Andreyanov was predicted to go late in the second round or early in the third. On Saturday, the Blue Jackets traded back into the third round to select Swedish defenseman Malte Vass with the No. 76 overall pick. And then Waddell said … 'We drafted right, identically, as our list was laid out,' he said. 'The first three guys (Smith, Andreyanov, and Vass) were all in the top 14 on our list.' Come again? 'Correct. That is correct,' Waddell said. 'I can say, probably, it's never happened in my history (in hockey). It's our board, so we'll see in a few years if we're right or not. Our guys put a lot of work into it. We had mid-season meetings, end-of-season meetings, and meetings this week, and the list was unanimous. When you're sitting there at 76 and you're able to get a guy who is still on your top 15 list, there's only one decision to make and that's what we did.' We got exactly who we wanted! Don Waddell says we were able to get 3 of our top 14 players. Hear more from him after selecting 6 new players in this year's draft! 📺 | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) June 28, 2025 The Blue Jackets bolstered their forward corps with a trade with Colorado on Friday for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood, but so far this offseason their defense and goaltending have not been improved. On Friday, the Blue Jackets were deep in trade talks with the New York Islanders for defenseman Noah Dobson, but they backed out when the asking price, in Waddell's opinion, got too steep. On Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks traded goaltender John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Peter Mrazek and two draft picks. The Blue Jackets, according to sources, were not involved in trade talks with Anaheim for Gibson. Advertisement The Blue Jackets did make two trades: a fourth-round pick this year (No. 109) and a fourth-round pick next year to the Red Wings to move up to No. 76 and draft Vass, and two seventh-round picks (Nos. 205, 218) to the Seattle Kraken to move up higher in the round (No. 198). They had other trade offers, too, Waddell said, but they were only pick-for-pick trades, not offers involving players that could boost a roster immediately. By now, you should probably realize Waddell is going to follow his scouts' advice and his own eyes — he saw his share of these amateur players — without caring if that matches 'conventional' wisdom or a wide array of mock drafts. Vass, a highly physical defensive defenseman, was projected by most to be a third-round pick, which is exactly where the Blue Jackets drafted him. But Waddell confirmed he would have taken Vass with the 20th pick in the first round if all other players on the Jackets' master list were taken. 'In Vass' case, when he starts to fall, you say, 'OK, let's think about teams we could make a deal with,'' Waddell said. 'We had already started down that road and made a deal (to get back into the third round). 'I read a lot of stuff — and heard a lot of stuff — about 'Oh, we took a goalie early.' But we wanted to take a goalie and we thought (Andreyanov) was the best goalie. We just felt that, instead of taking a chance — yeah, maybe I could have moved back a few spots — but the worst case scenario is somebody takes him in front of you and you're saying, 'What kind of strategy was that?' I'm a huge believer that if you really like a guy and your number is up, just take the player.' Malte Vass delar ut en tackling #HlinkaGretzkyCup #fbkse — SwehockeyGIFs (@swehockeygifs) August 9, 2024 Vass (6-foot-2, 194 pounds) is headed to Boston University next season. He spent most of last season (40 games) playing for Färjestad in Sweden's second league, but did draw in for five games with the top club. Fifth round, No. 160: C Owen Griffin — A smallish center (5-foot-10, 160 pounds), Griffin played his way into greater prominence in the second half of his season, especially in the playoffs. He had 22-29-51 in 62 games for Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League, but led the entire OHL in playoff goals (16) and was sixth in points (29). The Blue Jackets saw him play extensively this season, in part because they were checking in defenseman Luca Marrelli, a third-rounder from last year's draft. Advertisement Sixth round, No. 173: LHD Victor Hedin Raftheim — He doesn't turn 18 until August, so Raftheim (already 6-foot-3, 181 pounds) has some filling out to do. In 34 games with Brynäs in Sweden's under-20 league, he had 1-3-4 and 22 penalty minutes. Seventh round, No. 198: C Jeremy Loranger — The Blue Jackets like Loranger enough to trade two later seventh-round picks to move up the board and grab him. He's a small center — 5-foot-9, 161 pounds — but he lit up the British Columbia Hockey League for Sherwood Park with 40-65-105 in only 54 games. He's committed to play at the University of Nebraska-Omaha next season. The Blue Jackets expect all six players drafted this weekend, among others including last year's No. 4 overall pick Cayden Lindstrom, to attend their summer development camp, which runs July 2-5 in the practice rink attached to Nationwide Arena. 'We're happy with the haul we had here,' Blue Jackets assistant director of amateur scouting Trevor Timmins said. 'Now, these are prospects. I mean, we hand them over now to our development team, our development coaches, to help them develop. 'They're young men. They're prospects. Hopefully, they become NHL players for the Blue Jackets.' (Photo of Malte Vass: Leila Devlin / Getty Images)
New York Post
31 minutes ago
- New York Post
Palmeiras books spot in Club World Cup quarterfinals with win over rival Botafogo
PHILADELPHIA — Paulinho worked his way between a pair of defenders and rolled a shot into the back of the net in extra time Saturday to put Palmeiras into the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Brazilian league rival Botafogo. Paulinho, who has made one appearance for Brazil's national team, dribbled through the defense with an inside cut from the right wing in the 100th minute. Paulinho (center) celebrates after scoring during the Palmeiras' 1-0 win over Botafogo match on June 28, 2025. AP Advertisement He then sent a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of John's net. Botafogo created multiple chances for an equalizer in the final minutes but couldn't get a goal. The match at Lincoln Financial Field was full of attacking soccer with a combined 35 shot attempts. Advertisement Paulinho celebrates after scoring during the Palmeiras-Botafogo match on June 28, 2025. AP No matter where you are in the world, you can watch the FIFA Club World Cup for free on DAZN. All you need to get started is an email address. No subscription is required, but you will have to make a free account on the streamer to start watching. DAZN also has premium, paid options available to enhance your viewing experience with HDR picture, Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, and fewer ads. DAZN Premium plans begin at $19.99/month. Advertisement Palmeiras, however, ended the match with 10 men after defender Gustavo Gómez was given a red card. Gómez received a second yellow card in the 116th minute after tackling Igor Jesus in midfield to prevent Botafogo from starting a counterattack. The 33,657 fans in attendance helped set the tone for the match with incessant cheering, bringing the flavor of a South American game to the United States.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bill Belichick Split with Linda Holliday 1 Year Before Breakup Was Confirmed and Coach Started Seeing Jordon Hudson (Exclusive Source)
A source tells PEOPLE that Bill Belichick and Linda Holliday's relationship had ended by September 2022, a year before their split was confirmed in September 2023 Belichick moved to "a hotel nearby Gillette Stadium" so that Holliday could "continue to stay in his homes" amid their split at the time The source says Belichick "played along" so that Holliday could "transition with the least amount of public humiliation"Bill Belichick and Linda Holliday's relationship was over one year before the public found out about their split, a source tells PEOPLE exclusively. 'Many assumed that Bill had cheated on Linda through 2022 and 2023, but they were broken up by September 2022," the insider says. "Linda was still pretending they were together after the breakup, and Bill played along so she could transition with the least amount of public humiliation and avoid abrupt displacement.' 'Bill moved into a hotel nearby Gillette Stadium in September and allowed Linda to continue to stay in his homes," the source adds. The source close to the former couple also says Holliday's social media activity "changed drastically" after she and Belichick split. A separate source confirmed to PEOPLE in September 2023 that the couple had split, noting that Belichick, 73, and Holliday, 62, had "been pretty separate for a while" by the time their breakup was announced. The couple had been dealing with relationship issues that were "not new" when they separated, the insider revealed. 'Bill is all about football and very busy now. He doesn't want a lot of public attention on this," the source told PEOPLE at the time. Currently, Belichick is dating Jordon Hudson, a former Bridgewater State University cheerleader who has been acting as his publicist through her company Trouble Cub Enterprises. Hudson, 24, was first spotted with Belichick in January 2023 when they were seen walking through the French Quarter in New Orleans, and in September of the same year, they were again spotted in the city on a dinner date. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The couple met when they were seated next to each other on a flight in 2021, and Belichick signed Hudson's textbook, Deductive Logic. As Belichick embarks on his first year as the UNC Tar Heels' head coach, he has made time for Hudson, traveling to Maine to support her bid for Miss Maine USA and enjoying picturesque dinners. In a May 21 post on Instagram, Hudson joked, 'Old Bay with my old bae,' in a caption over a photo of the two having a sunset dinner together by the water, alongside a tin of Old Bay seasoning. Read the original article on People
