Messi ties World Cup record; U.S. Open expert picks, players to watch

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⚽ Five things to know Wednesday

1. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland put on a show in their World Cup openers. You couldn’t have asked for anything more from three of the biggest stars on the planet. Messi tied the record for most career World Cup goals with a hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 group stage debut win over Algeria, Mbappé became the all-time leading scorer in French history with his brace in the 3-1 win over Senegal, and Haaland found the back of the net twice in Norway’s 4-1 rout of Iraq. Want to know what it’s like to witness Mbappé’s brilliance in person? Our Matt Norlander was on hand in New Jersey and said the French legend set the tone for a potential run to the World Cup title. It’s safe to say soccer is in good hands with Mbappé and Haaland succeeding Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as two faces of the sport’s next generation.
2. Cameron Jordan will play one more year with the Saints. The franchise great will spend the entirety of his career in New Orleans. Jordan inked a one-year deal to return to the squad in 2026 and immediately announced that he will retire at the end of the season. Even at 37, Jordan remains an integral part of the Saints’ defensive front and will have another chance to boost his Hall of Fame chances, which are already quite strong. His signing leaves just nine of the top 100 free agents still available.
3. Fallout from Brendan Sorsby’s supplemental draft entrance continues. The dust is still settling after Sorsby formally turned his attention to the NFL. The league will have a difficult decision to make regarding his eligibility, as there is precedent for a suspension due to his gambling history. Someone will take a chance on him in the supplemental draft, so what kind of player is that team going to get? NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson says Sorsby would have ranked second at the quarterback position if he was on the board in April. On the college side, Sorsby’s departure leaves Texas Tech with Will Hammond as its likely replacement and casts a shadow on a program that is suddenly the sport’s new biggest villain. 
4. Justin Gaethje cracked our ranking of the top 25 American fighters in UFC history. You argued for it, and we listened. After he narrowly missed the cut in the initial rankings, Gaethje moved into the top 25 thanks to his colossal upset win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. Speaking of Topuria, he broke his silence following the shocking loss while other prominent fighters celebrated his humbling. And in the wake of the co-main event, Alex Pereira wants punishment for referee Herb Dean, whom he called a “coward” for allowing possible illegal strikes from Cyril Gane.
5. No. 3 Georgia and No. 16 West Virginia pitched shutouts in their College World Series elimination games. Tuesday was a fun day to be a pitcher in Omaha — at least for those on the Bulldogs’ and Mountaineers’ rosters. Both teams will live to see one more day thanks to their 2-0 and 12-0 victories over No. 6 Texas and Troy, respectively. Georgia now needs to beat Oklahoma twice in two games in order to reach the championship series, and West Virginia must do the same against No. 5 North Carolina. All four of those teams will be in action today starting at 2 p.m. ET.

⛳ Do not miss this: U.S. Open picks, predictions and player rankings

Welcome to the third major championship of the season. The 2026 U.S. Open tees off Thursday at Shinnecock Hills, in Southampton, New York, where 156 players will compete for glory and where Scottie Scheffler has a chance to complete the career grand slam. Here is the complete schedule and all the groupings for Thursday’s Round 1.

Scheffler clearly has the most at stake of any player in the USGA’s massive field. He can join an elite club of only three golfers to complete the career grand slam in their first opportunity. The world No. 1 has not been in his best form this year, though, and last won a tournament all the way back in January.

While Scheffler enters the U.S. Open as the best player on the course, the gap between him and the rest might get even slimmer if he crumbles under the immense pressure. A number of players farther down our top-26 rankings have won this tournament in the past and could climb closer to his spot at the top if they add another major to their résumé. These stars outside the top 10 already have one U.S. Open victory under their belt:

11. Justin Rose (won 2013)
12. Bryson DeChambeau (won 2020, 2024)
14. J.J. Spaun (won 2025)
16. Wyndham Clark (won 2023)
20. Brooks Koepka (won 2017, 2018)

Using the process of elimination, only eight players have a realistic chance of winning the tournament. Our experts both picked winners from that shortlist, but they do not fully agree on some of their other predictions. While Patrick McDonald says Scheffler is a lock to make the top 10, Robby Kalland argues that he is the biggest star who definitely will not win.

• Kalland: “The ball-striking concerns are real, and in the wind they’ll face this week on greens this nasty, he will not be able to execute his usual risk-averse style well enough to complete the career grand slam.”

🏀 NBA offseason bold predictions

The NBA is about to witness another “Summer of LeBron.” Every previous time LeBron James hit free agency in his 23-year career, the league came to a screeching halt and awaited his decision before going on with business. Get ready for the latest installment in that trend, with all eyes on James as he decides whether to re-sign with the Lakers, head elsewhere or retire.

Our NBA writers made seven bold predictions for the offseason, and Sam Quinn went out on a limb to say that not only will James leave the Lakers, but he will join a Western Conference rival.

These are a few of my favorite predictions:

• LeBron James joins the Warriors
• The Spurs trade De’Aaron Fox
• Jaylen Brown is done in Boston

Quinn also went a step further with his prognostication for King James’ next move. He set the odds for each possible scenario, from that signing with the Warriors to a potential Heat reunion.

Here’s why Quinn thinks there is a 30% chance James will play for Golden State next season:

• Quinn: “The Warriors check a lot of boxes here. They’re close to Los Angeles. They have a player James would want to play with. They’re aggressive enough to push all in to try to win a championship. If someone is going to steal James from the Lakers, Golden State feels like the likeliest destination.”

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

⚾ Mets at Reds or Marlins at Phillies, 12:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Portugal vs. DR Congo, 1 p.m. on Fox
⚾ College World Series: No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 16 West Virginia, 2 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Rays at Dodgers, 3:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: England vs. Croatia, 4 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Blue Jays at Red Sox or White Sox at Yankees, 6:45 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Ghana vs. Panama, 7 p.m. on FS1
⚾ College World Series: Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Giants at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Guardians at Brewers, 7:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
🏀 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup: Liberty at Sky, 8 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Orioles at Mariners or Pirates at Athletics, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ World Cup: Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, 10 p.m. on FS1
🏀 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup: Aces at Mercury, 10 p.m. on USA Network