Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy World Cup Eve!
There’s just one more sleep until the action kicks off and a ton of fun coverage coming your way. Here’s our plans for the biggest sporting event in the world:
- ✅ Special edition preview tomorrow — 48 teams? No problem.
- 🇺🇲 Gametime emails ahead of each USMNT match. Let’s go, fellas.
- 👀 Full tourney coverage on social.
- 🎉 Watch parties so we can enjoy IRL.
Simply cannot wait, but first, we scroll.
— Tennis GOAT Serena Williams, who made a triumphant return to the sport yesterday, winning her Queen’s Club Championship Round of 16 doubles match with Canadian partner Victoria Mboko.
- Williams closed the match with not one, but two aces — great momentum before the duo face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals tomorrow.
🏒 Captain Jordan Staal scores twice as Carolina Hurricanes level series at two
On the heels of a double-overtime Game 3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Canes came out firing in last night’s Game 4, lighting the lamp twice in the first four minutes and weathering a Vegas onslaught with a pair of third-period goals. The result? A crowd-silencing 5–3 win, goalie Brandon Bussi’s first playoff victory.
- This back-and-forth series feels destined for a Stanley Cup–deciding Game 7 — but first, it’s back to Carolina for tomorrow’s 8 p.m. ET Game 5. Expect the chaos to continue: This is the first Final in NHL history where multi-goal deficits have been erased in four straight games.
🏀 San Antonio Spurs (down 2-1) steal Game 3 at electric Madison Square Garden
Give Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama a sketchbook, and the 22-year-old will create a work of art: Wemby’s efficient 32-point performance (and a full-team defensive masterclass) lifted the Spurs to a crucial 115–111 Monday win over the NY Knicks. The Spurs have held double-digit leads in all three games, but improved late-game execution in Game 3 kept the resilient Knicks in check.
- With tonight’s 8:30 p.m. ET Game 4 looming, San Antonio will be banking on the status quo: The road team has won the first three Finals games for just the second time in league history. Turns out Dorothy had it all wrong…at least so far.
TOGETHER WITH FanDuel
⚽️ Get in on the action
☀️ The Summer of Soccer is even more fun when you have some skin in the game. That’s why our pals at FanDuel make it easy to keep up with the non-stop matches and make sense of all the betting lingo along the way.
Want to feel comfortable, confident, and responsible before placing a bet? They’ve got you:
- Check out FanDuel’s World Soccer 101 betting basics and learn the ropes.
- Download the FanDuel Sportsbook app and turn match day into a team sport where every goal pays.
- All customers can bet on a match and get paid every time the ball hits the back of the net—only on FanDuel.
But there’s more: Check out our FanDuel Summer of Soccer watch party series, coming to cities across the country. We can’t wait to hang with you IRL.
WNBA
🏀 Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am
The GIST: Every game matters when it comes to the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with only the top team in each conference advancing to the June 30th final. And now that we’re officially halfway through group play, the true Cup contenders are beginning to emerge.
🏆 The top teams: Powered by Breanna Stewart’s 25.6 points per tourney game on average, the NY Liberty boast three Cup victories. Yes, the one-loss Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever both authored wins in the last two days, but the Eastern Conference feels like the Big Apple’s to lose.
- On the flip side, the Western Conference is shaping up to be a two-horse race between the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces. The Dallas Wings were knocking on the door too…until last night’s 100–76 shellacking at the hands of the juggernaut Lynx.
🍿 Tournament games continue all week, but two are must-watch:
- 🗽 NY Liberty vs. 💤 Atlanta Dream — Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET: Having already handled the Fever in Cup play, a Liberty win would further boost NY’s title game odds — but they’ll have to limit double-double queen Angel Reese on the glass. Easier said than done.
- 🃏 Las Vegas Aces vs. 🔥 Portland Fire — Tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET: At first glance, this one should be an, ahem, ace in the hole for Vegas. However, this Fire contingent has proven to be a tough out, especially when breakout star Carla Leite is cooking.
⚽ Consider your Friday night plans confirmed. Together with FanDuel, we’re bringing community-first watch parties to select bars across the U.S., all in celebration of the Summer of Soccer. Here’s what we have in store for kickoff:
🎉 Friday, June 12th | 6 PM CT - match end
- ☀️ Kansas City — The Dub
- 🌬️ Chicago — Whiskey Girl Tavern
❣️ Come for the giveaways, raffles, and activities — stay for the fun, celebration, and new friends. Golazos all around.
🏒 Phase 2 of the PWHL’s six-phase expansion process is complete — and Hilary Knight is on the move again. The American legend will join PWHL Detroit (her third team in four seasons) via a sign-and-trade with Las Vegas.
🤦 After wagering an estimated $90K on college and pro sports, including at least 40 bets on his own team, Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby will be eligible to play NCAA football this fall after serving a two-game suspension. Make it make sense.
🥎 Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s (AUSL) second season began in style yesterday with expansion team Oklahoma City Spark picking up their inaugural win, a high-scoring 13–5 dub over the Texas Volts. Plenty more where that came from.
🇺🇸⚽ The No. 2 USWNT handled No. 6 Brazil in an extremely physical friendly last night — one that included eight red cards between the two teams. In the end, the U.S. topped the Seleção 1–0 behind a deflected goal shot from forward Sophia Wilson. Get these gals some ice.
👀🏒 Longtime Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin wants out, requesting a trade from the NHL team with the longest active playoff drought. Larkin reportedly would like to land with the Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, or Florida Panthers.
⚾ What happens in Vegas…is pure chaos. A preview ahead of their 2028 relocation, the A’s are in the midst of a six-game homestand in Las Vegas that started with Monday’s wild and wacky 15–14 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
⛳ The RBC Canadian Open begins tomorrow at TPC Toronto, the last stop on the PGA Tour before the season’s third major, the U.S. Open. No. 37 American Wyndham Clark is among the favorites, as is No. 62 Canadian Nick Taylor, who won the event in 2023. Fore!
Together With Toyota
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🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal (right wiger, Spain)
Only 18 years old, there’s pressure on prodigious Yamal and tourney favorite, world No. 2 Spain — good thing he’s met the moment before. When he was just 16, a braces-clad Yamal became the first player to score or assist in the Euro quarter-finals, semis, and final en route to La Roja’s 2024 championship.
- He’s currently nursing a hamstring injury, but is expected to take the field in Spain’s opening tilt against No. 67 Cabo Verde on Monday. Vamos.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.