Spain Beats France, AL Dominates All-Star Game

On this episode of Yesterday in Sports, Chris Horwedel recaps a busy day across the World Cup, MLB All-Star Game, WNBA, NBA free agency, Summer League, and gymnastics. The show opens with Spain beating France 2-0 in Arlington, Texas, to reach the men’s World Cup final. Mikel Oyarzabal scores from the penalty spot after Lamine Yamal draws a foul, and Pedro Porro doubles the lead after a give-and-go with Dani Olmo. Chris breaks down how Spain neutralized one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacks, holding Kylian Mbappé without a shot on target and limiting France’s transition chances.

Spain has now recorded a tournament-record 6 shutouts in 7 matches and remains unbeaten in regular time across 37 consecutive matches. Chris explains why Spain’s control, defensive structure, and tactical discipline made them clearly better than France, while the loss ends the Didier Deschamps era without a third straight World Cup final. Spain now awaits either England or defending champion Argentina in Sunday’s final.

In Philadelphia, the American League shuts out the National League 4-0 in the MLB All-Star Game. Cody Bellinger drives in the first 2 runs, Ben Rice adds another RBI single, and Bellinger becomes the fourth Yankees player to win All-Star Game MVP. The American League pitching staff dominates with 15 strikeouts, led by Dylan Cease’s strong opening inning and 10 different AL pitchers recording at least 1 strikeout. Miguel Vargas adds the only late offense with a 433-foot home run, while Justin Wrobleski has a memorable birthday performance with 5 strikeouts over 2 innings.

The WNBA section focuses on the Washington Mystics beating the Toronto Tempo 79-62 behind a dominant second half and major frontcourt production. Kiki Iriafen finishes with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Shakira Austin adds 17 and 10 as Washington controls the boards and piles up second-chance points. Chris also covers the Connecticut Sun edging the Portland Fire 90-87 behind Aaliyah Edwards and Brittney Griner, with Portland missing a final chance to force overtime.

The episode then shifts to a major NBA free-agency report involving LeBron James. ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Philadelphia 76ers remain one of the leading potential destinations for James, along with Cleveland and Miami. Chris explains the basketball appeal of pairing James with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid, while noting the obvious questions around age, health, usage, and roster balance.

Chris also runs through Tuesday’s NBA Summer League scoreboard, including wins for Houston, Brooklyn, Memphis, Chicago, Denver, and the unbeaten Lakers in Las Vegas.

The show closes with Olympic champion Suni Lee announcing her return to competitive gymnastics with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics now 2 years away. Chris highlights Lee’s comeback after an incurable kidney condition, her 3 medals at the 2024 Paris Games, and what it means for her to begin another run toward a home Olympics.

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