Podbit · Up First from NPR
Belgium beat the US 5-2 in a March friendly, but they've looked beatable in this tournament. A US win — without Balogun — would send them to the quarterfinals for the first time in the modern World Cup era, matching their all-time deepest run.
Where this was said
At 13:00 · chapter starts 9:26
Becky Sullivan calls it one of the wildest rides she's covered — and she was there for it. The US men's national team dispatched Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in the World Cup round of 16, delivering the program's first knockout-stage win in 24 years, but it was anything but comfortable [1] — Becky Sullivan "The US men's national team beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in the World Cup round of 16 — their first knockout-stage win in 24 years. The victo…" 09:32 . The US went up 1-0 just before halftime, but then striker Folarin Balogun — already the tournament's breakout star with 3 goals in 3 games, tied for second-most all-time by a US man in a single World Cup — got his legs tangled with a Bosnian defender, stepped on his ankle, and was shown a red card after video review. The US played a man down for more than 25 minutes and looked vulnerable. Then came the moment: a yellow card on a Bosnian defender gave the US a free kick near the penalty area. Malik Tillman, described by Sullivan as one of the most soft-spoken athletes she's ever met, stepped up and buried a perfect shot over the defensive wall to make it 2-0. The game was sealed, but the celebration was bittersweet [2] — Becky Sullivan "Folarin Balogun scored 3 goals in 3 World Cup games — tied for second-most ever by a US man in a single tournament — before a red card susp…" 11:50 . Balogun, who has never previously received a red card for the national team, is now suspended for the match against Belgium — a team that thrashed the US 5-2 in a March friendly, though they've looked beatable in this World Cup. A win would send the US to the quarterfinals, matching the deepest modern-era run in program history.
The US men's national team beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in the World Cup round of 16 — their first knockout-stage win in 24 years. The victory came under dangerous heat after star striker Folarin Balogun was sent off, forcing the US to play a man down for more than 25 minutes.
The US men's national team's win over Bosnia-Herzegovina is their first World Cup knockout-stage victory in 24 years.
After Balogun's red card, the US played a man down for more than 25 minutes plus stoppage time and still won 2-0.
Malik Tillman is so quiet that reporters often struggle to hear him speak. Then he stepped up to a free kick in a shorthanded World Cup knockout game and buried it over the wall. Born in Germany with an American military father, Tillman is the dual-national wildcard the US needed.
Folarin Balogun scored 3 goals in 3 World Cup games — tied for second-most ever by a US man in a single tournament — before a red card suspension rules him out against Belgium. It's a massive blow to a team that had just found its clinical striker.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.