Thursday, July 2nd, 2026

USA Advances & The Celtics Trade Brown

Scott Seidenberg reacts to the USMNT advancing to the round of 16 at the World Cup but will play without a key piece and the Celtics trade Jaylen Brown to the Sixers for Paul George. Who actually got better?

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⚽ USA ADVANCES — BUT AT WHAT COST?

USA 2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 0

The chaos:

• Early goal taken away (offsides)
• Second goal taken away (offsides again)
• Finally broke through, then sealed it in the 82nd minute
• Won despite playing down a man for 30+ minutes

⚽ THE BALOGUN RED CARD

The Controversy

What happened: Folarin Balogun scored his 3rd goal of the World Cup, then received a red card in the 64th minute after a VAR review showed he dragged his cleats on the back of a Bosnia defender's leg.

Scott: "In no world is that a red card. There was no call on the play that actually happened. It was incidental. If you're gonna give a red card after VAR review, you have to assume intent or believe it was such a dangerous act that it deserves a red card. Yellow card, absolutely. But a red card? That is ridiculous."

The History

The consequence: Balogun SUSPENDED for the Round of 16 vs Belgium.

⚽ USA vs BELGIUM — MONDAY NIGHT

The Odds (To Advance)

⚽ Yesterday's Other Results

England 2, Congo 1 (Come From Behind)

• Congo scored in the 7th minute
• Scott's Congo under 0.5 team total: LOST in the 7th minute 💀
• Harry Kane equalizer (75'), then the winner (86')

Belgium 3, Senegal 2 (Late Drama)

• Lukaku 86th minute
• Equalizer 89th minute
• Winner in the 125th minute on a controversial penalty

⚽ Today's Round of 32 (To Advance)

🏀 BLOCKBUSTER: JAYLEN BROWN TO THE SIXERS

The Trade

Sixers get: Jalen Brown

Celtics get: Paul George, 2 first-round picks, 2 second-round picks

Scott's Reaction

Scott: "What? I understand shopping Jaylen Brown to the Bucks when you're trying to acquire Giannis. But when you lose out on Giannis, why are you still taking pennies on the dollar? Paul George going back to the Celtics makes the Celtics a WORSE team."

The stunning stat: Brown becomes just the 5th player ever traded within three seasons of winning the NBA Finals MVP.

Last season: 6th in MVP voting, second team All-NBA.

Updated Title Odds

The new Sixers core: Embiid, Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown

Scott: "The Sixers got better, the Celtics got worse. If Boston thinks they're winning a championship because they got Paul George instead of Jaylen Brown, they're in for a rude awakening."

Also: Celtics signed Mitchell Robinson for frontcourt depth.

🏀 LAKERS REBUILD POST-LEBRON

The Kessler Trade

Lakers get: Walker Kessler (Jazz C)

Jazz get: TWO unprotected first-round picks + a first-round swap

The new-look Lakers: Luka, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler

⚾ YANKEES: SEVEN STRAIGHT LOSSES

The Skid Continues

Yesterday: Tigers 6, Yankees 2 (11 innings)

Silver lining: Day off Thursday.

⚾ CUBS: 23-RUN EXPLOSION

Cubs 23, Padres 3

The context: Wind blowing out at Wrigley — total was up around 12.5-13.

📅 Coming Up

This Weekend

• July 4th: Full MLB slate — stay safe out there!
• World Cup: Round of 32 concludes, Round of 16 begins

Monday

• World Cup: USA vs Belgium (Round of 16) — no Balogun

Next Week

• Football: NFL content ramping up

Fezzik's Betting Boot Camp

We sent an email out yesterday detailing the discount for Bettor Day subscribers. Check out the details HERE.

📱 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: BETTOR DAY APP COMING!

Apple App Store + Google Play Store

Launch: Mid July — August 1st at the latest

Features

• Push notifications: Picks delivered directly to your phone
• Game Centers: All sports
• Football HQ's: Brand new for the season
• Everything from BettorDay.com In one all-inclusive app

Scott: "I think it's gonna be a real game changer when it comes to doing all your handicapping, checking your live odds and scores, and everything you need to become a better bettor."