World class | Sports Daily Newsletter

Team USA has done it — after missing out on the entire World Cup tournament in 2018, the squad not only returned to the competition but was also able to advance out of group play.

Perhaps the Americans’ relative youth (second-youngest team in Qatar) was what was needed to shrug off the geopolitical implications and tensions of needing to win against Iran.

Even longtime watchers and fans of the team have to admit that lively, attacking play and control of the ball haven’t been a strong point of American players in the past few decades. But this isn’t the USMNT of old. These players are a revelation, they’re likely to be even better in 2026, and they’re not done yet.

— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓ Were you watching the USMNT game, and if so, how did you react to Christian Pulisic’s goal? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Some watched the U.S.-Iran game in bars with friends. Some stayed at home. Some watched surreptitiously at work. Some were relatively new to soccer. Some had suffered with the team for years. Whatever degree of fandom involved, there was that bright shining moment when Hershey native Christian Pulisic scored.

To some, the game represented much more than a simple sporting event.

For Pulisic himself, the moment didn’t come without sacrifice.

Now, of course, it remains to be seen how that will affect the team going forward in its upcoming clash of the knockout rounds against the Netherlands.

Next: Follow all of our World Cup coverage.

The Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes took a hit when it was revealed Tuesday that safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson would be sidelined indefinitely with a lacerated kidney.

Gardner-Johnson, who leads the NFL with six interceptions, could still return this season, although the recovery timeline for this injury varies. The Eagles have been mostly fortunate this season when it comes to injuries, although over the last few weeks they have seen a few key players, including tight end Dallas Goedert, land on injured reserve.

Next: The 10-1 Eagles will host Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans (7-4) on Sunday at 1 p.m. (Fox29).

Entering Tuesday, it had been 21 days since the Flyers last won a hockey game. But they finally snapped their 10-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders. Giana Han has the story from the Wells Fargo Center.

Next: The Flyers host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

The 76ers have won seven of their last nine games despite having stars Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey out of the lineup for significant portions of that stretch. In their absence, players who had been reduced to smaller roles stepped up, with Shake Milton, Tobias Harris, and others producing when their team needed them most.

Harris explained what has allowed so many Sixers to perform at a high level: “The whole group, the energy, the vibe is extremely positive. And if I’m really being honest, all that is a tribute to, honestly, the way that we’ve been winning and everybody feeling themselves out there.”

Next: The Sixers visit the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. Wednesday (NBCSP).

A Palestra tradition resumes Wednesday night with a Big 5 doubleheader as Temple takes on La Salle at 6 and Penn faces St. Joseph’s at 8:30.

“It was a phenomenal experience as a player,” said Fran Dunphy, who played at La Salle and is now the head coach there. “It was a phenomenal experience as a coach just to play your games at the Palestra. It was seldom that it was four Big 5 teams in the doubleheader, but it could have been three. ... I hope that the younger people get a sense of how important it is.”

Penn’s grand old arena opened in 1927 and has produced countless memories. Ed Barkowitz revisits some of them.

If anyone could be considered Mr. Big 5, it’s Fran Dunphy. Mike Jensen explains.

We offer previews of La Salle-Temple and St. Joe’s-Penn.

Test your Big 5 knowledge with our quiz.

Who is the last Eagle to lead the NFL in rushing yardage?

Answer: B) LeSean McCoy led the NFL with 1,607 yards in 2013. Harold G. was first with the correct answer.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Mike Jensen, Jonathan Tannenwald, Ed Barkowitz, Marcus Hayes, Javon Edmonds, Nicky Belgrad, Kerith Gabriel, Isabella DiAmore, Giana Han, Gina Mizell, and Bridget Reilly.