1st Down: Costa Rica became the last of the 32 teams to be officially placed into the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday night in oppressively warm Qatar. Los Ticos made the final place their own thanks to a 1-0 victory over a game New Zealand team that was the better on the night despite going down a goal and a man. The goal came less than three minutes in when Joel Campbell steered home, and the Central American side just hang on for the rest of the match to head to Qatar.
2nd Down: Early Tuesday morning, American time at least, it was announced that Serena Williams would indeed be heading to Wimbledon to compete this year. It has been a year of inaction following an injury for the 40-year-old at the same event last year, so a wild card berth this time is a welcome surprise for the tennis world. Williams has won seven of her 23 major titles on the grass there, so plenty of great memories exist and await her to relive them.
3rd Down: The United States men’s soccer team took the (muddy) field on Tuesday night in El Salvador, and they came away with a very late draw in the CONCACAF Nations League. Alexander Larin gave the hosts the lead after 35 minutes, and they hung on all the way until the 91st when Jordan Morris equalized. It was far from a pretty performance, but the mentality will be the type that is required when they head to Qatar in November.
4th Down: There is a new man in charge of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and his name is Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy joins the Knights after coaching for the Boston Bruins, rather successfully, for over five years, and will bring in a clear identity as the team looks to rebound from a 2021-22 season in which they failed to make the playoffs.
