Julio Rodríguez’s center-stage moment, plus a massive USMNT win

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Good morning! Block a penalty kick today.

While You Were sleepingShootouts are stressful

The U.S. men’s national team outlasted Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals, thanks to Matt Turner’s two shootout saves. A main takeaway: The only thing more stressful in sports than a soccer shootout is playoff hockey overtime. Maybe.

Actual quick thoughts:

The USMNT faces Panama in the Gold Cup semis on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Back, Back, Back, BackDingers tonight

The last time we saw Julio Rodríguez in the Home Run Derby, he was busy becoming a superstar. He hit 81 bombs in last year’s competition, felling two-time champion Pete Alonso in the semis and coming up just short against 2022 champ Juan Soto. It was a moment.

It will be much different this year.

Brittany Ghiroli has a wonderful story today on Rodríguez, who’s long been ready for superstardom. He’s the guy just as happy for teammates as he is his own success. He even calls minor leaguers in the Mariners system, encouraging them as they grind through a grueling schedule. His only major flaw appears to be a down year this year compared to last, and yet it was still good enough to earn an injury replacement spot on the AL All-Star team.

And he’s on center stage all week, starting tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Briefs

Fitzgerald trouble worsensNorthwestern president Michael Schill admitted he “may have erred” when he suspended head football coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks on Saturday, adding that he “focused too much on what the report concluded he didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known.” This comes after a former player alleged “widespread” hazing — including “forced sexual acts” — in the program. The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg says it’s time to part ways with Fitzgerald.

Tiger two-stepLook, I’m not trying to write about my alma mater every week. But then LSU players go 1-2 in the MLB Draft — the first teammates to ever do so — and here we are. Pitcher Paul Skenes has the honor of going No. 1 to the Pirates and is already earning comparisons to Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander. Outfielder Dylan Crews, the No. 1 prospect on Keith Law’s board, went No. 2 to Washington. As three-year college players, both will start on a fast track to the majors. After the first two rounds last night, with the rest taking place over the next two days. Law has analysis for every first-rounder here.

A miscommunicated booThe Wimbledon crowd booed Russian tennis star Victoria Azarenka as she left the court following her close loss to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, in what appears to be a communication snafu. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Svitolina hasn’t shaken hands with any Russian or Belarusian players after matches. The crowd appeared unaware of the stance, and Azarenka was clearly frustrated in her post-match interview. It overshadowed what was a great tennis match.

Listen UpThe coaching tree that changed the NFL

There was a running joke a few years back, shortly after Sean McVay’s Rams nearly won the Super Bowl in his second season as head coach. McVay was still just 33 and employed an offense no one could stop.

Over the next two offseasons, seemingly anyone who shared a staff with McVay became a head-coaching target. Did you have a meal with him or San Francisco offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan, who comes from the same tree? Step right up to the front of the line.

In 2019 alone, the Packers head job went to Matt LaFleur, McVay’s offensive coordinator in 2017, and the Bengals hired Zac Taylor, a two-year McVay assistant. Six years after the hire, those are far from the only NFL offenses that demonstrate one tree’s influence.

Jourdan Rodrigue, The Athletic’s Rams reporter, has had a front-row seat to the offensive wave that’s changed the league. It inspired her to make “The Playcallers,” a new podcast out everywhere today, which chronicles the league-wide shift, with input from the main characters: Shanahan, McVay, LaFleur and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who worked for Shanahan for six years.

Jourdan was nice enough to make some time for the Pulse:

Chris: Was there a flashbulb moment when you were like, “I have to actually do this story?”Jourdan: This story took a year of reporting, but really it was a few years in the making. In 2020, I watched the Rams install their new Vic Fangio-inspired defense and it flat-out tortured their offense in practice, and that’s when I really began to understand what kind of philosophical evolution happens when apex systems … and people, and players … collide against each other. Since that time, I’ve been writing a lot about this topic but wanted to bring people inside even more.

Chris: I think the timing is fascinating, as you mentioned in your column today. These guys are all at a crossroads. Did you plan it lining up like this?Jourdan: It was a lot of reading the proverbial tea leaves, and a little luck. When I started reporting the story, for example, I didn’t know how the 49ers’ season would turn out. Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur still worked together. But football has a way of showing you its patterns and cycles, and that is what happened here. You can probably count on all of these guys going through “crossroads” moments every few years. That’s just how they grow.

Chris: How does the finished product line up with how you imagined it going beforehand?  Jourdan: Producers Mike Smeltz and Kent Garrison created bespoke sound designs for each episode, and I’m excited for people to hear that. Listeners will feel like they are inside the story and that’s what I hoped to accomplish: to help people who love football feel like a part of it, no matter their level of expertise.

The good news: All episodes of “The Playcallers” are out now. Listen to it on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Pulse Picks

Dane Brugler has his 2024 QB preview up. Caleb Williams is obviously No. 1, but there is a “1b” in the QB class.

Hey, remember when we all freaked out about Victor Wembanyama’s first summer league game? He looked more like a No. 1 pick last night.

Allison Corpuz’s first LPGA Tour win came at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open yesterday, a monumental achievement. See more on her place in history here, including where Rose Zhang finished.

The Red Wings made a big splash yesterday, trading for Alex DeBrincat and addressing their biggest need. Our graders think Detroit won the swap with division rival Ottawa.

From Las Vegas, David Aldridge writes about how the Wizards’ blueprint is finally clear. It’s also kind of a bummer.

Bayern really, really wants Harry Kane.

The Premier Hockey Federation is shutting down, and with it, a lot of people’s lives are changing.

Oklahoma was bad last year, but head coach Brent Venables has engineered a rapid roster rebuild. Will it work?

(Photo: Suzanna Mitchell/ Getty Images)