Friday, an infant was shot and killed. Wednesday, @katiekull1.bsky.social reported on the first hearing for a now-11-year-old boy charged with first-degree murder. www.stltoday.com/news/local/c... Because he under 12, he can't be certified as an adult.

Week's not over yet, but it's been busy.

That is just about the worst thing that could happen to the United States. Balogun has been the most indispensible player for the US in this tournament

Not an endorsement. Just sharing.

Mauricio Pochettino's game-day fit looks familiar 😉

As kickoff for USA-Bosnia nears, Hochman on how sports bring us together www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

And last week, Tim Ream mused on the U.S. team's run through the tourament and repeated the question that has become a mantra for team: Why not us? www.stltoday.com/sports/profe...

And from Tuesday, me on the excitement this game is creating among St. Louis' Bosnian community www.stltoday.com/sports/socce...

St. Louis has a large Bosnian population and Bosnians love soccer, which makes the U.S.-Bosnia game at the World Cup on Wednesday a huge deal locally. I checked out how they're dealing with their old home vs. their new home www.stltoday.com/news/local/a...

Germany knocked out of World Cup on penalty kicks by Paraguay, 4-3, after a 1-1 tie. Germany looked to have scored in OT, but goal was called off by VAR, which a lot of people appear to disagree with.

Holy sh*t Paraguay?!? Is this happening?! #WorldCup #CopaMundial

Penalties. Penalties

At a McKee-owned vacant building, and lot around the corner, homeless encampments have drawn trouble. "Anytime there is a large group of vulnerable people, you will find predators start to surround them," said the CEO of a homeless services provider. Gift link - www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...

I forgot my computer glasses at home. Have been taking off my regular glasses every time I stand up from my desk or look up to talk to someone. Habits!

Drone show

St. Louis knows.

the usmnt clinching advancement after two matches is very uswnt-coded tbh

Can’t get over the lengths to which some stadiums have been forced to go by FIFA to cover up their branding. Even in the back halls, even in the bowels of the place. 😂

Some back-and-forth at the St. Louis police board meeting about a Teneo report. I believe this is the report the chief and mayor are referencing. www.stltoday.com/online/pdf_d...

Keep up on coverage of the St. Louis Police Board with this handy link: go.stltoday.com/city-cop-board

Wearing glasses specifically for the computer reading distance isn't great when the World Cup game on TV is too far away, and blurry.

How far is FIFA going with its brand restrictions? The condiments at the Levi’s Stadium press box have all been taped over 😆

Attendance announced as 70,492, which is listed capacity for SoFi for tournament. There are empty seats, but not a whole lot. Seems to be mostly in the second deck, though also hard to see much of upper deck from my location

A FIRST HALF BRACE FOR FOLARIN BALOGUN!

And the US goes into the half up 3-0 after a dominant first half. Balogun with two goals, plus a Paraguay own goal to start things up and Americans are on their way

US takes the lead

Bring out the big flags

Tim Ream will captain the men's national team for the 30th time, tying John Harkes for sixth on the USMNT’s all-time captains list. He's the 14th different player since 1930 to captain the national team in a World Cup match.

I'd say it was a thunderous roar as Tim Ream led the U.S team on to the field for pregame warmups, but I'm in an enclosed press box so everything is muffled. Seems like it was pretty loud though. Crowd still filtering in.

Tim Ream in there, as expected, and Matt Freese getting the nod in net. And Chris Richards.

USMNT lineup: Freese; Dest, Freeman, Richards, Ream, A Robinson, Adams, Tillman, McKennie, Pulisic, Balogun.

@tomtimm.bsky.social may be at the game, but I’m at the next best place. On Morganford. #usmnt

The 2026 St. Louis region homicide tracker is updated. At least 104 people have been killed in the area through June 11. That's based on @stltoday.com coverage, so likely an undercount. graphics.stltoday.com/apps/homicid...

THE USMNT PLAY WORLD CUP FOOTBALL TODAY 🇺🇸

Coming soon

I've been watching from the office, on a muted TV: Did the crowd do *that* chant?

Breaking News from @theathletic.com: The co-host Mexico defeated South Africa, 2-0, in the opening match of the World Cup. Three players were shown red cards. At the 2022 World Cup, there were only four red cards across the whole tournament.

More red cards than goals (at least at the moment)

Fox comes back late from its hydration break commercials. Unreal. Second break of the tournament and we're already missing live World Cup action. Brutal and embarrassing. www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv...

It's started! It's started! ALL THE SOCCER!

STL 🤝 BIH A few members of the Bosnian Men’s National Team got to kick around with the St. Louis Dragons youth soccer club today at Energizer Park 💙💛

The state-controlled St. Louis police board will have quite the week: Board wants to give raises to top-level officers: www.stltoday.com/news/local/c... And the board lost its bid to get more in funding. A judge decided on the definition of "general revenue" www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...

Take the Landmarks downtown tour and learn why it should be called the "Harriet Scott Case" www.stltoday.com/exclusive/25...

Go ahead and slam journalists when they deserve it. I certainly do. But also realize that New York Times journalists Declan Walsh and Arlette Bashizi willingly traveled to an Ebola ward in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to inform the world. Many journalists are heroes. (NYT gift link)

S-T-L! S-T-L!

Updated the list of children killed or injured in shootings in the region. Of the six deaths, 3 are 6 or younger, and all of those were accidental shootings (the kids found guns): www.stltoday.com/news/local/c...

Maybe Carnell should ask his agent to check out clubs that spend a bit more on payroll?

BREAKING: The Philadelphia Union has parted ways with head coach Bradley Carnell, per sources. Philly is bottom of MLS with 7 points after 15 matches. Club won Supporters' Shield last year. Carnell is reigning MLS Coach of the Year. www.nytimes.com/athletic/731...

There's a St. Louisan to cheer for at the men's World Cup this summer:

𝙐𝙣 𝘼𝙢𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙞𝙣 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨 🦋