USMNT loses Gold Cup final to Mexico; Brian Campbell wins John Deere; Astros climb latest MLB Power Rankings

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🏌 Good morning to everyone but especially to ...

BRIAN CAMPBELL

It took some extra golf, but Brian Campbell got his second PGA Tour win of the season at the 2025 John Deere Classic.

Following 72 holes in at TPC Deere Run, Campbell and Emiliano Grillo were locked atop the leaderboard at 18 under. Through the first 13 holes of the final round, it looked like Campbell might cruise to a win, but disaster struck on No. 15 when he put a double bogey on his scorecard.

That opened the door for Grillo to pull even with Campbell, and he did just that. That forced Campbell into a playoff with Grillo, but he was unfazed. Campbell scored a par on the playoff hole while Grillo recorded a bogey, and Campbell sealed his second win of the year.

Campbell's last win came at the Mexico Open back in February just a couple weeks after Punxsutawney Phil came out of hiding. It was a long wait, but it was a worthwhile one, says Patrick McDonald.

• McDonald: "In between the two starts, Campbell collected no finish better than a T32, which he accomplished in back-to-back weeks at the Masters and RBC Heritage. No matter, with his latest entrance into the winner's circle, he joins Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Ben Griffin, Sepp Straka and Ryan Fox as players to win multiple times this season."

With his win, Campbell also pocketed just over $1.5 million. Not bad for 73 holes of work.

Grillo may have finished second, but he still aced the test in our tournament grades. Max Homa did the same, but Griffin scored poorly as he cooled off in a big way by missing the cut.

😃 Honorable mentions ⚽ And not such a good morning for ...

USMNT

Fourth of July weekend started out with a bang on Friday and went out with a whimper on Sunday. The USMNT blew an early lead in a 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Concacaf Gold Cup Final in Houston.

Just four minutes into the match, the U.S. drew first blood when Sebastian Berhalter placed a gorgeous delivery into the box, and Chris Richards finished it with a beautiful header. That was as close as the Americans would get to glory because Mexico took over the match after that. Mexico dominated shot attempts (16-6), shots (8-3) and corner kicks (12-0).

Raul Jimenez leveled the score for the Mexicans in the 27th minute, and Edson Alvarez scored the game-winner in the 77th minute with a diving header that was upheld by VAR review.

The USMNT let a golden opportunity slip through its fingers, and it stings a little more when the loss comes against a bitter rival. The loss was also a reminder of how much work the team must do ahead of the 2026 World Cup, writes Pardeep Cattry.

• Cattry: "The team's most impressive outings came against teams they were the clear favorites against, an important rung on the ladder for a team that lost to a wide variety of opponents over the last year. The next level up would require them to pull out the stops against Mexico, with one final opportunity to win a trophy before the World Cup; despite the early lead, that performance never came."

Of course, the USMNT was missing some mainstays in the lineup, including star Christian Pulisic. Between that and the emergence of young stars like Diego Luna, there is hope for red, white and blue moving forward.

😟 Not so honorable mentions 🏀 NBA offseason speculation heats up

The NBA season has been over for a while now, but that doesn't mean the action stops. In fact, it's only heating up as teams shake up their rosters.

One of the biggest questions this summer is the future of LeBron James. The 40-year-old superstar is looking for another NBA title, but the Lakers may not be able to provide one for him in 2025-26. So, does that mean perhaps the greatest player in basketball history will be dealt?

It's not that simple. Sam Quinn explains why James' $52.6 million salary is preventing more trade chatter from kicking up.

• Quinn: "Trades that would have been legal and made basketball sense three years ago suddenly aren't legal. The salary demands imposed on the Cavaliers, Knicks and Mavericks make a trade so prohibitively expensive in terms of value that getting James, no matter how good he is, would probably just be impractical."

If a trade doesn't materialize and James does play for the Lakers next season, he might have a front row seat to see the development of his son, Bronny, who threw down a thunderous dunk in his 2025 Summer League debut.

One major trade involving a veteran superstar has already been made. Kevin Durant was sent from the Suns to the Rockets a couple of weeks ago, but the full details are only just starting to come through. That's because the deal was a seven-team blockbuster that would make even a "Mission Impossible" opening weekend blush.

The entire deal consists of 13 players, five second-round picks and cash considerations.

While James and Durant have caused stirs on the trade market, Bradley Beal may soon hit the free agency market. Beal is reportedly looking at several options as he awaits a buyout from the Suns.

Here's a quick roundup of the other NBA offseason news from this weekend:

🏈 Worst college football hires since 2000

"Who are ya gonna get?" That's often the refrain when college football fans call for the job of a sitting coach -- and for good reason. There have been some putrid hires this century.

Our own John Talty went back and ranked the 25 worst coaching hires of the last 25 years, and there was some stiff competition. Names like Mike Price (Alabama) to Mike Locksley (New Mexico) were in the mix.

Only two schools, Kansas and Tennessee, had the distinction of landing two former coaches in the top 10. When it comes to the Volunteers, they tried to find the next Kirby Smart in Jeremy Pruitt, but that move backfired spectacularly.

• Talty: "Pruitt had the SEC pedigree but quickly proved he was no Kirby Smart. His time in Knoxville not only didn't meet expectations, but invited serious NCAA scrutiny into a program that was allegedly handing out money to player parents in fast food bags."

After a relatively quiet coaching carousel following the 2024 season, there may be some chaos next offseason, and programs will have to choose wisely.

World Series champion Bobby Jenks dies at 44

In tragic news from over the weekend, White Sox legend and World Series champion Bobby Jenks died from stomach cancer at the age of 44.

As a rookie in 2005, Jenks took over in the closer role for the White Sox in their run to the World Series. He recorded a save in Game 1, and he closed out a 1-0 win in Game 4 to complete the sweep of the Astros and deliver a championship. In those playoffs, Jenks posted a 2.25 ERA with four saves and eight strikeouts.

In a statement, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf remembered Jenks' contributions to that championship team and offered condolences to his family and friends.

"We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today. None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts."

Jenks pitched seven total seasons at the MLB level, and in that time, he posted a 3.53 ERA with 173 saves and 351 strikeouts.

⚾ MLB Power Rankings, weekend recap: Astros soar; Nationals clean house

The Astros have taken over the top spot in Matt Snyder's MLB Power Rankings after sweeping the Dodgers. Here's the top five:

1. Astros (3)
2. Dodgers (1)
3. Tigers (2)
4. Cubs (5)
5. Phillies (4)

On the other end of the spectrum the Nationals have cleaned house, relieving both GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez of their posts. The tandem was in place for the team's World Series championship in 2019, but Washington hasn't been to the playoffs since, and at 37-53 the Nats are last in the NL East.

Here's more:

📺 What we're watching Monday

🎾 We'll be watching the fourth round at Wimbledon all morning, and follow our coverage here. ⚽ UEFA Women's Championship: Spain vs. Belgium, 12 p.m. on FOX ⚽ UEFA Women's Championship: Portugal vs. Italy, 3 p.m. on FOX ⚾ Rays at Tigers, 6:40 p.m. on FS1 🏀 NBA Summer League: Thunder at 76ers, 7 pm. on ESPN