Just one more wild event from an unbelievable USA–Mexico match.
He hopped the railing with such confidence
The U.S. men’s national team’s win over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final on Sunday night had everything. There was a late equalizer by Weston McKennie, a clutch penalty by Christian Pulisic in extra time and an even more clutch penalty save minutes later by backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, who was pressed into action after an injury to starter Zack Steffen.
In such a dramatic game, it was only fitting that the drama wasn’t limited to the field of play. As the CBS Sports Network crew broke down the first 90 minutes during the break between regulation and extra time, they were interrupted by a fan running behind the set, being chased by security. The broadcast director deserves a lot of credit for deciding to cut to show the intruder just as he leapt over a railing.
“Wow, sorry, everybody,” host Kate Abdo said. “Something going on behind us.”
Seeing someone plummet out of view from an unknown place is a little bit scary, but the man’s lack of hesitation makes it seem like he wasn’t too worried about the drop. The security guard wasn’t about to risk it, though, and took the long way down.
As we’ve seen in the NBA playoffs lately, fans are just itching to misbehave now that they’re being allowed back in stadiums in large numbers. Compared to those incidents, though, this one is pretty harmless. No one is put in any danger or dehumanized by an idiot trying to get on TV. There was far worse fan behavior earlier in the night in Denver. The game was briefly halted due to homophobic chants from the Mexican fans, and there were two separate instances where fans threw trash at the players. American midfielder Gio Reyna was hit in the head with a bottle and had to be attended to by the team’s medical staff.
Stupid fan behavior isn’t going to stop any time soon, but if you’re going to do something dumb, make it something like running onto a TV set and doing some evasive parkour. You’ll spend the night in jail, you might break an ankle, but at least you’ll be the only one paying a price for your actions.
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Around the sports world
Nineteen-year-old Yuka Saso won the U.S. Women’s Open, tying Inbee Park as the youngest winner at that tournament. ... Sixteen-year-old Taya Currie is the first female player drafted by the OHL, a top-level Canadian junior hockey league. ... Jon Rahm was forced to pull out of the Memorial while leading by six strokes after testing positive for COVID-19. ... An Italian soccer player died during a game that was being played in honor of his brother, who died in 2018. ... Josh Donaldson called out Gerrit Cole as pitchers’ use of foreign substances is increasingly scrutinized. ... A cyclist ran 18 miles in his socks after breaking a wheel on his bike early in a race.
Here is Horvath’s incredible save
And here is the view inside the booth for Marcelo Balboa’s great call on Univision
Full count, two outs in the bottom of the ninth and you get a call this wrong?
Third base coach Phil Nevin, who isn’t cleared to coach on the field because he still has an IV port in his arm after being treated for staph and kidney infections on top of COVID-19, got ejected
Arike Ogunbowale hits buzzer beaters in her sleep
Trae Young was more pumped up by this intro than anybody else
Simone Biles won her seventh U.S. title
Saso’s swing is identical to Rory McIlroy’s
That’s a power move
I can’t believe how long this glove flip was
It’s tough to be more American than this
A 453-foot BOMB
Not sports
United Airlines purchased 15 supersonic jets but they won’t be operational until at least 2029. ... The cheetah is being reintroduced to India 60 years after it went extinct there. ... El Salvador will be the first country to make Bitcoin a legal tender.
Hammerhead shark chasing a guy in a kayak
A good song
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