Angus Gunn Inspires Young Scotland Fan in Boston
In downtown Boston this morning, Scotland’s No 1 walked through the hotel lobby and straight into a memory a young fan will carry for life.
Thirteen-year-old Daniel Nevin, kitted out in his colours and never far from a ball back home in Glasgow, spotted Angus Gunn at the team’s base and did what any sharp-eyed supporter should do at a World Cup: he seized the moment. A quick approach, a polite word, and suddenly the St Cadoc’s Youth Club player was shoulder to shoulder with the Scotland goalkeeper, posing for a photograph he will be showing team-mates for years.
His father, Tommy, 55, watched on as Daniel – who dreams of keeping goal on bigger stages himself one day – met the man charged with protecting Scotland’s net on the other side of the Atlantic. Daniel was “delighted”, Tommy said, and now has one simple wish for tonight’s match against Morocco: that Gunn keeps a clean sheet.
World Cup co-hosts flex their muscles
While Scotland’s supporters were collecting stories in Boston, the other co-hosts were busy collecting points.
Canada finally burst into life, tearing through Qatar in a 6-0 demolition to claim their first win of this World Cup. It was ruthless, the kind of statement performance that can flip a mood in a camp overnight.
Mexico, already humming, kept their perfect record intact with a tight 1-0 win over South Korea, a result that underlined their control more than the scoreline suggested. Two hosts, two victories, and a sense that both are starting to feel at home on their own stage.
Elsewhere, Switzerland brushed aside Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1, while Czech Republic were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa in a more attritional contest.
2030 storm clouds over Spain and Morocco
Barely a week into this tournament and the next one is already causing friction.
Spain and Morocco, joint hosts with Portugal for the 2030 World Cup, have both set their sights on the same prize: staging the final. Neither intends to back down. According to The Times’ chief sports reporter Martyn Ziegler, the battle is finely poised, with the decision currently viewed as a 50-50 split between the two nations.
It is a political tug of war that will simmer in the background while this World Cup plays out, but the stakes could hardly be higher. The right to host a final defines a generation.
Pochettino’s USA, built from old scars
On the other side of the Atlantic, Mauricio Pochettino is drawing on the most painful chapter of his own World Cup story to shape a very different environment for the United States.
As a player in 2002 under Marcelo Bielsa, he endured a brutal campaign with Argentina, locked down in a strict regime and dumped out in the group stage. That experience left its mark. This summer, he has flipped the script with the USA squad, loosening the reins, building trust, and trying to create a camp that breathes rather than suffocates.
The early signs? Encouraging, to say the least.
Australia strike early in their campaign
Australia, too, have arrived with purpose.
Tony Popovic’s side opened with a composed 2-0 win over Turkey in Vancouver, a result that did more than just put three points on the board. This is Australia’s sixth World Cup in a row, but the first time since 2006 that they have started with a victory. That matters. It settles nerves, lifts belief and sharpens the focus on the next step.
With that platform, they can now realistically aim to reach the knockout stages for only the third time in their history. The door is open. Whether they walk through it will depend on what happens next.
USA hit stride, Balogun on the march
What happened next for the USA, after all that talk of culture and mindset, was a performance that crackled.
They dismantled Paraguay 4-1, racing into a 3-0 lead before half-time. Folarin Balogun led the charge, scoring twice and tormenting defenders with the kind of movement that drags back lines to pieces. Paraguay clawed one back midway through the second half, but the final word belonged to Giovanni Reyna, who arrowed in a stoppage-time strike to cap an electric night for the co-hosts and send them to the top of Group D.
The win was not just about the scoreline. It was about authority, about a team that looked like it knew exactly what it wanted to be.
Pulisic on the clock
One cloud hangs over that bright picture.
Christian Pulisic, the USA’s talisman, is racing time. The 27-year-old forward is still managing a calf injury picked up in the days before that Paraguay match. He impressed in the first half of the 4-1 win but did not emerge after the interval, his discomfort forcing an early end to his evening.
His status for today’s clash with Australia remains in the balance. For Pochettino and for a nation that leans heavily on his creativity, every hour of recovery counts.
All eyes on Seattle
And so to tonight.
Day nine of the 2026 World Cup brings a later start, but it brings a heavyweight collision in Group D: co-hosts USA against an Australia side already banking points and confidence. Both opened with victories. Both see this as the game that could define their route through the tournament.
Kick-off in Seattle is at 8pm (12pm PDT), under lights that will feel brighter than usual for a group match. The winner will seize control of the group and, with it, a clearer path into the knockouts.
Back in Boston, a 13-year-old goalkeeper from Glasgow will be watching, hoping Angus Gunn delivers his clean sheet. Across North America, three host nations are starting to believe this could be their summer.
