A US reporter has come under significant fire for ‘pathetic’ comments she made ahead of the Stars and Stripes’ World Cup Last 32 Match vs Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night. Mauricio Pochettino’s side continue to make waves this summer, with their wins over Paraguay and Australia marking their first back-to-back wins at the showpiece tournament since 1930.

Of course, a 3-2 loss against Turkiye in their final match – which granted the latter an unusual ‘Unofficial World Champions’ title – proved a humbling reminder that the Americans may face far more complications against more traditional football powerhouses. But with a lot of rotation considering they had qualified for the knockout stages early, the bigger picture remains promising.

It looks as though the USA have a rather straightforward route to the semi-finals this summer, should they continue to perform and meet on-paper expectations. However, it would seem one reporter has got carried away.

There’s a stereotype that Americans aren’t too clued-up on geography, with TikTok compilations made in the past to highlight the idea many can’t pinpoint major European nations on the map. Of course, Bosnia is a far lesser-known country, having only gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1992.

Even still, Abigail Velez from ABC News did her and her own nation no favours in a recent segment about USA’s upcoming Round of 32 tie with Edin Dzeko and co. Admitting she has no knowledge of Bosnia, she then appears to imply the Stars and Stripes will find no issues with progressing on Wednesday. She said (Watch the full segment below):

Criticism has come thick and fast for the reporter, as one confused viewer wrote: “Pathetic and insulting to the Bosnian community in the east bay, who may have quite literally built the house she lives in,” as another remarked: “Damn, crazy that this is live TV,” and a fourth continued: “What a terrible look.”

Another user said it “disgusted” them, while a sixth concluded: “Imagine being a journalist and speaking like that. Literally zero professionalism.”

USA’s Chances of Beating Bosnia in Round of 32

The two teams have met on three occasions, all of them in international friendlies. In their most recent encounter in December 2021, the USA edged Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 thanks to a goal from Cole Bassett. The sides also drew 0-0 in January 2018, while the Americans recorded a 4-3 victory in August 2013, with Jozy Altidore scoring a hat-trick.

On paper, that record gives the USA reason for confidence. However, some of the reporter’s overexcited tone suggests that early tournament optimism may be getting ahead of itself, overlooking the reality that no opponent is straightforward in the World Cup knockout stages. Bosnia, in particular, could prove a banana skin for sections of the US fanbase expecting a comfortable passage.

Edin Dzeko, the former Manchester City striker, remains capable of decisive moments, while Kerim Alajbegovic is an emerging talent whose recent move to Bayer Leverkusen highlights the country’s growing pool of quality players.

Oleksandr Usyk is no longer the heavyweight champion of the world. The brilliant Ukrainian took to social media on Friday to confirm that he would be vacating all of his titles, including the WBA ‘super’, Ring Magazine, WBC and IBF belts.

Explaining the motivation behind his decision, Usyk declared:

“I want to vacate all the belts that I currently hold to make them available for the guys next in line to fight for them.”

Oleksandr Usyk Set to Retire After ‘One Last Dance’

After making the announcement, Usyk revealed that he would be having one more fight, which he referred to as “my last dance.” No opponent has yet been announced, but it is clear that the undefeated 25-0 wizard will not be competing for much longer.

One person who will be pleased to learn of Usyk’s plans is former super middleweight world champion George Groves. Just hours prior to the shock announcement, GIVEMESPORT spoke exclusively to ‘The Saint’, in association with MrQ.

Groves praised Usyk for his “exceptional” career, before explaining why he was keen to see the two-weight undisputed world champion wind down the in-ring chapter of his life.

“I think Usyk has been exceptional his entire career and what I would hate to happen to him is to have his legacy tainted by a loss or a subpar performance at this stage of his career because he’s no longer motivated, or he’s no longer able to perform at the levels that he once had.”

Groves also expressed his lack of desire to see Usyk go back over old ground, including potential rematches with Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

“I think if Usyk retires tomorrow, I’d have no complaints about that,” stated Groves. “I think he’s had a fantastic career.

At 39 years old, decline is almost inevitable, even for a fighter as accomplished as Usyk. The now-former champion was considered lucky by most to have avoided a loss to kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven last month, despite securing an 11th round stoppage.

Oleksandr Usyk Urged to Avoid One Fighter Before Retiring From Boxing

Groves pointed out that he would be sad to see the Ukrainian lose his unbeaten record to an up-and-coming prospect, purely because age had taken its toll on him.

“If it is a Moses Itauma in a year or so’s time, then I think Usyk probably gets beat. So if that’s the case, he should probably retire before facing someone like that.

No details have yet been made public over who will succeed Usyk as champion for any of the three governing bodies he held belts with. However, it is widely expected that top-ranked contender Agit Kabayel will be promoted to full champion status by the WBC.

Regardless of who takes over from him at the top of the division, they will have some legendary shoes to fill.

Despite crashing out of the World Cup spectacularly once again, Turkiye have been crowned “Unofficial World Champions” following a 3-2 win over dark horse hosts the USA on Friday night.

It proved to be the Eurasian country’s only victory this summer, despite the fact they head into every tournament with a reputation as an emerging force. Arda Guler – one of the best young players in world football – is joined by the likes of Kenan Yildiz, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Ferdi Kadioglu in a squad brimming at the seams with talent.

Still, if Vincenzo Montella’s side were going to beat anyone, then doing it against the USA proved to be a pretty interesting way to open their account. A win over the Stars and Stripes, who had rotated after securing qualification into the Round of 32 early, has given Turkiye an unusual world title.

Why Turkiye Are Now ‘Unofficial World Champions’

Corine Solberg/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

The Unofficial Football World Championships (UFWC) is a tongue-in-cheek alternative way of identifying the world’s top international team. Rather than relying on tournaments or rankings, it follows a simple “winner stays champion” format, similar to the title lineages seen in boxing and other combat sports.

The concept was popularised by Scotland fans and sections of the media, who jokingly claimed that because the Tartan Army had beaten England in a British Home Championship match on 15 April 1967 – the Three Lions’ first defeat after winning the 1966 World Cup – they were the new “world champions”.

What began as a light-hearted idea has since developed into a long-running football tradition. Turkiye became the latest holders on Friday night after defeating the USA, who had previously taken the title from Australia. Tracing the chain back further leads through Kosovo, Sweden, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Uruguay before eventually reaching 2022 World Cup winners Argentina.

An entire Wikipedia page is now dedicated to tracking the unusual honour, and the all-time rankings make for a fascinating read, packed with unlikely champions, winding title reigns and plenty of underdog stories.

Unofficial World Championships’ All-Time Rankings

Given that Brazil have won more World Cups than any other nation with five, while Germany, Argentina and Italy are not far behind, you might expect those traditional powerhouses to dominate the rankings for most matches spent as champions in this unconventional format. Surprisingly, that isn’t the case.

It appears that official world champions often struggle to maintain their grip on the crown after reaching the summit of the game. Brazil’s position in seventh place is a good example of that trend. Instead, the nation that has spent the most matches as UFWC holders is Scotland.

Although they have not held the title since 2007, Scotland accumulated 149 matches as reigning champions during their various reigns – three more than England and 33 more than Argentina. The top 22 rankings can be seen below:

Other interesting findings include the fact North Korea have beaten the champions, before then holding the title for 16 matches. Lower down in the list, below the 22 mark, other surprising names feature, such as Angola, Northern Ireland, Liberia, and Curacao – the latter having made history this summer by becoming the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup finals.