The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was expanded in part to create matchups exactly like the quarterfinal between English power Chelsea and one of Brazil’s biggest clubs, Palmeiras.

Cole Palmer helped Chelsea get the best of Palmeiras at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday, July 4 to advance to the semifinals. Malo Gusto also played a role in the victory, having his shot bounce off the opposing goalkeeper, Weverton Pereira da Silva, to create an own goal situation and take the 2-1 lead.

Estêvão Willian was named as the Superior Player of the Match in the loss. Estêvão scored his first Club World Cup goal, leveling the score for Palmeiras in the second half at 1.

Estêvão, the 18-year-old player from Brazil, is expected to join Chelsea later this month now that Palmeiras has been eliminated from the tournament.

‘You can see he’s a top player,’ Palmer said about his future teammate on the DAZN broadcast after the game. ‘We’re excited for him to join us.’

Chelsea will play Fluminense in the semifinal on Tuesday, July 8 at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Matheus Martinelli and Hércules helped Fluminense earn a 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal at Camping World Stadium in Orlando in the other quarterfinal on Friday, July 4.

Chelsea vs. Palmeiras highlights

Club World Cup bracket

Here’s a look at how the FIFA Club World Cup bracket looks following Friday’s two quarterfinal games:

On Saturday, July 5, UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain plays German Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich at 12 p.m. ET (TNT/DAZN), then Real Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund at 4 p.m. ET (TNT/TruTV/Univision/DAZN).

Final: Chelsea 2, Palmeiras 1

Malo Gusto helps Chelsea retake the lead in the 83rd minute. Gusto’s kick hit Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton Pereira da Silva before going into the goal. Gusto was not officially credited with the score as it was deemed an own goal against Giay.

Chelsea 1, Palmeiras 1

Estêvão Willian evens the score at 1 with a goal in the 53rd minute for Palmeiras. Chelsea made a pair of substitutions after the goal. Noni Madueke comes in for Christopher Nkunku and Joao Pedro replaces Liam Delap.

Halftime: Chelsea 1, Palmeiras 0

Cole Palmer scores in the 16 minute to give Chelsea the early 1-0 lead against Palmeiras. The score would stand through the rest of the first half.

Chelsea’s Reece James injured

Chelsea captain Reece James suffered an injury before the game on Friday. Andrey Santos replaced James in the starting lineup.

André Silva and Diogo Jota honored with moment of silence

Chelsea and Palmeiras players met at midfield as a moment of silence was held for André Silva and Diogo Jota before the game. The Portuguese soccer players were killed in a car crash in Northern Spain on Wednesday.

What time is Chelsea vs. Palmeiras at Club World Cup?

Friday’s Club World Cup quarterfinal between Chelsea and Palmeiras is set to kick off at 9 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

How to watch Chelsea vs. Palmeiras Club World Cup game: TV, stream

• Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
• Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
• TV: truTV
• Stream: DAZN, Sling TV

Watch Palmeiras vs. Chelsea FREE on DAZN

Chelsea starting 11 vs. Palmeiras

Palmeiras starting 11 vs. Chelsea

American Taylor Fritz looks to move onto the fourth round of Wimbledon when he faces No. 27 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on July 4.

Fritz, the No. 5-ranked player in the world, defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round and Gabriel Diallo in the second round to set up the third-round matchup with Davidovich Fokina. Both of Fritz’s wins so far came in five sets, with him needing three consecutive set wins over Perricard in the first round.

Fritz has faced Davidovich Fokina twice already in 2025, and the two are 1-1 against each other. Fritz defeated Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the Eastbourne tournament, before Davidovich Fokina won 7-6, 7-6 at Delray Beach.

Fritz is still looking for his first Grand Slam win of his career. The Ranchos Palos Verdes, California, native’s best finish at Wimbledon is the quarterfinals, which he reached in 2022 and 2024.

Here’s when Fritz’s next Wimbledon matchup is, along with how to watch:

When does Taylor Fritz play next?

• Time: 8:30 a.m. ET
• Date: Friday, July 4
• Location: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (Wimbledon, London)

Fritz’s third-round matchup against Davidovich Fokina is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, July 4, in Wimbledon, London.

How to watch Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon

• TV channel: ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN app, ESPN+

Fritz vs. Davidovich Fokina will air live on ESPN+, which requires a subscription. Wimbledon matches will also air on ESPN, with the network bouncing between different matchups, starting at 6 a.m. ET.

Taylor Fritz matchups at Wimbledon

Here are Fritz’s results at Wimbledon in 2025:

• First round: Taylor Fritz defeats Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-4
• Second round: Taylor Fritz defeats Gabriel Diallo 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3

Aaron Rodgers didn’t sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers until June 7. The 41-year-old is doing his best to make up for lost time by hosting some of his teammates for offseason workouts in Malibu, California.

Rodgers revealed the workout in a photo shared to his Instagram on Wednesday. The new Steelers quarterback was joined by many of his receiving weapons – Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek, Pat Freiermuth, Calvin Austin, DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson – at the session.

Rodgers had dropped a hint about the Malibu workout in one of his recent appearances on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’ He didn’t say exactly who would be joining him but noted he had invited his wide receiver, tight ends and running backs to work out.

‘I know coming out to Malibu might not be that high on everybody’s list,’ Rodgers told McAfee. ‘But we do have some guys coming out next week. So it’ll be fun to spend a little time with them.’

The group did appear to have some fun. Notably, Skowronek posted a video of Rodgers throwing him an alley-oop off the glass to his social media accounts.

Perhaps that will allow the teammates to quickly build chemistry ahead of what is a critical season for the Steelers, who haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 NFL campaign, and Rodgers, who said he is ‘pretty sure’ this will be his last season.

PHILADELPHIA — Whether it was during his famed playing career, managing days or in his current advisory role with the Philadelphia Phillies, Larry Bowa has seen his fair share of baseball.

That makes it even more impressive that Otto Kemp’s performance since his recent call-up stood out.

‘He works for everything. Nothing’s given to him. He does everything well. … He’s a baseball player,’ Bowa told USA TODAY Sports. ‘He’s a student of the game. He handles himself unbelievable. 

‘If you want to think about it, all odds are against him never getting drafted.’ 

The odds, in fact, were against Kemp from the jump. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Phillies following the 2022 MLB Draft out of Division II Point Loma Nazarene University, Kemp has extended his fill-in opportunity by becoming a consistent – and much-needed – presence in the lineup. 

‘It speaks to just going one day at a time,’ Kemp told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I truly believe that you have opportunities every single day and as long as you take advantage of those opportunities, work your butt off and do everything that you can on that day, you rinse and repeat and do it the next day, you’re going to end up in a good spot.’ 

Kemp’s uphill battle to the big leagues started slow as he had only reached High-A by the end of his first full minor league season. On top of his inner support group, one thing kept Kemp’s mindset of reaching the Majors in check: the Phillies being the only MLB team to see something in him.

‘I hold onto that because you need chips as a player,” Kemp said. ‘You’ve got to have a why.’

Kemp attributed it to a mixture of adjustments at the plate, seeing the work over the two previous seasons paying off and then growing in the mental side of the game.

‘At that point it became like, ‘Okay, this dream is real and this dream could be a reality soon. So, how do I put myself into the best possible perspective and mindset as we go to exceed?’ It was just the combination of the both that got me pushing me over the edge.’

Kemp carried that momentum into the spring as a non-roster invitee for spring training, and then to Lehigh Valley where he got off to a hot start for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate. A .330/.421/.711 line in April made Kemp a candidate for a call-up.

Noted by The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, with his call-up Kemp became the first non-foreign undrafted hitter signed by the Phillies to reach the majors with the club since Jeff Grotewold in 1992. 

He further made history with his first career knock against the Chicago Cubs on June 9, becoming the first Point Loma player to record an MLB hit. Two Sea Lions have made it to the big leagues, but both were pitchers.

Since his call-up, Kemp has split most of his time between first and third base. In 21 games, Kemp is hitting .264 at the plate with five extra-base hits. He hit his first career home run, a 3-run shot to left-center, on June 27. He increased his batting average from 18 points with a 2-for-3 night in Game 2 of a split doubleheader vs. the San Diego Padres on July 2, his first start since Harper returned from the injured list.

‘He’s a grinder, man,’ Harper told USA TODAY Sports.

‘It just goes to show it doesn’t matter where you are, where you play or anything like that. Scouts are going to see you as long as you’re playing well and playing hard. He had the opportunity to come in here and do his job and we’re fortunate he’s done that for us. He deserves the opportunity. He deserves the moment.’ 

Kemp’s production on the field has also gotten the respect of his manager, Rob Thomson, who like Bowa called him a ‘baseball player” in mid-June.

Those endorsements from a pair of baseball lifers have served as reassurance for Kemp, which has allowed him to ‘just go out and play.’ 

‘That’s what I try to be, to be a baseball player. I pride myself in trying not to be a one-trick pony and a guy that can only do one thing,’ Kemp said. ‘It just confirms that I just need to be myself and keep playing baseball the way I know how to.’ 

A way to keep himself in the lineup will be learning to play left field. But Kemp is viewing his new role as a true utility player.

‘However I can chip in is where I’ll chip in,’ Kemp said. ‘If that’s playing first for a game, if Bryce needs a day, or if that’s platooning in left, whatever it needs to be, I’m going to step in there and fill in whenever I need. … Whatever can help this team win some baseball games.’ 

Kemp is the first to admit that the outfield is a bit new for him. He only played the outfield nine times in his minor league career, seven of those in left.

‘I feel comfortable in the outfield. It’s just a rep thing and that’s the mentality behind it. As long as I’m aggressive out in the outfield, I can live with that,’ Kemp said. 

The more positions Kemp plays, the more fun he has and is a better player for it.

“The more you understand all the positions on the field, the better off you’re going to be as a baseball player,” Kemp said.

It’s that mentality and willingness to do whatever is asked of him that makes Bowa certain of one thing about Kemp.

‘Whether it be (here or not) … He’s a big league player in my mind,’ Bowa said.

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On the bright side for Smith, he is bringing a friend along with him – Jalen Ramsey. The tight end and cornerback were dealt by the Miami Dolphins on June 30 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending the rumors that swirled around both players all offseason.

While Smith didn’t want a trade, he is excited about the new opportunity. Smith joined Terron Armstead’s podcast on July 2 to talk about the situation with the now-retired Dolphins offensive tackle.

‘You always want to be where you’re most valued and appreciated, and that’s the situation that I found myself in with Pittsburgh. So I’m excited, bro,’ Smith said.

Considering Pittsburgh’s run of success, it’s a situation that both Smith and Ramsey are looking forward to.

‘Pittsburgh is a team that’s historically going to always be in the dance,’ Smith said of his conversations with Ramsey about preferred destinations. ‘Just maybe a couple of missing pieces like us, that can fill that void and get over that hump. One thing we both admired about the situation is the culture. The culture that [head coach] Mike [Tomlin] established.’

While Smith welcomes the new opportunity, the tight end wasn’t looking to be on a one-way flight out of Miami after a career year in South Florida. He finished with 88 receptions, 884 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024 – setting career-highs for receptions and yards.

He indicated that his desire was to remain in Miami, with the hopes to eventually end his career with the Dolphins. That never came to fruition, with the deal being finalized over a month after the initial report of a possible trade surfaced on May 29.

Smith wanted to renegotiate his contract with the Dolphins and the team responded by discussing a trade with the Steelers, according to a report.

‘I didn’t foresee this happening with how the season went for me individually,’ Smith said. ‘Obviously I had aspirations of ending my career in Miami, with it basically being home for me, my children, my family. But I understand the business side of it, and it didn’t work out. I’m grateful. I’ve got no ill feelings toward Miami and nobody in the organization. I can’t sit here and lie and say it didn’t sting when the process was playing itself out.’

Now on his fifth NFL team, Smith considered himself to be a key piece in helping Miami succeed going forward.

‘We go through the year, bro, and obviously as a team it was a disappointment, and that does play a factor in a lot of decision making after the season,’ Smith said. ‘But for me I felt that I was in a position that I thought that I was one of the key ingredients to helping this team succeed. And after the season ended, me and my agent, we’re like, ‘This is a no-brainer, we’ll be here forever.”

He mentioned buying a bigger place to live for his family, while even eyeing what life could look like in the area after football.

‘Going through that process, I was hurt. I didn’t think that collectively – as an organization, players, coaches – I didn’t think that [they believed] trading Jonnu Smith, that’s where our success starts,’ Smith said.

For the third time in three years, Smith will be wearing a new jersey. Perhaps with another Pro Bowl-caliber season, it could be the only one he’s wearing for a long time.

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