Sports

‘Is this real?’ The U.S. teenagers who found themselves playing with and against France

Published

5 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

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It was an ordinary day at the office for New England Revolution II head coach Pablo Moreira. Preparing for their MLS Next Pro match against Chicago Fire II, liaising with the first team about which youngsters were to be promoted and answering a knock at the door from sporting director Curt Onalfo.

Only, Onalfo arrived with an extraordinary proposition: could Moreira coach a game against France in 48 hours’ time?

“France? The national team, France? You’re kidding, right?” was Moreira’s reaction.

It was no joke. After their opening 3-1 win against Senegal, Didier Deschamps wanted to maintain the sharpness of the players who had not featured or had made a brief cameo from the bench.

You know, the little understudies: Rayan Cherki, Bradley Barcola, Maghnes Akliouche, N’Golo Kante, Marcus Thuram, Warren Zaire-Emery, Ibrahima Konate, Lucas Hernandez.

Based at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston and training north-west of the city at Bentley University, Foxboro-based Revolution were the obvious sparring partners.

But the first team were only just back after their break and several of Moreira’s Next Pro squad — they play in the third tier of the U.S. soccer system — training up with the senior team. It meant teenagers from the academy and a raft of players who had been allowed to leave for college clubs — in the amateur fifth tier — were brought back into the fold.

Matthew Tibbetts, Alex Parvu, Jack Burkhardt, Mason Sullivan, Steban Lopera, Jamie Kabuusu, Kian Charris, Josh Partal, Logan Azar, Marco Dos Santos, Gianluca Armellino, Braedon Smith, Rafa Alves and Paulo Tornberg, all between the age of 15 and 21, were put to the test.

“We giggled about what we were doing at 15 and 16, because we weren’t playing France,” says Moreira.

“We made a couple of tongue-in-cheek jokes about some of our younger guys tracking back their stars. We couldn’t believe we were saying those names in the same sentence.

“In terms of our fixtures, it didn’t really fit because it fell two days before our league game but, because of the nature of it, there was no way we could pass it up.”

Pablo Moreira, head coach of New England Revolution II

Pablo Moreira’s players were able to play alongside and against France internationals (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

While dialogue went on about what format would provide France with the best test, Moreira held off breaking the news. It was a futile task. The rumours had already spread, to the extent that Jake Shannon and Gabe Dahlin — two 22-year-olds who were signed from UNC Wilmington and Cedar Stars respectively in the past year — approached him after training to stress how much they wanted the opportunity.

“They couldn’t believe it,” says Moreira. “We were trying to play coy but they did some detective work and got to the bottom of it. I said: ‘Listen guys, we’ll do it, but the biggest thing is that I need you guys to train at the very top level the next day. We’re still in the middle of our season’.”

Those two ended up missing out due to first-team requirements but Moreira gathered a group of around 10 players and sent France a document with detailed profiles of the players he had available. Rather than face off against each other, it was decided they would mix the teams and play three 30-minute periods.

So, Revolution’s youngsters hopped on a coach to Bentley University, where they had police search the bus and ID checks to make sure everyone was who they said they were.

Then they were flung into a game against what Moreira believes is the deepest national squad ever assembled.

“It was awesome because it’s one thing to play against but they got to play with those players,” he says.

“They prioritised the physical. That was probably the best way to go. I’m no French national team coach but I think he was spot on because the level would have been off. We could have set up like mannequins but how much are they really getting out of it?

“They got a 90-minute load out of it and they were literally speaking to our guys by name, telling them to shift left and right. It felt like the Twilight Zone. Is this real? To see our guys integrated at the highest level was a beautiful thing.”

What goes into making a World Cup football?

Liam Tharme and Rachael Tinde

Moreira’s coaching career started at Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew before serving as Revolution’s first-team assistant coach and interim last season, which meant he came up against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi. In December, he took over the second string.

This game allowed his young players to be exposed to a level of player they usually only see on the TV screen.

“It’s the spatial awareness that means you are chasing shadows,” Moreira says. “Especially Konate in the middle. He didn’t take a wrong step. We had guys nowhere near his level but his ability to make players next to him better and organise. He was so clean with his passing. It was like a video game.

Konate was talking to centre-back Jack Burkhardt, 20, who grew up in the academy before leaving for Boston Eagles.

“I was thinking: ‘In what world does this happen?’. He was playing in college two months ago and is now being directed by one of the best defenders in the world.”

Moreira was proud of how much running his players put into the exercise but he reminded them beforehand that they were there to serve France’s needs.

“Our guys did a good job of connecting the dots. We told them if there is a 50-50 tackle and you even think of going in for it, we are taking you off. That was my biggest concern.

“This was our guys’ World Cup final, so the last thing you want is for something like that to happen, but thankfully everyone came out good.

“If we’re honest, most of these guys will never play at that level or against that level ever again. It’s great to see it, to feel it. It’s a benchmark for them.“

One player who immediately benefited from it was 15-year-old midfielder Logan Azar, who played right-back in the game.

“I’m not saying he stood out but he didn’t drop the level in training,” Moreira says. “I am telling you, the confidence he got from that game, just being on the pitch with that level of player, leaked into our game on Sunday.

“Everything was moving so fast. I don’t think he realised what happened until it was over. When you are young, you don’t understand the magnitude of it.”

Sights, sounds from Week 1 of World Cup

Norway and Scotland have used Revolution’s training base on the day before their matches in Boston but this was the true elite up close. The two teams grouped together for a squad photo and had time to mingle after the game.

This Tuesday, another run-out has been schedule to aid the stellar cast who did not start against Iraq in Monday’s 3-0 storm-delayed win. The calendar will allow for Moreira’s usual XI to take part this time and it could offer France a better opportunity to match up directly against the Revolution’s second string.

It would present their coach with an opportunity to pit his wits against an elite manager, just as he did in August 2014 when serving as video analyst for MLS All Stars’ 2-1 victory over Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.

“They took it as a friendly and we did not,” says Moreira. “All-Star games are one of those things where you usually just roll a team out. We had a game plan, knew their formation, set triggers. Pep was not happy with that at all. It was funny. One of his staff refused to shake our hand.”

With France through to the last 32 and Friday’s final Group I match against Norway set to decide who finishes top, the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the 2018 winners and 2022 finalists is tantalising.

“If they give us guidelines or formations we will follow it, but if not this is my team,” Moreira adds. “Tuesday, we will be able to physically do it and the guys who were with the first team have a chance to play.

“If they don’t integrate it then it is 10 toes in the ground and we’re getting ready for it, but I’m definitely going the 2014 route.”

Sports

Christopher Bonsu Baah interview: Ghana winger on justifying his late mother’s faith at World Cup

Published

14 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

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Christopher Bonsu Baah could sense something was wrong when he contacted his family and was told his mother was resting.

The Ghana international, currently on duty for his country at the World Cup, was then 17 years old and without a club, thousands of miles away from home in Spain, where he was enrolled at the Tecnifutbol academy near Salou.

With no guarantees, Bonsu Baah’s decision to leave Ghana was made quickly, having been convinced that getting into Europe earlier than he might ordinarily would prepare him for a career in the game. The pitches were better in Spain and that would help him develop, he was advised.

A number of trials followed: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and Sheffield United amongst them, but on each occasion, for different reasons, he did not end up signing a contract.

Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app

Nearly two years were spent away from his family and he was getting nervous that it might not work out. He had given up a lot to follow his dream and his relationship with his mother, as well as his older brother and sister, was now largely reliant on WhatsApp.

“I would say to my mum, ‘This is difficult for me’,” Bonsu Baah told The Athletic before meeting up with the Ghana squad for the summer.

“To be alone without any family at such a young age, it’s hard. Earning a contract is very difficult and you end up thinking a lot. If you are not mentally tough, it will affect you every day.”

“My mum played a big role in helping me,” he stresses. “Some parents want their kids to focus on school but she knew how much I wanted to become a footballer. She would tell me, ‘It’s just a matter of time’.”

Suddenly, she was not responding. “I wanted to know why and eventually, I found out she’d passed away,” recalls Bonsu Baah, whose mind began swirling, knowing that if he returned to Ghana for the funeral, he would not be able to come back to Spain because of the terms of his papers.

“It was the most difficult decision I have ever made,” he says. “I thought about what my mum would say. She would have told me to stay in Spain.”

Bonsu Baah hopes to play some part in Ghana’s game against England on Tuesday (Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

The avatar on Bonsu Baah’s Instagram page is a photograph of his mother, whose sudden death four years ago triggered a change in his thinking. “Spain had to count for something,” he says.

Except, his career would launch in a place he did not expect: Sarpsborg 08 in Norway was a much smaller club than he’d hoped to play for but one with a successful record of developing footballers from Africa before selling them on. “I did not know much about Norway or Scandinavia,” he admits. “There was another player from Burkina Faso and he had been to Ghana — this made it easier for me to feel at home.”

Within six months, he says the Premier League’s Brighton & Hove Albion were following his progress but he instead signed for Genk in Belgium; another strategic decision to a higher level, albeit at a club which, like Sarpsborg, was known for giving youth a chance. “As soon as they told me about Kevin De Bruyne (who started his career there) I knew where I wanted to be. I wanted to play.”

Bonsu Baah describes the World Cup as the most “exciting” moment of his career so far (Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)

Last summer, he moved on again, this time to Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League, a club bankrolled by Aramco, one of the richest oil companies in the world. Bonsu Baah was linked to bigger European leagues but he was sold the fantasy of better wages, newly built world-class facilities and a competition where he could test himself against legendary figures like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Beside Ronaldo and other familiar names like Joao Felix, Ruben Neves and Ivan Toney, Bonsu Baah was named in the league’s team of the season following 12 assists. In Saudi Arabia, he thinks he has learned a lot about himself quickly by studying opponents and their “confidence” in overcoming mistakes. He speaks positively about his manager, Brendan Rodgers, formerly of Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester, who he says has helped him improve his decision making on the pitch.

The conversation with the 21-year-old, however, tends to lean back to what motivates him the most, which means justifying his mother’s belief in him, while trying his best to provide for the family back in Kumasi, Ghana’s second city where he’d often go hungry after playing football as a child. He describes the decisions he faced early in his life as “crazy” but realises they are hardly unique because there are themes of “risk and sacrifice” in the stories of a lot of Ghanaian footballers.

He describes the World Cup as the most “exciting” moment of his career so far. Ghana’s performance coordinator is from Belfast and Mick McDermott knows Rodgers, Bonsu Baah’s coach in Saudi Arabia. After being on the bench for Ghana’s narrow opening Group L victory over Panama, he hopes to add to his two competitive caps in fixtures against England and Croatia. He sees Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham as perfect role models, in terms of how they play and lead their lives. “To maybe share the same pitch as them is amazing for me, but I also want to make my mark.”

Sports

A Golden Boot race for the ages – but who will come out on top?

Published

21 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

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It is fast turning into a Golden Boot race for the ages as the world’s best strikers star at the World Cup. But who will come out on top?

Sports

How to watch Red Sox vs. Rockies: TV channel and streaming options for June 22

Published

29 minutes ago

June 23, 2026

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The Boston Red Sox visit the Colorado Rockies to start a three-game series at Coors Field, with first pitch at 8:40 p.m. ET on Monday. Jake Bennett (1-3, 4.79 ERA) will start for the Red Sox, who are 31-44 this season and fifth in the AL East. Ryan Feltner (2-2, 5.05 ERA) is starting for the Rockies, who are 30-48 and fifth in the NL West.

How to watch Boston Red Sox vs. Colorado Rockies

Red Sox vs. Rockies odds

Odds provided by BetMGM.

Injury reports

Red Sox

Nick Sogard: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Roman Anthony: 10 Day IL (Wrist), Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 10 Day IL (Forearm), Jovani Moran: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Tanner Houck: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Patrick Sandoval: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Trevor Story: 60 Day IL (Abdomen), Garrett Crochet: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Johan Oviedo: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kutter Crawford: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Triston Casas: 60 Day IL (Knee), Romy Gonzalez: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Rockies

Jordan Beck: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Brenton Doyle: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Tanner Gordon: 15 Day IL (Hip), Blas Castano: 15 Day IL (Pectoral), Chase Dollander: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kris Bryant: 60 Day IL (Back), José Quintana: 60 Day IL (Elbow), McCade Brown: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), RJ Petit: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Welinton Herrera: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Pierson Ohl: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Stats to know

Boston’s Willson Contreras has hit 16 home runs this season. He has also tallied 44 RBIs and has scored 36 runs. In 304 plate appearances, he has recorded a .282 BA, .378 OBP and .525 SLG with a 9.2% walk rate and a 26.6% strikeout rate.
In 315 plate appearances, Wilyer Abreu has slashed .275/.334/.433 this season. He has hit nine long balls and driven in 36 runs with a strikeout rate of 19.4% and a walk rate of 8.6%. He has five stolen bases on seven attempts. He has come around to score 33 times.
T.J. Rumfield has hit 12 home runs this season. He has also tallied 42 RBIs and has scored 34 runs. In 301 plate appearances, he has recorded a .279 BA, .359 OBP and .483 SLG with a 9.3% walk rate and a 14.6% strikeout rate.
In 301 plate appearances, Hunter Goodman has posted a 32.9% strikeout rate and an 8% walk rate while slashing .243/.312/.518 with 21 home runs (5th in MLB), 39 RBIs and 46 runs scored. He has stolen five bases on seven attempts.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

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Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images