Christian Gonzalez: I'd like to keep contract negotiations private

Australia qualified for their 11th overall men's World Cup and reached the Round of 16, where it lost to Egypt in a penalty shootout. The Socceroos' group stage campaign included a surprise 2-0 win over Türkiye in Group D, followed by a 2-0 defeat to the United States in Seattle. A scoreless draw with Paraguay ensured that Australia would reach the knockout stage but fell short in its quest of a deeper run. Here's what's next for some of Australia's stars after the 2026 World Cup. Connor Metcalfe made his World Cup debut for Australia and netted his first goal in Australia's 2-0 group stage win over Türkiye. Outside the national team, Metcalfe plays for St. Pauli in Germany. Competing in his second World Cup for Australia, Harry Souttar wore the captain's armband in their trip to the round of 32. Souttar currently plays for Leicester City in England. Although midfielder Aiden O'Neill suffered an injury in early May, he recovered in time to suit up for Australia this World Cup. Aside from the national team, O'Neill currently plays for New York City FC. Centerback Lucas Herrington was one of their most talented defenders, and became the youngest starter this World Cup at 18 years old. Herrington recently signed with the Colorado Rapids in January. The 22-year-old shot-stopper got the surprise nod over experienced goalkeeper Mat Ryan and made the most of his opportunity. Patrick Beach had a strong tournament for Australia, conceding only three goals in four games and keeping two key clean sheets that helped the Socceroos finish second in their group. Maybe the most notable moment came in the Round of 32 against Egypt, when Tony Popovic decided to make a goalkeeper change before the penalty shootout. Ryan was brought on for Beach, but Australia eventually went out 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. After two full seasons as the starter for Melbourney City in the A-League, he'll now head to France to join Ligue 2 side Troyes for the 2026-27 campaign.

INDYCAR unveiled renderings of its new 2028 car, which will start on-track testing this week. The drivers like the looks of its sleek INDYCAR feel and will soon get a chance to help test and make tweaks. "We all wanted a new, modern-day car that is lighter and looks futuristic and fast but still has all of the incredible safety advancements that INDYCAR is known for," ECR driver Alexander Rossi said in a news release. "This does all of those things. "There are still a lot of things to work through in terms of on-track testing and how it reacts to the different types of environments it will be exposed to, but from a visual standpoint, it’s incredible." The car is designed to go faster while also incorporating many of the safety elements implemented since the last car was first designed around 2012. Those safety and other elements added weight and the 2028 car is a fresh opportunity to overhaul the car to keep its INDYCAR style while also making it faster. That starts with the car, designed by Dallara, that will be 100 pounds lighter, including a reduction of 20 pounds of the hybrid system and 25 pounds of the gearbox. "I was just as excited to see what was inside the car as I was to see what it looks like on the outside," Andretti Global driver and INDYCAR champion Will Power said in a statement. "INDYCAR and Dallara have done an incredible job combining updated aerodynamic ideas with all of the safety elements from the current car. It has a seamless look and one that’s also modern and aggressive at the same time." In arguably the most impactful development from an engineering standpoint, teams will no longer make and develop their own dampers. On the current car, damper development is key to how the suspension handles because it was the primary area where teams had the most latitude. Series officials, in a news release, indicated teams will have a variety of options, including more spring, damper and inerter tuning options while using the single-source supplied parts. That potentially could tighten the field and create more parity with the teams having similar options. The engine will be a 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine capable of producing up to 760 horsepower. That should produce some record speeds, potentially at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which should also see the benefit of a more aerodynamically stable speedway front wing. "There is a wow factor," said defending Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist in a news release. "The first thing that struck me is that it has more room in the cockpit and will fit differently-sized drivers, which is really good. Secondly, it definitely has the INDYCAR DNA, which was a worry for me that it wouldn’t look like an INDYCAR Series car. "This definitely does. It also has an aggressive look with an integrated aeroscreen and a car that addresses a lot of little tweaks that drivers have asked for. Dallara has delivered on almost everything. I’m super excited for the future." The exact dates and sites of testing will be announced soon. "Seeing the car for the first time made me even more excited about where INDYCAR is going," said four-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou in a news release. "The design is super cool and feels like a proper next step for the series while still looking like an INDYCAR Series car. "I think the fans are going to love it, and as a driver I cannot wait to get behind the wheel. The most important thing is that we keep the close, fun racing that makes INDYCAR special, and from what I’ve seen, we’re heading in a really good direction."

In its second FIFA World Cup appearance, DR Congo advanced out of Group K after earning a third-place finish with four points. In its opening match, DR Congo grabbed a point off Portugal, and clinched its spot in the knockout rounds with a win over Uzbekistan. DR Congo's 2026 World Cup came to an end in the round of 32, but it gave England a scare, jumping out to a 1-0 lead before two late goals from Harry Kane changed the narrative. Remarkably, DR Congo conceded just one goal in matches against Portugal and Colombia, as goalkeeper Lionel M'pasi made a name for himself and a defense featuring captain Chancel Mbemba and Aaron Wan-Bissaka stood strong. So what's next for DR Congo's stars after the 2026 World Cup? Lionel M'pasi didn't keep any clean sheets at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but he was still spectacular for DR Congo, specifically in the first half of its round of 32 game against England. He recorded five saves in that match, and also saved eight shots in a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the round of 32. Mpasi is entering his second season with French Ligue 1 side Le Havre. He's played all seven seasons of professional football in France, but last year was his first in the country's top league after a transfer. DR Congo's captain played all 90 minutes in each of DR Congo's four 2026 World Cup matches. Mbemba is entering his second season with French Ligue 1 side Lille. Wan-Bissaka has played every year of his professional career in the English Premier League. He started with Crystal Palace, before a big-time transfer to Manchester United, where he made three Champions League appearances, before playing two seasons for West Ham. But in 2025-26, his second season with West Ham, the club finished in the Premier League relegation zone, meaning Wan-Bissaka will have to transfer to remain in the Premier League. He could go elsewhere or remain with West Ham in the EFL Championship, where he's under contract. Masuaku represents English Premier League side Sunderland. He played for the Black Cats during the first half of the 2025-26 season, before going on loan to French Ligue 1 side RC Lens. He'll return to Sunderland for 2026-27. Wissa led DR Congo, scoring three goals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup — twice against Uzbekistan and once against Portugal. Wissa is entering his second season with Newcastle United following four seasons with Brentford.