What initially seemed to be an isolated incident of drone espionage by an overzealous staffer at the Paris Olympics has evolved into a far wider spying scandal that risks staining Canada’s reputation in international soccer.

It has now come to light that this week’s revelations may have just been the tip of the iceberg. Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue told reporters on Friday that he feared this problem ran much deeper than he initially assumed.

This has many in international soccer wondering: what happens now? Will Canada Women, the reigning gold medalists, be removed from the competition? When did staff start leaning on drones for surveillance? How many people knew?

These are the questions that need answering as the scandal rumbles on.

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Was spying systemic within Canadian soccer culture?

That is seeming more likely as each day passes. Blue alluded to this on Friday when he said he feared the incident was not isolated.

“The more I learn about this specific matter, the more concerned I get about a potential long-term, deeply embedded systemic culture of this type of thing occurring, which is obviously completely unacceptable,” Blue said. “I’ve been receiving a lot of anecdotal feedback about the history of the issue as it relates to both programs, as it relates to the…

As is customary after a summer of major tournaments, various international managerial jobs are now vacant.

As is customary, the rumour mill has gone into overdrive.

As is customary, there doesn’t appear to be any common theme across the names linked to major jobs.

Take the England job. According to the bookmakers’ odds, the four most likely names are Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, Lee Carsley and Mauricio Pochettino. Two are homegrown managers who have performed solidly at club level. One is the current England Under-21 manager, who has limited club-coaching experience. The other is a foreign manager — albeit one with considerable experience in English football — who has coached major clubs.

The apparent contenders for the United States men’s national team job are equally varied. There is a raft of MLS candidates — Jim Curtin, Steve Cherundolo, Wilfried Nancy. Then there is David Wagner, a former U.S. international who hasn’t coached in the country. There is Herve Renard, an international specialist currently coaching the France women’s side at the Olympics. There’s also Thierry Henry, who is doing the equivalent with the France men’s side, and…

Carli Lloyd, the two-time World Cup winner and double Olympic gold medallist, recently wrote an article for Women’s Health magazine. She spoke movingly of her secret journey of unexplained infertility and IVF treatment, culminating in a joyous development: she is now pregnant, and expecting her first child in October.

Post-retirement and now aged 41, Lloyd wrote that her “heart has come alive” and explained how, for the first time, she feels able to open up and allow herself to be vulnerable.

This is not Carli Lloyd, the player, that people think they know.

“People had to get used to that,” she tells The Athletic. “They had to understand me a little bit more. But the fanbase and media only saw the competitor Carli. They only saw me with raging, bulging eyes, like I wanted to hurt somebody and be the ultra, uber-competitor. And that was the way that I was going to be able to survive.

“And when I look back at my career and reflect, ‘Would I have done things differently?’, I do think I maybe would have tried to enjoy things a little bit more. But I had to have a guard up, because I had some coaches that kind of stabbed me in the back. And you’re part of a team where everybody’s competing with one another. So that guard stayed up until I announced my…

Welcome to the 38th Media Mailbag for The Athletic. Thanks for sending in your questions via the website and app. There were more than 170 questions, so this is Part 1 of a two-parter. (Note: Questions have been edited for clarity and length.)

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Does hiring guys like Tom Brady to broadcast football games REALLY move the needle for viewership? Are there people out there who will say, “Yeah, let’s watch that game because ____ is calling it?” Don’t most fans prefer their own homer broadcasters anyway? Am I way off on this? — Kris A.

It’s an interesting question, Kris, and one that’s discussed within the industry all the time given the extraordinary salaries of the NFL analysts who call the top games for their respective networks. The core answer is that viewers watch games for the game itself; the viewership number would likely be close to the same if you and I were calling it.

But the presentation of the game and how viewers process the game matters greatly to leagues and broadcasters because they want you to leave the broadcast wanting to come back. With leagues specifically, they want people in the booth who they believe represent their product — and leagues have some veto power on broadcast hires, even if the networks don’t publicly admit that.

Now for Brady…

It is only 10 in the morning and already the heat in Pasadena is somewhere in the region of ‘face-melting’.

The sea breeze that kindly buffets the waterfronts of the United States’ Pacific coast is nowhere to be felt. Here, hemmed in by hills that form a dramatic natural amphitheatre, all is still, sweaty and parched.

In the middle of it all, gracefully defiant in the sun, sits the Rose Bowl.

This stadium in Los Angeles’ northern suburbs, now 102 years young, understandably holds a beloved position in the American sporting consciousness. Five NFL Super Bowls have been played here, plus the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, Brandi Chastain and all that. It wears its history lightly — a few plaques, a couple of modest statues — but it is known as ‘America’s stadium’ for a reason.

It is not only U.S. sports fans who revere the place, however; the Rose Bowl is also on the list of Brazilian football’s holy sites.

It was here, 30 years ago next month, that Brazil sealed their fourth World Cup title, pulling away from Germany to become the most successful nation in men’s football history (both have won another since).

Close your eyes a touch and you can almost see the after images: Italy’s Roberto Baggio sending the decisive penalty into orbit; Romario smooching the…

It is only 10 in the morning and already the heat in Pasadena is somewhere in the region of ‘face-melting’.

The sea breeze that kindly buffets the waterfronts of the United States’ Pacific coast is nowhere to be felt. Here, hemmed in by hills that form a dramatic natural amphitheatre, all is still, sweaty and parched.

In the middle of it all, gracefully defiant in the sun, sits the Rose Bowl.

This stadium in Los Angeles’ northern suburbs, now 102 years young, understandably holds a beloved position in the American sporting consciousness. Five NFL Super Bowls have been played here, plus the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, Brandi Chastain and all that. It wears its history lightly — a few plaques, a couple of modest statues — but it is known as ‘America’s stadium’ for a reason.

It is not only U.S. sports fans who revere the place, however; the Rose Bowl is also on the list of Brazilian football’s holy sites.

It was here, 30 years ago next month, that Brazil sealed their fourth World Cup title, pulling away from Germany to become the most successful nation in men’s football history (both have won another since).

Close your eyes a touch and you can almost see the after images: Italy’s Roberto Baggio sending the decisive penalty into orbit; Romario smooching the…

Click here to follow the Copa America on The Athletic and get relevant stories in your personalised feed. 

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In the hours before Maxime Crepeau stared down Lionel Messi and Argentina, the Canada goalkeeper’s mind drifted far away from the immense challenge the World Cup champions presented.

There were tactical plans to review on how best to implement new Canada head coach Jesse Marsch’s press. There were typical warm-ups to do. And there were necessary messages as a team that had to be communicated throughout the locker room.

But none of those teammates had overcome the kind of hurdles recently that Crepeau did. And so he needed to appreciate the fact he was starting in a wildly important game for Canada — finally — in a way none of the other players could understand.

“My wife and I shared a moment before the game,” Crepeau said quietly. “We’ve come a long, long way.”

Crepeau was a lock for Canada’s 2022 World Cup roster for months before they even qualified. There was no doubt he was going on the plane to Qatar as Canada’s backup goalkeeper, even if, at the time, a case could be made that he offered more athleticism and quality than longtime Canada No 1 Milan Borjan.

That is until Crepeau raced out to cut off Philadelphia Union striker Cory Burke in the 2022…

The crowd outside the St. Regis hotel in downtown Washington DC had grown in the hundreds. Fans clad in Argentina’s home blue-and-white kit waited outside the team hotel of the world champions for nearly three hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi. 

The flashing lights of the police patrol cars confused passersby who had no idea Messi was in town. There was yellow crime scene tape that blocked off the intersections, which further disoriented tourists. 

Andy Pendoley, 50, his wife Elaine, 48, and their two adolescent children were visiting from San Diego and had feared the worst.

“There are so many horrible things that you could come across among a crowd,” Elaine said. “It’s so exciting and such a relief to see something positive and fun that people are celebrating.” 

“We don’t mind if we can’t get to our hotel,” added Andy. “We’re on vacation. It was fun and unexpected to get a glimpse. It’s wonderful to just be in the crowd with people who are passionate about the (Argentina) team.” 

One year after his U.S. arrival with Inter Miami, Messi still garners a unique adoration in nearly every city he visits. The scenes in DC on Thursday night are a sign of what the Copa America will be like when Argentina travels throughout the East Coast as…

You don’t need to be a sports television programmer to predict the dream of Fox Sports executives when it comes to this month’s UEFA Euro 2024 and the Copa América 2024 — both of which will be telecast on the networks of Fox Sports.

But we decided to ask one anyway.

Zac Kenworthy is the vice president of production for Fox Sports and one of the point persons for the network’s presentation of soccer. He naturally dreams of a long run for the U.S. men’s national team in Copa América — the top men’s soccer tournament for national teams in South America, plus additional invitees from the Americas — as well a famed team making its way to the final at the Euros — the quadrennial men’s tournament for European national teams.

Friday kicks off one of the most ambitious stretches in Fox Sports’ soccer history as the Euros run from Friday through July 14 while the Copa América runs from June 20 through July 14. Fox owns both properties.

“I think when the U.S. men’s national team is doing well, the audience checks in, and I’m not just talking about the sports audience, but an audience in general,” Kenworthy said. “We saw that in 2015 with the incredible numbers that the U.S. women’s national team put up for that World Cup in prime time. A U.S.-Argentina…

Dear readers,

The Premier League and Champions League are over for another season but the summer of 2024 is packed full of live action and transfer fun and games — and we’ll cover it all in detail on The Athletic.

From Europe’s major clubs travelling across the world (and to the United States in particular) to all the moves (and nearly moves) of the summer transfer window, plus two major international tournaments, Emma Hayes starting her reign as USWNT head coach and the Olympics, our team of reporters will bring you in-depth coverage of the things you care about.

We’ll be on the ground in Germany for Euro 2024; across the U.S. for Copa America, MLS, NWSL and Premier League pre-season; in Paris, France for the summer Olympic Games’ football action, and everywhere in between — ensuring you don’t miss a thing when it comes to the beautiful game.

The club content you know and love won’t stop either. Our trusted team of reporters will hit the phones to bring you the latest moves in the transfer window as we embark on an ambitious project to cover the summer ins and outs like never before.

And it doesn’t stop there.

You might already follow our NFL, NBA or NHL coverage, but did you know we also cover a range of other sports, including golf, Formula 1 and tennis? Mark out…