The Lead

Plus: An unexpected hero keeps Germany World Cup dreams afloat. And after 30 near misses, a decorated skier finally ends up on top. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Wednesday, Canada played its first game of the 2022 World Cup against the team ranked #2 in the world -- Belgium. And despite losing the game 1-0, Canada absolutely dominated and, in the process, sent a powerful message to the world: Canada is no joke. Our team here at The Lead is off enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, so today we're replaying an episode that first aired back in January, about the rise of soccer in hockey-crazy Canada. The Athletic's Joshua Kloke joined us to talk about the sport's rapid increase in popularity, the men's team's so-called "golden generation" of players, and how the team's coach, John Herdman, made the relatively rare leap from women's soccer to men's.More from Josh Kloke: https://theathletic.com/author/joshua-kloke/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has pulled a few rabbits out of his hat this year. For one thing, he’s taken a team that finished 4-13 last season and, without significant roster changes, started out this season 7-3. And it turns out, Daboll literally has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. The Athletic’s Dan Pompei recently spent time with Daboll (and got a first hand look at his sleight of hand), and today Dan breaks the magician’s code and reveals the secret to Brian Daboll’s football magic. But is the Giants’ success really just an illusion?Read Dan Pompei's profile of Brian Daboll:https://theathletic.com/3894690/2022/11/17/brian-daboll-giants-turnaround-magic/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plus: The Vikings officially go on fraud watch after a drubbing at the hands of the Cowboys. And the top two teams in women’s college hoops put on a show in Palo Alto — and send an important message along the way.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lionel Messi has won just about everything there is to win in soccer -- scoring titles, Champions League trophies, a Copa America championship, and a record seven Ballon d'Ors as the world's top player. But the one thing that has eluded him is the prize that matters most to him and his fellow Argentines -- the World Cup. With the tournament set to kick off on Sunday in Qatar, The Athletic's Ed Malyon, who cut his teeth as a soccer journalist in Argentina, joins us today to discuss Messi’s incredible accomplishments and high-profile failures, his complicated relationship with his home nation, and what’s at stake for him in his final World Cup.More from Ed Malyon: https://theathletic.com/author/ed-malyon/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heading into this season, a lot of people weren’t expecting much from the Seattle Seahawks, as they went from Russell Wilson to 32-year-old journeyman Geno Smith. Fast forward 10 weeks into the season, and Smith — the quarterback people wrote off — is playing at an MVP level. Today, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar helps us take a closer look at how the synergy between Geno Smith and Pete Carroll has powered the Seahawks to the top of the NFC West heading into their bye. And, after a loss in Germany on Sunday (in front of a ton of overseas Seahawks fans), are the team’s best days still ahead? Follow Michael-Shawn Dugar’s coverage of the Seahawks: https://theathletic.com/author/michael-shawn-dugar/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Plus: Joel Embiid puts up an all-time stat line in a much needed win for the Sixers. And the PAC-12 sees two College Football Playoff contenders go down hard.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All throughout the offseason, and even into the start of this season, we thought we knew what the Utah Jazz were supposed to be. This team was supposed to be tanking, one of the many hoping to land generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. But so far this year, the Jazz are doing basically the exact opposite of tanking. Today, The Athletic's Tony Jones tells us how the Jazz have put together the best record in the Western Conference, the first-year head coach who’s younger than his starting point guard, and whether all this winning could actually be bad for the Jazz. Follow Tony Jones’s coverage of the Jazz: https://theathletic.com/author/tony-jones/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the past 12 years, the tiny, extremely wealthy nation of Qatar has been preparing for the 2022 World Cup, building beautiful new stadiums, roads, and hotels. And, for years, one journalist in particular has been telling the stories of the people who have been doing the actual building, as well as the terrible, sometimes deadly conditions they’ve been working in. Today, that journalist, Pete Pattison, joins us to discuss the truths he has uncovered during a decade of investigative reporting, what, if anything, has changed for migrant workers in Qatar, and what he'll be thinking about when the World Cup kicks off on November 20th.Pete Pattison's reporting for The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/pete-pattissonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Houston Astros get manager Dusty Baker the only thing missing from his resume. The Jets' defense shines in a surprising win over the Bills. And Major League Soccer wraps up its season with a championship game for the ages.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.