Alejo opens with the most American ending to an American World Cup run. Team USA lost 4-1 to Belgium, but not before Trump personally called FIFA to get Balogun's suspension reversed. The call worked. The USA played their star. They lost anyway. The fans who cared about the integrity of the sport got exactly the outcome they were rooting for, and FIFA's reputation took another hit it didn't need.

Joel is here to validate your Love Island obsession, and the numbers back him up. Last season hit 18 billion minutes watched on Peacock. This season grew 74% over that. But Joel's real argument isn't the ratings: it's the ritual. Six weeks of watching strangers become part of your routine, defending them in group chats, cringing with them in real time. The finale is coming, and Joel wants to know what you're doing with your evenings after.

Then Lau noticed something this summer she can't unsee: betting apps have quietly attached themselves to Love Island. Kalshi reported a 106% increase in weekly active female users since this season premiered, with more than $52 million in trading volume on the show's outcomes. The bigger red flag? Alex Cooper promoted Polymarket to her 7.5 million followers without an obvious sponsorship disclosure. Lau understands how advertising works, and even she felt the pull. That's the part worth sitting with.

Daniela closes with the story of Argentina advancing into the quarterfinals: the AFA is under investigation by US federal prosecutors and the FBI for alleged money laundering, bank fraud, and other financial crimes tied to its US business operations. Investigators are looking at AFA president Claudio Tapia's financial dealings and a Florida company called Tour Prod Enter LLC that handled the federation's international commercial revenue from Adidas and Warner. No charges have been filed. But with Argentina playing Switzerland this Saturday, the federation is now under scrutiny on both sides of the ball.

That's The Morning Drop. Vámonos!

Miranda Montenegro opens with everything Mexican households needed to hear after the weekend. México didn't win the match, but as Miranda puts it, it's never about losing. It's about never losing who we are. From carne asada to calling your abuela, she's giving us the energy we're carrying into 2031.

Then, Yamily, with something you need to share right now. Spouses of U.S. citizens have lost a key legal protection. Lawyers used to call them a "privileged class." That protection is gone. Starting July 10, a missing signature on a pending immigration application can result in denial, and USCIS will keep your filing fee. New forms are also coming that will require up to 10 years of social media history, including deleted accounts. If someone you love has a case pending, this segment is not optional.

And Jean Fernandez closes with the tea nobody asked for, and all of us needed: several Madison Square Garden employees were reportedly fired after breaking NDAs and leaking details from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding. Jean's advice? "If Taylor hands you an NDA, don't treat it like a friendship bracelet."

That's The Morning Drop. Vámonos.

In this first episode, Alejo makes the case that Cape Verde's goalkeeper — a man who drives a bus and works as an electrician to support his family — is the most inspiring player at this World Cup. Yamily breaks down the earthquakes in Venezuela: what the numbers mean, who is showing up, and what recovery actually looks like. Jean mourns the end of physical PlayStation discs and shares the story of his mom turning one into a centro de mesa for a quinceañera. Gustavo untangles the Folarin Balogun red card, Trump's call to FIFA, and the thread running through it all: birthright citizenship. And Jenny closes with the video everyone is talking about: a Peruvian widow who perreó on her husband's coffin, and the very real question of what it means to grieve out loud.

Welcome to the drop. We'll see you next time.