海角大神

2026
June
06
Saturday

Monitor Daily Podcast

June 06, 2026
Clayton Collins
Director of Innovation

Welcome to the weekend.

You might think you know the story of soccer in the United States. (Yes, most of the world calls it football.) When sports don鈥檛 feel culturally 鈥淎merican,鈥 buy-in never quite feels complete, even when big matches come to U.S. turf.

Today, a Monitor writer and photographer 鈥 World Cup megafans of British and Venezuelan heritage, respectively 鈥 lace into a deeper story: Soccer鈥檚 challenge in the U.S. today is less about winning mainstream appeal, and showing that American fandom is more than cosplay, than about reconciling immigrant identities with U.S. national-team loyalty. We went into the stands to learn more.

We also take you to an Irish homestead (in books) and into an essayist鈥檚 wry exploration of the difference between movies 鈥 and films.


As always, find the latest news on our homepage or app.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

A deeper look

Star-spangled superfans hope their raucous support might give U.S. soccer a home-field advantage.

The Stratos Project, near Utah鈥檚 Great Salt Lake, has scaled back its planned footprint. But scientists still see big risks for the local environment.

As Armenia goes to the polls Sunday, voters face a thorny dilemma. Do they back a prime minister who led them during embarrassing military defeats, but is seeking a brighter future? Or do they opt for pro-Russia parties supporting the status quo?

Books

Author Maggie O鈥橣arrell, best known for 鈥淗amnet,鈥 charts the many epochs of an Irish homestead and the generations of its inhabitants in her latest novel, 鈥淟and.鈥 Drawn from her own family history, the book paints a heartfelt 鈥 and heartbreaking 鈥 picture of sorrow, beauty, and endurance.

Essay

Serious and sublime, or commercial and action-packed? Take your pick.


Viewfinder

More issues

2026
June
06
Saturday

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