but the Houston Astros can’t count on such a scenario It is a focus across these six weeks in South Florida Only two qualified catchers had worse framing numbers than Yainer Diaz Houston’s bat-first backstop who is still blossoming into a big-league catcher takes reps and takes a level of comfort,” catching coach Michael Collins said “(When) you’re a new catcher getting called up to the big leagues you’re facing new challenges you’ve never experienced before: from the game planning to the (new) teammates to all the external things happening there’s this level of energy or anxiety or whatever individual players feel that plays into that ability to stay calm stay relaxed and know that they can block while still getting to any borderline pitch.” Whether Diaz can frame at all may soon be moot. An automated strike zone seems imminent in Major League Baseball, which will test the technology during some Grapefruit and Cactus League games starting this weekend Spring games will feature the “challenge” system and could precipitate its implementation into MLB games as early as 2026 If any form of the automated strike zone is introduced no two Houston players stand to benefit more than Diaz and new third baseman Isaac Paredes Diaz’s inability to steal strikes and Paredes’ perpetual victimization by poor umpiring would “It’s going to be a great help to the hitters,” Paredes said Tuesday through an interpreter Across the past two seasons, no qualified hitter has received more called strikes on pitches outside the zone than Paredes, whose pristine plate discipline and elevated walk rate is exactly what the Astros craved after getting away from their offensive approach last season Paredes led the sport with 89 called strikes on pitches outside the zone Just three other players had more than 80: Marcell Ozuna Among hitters who saw at least 2,500 pitches last season only Suzuki had a higher percentage of pitches outside the zone called strikes than Paredes’ 3.1 percent clip “I think the impact would be great,” Diaz said through an interpreter we’ve been working six or seven years on framing The fact this could come into play is something that could affect us greatly.” Diaz finished his first season as an everyday catcher worth minus-7 catcher framing runs a problem he and Collins chalked up to the perils of a young player learning a rigorous position in-season some of the club’s internal metrics showed Diaz making drastic improvements late in the season after struggling to frame anything early in the season “He was consciously trying to get to each pitch never giving up on any borderline pitches,” Collins said “He was constantly trying to get to those pitches and I think he got to a point where he was comfortable had been catching a lot of these pitchers for the whole year and they were pitching very To call Diaz a disastrous framer is disingenuous He graded above league average in framing pitches in the middle upper quadrant above the zone and the upper right quadrant only the San Francisco Giants pitching staff received more called strikes on pitches in quadrants 11 and 12 than Houston’s The Giants’ Patrick Bailey finished with a league-best 16 catcher framing runs where only eight teams received fewer strike calls than the Astros Collins acknowledged framing the low strike will be an “area of focus” for Diaz throughout spring training Improvements must come in what Diaz does before a pitch is thrown and where he sets up as a target for specific pitchers “The high pitch has always been the pitch I can better handle,” Diaz said “In the offseason and now in spring training working on the low pitch so I can get as good Presuming some form of an automated strike zone is instituted by 2026 the importance of Diaz’s pitch framing will diminish A full automated zone would eliminate it entirely “Guys are going to have a heightened focus to block and a heightened focus to throw in throwing situations,” Collins said “We still want to present a good target for our pitcher but once he’s targeted and starts the delivery Given Diaz graded out as either average or above average in almost every other defensive metric — be it his five blocks above average his 1.97 second average pop time or a 22.9 percent caught-stealing rate — Houston should be an advocate for any form of robot umpiring “I love the idea of a challenge system,” Collins said “There’s still a human element and it still puts an importance on receiving the ball because any of those close pitches you want to still get that called strike call and force the other team to use their challenge or not use their challenge and put us in a better count.” This is the system Diaz will see during portions of Grapefruit League play Each team will get two ball-strike challenges per game and retain any successful challenge The automated strike zone will only be used in ballparks equipped with Statcast CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches is not one of them forcing Diaz to fix his biggest problem of an otherwise prosperous first season “(Framing) is still going to be a huge focus this year,” Collins said “because we don’t know what the future is going to hold and we still have games to win this season.” (Photo of Diaz: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images) Chandler Rome is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering the Houston Astros. Before joining The Athletic, he covered the Astros for five years at the Houston Chronicle. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University. Follow Chandler on Twitter @Chandler_Rome Channelsreels-586849Reelsarrow-expand-586850Isaac Paredes' RBI tripleTigers @ AstrosApril 29 2025 | 00:00:30add-reel-586851Reelsshare-square-2-586852ShareIsaac Paredes rips an RBI triple to left-center extending the Astros' lead to 5-2 in the 7th You can now search for over 3 million videos by player Use the search box to start your search with a player or a team and then use the filter panel to refine your results You can also start by selecting filters from the panel Videos can be embedded and shared directly from MLB.com Bienvenido a la nueva búsqueda de videos de MLB Ahora puede buscar más de 3 millones de videos por jugador Use el cuadro de búsqueda para comenzar su búsqueda con un jugador o un equipo y luego use el panel de filtro para refinar sus resultados También puede comenzar seleccionando filtros desde el panel Los videos se pueden insertar y compartir directamente desde MLB.com/es There was an error when executing your search Please refresh the page or try another query to get results If you are still having trouble, please describe your issue here and we will do our best to resolve it Por favor vuelva a cargar la página o intente con otros parámetros para obtener resultados Si aún así continua teneindo problemas, por favor descríbalo aquí y haremos todo lo posible por resolverlo It looks like there are no results for your search Please note that \\\"Play\\\" filters are only available after the 2015 season Videos from 2015 and prior can be searched by player Examples of \\\"Play\\\" filters:Hit ResultPitch ResultPitch Type\"},\"es\":{\"title\":\"¡Ponchado!\",\"body\":\"Aparentemente no hay resultados para tu búsqueda tenga en cuenta que los filtros de Play sólo están disponibles después de la temporada 2015 Los videos de 2015 y anteriores se pueden buscar por jugador There were no clips found for this selection Please refresh the page or try again later No se encontraron clips para esta selección Actualiza la página o vuelve a intentarlo más tarde We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Juan De La Cruz Paredes Sr., loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend, embraced God on April 22, 2025 at the age of 70. Juan was born November 25, 1954 in San Antonio, Texas to Eluteria and Clemente Paredes... View Obituary & Service Information created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories © 2025 Mission Park Funeral Chapels & Cemeteries Made with love by funeralOne and more below to make your Isaac Paredes player prop bets Paredes has put up a team-best four home runs Paredes takes a four-game hitting streak into this game During his last five outings he is hitting .235 with a triple Watch tonight's Astros game on Fubo! This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Smith play big role in series win over HalosApril 13th HOUSTON -- It was no secret why the Astros traded All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs last December It was days after free-agent right fielder Juan Soto had signed a massive deal with the Mets It was clear the price to retain Tucker when he hit free agency following this season was going to be more than Houston was comfortable paying Tucker is off to a flying start with the Cubs -- he was named National League Player of the Week for games of March 31-April 6 -- but the Astros are feeling good about what they got in return, too. Paredes, Smith and Wesneski played big roles in Sunday afternoon’s 7-3 victory over the Angels at Daikin Park Wesneski picked up his first win with his hometown Astros by striking out a career-high 10 batters in six innings Paredes homered for the third game in a row and Smith sparked a five-run second inning with an RBI single The Astros took two of three games from the Angels “I probably should have gotten that [game] ball,” Wesneski said with a smile Wesneski gave up a homer to Taylor Ward on the third pitch of the game at 106.6 mph off the bat A 104.7 mph single by Luis Rengifo followed and it wasn’t until he got Mike Trout to fly out at 103.1 mph off the bat that Wesneski could begin settling in You try not to make a big deal of it and try to cut it up to where I’m going to win this pitch.’ The solo homer wasn’t a great start to the game You have to be able to handle it and know there’s a long start coming.” Beginning with the Trout at-bat in the first Wesneski retired 14 of the next 15 batters with Nolan Schanuel touching him for a leadoff homer in the second Jorge Soler homered in the sixth -- two batters after Jake Meyers made a great diving catch in center Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball he settled,” Astros manager Joe Espada said I thought the entire pitching staff did a tremendous job.” He threw 37 sweepers against the Angels’ predominantly right-handed lineup after throwing the pitch just 30 times in his first two starts “We were told that this guy fills the strike zone up and I think earlier in the count we should have been jumping on him like Taylor did,” Angels manager Ron Washington said when he felt that we weren’t swinging the bat I just think if we would’ve jumped on some balls early in the count Paredes blasted a three-run homer to left field to cap the five-run second inning marking the second time in his career he’s homered in three consecutive games Paredes is finding the Crawford Boxes and the 315-foot left-field line to his liking Espada has been pleased with how Paredes has been able to work counts and get deep into his at-bats He’s slashing .276/.382/.448 with three homers and nine RBIs in 15 games as the replacement for Bregman but I did not know he was this good at controlling the zone,” Espada said he gets to see a ton of pitches when he’s on deck because this guy controls the zone Meanwhile, Smith -- Houston’s top prospect -- is hitting .353 (6-for-17) with three runs and six RBIs in his last five games as Tucker’s replacement in right field Isaac Paredes Player Props: May 2, Astros vs. White SoxData SkriveIsaac Paredes' Houston Astros face the Chicago White Sox on May 2 at 7:40 p.m and will see starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon on the mound Paredes picked up one hit in his last game Paredes paces the Astros with four home runs Channelsreels-586984Reelsarrow-expand-586985Isaac Paredes' three-run homer (3)Angels @ AstrosApril 13 2025 | 00:00:30add-reel-586986Reelsshare-square-2-586987ShareIsaac Paredes hits a towering three-run home run to left field putting the Astros up 5-2 in the bottom of the 2nd inning Channelsreels-591373Reelsarrow-expand-591374Isaac Paredes' solo home run (2)Angels @ AstrosApril 12 2025 | 00:00:25add-reel-591375Reelsshare-square-2-591376ShareIsaac Paredes puts the Astros on the board with a solo home run to left field in the 8th inning Channelsreels-588610Reelsarrow-expand-588611Isaac Paredes' first Astros home runAngels @ AstrosApril 11 2025 | 00:00:26add-reel-588612Reelsshare-square-2-588613ShareIsaac Paredes hits his first home run with the Astros to extend the lead to 14-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning Channelsreels-585745Reelsarrow-expand-585746Isaac Paredes' solo homer (4)Blue Jays @ AstrosApril 22 2025 | 00:00:30add-reel-585747Reelsshare-square-2-585748ShareIsaac Paredes takes this one deep to left field extending the Astros' lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the 7th inning Channelsreels-591422Reelsarrow-expand-591423Isaac Paredes' RBI single for the leadPadres @ AstrosApril 19 2025 | 00:00:27add-reel-591424Reelsshare-square-2-591425ShareIsaac Paredes loops a single to center field driving in Victor Caratini and giving the Astros the lead Channelsreels-590194Reelsarrow-expand-590195Isaac Paredes starts 5-4-3 double play Blue Jays @ AstrosApril 22 2025 | 00:00:14add-reel-590196Reelsshare-square-2-590197ShareIsaac Paredes starts a 5-4-3 double play to erase Vladimir Guerrero Jr CA – Wilkin Paredes and Nate Savino combined for a shutout from the mound as the Visalia Rawhide defeated the Stockton Ports 1-0 on Friday night at Valley Strong Ballpark Slade Caldwell totaled two hits and scored the game winning run for Visalia (4-10) while Rawhide pitching held Stockton (9-5) to just five hits Paredes tossed the first quality start for any Rawhide pitcher this season He scattered four hits across six shutout innings with two strikeouts The second year Rawhide pitcher earns a team best second win of the season Savino entered in the seventh and allowed just two baserunners in three shutout innings The Virginia alum added two strikeouts and earned his first professional save Caldwell led off the sixth with a double and advanced to third on a Adrian De Leon sacrifice bunt Ruben Santana then played hero with an RBI single up the middle The D-Backs 1st pick in the 2024 draft continued his stellar start to the season also reaching on a single and HBP He leads the California League with seven doubles and is second in the league with a .534 OBP Saturday was the Rawhide’s second shutout of the season The homestand wraps up on Easter Sunday with a 2 PM first pitch Spirit Radio will be providing free tickets to all fans with a church bulletin courtesy of Spirit Radio The afternoon also includes Kids Club specials and $8.50 Kids’ Meals courtesy of Valley Children’s Healthcare and Spirit Radio. For more information on Tipper’s Kids Club visit the Rawhide website. Fans can also purchase tickets on the Rawhide's website or at the stadium ticket office sponsored by Kaweah Health starting at Noon The Visalia Rawhide are a professional baseball team and the Single-A Affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks The Rawhide are celebrating 80 years of professional baseball in Visalia in 2025 as the “Year of the Oak.”   Stay up to date with the Rawhide on the team’s website and by following the Rawhide on Facebook, X, Instagram and Tik Tok The Rawhide play all home games at Valley Strong Ballpark located at 300 N Giddings Street Visalia Channelsreels-583687Reelsarrow-expand-583688Isaac Paredes' first home run of springCardinals @ AstrosFebruary 28 2025 | 00:00:29add-reel-583689Reelsshare-square-2-583690ShareIsaac Paredes powers one to deep left field to give the Astros a 1-0 lead over the Cardinals Lauren quickly saw his potential and nurtured his talent for the next 33 years during which Paredes scaled the ranks to chief creative officer—a role that involved fashioning dapper window displays and designing homewares inspired by the clothes to dreaming up the pristine interiors of Polo Bar Spearheading all things creative under fashion’s foremost cheerleader of timeless American luxury turned out to be ideal training for Paredes who went solo and launched an eponymous interiors studio in 2019 his reliably steady hand and eye for the finer things has yielded an abundance of handsome residences that revel in minimalist rigor yet exude a lived-in charm that honors the past with masculine winks “My goal has always been to create spaces that reflect a lived life,” Paredes says “where every object and design choice tells a story.” Take his recent transformation of a soaring penthouse studio near the Empire State Building that once belonged to the late fashion designer Isabel Toledo and her artist husband Paredes preserved nostalgic nods to the previous tenants while deftly deploying anchors like a bright pink sofa that both wink at his Cuban roots and add new dimension This sui generis approach springs to life on the pages of Alfredo Paredes: At Home (Rizzoli) the designer’s debut monograph that journeys into four of his own residences the all-American style he helped oversee for Ralph Lauren is palpable in details like a vintage American flag anchoring a primary bedroom or vintage wicker tables lending rugged textures “I took him under my wing because I saw not just his talent but his passion and love for creating and storytelling,” Lauren writes which is what this beautiful book celebrates.” In an interview that has been edited for length and clarity was very hippie counterculture in the ‘60s there was a ton of pastiche—they really tried everything There was a gallery down the road called the Black Widow Spider where they made the type of lace dresses that Stevie Nicks would wear and think “this is the ultimate place to be.” It felt so creative and Miami wasn’t the most creative place back then they gave me a job with a big salary and set me up with an apartment right away I was overseeing the men’s series: the displays I learned right away and flourished in that situation They put me in charge a year later and soon I managed the home design studio I was executive vice president of store development globally That meant we built and designed the shops and managed all the visual teams for our showrooms so I was able to really set design the home collection Working for Ralph taught me that if someone throws you the football People tend to get paralyzed and not make decisions and he knew I wanted to make a really powerful statement When I was shopping around for my new office we looked at all these horrible spaces before finding [the former studio of the late fashion designer Isabel Toledo and her husband which was near The Ned Nomad and the Ritz-Carlton but my broker told me to change my appointment We started paying rent even though we didn’t need the space for another five months Trusting your gut is more challenging when you’re working for a client because you have to convince them There are times when I’ve had to think in advance—everything had to be craned into my East Village apartment but it started to feel like an Edward Hopper painting as we started to peel things away It’s where you put your head at night; it’s where memories are stored and where life happens Nothing specific made me want to jump ship I had been accustomed to sitting in the backseat The biggest challenge was feeling comfortable enough to step out on my own and figure out my brand My studio launched four months before the pandemic so I was able to think slowly about what exactly I wanted to say I’ve lived in the visual world my whole life Because many of my houses were already published I had already seen them from a third-person perspective what sticks out most is something I learned from Ralph: approaching things from a masculine standpoint That always attracted me—Coconut Grove in the ‘70s was very louche our art director kept going back to family pictures on my Instagram but those details bring life to these things My partner [the writer and editor Brad Goldfarb] used to work at Interview so he really got to the bottom of me as a creative while balancing details about our lives Seeing everything in print at the end was very cathartic © 2023 Hudson One Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Page unavailable.This page either does not exist or is currently unavailable From here you can either hit the "back" button on your browser to return to the previous page, or visit the ABCNews.com Home Page You can also search for something on our site below Alfredo Paredes was designing window displays at a men’s clothing store in Washington when a life-changing opportunity came his way: an invitation to join the team working on the Ralph Lauren flagship in the historic Gertrude Rhinelander Waldo House on New York’s Upper East Side he pulled up stakes for Manhattan and designed the visuals for the new outpost and I run with it,” he tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of The Business of Home Podcast Paredes was named Ralph Lauren’s vice president of store development and creative services; he ultimately stayed with the company for 34 years designing its stores and restaurants across the globe My relationship with him was almost psychic: I didn’t have to talk a lot; we didn’t have to communicate a lot about what he was thinking—I understood,” he says the designer’s role continued to expand: “It’s like an MBA in design ‘I want you to do home and store design and creative which now takes on projects across the country Elsewhere in the episode, Paredes talks about why he searches for quality over quantity in both his team and the projects they take on; how he has expanded his firm’s reach to include product collaborations with the likes of Patterson Flynn, Kravet and EJ Victor; and why he chose to take a broader lifestyle approach in his new book Key quote: “Someone asked me when did I realize I was successful ‘When I got hired at Ralph Lauren at 23 years old.’ The world opened up What I walk away with is [that] with Ralph We can’t get excited about a button—you have to look at the whole thing and then feel confident that you’re going to figure it out This episode is sponsored by Ernesta and Hartmann&Forbes. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify This episode is sponsored by Jaipur Living and Chelsea House. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Channelsreels-583714Reelsarrow-expand-583715Isaac Paredes' RBI groundoutAstros @ CardinalsApril 16 2025 | 00:00:12add-reel-583716Reelsshare-square-2-583717ShareIsaac Paredes grounds out in the top of the 1st inning scoring Jose Altuve and giving the Astros a 1-0 lead vs the USMNT’s overseas contingent has savored titles (and tangerines) in Scotland and enjoyed the magic of the FA Cup at Wembley Christian Pulisic gave Milan something to cling to Johnny Cardoso and Paxten Aaronson turned heads in La Liga and the Eredivisie but Wolfsburg’s Kevin Parades suffered a blow as he continues his return from a foot injury Read on as this week’s USMNT Player Tracker brings you all the ups and downs of the players national head coach Mauricio Pochettino will turn to this summer Pulisic’s nerves of steel meant Milan clung onto their hopes of Champions League football next season The USMNT star was unflappable when presented with an early unexpected chance to score against Venezia on Sunday on what manager Sergio Conceicao said was a small dry pitch that wasn’t easy for his players An error from the hosts at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo when they gave the ball away cheaply in their own half allowed Milan’s Youssouf Fofana to seize possession and play in Pulisic at close range the 26-year-old stayed cool and put it in the back of the net giving the Rossoneri a major boost after just five minutes — AC Milan (@acmilan) April 28, 2025 That was it for another agonizing 91 minutes as Milan had to fight against the relegation-battling Venetians before Santiago Gimenez made it 2-0 in stoppage time at the end Pulisic’s big moment earned him the nod from Milan fans as man of the match and he also put himself in elite statistical company the goal meant he is now only one of the three Serie A players to have been directly involved in at least 50 goals (31 goals and 19 assists) in the last two seasons in all competitions alongside Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman (50) and Lautaro Martinez (54) of Inter they are still eight points away from the Champions League qualifying spots with four league games remaining It will be a tall order to drag themselves ahead of the teams above them who are currently fourth and also won on Sunday But after springing something of a surprise win over rivals Inter last week to reach the final of the Coppa Italia at least Pulisic and co are developing upward momentum in the closing stages of what remains a below-par season It was an altogether more decisive win for Pulisic’s international team-mates in Scotland on Saturday But USMNT defender Cameron Carter-Vickers probably did not envisage spending a few minutes picking tangerines off the field before later celebrating his team being crowned champions Celtic’s 5-0 thrashing of Dundee United earned the 27-year-old a fourth title medal with Celtic in a game that was interrupted during the first half when Celtic fans threw the fruit onto the field as a protest against their opponents’ ticketing prices for the game the supporters in the away section threw the tangerines and unfurled a banner reading “£njoy th£ fruits of our labour” it was easy work for Carter-Vickers and his team who have now won the Scottish top flight 13 times in the past 14 seasons but he disagreed when asked afterwards whether Celtic had to set the record straight in their next game which happens to be against rivals Rangers who have dented an otherwise glittering season by beating them twice Play is stopped as tangerines?… are thrown on the pitch by the Celtic supporters :tangerine: :zero:-:zero: :four_leaf_clover: | #UTDCEL | #DUFC pic.twitter.com/d1XiF3iDGM — Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) April 26, 2025 “Yes. I mean, some people might say set the record (straight),” he told the Daily Record “I wouldn’t personally use that kind of language because for me it’s not just like one or two games in the season “And I think we’ve shown over the 38 games that we are the best team we definitely want to win the game next weekend and put in a strong performance because we know it’s something that the fans care about and we care about also It might have been a less perfect afternoon for Carter-Vickers’ U.S who was benched and did not make it onto the field in the game that confirmed their title has not featured in three of his team’s four most recent games manager Brendan Rodgers preferred Republic of Ireland defender Liam Scales ahead of him But he did not let that spoil the fun for him and was on the fruit-free pitch to enjoy the post-match celebrations The Champagne wasn’t quite uncorked yet for another USMNT defender on Saturday Chris Richards took his usual place in Crystal Palace’s indomitable back three at Wembley in their hugely impressive 3-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Aston Villa The south London club will now face Manchester City in the final on May 17 after Pep Guardiola’s side beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 in the other semi on Sunday Before Palace’s big win, Richards did the media rounds and chatted with Men in Blazers, who asked him about the USMNT’s woeful performances in March’s Concacaf Nations League semi-final and third-place games “I think the best adjective for what happened in the last camp was we got Concacaf’d,” he said “We’re going to have to put this show pony-ness away.” players haven’t always been able to translate successful club form onto the international scene he added: “One of the reasons I think that everyone has been so successful at their clubs is you’re in that environment every day “I know it’s hard to emulate that when it comes to national team but I think that’s why guys seemed so much more in tune or sharper — you’re playing with these guys every single day and when you’re coming to national team “I understand that’s what every national team is doing but we needed to be more competitive in the last camp and I think going forward not just from the players’ aspect but from the coaching aspect… we kind of had a coming-to-Jesus meeting after the last game and we can’t let something like the last camp happen again — especially leading up to a World Cup.” Horvath experienced the low of relegation with his Welsh club on Saturday when their 0-0 draw with U.S.-owned West Brom sealed their EFL Championship fate who joined the Bluebirds in the winter transfer window still made some excellent saves on a difficult afternoon Paredes was so impressive on his return from long-term injury last time out, creating a goal in the 2-2 draw with Mainz that he kept his place for Wolfsburg’s game against Freiburg on Saturday it was a difficult afternoon for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side who were reduced to 10 men after just 26 minutes and ended up losing 1-0 Paredes looked sharp again until he was forced off just past the hour with a hamstring problem That is believed to be a minor strain and while he is likely to miss the next game against Gio Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund he should be back in contention for Wolfsburg’s final two fixtures of the Bundesliga campaign Perhaps Paredes will have the words of the national coach in his mind after Pochettino said last week that the USMNT needs players to “fight for the people that would love to be in your position” and “the right characters to be really competitive” who fell to his knees and sobbed when his young U.S side were knocked out of the men’s soccer tournament during last summer’s Olympics is hoping that his will to win (and electric talent) catches Pochettino’s eye Now he must end the season with Wolfsburg strongly and earn a chance to feature in the USMNT’s summer friendlies or Gold Cup campaign The 21-year-old is another young prospect hoping to gain more senior USMNT exposure this summer on the back of a strong season He grabbed an assist as Utrecht won 4-0 away at RKC Waalwijk in the Eredivisie They’re now fourth in the table and level on points with Feyenoord in third Aaronson has been a key part of this push for Champions League football with seven league goals to his name so far and having created four more who loaned him for the season from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt want to borrow the American again next season “We are in talks with Frankfurt,” said Utrecht coach Ron Jans recently It will take a few weeks before it is clear whether it will work.” Whether Frankfurt are inclined to oblige remains to be seen Een jongensdroom die uit is gekomen voor Paxten Aaronson 💭 — ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) April 24, 2025 Johnny Cardoso is having a fine old time with his club Real Betis on course for Europa League qualification and only six points off the Champions League qualification places meaning they head into their Europa Conference League semi-final against Fiorentina on Thursday in fine fettle Cardoso’s performances have caught the eye and he has been praised by former USMNT player Charlie Davies “Johnny Cardoso: we have to talk about him now at the moment,” Davies said on CBS Sports Golazo America and he was near perfect on the ball (in Betis’ previous win over Girona) I think he’s really found a good role within this team and Isco is the guy that makes this team tick but in terms of being an outlet and being able to shuttle the ball across Watch them in that semi-final on Thursday (3pm we will know if Antonee Robinson has recovered from the knee pain that has plagued him lately to face Aston Villa in the Premier League (7:30am Given the load on him this season for club and country and the possibility of further football in the summer’s Gold Cup it will be vital that the left-back’s minutes are managed carefully to prevent his knee issue becoming worse going into the World Cup year Bournemouth and Tyler Adams are charged with trying to end their season on a high after their promise stalled They travel to second-placed Arsenal (12:30pm see if Pulisic and Milan’s belated mini-revival can keep going when they take on Genoa (2:45pm Paredes hit a bloop single to short center field with two outs off San Diego's Jeremiah Estrada (0-1) who had allowed two hits in 10 1/3 innings before Saturday Walker, who was moved out of the cleanup spot for the first time after batting .159 through the first 19 games, homered on a 1-0 sweeper from Michael King with two outs who lost back-to-back games for the second time this season Outfielder Tirso Ornelas The 25-year-old Ornelas was called up from Triple-A El Paso where he was hitting .281 His journey to Houston was almost as trying as his climb to the big leagues and was inserted as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and flied out Houston has consecutive wins for the first time this season after beating the Padres 6-4 on Friday Houston LHP Framber Valdez (1-2, 4.50 ERA) opposes RHP Dylan Cease (1-1 AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbbr/] HOUSTON —  Seventeen innings is not a sample size to lose sleep over so Houston Astros manager Joe Espada stayed encouraged His new-look lineup remained the only one in the sport without an extra-base hit “Look back (at) last year and tell me when we walked nine times in two days,” Espada requested following Friday’s 3-1 loss against the New York Mets is that the Houston Astros drew exactly nine walks over a two-game stretch nine times last season They also had 10 other two-game spans that featured more than nine walks fitting for a lineup that drew the fourth-fewest free passes in the sport so some of Espada’s excitement fell on deaf ears Eighty-three plate appearances passed before his Astros had their first extra-base hit of the 2025 season — a solo home run that Jeremy Peña snuck over Daikin Park’s 19-foot high left-field wall on Saturday annihilating Griffin Canning’s elevated slider 416 feet off the facade of Houston’s bullpen Isaac Paredes flew from first to home on the double No player felt more fitting to score a series-deciding run Paredes is generating the least fanfare among an army of Astros newcomers but he brought a new dimension this lineup desperately needed Paredes personified the front office’s offseason objective: addressing a lineup that grew far too aggressive last season Paredes saw 65 pitches across the 12 plate appearances he took against the Mets He collected just one hit in the series — a single in Friday’s loss — but provided plate appearances that can be contagious for a lineup trying to reverse its tendencies “He saw more pitches than what I did in half of last season,” utilityman Mauricio Dubón joked after Saturday’s series-clinching win he makes the pitcher work and it helps us a lot “He’s a guy that can put 40 (home runs) in the (Crawford) Boxes but at the same time he can take his walks Dubón saw 13 during his three plate appearances a massive amount for a player who averages 3.51 Prospect Cam Smith saw 23 in four plate appearances on Friday while new first baseman Christian Walker watched 28 during his first eight plate appearances as an Astro Production remains a baseball team’s foremost priority Houston scored just six runs in three games while finishing 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position Thirteen of the lineup’s 15 hits were singles Striking out 23 times makes it difficult to take pride in plate discipline or patience but Espada left the series more encouraged than the numbers may suggest you’re going to find yourself getting on base and giving your teammates opportunities to hit with people on base and you’re going to get yourself some good pitches to hit.” Carrying Cam Smith on the Opening Day roster removed any chance for Chas McCormick to carve out an everyday role have I been an everyday player?” McCormick asked before not playing during Friday’s 3-1 loss “Maybe for a month or two out of my five years I’ve been here.” It’s a pertinent question from a player whose role has always been debated Even during McCormick’s breakout 2023 season former manager Dusty Baker refused to label him a “big boy,” sharing concerns internally about McCormick’s weight while measuring his playing time McCormick took 457 plate appearances that year though McCormick did battle a back injury early in the season McCormick hasn’t taken more than 407 in any other season allowing him at least some solace as he transitions to his new normal A subpar spring sunk any hopes McCormick had to seize the right-field job Asked whether Smith’s inclusion on the Opening Day roster surprised him And I want to be able to play (and see) them give me a chance to play every single day But I know they still will give me a chance even if I’m not playing every day and I’ve been in this role before,” said McCormick who started in center field on Saturday and reached base twice I know where I’m at and I know where my role is.” McCormick is opening up his stance in hopes of doing more damage against elevated pitches or those in the middle of the strike zone The strong plate discipline he showed in spring remains intact — he worked a five-pitch walk on Saturday — but McCormick’s path to playing time must involve doing more damage McCormick’s decision to lay down a sacrifice bunt during Thursday’s season opener — against a left-handed reliever but may speak to how hard he is still searching for his swing “I’ll get opportunities to play and hit and swing but my swing definitely feels better from the beginning of spring training until now Saturday offered the first test in Houston’s post-Ryan Pressly world Starter Spencer Arrighetti threw six impressive innings Setup man Bryan Abreu and closer Josh Hader were available to pitch meaning Espada needed one arm to build a bridge former Rule 5 pick who may now hold the title as Houston’s third-most trusted reliever King required 13 pitches to retire the middle of New York’s order sandwiching strikeouts of Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte around Mark Vientos’ flyout and he knows that he’s going to get his opportunities.” Summoning King seemed logical given two left-handed hitters were looming but Espada — and everyone else in Houston’s dugout — should’ve known Mets manager Carlos Mendoza would deploy one of the four right-handed hitters on his bench King froze him with three well-located four-seamers on the outer half of the plate: a key to neutralizing the platoon advantage I was never told I had a good fastball until I got here and they were like there’s something special there,’” said King who uses above-average extension to allow his fastball to play up I think that helps play with the other pitches — the sweeper It’s a good combo that freezes hitters a lot.” Deploying such an inexperienced outfield could present daily dilemmas for Espada a manager unafraid to use his bench when a win is within his grasp “Once you go into the eighth or ninth inning and I’m bringing in two of the best relievers in the game I feel like the game should be over,” Espada said “so I’m going to protect that lead with defense.” With Abreu and Hader ready to protect slim leads Espada made a flurry of late-game substitutions that may soon become the norm underscoring Houston’s rationale in constructing its Opening Day roster Espada removed Smith from right field in the eighth inning in favor of McCormick McCormick started in center field on Saturday but shifted to right in the eighth inning so Jake Meyers could play center replaced Altuve in the outfield while Brendan Rodgers played second Meyers in center and McCormick in right is the team’s best defensive outfield but it’s worth wondering how many times Espada will be able to construct it That there were five spots in the batting order ahead of Altuve’s made Saturday’s decision somewhat easier though that isn’t a luxury he’ll often find he made all these moves with two lethal bats still sitting idle on the bench: Smith and catcher Yainer Diaz “I have the best closer in the game coming in,” Espada said “Jose understands the situation that we’re in — we’re trying to get three outs.” (Top photo of Isaac Paredes and Jeremy Peña: Tim Warner / Getty Images) Channelsreels-589026Reelsarrow-expand-589027Isaac Paredes' RBI singleAstros @ TwinsApril 6 2025 | 00:00:16add-reel-589028Reelsshare-square-2-589029ShareIsaac Paredes hits an RBI single to left cutting the Astros' deficit to 7-3 in the top of the 5th Si aún así continua teneindo problemas, por favor descríbalo aquí y haremos todo lo posible por resolverlo. as seen in the new Rizzoli book Alfredo Paredes At Home.Photo: Douglas FriedmanSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAlfredo Paredes was designing worlds before he was designing houses As the former chief creative officer of Ralph Lauren Home Paredes started from blank spaces—an empty window an abandoned office building—and turned them into Americana wonderlands A log cabin in Telluride for the winter season or a summer garden party in the Hamptons.. whatever setting provided a sense of place for Lauren’s slinky silk evening gowns or patchwork skirts Alfredo Paredes and his husband Brad along with their children Carolina and Sebastian. Fittingly, Lauren himself wrote the foreword for Alfredo Paredes At Home: “I took him under my wing because I saw not just his talent, but his passion and love for creating and storytelling. I guess I saw a little of myself in him when I first started out,” Lauren writes. “As much as he devoted himself to working, Alfredo never forgot about living, which is what this beautiful book celebrates: the very personal homes he has created and lived.” Much of Paredes’s style will remind you of the all-American aesthetic he oversaw for three decades at Ralph Lauren Home. His Shelter Island house has a couch inspired by the crisp striped linen of a pressed Oxford shirt, while his Locust Valley home has decorative fringes that resemble ranch gear. Yet, “I like it to be somewhat eccentric and a little bit bohemian,” says Paredes, who now runs his own interior design studio. The Paredes family home in Shelter Island. "I don't like too fussy—I like high low,” he says of his style. Paredes is drawn towards rich earth tones like umber browns and hunter greens, and natural materials like rattan and woods. Everything exudes a lived-in patina. “They're casual but can be elegant at the same time. I don't like too fussy—I like high-low,” he says of his properties. “I go into some beautiful places that are beautifully designed, yet I don't feel comfortable.” Below, go inside Alfredo Paredes’s All-American homes. Photo: Simon Upton1/11Alfredo Paredes’s living room in the East Village. Photo: Bjorn Wallander2/11The light-filled screened-in porch at Paredes’s Shelter Island home. Channelsreels-595416Reelsarrow-expand-595417Paredes beats the throw to first after reviewBlue Jays @ AstrosApril 23 2025 | 00:00:27add-reel-595418Reelsshare-square-2-595419ShareIsaac Paredes is ruled safe at first after a successful challenge by the Astros A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome If you or someone you know has a gambling problem HOUSTON -- When the Astros lost star outfielder George Springer in free agency to the Blue Jays after the 2020 season, they had set to emerge as a star When Houston lost star shortstop Carlos Correa to the Twins in free agency a year later it had shortstop prospect Jeremy Peña waiting in the wings • Shop for Astros gear for the holidays The Astros let Springer and Correa walk in free agency and continued to win at a high level -- Peña was the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 American League Championship Series and World Series as a rookie -- but with a farm system ranked near the bottom of the Major Leagues in terms of talent level and no replacement on the roster Houston took a different approach with Tucker • Analyzing the Tucker trade from all sides Smith immediately becomes the Astros' No “Sometimes there’s an opportunity where you trade a really good player to get back multiple pieces and it doesn’t affect the current calendar year and you have a chance to be even better in the future,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said RHP Hayden Wesneski and 3B Cam Smith (Cubs No The trade came as somewhat of a shock to some Astros players considering Tucker’s status and impact on the Houston lineup missed three months last season with a fractured shin and still hit 23 homers to go with 49 RBIs in 78 games slashing .284/.369/.517 with 29 homers and 112 RBIs “This is probably one of those moves that in the future people will see and understand [and say] now I get it,’ even though it’s tough in that first year to stomach because Kyle Tucker had such a great career here such an outstanding player on some really good teams I would say this is more to strengthen the opportunity down the road without losing any footage in the current year.” a 2024 All-Star the Astros tried to acquire at the Trade Deadline last season depending on what happens with free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman The Astros will look for another impact bat on the trade or free-agent market -- one that can play one of the corner-infield spots or right field “We’re consistently looking to add to this club for sure,” Brown said “We definitely have our eyes set on improving the offense That could certainly happen over the next week or so.” • How does Tucker trade impact Bregman, Bellinger, Alonso? Losing Tucker and Bregman from the Astros’ lineup would leave the team without two of their top three position players from 2024 in terms of bWAR with Tucker (4.7) ranking second and Bregman and Peña (4.1) tied for third It also makes Houston a much more right-handed-dominant lineup with Alvarez Taylor Trammell and César Salazar as the only left-handed bats on the 40-man roster began last season with the Rays and was traded to the Cubs A right-handed pull hitter who could take advantage of the Crawford Boxes at Daikin Park in 2025 Paredes hit a combined .238/.346/.393 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs in 153 games last season He played exclusively third base last year but has games under his belt at first base He’s signed through 2027 and is first-time arbitration-eligible this year “I’ll always be available to play any other position,” Paredes said but if the team needs for me to play first base or any other position but I will play defense anywhere the team needs me.” is a Houston native who has gone 9-13 with a 3.93 ERA in 190 career innings with the Cubs in three seasons He’s bounced between the rotation and the bullpen making 22 starts among his 68 career appearances Wesneski is under club control for five more seasons We have really good pitching people and we have identified some things we could adjust and tweak and that could make him even better.” He performed well in his professional debut slashing .313/.396/.609 in 32 games combined between Single-A Myrtle Beach Brown called him “an impact bat with power” and said he’ll play third we’ll put him at that position as he moves up,” Brown said “His last position he played was some third base in Double-A and he has a pretty good pro debut as you can see with the stats … He was a college bat with power and has a chance to hit and is pretty athletic Kevin Paredes may see his season end with a total of just two appearances The Wolfsburg winger suffered a "serious muscle injury" on Saturday which came in just his second game of a campaign that was mostly wiped out by a foot injury Paredes was forced off in the 62nd minute of Wolfsburg's 1-0 loss to Freiburg his manager Ralph Hasenhüttl admitted the 21-year-old's injury did not look good based on what he reported," Hasenhüttl said but you can see he's still missing a lot." Paredes only made his season debut last weekend following a seven-month battle with a foot injury The Virginia native was a regular contributor for Wolfsburg last season Paredes followed that up with a strong performance at the 2024 Olympics where he started all four games for the U.S His status for this summer's Gold Cup roster now appears to be in doubt Channelsreels-113777Reelsarrow-expand-113778Isaac Paredes' diving stopMarlins @ AstrosMarch 22 2025 | 00:00:14add-reel-113779Reelsshare-square-2-113780ShareIsaac Paredes lays out to make an impressive stop then makes a strong throw to first for the final out of the top of the 5th Channelsreels-589614Reelsarrow-expand-589615Isaac Paredes' second RBI singleAstros @ TwinsApril 6 2025 | 00:00:25add-reel-589616Reelsshare-square-2-589617ShareIsaac Paredes hits his second RBI single to center cutting the Astros' deficit to 7-5 in the top of the 6th Here’s a bullet-point rundown of the USMNT players whose clubs were in action this weekend (Friday through Sunday). Players are divided by position groups (that helps my depth-chart-oriented brain to process this information most usefully). Within position groups, players are listed chronologically, in order of when their games took place. Stats are from FotMob Josh Sargent hits 20 goal contributions in a season for the first time in his career with this goal pic.twitter.com/Py7BGtOjrL Brandon Vazquez is denied by McCarthy pic.twitter.com/7ehGTjycrV Redemption for Vazquez!! @AustinFC takes the lead late! ⚫️ pic.twitter.com/YhiXp74u88 Damion Downs scores his 11th goal of the season in a win that sends Köln back atop the 2. Bundesliga table pic.twitter.com/lY3JxDtN6b #SDRTFC 1-0 https://t.co/X0KdQT1SoS pic.twitter.com/skE0fhbmAN Injured: Malik Tillman (lower leg/foot discomfort Danny Musovski with the clever finish to give @SoundersFC the lead! #MLSSeasonPass or Apple TV+: https://t.co/J3bk45PGZq pic.twitter.com/WwSbRUSE19 The build-up. The finish from Paul Rothrock. @SoundersFC are flying! pic.twitter.com/cV9GNyGaIe Rafael Navarro gives @ColoradoRapids the lead! pic.twitter.com/ncEk2VSkwX YOU WILL NOT PASS TYLER ADAMS pic.twitter.com/JwqMz6ZRx7 Air Benja ✈️Cremaschi puts @InterMiamiCF ahead in Cleveland. #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/HWEmETCckG pic.twitter.com/zbaRYXQYsc Quinn Sullivan half volley banger! @PhilaUnion opens the scoring against Atlanta on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/yfeC1PEHme pic.twitter.com/wJEn1AMiQI Quinn Sullivan (‘04) has a goal and an assist tonight pic.twitter.com/spU2eFZYnl Gianluca Busio’s goal against Empoli brings him level with Michael Bradley for 4th-most career Serie A goals by an American (3) pic.twitter.com/fyKMn5htR0 Tanner Tessmann scores his first ever goal for Lyon. pic.twitter.com/vnoTEXQ2Cf This is an outstanding ball from Peyton Miller #NERevs pic.twitter.com/yqFCneE9UF Ty's first #PL goal! #CFC | #FULCHE pic.twitter.com/Tj5EZ2dVBc CHRIS RICHARDS SENT OFF AFTER SECOND YELLOW We're not sure either. pic.twitter.com/yTb02pXLnJ Gavin Beavers (GK "05) - @BrondbyIF NV native & RSL product it’s been exciting watching his growth over the past 3 years w/ Real Monarchs & Real Salt Lake.A gamble move to Brøndby IF, but hopefully it pays off. He’s still raw, but High Ceilling Debut v FC Nordsjaelland pic.twitter.com/cP37eYlAOC (VIDEO) Leandro Paredes Responds to Raphinha’s Comments Reveals Details From Argentina’s Team WhatsApp GroupLeandro Paredes was the first guest on the relaunched AFA Estudio Mundial Speaking candidly about locker room codes and his emotions as a fan he made headlines with his remarks on the Argentina national team Just days before the last South American clash between Argentina and Brazil FC Barcelona’s Raphinha claimed Brazil would “thrash” Argentina The comment didn’t sit well with the Albiceleste and as AS Roma midfielder Leandro Paredes revealed We don’t like being disrespected,” he said during the interview Argentina’s response came without words: a dominant 4–1 win at El Monumental Paredes also opened up about his attempt to return to Boca Juniors—his boyhood club—and shared details of how close it really was Even Roma told me if things stayed the same some interpreted his remarks as subtle criticism of the club’s leadership including Juan Román Riquelme—whom he nonetheless praised: “Playing for Boca with Román as president… that would be a dream.” A coach’s trust means everything,” said Paredes SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Whether you are a high school athlete or just a student on campus the Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation has an important message "We are excited to say we are now reaching our 43-thousandth teen screened," says foundation President Hector Paredes the Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation has provided free heart screenings for those ages 12 to 25 with the goal of preventing sudden cardiac arrest "What we have learned now is about 1 in 300 kids are walking around with an undetected heart condition," says Paredes Paredes co-founded the foundation in 2010 after losing his son to cardiac arrest in 2009 "I had found our son collapsed on the kitchen floor and unfortunately we lost our son that day We learned that he had an undetected heart condition and died of sudden cardiac arrest The foundation's mission is to prevent a tragedy that is a heartbeat away they have screened over 43 thousand teens of whom 213 were found to be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest "The latest study now shows that we are losing about 23 thousand kids in this country every year to sudden cardiac arrest." This past weekend at West Hills High School 404 kids were screened with 4 kids being detected for a serious heart abnormality "We like to think that his Eric's name is famous as a result Kathy Margaret Paredes and Edward “Boo” Paredes; grandchildren Diane Martinez Barboza and April Brother; and numerous other family members and friends Paredes family and friends will begin at 1:00 p.m. with her funeral service to follow at 2:00 p.m. Her interment will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park I’m so sorry for the loss of this kind woman She was always so nice to me when I can to visit I was one of the neighborhood teens that would drop in Always asked me if I wanted something to eat or drink I will miss you forever momo dee you were the best great grandma I could ever ask for I’m sending my heartfelt condolences to you and your family for the passing of your dear mother and grandmother I hope you are all comforted with your many happy memories with her and website in this browser for the next time I comment Beaumont - McFaddin Ave. Beaumont - Major Dr. Nederland ©Broussard's Mortuary 2017-2025 Built By Americom Marketing USMNT midfielder Kevin Paredes has suffered a setback in his recovery from a foot injury and could be sidelined until January The 21-year-old underwent surgery to insert a pin in his foot in the U.S. last Friday, with his German club Wolfsburg confirming the procedure “went smoothly” Sources close to the player and the club indicate that he may not return until January has been unable to play any part in Wolfsburg’s season so far following a breakthrough campaign in 2023-24 when he made 28 appearances and scored three goals He fractured his foot during training in August and had been close to a return earlier this month persistent pain prompted the decision to have a small pin inserted to complete the healing process the recovery from such a procedure takes around two months Wolfsburg will monitor Paredes carefully and hope for a potentially swifter outcome given all his rehabilitation efforts have strengthened his foot is that he will return to full fitness after Wolfsburg’s winter break in January It means he could also be unavailable for selection for the national team’s January 18 friendly with Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale I have undergone surgery and will be sidelined for a bit longer this season,” Paredes wrote on Instagram “I want to wish my team-mates and fans all the best for the remainder of the time I can’t wait to return and get back to doing what I love most.” Paredes is continuing his recovery at home in Virginia racist abuse and fake news: 'I didn't understand what was happening' He was one of the breakout young stars of the Olympic football tournament But instead of reflecting on the positives after the side’s run to the quarter-finals in France, Kevin Paredes spent the days following defeat by Morocco last week dealing with a barrage of racial abuse and death threats sent to him and his family It was a torrent of hate provoked by that increasingly damaging spectre of the social media age: fake news. In this case, falsified remarks attributed to him before the game which were derisory about the Morocco team The Athletic has been unable to pinpoint where the quotes first appeared. But the Instagram posts purporting to quote Paredes use a version of the following: “I don’t know this Morocco you are talking about all I know is that we are winning the match tomorrow.” “I was like: ‘This is not me or who I am as a person.’ Of course Now the 21-year-old wants to speak out about the vitriol he received and the pernicious toll it can take on someone’s mental health Talking to The Athletic after joining pre-season preparations with his club Wolfsburg the midfielder said he felt compelled to post a message on his Instagram account denying the quotes in a desperate attempt to end the saga “I’ve experienced some racist remarks throughout my career before but definitely not death threats,” he says “I’ve seen some things but nothing really touched me like this touched me “It just started getting really personal and I didn’t understand what was happening What they were saying didn’t come out of my mouth; nor would it ever come out of my mouth everyone believes everything on social media So it has so much power and it can really ruin someone’s mental health or just their mind in general “When it got to the point where it was about my family… I’m really emotional about my family It started on the morning of game day in Paris The U.S. had recovered from a 3-0 defeat by the hosts France in their opening game, when they performed strongly despite the scoreline, to beat New Zealand 4-1 and Guinea 3-0 as they qualified for the knockout stage Paredes scored twice against Guinea and created one of the goals against New Zealand establishing himself as one of the players to watch in the tournament But as he prepared to face Morocco, who would go on to win bronze by beating Egypt 6-0 on Thursday noticed an unusual amount of messages flashing up on his phone “It was about 9:30am,” he says. “First thing I did was check messages from friends and family and then went on to my Instagram and I started seeing a slow rise of Moroccan fans in my DMs and in the comments on my pictures. It started out things like ‘You’re gonna see who Morocco is today’, so I didn’t really think too much of it because it’s a big game, it’s the Olympics “The soccer pages mostly used pictures of me versus Achraf Hakimi (the Morocco captain) in their match-up previews And I know Moroccans are really passionate fans so I wasn’t really thinking of anything of it Paredes was the U.S.’s best player during the subsequent 4-0 defeat But the opposition had done their homework subjecting him to a string of fouls to neutralise his threat Morocco’s Bilal El Khannous was booked for one in the second half but Despite switching flanks to try to find more space down the left He was fouled six times in the game — the next highest number of fouls on a player was two Whether the Morocco players were aware of the false quotes prior to kick-off is unclear one of Paredes’ team-mates told him some Moroccan fans had been chanting about him and saying his name “I was just focused on the game and I didn’t hear it,” he recalls “But I get back into the locker room and my phone just kept buzzing — going off “I was really emotional because I believed in this group and myself that we could have won a medal.” a post appeared with video footage of Paredes speaking to a TV camera without the accompanying audio but a text caption saying “Kevin Paredes before the match with Morocco: ‘In all honesty I have never heard of this team and I don’t know the players.’” Another TikTok post shows various pictures of Paredes with a caption which admitted that he did not know the Moroccan national team before their clash But after a crushing defeat of four to zero He will never be able to forget her again.” from a Ghanaian Instagram account called Maverick Sports Center used a picture of Hakimi consoling a crying Paredes after the final whistle with the caption: “Kevin Paredes was interviewed before the Morocco vs USA match about what he thinks the result of the match will be against Morocco unfortunately he was too arrogant that he said: ‘I don’t know this Morocco you are talking about all I know is that we are winning the match tomorrow.’ “Morocco replied in the field (4-0) and reminded the kid that Morocco was the first country in the world to recognize the newly independent United States opening its ports to American ships by decree of Sultan Mohammed III in 1777 and that the oldest treaty of peace and friendship in USA history is the one singed (sic) between Morocco and USA in the year 1786 (there is more to say…) Achraf Hakimi showed beautiful manners; he was seen consoling Kevin Paredes after Morocco eliminated the US in the Olympics.” When asked to clarify that post by The Athletic said: “It’s crucial to recognise that our misinterpretation resulted in online abuse towards such a talented player and we take full responsibility for the misunderstanding.” If Paredes was not overly ruffled by the messages before the game I get back and it’s just still going and going,” he says of the hours after the game at Parc des Princes there are 1,000 more comments and when I check my DMs (direct messages) there are 1,000 new ones.” He tried to switch off the comments on most of his posts but discovered that some — published in collaboration with his club or the national team — he could not immediately limit “I was a bit worried because it just kept going I turned off my DMs and put my phone aside but I was really worried about what was coming,” he says But it kept going and got to a point where it was like ‘I can’t go on social media’ because it was on everything I saw A couple of TikToks that had over 100,000 likes with a million views “It was just my face and these remarks meant to be from before the game disrespecting the players “Then it got even more personal to the point where I got death threats to my family One brother started getting comments as well to his Instagram I don’t think it’s too hard to find my brothers in terms of just our last name then that really touched me a bit too much I understand some of these things can happen but when it comes to your family and in terms of death threats and all this racist stuff… that’s where you have to draw a line and take a stand “I have an incredible team around me that advised me to keep calm for a couple of days and maybe it would pass But when it got to the point where it got to my family I said: ‘I can’t take this anymore.’ I had to say something to clarify everything — that it wasn’t me Paredes says that since he posted his rebuttal on his Instagram story he has had hundreds of apologies and messages of support from Moroccans followed up his bile with a private retraction but to get it all clarified was a big weight off my shoulders,” he says and it’s not my character to say anything arrogant like that.” but being harassed for the colour of his skin is another He recalls reaching out to his team-mates from the senior roster after some received racist abuse following the team’s early exit from the Copa America tournament in the U.S “I don’t really understand it at all,” he says and then a few weeks later it happens to me and I’m just like I didn’t know this would happen when I first picked up the ball I never knew I could cause this much hate or distraction or something for just being who I am’ “I’ve learned how to deal with people not liking my game but people calling me straight out a monkey and stuff like this you know… it does too much to someone’s head I bring smiles and some positive vibes to everyone who enjoys what I do and another moment of positivity came via the consolatory words offered to him I just couldn’t believe what just happened,” says Paredes my belief in the team and myself kept growing I felt like it was my job to push the team “So to look up at the scoreboard and see that we had four scored past us and my job is to score and create and I didn’t do either… it hurt The pictures of me crying hold a lot of meaning because it just shows how much this sport “I felt a hand on me and at that moment I just wanted to be left alone a great tournament and I have a really bright future and will do big things in my career “Hearing this from such a well-respected player in football I would say one of the best right-backs in the world right now “They just advanced to the semi-final and he took his time to come over to console and encourage me one day I can be in the type of status that he is I’m just gonna hold that moment for the rest of my life.” Kevin Paredes exclusive: 'So many USMNT legends have won this award