Morning Sports Update
“It’s the epitome of everything that I love. I love sport, I love people, and I love making a difference.”
Gary Newell was recognized as Boston’s “Unsung Hero” among FIFA volunteers at the 2026 World Cup. Jordan Bank/FIFA via Getty Images
July 17, 2026 | 10:16 AM
4 minutes to read
A Maine soccer coach was recognized by FIFA: Before the final World Cup game was played at “Boston Stadium” (Gillette Stadium), dozens of volunteers in Foxborough paused for a pregame surprise.
Among the crowd was Maine native Gary Newell, who was waiting expectantly like everyone else. Unbeknownst to Newell, a longtime youth soccer coach who volunteered to help with the local World Cup setup, the surprise was for him.
Newell was recognized for his decades of work to help grow soccer at a youth level, and was named as Boston’s “Unsung Hero” of the World Cup, a newly established FIFA award to recognize their many volunteers.
“A hundred percent a surprise. I had no idea,” Newell said after receiving the award, a miniature World Cup trophy. “No idea this was coming other than get here early if I could. I thought it was going to be just a last minute thank you to the volunteers. So I was coming in early.
“I was excited to beat the traffic,” he joked.
Yet the reaction Newell drew from his fellow volunteers was testament to his impact. When the award was announced, he received an extended standing ovation. The award presentation also included video messages from some of his former players.
“I was very, very shocked,” he said of the program. “To hear people that I have coached in the past take time out of their days to say a few words, that means a lot.”
There was also one additional major surprise. Newell, an England fan, received a special video message from midfielder Jude Bellingham. The two overlapped when England played Ghana in Foxborough, and Newell (a volunteer with FIFA’s anti-doping program) met Bellingham.
“Hi Gary, it’s Jude,” the England superstar said in the message. “We met briefly in Boston for my doping test. I’ve heard you’ve given your whole life to football, and I just wanted to say ‘Thank you’ for everything you’ve done for all those kids that you’ve helped and giving them the opportunity to get to this stage like me. So we really appreciate you. Thank you very much, mate.”
“Jude Bellingham obviously is not only one of the best players in the world, he’s actually one of the nicest as well,” an emotional Newell said afterward. “To have a message from him, wow. It means a lot.”
Reflecting on his life in soccer, and the experience at the recent World Cup, Newell summarized the appeal of the tournament and the beautiful game.
“It means the world to me because this is a showcase of how life should be. The love, the passion, the gratitude, the grace, all the emotion that’s tied into this, as well as you see the best of people, and you see what can be done by building bridges versus putting up walls and being divided. It’s the epitome of everything that I love. I love sport, I love people, and I love making a difference.”
Trivia: The World Cup is one of the most difficult sporting events to repeat as champion. The last team to do it was the U.S. women in 2015 and 2019. What country is the last to repeat as men’s World Cup champions?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Hint: They did it in 1958 and 1962.
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox resume play this afternoon following the MLB All-Star break, beginning a three-game series against the Rays at 1:35 p.m.
On Sunday, Legacy FC host the Washington Spirit at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket at 7 p.m.
Also on Sunday, Spain face Argentina at 3 p.m. in the much-anticipated World Cup final.
More from Boston.com:
The Bruins’ schedule release: The team predictably had some fun with the announcement.
Boston sports talk radio meets its English equivalent: Guest hosts on 98.5 “The Sports Hub” dipped into some of the English talk radio reaction to the country’s World Cup semifinal collapse against Argentina. The average New England sports fan can undoubtedly see plenty of entertaining parallels in their English counterparts.
On this day: In 1930, the United States defeated Paraguay at the inaugural World Cup (held in Uruguay). Fall River native Bert Patenaude scored the first ever hat-trick in World Cup history in the 3-0 win, but wouldn’t get credit for his feat for decades due to poor FIFA record keeping.
Daily highlight: On a slower day in sports, enjoy this unorthodox finish from St. Louis FC’s Sang-Bin Jeong in a 3-2 win.
Trivia answer: Brazil
Hayden Bird
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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