World Cup: South American teams start off on the wrong foot

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — South American teams have got off to disappointing start to the World Cup, failing to produce a win in three games.

Ecuador lost to Ivory Coast 1-0 on Sunday in Philadelphia. Brazil drew 1–1 with Morocco on Saturday, and Paraguay was routed 4–1 by tournament co-host the United States.

Comments from coaches after the underwhelming results struck a similar tone.

Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece called it a “very painful situation.” Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro referred to his team's loss as a “very painful lesson.”

Coach Carlo Ancelotti said five-time World Cup champion Brazil cannot lose heart: “You don’t win a World Cup based on your first match.”

Uruguay plays its first game Monday against Saudi Arabia, defending champion Argentina takes on Algeria on Tuesday and Colombia is against Uzbekistan on Wednesday.

South America has a proud soccer tradition, and is the only continent other than Europe to produce World Cup champions.

The slow start to the tournament of some South American nations contrasts to a solid opening performance by North American teams on home soil.

“The U.S. won this match very clearly and fairly,” Alfaro said after Paraguay's opening loss. “They dominated tactically, technically and physically as well. They have answers to everything you throw at them.”

Adding to the victory by the U.S., Mexico kicked off the World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa, and Canada earned its first World Cup point after a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ecuador, making its fifth World Cup appearance and aiming to reach the knockout round for the second time, was playing a virtual home game at Philadelphia Stadium, where most of the capacity crowd of 68,274 wore the team's yellow jerseys.

But La Tri saw its 19-game unbeaten streak end with its first loss since a 1-0 defeat to Brazil in September 2024.

“I'm very sorry we did not give our fans the joy they came to seek,” Beccacece said. “It was an unfair defeat, played out in a fantastic stadium atmosphere. We have to process it, put what happened behind us, focus on what lies ahead, and — I believe— keep the faith.”

Ecuador captain Enner Valencia said the team remains hopeful despite the loss.

“We’re keeping our heads held high knowing that this is just the beginning,” he said, “and there’s still a tournament ahead of us.”

After the game, Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez spoke about the unpredictability of the World Cup opening games and how they shouldn't necessarily be a marker of the tournament's finishing results.

“In the last World Cup, we won the first game and then were left out,” he said. “Argentina, in the last World Cup, lost the first game and won the World Cup, so nothing guarantees you anything.”

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Brazil fans react while watching the World Cup match between Brazil and Morocco in Manaus, Brazil, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros)

Brazil's Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates with teammate Bruno Guimaraes (8) after scoring during the World Cup Group C soccer match against Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

United States' Alex Freeman, top, reaches for the ball over Paraguay's Antonio Sanabria during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Ivory Coast's Ibrahim Sangare carries teammate Amad Diallo after defeating Ecuador in a World Cup Group E soccer match in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Ecuador's Angelo Preciado (17) clears the ball during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

A business jet with six people on board crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, and caught fire Tuesday night, authorities said, killing one person and causing chaos as people left their vehicles to frantically try to smash the cockpit window and free those inside.

Drivers who came upon the burning plane, which was nearly sheared in half and tipped on its side, captured dramatic rescue scenes on video or rushed toward the aircraft on foot to help. Two people came running with a sledgehammer and shovel, which they used to strike the cockpit glass and try propping open the plane's door.

The plane crashed on the Loop 20 highway near the Texas-Mexico border shortly after 10 p.m., said Jose Baeza, an investigator with the Laredo Police Department. He said one person on the plane died in the crash. A person in a car struck by the plane was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Dashcam footage posted on social media showed the aircraft careening down the highway, taking out a light post before coming to a stop. It came to a rest not far from the Laredo International Airport.

“It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” said Zayra Garza, an esthetician who was driving her co-workers home when she came upon the crash.

No injuries on the ground were immediately reported, though five officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

The plane, a Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet, departed Tuesday evening from San José del Cabo in Mexico and was bound for Austin, Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

It's not clear what caused the crash as it reached Laredo, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio. Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez told KGNS TV in Laredo that the plane experienced a mechanical failure. He provided no details.

Video posted to social media showed the plane on its side, smashed into a highway barrier. The tail was ripped from the fuselage and laying mostly intact on a lower-level road beneath where the rescue was taking place.

Garza began shooting video as she approached the scene and then stopped her vehicle across from the crippled jet, which was on fire.

She saw someone inside the plane trying to break the cockpit window to escape. Soon, people got out of their vehicles to try to smash the window from the outside as the fire on the fuselage continues to burn.

Garza’s husband jumped out of their vehicle to help and Garza then saw the door of the plane open. She said three people who looked to be teenagers rushed out, followed by someone who appeared to be a pilot. Another member of the crew tried to pull out a person who seemed to be unconscious.

As smoke billowed from the plane, a firefighter used a small ladder to climb into the aircraft to rescue the remaining passenger, while others shot water out of a hose at the wreckage. Rescuers can be heard calling for a rope as others use rods to hold up the plane door.

Several times, officers helping prop open the door dart away from the plane and double over in coughing fits because of the intense smoke.

“What was worrying me was the fire,” she said. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”

This was the third significant aviation accident in as many days. A B-52 crashed Monday during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California and killed all eight people aboard, while on Sunday, 12 people were killed when a plane on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed.

NetJets said in a statement that the crash involved one of its aircraft and it is working with authorities. NetJets is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and allows people to buy part ownership in private jets.

People attempt to pull passengers out of a plane after it crashed on a highway Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Laredo, Texas. (Zayra Garza via AP)

People attempt to pull passengers out of a plane after it crashed on a highway Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Laredo, Texas. (Zayra Garza via AP)

A passenger, top, jumps out of a plane after it crashed on a highway as other people help Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Laredo, Texas. (Zayra Garza via AP)