So today’s puzzle leans hard on the World Cup. Again. It’s happening everywhere you look. Or at least it’s dominating this particular grid.
The NYT Connections Sports Edition runs on The Athletic app, not the main NYT one. Subscribers get the goods there. But don’t panic. You can play it online for free too. The subscription model doesn’t stop you from having fun with the squares. Just go to the website.
Hints: Yellow to Purple
Yellow group? Just ask where you are sitting.
Green group? Think soccer. Or football. Whichever you call it, look at the CONCACAF bracket.
Blue group? Roar.
Purple group? Gosling. Or Reynolds. Can you hear the theme song?
The Answers
Let’s cut to the chase. The yellow group is about stadium seating.
– Bleachers
– Mezzanine
– Suite
– Upper deck
You sit there. Or stand on the hard plastic.
Green group brings up the World Cup teams from our hemisphere.
– Canada
– Curaçao
– Mexico
– United States
Straightforward enough. If you pay attention to international soccer, this was free points.
Blue group needs a little animal logic. Lions specifically.
– Columbia (Lions)
– Detroit (Red Lions/Wolverines context, wait no—actually just Lions)
– England (The Lionesses? No, just the lion mascot)
– Penn State (Nittany Lions)
The mascots line up. Even if your local team has a terrible one, these four share the pride motif.
Purple group is the name game.
– Crouser
– Day
– Fitzpatrick
– Poles
They are all Ryans. Chris, T.J., Josh, C.J. The surname binds them. Not a sport. Just a first name that happens to be popular.
What Actually Makes This Hard?
It’s not really about difficulty. It’s about your specific brand of obsession. My husband knows F1 cars like the back of his hand. He would nail those categories in seconds.
Some of us know hockey stats better than we know our own zip codes.
That’s how it goes. Here are the ones that have burned me in the past:
- Serie A Clubs (Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Rome)
- WNBA MVPs (Catchings, Delle Donne, Fawles, Stewart)
- Premier League nicknames (Bees, Cherries, Foxes, Hammers)
- NBA player name homophones (Barns, Connect, Heart, Hero)
Why are homophones always the worst? Because you see the word. Your brain ignores the sound. And you lose a turn.
There isn’t a perfect strategy for this. You just play until you stop getting tripped up by your own assumptions. Which Ryan didn’t make it to today’s list?
