Now is a good time to check the settings on your sports-as-war metaphor filters, before the United States, England, Germany and Japan collide in the Women’s World Cup semifinals, and before Lionel Messi and Argentina try — again — to win a major title.
The moment has arrived: No. 1 Germany vs. No. 2 United States on Tuesday night (7 p.m., Eastern time, Fox) in the semifinals in Montreal. There will be much hand-wringing about the American lineup and much speculation about tactics until kickoff. If you go in for that kind of stuff, Fox has a nightly show (though, oddly, it is not shown until midnight Monday).