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BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's top Shiite cleric on Friday called on political blocs to agree on the next prime minister before the newly elected parliament sits next week, stepping up pressure on political leaders to set aside their differences and form an inclusive government in the face of Sunni militants who have seized large swaths of territory.

The Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also said he wanted the political blocs to agree on the next parliament speaker and president by the time the new legislature meets on Tuesday.

A cleric representing al-Sistani, Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalaie, told worshippers in a Friday sermon at the holy city of Karbala that selecting the three before parliament meets would be a "prelude to the political solution that everyone seeks at the present."

The urgency reflects the deep crisis in Iraq, after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and allied militants blitzed through the north and west this month, capturing vast swaths of territory, including the second-largest city, Mosul, and Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.

Iraq's political leaders have been under growing pressure to form an inclusive government from the United States, Iraq's main Western backer, which hopes such a government would diminish support for the militants among the disaffected Sunni minority.

The reclusive al-Sistani is the most revered figure among Iraq's Shiites. A call up to arms he issued on June 13 prompted tens of thousands of Shiites to volunteer to join the security forces in the fight against the extremists.

However, asking the political blocs to agree on the nation's three top jobs in four days may prove to be a tall order even at this time of crisis. Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders have been bickering among themselves for years, and it took them nine months to form a government after parliamentary elections in 2010.

The U.S. men's soccer team advances to the World Cup's round of 16. They lost to Germany, but move on because Portugal beat Ghana. The team will get to rest a bit before playing Belgium on Tuesday.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Not long after Amy Van Dyken-Rouen had surgery for a life-threatening spine injury, while she still wasn't completely out of danger, her husband placed a cellphone in her hands.

The decorated Olympic swimmer had always enjoyed sharing her life and thoughts on social media, so Tom Rouen figured it might do her some good when she awoke.

It worked more than he could have imagined, providing Amy a therapeutic tool as she makes the transition from elite athlete to possibly spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

"She sends stuff out there and gets so much positive energy and positive feedback that I really think it helps her a whole lot," said Rouen, a former punter for the Denver Broncos. "It's also been good to be able to have a distraction with everything that's going on."

Before the advent of social media, information on athletes had to be disseminated: Through agents, teams or hospital representatives, interviews with the media, carefully worded statements by teams of publicists.

Now, athletes provide updates freely and instantaneously with a few keystrokes on their phones or computers.

Being unfiltered doesn't always go so well.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $50,000 by the NBA for criticizing officials on Twitter and numerous athletes were chastised for some of their negative posts at the 2012 London Olympics.

Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones and former Mississippi basketball player Marshall Henderson also took some heat this year for tweets critical of Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL.

Social media can have a positive impact, however, when athletes use it to express their personalities more fully, give fans a window into their lives and have a personalized interaction with them.

"We do get to see them as real people living their lives," said Kelli Burns, associate professor for the school of mass communications at the University of South Florida. "It may make her fans feel like they're right there with them and seeing a lot of what's happening. People are interested in knowing more about a celebrity than just their professional accomplishments."

Social media have become a conduit of information in an area that was once taboo: Athletes' health.

Teams still try to hide players' injuries like they're guarding state secrets, but now the athletes are freely providing information on their own.

Kobe Bryant, Alex Rodriguez, Bryce Harper and Mark Teixeira are among the athletes who have posted updates on their surgeries or rehabilitation.

Most of the posts are superficial.

Van Dyken-Rouen seems to have taken it to a new, open-book level.

The six-time Olympic gold medalist was involved in an all-terrain vehicle accident on June 6, severing her spine and leaving her with no feeling in her legs.

A day after surgery, Van Dyken-Rouen posted photos on Instagram of her family in the hospital room and a drawing from her niece and nephew.

The next day, she posted a selfie in her hospital bed and later put up a shot of her sitting up for the first time. She even posted images of her X-rays; one showing her dislocated vertebrae, another of the pins and rods holding her spine together after surgery.

Van Dyken-Rouen continued to be active on social media throughout her stay in intensive care and after she moved to a Colorado hospital to continue rehab.

The striking part about Van Dyken-Rouen's posts are they're just as open, positive and sarcastic as before her injury:

— Just thinking out loud..Now I will get really good seats at @dbacks and other favorite sports teams. #awesome #bringMyOwnChair #goodParking2

— Was in MRI until 4:00am today (started at 11:30pm) did whole spine and brain, and so far, so good. Yes, I have a brain! LOL #BabySteps

— Happy Friday! No more surgeries for this girl, so I celebrate with Froot Loops... SHHH, don't tell!.

— Well this is about a week late for me (with a photo of a TV story about national ATV safety week).

"She's doing it in such a positive and upbeat way, it's almost breathtaking how inspiring it is," said William Ward, professor of social media at Newhouse School at Syracuse University.

"I don't know if most people are that upbeat on any given day much less after going through something that traumatic, but here she within days of it is talking and interacting, really doing it in an upbeat way, inspiring people."

It's been a two-way street.

Before social media, well wishes came in the form of notes and cards, maybe signs outside the hospital.

Now, athletes and celebrities not only get instant messages from their family and friends, they can interact with them, adding another layer to their therapy.

"It's blowing me away. It truly is," Van Dyken-Rouen said before boarding a medical flight to Colorado last week. "I've gotten a lot of messages sending me thoughts, prayers, positive vibes. I feel them. It's helping me and I just want to say thank you to everyone."

And she has — on social media of course.

RECIFE, Brazil (AP) — Now that the U.S. has survived the so-called "Group of Death," it's time for sudden death: the knockout phase of the World Cup.

The Americans play Belgium on Tuesday night in the round of 16, hoping to show they're better than the U.S. team that lost in overtime to Ghana in the second round four years ago.

"By no means are we satisfied with just getting out of the group," midfielder Graham Zusi said Sunday after the Americans advanced despite a 1-0 loss to Germany. "We want to keep going and make some history."

Belgium eased past the Americans 4-2 in a May 2013 exhibition at Cleveland on two goals by Christian Benteke (currently sidelined with a torn Achilles tendon), and one each from Marouane Fellaini and Kevin Mirallas. Two years earlier, Belgium won 1-0 in Brussels on Nicolas Lombaerts' half-volley in the 55th minute in Jurgen Klinsmann's first road game with the U.S.

"They're a top team. Everyone around Europe will tell you how good they are," American goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "They've got so many good players, young players, strong, fast, good on the ball. I actually think because of that we match up well with them, but we'll see."

Howard was a teammate at Everton last season with Belgium's Romelu Lukaku and Mirallas, and played on the Toffees with Fellaini before the bushy-haired forward transferred to Manchester United last summer. The Red Devils, seeded in December's draw and ranked 11th, are at their first major tournament since the 2002 World Cup, where they lost in the second round to eventual champion Brazil.

While the U.S. defeated Ghana 2-1 and drew Portugal 2-2 to advance on a goal-difference tiebreaker against the Portuguese, Belgium beat Algeria 2-1, Russia 1-0 and South Korea 1-0.

"It gives us so much confidence to get those nine points with only 10 men and prepare for the Americans in that mood," defender Jan Vertonghen said Sunday after scoring the only goal as Belgium finished a man short.

The U.S., which reached the knockout stage of consecutive World Cups for the first time, returned to its Sao Paulo base Thursday night and looked forward to four days off before playing the Belgians in Salvador. The winner advances to a quarterfinal against Argentina or Switzerland.

"We're excited about trying to go further than we did last World Cup and getting past this first game (of the knockout rounds)," captain Clint Dempsey said.