World Cup

Good info on our goalie
The not Top 10 play - LOL!

 

That ball from McKennie.
The header by Dest.
The finish by Pulisic.

One of the better goals you will see the whole tournament.

Pure beauty

 

Am American playing for Juventus in Serie A, passed to another American Serie A player who plays for AC Milan, and knocked home by an American playing for Chelsea in the Premiere League. Thirty years ago, there wasn't a single American playing in top Euro soccer leagues. Today? Quite a different story.

MLS is great, and it's important for kids growing up to know there is a future for them to be a professional soccer player. But if we want to beat the best, we need to compete with the best, and the best soccer leagues are in Europe. Just like top basketball players have come here to play in the NBA, which has lifted basketball around the globe, our soccer players in Europe have lifted soccer here domestically.

Class goal, for sure.

 

I think finishing for Weah is going to improve. He is playing at a very high level with Musah and Dest in support.

Left side… Jedi… learn to not dribble like you have clogs on man! That last touch and it’s a give away to often.

Wright was not good in relief. Sergeant’s injury is hopefully not that bad. Maybe we will see Jesus, but he will need to time Messi-like runs through the Dutch 3 back defense.

Best midfield the US has had in decades. Acosta did just enough, but steep drop off from the creativity of McKennie.

Ream’s call-up looks genius. Moore looked lost in relief of Dest. Redemption for Walker Z. He was playing like a man possessed in the center. The save off the squirt through Turner’s legs was epic.

Leaving off Pepi for Wright is tragic.

Prediction: US will go through. Dutch will be unhappy with Gakpo being shut down by the US center backs!

 

Location aside if both Japan and Costa Rica top this group and knock off Germany and Spain, this might be the best world cup ever.

 

Costa Rica couldn't get it done. Japan tops the group with wins over Spain and Germany, and a weird loss in the middle to Costa Rica, Spain goes through on the goal difference of their demolishing of Costa Rica, and Germany and Costa Rica go home.

 

And Morocco tops Group F and sends 2nd ranked Belgium home. Wow!

 

Second cup in a row that Germany doesn't get out of the group. Pretty strange given how good they were not that long ago.

 

Kind of a weird tournament for European teams. Italy didn’t even make it and Belgium, Germany, Denmark knocked out in group stage Other than France (even though they lost yesterday) and England, no one has had any standout games.

 

It's cause I had Belgium at +1200 to win it all.

 

Good. I'm happy to see the Asian and African teams do well. New blood, including the US, is good for competition.

 

When I first started watching the men's World Cup, I remember the US struggling so much just to get the ball past midfield. Meanwhile, the Germans in particular would take three open, easy passes to get it from one end to the other.

 

A Brazil / Argentina match would bring down the house.

 

Yeah, European teams tend to struggle a bit during Non-European World Cups. Portugal has looked good though. Spain had one spectacular game and a couple of meh-games. Croatia has looked better than many people thought (most people thought they had aged out of their window after 2018). But big disappointments for Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Wales (barely even competitive), and Serbia (so far).

 

I don’t care for watching these two teams go at it. Flop city, population 22.

 

I forgot which teams were playing the other day but some player was writhing in pain on the ground due to a phantom foul and the ref was not giving him the time of day. The ball then gets kicked in his direction and he bounces up like nothing happened, has the wherewithal to know where his teammates are, proceeds to kick a beautiful crossfield pass, then returns to the ground rolling around in pain. It was hilarious.