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FIFA World Cup 2026 - It's Called Football, Not Soccer!

While the US is out I really do hope that the person that wasn't watching that much before appreciates that we have pretty good teams left. And while it's cool to root for your nation, if you love the motion and the game the way it has been then you should really want to watch the remainder of the rounds as the real drama is still to come with pretty Superior teams to the US.

Nearly it made very little difference for me to have Balogun. There was nothing that was going to make the passing or terrible defense decisions and an egregious goalie error on that third one.

I took a break from posting during the match to do things that I had to do but was watching still and you just facepalm at some of these things as the United States definitely saved their worst for last.

The really cool part is you get world class matchups with some of the best teams still playing because while the atmosphere, especially at the Mexico stadium what's good, it doesn't beat the better teams facing each other to determine who's going to be the champion this time. And you got a couple of games here that are going to finish shaping off the quarter-finals and that is really exciting.
 
There is a reason why America needs to play it's own little sports no one else cares about.

But nice try guys, you fielded your best team.

x9sDqRMzVndZuh9n.gif
 
While the US is out I really do hope that the person that wasn't watching that much before appreciates that we have pretty good teams left. And while it's cool to root for your nation, if you love the motion and the game the way it has been then you should really want to watch the remainder of the rounds as the real drama is still to come with pretty Superior teams to the US.

Nearly it made very little difference for me to have Balogun. There was nothing that was going to make the passing or terrible defense decisions and an egregious goalie error on that third one.

I took a break from posting during the match to do things that I had to do but was watching still and you just facepalm at some of these things as the United States definitely saved their worst for last.

The really cool part is you get world class matchups with some of the best teams still playing because while the atmosphere, especially at the Mexico stadium what's good, it doesn't beat the better teams facing each other to determine who's going to be the champion this time. And you got a couple of games here that are going to finish shaping off the quarter-finals and that is really exciting.
It's a tournament that gets played every 4 years so why not watch it all the way? It's a lovely summer activity. US were all over the place, they looked clueless and definitely their heads not in the game. Belgium haven't been good since the start of the tournament but they entered this match with fire and determination. US will be something with time under Poch cause he's a good manager. 9 out of the starting 11 plays in Europe and we used to not see many Americans abroad. The MLS is not it also but who knows, maybe it's developing to something good which will help produce more great talent.

Most Europeans don't consider that a country since it was originally conceived as a buffer zone between France, Germany and the Netherlands. It's just euro banter. We don't really mean it. Mostly.
Oh yeah that. Funny every time:messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
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Their performances since the beginning of the tournament suggested otherwise🤷🏻‍♂️

Not really.

The US beat average teams of Paraguay (masters of the dark arts), Bosnia and Australia. They lost to Turkey who were already out.

As soon as they come up against a decent side, they got dicked. Just as expected.
 
Best news ever waking up and finding out little Belgium population 11.8mil utterly trounced those cheating corrupt fuckers population 342mil... Out ya go! That overturned Red Card by the orange cunt and his sycophant Infantino plus the game broken up into Quarters has really soured this tournament for me but the US public has been absolutely stellar hosts
 
The USA has developed a new exciting tactic, possibly with help from president Trump, where they start the second half and punt the ball straight to the opponent.

e1obEISVzWoO4z4I.gif
There are some bizarre new tactics from kick-offs. The most cynical one has to be when they boot the ball into touch as far away as possible, to force the opposition to take a throw-in close to their own goal.
 
Team USA had a great showing! No shame in going home the World Cup is incredibly competitive - it requires perseverance as a nation to commit to developing a national team that can compete in the top 4 and winning oh, winning requires luck on top of that. Here's hoping to see you again in 4 years ready to give it all!
 
The USA has developed a new exciting tactic, possibly with help from president Trump, where they start the second half and punt the ball straight to the opponent.

e1obEISVzWoO4z4I.gif
PSG does this to press the opposition right from the get go. US does it for what? They don't even know how to press🤣🤣

The one made popular by Luis Enrique's PSG team that just won back to back Champions Leagues?
Yes, PSG. Not everyone can pull that off lmao
 
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Yes, PSG. Not everyone can pull that off lmao
Sure, I just meant it's a current trend in football. That it's not some weird thing that just the US are doing.

But like you say there's a difference between wanting to do it and being able to pull it off. Pochettino does like to have his teams press high but, because of the limited time you have with them, implementing a pressing scheme with an international team is tricky even if you do have a squad suited to it.
 
Sure, I just meant it's a current trend in football. That it's not some weird thing that just the US are doing.

But like you say there's a difference between wanting to do it and being able to pull it off. Pochettino does like to have his teams press high but, because of the limited time you have with them, implementing a pressing scheme with an international team is tricky even if you do have a squad suited to it.
Absolutely. PSG got pressing demons and from what I've seen so far, only Balogun can actually press properly in that squad
 
Yes, yes, yes. Put a line on the field and stop acting like stopping the clock after a goal or during a break and then resuming it when play starts again is somehow the realm of gods in which man shall not tread.
i can't determine if you are serious.
The offside line is moving because it follows the player closest to his team side end of the field.

Offside is actually a good rule that add a huge strategic element to football games.
Some teams are so good with it they can prevent attacking teams to build an offensive counter attack, and at the same time it is a double edged sword since a wrong placing of one defensive player can make an attacker onside and open the way to the goal for him.

The clock has always been the referee's privilege and they often add some time in order to make a match more fair. Or because they were paid to make a certain team win and they need the team to score.

I guess USA should learn the rules of football and understand them instead of wanting to change them to suit their needs. This way you might end up winning something someday.
 
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It struck me after watching several World Cup matches that FIFA soccer is the perfect sport for....European elites.

Why is that?

Well, because this is an international sport where many of the rules are...shall we say as politely as possible...indeterminate.

The two biggest examples of this:

1. Offsides - there IS no offsides line marked on the field. Whether or not a player is offsides is determined often only AFTER a goal has been scored and the fans of the scoring team have been celebrating like crazy for several minutes. Then a video replay review determines one of the players on the scoring team was 'offsides' and the goal is taken off the board.

So the offsides line moves around, there's no way to determine it in advance, which is why it's not marked on the field. Pretty cool, huh? The line is where the officials TELL YOU IT IS. At that given moment.

For a stellar example of how this works, review this segment from the game between Portugal & Croatia.

youtube.com/watch?v=FAI6iN…

2. The game clock - nobody seems to know how long a game will last. The clock is flexible. Some games keep having 'extra time' added to the clock, and some games end abruptly. One team asks for more time, it is granted; another team asks for more time and is denied.

The game doesn't really 'end' until the officials SAY IT IS ENDED.

I've watched both cause massive controversies over the past few days.

European fans are USED to their sports officials doing this crap?

Americans would NEVER put up with shit like this in their sports.

The officials are gonna determine the outcome of games based on a moving line only they can see? The officials are gonna determine how long the game lasts, and if they wanna add another 10 minutes, they will?

Americans would say screw that shit, put a line on the field everyone can see, and set a real limite to game time using the clock and stop adding more minutes every time you feel like it.


Huge difference in mindset for Americans, hence our frustration.


Lmao.

The line isn't random, and the referees don't just make it up on a whim. The offside line is dictated by the positions of the players. A attacking player is in an offside position if they are nearer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and last defender.

The line is locked in place at the exact millisecond the ball is passed forward by a teammate. Before VAR, this was the job of the linesman to decide, and in clear cut cases the linesman still does flag offside.

Officials also don't juat make up extra time.

Come on, America. You should know this as you have a professional league in the MLS. You have been playing the sport professionally for a very long time. This shouldn't be a shock to anyone.
 
Revenge teams. Spain, France or Norway. LETS GOO!!!!!!!
If you want to win choose France, we have the best players on field. Of course argentina could still have the type of steroid sprinkled cocaine they gave their players in 2022 but this time we'll beat them anyway.

About the US team, i think the problem is that it is much easier to start believing in your own hype when you are the organizing country.
 
Usa is just like Mexico they crumble under pressure even my dad whos team is mexico said how the hell are usa playing worse than Mexico. Yesterday's game though was utter ridiculous. So my teams are out japan, usa and Korea so let's go Norway.
 
The USA has developed a new exciting tactic, possibly with help from president Trump, where they start the second half and punt the ball straight to the opponent.

e1obEISVzWoO4z4I.gif

Holy shit. The whole point of this is to boot it out of play so you can pin the opposition into their corner. But the little American fella can't kick it far enough. Hahahaha.
 
I was expecting a defeat, it was somewhat of an illusion to think the USA would beat Belgium.

It also shows how bizarre the commotion was over Balogun's suspension being lifted. It wasn't unusual, but they were treating it as if the guy was a Messi who would completely change the game.

It's annoying see comments from people that only watch football every four years.

In the end, emotions weighed too heavily:

- Belgium felt a greater desire to win and went all out;
- USA felt the weight of everyone thinking they had cheated and made several mistakes.

If none of that had happened, I presume it would have been a 2-1 score. Belgium would still have won, but it would have been a less embarrassed game.
 
It also shows how bizarre the commotion was over Balogun's suspension being lifted. It wasn't unusual, but they were treating it as if the guy was a Messi who would completely change the game.

It's annoying see comments from people that only watch football every four years.
Not unusual? What are you smoking?

His ability (or lack of it) has nothing to do with it.
 
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Not unusual? What are you smoking?

His ability (or lack of it) has nothing to do with it.

Red card suspensions happen in regional championships, especially if the foul was questionable. The suit only gained attention because Trump publicized the incident.

But the general public doesn't watch football often and they think this kind of thing is cheating.
 
Red card suspensions happen in regional championships, especially if the foul was questionable. The suit only gained attention because Trump publicized the incident.

But the general public doesn't watch football often and they think this kind of thing is cheating.
This has happened once in the history of the tournament. I'd say its unusual. This is not about whatever rules different countries FA's have.

The whole football world is up in arms, Trump being involved just makes it even worse.
 
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