2026 World Cup thread

[HanSenSE]

That tippytoe approach looks like something out those bad underdog vs champs movies.

 

[Batman]

Is there a bench leaving ejection rule?

It'd just get rescinded anyway.

 

[Driftwood]

Ref lost control at the end. He should have absolutely blown it dead when they started shoving after Neymar's card... which was past the posted time.
He scored Brazil's goal as much as anything.

 

[brn623cl]

I was today years old when I learned there is a Golden Boot tiebreaker protocol.

 

[dixiehack]

 

[Roscablo]

 

[Roscablo]

 

[Bubbler]

Some of these thoughts are ****. I'm sorry. None of us like Trump. But he's full of it as much as he is a piece of it. Just because he reached out doesn't mean the team had a ****ing thing to do with it. And the way this team is made up is about as anti-Trump as it is, especially Balogun.

There is nothing that says Trump got this overturned or that the US side had anything to do with it. And even if leadership did, the players didn't. They didn't even ****ing know until we did.

I'm still cheering hard for this team. FIFA and Trump, whatever. Saying **** like 8-0 Belgium? Give me a break. But yeah, **** Trump.

This is bigger than the USMNT. This is about the intergrity of a sporting event. Something that is bigger than rah-rah team or rah-rah U-S-A.

You can't separate the two. I have nothing against the team itself, Balogun, et al, there's no reason to make this personal about them.

But they are benefitting from corruption. If an otherwise well-meaning cop gets a few bucks to look the other way on something, maybe even something minor, but that cop otherwise does good things, he's still corrupted regardless.

Our national team is now corrupted. It's not their fault, this has been thrust upon them, but they shouldn't just shrug their shoulders and say, "Oh well, I guess we're lucky." There is competitive integrity at stake here. So unless Balogun somehow doesn't play, an unlikely prospect, they are beneficiaries of corruption. Anyone with a sense of integrity and fair play should not be supporting this. These are the times your morals are tested. Whataboutism equates to a failing grade when a question of integrity is at issue.

And yeah, I am broken-hearted about it. Soccer is the sport I've loved since I was a kid, and for many years was only loved by people in the cult like me. The World Cup? I remember watching on a very snowy Spanish language feed out of Chicago in 1982, the only way you could watch even semi-regular action at the time, and knew it was special.

I've put the time in, and for all of the bull**** that happened off the field, there was almost always something pure about the matches themselves. See Cape Verde-Argentina the other night. That was beautiful.

And in the rare cases where that purity was tainted? The soccer community arose in protest. So to have my own country's national team wrapped up in this is a ****ing disgrace. I'm embarrassed.

And as for the sporting integrity part of this? What kind of Pandora's box has this just opened up? An article of faith was that leaders stayed out of the outcomes of sporting events.

I don't need to come up with some elaborate scenario to draw the picture here. Trump, or other influential leader, doesn't like a pass interference call in the playoffs. Or a controversial foul called in the NBA Finals? Or doesn't like an already established rule? Say in baseball, ABS corrects a call that doesn't favor so-and-so's favorite team, so the influential leader says ABS must be overturned.

We're talking about the death of sports if this outside influence is allowed to creep into any game. This is truly a cross-the-Rubicon moment. We have to recognize it as such rather than be blinded by misplaced patriotism or team affinity. I love the USMNT, but this is bull****.

 

[Scout]

My problem is with everyone knowing Trump called.

Should it have been a red card?
Yes. GoTo 1
No. GoTo 2

1 - You have a legit gripe and reason to be pissed.

2 - They got the call properly disciplined. I mean, I would be happy and move the **** on. There is zero guarantee that Phat Phuck made a difference.

I mean, there is history in our sacred sports of calls and suspensions being changed between matches or games. George Brett for example.

 

[Roscablo]

This is bigger than the USMNT. This is about the intergrity of a sporting event. Something that is bigger than rah-rah team or rah-rah U-S-A.

You can't separate the two. I have nothing against the team itself, Balogun, et al, there's no reason to make this personal about them.

But they are benefitting from corruption. If an otherwise well-meaning cop gets a few bucks to look the other way on something, maybe even something minor, but that cop otherwise does good things, he's still corrupted regardless.

Our national team is now corrupted. It's not their fault, this has been thrust upon them, but they shouldn't just shrug their shoulders and say, "Oh well, I guess we're lucky." There is competitive integrity at stake here. So unless Balogun somehow doesn't play, an unlikely prospect, they are beneficiaries of corruption. Anyone with a sense of integrity and fair play should not be supporting this. These are the times your morals are tested. Whataboutism equates to a failing grade when a question of integrity is at issue.

And yeah, I am broken-hearted about it. Soccer is the sport I've loved since I was a kid, and for many years was only loved by people in the cult like me. The World Cup? I remember watching on a very snowy Spanish language feed out of Chicago in 1982, the only way you could watch even semi-regular action at the time, and knew it was special.

I've put the time in, and for all of the bull**** that happened off the field, there was almost always something pure about the matches themselves. See Cape Verde-Argentina the other night. That was beautiful.

And in the rare cases where that purity was tainted? The soccer community arose in protest. So to have my own country's national team wrapped up in this is a ****ing disgrace. I'm embarrassed.

And as for the sporting integrity part of this? What kind of Pandora's box has this just opened up? An article of faith was that leaders stayed out of the outcomes of sporting events.

I don't need to come up with some elaborate scenario to draw the picture here. Trump, or other influential leader, doesn't like a pass interference call in the playoffs. Or a controversial foul called in the NBA Finals? Or doesn't like an already established rule? Say in baseball, ABS corrects a call that doesn't favor so-and-so's favorite team, so the influential leader says ABS must be overturned.

We're talking about the death of sports if this outside influence is allowed to creep into any game. This is truly a cross-the-Rubicon moment. We have to recognize it as such rather than be blinded by misplaced patriotism or team affinity. I love the USMNT, but this is bull****.

Maybe it's doomsday, maybe it is two very corrupt people and nothing more.

I view this like people giving up on the country because of Trump and there are plenty and they are here. I'm not, he doesn't speak for me or most of us. For now until it is shown some how that the actual people playing and coaching are involved I'm going to still watch and cheer for this team.

Be sad and depressed all you want. The team didn't call for this. Soccer has always been corrupt. Things didn't change much with this decision.

 

[Roscablo]

Two people/groups who have always been corrupt are being corrupt. Let's just turn off the TV. If we have that much conviction we wouldn't have watched from the time the FIFA Peace Award was distributed.

 

[Bubbler]

Maybe it's doomsday, maybe it is two very corrupt people and nothing more.

I view this like people giving up on the country because of Trump and there are plenty and they are here. I'm not, he doesn't speak for me or most of us. For now until it is shown some how that the actual people playing and coaching are involved I'm going to still watch and cheer for this team.

Be sad and depressed all you want. The team didn't call for this. Soccer has always been corrupt. Things didn't change much with this decision.

On one hand, I agree with you and see your point. Trump is NOT our country and too many people conflate him as being so and burn themselves up inside as a result. People here and overseas were giving up on the country before the Cup even started. With the extremely notable exception of foreign fans being denied access on shaky grounds and the terrible treatment of Iran's team, both of which have a direct correlation to our leadership, the Cup has otherwise portrayed us at our best in spite of our leadership.

But you can't just pull a curtain over what happened today and pretend there is no sporting benefit to it. (And apparently, US Soccer did ask for this too.) There is no way to watch that match tomorrow and think of it in the same way we did 24 hours ago. To do so would be to ignore the truth.

Also, if you don't like the attitude of people giving up on the country, fine. I don't like the notion that "soccer has always been corrupt" as an excuse for ignoring the rules and established practices that maintain an even playing field. To do so, is to reach a level of cynicism no better than those who allegedly give up on the country.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

This is bigger than the USMNT. This is about the intergrity of a sporting event. Something that is bigger than rah-rah team or rah-rah U-S-A.

You can't separate the two. I have nothing against the team itself, Balogun, et al, there's no reason to make this personal about them.

But they are benefitting from corruption. If an otherwise well-meaning cop gets a few bucks to look the other way on something, maybe even something minor, but that cop otherwise does good things, he's still corrupted regardless.

Our national team is now corrupted. It's not their fault, this has been thrust upon them, but they shouldn't just shrug their shoulders and say, "Oh well, I guess we're lucky." There is competitive integrity at stake here. So unless Balogun somehow doesn't play, an unlikely prospect, they are beneficiaries of corruption. Anyone with a sense of integrity and fair play should not be supporting this. These are the times your morals are tested. Whataboutism equates to a failing grade when a question of integrity is at issue.

And yeah, I am broken-hearted about it. Soccer is the sport I've loved since I was a kid, and for many years was only loved by people in the cult like me. The World Cup? I remember watching on a very snowy Spanish language feed out of Chicago in 1982, the only way you could watch even semi-regular action at the time, and knew it was special.

I've put the time in, and for all of the bull**** that happened off the field, there was almost always something pure about the matches themselves. See Cape Verde-Argentina the other night. That was beautiful.

And in the rare cases where that purity was tainted? The soccer community arose in protest. So to have my own country's national team wrapped up in this is a ****ing disgrace. I'm embarrassed.

And as for the sporting integrity part of this? What kind of Pandora's box has this just opened up? An article of faith was that leaders stayed out of the outcomes of sporting events.

I don't need to come up with some elaborate scenario to draw the picture here. Trump, or other influential leader, doesn't like a pass interference call in the playoffs. Or a controversial foul called in the NBA Finals? Or doesn't like an already established rule? Say in baseball, ABS corrects a call that doesn't favor so-and-so's favorite team, so the influential leader says ABS must be overturned.

We're talking about the death of sports if this outside influence is allowed to creep into any game. This is truly a cross-the-Rubicon moment. We have to recognize it as such rather than be blinded by misplaced patriotism or team affinity. I love the USMNT, but this is bull****.

What if I told you this isn’t the first time this happened?

Bribery, secret calls and a vanishing witness: Inside the World Cup red card FIFA actually reversed

 

[Roscablo]

Again, my guess is the team didn't choose this. So why should they be punished by their fans? They could not play Balogun. Maybe that would be the right choice, but no one who got that advantage would.

No one honestly has any idea how this went down. Maybe it was appealed by the proper channels of the program and the independent board did decide this.

Don't forget, this is also a tournament that did the same thing for Portugal and Argentina, whether you like that or not.

You can't just say oh the corrupt is an excuse, because I'm not and it is how it is. If you feel this strongly about all this you wouldn't have watched at all.

You be you. Your soccer world has obviously ended. I'm still going to cheer tomorrow and whatever happens I'm moving on. There is way worse than this going on, which we have both noted in our comments.

 

[HanSenSE]

Two-hour weather delay? Any good movies on?

 

[micropolitan guy]

The World Cup should not have been taken away just because an election didn’t go the way those opposed wanted it to. We had no track record of corruption.

However, given our treatment of foreign fans, the treatment of Iran’s team, and now this, we do have a track record of being an unreliable host and the Olympics should be revoked.

I am absolutely not holding my breath mind you. The IOC is just as venal as FIFA is.

By our country's leadership, sure. They are assholes. But from all accounts the country at large has been welcoming to everyone and the crowds have been fantastic.

 

[Driftwood]

Did the wardrobe department get a group rate on red dresses for the female leads?

 

[Bubbler]

By our country's leadership, sure. They are assholes. But from all accounts the country at large has been welcoming to everyone and the crowds have been fantastic.

Sure. But if the Olympics are here in 2028, athletes, fans, etc., from around the world cannot be guaranteed of their ability to participate, or their ability to attend. That has always been considered to be a prerequisite for being a host. Our leadership has surrendered its ability to be trusted on this front. The rest of us can be the nicest people on Earth, but they're the policymakers our country voted for and that will likely embarrass us again.

It was too late for FIFA to do anything about it, but the IOC has at least some time to make a change.

 

[Bubbler]

Did the wardrobe department get a group rate on red dresses for the female leads?

In Rebecca Lowe's case, I'm sure it's England-related.

 

[Cosmo]

I can see both sides of the argument here. I’m also not entirely convinced Fat ****’s pleas were taken into consideration. It does look weird, for sure.