Amazing stuff. And Uruguay out, which is a bit of a shock. Poor Bielsa. Sadly looking like Scotland is also out. Some groups much crueler than others. If Algeria can draw or Congo win (doable against Uzbekistan), that could drop South Korea out, and even Croatia if they can't get at least a point against Ghana.
The draw wasn't kind to Cabo Verde, though. They play Argentina in the knockouts. They'll need a good bit more on the miracle front to survive that ..
Amazing stuff. And Uruguay out, which is a bit of a shock. Poor Bielsa. Sadly looking like Scotland is also out. Some groups much crueler than others. If Algeria can draw or Congo win (doable against Uzbekistan), that could drop South Korea out, and even Croatia if they can't get at least a point against Ghana.
The draw wasn't kind to Cabo Verde, though. They play Argentina in the knockouts. They'll need a good bit more on the miracle front to survive that ..
Very tough draw but at the same time…I bet they didn’t think they’d be playing the World champions in a World Cup knockout if you’d asked them a few years ago. Stuff of legends.
On another note, the Iranian team are being treated horrendously by the US. Just reading about their treatment and it’s nothing short of disgusting. Forced to leave the US and travel to and from Mexico for every game they play in the US. A whole bunch of their staff not allowed visas etc etc.
The World Cup games themselves are great, but the **** the US is doing with this, the crappy hydration break rubbish (yes, FIFA did it but I’m pretty sure the US networks had a hand in this) and the fact that many of the stadiums are set up more for NFL games than football in terms of playing surface (lots of green paint/dye being used I see) I really hope the next few world cups are nowhere near that country.
Very tough draw but at the same time…I bet they didn’t think they’d be playing the World champions in a World Cup knockout if you’d asked them a few years ago. Stuff of legends.
On another note, the Iranian team are being treated horrendously by the US. Just reading about their treatment and it’s nothing short of disgusting. Forced to leave the US and travel to and from Mexico for every game they play in the US. A whole bunch of their staff not allowed visas etc etc.
None of this is a surprise from a country run by people with emotional intelligence that seems to range somewhere between tantruming toddler and petulant pre-teen. FIFA's enthusiastic bootlicking is the background music.
The World Cup games themselves are great, but the **** the US is doing with this, the crappy hydration break rubbish (yes, FIFA did it but I’m pretty sure the US networks had a hand in this) and the fact that many of the stadiums are set up more for NFL games than football in terms of playing surface (lots of green paint/dye being used I see) I really hope the next few world cups are nowhere near that country.
Don't worry, the next one is in Saudi Arabia. It'll be totally fine and free of controversy, I'm sure. Russia, Qatar, USA and Saudi. FIFA is on a heck of a run, I expect it'll be Israel or China next...
The ad breaks are horrible and affect the games. If this is a one-off to appease US broadcasters who can't comprehend 45 minutes without an ad break, then whatever, I'll just be happy to see the end of it. But my fear is that the (almost) equally craven Premier League and UEFA are looking at this and rubbing their hands together. They'll do a test run by putting ad breaks in a few games 'free' to watch on a streamer like Amazon, then it'll eventually get introduced for every game. Enshittification marches apace in the wondrous 21st century.
Watching England vs Panama live, Bit ho-hum tho England very disciplined and Pana good defense ...
Rock n roll Canada scores and through Canada earned it
Biggest goal in Canadian men's soccer history, I think. Bigger than the Mexico win in the Gold Cup just because of the size of the stage.
Canada will be firm underdogs going forward, the draw was brutal with Netherlands, Morocco, Germany and France in the same quadrant. Still, they have talent, and the lack of pressure from being an underdog could get them through another round...
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The ad breaks are horrible and affect the games. If this is a one-off to appease US broadcasters who can't comprehend 45 minutes without an ad break, then whatever, I'll just be happy to see the end of it. But my fear is that the (almost) equally craven Premier League and UEFA are looking at this and rubbing their hands together. They'll do a test run by putting ad breaks in a few games 'free' to watch on a streamer like Amazon, then it'll eventually get introduced for every game. Enshittification marches apace in the wondrous 21st century.
From what I understand, FIFA was presented an option where with and without breaks. Breaks nearly doubled the broadcast rights ($515m vs $1.1b).
No euro leagues have announced plans, several have denounced hydration breaks. But money talks, euro broadcasters are on the bad side at the moment, I guess we’ll see it they can buy breaks into the system.
Personally I don’t see anything wrong with adding breaks. Traditionalists always go apeshit over changes in every sport. Seatbelt in NASCAR… DH and pitch clock in baseball…, shootouts & 2-line passes in hockey…three point line in basketball…VAR & back pass in soccer…. Just to name a few. Turns out after a while, fans benefitted from the changes.
If the rules are the same for both teams and don’t put the games in the hands of referees - no harm no foul.
From what I understand, FIFA was presented an option where with and without breaks. Breaks nearly doubled the broadcast rights ($515m vs $1.1b).
No euro leagues have announced plans, several have denounced hydration breaks. But money talks, euro broadcasters are on the bad side at the moment, I guess we’ll see it they can buy breaks into the system.
Personally I don’t see anything wrong with adding breaks. Traditionalists always go apeshit over changes in every sport. Seatbelt in NASCAR… DH and pitch clock in baseball…, shootouts & 2-line passes in hockey…three point line in basketball…VAR & back pass in soccer…. Just to name a few. Turns out after a while, fans benefitted from the changes.
If the rules are the same for both teams and don’t put the games in the hands of referees - no harm no foul.
I don’t have the same passion for tradition as some soccer fans. I hear complaints that breaks interrupt the flow - players get a break from action - this would have near zero impact in an aerobic sport, the flow gets interrupted because coaches are using it for tactical reorganization - something they could only do at halftime. Same way coaches use ‘timeouts’ in other sports to interrupt flow.
But I’ve been thru this before in hockey… fans went berserk over 2-line passes, delayed offsides(minor hockey)…timeouts… they changed the game, teams adapted and over time as the rules are the same for both sides.
I don’t have the same passion for tradition as some soccer fans. I hear complaints that breaks interrupt the flow - players get a break from action - this would have near zero impact in an aerobic sport, the flow gets interrupted because coaches are using it for tactical reorganization - something they could only do at halftime. Same way coaches use ‘timeouts’ in other sports to interrupt flow.
But I’ve been thru this before in hockey… fans went berserk over 2-line passes, delayed offsides(minor hockey)…timeouts… they changed the game, teams adapted and over time as the rules are the same for both sides.
There’s a momentum that can be built on in a football game. It’s hard to explain but the game ebbs and flows based on seemingly unlinked occurrences. It’s not like basketball where it’s pretty much like a yo yo. Something simple like a hard tackle energizes a side to launch an attack and keep pressure on. The ad breaks take the top off the pressure bottle and change that momentum. It’s really quite frustrating seeing that change and it’s not like 45 minutes is a ridiculously long time for sporting action to take place anyway. That’s why fans are booing, they see the way this changes things and it isn’t for the better.
Canada earned the win tho.
The fans certainly were booing the SA goalie who seemed to deliberately slow the pace down.
So far from what I've seen the refs seem to be doing a good and fair job....I imagine it may get more raucous.
The hydration breaks will be critical when the games are in Europe which is under a ridiculous heat wave.
There’s a momentum that can be built on in a football game. It’s hard to explain but the game ebbs and flows based on seemingly unlinked occurrences. It’s not like basketball where it’s pretty much like a yo yo. Something simple like a hard tackle energizes a side to launch an attack and keep pressure on. The ad breaks take the top off the pressure bottle and change that momentum. It’s really quite frustrating seeing that change and it’s not like 45 minutes is a ridiculously long time for sporting action to take place anyway. That’s why fans are booing, they see the way this changes things and it isn’t for the better.
Momentum builds and falls in all action sports - just happens at different times and for different reasons. Basketball and hockey are more anaerobic, so the momentum changes are highly tied to fatigue and recovery. Soccer is mostly aerobic, so fatigue doesn’t factor much into momentum - tactical strength does.
Game strategy and tactical plans are set by coaches, executed by players. In long run periods, tactical changes shifts to players (they have to figure things out while playing). Coaches take it back and recalibrate at breaks.
In soccer that was once a game (halftime), now it’s 3 times. Hard to say whether the will hurt the game or just hurt its feelings.
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