Yeah, kind of comical...they brought him in as coach knowing he prioritizes a strong defense...he builds his roster for that purpose, he is successful with his late game defensive subbing through the group, and knock out phase. And then fans want him to "go for it" when they are up just a goal against a ridiculously dangerous really talented attacking side....either way they lose. Argentina is much more than just Messi...they're the foundation his success is built on. Should be an epic final
Yeah, people won't remember the wins against Mexico and Belgium, etc. He's gonna be forever known for "blowing" the semifinal. Let's face it, if he'd continued attacking as if it was 0-0 and they lost 2-1 he'd be getting vilified for not parking the bus. Such is the way of fandom. Similar for Poch. He had the US playing maybe as well as they've ever played in the World Cup. Then one bad game, and that's what he'll be remembered for. Have to say though, Tuchel is as tightly wound as they come. After the win over Belgium, no smile, just grimacing, complaing about how his team played. At the end of the day you wonder how much of that "tight winding" did his team in. They played not to lose at the end. Loosen up, dude! Life will be better and you'll probably be more successful to boot.
Tuchel deserved to lose when he decided to park the bus for over a half-hour. He must have taken coaching lessons from Kinnear, because I could swear I was watching Domball yesterday…
Bring back the empty bucket!! "If you can keep the other team from scoring you have a good chance of getting something out of the game" - Dominic Kinnear, on his coaching philosophy
Missing World Cup? You can watch St. Louis - Sporting KC tonight!!! From Messi and Bellingham to Chris Durkin and Ethan Bartlow!
As well as CF Montréal - Toronto FC (just started) and Seattle Sounders FC - Portland Timbers later tonight. Then tomorrow it’ll be Nashville SC - Atlanta United FC and Los Angeles Galaxy - Los Angeles FC, followed by the MLS Wrap-up Show. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
What I don’t understand is why the MLS “Can I Kick It?” ad didn’t have Thomas Muller in it?! One of the most recognizable people in footy, but instead, I saw Dayne St. Claire, Roldan, Arfsten, and other far less famous players. Isn’t Apple TV available worldwide?
Overall, he had a good tournament as a coach. England is a good team, but they are not a great team. I would suggest that they could have still pressed a little more and not dropped back so much. Argentina has shown repeatedly the ability to break down low block defenses. I think the two best teams of the tournament made it to the finals. France's midfield and left defender was their undoing. England lacked quickness and skill. No, there was no fix. Yes, there was few decisions by the officiating staff that I would have liked changed, but overall, it was one of the better officiated games. They let the teams play and not go with all of the diving and fake injuries. I still would like to see holding in the box addressed more...
Speaking of ghosting, did you guys watch today’s quick montage of various MLS players (occasionally updated as time passes) that has always kicked off every Apple TV MLS broadcast? For the first time ever in the Apple TV deal era, it included some San Jose Earthquakes players. In particular, there was a shot of Beau Leroux shooting the ball, and a few seconds later a shot of a jogging Timo Werner pointing upward after apparently scoring a goal (both wearing the primary kit). I suppose being at or very near the top of the league has its extra perks. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
Visually, the Apple TV MLS games’ 1080p resolution (i.e. Blu-ray disc quality) is still better than the 720p resolution of FOX and ABC/ESPN, and even better than the 1080i resolution of NBC Sports California / Bay Area. However, once I’d gotten used to watching all of the FIFA World Cup games in the 2160p resolution of FOX 4K for the past month, the drop back down to the 1080p resolution of the Apple TV MLS games is noticeable in a way that it hadn’t been before. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
There was also supposed to be a Chicago Fire FC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC match today, but it had to be rescheduled to October. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
I thought things were bad in NYC, but the Chicago AQI is in the 400s. I guess the rest of the US can stop making snarky jokes about California wildfires.
Last few summers / falls haven’t been bad here (knock on wood) and despite a recent short hot spell the last 2 summers have been pretty mild. Again knock on wood, but we’re very fortunate.
“Why MLS Is Restarting Even Though the 2026 World Cup Is Not Over” (SI.com - Thursday, 7/16/26) Antoine Griezmann already scored in a summer friendly with Orlando City. (Alex Menendez/Getty Images) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! GO USA!!! VAI BRASIL!!! -G
That article ignores the Quakes game on July 22. Worse, dismisses it with the lie that tonight’s and tomorrow’s games are the only ones until Thursday July 23. Ironic since the photo shows Griezemann, who could debut in the game vs San Jose. Fake News.
It's in the low 200s in East Rutherford right now. People will just have to hold their breath for a few hours. P.S. There was an NWSL game yesterday between Gotham FC and Washington Spirit in similar conditions. As far as I know, the players all survived.
I don't understand why Beckham is the first Billionaire footballer, cuz I thought Messi must have been worth that much awhile ago. Unless the stuff I read was that Becks is the first BIllionaire English footballer...
He had lots of capital to work with through big A-list endorsements during and after his playing career, and had access to special investment opportunities due to his status (i.e. buying into Inter Miami on the cheap). He was probably the first soccer superstar who was a mainstream pop culture A-list celebrity as well.
And I think Ronaldo hit a billion before Messi, helped by the insane amount of money he is making in the camel league.
Messi is also a billionaire according to Forbes. Beckham is a decade older and also his wife has a lot of wealth from the fashion biz.