2026 WC USA (et al): Worldwide Opponents Watch [all R's]

In that game the Us played what could easily be the starting back 6 tomorrow and gave up 2 goals. Mexico also started 5 different players than they started today.

If the US gets a result tomorrow it will not be because the US is just that much better. It will be because ball went in or didn't and the breaks broke right instead of wrong.

 

We both know that US squad was heavily rotated missing Pulisic/Balogun/Dest/Robinson/McKennie.

Mexico never rotates its squads because they are desperate for everything.

 

So? I was just saying that the Gold Cup is an invalid comparison between the two teams, and it is. Whether or not Meixco had their best team* is irrelevant, and in fact, their team being different probably makes the Gold Cup comparison even more useless. I even said I don't think the US is particularly good, so I'm not sure what you're going after.

I was and remain decently optimistic about Mexico, actually. I like their CBs and holding mid situation. They have depth there. I think Quinones and Jimenez are the type of guys to score without a lot of help. They have great home field and an easy ass road to the Round of 16.

I think the game changes for them when they face one of the better teams; I don't think that midfield can compete with the elite on a physical level, and the weak fullbacks may suddenly become an issue. There's going to be a disconnect between the back and the front. Mora's an elite talent, but he's 17; Gutierrez is not going to hold up against a strong defense as a playmaker. I think they have to take most of the creativity out of the midfield to hang against a Top team.

As for us, we have a much harder group because of the lack of a weak team. We should make it through, but we won't get a game like this.

* The World Cup team for Mexico is better than the GC because of Quinones. But Lira and Edson Alvarez are close; Gutierrez and Mora are close, and who cares about RB when those are your RBs? Keeper is probably worse because Malagon got hurt. Quinones is a difference maker, though. Now ... how many difference makers were we lacking?

 

Yeah the only thing that gold cup says about us is that we have crappy depth, but we already knew that.

 

Yes, you’re unintelligent so you may not understand but starting Pulisic/McKennie/Balogun/Robinson and Dest is a huge upgrade over Luna/De La Torre/Agyemang/Arfsten and Berhalter

 

And RSA qualified directly...and with a points deduction. Over Nigeria.

But they certainly are not the first to crap the bed at Azteca.

 

Provided Chris Richards can play, we don't have significant injuries keeping people home. There's three guys who might have made the roster but no one that made a huge impact over the course of the cycle. Knock on wood.

I know a lot of fans use the excuse, but it's applicable to the Gold Cup. It doesn't really explain our complete failure in Nations League or Copa America, but the GC? Yeah.

That GC team wasn't like '23 or '21 in its B-teamness, but it we played a guy who is maybe our third string striker (who had a hernia the whole time), we had almost zero wide attackers from the forward positions to the point that we played an 8 at RW in the final, and while our playmakers are pretty good, one didn't make the roster and one might start the 8 at the World Cup.

Do you think this is a particularly good Mexico team? I think it sets up to be perfectly fine but not very Mexico. Two really strong attackers for the tier of country we are both in; a solid defense and an uninspiring midfield. I know Mora is a great talent; he's 17.

Maybe I'm just too attached to the Herrera/Guardado days - but I don't expect a big run here. I think Jimenez and Quinones are good; I don't think they are that good.

 

South Africa's training base is in Pachuca, so a higher altitude than Mexico City. They were just pitiful.

 

I'm not looking forward to where that will go.

 

You must not have watched the 90s World Cups.

 

In our defense ...

Hurt: Balogun, Pepi, Dest, Jedi, (Pulisic)
Club World Cup: McKennie, Weah, Reyna

Every team has injuries, for sure, but we've been hit harder than most in our situation. Then toss in the CWC and it makes a material difference. We were rolling out Berhalter and Jack McGlynn as RWs in that Gold Cup ... Do we not think having say, McKennie and Weah from the CWC alone doesn't completely change our offensive dynamic?

We're not deep like France, but I also don't know that we're that much thinner than our peer group, either.

 

I'm so glad that I didn't have Ian Darke's job today, because I would've stumbled over that name every single time.

 

FIFA (supposedly) has rules for broadcasters during World Cup hydration breaks.

Fox broke them during the very first game, and even missed match action showing commercials...https://t.co/HuB2nOuQBD

— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) June 11, 2026

 

Yeah, I don't know where the jubilation came from when the draw was announced. It wasn't as difficult as it theoretically could've been, but it was one of the more difficult 2-3-4. We dodged a bullet getting Australia rather than some of the other killers in group 2 (Australia are no patsies, by the way, they're a solid side, just not the likes of Colombia or Morocco), but otherwise we really could've drawn much easier than Paraguay and especially Turkey. We got the hardest team in pot 4. Some drew Jordan or Cabo Verde or New Zealand (not counting Curaçao or Haiti). We got Türkiye.

But we are the best or or a close second-best team by talent in this group, and playing at home. We have no excuses not to perform and really ought to win the group. Winning the group would give us the advantage of staying on the West Coast through the R32 and R16 where the weather tends to be more favorable, as well. (Although I'm in a Bay Area California county today and it's 100 degrees right now. But it will be 84 tomorrowm, with low humidity.

 

I didn't think it was a red. Sure, there was arm-to-head (or neck), but it was neither violent nor intentional from my view. But presumably that's what FIFA has instructed refs to call, and this game serves as a very clear warning to everyone else.

 

Are you being serious? Really?

Your question frankly doesn't deserve a serious answer...

 

sometimes disagreement is hard

 

I don’t think it was a host country call at all. I think it was what FIFA has instructed (and likely told teams). An experienced VAR sent it down as a missed incident. I didn’t think it was on the first replay angle, but I thought together it was pretty clearly something FIFA wants to be a send off. (Whether they would want it to be a send off in the knock out stage may be different.) this ref knows what FIFA wants, and he knows if he wants big games (maybe even a semifinal or final) he needs to do what FIFA expects. No referee in the WC is looking to be the guy that gave three reds. And if a ref gives three and they aren’t what FIFA wants, it will cripple his future in the tournament.

 

I want the games to be fair, and fairly won or lost.

 

Well... I hate how terribly cynical the last few years have made me, but I'm sure FIFA will be happy to sweep it under the rug after a little cash gift from Fox, and maybe some hookers and blow. They're hand-waving away CPB turning away an accredited referee, after all...

 

I'd say there's crapping the bed, and then there's what South Africa did today. They will need a fire hose to spray down the whole room to clean all the explosive diarrhea out. I've never seen anywhere close to as poor a performance in a WC match as they put forth today.

 

I'm sure it's the end state FIFA wants, but I also think they are very happy to be "mad" at Fox right now.

They get to pretend they aren't the baddies, and they also get to blast Fox, who they tried to break their contract with.

For those that don't know, FIFA gave Fox the US rights at a reduced rate this World Cup because they changed the 2022 to the winter against the contract. So Fox got this at an absurdly low rate.

I'm sure FIFA is shedding no tears at being able to blame Fox.

 

There was a recent news article that suggested that FIFA had explored legal options in the last few years to get out of its 2026 handout to Fox and put the US TV rights back on the open market. Too bad.

While ESPN was amazing in 2010 and 2014, their programming has evolved in such a bad direction that I'm not totally sure that I would trust them with it. NBC would be the best option.