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

That is just bollox .........and coming from an Argentinian too! There is only one set of supporters and one team that will be singing racist and xenophobic songs later today and it won't be the English!

 

I don’t know but I think it’s the history of their fans (which is not as bad as it once was) and the legacy of the British empire and British imperialism and all it wrought.

Also that they act like they invented the sport but haven’t really won much over the years. Can football come home if it’s never been home?

But I do think they’re going to win today and I put them as slight underdogs against Spain but they definitely could win that game also.

 

That's because they did! No matter how bad or good their international team does England is 'the home of football' no matter how much you can't stand that fact!!

The USA will always be 'the home of American Football' no matter how good or bad they are at it - I assume you don't have an issue with that statement?

 

I didn't say anything about Argentines being innocent. I was answering the question from a USA perspective, since the question was about why a USA fan would not like England. I wouldn't even say a USA fan shouldn't like England, just trying to explain why people could feel that way regardless.

 

🌎 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Lamine, Cubarsí, Olmo, Pedri, Ferran, Eric, Gavi and Joan Garcia are through to the final after Spain’s 2-0 win over France. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UfWxlTPlHo

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 14, 2026

I think one thing that helps Spain play the way they do is that so many of the key guys are all on the same club team. And there’s a very Barcelona DNA in how they play. Hard to replicate.

 

I don’t think American football will ever grow particular popular globally but I also wouldn’t really feel a sense of ownership if it did.

Basketball was invented by a Canadian. You don’t see the Canadian’s running around telling everyone that basketball is coming home do you?

 

They also replace Olmo and Ruiz with Merino and Pedri. Good lord, we talk about France's depth but that's nuts.

 

We all hate England because English fans feel the need to lecture us (and everyone) about the sport.

Exhibits are there for all to see in these threads.

 

You may say to don't 'really feel a sense of ownership' but I don't think the US population would say the same (I wonder how rich I'd be if I got a quid everytime I heard the phrase 'Americas game') ................anyway what you 'feel' is beside the point, the USA IS the 'home of American Football' and that is an undeniable FACT.

 

Thats bollox! Is everybody in the world allowed to voice their opinions on here EXCEPT the English?

 

Their midfield and depth in midfield very much the strength of their team and what makes them so good.

Not that they don’t have good players elsewhere but their midfield is what makes them go.

Also a bit wild that they start the third best of their three goalies.

 

Did you see that crazy stat about Fabian Ruiz?

I'm not going to go thru the thread to see if people have mentioned it.

Fabián Ruiz has never lost with Spain across all 49 of his international appearances.
34 wins and 15 draws across 49 caps, an unbeaten record for Spain


[He's been involved in one loss. The 2025 Nations League final to Portugal that they lost on penalties. Technically a draw.]

Also, Fabian Ruiz (who I doubt that I could have picked out of a lineup before this event) has a ridiculous trophy cabinet.

 

By the way, one other stat I saw yesterday.
There are no Real Madrid players on Spain. None. [Although Cucurella is moving there.]

But still broke this reacord. [Mbappe, Bellingham, Vinicious Jr., etc. etc.]

Inter Miami ain't doing too shabby, by the way. Inter Miami are in 6th. All one player, but its true nonetheless. Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Arsenal.................and then Inter Miami. [The Manchester United one is a little sketchy as Marcus Rashford's goals count for them since returning from loan.]

 

I think Cucurella counts and there were a number of Real Madrid players on the fringes who couldn’t quite make it. There’s been some Rodri to Real Madrid chatter also but it sounds like they want to wait a year till he’s a free agent as opposed to paying a fee now.

Notable that many of the Real Madrid players have looked very good at this World Cup. Part of it is their team is very talented but also pretty unbalanced. And the other part is the locker room seemed a bit dysfunctional (which I’m sure Mourinho will fix).

 

Kind of think the place having active race riots maybe should pipe down on that score

 

There are Madrid players that COULD have made Spain's team.

.....................Dean Huijsen probably should have made it. Madrid's fans have been adamant about that one.

Cucurella wasn't actually on Spain when the World Cup started. He is now, though.

Transfer activity for players at the World Cup is pretty limited. That sale during the event was a pretty weird one...........................

 

I don't, really. He's never played a game for them. He was selected for the team before he signed for them. I know this is all semantics but what it really is indicative of is Madrid has basically started chasing whatever big name is out there and ignoring talent at home.

 

I'd probably have phrased it differently: as an American who follows the sport, we're awash in Anglocentrism in the form of announcers, pundits, writers, other fans, etc. They vary from the simple inane lecturing - "it's football, not soccer, you moronic septic!" - to subtle, such as the frequent referring to English connections in the game that may have no connection to England at all, such as announcers announcing for the American audience always having to discuss Premiership implications in, say, World Cup or MLS matches.

We live with it because (a) the English are often vastly superior to American alternatives, (b) the successful marketing of the Premier League in the USA, and (c) our inferiority complex. But when the shoe is on the other foot - such as American commenting in British fora - the reaction is often wildly angry. And you'd never imagine, say, Brits putting up with an American commentator announcing a World Cup game on British TV, let alone the Premier League.

Frankly, I'm sure it's precisely the same in other countries, even worse. I'd guess the Italians are more self-centered than the English. But we don't have them in every level of the media covering the game in the US, we have the English (or occasionally Scots or Irish), which is why we hear it all the time.

 

There aren't actually that many Spanish regulars on Real Madrid.
Perhaps there's a Champions League reason that they needed to bring in a domestically produced player like Cucurella.
We know they have those rules. [Which is why English clubs always have 2nd/3rd string English keepers. Scott Carson at Man City was a great example.] AThey had three Spaniards leave this offseason already(notably Caravajal) and probably needed to reach their number.

Right now on wikipedia there are only five Spanish internationals listed (and that includes Cucurella)
There are some Spanish-born players that represent other nations like Brahim Diaz.

Madrid fans were outraged by the lack of players on Spain's World Cup squad. But....................................if you're outraged, then talk to Madrid management.

De la Fuente didn't give a damn. Didn't succumb to the inevitable pressure to take players from that club.
Spain World Cup roster: Why no Real Madrid players?

"Honestly, I don't attach any importance to that fact [no Madrid players in squad]," De la Fuente told Cadena Ser.

"I want there to be plenty of Spanish players capable of meeting the standards required of a national team to compete in a World Cup. Whether that's at Real Madrid, Barça, Sevilla or wherever."

 

Sure but the deal is done, he’s done his medical, etc. He is officially a Real Madrid player.

Whereas there are some guys with moves in progress that haven’t actually been finalized.

 

Part of this is also that 1)Barcelona has a culture of bringing up players through the youth academy and they’re been forced to do this even moreso with their financial issues, and 2) Real Madrid is about buying galacticos whether or not they are Spanish (and some are).

 

I don't get the argument that British commentators shouldn't mention the Premiership in tangential contexts. For example, John Strong won't shut up whenever there's a player on a national team who might have played for MLS in one season.

I guess to see a counterexample would be the next time Great Britain are in the Basketball World Cup or Olympics - do they have American commentators on BBC/ITV? Would the fans care if they mentioned the connection of every GB player and if they played in NBA?

 

Citing something that is annoying as an argument for someone else to do that same annoying thing is not persuading me.

 

It's not a sin, just an annoying tic IMO.

If some player who's had a glittering career has any connection to British clubs, that gets mentioned. That makes sense if your audience is British: "you may remember this guy who was on loan to Southampton 3 years ago" or "interesting side note, this player had a trial at Newcastle." So Strong is tying players to MLS for a US audience.

But for an American audience, all the little side notes are as if the audience is British because it's what matters to the announcers.

If Rae is doing the commenting today (again, for a US audience) he'll announce it like it's for British TV - how many times will they talk about Hand of God or Beckham's red card or "football's coming home"? It's not awful, but it's just an assumption that what matters to the English should matter to us. It's a burr under the saddle.

 

Definitely.

Its been more true than ever over the last couple of years.
If I remember correctly, 2023ish........Real Madrid fielded a starting XI for the first time with zero Spanish-born players. First time in their 100+ year history.
There was always some Spanish star like Raul or Sergio Ramos or Iker Casillas amongst those galacticos. Xabi Alonso. When Spain first won the World cup in 2010, a quarter of the roster was active Real Madrid players.

Its interesting to see the backgrounds of the players on this current squad. There's a lot more democratization of where players are coming from (as opposed to say.......2010).
The Baque players like Oyarzabal and Zubimendi having an impact. If there's a Z or an X in a Spanish players name, I assume they're Basque. Laporte is Basque, as we know.
There's a bunch of players on this team that got their start thru Villarreal. Rodri, for instance. Baena came thru there. Nico Williams. Fabian Ruiz got his start at Betis. Ferran Torres came thru at Valencia. Mikel Merino at Osasuna.

I'm admittedly coming from a place of being an outsider. It just seems like 25 years ago, Spain's national team was ,more Madrid/Barcelona dominant. Now its not as dependent on those players, much to their benefit. Or its just that de la Fuente isn't succumbing to the pressure to take players from those clubs.