I was one of the lucky bastards that got in on the initial lottery and paid thousands for nosebleed seats... But whatever, in the end a good showing will make it all worth it. GO USA!!!
No real surprises in the starting lineup other than Richards seems able to go despite not playing in the tune up games.
Very impressive game - whatever happens they’ll always have that first half. And so will we. Reminded me of the a Portugal game all those years ago, in the middle of the night.
What a game!!! Loved seeing Pulisic the generator! More of that please (hope his calf is ok). I’ve been on him for weeks and his unselfishness today reminded me of good old LD. Balogun tremendous. Richards was a beast on set pieces. And Ream so calm! Malik Tillman ran his legs off. GOOD. JOB.
Quite possibly one of the best performances by the men’s team in a tournament since we beat Spain in 2009. Not only did they play a beautiful brand of soccer, but the grit and team work from those Bruce and Bradley years were back too. Hard not to be excited by this team. They’ve been building up to this for a while, so I hope they can continue rolling and go deep. The Reyna goal had us going nuts in the Beirut household!
Can we have one damn Nats coach not open their mouth about MLS? I so appreciated the tactics and was feeling goodwill (watching the HBO documentary) - but this article is what I mean about condescending. The constant sh*tting on the domestic league by international coaches is exhausting. He essentially calls MLS players losers. https://t.co/4J4cDprqzA If you start an MLS club and three months later you haven’t won any matches and you’re at the bottom, what’s the consequence if there are no promotions, relegations, or international competition? American sport rewards losers! ^This is some bullsh*t. And the comparison of “feelings” in American soccer to Europe will be the death of me. Exhausting. I had it when JK went there, and I never want to see it again. Maybe, just maybe…focus on the tactics we can clearly see you’ve put in place. Contrary to what you think…we’re not stupid. EDIT: just realized it’s a Spanish outlet. Maybe playing to his audience. But the comment about Americans wanting to play and not compete was tone deaf. EDIT: there must be days Don Garber wants to drop kick something. Could help grow the domestic game. But NOPE!
In other news - the HBO documentary is making me love this team. Just got to Tim Weah crying over his card at Copa. It made me tear up. He was devastated. I REALLY like the showcasing of strategy from all coaching staff. Again, it makes me feel like there is an actual plan. It showed on Friday. The stories are wonderful. I’m so excited for this **team**!!!! KEEP IT GOING!
Yeah some typical Euro garbage in there - but I think when he say "Americans reward losers" he was talking about parity and American sports desire for a level playing field - and the fact that in most American sports, the teams that lose the most games get the best draft picks and weaker schedules for the following season, etc. Some sports like the NBA are even trying to fix that and do less rewarding of bad teams. So that comment may have lost a little in translation and been a short answer to a more nuanced conversation about how to not reward losing but also ensuring all teams are competitive. Euro-jocksniffers love to talk about the Barcelona's and Man City's, but the typical American fan doesn't see all the games every week where the top clubs trounce the bottom clubs who are being outspent 100-1 on salary, etc. Those games aren't much fun, so some rewards to ensure parity actually make a league more exciting.
Yeah the HBO series was excellent and really made me a big fan of several players. I LOVE Chris Richards now. Just an awesome dude.
Your post showed infinitely more nuance than his quote. This answer I would have been ok with it. His answer was downright lazy. It’s the lazy I have a problem with. If you are the coach of the national team I expect some homework on how sports - and in particular MLS - works here in America. Your national team. Instead it’s the same old lazy BS. I love international coaches that show they have done their homework. It’s what I loved about Nancy. His answers were smart. You’re supposed to be a tactician. If you give numbnut answers I’m going to treat you like a numbnut.
One of my favorites. Tim Ream is also such a great dude. Weah quiet but emotional. Loved Jedi Robinson. Matt Turners story… Such good stuff.
Late reaction, but wow! This match had everything. We were fortunate to get the early goal from a fortunate bounce (although there was nothing lucky about Pulisic's run to split the defenders) because it really set the match up for us, but comprehensive performance in all parts of the field. I criticize Balogun but both his finished were excellent and oozing confidence. Reyna's got a magnificent redemption goal. What more could you ask for? Hopefully they can keep the momentum and confidence.
The irony is Pochettino notoriously hasn't won much of note in his club managing career and lost 3 finals, including the Gold Cup.
It should be in their contract, STF up about MLS or say something nice. I share your frustration and I agree it's lazy at best, snobbery at middle, bullying at worst. Are they afraid?
Whoever did this won't make it to heaven!😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/0q0qn3Piya— Tereza Ann💙❤️ (@ann_tereza) June 19, 2026