I can't stand the "slide your leg quickly in front of the player between his leg in motion and the ball" foul (Tielemans PK vs Senegal, Gutierrez PK vs England, Tielemans foul vs Pulisic). It's not an attempt to play the ball or to win possession. It's an attempt solely to manufacture contact and draw a foul. In the Pulisic case, it also resulted in an injury to a key player. Wish they could somehow make a rule making this a foul going the other way. Or at the very least, have it be a mitigating factor so that it's not a way to manufacture a PK.
It's not a foul but I am curious where all the people who told me that Balogun's red was a red because the result of the play could result in injury and therefore it didn't matter that he wasn't making any kind of play at all.
I didn't hear what Donovan said but I did hear Holden say Pulisic should stop walking/limping around and go down before something happens.
Upon a little more research, albeit by Google, a bone bruise & a microfracture is the same thing and does not involve a break in the hard part of the bone, but damage to the spongy interior. It doesn't sound as if it even would require casting. I smell some PR spin…
We used to call a microfracture a "hairline" fracture. They probably won't use a cast but a boot or a brace to prevent further injury. I suspect he'll be on crutches.
I can see his PR team throwing in microfracture to give it some spin. Anyway sorry if this has been mentioned before but Alex Morgan played with a bone bruise for the entire 2015 World Cup. Played in every game, started 5 of 7. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/07/wnt-forward-alex-morgan-undergoes-minor-knee-surgery
I don't know if a microfracture and hairline fracture are the same thing. That doesn't sound right to me, but what do I know? Nothing. Folks will recall that Gio Reyna suffered a hairline fracture against Canada in the 2023 Nations League, and was out forever. So, doesn't have to be trivial. Edit: A hairline fracture is a small, actual crack on the outer surface of a bone that can sometimes be seen on an X-ray. In contrast, a microfracture (or bone bruise) refers to damage limited entirely to the inside, spongy portion of the bone, leaving the outer surface completely intact.
You're right and I'm wrong. "A hairline fracture is a thin, visible crack running all the way through the outer layer of a bone, while a microfracture is damage confined to the inner, spongy part of the bone without a visible crack on the outside. Both injuries result from overuse and require rest to heal."
Did we mention this elsewhere? It seems that Cameron Carter-Vickers is back. Will likely play this weekend against Milan in a pre-season friendly. Cameron Carter-Vickers glad to be back and relishing AC Milan test | OneFootball
Josh Wynder cannot seem to stay healthy Joshua Wynder tem uma entorse traumática e também não será opção para o jogo da 1ª mão da 2ª pré-eliminatória de aceso à fase liga da Liga Europa. Recuperação rápida, Wynder! pic.twitter.com/FBELCUYzUD— Information Glorious - SL Benfica (@InformGlorious2) July 22, 2026
Someone on Reddit posted that it's his knee, but no indication of severity or where they got the information from. I'm accepting it as plausible until I see more info from a trusted source.
As I posted in his YA thread, Johnny is back and participating fully in Atletico team training. He just played in a full 11 v 11 intra-squad scrimmage. Please stay healthy!
Maybe they could make the call depend on if the player gets the ball instead of just impeding the opponent from getting it. Kind of a judgement thing but could be added to obstruction. the hard part would be if the player gets fouled before getting the ball and the ref has to decide whether they would have gotten it if not fouled.
Don't tell me Gozo injured himself at the all-star game and now won't be available for a USMNT call up in September.— Marcus Chairez | US/SC (@USSoccerColl) August 2, 2026
He'd been listed as questionable with a hip injury. The September window is late in the month. Our players missing tonight's duel#STLvRSL | @Intermountain pic.twitter.com/HlLtmoRW6R— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 1, 2026
I think many of us might be underestimating the injury Pulisic suffered at the World Cup. Not the calf injury he suffered against Paraguay, but the injury that forced him to come off against Belgium. He didn't travel with the Milan squad for preseason. There's some hope that he'll be ready for the start of the league campaign, but of course he won't have been training with the team. Why isn’t Christian Pulisic isn’t playing for Milan against Inter in 2026 Derby della Madonnina club friendly? - World Soccer Talk Pulisic is unavailable for Milan’s clash with Inter because he is recovering from an injury suffered during the United States’ 2026 World Cup campaign. The American winger did not travel with Milan’s squad for the Australian tour and instead remained at Milanello to continue his rehabilitation program. According to reports from The Athletic, Pulisic suffered the injury during the United States’ Round of 16 defeat against Belgium after attempting a shot and colliding with Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans. Although he initially tried to continue, the pain eventually forced him to leave the match. Medical examinations later revealed that the 27-year-old star suffered a bone bruise and a microfracture around the tibia-fibula area of his right leg. Earlier reports from Italian media also described the issue as a microfracture to his right fibula.
I remember a few old national team players torching him after that game. Some are starting to sound desperate for attention. Donovan has fallen in my regards not for his past play but as a person. Spews out some nasty stuff at times. Anyone see his SD Loyal post where he cut a good player because everything was going to good? Really odd stuff for someone cut right before a WC.
Donovan the analyst is something that a psychologist should do a case study on. When he talks about himself, he's very open about his feelings, many of his failings, and he does so in a way that would make you think he would be very empathetic. And then he's not in the least. It's bizarre. He can talk in detail about his mental health issues, but he didn't have ANY understanding for Pulisic wanting a break. He can talk about how devastating it was to be cut from the World Cup squad and criticize Jurgen's uber macho way of managing, and then he pulls the same shit with the Loyal? It's a pretty common thing that people will give themselves a lot of breaks (oh, I didn't get that promotion because of politics) and not give others the benefit of the doubt, but this seems a next level version of not being able to apply their personal experience to others. Or not wanting to. And he doesn't seem like an arrogant narcissist. He just seems like he's so self-involved it's never occurred to him that others might be in the same places.
If everyone understood the fundamental attribution a error and how the internet supercharges it, our society would be a lot healthier.