I'll have you know I worked rather hard on this line. Of all the rebounds in all the games ever played in the world, Lionel Messi walks into that one.
On the one hand, I fully get that this is Messi's last go-round, and the love-fest surrounding it. On the other, it feels so contrived and cynical...the enshittification of everything of value continues...then again, this is FOX, so no surprise. Conflicted between my burning hatred of all that is FIFA and its utterly unsurprising coziness with the American Reich (I really want it to go tits up financially). and my grudging acknowledgement that the on-field competition has been worthwhile so far, especially the better than expected performances of the "minnows". Wish it didn't feel so "Bread and circuses".
There was some sweet progressive combination play between Ronaldo & Fernandes on the edge of the area flubbed up by a bad touch from Fernandes.
" I'll be happy to administer "doses of medicine" to the overlords. Entirely coincidentally, Maximus is wielding my preferred delivery mechanism. "No worries, mate; I'll find a vein. Even one of yours, RFK Junior Junior. Especially yours.""
My favorite little blurb from this has to be: A KUOW analysis of World Cup spending concluded that Washington state is spending $120 million on hosting six matches, mostly for transit costs but also for such things as widening the pitch at the Seattle Seahawks‘ stadium. The Seattle tourism bureau only predicts $95.8 million in new tax receipts from hosting World Cup matches, meaning even the local agency inclined to take an optimistic view and ignore warnings that World Cup visitors will displace many regular tourists thinks that the public will end up taking a bath on hosting matches this summer. LOLWorld Cup report: Long lines, high prices, sea of red ink for host nations, windfall profits for FIFA https://www.fieldofschemes.com/2026...k-for-host-nations-windfall-profits-for-fifa/
Whoever said that expanding the tournament to 48 teams was a mistake because there would be a lot of lopsided results has clearly been proven wrong in this first round of games. Pete (was the one who said that about 10 pages ago)
If someone said Chicago could get six World Cup matches for $25M I would be in support. Granted I’d rather make $5M per game instead of pay it, I feel like that (admittedly optimistic) cost is a minimal burden for the long term benefits. This is why I always question studies that say the events aren’t worth it. I don’t necessarily expect them to profit on the day of the game. I’m not sure if the World’s Fair made money but it helped make Chicago. That’s just my general line of thinking on the issue.
Passing up on this World Cup by Rahm is looking worse and worse. A true master negotiator would have setup a host committee that would have made the guarantees, like Santa Clara. We own Soldier Field, missed out on a free FIFA turf that cost insane amounts, and $10 million in stadium revenue for costs FIFA reimbursements. Let alone the way the world would have ogled over our lakefront stadium. What an opportunity lost, total own goal.
Where the whole argument fails is that FIFA required the City and taxpayers to guarantee everything, that is not true. Chicago could have created a host committee guaranteed by our billionaire corporations. I know that committee would have had a way easier job of getting concessions from FIFA, again see Santa Clara who gets $6 from every ticket. Maybe we could have gotten $10 or $15 from every ticket, a new turf, and the cost reimbursements that would have hit $10million. That's before FEMA money and tax benefits. Since we own the stadium, we passed up on all of that, which is wild.
My daughter spotted it and came to tell me. Pete (credits the world cup for making at least one of his kids watch soccer without him)
I'm just enough of a cynical bastard that all I hear is "Hey, it's not my fault!" Pete (supposes it isn't)
Did anyone else find it odd that in the early part of the Portugal/Congo match the commentators were having a fine old time speculating how much Messi's hat trick pissed of Ronaldo last night? Pete (that that was awfully unprofessional of them)