It's true that trump asked for a review, which whatever, it's weird perhaps but not for trump really so I don't get it. he probably calls to complain about who gets kicked off real housewives - the dude is odd that way. FIFA's statement is what it is too... trump calls about a lot.... and it was already under review... and it is a standard process... which is probably some true/ some false...
But here's why caring is bonkers. It wasn't a red card. Ignore all the politics... trump, fifa, uefa, belguim, the experts on this forum...
it was a "stepping action" and it was "under control". so duh * duh and belguim can eat dirt. I don't think it does their team any good to whine about having to play USA at full strength... those are baby tears.
If anyone wants to argue VAR protocol and how it's used.. fine... but don't... because it shouldn't have been a RED CARD before that.
For me... I wanted them to beat Belgium without Balogun. cause that's what launches them to a real shot here. that catalyzes a team. beating someone in spite of everything. They probably have Spain next and then France and then Argentina so like.. beat Belgium and I hope this noise doesn't hurt us.
While it was a nice run and would have been sweet to see the USA advance the whole thing was over shadowed by an egomaniac. Now the media is freaking out because of “The Dance” to mock him. Should have seen that coming.
I know I’m not alone in thinking that Sports are a great diversion from the every day World, a good stress reliever. I only wish self-serving politicians would let us have that and mind their own business.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
it boils down to importance. if soccer mattered in our country, we'd be a force to be reckoned with every four years based on sheer numbers. because it's not, things happen like us getting humiliated by a country with a population that is roughly 3.5% the size of ours. Belgium has a mid-tier striker coming off the bench that is better than anyone we could manage to start, for crying out loud. our best player has lived in the United States for a grand total of two months in his entire life. he selected us to play for because he knew he'd never see the light of day if he was on England's roster. (he grew up in London.) imagine what our team would have looked like without that table scrap? there are more people who live within 10 square miles of me than the entire population of Cape Verde, yet they went toe to toe with the defending WC champs (Argentina). meanwhile, we get boat raced on our own soil by a team that couldn't even beat Egypt or Iran in group play. as i said in the gambling thread, mediocre at the absolute very best is all the USMNT will ever be.
I think that you’re lamenting a wave which is approaching. Talent follows the money in sports and that is there. I think we’re a generation away.
It was a bad game but that’s that.
i'll believe it when i see it. we're light years away from the finish line, and there isn't a fission-fragment rocket out there with enough thrust to get us there while any of us are still breathing. Belgium is a nice team, but they're not upper echelon. we haven't even reached a point where we can beat teams that allow us to run with the big dogs. imagine that performance we witnessed last night against Spain in the next round, and do so with a straight face. it was the equivalent of watching an SEC or Big 10 team play a non-conference cupcake -- the disparity in talent was sharply delineated. and it took no time at all for that to be realized. the ambush commenced when the game itself started, as they peppered our goal with 6 shots in the first 10 minutes and scored.
350 million people and we've made the quarters once since i've been alive. can't wait to hear the same verse of the same song 4 years from now.
Conditioning. The US team was thoroughly and physically dominated by a group of guys who were WAAAAAYYYY ahead of them in terms of being able to keep up. Never mind the country allegiance or numbers, it boiled down to a simple matter of who was better qualified to run up and down the pitch for so long. Our guys were already gassed by the time the 2nd half began. They never mounted enough of a threat to cause a shiver in the Belgians. They were slow and couldn't even get off a shot until given a free kick and a good fortune goal. Then they coughed it right back up. Oh well. Little kids in this country will still have their dreams. But this ain't our sport.
mago i love you man, but i watched a different game than you did. per my previous post, the onslaught happened immediately. i personally knew within 10 minutes that we were cooked. they were more skilled than us in every phase of the game, and it showed. moreover, they played pissed, for one very conspicuous reason. our guys had the look of a team that KNEW they were inferior, and they played as if they were resigned to their fate.
if we have 20 & 30 somethings on our team who weigh 165-175 pounds and run out of gas by half, then we have even bigger fish to fry than finding elite players to field a team.
edit: i've watched Messi a couple of times and i have yet to see him hit the fumes stage. and that dude qualifies for the senior discount at Golden Corral.
Conditioning can become a problem when you can’t control the midfield. Pulisic was lost in that game.
I saw a team that came out flat and had multiple lapses. Whatever it was that wasn’t the best version of team USA. Where you’re not wrong at all is the depth of the US vs the depth of Belgium.
Even with the sloppy play and mistakes, they still only were a goal down at half. Pretty remarkable. I think there was a shred of hope until the 2nd half quickly developed into a Belgian stomp. Yup, they were pissed. It caved in from there. Biggest disappointment was Pulisic. Couldn't do a darn thing with that soccer ball. Sigh.
Cheers to Eddie Vedder, though, who tried to rally the crowd.
pretty fitting that the guy dubbed "Captain America" injured himself and left the game for good. he was an abomination the entire WC. in 4 games, zero goals and one assist. when the next one rolls around, he'll be on the wrong side of 30.
one last comment. our goalie. here we are, trying to get the world to take us seriously, and our keeper decides to come out and perform his best impersonation of a 3-yr-old on a soccer field. you know, where little tykes run the wrong way, shoot at the wrong goal, and pick the ball up with their hands out of nowhere with moms and dads yelling in symphony? that's what that little episode looked like to me.
per my request in the gambling thread, someone please play the Benny Hill theme music and turn it up for the people in the back
But as far as the USA game goes it really wasnt as bad as its being made out to be. They were in it the whole time and controlling the 2nd half until that god awful moronic 3rd goal happened which should have never happened which I cant even type what I think about that decision. Thats what broke their back. The fourth goal who cares game was over a couple minutes left they were waiting to go home at that point.
The moral victory stuff and all that nonsense is garbage but if the goalie didnt do that stupid crap mistake they were in it
I mean the defense lapsed before the keeper even needed to come out of the box to make a play and then he thought... possession! and then it was over. I blame the Cape Verde keeper...
There's this guy named Pele that would argue he may have been the best. Most sports fans have never even heard of him. He is described with one word: Spectacular.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
@Maywood said:
There's this guy named Pele that would argue he may have been the best. Most sports fans have never even heard of him. He is described with one word: Spectacular.
When I was a kid in the 70’s with my brothers we knew the name Pele. Never watched soccer. I don’t think it was ever on TV. But that’s how famous he was. Never saw a hockey game but knew who Gordie Howe was. Never watched a nascar race but knew who Richard Petty was. Some people just transcend their sport.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s Pele was doing things that Messi can only dream about. He did a lot for Soccer, even helping a generation of Americans to start playing. And he hung around long enough to win three World Cup trophies. He was so far above his peers that they used words like “god” to describe how he played.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Messi is better than Pele. The Brazilian teams he played on were better than the Argentina teams Messi has been on thats it. Hes still dominating and his first WC game was in 2006 2 decades agp
The teams that Pele played on won the World Cup 3 of the 4 years he competed. He was the team leader and undisputed best player on those teams, quitting World Cup play when he was 30 years old.
Messi, by comparison, is 39 years old and in his 6th World Cup with one trophy.
Someone please enter this thread and say “end of debate” before Mr. KnowItAll makes some inane argument.
Please!!
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
So he better because of team accomplishments when Messi has twice his goals and still dominating in his 40 with multiple records in the best league in the world in Europe?
basebal guy, I don’t think you’re stupid but sometimes you test me. A little investigation will show that Pele was more than just a player on a team that won World Cup trophies.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Something to consider:
Both Pelé and Messi played in their 1st World Cup tournaments when they were around 18.
Pele won at 18 and quit WC play at 30 with 3 trophies.
Messi didn’t win a tournament until he was about 36.
Messi might be considered the best player when all play is considered, but Pele can’t be matched in World Cup play. He’s sort of the Tom Brady and Babe Ruth of soccer.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
If you think some of the 2026 WC games can get a bit rough... especially watching teams like Paraguay... you would think what Pele had to deal with was assault - because it was.
But. facts before fun.
twice his goals? what? Pele's total is well over 1,000 vs. Messi's ~850.
Pele was the undisputed best player of his era and everyone knew it. Messi - he's one of the best. Pele's peers largely considered him the greatest player ever and he earned the respect of his greatest opponents - and the opinion of the guys, like Bobby Moore and Di Stefano, who he played against would disagree with BB21 here.
@Maywood said:
basebal guy, I don’t think you’re stupid but sometimes you test me. A little investigation will show that Pele was more than just a player on a team that won World Cup trophies.
Do you even read comments? At no point did I ever say he was a role player.
Is Pele great yes anyone thats payed any attention to soccer what so ever knows that.
Your entire argument is that a single person is why a team won. As I have already told you the Brazil teams Pele was on were better than Messis teams. Youre arguing to argue.
A single player doesnt win WCs, teams do. Messi is the better player Pele was a great player on better teams
It’s true that Pele played with the second best player in soccer in Garrincha - who also said Pele was the best. I don’t think they ever lost a match they both played in.
They dont win in 58 or 70 without Pele. There’s no point in the comparison.
Pele was the greatest player on the planet - Messi isn’t the best player on Argentina.
@galaxy27 said:
one last comment. our goalie. here we are, trying to get the world to take us seriously, and our keeper decides to come out and perform his best impersonation of a 3-yr-old on a soccer field. you know, where little tykes run the wrong way, shoot at the wrong goal, and pick the ball up with their hands out of nowhere with moms and dads yelling in symphony? that's what that little episode looked like to me.
per my request in the gambling thread, someone please play the Benny Hill theme music and turn it up for the people in the back
Should have had "Hatch" playing goalie (Sly Stallone).
@bgr said:
It’s true that Pele played with the second best player in soccer in Garrincha - who also said Pele was the best. I don’t think they ever lost a match they both played in.
They dont win in 58 or 70 without Pele. There’s no point in the comparison.
Pele was the greatest player on the planet - Messi isn’t the best player on Argentina.
So the guy tied for the most goals in WC THIS year, all time leader in WC goals and assists, better club stats than Pele and many records in the best league, got another assist to lead a come back, and is still dominating at the age of 39 and the best player on the planet isnt a comparison?
Yea okay. Tell me you just started watching your first soccer games without telling me you just started lol
You are right there is no comparison its Messi. Ronaldo is the only argument and Messi has separated himself and now they play each other in the WC final.
When comparing two players it's always easy to say a player is the "best" when he's still playing. I would ask the basebal gu if he ever watched Pele play?? Since you're hung up on the stats, take a look at the two players after four World Cups. In his first four World Cups Messi scored 6 goals, but that's how many Pele scored in his first World Cup in 1958 at the age of 17. But really, it isn't just about scoring goals. When Pele was playing, just as it is now with Messi, the opponent concentrates so much on that one player that it alters the game.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Comments
The power of influence my friend. From the highest chair in all the land.
here comes the blowback
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DTATyp1vA/
@ElMagoStrikeZone
All I know is I’m courting FIFA if I get so much as a parking ticket.
The Red Card was absolute garbage but yes its pretty clear who talked to them to get them to make things right
Fire AJ Preller
You guys are bonkers.
Drunken British hooligans we are not.
It's true that trump asked for a review, which whatever, it's weird perhaps but not for trump really so I don't get it. he probably calls to complain about who gets kicked off real housewives - the dude is odd that way. FIFA's statement is what it is too... trump calls about a lot.... and it was already under review... and it is a standard process... which is probably some true/ some false...
But here's why caring is bonkers. It wasn't a red card. Ignore all the politics... trump, fifa, uefa, belguim, the experts on this forum...
it was a "stepping action" and it was "under control". so duh * duh and belguim can eat dirt. I don't think it does their team any good to whine about having to play USA at full strength... those are baby tears.
If anyone wants to argue VAR protocol and how it's used.. fine... but don't... because it shouldn't have been a RED CARD before that.
For me... I wanted them to beat Belgium without Balogun. cause that's what launches them to a real shot here. that catalyzes a team. beating someone in spite of everything. They probably have Spain next and then France and then Argentina so like.. beat Belgium and I hope this noise doesn't hurt us.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
What the actual f was that from the USA goalie.
How the hell do you screw up that badly and that stupidly to give up another goal
Fire AJ Preller
We are in agreement. I’m looking into dual citizenship
Like the old AOL program used to say when you logged out: "GOODBYE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Back to focusing on U-12 soccer. Honestly the US team could use a little work on their half moon too.
i wonder how much Portnoy parked on our guys
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
While it was a nice run and would have been sweet to see the USA advance the whole thing was over shadowed by an egomaniac. Now the media is freaking out because of “The Dance” to mock him. Should have seen that coming.
I know I’m not alone in thinking that Sports are a great diversion from the every day World, a good stress reliever. I only wish self-serving politicians would let us have that and mind their own business.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
it boils down to importance. if soccer mattered in our country, we'd be a force to be reckoned with every four years based on sheer numbers. because it's not, things happen like us getting humiliated by a country with a population that is roughly 3.5% the size of ours. Belgium has a mid-tier striker coming off the bench that is better than anyone we could manage to start, for crying out loud. our best player has lived in the United States for a grand total of two months in his entire life. he selected us to play for because he knew he'd never see the light of day if he was on England's roster. (he grew up in London.) imagine what our team would have looked like without that table scrap? there are more people who live within 10 square miles of me than the entire population of Cape Verde, yet they went toe to toe with the defending WC champs (Argentina). meanwhile, we get boat raced on our own soil by a team that couldn't even beat Egypt or Iran in group play. as i said in the gambling thread, mediocre at the absolute very best is all the USMNT will ever be.
it's what it's.
I think that you’re lamenting a wave which is approaching. Talent follows the money in sports and that is there. I think we’re a generation away.
It was a bad game but that’s that.
i'll believe it when i see it. we're light years away from the finish line, and there isn't a fission-fragment rocket out there with enough thrust to get us there while any of us are still breathing. Belgium is a nice team, but they're not upper echelon. we haven't even reached a point where we can beat teams that allow us to run with the big dogs. imagine that performance we witnessed last night against Spain in the next round, and do so with a straight face. it was the equivalent of watching an SEC or Big 10 team play a non-conference cupcake -- the disparity in talent was sharply delineated. and it took no time at all for that to be realized. the ambush commenced when the game itself started, as they peppered our goal with 6 shots in the first 10 minutes and scored.
350 million people and we've made the quarters once since i've been alive. can't wait to hear the same verse of the same song 4 years from now.
Conditioning. The US team was thoroughly and physically dominated by a group of guys who were WAAAAAYYYY ahead of them in terms of being able to keep up. Never mind the country allegiance or numbers, it boiled down to a simple matter of who was better qualified to run up and down the pitch for so long. Our guys were already gassed by the time the 2nd half began. They never mounted enough of a threat to cause a shiver in the Belgians. They were slow and couldn't even get off a shot until given a free kick and a good fortune goal. Then they coughed it right back up. Oh well. Little kids in this country will still have their dreams. But this ain't our sport.
mago i love you man, but i watched a different game than you did. per my previous post, the onslaught happened immediately. i personally knew within 10 minutes that we were cooked. they were more skilled than us in every phase of the game, and it showed. moreover, they played pissed, for one very conspicuous reason. our guys had the look of a team that KNEW they were inferior, and they played as if they were resigned to their fate.
if we have 20 & 30 somethings on our team who weigh 165-175 pounds and run out of gas by half, then we have even bigger fish to fry than finding elite players to field a team.
edit: i've watched Messi a couple of times and i have yet to see him hit the fumes stage. and that dude qualifies for the senior discount at Golden Corral.
Conditioning can become a problem when you can’t control the midfield. Pulisic was lost in that game.
I saw a team that came out flat and had multiple lapses. Whatever it was that wasn’t the best version of team USA. Where you’re not wrong at all is the depth of the US vs the depth of Belgium.
Even with the sloppy play and mistakes, they still only were a goal down at half. Pretty remarkable. I think there was a shred of hope until the 2nd half quickly developed into a Belgian stomp. Yup, they were pissed. It caved in from there. Biggest disappointment was Pulisic. Couldn't do a darn thing with that soccer ball. Sigh.
Cheers to Eddie Vedder, though, who tried to rally the crowd.
pretty fitting that the guy dubbed "Captain America" injured himself and left the game for good. he was an abomination the entire WC. in 4 games, zero goals and one assist. when the next one rolls around, he'll be on the wrong side of 30.
one last comment. our goalie. here we are, trying to get the world to take us seriously, and our keeper decides to come out and perform his best impersonation of a 3-yr-old on a soccer field. you know, where little tykes run the wrong way, shoot at the wrong goal, and pick the ball up with their hands out of nowhere with moms and dads yelling in symphony? that's what that little episode looked like to me.
per my request in the gambling thread, someone please play the Benny Hill theme music and turn it up for the people in the back
we kinda deserve this, no ? 😅
technically it's voetbal for the Dutch so I'm missing the dig. US fans do deserve to get trolled a bit though.
And there he went again today doing Messi things.
Messis the best player of all time
But as far as the USA game goes it really wasnt as bad as its being made out to be. They were in it the whole time and controlling the 2nd half until that god awful moronic 3rd goal happened which should have never happened which I cant even type what I think about that decision. Thats what broke their back. The fourth goal who cares game was over a couple minutes left they were waiting to go home at that point.
The moral victory stuff and all that nonsense is garbage but if the goalie didnt do that stupid crap mistake they were in it
Fire AJ Preller
I mean the defense lapsed before the keeper even needed to come out of the box to make a play and then he thought... possession! and then it was over. I blame the Cape Verde keeper...
There's this guy named Pele that would argue he may have been the best. Most sports fans have never even heard of him. He is described with one word: Spectacular.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
When I was a kid in the 70’s with my brothers we knew the name Pele. Never watched soccer. I don’t think it was ever on TV. But that’s how famous he was. Never saw a hockey game but knew who Gordie Howe was. Never watched a nascar race but knew who Richard Petty was. Some people just transcend their sport.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s Pele was doing things that Messi can only dream about. He did a lot for Soccer, even helping a generation of Americans to start playing. And he hung around long enough to win three World Cup trophies. He was so far above his peers that they used words like “god” to describe how he played.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Messi is better than Pele. The Brazilian teams he played on were better than the Argentina teams Messi has been on thats it. Hes still dominating and his first WC game was in 2006 2 decades agp
Fire AJ Preller
The teams that Pele played on won the World Cup 3 of the 4 years he competed. He was the team leader and undisputed best player on those teams, quitting World Cup play when he was 30 years old.
Messi, by comparison, is 39 years old and in his 6th World Cup with one trophy.
Someone please enter this thread and say “end of debate” before Mr. KnowItAll makes some inane argument.
Please!!
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
The idea is preposterous and the comparison is meaningless. ignore it.
Messi has the all time goal record and is still adding and is almost double
Messis club stats even ignoring his MLS are also better
Fire AJ Preller
and Pele isn't even his name!
…………….and don’t act like Pele never scored any goals, it’s just that he was too busy winning World Cup Championships.
Get a grip.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
So he better because of team accomplishments when Messi has twice his goals and still dominating in his 40 with multiple records in the best league in the world in Europe?
Fire AJ Preller
basebal guy, I don’t think you’re stupid but sometimes you test me. A little investigation will show that Pele was more than just a player on a team that won World Cup trophies.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
Something to consider:
Both Pelé and Messi played in their 1st World Cup tournaments when they were around 18.
Pele won at 18 and quit WC play at 30 with 3 trophies.
Messi didn’t win a tournament until he was about 36.
Messi might be considered the best player when all play is considered, but Pele can’t be matched in World Cup play. He’s sort of the Tom Brady and Babe Ruth of soccer.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin
If you think some of the 2026 WC games can get a bit rough... especially watching teams like Paraguay... you would think what Pele had to deal with was assault - because it was.
But. facts before fun.
twice his goals? what? Pele's total is well over 1,000 vs. Messi's ~850.
Pele was the undisputed best player of his era and everyone knew it. Messi - he's one of the best. Pele's peers largely considered him the greatest player ever and he earned the respect of his greatest opponents - and the opinion of the guys, like Bobby Moore and Di Stefano, who he played against would disagree with BB21 here.
Do you even read comments? At no point did I ever say he was a role player.
Is Pele great yes anyone thats payed any attention to soccer what so ever knows that.
Your entire argument is that a single person is why a team won. As I have already told you the Brazil teams Pele was on were better than Messis teams. Youre arguing to argue.
A single player doesnt win WCs, teams do. Messi is the better player Pele was a great player on better teams
Fire AJ Preller
It’s true that Pele played with the second best player in soccer in Garrincha - who also said Pele was the best. I don’t think they ever lost a match they both played in.
They dont win in 58 or 70 without Pele. There’s no point in the comparison.
Pele was the greatest player on the planet - Messi isn’t the best player on Argentina.
Should have had "Hatch" playing goalie (Sly Stallone).
@bgr Pele and Stallone were teammates
So the guy tied for the most goals in WC THIS year, all time leader in WC goals and assists, better club stats than Pele and many records in the best league, got another assist to lead a come back, and is still dominating at the age of 39 and the best player on the planet isnt a comparison?
Yea okay. Tell me you just started watching your first soccer games without telling me you just started lol
You are right there is no comparison its Messi. Ronaldo is the only argument and Messi has separated himself and now they play each other in the WC final.
Fire AJ Preller
Ronaldo isn't Spanish
When comparing two players it's always easy to say a player is the "best" when he's still playing. I would ask the basebal gu if he ever watched Pele play?? Since you're hung up on the stats, take a look at the two players after four World Cups. In his first four World Cups Messi scored 6 goals, but that's how many Pele scored in his first World Cup in 1958 at the age of 17. But really, it isn't just about scoring goals. When Pele was playing, just as it is now with Messi, the opponent concentrates so much on that one player that it alters the game.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," --- Benjamin Franklin