Yup. Played like they were facing 2002 Brazil instead of the 2026 version

feels like there's gonna be too much focus on Japan giving the ball away before the goal and not enough on the goal itself because that's tremendous patience before playing the pass, a tremendous pass, and a tremendous finish

like Darke a lot and don't mind Donovan as much as some, but feels like they're doing viewers a disservice by acting like this would be some kind of Cape Verde-esque shock if Japan win this

y'all be nice to @mattbrown.bsky.social if this score holds

it's not anyone's fault and to some degree this always happens, but --only one of Brazil, Japan, Cote D'Ivoire or Norway can even make the quarterfinals and -- one of Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia or Ghana *have* to make the quarterfinals is still some hella frustrating bracket imbalance

I'm in a bar and couldn't hear the commentary and I would wager so much money that this was the Dellacamera/Lindsay team

On a list of all 48 World Cup teams, surely the team that least deserves to be snakebitten/emotionally destroyed is Iran and yet

Ok it could be a total boring disgrace or the best match of the tournament I guess

Tired: Algeria must defeat Austria to avenge the Disgrace of Gijon Wired: Austria must win in a situation where they only need a draw to undo the curse on their soccer souls

If there's one dude on the field you trust to say "screw your draw," it's Marko damn Arnautovic

obligatory "we out here" post

Heads-up I've got a buddy looking to sell 3 tickets (all together) for Uzbekistan-DR Congo at the Benz tonight. Lmk if any interest and I'll put you in touch. (Also I'll be there. Say hi to the one guy in a Huddersfield Town jersey.)

Ecuador's Donovan-vs-Algeria moment doesn't happen if 3rd-place teams don't advance, the coach doesn't climb a wall, all those fans we saw crying aren't crying, etc Still prefer top 2 only advance, but you definitely take the good with the bad

Man, I dunno. Unless I'm missing something they need ONE of --Austria-Algeria not to end in a draw when a draw benefits both --Ghana-Croatia not to end in a draw when a draw benefits both --Uzbekistan to not lose vs DR Congo Last one wouldn't shock me but don't think any of those are even 50/50

you can't ruin that moment it's either a goal or it isn't VAR, forever a blight

New Zealand pull one back! Egypt leads the group again!

not that I was expecting too much from the Kiwis in this one, but I was expecting something above Qatar-tier

can't say I was expecting 2 goals and a missed pen in the first 14 minutes of Egypt/Iran

Cape Verde advance!!!!! From the Cape Verdean Association in Bridgeport, Connecticut

WE ARE ALL BLUE SHARKS

we have reached "potential grave injustice" status

why am I so nervous watching two games where nothing has happened (c'monnnnnnn Blue Sharks)

oof size xtra large

long 45 minutes ahead and Saudi Arabia have had their moments. Do think Cape Verde have been the marginally better team despite stats being ~even, lots of transition opportunities that didn't quite turn into shots

Uruguay unironically on verge of going home because their keeper isn't nearly as good as Cape Verde's 40-year-old

If Spain could open up a 2-goal lead so Cape Verde could go into total clamps mode and 0-0 their way to 2nd in the group, that'd be cool

Wild to think about that USMNT friendly against Korea last year where Son and Co. blew the US doors off in the first half Strikingly different trajectories for those teams since then!

Iraq going in the "I watched this team's games and I promise they weren't as bad as their record" bucket with Haiti getting the fourth slot in this group had to be the roughest draw in the tournament

(paraguay-turkey ref transported to the 2019 egg bowl) after review number eight Ole Miss did DOG PISS CELEBRATION. The decision is FIFTEEN YARD PENALTY!!!!!!!!!

France is on another level

Penciling in a scheduled loss before a truly important game cements Poch’s status as the USMNT’s most College Sports Coach in history

Honestly not mad about that. Played the second string. Weah, Aaronson, and Gio should've carried the attack and they all stunk. Back line took a half to find its feet. Outplayed a good team for 52 of 53 second-half minutes and gave one up at the death after half the team had subbed off that's fine

poop

Whatever happens the rest of this half, this has been delightfully encouraging since the break

Setpiece U, baby

by *far* the most important thing in this half is getting McKennie out of it without injuring or exhausting him

Watching that first half :: reading the second half of Flowers for Algernon

gotta be OK getting to the half only down one there (on top of, like, being OK with our group winners in general)

Guess which one of these 11 guys is a starter

not that it feels like anyone telling him to pass the ball would make much difference, but pass the damn ball, Gio

every USMNT observer said when the roster came out Poch screwed up by not bringing more central midfielders every USMNT observer was right

I'm concerned that Berhalter - McKennie - Reyna is a somewhat less defensively sound midfield than the US usually plays

that was awesome, Weston please don't hurt yourself doing awesome things

Turns out a bunch of guys who haven't played a game together are a little disconnected when the ball turns over

the vibes are completely off the charts

As called on Teleamazonas TV in Ecuador:

considering what this game means to Germany (literally nothing) and what it means to Ecuador (~everything) it's only polite for the Germans to only try to score with 40-yard potshots

Ecuador! Let's GOOOOO

I *would* say "why would the NBA even allow this guy to buy the team if his plan was to hold the team hostage for hundreds of millions of dollars of public money he might not get?" but the answer--that lots of other NBA owners would like the right to also hold their teams hostage--is obvious