***Official 2026 World Cup Thread***

[NorthCyd]

That’s it? What a let down. Anyhow, enjoy going around telling other people all the things that you hate. As I said before, let those feelings out. It’s no good to keep them bottled up.

I haven't even been hating on the sport tonight. I bitched about the officiating and penalties after the Balogun redcard but I let it go and haven't said much since then including tonight. I want the US to be good at the sport and would like the MLS to be a top tier league. I'm not sure I will ever be much of a fan but hope it takes hold in the country. You keep being an elitist prick and chasing marginal fans like me away.

 

[BCClone]

Oh, so guys just stopped flopping after that first go? Now the game is entirely cleaned up and it just never needs called again? Okay.

If that’s how you read……that’s interesting.

 

[Clonehomer]

Gotta find a way to get it out of the suburbs. Our best athletes aren't playing it for the most part.

All those advertisements about all you need is a ball is ********. You need open green space as well. Something our urban areas lack.

 

[AllInForISU]

I haven't even been hating on the sport tonight. I bitched about the officiating and penalties after the Balogun redcard but I let it go and haven't said much since then including tonight. I want the US to be good at the sport and would like the MLS to be a top tier league. I'm not sure I will ever be much of a fan but hope it takes hold in the country. You keep being an elitist prick and chasing marginal fans like me away.

MLS will never be taken seriously as a soccer league in our lifetime I’d bet. It’s too Americanized.

 

[clonechemist]

Every other country is inclusive with soccer. US is exclusive. Look at how other countries run their youth programs. That’s the issue. Greed has made soccer unattainable for a vast majority of the country.

I’m not here to defend US youth soccer, but let’s be honest here…..

In other countries, EVERY competitive kid who plays a sport plays soccer, and they probably spend a lot of time watching it, practicing ball skills, and playing it informally. It’s engrained in the culture. And all that stuff happens outside the formal ‘club’ setting.

I think a lack of soccer culture is the biggest factor that limits our national performance in the sport

 

[AllInForISU]

All those advertisements about all you need is a ball is ********. You need open green space as well. Something our urban areas lack.

I can promise you, you don’t.

 

[cyfanbr]

I haven't even been hating on the sport tonight. I bitched about the officiating and penalties after the Balogun redcard but I let it go and haven't said much since then including tonight. I want the US to be good at the sport and would like the MLS to be a top tier league. I'm not sure I will ever be much of a fan but hope it takes hold in the country. You keep being an elitist prick and chasing marginal fans like me away.

If that the case then you’re not part of the pricks, but my man/lady, go back to the last several pages and tell me that there aren’t plenty of the “well I hate soccer and don’t have to care about it again for 4 years anyways” crowd.

 

[deadeyededric]

All those advertisements about all you need is a ball is ********. You need open green space as well. Something our urban areas lack.

You need adults who understand the game to teach kids, etc also. But yes I agree with you

 

[Kaner04]

Never played soccer. Figured I would have better use of my time instead of running 4 miles only to leave the field on a 0-0 tie. Super.

Looking at any sport like this is so small minded and weak. Open your eyes to different things in life. Might come to enjoy the nuances each sport provides

 

[Clonehomer]

I haven't even been hating on the sport tonight. I bitched about the officiating and penalties after the Balogun redcard but I let it go and haven't said much since then including tonight. I want the US to be good at the sport and would like the MLS to be a top tier league. I'm not sure I will ever be much of a fan but hope it takes hold in the country. You keep being an elitist prick and chasing marginal fans like me away.

Unfortunately, the MLS season change to fall / spring won’t help IMO. Going up against baseball for viewers seemed like a winning strategy. Going forward, you’ll be competing with football and basketball for viewers. I don’t know that is the way to grow the league.

 

[AlaCyclone]

The VAST majority of the world disagrees.

I posted earlier that there’s about 14 mins of action in a 3.5 hr college football game. It’s just ignorant to say soccer is boring but football isn’t.

Soccer though is just not even close to being our #1 sport in America, like it is in nearly every other country. That’s just a fact. Argentina will never have a prayer to beat us in American football…. it’s just the way it is.

They can beat us in Basketball though. Manu Genobli has an Olympic Gold Medal and an NBA Championship ring. / sarcasm. I get your point.

 

[AllInForISU]

I’m not here to defend US youth soccer, but let’s be honest here…..

In other countries, EVERY competitive kid who plays a sport plays soccer, and they probably spend a lot of time watching it, practicing ball skills, and playing it informally. It’s engrained in the culture. And all that stuff happens outside the formal ‘club’ setting.

I think a lack of soccer culture is the biggest factor that limits our national performance in the sport

I think it is a mixture of both. Cost + lack of soccer culture. Get those 2 things under control and a country like Cape Verde can push Argentina to the brink.

 

[cyfanbr]

All those advertisements about all you need is a ball is ********. You need open green space as well. Something our urban areas lack.

I can promise you, you don’t.

When I was little kid, me and the boys would play “soccer” with a crushed up can or bottle during recess on a concrete floor. Good old days.

 

[Clonehomer]

I think it is a mixture of both. Cost + lack of soccer culture. Get those 2 things under control and a country like Cape Verde can push Argentina to the brink.

How many Cape Verde players went through their developmental leagues? They have taken advantage of having a lot of second generation emigrants growing up in Europe.

 

[HouClone]

We've greatly improved. What we have to do now to get to the next step is for parents to send their first born male to the English soccer academies at age 6. See them once or twice each year for the next 14 years. They'll be a mainstay on the US international team and will have acquired an English accent, a la John Harkes.

 

[cyclonespiker33]

People always talk about what if LeBron played soccer.

Erling Haaland

 

[AppleCornCy]

On a lighter note, here’s an out of this world goal by Zlatan.

 

[deadeyededric]

Unfortunately, the MLS season change to fall / spring won’t help IMO. Going up against baseball for viewers seemed like a winning strategy. Going forward, you’ll be competing with football and basketball for viewers. I don’t know that is the way to grow the league.

I dont know how you grow MLS without telling owners they are just going to have to take in less money to buy better players. There's just no way they'll ever get it to where they want it to be. Thats like trying to make the Japanese or Korean League as big as MLB. One thing we need to consider is a merger with Liga MX. Its probably better.

 

[AlaCyclone]

I love soccer, and I root for the USMNT - sometimes in person! Bummer that they lost tonight and looked bad doing it. On a good day, beating Belgium was going to be rough, but the disruption of the Balo situation was dishonorable IMO. He should not have been reinstated, and he should not have played - even after being reinstated. Definitely could not have been any worse than it was.

 

[Cyientist]

I’ve been on CF for too long. I’m almost positive this is third time I’ve been part of this exact thread .