2026-27 NFL (Week 2)

Games I watched (some of):

Lions 31-41 Bills

Fun one. The Bills were up 21-0 almost instantly, pretty even match from that point on. The Lions started slow, got no lucky breaks and while they were never really in the game, they did pile up some points and moved the ball with confidence. The Bills defense isn't wowing anyone, feels like the Bills have finally figured out that their success is built on scoring every time they touch the ball. 

Vikings 9-3 Bears

Fun game (if you like slop). Neither team could move the ball at all in the misty muddy conditions. Just as the Bears were about the stick in the TD that surely would've sealed the victory, QB Williams pulled up lame. Looked bad at first, then not quite as bad on replay, now everyone is clowning on him because it seems like he'll be back in Week Three, when he was hang-dogging like his career was over on the sideline. Anyway, both of these squads were on the 2nd string QBs by the end and neither team could do anything anyway. Weird game, one of those you just chalk up to weirdness and move on. 

Bengals 20-6 Texans

I dunno, man, I was not impressed with anything the Texans were doing in this game. The D looked flat and backpedaling, the offense couldn't move forward at all. Everyone is blaming QB Stroud, but I don't think so. I think the O-line is not good, the WRs are kinda terrible, the running game is non-existent and the defense everyone was raving about isn't getting stops. You can blame the QB if you want, but I don't think its him. It could be the Bengals defensive Renaissance is for real (meh, maybe) or that the Bengal attack is back on track (the passing game is humming right now), and maybe the Bengals are gonna be for-real dangerous this season (could be). But I think this game was really more about everything going wrong in Houston and that is EVERYTHING (except the QB that is taking all the blame).

Colts 30-33 (OT) Chiefs

The Colts had a 4th down call late in the game that ended up in a penalty, so they kicked the tying FG in OT and then let the Chiefs come back and win the game. This was the controversial moment of the game but my quibble wasn't the 4th down FG itself, it was the first three downs they squandered. In that position, I would've wanted only a TD, a tie is of little use if you're gonna hand the ball back to QB Mahomes. So it was 4-down territory the whole time and they farted around on the first two downs, scrambled on 3rd down, got stuck with a 4th and long and basically had to kick the FG, which was just giving the game away at that point. It wasn't the 4th down, it was the 1st and 2nd downs that were wasted. Not sure what the Colts are (this is, like, the 5th year in a row that I don't understand what the Colts are), while the Chiefs seem better than last year (but not exactly vintage). 

The rest of the slate:

Panthers 34-3 Falcons

The Panthers offense looks pretty damn good. Sup wit dat?

Eagles 24-20 Titans

Eagles had to steal the W, not a good sign, but they did get the W, so what do you want? The Titans are gonna be looking at drafting another QB next spring, I'm guessing.

Steelers 3-20 Patriots

The Pats don't look very good, the Steelers look bloody awful. 

Packers 20-17 (OT) Jets

Two ugly teams getting ugly together. NYJ probably should've taken this but no one is surprised they didn't. The Packers got lucky (and no one is surprised about that either).

Browns 23-19 Bucs

To be fair, this game had a weird rain delay deep into the 4th quarter that interrupted what could (should?) have been the game-winning drive for the Bucs.  That said, they shouldn't have let it get to that point. The Bucs are 0-2 and I thought they were the better team in both games.....is this a fixable problem or are they already cooked? As for the Browns, kinda thought the Deahsun Watson experience would've been over by now, but he just got a W on the road, so....can't stop now. 

Saints 24-17 Ravens

Listen: more than any team in all of sports, the Saints do NOT tank, they are not out there trying to lose--indeed, they're trying to win the Super Bowl every damn Sunday no matter how sorry their roster is. So, while it is sad to see them spin their wheels at times, it is heartening to watch their never-say-die-ness go into a place like Baltimore and steal a W. Are the Saints good? Probably not, but they don't roll over, you have to beat them to get the W. As for the Ravens, I mean they've been like this for more than a decade now, right? Just when you think it is their time and they're going to dominate, they lose at home to the Saints. (Likewise, every time you're ready to give up on them, they go on a run) Up-down is just who the Ravens are. 

Jaguars 13-20 Broncos

Seemed like the Jags had this one, then the Broncos stole it late. I think both of these teams are going to be good and this is probably the correct outcome.

Raiders 26-14 Chargers

Another sluggish performance (on both sides of the ball) from the Chargers, so, uh, wtf, guys? What is going on in LA? As for the Raiders, they look frisky, they look loose and it looks like it might be a while before we see their rookie QB. Chargers need to figure it out pronto. 

Commanders 20-37 Cowboys

Yeah, division game. Commander QB Daniels hurt his elbow (yowza, a gnarly highlight) and that was pretty much it for the Commanders. The Cowboys looked better than last week but division games are always weird. Not looking good for the Commanders (it's Mariota time!), not sure yet about the Cowboys.

Seahawks 31-7 Cards

The Cards looked pretty good at the Chargers last week, not so much against the Seahawks (with a backup QB), who were clearly in no mood to mess around. I think the Cards are not particularly good but I think they're gonna be scrappy. The Seahawks look good and they look no-nonsense (don't mess with these dudes).

Dolphins 13-35 Niners

*yawn* Yeah, the Dolphins. 

Giants 6-28 Rams

And here it is: Giants QB Dart got hurt, looks to be out for several weeks. Okay in last week's post I pointed out that while no one really thought much of NYG coming into this season that pessimism was based on the fact that we all knew Dart was going to get hurt eventually. We were all shocked the Giants stuffed the Cowboys last week, but they were healthy. Now they are no longer healthy. And the Rams finally looked like what we thought the Rams were gonna be. 

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 3)

Games I saw (some of):

(7) Louisiana State 24-32 (8) Mississippi

Last year, Coach Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss as they were heading into the quarterfinals to take the LSU job. I couldn't believe a coach would leave a team that had a shot at winning the title--they beat Georgia!--to take a job at a school that had been a mess for a while. How do you walk away from a contender? Well, now Coach Kiff is back with his LSU Tigers and I'm sure he was expecting to get the better of his old mates. Didn't happen. I think Ole Miss kinda fell asleep after halftime and allowed LSU to make a game of it, but one good scoring drive was all the Rebels needed to finish off the Tigers. Ole Miss was better last year, still better this year. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Texas, (2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (4) Indiana,

(5) Miami, (6) Ohio State, (8) Mississippi, (10) Alabama, (11) Brigham Young, (12) Southern Cal, (13) Texas Tech, (14) Penn State, (15) Tennessee, (17) Utah, (19) Michigan, (20) Missouri, (21) Oregon, (23) Louisville

Won but did not impress

(24) Oklahoma (New Mexico 6-14 Oklahoma)

I don't want to diss on New Mexico, but what the hell was that? OU has yet to look good--and I was not a fan of how they closed last season. The Sooners look like they have a long way to go to actually the earn the rankings they've already had this season. 

Bad beat

(7) Louisiana State (LSU 24-32 Mississippi)

I'm gonna be generous to the Tigers and call this a Bad Beat, when we all know Lane Kiffin and the Tiger faithful really wanted to come into Ole Miss and lay a beatdown. But that wasn't happening because Ole Miss is pretty good. I liked their offense and pass rush last year, still impressed with them this year. LSU under Kiffin will be better than they have been lately, but maybe not this year (and not in Oxford). 

(16) Southern Methodist (SMU 31-41 Louisville)

A back and forth game, the Cardinals took control in the 2nd half. SMU went on the on the road and (kinda) hung with a ranked opponent, not a bad L.

(22) Houston (Houston 26-28 Texas Tech)

Needed the 2-point conversion to tie it late, didn't get it. Too little, too late for the Cougars. Not a bad L, though, looked like a fun game. 

Not so good

(9) Texas A&M (Kentucky 31-21 Texas A&M)

Whoa! Kentucky winning conference games on the road doesn't happen often, so what happened here? On the one hand, outside of the 2nd half of last week's Alabama, UK has played well this season--weller than usual! So can A&M turn it around? Were the caught off guard by a Kentucky squad playing with unexpected confidence? Or is it all over for the Aggies? I have no idea. My gut feeling is UK just came in feeling themselves and A&M just didn't know how to react. That might be because they're not that good (still not overwhelmed by their QB) or it could be that they turn dangerous from here. We'll see.

(25) Virginia (West Virginia 38-27 Virginia)

It's early but this is not a good result for the Cavs. WVU has been down lately, UVA has been, well, overrated, lately, but you're still expecting a well regarded Cavs squad at home to get the W over the Mountaineers. Well, not so much.  

Next week's intriguing matches:

(1) Texas @ (14) Tennessee (game of the week, right off the bat)

Illinois @ (7) Ohio State (Illinois is an enigma: this will either be the most fascinating game of the week or it'll be long over by halftime)

(4) Mississippi @ (21) Florida (I think the Rebels will get it done on the road, but we'll just have to see it, won't we?)

(17) Iowa @ (18) Michigan (yeah, I guess I'm supposed to care)

(23) Texas A&M @ (10) Louisiana State (hmmmmm....both coming off embarrassing L's, let's see whose season is over by Saturday night)

(20) Oregon @ (12) Southern Cal (could be fun or could be a tire fire--which might be fun!)

(19) Missouri @ (24) Mississippi State (I doubt either of these teams will be ranked by the end of September)

2026-27 NFL (Week 1)

Games I saw (some of)

Pats 10-13 Seahawks

Seahawks lost QB Darnold on the first drive, had to go to backup Drew Lock, felt like the Pats had a shot. The Pats were more consistent on offense through the 3rd quarter. But Lock was pretty good, the Seahawks finally started moving the ball; and on the other side, QB Maye just kept throwing interceptions (3--I thought all were his fault). The Pats were generally the better team but they didn't put points on the board and Lock made plays (better than I've ever seen him play before--is Lock the new Sam Darnold?). The game was there for the Pats to take (or at least extend into OT) but they didn't snatch the opportunity, Maye was pretty bad in the 4th quarter. Disappointing L for the Pats, but not a killer, not unexpected, shouldn't really affect them all that much. Good W for the Seahawks--how long can they keep it going with Lock under center?

Bucs 27-33 Bengals

The Bucs just kept turning the ball over and once they stopped doing that, I thought they were the better team. Let's be clear: these were not "Bengals defense" turnovers, these were sloppy Bucs plays. So are the Bengals the better team? I don't know (but I kinda doubt it).

Packers 22-39 Vikings

The Packers just stopped playing, while the Vikings kept going. The Packers had a comfortable lead going into the 4th quarter, generally looked like the better team through the first three, then the Vikings pass rush just started swarming the Packers. All momentum went to the home team, the Packers just collapsed and the Vikings took over. Are the Packers bad? Are the Vikings good? Not enough to tell from this game (but I'm leaning "yes" and "no").

Cowboys 20-28 Giants

This is a shock but is it really? The theory on the Giants is that they're skill players will eventually get hurt and there's no way they'll be able to weather an entire season without major injuries. But this is Week 1, everybody's healthy, so is it really a shock that the Giants were better than you thought they'd be on both sides of the ball? Or that the Cowboys are sluggish? Not at all. The Giants were the better team from beginning to end but I'm not done with the Cowboys just yet. And as for the Giants, well, let's see how long they stay healthy. 

The rest of the slate:

Niners 27-7 Rams

All the talk was about each team's plan for going to Australia...so, the Niner travel plans were better?

Saints 30-31 (OT) Lions

Going for the W in OT, good for you, Saints. The Lions should've won bigger, no?

Jets 23-10 Titans

When was the last time the Jets won on the road? The Titans offense has another year of experimenting, I take it. 

Ravens 41-23 Colts

I was in and out of this game, felt like the Ravens were doing whatever they wanted, Lamar looked good, the Colts just don't look elite in any way. 

Falcons 13-20 Steelers

Meh, my gut feeling is these two squads both suck. 

Bears 59-37 Panthers

Tons of points, but tells us nothing about either team. Is the Bears defense this bad? Is the Bears offense really this good? Do the Panthers just suck or did they get overwhelmed on opening day?

Browns 10-34 Jaguars

Yes, this looks right.

Bills 36-31 Texans

The right outcome? (As a Bills fan, I'll take it) (*)

Dolphins 13-27 Raiders

Feels right. I think the Raiders are gonna be one of those trick-or-treat teams that are actually pretty good every once in a while. 

Commanders 22-24 Eagles

Division game. I still think the Eagles are the better side,

Cards 26-14 Chargers

Hmmmm....wtf? Okay, the Cards are (were) everyone's pick to be the worst (most inept) team in the league, while for the most part the Chargers are seen as a good team, probably a playoff team in the AFC. So....how do the Cards go to LA and lay a smackdown on a team that is supposed to be moving in the right direction up and down the organization? Is this the game we look back on throughout the season and scratch our heads or are the Chargers just all-round overrated? (Notice I didn't say anything about the Cards....no, they're gonna suck). How do we react to the pitiful performance from the Chargers?

Broncos 10-31 Chiefs

Expected a more competitive match but division games are always dicey.  

(*) As a Bills fan I'm bummed to report that I got stuck with Colts-Ravens instead of Bill-Texans, which was obviously the high profile game of the time slot. 

2026 US Open

(1) Zverev 6/7/5/6 - 3/6/7/2 (8) Shelton

Honestly an almost flawless match from Zverev--and minimally flawed from Shelton! Shelton blew a serve early in the 1st, which Zverev held on to. 

But then neither Zeverev nor Shelton blinked in the 2nd set. Zverev rather easily took the tie break but Shelton was still very much alive. 

Zverev had one bad serve late in the 3rd set, which Shelton capitalized on. 

But early in the 4th Shelton gave a break to Zverev, then flailed toward the end in a manner that seemingly caused Zverev to lose track of the score.  

Not a lot to say on this match except that this shows the point-by-point nature of tennis: it looks like Zverev cruised or dominated but, not at all. Shelton was really good, he made a handful of mistakes, whereas Zverev really only had the one broken serve. Tennis is tough, man, these guys were actually super close but Zverev was nearly perfect. Zverev is really putting his stamp on the title of best of the post-Federer/Nadal/Djokovic era. 

The only other US Open I caught was Tiafoe beating Medvedev. I like Tiafoe, hell of an athlete, but I always wondered if he was good at tennis, if he really had it in him to to take the next step against the top tier players. Well, from what I saw of his match against Medvedev, I believe Tiafoe can rise up. In fact, I'm surprised Shelton beat him in the semifinals. 

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 2)

Games I saw (some of):

(1) Ohio State 23-24 (4) Texas

The Buckeyes dominated the 1st half, but I thought it was Texas playing about as bad as they could possibly play. Fumbles, interceptions, blown tackles--Texas was absolutely abysmal out of the gate. Also, OSU WR's were making plays and UT's were not. But after halftime I thought the QB battle completely flipped: QB Sayin was vanilla at best and jumpy at worst, while QB Arch Manning settled in, saw the field and made plays. The Buckeyes had the game in hand and just couldn't get anything going in the 2nd half and when Texas went on their run, the Buckeyes wilted. The L looked worse than it was, I don't think Ohio State will get punished for this because they're good and they'll be fine; good W for Texas and the comeback will probably earn points throughout the season. Texas needed this more than Ohio State, I am confident both of these teams will still be around at the end of the season. 

(12) Alabama 45-17 Kentucky

Well, it was competitive for a while (Wildcats up 17-13 at the half), but once Alabama got their defense going, that was it for Kentucky. Alabama was sluggish and sloppy early on, they didn't seem to have any plan on either side of the ball. Then around halfway through the 3rd quarter, Bama started using their LB's to blow up the line of scrimmage and Kentucky just backpedaled for the last 20 minutes or so. When Bama figured it out, they were by far the superior team, but until the light clicked on for them, they looked kinda helpless, they're gonna need to work on that. As for Kentucky, well, QB Mincy looked pretty good in the 1st half and I think they'll crush their cupcakes this season, but can they steal an upset in the SEC? (Eh, we'll see)

Old Dominion 21-44 Virginia Tech

I had to record this moment: ODU is at their own 20-ish yard line, QB gets sacked, ball comes out, VT scoops, gets to the end zone, TD; BUT....on replay the defender fumbled the ball (did anyone look at whether the QB actually fumbled?  Look kinda tuck-rule-y to me) before crossing the goal line, fumble recovered by ODU, so ODU gets the ball at the 20 yard line. Next play, QB gets sacked, fumbles, VT scoops and scores. That's the magic of college football, folks!

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (4) Texas, (5) Indiana, (7) Miami, (8) Mississippi, (10) Texas A&M, (12) Alabama, (13) Texas Tech, (14) Southern Cal, (15) Brigham Young, (16) Penn State, (17) Southern Methodist, (18) Tennessee, (20) Utah, (21) Iowa, (22) Houston, (23) Missouri, (24) Louisville, (25) Virginia

Won but did not impress

(19) Washington (Utah State 14-16 Washington)

Utah State is at Utah this week and I can't help thinking the Utes are going to slaughter USU, so what the hell was Washington doing here? At home, early in the season against a weaker opponent and the Huskies kinda farted around and had to scramble late to finish it. I dunno, man, this one don't look good. 

Bad beat

(1) Ohio State (Ohio State 23-24 Texas)

The Buckeyes probably should've won but playing this game 10 times, this is probably the only outcome that would've looked like this. So...are the Buckeyes better than this? Or did Texas just rise up and steal a W? I dunno, I think Texas and Ohio State are both tippy-toppy teams and I don't think this outcome is all that shocking or worrying for either side. That said, it would've been a lot better if the Buckeyes had taken the victory (probably would've cemented them as the overall #1 for the rest of the season).

Not so good

(6) Oregon (Oregon 31-39 Oklahoma State)

I pointed out that Oregon was startlingly unimpressive last week and now they go on the road to flailing Oklahoma State and were never in the game. Not good. Oregon needs to get it together pronto. 

(11) Oklahoma (Oklahoma 10-17 Michigan)

Michigan was wounded from their rather embarrassing gift of a victory against Western Michigan in Week 1, I get that they needed to have a big game against OU, but if OU is really a top 10 team, if their veteran QB is good enough to get big wins, then the Sooners should've fared better in this match. Frankly Oklahoma's offense looked pretty weak. @Michigan is not the hardest game on their schedule, I wasn't impressed with the Sooners last year, already out on them this year. Is Michigan a contender? Not as long as You Tube is filled with videos of that Western Michigan game. (*) 

Next week's intriguing matches:

(22) Houston @ (13) Texas Tech (okay, two Texas gunslingers, should be fun)

(16) Southern Methodist @ (23) Louisville (okay, two solid mid-level teams going at it, should be a good one)

Utah State @ (17) Utah (Utah State almost pulled the shocker at Washington, can they pull it off at Utah? (My gut feeling is ah, haaail nooo!))

(7) Louisiana State @ (8) Mississippi (past Kiffin versus future Kiffin, I'm intrigued, this is clearly the game of the week)

(*) Yeah I said it: Michigan deserves to be ridiculed and laughed at all season long. Ain't trying to be a hater, just saying they didn't deserve the W and if they were actually given the L they deserve, then their whole season is totally different. If Michigan ends up as your 2027 NCAA football champion, that will be quite disappointing. 

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 1)

Games I saw (some of):

North Texas 16-52 (6) Indiana

Didn't watch much of this, it didn't feel like North Texas was getting destroyed but on offense Indiana pretty much picked up where they left off last year: they were running, they were passing, they were making plays, they moved the ball at will. North Texas is not exactly Miami in the Orange Bowl but as opening day cupcakes go, they're a for real team and not used to getting pounded like this. So I was pretty impressed with the Hoosiers, we'll see how that defense looks against the upper echelon squads but the offense definitely looks like a good one.  

Boise St 27-34 (2) Oregon

I dunno, maybe I'm overreacting, Oregon did what they needed to do to win and maybe Boise State is actually kinda good. But I was not blown away by the Ducks effort, especially at home, especially against a for-real rival. The offense looked sluggish, their QB did not look like the #1 pick in the draft and the running game sputtered more often than not. But they tightened the screws after halftime and were the better team down the stretch. I'm just sayin': they didn't look like the #2 team in the country. We'll see, the season has only just begun. 

(24) Louisville 38-41 (9) Mississippi

Early on, it felt to me like Ole Miss was a good team that wasn't playing their best, while Louisville felt like an okay team playing as hard as they can. Ole Miss's better was better than Louisville best but Louisville had their moments, did what they needed to do on their last drive to knot up the game. But when Ole Miss had to win it, they did. Louisville might be good this year, they acquitted themselves nicely against a tough opening opponent. I really liked Ole Miss last year, wasn't sure how they'd fare after losing their coach to a rival and the off-season squabbles about eligibility, but that offense looks like it can hang and though the secondary looks suspect, the pass rush should be pretty good. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Ohio State, (3) Georgia, (4) Notre Dame, (5) Texas, (6) Indiana, (7) Miami, (8) Texas A&M, (10) Oklahoma, (11) Louisiana State, (12) Texas Tech, (13) Alabama, (14) Southern Cal (2-0 already), (15) Brigham Young, (16) Penn State, (17) Washington, (19) Southern Methodist, (20) Tennessee, (21) Utah, (22) Iowa, (23) Houston, (25) Missouri

Won but did not impress

(2) Oregon (Boise St 27-34 Oregon) 

It just feel like Oregon could've put the hammer down a little sooner, could've played with more urgency from the jump, could've toyed with their rival rather than waiting to get their backs up to get it done. 

(16) Michigan (Western Michigan 12-13 Michigan)

Oh man....I kinda feel sorry for the Wolverines. As long as Michigan hangs around this season, this game will follow them like a wet fart. They didn't deserve to win this game and they might've just been better off taking the L and looking in the mirror. Instead, they get to pretend like they won (they didn't really) and the world is going to point and laugh at them like internet freaks. Gonna be a long tough season in Ann Arbor.  

I don't know what the trophy case at Western Michigan looks like, but I hope they add a giant poster of this image to it. 

Bad beat

(24) Louisville (Louisville 38-41 Mississippi) 

Louisville at times looked way outclassed by Ole Miss but at other times they made plays and kept it close; tough L but they covered as a dog, so good on them.

Next week's intriguing matches:

Arizona State @ (10) Texas A&M (an interesting non-conference match)

(11) Oklahoma @ Michigan (Obviously we're all wondering: how many extra seconds will it take for Michigan to beat Oklahoma?  Hmmmm....my gut feeling is not enough time has passed since the big bang to make that happen)

(12) Alabama @ Kentucky (Bama hasn't exactly been Bama lately, UK might not be terrible this year, not predicting any upsets, but this is a more interesting than usual Wildcat conference match)

Arizona @ (15) Brigham Young (another early test to see how good some of these "good" teams actually are)

(1) Ohio State @ (4) Texas (well, now, here we go....)

Iowa State @ (21) Iowa (more fun regional test matches)

2026 World Cup Final

Spain 2-0 France

Spain dominated possession, got a PK, dominated possession some more, added another goal when the French defense fell asleep, dominated possession and then it was over. France had a coupla chances but never felt particularly dangerous, Spain just choked them out and when they got the first goal it was over, but when they got the second goal it was over. France had a great run in this Cup but Spain is their kryptonite, the only team really that could interrupt their attack and put them in a back sliding position. Disappointing for the French, seems like Coach Deschamps is on the way out (*), Mbappe is heading into wily veteran phase, but France still has a ton of young talent (Olise, Deue, Upmecano and Dembele should all be back for the next Cup) and Deschamps is as decorated a veteran in the history of French futbol, so no hard feelings. 

Argentina 2-1 England

I simply don't understand bunkering in soccer when you have the talent to possess and attack. Don't you see that the way to run out clock in soccer is to possess the ball rather than building a wall in front of your goal? If you suck at soccer and you're up against a vastly better opponent, well, then parking the bus is probably your best shot in such a low scoring game. But England is one of the finest squads in the world, plenty of ball handling talent in the midfield, plenty of dangerous attackers up front--so make the other team play defense! Make them nervous! Make them backpedal! Why are you just sitting back and letting Argentina take batting practice on you? I just...I don't....what.... 

Well, it happened again: Argentina plays like slop for 80 minutes, falls behind, then in desperation picks apart the other team's backward-facing defense to steal the game late. In the 1st half, the teams were both very chippy, a lot of aggressive fouls and passive-aggressive foul-baiting that was, at times, kind of embarrassing to watch. These are two top flight teams, they should be playing soccer instead of trying to play the referee. So by halftime, not much had happened and it was a scoreless draw. Then England were able to find the goal on a header off a lovely cross into the box that the defender just couldn't get to. Now up 1-0, it felt like it was time for England to play loose and push forward, there was still plenty of time left, hunkering back didn't seem necessary or appropriate (or feasible). But England didn't really get much going in this game with or without the lead. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham both disappeared and the English never got forward or possessed much. They played too emotional in the 1st half and without much thought in the 2nd. 

Well, after 40 solid minutes of Messi probing the English back line, the Argentines tied the game up. Then a few minutes later, Messi connected on a cross to steal the victory. Meanwhile, the English just sorta stood there. To be fair, England kinda sucked the whole time, its not like scoring the goal changed anything up for them. But they allowed Argentina to possess in front of them for so much of the game, it's kinda surprising England were able to steal the lead at all. But once they did, you can tell they just thought the game was over. Anyway, England has been in a nice place the last few years, it'd be easy to say they're moving in the right direction but will Germany, Italy and Netherlands suck forever? (spoiler alert: I doubt it) The English better get their shit together because this good run won't last forever. 

3rd Place Game

England 6-4 France

Whoa! What a game! Easily the funnest game of this Cup--I'd be shocked and amazed if the Final was half this good! That said, the 1st half was actually rather lackluster. Before England's first goal (in the 3rd minute), I already noted that the French just didn't look up for this match. England was playing loose and fun, the French looked like they all had hangovers (**); France was playing like a college football team that had been in the top 10 all season, fucked up late and found themselves in the Gator Bowl instead of the big game. England scored quickly (he had an opportunity, took a long rip, it was well placed, the keeper was cooked), then followed pretty soon after with another goal off a corner kick. I felt bad for the French goalie: he's had a pretty damn good tournament but his defenders on this day left him out to dry. The third goal was a bit of Keystone Kops stuff, but the initial outlet pass was a beauty and the way the English strikers stayed with the play was impressive, drawing the keeper out of position, then toying with the hapless defenders. A 4th goal before halftime was embarrassing but, if you were paying attention, those last two English goals came from France pushing too far ahead--so at least France woke up and was trying to get into the game. England was up 4-0 at the half but I had a feeling that France would be coming back. I envisioned a 4-3 scoreline in the 85th minute guaranteeing a furious finish. Well, I was sorta right: the 4-3 scoreline came in the 65th minute, which allowed for a lot more craziness. 

France came out balling after halftime and just ran the English out of the stadium for 20 minutes. My god, if Olise could shoot worth a shit, man, France might've scored 10 goals! Just as France were back in it, they gave up a penalty (right call, defender really shouldn't have gone down like that) and the score was 5-3. But France kept attacking, made it 5-4 and it felt like the furious finish was gonna come after all. But Bellingham finished the scoring with a nasty piece of bag work and finished the game off. It was kinda fun watching the English take it to the French, just as fun watching the France take it back at 'em. (If England had played half this frisky against Argentina, they'd be playing today instead of yesterday!) Fun match. 

Final

Spain v Argentina

This is reminding me of the Ladies' French Open Final we just had: Chwalinska was a qualifier that made her way to the Final, not so much by outplaying her opponents as simply mesmerizing them; Andreeva, a top ten talent on the way up, failed to be mesmerized and just smooshed her like a bug, even though Chwalisnka had been on an amazing heater. Yeah...yeah: Argentina hasn't been beating teams, they've been mesmerizing them, the other team get the goal they need, then they're star struck by Messi, they're ball watching rather than playing and before they know it, their lunch money is gone and they don't even know what happened. Messi inspires the best out of people, then forces them to play different once they've taken the lead. Can he do it against Spain?

In a word: no. They are not going to be mesmerized or put off their game plan. Spain only plays one way. Whether they're ahead or behind, they only play one way. Whether its the opening bell or time is running out, they only play one way. Whether Messi is on the other team or not, they only play one way. I have no doubt Spain will dominate the time of possession. The question is can Spain score? If they can steal the lead, it'll be tough for Argentina to get it back. As we're seen, it takes Messi really until the very end of the match to put his observations into action and only then after a prolonged period of probing the defense. But Spain won't give him that time to probe or experiment. Argentina needs to get a penalty or close direct kick or create chaos out of corner kicks; in short, Argentina's best chance to score is on set plays rather than the run of play. Also, I think the longer game goes, I think that just gives Argentina more opportunities to steal a goal and/or more time to probe for the Spanish defense weaknesses 

I worried Spain wouldn't score against France but they got a penalty and a rebound goal (***) and they were in control throughout. If they can do that against Argentina, then I think this game is over quick and possibly even rather dull (depending on how furious the Argentines can make it down the stretch). Spain (like Andreeva in the French Open example) just plays their game, the opponent's highs and lows don't much matter. If Argentina scores, Spain will just keep plugging along, maybe they regain the lead, maybe they don't, but either way they're not going to panic, they're not going to fall apart. That cohesive style is Spain's greatest strength and I think it will carry them to trophy presentation. As for Argentina, they've played with moxy and Messi is still an all-timer, but I think they're out of gas and unless they come up with a shocker of a goal (preferably as early in the match as possible), then I just don't think they outscore Spain. 

I've been picking against Argentina the whole way and I've been getting wrong the whole time. But this pick isn't about Argentina, it's about Spain. And, yeah, that's the point. 

(*) I recommended years ago that USA soccer go get Deschamps. I think I still think that. I don't dislike Coach Pochittino, but I suspect that the problems behind the scenes of Team USA are not talent or tactics but personalities (re: it seems like they all hate each other). Personality clashes aren't a killer to a team, they just require a certain finesse. Deschamps has spent a lifetime dealing with bigger-than-life personalities (I remember when Eric Cantona called Deschamps "the water boy" back in the day, but Deschamps went on to a lot more glory than Cantona ever got!), is he the right guy to knock some heads together in the USA locker room? I dunno, but I suspect he might have a better shot at it than Coach Poch. And why hasn't Pochettino made his decision yet on whether to to return? He's probably waiting for other jobs to come open--and Team USA is probably waiting for other coaches to come available. Well....here he is.

(**) The beer sweats. Well, they're French, so...the wine sweats?

(***) Hmmm....have you noticed that a lot of Spain's goals come from rebounds? 'Sup wit dat?