2026 World Cup (Quarterfinals)

Round of 16

France 1-0 Paraguay

Paraguay played good defense, sludged the game up and hung as best as they could, but France got their PK (meh, felt harmless live but on replay there was contact, so I understand the call) and that was all it took. The danger of bunkering is the penalty and Paraguay wasn't able to avoid it. France played their least inspiring game of the tourney so far but they did what they needed to do and got the W. 

Morocco 3-0 Canada

Canada kinda dominated the attack for about 20 minutes, then Morocco got going and Canada never really got back into the game. Canada is not particularly good at soccer (sorry, its just true) and making the round of 16 is a great result for them. They played hard, had some moments and built up something like a resume going forward. But Morocco was the better team, deeper and more talented, and once the scoring came, they were by far the better team. 

Norway 2-1 Brazil

Kinda weird game: I thought Norway's offense was the most boring I've seen in years, dudes just standing around--this is what people who hate soccer think that soccer is! But they were able to connect to Haaland in the box (*) for a classic Haaland goal and then added another blistering rip from Haaland after that (**) to rub it in. Throw in that Brazil's defense was not aggressive and their ball control never appeared, that their one goal was a late PK that was a bit of a fluke and its another disappointing Brazil performance. Look, Brazil still has--and always has!--the most on-ball talent, but they don't play as a team, they don't have any cohesiveness and we are past the point where just being casually talented translates to easy W's. Imagine an orchestra with 15 really great violinists and no conductor: talent alone doesn't equal fidelity to the composition. Norway plays weird but they keep getting it done because Haaland is just that good. 

England 3-2 Mexico

England's first goal was a good finish off a lovely pass from a build up that perfectly stretched the defense to its limit; the keeper was cooked, nobody did anything wrong, the attack was letter perfect. But then the Mexicans clearly broke down because England was able to come right back down and add another--that was the defense collapsing, presumably from arguing with each other. The first goal was unfortunate but the second goal was unforgivable and a killer for Mexico. Honestly other than those few minutes Mexico was at least equal to England and probably better. But....that's all it took to knock them out. Also, for all the talk of the heat and the altitude, it was the Mexicans that looked gassed by the end of the match. England got their lead and weathered the storm and they're moving on.  

Spain 1-0 Portugal

On the one hand: crushingly dull game; on the other hand: classic Spain. Spain maintained possession but never looked dangerous around the goal, until that one moment when Portugal took their eye off the ball (probably preparing for overtime) and that was that. Spain at their peak in the Iniesta years possessed and possessed and possessed and were good enough goal scorers to make the possession stand up; now they've still got the possession offense but there's even less goal scoring than the great years, so Spain is good enough to hang with most anyone, but I don't have nearly the faith that they can/will win games. Portugal is finally ready to move on to the next chapter of their development and it is probably for the best.

Belgium 4-1 USA

Well....that sucked. US looked tentative, the passes were soft, there was no aggression on defense, no plan on offense, and just in general nobody showed up (Berhalter off the bench at least played with some energy). Some of the commentary post-game suggested that Belgium was more talented or had a better plan, but I didn't really think so. Belgium's up-the-middle defense was quite good, kept USA from moving forward at all. Other than that, nah, dude USA just sucked. First goal was bad defense, second goal was weakness on the wing, third goal was straight up giveaway by the keeper (wtf was he doing?), fourth goal was bad giveaway in the back (wtf was he doing?). Don't want to diss Belgium, they did what they needed to do and were clearly in control throughout and are moving on. But, nah, dude, USA sucked. Embarrassing performance and I saw that it was the highest rated non-NFL sports event in decades, so....everyone got to see USA play their worst game in years. Not good, USA, you had everything working in your favor and you didn't show up. As for Belgium, again, hats off but I'm still not sold on this squad. 

Argentina 3-2 Egypt

Boo! I'd love to hail Argentina's superior athleticism on their comeback but, frankly, they mostly sucked for 80 minutes and then got lucky down the stretch. I was so much more excited about Egypt advancing than I was about an Argentina comeback that even when the comeback came, I was bummed by the result. As for Argentina, Messi is still balling (though he missed another PK) but I still don't see it with the rest of the team. 

Switzerland 0-0 (PKs) Colombia

Evenly matched, back and forth, but neither side took any control at all, so a rather dull game. Hard to say which team was better, Colombia might've had some more spicy individual talent but Switzerland had a clearer team concept and they struggled their way through. I dunno, I guess that sorta works. 

Quarterfinals

France - Morocco

France feels like the best team, the deepest team, but so far they've played rather casually and it has worked. Not sure that is gonna work any more, they're gonna need to step up. Morocco is one of those rugged sides that doesn't look dangerous but they work hard, they don't slough off, they're gonna be a pain in the ass for 90 (or 120) minutes. I think this will be an exciting match and I think it goes to PKs, which probably benefits the French. I'll take France. 

Spain - Belgium

This best Belgium has played so far was against USA, where they successfully kept the Americans from holding possession or pushing forward particularly up the middle. Spain ain't gonna be bothered by that. So Belgium's momentum won't last long. But, can Spain score goals? Yeah, this match could go late, but I don't think it gets to PKs: if Spain doesn't figure out how to finish, then Belgium probably will. I'll take Spain. 

Norway - England

Both teams are playing really well right now, this'll be a classic. Norway plays a dull brand of offense but if they can find Haaland in the middle often enough, they can get the goals they need, and then sag the defense. England has big play possibility, they can meander for a while then break a big play. This is good match, this is gonna be a fun one. If this gets to PKs, then it could be one of the all-timers. I think the English have a wider palette of offensive options. I'll go with England. 

Argentina - Switzerland

Two teams that have bored me for completely opposite reasons: I'm just tired of watching the Argentines get lucky and I'm tired of watching the Swiss just hang around. Framing these teams in this context suggests that this will go late, doesn't it? I can definitely over time here, maybe PKs, as well, which would favor Argentina, right? I'll take Argentina. 

(*) The first goal reminded me of Anthony Davis back in his Kentucky days: throw the ball toward the basket and this kid'll just dunk it.

(**) The second goal was classic Nolan Ryan heat: here's a fast ball right down the middle, good luck.

(***) Last night as I went to bed, I felt a bit of a headache, bit of upset in the stomach, like a cold coming on. Woke up this morning feeling just fine and outside of the weird headache before bed, I couldn't think of anything else out of the ordinary that happened the day before. Dude...did I have physical withdrawal from not watching soccer yesterday? Been a great Cup, but I'd hate to think its affecting my well-being.

2026 World Cup (Round of 16)

Canada - Morocco

Canada so far has tied Bosnia, destroyed Qatar, lost to Switzerland and beat South Africa; Morocco has tied Brazil, beat Scotland, Haiti and Netherlands.  Canada is a so-so squad--which is better than they've ever been! So far they've had two uninspiring W's, an uninspiring draw and a deflating L. Morocco, on the other hand, stared down the Netherlands, went toe-to-toe with Brazil and breezed through the teams they should've beaten. Canada is another team that Morocco should beat. I got Morocco. 

Paraguay - France

Paraguay got whipped by USA, beat Turkey, tied Australia and survived Germany; France destroyed Senegal, Iraq, Norway and Sweden. Paraguay bounced back well from an opening shellacking by the host country and everyone is duly impressed that they survived a knockout stage match up with mighty Germany (who hasn't looked mighty for a while now). But France is dusting people off without much effort and frankly hasn't come close to playing their best soccer yet. Paraguay beating France would be a much bigger upset then beating Germany (*) and I just don't think they have it in them. I got France. 

Brazil - Norway

Brazil tied Morocco, breezed through Scotland and Haiti and bested Japan; Norway destroyed Iraq, beat Senegal, got pummeled by France, then beat Ivory Coast. Norway is led by Erling Haaland, a young scorer in his prime, that has been finishing like a champ at this tourney. I thought Senegal and Ivory Coast were pretty good teams and I value Norway's wins in both, and as for stumbling to France, well, sometimes you get so used to fearing someone that you just roll over. Does Norway fear Brazil? They shouldn't. Brazil has had a rather easy run so far and I think Norway can sting them. We'll see but I think this one goes to over time and if it goes to PKs, anything can happen. I'll take Norway.

Mexico - England

Mexico has beat South Africa, South Korea, Czechia and Ecuador; England beat Croatia, tied Ghana, then beat Panama and Congo. Mexico's offense is really good right now, they are all on the same page and they are gonna be a tough out. As for England, I dunno, man, outside of Harry Kane (the man), I haven't been overwhelmed by the English so far. They're supposed to be a top tier squad but outside of Kane, I haven't felt that at all. Mexico is the home country and they are hot as a urinary infection right now. I'm going Mexico.

Portugal - Spain

Portugal tied Congo, blistered Uzbekistan, had a scoreless draw with Colombia, and snuck by Croatia (probably should've gone to PKs, which is a coin flip); Spain opened with a scoreless draw with Cape Verde (everyone's 2nd favorite team at the 2026 World Cup!), pummeled Saudi Arabia, beat Uruguay and easily handled Austria in the knockout. Every Cup features a team that was really good last time around that returns intact and shows the fact that they're too old now...Portugal is this year's version of that. Yeah, they're okay, they've got veteran savvy and Ronaldo is still a great (eh, pretty good) player. But I just don't have any faith in this squad at all. Spain has a lot of nice young talent that hasn't really done anything yet. That said, I still think Spain is the much better, deeper squad. Gotta go with Spain. 

USA - Belgium

USA thrashed Paraguay, easily handled Australia, had a tricky time with Turkey (half fun/half frustrating match), but pretty easily handled Bosnia and Herzegovina in the knockout; Belgium tied with the surprisingly frisky Egypt, tied with the unsurprisingly not frisky Iran, laid a smackdown on New Zealand, then got astoundingly lucky against Senegal (a fluky late goal, then a questionable (**) penalty in OT). Remember how I just said that Portugal was the past-their-prime squad? Its also Belgium. This team never reached its full potential and I think the "full" potential is actually already out of reach. Can they beat the upstart Americans? Yeah, they've got veteran moxy, but this is the best American team of all time (***) and they're the host country. In short: I ain't afraid of no fuckin' Belgium! USA, USA, USA!

Argentina - Egypt

Argentina stomped Algeria, easily handled Austria and Jordan, then hung on for dear life against Cape Verde (everyone's 2nd favorite team!) in a classic; Egypt tied Belgium, thrashed New Zealand, tied Iran and got past Australia on PKs. Egypt is a serviceable batch of professionals with a bit of scoring potential up front but nothing really scary otherwise; in short, a run to the Sweet 16 in a nice tourney for them, from here it would require an all time upset. Can they do it? Well, Messi has been amazing (tied for the Golden Boot with Mbappe right now), but to be honest, I have not been overwhelmed by the rest of the squad. Messi is a weird player in that he adds so little on defense and yet is still putting points on the board, you have to defer to him even if he's being a drag (or maybe the other way around: this whole team is a drag and Messi is the lipstick on this pig). And that's where we are: this ought to be an easy Argentina victory, right? A walkover? And yet, I think Egypt can totally hang, would not be shocked if they scored early and took this to the wire. But at the end of the day, Argentina has guaranteed firepower, gotta go with Messi to figure it out. I got Argentina.

Switzerland - Colombia

Switzerland opened with a draw of Qatar, laid the smackdown on Bosnia and Herzegovina, outlasted Canada, then breezed past Algeria in the knockout; Colombia beat Uzbekistan, Congo, had a scoreless draw with Portugal, then sneaked past Ghana in the knockout. Tough one. On the hand, Switzerland has some nice confident wins while Colombia looks shakier; and yet I think I'm more impressed with Colombia's opponents rather than Switzerland's. Switzerland seems younger and more athletic, but Colombia has wily veterans. My gut feeling is Colombia but I'm not sure why I think that. So, I dunno, I'm going with Colombia. 

I've already made deeper predictions, but I'll wait til the next round to update them here. (Spoiler alert: I like Mexico a lot, we'll see if I still do in the next post)

(*) Not only did Paraguay beat Germany, they actually let Germany back into the game and then beat them again. That was pretty cold blooded.  

(**) Yeah I said it. Look, the soccer world is still relatively new to video replay, as an American (that has long detested replay across virtually all sports) I've watched it for a while now and I'm telling ya: video is not same all-knowing perfection device. Okay, here's a homemade analysis video (that I don't really much agree with):

Neither player possesses the ball, why do we automatically favor the offensive player over the defensive player? The video suggests that Belgium was nearest the ball, that Senegal kicked his foot, but what if Senegal is actually there first and Belgium is stepping on his foot? We're reflexively blaming the defender when he has just as much right to reach for the ball as the attacker. Why isn't the defender allowed to reach for possession just like the attacker? Their feet both meet at the same time in the same place, why should we favor either player? I would've called it even and let it play. (And perhaps that's why I'm a blogger instead of a guy with a real life)

(***) Best American team of all time? Oh yeah! Quite easily! Even if Pulisic isn't playing, this is still the best team USA has ever fielded by a long shot. The 2006 team was special but not as good as this squad. 

2023 FIBA World Cup (Final)

1st place

Germany 83-77 Serbia

Germany was a cohesive team all the way through this tourney, never overwhelming but consistently solid. Denis Schroeder was their lodestar, Daniel Theis was the veteran dirty work guy (and even in int'l play, he still doesn't get calls!), the Wagner brothers were the offensive anchors of the team (I thought Mo was the better of the two, he seemed to be everywhere), and Isaac Bonga and Johannes Voigtmann gave reliable dirty work minutes off the bench. They weren't deep but in a tourney like this depth is just for injuries, not for rotation. I was impressed with the German game plan and their consistency, again, they weren't overwhelming but they never went away, they were never out of any game. 

Serbia was arguably the best team of the tourney with wins over Canada, Lithuania and Dominican Republic. And, for good measure, I thought Bogdan Bogdanovic was the MVP of the whole thing, with Aleksa Avramovic being a 1st team possibility. Until the 4th quarter of the Final, Bogdanovic was one of the most reliable filler-uppers in the tourney. (And that 4th quarter shows one of the main differences in the int'l game: with no in-game time-outs, its harder to get rest time for the stars because getting them back into the game is incredibly unpredictable; so in the Final, Bogdan was worn out but ended up spending too much time on the bench) In the Final, they hung with Germany until the 3rd quarter when the Germans went on a run and the Serbs just never could quite make it up. Good run, though, hell of a showing for the Serbs. 

3rd place

USA 118-127 (OT) Canada

Canada pretty well dominated the game for the first 3 quarters. Early in the 4th Canada had a 10-point lead and the Americans went on an out-of-nowhere 10-0 run to tie it up. Then Canada outplayed them for the rest of the quarter, until Mikal Bridges with under 5 seconds left had the most improbable 4-point play I've ever seen it to tie it up. Then in OT the Americans rode the high of the shocking comeback to....oh, wait, no the Canadians pummeled the Americans in the OT period, just making the extra 5-minute session an unnecessary waste of time. 

Canada was really good all the way through with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being an MVP candidate and Dillon Brooks deserving of a 1st team nod (did they even do that stuff in this tourney?). The rest of the team was good, they played well together and they reminded the world that Canada has plenty of talent (and maybe should've gone further). I didn't see the semifinal where they lost to Serbia, they would've been fairly evenly matched. 

USA had the expectations problem: they just expected to win though they didn't have the best team or the best plan. Also, I hate to be that guy but....over the last year I have soured quite a bit on Steve Kerr and as I never understood what he was doing with the lineups (re: the overall team strategy), I got to put most of this flame out on Coach Kerr. He was trying to force Brandom Ingram early on (did he even play in the 3rd place game?), starting Jalen Brunson didn't make sense to me, Josh Hart got too much playing time (with too little understanding of his role), he got the least out of Jaren Jackson and he made Walker Kessler completely disappear. What did Coach Kerr do that was good in the entire tournament? Oh well, it don't matter since I assume he won't be back anyway, just thought I'd get in some shots at the coach that I think is overrated (rather than the players). 

As for USA, I thought Halliburton, Bridges and Reaves were consistently good, Anthony Edwards was good but perhaps not quite the bust out star we thought he might be, Paolo Banchero was pretty good (but with the occasional disappearing act), Jaren Jackson was okay but maybe not the ideal fit for this squad, Brandon Ingram sulked like a movie star, Cam Johnson and Kessler and Bobby Portis kinda disappeared and while I like Brunson in a Knick uni, I never thought he was the right fit for int'l competition. 4th place is nothing to sneeze at and yet it feels disappointing--we ended up with 3 L's. 

 

Semifinal matches

Serbia 95-86 Canada

USA 111-113 Germany

Germany was just better than USA. Neither team ever had a major lead but Germany was the pace-setter pretty much throughout and USA could never catch up. 

5th place

Latvia 98-63 Lithuania

7th place

Italy 85-89 Slovenia

5-8 Placement 

Italy 82-87 Latvia

Lithuania 100-84 Slovenia

Suggestion: If this was a 16-team final, rather than 32, the two group rounds could rank all teams 1-16, which could be followed by a one-and-done style tournament that would be even more exciting. Also, by limiting it to the top 16, the best teams would get more tough games, more exposure and the one-and-done tourney would feature even more talented (and desperate!) squads. Just a thought, I know the int'l crowd loves ranking each team out and in this format that is the way to do it and generally I want to include more teams but for FIBA, the final tourney would be a lot more exciting with fewer teams playing a more furious style of tournament. Just a thought. 

Also, as always the problem with USA basketball is we worship the Olympics and don't give a shit about the World Cup. I think the Olympics should be a youth competition--or at least have a series of age-bracketed divisions--and the World Cup should be the real competition. But Americans watch the Olympics, so the big stars want to play for that audience (a bland, nationalistic, every-four-years kinda audience) rather than the real fanatics (the live and breathe basketball crowd). So we prefer spectacle and audience dynamic rather than actually trying to put the best team in the best competition. Oh well, we're America, we keep getting away with our dumb mistakes, so what good is learning?

2022 World Cup (Round of 16)

Netherlands - USA (The Dutch have the pedigree but USA is producing players now that don't know they're not supposed to win; Netherlands is nice but not that great and they're coming in with the expectations; we'll see; I'll take USA (but obviously because I'm a homer))

Argentina - Australia (I thought this Argentina side might be too long in the tooth to get it done and when they got stung by Saudi Arabia in the opener, it felt like the end was neigh; but they're righted the ship and look pretty damn good again; Australia, on the other hand, is big and tough with not a lot of skill on the ball; I'll take Argentina)

France - Poland (France looks good, Poland looks okay; France has world class talent on the bench, Poland has Lewandowski up front; France is the better team but if they falter and Poland can get the ball forward, this has upset potential; but I'll take France)

England - Senegal (Senegal isn't bad while the English aren't as good as they think they are; this is toss-up, the English probably fancy themselves the favorite but I'm not sure; I'll take Senegal)

Japan - Croatia (Croatia is another team that looks old to me, Japan is sneaky and they just keep working; Croatia should have more talent, but that might doom them; I'll take Japan)

Brazil - South Korea (I like South Korea but they're not Brazil; I'll take Brazil)

Morocco - Spain (Hey, man, Morocco has played well to this point, but they may have just been in a disappointing group; Spain has moments of looking like the old magic, but I feel like they haven't played a complete game yet; I'll take Spain)

Portugal - Switzerland (I think Portugal played above themselves in group, I can see them crashing back to earth at some point; on the other hand, I don't think Switzerland has enough spice to really put in on them; I'll take Spain)

Bottom 16

17) Tunisia (man, they were good, thought they'd advance, kinda surprised they didn't; really solid on both sides)

18) Cameroon (beat Brazil, competed well against weird Euro squads, little more luck and they could've moved on)

19) Ecuador (good scorers, they were dangerous, just got unlucky down the stretch)

20) Germany (fell asleep against Japan, got lucky against Spain, finally busted out at the end of the Costa Rica match; flashes of German-ness but not enough to get it done)

21) Uruguay (still kinda scary up front, almost made it through; didn't love them but they weren't bad; last rodeo for the Suarez-Cavani combo, I presume)

22) Costa Rica (weird run, not a bad team but never got going) 

23) Saudi Arabia (beat Argentina, didn't do much else, but they beat Argentina)

24) Iran (gave away the first match but still played hard for two games; strong turnaround)

25) Mexico (just couldn't score, never seemed dangerous around the goal)

26) Ghana (nice team but didn't make the most of their chances; really should've been better, which is kinda promising)

27) Serbia (weird team, weird energy, weird group)

28) Wales (one PK was almost enough to fuck up the World Cup for USA, but otherwise they were non-existent on the pitch)

29) Denmark (I dunno, they did nothing)

30) Belgium (my pick to win it all, biggest disappointment of my lifetime; these guys sucked when they could've won the whole thing; something is seriously wrong with this team)

31) Canada (Yeah, outplayed Belgium for 90 minutes (well, 89 minutes an 55 seconds) but two games later, that seems like a major disappointment instead of a rallying cry; Canada was never particularly good on either side)

32) Qatar (Oh man, they sucked at everything! Shocking, too, because I thought they'd be kinda good and...they were not)

2017 Eurobasket

Championship: Slovenia 93-85 Serbia

Goran Dragic putting up monster numbers and winning the MVP. Nice! Bogdan Bogdanovic giving the Sactown Kings fans something to look forward to. And what exactly is the draft status of Luka Doncic? Will he be available next summer?




3rd Place: Spain 93-85 Russia

Pau Gasol and Alexei Shved (former Sixer) rounded out the all-tournament team. Gasol also became Europe's all time leading scorer (passing Tony Parker). (Hmmm....Spurs have room for Shved? Always kinda liked him, he'd be fascinating with Sacramento or Phoenix)




And some bonus highlights of the MVP.




(Dang! Just realized I could've streamed this. Well, in two years I hope I remember this is here)

Copa America Final

Argentina 0-0 Chile (Chile wins 4-2 on PKs)
The first half was all over the place; the second half was sedate. Overtime went back to being kinda crazy but wound down to not much. The story of the 1st half was the ref: started tossing around cards like a blackjack dealer and made it all about himself. I thought he was doing pretty good until the first red card: a second yellow is a harsh punishment for that play, there really wasn't anywhere for the defender to go, it was a foul but I didn't think a card was necessary. I didn't think Messi's yellow card for flopping in the box was necessary, the ball went out of bounds for a goal kick, no foul, just move on. Yeah, Messi fell over and he embellished but I think he genuinely and, yeah, he was trying to get a call, so what? Thought that card really just made for some bad blood. And the next red card may have looked ugly from his vantage point and it was a foul, but on the replay the contact was not that bad. Most of the ugliness of the forward going down was his foot getting caught underneath himself, which made for an awkward fall. I understand that maybe the ref thought it looked worse than it was but I'm not sure a straight red was necessary. By halftime both teams were down to 10 men and the locker rooms must've been pretty gloomy because both teams came out determined to not foul in the second half. Seems like this should've worked in Argentina's favor (more room for Messi to get loose) but I thought it worked for Chile (less aggressive defense meant they held possession more confidently than before).

Both teams played hard, my man. And in the end it probably ended the way it should have. A lot was made of Messi (and probably Mascherano, Aguero, Higuain and Biglia) retiring from international play after a 'devastating loss'. But I suspect they were all retiring anyway, win or lose. If they do all retire (and they might change their minds), it means none of them ever won anyting in Argentine uniforms, which is kind of amazing to imagine. So much brilliance and never did take home a trophy? Wow. (Kind of humbling to us USA fans that keep wondering if winning a World Cup in our lifetimes is even possible. Dude if Messi didn't win one...I mean...shit)


USA 0-1 Colombia
Would've been nice for USA to get a win but this was definitely a better game than that brutal loss to Argentina or the disappointing showing against Colombia in group play. I'd have preferred a win but this was a hard fought contest and I'm pleased with USA's effort. Colombia's goal was a nice piece of teamwork, caught USA off guard, a professional piece of finishing, nothing for USA fans to get too pissed about. The worisome part for me was USA's inability to get a good shot, it reminded me of some of those 1990's USA teams: decently confident possessing the ball but once we get into the box there was still no hope of scoring. Oh well.

Howard, Beslor, Cameron, Orozco, Yedlin were the defensive starters. Thought Howard looked really good, though his time with USA is probably coming to a close, he's one of the best we ever had and if he wants to stick around (behind Guzan), I'd be more than happy to keep him, still moves like a cat, great instincts, as long as he still wants to play, I suspect he'll be around. Beslor stepped in for Brooks and handled himself just fine. (Personally I still favor a 3-6-1 lineup, with Beslor alongside Brooks and Cameron in the back; just my personal opinion) Cameron, along with Brooks and Guzan, really gave me hope for USA's future, thought they made a great team in front of the goal. Orozco seemed to be getting beat as all of Colombia's 1st half pressure came up his side, but I just think that's the way he plays: he sags so that other can go forward and if gets lopsided, no matter, its gotta go somewhere. He had a really lame red card (though the ref is to blame for the time wasted) but I generally thought he was solid. Yedlin did not have a great tournament and I'm still waiting to see some development in his game. He's got a ton of speed but if he gets beat in the back and has no skill in the front, then who cares how fast he is? I'm not ready to give up on him but I am ready to start thinking about giving up on him.

Jones, Bradley, Bedoya, Zardes started in the midfield. I get that Jones and Bradley have veteran smarts and when then opportunity arises they move with more confidence than anyone else on the squad, but it just looks to me like their presence will bring a steady decline in the opportunities. Jones is still pretty good with the ball but off the ball he always looks 3-4 steps away from where he ought to be. And Bradley needs to be the force that turns defense into offense and yet too often he gets dispossessed, makes a bad pass and just slumps the ball backward. Personally, I'm ready for both of those guys to go. I thought Bedoya had a really good tournament and I hope he's firmly in the starting lineup going forward. Zardes works hard and that is appreciated but his touch is heavy and his decision making is not very mature. He's capable of making plays in 2018 but if he doesn't, it may look like time wasted.

Dempsey, Wood started up front. The more I see of Wood the more I like him. He's a bit bratty with the refs, which is not endearing, but he works hard and occasionally his efforts really pay off. I'm in on Wood (hope that Altidor can be a worthwhile mate for him up front). I wonder about Dempsey: I still like his veteran presence but his pace and his hubris limit his potential. I can live with him being there through 2018 but I'd like to see some other candidates throughout the qualifying period.

Pulisic, Nagbe came off the bench. I thought Nagbe should've started and I still think that. Granted, I'm less of a fan of Jones and Bradley than everyone else apparently, but I'm ready for Nagbe to be the guy. I think he's got good skill and pace but he needs the reps to be useful as a playmaker and it feels like Jones is in the way of his development. I don't mind using Pulisic as a spark plug off the bench but I can't help thinking that 90 minutes is the way to go for him. I'd like to see him paired in the center mid with Nagbe, let them work off each other to make plays for everyone else. I don't want to lose Dempsey though, so perhaps push Pulisic out wide and let him attack with speed (either supplanting Zardes on one side or Yedlin on the other).

Brooks and Johnson didn't play due to injury; Guzan was given the night off. I thought Brooks was one of the best players USA had this tourney and I look forward to him being a rock on the backline through the next World Cup. Johnson was fine, not sure what his role was but I liked his effort and his skill. I think he'll be in the starting lineup in 2018. I like Guzan, thought he played in this tournament and I think this is his team now. I thought playing Howard in the final game was a lovely sendoff to one of the best players USA has ever produced (though if he wants to stick around as a backup, that'd be fine with me).

I think my ideal USA team for qualifying would be a 3-5-2 with this lineup: Goalie (Guzan); Defenders (Brooks, Cameron, Beslor); Midfield (Johnson, Pulisic, Dempsey, Nagbe, Bedoya); Forward (Altidor, Wood). With Howard, Orozco, Beckerman, Yedlin, Bradley, Jones, Zardes, Miazga off the bench. Still need some skill and speed up front, not sure who steps up for USA. We'll see.

FIBA Americas

I haven't paid much attention to the FIBA tourney, more interested in US Open Tennis, Euro Basket and the return of NCAA football. I was surprised that Brazil crashed out in group play without much effort considering the beatdown they just laid on everyone in the Pan Am Games; why show up for that competition and sandbag this one? With no USA, no Brazil, it feels like Canada is ready to curb stomp the remaining competitors.

Canada plays Venezuela on one side and Argentina plays Mexico on the other. I just don't see how Venezuela hangs with Canada nor how the winner of the other semi could hang with Canada. But the games still have to be played and Argentina has plenty of veteran savvy (re: old guys). Hang a Maple Leaf on it, this tourney looks done to me.

World Cup Round of 16

(Still contemplating the NBA draft but for now World Cup!)

Ranking the remaining 16 (5 superior teams, 2 inferior teams, 9 others in the middle):

1. Germany (standard issue German excellence, not unbeatable but not likely to lose)
2. Argentina (for all of Messi's heroics, he hasn't even played well yet!  Argentina can be better)
3. Netherlands (got it all going on, they look better than 2010)
4. Brazil (beyond Neymar I'm not seeing the usual confident star power, but they've done everything they needed to do so far, hard to bet against the hosts)
5. Colombia (playing well, controlling the ball, moving forward, dangerous)

6. France (playing well but they're young, I think they get upset)
7. Nigeria (started slow but played better from game to game, I think they're playing better than France right now)
8. Costa Rica (sneaky, handled all the challenges, Greece is as easy an opponent as they could've hoped for at this point)
9. Uruguay (w/out Suarez) (good but not great, they're lacking on offense from here on)
10. Algeria (nothing to lose, played good D in 1st game, good attack in 2nd game, played well enough in 3rd game, I like Algeria but a W against Germany would be a HUUUUUUUUGE upset)
11. Mexico (good enough, not showy, but look like they can hang with most anyone, Netherlands will be a challenge)
12. Chile (played well in the group, win over Spain must feel great)
13. Belgium (the least impressive 3 win team I've ever seen, for all the hype I'm not convinced of their attack)
14. USA (weird team, doesn't seem like they've played well but they're here and Ghana and Portgual are not)

15. Greece (lucky, shouldn't be here)
16. Switzerland (didn't perform well in the lamest group, not at all impressed with them)

I like Brazil, Colombia, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Germany, Argentina, USA to advance.

World Cup After One Week (or so)

Damn, I love the World Cup!  I love just sitting on ass and watching soccer all day every day for a month.  I'm increasingly convinced even Americans can get into this every 48th month.  The other 47 months, soccer will go back to being utterly irrelevant on the American sports scene and I reckon that's normal.  Attendance might spike at MLS games for the rest of the year but it'll revert to normal next year.  I don't expect Americans to follow European soccer (though its every bit as entertaining as the American sports) or the South American Cups or the other random competitions that come along.  Soccer is not--and will not be--a regular big time American sport.  Our best athletes don't play soccer, our domestic league is pretty much guaranteed to never be as competitive as the Euro leagues, the college game in America is well-equipped but produces very little compelling action, the stats in soccer don't mean squat so there's no nerd culture or talk radio memes waiting to happen, and the advertising isn't the same (though I reckon American companies are used to marketing through soccer everywhere else in the world).  And in USA soccer competes with a bevy of sports options most of the rest of the world has not adopted as completely as soccer.  We've got the best baseball, hockey, basketball, motor sports, tennis and golf and we've got 'football' which no one else plays (nor should they, its a quintessentially American game and frankly I don't want to watch everyone else do it); but when it comes to soccer the big money culture is already at play out there in the world and American money will always be hard-pressed to compete.  But once every 48 months even Americans can rouse from their Cheeto-ed slumber and join the planet.

Best game: Netherlands 5-1 Spain.  Wow, hadn't seen Spain get pummeled like that in a while.  Brazil handled them convincingly a coupla years back in the Confederations Cup but this was something totally new.  And even then it was just the second half.  The Dutch just controlled every second of the ball for 45 minutes, Spain never threatened, never held the ball, couldn't make stops on defense, couldn't turn the ball forward, couldn't do nothing, man.  Wow.  Just wow.  A shellacking like this is always confusing: Are the Dutch really that good?  Spain can't be that bad, can they?  Was this just a fluke game or do the Dutch have some magic going?

Lamest game: Iran 0-0 Nigeria.  Easy call.  Man, no action, no attempt at action, not even any interesting mistakes!  No controversy, no goals, no worthwhile opportunities, no cool passes or eye-opening athletic plays.  Nope.  Nothing.  Forget Americans--this is the kind of game that people who love soccer hate to sit through.

I don't watch nearly enough soccer these days so I don't know any of the players, besides a handful of the big stars.  And I haven't followed anyone but USA in the qualifiers and even then I don't obsess over the tables because I fully expect USA to finish in the top 3 of our group always (we should always be #1 but top 3 qualify and we should always at least make that).  So I'm pretty blind on these teams, just going by gut feelings.  Rank them, right here.

Germany (class; frankly they didn't even look they were trying hard while blowing out Portugal)

Netherlands (am I overrating the whooping they just put on Spain?  Maybe, but the Dutch did look pretty great; they moved the ball well and were a hammer on defense; they looked really good)

Argentina (thought Messi didn't play well, but all he needs is an inch of daylight to hit a game winner; I'm guessing he's just warming up and that Bosnia is actually pretty good)

Italy (played solid against England; good victory, not a great one but they did what they needed to do against a world class opponent)

Brazil (My first instinct is to say I dunno about these guys: that back line looks born to beat, don't it?  This team doesn't pass very well it seems like, the touches are still crisp but they're not playing with each other as well as expected; being the home team is probably more curse than blessing these days but I fully expect Brazil to be there at the end)

Mexico (I thought they played Cameroon just right and handled themselves well against Brazil this afternoon; was not surprised by today's outcome: Mexico is the rare squad that doesn't fall prey to Brazil's gimmicks; granted the record is not good against Brazil, but they compete and I thought they'd get a draw today, though I expected more thrills; anyway, Mexico looks good to me, they hold the ball well, they play well together, solid defense, they're susceptible to big sturdy forwards but I think Mexico will score some goals this year)

Spain (I can't let one bad game scuttle my observations: Spain is still the best in the world and I reckon they can hang with anyone they play; they picked a bad time for a bad game but when is the good time for that?  Spain is gonna win games, I am convinced)

Colombia (I liked what I saw from Colombia but the 3-0 line against Greece was deceiving, I thought the match was a lot closer than that; Colombia finished their opportunities, Greece didn't, but otherwise I thought it was a fairly even contest; Colombia did what needed to be done and that's a good quality to have)

France (I thought their match with Honduras was sloppy: Honduras was truly terrible and the ref was wonky, made weird calls that kept favoring France (I thought); not sure France will have the protection of either of those things going forward; I suspect they've played their crappiest opponent and gotten their wonderful-est officiating; wasn't blown away by France and I suspect they might be a mirage)

Ivory Coast (Like France, I was more unimpressed by their opponent (Japan) than I was impressed by Ivory Coast; Japan got an early goal so I couldn't tell if they just had no offense at all or just didn't want to play it; couldn't tell if Ivory Coast's dominance of possession was their own skill or Japan's premature lack of interest; anyway, I was impressed by their ball control, each player had superior touch and their interplay reminded me of what Nigeria used to play like; plus they got a legit world class star (Drogba) rolling in off the bench; I think I like Ivory Coast to move on)

Chile (lump Chile in with France and Ivory Coast; Chile's first opponent (Australia) is continually uninspiring to me and the fact that Chile thumped 'em 3-1 doesn't shock me at all; so how good is Chile?  No idea, I'm putting them here because I don't know where else to put them)

Costa Rica (People made a big deal Costa Rica's 3-1 beatdown of Uruguay but they were just the better team, I thought; Uruguay struck me as not that good while Costa Rica impressed me with their opportunism and play making capabilities; I think Costa Rica is pretty good, could surprise someone taking them lightly)

Bosnia-Herzegovina (the most impressive loser so far; yeah I know I have Spain ranked higher but I'm still giving them the respect of the last 6 years, Bosnia is new to me; I liked them, take away a fluky own-goal and Bosnia went toe-to-toe with the team I predicted to win the Cup; they stifled Messi consistently in the mid-field, attacked confidently up the wings, had some real touch up front, I think they've got a good chance to sting some people)

USA (One of the least impressive victories of the tourney so far; heads-up quick goal, lucky as shit late goal, floundering offense, almost good enough defense, I dunno, I did not like what I saw; Dempsey's early brilliance was a shot in the arm but the next 80 minutes of lackluster offense was a bit of a downer; Portugal is hard to figure: either USA kills them or gets eaten alive by the wounded Portuguese.

Belgium (Next least impressive victory; for 60 minutes they could not budge against Algeria's defense, then a quick cross in the box and a breakaway later, they've stolen back the game from Algeria; I dunno man, they're hard to figure, they came in with some dark horse hype and perhaps Algeria's game plan just stymied them...or perhaps Belgium just wasn't that good; I was impressed with Algeria's D, they had a plan and they stuck to it, but Algeria attempted almost no offense and still should've won this game; so how good is Belgium?  Not sure)

England
Russia
South Korea
Croatia
Switzerland
Ghana
Cameroon
Greece
Portugal

Iran (Iran did what they had to do to secure a draw; they look like they just have a knack for draws; maybe 3 points will get them through but they'll probably need to win and how is that gonna happen?)

Nigeria (they looked awful; in the 90s my favorite team to watch was Nigeria, so much on-ball skill, a team of badasses, ripped shots from all over the place, they were fun; but this team was hesitant to do anything against Iran, not exactly the most formidable D out there; they did not look good, they were not dangerous around the goal, they weren't playmaking on defense, they didn't look into it and they didn't look good)

Uruguay (this just doesn't look like a classic Uruguay squad, they were soundly beaten I thought by Costa Rica, who is perhaps just better than we thought; but it didn't look to me like Uruguay ever had any plan to win the game and if they can't figure out Costa Rica, I'm not seeing them go too much further)

Algeria (honestly Algeria is a kooky 5-minute flurry from having 3 points; but that was their best chance at a win, I don't think their chances get any better, I really liked their D, I think they're gonna frustrate some people, but they've got no attack to speak of; they're not that bad but I don't see them having any success moving forward so I've got to drop them pretty low)

Australia (not that bad really, I just don't like watching them; they remind me of USA circa 1998 but with lesser athletes, not a good combination; I just don't see how these guys score goals or fight off a world class attack for 90 minutes)

Ecuador (I was almost willing to be impressed with Ecuador for dueling Switzerland to a draw, then they blew it in ignominious fashion, now I'm less impressed than ever; they don't score, they fall asleep on D, they don't have the best athletes, I don't see them beating anybody)

Japan (yeah, these guys just kinda suck; they dominated Ivory Coast for about 5 minutes, managed to get a goal out of it then did nothing for the rest of the game; Ivory Coast took a shot every time they touched the ball, but weren't adept at hitting the target except for their own 5 minutes flurry when they netted two quick goals and did what they should've done earlier; Japan plays with courage and smarts, but they're not very good)

Honduras (I didn't think the refs did them any favors against France, every close one seemed to go against Honduras, but I also thought they fouled a lot, were poor at maintaining possession or defensive shape and don't have the athletes to hang; worst team I saw in the first week)