soccer soccer soccer

[Transmogrified Tiger]

It hasn’t played a big role so far, but I am so so tired of having to endure central american refs who require blood for a foul and can’t manage the game because it’s three notches higher than their home leagues.

 

Okay now this is pissing me off

[UMFan83]

WUNDERKIND IS BACK

[bukie]

Pulisic with help makes me giddy.

[UMFan83]

Pulisic with help makes me giddy.

 

Weah has been an absolute monster tonight

[bukie]

DOS A CERO

[soccer10k]

BOOM!

 

DOS A CERO!

[UMFan83]

Hey guys what's the score of this Mexico-USA match?

[UMFan83]

That goal puts USA ahead on GD too so will lead the group assuming they hold on and no Mexico goals

[soccer10k]

Not gonna lie, I don’t mind at all we missed that chance in the 93rd minute. Reminds me of when Dempsey missed that super late PK 8 years ago to keep it 2-0.

[UMFan83]

The US didn't go into a shell and hope for some good counters. They pressed Mexico knowing that they were the better team. End result was a destruction of El Tri.

 

 

Results from the other matches were not great from a top 3 perspective, but from a top 4 perspective, the US is 8 points clear. Not that we're going for the playoff but its nice to have that cushion.

[soccer10k]

Win the three remaining home games and we’re probably at least third. Per UMFan’s chart, 23 points puts us at 92.3 percent for third or better.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

lol did Pulisic really have “man in the mirror” on his undershirt, p h e n o m e n a l

[bukie]

I'm going to remain annoyed that the USMNT threw away that Panama game for no reason last month.

[UMFan83]

I'm going to remain annoyed that the USMNT threw away that Panama game for no reason last month.

 

Imagine the gap if we had drew that one. We’d be 6 points clear of the playoff spot with 7 to go

[wolf stansson]

The US didn't go into a shell and hope for some good counters. They pressed Mexico knowing that they were the better team. End result was a destruction of El Tri.

Yeah this was a masterclass from GGG & the players. Shout out to the el tri community, tho. Going to be harder than ever for them to convince themselves they’re still better. They’ve got their work cut out for them.

 

 

The craziest part is still who do you bench if everyone in the attack is healthy. Weah has been so, so good. I’m starting to see the 2026 hope. This is a really good team. Which reminds me that this is the last Mexico home qualifier for 8 years. OF COURSE we had to dos a cero.

[Rex Buckingham]

The US didn't go into a shell and hope for some good counters. They pressed Mexico knowing that they were the better team. End result was a destruction of El Tri.

Yeah this was a masterclass from GGG & the players. Shout out to the el tri community, tho. Going to be harder than ever for them to convince themselves they’re still better. They’ve got their work cut out for them.

 

 

The craziest part is still who do you bench if everyone in the attack is healthy. Weah has been so, so good. I’m starting to see the 2026 hope. This is a really good team. Which reminds me that this is the last Mexico home qualifier for 8 years. OF COURSE we had to dos a cero.

 

Musah to the bench with Reyna playing centrally?

And then whoever is in the best form between Aaronson and Weah plays opposite Pulisic.

[imb]

weah is so god damn good

[wolf stansson]

Shout out to the el tri community, tho. Going to be harder than ever for them to convince themselves they’re still better. They’ve got their work cut out for them.

 

 

“I think it was a game of many volatile moments,” Martino said when asked to summarize Mexico’s performance. “When we matched the intensity of the United States we created chances and I think we were the better team.“

-Tata

 

 

lol keep that same energy forever, guys. This is the biggest issue holding Mexican soccer back. They never address systemic issues because they actually believe they are better and a different coach or a different run of luck will prove them right. Can’t wait to see Canada beat them next.

[wolf stansson]

Who needs coffee in the morning when we have these?

 

 

[UMFan83]

Mexico now has a 8-2-9 record against the US in competitive matches this century

[wolf stansson]

It hasn’t played a big role so far, but I am so so tired of having to endure central american refs who require blood for a foul and can’t manage the game because it’s three notches higher than their home leagues.

This is reckless, but I’d love to see research into the rate of fouls not called perpetrated against black players vs others in concacaf matches.

[wolf stansson]

He’s been killing Madrid in champions league since he was 18, he’d be a guaranteed starter when fit based on roster, and it’s a much less physical league. Let’s do it.

[bukie]

Elsewhere in World Cup qualifying:

 

AFC - Qatar is automatically in due to hosting, and midway through the final round, Iran is 8 points clear for qualification with 5 games to play. South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia are in qualifying position, while Japan is currently 3rd in their group, which would leave them having to win 2 playoffs to qualify (against the 3rd place team in the other group, and then one of the other confederation playoff teams from OFC, CONCACAF or CONMEBOL). Yet another reason for the US to finish top 3 and not risk the playoff.

 

CAF - Second round of qualifying finishes up this week, with the 10 group winners advancing to 5 home and home playoffs to determine the 5 World Cup teams. Mali, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco and DR Congo have clinched groups, while Algeria, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Tunisia and South Africa lead the other groups with 1 to play. All play their closest competition this week in a winner-take-all game, with notable World Cup regulars Cameroon and Ghana facing an uphill battle against Ivory Coast and South Africa, respectively, needing to beat them to reach the next round.

 

CONMEBOL - 13 of 18 qualifying games are complete, with Brazil having already clinched a spot and Argentina well on their way, neither of which have lost a game thus far. Ecuador is currently 4 points clear of the qualification line, and Chile, Uruguay and Colombia are tied for 4th at 16 points, with the top 4 qualifying and the 5th place team going into the intercontinental playoff.

 

OFC - OFC is a mess right now, as all 3 of their qualification plans have fallen through. At this point they're asking FIFA what they can do in March 2022 to figure this out. New Zealand is as close a shoo-in as you can get in this region to a qualified entrant, but no progress has been made as to which team from this confederation can make the intercontinental playoff.

 

UEFA - First round of qualifying finishes this week, with the 10 group winners assured a spot in the World Cup, while the 10 runners up and 2 next best Nations League teams (top 2 Nations League finishers that don't finish in the top 2 qualifying spots) will be set up in three 4-team 2-leg brackets to determine the last 3 spots. France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and Croatia have clinched their groups thus far, with England, Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal leading their groups with 1 to play. The 2 lucky Nations league teams will be Austria and then either Czech Republic or Wales (who are in the same group and one will finish 2nd, so the other gets the Nations league spot). Russia and North Macedonia both finished in 2nd place in their groups, and Wales/CR will be a 2nd place team, Scotland clinched 2nd in their group, and Serbia, Poland, Switzerland and Sweden clinched at least 2nd in their groups. The only spots left up in the air at this point are Turkey or Norway in group G (behind Netherlands) and Finland or Ukraine in group D, as Finland hosts Ukraine in the last game there with a 2 point advantage going in.

 

TLDR: World Cup spots clinched: Qatar, Brazil, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Croatia

[bukie]

Spain beats Sweden 1-0 to qualify for the World Cup. Sweden to the playoff.

 

Serbia wins at Portugal 2-1 to qualify for the World Cup. Portugal to the playoff.

[bukie]

All is now right in the world again, as the US tops the CONCACAF rankings in ELO for the first time in a while:

 

https://www.eloratings.net/CONCACAF

 

15th overall in the world behind 4 CONMEBOL teams (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay) and 10 UEFA teams (France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, England, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands), which seems...about right? Not quite as high on Portugal but everything else checks out.