# FIFA World Cup 2026 - discussion etc **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962 "2025-10-14T15:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 165
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3281 "2026-07-07T00:07:14Z")
I wonder if there’s any analytics on the importance of an early save to get the keeper in the game of if that’s just some bullshit lots of people say for no reason. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3282 "2026-07-07T00:09:03Z")
Belgium probably should be up 1-0. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3283 "2026-07-07T00:09:46Z")
They are now. Bad clearance by Freeman. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3284 "2026-07-07T00:09:49Z")
And now they are. Us getting torn open. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3285 "2026-07-07T00:10:31Z")
Nice pressure. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3286 "2026-07-07T00:10:58Z")
1-0 Belgium. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3287 "2026-07-07T00:11:02Z")
Back line looked hapless. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3288 "2026-07-07T00:11:02Z")
There’s no “should” in football, in fact if often happens that a team has multiple shots on goal and then receives a goal in their own. ETA: Goes to show what I know. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3289 "2026-07-07T00:12:14Z")
Oh really, sometime shots go in and sometimes they don’t? I wasn’t aware. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3290 "2026-07-07T00:14:23Z")
Hehehe, no the saying is “The goals you don’t make in the opposite goal, get made in your own”. Basically it means, “wasting too many opportunities is not just wasteful, but dangerous” ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3291 "2026-07-07T00:16:02Z")
When the US turns it over deep in Belgium’s end, they’re doing a good job of pressing Belgium to force the long pass. But then they’re losing all the 50-50 balls and getting pinned back in their own half. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3292 "2026-07-07T00:16:22Z")
Other than looking shitty on defense and shitty on offense, US looks pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3293 "2026-07-07T00:16:33Z")
The hydration break cannot come soon enough for the US team. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3294 "2026-07-07T00:16:35Z")
For whatever reason I can’t connect to Fox One on the Roku Channel so I can’t even watch the fucking game. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3295 "2026-07-07T00:16:37Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Back line looked hapless. Midfield looks hapless. You can’t always look for a pass, sometimes you have to move. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3296 "2026-07-07T00:16:51Z")
I disagree, their midfield is even worse. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3297 "2026-07-07T00:17:42Z")
Well, the bench is fine. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3298 "2026-07-07T00:18:51Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Oh really, sometime shots go in and sometimes they don’t? I wasn’t aware. I love TV sports announcers. In all of human history they have said more stupid things than everyone else combined. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3299 "2026-07-07T00:19:35Z")
That was me being snarky to Frodo, not something Holden said. But I mostly agree. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962/3300 "2026-07-07T00:19:52Z")
I keep thinking the ref is Michael Bradley. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=164) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fifa-world-cup-2026-discussion-etc/1023962.md?page=166)