# Omnibus World Football Thread 2020-2022 (edited) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [August 16, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264 "2020-08-16T15:38:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 50
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/982 "2023-08-16T10:33:10Z")
Because they’re scared of crosses! No, wait, that doesn’t work. Because they have secret agents? I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/983 "2023-08-16T11:58:23Z")
They have a license to kill. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/984 "2023-08-16T12:02:12Z")
Ah, I see (the penalty incident last night). If Gary Neville thinks it was a penalty against United, that removes all doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/985 "2023-08-16T13:09:36Z")
That and keeper in the exhibition against Wrexham where the guy punctured Paul Mullins lung and only got a yellow. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/986 "2023-08-20T03:45:26Z")
Messi just took the worst MLS team and carried to win the Leagues cup…, please take care of our Captain, we are going to need him in 2024 for the Copa America… and who knows, we can dream of 2026… ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/987 "2023-08-20T03:49:49Z")
Inter Miami: WORST TO FIRST Still unbeaten since Messi took over. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/988 "2023-08-20T03:50:57Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > we are going to need him in 2024 for the Copa America… and who knows, we can dream of 2026… Messi would be better off never playing for Argentina again. Since he won both Copa and World Cup for Argentina the last time he was in blue and white, that’s ending his career on a high note. It would end things very sourly if he played for Argentina again and in creaky old age couldn’t score a single goal and Argentina bowed out in the group stage ugly-ly. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/989 "2023-08-20T03:52:30Z")
Nah, at this point Messi sits at the right hand of D10s, it doesn’t matter what results he gets from now on, he’s won his place as the Messiah for all eternity. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/990 "2023-08-20T14:01:09Z")
They’re still in last place of the league. This was a different competition. The most important thing about this tournament is that it qualifies them for next years CONCACAF Champions Cup. The winner of that plays in the Club World Cup. In my fantasies Messi would go on to play Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. It remains to be seen if they even qualify for the league playoffs. Obviously it depends on the rest of the league, but they probably need to average over 2 points a game for the rest of the season. I suspect they’ll do it, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they fall short. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/991 "2023-08-20T15:33:19Z")
Even with Messi on the team, Miami continues to have the most pathetic fan base (all sports, that is), as FC places 25th, out of a possible 29, in attendance this year. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/992 "2023-08-20T15:57:57Z")
Didn’t they just bump capacity from 18,000 to 21,000, still making it incredibly small? ETA I just looked at ticket prices, holy cow. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/993 "2023-08-20T19:28:24Z")
FC? Messi hasn’t played an MLS game yet, so not sure how you’re rating his affect on attendance. If you look at the leagues cup figures they Miami home games were all basically at capacity. Which, as pointed out, is a small stadium. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/994 "2023-08-21T03:22:04Z")
Indeed, _major_ lines crossed on my part. Press on. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/995 "2023-08-24T15:12:43Z")
Seeing Messi in these games so far and it makes me wonder was this what it was like with Pele in the 1970s. I’ve watched Messi practically his whole career and so seeing him score and assist every game, glide away from tackles and make goalkeepers look slow and in awe is not new. And those European players were better than the MLS defenders so it’s unfair to be too harsh on the MLS players. But the effect on the whole team which frankly was lousy right until he joined and the turn around is stunning. Football isn’t a one man team and the fact that a front three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe couldn’t come close to winning the Champions League is the prime example of how superstars can’t carry a team alone without work ethic and cohesion. But here with Inter Miami players they look ten foot taller. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/996 "2023-08-24T20:31:17Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > But the effect on the whole team which frankly was lousy right until he joined and the turn around is stunning. Football isn’t a one man team and the fact that a front three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe couldn’t come close to winning the Champions League is the prime example of how superstars can’t carry a team alone without work ethic and cohesion. But here with Inter Miami players they look ten foot taller. Well the US Open Cup Semi-finals helped answer a bit of that question. Miami was awful for 60 mins with a rotated team (all of the big 3 played the entire time) and a different formation. Then Tata Martino made a triple sub and went back to a 4-3-3 and the team played a lot better, and came back from 2-0 down. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2023, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/997 "2023-08-31T04:25:56Z")
Messi’s first game for Miami where he didn’t get on the scoresheet. They drop 2 points at home against a mid-table team. Hmm, maybe playoffs are a bit further out of reach. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/998 "2023-08-31T16:55:23Z")
The Champions League draw has been completed, here are your groups. Play starts on September 19! Best of luck to Newcastle in Group F. 😳 Group A Bayern Man U Copenhagen Galatasaray Group B Sevilla Arsenal PSV RC Lens Group C Napoli Real Madrid SC Braga Union Berlin Group D Benfica Inter Milan Salzburg Real Sociedad Group E Feyenood Atletico Madrid Lazio Celtic Group F PSG Dortmund AC Milan Newcastle Group G Man City Leipzig FK Zvezda Young Boys Group H Barcelona Porto S. Donetsk Royal Antwerp ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/999 "2023-08-31T17:01:54Z")
Group F looks interesting, a very levelled group. Everything could happen. And a nice group for Union Berlin for their first time playing the CL, Real and Napoli. Yeah, a tough group to advance from, but attractive opponents that’ll draw many spectators (Union will play the CL in the Berlin Olympic Stadium with a capacity of 80 k seats instead of their home stadium at Alte Försterei with merely 22 k). Bayern and ManU in one group also looks nice, but they will both advance with maybe Bayern giving a lesson to another top team in the group stage like they did so often. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1000 "2023-08-31T19:43:49Z")
Yeah, F is crazy. Basically any two teams coming out of that group seems reasonable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2023, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264/1001 "2023-09-01T03:32:47Z")
If I had to miss every group game except for the 12 in F, I might actually be ok with that deal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-world-football-thread-2020-2022-edited/918264.md?page=51)