Futbol

[Vrede too]

First home game for the San Diego FC, big turnout, big parties, costumes. Dunno if the St. Louis team is supposed to be any good or not, but among all the clamor there was a game. Final score...........drum roll............0-0. And the star player injured a hamstring. And the Mexican fans got into trouble for chanting "Puto" apparently in taunting insult to the goalkeeper. Time for real baseball yet? Pickleball? Curling?

Trinity Rodman: My back will likely never be 100% again





'Trinity Rodman' song headlines NWSL's Spirit halftime show

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE_BdbpPoqG/



I can't find the whole song or video of the halftime show anywhere.

[Vrede too]

INGLEWOOD, Calif:



Beautiful. I would have hated to see her coming at me. USWNT won 2-0. They play again in San Jose in a few days.

'World-class' Trinity Rodman scores in USWNT return vs. Brazil

[GoCubsGo]

'World-class' Trinity Rodman scores in USWNT return vs. Brazil

Sweet shot with her right foot.

[Vrede too]

INGLEWOOD, Calif:

https://x.com/brfootball/status/1908630913652515269

Beautiful. I would have hated to see her coming at me. USWNT won 2-0. They play again in San Jose in a few days.

'World-class' Trinity Rodman scores in USWNT return vs. Brazil

Sweet shot with her right foot.

The OUTSIDE of her right foot. That is so hard to do with that power and precision. The back injury is worrisome but she might outclass the achievements of her dad.

[Vrede too]

UK:

Cup final abandoned as fans and players wave Palestine flags


Clapton CFC Women players on the pitch at Maidstone with Palestine flags

A regional cup final was abandoned on Sunday because the venue’s management allegedly objected to the presence of Palestine flags in the stands.

Clapton Community Football Club Women were leading 2-0 in the London and South East Regional Women’s Football League Trophy final against Dulwich Hamlet Reserves at Maidstone United’s Gallagher Stadium when the match was called off.

Clapton said a representative of Maidstone United approached supporters around 20 minutes into the match and demanded they stop waving a Palestinian flag. He also objected to a banner among the Dulwich supporters, which read: “Show genocide the red card”.

Both teams' fans

The two teams were offered the opportunity to play on behind closed doors, but Clapton declined. Instead, the club said, both sets of fans then came together “in solidarity with the Palestinian people, singing more songs and holding up our banners in support of trans women and the Palestine people, respectively.”



In a statement issued on behalf of the team, Clapton said: “Today, 32 women were denied the opportunity to play the L&SERWFL Trophy final.

“About 20 minutes into the match, both Clapton and Dulwich supporters were approached by a representative of Maidstone United, Gallagher Stadium owners. He demanded that our supporters must stop waving the Palestinian flag, and the Dulwich supporters must take down their banner which read ‘Show genocide the red card’.

“After both groups of supporters refused, he called the officials together and communicated that we could not use the ground while both the Palestinian flag and the banner were displayed.

Clapton CFC Women players show their appreciation to their fans while waving Palestine flags (above and below)


“Our given options were to 1) play the game behind closed doors or 2) to abandon the game. Clapton’s players chose to abandon the game. Both sets of fans then came together in solidarity with the Palestinian people, singing more songs and holding up our banners in support of trans women and the Palestine people, respectively.

“Our players and supporters are united in their support and concern for Palestinians who are being bombed daily. Showing that support with a flag or banner is no reason to abandon a cup final.” ...

FREE PALESTINE!

Would the game have been cancelled if fans were waving Israeli flags?

[O Really]

Leave it to the Chinese to figure out how to make the game interesting.

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c5ylkyrkjnzo

Spoiler:

https://english.beijing.gov.cn/beijingi ... 694830.jpg

[GoCubsGo]

Leave it to the Chinese to figure out how to make the game interesting.

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c5ylkyrkjnzo

Spoiler:

https://english.beijing.gov.cn/beijingi ... 694830.jpg

Real futbol needs more gurneys.

[Vrede too]

Leave it to the Chinese to figure out how to make the game interesting.

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/c5ylkyrkjnzo

Spoiler:

https://english.beijing.gov.cn/beijingi ... 694830.jpg

Real futbol needs more gurneys.

Real futbol needs more players kicking the player that's down. A lot fewer folks will take a dive.

The goalie sucks.

[Vrede too]

Curaçao makes history as smallest nation by population to qualify for a World Cup

Curaçao salvaged a 0-0 draw with Jamaica on Tuesday to become the smallest nation by population to qualify for a World Cup and will be joined by CONCACAF sides Panama and Haiti which also booked their spots.

Curaçao finished as the only undefeated nation in the tournament and finished atop of Group B with 12 points to advance to the World Cup for the first time in its history.

... According to the Central Bureau of Statistics in Curaçao, the country has a population of 156,115 persons as of last January.

It's like Henderson County qualifying for the World Cup.

Iceland, with a population of just over 350,000 was the smallest country to reach the World Cup when it qualified for the tournament in Russia in 2018.

Panama advanced to its second World Cup after defeating El Salvador 3-0 on first-half goals from Cesar Blackman (17) and Erick Davis (45). Jose Luis Rodriguez (85) added a goal for the Panamanians, who have Russia 2018 as their only World Cup appearance.

Good on Panama!

... Haiti, a troubled Caribbean country, had a surprising campaign winning Group C over favorites Honduras and Costa Rica after beating Nicaragua 2-1.

Loicious Deedson opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Ruben Providence added a goal in the 45th. Haiti’s only previous trip to the World Cup was in Germany in 1974.

The Haitians finished with 11 points while Honduras had nine and Costa Rica finished with seven.

Cool. Haitians need something to cheer for.

[Vrede too]

Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal lead A-list World Cup draw assistants

A bunch of other sports stars and celebs will be involved. Not a single women's futbol star is named.

... The Village People plan to perform "Y.M.C.A." and FIFA will hand out its inaugural Peace Prize, which the federation says will "recognize exceptional actions for peace." ...

Ut-oh, I can guess where this is headed. I'm already starting to compose a scathing letter to FIFA.

[Vrede too]

I strongly considered attending WC games in Atlanta. Possibilities extend from the group stage all the way through to the semis. However, the suck-up "Peace Prize" really pisses me off, as does the planned CBP harassment of visitors. Social media? Really? Now, there's this:

Fans accuse FIFA of 'betrayal' over World Cup ticket prices

Screw it, I've always had a great time watching on TV.

[O Really]

Pick a soccer-centric bar with a huge screen and you'll get a way better view, probably cheaper drinks, and easier parking.

[Vrede too]

Pick a soccer-centric bar with a huge screen and you'll get a way better view, probably cheaper drinks, and easier parking.

Yep, all that. I was looking forward to rubbing shoulders with an international crowd, though.

1990, I dislocated my shoulder on my way to work in SF, had to get it relocated in my own ER. Was fine but couldn't return to work until cleared by ortho. Took a month to get an appt with Kaiser (the hospital's plan ). Guess what month that was. Yup, I got paid generous CA disability to drink hard cider in Irish bars 3 blocks from home and spend my days watching live WC games played in Italy on their cable feeds.

[O Really]

Who are we rooting for this tournament? You can pick and I'll go along unless they're personally offensive. Maybe you're better at soccer picks than basketball.

[GoCubsGo]

I don't think I'll be attending.

[Vrede too]

Who are we rooting for this tournament? You can pick and I'll go along unless they're personally offensive. Maybe you're better at soccer picks than basketball.

Here are the groups and standings you can follow:
https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/men ... cousa2026/

FIFA World Cup 2026 format
The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams from the groups will now progress to the round of 32. Hopefuls will now have to play eight games from group stage through to the final, rather than seven.

All the teams aren't all set yet. Teams list:

Only nations that have booked their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ are shown - as the tournament line-up is confirmed through the FIFA Play-Off Tournament and the European Play-Off, the qualified teams will appear here.

I think I saw that it will be March before we know the final lineup.

[O Really]

I await with bated breath.

[GoCubsGo]

Wonder if there could be a World Cup boycott?

The 2026 World Cup was supposed to be a global celebration. Instead, it’s rapidly becoming a global rebuke of Trump’s America.

Nearly 17,000 fans have already canceled their World Cup tickets, and the number is climbing, as international soccer supporters openly call for a boycott of games hosted in the United States. The reason isn’t airfare or hotel prices. It’s fear — and fury — over a political climate many say feels hostile, unsafe, and fundamentally unwelcoming.

Across social media, the message is blunt: #BoycottWorldCup until the Trump regime is gone.

Fans from Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia are posting refund confirmations instead of travel itineraries, saying they no longer feel safe entering the U.S. amid aggressive ICE tactics, mass enforcement videos, and a climate of intimidation aimed at immigrants and visitors alike. What began as scattered cancellations has snowballed into tens of thousands walking away — not quietly, but publicly and proudly.

The tipping point came after the ICE shooting in Minneapolis, where a U.S. citizen and mother of three, Renee Good, was killed by a federal agent. As protests erupted nationwide, international outrage followed. Online, people urged one another not to “watch blood-soaked football” and to treat the U.S. exactly as Trump has treated other nations — as a place to avoid.

“Money is the only thing Americans understand,” one user wrote. So fans are hitting FIFA, sponsors, and host cities where it hurts.

FIFA is now scrambling, reportedly calling emergency meetings as reputational damage mounts. Yet despite cancellations, ticket prices remain absurdly high, especially for later rounds — a dangerous gamble that assumes global demand will magically return. If even a modest share of international fans stay away, sellers could soon be fighting over a shrinking pool of buyers willing to overlook America’s political reality.

This boycott isn’t just about soccer. It’s about values. The World Cup claims to represent unity, joy, and shared humanity — ideals that clash violently with images of militarized enforcement, civil unrest, and fear at the border.

The world is watching. And this time, it’s choosing not to come. Trump wanted "America First." Now the world is saying: we’re sitting this one out.

The world is watching. And this time, it’s choosing not to come. Trump wanted America First. Now the world is saying: we’re sitting this one out.

[O Really]

I fully intend to boycott the world cup.

[Vrede too]

Wonder if there could be a World Cup boycott?

https://x.com/OccupyDemocrats/status/20 ... 7382659180

Not that I object to boycotting DonOLD's US, but I feel bad for Canada and Mexico. Not only will boycotters have to shun package deals, but it can also be difficult to fly into either without transitting US airports . Dementia Don and his jackboots are bad for business. Irony.