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Who do you wish had made the World Cup?
stretlad asks: Which countries are you most disappointed did not make the World Cup? And, on an opposite note, are there any countries you think don’t really deserve a spot in the finals?
Alex: I’m the one non-Italian person in the world who really loves watching the Italian national team, so I’m bummed they didn’t make it (not that they deserved to!) On the other side, I definitely would not cast aspersions on any of the teams that made it to the final 48. Qualifying is difficult no matter where you are, except maybe Oceania. And I like New Zealand.
Jeff: I had hoped Ireland would find a way into the field, since their fans and atmospheres were such a beloved staple of the 1994 World Cup. Costa Rica couldn’t qualify from Haiti’s group, but I feel we were all robbed of Keylor Navas’ involvement in what’s become a tournament for golden-oldie goalkeepers. And Cameroon would have been a fascinating entrant into the field, having made the Afcon quarter-final and boasting ample talent in midfield and attack.
DukeApricot asks: Will Prez Trump be the first two-time winner of the Fifa Peace Prize Handed to him at the culmination of the World Cup Final trophy presentation of course.
Alex: I have to admit, I anticipated that the Peace Prize fiasco would get rightfully criticised, but I really did not expect for it to have this much mileage. It feels like it’ll finish as easily a top-three memorable things about this tournament, regardless what happens in the rest of the competition itself. And rightfully so. It was an awkward, weird farce. And to answer your question: I’d be shocked if Fifa interacts much if at all with Trump after this tournament is done. He’s no longer useful to them after the final.
Are Canada and Mexico afterthoughts?
LukaMagic asks: Why are Canada and Mexico such an afterthought as hosts in this year’s coverage?
Why do you think there is such little press outrage directed at the US compared to the Qatar and Russia World Cups? Particularly the treatment of Iran and Omar Artan as well as various labour issues in Mexico and LA.
Finally, if FIFA’s stated priorities are fans, players, and the development of football why do so many of its major decisions appear to benefit broadcasters, sponsors and administrators first?
Pablo: I’ll take your first question. I’m reminded of a conversation I had with a cab driver in Mexico City a couple weeks back. He was probably in his 70s and had been at both the 1970 and 1986 World Cups, but couldn’t care less about this one. I asked him why and he said “Esos torneos fueron para todos nosotros” (those tournaments were for all of us.) This one, he said, didn’t belong to them – in part because of the co-hosting arrangement and in part because of the ticketing absurdities.
You are entirely right in saying that Canada and Mexico are afterthoughts – the fact that the final is not being played at the Azteca, which frankly is the only, true footballing cathedral in the Americas – is an absurdity. I think it mostly boils down to money, and Fifa’s realisation that they can make much more of it in the States than they can in those other two locales.
How could anyone be worse than Blatter?
Markear asks: Did you believe when he left the post that Fifa would employ someone even worse than Blatter?
Pablo: Yes. And for the record, your question makes me laugh – I was just telling Alex and Jeff the other night that I’ve found myself missing Blatter, despite his total moral bankruptcy. You know why? He was a football person. I always perceived him as someone who actually cared about the game (even if he was an occasional cancer to it). I just struggle to make heads or tails of Infantino, who seems more like an image-obsessed footballing demigod. To answer your question, though, no, I was not shocked. It’s FIFA, dude.
Alex: Regardless of anything else, I think it’s hilarious that I can confidently say I take a better corner kick than the No 1 most powerful soccer figure in the world.
How will Pochettino rotate the USA team tonight?
enzoscifi asks: What kind of team do you expect Pochettino to put out tonight? Obviously he’ll rest players carrying injuries and those on yellow cards, but I would expect a strong team because he’ll want to keep winning.
Alex: This is the big question, right? I agree with you – I think it’ll be a heavily rotated team but not a completely crazy one. I think we could see Christian Pulisic start to get back some match fitness after missing the last three halves this team has played. I could see most of the backline staying the same. I’m really interested to see what Poch does in midfield, with Tyler Adams on a yellow, Cristian Roldan injured and out of training all week, and Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman both having played nearly all 90 minutes of both group games. That basically leaves Sebastian Berhalter and, uhhh … a lot of guys that are not everyday midfielders.
Pochettino said yesterday when I asked him about this that guys like Gio Reyna, Auston Trusty, and others can play in midfield. It’ll be interesting to see what he does.
Jeff: Just about the only starter I wouldn’t be open to swapping out at this stage is Matt Freese. Paraguay and Australia haven’t tested him much, and rotating him out feels like the kind of thing that could throw off a somewhat untested international goalkeeper. Let him face (so, so many) shots from Türkiye in a low-stakes affair.
How have hydration breaks affected the games?
Cairo_east asks: Touching the third rail here – do you think the hydration pauses have improved the quality of soccer being played in this tournament? If so, do you think better play should outweigh the spirit of the game?
Pablo: I absolutely do not think they’ve improved play. To be clear, I am all for hydration breaks when needed for player safety. That has rarely been the case this summer. I was at the tournament opener (Mexico v South Africa) in Mexico City; the stadium was a madhouse after Mexico’s second goal, which was scored directly before the break. The entire place was shaking – ref blows for the pause and slowly, surely, all of that momentum disappears. Not that they needed the help, but that break put them at a competitive disadvantage, unable to seize on the momentum in the immediate aftermath of the goal.
I can also tell you that the boos, and whistles, and expletives, have been growing louder and louder at every game I cover, and I suspect Jeff and Alex have the same experience.
Alex: Can confirm. Everyone hates these things.
Are US pitches really smaller or is it an optical illusion?
AncientFootsteps asks: Many of the pitches used appear to be quite small (perhaps because they are designed for American football which uses a narrower field). Is this really the case? And, if true, are teams taking this into account in their selection and tactics?
Jeff: Field dimensions are uniform across every venue at every World Cup, so that’s 105 meters (115 yards) long by 68 meters (74 yards) wide. The difference, as you’ve spotted, is that their stationing in an NFL stadium shows just how narrow those fields are by really cutting into the space around the pitch. Throw-ins and corner kicks look claustrophobic. Fans are perhaps unusually close to the benches. There are no expansive running tracks to serve as a dryland moat, as there were at Italia 90. I think a lot of casual American sports fans are coming to appreciate the amount of space available in this sport – just wait until they learn you can comfortably fit a regulation basketball court inside one penalty box.
Twists and turns, surprises and disappointments so far?
cata_bush asks: Which team has surprised you the most so far? Disappointed you the most? Been the best “story” (whether that be an underdog, a particular narrative, or an interesting tactical setup)?
Jeff: Surprise: Cape Verde! I’ll be gutted if they can’t advance after famous draws against Spain and Uruguay – though I expect them to beat Saudi Arabia.
Disappointment: I had Ecuador into the business end because of how stout their defence is, but I completely overlooked the lack of chance creation and alternative scoring threats beyond Enner Valencia.
Best story: I expected the US to win their group; I just didn’t know they’d do it being so fun and so dominant against the types of teams (low-block, high-heart) that have historically tripped them up. And that path to a possible quarter-final could hardly be more plush.
Does the one minute rule combat overacting?
Aintmuch asks: Do you have statistics on how many injuries were treated in 2022 and how many this WC until now? It seems the new “one minute rule” works wonders against overacting.
Pablo: I don’t have any actual data, but I agree with your suspicion. That rule, which was created and trialed in Major League Soccer (and MLS Next Pro, its developmental league) was an instant success in the league, drastically reducing time-wasting via simulation. Another new World Cup rule – the timed substitution rule – was a similar success, and nearly entirely eliminated the issue of players lolligagging off the field when being substituted. Americans don’t always get it right when they mess with the game but every now and again one of our dumb ideas sticks!
Alex: I’d just add a possible side-effect of this, which again I’m pointing out with no data whatsoever – It really seems like the officials are letting a lot go in this tournament. Multiple times a game I’m seeing teams caught out expecting a tactical foul call that never comes, or teams livid that what seems like pretty heavy contact in the attacking half is going unpunished.
Prime example would be Messi’s first goal against Austria – there was a coming together in midfield just beforehand that I think in past tournaments would have been called, but this time it wasn’t. I wonder if the higher bar on simulation has anything to do with that.
Any chance of an England v Netherlands meeting?
MiffledKitty asks: Anglo-Dutch here. What are the chances of a Netherlands v England match? Slim, I hope, because if I support NL, my mum will kill me. Also who would be likely to win?
Jeff: You’re asking for the right reasons. So long as the Netherlands and England remain atop Groups F and L, respectively, they wouldn’t be able to meet until a potential final, at which point your mum is already in dreamland. If either team drops to second while the other wins the group, they could face each other in a quarter-final.
This is also the kind of family-peace reconnaissance our Bracketology project was designed to enable, still fit and firing out all the scenarios in stunning technicolor
Why are so many autocratic countries hosting the World Cup?
Agorilla asks: Why are most of the World Cups recently, and future, being held in despotic regimes?
Pablo: Well, Fifa simply follows the money, and each of the last three World Cups have given them some form of carte blanche to make a shitload of it. The Qataris basically handed them a blank check, with Russia making similar concessions. Ironically I think that many American municipalities didn’t cave to Fifa’s obscene financial demands quite as much as previous hosts did, and some cities withdrew their bids, unable to see the logic in making tax concessions or spending money on infrastructure that they’d never see a return on. Still, this will be the most profitable summer in Fifa’s history, and they very much continue to view the United States as global football’s ATM.
What’s the reaction to Alexi Lalas’s punditry been like?
Jan Olsson asks: Is Alexi Lalas actually a character comedian?
Pablo: It’s been fascinating to watch the discourse around Lalas, which has grown more and more hyperbolic by the day. He is by all accounts a staple in the world of American soccer commentary in no small part because of the vibe you’re talking about – and you’re not wrong, many people think he’s doing a bit. There’s a little bit of that going on, and Alexi is certainly aware of the sometimes intensely negative reaction he drives, and his employer is, too. To Fox, he keeps people talking, and that’s enough. I actually haven’t found him bad to watch this summer.
I think Zlatan is the dud at the desk, but that’s all subjective. In the States, we also have the option of just turning Fox off and watching matches on Telemundo, in Spanish. Just saying.
Is it the end of ‘60 years of hurt’ for England?
CaptainLib asks: Is football coming home?
Jeff: In the sense that it has many homes these days, sure. I did have some concerns about Tuchel’s squad, but maybe not the ones most people have voiced most loudly. Adam Wharton’s ball progression and positional savviness seemed like an obvious boon for the team as they tried to control games and find seams in and beyond the opposing defence. Right now, this team is struggling to create those “big” chances on which Harry Kane feasts, and their speculative shooting against Ghana showed that an organised opponent might give them fits.
Then again, some of the other pre-tournament favourites have already wobbled. My initial bracket had England out in the QF against Ecuador, when I assumed this tournament’s tactical zeitgeist would skew more defensive given the heat. With how expansive it already appears, I have England to the semi-final, but falling to whomever comes out of that possible Argentina v Portugal quarter-final.
Which has been the best World Cup stadium so far?
SteveinDC asks: Now that each stadium has hosted a few games, can our panel of experts rank them in order of best to worst?
Jeff: I’ve been to three World Cup venues so far, so let’s start there. Seattle has created a genuine World Cup village around the erstwhile Lumen Field, and the stadium is famous for its volume retention. Makes for a power post-game singalong. Second for me is Vancouver, which also retains atmosphere nicely and whose dated air conditioning can be remedied with a five-dollar battery powered fan. Incredibly kind stadium staff there, too.
Los Angeles is the most impressive venue but its location doesn’t enhance the experience with supplemental shops or sips, and navigating the concourse can be a nightmare. If my experience in Atlanta for the USMNT March friendlies was at all indicative, I’d rank it between Vancouver and Los Angeles – great walkability. Our stadium guide is here
Jeff and Pablo are now here answering your questions (Alex should be here soon). We’ll post them as we get them.
Welcome to the Conversation
We’re approaching the end of the group stages of the biggest World Cup ever. The Guardian’s coverage of the tournament has been greatly enhanced this year by the expansion of our soccer/football team in the United States.
Correspondents Alexander Abnos, Pablo Iglesias Maurer and Jeff Rueter have been as busy as you’d expect over the first few weeks of the tournament.
Since hanging out with Zohran Mamdani to play our Bracketology game before the tournament, Alex has been busy covering the United States’ impressive start to the tournament as well as Iran’s difficult trips to play in LA; Pablo had the honour of watching Lionel Messi become the World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer in Dallas and Jeff has also been on the West Coast covering the USMNT and Canada’s big 6-0 win in Vancouver.
Alex, Pablo and Jeff are here to answer your questions live. Ask them anything about the tournament so far: from the impact in the United States itself to who’s going to win the whole thing based on the first fortnight of matches.
Post your question in the comments now.
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