Tag: Messi

  • World Cup Dispatch (UPDATE): Argentina v Croatia

    Here we are. Messi is just one win away from making it to the Final of the World Cup. Not that I’m getting ahead of ourselves here, as there is a very good Croatian team standing in his way. And I already have given Argentina the kiss of death by picking them, so sorry about that. If it goes to penalties, then my money is on Croatia.

    I will say this about Messi, there isn’t much push back about him winning the Cup. Maybe from the Dutch, but outside of them, Messi seems to carry good favor from around the world. That’s pretty impressive in this day and age. Seems like there is always a group of haters for any public figure, no matter who they are. But not Messi. I could be wrong, but I’m not seeing it. Good for him.

    I will find myself again on the sofa watching this match. I don’t have anything riding on it, as now I’m just watching the Cup to it’s conclusion. I came this far , I might as well see it to the end.

    You know.

    UPDATE: Hey! I do know something! Argentina is going to the final. And did you see that assist Messi had for their third goal? That was impressive. And that team earned it, as that was a solid performance from start to finish. Not the most exciting match of the tournament, but if you want to win the World Cup, that’s how you have to play.

    (I think I’m going to stop asking people to like my blog. I noticed that my likes have dropped off a cliff since I started doing this. So, I’m just going to respect your space.)

  • World Cup Dispatch: Past Weekend, and Today (Unedited)

    I caught a pretty awful chest cold over the weekend. I started feeling better today, so I’m going to try to catch up on this weekend’s matches, and what is going on today.

    Poor Team USA. I had a feeling that the Dutch would be a bridge too far for them, but I had to keep hope alive; This Cup seems to be about underdogs fighting to get the win. But the Netherlands are the Netherlands, which is the best team out there that has never won the Cup. The USMNT is a very young group, so I know that they will stick together, especially with the 2026 Cup being held here in America/Canada/Mexico.

    Did anyone doubt Argentina would win? Messi wants that trophy.

    France looks really good as well. They never seemed to not be in control in their match against Poland.

    As for England, it took them a bit to get started. For the first 35 minutes of that match, I thought Senegal had a chance to take it. And then all of a sudden, England remembered they were England, and started playing like it.

    And then there was today, were I just felt awful for Japan. No one likes going out on Penalty Kicks, but I really thought Japan was going to pull it off.

    And then there is Brazil that is just trouncing Korea right now. Talk about sending a statement. As of now it’s 4-0, and it’s not even half time. I had to turn it off.

    Ung… still not feeling well. I think I’m going to lay down for a bit.

    (And uh… If you, you know, like this thing that I do, please give it a like, and I’m going to take some DayQuil.)

  • World Cup Dispatch: Argentina v Saudi Arabia, and Other News

    I’m excited about the World Cup, but I’m not so rabid that I would get up at 5am to watch the first match of the day. My friend Shawn might, but not me.

    And then Saudi Arabia goes and creates the first upset of the Tournament. Oh, Messi, always the bridesmaid at World Cup, even with a goal in the 10th minute. But at the end of the day, props to the Saudi Arabian squad, because they clearly believed they could win.

    As for other matches, I’m looking forward to Mexico v Poland. I have lots of respect for the Mexican team, as they have been the bane of Team USA’s existence. Yet, I feel a level of loyalty to our continental neighbor, as Mexico has a huge football fan base who does believe they should the first North American men’s team to win a Cup.

    In other World Cup news, team Iran did not sing their national anthem at the opening of their match against England yesterday. Apparently, the team is standing in solidarity with Iranian women, and the protests back in their home country. It’s an important gesture that the team is making on the world biggest sporting stage, as we shouldn’t forget about the brave and courageous women of Iran who are standing up, and being murdered but the authoritarian Iranian regime, for demanding their basic human rights. This also shows that no matter how hard Qatar and FIFA try, you can’t stop all the protests.

    (And, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of this post. If you could do me a favor, hit that like button over there. It will help me out, with rankings and stuff.)