Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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The final played out like a big morality tale across the globe with Argentina as the villains abusing the game and being favored by the system, using their dark arts to eliminate one adversary after the other until the ultimate stage and Spain righting the ship in the end.

This is how it went down in China:

🇨🇳 Así celebraron en China la expulsión de Enzo Fernández.

Toda la Humanidad iba con España. pic.twitter.com/e8g5ME8INq

— Ma Wukong 马悟空 (@Ma_WuKong) July 22, 2026

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Be mindful that this is a Twitter account from your Argentina hating bubble that happened to originate in China. I am sure more will show up from other parts of the world. It doesn't mean much.

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This is a gathering in a shopping mall in China with young Chinese neutrals (not display of Spain shirts or flags), not a gathering of partisan fans. Their positive reaction to the red card given was unusually spirited and fairly unanimous.

Also, there was a petition to sanction Argentina that already has 23 million signatures from 100+ countries.

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/07/21/kick-argentina-out-of-the-world-cup-petition-nearly-breaks-guinness-world-record

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Nice to hear that .6% of the soccer fans in the world have signed this petition. Messi is still up for the GOAT, regardless of some of his teammates' antics at the end of the game. Paredes' play is no stain on his legacy but perhaps the coach's.

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You kind of are kindred spirit with this Argentina team, grasping at the smallest semblances in order to build your arguments in bad faith. 23 million signature is one million short of breaking the Guinness world record for a petition size, and you spin that as 0.6% of the world population, just like you've tried to argue that Messi clipping and pushing through Spence's extended right leg and the torque applied by Messi's momentum on Spence's supporting left leg had no impact on his ankle injury.

Messi's legacy has been marred, not just by his team's behavior but by his own, getting away with a dirty studs up hit on the Algerian's achiles, and trying to frame Cucurella by ratting him out on false grounds to the ref, just to cite two incidents in this world cup. Today Messi as the Rat is a more common meme than him as a g.o.a.t.

😂 They’re now calling Messi a “rat” in Spain.

That Cucurella “snitching” incident will live long in the memory of most fans. Too bad. https://t.co/aeofKjjhwP

— Ovie (@OvieO) July 21, 2026

I don't rat Leo Messi. pic.twitter.com/I8jdyKEhAr

— DME 🇳🇦 (@dme_363) July 4, 2026

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I am glad you can at least admit now that Messi did not stomp on Spence's foot. However, Messi did not foul Spence no matter how many fake videos you watch from your twitter bubble. FYI, 6 billion viewers watched the World Cup. It was a smashing success. It is the most watched event in the world and 2026 broke recrods.

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Messi clipping Spence's extended right leg well after Spence had cleared the ball is a foul, that contact imparted sideways momentum on Spence's right leg contributing to his injury on his supporting left leg. Maybe you haven't played much soccer so that notion might not register, or perhaps you're just being a bit disingenuous here, much like Messi trying to rat out Cucarella... ; )

The great majority of those billions watching the final were pulling for Spain, you can keep ignoring the evidence I have posted here.

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1) I was pulling for Spain too.

2) Messi did not foul Spence. Messi was jumping over the sliding Spence. The slight accidental contact of the top of Spence's right foot, initiated by Spence's slide and lifting of his foot, likely didn't cause the left ankle sprain.

3) I play and watch a lot of soccer. Other than the BI OT board, it seems to have pretty much taken over my life since my kids started playing competitively. My son's coach was on his national team (not USA).

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Glad you came to appreciate the game later in your life.

The contact on Spence is worse than the fouls that were used to overturn the Egyptian and Spanish goals against Argentina, causing Spence to get hurt, while the Argentinians in both situations dived and winced, Otamendi funnily grabbing the wrong knee, after being all over Merino, wrapping his arm around him.

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The actual stomping on the foot by the Spanish attacker on the Argentine defender there is definitely worse than the top of Spence's foot maybe touching the bottom of Messi's foot as he jumps past him. Pence's contact on Messi, if it happened at all, was trivial and didn't impede Messi at all. I am not sure why you are watching and posting garbage chopped videos. Fyi, physical infractions are determined by the result and manner of a challenge rather than the player's intent. Spanish dude stepped on the defender's foot, period.

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Messi's trailing right foot clips Spence's extended right leg, pushing it forward and up, which puts all of Spence's weight on his left leg and imparts additional torque on that leg, resulting in an injury on his left ankle, this is clearly illustrated here:

pic.twitter.com/EPrzp3qiGu

— clutch (@clutchtiming) July 17, 2026

As a result of that injury, Spence is momentarily out of commission, wincing in pain, allowing Messi to cross unimpeded for the winning header.

Otamendi, the Argentinian defender, had his right arm wrapped around Mikel Merino and turns him away from the goal. Before the contact, Otamendi makes a sharp stop while Merino is moving towards the goal. In basketball, that would have been a charge/offensive foul on Merino, but in soccer that is an obstruction.

Otamendi plants his foot in front of Merino and keeps it extended in the path of Merino at an awkward forward 45 degree angle, that is an angle and position that the regular cameras did not show:



Here is the sequence from a fan in the stands showing the beginning of the contact and a better angle:

There’s no way Spain’s first goal was disallowed 😭😭😭

Look at the dive from Otamendi that referee was paid a bag pic.twitter.com/AF5EloPAwu

— Danis (@DanisMCFC) July 20, 2026

The contact on Otamendi's foot lasts a fraction of a second with Otamendi pulling his foot out instantly as soon as he sensed (1)the opportunity to draw a foul and (2)that he was not going to be able to get to the ball and defend the middle of the box, flopping in a dramatic fashion while grabbing his wrong knee (lol).

Note that the side judge, who is clearly visible and closest to the action here and tracks the ball, does not signal a foul, neither does the ref blow his whistle.

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1) Nope.
2) Spence raises his right foot on his own.
3) Nope.
4) The truth is out there.
5) Actually, there is a way Spain's first goal was disallowed!

OneKeg said:

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Just watched Real Salt Lake play at LAFC (a good opponent), mainly to watch 19-yo right wing-back Zavier Gozo. RSL lost 3-1, though they had most of the possession.

Gozo had a couple moments in the first half, but kind of disappeared in the second half. One match is too small a sample size to judge, but he didn't seem like anything more than an above average MSL player tonight. Of course, he's also only 19.

The players of the match looked to be LAFC forwards Son Heung-Min (captained South Korea in the World Cup) and Denis Bouanga (plays for Gabon), along with probably some of the LAFC back line who were solid.

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I watched the game and I disagree. Gozo had about five nice passes and should have had two assists. LAFC's game plan was built around forcing him left where he ran into multiple defenders. I will say when he went one-v-one he lost every battle. It has been two months since he last played so he was not fully sharp. Watch him again.

Son is one of the few guys who came from Europe when he was not over the hill. He is still strong. Bouanga is also good. Both are in their 30s.

Cal88 said:

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Messi’s reputation is so fucked even footballers like Müller are coming out and talking about how referees always favored him in games pic.twitter.com/R8yCJrYXno

— ُ (@Asensii20) July 23, 2026

Incident where Messi handles the ball then calls for a foul on Muller who gets a yellow card...

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That's an adorable story. I am sure other folks have complaints too. It is tough to be one of the best forwards of all time without butthurt folks complaining about officiating.

Speaking of basketball, here are 4 minutes of Michael Jordan getting a "special whistle."

https://share.google/8LfDabzX52uEp729L

The most exciting thing that happened in MLS last night from a USMNT point of view is that Neil Pierre scored his first goal. Pierre says he is 6'7'' and says he is still growing. He is 18 and a central defender for Philly. He is not usually considered the next thing because he is a little awkward, not surprising at that height, but he is getting better.

And he can jump.

18 year old Neil Pierre scores his first MLS goal to give Philadelphia Union a 3-1 lead! The assist came from Kai Wagner on his return to the Philadelphia #DOOP pic.twitter.com/OBR4EporXw

— Jimmy King (@Jimmyking35) July 23, 2026

Cal88 said:

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^ I would look into that goalie's betting patterns and contacts.

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Ha!

Or just continue to 99.9% ignore MLS.

At that height at that age, add 4 years to get some better coordination.

oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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Messi’s reputation is so fucked even footballers like Müller are coming out and talking about how referees always favored him in games pic.twitter.com/R8yCJrYXno

— ُ (@Asensii20) July 23, 2026

Incident where Messi handles the ball then calls for a foul on Muller who gets a yellow card...

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That's an adorable story. I am sure other folks have complaints too. It is tough to be one of the best forwards of all time without butthurt folks complaining about officiating.

Speaking of basketball, here are 4 minutes of Michael Jordan getting a "special whistle."

https://share.google/8LfDabzX52uEp729L

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I don't think you even know who Thomas Muller is, perhaps that was before you discovered the sport.

The video of the incident is self-explanatory proof, not an "adorable story".

Cal88 said:

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^ I would look into that goalie's betting patterns and contacts.

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look into his eyesight at least

concordtom said:

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Cal88 said:

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^ I would look into that goalie's betting patterns and contacts.

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Ha!

Or just continue to 99.9% ignore MLS.

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That kind of a goalie whiff, trying to hit a ball coming from the right as a right footed player and thus needlessly increasing the degree of difficulty of that shot instead of a quick touch and control gives the corrupt keeper a bit of a cover for his whiff. This is often seen in fixed games from dodgy leagues.

Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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Messi’s reputation is so fucked even footballers like Müller are coming out and talking about how referees always favored him in games pic.twitter.com/R8yCJrYXno

— ُ (@Asensii20) July 23, 2026

Incident where Messi handles the ball then calls for a foul on Muller who gets a yellow card...

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That's an adorable story. I am sure other folks have complaints too. It is tough to be one of the best forwards of all time without butthurt folks complaining about officiating.

Speaking of basketball, here are 4 minutes of Michael Jordan getting a "special whistle."

https://share.google/8LfDabzX52uEp729L

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I don't think you even know who Thomas Muller is, perhaps that was before you discovered the sport.

The video of the incident is self-explanatory proof, not an "adorable story".

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I know who Thomas Muller is. Please stop insulting me with asinine comments about picking up soccer in my later years and Muller playing before I discovered soccer. Thanks

oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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Messi’s reputation is so fucked even footballers like Müller are coming out and talking about how referees always favored him in games pic.twitter.com/R8yCJrYXno

— ُ (@Asensii20) July 23, 2026

Incident where Messi handles the ball then calls for a foul on Muller who gets a yellow card...

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That's an adorable story. I am sure other folks have complaints too. It is tough to be one of the best forwards of all time without butthurt folks complaining about officiating.

Speaking of basketball, here are 4 minutes of Michael Jordan getting a "special whistle."

https://share.google/8LfDabzX52uEp729L

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I don't think you even know who Thomas Muller is, perhaps that was before you discovered the sport.

The video of the incident is self-explanatory proof, not an "adorable story".

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I know who Thomas Muller is. Please stop insulting me with asinine comments about picking up soccer in my later years and Muller playing before I discovered soccer. Thanks

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If you knew who Muller was, you wouldn't have dismissed his recounting of that incident as "an adorable story", it made you look like a total noob.

Sebastian Berhalter is going to Middlesbrough in the Championship, one level below the Premier League. It would be great if he could help lead their promotion to the Premier League. Last year Haji Wright did this with Coventry City.

Agreed.
They could just go back to their normal threads if they want to argue all day.

BearlySane88 said:

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concordtom said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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oski003 said:

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Cal88 said:

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Messi’s reputation is so fucked even footballers like Müller are coming out and talking about how referees always favored him in games pic.twitter.com/R8yCJrYXno

— ُ (@Asensii20) July 23, 2026

Incident where Messi handles the ball then calls for a foul on Muller who gets a yellow card...

---

That's an adorable story. I am sure other folks have complaints too. It is tough to be one of the best forwards of all time without butthurt folks complaining about officiating.

Speaking of basketball, here are 4 minutes of Michael Jordan getting a "special whistle."

https://share.google/8LfDabzX52uEp729L

---

I don't think you even know who Thomas Muller is, perhaps that was before you discovered the sport.

The video of the incident is self-explanatory proof, not an "adorable story".

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I know who Thomas Muller is. Please stop insulting me with asinine comments about picking up soccer in my later years and Muller playing before I discovered soccer. Thanks

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If you knew who Muller was, you wouldn't have dismissed his recounting of that incident as "an adorable story", it made you look like a total noob.

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It is still an adorable story, and I am sure there are others. Your doom scrolling the internet and posting Messi hate makes you sound like a frothy, rabies infested Messi hating lunatic.

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Hey, what's going on here?

Diablowags is not around to argue with so you want to pick out somebody on the soccer thread and get into it?

Please stop addressing people this way.
Thx.

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Wags is around silly. ProBono. It's also hilarious that you call out Oski's post but not Cal88's as they are both the same tone and the whole thing was started by Cal88.

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In what planet is calling someone a noob the same tone as being called "a frothy, rabies infested lunatic".

sluggo said:

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OneKeg said:

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Just watched Real Salt Lake play at LAFC (a good opponent), mainly to watch 19-yo right wing-back Zavier Gozo. RSL lost 3-1, though they had most of the possession.

Gozo had a couple moments in the first half, but kind of disappeared in the second half. One match is too small a sample size to judge, but he didn't seem like anything more than an above average MSL player tonight. Of course, he's also only 19.

The players of the match looked to be LAFC forwards Son Heung-Min (captained South Korea in the World Cup) and Denis Bouanga (plays for Gabon), along with probably some of the LAFC back line who were solid.

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I watched the game and I disagree. Gozo had about five nice passes and should have had two assists. LAFC's game plan was built around forcing him left where he ran into multiple defenders. I will say when he went one-v-one he lost every battle. It has been two months since he last played so he was not fully sharp. Watch him again.

Son is one of the few guys who came from Europe when he was not over the hill. He is still strong. Bouanga is also good. Both are in their 30s.

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Thanks for the response sluggo! You know I respect your opinions on this.

To tell the truth, I don't think I am criticizing Gozo too harshly. I said he seemed at this point like an "above average MLS player," which is not too bad for a 19yo.

When I said he "had a couple moments in the first half," I thought the best of them was when he made a long run down the right flank, trapped the ball down beautifully on the run with his chest, and made a perfect half-volley cross that should have been a tap-in for his RSL teammate making the central run. I'm guessing that's one of the plays you thought should have been an assist, and it was indeed a great play, though I thought it's possible Gozo would have been called offside initially had the ball gone in the net.

I did notice LAFC forcing him centrally, and that Gozo did not have success beating LAFC defenders (e.g. Cheberko) to the outside right. I also thought his shot looked poor in this game. None of his shots had either power or accuracy, which is not a good place to be, with the exception of the one that was blocked when he got the ball squared to him from the left at the top of the box in the first half.

I'll definitely watch him again. Just from a sample size of one match, I didn't see a player who I would expect to be better than Sergino Dest (he's certainly not right now). Maybe he'll be about as good?

Now, it's not fair to compare highlights with watching the whole game, but in the Philadelphia Union-Red Bull match highlights, Cavan Sullivan did jump off the screen to me. Good, sudden movement and passes (which I admit, Gozo had a few too), and at least two strong shots, one of which required a great save by the goalie, pushing it over the bar, and the other also was saved off the post. And Sullivan is only 16?

Of course center back Pierre also played well for Philly, with the goal (and nearly had another) after he was brought in early second half, but it was hard to tell how well Pierre did his main job of being a center back from the highlights.

That is so cool!

24-year-old France and Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise was spotted playing pickup soccer in New York City after the end of the World Cup 😂

Incredible. pic.twitter.com/3E4z4tqCA5

— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) July 23, 2026

France/Atletico madrid vet Antoine Griezmann off to a good start in the MLS with Orlando:

ANTOINE GRIEZMANN!!

Grizi gets his first goal in MLS on his debut. 🇫🇷🤙🤙 pic.twitter.com/sawo0h1yLJ

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 23, 2026

OneKeg said:

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sluggo said:

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OneKeg said:

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Just watched Real Salt Lake play at LAFC (a good opponent), mainly to watch 19-yo right wing-back Zavier Gozo. RSL lost 3-1, though they had most of the possession.

Gozo had a couple moments in the first half, but kind of disappeared in the second half. One match is too small a sample size to judge, but he didn't seem like anything more than an above average MSL player tonight. Of course, he's also only 19.

The players of the match looked to be LAFC forwards Son Heung-Min (captained South Korea in the World Cup) and Denis Bouanga (plays for Gabon), along with probably some of the LAFC back line who were solid.

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I watched the game and I disagree. Gozo had about five nice passes and should have had two assists. LAFC's game plan was built around forcing him left where he ran into multiple defenders. I will say when he went one-v-one he lost every battle. It has been two months since he last played so he was not fully sharp. Watch him again.

Son is one of the few guys who came from Europe when he was not over the hill. He is still strong. Bouanga is also good. Both are in their 30s.

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Thanks for the response sluggo! You know I respect your opinions on this.

To tell the truth, I don't think I am criticizing Gozo too harshly. I said he seemed at this point like an "above average MLS player," which is not too bad for a 19yo.

When I said he "had a couple moments in the first half," I thought the best of them was when he made a long run down the right flank, trapped the ball down beautifully on the run with his chest, and made a perfect half-volley cross that should have been a tap-in for his RSL teammate making the central run. I'm guessing that's one of the plays you thought should have been an assist, and it was indeed a great play, though I thought it's possible Gozo would have been called offside initially had the ball gone in the net.

I did notice LAFC forcing him centrally, and that Gozo did not have success beating LAFC defenders (e.g. Cheberko) to the outside right. I also thought his shot looked poor in this game. None of his shots had either power or accuracy, which is not a good place to be, with the exception of the one that was blocked when he got the ball squared to him from the left at the top of the box in the first half.

I'll definitely watch him again. Just from a sample size of one match, I didn't see a player who I would expect to be better than Sergino Dest (he's certainly not right now). Maybe he'll be about as good?

Now, it's not fair to compare highlights with watching the whole game, but in the Philadelphia Union-Red Bull match highlights, Cavan Sullivan did jump off the screen to me. Good, sudden movement and passes (which I admit, Gozo had a few too), and at least two strong shots, one of which required a great save by the goalie, pushing it over the bar, and the other also was saved off the post. And Sullivan is only 16?

Of course center back Pierre also played well for Philly, with the goal (and nearly had another) after he was brought in early second half, but it was hard to tell how well Pierre did his main job of being a center back from the highlights.

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What you said was not too harsh, but I disagree with your impression, even if it was based on one night. He is one of the best attackers in MLS already. Let's start with him being faster than Dest, I have not seen stats, but it is clear when they both play. He is 4 inches taller. His stamina is endless, he is never subbed, and he never stops making runs down the line. He showed four or five great one touch passes last night. He is already a better defender than Dest. He also already makes better runs off the ball.

Dest is a little more consistent off the dribble, but Gozo has the skill. Gozo did scuff a couple shots, but he has that too. Think of this as a preseason game given they took two months off.

I guess I was a little desperate for soccer as I watched half of Red Bull against Philly. Sullivan played the best I have ever seen him. But Red Bull is weak. It will be interesting to see if Sullivan has turned a corner or if it was just a disorganized opponent. It would be nice if Sullivan grew another couple inches. He is only 16, though almost 17. It is unclear to everyone what kind of player Pierre will be. Philly has not been giving him time, which is crazy. They did fire the coach so maybe the new guy will play the young guys. Mehmeti showed in the game that he may be the second guy un the US after Reyna with a good half turn. He was swarmed all night. Hall did not have room to do his thing.

Justin Ellis made the pass for the Griezmann goal. He is 19 and a lot of soccer nerds like him. I am yet to form an opinion other than I am happy he is starting to play.

He's got some good company there with Antoine, will help him progress.

Quote:

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[Sluggo]: What you said was not too harsh, but I disagree with your impression, even if it was based on one night. He is one of the best attackers in MLS already. Let's start with him being faster than Dest, I have not seen stats, but it is clear when they both play. He is 4 inches taller. His stamina is endless, he is never subbed, and he never stops making runs down the line. He showed four or five great one touch passes last night. He is already a better defender than Dest. He also already makes better runs off the ball.

Dest is a little more consistent off the dribble, but Gozo has the skill. Gozo did scuff a couple shots, but he has that too. Think of this as a preseason game given they took two months off.

I guess I was a little desperate for soccer as I watched half of Red Bull against Philly. Sullivan played the best I have ever seen him. But Red Bull is weak. It will be interesting to see if Sullivan has turned a corner or if it was just a disorganized opponent. It would be nice if Sullivan grew another couple inches. He is only 16, though almost 17. It is unclear to everyone what kind of player Pierre will be. Philly has not been giving him time, which is crazy. They did fire the coach so maybe the new guy will play the young guys. Mehmeti showed in the game that he may be the second guy un the US after Reyna with a good half turn. He was swarmed all night. Hall did not have room to do his thing.

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Good stuff. I will have to keep watching Zavier Gozo. As for the comparison with Sergino Dest, interesting:

- I'll take your word for Gozo being faster than Dest. Are you 100% Dest isn't still recovering from his injury? Of course, as Dest gets older, Gozo will for sure be faster regardless.

- Gozo being 5'11" to Dest's 5'7": how important do you think height is for a winger/wing-back? I definitely hope Sullivan grows taller, because as center mid, he will need to win a good amount of aerial battles in the center of the pitch.

- Gozo's stamina and playing the entire game: good point. He was still going strong at the end of the match against LAFC. It just wasn't his best game.

- Gozo making better runs and playing better defense than Dest. This would be huge. I will have to pay more attention to that, as these, especially the defense, are not a strong point of Dest's game.

I'll continue to watch Gozo at RSL when I can, along with Sullivan and Pierre at Philly and Mehmeti and Hall (who wears his middle name "Zakrzewski" on the back of his jersey) for NYRBs.

What do you think about LAFC's 17yo Jude Terry? Worth watching? Thought he played pretty well when LAFC subbed him in, though by then RSL was chasing the game. (No I don't think he looked as good as Gozo, but he's also a little younger).

OneKeg said:

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Quote:

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[Sluggo]: What you said was not too harsh, but I disagree with your impression, even if it was based on one night. He is one of the best attackers in MLS already. Let's start with him being faster than Dest, I have not seen stats, but it is clear when they both play. He is 4 inches taller. His stamina is endless, he is never subbed, and he never stops making runs down the line. He showed four or five great one touch passes last night. He is already a better defender than Dest. He also already makes better runs off the ball.

Dest is a little more consistent off the dribble, but Gozo has the skill. Gozo did scuff a couple shots, but he has that too. Think of this as a preseason game given they took two months off.

I guess I was a little desperate for soccer as I watched half of Red Bull against Philly. Sullivan played the best I have ever seen him. But Red Bull is weak. It will be interesting to see if Sullivan has turned a corner or if it was just a disorganized opponent. It would be nice if Sullivan grew another couple inches. He is only 16, though almost 17. It is unclear to everyone what kind of player Pierre will be. Philly has not been giving him time, which is crazy. They did fire the coach so maybe the new guy will play the young guys. Mehmeti showed in the game that he may be the second guy un the US after Reyna with a good half turn. He was swarmed all night. Hall did not have room to do his thing.

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Good stuff. I will have to keep watching Zavier Gozo. As for the comparison with Sergino Dest, interesting:

- I'll take your word for Gozo being faster than Dest. Are you 100% Dest isn't still recovering from his injury? Of course, as Dest gets older, Gozo will for sure be faster regardless.

- Gozo being 5'11" to Dest's 5'7": how important do you think height is for a winger/wing-back? I definitely hope Sullivan grows taller, because as center mid, he will need to win a good amount of aerial battles in the center of the pitch.

- Gozo's stamina and playing the entire game: good point. He was still going strong at the end of the match against LAFC. It just wasn't his best game.

- Gozo making better runs and playing better defense than Dest. This would be huge. I will have to pay more attention to that, as these, especially the defense, are not a strong point of Dest's game.

I'll continue to watch Gozo at RSL when I can, along with Sullivan and Pierre at Philly and Mehmeti and Hall (who wears his middle name "Zakrzewski" on the back of his jersey) for NYRBs.

What do you think about LAFC's 17yo Jude Terry? Worth watching? Thought he played pretty well when LAFC subbed him in, though by then RSL was chasing the game. (No I don't think he looked as good as Gozo, but he's also a little younger).

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I don't know if Dest is fully recovered, but he was never very fast. He got done multiple times by Vini Jr. in an El Classico and I am not sure his career at Barcelona recovered. He used to have very quick feet rather than being fast.

Height is not that important as a winger, but at the same height it takes less skill to beat a player off the dribble. Dest often beats players who recover and he has to beat them again. And it helps defensively to be taller.

We agree it was not his best game. If that was all he had I would not be as excited. But the hype has built over him in the last couple of months so it is different when you are targeted. He will have to raise his game.

Hall wears that jersey to support his mother. He could play for Poland. Mehmeti could play for Albania. Mehmeti is a much more important player, I think, and I think he is all USA. Not sure on Hall.

Terry was a big name like two years ago. His star has dimmed. I don't see much. However, LAFC does not play it young players, nor does the LA Galaxy, which means if you are from LA you are kind of screwed. Mathis Albert went from the Galaxy to Dortmund. He probably would have gone anyway, but players need to play.

It is cool that Sullivan starts every game now. I hope he can be our Rayan Cherki or Bernardo Silva. And Pierre is interesting as he is tall as any defender I have ever seen.

Here is four minutes of Cavan Sullivan from the last game. His vision and ideas are amazing for a 16-year-old. To make it to the top level, like Man City, where he is already signed, he will have to get better physically, in my opinion. He is bold and his confidence is unshakeable.

Anyone's wives suddenly fans of the English soccer team?

4x more touches than pulisic vs Belgium

Tip:
Go get yourself one of their jerseys.
Maybe some England or UK flag boxers?