Spain Reigns!! (and other soccer thoughts)

The 2026 FIFA World Cup ended yesterday with a perfectly satisfying result:  The best team won.  Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in Extra Time, and it was a thoroughly dominating performance.   A worthy champion was crowned.

In a tournament that was dominated by star players - Messi, Mbappe, Kane, Bellingham, Haaland et al - the "star" of the Spain team was, as one of the commentators put it, the team itself.  No one single player stood out, but the team played to such a level that there can be no doubt as to the worthiness of this championship victory.  In eight matches Spain had one goal scored against them.  ONLY ONE GOAL.  That is astonishing, even in a sport where scores of 0-0, 1-0, or 2-0 are commonplace.  Every match that I watched where Spain played, my impression was of a team that just suffocated opponents defensively.  This was illustrated yesterday when Argentina, featuring the great Lionel Messi, had 0, as in ZERO, shots on goal in 120 minutes of play.  How is that even possible?  That is a level of defense that not even the Steel Curtain Steelers or the '85 Bears could match.

Some final thoughts now that this thirty-nine day festival (and it WAS a festival!) has concluded.....

• As I approach my 75th birthday a few weeks from now, I find myself cherishing, if that is the right word, these quadrennial events like the Olympics, World Baseball Classic, and Presidential elections.  I mean, how many more of these am I going to be around for, right?, so I found myself really into this World Cup.  I didn't miss a day of coverage that was offered on Fox Sports.  I didn't watch every match, but I watched a lot of them, and I enjoyed them beyond all expectations.
• I truly came to appreciate the game itself and some of its intricacies.  If you search through The Grandstander archives, you will find plenty of past references  wherein I spelled out typical American objections to the sport (too slow, they don't score enough, they don't even try to score) but no more.  Soccer may never become "the beautiful game" for me, but I am done knocking it.
• I am going to take a deeper interest in following the sport, and I think that the way to do that is to pick one specific team and follow them rather than just randomly watching any game that happens to be on NBC or Peacock on some random Saturday or Sunday morning. That team will be Manchester City of the English Premier League.  Why Man City?  Erling Haaland playsI for them.

• I loved many of the announcers that were used to cover these matches, especially the British ones.  My absolute favorites were the team of Darren Fletcher on play-by-play and Owen Hargreaves on color.  I wish ABC/ESPN would hire them for Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl this coming season.
• The Fox Studio host team of Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was terrific, and they would have been absolutely perfect if they hadn't been saddled with blowhard Alexi Lalas.  Lalas epitomizes the term "ugly American".
• I have not-so-jokingly said that Zlatan should replace Kirk Herbstreit on NFL Thursday Night Football.  
• The World Cup is the most heavily wagered upon event in the world.  Upwards of $1.5 billion is wagered upon it world wide, and I did my bit to contribute to the total.  In all, I made 149 separate wagers on the World Cup totaling $372.65 (average wager of $2.50), and realized $478.69 in returns, a profit of $106.04, or a 28.5% return on investment.  Wish that I could do half as well on MLB, the NFL, and the NCAA.
• Is there a better cheer and or victory celebration in any sport that is as fun as the "Norwegian Row"?  I think not.
• While I have no problem with the host nation's Head of State being in attendance at the final game and even being involved in the awards presentation, how about how the American President had to be literally pulled away from the Spanish team by FIFA Punjab Gianni Infantini as their on-stage victory photos were being taken?  He just had to make it about himself.  Note that neither the Mexican president nor the PM of Canada  acted in such a gauche manner.  (Just think of what he'll do at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.)
• I also heard that as the American President was being introduced in the stadium yesterday, thousands of people in the stands held up red cards.  Pretty good statement there.
• Throughout the tournament, my painstakingly constructed Legos World Cup Trophy has sat by the TV set in our living room.  I now have to find a more permanent and less obtrusive spot for it.

• It is interesting to note that Spain now holds both the Men's and Women's FIFA World Cup titles, with the women winning it in 2023.  The Women's tournament will take place next year, 2027, in Brazil.   Wonder if that will merit the same wall-to-wall television coverage that this just completed men's event just had?

So, as we bid adieu to the 2026 World Cup, let us have one more salute to the Champions....

Espana!

More World Cup Comments

Allow me to follow up on THIS POST from June 26 as the 2026 FIFA World CUP heads into the quarterfinals round.

The Round of 16 matches were completed last night, and seven of the eight matches were tightly contested and tremendously exciting to watch.

• France defeats Paraguay 1-0 on a penalty kick goal by Kylian Mbappe
• Morocco defeats Canada 3-0
• Spain defeats Portugal 1-0 on a goal in stoppage time
• Norway defeats Brazil 2-1 with both goals being scored by Erling Haaland, and the "Viking Row" becomes the signature fans event of the tournament
• England 3 - Mexico 2 at Aztec Stadium, where the Mexican National Team never loses.  The English scoring came from stars Jude Bellingham with two goals and Harry Kane with a penalty kick.  There was ten minutes of stoppage time in this one, and the furious attacks by Mexico and the defense by England in those extra minutes was beyond exciting
• Switzerland and Colombia finished 0-0, and the match was won by the Swiss on penalty kicks
• And in perhaps the best match of this round, Argentina 3 - Egypt 2.  Egypt scored at 15' and 67' to hold a 2-0 lead.  It looked like the defending champions, and their great star, Lionel Messi, who had actually had a penalty kick blocked early in the match, were on the ropes and were about to be sent home.  Then Cristian Romero of Argentina scores at 79' and the Giant was awoken.  The game was then tied at 83' on an impossible goal by who else but Messi, and Enzo Fernandez then scored two minutes into stoppage time.  It was an almost indescribable match to watch.

Then there was the one game that was not so great:  Belgium 4 - USA 1.

We all know the backstory on this one. The suspension of American player Folarin Balogun because of a red card he was given in the previous match was reversed after the American President made a phone call to FIFA prexy Gianni Infantino asking that the red card and suspension of Balogun be "reviewed".   I had been wondering for months leading up to the World Cup, and I am sure that I was not alone, just what the American President was going to do to insert his grubby presence into the event and embarrass the country yet again in the eyes of the world.  He didn't let us down. By making yet another event into something about himself, the President managed to make the USMNT, which had been celebrated and almost heroic in their performance up to this point, into villains and a team that the whole world then began to root against.  All the good will generated by America and Americans leading up to this point evaporated thanks to the 47th President.

Belgium, motivated beyond measure by the this chain of events, proceeded to swamp the USA 4-1, and the match wasn't even THAT close.  Belgium is undoubtedly a better team, and would no doubt have won this match anyway, but thanks to the interference of the American President and the shady machinations of FIFA, they turned into a steamroller and the USA never had a chance.

Had the US won this game, it would have been seen as tainted in the eyes of the world, and the team's victory would have carried an orange asterisk next to it that would never have been erased.  Oh, and if the USA  had won, guess who would have taken credit for it?  At least that travesty has been avoided

I loved the Belgian's team response of "Overturn This" to FIFA after the match and their mocking victory dance to "YMCA". 

So, after twenty-seven consecutive days of soccer, the World Cup takes a one day break before the quarterfinals begin tomorrow.  I have reproduced the bracket at the top of this post.  The betting favorites, per Fan Duel, are France, Spain, England, and Argentina.  Each match will no doubt be tense and exciting, and each will probably be decided by one goal.  At least one of them will probably go into extra time, and maybe even have to be decided by penalty kicks.  

If any match does not go according to chalk, I think that it will be the one between England and Norway.  I look forward the Harry Kane and Erling Haaland matchup.

My prediction is that this will produce a final four (my apologies to the NCAA for using this trademarked term, which is why used lower case F's) that will lead to a Championship matchup between France and Argentina, just like four years ago.

Some of the Stars that will be on display over the next three days:

Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland. Kylian Mbappe

Harry Kane, Lamin Yamal

World Cup 2026 Comments

Before I start, a comment about last night's USA 3-2 loss to Turkiye.  Both the US position in the group (first place) and their slotting in Knockout round of 32 were known so the game meant nothing to the USA, win, lose, or draw.  And that's how they played it.  They rested guys to avoid injuries and for reasons involving yellow cards (which I think I understand, but am not totally sure about), and only played their best player, Christian Pulisic, for thirty minutes, and as a substitute at that.  It looked like the match was destined to be a draw, but then Turkiye scored, literally, on the last play in seven minutes of stoppage time.  Seemed like a devastating way to lose a game to me.  I only hope that this loss doesn't rob the USMNT of the momentum that was built up over their two earlier wins in group play.

Now for the what I really wanted to write today.

Over the past fifteen days I have found myself enjoying this FIFA World Cup Tournament more that I ever anticipated.  Let me spell it out in bullet point form.

WHAT I HAVE LIKE ABOUT 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP

• The Stars.  Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland, among others, have delivered beyond imagining.  Messi has all five of Argentina's goals, including a hat trick in the first game.  He established the all time record for career goals scored in World Cup play with 18. Mbappe, with four goals now stands at 14 career goals will surely pass Messi someday, possibly even this year depending on how the tournament plays out.
• The Coverage.  There have been anywhere from three to six games to watch on television everyday for the last two weeks.  You could - and I often have - been watching World Cup matches on any given day from 1:00 in the afternoon to midnight.
• The Announcers. Many if not most of the play-by-play announcers have been British, and, all due respect to the Jim Nantzes, Ian Eagles, Al Michaels', and Joe Bucks of the USA, no one can turn a phrase like the Brits.  Maybe it's the accents. Example:  One announcer, when chiding some player's somewhat relaxed style of play said that "he needs to put down his brandy and cigar and start playing some proper football."  Pitt needs to hire that guy to replace Bill Hillgrove.
• The Pagentry.  The packed stadiums, the way the teams march on to the field before the matches, the flags and the anthems.  Can't be beat.
• The Game Itself.  By watching so many games in such a concentrated period of time, I have come to appreciate its  nuances. Like how the defenders play. Like many Americans, I would always say "why don't they score more...why don't they shoot more....why don't they even try to score?", and I have come to learn that the reason for all that is that they CAN'T shoot or score more and it is because of the defensive play of these elite teams.   
• Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as Fox Studio hosts.
• The Fans From Other Countries. The Tartan Army from Scotland who completely overtook Boston with their marching and bagpipes, literally drinking Boston taverns dry, and taking over Fenway Park at a Red Sox game and singing in unison for the entire nine innings.  The Norwegians and their "Viking Row".  The thousands of people from countries that you, or at least I, would never have expected to travel to North America to attend these matches.  The singing and the organized cheering throughout the matches.  I heard some guy on a national radio sports show say that when you witness this, you realize that we in America just don't know how to be fans.  He might be right.
• The News Reports About The Visitors.  Social media has been awash with stories and reels about how wonderfully all of these folks from other countries have been received here in America.  The hospitality and kindness of the Americans.  And how the visitors have been in awe of things like American fast food restaurants, Buc-ee's stores, and, of all things, ranch salad dressing.  I was afraid that the current leadership of America would somehow manage to suck all of the joy out of hosting this global event, but, happily, it hasn't happened.  At least not yet.
• A Look at the Stars:

Messi

Mbappe

USMNT

Haaland

WHAT I HAVE NOT LIKED ABOUT THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP

• Alexi Lalas as a Fox Studio host.  I made comment in Facebook that pairing Lalas with Henry and Zlatan would be like doing a documentary on the New York Yankees and having it hosted by Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Phil Linz.  The guy is a total putz.
• The general stink of greed, graft, and corruption that surrounds anything associated with FIFA.  Example:  Corporate names of American stadiums are verboten, so SoFi Stadium and MetLife Stadium have now become "Los Angeles Stadium" and "New York-New Jersey Stadium", and so on.  That's okay on the face of it, yet, the pitches themselves on which the matches are played are surrounded by electronic ad boards that run constantly throughout the match hawking some corporate sponsor or another.  Also, have you noticed that when a player of coach is interviewed after a match, they stand in front of a backdrop that is plastered with forty of fifty corporate logos.  Not even the International Olympic Committee, which is pretty shady itself, allows that.
• Alexi Lalas.
• Speaking of the FIFA punjabs, the TV cameras caught a shot of FIFA major domo Gianni Infantino and some of his henchmen during one of the recent matches:

• Doesn't it look like they're having a great time?  Probably wondering about what country or government they're going to shake down next.  As my old buddy, the late great Chuck Spatafore would have put it, they look like the Nuremberg Jury.
• Oh, and did I mention Alexi Lalas?

Okay, big match today involving France and Mbappe versus Norway and Haaland.  Can't wait for that.  Group play ends tomorrow and the Knockout Rounds begin with one match on Sunday followed by five straight days with three matches each that will whittle the field down to sixteen teams.

Keep on enjoying the futbol, everyone!

They Are The Champions

Both the NBA and the NHL wrapped up their Championship Series this weekend, and both results were quite satisfactory in our home.

The New York Knicks won their first NBA title since 1973 in five games over the San Antonio Spurs in what can only be described as astonishing fashion.  Here was their Playoff run:

• Fell behind two games to one to the Hawks in the first round then won three straight games to advance to the second round
• Swept the 76ers in the second round
• Swept the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals; in Game 1, the Cavs led by 22 points with 7:00 minutes remaining in the game, and the Knicks tied it and won it in overtime
• Defeated Spurs in five games to win The Finals

But that last bullet point doesn't even begin to describe just HOW the Knicks won those five games.  The Spurs had double digit leads in all five games, and could have, and perhaps should have, won all of the games that they lost.  After losing the first two games, the Spurs rallied to win the third game in Madison Square Garden, and appeared to have a Game Four win in their hip pockets, a win that would have tied the series.  They held a 27 point lead over the Knicks at the half, and got that lead up to 29 points in the third quarter.  No NBA teamed ever overcame a 29 point deficit in an NBA Finals game.  Until this past Wednesday.

The Knicks kept chipping into the lead, while the Spurs, with perhaps the most dominant low post "big man" in all of basketball, Victor Wembanyama, kept attempting , and missing, long range jump shots and three point attempts.  The Spurs still held a seven point lead with a minute to play, but the Knicks kept at it, and the Spurs kept missing shots, and it all came to an end when OG Anunoby tipped in a missed shot by Jaylen Brunson with 1.2 seconds remaining to give the Knicks an unbelievably improbable 107-106 win.  

OG Anunoby becomes Bobby Thomson in Game 4!

We watched that game unfold from our hotel room at Pittsburgh's William Penn Hotel (why we were there will be the subject of another post coming in the next day or two), and simply could not believe what we were seeing.  As I often say, a game like that one is why you follow sports.

The real star of the Knicks was Jalen Brunson, who was named MVP of the Series.  After the Knicks fell behind by double digits is Game 5, Brunson willed the Knicks to overcome the deficit and scored 45 points in New York's 94-90 win.  He'll never have to pick up a check in a New York City restaurant for the rest of his life.

MVP

A couple of comments on two other key figures in these Finals.

I was tremendously impressed with Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown, and after pulling off that unprecedented comeback in Game 4, how could you not be, but more than that, his calm demeanor on the sideline throughout all of these games stood in sharp contrast to his coaching counterparts on all levels of basketball.  He never whined or screamed at the refs.  When he had a beef, he would calmly address it to the official in question.  Most of the time, he stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets.

In a profession that is filled with Danny Hurleys, it's refreshing to see a guy like Mike Brown on the sidelines.

Make no mistake, the San Antonio Spurs are a very good team.  Led by their star player, 22 year old Victor Wembanyama, and other young stars like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, the Spurs will be back on this stage again and will win NBA championships over the next five to eight years.  Wemby is a force of nature and when you see how he can dominate a basketball game at this point in his career, it boggles the mind to think of how much better he will become as he matures, and I use the word "mature" purposefully here.  I love watching him play, but it was disappointing to see some of the, shall we say, churlish behavior on his part both on the court (Is he a dirty player?)  and in post game interviews and interactions with other players.  Hell, he's only 22 years old, so let's all hope that he outgrows some of that stuff as he gets older.  He will be, if he isn't already, the Face of the NBA, and he needs to realize that there is some responsibility that comes along with that. 

*****

One night later, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Las Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to win the  NHL's Stanley Cup in six games.

I can sum up our actions to this by restating these comments from my June 2 post:

"Our rooting interest will be with the Hurricanes, not only because of her preseason wager, but because her sons  Jeffrey and Justin and their families reside in Raleigh now and are Hurricanes fans, and because she wants to see ex-Penguin Jordan Stahl win another Cup."

So the Canes checked all the boxes for Linda and I throughout this series, and Jordan Stahl even won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Series!   Oh, and the "pre-season wager" referred to above was a five dollar bet that Linda asked me to place for her back on October 3 that yielded a $52.50 payout on FanDuel.

*****

In other sports news, the FIFA World Cup kicked off last Thursday, and on Friday the USA began play in their Group with a rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay.

It was great fun to watch, and in fact, this whole tournament has been and will continue to be fun to watch play out over the next thirty-four days.  Every day during group play there will be as many as four games matches being contested, and it has been fun to watch throughout these first five days of competition.  I won't be glued to every contest, but I will be watching certain matches with great interest, like when the USA plays, or when Argentina, led by the great Lionel Messi, plays.  Their first match is Tuesday night.   The USA takes on Australia on Friday night.