International Soccer: POCH

Sports & Other Games
405

16 teams was the perfect balance. Plenty great teams, many solid teams, and a cinderella or 2. Now there are far too many mediocre teams and many boring matches in the group stage.

It still amazes me that tourneys mess with the 2 out of 4 advance in a group concept. It’s absolutely perfect and adds tons of tension to the group stage b/c good teams can often be stunned and knocked out, but with 3rd place teams advancing, there’s way less pressure.

As dumb as the Euro 24-team format is, the '26 World Cup is even dumber. 2 teams advancing out of a 3 team group and only 2 group stage matches is beyond awful. Knockout stage matches are fun, but there are diminishing returns and they’ve completely neutered the group stage, which used to be super fun. It seems like they want to go to March Madness or something, but are doing a half-assed attempt.

3 Likes
406

People had been talking up Turkey as dark horses but they didn’t have much to offer on Friday.

407

When I heard that I was like huh!!! The On the Balls guys had a good take on the teams alough I’m sure 1 of them said that & the other 2 dudes where like me, huh!!!

For the little of football that I know or see, no one from Turkey seems good enough that I could name & I see that as a good judge of recognition of a player

408

My young niece ripped me a new one yesterday with facts on the teams, she’s mid twenties and I’ve been ripping her for 9 years now, I guess she got her own back yesterday :grimacing: somewhat & gave all the stats for the EURO’S and has France as a favourite £20 bet with her boyfriend Belgium £20 and Portugal is a push.

As nearly everyone has France it’s usually a good time to bet another team like Italy, or it makes you worried if betting large.

Alough most favourites have failed well recently.

409

Com’on ta feck Holland, I wanna rail Lex later & we don’t need to hear his moans about this manager again, step it up ffs.

410

Dutch Total Football. My Orioles’ Orange brethren across trhe pond

1 Like
411

:+1:

Nice goal

1 Like
412

bad goalkeeping there, have to either collect that or push it wide. Spilling it middle is never right.

413

Hard to put it wide with the back post run.

414

Thought it could have been collected more than pushed wide, just a terrible spot to leave a ball.

415

Jesus 16 groups of 3 in the first round? So many of those games are going to be snoozefests.

1 Like
416

holy shit

417

Geez… Now ama have ta list’in to Lex all night, sad. :confused:

418

That’s the spirit :ok_hand:

419

I cut my workday short to watch that game. Football Gods delivered

2 Likes
420

I’d thought that change had been planned for Qatar. 2026 gives those idiots time to self-correct, or the masses can lead a revolt like with the super league

421

https://mobile.twitter.com/Ryanclifford11/status/1403437437393723392

1 Like
422

Man rough night for the Ukrainian gk

423

Well, that turned into a surprise butt clencher. I’m sure it was a great game for neutrals, but as a very non-neutral my lawnmower almost reached escape velocity.

1 Like
424

The goals weren’t great but he did have a lot to do all game and made some solid saves.