Futebol

Nick wrote:Not really a football kit guy at this point but that Venezia away kit restock happened this morning and I couldn’t resist.

Damn, that's good. I really like the third kit too: https://shop.veneziafc.it/products/venezia-fc-third-shirt-21-22

Kappa is on point.

Just got back from the bar... Northern fucking Ireland. What the hell was that?

Serbia qualified and fucked Ronaldo, so that was pretty sick.

I'm not stoked on "Qatar 2022" like I wasn't stoked on "Russia 2018", but I'm not going to sit here and pretend like any of these sporting events are paragons of virtue. I'm not going to boycott the tournament, but my soccer viewership is down anyway. I will probably follow it casually.

Hopefully this talented group of Serbian players can make some change in the Serbian FA...unlikely.

My son is all in on soccer this season. Plays it all the time and watches every weekend. I get asked every week how many days until the World Cup. It will be the first he watches with a high level of engagement and player knowledge.

I’m going to set aside my criticism and feelings about it taking place in Qatar - knowing that is wrong - for the sake of his enjoyment.

I managed to enjoy the World Cup in 1994 despite the hosts questionable human rights record and habit of overthrowing democratically elected leaders in Latin America

Tough match.. We really dominated large parts of that match and created some real opportunities. It was the same shit against Real Madrid though. We just don't have a real striker at the moment. I really like Lautaro but he isn't a real center-forward. Last year's team would have created absolute fits for Klopp. With Hakimi and Lukaku on the counter we would have really given Liverpool's backline fits. I think last year's team was one of the best in Europe and it was a real shame that we didn't manage to qualify out of group in the CL.

Oh well... happy to have made it this far. We could always pull off some kind of miracle in Anfield as well. Pazza Inter amala!

For any football podcast fans, The Totally Football Show’s Inter Totally Cup started today. It’s a quiz competition between the contributors and a lot of fun to listen to and play along with.

Recommended listening!

I used to consume so much football (podcast) content. This is the first year that I have completely stopped listening to any podcasts. I've also stopped following the Premier League as well. I literally only watch Inter games and follow Italian-language media coverage of Serie A. It totally transforms your perception of European football. It was such a thrill to watch Inter playing a Champions League match against an English team over the weekend because it was the one time that I'll actually watch Liverpool all season. And honestly, that's probably how it should be. That is what makes the Champions League exciting for fans. Otherwise this all just becomes very boring high-entertainment spectacle, which is unfortunately what the Premier League, at least as someone not living in England/Wales, feels like...

Chrono, do you still watch the Arsenal?

I watched 70~ minutes of today's game. I don't follow as intensely, but I still keep up. I watch much less of non-Arsenal games these days. Mostly stick to the NBA.

Things were not so much fun last year or during intense "Arteta out" times. I'm not the biggest fan of Arteta because I think the narrative of him being a "club legend" is bunk and wish we would've got a bigger name with more experience, but I don't mind sticking with him for awhile.

There's at least a lot of little fun things to watch now and the team is structured and solid. Ramsdale has been super fun to watch this year, love his big personality. Even at his best, Leno was a very boring keeper whose inability to claim balls always made you nervous.

Watching the game today reminded me how much I like Gabriel. He is unbelievably consistent. Just waltzed into the team, plays every single week, and almost always makes us better. Partey took longer to get up to speed and had initial fitness issues, but now he's the same way. A class player.

I like the Arsenal and am along for the ride. Would like to see us back in the CL of course, but I would love for us to win the EL instead of flaming out too. Nothing more needs to be said about Saka or ESR, they are the future of the team. Should probably switch my avatar to Odegaard. He's incredible.

I've basically stopped watching the Premier League entirely but I've got a friend in Bologna who grew up near Highbury and is a huge Arsenal fan. I've started watching matches with him at the pub. I've been really impressed with this team. I'd love to see them back in the CL as well.

I'll be headed to the San Siro next weekend for the match against Fiorentina. We are really struggling right now domestically. But it's fine because Lukaku is coming back soon.

Italy played some of the most captivating football I could recall in a while at the Euros but shit the bed last night and won’t qualify for their second straight World Cup?!?!

I was actually at the stadium for that Radu howler that cost us the league title... Fucking depressing stuff.

I’m already bored with this season & at this point concede the title to Man City.

Thinking about the circumstances surrounding this WC gives me hesitation to watch a single minute of play. But I feel like that Trump Tweet about Diet Coke and know that come Sunday I’ll be “Whatever I’ll still watch that crap.”

Not really sure about any of this... I'd probably be more engaged if Italy had qualified. The whole thing just feels like such an incredibly depressing display. If it makes people happy, whatever. But given the moral implications, I'll probably just sit this one out.

I hope Argentina or an African nation wins tho

Yesterday's first match blew away the cobwebs.

The Japan upset of Germany followed by watching Spain look masterful was a nice start to today’s action.

Watching Belgium vs Canada now. Canada are one of the teams I’ve been most interested in watching.

You’d think England drew 0-0 with Faroe Islands by the reaction on the podcasts today. I think fans and journalists got a little high on beating Iran and assumed they would walk over the US.

I kind of like this group of US players. They have no goal scorers but they’re the most skilled collection I’ve seen play for the US. They can beat Iran, get out of the group and consider this WC a success for a young squad.

Into the round of 16. USA USA USA

My phone really, really wants me to care about this event.

Watched the game with an American friend last night at a bar. A few of our European/British friends came along as well. Almost the entire bar of Italians were supporting Iran. They were hilariously rehashing Roma/Juve/Inter chants with the Islamic Republic and doing very fun old war chants about the Americans coming into town. I was having a great time. Was hanging out with this Italo-Iranian dude as well who was super into the atmosphere.

End of the match and this one random American asshole, who also goes to my fucking stupid university, gets up and starts chanting U-S-A and screaming "Fuck Iran!" while flipping everyone off. Literally the entire bar started booing, throwing shit at him, and a fight almost broke out. Apparently he spent the majority of the match loudly calling Iranian players "faggots" whenever they'd go to ground from a slide tackle.

Completely ruined the experience. Absolutely embarrassing display and perfectly encapsulates my inability to ever really grow fond of the USMNT. Although, they've actually played quite well and they seem like a fine group of people and obviously they cannot control that behavior and should not be judged because of it. Still sucks.

Nick wrote:You’d think England drew 0-0 with Faroe Islands by the reaction on the podcasts today. I think fans and journalists got a little high on beating Iran and assumed they would walk over the US.

I kind of like this group of US players. They have no goal scorers but they’re the most skilled collection I’ve seen play for the US. They can beat Iran, get out of the group and consider this WC a success for a young squad.

This US team is very well suited to nullifying what has been good about England in the other two games in midfield, and good luck to them with it. This was exactly the same reaction that we saw when England drew with Scotland in Euro 2020(21) last year. With England having a rich squad of players and since 2018, been serious contenders in most tournaments bar this year's Nations League people seem to think they can just swat aside every team ranked below them.

Every time the world cup happens I think about Nick's unusual love of soccer.

Who are you all rooting for