I know its unlikely but Belgium forefitting the game against the US would be the absolute funniest thing ever.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49231555/2026-nfl-roster-ranking-starting-lineups-projection-32-teams

Eagles ranked 2nd best starting lineup in NFL

2 hours ago, Freshmilk said:

If I were Belgium I'd be appealing directly to Trump to determine if Balogun is even a US Resident. According to Trump and friends he shouldn't be. Unless his mother or father is the longest living slave in US history.

I think you mean citizen. He has never resided in the US. His birth is almost the exact hypothetical the administration argued should not result in citizenship.

4 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

I think you mean citizen. He has never resided in the US. His birth is almost the exact hypothetical the administration argued should not result in citizenship.

Likewise, Tillman never lived here either, and was born and raised in Germany. He didn't even set foot in the US until after FIFA approved his commitment to switch from Germany to the US. Sergino Dest was born and raised in Holland, and hadn't even been to the US until he was an adult. Jedi grew up in the UK, not sure if he was born there too.

I’ve always been fine with soccer being a third rate sport here and leaving it to the rest of the world to have a sports participation trophy that they can pass between themselves. Let some hell hole like Manchester or Liverpool have some big sports teams. Let them have some fun.

Now I want to take over soccer just out of spite. Spend a trillion dollars on a national soccer program and make it like basketball where when the US doesn’t win it all it is a shocking development, just out of pettiness for what whiney little p***ies the Europeans are being.

17 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

Likewise, Tillman never lived here either, and was born and raised in Germany. He didn't even set foot in the US until after FIFA approved his commitment to switch from Germany to the US. Sergino Dest was born and raised in Holland, and hadn't even been to the US until he was an adult. Jedi grew up in the UK, not sure if he was born there too.

I think they are all citizens through their parents. Balogun would not be but for the 14th Amendment.

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14 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

I think they are all citizens through their parents. Balogun would not be but for the 14th Amendment.

Yeah his was a case of birthright citizenship. Tillman's dad was in USAF stationed in Germany. I forget how Dest and Jedi are eligible.

3 hours ago, Freshmilk said:

If I were Belgium I'd be appealing directly to Trump to determine if Balogun is even a US Resident. According to Trump and friends he shouldn't be. Unless his mother or father is the longest living slave in US history.

He was born here. His mother was visiting family in New York while pregnant with him and she wasn’t allowed to fly back because she was too pregnant.

Born in the United States = United States citizen

Most of the other players not from the USA were born to parents who served in the US military and they were born on U.S. military bases which makes you a citizen.

Dest’s father fought in Nam.

But yeah I have no doubt these players picked playing for the US over their home countries because they’d actually get to play. Balogun is a star for us and for England, best case scenario, he comes off the bench and plays maybe 10-15 minutes

5 minutes ago, TEW said:

I’ve always been fine with soccer being a third rate sport here and leaving it to the rest of the world to have a sports participation trophy that they can pass between themselves. Let some hell hole like Manchester or Liverpool have some big sports teams. Let them have some fun.

Now I want to take over soccer just out of spite. Spend a trillion dollars on a national soccer program and make it like basketball where when the US doesn’t win it all it is a shocking development, just out of pettiness for what whiney little p***ies the Europeans are being.

Make soccer mandatory for every kid.

It just dawned upon me today that Rodgers has the same NFC Championship Game record as McNabb at 1-4.

I wonder how Rodgers gets looked at if instead of his great Super Bowl MVP performance and Super Bowl win that he instead had a major choking performance like a hungover Donovan McNabb did. He would still have the MVPs I guess and watching both play Rodgers was a questionably a better player. I think that is just further proof that McNabb is not a HoF player but Rodgers still would be if he lost the Super Bowl.

I'm fascinated by the push back on the reversal.

The fundamental reality is that he should not have been red-carded in the first place. The means leading to the reversal are understandably controversial and political. (and can stay out of the blog). However, what a loser mentality from Belgium. You protest the reversal of a red card that everyone universally agrees should not have been handed out? Let the media talk about how this shouldn't have been reversed and that it's inappropriate. As a team, why protest the availability of a player that never should have been suspended in the first place? Just strikes me as a spineless loser mentality.

Imagine if Devonta Smith were suspended for something he didn't do. He gets reinstated because Gov. Shapiro circumvents the NFL's protocols with Goodell and gets it overturned. Jerry Jones protests the week before an Eagles / Cowboys MNF game. We'd all lose our minds calling them cowards.

8 hours ago, UK Eagle said:

FIFA WC is a competitive sporting event, not a collective world tournament for pluck triers. Now, should FIFA introduce a plate tournament where lower nations get experience and its used to fund the game? Yes.

The only in tournament comparable case was Garincha in 1962 where politics got involved but there has been nothing since.. Ronaldo's red was in qualifying but equally as bad for caving in on a suspension. FIFA being FIFA have set precedences now and already, the England manager is asking for our red card to be overturned. They also undermined the officials and VAR.

UEFA are also unhappy with this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5yzzd73871o

I’m not sure a single person in the blog knows who won the NIT tournament this spring…would be a dumb idea to do a ‘participation trophy’ secondary tourney for FIFA.

28 minutes ago, TEW said:

I’ve always been fine with soccer being a third rate sport here and leaving it to the rest of the world to have a sports participation trophy that they can pass between themselves. Let some hell hole like Manchester or Liverpool have some big sports teams. Let them have some fun.

Now I want to take over soccer just out of spite. Spend a trillion dollars on a national soccer program and make it like basketball where when the US doesn’t win it all it is a shocking development, just out of pettiness for what whiney little p***ies the Europeans are being.

It would be really tough to ever get on Europe’s level. Like you said, would probably take trillions and probably 2-3 decades.

Every city would need a team, even the tiny "cities” that revolve around college football so it can feel tribal. So in PA alone, there’d be a team in Harrisburg, Allentown, and Erie. I don’t know one Philadelphia Union fan.

The MLS teams that seem to have the biggest following/tribal like fans aren’t the big, 4 sports cities. Portland, Seattle, Columbus…

That means you’d have to do different tiers like European teams do.

I’d also like to see the Olympics remove soccer from the Olympics and put indoor soccer in. Kinda like they’re doing with flag football.

7 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

It just dawned upon me today that Rodgers has the same NFC Championship Game record as McNabb at 1-4.

I wonder how Rodgers gets looked at if instead of his great Super Bowl MVP performance and Super Bowl win that he instead had a major choking performance like a hungover Donovan McNabb did. He would still have the MVPs I guess and watching both play Rodgers was a questionably a better player. I think that is just further proof that McNabb is not a HoF player but Rodgers still would be if he lost the Super Bowl.

Questionably a better player?

5 hours ago, Mike030270 said:

I didn't realize they started it either

Bryce Young? That means there’s 25-30 other QB’s in the top 100?

4 minutes ago, Wentz_Era said:

I’m not sure a single person in the blog knows who won the NIT tournament this spring…would be a dumb idea to do a ‘participation trophy’ secondary tourney for FIFA.

that would be Auburn - they beat Tulsa

8 hours ago, UK Eagle said:

It should have been a yellow. There was some mitigation there and I don't see why VAR stepped in there when perhaps they haven't before in other games. The concern for England is the 1 in a 100 red card gives them another hole at RB.

I thought the nature of the fould on the English player made it a red. It was a sliding tackle with his cleats up into his calf. I mean there was some homecooking in it but I didn't think it was egregious. I mean here is a similar tackle that was a straight red without VAR in the EPL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STQeJvxxEBE

It maybe gets a yellow if they were playing in London instead of Mexico City.

14 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

I'm fascinated by the push back on the reversal.

The fundamental reality is that he should not have been red-carded in the first place. The means leading to the reversal are understandably controversial and political. (and can stay out of the blog). However, what a loser mentality from Belgium. You protest the reversal of a red card that everyone universally agrees should not have been handed out? Let the media talk about how this shouldn't have been reversed and that it's inappropriate. As a team, why protest the availability of a player that never should have been suspended in the first place? Just strikes me as a spineless loser mentality.

Imagine if Devonta Smith were suspended for something he didn't do. He gets reinstated because Gov. Shapiro circumvents the NFL's protocols with Goodell and gets it overturned. Jerry Jones protests the week before an Eagles / Cowboys MNF game. We'd all lose our minds calling them cowards.

My biggest gripe is they waited so long to rescind the red card. It should have been done the next day (Thursday) not the day before the game (3 days too late). To me, that makes it look like there was clear outside influence (non-fifa related). So I see Belgium’s bitterness from that angle.

But yes, if Lukaku (Belgium’s best striker) was suspended unfairly then was ultimately allowed to play, I don’t think you see the same level of whining from our side. Not even close.

6 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

It would be really tough to ever get on Europe’s level. Like you said, would probably take trillions and probably 2-3 decades.

Every city would need a team, even the tiny "cities” that revolve around college football so it can feel tribal. So in PA alone, there’d be a team in Harrisburg, Allentown, and Erie. I don’t know one Philadelphia Union fan.

The MLS teams that seem to have the biggest following/tribal like fans aren’t the big, 4 sports cities. Portland, Seattle, Columbus…

That means you’d have to do different tiers like European teams do.

I’d also like to see the Olympics remove soccer from the Olympics and put indoor soccer in. Kinda like they’re doing with flag football.

I don't think it would take 2 to 3 decades. The participation rate at the youth level would have to expand some but youth participation in soccer is greater than baseball. I think the big difference is the sophistication of the youth sport on the club level. It's not necessarily the number of fans but how youth soccer in other countries has a funnel towards player development that you don't always get in US Soccer. https://intel.morningconsult.com/mc-content/analysis/americans-youth-sport-participation-2025

20 minutes ago, eagle45 said:

I'm fascinated by the push back on the reversal.

The fundamental reality is that he should not have been red-carded in the first place. The means leading to the reversal are understandably controversial and political. (and can stay out of the blog). However, what a loser mentality from Belgium. You protest the reversal of a red card that everyone universally agrees should not have been handed out? Let the media talk about how this shouldn't have been reversed and that it's inappropriate. As a team, why protest the availability of a player that never should have been suspended in the first place? Just strikes me as a spineless loser mentality.

Imagine if Devonta Smith were suspended for something he didn't do. He gets reinstated because Gov. Shapiro circumvents the NFL's protocols with Goodell and gets it overturned. Jerry Jones protests the week before an Eagles / Cowboys MNF game. We'd all lose our minds calling them cowards.

It is a weak loser mindset from Belgium.

2 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

It would be really tough to ever get on Europe’s level. Like you said, would probably take trillions and probably 2-3 decades.

Every city would need a team, even the tiny "cities” that revolve around college football so it can feel tribal. So in PA alone, there’d be a team in Harrisburg, Allentown, and Erie. I don’t know one Philadelphia Union fan.

The MLS teams that seem to have the biggest following/tribal like fans aren’t the big, 4 sports cities. Portland, Seattle, Columbus…

That means you’d have to do different tiers like European teams do.

I’d also like to see the Olympics remove soccer from the Olympics and put indoor soccer in. Kinda like they’re doing with flag football.

45 minutes ago, TEW said:

I’ve always been fine with soccer being a third rate sport here and leaving it to the rest of the world to have a sports participation trophy that they can pass between themselves. Let some hell hole like Manchester or Liverpool have some big sports teams. Let them have some fun.

Now I want to take over soccer just out of spite. Spend a trillion dollars on a national soccer program and make it like basketball where when the US doesn’t win it all it is a shocking development, just out of pettiness for what whiney little p***ies the Europeans are being.

I think the biggest issue is that our best athletes just don't go into soccer. Every kid in Europe and South America is kicking around a ball(apparently dribbling is the right term) as soon as they can walk. Those that are the best at it get funneled into development pathways. In the US, those same kids are throwing and catching balls, swinging bats, shooting balls through hoops. Those that are best at it get funneled into development pathways. Sure, soccer is more popular than it used to be (and having a viable USMNT speaks to that), but it's still niche.

The money...a trillion dollars...is irrelevant. If the money that goes into football, baseball, basketball already got re-directed into soccer (and it would if that's where the cultural interest was), the US spending would be astronomical compared to all of Europe combined. An AI search tells me the US spends approximately 40 Billion per year on football/baseball/basketball kids 8-18. France spends under 1 billion per year on youth soccer. I don't know how accurate those numbers are, but AI is obviously always right. Regardless, it's pretty clear the US spends an order of magnitude more money on youth (and professional) sports than other developed countries.

Our football IS fading at the youth level. Youth baseball and basketball remain very strong. Soccer is gaining, but it's just so far off still.

28 minutes ago, NCiggles said:

Make soccer mandatory for every kid.

Literally institute a child soldier draft for for world war cup.

Billion dollar signing bonuses for making the US national team.

Soccer Team 6 at the Naval Academy.

I want a century of humiliation for European soccer!

6 minutes ago, SinCityEaglesFan2 said:

that would be Auburn - they beat Tulsa

Deep state lies! lol it was a hyperbolic statement. FIFA has enough to worry about, they need to figure out how to drive attendance for the women and make that more profitable (the last one was a great step forward) before they have to jump through hoops to do a losers bracket tourney, which will almost certainly result in a massive loss of money.