Day 8 (6/26) Comfortable Wins

SUE THE T-REX HEAD, CHICAGO, IL - #8 G1-Manchester City routed #22 G4-Juventus 5-2 even though MCI's GK essentially gave away a goal to win Group G.  #7 H1-Real Madrid easily handled #143 Salzburg (FC Red Bull Salzburg) 3-0 to win Group H and with #67 H2-Al Hilal's chip over the GK in the 22' (who eventually won 2-0 over #144 H3-Pachuca), HIL took 2nd in Group H, giving Asia its first team in the Round of 16.

In a game that didn't matter, #402 G3-Al Ain score their first two goals in the tournament (the last team to score) to beat #235 G2-Wydad AC, 2-1.  Interestingly, VAR played a role in both goals, the first giving AIN a PK on the incidental contact in the box by WAC for their first goal and VAR confirming that the AIN player did not commit a foul nor had enough of a handball infraction to confirm their 2nd goal.  WAC became the 5th team to lose after scoring the first goal.

All 16 got RMA, 14 got HIL, 8 got AIN, and 7 got MCI correct.  All 16 had RMA and MCI in their R16 bracket, 15 had JUV, and 13 had HIL.  Kona Coast Sliders (14th, 54), UnrealMadrid (9th-Tied, 56), and EEChick1400 (5th-T, 59) went a perfect 16-for-16 points while Mauihammy (16th-last, 470) and Yamine I'm Gonna Win (15th, 53) picked up just 11 each.  The 3 got all 4 games correct while 6 got just 2 of 4.  12 got all four R16 teams correct while 4 got 3 of 4.  Alyonushka and Oreshnik remain tied for first with 63 pts.  Sweet Futbol Fabone got 22 group stage matches correct (of 32) while three had just 17.  Alyonushka, Oreshnik, and PoolraiderPSG (3rd-T, 60) got 14 of 16 R16 teams correct while Mauihammy had just 10.

Visited the Field Museum and was planning on spending maybe 1.5 hours there and spent nearly 4 hours with the crown jewel the actual fossil head of Sue the T-Rex (it was damaged during fossilization all those years ago, so the head on the life-size display is fixed replica head (nearly rest of the body is real fossils).  Since FC Salzburg can't use Red Bull in their name for a FIFA tournament, I wore my 2016 New York Red Bulls away jersey as a tribute.

Day 7 (6/25) Just Enough

ORIGINAL BILLY GOAT TAVERN, CHICAGO, IL - #9 F2-Borussia Dortmund got a first half goal and that was all they needed to beat #276 F3-Ulsan HD, 1-0, to win Group F.  #71 F1-Fluminense was happy to slog through a 0-0 draw with #97 F4-Maelodi Sundowns to advance to the Round of 16.  This was the second time FLU was in a scoreless draw and this was the first time the upstart MSU did not score.

#6 E4-Inter Milan was also happy to slog through a 0-0 draw with #51 E1-River Plate (although the first half was pretty action packed) but a RIV red card allowed INT to put more pressure and got a goal (plus an insurance late in stoppage) to win 2-0.  #125 E3-CF Monterrey scored three goals in 9 minutes in the first half to easily put away #373 E2-Urawa Reds, 4-0, to punch their ticket to the Round of 16, CONCACAF's second team in.  RIV needed a win or a high scoring draw and got neither.

All 16 got BVB, 12 got INT, 11 got CFM, and three picked the MSUvFLU tie.  All 16 had INT and BVB in their Round of 16 and 15 had FLU but just 3 had CFM.  Alyonushka and Oreshnik went a perfect 16-for-16 today to jump into a tie for first with 48 pts.  They were the only two to get all 4 games correct and they along with Kona Coast Sliders II (11th-Tied, 42) got all 4 R16 teams correct.  UnrealMadrid (14th, 40) only got 1 game correct while previous leader Sweet Futbol Fabone (5th-T, 44) got just 2 R16 teams correct and had a low of 9 pts today.  Sweet Futbol Fabone still has a high of 20 games correct (of 28) while Alyonushka, Oreshnik, and PooraiderPSG (3rd-T, 45) have 10 of 12 R16 teams correct.

Traveled to Chicago today but went through Salt Lake (planned) but then Milwaukee (unplanned).  I am remembering why I never go through Chicago's O'Hare airport as weather delays meant at least a 45-minute wait pattern, which the plane did not have fuel for, and thus diverted to Milwaukee.  After finally arriving, went to the original Billy Goat Tavern for old style cheeseburger and a hot dog wearing my River Plate 2016-17 3rd jersey which commemorates RIV's 30th anniversary of their 1985-86 title.

Day 6 (6/24) Moral Draws

GROWING SAGO PALM, HOME, CA - #12 D3-Chelsea scored twice in two minutes of first half stoppage time to deflate #101 D2-Esperance de Tunisie's chances (who needed to win) en route to a 3-0 victory to finish 2nd in Group D.  #17 C4-SL Benfica scored an early goal and held on to beat #2 C1-Bayern Munich (who already qualified), 1-0, to win Group C.  

Two minnows managed to secure their first goal and their first point of the tournament.  D4-LAFC, who were held without a shot on goal until the 90'+4 last game, waited until the 84' for their first SOG but made it count.  However, two minutes later #27 D1-Flamengo (who had already won Group D) tied it and prevented LAFC with a moral victory, just a moral 1-1 draw.

#163 (or 4,971 according to Opta) C2-Auckland City's goalkeeper Nathan Garrow did everything with 10 saves (most of the spectacular variety) and even scored (on himself for #95 C3-Boca Juniors' only goal) in securing a point (and the $1 million that comes with it) in the 1-1 draw.  BOC had 39 shots with 10 on goal but didn't score (again, an own goal was their only goal).  Christian Gray will etch himself in the record books with a great header goal, AKL's first of the tournament. 

AKL's goalkeeper has seen 102 shots come his way with 43 of those on goal, making 27 saves.  With no real competition, the semi-pro/amateur side will likely qualify for 2029's CWC.

16 picked CHE but just 3 picked LAFvFLA tie and only Mauihammy (16th (last), 24 pts) picked SLB.  No one could imagine AKLvBOC ending in a draw.  All 16 had BAY and CHE making the Round of 16 while 14 had FLA and 11 had SLB.  Only four got 2 of the 4 games correct while 9 got all 4 R16 teams right.  Mancitymania got 14 of the 16 pts today to from a tie for 7th to a tie for 3rd (33).  8 others got 13 pts today.  Sweet Futbol Fabone only got 11 pts today but remains in first with 35 pts followed closely by PoolraiderPSG (34).  5 lost BOC in their R16 bracket.  12 got only 1 match correct while 7 got 3 of 4 R16 teams correct.  Four got 10 of 16 pts.

One of our sago palms just doubled in height this month, its newest leaves shooting skyward.  I wore my 2023-24 SL Benfica home jersey, which celebrates 120 years.

Day 5 (6/23) In the End, it was a Draw

TITO'S TACOS, CULVER CITY, CA - The early games for Group B saw #1 B1-Paris Saint-Germain take care of MLS's #423 B4-Seattle Sounders, 2-0, holding them to no shots on goal (the first of the tournament).  Playing simultaneously, SEA's listless play meant #10 B2-Atletico Madrid needed a 3-goal win to advance; they managed just one late goal and the 1-0 win still eliminated them and despite the loss, #58 B3-Botafogo advanced.  All three top teams had 6 points but for this tourney, the 3-way tiebreaker is head-to-head-to-head and all were 1-1-0 against each other but PSG had the better goal differential (+3, thanks to their 4-0 win over ATM) to win the group and BOT had the second-best GD (0) to hold off ATM (-3).  In the usual format (pts, wins, GD, GF, etc), a 2-0 win would've advanced ATM (via goals for) but with the 3-way head-to-head, they needed a 3-0 (or 4-1, 5-2, etc) win.

The evening games were exciting, action-packed, and in the end, didn't amount to much as the #538 A4-Inter Miami and #24 A1-Palmeiras 2-2 draw determined the whole group.  PAL rallied late with 2 goals in the final 10 minutes to tie and win the Group while #47 A2-Porto answered 4 (!) times against #55 A3-Al Ahly to tie 4-4.  AHL's Wessam Abou Ali had a hat trick with his 3rd goal off a powerful header to put AHL 3-2.  With all the goals POR and AHL scored, when MIA was up 1-0, POR just needed a 2-goal win and when MIA was up 2-0 in the 65' (about 59' in the PORvAHL match), POR needed just a win.  When PAL tied it at 2 and kept on threatening a 3rd, a PAL 3-2 lead would mean AHL needed to win by 2 and AHL was leading by one (4-3) for about the next five minutes before POR tied it at 4 in the 89' (the MIAvPAL was about 6 minutes ahead (90'+5).

The unfortunate tie meant MIA got #1 PSG instead of #58 BOT in the Round of 16 and the two Brazilian teams will face off in the other matchup (BOTvPAL).  While a MIA win would be epic, a MIA win would also break a lot of pool brackets (15 of 16 have PSG in Semifinals)!

15 picked PSG, 14 picked ATM, 5 picked MIAvPAL draw, and 2 picked PORvAHL draw.  All 16 had PSG in the Round of 16 while 11 had PAL.  Just 6 had MIA and 1 BOT (PoolraiderPSG (3rd, 21 pts)) making the knockout round and the $7.5 million that comes with it (the draws cost all 4 Group A teams $1 million each).  Alyonushka (7th-Tied, 19) and Oreshnik (7th-T) got all 4 games correct while PoolraiderPSG, Sweet Futbol Fabone, and Inter's Revenge (2nd, 22) got 3 of 4 R16 teams correct (remember, it doesn't matter if you had PSG as 1A or 2A, you still got the 3 pts).  Sweet Futbol Fabone got 12 of the 16 pts to take sole possession of 1st place with 24 pts and leads with 15 group stage wins.  PoolraiderPSG and Mauihammy (16th (last), 13) got just 1 game correct while Mauihammy got just 1 of 4 R16 teams correct (for a low of 4 pts today). 15 entries lost ATM and 14 POR in their Round of 16 bracket.  Mauihammy lost AHL.

There is this taco place that usually has long lines but the wait wasn't long when I got to Tito's Tacos and their hard tacos are very good, just maybe not $6 good (you do get chips and salsa).  I wore my 2022 Seattle Sounders home jersey to support MLS.

Issue #3.1.2 "Some Shockers and Lots of Goals" (6/22)

Archive 

Sunday, June 22, 2025 

INTER MIAMI, BOTAFOGO, AND FLAMENGO PULL OFF UPSETS
16 entries received from 9 people in first edition of Club World Cup; 3 tied for first

HOME, CA (smt) --  A classic Messi free kick goal put A4-Inter Miami over A2-Porto, 2-1, to put the Major League Soccer team into a virtual tie with A1-Palmeiras, who beat A3-Al Ahly 2-0.  MLS's first win over an UEFA club in real competition wasn't the only shocker.  Brazilian side B3-Botafogo stunned the reigning UEFA champions, B1-PSG, 1-0, to sit atop of Group B with 6 points.  Another Brazilian side B1-Flamengo ran over D3-Chelsea 3-1 to win Group D with a game left. 

However, other top UEFA clubs rolled over their opponents with C4-SL Benfica winning 6-0 as C2-Auckland City became the first team eliminated, G4-Juventus winning 4-1, B2-Atlético Madrid winning 3-1,  and G-Manchester City winning 6-0 (MCI tried hard for a 7th, but alas, JUV will win the goals for tiebreaker if these two teams draw).  F2-Borrusia Dortmand was cruising 4-1 but had to hold on to beat upstart F4-Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3.  Another Brazilian side had an easy win as F1-Fluminense beat F3-Ulsan HD, 4-2.

Day 4 (6/22) UEFA Super Clubs Win Easily

GARDENING AT HOME, CA - 13 combined goals were scored by club powerhouses #22 G4-Juventus, #7 H1-Real Madrid, and #8 G1-Manchester City.  JUV's 4-1 win over #235 G2-Wydad AC followed by MCI's 6-0 rout over #402 G3-Al Ain sent both teams to the Round of 16 with an epic matchup between them coming up Thursday.  It didn't look good for RMA coming off a surprise draw to #67 H2-Al Hilal with a red card in the 7', but it was all RMA after that as they took care of #144 Pachuca, 3-1 to eliminate them.   A nice toe flick off a cross gave RMA a 3-0 lead.  HIL picked up their second draw, this time a scoreless one with #143 H4-FC Salzburg.

All 16 picked JUV, MCI, and RMA while just 3 picked the SALvHIL draw, thus 3 went 4-0.  BigRedMessi was one of the 3 to move into a tie for first with 1 Billion Cash Grab and Sweet Futbol Fabone with 12 pts.  

Four have clinched spots in the Round of 16 (BAY, FLA, JUV, MCI) but you won't the 3 pts each until after their group has completed play.  Mauihammy (tied for last (12th) with 9 pts) was the only entry to lose a team in the R16 between AIN (his pick), WAC, and PAC.

On a sunny Sunday, did some gardening in the backyard and found a few plums (which were plentiful in 2023 and disappeared in 2024).  I wore my 2005 Juventus away jersey celebrating its 100 years.

Day 3 (6/21) Comebacks!

SON'S FIRST TIME DRIVING, HOME, CA - Two low-ranked Asian teams managed to hold halftime leads (#373 E2-Urawa Red Diamonds 1-0 over #6 E4-Inter Milan and #276 F3-Ulsan HD 2-1 over #71 F1-Fluminense) while African team #97 F4-Mamelodi Sundowns scored first against #9 F2-Borussia Dortmund but in the end, all 3 lost.  INT got a stoppage time goal to down URD 2-1, BVB scored four unanswered before holding off a late rally by MSU, 4-3, and FLU scored 3 in the second half to beat UHD 4-2.

While 16 goals were scored in those 3 matches, the last match of the day between #51 E1-River Plate and #125 E3-CF Monterrey ended in the tourney's fourth scoreless draw.  No one clinched a berth in the Round of 16 but URD and UHD were eliminated.  INT's tying goal was a beauty, with a flick of the foot off a corner kick to bring INT back into the match.  MSU's first goal was a thing of beauty with the attacker just touching the ball past a defender to start a 3 on nothing break towards the box which was converted.

All 16 picked INT, 15 BVB, and 13 FLU.  Just 4 had the RIV-CFM draw.  Bobby Cee Racer and Mancitymania got all 4 correct to move from a tie for 5th to a tie for 3rd (8 pts).  1 Billion Cash Grab and Sweet Futbol Fabone still are tied for first with 9 pts.

One lost URD in the R16 (Mauihammy (tied for 12th (last), 6)) (yesterday, 2 lost LAFC).  You won't get points for BAY and FLA advancing until after their group games are complete.

Finally, it happened, my 18-year-old son got behind the wheel of a real car and drove a bit in our cul-de-sac.  I was wearing my 2024 home Fluminense jersey (by the way, the C-R-F intertwined symbol is very similar to CR Flamengo and Rangers FC (Glasgow), both of which I have).

Day 2 (6/20) Flamengo Shocks, Two are Out

HILTON COSTA MESA, CA - Both #17 C4-SL Benfica and #2-Bayern Munich clung to just 1-0 halftime leads but while SLB exploded after a 2 hour weather delay for five goals to win 6-0, BAY needed a late strike to outlast #95 C3-Boca Juniors, 2-1.   The goal of the tourney thus far was BOC's goal as the attacker passed to himself as he ran past a confused defender with a clinical strike to tie it at 1.  BAY became the first team to clinch a spot in the Round of 16 while #163 C2-Auckland City became the first team eliminated.  BOC's loss was South America's first loss of the tournament (6-1-3).

But #356 D4-LAFC would soon join AKL, as a missed PK late in stoppage time allowed #101 D2-ES Tunis to win 1-0.  LAFC didn't even have a shot on goal until the 4th minute of stoppage time (ended with 2 with saved PK) in their best opportunity to pick up 3 points.  #27 D1-Flamengo rallied to upset #12 D3-Chelsea 3-1 to lead win Group D.  LAFC usually only chokes in championship games, not the group stages.

All 16 entries picked SLB and BAY to win while just 5 picked FLA and no one picked EST.  1 Billion Cash Grab and Sweet Futbol Fabone are tied for first with 6 points while Alyonushka, Kona Coast Sliders, and Oreshnik are tied for last with 3 points.

Visited the Hilton Costa Mesa as a site visit for an upcoming IEEE meeting in 2027 and wore my 2023 home Boca Juniors jersey with all the patches.  BOC fans are some of the best and created a great atmosphere in Miami, almost getting BOC a draw.

Day 1 (6/19) Messi Does it Again

TACOMASA, EL SEGUNDO, CA - If there was a reason why MLS (as the USA rep for FIFA) arbitrarily chose their 2024 Supporters Shield winner (while the rest of the world chose their federation champion or 4-year best ranking) to be the "host" slot in the 32-team tournament, this is why.  #538 A4-Inter Miami, the worst-ranked team in tips.gg or footballdatabase (#535) even though Auckland City is basically a semi-pro team, was going to provide excitement.  Whether it was their run to win the Leagues Cup in 2023 or nearly making the playoffs in 2023 despite the worst-record in the league 2/3rds in or breaking the points record in 2024, when Messi, Suarez, etc are on the field, you don't know what will happen.

With the game tied at 1 against #47 A2-FC Porto, Messi bent a free kick past the GK (similar to what he did in stoppage time his first-ever MIA match in a group match in the the 2023 Leagues Cup) to complete MIA's 2-1 comeback and became the first MLS team to beat an UEFA team in a competitive match.  MIA faces though a tough #24 A1-Palmeiras team who beat #55 A2-Al Ahly 2-0 to lead Group A in goal differential.  Three teams could end up with 4 points and MIA could still miss out of the Round of 16.

Group B was shook up with #58 B3-Botafogo shutting out #1 B1-Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 to lead the group with 6 points.  #10 B2-Atletico Madrid bounced back from the embarrassing rout against PSG to beat #432 Seattle, 3-1.  The Sounders are not out, but would need to beat PSG and have ATM lose by enough goals.

We got 16 entries in the first-ever HWCI Club World Cup pool from 9 people.  For comparison, our first NCAA pool had 12 entries, our first World Cup pool had 21, our first Euro pool had 39, our first Women's World Cup pool had 22, and our free MLS is Back pool had 15.

PSG was picked by 6 entries to win the title with Manchester City and Real Madrid being picked by 3 each.  Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Juventus each were picked by one entry.  15 of 16 have PSG in the semifinals while 12 have RMA making the semis.

In the first day of the pool (start of the 2nd round of group stage matches), three went 3-1 which happen to be all of Scott T's three entries (1 Billion Cash Grab, Inter's Revenge, and Sweet Futbol Fabone).  5 went 1-3.  The belief in Inter Miami!  12 got PAL correct, 4 MIA, 14 ATM, and no one picked BOT over PSG (this was 1 of 9 matches where all 16 picked the same team to win).  

This great chain Taco Masa (though I was calling it Tacoma-sa, like the Washington city) is caught between an all-Spanish menu to a quality American fast-food joint (like Habit Burger).  I got two punches on my 12-space punch card thanks to a nice gentleman at the cashier.  I wore my 2024 home MIA jersey which looks great in pink with badges in the middle.

Day -1 (6/18) Harsh call but save! + Admin Picks!

POACHED, DOWNEY, CA - The last day of the first group stage matches saw #8 G1-Manchester City and #22 G4-Juventus take care of business while in Group H, #143 H4-FC Salzburg (so sad FIFA doesn't allow named sponsors so they couldn't use FC Red Bull Salzburg) found itself topping the group as #67 H2-Al Hilal's GK Bono saved a PK in second-half stoppage time after a long VAR.  VAR deemed a foul just inside the upper corner of the box (so harsh it resulted in two yellows for dissent on HIL) but the save preserved a 1-1 draw with #7 H1-Real Madrid.  

With the first group matches done, just a few surprises (draws), a couple of long weather delays, and passionate fans and empty stadiums.  The quality of play has been good as these are "teams" and not we had two-weeks-to-practice national teams.  

Just 9 hours left to enter the pool and please use this link for the Web Entry.  We have just 9 entries so if you enter now, you have a pretty good chance to win (unlike Auckland City).

For the first time in 16 soccer pools, I have entered the max 3 times.  That just means losing $30.  Here are my picks:

Scott	T (1)	Sweet Futbol Fabone
Scott	T (2)	1 Billion Cash Grab
Scott	T (3)	Inter's Revenge

Poached is a really good breakfast place and it is one of the restaurants served by Resy, which is where I can redeem my $10 and $20 credit card credits every month.  I wore my 2022-23 Al Hilal home jersey and has the badges in a great blue pattern made by Mouj, who I have never heard before making jerseys.

Day -2 (6/17) Sunup!

HABIT BURGER, EL SEGUNDO, CA - A 65-minute thunderstorm possibility delay (or was it because no one showed up?) didn't stop #97 F4-Mamelodi Sundowns from snatching 3 points from #276 F3-Ulsan HD to surprisingly lead Group F with an 1-0 win.  That is because #71 F1-Fluminense held #9 F2-Dortmund (BVB) to the tourney's third 0-0 draw.

#51 E1-River Plate took care of business beating #373 E2-Urawa Reds, 3-1, while #6 E4-Inter Milan struggled in the heat to tie #125 E3-CF Monterrey 1-1 at the Rose Bowl.  

CFM's tie put CONCACAF with a 0-2-2 record with H3-Pachuca playing tomorrow.  MSU's win put Africa (CAF) in the win column (1-1-1) while Asian countries (AFC) (0-2-0) and Oceania (0-1-0) have not picked up a point yet.  South America (CONMEBOL) finished undefeated (3-0-3).

Just a day and half left to enter (deadline 9 am PDT Thursday) and note the new URL for the Web Entry: https://www.hwci.com/worldcup/2025/w_entry.html.  Only a handful of entries thus far, but that means you have a better chance to win!

When I was going regularly to Santa Barbara for work, that was the home of Habit Burger.  This one was near work in El Segundo and wore my 2007-08 Inter Milan 100th anniversary jersey.

Day -3 (6/16) Seeing Red

KING TACO, PICO RIVERA, CA - A high kick to the face put favorite #17 C4-SL Benfica down to 10 men trailing 2-1 but took advantage of a CK opportunity to tie #95 C3-CA Boca Juniors, 2-2.  BOC picked up 2 red cards as well, one in each half (the first leading to a SLB PK goal) and blew a 2-0 lead.  Another MLS team played well, but #356 D4-Los Angeles Football Club couldn't put away their second half chances and fell 2-0 to heavy favorite #12 D3-Chelsea FC.  #27 D1-CR Flamengo got an insurance goal late in the second half to beat upstart #101 Esperantce de Tunisie, 2-0.

There have been no surprises other than A4-Inter Miami holding to a 0-0 draw and B2-Atletico de Madrid getting trounced.  16 more teams will play in the next two days.

The deadline to enter the pool is 9 am PDT Thursday and you can do Web Entry or fill out a PDF/Word form.  Good luck!

I wore my 2024 LAFC home jersey which has the cool pinstripes and visited a King Taco for the first time in a long while (in the old days at the Rose Bowl, King Taco would be served in the press box for us).

Day -4 (6/15) 10-0 + Web Entry is now LIVE!

FATHER'S DAY IN ROSEMEAD, CA -- Well, a dumb push by B4-Seattle Sounders gave B3-Botafogo a dangerous free kick which they capitalized on to break a 0-0 tie.  #423 SEA nearly tied the match in the final seconds but #58 BOT came away with a 2-1 win in Seattle.  While MLS teams have played tough, neither A4-Inter Miami nor SEA came away with 3 points and they will only face better teams in their next two group matches.

In the battle between the #2 team in the world and a team of semi-pros and amateurs, C1-Bayern Munich jumped to a 6-0 halftime lead before winning 10-0 over OFC's lone rep, C2-Auckland City.  Jamal Musiala had a hat trick in 23 minutes in the second half.  The #1 team in the world B1-Paris Saint-Germain continued to roll blasting another top 10 team, B2-Atletico Madrid, 4-0.  PSG were coming off their UEFA Champions League's 5-0 rout over #6 Inter Milan.

In another evenly matched game, #24 A1-Palmeiras and #47 A2- FC Porto battled to a 0-0 tie.  All four Group A teams are scoreless and tied with 1 point each.  

Ten teams have played, 22 more to go.  You can now enter the pool via the Web Entry and remember the deadline is 9 am PDT Thursday (before the 2nd group matches are played).  The same rules apply as always, $10 per entry and up to 3 entries per person.  You can the Rules and FAQ on this website if you are new.  Good luck!

I wore my 2023 home Palmeiras jersey for our Father's Day celebration with lots of food, of course ;-)

Day -5 (6/14) No Goals!

HOME, CA - Well, it's started.  The 1st expanded FIFA Club World Cup got started in Miami (Day -5 for the pool) and saw two teams who desperately needed a victory considering the competition coming up and ended in a very entertaining 0-0 draw.  The first half could have easily been 2-0 Al Ahly or 2-0 Inter Miami or 2-2.  A PK save by MIA was equaled by a goal-mouth kick out by a AHL defender.  It's always amazing to watch Messi when he actually moves and his touches and shots are always spot on, with the last from far out would've squeaked by in the upper right corner if not for a tip save by the outstretched AHL GK.

I guess if you go tips.gg's club rankings, #538 (!) MIA held their own against #55 AHL but MIA had their chances to win after the first 10 minute onslaught from AHL.  

The web entry form is almost done and you will be able to enter until 9 am PDT Thursday (June 19).  By Wednesday evening, you will have seen all 32 teams play one match and we can see how accurate tips.gg rankings are.  

Live! Spain v England (8/20)

(refresh for latest)

WAITING FOR TROPICAL STORM, CA - A new country will hold the WWC title and either one will also be able to brag that they have won a Men's and Women's World Cup (Germany the only country to do so).  2C-Spain didn't win their group but learned from their 4-0 dubbing by Japan and found late goals to make their first final (and first-ever knockout wins).  1D-England struggled to score but continued to win to reach their 3rd straight semifinal and first final.

Tom J has won our 3rd HWCI Women's World Cup pool but which entry will it be?  Kds911-2 will win if ESP wins and will bring Brian B's 3rd entry The Naomi Girma Era, Rob C's CarinJennins-IsGOAT, and Tony N's Lavelle Lover into 2nd/3rd/4th place positions.  Kds911-3 will win if ENG wins, pushing Kds911-2 to 2nd place (a Tom J double!), Paul T's 3rd entry Jolly Old England, and Mark H's Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! to 2nd/3rd/4th.  Tiebreakers don't play a part for the top 4 money spots but it currently stands at 2 goals.

3:23 am:  Got a couple hours sleep and now watching on my iPad to slowly wake up.  0-0.

24': Ah, "the fan runs on the field" play.  Yellow security guards hopefully tackling hard.  No Laruen James for ENG (3 goals, 1 foot on back of player) to start, coming back after 2-match suspension.

25': So ENG hit the crossbar earlier.  And ENG is wearing a light baby blue jersey which is ironic, since I was wearing my baby blue 2012 ESP away jersey while my kids and I helped my Mom put up tarps on her old house.

29 (28:33)': ESP scores!  1-0.  A turnover leads to a switchback and a great one-time finish by Olga (Carmona)!  Brian/Rob/Tony jumping for joy.  BTW, five picked ESP and 5 ENG to win today.

45'+1: 1 minute added and and ESP hits the right post, which could have been a morale breaker for ENG.

Half:  ESP has a 53/33% possession (63% if adding to 100%) and 6-3 lead on shots.  Each has 2 of them on goal (posts and crossbars don't count).

55': First yellow for ESP which looked worse but was not much of a foul.

62': ESP's wind-up shot is just high.  ENG did bring James in at halftime (1 of 2 subs).

64': Scramble and ESP shot deflects wide.  Calls for handball and ref will check (65:20).  And after a long look at the fingertips, ESP will get a PK (67:25)!

69:03: ESP PK by J. Hermoso... saved!  No rebound, just gobbled up.  Why almost 90 seconds to take a PK?  Gamesmanship as Hermoso placed the ball forward of the spot and ref makes her move it back, but just inches further. 

78': Blood!  Yellow for ESP.  Knee to head coming together.  Interesting long delay, since there was a yellow, player does not have to come off the field (but will change off field anyway).  Thanks, Fox TV for the interesting tidbit!  Back playing in 82'.

87': It's the 87th minute but doesn't feel like it with all the injuries, VAR, and subs.  No panic or urgency yet.  Crowd also very quiet.

90':  13 min of stoppage (29% of the normal 45)!!!  1 more than the 12 given at end of Netherlands-Spain Round of 16.

90'+2: Great ESP possession for a couple minutes leads to a kick save.  No urgency by ENG yet, but 11 more min of stoppage still to go.

90'+7:  Still 7 min to go.  Very odd atmosphere, very quiet crowd.  But Brian/Rob/Tony don't care if it stays this way.

90'+10:  In stoppage, time, ESP leads on shots 4-0 as ENG can't get possession.

104:18: ENG finally makes it into the box and gets a corner but the CK is smothered by the GK. Whistle blows!  ESP wins first WWC and adds hardware to their U17 (2018 & 2022) and U20 titles (2022).  And without some of their best players in protest.  Young team will only get better.  Congrats to Tom J, Brian B, Rob C, and Tony N for winning money!  Paul T and Mark H will wonder where was ENG all second half?  Did they know they were down 1-0?