Our 1st Club World Cup pool is in progress with 16 entries. Good luck! Our 16th overall soccer pool.
Great to see Japan rally twice to tie Netherlands and Sweden put on a show 5-1 over Tunisia from my inlaws for the evening match. Ivory Coast also scored late to steal a 1-0 win over Ecuador. South America having a tough time, 0-2-1 thus far. Tiny nation Curacao scored but Germany scored the next 6 (7-1). 19 goals today.
I wore my 100th anniversary Ecuador shirt and finally got to visit the famed-shape Saddledome arena in Calgary.
Tie breaker goals: 6
If CHELSEA FC beats PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN in Final…
1st Mauihammy 116
2nd Mancitymania 112
3rd Bobby Cee Racer 104
If PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN beats CHELSEA FC in Final…
1st Mauihammy 130
2nd-Tied Luis Enrique's Armada 117 Tie: 8.0 Wins 2nd if <=8, 3rd >=9
2nd-Tied BigRedMessi 117 Tie: 9.5 Wins 3rd if <=8, 2nd >=9
22' All Chelsea and finally have a goal to show from it. This keeps top 3 the same. Total goals now 7 but tiebreaker only applies if PSG wins so minimum goals in this scenario is 8 (if PSG ties and wins in PSO).
PSG 436 minutes scoreless streak snapped.
26' Everyday sight, a cooling break.
30' Another sliding shot into left corner for Cole Palmer, Chelsea leads 2-0 (Total tiebreaker goals is 8). If PSG rallies to win, BigRedMessi would win tiebreaker for 2nd place.
43' Palmer can't score them all and gives a perfect pass for a Joao Pedro goal to go up 3-0 (tiebreaker 9) before halftime.
1:00 pm Six minutes of stoppage saw PSG look a little more dangerous.
1:05 So they couldn't sell enough tickets that they put the stage in the upper deck stands? The production looks fake and AI generated sometimes.
1:24 Long halftime but no changes for either team... PSG's starters will have to redeem themselves.
55' Ref allowing them to play, who will take advantage?
70' Cooling break, time running out for PSG.
85' Choppy ply results in PSG player pulling hair off Chelsea player for VAR red card.
90' 5 minutes stoppage.
2:14 pm Chelsea coastal to 3-0 win. final standings stay the same since no one picked Chelsea to win it all. For some reason, Chelsea staying and picking fights and PSG not backing down. PSG manager instigating as well. You won, just walk away. No jersey swapping 😁
Congrats to winners of pool.
1st Mauihammy 116
2nd Mancitymania 112
3rd Bobby Cee Racer 104
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
| 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.
#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).
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.
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.
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).
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 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.
I wore my 2023 home Palmeiras jersey for our Father's Day celebration with lots of food, of course ;-)
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.
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.
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?
The hosts survived a 2nd match shock loss to Nigeria before shocking France in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. Record TV ratings supported the team throughout the tourney though AUS tied for the most losses (3) with four other teams (AUS played 4 more games).
Lots of soccer news with USWMT needing a new coach, Messi mania as he goes for a trophy in Leagues Cup, and MLS's LA teams postponing Sunday matches due to tropical storm (from Hurricane Hilary) set to hit Sunday (really, with LAGvLAFC postponed earlier this year, both LA teams have two home games moved due to weather).
Tiebreakers do not matter for the top 4 spots but the total goals tiebreaker is at 2 with one match to go. Will Tom J win with Kds911-2 (ESP wins) or Kds911-3 (ENG wins) and can he place both in 1st and 2nd (ENG wins)? 7 entries vying for the final 3 money spots.
ENG makes its first WWC final and hope to raise a second trophy after winning the Women's Euros last July. Hopefully host AUS will soon realize that going after that 3rd place finish will reward the tremendous fans with one final victory lap. ENG v ESP should be high-quality passing and entertaining soccer with two giants battling it out.
21 entries had ENG making the Final with Kds911-2 (1st, 131) and The Naomi Girma Era (2nd-Tied, 119) getting both ENG and ESP. 21 had neither. ENG and ESP were each picked by 5 entries to win it all, behind USA's 26 and GER's 6. Thus, we don't know which entry will win the pool. But we do know it will be Tom J, as he wins with either Kds911-2 (ESP win) or Kds911-3 (4th, 118) (ENG win). An ENG win will give him 1st and 2nd! And his main entry, Kds911 is tied for 2nd but is eliminated while Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! is 11th but can still win 4th. The Naomi Girma Era is tied for 2nd but can't win the pool while Kds911-3 is 4th but can still win the pool. 7 entries are alive but only Kds911-2 is guaranteed money, leaving 7 vying for the final 3 money spots.
For a team where 12 players sat out of the WWC to protest the coach, ESP's 1.5 team is pretty good. SWE, who had goal line technology and the crossbar on their side this tournament (GLT for game-winning PSO goal vUSA, GLT for no goal off JPN's PK off the crossbar), could not escape this time as the ball off the crossbar bounced easily inside the goal.
7 had ESP making the final while two lost SWE as their champion, leaving 8 entries alive and just 3 who can win the pool. Although 3 entries can win, it's actually between two people. Rob C (CarinJennings-IsGOAT (2nd, 117 pts) wins the pool if 1B-Australia wins their semifinal and Tom J (Kds911-2 (1st, 122) or Kds911-3 (6th, 109)) wins if 1D-England wins their semifinal. Only Kds911-2 has clinched at least a tie for 4th place so 7 entries are vying for the final 3 spots. Lavelle Lover is 3rd (113) but can't win the pool while Kds911-3 can win it. Kds911 is 4th but is eliminated while Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! is 12th but finish 4th.
And Messi scored again - he's scored in six straight matches.
1D-England rallied to beat 1H-Colombia, 2-1, the 6th time a team allowed to first goal and won. The Euro winners got a lucky game tying goal right before halftime (7th minute of stoppage) as the GK fumbled for an easy tap in. No one will forget the great fans of COL making every game a home game or their purple jerseys. COL outshot ENG 15-9.
AUS's win guaranteed Kds911-2 at least a tie for 4th place as 18 picked AUS to make the semis. 26 picked ENG as 13 both both games correct while 16 got none. Two lost FRA as their champ. 10 got 3 of 4 semifinalists while 7 got none of the teams correct. Tom J's three entries are the top 3. Kds911-2 still leads with 113 pts with Kds911 second with 110 pts (but can't finish higher than 4th), and Kds911-3 third with 109 pts.
7 other entries are still alive and five can still win the pool. CarinJennings-IsGoat (4th, 108) has the best chance to win the pool (37.5%). More$ is 7th (105) but is eliminated while The Naomi Girma Era is tied for 12th and can finish 2nd. The aforementioned Kds911 can't win the pool while Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! is 11th (103) but can still win it all.
The Final Four scenarios are below:
| If SPAIN beats AUSTRALIA in Final… | |||||
| 1st | CarinJennings-IsGOAT | 140 | |||
| 2nd | Kds911-2 | 136 | |||
| 3rd | Lavelle Lover | 127 | |||
| 4th | The Naomi Girma Era | 124 | |||
| If AUSTRALIA beats SPAIN in Final… | |||||
| 1st | CarinJennings-IsGOAT | 126 | |||
| 2nd | Kds911-2 | 122 | |||
| 3rd | Eggman 2 | 116 | |||
| 4th | Lavelle Lover | 113 | |||
| If SPAIN beats ENGLAND in Final… | |||||
| 1st | Kds911-2 | 145 | |||
| 2nd | The Naomi Girma Era | 133 | |||
| 3rd | CarinJennings-IsGOAT | 131 | |||
| 4th | Lavelle Lover | 127 | |||
| If ENGLAND beats SPAIN in Final… | |||||
| 1st | Kds911-3 | 132 | |||
| 2nd | Kds911-2 | 131 | |||
| 3rd | Jolly Old England | 129 | |||
| 4th | Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! | 126 | |||
| If SWEDEN beats AUSTRALIA in Final… | |||||
| 1st | ShrimpOnTheBarbie | 127 | |||
| 2nd | CarinJennings-IsGOAT | 117 | |||
| 3rd | Eggman 2 | 116 | |||
| 4th | Kds911-2 | 113 | |||
| If AUSTRALIA beats SWEDEN in Final… | |||||
| 1st | CarinJennings-IsGOAT | 117 | |||
| 2nd | Eggman 2 | 116 | |||
| 3rd-Tied | ShrimpOnTheBarbie | 113 | Tie: | 2.5 | Wins 3rd if <=5, 4th if >=6 |
| 3rd-Tied | Kds911-2 | 113 | Tie: | 8.0 | Wins 4th if <=5, 3rd if >=6 |
| If SWEDEN beats ENGLAND in Final… | |||||
| 1st | ShrimpOnTheBarbie | 136 | |||
| 2nd | Kds911-2 | 122 | |||
| 3rd | Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! | 121 | |||
| 4th | Kds911 | 119 | |||
| If ENGLAND beats SWEDEN in Final… | |||||
| 1st | Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! | 135 | |||
| 2nd | Kds911-3 | 132 | |||
| 3rd | Jolly Old England | 129 | |||
| 4th-Tie | ShrimpOnTheBarbie | 122 | Tie: | 2.5 | Wins 4th if <=5 |
| 4th-Tie | Kds911-2 | 122 | Tie: | 8.0 | Wins 4th if >=6 |
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