I don’t think Spence should’ve made the squad, but he was absolutely perfect last night. To the point I think Mexico probably equalize/win without him being on the pitch.
He was far from the only bad performance. And people blaming him for that goal are being so harsh. He was left on that side all alone to cover two guys in acres of space.
I do have to say, I “get” why everyone is saying England should appeal Quonsah’s red card suspension… but the key thing across the board that makes all of this such an issue is that, unlike Balogun, that’s actually a true red card. FIFA not having a legit appeal process for the tournament and just a vague hand wavy power is the true problem here.
Spence hasn’t been particularly good for England, and I think he’s far from good enough to start for England, but he was left totally exposed by Konsa for that goal, and as Swoos said, he wasn’t alone in performing badly. I find the way certain players are spoken about (Spence and Madueke in particular) to be totally stupid and performative.
I mean, the true problem is that FIFA are clearly willing to bend their own rules and help the US team to cheat. I hope they get absolutely smashed by Spain if they get through. Any remaining goodwill I had for them because they are a fun watch is totally gone.
The conversations around corruption regarding the decision is very annoying however FIFA is not being appropriately transparent enough about the process and are being enablers at this point. Horrible management all around
I mean there basically isn't an appeals process. That's part of the point. FIFA are trying to retroactively make one where the rules are extremely clear.
Does Konsa play that way when he has Cash beside him? I mean, he just won a European Cup, including a 4-0 v an in-form Forest attack. Pinning the blame on him instead is "totally stupid" also if we're going down that route...
It’s just a game lol also should not have been a red card to begin with. You can still be team USA today
Was Madueke not also a lot to blame for that Congo goal? He was nowhere to be seen in terms of tracking his man back. I didn't think Spence was notably worse than anyone else in what was a very disjointed defensive unit. Not sure any of the 5 of them (including Pickford here) covered themselves in glory in that match. Spence looked like he was getting more joy as the game went on to me. I don't think his horrible performances at left back have helped though. He looked completely out of his depth there. Either way though, with Reece James injured, we're a bit of a state at the back because of who we brought along.
Yes it’s a game, but if we’re just going to let one team cheat why even bother? I look forward to the world cup for four years, I expect it to at least be played somewhat fairly lol. Nah, you’re all good, go Belgium!
The most annoying thing about this is that it’s making me root for Belgium lol. I can’t stand this Belgium team.
I think Fifa/Infantino are salivating over the idea of a US/Argentina final in NY (NJ), or at least commercially for US to go as far as possible. It's going to be a shame for them, when the world cup is held aloft in celebration by Sir Harold Kane.
France v Spain and England v Argentina feels inevitable and I think would ultimately be the biggest win for FIFA over USA making it that far
If the Article 27 committee is truly insulated from Infantino(/Trump), and proves it (which wouldn't be that hard to do), it would be another incidence of Trump claiming credit for things he didn't actually do. Which, tbh, fits far more honestly with the narrative of literally most of his "Accomplishments."
My hot take related to this is that if FIFA is actually match fixing and cheating, Portugal is going to get a lot of dodgy calls today vs Spain because they want nothing more than the Ronaldo-Messi last dance final.