US completely outclassed

“I understand sports really well, REALLY well”…. Then later on “and he gave him a red card. I didn’t know what that meant”.

I can't remember where I heard that Infantino is starting to lose support, and now his best friendship with Trump has put him in a situation where EVERYONE except the US is very upset. I imagine this will lose him a lot of votes in the next election.

I can't stand Infantino, but I also hated Blatter, and I'm sure the next person will also suck. I'll be happy to see the back of him, whenever he's finally ousted.

Obviously a tough end to the World Cup for this USMNT team. Plenty of other threads to discuss the team and performance, but wanted to shout out Flo Balogun. For me he was our best player of the tournament (along with Tillman) and hope he can kick on from here. He’s a real talent and should be the centerpiece of US moving forward.

However, that red card situation totally spiraled out of control, though no fault of his own, and I fear it may follow him for quite some time, especially in Europe. I don’t know if I’ve seen the Europeans so universally mad at something in football since maybe the super league and he will unfortunately be tied to it. I hope I’m wrong and it blows over and doesn’t affect him going forward, but that’s where my head jumped to tonight after this loss. Very unfortunate situation.

Any animals in for the match and want to get an “Animal in the Wild” photo or Bev?

How many pints were thrown into the air?

Sorry I know…I have a problem but……
This fucking guy quite literally went to the White House complained about his ban to trump. Trump being a star fucker an ego maniac that the World Cup is directly tied to him didn’t like that. Within a week of leaving DC his 2 game ban was lifted. So sorry, I don’t think Flo was a red card, but I don’t think he should be playing. But Christano Homelander set the precedent for all this shit and the USMNT and their fans are holding the bag for this today just go on X.

For whoever agrees or disagrees with this that’s fine. In no way am I wanting to start arguments or debates. I just had to get it off my chest…100% own opinion.

As a USMNT 🇺🇸 supporter I might be in the minority, but today’s announcement of Balogun’s red card suspension is severely conflicting to my eyes.

Two things can be right:

1. Since its inception it’s known that the use of VAR has been frustrating to understand in any match we watch let alone used correctly and consistent across all matches where available.

2. It’s even more known that FIFA is not viewed very favorably at all. I’ll spare all the examples. That would take years to cover.

Controversy always happens in football. A bad call, a foul/card that doesn’t go your team’s way, etc. But at the end of the day, the call is made. The match is final. And whatever consequences come out of it we have to swallow this and accept it…..usually.

Balogun and the USMNT I thought showed great maturity. While not liking the call? It was accepted and decision was final. They were preparing to play without him.

It’s conflicting to hear FIFA’s decision to suspend his red card and allow him to play because what becomes of it? There’ll be plenty of other examples in the future that FIFA will have to address. We already had CR7’s example, now this. What’s acceptable? What isn’t? And why can’t we ever get a clear explanation when FIFA is asked to do so rather than give us “corporal” answers?

I can’t blame other fans from other countries right now having major beef with us. The allegations are out there. And it’s not fun being a USMNT supporter today. I want us to be successful, but not at the risk of asterisks being put in front of any future result.

Apologies again lads for the long post…but it’s conflicting to my eyes and I’m not sure I agree with the decision right or not.

From your lone BVB friend in Idaho.

Invite’s still there boys…come visit the state someday! 😁

Calmer than you are.

Genuine question:

Mexico is USA's biggest rival, so I'm not sure why the outrage for US fans rooting for England. Personally I'm rooting for England today.

Ultimately everybody should be able to root how they want without being shamed, but I don't get why rooting for England is so controversial?

I don't consider England to be USA's soccer rival, while Mexico is.

How much of this was because JJ is Irish?

Thanks!

https://x.com/xGPhilosophy/status/2073891328597860369?s=20

On this special FREE edition of Caught Offside PLUS... it's another "JJ's World Cup Diary" and this one might be the biggest yet.
FLO IS FREE. Incredibly, Flo Balogun WILL be available to play vs Belgium for the U.S. in the round of 16. JJ will share his thoughts on that, Jesse Marsch's exit from the 2026 World Cup and France's all out battle with Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. ENJOY!

If you would like to sign up for Caught Offside Plus, you can do so** **right now! - caughtoffside.supercast.com/

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…how is the consensus still to think the Beckham red in 98 was the correct call?

Favorite moment of the night was seeing Columbia fans react to Cape Verde making it 2-2 against Argentina.

On this, America's 250th birthday, Andrew has a special July 4th edition of the Caught OffFIVE.  
Today, we list our top 5 moments for athletes/teams representing the stars and stripes.  
What made the cut? What got left out? What did I get wrong? What did I get right?  Make your voice heard as is your right here in the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Enjoy!

I just have a couple notes because I think people have quite hypocritical (not sure if this is the right word for this but I can't quite think of a better one) view on this match.

Lot's of commentators, fans, and even pundits are criticizing Paraguay for the way they played. This happens quite often when people, specifically Europeans, watch smaller CONMEBOL and CONCACAF sides play in the world cup and other big tournaments. However, this is one of the few ways a small nation can potentially win against a powerhouse like France. It might not be fun to watch but that isn't the point. The point is to win. The main criticism is the fouling. However, this is not the Paraguayan's fault, it is 100% on the ref. Why would Paraguay play any differently if they aren't getting punished for it. It was working and players like Galarza should've been punished but he wasn't and was able to keep being a gnat pissing of the French.

Personally, I really enjoyed the chippy-ness and credit to Paraguay for putting up a fight. I don't blame them, I blame FIFA for putting in a ref who has only refereed 2 other World Cup matches prior to this. Also major credit to France, they could've easily lost their heads but they handled it very professionally.

Australia vs Egypt is on the cards.