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The show begins today. So who you got to win it all?

In the past I've picked Belgium because, one, they had so much promise and it felt like a savvy pick, and two, because I like to be wrong.

I think there are six sides or so who could win this thing, but I'll go with Spain over France in the final. Not sure the brackets allow this, maybe they'd have to face off in a semi-final or whatever, but I think these are the two best teams.

Mexico opens today against South Africa at the Azteca, and what a home field advantage that is. It will be a spectacle, and here's to a proper good tournament!

I predict US reaches round of 16 but no farther. Or maybe fail to get out of the group. Poch has not impressed me this cycle.

Who's a fan?

I only care while USA is in it.

So that means three to five matches tops, and we can use your support Panzer. But then you'll miss the best part of the tournament, the knockout rounds.

Two matches today with Mexico kicking it off then a late match with South Korea against Czechia

United States begins play tomorrow in Group D against Paraguay in LA.

I'm hoping Canada, led by Jesse Marsch, who has totally revamped the Canadian program getting us up to 26th in the world (last year), and taking 4th spot in Copa America, can get through the opening round. We play Bosnia as the opener tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

As to picking an overall winner though, I'm going to say Germany as they've something to prove after being knocked out of Euro 2024.

I'm not a big fan of FIFA but hope the alleged corruption/bribery crap doesn't color the tournament as the focus should be on the teams.

Just like other sporting events or concerts, only the wealthy can afford the tickets

https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-tickets-fa6e979128887772b25701dff04c2744

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/socc...y-renew-ticket-price-concerns-rcna349748

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifesty...ing-mortgage-payments-5-us-cities-report


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Canada plays Bosnia-Herzegovina at 2 pm today

USA plays Paraguay at 8 pm today

Full schedule of regular matches thru the end of June.

https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments...s-fixtures?country=US&wtw-filter=ALL

Good luck to Les Rouges (is this the nickname of the team?) as they open their account today against Bosnia at BMO Field, which is a nice draw and I expect Canada will pull this one out. I don't think this Germany side is among their best, but you never know.

This is the biggest World Cup ever, having expanded to 48 teams, and the first to be co-hosted by three nations. It all got off to a good start, the scenes in Mexico City were fantastic. The Azteca is a temple of football.

The US needs to notch up a win today. One win in the group should get a team through to the knockouts. Paraguay is a tough out, and the US will have to be at their best. They have enough to edge it, but need to prove it. Looking forward to this game.

I hope your boys do well against Paraguay to start their run. The last FIFA World Cup game I attended was...in 2015...it was the women's tournament and there was some awesome football/soccer played. Tickets were reasonably priced then, but that was the first time my wife and I encountered the 'no personal empty water bottles past this point' rules...so we had to purchase bottled water inside the stadium (naturally it was a Coca Cola product). That was a little cheeky. Nothing to do with safety, all to do with exclusivity. Wasn't enough to mar the enjoyment though (despite my middle finger twitching lol). The two games we saw were worth the expense of travelling 2500 miles.

We don't know what Pochettino's starting eleven will be, and I don't think he brought enough midfielders, and went defender-heavy. Which midfield he starts will be key. And they will need to avoid injury and suspension.

The fan base was hoping for a big-name manager and Poch fits that bill. But from day one I've been unimpressed. In my view, what the national team needed was a coach to come in and identify the best formation, best tactics and best eleven. To improve their cohesion and patterns of play. And maybe improve their technical quality, but a national team coach gets too little time with his players to have any real effect here.

But instead, what he's done, is talk constantly about 'mentality' and it drives me bonkers. If there are qualities the US national team has displayed down the years they are fight and determination, in other words, the things they least need to work on. It's not application, or grit, the US lacks, but proper structure. And by focusing on mentality, he has made his goal unquantifiable, and how do you assess something so vague, and I suspect this was intentional. No, Pochettino has not impressed me, but he has the chance to redeem himself over the next few weeks and earn his massive pay packet.

And why is that a problem? I see none. This is all based on consumer demand for entertainment. If everyone refused to pay high prices for tickets for soccer games then the prices would go down or the games wouldn’t be held at all. It’s called Economics 101.

Pochettino has never impressed me as a manager or a coach. He had some decent times at Tottenham Hotspur of the EPL until his bubble burst when Leicester City won the league in 2016 instead of the Spurs. The cracks got papered over because of star player power, not from managerial brilliance. When he was at PSG, a team full of super stars, he did middling work, lost his players, and found himself outside looking in. Gotta admit I was shocked when I saw the US soccer association hired him to run their men's program. We'll keep Mr. Marsch thanks, you can have Poch lol.

When Spurs are anything but lousy, the manager gets outsized credit I reckon.Yeah, good assessment Leaf, I've never rated him myself. The best managers make the sum greater than the parts, and I don't know he's done that. And he will be gone as soon as the US is sent home, probably off to Bournemouth or somesuch. Smash and grab

Yeah, thing is, the US Men's team is good and the programs that have been in place for quite some time (thanks to Klinsmann, the MLS, et al.,) are producing solid talent. Up here, we've certainly benefitted from the MLS as it gives Canuck players a chance to get game time-- same for the Bundesliga, Serie A, EPL + various UK leagues. Will North American soccer be as strong as European? Not for some time, but it's already way ahead of what it was even thirty years ago. Is it worth supporting? Absolutely. I've enjoyed MLS football for some time now, and enjoy watching the international tournaments (Gold Cup etc).

Anyway, our boys didn't win their match against Bosnia, however, they drew 1-1 and so the Canadian mens team earned the first point ever taken at a WC by a Canuck team. We may be minnows, but hot d amn that felt good!

Canada - Bosnia-Herzegovina game 1-1 tie. Is that good? Bad?

It's an 'okay' result- each team comes away with a point. An outright win would have been the best possible outcome. A win is worth three points. So the US team won their game, dominating Paraguay this evening so they'll have three points. That's fantastic for the US team.

Canada share the spoils, and whether that will prove valuable will depend on the remaining results in the group. Starting with a point on the board is good I think, and their group is navigable. With the tournament expanded to 48 teams, there is a new knockout round, and the top eight third-placed teams in the group stage will qualify for the round of 32. What this means is it is easier to qualify for the knockouts in the new format, double the number of teams move on to the knockout rounds than previous World Cups, 32 vs 16, but there's an additional stage to navigate after that.. So every point will count for qualification.

The US match was fantastic. I thought the anthem rendition was beautifully done, and the pre-match scenes looked sharp and projected a positive image to the world. A very nice start.

On the pitch the US was also fantastic. I won't say it's the best I've seen from the national team, but it might be. Their press was relentless and forced a lot of turnovers. In the attacking third, Paraguay had no answer and looked like the cones they put out on the training pitch, as the US could beat them off the dribble at will. The US looked fast and athletic, and could have had six in the first half. They looked dangerous every time they went forward. The US hadn't looked this good all through the qualifying cycle (which they did not have to go through as a host nation, but still played friendlies and the Gold Cup). I'll give Pochettino credit because it all worked, and this result will give the team confidence. It means little for the next match, but three points will be really valuable in the new format and might be enough to get through.

Haven’t been following it too much, thanks your update DB. You keep us on our toes, thanks.

Well, if you're going to miss a match, this was... not it!

Haha, happy to keep the diverted, informed

One more point from their remaining two games should just about guarantee they go through, but they can't play for a draw. They need to bottle whatever they had tonight and keep bringing it.

Balogun was so good tonight, and it's been a long time since the US had a striker play like that. Those finishes were composed. They could very well get smoked in the next match, you never know. Australia is a good matchup for them, but they don't play again until Friday. Then Turkey will be a tough match, so if they can snatch at least a point against the Socceroos that would be good.

Lots of great matches to come in the mean time. This World Cup is off to a good start.

Impressive win by USA. Let’s hope they keep it up!!

I normally don't care about soccer however when you're living with a chick who sometimes paints her face in Brazilian colors when she watches the games, you have no choice. I sincerely hope Brazil wins today or there will domestic issues.

I hope tranquility was maintained Crane, as that was not the result Brazil were looking for, and they were not convincing at all. Morocco were the better side in my view and probably should have won it. Brazil have work to do. I thought at the time he was appointed that Ancelotti was an intriguing choice. He's known as a master man-manager, with his super-power the ability to maintain harmony in a group of the biggest egos in world football. As a national team manager though, playing knock-out tournaments, that seems far less important, and what matters is being a master tactician, and not sure this is his strength. Will be interesting to see how Brazil get on from here.

Interesting result in Group D, with the Socceroos knocking back Turkey 2-0. Great win for Australia and gives them three points to sit level at the top of the group standings with the United States, and leaving Turkey with none and a mountain to climb. Australia is above Turkey in the world rankings, so not an upset, but I was expecting a better showing from the Turks.

Getting through to the knockouts is job number one, but topping your group can be very important, as this will determine which opponent you'll get in the next stage. The higher you place, the lower-placed your next opponent will be. It could end up being any team, even the best of the best, but it is important to maximize your chances to progress. Having two teams in the group sitting on zero points after the first round of fixtures is a good scenario for the US (and Australia). Their match Friday might determine who tops group D.