Sun, May 31
USA
v
SENEGAL
12:30 PM International Friendly TNT/truTV/Tele/Universo/HBO Max/Peacock
@ BofA field, Charlotte NC


Sat, Jun 6
USA
v
GERMANY
11:30 AM International Friendly TNT/truTV/Tele/Universo/HBO Max/Peacock
@ Soldier Field Chicago


Fri, Jun 12
USA
v
PARAGUAY
6:00 PM FIFA World Cup FOX/Tele/Peacock
@ Sofi in Los Angeles


Fri, Jun 19
USA
v
AUSTRALIA
12:00 PM FIFA World Cup FOX/Tele/Peacock
@ Lumen Field in Seattle


Thu, Jun 25
TURKEY
v
USA
7:00 PM FIFA World Cup FOX/Tele/Peacock
@ Sofi in Los Angeles

Hilarious that USA gets all 3 games on the west coast.

The reason why I say that is because Trump has tried to claim HE is THE reason the WC is coming to USA but if he shows up at either Sofia or Lumen, I bet he gets HEAVILY booed!!!!!


(Images of The Idiot getting booed redacted in favor of keeping this soccer post more enjoyable than seeing his ugly face again)

concordtom said:

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Cal88 said:

---

Got to win the group to make a run, otherwise we would play group winners in the first round of the playoffs.

---

From Wikipedia

USA is in group D.

1st in D plays:
3rd place among 3 groups.:
Group E (Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, Ecuador)
Group I (France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway)
Group K (Portugal, Congo, Uzbekistan, Columbia)

2nd in D plays:
2nd in G. (G = Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand)

It's also possible to advance as 3rd in D, and play 1st in either (same as above)
Group E
Group I
Group K

---

1st in Group D plays in Levi's:
Wednesday July 1st, 17:00
1D
v
3BEFIJ
Round of 32
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
(San Francisco Bay Area)


2nd in D plays in Dallas:
Friday July 3, 11:00
2D
v
2G
Round of 32
Dallas Stadium
(Dallas)


3rd place could play on Monday/Tuesday/Friday
Boston/Meadowlands/KC
If the Monday game, that would be on only 3 days rest after Turkey.

Arsenal about to clinch the EPL title eating cheeseburgers as Man U is down 1-0 at bornemouth with 15min to go.

Tottenham keeping things interesting at the other end down 1-0 at chelsea. halftime. If they lose their last game against Everton and West Ham beats Leeds, the Spurs get relegated.

Cal88 said:

---

Arsenal about to clinch the EPL title eating cheeseburgers as Man U is down 1-0 at bornemouth with 15min to go.

Tottenham keeping things interesting at the other end down 1-0 at chelsea. halftime. If they lose their last game against Everton and West Ham beats Leeds, the Spurs get relegated.

---

As an Arsenal fan I am happy. It does take the suspense out of Sunday.

Tyler Adams played 90 minutes for Bournemouth in this important game. It won't be a single superstar that improves the USMNT, it will the accumulation of smaller successes like this one.

Chelsea fans must be enjoying putting Tottenham on the ropes.

Cal88 said:

---

Chelsea fans must be enjoying putting Tottenham on the ropes.

---

Yes and their last game against Everton is no joke.

USMNT player selection will be revealed next Tuesday. There is probably some BS show that will be made out of it and that will embarrass me if I watch it, so it is up to you to research it if you want. Some issues:
1. Who is the third goalkeeper? The first two are the "Matts", Freese and Turner, hopefully in that order. The third will not be good but will probably be young. Some think it will be Chris Brady, who has been terrible when I have seen him. But the third goalkeeper never, ever plays. In fact, the second goalkeeper is unlikely to play.
2. What about Yunus Musah? Jonny Cardoso just had surgery opening up a midfield spot. Musah does not seem favored by coach Poch.
3. And Gio Reyna. Reyna scored two weeks ago, which is one more goal than Pulisic has scored this year. I still believe Reyna is the most talented player ever to represent the USA. He is not fit to play much, but he needs to be on the squad.
4. Has Zavier Gozo done enough? The 19-year-old has never been called up but is one of the best players in MLS this year and one of the fastest. I would love to see him come in at the end of games when the other team is tired.
5. Is Jack McGlynn's one skill enough? McGlynn is a 22-year-old MLS lifer (so far) who is frankly a bad athlete. But he has one of the best left foots I have ever seen, almost routinely scoring from outside the box. I think he will never get in position against real competition, so I would leave him out.
6. Is Diego Luna back? Luna, the clown prince of US soccer, looked like he had a spot a year ago but has been hurt a lot recently. I don't think he is good enough, but Poch loves his energy. Fun fact: he once played at the same soccer club my kids once played at. Since his brother was a coach for that club.
7. Are the rumors about Noahkai Banks true? Rumors that are probably fake are coming from Germany (or somewhere on the internet) that the 19-year-old Banks will commit to the USA (over Germany) to play in the WC. He is very much needed, as the US is weakest at center back.

Cal88 said:

---

Arsenal about to clinch the EPL title eating cheeseburgers as Man U is down 1-0 at bornemouth with 15min to go.

Tottenham keeping things interesting at the other end down 1-0 at chelsea. halftime. If they lose their last game against Everton and West Ham beats Leeds, the Spurs get relegated.

---

Yes!!
Get Relegated!!!!

sluggo said:

---

USMNT player selection will be revealed next Tuesday. There is probably some BS show that will be made out of it and that will embarrass me if I watch it, so it is up to you to research it if you want. Some issues:
1. Who is the third goalkeeper? The first two are the "Matts", Freese and Turner, hopefully in that order. The third will not be good but will probably be young. Some think it will be Chris Brady, who has been terrible when I have seen him. But the third goalkeeper never, ever plays. In fact, the second goalkeeper is unlikely to play.
2. What about Yunus Musah? Jonny Cardoso just had surgery opening up a midfield spot. Musah does not seem favored by coach Poch.
3. And Gio Reyna. Reyna scored two weeks ago, which is one more goal than Pulisic has scored this year. I still believe Reyna is the most talented player ever to represent the USA. He is not fit to play much, but he needs to be on the squad.
4. Has Zavier Gozo done enough? The 19-year-old has never been called up but is one of the best players in MLS this year and one of the fastest. I would love to see him come in at the end of games when the other team is tired.
5. Is Jack McGlynn's one skill enough? McGlynn is a 22-year-old MLS lifer (so far) who is frankly a bad athlete. But he has one of the best left foots I have ever seen, almost routinely scoring from outside the box. I think he will never get in position against real competition, so I would leave him out.
6. Is Diego Luna back? Luna, the clown prince of US soccer, looked like he had a spot a year ago but has been hurt a lot recently. I don't think he is good enough, but Poch loves his energy. Fun fact: he once played at the same soccer club my kids once played at. Since his brother was a coach for that club.
7. Are the rumors about Noahkai Banks true? Rumors that are probably fake are coming from Germany (or somewhere on the internet) that the 19-year-old Banks will commit to the USA (over Germany) to play in the WC. He is very much needed, as the US is weakest at center back.

---

Banks should play for USA in one half and Germany the second half of the friendly together. Then decide.

I appreciate your writings. Thx!

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

USMNT player selection will be revealed next Tuesday. There is probably some BS show that will be made out of it and that will embarrass me if I watch it, so it is up to you to research it if you want. Some issues:
1. Who is the third goalkeeper? The first two are the "Matts", Freese and Turner, hopefully in that order. The third will not be good but will probably be young. Some think it will be Chris Brady, who has been terrible when I have seen him. But the third goalkeeper never, ever plays. In fact, the second goalkeeper is unlikely to play.
2. What about Yunus Musah? Jonny Cardoso just had surgery opening up a midfield spot. Musah does not seem favored by coach Poch.
3. And Gio Reyna. Reyna scored two weeks ago, which is one more goal than Pulisic has scored this year. I still believe Reyna is the most talented player ever to represent the USA. He is not fit to play much, but he needs to be on the squad.
4. Has Zavier Gozo done enough? The 19-year-old has never been called up but is one of the best players in MLS this year and one of the fastest. I would love to see him come in at the end of games when the other team is tired.
5. Is Jack McGlynn's one skill enough? McGlynn is a 22-year-old MLS lifer (so far) who is frankly a bad athlete. But he has one of the best left foots I have ever seen, almost routinely scoring from outside the box. I think he will never get in position against real competition, so I would leave him out.
6. Is Diego Luna back? Luna, the clown prince of US soccer, looked like he had a spot a year ago but has been hurt a lot recently. I don't think he is good enough, but Poch loves his energy. Fun fact: he once played at the same soccer club my kids once played at. Since his brother was a coach for that club.
7. Are the rumors about Noahkai Banks true? Rumors that are probably fake are coming from Germany (or somewhere on the internet) that the 19-year-old Banks will commit to the USA (over Germany) to play in the WC. He is very much needed, as the US is weakest at center back.

---

Banks should play for USA in one half and Germany the second half of the friendly together. Then decide.

I appreciate your writings. Thx!

---

Not a terrible idea. But if Germany would have him now, he would be gone. He grew up in Germany and obviously wants to play for them. But they are not desperate like we are and will wait a few years to decide if he is good enough.

sluggo said:

---

… if Germany would have him now, he would be gone. He grew up in Germany and obviously wants to play for them. But they are not desperate like we are and will wait a few years to decide if he is good enough.

---

That would be enough to disillusion me in the entire business of playing for country.

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

… if Germany would have him now, he would be gone. He grew up in Germany and obviously wants to play for them. But they are not desperate like we are and will wait a few years to decide if he is good enough.

---

That would be enough to disillusion me in the entire business of playing for country.

---

American father and German mother, I would imagine he leans towards Mutti, provided he gets decent PT on the Mannschaft.

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

… if Germany would have him now, he would be gone. He grew up in Germany and obviously wants to play for them. But they are not desperate like we are and will wait a few years to decide if he is good enough.

---

That would be enough to disillusion me in the entire business of playing for country.

---

Well then I should probably not tell you that more than half of the US players could play for more than one country and there is a recruiting battle like in college sports. Germany just called up an American German for the first time.

sluggo said:

---

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

… if Germany would have him now, he would be gone. He grew up in Germany and obviously wants to play for them. But they are not desperate like we are and will wait a few years to decide if he is good enough.

---

That would be enough to disillusion me in the entire business of playing for country.

---

Well then I should probably not tell you that more than half of the US players could play for more than one country and there is a recruiting battle like in college sports. Germany just called up an American German for the first time.

---

To be more specific:
Christian Pulisic could play for Croatia and possibly Italy
Tim Weah could play for France and his father is (or was) President of Liberia
Jedi Robinson grew up in England and could almost certainly play for them
Sergino Dest grew in up in the Netherlands and we won a recruiting battle with them for him
Folarin Balogun grew up in England to Nigerian parents and could player for either (same with Yunus Musah)
Gio Reyna has Portuguese and South American roots, I think
Malik Tilman grew up in Germany and played for us when they rejected him. As did his brother Tim
Christian Roldan's brother actually plays for a central American country, so he could too
Ricardo Pepi chose the US over Mexico after a recruiting battle, which surprised people at the time, and Diego Luna could also play for Mexico

And among our younger players who are going to play in 2030, there are even fewer players that do not have alternative countries they could join. We have lost players recently to Mexico (many), Germany, Slovenia (I think) and England (more than one).

I'm not sure about the others on that list, but Weah wouldn't start for France, isn't he on loan from Juventus at Marseille?

Cal88 said:

---

I'm not sure about the others on that list, but Weah wouldn't start for France, isn't he on loan from Juventus at Marseille?

---

Not only would he not start, but he would have no chance to make their WC roster. But he possibly could have been a depth option for them in games that they didn't care about.

There are a bunch of good young US wingers in the pipeline so I don't expect Weah to make the squad in 2030 despite still being in his 20s. He does not dribble well enough for a modern winger. Unfortunately, we probably don't have a better right winger right now.

sluggo said:

---

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

… if Germany would have him now, he would be gone. He grew up in Germany and obviously wants to play for them. But they are not desperate like we are and will wait a few years to decide if he is good enough.

---

That would be enough to disillusion me in the entire business of playing for country.

---

Well then I should probably not tell you that more than half of the US players could play for more than one country and there is a recruiting battle like in college sports. Germany just called up an American German for the first time.

---

Haha.
Yes, I've heard this.

Trump should impose "USMNT is for Americans" policy, kick off the half breeds.
Maybe MAGA fans should protest at our games.
Maybe the nations with the biggest NIL funding will be in the semifinals!


Sorry, it's late and I just came from a thread where we discussed Goebbels.

….my 8th grade social studies teacher once wrote on the chalkboard "Patriotism is great, until it leads to war.

Speaking of which, is Iran going to get to play? What's up with that?

Lemme guess, Weah is going to try to fake his man and then sprint right for a cross.

Roldan, El Salvador.

Musah was born in NY to Ghanaian parents, but grew up initially in Italy, then in England. He had 4 nations to choose from.

AI addition:

---

USMNT DualNational Roster (2026)

(Only players with more than one national eligibility are included.)

---

Goalkeepers

Matt Freese Eligible for USA + Germany (German mother).

Matt Turner Eligible for USA + Lithuania (parents/grandparents).
U.S. Soccer


---

Defenders

Chris Richards Eligible for USA + Jamaica (Jamaican father).

Antonee Robinson Eligible for USA + England (born in England).

Joe Scally Eligible for USA + Germany (German ancestry).

Auston Trusty Eligible for USA + England (English father).
U.S. Soccer


---

Midfielders

Johnny Cardoso Eligible for USA + Brazil (born in Brazil).

Weston McKennie Eligible for USA + Germany (born in Germany).

Gio Reyna Eligible for USA + England + Portugal + Argentina (family heritage).

Malik Tillman Eligible for USA + Germany (born in Germany).

Brenden Aaronson Eligible for USA + Germany (German ancestry).
U.S. Soccer


---

Forwards

Folarin Balogun Eligible for USA + England + Nigeria (born in USA to Nigerian parents, raised in England).

Ricardo Pepi Eligible for USA + Mexico (Mexican parents).

Christian Pulisic Eligible for USA + Croatia (Croatian grandfather).

Tim Weah Eligible for USA + Liberia + France + Jamaica (born in U.S., Liberian father, Jamaican/French mother).
U.S. Soccer


---

Summary Table DualNational USMNT Players (2026)

Player Eligible Nations
Matt Freese USA, Germany
Matt Turner USA, Lithuania
Chris Richards USA, Jamaica
Antonee Robinson USA, England
Joe Scally USA, Germany
Auston Trusty USA, England
Johnny Cardoso USA, Brazil
Weston McKennie USA, Germany
Gio Reyna USA, England, Portugal, Argentina
Malik Tillman USA, Germany
Brenden Aaronson USA, Germany
Folarin Balogun USA, England, Nigeria
Ricardo Pepi USA, Mexico
Christian Pulisic USA, Croatia
Tim Weah USA, Liberia, France, Jamaica

concordtom said:

---

Roldan, El Salvador.

Musah was born in NY to Ghanaian parents, but grew up initially in Italy, then in England. He had 4 nations to choose from.

AI addition:

---

USMNT DualNational Roster (2026)

(Only players with more than one national eligibility are included.)

---

Goalkeepers

Matt Freese Eligible for USA + Germany (German mother).

Matt Turner Eligible for USA + Lithuania (parents/grandparents).
U.S. Soccer


---

Defenders

Chris Richards Eligible for USA + Jamaica (Jamaican father).

Antonee Robinson Eligible for USA + England (born in England).

Joe Scally Eligible for USA + Germany (German ancestry).

Auston Trusty Eligible for USA + England (English father).
U.S. Soccer


---

Midfielders

Johnny Cardoso Eligible for USA + Brazil (born in Brazil).

Weston McKennie Eligible for USA + Germany (born in Germany).

Gio Reyna Eligible for USA + England + Portugal + Argentina (family heritage).

Malik Tillman Eligible for USA + Germany (born in Germany).

Brenden Aaronson Eligible for USA + Germany (German ancestry).
U.S. Soccer


---

Forwards

Folarin Balogun Eligible for USA + England + Nigeria (born in USA to Nigerian parents, raised in England).

Ricardo Pepi Eligible for USA + Mexico (Mexican parents).

Christian Pulisic Eligible for USA + Croatia (Croatian grandfather).

Tim Weah Eligible for USA + Liberia + France + Jamaica (born in U.S., Liberian father, Jamaican/French mother).
U.S. Soccer


---

Summary Table DualNational USMNT Players (2026)

Player Eligible Nations
Matt Freese USA, Germany
Matt Turner USA, Lithuania
Chris Richards USA, Jamaica
Antonee Robinson USA, England
Joe Scally USA, Germany
Auston Trusty USA, England
Johnny Cardoso USA, Brazil
Weston McKennie USA, Germany
Gio Reyna USA, England, Portugal, Argentina
Malik Tillman USA, Germany
Brenden Aaronson USA, Germany
Folarin Balogun USA, England, Nigeria
Ricardo Pepi USA, Mexico
Christian Pulisic USA, Croatia
Tim Weah USA, Liberia, France, Jamaica

---

I can't beat AI doing no research, it was all from memory.. I had the wrong African nation for Musah. And I was not inclusive enough. I give myself a B+. Dest definitely grew up in the Netherlands and was a recruiting win for us but might be missing from AI because he was out injured. I knew McKennie's father served in Germany and Wes learned to play ball there but forgot he was born there. There are more Mexican eligible players like Luna.

1,000 tickets for WC games in NY/NJ @ $50 each through a lottery for NY residents.

1,000 World Cup tickets. $50 each. All for New Yorkers.

We fought hard to make the people’s game available to the people — and won.

Let the summer of soccer begin. pic.twitter.com/CakNsxtF6b

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 21, 2026

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

… if Germany would have him now, he would be gone. He grew up in Germany and obviously wants to play for them. But they are not desperate like we are and will wait a few years to decide if he is good enough.

---

That would be enough to disillusion me in the entire business of playing for country.

---

Well then I should probably not tell you that more than half of the US players could play for more than one country and there is a recruiting battle like in college sports. Germany just called up an American German for the first time.

---

Haha.
Yes, I've heard this.

Trump should impose "USMNT is for Americans" policy, kick off the half breeds.
Maybe MAGA fans should protest at our games.
Maybe the nations with the biggest NIL funding will be in the semifinals!


Sorry, it's late and I just came from a thread where we discussed Goebbels.

….my 8th grade social studies teacher once wrote on the chalkboard "Patriotism is great, until it leads to war.

Speaking of which, is Iran going to get to play? What's up with that?

---

Iran asked to play in Mexico and/or Canada but it looks like they are playing in Los Angeles and Seattle. The Trump administration floated replacing Iran with Italy, which was supposed to appeal to Italian FIFA leader Infantino. (No, I do not want to talk about Trump, please.). Let's see what happens when the team wants to travel.

Another issue hanging over the Cup is the small spread of Ebola in Africa.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48571163/italy-replacing-iran-world-cup-not-appropriate-sports-minister

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48826192/congo-cancel-world-cup-training-camp-amid-ebola-fears

News starting to break about who made the USMNT. According to Paul Tenorio, who is very connected, Reyna and Aaronson in, Luna and Gozo out. Happy about Reyna, disappointed about Gozo.

England left out Phil Foden, Trent Alexander Arnold, and Cole Palmer. That really puts perspective on our decisions.

Worth remembering that:

1. Roster announcement is not until Tuesday.
2. Final rosters are not due to FIFA until June 1.

As we reported in the story, players not called in remain very much on alert to be summoned until June 1.https://t.co/sn0LhRwDeG

— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) May 22, 2026

How the hell is Fodden out??!?!?!

It's old but I'll like to compare Brian Sciaretta predictions to actual when it comes out.


http://www.americansoccernow.com/articles/predicting-the-2026-usmnt-world-cup-roster-tight-races-and-form-come-into-focus


Brian wrote in April :

As for Yunus Musah, he seems like a longshot at this moment given his terrible season in Italy where his loan to Atalanta just hasn't yielded meaningful minutes. He will still only be 27-years-old at the next World Cup but he needs to develop. Right now, at 23, he's essentially the same players as he was at 19, but only rustier for not having played. He needs to make smart decisions this year about the next steps in his career. But it is hard to believe that a World Cup starter as a teenager could be left off the team four years later.

sluggo said:

---

I can't beat AI doing no research, it was all from memory.. I had the wrong African nation for Musah. And I was not inclusive enough. I give myself a B+. Dest definitely grew up in the Netherlands and was a recruiting win for us but might be missing from AI because he was out injured. I knew McKennie's father served in Germany and Wes learned to play ball there but forgot he was born there. There are more Mexican eligible players like Luna.

---

I wasn't trying to show you up. You did get a solid B+.
I was merely trying to add to your smart post!

concordtom said:

---

sluggo said:

---

I can't beat AI doing no research, it was all from memory.. I had the wrong African nation for Musah. And I was not inclusive enough. I give myself a B+. Dest definitely grew up in the Netherlands and was a recruiting win for us but might be missing from AI because he was out injured. I knew McKennie's father served in Germany and Wes learned to play ball there but forgot he was born there. There are more Mexican eligible players like Luna.

---

I wasn't trying to show you up. You did get a solid B+.
I was merely trying to add to your smart post!

---

It would take a lot more to offend me, don't worry.

concordtom said:

---

How the hell is Fodden out??!?!?!

---

He was Premier League player of the year two years ago. And he is in his prime, and I don't think he is injured. He did fall out this year at Man City maybe because Rayan Cherki is a better player. But he would be the best American player if he played with us.

I am more surprised by Cole Palmer, who I thought was their most dangerous player in the Euro two years ago when they finished second. He is also in his prime. I think he has been injured but could have gone.

The Guardian says they have the whole US roster. It is surprisingly heavy on defenders and light on midfielders. I thought Tanner Tessman would start with Tyler Adams in the midfield, but Tessman is not even on the roster.

If you remember the controversy in the last WC between the Reynas and the Berhalters it is interesting that Gio Reyna and Sebastian Berhalter both made the squad. The younger Berhalter is not a nepo pick, he is a strong central midfielder who fights to the death and is good at set pieces. Given the shortage of midfielders I think he will get on the field.

There is always the chance that this roster is incorrect, we will see for sure on Tuesday.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/23/usmnt-world-cup-roster-alejandro-zendejas-tanner-tessmann-gio-reyna-diego-luna

Anyone looking for WC group stage tix at Levis?

I purchased 3 four-packs thru one of the FIFA lotteries for me and two of my friends. One friend can no longer make it to his designated game (Paraguay vs Australia on Jun 25). The tix are Category 3 ($215 each face value), Sec 409, Row 14. Want to offer these 4 tix to Cal fans here at face value (prefer to sell them together) before posting on the FIFA marketplace.

Let me know if interested.

Tourism windfall from the World Cup falling way below expectations.

Cal88 said:

---

Tourism windfall from the World Cup falling way below expectations.

---

There are apparently limits to how much people are willing to be price gouged for something they can see on TV

I'm surprised friends from Geneva are in nyc for five days.
Another friend from Vienna said they didn't apply to any us schools because of Trump, She's instead at London school of economics.

If I were European I wouldn't want to have anything to do with the United States. Trump sucks dick. So does fifa with their tickets gouging efforts.

I appreciate your post.
It'll be interesting to see how full stadiums are at kickoff time.

If they are not 100% full, standing room only, FIFA are stupid! They might maximize revenue by holding the line of prices, but it's a very bad look if every seat is not filled.

They've spread the games out in all of North America's most populous stadiums/cities.
If they fail to fill, they are not celebrating the game, but just looking to create max revenue for powerful entities.