I do kind of miss the timings where all of the games are during the day. This is a World Cup on our continent and there are so many games that start at 10pm or midnight ET that I will miss.
I much prefer the slate of games that occupies my entire workday
I know the USMNT requested the spots they got but it remains illogical to me from a home field advantage perspective to play in LA. It’s also a bummer for anyone not on the West Coast that the USMNT played one game outside of the pacific time zone when you combine the 1994 and 2026 World Cups. Even potential knockouts are unlikely to change that. I’m trying to get my kids into the World Cup and we have two kickoffs 9 PM or later, it’s a bummer.
Yeah – lack of day ball is tough, especially for a sport that US fans experience mostly during the day. I think it’ll be better for later stage games, but the early games are tough. Hard to stay up all night to watch South Korea/Czechia, but it would be easy to watch it on the second screen at 10 am 
These first two days are bizarro scheduling, but it settles into a 1 - 4 - 7 - 10 and 3 - 6 - 9 EST pretty quickly for the rest of the group stages.
The most egregious thing about this World Cup is matches taking 2 hours because Fox is being the greediest network ever created and cramming 3 minutes of ads into water breaks. I’ve already switched to Telemundo for the remainder of the tournament.
- Yeah, I’m expecting Chris Richards to go from the start (though that also may be a bluff). I’m not sure that’s what I’d do – he’s only had two full training sessions, so I can’t imagine he’s at full fitness – but he’s our best defender. So if you think he’s only got an hour, ride him for that hour.
- It took Poch about 10 minutes against Germany to move Weston McKennie from the 8 to one of the half-space merchants, while moving Malik Tillman a line deeper alongside Tyler Adams, and that changed the game. I have to imagine that’s the double-pivot we’ll see on Friday.
- Adams hasn’t looked fully fit in either of the warm-up friendlies, and was partially at fault on three of the four goals the US conceded (two in ways that suggested he didn’t fully trust his body). But still, there’s no doubt he’s starting.
- I suspect Matt Freese is still the starter, though I wasn’t impressed by his outing vs. Germany. I’d go with Matt Turner if I was picking the squad.
- The only other possible question is whether Ricardo Pepi gets the nod over Flo Balogun up top because of Pepi’s better chemistry with Pulisic. That feels like more of an academic argument than something real, though. Balogun’s still the starter.
So, what’s the expectation for our group? Is everybody else going to sit back and try to absorb and counterattack? Or everybody but Turkey?
For comparisons to teams that already played, Paraguay and Australia both are going to play a bit like Czechia and Turkey is going to look more like South Korea.
Paraguay is going to bunker and counter, Aussies are going to play physical and hoof it upfield a bunch and Turkey is super quick and relies on winning 1v1’s and quick combo plays.
Paraguay is definitely going to bunker and counter. Australia is super physical, but doesn’t really have great players.
Turkey has some awesome talent but maybe hasn’t really put it together in a way that is consistently great.
First two teams probably have a lot more of an established identity than Turkey.
I’m not sure what to make of playing Paraguay/Australia in the fall (and Turkey in July). Does that help or hurt?
I’m glad that Aussies play every sport like Aussie rules football or rugby
Haven’t looked at all the draws, but two games inside and one in a pretty temperate environment with easy same-coast/timezone travel seems like a benefit.
https://x.com/sickoscommittee/status/2065433069704585652?s=46&t=I0IY5W5GqJp0xXOqN_fIAg
Algeria stationed in Kansas and everybody seems to be having a good time
I think Mexico-South Korea next Thursday could be one of the more entertaining games. Could be very back and forth
Brazil vs Morocco tomorrow and Netherlands vs Japan on Sunday should be great as well.
My point is more staying in midwest cities where USMNT is likely to get more support would be best but once the host cities were announced it was clear it wasn’t a consideration. So short of that yes reducing travel makes sense. Seattle is a good location for support at least.
Do we think the USMNT won’t get decent support in their games in LA? There’s only one Midwest site in the mix, too.
Should’ve courted Morocco for Rock Chalk Morocc
I don’t think playing LA, Seattle, LA is better than Ohio, KC, Ohio. Maybe my suggestion isn’t as realistic as I think but I would have gammed the locations as much as possible to go as far as possible. Probably a non starter because you’re leaving money on table or forcing FIFA into what they consider less desirable cities. US probably doesn’t have to worry as much given the opponents about support but US have played road games in LA, I don’t recall one in Ohio or Kansas City. I just see Mexico with the chance to stay in mexico city until quarterfinals as more of an advantage than US gave themselves.
US doesn’t really have a home site in the way Mexico does. I don’t think playing in Ohio would have replicated that either
They obv should have played in atlanta!
Well, FIFA chooses the cities. The US didn’t get to handpick what cities host games, they got to choose the path they wanted based on the cities hosting games AFAIK.
It isn’t like they were scheduled like WCQs or whatever.
I’m not sure how it all goes down but either way two late kicks aren’t great for growth of game in US. But ultimately it pales into the comparison of results on field. Knockout rounds have better kick times as you said and how far the US goes is all that matters at the end of the day.
