07/07/2026
Being a soccer fan, I want to weigh in on the US team.
Last night they absolutely laid an egg. I think all of the distractions hurt, and they ran into a Belgium team that was even more motivated than what they would have been.
With that being said, right now, Belgium is no question the better team of the two. They didn't play one of their star players at all and left another one on the bench until ten minutes to go. And that's the one who scored the final goal.
Moving away from that game and looking at it as a whole, the US is a pretty decent national team. Over time, they have caught up with all but the very elite South American teams as proven by the win over Paraguay. Argentina and Brazil would give them problems though.
The European teams are another matter. We are right there with the second tier of those teams, but nowhere close to the teams in the first tier (Belgium being one of those.)
Midfield and attack are the strongest elements of the team. I was impressed with Tillman and Balogun. Dest is also a good hand and there are others.
Defense was very weak when you compare it to the teams we needed to beat. When all of your goalkeepers hail from MLS (no disrespect to that league intended) and you're going up against those with experience in the Premier League, Bundesliga, even the better teams in the South American clubs, you're at a disadvantage right away. That is the part of it that needs to be shored up before 2030.
Pulisic may be past his prime. Could be time to hand the reins over to someone like Tillman.
Overall, they got about as far as I expected them to go. I will continue to watch with interest the rest of the tournament. Still a lot of storylines.
Who am I going to root for now? Definitely Norway. As I mentioned previously I love how Haaland plays. And that Viking row is something I can get into.
Who wins it? Likely France, Argentina or Spain.
