World Cup 2026

[Billy Hoyle]

I was part of a group of 10 that went to a sports bar for the game. We got there 2 hours early to stake out a spot ... and good thing, because the place was packed by game time. It was a big joint and there musta been 500 people in there.

I'm not really a soccer guy but I loved the energy in the crowd, which was decidedly pro-Spain. Full course of boos when the FIFA guy's guest was shown on the screen, but otherwise lots of cheering every time Spain advanced.

The crowd went wild when Spain scored the first goal, only to moan when it was waved off. When they finally scored the goal that counted, I can't imagine the place had been any louder during the Seahawks' Super Bowl win.

All in all, really glad I went. A fun, festive atmosphere.

The George and Dragon? I remember them opening up at 4am during the 2006 World Cup. It was THE Seattle soccer bar for so long.

Watched it with my in-laws. My SIL hates Argentina because of Milei (everything decision she makes rooted in partisan politics), but when I joked how a house full of Filipinos was rooting for their colonizer, everyone laughed, and the SIL changed the subject to Singapore and England colonizing them.

Also, Martinez should have gotten the Gold Glove for his performance yesterday alone. He had more saves yesterday than Simon faced shots throughout the entire tournament.

[MU82]

No, the Gantry, right by Climate Pledge Arena. It actually was our third choice - we started at Queen Anne Beerhall and then tried Tom's, but had to abandon each when we discovered there wasn't enough room for our party. We were walking somewhere else in the area but saw the Gantry had no lines. That's because it hadn't officially opened for the day yet, but they were just starting to let people inside anyway. Turned out to be a great choice. I've always enjoyed watching big sporting events in establishments like this - next best thing to being at the game!

[JWags85]

I feel like I'm shaking my fist at the sky here, but have top strikers always been this detached from the flow of play?  I don't mean to old man this, but watching Haaland and Messi be nonfactors in close losses while they wait for service is really tough. I understand that when you have prolific scorers (especially as large as Haaland or as old as Messi) you can't waste them chasing play. But to some extent, what is the point of being called one of the best players in the world if you're a completely dependent variable who can't influence the biggest game you'll ever play?

Messi gets a pass because I think we saw his age as much as anything, and he has a ton of receipts from earlier in his career.  But once Argentina went down to 10 yesterday, they would have almost been better served taking him off - they were really playing 9.5 v 11 from that point forward.  I'm not saying they should have or dumb enough to suggest you can actually take Messi off in a WC final, but he was exclusively a set piece taker from that point on.

I think its a unique situation with those two.  Pakuni covered Messi pretty well, but Haaland is an interesting case cause what you talked about gets discussed pretty regularly in both EPL discourse, but also in discussions of where Haaland ranks in the world's best. 

He's not super technically gifted or a great dribbler, not an exceptional passer, he needs service to be effective.  His greatness is almost entirely down to his exceptional athletic gifts/size and his instincts/feel for chances which leads to his otherworldly, almost freakish, ability to finish almost every chance, no matter how ugly.  You watch other amazing prolific strikers recently like Zlatan, Suarez, Kane, Lewandoski, etc...and their reels are full of crazy strikes and defense baffling moves.  Haaland has some thunderbolts, sure, but equal amounts are him clattering into a cross or loose ball and finishing into the net with his thigh, knee, shoulder, etc...  So if he's not getting service or there isn't good build up play, then he's not going to be as impactful.  That's kind of the small knock on his greatness thus far at 25.  He never played on a team that wasn't very good and very high scoring without/before.  RB Salzburg, Dortmund, and City were all explosive juggernauts that became even more insane with his ability.

But also, I think you picked one fair example in Haaland but Messi isn't even a striker.  He's always been more of an attacking midfielder (hence his number 10), occasionally an 11 as additional forward or floating wing depending on the lineup.  But the other really good 9s (strikers) haven't been necessarily detached.  Kane is a pretty pure 9, but he drops back an awful lot when needed and almost becomes a false 9.  Oyarzabal was Spain's leading scorer and while he plays more of a 10/11 attacking midfielder role with Real Sociedad, Spain played him up top as a striker all tournament.  Whether tactically or due to his habits with Sociedad, he definitely was deeply involved in the flow of play.