Tag Archives: World Cup

The Washington Post reports: Croatia finally found a deficit it couldn’t overcome. On the 20th anniversary of its only other World Cup win, France snagged a second title. One game after Belgium complained about the French playing “anti-football” by packing it in on defense, the Les Bleus poured in four goals, tied for second-most in a World Cup final, led …

The Washington Post reports: Croatia advanced to its first World Cup final by joining Argentina (1990) as the only teams to win a semifinal match they trailed at halftime. Croatia fell behind on Kieran Trippier’s free kick in the fifth minute, but leveled the score on Ivan Perisic’s leaping, left-footed volley in the 68th minute. Mario Mandzukic scored the game-winner …

From the Hidden Flag website: When Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in 1978, he did so to create a symbol and an icon for the LGTB community. A symbol, recognisable across the world, that people could use to express their pride. Unfortunately, 40 years later, there are still countries in which homosexuality is persecuted, sometimes even by jail sentences, …

The Guardian reports: Mexicans jumping in jubilation on Sunday shook the ground hard enough to set off earthquake detectors after their team scored a surprise victory over World Cup defending champions Germany. The Institute of Geological and Atmospheric Investigations said highly sensitive earthquake sensors registered tremors at two sites in Mexico City, seven seconds after the game’s 35th minute, when …

The New York Times reports: A combined bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada won the hosting rights for soccer’s 2026 World Cup on Wednesday, bringing the tournament to North America for the first time since the 1994 event on a pledge of record crowds, record revenues and, perhaps crucially, a record $11 billion in profits for FIFA, world …

Sky News reports: Gay couples seen kissing in public by Russian Cossacks during the World Cup will be reported to police. The tournament begins in 11 cities across the country next week. Rostov-on-Don, a southern city, will reportedly have 300 Cossack vigilantes on patrol to help the police keep the streets safe, including 100 on horseback. The city will host …

USA Today reports: President Donald Trump waded into the campaign aimed at bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to the United States on Thursday, tweeting out a veiled threat to withdraw political support from nations who vote against the bid. In a wildly surprising development, Trump, who previously has shown little appetite for soccer, appeared to throw his full backing …

The Associated Press reports: FIFA’s anti-discrimination advisers are warning gay soccer fans going to the 2018 World Cup in Russia that displays of affection could be met with an aggressive response from intolerant locals. As fans prepare their trips after Friday’s World Cup draw, the FARE network said it will produce a guide spelling out the threats to be prepared …

Via Gothamist: The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team will be honored with a ticker-tape parade on Friday to celebrate their recent World Cup championship. On the heels of a growing petition and entreaties from the Manhattan Borough President and others, Mayor de Blasio’s office announced today that the parade will kick off at 11 a.m. on July 10th. The parade …

Via SB Nation: “For the first time in her career, Abby Wambach is a World Cup winner. And after the final whistle blew in the United States’ 5-2 win over Japan, she sprinted over to the stands to find her wife, Sarah Huffman, who was sitting in the front row with the rest of the American supporters.”

Via the Moscow Times: While thousands of Russian fans were left devastated by their team’s early exit from the World Cup tournament, one Orthodox priest has openly rejoiced at their failure, denouncing the contest as a “homosexual abomination.” Priest Alexander Shumsky seems to have taken particular exception to the brightly colored footwear on display in Brazil, writing in his column …

ESPN is live-streaming the match, but you must login with your cable account info.

USA vs Belgium starts at 4pm EDT.

“Any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation’s moral decay. Individual achievement is not a big factor in soccer. In a real sport, players fumble passes, throw bricks and drop fly balls — all in front of a crowd. When baseball players strike out, they’re standing alone at the plate. But there’s also individual glory …

Judging by Twitter, many of the nation’s offices have suspended work to watch the USA vs Germany match. If you’re among those folks, here’s an open thread to weigh in, at least on the hotness of the players. UPDATE: The USA has lost.