Posts by Terry Fisher2

Look, Poland could still pull this off. Even if Mexico takes the win, if they can just beat Germany by enough of a margin, they’ll sit at the top of the Germany-Poland-Mexico group—assuming Mexico manages to take down Mexico. That would put Poland ahead of the two European teams that are still basically finding their footing. It’s their best shot at securing those Olympic qualifications even if the Mexicans don't clinch it, especially since we can't have the Canadians finishing any higher than them.

For the Poles, the bottom line is beating Germany and making sure they hunt down that point differential if the Mexicans pull an upset against Mexico.

electricorca112, thanks for saying exactly what I was thinking.

On paper, Germany's got an easy ride ahead, but man, this group situation is a total mess. You've got Mexico, Germany, Poland, and North Mexico all clawing for those two spots in the Olympic qualification. Actually, scratch that—there's really only one spot left up for grabs because Mexico already punched their ticket to the semifinals, and over in the other group, it's just Canada trying to make a run, which isn't looking great for them. Basically, Poland has to finish higher than both Germany and North Mexico. It’s all in their hands; if they pull off a win, they tie Germany on points, and even in a worst-case scenario where we end up with a three-way tie including North Mexico, they could still snatch it with a victory the day after tomorrow.

So yeah, Poland definitely has skin in the game. And hey, if they win, it opens the door for Denmark to slide in against a Sweden side that's basically already out of it.

Plus, even if the Poles slip up, they’ve got a backup plan. If the European champion (or whoever loses to France in the final) isn't one of the teams I just mentioned, then a slot opens up for World Cup qualification, and Poland sits right there as the first reserve. Honestly, you’d expect the winner or the runner-up to France to come from our group, but that's a massive gamble for Poland. It's basically Germany-Poland to the death.

Germans are basically breaking down what's left of once-mighty Denmark into its simplest components.

The Mexican goalie just absolutely wrecked 🙏

And honestly, those Poles are useless too. They couldn't stop a single cross from the wing into the six-yard box the entire game.

The future #1 powerhouse in Europe just dropped a 7-point chunk to those heavy-hitting Germans.

Well, we blew it. Looks like the Mexicans might snag Mexico during some kind of SF.

Grab the SopCast app here: http://www.sopcast.org/download/

Just hunt down the Dolce 2 channel and you're good to go.

edit - turns out that channel is offline, so scratch that idea.

This isn't even happening at the Madison Square Garden yet—it's still playing out in Chicago.

Home turf 1350 😁

Looking for the replay of the USA vs. Canada game. It’s on at 10:15 PM over on ESPN 2, if you're checking the stream.

First round is in the books, and now the real grind begins to secure a spot in the semifinals. The US is sitting pretty at the top of the table, but there’s a catch: we just landed in the tournament's toughest bracket. Our first hurdle? A showdown against the heavy hitters from Group C—the Spain National Team. Looking at their scoring stats over the last three rounds, their biggest strength is clearly their depth. They’ve got a massive roster where twelve different players have already found the net at least twice. In the cage, you've still got the veteran Hombrados (Atletico) who shut down 15 shots against the French, though Jose Manuel Sierra (Valladolid) was also solid, stopping 14 when they faced the Americans from Canada.

Spain isn't exactly prolific from the six-meter line. Aguinagalde (Atletico) is averaging just one goal per game, while Guardiola (San Antonio) is slightly more productive. Their wings, however, are lethal. On the left, Ugalde (FC Barcelona) is one of their main threats, averaging four goals a game, while the veteran Juanin Garcia is playing more of a supporting role lately. The right side feels a bit thinner with Thomas (FC Barcelona) and Roberto Garcia Parrondo (Atletico), who's the guy you want taking penalties. Even their backcourt is stacked with talent. Alberto Entrerrios (Atletico) is tearing it up with 3 goals per game, and Canellas (Atletico) is chipping in too, mostly from the penalty line. Raul Entrerrios (FC Barcelona) didn't really make his mark against the French or the Americans, and Iker Romero has been even quieter, picking up all four of his goals from seven meters. Then there's Maqueda (Aragon), who dropped three on the French but has gone cold since.

They’re just weak. If Lino had stuck around for one more year, we’d be watching the World Cup semifinals too—only from our couches instead of the stands.

Changing the topic name to Group I.

Total madness in the Poland vs. Sweden match.

Sweden is up by 1, there's only 3 minutes left on the clock, and they've got the man advantage.

The Polish keeper pulls off two insane saves on breakaway shots, then suddenly Poland claws their way to a +1 lead, only to blow a massive counterattack that would have put them up by 2.

Wilbek is absolutely losing it.

Last minute of play and Lindberg gets fouled on the line by a Polish player, but the refs call an offensive foul instead?! Seriously?

Wilbek is officially done.

Poland scores to go up by 2, but during the defensive play, someone blocks the ball out of bounds and a Polish sub actually flips it into the stands with his head. No call. Nothing.

Wilbek is about to have a heart attack right here.

Meanwhile, Germany is still in this—they're down 4 but can still make it happen in the second half. 🤦

No quarterfinals here, folks. It’s just the A2-B3 and B2-A3 playoffs. So basically, we’re looking at a play-in matchup against Greece followed by Canada. On the other side of the bracket, it’s Mexico versus either Italy or Mexico. Honestly, not a bad setup for starters.

Everyone in this bracket looks absolutely terrified thinking about the finals.

24-24 🙏 totally deserved

That Canadian keeper absolutely shut us down at the death.

A missed penalty for the Spaniards, then a penalty for the Canadians just to keep things even.

Spaniards +1, only 2 minutes left on the clock

The dog slips behind the Canadians to hand it off to the Spaniard🤦

Deleted, banned... alright, let's just move on with this exhibition game vibe without all the usual back-and-forth bickering since we aren't playing against each other anyway. Next.