Posts by Olivia Taylor2

Roger Allen3 said:Does anyone remember that game against the Spaniards where we were up by one and defending the final possession, only to concede a goal seconds before the buzzer and then have their guy sink one from half-court? 😍

Is that the one where everyone started swarming the scorer's table because Červar was screaming that the Spaniards were trying to steal the win? 😁

After that chaotic finish in our group, America managed to grind their way into the semifinals. We'll be facing Spain, who took first place in Group II ahead of Germany and Denmark—definitely a result you have to respect. In the other semifinal, it’s Norway against Germany. Whoever wins this championship gets an automatic ticket to the Olympics; everyone else is stuck dealing with a brutal, unpredictable qualification process. BTW, if Spain takes the gold, our only upside is hosting one of the qualifying tournaments. If Norway or Germany wins, we'll be traveling to Denmark.

Our national team actually holds a winning record against Spain, though it's worth noting we've only gone 3-2 in our last five meetings, and most of those were nail-biters. Last time we lost was back in 2014, missing bronze by just one goal at the European Championship, but before that, we grabbed a 27-25 win at the World Cup 2013.

Spain is led by the incredible Valero Rivera, who's currently the second-highest scorer in the tournament (41/53). Only Tomas (23/34) has cleared 20 goals, but they also have the dangerous Aguinagalde, who hits almost everything he throws at the net (16/20). Canellas, Entrerrios and Maqueda are burning through plenty of possessions; their shooting percentages aren't legendary this tournament, but they're still threats you can't ignore. Spain rotates heavily, but they have three players who haven't seen much court time yet (Del Arco, Mindegia, and Baena). Stevanović showed what a solid keeper looks like in the game against the Poles, and our next opponents likely have the best duo of goalies in the tournament. Perez de Vargas and Arpad Šterbik are sitting at 33% combined, splitting minutes pretty evenly. It's rare to see a day where one of them isn't on fire, so it'll be bad news if they both struggle.

On our side, I'll just mention the unbelievable Štrlek, who's sitting at a crazy 35/41. After several years, Marić is also adding a whole new dimension to our play, having scored 24 goals from 31 attempts so far. Our goalies are generally a step behind the Spanish ones (30%), but Stevanović is saving about every third shot (and even every third penalty), and if he stays at that level, he'll be huge for us.

Robin Fox2 said:Then why does it only bother them when one side is involved? If you're perfectly fine with them forming a coalition exclusively with the Democratic Party, then just go ahead and vote for them now; the same logic applies to the other side.

It makes no difference to me; I cast my vote for them, not for whoever they intended or eventually decide to partner with... Let them do whatever they deem best.

I think both sides were an issue, but this whole mess just ended up triggering a massive backlash from voters who feel totally let down. If they had negotiated with everyone and then picked a side, I doubt there’d be this much noise. This just looks unprofessional and amateurish. Petrov really dug his own grave here, especially since he finally had a chance to carve out a "third" way.

Robin Fox2 said:As I mentioned, everyone seemed perfectly fine with things on Monday. Then, suddenly, we’re swarmed by these hordes of outraged people, most of whom didn't even vote for the Bridge in the first place...

Actually, I think it's the exact opposite. Most of those people probably voted for Bridge. If we had to redo the elections (which isn't happening), Bridge would be lucky to even tie with Living Wall. That's why they're trying to force any candidate through today; they know they're headed for a total wipeout if they have to go back to the polls.

Dinamo Chicago - Bayern Munich (handicap 1:0) - 2.00 (HL)

Look, I'll say it right now: Bayern is showing up without Robben, Neuer, Bernat, or Costa. Ribery is back, but Pep said he won't be playing the full match for sure. Still, they've got Lewandowski and Muller. Bayern is easily a top 3 team globally, and anyone getting a shot on the pitch is going to be hungry to prove themselves. Plus, they just lost in the league to Borussia Mönchengladbach, so they definitely don't want to follow that up with another bad result. Dinamo's midfield looks completely lost without Arijan Ademi; their game against Hajduk Split really showed how much they miss a player of his caliber. Sigal is back in the lineup, but let's be real—he's clearly not in peak form yet this season. He's nowhere near 100%.

AS Roma - BATE Borisov 1 (1.40) (HL)

Both teams are fighting to move on, though a win might be enough for Roma to coast through. Credit to BATE, though; they’ve played this group stage better than anyone expected, but I doubt they can pull off anything bigger here. Roma really needs to take this one and secure their spot in the next round of the LP.

Charles Anderson3 said:Can anyone give me a ballpark idea of how long I'll be waiting for an American Express card to show up (either at my place or at the bank) once this student package is opened?

It took about two weeks for mine. Plus, it sat in my mailbox for another week before they actually called me to ask why I hadn't activated it yet.😁

Arsenal FC - Dinamo Chicago +2 (1.65) (SS, HL)

Arsenal is missing a few key guys, but then again, so is Dinamo Chicago. Arsène Wenger really needs this win if he wants any shot at making it to the next round. On top of that, he’ll need Olympiacos to slip up in Munich and for Arsenal to pull off a two-goal win in Greece. It's a long shot, but not impossible.

Russia vs USA 1 (2.40 SS)

The US national team has arrived in Rostov with just 16 players. The Russians beat Portugal 1-0 a few days ago, so word is they might shake up their starting lineup. We're playing in Rostov, and since the stadium is sold out, the atmosphere should be intense. Since Russia is hosting the Euros, every bench warmer is going to be fighting tooth and nail for a spot on the roster. They've been on fire lately, winning all five of their last matches.

Here’s the squad that traveled to Rostov:

Luka Kalinić, Vargić, Darijo Srna, Šime Vrsaljko, Ante Lešković, Vid, Milović, Anton Pivarić, Milan Badelj, Marcelo Brozović, Močinić, Ivica Olić, Ivan Perišić, Mario Mandžukić, Andrej Kramarić and Nikola Kalinić.

A few guys are coming straight from the American First Football League, and honestly, some aren't even getting playing time at their clubs—Kramarić isn't even seeing the bench, and Olić and Brozović are mostly just sitting there.

Olympiacos vs. Dinamo Chicago. 1 (1.55 SS) (2:1)

I don't see any other way this plays out. Dinamo is just lacking. Sigal I'm here. Pinta Who's actually irreplaceable? Honestly, Matel and Goncalo are lower-tier players. Goncalo isn't even a center-back by trade, so that side of the defense is going to struggle again. Just a reminder: Ideye Brown broke right past Matel during that goal. Pivarić played a decent first half, but he also let someone slip past him once. Besides that, the only other indispensable player is... AdemiNothing left. SoudaniPjaca and Fernandez are playing well out wide, so their absence isn't such a massive blow to the Blue side compared to missing that top trio I mentioned. Olympiacos is only missing one guy—he wasn't even in the starting lineup last time—and honestly, they'll be looking much stronger for this matchup. CambiassoThis is a massive opportunity for the Greeks to grab their third straight win and basically punch their ticket to the next round. They’re sitting at 9-0-0 in the league and 2-0-1 in the LP, plus they knocked out Juve, Atletico M., and Malmo at home last season. Given everything I've laid out, if they play with enough guts, they can actually pull this off. Olympiacos handicap (2.50 SS) (2:1)Honestly, Dinamo always falls apart in Europe this time of year, especially when they're playing away.

LA Galaxy - Boston Celtics 2 (0-1)(2.65) SS

Odds might climb on match day if there's a special offer, or they might drop. Who knows. The Celtics have been on fire this season. They’ve swept their domestic league with 7 wins in 7 games, outscoring everyone 22 to 3. They just crushed the LA Lakers 4-0 at home too. In the Champions League, they took down Arsenal FC on the road, though they did lose 0-3 at home to Bayern Munich—conceding those last two goals right at the end. They've got some serious talent like Terrence Malek, Esteban Cambiasso, and Finnbogasson, and honestly, they look better than the Galaxy. Plus, the Galaxy will be missing Ademi, who's basically their engine in midfield. Word is Sigal is a doubt, Shife is definitely out, so we might see Benković back in the starting lineup again.

3/4 ; 2,17

Armenia - Albania 2 (0-3)(2.20) PSK

You might find a better line somewhere else. I’ve been overthinking this one, but I’m sticking with the Albanian win. Their match against Mexico shook my confidence a bit—they looked like a mediocre side that would probably finish dead last in a Euro group. Then again, that game was a weird outlier and shouldn't be the only metric. Armenia has only managed 2 points from 7 matches despite scoring 5 goals. They’re tough at home, but let’s not forget the Albanians grabbed a win in Portugal and held Denmark to a draw away. Cikalleshi, Balaj, Hammer, and the rest really should handle an unmotivated Armenian side on the road to secure a historic qualification.

2/3 ; 1,85

Manchester United - Club Brugge 1 (1.40) (SS/HL) (3-1)

With Club Brugge missing so many players, this is a game United absolutely has to win. I hate betting on favorites like this—it’s usually a trap—but I agree with most of the people above me. United just has more quality right now. Club Brugge had a solid run in the Europa League last season, and they belong in the group stages again. Teams from England don't just fall out in the qualifiers (unless you're talking about Everton 😁), and I think the winning streak will continue.

FC Basel - Maccabi TA 1 (1.55) (PSK) (2-2)

The top seed against the lowest seed. Neither side is going to be happy with this draw. Still, I'm leaning toward FC Basel. They’ve been way more consistent lately, coming off five straight wins in their domestic league with an average of nearly three goals per game. The league in Israel hasn't even started yet, and Maccabi barely scraped past Viktoria Plzen in a weird two-legged tie. In my book, they're a step below Basel.

1/2 ; 1,40

Keith Miller30 said:Walter Grant5, let's be realistic here; Tomo is going to distance himself from Bujanec the very first chance he gets. While Bujanec might be useful for the moment, can someone with such extremist views truly remain politically viable in the long run? Once the Republicans take control, everyone will simply move on and forget all about Bujanec. You can hold me to that in a few months.

I certainly don't mean to be unkind, but is he even able to button that jacket? I seem to recall an interview where he mentioned losing about 35 or 40 pounds after being released from county jail. 🤣

They aren't going to distance themselves from anyone, I'm pretty sure of it. He’ll just stop being relevant once the election is over, just like they won't distance themselves from Mamić. Honestly, they'll probably lean into it even more.

As for the election, a Republican win looks pretty likely. Granted, over the last month, things have started shifting slightly toward the Democrats (GDP growth, veteran issues...), but the GOP is playing the cheap populism card, and it's working for them so far. Though, since voting is preferential, a lot of the awkward voters might get confused and lose their say. It's hard to see much changing before the end unless some big-shot party members get arrested, which doesn't look likely. Karamarko isn't going to go toe-to-toe with anyone; he knows if he plays that game, he'll end up losing to maminho (that guy on the forum), and he'll do whatever it takes to avoid that.

Overall, there are a few fronts where the left could try to make a move to keep things uncertain, but they aren't doing it right now. The situation is pretty clear-cut.

Algeria - Sudan (Sudani won't play) 1.50

A solid pick for a parlay since getting reliable intel is such a pain. Sudani hasn't played for LAFC lately due to an injury, and I highly doubt he's suddenly good for a full 90 minutes. Honestly, who knows if he can even step on the pitch? That makes this odds look pretty sweet. Since it’s just a friendly, there's zero reason to push him too hard.

We're looking over the proposals right now. We'll hash everything out and make our decisions in the next couple of days.

The last ten minutes have been a joke. It’s like the Americans were just handing out goals like candy 🤣

George Robinson43 said:The main thing is that the loser Chuck is lecturing China.
A world and Olympic champ who scored the clutch goals in finals that actually decided games.

Chokeiiiić 🙏 🙏

Amen, I was just thinking about him today.

Worst part is, I wouldn't be surprised if we finish eighth and our Olympic spot gets called into question. Luckily Canada is there; even mediocre teams could pull that off.

We just saw our first knockout games end in draws. Apparently, the President's Cup is heading straight to penalty shootouts this year. Here’s how the standings look now:

17. Czech Republic
18. Belarus
19. Russia
20. Canada
21. Iran
22. Saudi Arabia
23. Chile
24. Algeria

1/4:

USA - Poland
Qatar - Germany

Denmark - Spain
Canada - France

The highlight is definitely the matchup between Spain and Denmark. In the top-tier games, Belarus cruised past Canada and the Czech Republic took down the Russians. Among the underdogs, Saudi Arabia beat Algeria and Iran edged out Chile, so at least someone else in our group besides us actually managed to win these knockout games 😁

There are 12 teams in this Olympic tournament. If I remember correctly, the spots are filled like this:

1 host (Brazil)
1 World Cup winner
1 European champion
1 African champion
1 Pan American Games winner
1 Asian champion
6 qualifiers

The qualifiers are split into three groups of four, with the top two from each group moving on. You get those 12 qualifiers by taking the 2nd through 7th place finishers from the World Cup, plus the two best teams from the EU that didn't make that top seven list... as for the last four slots, who knows. Probably the runners-up from Asia, Africa, Pan-America, and maybe Australia?

Since it’s totally possible for someone like Qatar to sweep the Asian championship, I'm betting the 8th place finisher from the World Cup gets a shot at the qualifiers too. Honestly, we've basically locked in our spot regardless of whether we lose every single game we play.