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19 Jun 2026 21:38:00
That's some stadium tonight! Seattle was always known as the best in the USA.
19 Jun 2026 23:05:09
My mother is from a small city a little east of Seattle, so I've been through a lot en route. It's a lovely city and stadium.
20 Jun 2026 02:06:06
When it's not raining - lol.
19 Jun 2026 13:16:05
Can’t wait to this rubbish end. It can’t come sooooon enough. 🥱🥱🥱🥱
19 Jun 2026 12:38:46
This again might sound massively controversial, but I think the Kone leg break challenge wasn't a red card. It remind me a lot of the Struijk on Harvey Elliot challenge.
With Kone there were no studs, he wasn't super high. I think it's more one of those with really weird physics where moderate - not excessive - force at least in my view, caused the injury.
To be clear, it's not a 'lack of intent' issue.
That can't be a redeeming factor. But the pure facts about the challenge should be.
The outcome is undeniably tragic and Kone has my utmost sympathy. But just because Messi's didn't result in an injury doesn't mean that isn't a red card. I do think most challenges that end up with this kind of injury are legitimately red cards, but this one looks pretty rare. It would be a complete yellow for me.
19 Jun 2026 14:13:47
Yeah. Agree, bkb. There were a few strange decisions in that game. But home team and all.
19 Jun 2026 15:59:09
The law says, Serious Foul Play: A challenge using excessive force, endangering the safety of an opponent during active play.
When the contact came, the ball was gone, the contact was late and deliberate - he went through the standing leg from the back.
It started with a yellow and got upgraded to a red when the VAR looked at it.
So, yes, it was deserved. Pity that it broke Kone's leg, yes, it was a weird break. Still deserved a red.
19 Jun 2026 19:57:07
It was careless rather than reckless, but it was a foul and it was late, so a yellow card would've been the right decision. But the ref was influenced by the serious outcome, and went for red. The Struijk / Elliott case was different in that it wasn't a foul at all, and no card was merited.
19 Jun 2026 12:13:38
First game away at Florists, last game away at Palace. How’s that fair? Oh, forgot it’s Leeds United.
19 Jun 2026 18:15:02
Last game will be great, it will secure our qualification for Europe and send Palace down to the Champo on their own turf ! Awesome.
I'm quite liking our fixtures, we don't have any particular nightmare months, fairly evenly spread. December is probably the biggest challenge.
19 Jun 2026 18:35:38
Yes, I was hoping that the last game against Palace was at Elland Road, so that we could celebrate winning the league. 😉 So inconvenient.
Let it be known that the last time we met Forest in our opener in the top flight, we won the league.
19 Jun 2026 18:59:26
Yep, but we were at home vs Forest (not away) in 91/92.
We had a superb team, esp in midfield, and a very good manager.
19 Jun 2026 19:58:45
Last game of the season away - again!
19 Jun 2026 20:16:23
Exactly, JR, had a cursory glance and Arsenal at home for both first and last games, Devon away first game, home last, Citeh same, and whilst I didn't check every side, Spuds and ourselves away first and last games. But I like your thinking OP. 👍
19 Jun 2026 20:47:18
Suspect Leeds may have asked for the first and last games to be away to give the builders an extra couple of weeks.
19 Jun 2026 21:07:06
But, as usual, it'll have been arranged so that Arsenal/ManU/ManC/Liverpool/etc never play each other in the first or last 6 games or so. Why do they justify such special treatment?
19 Jun 2026 07:39:12
{Ed's Note - OptimumShots has posted a new article entitled, Everton Need One Clear Squad Plan
19 Jun 2026 02:04:01
Was Thomas Christensen a tad underated as Leeds United manager?
I thought he was fairly good at LUFC and he is also doing very well as international manager of Panama for past 6 plus years now with 48% win rate plus qualified for the current World Cup finals.
Then we have Jesse Brenty Marsch (OPs fave) . Who was mediocre at best at LUFC but we have to acknowledge is doing pretty well with Canada 6 nil tonight in WC albeit vs 9 men.
Then the marvellous Marcelo Bielsa who was a superb successful talisman for Leeds United and has various degrees of success with international teams Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
It will be interesting to observe which of Marcelo, Brenty and TC go furthest in WC Finals 2026.
19 Jun 2026 07:38:31
Will it?
I'm personally not bothered who goes further.
19 Jun 2026 10:25:59
Well, from my perspective, I do feel the lesser cosch of the 3, Brenty, will be the one likely to go furthest in this WC (with Canada) .
I do hope that Leeds legend Marcelo Bielsa has at very least a relatively successful WC with Uruguay.
In what may well be Marcelo's final gig in football.
19 Jun 2026 12:23:32
One goal after Qatar went down to 10, and another 3 after they went down to 9, one of those an OG. Good, but not that good, but will prob earn them 2nd place on gd.
19 Jun 2026 13:21:52
Yep, agreed, JR.
19 Jun 2026 16:29:57
People here so up after that result, they have no clue Canada beat a pub team and nothing better.
Last 32 is all I'd expect tbh. I think Swiss game will bring the realization of Marsch actual level.
19 Jun 2026 18:02:19
Lol, yep, Canada, many of my wife's family live in Toronto, and they are absolutely getting soooo uber giddy after that 6 nil "pub team thrashing".
If Canada finish second in the group, I think they will very likely play South Korea in the last 32.
So, imo, Canada would defo have a good opportunity and chance of progression to the last 16, which I believe would be their best ever WC so far.
19 Jun 2026 18:22:09
* Actually, everything Canada has achieved in this WC2026 is their best ever.
19 Jun 2026 20:14:54
They'll likely lose to Switzerland, but their GD advantage over Bosnia is +9, so they'll still get 2nd. Can't see them getting beyond last 32 tho.
18 Jun 2026 21:31:27
This is the World Cup of the old men. Ronaldo 41, Modric 40, Vozinha 40, Dzeko 40, Messi 38, Perisic 37 - all old enough to be Lamine Yamal's dad.
19 Jun 2026 10:40:30
Maybe one of them is JR? Hmmm.
18 Jun 2026 14:48:48
Another thing is the question of whether a successful penalty should count towards the golden boot.
18 Jun 2026 16:05:34
I'd like whoever was fouled to be the one to have to take the penalty, then it should count in a Golden Boot race (or any competition) .
18 Jun 2026 16:21:24
Though, of course, many of the best penalty takers are also amongst the best penalty box divers, eg Bruno Fernandes.
19 Jun 2026 09:25:09
That ain't gonna work, Canada. What, for instance, if the player is seriously injured!
Could hear that snap. Made me cringe. No, the sound really, well, snapped my femur clean in half while fishing!
15 days in Hull Royal back in the mid 90s.
19 Jun 2026 14:19:49
Think, if you are a striker, you shouldn’t be allowed to win it.
If you score more than 1 goal in a game, it shouldn’t count.
If a goalkeeper doesn’t make a save, they shouldn’t get a clean sheet and then win the Golden Glove award.
Players spend hours practicing penalties and it is part of the game, so, therefore, should totally be included.
18 Jun 2026 12:18:03
Another debate worthy one. I'm naturally delighted that Kane scored the pen. But everyone is waxing lyrical about him teasing the keeper off his line with the stuttered run up. I played as a keeper until I was about 20. Before I became too vertically challenged (I'm 5'7, I had other deficiencies too) .
I hate the stuttered run up so so so much. As a keeper you are now beholden too your line (fair enough) . Back in the day keepers used to move miles off to save pens regularly think Dudek in Istanbul, Reina in FA Cup final.
Oliver Kahn. And I don't blame them for that. It never got punished even it was the rule. I don't think keepers even took it as breaking a rule it was just instinctual.
Now though it's miniscule punished and keepers can't really get much momentum unless they stand physically behind the goal and dive forward.
I'd prefer a hybrid approach where if there is a stutter a keeper can move. Or ban the stutter entirely. I'm looking just for equality on this not an advantage for either side.
18 Jun 2026 13:53:10
Ban stutter. It's a bit cocky in my view. Keeper on the line, no movement until kick, except up and down. Simple.
18 Jun 2026 15:04:43
The penalty was ordered to be retaken because a Croatia defender was guilty of encroachment and became involved in the play via the rebound, not because the keeper was off his line. The slow-motion replay shows that the keeper had, in fact, a part of his foot on the line, which is considered enough.
18 Jun 2026 15:30:50
I would like the rules to be simple, and I would prefer a better contest between keeper and taker. I think the current rules put the keeper at a disproportionate disadvantage.
For shootouts, I like the way a penalty in hockey is played out. The ref blows the whistle, the striker gets 5 seconds to try and score; he can shoot and dribble as much as he likes, but the keeper can race off his line too.
I think this is fairer, because actually no penalty offence has taken place - it's just a way to settle a match.
Didn't Australia or the US FA have a system where the striker had 25 seconds to beat the keeper from the halfway line or something like that?
For a real "penalty" offence, absolutely no stopping or stutter should be allowed. It should be considered the same way as a double hit, in my opinion.
18 Jun 2026 16:09:48
Topman, it was double encroachment, the keeper was shown to be off his line and you are correct, a defender encroached and played the ball.
I believe VAR used the first offence, the keeper, as the reason, but even if he was on the line, it would still have been called.
18 Jun 2026 16:47:23
I like Harry Kane, but I think he's taking the piss by suggesting that he stuttered deliberately to make the keeper move off his line, just be honest, H, and admit that you screwed up and were rescued by the keeper's error. Usually, HK is a good old-fashioned penalty taker of the "just run up and hit it" school, but this time he made a mistake and got away with it. In the past, some keepers used to move ridiculous amounts off the line, but the Croatia keeper only moved a foot or so, and as the penalty spot is 33ft away, any advantage was marginal.
I'd ban stuttering, jumping and all these recent fancy dan tactics, and just make them run up and hit it like HK did 2nd time last night. I vividly remember Peter Lorimer taking the occasional pen, and when he hit it at near 100mph even the best keepers could get both hands to it, but still not keep it out.
18 Jun 2026 16:57:38
I agree, JR. I'll deliberately risk my penalty to prove this keeper leaves his line - the prize for presenting the evidence is that you have the jeopardy of another penalty.
Forget the stutter, and forget what the keeper did or didn't do. It was a terrible penalty nonetheless, and we were pretty fortunate in my opinion.
19 Jun 2026 14:24:09
A penalty is a punishment, fine, or disadvantage imposed for breaking a rule, law, or contractual obligation. It can apply to various contexts, ranging from legal consequences and financial fees to rule violations in sports.
Surely, based on the definition of a penalty, the idea is to give the attacking team the advantage and the defending team a disadvantage? If you didn't do this then defenders would be less concerned of giving penalties away as there was no longer an advantage to the attacker.
19 Jun 2026 16:04:14
Yes, for penalty offences, the attacker gets the advantage, but they get the same advantages during a shootout when no offence has taken place.
19 Jun 2026 19:00:59
Maybe, but then so do the opponents' attackers, meaning a shootout comes down to who scores the most, meaning neither team has the advantage.