World Cup Recaps and Previews, Saturday July 4: And Then There Were 16
On to the next round!
About Yesterday's Games
Morocco 3, Canada 0
AlmaOtter: This was unimaginably ugly. 8 yellow cards in the game, 6 in the brutal first half. The score oversells the Morocco win. It was closer to an Iowa/Nebby game than a soccer match.
Kind of...: Jesse Marsch, the American-born Canada coach with no filter (and a tendency toward provocation directed at the USMNT) declared:
"'We were the better team,' coach Jesse Marsch insisted afterward. "[Morocco] made a couple more plays than us. But cranking up the intensity was not the issue. They just have a little bit of quality in the final third."
"'But in terms of the match plan, the idea of how we want to play football, taking a top team that hasn't lost in I don't know how long, and taking them to the limit.'"
Maybe I'm being uncharitable, but to me that reads like a coach saying he had a great game plan that would've allowed for his less talented team to win, but they just couldn't get the goal they needed to take the lead. Since it didn't go to penalties 0-0, he has to concede, grudgingly, that the opponents have "a little bit of quality," but, still, his side plays the superior style, which is more important (and don't forget the friends we made along the way).
Canada DOES play up tempo. Their style IS pretty fun. They also scored 2 goals in 270 minutes against teams not named Qatar. They drew with a Bosnia and Herzegovina side that the US dominated and missed the chance to win the group by losing to Switzerland. For the tournament they gave up 3.25 expected goals, but 6 actual goals. Maybe it's okay to switch your style to mostly gas, not much brakes. I'll admit I'm a traumatized Wisconsin football fan when I say that Marsch gives me Phil Longo vibes. But sometimes he sounds like a guy who is sad that the reality of soccer fails to adhere to the brilliance of his own ideas.
He likely would've been a better USMNT coach than Gregg Berhalter, but I'm fine with how things turned out.
HoustonBoiler: Canada came out aggressive and played that way the entire match. They had Morocco on their heels in the first half, but Canada was unable to convert their opportunities into goals. Morocco seemed to remember that they're very good at soccer in the second half and started playing accordingly. Once Azzedine Ounahi scored to give Morocco the lead, Canada pressed more which opened more counter attack opportunities for Morocco. On a few corner kicks near the end, even the Canadian goalie was in front of the Moroccan goal. In one instance, he almost collided with the Moroccan goal keeper while trying. This expose Canada to counterattacks that Morocco effectively converted into two additional goals.
The better team won, but Canada showed us something in this World Cup. They obtained their first draw, first win, first advance to the knockout rounds, and first knockout round win. All this with Alphonso Davies limited to only 15 minutes due to a hamstring injury and Ismaël Koné being lost to a broken leg in the Qatar match. Well done Team Canada!
France 1, Paraguay 0
AlmaOtter: Hey, this was also a slap fight! Paraguay wanted to do what they did to Germany and just punt it to the penalty kick game. There were so many "ahhhhh I've been shot!" flops in this game. It was not fun. I will not think of this game again.
Kind of...: I warned you all about Paraguay's style. Even provided the numbers from CONMEBOL qualifying. The US blitzed them so it wasn't so obvious just how cynically they play, but boy did they show their colors yesterday. Can't really blame them in some ways. A landlocked country without a history of colonialism to broaden their potential player pool vs. THE European nation with the widest gap between stated ideals and crushing poverty among immigrants in their banlieues.
Sticking to soccer, France got a goal on a deserved PK and moves on. That's all anybody needs to take from this game.
HoustonBoiler: Yes, Kind Of... did warn us regarding Paraguay's style of play. I expected France to blitz them in a manner similar to what the US did. However, that didn't happen. It wasn't pretty, but Paraguay did what they had to do to hang with France. In the end, Paraguay was rightfully called for a foul in the box and Kylian Mbappé converted the penalty kick that proved to be the match winner. This goal moved him into a tie with Lionel Messi at seven goals in the race for the golden boot. We didn't see the overwhelming blitz from France that they showed previously, but they did enough to win and move on.
Today's Matchups
Brazil v Norway
East Rutherford, NJ. 4:00 ET/3:00 GTZ.
Kind of...: This will tell us a lot about Brazil. They have the better all around talent, but if their midfield is nervy, they will probably lose. Obviously you want the back line to play well, but against Haaland sometimes that doesn't matter. So, yeah, if they suck they'll lose too. But it's really up to the guys in the middle to control possession and create better chances for Brazil that they surrender to Norway. The boatrowers don't necessarily care about possession, which might play into Brazil's hand, and really don't stress defense, which, wow, not good against Brazil.
Martin Odegaard has assisted on three goals so far. He's the captain of the reigning EPL champs. You probably haven't heard him mentioned much so far. If Norway is to win today, it will probably be because that changes. (So, of course, currently there's a lot of drama about whether he's leaving Arsenal or not.)
MaximumSam: Brazil brings it hard with the Caipirinha, a cocktail of muddled lime and sugar with cachaça, which is fermented sugarcane. A hot day, great soccer, and a few caipirinhas make for a good time. Norway responds with Aquavit, which is a spirit made from potatoes. I have never had aquavit and there is a good chance I never will. Go Brazil.
HoustonBoiler: This has potential to be a banger but there's also the chance of thunderstorms in the area so there may be a lightning delay. For Norway to win, Martin Ødegaard, who has 3 assists in 3 matches thus far, needs to make his presence felt in the midfield so that Erling Haaland can do his thing, i.e., score goals. For Brazil to win, they need to channel their heritage, i.e., a fluid, creative style of play that takes advantage of elite individual skill.
Mexico v England
Stadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico. 8:00 ET/7:00 GTZ.
Kind of...: The positioning among coaches has been fantastic. Tuchel begins by saying there's nothing England can do about the altitude. It will just have to be a disadvantage they have to overcome. Aguirre counters by treating rumors of a change of time as true and going berserk, then later stating "I said I didn't agree...That's all I did." Passive aggression vs. Barely hidden aggression. Good stuff.
Everybody knows how big of an advantage Estadio Azteca is for Mexico City. Everybody knows England is the superior side, talent-wise. Everybody knows they have yet to really show off that quality (besides Harry Kane). There's nothing left to do but roll the ball out and see how it goes.
!!After the game, you're going to be noting how good Jude Bellingham is!!
AlmaOtter: I've seen it. Now you must as well. This game is going to go SO GODDAMN HARD. Welcome to Azteca. Sacrifices must be made.
MaximumSam: That's phenomenal. When sacrificing Marcus Rashford, Mexicans turn to a refreshing Paloma, which is a cocktail of tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda. I may make a few of those tonight. England responds with, uh, tea. Listen, tea time in England is underrated and is mostly an excuse to eat cookies, which the English elegantly refer to as biscuits. But still, Mexico with a clear victory here.
HoustonBoiler: Mexico has never won five matches in a single World Cup. However, the current team has not given up a single goal in four matches. Mexico is playing in Stadio Azteca, where they have lost only twice in 89 matches and never in the ten previous World Cup matches (Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986). There's also the gamesmanship common in Latin America, where local fans do whatever they can to disrupt the visitors sleep. The Ecuadorian team can tell you about how outside their hotel on the night before their round of 32 match, Mexican fans staged a street party. Lastly, Stadio Azteca is 7,350 feet above sea level. I can tell you that suddenly going from roughly sea level to 8,300 feet (Mrs. HB and I spent five days in Snowmass, Colorado last week) will impact you. Of course, I'm old, fat, and out-of-shape, which may have also played a role. Nevertheless, England has not been training at altitude.
While they haven't looked great thus far, England has more talent and should win a match with Mexico at a neutral site. Unfortunately for them, Stadio Azteca will be anything but neutral today.
