Miguel Mercedes

[Arsenal Gist @GistArsena99455]

“People want to talk about Tuchel. About his system. About what he has done with this England squad.

And credit where it is due. He has been brave. He has been organised. He deserves respect.

But nobody wants to say the quiet part out loud.

The reason England’s attack looks like THIS is because of Arsenal.

Look at what happened in that match. Madueke starts, causes chaos, wins the penalty. That is directness. That is courage. But then watch what comes next.

A corner. Declan Rice. One delivery. One moment. Clinical.

That is not Tuchel. That is Arsenal. Set pieces were their single biggest weapon all season at the Emirates. Teams feared them. Teams prepared for them. Teams still could not stop them. And Rice has brought that EXACT same threat into an England shirt on a World Cup stage.

Then Saka comes off the bench. And within minutes England have a third. A man who has done this for Arsenal in the biggest moments for years, changing a World Cup game in twenty minutes.

Tuchel is organising. But Arsenal are executing.

The structure. The movement. The set piece ruthlessness. That was not built on a training ground in St. George’s Park.

That was built in north London.

Arteta will never get the credit. That is football.

But the DNA you are falling in love with this summer? He planted that.”

— Wayne Rooney

[Arsenal Chizzy @ArsenalChizzy_]

🚨 Wayne Rooney on Declan Rice's set-pieces that inspired England's 4-2 victory:

🗣️ “For the whole of last season, people mocked Arsenal's set-pieces. They called them boring, said they were ruining football and claimed they could never win the biggest trophies playing that way.

Now look at England.

Declan Rice is delivering those same quality dead balls and they've played a huge part in a 4-2 win.
I've watched this World Cup closely and one thing stands out: Arsenal players have consistently produced dangerous set-pieces, with several leading directly to goals.

Maybe the issue was never the set-pieces.
Maybe people were simply frustrated because their own teams didn't have players capable of executing them at that level.

Football fans love effective set-pieces when they're winning games. They only complain when someone else is better at them.”

[Vfynn_🥷🏼 𐙚 @Vfynn_]

🚨🗣️New: Luis Suárez reacts to Uruguay’s arrival in the United States for the World Cup, where the squad faced sniffer dogs and rigorous security checks:

“I’ve been in football a long time, and I’ve seen tournaments all over the world. But what we’re witnessing here with the USA hosting this World Cup is deeply concerning. Take the Uruguay team arriving — world-class players like Manuel Ugarte, standing there with arms folded, looking utterly bewildered as sniffer dogs go through their bags like they’re common criminals. That image says it all. These are ambassadors of the game, not suspects at the border.

This isn’t hospitality; it’s humiliation dressed up as security. You’ve got a Somali referee, one of Africa’s best, denied entry despite a valid visa — a man who dreamed of officiating at the pinnacle of his career, turned away at the airport. African and South American delegations facing extra screenings, visa chaos for fans and officials from qualified nations. This is the ‘land of the free’ rolling out the red carpet? It feels more like a fortress with razor wire.

The beautiful game deserves better than being turned into a political football or a paranoid checkpoint. FIFA chased the dollars — and there are billions to be made, no doubt — but they’ve sold the soul of the tournament to a host that treats global football stars and supporters like potential threats. Meanwhile, American taxpayers and host cities are left holding a bill running into hundreds of millions for security and logistics that FIFA largely pockets.

Football has always been about unity, passion, and bringing people together across borders. Right now, under this hosting, it’s being strangled by suspicion and overreach. The world is watching these scenes and cringing. If this continues, it risks leaving a bitter taste that lingers far longer than any on-pitch glory. We needed a celebration of the game — not a showcase of division. Something has to change.”

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

https://t.co/OwmJOzZ7Vd

I’ve never been a fan of Dolan but I am a super fan of this speech. It rose to the moment, it was inspirational.

[Vfynn_🥷🏼 𐙚 @Vfynn_]

🚨🗣️New: Thierry Henry reacts to the USA vs Paraguay stoppage for TV commercials:

“I’ve spent my entire life in this beautiful game — as a player at the highest level, as a fan, and now as someone who analyses it every week — and what unfolded during that USA versus Paraguay match left me deeply frustrated. The fourth official standing there on the touchline, arm raised high, instructing the referee to hold the restart… not for any injury, not for tactical reasons, and not even primarily for player hydration in that scorching heat. No. It was because the broadcast team hadn’t finished airing all their commercials. That’s not football. That’s a television show pretending to be a World Cup match.

The beautiful game is being strangled by greed. Players are out there in the heat, ready to restart, momentum building like a storm about to break — and we pause everything so the sponsors can cash in. It’s like stopping a symphony mid-crescendo because the advertisers want their jingle heard. Football didn’t conquer the world by turning into American sports with endless timeouts and ad breaks. We had rhythm, flow, emotion that flowed like a river. Now? It’s dammed up for dollars.

This isn’t about hydration or player welfare anymore — it’s a slippery slope where the soul of the game is sold piece by piece. Fans deserve better. Players deserve better. The referee on that pitch looked like a puppet on strings controlled from some broadcast truck. Enough is enough. We need to protect what made this sport the greatest on Earth before it disappears completely.”

The World Cup should be football’s cathedral. Instead, we’re turning it into a shopping mall with a pitch in the middle.

And here’s the question nobody wants to answer: if the fourth official is waiting for commercials, then who is really running the game? FIFA? The referee? Or the broadcasters?

Because the moment football starts asking advertisers for permission before asking the players, you’ve crossed a line.

The World Cup is supposed to be the showcase of football. Not the showcase of who paid the most for airtime.”

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

Today is “Receipts Day”….we will “disclose” everyone….Becky Hammon, you are up. https://t.co/tEzpkgq9tM

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

https://t.co/h0uSpXCRXn

[ᜰ @markklfc]

Thierry Henry on why Arsenal divide opinion in football:

🗣️ “People keep asking why Arsenal get so much attention, so much criticism, so much reaction… it’s actually very simple.

Arsenal are not a club people can ignore.

When they win, it becomes a global conversation. When they lose, it becomes a global celebration. That doesn’t happen to small clubs.

That happens to clubs that matter.

And Arsenal matter.

That’s why every decision, every mistake, every defeat gets amplified beyond normal football discussion.

Look at what happens after a night like the Champions League final against PSG. It’s not just PSG fans celebrating you see rival fans, neutral fans, even people who don’t watch Arsenal regularly suddenly very interested.

That tells you everything.

Nobody spends that much energy reacting to a club they don’t care about.

And yes, part of the noise comes from the size of the fanbase. Arsenal supporters are everywhere, and when a fanbase is that big, opinions become louder, arguments become bigger, and rivalries become more personal online.

But let’s be honest… every top club in the world behaves the same way when they’re successful.

People say they don’t like Arsenal fans, but what they really don’t like is the visibility that comes with success and expectation.

Because Arsenal are back in conversations for the biggest trophies, every result now carries weight.

That’s not hatred. That’s relevance.

And the truth is simple clubs that nobody talks about don’t get loved or hated.

Arsenal get both.

And that alone tells you exactly where they are in football.”

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

https://t.co/EAkqnVTzqD

[Jimmy O'Brien @Jomboy_]

Umpire correctly calls a balk after noticing a slight difference in Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman’s delivery, a breakdown

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

La LHJAAAQ est attristée par le décès de M. Frank Pennimpede | Ligue de Hockey Junior AAA du Québec https://t.co/xZ3RWH7UP8 via @TeamPS

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

Video Analysis of ICE Shooting Sheds Light on Contested Moments - The New York Times https://t.co/eilezoFbuq

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

New Travel Content Creator with style!!

https://t.co/KiZSJC2gBh

[Tansu Yegen @TansuYegen]

🎤 Mohammed Qahtani, a Saudi engineer, delivered one of the most impactful speeches ever, winning the Toastmasters World Championship. He showcased the strength found in words...

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

Now they review the spot on a deep ball completion from Gabriel to Stewart. There have been 2 other plays that the calls have gone OH St way. It’s so obvious it’s obnoxious.

[Miguel Mercedes @MiMercedes2]

NCAA helping OH St on a clear turnover by TE on a bobbled ball 50/50. Not good, can’t trust fairness when there’s no review in this type of case. Sorry Oregon, more of them than you on the field…17 vs your 11.

[Jeff K @Jeffkelly4f]

@RalphVacchiano With a holding flag picked up. After a bad Personal Foul call on the Giants drive. Referees for Dallas tonight folks…. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise….

[𝓡𝓮𝓷𝓮 #Evil ❤️🖤🔥 @SWFscreenshots]

Touchdown Cowboys but their was a flag for holding but Clay Martin picked up the flag result the play is a touchdown for Dallas #NFL