Michael D

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Before I made my announcement last night, I plugged this book written and illustrated by some friends of mine celebrating the union of faith and science. I highly recommend it!

[Pauline Books & Media 📖📡 @PBMPublishing]

To celebrate our release day and our partnership with @WordOnFire we are offering FREE SHIPPING starting now through Sunday night!
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[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Pulisic getting muscled off so easily (and injuries) is why his club career hasn’t taken off the way we all hoped it would

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

That Seattle crowd is way too quiet

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Yeah this is what I was expecting going into the tournament from a Tim Ream-led back line. The press helped cover it up but this American defense just is not good enough.

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

This is a really smart tactical approach by Belgium. Poch needs to figure out a solution

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Man, Rodri is just so good.

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

@riffbw @FrancoPanizo If officiating is subjective, then at no point would a call ever be a "clear and obvious error" outside of offside and spot of foul calls. Which would mean that VAR intervening to have the ref look at it was erroneous

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Elfaith taking his chance to make sure the rest of the world gets to see him in the spotlight

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Haaland and Norway are great but the real story is (and has been) Brazil collapsing as a soccer power.

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

HAALAND HAALAND

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Welcome to CONCACAF, England

[Melissa Chen @MsMelChen]

Flew into Mexico City from DC last night and I’m already clocking the shift in energy.

I left my England shirt in the bag for this flight despite wearing it loud and proud on every single one before now without any second thoughts.

But here? The Mexico fan vibe isn’t reading as normal rivalry. It’s heavier and meaner. It’s not banter; there’s no playfulness about it. There’s actual aggression in it, and underneath that, something colder and almost unhinged.

Walked a few blocks around the hotel in my England shirt this morning and got called “puta gringa” - white whore, basically. The whole atmosphere is steeped in this hostility.

Police have shut roads down, running checkpoints, confiscating glass bottles like they’re expecting things to pop off. Riot vibes. I’ve traveled everywhere in this shirt and never once felt this on edge.

It feels like it’s more than “just football” at stake here. I hope that I’m reading it all wrong, that it’s just pre-match noise that burns off once the final whistle blows and everyone goes home.

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

I don’t know why

1) the aussies talked SO MUCH TRASH on twitter.
2) you’d sub on a keeper who can’t save a single penalty (and went the wrong way 3 out of the 4 times because he went early!)

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

@AGHamilton29 Meanwhile, all these foreign tourists are visiting for the World Cup and are posting about how great the country is and having a genuinely great time.

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Video review is really good on black and white calls (is it a strike? Did he step out? Offside). However, on judgment calls like fouls it’s basically worthless.

[Bill Barnwell @billbarnwell]

VAR and its variants across all sports exist out of a goal to eliminate mistakes by getting every call right.

Even if I think the call in the Croatia match was correct, it's clear that no replay system can accomplish that goal or even bring us meaningfully closer to a world where that's the case.

If replay only makes it marginally more likely that the right call is being made on the field, is that really worth the trade off of stopping games for minutes on end, often amidst or after their most dramatic and important moments, for replay review?

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

@riffbw Yeah if that chip thing isn’t there basically telling the ref “this is offside” that goal stands. But I don’t trust that chip’s timing that close

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

Man I don’t think the Croatian player got that touch. I don’t trust that chip’s timing worth a damn

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

@TheCatholicEngr Prematurely counting out Portugal and/or Croatia?

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

@riffbw @andrew_wiebe I think he called no foul, throw in for the US because the ball went out. I watched it back and that's what it looks to me.

[Michael D @MikeDatTiger]

I see people saying Balogun's red card is a reason why Americans can't into soccer. Are you kidding me? Americans love bashing refs and arguing over calls. I'm convinced we created pass interference just for the content on twitter.