@david

3 Wins For USA🇺🇸

For the first time ever USA has won three games in one World Cup! USA started off their World Cup beating Paraguay 4-1, then beat Australia 2-0, and finally beat Bosnia in the round of 32 2-0 advancing to the round of 16 against Belgium. With only one loss in the qualifiers to Turkey, USA is looking extremely good with their total record being 3-1. Can they win another against Belgium?

BIH0

2USA

7.5•136 fans average

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The Precedent of a Penalty Specialist

I’ve seen many people on this app questioning why on earth Australia would replace Patrick Beach with Matthew Ryan right before penalties. To answer this question, it’s time for a history lesson. Back in 2014, the Netherlands were facing the Cinderella story that was Costa Rica in the World Cup quarter final. Despite being in a group with Uruguay, Italy and England, Costa Rica won their group, then beat Greece in the round of 16 to make it to the quarters after winning a penalty shootout. How were they able to do this? Keylor Navas. While James Rodriguez and Paul Pogba are the youngsters most fondly remembered from the 2014 World Cup, Keylor Navas burst onto the scene as an elite goalkeeper. In the round of 16, he won man of the match behind a legendary performance and save in the penalty shootout to get Costa Rica to the quarters. With him between the posts, Costa Rica were more than happy to go to penalties. Thanks to more Navas brilliance, Costa Rica had kept the Dutch from scoring a goal in 120 minutes and since Costa Rica couldn’t generate many shots, let alone score a goal, penalties felt inevitable. Manager Louis van Gaal had a trick up his sleeve. Tim Krul was a 26-year old goalkeeper at Newcastle United. While he showed flashes, he had also dealt with many ankle injuries that limited his availability, making him the backup behind Jasper Cillessen. Cillessen had finished with the most clean sheets (shutouts) in the Eredivisie (top Dutch league) while also putting up great performances in the champions league. However, Krul did have 1 advantage over Cillessen. Krul was considered a much better penalty goalkeeper than the Dutch starter. With Navas on the other side and the strong possibility of penalties, Louis van Gaal knew he needed an edge. According to Krul himself, Netherlands’s goalkeeping coach approached him on the bus on the day of the match and told him the plan. If penalties appeared inevitable, he would be brought in for Cillessen. When extra time came around, he needed to study Costa Rica’s shots and then warm up himself. Fast forward to the game, in the 121st minute, Krul was subbed in. At the time, it was a gutsy call. But the hope was that Krul’s size would intimidate Costa Rica and his reflexes would win the day. In the penalty shootout, Costa Rica scored the first one, but Krul stopped the second shot. On Costa Rica’s 5th kick, the Dutch were up 4-3, if Costa Rica missed, the Netherlands would move on. Michael Umaña stepped up for Costa Rica and Krul stopped his penalty, confirming the Netherlands’s spot in the semi-final. This has been deemed one of the greatest substitutions in World Cup history. It’s also worth noting that Australia used this exact strategy to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. In their intercontinental matchup with Peru, Andrew Redmayne was subbed in at the 120th minute and stopped the final penalty to send Australia to that World Cup. So yeah, it didn’t work today, but there is plenty of precedent for this being a smart move. Australia just missed their own penalties.

@Landon

8.6

Down Goes The Netherlands

The Netherlands have qualified for 12 World Cup in their country’s history. They have never won a World Cup, but they have never been eliminated before the round of 16. In all 11 tournaments they have never been eliminated in the group stage or in the round of 32. Until last night when they faced off against Morocco. That 11 year streak comes to an end. The Netherlands have been eliminated in the round of 32. Another World Cup goes by without the Dutch hoisting any trophy, any medal, or anything to truly be proud of. They definitely could have won this game but they appear to change how they played and seemed off all night. The Netherlands will be back in 2030, it’s just what version of them will we see?

@nick

8.7

The Legend of EL FLACO

In 2018, Orlando Gill was playing amateur football and wondering if his dream had already slipped away. As recently as last year, he was merely the backup goalkeeper at San Lorenzo de Almagro in the Argentine Football League. Today, he is the man who helped eliminate Germany from the World Cup. The 6’6 Paraguayan goalkeeper has authored one of the great stories of this tournament. After standing tall through 120 exhausting minutes, Gill became a national hero in the penalty shootout, making the decisive saves that sent Paraguay into the round of 16 and one step closer to immortality. The journey here has been anything but straightforward. There were times when football barely paid the bills. Gill’s wife once revealed that he sold some of his equipment so the family could afford food while their son fought for his life in the hospital. For years he struggled for recognition in Paraguay and eventually moved to Argentina in search of an opportunity. That opportunity arrived by pure chance. San Lorenzo had been pursuing Keylor Navas but financial difficulties prevented the move. With no new goalkeeper arriving, manager Miguel Russo handed Gill an unexpected opportunity. He took it with both of his big ol hands and never gave it back, establishing himself as the club’s No. 1. His teammates affectionately called him El Flaco which means “The Skinny” or “The Lean One” because of his tall lanky build and stretch-armstrong shot stopping abilities. Now the rest of the world knows his name. From amateur footballer to reserve goalkeeper to World Cup giant killer, El Flaco has become the face of Paraguay’s remarkable run. Every tournament produces a folk hero, a player whose story reminds us why the World Cup captures the imagination like nothing else. This summer, that hero wears gloves and a shiny purple shirt.