Good morning, I’m Patrick Andres and today I’ll be doing a spot start for Dan Gartland. I wonder if the populace of Sunrise, Fla., can handle that much Tkachuk.
In today’s SI:AM:
đ The storm diving phenomenon
đ The NFLPA plots for the future
đ Congress is coming for the college heavyweights
A World Cup in island time
When FIFA signaled that it would expand the World Cup to 48 teams in 2017, skepticism was immediate (this is FIFA, after all). Would the move dilute the power of sports’ most revered tournament and the quality of the games themselves? Was it just a cynical finger on the ladder to boost booming nations with little footballing tradition like China, India and Indonesia?
So far, the answer to all three of those questions has been a resounding no, and that’s largely due to the performance of some of the lesser-heralded entrants in this tournament. This weekend, two of those teams pulled off huge upsets.
First, on Saturday, Curaçao – a team that sits between Montenegro and Guinea in the FIFA rankings and lost 7-1 to Germany in its opener – were held to a 0-0 draw by Ecuador in Kansas City. Hero for the Land of 155,000: Eloy Room Gatekeeper. Room, a 37-year-old Eredivisie alum who plays for Miami FC in the USL Championship, made 15 saves on occasion in one of the greatest goalkeeping performances in World Cup history. The soccer profile of a nation far better known for baseball than the United States continues to rise.
The next day, Cabo Verde, already riding high after holding Spain to a 0â0 draw in their opener, watched Uruguay in Miami Gardens, Fla. The African side took a 1â0 lead through a 21st-minute goal from midfielder Kevin Pina, then came back from 2â1 down to earn a 2â2 draw and set themselves up well for their group final against Saudi Arabia. Uruguay might be football’s biggest success in terms of size â a nation of 3.5 million with two World Cup titles â so there was a certain irony in seeing them humbled by an even smaller fish.
Not to be outdone by the other island nations, New Zealand threatened to make it a hat trick of unlikely results on Sunday night. Portland Timbers defender Finn Surman gave his team a 1â0 lead over Egypt in the 15th minute, but the Egyptians came back to win 3â1.
This weekend raised two questions: How do these nations do it, and why has expanding the World Cup beyond inventory building proved so popular?
Many explanations have been proposed for the premium, including “spillover” from powerful nations and relaxed FIFA eligibility rules. These are valid reasons, but the bloat of modern football’s schedule cannot be overlooked. Elite players and countries arrive at the tournament with more mileage on their odometers than ever before, even before we realize how little time international teams often have to learn each other’s rhythms. While not a perfect level, it gives, say, Cabo Verde and Uruguay an approximate level of parity that they wouldn’t otherwise have on paper.
As for the second, here’s a theory for the home market: World Cup expansion actually feels additive, even sensible. A world that has become richer and more heterogeneous over time should allow more nations to compete for the sport’s highest prize.
This is a breath of fresh air compared to the only logical intermittent inventory that has engulfed North American sports since the COVID-19 pandemic â a 14-team NFL playoff, a 12-team MLB playoff, a de facto 20-team NBA playoff, a possible 24-team CFP and two 76-team NCAA tournaments. Few Auburn men’s basketball fans will remember a “Top 12” pit stop in 20 years. Burkina Faso’s Joe Schmo’s potential World Cup memories will last forever.
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The first five…
âŚthis weekend’s World Cup highlights (regular-sized nations edition).
5. Egypt could not have come back against the Kiwis without winger Mo Salah, whose first goal of this World Cup was a classy one.
4. CĂ´te d’Ivoire winger Simon Adingra will rue that late missed chance against Germany, which opened the door to the winner from striker Deniz Undav’s stop.
3. Total football, if not totalalvoetbal, from the Netherlands.
2. American outlets like to latch onto a Japanese cultural norm they should know well by now, but Japan fans cleaned up after their team crushed Tunisia 4-0 in their 1,000th World Cup match.
1. Spain winger Lamine Yamal’s stunning goal to open his team’s account against Saudi Arabia â the first of many, no doubt.
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