I don’t have a physics PhD so I have no idea who can play who in the next round, better to just enjoy these next 3 days of games and see where the cards fall IMO. All I know is… Italy good

Smart business by City, IMO (considering money is literally no object to them).

You can only hope to dominate for so long without a replacement for Sergio Aguero.

I remember when that person was supposed to be Gabriel Jesus.

curious how that would go.

I'll watch Denmark/Russia though, hoping the Danes whip their asses.

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/31679828/manchester-united-star-marcus-rashford-wins-pat-tillman-award-service-raising-millions-feed-children

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, who helped raise millions of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic to help feed children in England, will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2021 ESPYS on July 10.

Rashford, who has spoken about his reliance on free school meals and "kind actions" from neighbors and coaches when he was growing up, was recently named to Time's Top 100 List for his advocacy work on homelessness and child hunger.

"An athlete is the least we can be," Rashford said. "Sport can be the biggest driver of positive change, with its ability to truly unite. If I have achieved anything over the last year, I would hope that it would be to demonstrate to my peers what is possible when we are driven by a passion and determination for better. Better not for ourselves, but for those whose voices are very rarely heard.

"We have a platform to speak on behalf of millions. When we wake up in the morning, we decide what we want to do with that platform. The reward of helping just one will always outweigh the risk of any negativity or criticism thrown my way. I'm honored to be this year's recipient of the Pat Tillman Award. A huge thank you to all involved."

Read elsewhere that he'll be out two months, thereby missing Barça's preseason as well.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/57552207

France forward Ousmane Dembele will miss the rest of Euro 2020 after suffering a knee injury.

Dembele came on as a second-half substitute during his team's 1-1 draw with Hungary on Saturday but had to be replaced after 30 minutes.

"Ousmane Dembele had an X-ray at the Budapest hospital on Sunday night," the French Football Federation said in a statement on Monday.

"The recovery time is incompatible with him staying in the squad."

World champions France play holders Portugal in their final group game on Wednesday.

Didier Deschamps' side lead Group F on four points after two games, one ahead of second-placed Germany and third-placed Portugal.

Deschamps still has other attacking options behind starters Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe, with Olivier Giroud, Kingsley Coman and Wissam Ben Yedder in the squad.

He can't stay healthy.
Hasn't gotten better in his decision making.
Can't stay healthy.

Barca gotta get him off the books. Now.

Gareth might be forced into a second great decision thanks to this
(the first one, obviously, was Mings over Maguire)

...how are all these guys not vaccinated?

I think Spain is currently only at 40 y.o. and above so they had to get special permission to vaccinate the players.

There have been several vaccinated players ,in all of sports, who still contracted
Covid.

fuckin Kuznetzov on the Caps got it twice this season

and can’t play because he has to be quarantined for 10-14days.

The many staffers on the Yankees who are fully vaccinated, but still
tested positive for COVID. That happened several weeks ago.

I was just correcting your assumption that those players caught
COVID because they weren’t vaccinated.

Your question makes no sense. I’m going off factual reports. You can still catch
COVID while fully vaccinated. The vaccine stops symptoms, not transmission.

Nor have I aggressively asserted my expertise in the field of infectious disease, as you have.

I thought surely you must have a lot of the required coursework under your belt, and that you had reams of data at your fingertips.

thankfully the chances of catching a bad one are greatly reduced, but you can absolutely still catch and spread it, especially with stuff like the Delta variant

This is what you said:

.”..how are all these guys not vaccinated?”

You made assumption that they tested positive because they aren’t vaccinated....and
I stated to you that a vaccinated person can still transmit and contract COVID.

my word

Russia came out time wasting from the kickoff.

https://apnews.com/article/bundesliga-europe-munich-international-soccer-soccer-bca8dce4de68728e8c50e28b6e8e665e

I mean on the German side, is it pride month over there too? Couldn't they have been lighting it up for other matches and not said the part that obviously would have gotten this denied out loud, even if we all knew.

I saw a cute little idea on twitter, about the German captain handing the Hungary captain something with the Pride colours, but I'm not sure how those pre-game handoffs and crests etc. work right now either.

UEFA bluffs all the damn time and one of the lessons from the ESL debacle is that they actually rarely follow on sanctions through if you're big enough to call the bluff.

what is UEFA gonna do if Germany just went ahead and did it?

reminds me of after the (ill-advised) Greenpeace guy crash-landed before France-Germany and UEFA put out a wet sanctimonious statement about how foolish Greenpeace were in protesting them, when they are so considerate of environemental matters and that they had purchased carbon offsets so they really should be lauded for their efforts

This is not about the board being anti-LGBTQ. All are being allowed into the stadium,
and all are allowed as players and fans. They are simply saying that the situation
has nothing to do with a sporting event. It’s a political matter, regarding the laws
and policies of a certain country.

The Hungarian government implemented a law to protect the minors in their
country, by not allowing minors to have access to sexual reassignment
info and other LGBTQ information.

The prime minister has a point here:

“In Hungary we have passed a law to protect Hungarian children, and now in Western Europe they are griping about it,” Szijjártó said in Luxembourg. “They want to express this by including politics in a sporting event, which has nothing to do with the passing of national laws.”

the Hungarian government implemented trans- and homophobic laws, and anyone who defends or supports or ignores the laws is a bigot or a piece of shit or both.

I hope that's not you, but it wouldn't surprise me.

You can’t have it both ways. You don’t go to a library to party, and you don’t
go to a party to study. It’s a sporting event to play sports and to watch sports,
and when all that it is done, then you go to the proper channels and venues to
fight and change legislation. I have always been a firm believer of that in certain
situations.

The players and fans of Hungary are not the government, and the government of
Hungary does not exist in Germany.

Homosexuality is legal in Hungary for both men and women. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex registered at birth is banned in the country.....
So Hungary is far from being an anti-homosexual country.

However, even from a parental point, the thought of an 8,9 or even 10
year old having complete access to sexual reassignment information, when
their bodies haven’t even gone through puberty yet, naturally raises both eyebrows.
I think it’s more about letting a child be a child more than it is about discriminating
against homosexuality.

Children aren’t even allowed access to heterosexual information at that age....
Sesame Street never told me to kiss a girl or like a girl, or to be straight or gay. I
developed that as I matured.

So that’s the purpose of that bill. I’m not saying I agree or disagree with it. I’m simply
saying I understand it.

It's your freedom and right to be as bigoted as you want. Knock yourself out.

with you. It’s my fault. I knew what the projection and perception would be.

You said you "understand" a law that explicitly targets trans and queer identities.

I read what you wrote and now I know your politics on the issue.

It could hardly have been more civil.

What you're actually looking for is cover for your trans- and queer-phobic sympathy but it's 2021 and I couldn't be less interested in fake discourse about "both sides" of any bigotry.

"Sesame Street didn't tell me" is a LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG fucking way from you being completely unable to access information. If you went to check out a biology book, you would have not been denied access to that book.

But if a Hungarian child tries to ask "hey why does Artur have two mommies?" they wouldn't be able to check out a book on the subject at the library. If they asked a counselor why they feel different than the other kids in their class, that counselor couldn't give them the most basic pamphlet on the matter. It's not about "letting a kid be a kid," because kids ask. questions. It's literally all they do.

ALSO, while Sesame Street may not have explicitly said "boys marry girls," back in the day they centered things around Gordon and Susan, and talked about mommies and daddies all the time. So that stuff n is certainly implicit. It's why representation matters and why in the last 20 years they've tried to introduce characters that represent the neurodivergent community and other groups.


However, even from a parental point, the thought of an 8,9 or
>even 10
>year old having complete access to sexual reassignment
>information, when
>their bodies haven’t even gone through puberty yet,
>naturally raises both eyebrows.
>I think it’s more about letting a child be a child more than
>it is about discriminating
>against homosexuality.
>
>Children aren’t even allowed access to heterosexual
>information at that age....
>Sesame Street never told me to kiss a girl or like a girl, or
>to be straight or gay. I
>developed that as I matured.
>
>So that’s the purpose of that bill. I’m not saying I agree
>or disagree with it. I’m simply
>saying I understand it.
>
>
>
>

but I guess humanity escapes you as it usually does. So, carry on,
I guess.

You did a great job of oversimplifying the issue, because it is a lot
deeper than providing info in regards to certain biological sentiments and
questions. The biggest concern is minors as young as 8 years old being
exposed or having access to information regarding puberty blockers and sexual
reassignment info. That’s one of the main reasons the law was implemented.

The law isn’t going to stop kids from talking to counselors about having certain
sexual feelings, or discussing it with their families. That’s going to exist with
or without the law. THE INTERNET DOES EXIST. So your argument is bullshit.


Let’s get to the heart of the matter. While watching Sesame Street, Electric
Company, and 3,2,1 Contact, I wasn’t having sexual feelings or concerned about
my biological orientation. I was too busy counting, adding, subtracting and
learning words and letters. My parents and educational programming protected
me from that, and It wasn’t until I got in high school that sex became a focus.
I was a teenager and puberty hit. And as teenagers we came of age on our OWN.


The main focus here are minors, specifically those who are 13 and under. In
high school you’re going to come of age on your own, because the biggest
influencers in your life will be your friends and peers. But allowing a 9 or
10 year old to have access to information regarding sexual identities or
reassignment procedures, I don’t agree with that. They are not mentally
mature to comprehend any of that information, and their bodies have yet
to go through puberty. So the focus is to let a child be a child, and allow that
child to develop on his or her own, and then when they are mature enough
to understand , they can have access to that information.

There is a reason why some mothers and fathers don’t allow their daughters or
sons to date until they turn 15 or 16. That is a form of protecting them from
making any type of sexual mistake, like becoming pregnant or contracting
a STD. They aren’t mature enough to have that type of experience yet.
This is in that same category.

Legal age in most countries is 16 or 18, so I understand not allowing access
to that type of information until one is of legal age...mainly to protect preteens.


It’s more about letting a child be a child than it is about being anti-LBGTQ.

i dont understand why anyone interacts with you at all beyond just to call you a moron

and communicating like a character in a sitcom. Thank you.
I gave my honest opinion, and I’m entitled to it. You can take
your name calling shit back to the abyss you crawled out of.

but I had to call out his transphobia. Not because I expect him to stop being a bigot, but hopefully no one else believes his phobic nonsense.

logic.

I thought you were a person who possessed the ability to
critically think, and I see you don’t understand what homophobia
or transphobia is, because I’m far from that.

I’m simply for safe guarding and protecting the maturation of minors.

The whole purpose of the law is to give parents EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS
with teaching their children about sexual orientation until the age of 18.
It doesn’t ban or stop access to LBGTQ or sexual orientation information
for adults.

Education starts at home, and parents should always be in control of that
process for their children.

Now ,if you don’t fathom that, then that’s your focking inhumane problem
And it is your CANCEL CULTURE mentality and verbal BULLYING that
is a threat to democracy.

imo not respecting minority rights is a bigger threat to democracy than people on this message board being tired of your absurd contrarian arguments, but I'm part of the BULLYING mob so what do I know

and I have the right to choose what I want and don’t want
to agree with. It’s called freedom of choice. My opinions
and actions do not breach or fracture laws, nor do they attack
or degrade other people.

I will not be bullied or coerced to think in line with how others think,
feel or believe. No life or thinking is one way or one thing. Life consists
of opposing energies and entities - it’s called balance.

I respect all opinions and perceptions, even if they are divergent to my
way of thinking. And I have the maturity and intellect to not bully or
degrade others for their opposite thinking.

the irony of claiming freedom of opinion to defend a law limiting speech in an authoritarian run country...


-----------
you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

either that or Sancho fucked his daughter or something. No need one of the 2 or 3 best RWs in the world is sat on the bench behind Foden and Saka. no reason at all.

Center Mid is crying out for Bellingham even if he is a child. Dude went heads up w/ Man City midfield and dominated

>either that or Sancho fucked his daughter or something. No
>need one of the 2 or 3 best RWs in the world is sat on the
>bench behind Foden and Saka. no reason at all.
>
>Center Mid is crying out for Bellingham even if he is a child.
>Dude went heads up w/ Man City midfield and dominated
Good point re: Bellingham

being real, i feel for the kid.

seems like he should be playing to me.

No foden either

rashford should be in there over Kane, but of course that won’t happen

I don't see any Gap between him and old ass foden. Sancho? Farmers league so who knows, trust the coach!

Dunno if that's lingering injuries or age, but that first step is sloooow. Second and third steps too.

and at least give Rashford more of a look.

Honestly probably can just go with a false 9 look and get more of the wide players in with Sterling the defecto 9 and might be better

But I hate those penalty calls. Where a defender is clearing the ball, obviously no intent to foul, and the offensive player sticks his leg between the defender's leg and the ball, no intent to play, then gets "fouled".

and on the balance that's probably for the good?

Btw they said only 5 of 11 penalties have been converted at this Euro so far, kind of an amazing stat

and its how most leagues are. it's just that PKs are so huge, and it's SUCH a cheap way to get one

also Liverpool lost points last year because of a call and I'm still mad

>also Liverpool lost points last year because of a call and I'm
>still mad

spain dominating the game, but if slovakia had held through the half, spain might have started getting really nervous.

can they qualify with 3 pts? I really hope not

i think it'll depend on goal difference and they just let another one in, so this is not looking good for slovakia's chances
-----------
you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

>so this is not looking good for slovakia's
>chances

full description of their chance to go through, shot version is they need to :

- If Slovakia lose, Poland must not win and Slovakia must lose by a one-goal margin of 3-4 or higher-scoring to take one of the best third-placed slots.

i honestly don't understand how that's the case, but it's what espn says on their website *shrug*
-----------
you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

damn

Croatia-Spain sounds pretty tasty for a Rd of 16 though

Interesting how different they seem.

looked like some slo-mo boxing uppercut

glad he seems OK, and Lloris was lucky they didn't go back and look at that

I'll take it obvs, and huge that Benzema scores to get that monkey off his back

not sure why france's attack is so muted

we're not doing the high press and Portugal are clearly afraid of Mbappe's deep runs, so unless we get those key passes from the midfield we have a hard time pushing our attack.

Also less important but Kounde is playing so scared, he was supposed to show something that Pavard doesn't bring but zilch so far

Sorting it out that way anyway

gasped when Pogba hit that

maybe my expectations are just so low.

BEL-POR 6/27
ITA-AUS 6/26
FRA-SWI 6/28
CRO-SPA 6/28
SWE-UKR 6/29
ENG-GER (hellyea) 6/29
NED-CZE 6/27
WAL-DEN 6/26

might start a new thread, a lot of good matchups here

>BEL-POR 6/27
Belgium. Portugal doesn't have enough to overcome IMO

>ITA-AUS 6/26
Italy, comfortably

>FRA-SWI 6/28
France 3-1, maybe even 3-0

>CRO-SPA 6/28
No idea. Maybe Spain finally figured it out today?

>SWE-UKR 6/29
No idea, don't care either

>ENG-GER (hellyea) 6/29
I will literally ROFL when England loses

>NED-CZE 6/27
Nederland I think, probably in extra time though

>WAL-DEN 6/26
I don't see how Denmark doesn't keep going, story lines and what not

moral stand point, but skill wise man he knows how to score.

Him and Lukaku are straight butter.

Just nuts, man.

Okay, so we have replay, right? VAR, love or hate it, is part of the fabric of the game right now.

So, on the Mbappe penalty, which wasn't a penalty and you're smoking dicks if you think it is...why doesn't soccer have a "catchability" rule like the NFL?

I mean, not only did Mbappe flop, but he's running towards the middle of the box and the ball flys over and goes out mid-touch line on that side of goal. VAR can't look at THAT (where the ball is going vs where Mbappe is going) and go "he had no chance to get on the ball, so, no penalty"?

Just seems like some simple rules like that could clean up a lot of the garbage in the game where VAR is concerned.

It was a soft penalty, but it was a penalty. Defender impeded or
pushed Mbappe off his path to the ball. He basically gave him
a hockey check (lol), and Mbappe went down. The ball was playable
as a possible header.

Also, soccer doesn’t need to have a catch-ability rule, because hands are not
used by field players. And aerial passes can be played by the player’s head.
Again, Mbappe could have made a header play on the ball.

(dunno why you're not more pro-LGBTQIA re: UEFA if you're gonna be doing that, btw)

It was called a penalty. Facts.


and I do believe in the rights for the LGBTQ community. I just believe minors are not mature enough to have access to information regarding any kind of sexuality,
heterosexual or homosexual information.

So if you are going to continue to respond the way that you did, let me know,
and I will just KIM when it comes to your post.

>So if you are going to continue to respond the way that you did

At least it comes up when determining a red for fouling on a "clear goal scoring opportunity," which I believe VAR does look at, doesn't it. Kind of the same thing with whether a pass is receivable or not, I'd think.

But I dunno. That was a horrible penalty, and I don't know on what grounds they let it stand. The world of VAR is unknown to me.

but not nearly on the level that catchability is in the NFL

that ball was unplayable by Mbappe and one of a number of reasons it was an extremely questionable call

Unless there's an argument otherwise, I really don't like this move. Away Goals go a long way towards preventing shoot outs, which is probably the single worst, yet eventually unavoidable, part of futbol


https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/24/uefa-abolishes-away-goals-rule-in-club-competitions-from-next-season

The UEFA prez explaining: "many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness". Uh yeah, ppl whose team gets eliminated will cry about how unfair the rule is, I'm sure I have at some point, but how is that justification for anything? As you point out it's probably a good thing overall since otherwise we'd get a lot of tedious 2x30' periods between two exhausted squads with random PK outcomes at the end.

just... why do this?

each team has the exact same opportunity

this seems like its about big clubs not wanting to lose because they couldnt handle the atmosphere in Donetsk, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Porto, etc and this is the first bit of appeasement post-ESL

and even more difficult when playing in other countries.
So getting the away goal is huge, and should be seen as an
extra accomplishment.

They want to take the strategy out of everything.
No one wants to see games constantly going to penalties....
Penalties are overrated to me, with the GK always at a disadvantage.

https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GettyImages-81402052.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=644%2C495

Score an away goal and then hunker down or stop the other team from doing so was more valuable than playing to score and goals are un.

Shoot outs suck, tho
-----------
you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia