27. Squirrels. C'mon bro, make up your mind. You stayin' or goin'?

Meh, I finished my report. Now I'm coasting.

Countercounterpoint: I'll poop on your chest if you poop on mine.

Word. Although I wouldn't really call it a hot take.

Brilliant work. You get a +1

That's the beauty of sports fandom, right? The Red Wings are bringing back the same team that got shit kicked by Boston last year in the playoffs, but hot damn if someone tries to tell me that they aren't going to win the Stanley Cup this year (the Red Wings are the only sports team which I support that isn't affected…

No, they won't, but there's a very high probability they'll run into one of them. Argentina will still be very strong (Messi 31, Garay 31, Di Maria 30, Aguero 30, Higuain, Rojo 28, Lamela 26, and Zabaletta 33), despite not being springs chickens. And I wouldn't underestimate Spain and Italy's ability to reload…

I ate a bunch of cocaine this morning, and that always puts me on the business side of things.

I know :(

OK, I'll give on that. Maybe the keeping wasn't as much of anomaly as I'm making it out to be. Final score is what matters, and the final result shows that the US was in it. I'll renege on my initial assessment of that match.

That was meant more generally to the thread, not directed toward you specifically. And there's nothing wrong with Klinnsman coming out and setting that as a goal (it shows he's learned how to deal with his American fans) for the team, but in his heart of hearts, I'll bet that he'd be satisfied with a Round of 16 win…

I disagree that it's a legit possibility (as I'm sure you could see). A Round of 16 Win is something we haven't seen in 12 years. I'd be content with that.

Call me a cynic (I am one), but I think it's funny.

Ok, I'm bowing out of this thread. Apologies for all of the offense I've caused. US going all the way in 2018.

Yep.

You disagree that, minus a once in a lifetime performance from Howard, the US is losing that match by multiple goals in regulation time? If you consider what the US did against Belgium "compact" defending, then I really have to question your objectivity/ability to properly assess the game.

Why? Making it out of the group stage would be great, and winning a Round of 16 match would be huge cause for celebration. Why do we have to act like this team is something they're not?

The chances of the US not facing one of these teams in the Round of 16 or the Quarterfinals

Sure, teams occasionally luck into the semifinals that, talent wise, don't belong there. Also, I'm not sure why you put Uruguay and Portugal in the same class as those other teams. Sure, they aren't Germany, Brazil, and Spain, but they're in the tier right below them. In 2014, we saw Germany, Brazil, the Netherlands,…

It's fine that he has that as a goal. And it's equally fine that I laugh at the implausibility of said goal.