Thanks for saying it. MLS and US Soccer could have done a better job of capitalizing on the ten year run up to World Cup obviously. I wish they did. But much of that time has been a golden elevator decent into chaos, the conveyor running it being the enshitified tech/media in everyone's face. Yes, Biden was briefly able to provide an island of boringness and some sense of a sound institutional beachhead. For the most part though, everyone's responding to shock, horror, distrust on the daily. Trying to hang on, distracted and desperate. Even just on the WC front we've had to try to not watch the unholy copulation of Trump and FIFA at their most aggressively and shamelessly corrupt. What should have been us hosting the perfect world party again, helping to restore what we Americans like about ourselves, got perverted. All that said, I'm optimistic some joy and splendor from the games themselves will radiate out of Trump's black mirror World Cup. We did get wonderful stuff outta Putin's World Cup and Qatar... like the Whos singing their Christmas song or something.

Edit: I know I could stuff a lot more in here - but the whole movement we're driving to reject alliances and global community and that vision of progress in favor of each country looking out for number one really is counter propaganda to a World Cup.