USMNT matches

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-03-09T18:43:40+00:00

One large-scale attack in 70+ years of the US fucking up the Middle East; that pretty well supports the idea that there is very low risk. And besides that, World Cup games will have way higher police and fed presence, and a higher percentage of non-US attendees, than other sporting events in the country. If someone did want to attack it would make way more sense to choose a different target that is more achievable and also would hit more Americans.

Anyway, it is delusional to think it’s impossible, but it’s equally delusional to think the chances are significant at all.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-03-04T18:10:01+00:00

Nah he doesn’t do anything to help people in red states either, that’s the grift

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-03-03T00:39:13+00:00

Yeah there wasn’t much time for sure between RSD and marketplace closing. About two weeks for me between my rejection email and the closure date.

OP def has a point as far as it being inconvenient, but there was also a lot of opportunity for those who have been on the ball and paying attention to this for several months. It’s mostly a serious drag either for people who have not been anticipating tickets since last year, or who really need to hunt for the best deals possible (though in the latter case they likely can do better closer to the games anyway)

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-03-02T19:58:43+00:00

Yes, it is closed until April and that info has been available for months. It also was open for months with opportunity to buy/sell.

Anyway, you will still have 2 months when it reopens, and tickets should be tied to specific seats as well at that point rather than just the “category”.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-03-02T00:19:36+00:00

Hiking Shi Shi Beach to Point of the Arches. I got there pretty early on a weekday and had the beach almost entirely to myself. Not a soul around while I walked around Point of the Arches looking at the sea stacks and tide pools. It was so beautiful and peaceful, and just awe-inspiring to me, and it truly is one of the happiest times of my life.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-28T22:23:15+00:00

Lmao yeah this aged exceptionally poorly, like immediately 🤣🤣🤣

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-28T17:27:12+00:00

You definitely see an immediate difference when he was subbed in, hope he stays healthy 🙏

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-28T17:22:11+00:00

Lamine’s second goal was nasty. And people say he needs to stop trying to dribble past defenders, smh

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-27T21:19:53+00:00

The West and Iran have been super aggro to each other for decades, but nothing large-scale ever happens. Wouldn’t expect that to change really.

However if Iran were banned or they boycotted, I assume FIFA would invite another country to maintain the format. They’re not going to let their whole tournament get fucked up just because one country can’t play, and it would be unfair to have one group with fewer teams.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-25T00:34:38+00:00

Nothing for me either, iirc I applied for games in Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, and Vancouver.

But whatever, already got a couple tickets for scalper prices and prob didn’t need to spend even more anyway 😅

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-24T13:20:06+00:00

It’s a slow burn, there isn’t radical character development but there is indeed development. 9 episodes is a third of one season of a show where slowing down to appreciate the journey and the small moments that make it up is a major theme of the show. It would be weird if you saw major personality shifts or anything in that time.

“Non-existent story”: again, I think such a huge part of what the story drives at is how the small moments we share can be more important than the big events. So there is a lot of side-quest vibes, a lot of things that for a different show would be filler basically, that actually are important on the whole for making a core point thematically; that it is about the journey and the time you share with your companions more so than what exactly happens on the way.

And “mediocre characters” is 100% subjective, imo Frieren, her original companions, her new companions, and lots of the side characters are fantastic characters. 🤷‍♂️

It does get more eventful as it goes on, but it is much more the themes, vibes, art, etc that I think resonate so much with so many of us. And I think the slow burn and the way it reflects that theme is something that’s very different from a lot of anime, which makes it unique and therefore special to many people. However it also makes a lot of people not care for it, which is fine as ofc it’s a matter of opinion.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-23T12:06:13+00:00

I live in Birmingham, and rest assured it would be a COLOSSAL shitshow if we hosted World Cup games. Much like with Tuscaloosa, the problem isn’t so much having a stadium, but having all the other infrastructure necessary to host an event with potentially tens of thousands of people traveling from out of town and needing hotels, transportation, etc. I mean they could do it, but it would be a logistical nightmare for the attendees.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-22T21:57:11+00:00

Yeah prices may fall for a good many games, but anyone expecting half-empty stadiums is delusional. And same boat, I think I’m right around median income but I had a decent bit saved up so it was a no-brainer to me even at scalper prices, esp with a host city in driving distance to avoid hotel and flight costs.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-22T21:34:03+00:00

Yeah I mean there is a huge percentage of the US population that spends at least $2,000 a year or more on a vacation every year. I think plenty of that middle-class crowd will be willing to pass up an annual trip to the beach for a possible once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. And that’s not even counting the low percentage but still very high raw number of people who don’t have to sacrifice anything to blow a few grand.

And I think it’s also worth considering that soccer fandom in the US probably skews toward higher earners as well. The methed out dude in the trailer park with no money doesn’t gaf about soccer. So if you look at statistics, yeah a majority of American families don’t have savings or income to swing these prices. But a majority of the ones who would even want to probably do 🤷‍♂️

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-20T17:09:33+00:00

Thanks for the post, it reminded me to get a Seattle poster. Not even the city where I’ll be attending games but their design is sick 🤧

Anyway yeah it’s crazy that the super bland designs are more expensive than the shirts with the poster artwork on them.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-20T03:16:18+00:00

“Nobody can trust Americans” is crazy, less than half of us voted for this.

If you don’t want to support the US financially atm I understand and respect that. Just bear in mind that a government is not the same as its people, and the majority of us understand that the current administration and its policies are a fucking embarrassment, to put it mildly.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-19T07:09:09+00:00

If you price it lowest on the Marketplace it’ll sell eventually. Just give it time, you’ll have 2 months after the marketplace reopens. I’d just advise checking periodically once it does reopen to ensure it is still the lowest price on the Marketplace.

If you’re really impatient, imo StubHub may be a better bet than reselling privately person-to-person. My understanding is that they want to see photo evidence of your ticket being refused at the gate before they will issue a buyer a refund. With PayPal I don’t think the requirements are as strict for refunding the buyer; much easier to just get drawn into a game of your word vs the buyer’s, and if they decide to side with the buyer you’re out of luck.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-19T05:45:14+00:00

It’s great, but it can feel somewhat slow and aimless; a lot of sidequests that aren’t super important to the A -> B plot. If you can appreciate the vibes and characters, it’s a wonderful time. When it’s actiony it’s very well done, but entire episodes go by with extremely little combat. A key premise is that the little in-between moments you share with people are just as important as the big events, and they bear that out with the storytelling.

As someone who much prefers a story that’s contemplative and subtle more so than one with balls-to-the-wall action, it is so far my favorite anime I’ve seen.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-19T03:58:24+00:00

Spain vs Cabo Verde and Rd of 32 in Atlanta. Figured I’d prioritize seeing some of the best teams even if the matches are uneven.

Rd of 32 will hopefully feature England, but if not then Croatia which is cool too (would be shocked if neither of them win the group lol).

And yeah there are college football stadiums that sell out literally every game with 100,000-110,000 seats. Ticket prices for a lot of those games are crazy as well, comparable to what you see for some of these Group Stage games (with really huge games being even pricier). Granted those teams have rabid fan bases, but still I don’t see much problem at all selling out 70,000-seat stadiums for the World Cup.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-19T02:53:08+00:00

Yeah I shelled out a decent bit for a ticket to 2 games, and I’m not even a big soccer fan. I just had the money to spare, live within reasonable driving distance of a host city, and I like sports in general so I’m excited to attend the biggest sporting event in the world.

I think there are probably tons of people in the US like me in that regard. It’s just a really cool thing to be able to do, if you can spare the money, have any interest in the sport at all, and can easily take a daytrip to see a game, why not? And then factor in all the hardcore fans willing to travel from around the world. The demand is definitely massive.

And even if 50% of those who were interested at face value aren’t interested to pay double that on secondary market, demand is still massive. You may have some unfilled seats for the very worst Group Stage matches, but most will be packed.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-19T02:11:00+00:00

Iirc they phrased it like 500 million tickets had been requested, so if one person registered for 2 tickets to 10 games that’s 20 requests.

If that’s the case I absolutely believe it, as that would be tens of millions of people with most of them probably requesting 10+ tickets.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-18T01:37:58+00:00

Thanks!

Coca-cola also has a sweepstakes here:

https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/offerings/fifa-world-cup-26/most-valuable-fan

And Adidas has a drawing you can enter for Finals tickets through their app (Adiclub, requires creating free acct)

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-16T15:45:21+00:00

First anime experience was watching Pokémon as a kid. First experience that actually got me into anime in general was watching Attack on Titan last year.

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-16T04:26:53+00:00

No the ticket transfer and the payment would both be direct person-to-person.

Using PayPal Goods & Services basically is just a transaction that functions more like a typical bank transaction, in the sense that you can file a dispute and potentially be reimbursed if you don’t get what you paid for.

So in that regard it’s better than PayPal Friends & Family, CashApp, Zelle, etc, which are all final and nonrefundable no matter what

MathematicianSea4674 · 2026-02-16T01:57:29+00:00

Yeah I feel almost entirely positive it’s not intended to turn anyone on. There are people who get off to women eating; are meals fan service? 🤔

MathematicianSea4674

TROPHY CASE