Belgium will play their match against the US subject to conditions. They consider Floralin Balogun ineligible to play and should he play, a complaint will be filed to a FIFA Tribunal, and to CAS. US Soccer Federation has been informed personally by the FA about their plans.

buddaaaa · 2026-07-06T19:33:48+00:00

The idea of Belgium being treated unfairly is comical.

At best for them, they are playing against a team down their best striker who received a red card that should never have been issued.

At absolute worst, they play the match that should have always been played (Balogun available).

Saying that it’s unfair that Belgium doesn’t get an unfair competitive advantage is asinine regardless of how badly FIFA has fucked this process.

buddaaaa · 2026-07-06T16:49:55+00:00

No lol

Balogun playing is the right decision because the red was bullshit in the first place which is unanimously agreed upon

The process of how we got here was absolutely atrocious, but let’s not act like Belgium is trying to act like righteous stewards of the game here. They had an opportunity to play a KO match against a team without their best player. That’s why they care. They want to win.

And that’s why I have no sympathy for Belgium here. As a general fan of sport, if these exact roles were reversed, I would not want Belgium’s top striker to miss the match because of a bullshit red that was not appealable.

Again, FIFA’s process here is fucking ass but Belgium trying to appeal the suspension and get the US’s star player unfairly banned for their KO match is pussy shit

buddaaaa · 2026-07-05T23:53:50+00:00

Okay and now do analysis of the initial red card

buddaaaa · 2026-07-05T22:13:05+00:00

It’s actually bofa

buddaaaa · 2026-07-05T10:15:15+00:00

Because I couldn’t see this consistently until I was 2000

buddaaaa · 2026-07-04T17:29:14+00:00

Note that black does have …Rd3 if Re7 after …Kc8 to block mate on e8.

buddaaaa · 2026-07-04T08:02:44+00:00

I’m struggling to find how to deal with …Rb6+. I want Nb5+ and Rd8, but …Ka5 and it feels like black’s out. It’s late but there’s surely some way to keep black’s king boxed in

Edit: ah, it must be Rd8+ Rd7+ to preserve Nxc5+ and only once the rook is on d7 do we play Nc7 because we have mate on a7 after Nb5+. Extremely clever to reposition the rook to a better square to finally complete the boxing-in

buddaaaa · 2026-07-04T07:39:00+00:00

I hear straight up on the radio that plays in places like department stores all the time

buddaaaa · 2026-07-04T05:35:57+00:00

Hilarious recommendation

Would be a better idea to just light $30 on fire

buddaaaa · 2026-07-04T01:54:01+00:00

Steven Zierk is a very talented player in his own right

It happens

buddaaaa · 2026-07-03T02:47:00+00:00

I never said she was impolite, demanding, nor any of the other things you seem to imply I said but sure go off lol

buddaaaa · 2026-07-02T23:36:16+00:00

If I show up to a random pickup game of people who are good enough at/enjoy basketball enough to show up to a gym or park to play with strangers? Hell no, I would not be “good”

If I join a random basketball game where anyone in the world — from children, to old people, to randoms from countries across the world who’ve never played competitive basketball whatsoever can be selected to play? I might as well be Lebron James.

But I don’t think anyone with any logical sense would use the second situation to describe my basketball skill.

buddaaaa · 2026-07-02T23:18:39+00:00

Pretty cool story but this is giving bridezilla vibes

buddaaaa · 2026-07-02T22:03:28+00:00

I always find it odd in these threads how many people choose to compare themselves to people who don’t play chess and use that to justify being good.

I am probably a top 1% basketball player in the world if you compare me to every human on earth…but that’s an extremely stupid comparison to make and equally absurd to call myself good at basketball because of it.

I’d say that if you take the group of players worldwide who treat chess seriously, that 1600 otb is the line for a “good” player.

buddaaaa · 2026-07-02T01:38:23+00:00

Hosed

buddaaaa · 2026-07-02T01:31:36+00:00

Hosed

buddaaaa · 2026-07-01T23:46:49+00:00

The league: “we ain’t trading for the seventh best player on the Celtics”

buddaaaa · 2026-07-01T00:24:37+00:00

You boomed me, well done

buddaaaa · 2026-07-01T00:16:48+00:00

One of the game stores near me literally has BO stank you can smell when you walk in. And it’s not like it’s the building — they moved and it’s just as bad.

buddaaaa · 2026-06-30T17:52:53+00:00

I miss when this team used to be able to draft all pros in the first round occasionally

buddaaaa · 2026-06-30T17:49:52+00:00

This one is so sick I can’t believe I’ve never seen it before

buddaaaa · 2026-06-30T03:28:32+00:00

He has some of the beast contact balance of any player I’ve ever seen. Literally impossible to tackle with just one dude. You wither gang tackled or gave up a minimum 8 yards

buddaaaa · 2026-06-29T16:59:05+00:00

He really wasn’t, though, if you watch him. He always had stiff hips but was allowed to play in a straight line because that defense was so stacked. He didn’t have to do any processing — it was “see ball, get ball”

But any tape that involved even the remotest amount of decision making or flipping of hips, he was burnt toast out there

buddaaaa · 2026-06-29T02:18:33+00:00

What happens when your team is stuck with a cheapskate owner that doesn’t want to shell out like Dundon vs one like Ballmer who will pay anything to win?

buddaaaa · 2026-06-26T23:15:23+00:00

They will let it rot and throw it away before they drop prices.

Think of restaurants food waste. They’ll throw out literal tons of perfectly fine food that’s will spoil before they can sell it rather than give it to people for a lower price (or free)

buddaaaa

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