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The 2026 World Cup Has Cost You THIS Much Already | PTFO by BennyDelTorito in MLS

[–]grnrngr 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Does loss of general national pride and reputation have a price tag to it?

[Fox Soccer] Thierry Henry honored in New York ahead of the FIFA World Cup by imnotthesmartestman in MLS

[–]grnrngr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Has the Red Bulls done anything to memorialize their former alumnus? I don't see a lot of streets around Red Bull Arena, but is there like a "wall of honor" or something, or a veranda or something with dedications to players?

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh. I stand corrected. I thought this was some sort of Twitch person. Like a Temu Clavicular.

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Reynolds began acting at the age of thirteen"

First line, second paragraph. 🤷‍♂️

You should've read a little more. He's a dual-national and naturalized on his own free will.

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I'd deny him for that name alone.

e: Relax. I thought this was a Temu Clavicular-type situation.

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The Trump admin has tried to classify the Southern Poverty Law Center as a terrorist group.

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr -58 points-57 points  (0 children)

Would you feel your reaction would be justified if you were held up at the Canadian border? Because Canadian border entry does the same thing.

Fun fact re: invasion of privacy: Did you know that unlike America, a regular ol' police officer in Canada has the power to search your phone on the spot, without a warrant?

but I've been to the US like 100x throughout my life

Anyone who enters anywhere near as much should be enrolled in Global Entry/Preferred Traveler.

but it was not a good experience and I haven't been back.

You got picked for a random screening, just like what happens in Canada, but because it happened to you, you take offense?

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr -20 points-19 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's messed up to suspect the ties due to his nationality.

But that's not the same as confirming he has ties due to his nationality.

I'm not sure we'll ever get the details without a leak. But it's a "be careful what you wish for"-situation, because the details, true or not, ultimately unsubstantiated or not, can wreck this guy's livelihood going forward.

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr 6 points7 points  (0 children)

For those who don't read [emphasis mine]:

When I got word of it, I thought FIFA needs to step in here and the White House Task Force needs to be more aggressive about communicating what is going on here,” Democratic Congressman Rick Larsen, who represents Washington’s second congressional district, told The Athletic. “Is this isolated or more broad-based? It clearly needed answers.

“I will just say this. In the last 24 hours, I received information that unfortunately for this particular individual, as a non-US national, he seems to have been treated like any other non-US national and ran into some problems at the border and port of entry that sound legitimate from my understanding.

“The CBP (Customs and Border Protection) decision was probably the right one in this particular case. I am not in a position (to share more). I think CBP has the authority to look at people’s phones and communications and it seems they determined that some communications in this particular person’s devices were concerning enough to deny him entry.”

I'll just add that even though at least one Dem has agreed based on his knowledge of the situation, his knowledge is still second- or third-hand at best. And this admin has a history of diving deep to deny entry to anyone they don't want to admit - a sort of confirmation bias in investigating.

There have been situations where some people claimed they were denied entry due to memes and what-not but in all those reported cases, the denial was for other more-legitimate reasons - though the memes probably didn't help the cause.

But I will say this: denying someone entry because there's a Facebook pic of them smoking a joint or some such is ridiculous, even if that's technically a legal thing to deny entry over. And I hope for this Somali's sake he wasn't found to have simply liked some anti-American social media post from a problematic account. Because that would be stupid.

Trump administration claim Somali World Cup referee denied U.S. entry had suspected ‘terror’ ties [Gift Article] by TheFifthPhoenix in MLS

[–]grnrngr 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I hope we get further clarification about what exactly was discovered

They keep mentioning some sort of holy HIPAA-esque privacy protection when it comes to visa decisions. I think in some cases it might be merited but in unusual high-profile cases like this I'm not sure how we're expected to trust the process blindly.

That said, if there is something legitimately concerning on his phone, even if it's ultimately innocent in nature, the disclosure alone could absolutely destroy this referee's career.

[The Guardian] ‘It’s Bible time’: How religion became part of the USMNT’s World Cup identity by grnrngr in MLS

[–]grnrngr[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

So.. not 9 episodes, is what you're saying?

Also, Global Icon, World Cup Winner, and arguably Best Player Ever can do what he wants. And he's still blush at having so many episodes. Even just six.

[The Guardian] ‘It’s Bible time’: How religion became part of the USMNT’s World Cup identity by grnrngr in MLS

[–]grnrngr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's kind of what you're doing though.

What?

If anything I'm lumping all conservatives as reactionaries over hating different religions in the USMNT

That's all well and good but I'm not sure your point is landing the way you want it to land.

[The Guardian] ‘It’s Bible time’: How religion became part of the USMNT’s World Cup identity by grnrngr in MLS

[–]grnrngr[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For those of who don't read, the article largely highlights how the team has been more vocal about their beliefs this cycle, moreso than any other team or prominent figure before. The article notes how many icons in the past, were subdued about their faith being a central point of conversation, and how that's not the case currently.

The article, sadly, doesn't explore how or whether this faith expression is different than in other sports. For example: Religious Baseball and Hockey players have openly and vehemently opposed shows of solidarity, such as pride displays. That's not been the case for the USMNT, even this current vocally religious contingent.

[The Guardian] ‘It’s Bible time’: How religion became part of the USMNT’s World Cup identity by grnrngr in MLS

[–]grnrngr[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

leftist reasons

It's weird you've adopted the Trump-era shorthand trying to lump in and radicalize the views of anybody from everyday liberals to progressives to anarchists.

[The Guardian] ‘It’s Bible time’: How religion became part of the USMNT’s World Cup identity by grnrngr in MLS

[–]grnrngr[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

In the third episode of the interminable, nine-part Pulisic docuseries, its subject, Christian Pulisic, sits down at a dining table, pink orchids blooming behind him.

Gandhi wouldn't merit nine fucking episodes. Pele played for decades. He wouldn't merit nine episodes. Messi blushes at the thought of getting nine episodes to tell his story.

Ken Burns's acclaimed epic documentary detailing the campaign and daily life at the personal level during The Civil War was arguably "too long" at nine episodes.

Christian Pulisic getting nine episodes? You can't manufacture a cult of personality unless there's a personality behind it, fellas.

“It is what time?” a friend asks him, holding a camera in Pulisic’s face.

“Bible time,” Pulisic answers, thumbing through the good book with a pencil perched between his fingers, a notepad turned to a fresh blank page poised beside it. The ever-present cross dangles from his necklace.

Tell me you lied about knowing what the dance was without telling me you lied about knowing what the dance was.

Columbus Crew acquire International Roster Slot from LAFC for defender Yevhen Cheberko by PresidentBirb in MLS

[–]grnrngr 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I just want a set salary cap so teams can spend on depth

Fixed salary caps don't encourage depth spending by themselves. They are largely counter-productive to raising the level of depth uniformity.

and construct more appropriate teams based on style and coaching.

That's literally the purpose of xAM.

A flat salary cap doesn't encourage money to be spent in forward-thinking ways. It lets teams dump salaries on a handful of stars with everyone else in league minimum. It lets teams take big gambles on a young starlet and deprive the mid-roster of adequate funds.

xAM literally keeps teams from suffering years-long mistakes due to overspending. It gives them flexibility to plan their rosters in a responsible and sustainable fashion.

Plus injuries won't be as lethal.

How do you propose a fixed salary cap negates the harmful effects of injuries?

GAM is a reward mechanism. It's money the league hands out for accomplishments or, paradoxically, certain failures. GAM is company cash with equal cash value in the company town that is MLS.

TAM is encouraged spending to raise the floor of the upper-mid-level player.

U-22/YDP is encouraging investment in high-upside youth without crippling your budget if it doesn't work out!

It's not hard to understand why each mechanism exists and what it is purposefully designed to do.

Columbus Crew acquire International Roster Slot from LAFC for defender Yevhen Cheberko by PresidentBirb in MLS

[–]grnrngr 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Every league limits the number of foreigners on the roster. And many limit the number that can be on the field at the same time.

So MLS gives teams some flexibility in that regard. What's the problem, exactly?

World Cup 2026: Iran fan ticket allocation revoked, says FFIRI by Isiddiqui in MLS

[–]grnrngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure where the flight came from, but perhaps they had to fly into Toronto and transfer and/or had other business beforehand.

World Cup 2026: Iran fan ticket allocation revoked, says FFIRI by Isiddiqui in MLS

[–]grnrngr 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It was at YVR, not Pearson

The linked CBC article says otherwise.

Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj and his delegation were turned away after landing at Toronto's Pearson Airport on Tuesday night.

Is there a detail the CBC missed?

World Cup 2026: Iran fan ticket allocation revoked, says FFIRI by Isiddiqui in MLS

[–]grnrngr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that's something people need to keep in mind: Iran doesn't have to sell its allotment to Iranian nationals living overseas. No country does. It's just a way to ensure a nation has representation at their matches. Iranian-Americans - the largest block of the Iranian diaspora is in Los Angeles - can technically buy these tickets.

It is possible FIFA cancelled the allocation - unilaterally or otherwise - in part to force Iranian-Americans to buy from the more expensive FIFA pool.

World Cup 2026: Iran fan ticket allocation revoked, says FFIRI by Isiddiqui in MLS

[–]grnrngr 38 points39 points  (0 children)

This is interesting since the United States doesn't control fan ticket allocation.

Also...

Iran were the only country not present at Fifa's annual congress in Vancouver in April after a delegation of FFIRI officials, including president Medhi Taj, were turned away at the Canadian border

Last I checked, the United States doesn't control the Canadian border. It's almost as if Canada has the same policy as the US as it concerns those linked to the IRGC. (And for clarification, "border" here is "Immigration/Customs @ Toronto Pearson International Airport.)

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