>tfw your country will never win the world cup
>>152733149I know
>>152733149I could always get a second nationality
>>152733696I recommend becoming a US citizen. The world cup is ours!
i have ancestors from 6 different world cup winning countries
>>152733149Not with that attitudeWho says you can't win the World Cup? Don't ever give up
we will tariff every country who doesn't let us score
>>152733820Please do so
>>152733149Apparently Litmanen has two sons. #Finland2038
>>152733149In my village (not super hillbilly area), we celebrated the World Cup win with a big festival and fireworks. Everyone was there. I refused to attend the live public screening because I was superstitious and wanted to watch with my family in private, but I basically rushed out asap to watch the ceremony with everyone on our market square. It was very cool, we celebrated until night. There were fireworks, food, everyone was delightedIt was so good and comfy that I had my first kiss there. Not that I ever amounted to anything in that regard afterwards ... so it shows that such an event can be very powerful if even I could get on base because of it
I'm aware of that feeling male sibling
>>152733720Lemme guess, ENG+FRA+SPA+GER+ITA+ARG?
>>152733149You have been world champions in the sport you actually play (ice hockey) so all is good.
>>152734033>refused to attend the live public screening because I was superstitiousDidn't use his superstition to heal the sick, raise the dead or turn water into wine.
>>152734191This camera angle exonerates Wondolowski a bit, Courtois 100% would have saved that if it was on target. In my memory that miss was a sitter into an empty net but I guess not.
>>152734283There are many more football players in Finland than there are ice hockey playersAnd the IIHF World Championships are a joke anyway, only B tier nations like Germany would brag about them (and I freely admit I am still sad about losing 2023)
>>152733149>divegrass
>>152734283They play both it's just that ice hockey is an easier sport so it's easier to win.
>>152734350US should have been 99-0 down at that point. Usually would have lost after that many chances, did create a tense game.
>>152734191The US are high up on the list of potential new World Cup winners of the future. It will be a big challenge, but the potential is there, and some good steps have been made. Portugal and the eternal chokers Netherlands come to mind, but the US deserve a spot on the list as well even though they are considerably weaker than the Dutch and the Portuguese as of nowI definitely wouldn't bet my life on the US not winning a World Cup until 2100. Not saying they will win one or more, but ... who knows?
>>152733149Keep importing people from Gambia and you might win one.
>>152734408Yeah our keeper went god mode that game, not like you lot were short on chances.
>>152734283The Olympics including NHL players are the only international tournament that matters. We haven’t won that one yet.
we have four and the cutest gals
Ngl its pretty dope when it happens
>>152734414Portugal have the player quality to win it now. Netherlands would have a shot with an ultra-defensive manager. Ecuador probably has better chances than them currently. Not many new champion hopefuls.
>>152734461It's a shame the World Championships are such a meme. Perhaps they should reform it/start anew somehow. But who are we kidding, the NHL would still ruin it and block everything
>>152734481Ecuador has a golden generation coming, but it's too early for a verdict as of now. We will find out soon. You're right about Dutchies not really being in the first row as of now, the statement was more of a general thing since they tend to be solid and one good generation and a good manager away from some deep runs. Portugal emerged as a contender comparatively recently, but their output has been consistently impressive ever since, so it seems they will be on the list for a whileBelgium is an interesting case as well. So shit 15-20 years ago, so stacked 5-10 years ago. Still solid now, but didn't reach high enough or for long enough to be named a top candidate ... for now. You're still doing a good job overall, and maybe you're just one successful rebuild away
>>152734414We are nowhere near actually winning the thing. We might fluke or get lucky to get into a semifinal sometime but we don't have anywhere near the amount of talent required to win. We've never had more talent in one squad as we did in 2004-2006 with Dempsey, Donovan, McBride, Bocanegra, etc and even then we only made RO16. If teams like Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, etc can't hack it with a huge pool of world class or at least very good talent; we don't stand a chance with only 2 or 3 good players at a time.
>>152734537tim howard in 2014. Puli SHOULD be our best ever forward
>>152734537No one said you'll win anytime soon. With your current generation and structures, it is obviously pretty much impossible, yesBut the potential has always been suspected, and recent years have shown (for the first time ever) that there is some truth to it. There are quite a few decent American players in Europe now, the MLS is developing in some way, overall participation is on the rise, more money flowing in, youth development systems have been started. The progress is there, but it can only be the first step of many, that is obviousFor now, you are Round of 16 to quarterfinal material. Not bad at all, and one can see that more is possible ... in theory. Depends on how competent and hungry you are
>>152734533Won't do shit before the defense is fixed. In the last decade it has been one false dawn after the other, promising defenders either got permacrocked or didn't work out. Doubt current crop of Theate, Debast, De Winter, ... will amount to much. Elsewhere there's plenty of talent but let's see if they can stay healthy and develop first. Nobody is expecting anything in 2026.
>>152734598Yeah we've only had a stable domestic league, an academy system, modern coaching, financial backing, and even proper fandom for about 10 years now. We're pretty much in our infancy as a country with the infrastructure in place to develop talent. It would have to continue like this for another 30 or 40 years to reliably produce young competent talent on par with europe or south america. So there's decades of work to be done, but it's at least a possibility now.
>>152734374>There are many more football players in Finland than there are ice hockey playersIs that really true? I don't know why else Finland's national team would be the worst Nordic team by far.They have a similar population to Denmark and Norway, but those 2 actually like football and therefore they've had great teams, meanwhile Finland has never even made it to the World Cup. Also, I think the reason Sweden underperforms despite having twice as many people as Denmark and Norway is because ice hockey is a vaguely close 2nd to football there while Norway and Denmark have little interest in ice hockey.
>>152734686>a stable domestic league
>>152734543Pulisic is pretty good but the fact that he's in the conversation for best ever player kinda indicates how far behind we are. He would be a bit part player on the national team of a major European country, if even called up at all. For example I think he's miles behind a player like Son Hyeung Min, someone who was just about on the cusp of being described as "world class" (at least in his prime at Spurs)
>>152734696Finland has 50,000 registered ice hockey players according to statista, the numbers I get for registered football players range from 115,000 to 160,000. Football outranks ice hockey in registered players as well as people considering it a hobby. But ice hockey is a strong second and Finns definitely take more pride in their ice hockey prowess since they are good at that. So in terms of attention, ice hockey edges out football unless a Finnish team does something of note
>>152734698Stable as in good attendance, no financially struggling clubs, and little risk of shutting down. Unlike the previous leagues we had like NASL. I'm not saying it's full of talent, I'm saying its financially stable and people watch it, which is true.
>>152734783they watch it for messi or because they jumped from the imploding ship that is Ligma MX. Most americans watch premier league or whatever team Pulisic is on. USL is unironically the only league trying to do anything with division one trying Pro/rel and letting tons of teams start up instead of asking a billion dollars for an expansion slot
>>152734794Ok? From a business standpoint it doesn't matter why people watch it, as long as they do. Messi certainly helped but it was doing well before him, which is why they expanded and created the very team he plays for in the first place. A struggling sports league doesn't expand to having 5 new teams in 3 years. Obviously PL is better attended/ watched, that's not the point. I'm saying there's sufficient money and interest in MLS to keep it around (a prerequisite for a country with any hope of developing a decent national team) which was never the case in this country in the past.
>>152734794As much as I hate saying it: franchise systems might actually be "better" for the modern business of football ... if the owners are willing to invest, which is a big if, of course, since they can just sit on their asses and make a profit most of the timeIt's just that the mere threat of relegation devalues clubs and makes sponsors and investments unlikelier. With a franchise system, amassing that money is easier, and things are steady. Then it "only" takes investments in youth work and facilities and some actual ambition. By comparison, clubs here have a harder time being profitable, and when things get really dire, they tend to set back on things like youth work, even though they know it's not a smart thing. So it happened with my local club when they fell from the Bundesliga to the 4th tier within a few years. So it happened with HSV in their era of unspeakable brain damageThe key requirement is MLS being profitable, of course. If it can stand on its own feet, the system has a chance. It still sucks in my opinion, but it is a possibility that the football world is so fucked nowadays that being all about business is potentially better than the old-fashioned way of a system that prioritizes the sportive aspect
>>152733149How can you say that? You never know what the future holds no one knows. You have to have faith and believe in your countrymen :))
