I wonder whether that would make an ATL R-J war even more of the Japan walkover...
Into the Cincoverse - The Cinco de Mayo EU Thread and Wikibox Repository
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Probably, though Japan and Russia have worked well together so far in the region.
If it did though the Russian paper Tiger would be exposed real quick
2020 FIFA World Cup - Host Selection/Venues/Infrastructure
Host Selection
FIFA announced Mexico as the host of the 2020 edition of the World Cup tournament at its 2013 Congress, held at Curacao in the German Caribbean. The vote at the October 2013 Congress was influenced in large part over heavy criticisms about the previous entry in China's infrastructure problems and concerns about public safety and to a lesser extent political instability that coincided with the tournament and both the FIFA Executive Committee and Tournament Host Committee expressed an interest in focusing primarily on "mature, experienced and developed" footballing cultures. As Europe was to host the 2016 edition in France and FIFA had adopted a policy of not hosting consecutive tournaments in the same continent after controversy over back-to-back European tournaments in the 1970s, that meant that every confederation save UEFA was eligible to bid.
As the United States had hosted the 2008 edition, CONAFA consolidated around a Mexican bid as early as 2011, but Mexico was initially thought a potential underdog as CONAFA would be hosting a tournament again just twelve years after its previous one and before a return to South America. However, the relative recency of several South American tournaments worked as a disfavor. Colombia had hosted most recently in 1980, while Argentina even more recently in 1988 and would have been a third-time host if selected, weakening their bids; Chile, which had been meant to host on two occasions (1956 and 1968) but been forced to drop out due to the cancellation of the former and its economic inability to host the latter following the devastation of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake and concurrent South American "lost decade" of the 1960s, expressed a desire to "finally welcome the world" and emerged as South America's choice. Australia, previously the host in 1968, announced a bid of its own, and from Africa came a joint bid between South Africa and the USAR as well as individual bids from Morocco and Egypt, which were both regarded as potentially strong contenders for the first-ever African World Cup. Colombia announced it would drop its bid in January of 2013 and support Chile, while the South Africa/USAR bid collapsed shortly thereafter and consolidated behind Australia, creating a major and controversial rift inside CAF.
Despite Chile's appeal in one of football's heartland confederations and having never hosted before, the country's sclerotic economy and lack of major stadia were points against it after the negative experience FIFA had just experienced in China and, to a lesser extent, Brazil in 2004 despite that country's long footballing culture, and the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country was widely seen as a major concern for the Host Committee. Australia, thanks to recent strong World Cup performances, became a dark horse favorite for European voters, thought to be in part influenced by Britain's strong support for its fellow Commonwealth member. Mexico was able to present a package, however, that featured stadia that would only need partial renovation for the most part to come up to FIFA standards and two major infrastructure developments planned to be finished by 2020 - the Texcoco International Airport in Mexico City, one of the world's largest, and the completion of the high-speed TAV rail service from its present terminus in Queretaro on to Leon, Aguascalientes and Guadalajara, thus uniting much of the Bajio region of Mexico where the majority of venues would be located. Australia was further affected by some complaints about the time difference in China by several UEFA, CONAFA and CONAME members who had found "3am knockout games unwatchable." Australia surprisingly placed third on the first ballot behind Mexico and Morocco, and Mexico won an absolute majority on the second ballot. Mexico would become the eighth country to host the World Cup tournament twice.
Venues
Mexico featured 12 stadia in 11 cities, most of which were new since Mexico's previous time hosting in 1960 but established by 2020. Only three stadia, the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, the Nuevo Estadio Leon in Leon, and Estadio Chivas in Zapopan were purpose-built for the World Cup (or at least built with it in mind). Most other stadia, however, received renovations and in many cases significant modernizations and expansions including modern roofs, or increased seating and concession areas. The original bid package proposed 16 stadia that would be whittled down to 12; in the end, stadia in Mazatlan, Torreon, San Luis Potosi, and Aguascalientes were set aside.
Much like in 1960, the majority of stadia save the two in the Monterrey area were all located relatively close in the Altiplano/Bajio region of central Mexico, and a premium was placed on proximity for group matches; Group B played exclusively in the two Monterrey stadia, while Group F had all games in one of the two Guadalajara-area stadia or in Irapuato. The Estadio Azteca and Estadio Jalisco hosted the most games with seven each, with the former hosting the final and the latter hosting both the opening match and the third-place game.
The host cities and their affiliated stadia:
Mexico City - Estadio Azteca - 87,000
Guadalajara - Estadio Jalisco - 55,100
Mexico City - Estadio Olimpico Universitario - 48,300
Zapopan - Estadio Chivas - 48,000 (new)
Toluca - Estadio La Bombonera - 31,000
Queretaro - Estadio la Corregidora - 38,000
Monterrey - Estadio BBVA - 53,500 (new)
Puebla - Estadio Cuauhtemoc - 51,500
San Nicolas de los Garza - Estadio Universitario - 42,000
Leon - Nuevo Estadio Leon - 38,500 (new)
Morelia - Estadio Morelos - 35,000
Irapuato - Estadio Irapuato - 34,800 (expanded)
Infrastructure
Mexico invested billions of pesos in improvements to national infrastructure to host the World Cup. Prominently, the TAV-3 network of high-speed rail capable of traveling at top speeds of 300kmh was completed in 2019, connecting termini in Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi and Guadalajara to Mexico City via Irapuato, Leon and the previous terminus in Queretaro, which had been opened in 2008; improvements to the two-branch TAV-2 high-speed connection to Toluca city and Toluca Airport that was opened in 2014 were also made, such as expanding station access areas, on-site accommodations and opening a promised express rail track. An improved conventional-speed passenger rail service from San Luis Potosi to Monterrey was also completed, improving Monterrey's access to the passenger rail network operated by Ferrocariles Mexicanas at a lower cost than running a full TAV project north, which could not have been financed or built in time.
Public transport infrastructure was also made a priority, with the completion of the Texcoco Airport Line of the Mexico City Metro, three new Metrobus BRT lines in Mexico City, and the inauguration of the TRIU rapid commuter rail network in the Valle de Mexico a mere month before the World Cup kicked off. New fixed-rail and BRT metro lines were also opened in Guadalajara, Puebla, and Leon.
One centerpiece of the World Cup was the completion of the long-promised, long-delayed Texcoco Airport northeast of Mexico City's center, which was opened for traffic in 2015, and new terminals were built at Toluca Airport, Monterrey-Nuevo Leon Airport and Guadalajara International Airport with new routes inaugurated to several international destinations after a slight decline in domestic air travel coming with the completion of the TAV-3. As part of a promise made by the Ebrard ministry in the planning phase of the World Cup, Mexico also created in its urban areas (including those not hosting any games) nearly a million acres of new metropolitan parkland, built 125,000 purpose-designed temporary hotel and accommodation rooms across the country that were converted to social housing following the World Cup, and invested billions of pesos of revenues into upgrading youth football facilities including community-owned stadia, dressing rooms and school pitches.
FIFA announced Mexico as the host of the 2020 edition of the World Cup tournament at its 2013 Congress, held at Curacao in the German Caribbean. The vote at the October 2013 Congress was influenced in large part over heavy criticisms about the previous entry in China's infrastructure problems and concerns about public safety and to a lesser extent political instability that coincided with the tournament and both the FIFA Executive Committee and Tournament Host Committee expressed an interest in focusing primarily on "mature, experienced and developed" footballing cultures. As Europe was to host the 2016 edition in France and FIFA had adopted a policy of not hosting consecutive tournaments in the same continent after controversy over back-to-back European tournaments in the 1970s, that meant that every confederation save UEFA was eligible to bid.
As the United States had hosted the 2008 edition, CONAFA consolidated around a Mexican bid as early as 2011, but Mexico was initially thought a potential underdog as CONAFA would be hosting a tournament again just twelve years after its previous one and before a return to South America. However, the relative recency of several South American tournaments worked as a disfavor. Colombia had hosted most recently in 1980, while Argentina even more recently in 1988 and would have been a third-time host if selected, weakening their bids; Chile, which had been meant to host on two occasions (1956 and 1968) but been forced to drop out due to the cancellation of the former and its economic inability to host the latter following the devastation of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake and concurrent South American "lost decade" of the 1960s, expressed a desire to "finally welcome the world" and emerged as South America's choice. Australia, previously the host in 1968, announced a bid of its own, and from Africa came a joint bid between South Africa and the USAR as well as individual bids from Morocco and Egypt, which were both regarded as potentially strong contenders for the first-ever African World Cup. Colombia announced it would drop its bid in January of 2013 and support Chile, while the South Africa/USAR bid collapsed shortly thereafter and consolidated behind Australia, creating a major and controversial rift inside CAF.
Despite Chile's appeal in one of football's heartland confederations and having never hosted before, the country's sclerotic economy and lack of major stadia were points against it after the negative experience FIFA had just experienced in China and, to a lesser extent, Brazil in 2004 despite that country's long footballing culture, and the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country was widely seen as a major concern for the Host Committee. Australia, thanks to recent strong World Cup performances, became a dark horse favorite for European voters, thought to be in part influenced by Britain's strong support for its fellow Commonwealth member. Mexico was able to present a package, however, that featured stadia that would only need partial renovation for the most part to come up to FIFA standards and two major infrastructure developments planned to be finished by 2020 - the Texcoco International Airport in Mexico City, one of the world's largest, and the completion of the high-speed TAV rail service from its present terminus in Queretaro on to Leon, Aguascalientes and Guadalajara, thus uniting much of the Bajio region of Mexico where the majority of venues would be located. Australia was further affected by some complaints about the time difference in China by several UEFA, CONAFA and CONAME members who had found "3am knockout games unwatchable." Australia surprisingly placed third on the first ballot behind Mexico and Morocco, and Mexico won an absolute majority on the second ballot. Mexico would become the eighth country to host the World Cup tournament twice.
Venues
Mexico featured 12 stadia in 11 cities, most of which were new since Mexico's previous time hosting in 1960 but established by 2020. Only three stadia, the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, the Nuevo Estadio Leon in Leon, and Estadio Chivas in Zapopan were purpose-built for the World Cup (or at least built with it in mind). Most other stadia, however, received renovations and in many cases significant modernizations and expansions including modern roofs, or increased seating and concession areas. The original bid package proposed 16 stadia that would be whittled down to 12; in the end, stadia in Mazatlan, Torreon, San Luis Potosi, and Aguascalientes were set aside.
Much like in 1960, the majority of stadia save the two in the Monterrey area were all located relatively close in the Altiplano/Bajio region of central Mexico, and a premium was placed on proximity for group matches; Group B played exclusively in the two Monterrey stadia, while Group F had all games in one of the two Guadalajara-area stadia or in Irapuato. The Estadio Azteca and Estadio Jalisco hosted the most games with seven each, with the former hosting the final and the latter hosting both the opening match and the third-place game.
The host cities and their affiliated stadia:
Mexico City - Estadio Azteca - 87,000
Guadalajara - Estadio Jalisco - 55,100
Mexico City - Estadio Olimpico Universitario - 48,300
Zapopan - Estadio Chivas - 48,000 (new)
Toluca - Estadio La Bombonera - 31,000
Queretaro - Estadio la Corregidora - 38,000
Monterrey - Estadio BBVA - 53,500 (new)
Puebla - Estadio Cuauhtemoc - 51,500
San Nicolas de los Garza - Estadio Universitario - 42,000
Leon - Nuevo Estadio Leon - 38,500 (new)
Morelia - Estadio Morelos - 35,000
Irapuato - Estadio Irapuato - 34,800 (expanded)
Infrastructure
Mexico invested billions of pesos in improvements to national infrastructure to host the World Cup. Prominently, the TAV-3 network of high-speed rail capable of traveling at top speeds of 300kmh was completed in 2019, connecting termini in Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi and Guadalajara to Mexico City via Irapuato, Leon and the previous terminus in Queretaro, which had been opened in 2008; improvements to the two-branch TAV-2 high-speed connection to Toluca city and Toluca Airport that was opened in 2014 were also made, such as expanding station access areas, on-site accommodations and opening a promised express rail track. An improved conventional-speed passenger rail service from San Luis Potosi to Monterrey was also completed, improving Monterrey's access to the passenger rail network operated by Ferrocariles Mexicanas at a lower cost than running a full TAV project north, which could not have been financed or built in time.
Public transport infrastructure was also made a priority, with the completion of the Texcoco Airport Line of the Mexico City Metro, three new Metrobus BRT lines in Mexico City, and the inauguration of the TRIU rapid commuter rail network in the Valle de Mexico a mere month before the World Cup kicked off. New fixed-rail and BRT metro lines were also opened in Guadalajara, Puebla, and Leon.
One centerpiece of the World Cup was the completion of the long-promised, long-delayed Texcoco Airport northeast of Mexico City's center, which was opened for traffic in 2015, and new terminals were built at Toluca Airport, Monterrey-Nuevo Leon Airport and Guadalajara International Airport with new routes inaugurated to several international destinations after a slight decline in domestic air travel coming with the completion of the TAV-3. As part of a promise made by the Ebrard ministry in the planning phase of the World Cup, Mexico also created in its urban areas (including those not hosting any games) nearly a million acres of new metropolitan parkland, built 125,000 purpose-designed temporary hotel and accommodation rooms across the country that were converted to social housing following the World Cup, and invested billions of pesos of revenues into upgrading youth football facilities including community-owned stadia, dressing rooms and school pitches.
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I love how Chile keeps getting screwed out of hosting by earthquakes. Even God doesn't want them to get a World Cup 
Fun update! Love the sports/culture stuff like this. Far too many timelines are exclusively focused on painting the map different colors and that's it.
Fun update! Love the sports/culture stuff like this. Far too many timelines are exclusively focused on painting the map different colors and that's it.
There was a certain hilarious symmetry to it, that’s for sure 😂I love how Chile keeps getting screwed out of hosting by earthquakes. Even God doesn't want them to get a World Cup
Fun update! Love the sports/culture stuff like this. Far too many timelines are exclusively focused on painting the map different colors and that's it.
Thanks! We’ll do a deeper tour of some of these infra projects to give more of a taste of contemporary Mexico and then I’ll probably cover the group stages/knockouts of the tournament before moving on from the 2020 World Cup
High-speed rail in Mexico
High-speed rail in Mexico refers to the network of electrified passenger rail routes that travel on a mix of upgraded and purpose-built tracks in excess of 200 kilometers per hour in the country of Mexico. As of 2023, the country of Mexico has a high-speed rail network of four routes on a total of ___ kilometers of rail, with a fifth route under construction. The services are operated under the brand of TAV, for Tren Alta Velocidad, by FCM, the state-owned rail operator and regulator for the Mexican rail system. In addition to its four high-speed routes, a number of "accelerated rail" routes are run with top speeds under the 200kmh limit.
FCM (Ferrocariles Mexicanas) embarked in a major project starting in the late 1960s to electrify all of its trunk and secondary rail routes, particularly ones that saw more than once-daily passenger routing, a project that was considered complete in 1991. Following the mid-1990s recession, Mexican policymakers began discussing the possibility of a high-speed rail network to reduce congested roads and airports, and the Strategic Rail Project (PSFC) was drawn up by the Ministry of Transport and FCM in the spring of 1999. Following the simultaneous election of Vicente Fox's conservative government, the Fox ministry chose the PSFC along with the new Mexico City Airport as its two primary "proyectos grandes" it would pursue over the first decade of the new millennium to enhance Mexico's economy in the new century and passed new laws accordingly. The TAV-1, TAV-2 and TAV-3 projects were the three largest construction projects in contemporary Mexican history, with TAV-3's simultaneous build of three extensions out of Queretaro regarded as one of the most ambitious infrastructure endeavors of the century.
The trunk segment of the TAV system is the routes constructed under the aegis of TAV-1 and TAV-3, which upgraded existing rail to high-speed standards and also built 700 kilometers of dedicated track along with tunnels and viaducts, which in 2008 opened the 210 km route between Buenavista Station in the capital and Central de Queretaro, and then the "trident routes" that were completed in phases throughout 2019, with a direct route to San Luis Potosi from Queretaro and then routes to Aguascalientes via Leon and Guadalajara that split off from one another after Irapuato. The TAV-1 and TAV-3 segments completed 918 kilometers of high-speed rail across the following five segments:
Mexico City-Queretaro - 210 km
Queretaro-Irapuato - 105 km
Irapuato-Aguascalientes - 175km
Irapuato-Guadalajara - 240km
Queretaro-San Luis Potosi - 188km
The completion of these routes, with trains capable of top speeds of 300 kmh and an average travel speed of behind 220 to 225 kmh, allowed travel between Mexico City and Queretaro in an hour, and then from Queretaro to Potosi in 50 minutes, Queretaro to Aguascalientes in an hour and 15 minutes, and Queretaro to Guadalajara in an hour and a half. Since the opening of the Mexico City-Guadalajara TAV service in early 2019, the busy corresponding airplane route has seen a greater than 40% reduction in traffic, with hourly service by train replacing much of its capacity. Mexican transport planners estimate that the completion of the TAV network in the Altiplano has taken the equivalent of 3 million cars per annum off the roads and forty thousand flights per annum.
TAV-2 is a separate project not interlining with the rest of the TAV network, and has come under considerable criticism for its inclusion with the rest of the project as well as for its cost overruns. TAV-2 was a project to make the commuter rail line from the Toluca region (Mexico's sixth-largest metropolitan area) to Observatorio Station in southwestern Mexico City capable of running trains up to 250 kmh, as well as an express spur to Toluca Airport's new, modern terminal on the revamped eastern side of its airfield. The tunnels through the mountains separating the Valle de Mexico and Valle de Toluca were over-engineered to include express tunnels; as of 2023, only the Toluca Airport express train utilizes these tunnels, stopping at Santa Fe Central in the new Santa Fe business and residential district and then terminating at Observatorio, which is meant to serve long-term as a secondary metro center to Buenavista. Upgrades to the commuter rail line to allow faster travel and express routes directly to Toluca should be done by 2024, thus completing TAV-2, which has been criticized as a white elephant and "train to nowhere," as it does not integrate with the TRIU suburban rail network in the rest of the Valle de Mexico, though plans to eventually run a TRIU line to Observatorio and Santa Fe are in the planning stages.
TAV-4 is, as of 2023, regarded as the final planned and funded stage of the TAV expansion. Breaking ground in November 2022 and using the upgraded TRIU network and its express tracks through the northern Valle de Mexico, this high-speed rail connection will be a 200 km route with a top speed of 300 kmh connecting Puebla to Mexico City via Teotihuacan, Sahagun, Apizaco and Tlaxcala, thus tying in the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Mexico to the capital. TAV-4 is expected to be completed by spring of 2027. While discussions have been raised about extending TAV-4 to Tehuacan, Cordoba or even Veracruz, no such plans are in place yet and the latter two would pose substantial engineering challenges. A popular "TAV-5" hypothetical is an extension of the existing Altiplanense network to Morelia, though the precise routing is subject of considerable debate and there are no substantive plans in place as of yet. As such, it is anticipated in Mexico that the TAV network is "mature" and unlikely to see considerably more expansion until the mid-to-late 2030s at the earliest.
FCM (Ferrocariles Mexicanas) embarked in a major project starting in the late 1960s to electrify all of its trunk and secondary rail routes, particularly ones that saw more than once-daily passenger routing, a project that was considered complete in 1991. Following the mid-1990s recession, Mexican policymakers began discussing the possibility of a high-speed rail network to reduce congested roads and airports, and the Strategic Rail Project (PSFC) was drawn up by the Ministry of Transport and FCM in the spring of 1999. Following the simultaneous election of Vicente Fox's conservative government, the Fox ministry chose the PSFC along with the new Mexico City Airport as its two primary "proyectos grandes" it would pursue over the first decade of the new millennium to enhance Mexico's economy in the new century and passed new laws accordingly. The TAV-1, TAV-2 and TAV-3 projects were the three largest construction projects in contemporary Mexican history, with TAV-3's simultaneous build of three extensions out of Queretaro regarded as one of the most ambitious infrastructure endeavors of the century.
The trunk segment of the TAV system is the routes constructed under the aegis of TAV-1 and TAV-3, which upgraded existing rail to high-speed standards and also built 700 kilometers of dedicated track along with tunnels and viaducts, which in 2008 opened the 210 km route between Buenavista Station in the capital and Central de Queretaro, and then the "trident routes" that were completed in phases throughout 2019, with a direct route to San Luis Potosi from Queretaro and then routes to Aguascalientes via Leon and Guadalajara that split off from one another after Irapuato. The TAV-1 and TAV-3 segments completed 918 kilometers of high-speed rail across the following five segments:
Mexico City-Queretaro - 210 km
Queretaro-Irapuato - 105 km
Irapuato-Aguascalientes - 175km
Irapuato-Guadalajara - 240km
Queretaro-San Luis Potosi - 188km
The completion of these routes, with trains capable of top speeds of 300 kmh and an average travel speed of behind 220 to 225 kmh, allowed travel between Mexico City and Queretaro in an hour, and then from Queretaro to Potosi in 50 minutes, Queretaro to Aguascalientes in an hour and 15 minutes, and Queretaro to Guadalajara in an hour and a half. Since the opening of the Mexico City-Guadalajara TAV service in early 2019, the busy corresponding airplane route has seen a greater than 40% reduction in traffic, with hourly service by train replacing much of its capacity. Mexican transport planners estimate that the completion of the TAV network in the Altiplano has taken the equivalent of 3 million cars per annum off the roads and forty thousand flights per annum.
TAV-2 is a separate project not interlining with the rest of the TAV network, and has come under considerable criticism for its inclusion with the rest of the project as well as for its cost overruns. TAV-2 was a project to make the commuter rail line from the Toluca region (Mexico's sixth-largest metropolitan area) to Observatorio Station in southwestern Mexico City capable of running trains up to 250 kmh, as well as an express spur to Toluca Airport's new, modern terminal on the revamped eastern side of its airfield. The tunnels through the mountains separating the Valle de Mexico and Valle de Toluca were over-engineered to include express tunnels; as of 2023, only the Toluca Airport express train utilizes these tunnels, stopping at Santa Fe Central in the new Santa Fe business and residential district and then terminating at Observatorio, which is meant to serve long-term as a secondary metro center to Buenavista. Upgrades to the commuter rail line to allow faster travel and express routes directly to Toluca should be done by 2024, thus completing TAV-2, which has been criticized as a white elephant and "train to nowhere," as it does not integrate with the TRIU suburban rail network in the rest of the Valle de Mexico, though plans to eventually run a TRIU line to Observatorio and Santa Fe are in the planning stages.
TAV-4 is, as of 2023, regarded as the final planned and funded stage of the TAV expansion. Breaking ground in November 2022 and using the upgraded TRIU network and its express tracks through the northern Valle de Mexico, this high-speed rail connection will be a 200 km route with a top speed of 300 kmh connecting Puebla to Mexico City via Teotihuacan, Sahagun, Apizaco and Tlaxcala, thus tying in the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Mexico to the capital. TAV-4 is expected to be completed by spring of 2027. While discussions have been raised about extending TAV-4 to Tehuacan, Cordoba or even Veracruz, no such plans are in place yet and the latter two would pose substantial engineering challenges. A popular "TAV-5" hypothetical is an extension of the existing Altiplanense network to Morelia, though the precise routing is subject of considerable debate and there are no substantive plans in place as of yet. As such, it is anticipated in Mexico that the TAV network is "mature" and unlikely to see considerably more expansion until the mid-to-late 2030s at the earliest.
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2020 FIFA World Cup - Group Stage A-D
Group A
The first game of the tournament was held in Guadalajara in the opening match between Mexico and Ireland. The match went goalless for the entire first 86 minutes of the match, a testament to the strong defensive legacies and strategies of both sides, until Andres Guardado's header in the 87th minute put Mexico up 1-0. In the other Group A opening game, South Africa and Iran drew 1-1, with a goal by Ashley du Preez at the 10th minute to put South Africa up 1-0 only to see Iran equalize through Mehdi Taremi in the first minute of stoppage time to steal a point. The second round of Group A matches were entirely scoreless, chalked up to four teams renowned for their defensive prowess in back, goal and strong midfields; sports commentators in the US and UK came to refer to the round as "the Group of Eggs" for two dull, goalless draws. The third match, thus, saw a tight group with Mexico leading with only 4 points and Ireland threatening to be eliminated after having advanced to seven straight knockout rounds dating back to 1992. The streak was kept alive thanks to Ireland scoring on a header from their captain Shane Long at the 60th minute over Iran, while meanwhile at the Estadio Azteca reserve midfielder Giovani dos Santos came off the bench after a scoreless first half to score a brace with goals at 66' and 80' and power Mexico into the knockout round.
Mexico 1-0 Ireland
South Africa 1-1 Iran
-
Mexico 0-0 Iran
Ireland 0-0 South Africa
-
Mexico 2-0 South Africa
Ireland 1-0 Iran
Mexico 7
Ireland 4
South Africa 2
Iran 2
Group B
Italy entered the group stage with the top ranking in world football, having served as runner-up to Germany both at the 2016 FIFA World Cup and two years later at the UEFA Euro 2018 played on German soil, and the 2018 Euro final had indeed been the last game they had lost. As such, they were heavy favorites, and demonstrated why in the Group B matches. Italy began their World Cup with a 4-2 demolition of Serbia, with Ciro Immobile scoring a hat trick and striker Daniele de Paolini adding a fourth for good measure. In the opposite group stage match, Texas and debutants Venezuela faced off, with Texas winning 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Jordan Owens, adding to the controversy around Texas being drawn into the group with matches exclusively held in close proximity to their border in the Monterrey agglomeration. The biggest point spread of the tournament would occur in the next match, at the Estadio Universitario in San Nicolas, where Italy defeated Venezuela 7-0. Immobile scored his second hat trick of the tournament, making him only one of two players in World Cup history to score two hat tricks in one tournament and the first to accomplish it in consecutive matches or in the Group Stage; Marco Verratti scored an additional goal at 88' to complete the second-biggest victory by margin in World Cup history, and the largest since 1976, and one that made Italy the first side to guarantee a place in the knockout round. The opposite match, pitting Texas and Serbia against one another, was no less lively; in a penalty-heavy game in which each side was shown red cards, a 1-1 draw concluded the match. Italy defeated Texas in the last group stage game 1-0 with Immobile's seventh goal of the tournament, placing him on pace to break the World Cup single-tournament scoring record, while in the other match the eliminated Venezuela denied Serbia a small but mathematical chance to advance with a 2-1 victory, coming from behind after Aleksandar Mitrovic's second goal of the tournament at 11' with a brace from star player Salomon Rondon, who equalized at 55' and then scored the go-ahead goal at 86' to give Venezuela their first goals in a World Cup and first victory.
Italy 4-2 Serbia
Texas 1-0 Venezuela
-
Italy 7-0 Venezuela
Texas 1-1 Serbia
-
Italy 1-0 Texas
Serbia 1-2 Venezuela
Italy 9
Texas 4
Venezuela 3
Serbia 1
Group C
For the second World Cup in a row, France was placed in a group with Denmark and Australia, with France once again opening against Denmark, in a 1-1 draw even after an unusual seven minutes of stoppage time. In the other group, Australia and Morocco also drew 1-1, leaving the entire group on 1 point after the first match. This deadlock would be broken quickly in the second round, as France decisively defeated Australia, scoring three goals including a brace from Antoine Griezmann in the first half, while Denmark and Morocco both inched up to 2 points apiece with a second 1-1 draw for both. This meant that, despite Australia's loss, the group was wide open heading into the third match. However, Denmark demolished Australia, with star Christian Eriksen scoring his third and fourth goals of the tournament in a 4-1 victory, while thanks to a late score from Olivier Giroud France broke its deadlock against Morocco to top the group.
France 1-1 Denmark
Australia 1-1 Morocco
-
Denmark 1-1 Morocco
France 3-1 Australia
-
Australia 1-4 Denmark
France 2-1 Morocco
France 7
Denmark 5
Morocco 2
Australia 1
Group D
Britain and Croatia saw a 2-2 draw for their first match, with Gareth Bale and Harry Kane both landing goals in the first half before Mateo Kovacic scored twice for Croatia at 80' and 82', stealing a point off Britain. This would later prove crucial as the group advanced; Nicaragua had defeated China 1-0 in its first-ever World Cup game but was thoroughly outclassed by Britain, but nonetheless managed to hold the Red Lions to only a late Raheem Sterling goal in the 77th minute, while Croatia put two goals into net against China. The last game thus was crucial with Britain and Croatia still even on points and Croatia only ahead thanks to fair play; goal difference would make the difference as Croatia annihilated Nicaragua 3-0 with a hat trick by Kovacic, who now had six goals in the group stage, while Britain's late allowance of a Chiu Fei-tsun goal at 84' minutes denied them a clean sheet and placed Croatia first on goal difference despite equal points.
Britain 2-2 Croatia
Nicaragua 1-0 China
-
Croatia 2-1 China
Britain 1-0 Nicaragua
-
Croatia 3-0 Nicaragua
Britain 2-1 China
Croatia 7
Britain 7
Nicaragua 3
China 0
The first game of the tournament was held in Guadalajara in the opening match between Mexico and Ireland. The match went goalless for the entire first 86 minutes of the match, a testament to the strong defensive legacies and strategies of both sides, until Andres Guardado's header in the 87th minute put Mexico up 1-0. In the other Group A opening game, South Africa and Iran drew 1-1, with a goal by Ashley du Preez at the 10th minute to put South Africa up 1-0 only to see Iran equalize through Mehdi Taremi in the first minute of stoppage time to steal a point. The second round of Group A matches were entirely scoreless, chalked up to four teams renowned for their defensive prowess in back, goal and strong midfields; sports commentators in the US and UK came to refer to the round as "the Group of Eggs" for two dull, goalless draws. The third match, thus, saw a tight group with Mexico leading with only 4 points and Ireland threatening to be eliminated after having advanced to seven straight knockout rounds dating back to 1992. The streak was kept alive thanks to Ireland scoring on a header from their captain Shane Long at the 60th minute over Iran, while meanwhile at the Estadio Azteca reserve midfielder Giovani dos Santos came off the bench after a scoreless first half to score a brace with goals at 66' and 80' and power Mexico into the knockout round.
Mexico 1-0 Ireland
South Africa 1-1 Iran
-
Mexico 0-0 Iran
Ireland 0-0 South Africa
-
Mexico 2-0 South Africa
Ireland 1-0 Iran
Mexico 7
Ireland 4
South Africa 2
Iran 2
Group B
Italy entered the group stage with the top ranking in world football, having served as runner-up to Germany both at the 2016 FIFA World Cup and two years later at the UEFA Euro 2018 played on German soil, and the 2018 Euro final had indeed been the last game they had lost. As such, they were heavy favorites, and demonstrated why in the Group B matches. Italy began their World Cup with a 4-2 demolition of Serbia, with Ciro Immobile scoring a hat trick and striker Daniele de Paolini adding a fourth for good measure. In the opposite group stage match, Texas and debutants Venezuela faced off, with Texas winning 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Jordan Owens, adding to the controversy around Texas being drawn into the group with matches exclusively held in close proximity to their border in the Monterrey agglomeration. The biggest point spread of the tournament would occur in the next match, at the Estadio Universitario in San Nicolas, where Italy defeated Venezuela 7-0. Immobile scored his second hat trick of the tournament, making him only one of two players in World Cup history to score two hat tricks in one tournament and the first to accomplish it in consecutive matches or in the Group Stage; Marco Verratti scored an additional goal at 88' to complete the second-biggest victory by margin in World Cup history, and the largest since 1976, and one that made Italy the first side to guarantee a place in the knockout round. The opposite match, pitting Texas and Serbia against one another, was no less lively; in a penalty-heavy game in which each side was shown red cards, a 1-1 draw concluded the match. Italy defeated Texas in the last group stage game 1-0 with Immobile's seventh goal of the tournament, placing him on pace to break the World Cup single-tournament scoring record, while in the other match the eliminated Venezuela denied Serbia a small but mathematical chance to advance with a 2-1 victory, coming from behind after Aleksandar Mitrovic's second goal of the tournament at 11' with a brace from star player Salomon Rondon, who equalized at 55' and then scored the go-ahead goal at 86' to give Venezuela their first goals in a World Cup and first victory.
Italy 4-2 Serbia
Texas 1-0 Venezuela
-
Italy 7-0 Venezuela
Texas 1-1 Serbia
-
Italy 1-0 Texas
Serbia 1-2 Venezuela
Italy 9
Texas 4
Venezuela 3
Serbia 1
Group C
For the second World Cup in a row, France was placed in a group with Denmark and Australia, with France once again opening against Denmark, in a 1-1 draw even after an unusual seven minutes of stoppage time. In the other group, Australia and Morocco also drew 1-1, leaving the entire group on 1 point after the first match. This deadlock would be broken quickly in the second round, as France decisively defeated Australia, scoring three goals including a brace from Antoine Griezmann in the first half, while Denmark and Morocco both inched up to 2 points apiece with a second 1-1 draw for both. This meant that, despite Australia's loss, the group was wide open heading into the third match. However, Denmark demolished Australia, with star Christian Eriksen scoring his third and fourth goals of the tournament in a 4-1 victory, while thanks to a late score from Olivier Giroud France broke its deadlock against Morocco to top the group.
France 1-1 Denmark
Australia 1-1 Morocco
-
Denmark 1-1 Morocco
France 3-1 Australia
-
Australia 1-4 Denmark
France 2-1 Morocco
France 7
Denmark 5
Morocco 2
Australia 1
Group D
Britain and Croatia saw a 2-2 draw for their first match, with Gareth Bale and Harry Kane both landing goals in the first half before Mateo Kovacic scored twice for Croatia at 80' and 82', stealing a point off Britain. This would later prove crucial as the group advanced; Nicaragua had defeated China 1-0 in its first-ever World Cup game but was thoroughly outclassed by Britain, but nonetheless managed to hold the Red Lions to only a late Raheem Sterling goal in the 77th minute, while Croatia put two goals into net against China. The last game thus was crucial with Britain and Croatia still even on points and Croatia only ahead thanks to fair play; goal difference would make the difference as Croatia annihilated Nicaragua 3-0 with a hat trick by Kovacic, who now had six goals in the group stage, while Britain's late allowance of a Chiu Fei-tsun goal at 84' minutes denied them a clean sheet and placed Croatia first on goal difference despite equal points.
Britain 2-2 Croatia
Nicaragua 1-0 China
-
Croatia 2-1 China
Britain 1-0 Nicaragua
-
Croatia 3-0 Nicaragua
Britain 2-1 China
Croatia 7
Britain 7
Nicaragua 3
China 0
2020 FIFA World Cup - Group Stage E-H
Group E
Group E got off to a famous start with Sweden's comeback against Spain in the first match; after Spain went up 2-0 in the first twenty minutes of the game behind scores by Alvaro Morata and eventual Best Young Player Borja Mayoral, Sweden fought back with a header by Emil Forsberg, followed by a corner kick that slipped past David de Gea from captain Marcus Berg, and finally in stoppage time a distance-strike by Viktor Claesson that earned Sweden the upset win over the No. 3 team in the world FIFA rankings. In the other match, Liberia and Peru fought to a goalless draw, putting Spain at the bottom of the group on points.
In the second round of matches, Spain revenged itself upon Peru, with Morata scoring again off an assist by Mayoral and then a late added goal by Marco Asensio. Sweden, meanwhile was held to a 1-1 draw by Liberia; despite an early goal by Berg, Liberia's stiff defense held Sweden out of goal when a Forsberg strike was deemed offside by VAR and after a controversial handball penalty awarded against Joel Andersson, Timothy Weah converted the penalty kick at 86' to draw up the game and earn a second point and theoretically keep Liberia's chances of advancing to the knockout for the first time since his father George achieved the feat in 1996 alive. This was not to be, however; Spain secured second place in the group thanks to a Mayoral goal over Liberia at 33' in their last game, while Sweden decisively defeated Peru 3-1 behind goals from Forsberg, Kristoffer Olsson, and Marcus Rohden.
Spain 2-3 Sweden
Liberia 0-0 Peru
-
Spain 2-0 Peru
Sweden 1-1 Liberia
-
Spain 1-0 Liberia
Peru 1-3 Sweden
Sweden 7
Spain 6
Liberia 2
Peru 1
Group F
The opening match saw a shocker, as traditionally mediocre Switzerland leapt out to a 3-0 lead over defending World Cup champions Germany, with only late goals from Julian Brandt and Thomas Muller rescuing Germany from humiliation. In the other match, Costa Rica shocked with two goals over favorites Colombia after a scoreless first half, with both coming from Joel Campbell on penalties. The following match, however, proved the genuine stunner in the group, as five different Colombia players scored goals against Germany in the first half, and despite, once again, two late goals to tighten the scoreline - this time from Brandt and Julian Draxler - the result sent Germany out as eliminated, the fifth consecutive World Cup champion to be eliminated at the group stage. Costa Rica continued its march to the knockouts by going three clear with a guaranteed place in the Round of 16 thanks to a three-goal defeat of Switzerland, with Francisco Calvo, youngster Anthony Contreras and Johan Venegas all finding the back of the net while the defense clamped down aggressively on a Swiss attack that had lost all potency since its match with Germany. In the final matches, Germany was able to deny Costa Rica full points thanks to Muller's late goal after a mostly scoreless game, and Colombia pipped Switzerland to the second spot after the Swiss went down to ten men and James Rodriguez scored his second goal of the tournament on the ensuing penalty.
Germany 2-3 Switzerland
Costa Rica 2-0 Colombia
-
Germany 2-5 Colombia
Costa Rica 3-0 Switzerland
-
Germany 1-0 Costa Rica
Switzerland 0-1 Colombia
Costa Rica 6
Colombia 6
Germany 3
Switzerland 3
Group G
Group G was widely regarded as the "Group of Death" coming into the tournament and lived up to its reputation; any of USA, Brazil or Portugal were thought to be potential semifinalists in the tournament and Egypt was regarded as the most talented, dangerous African team in Mexico. A record of 34 goals were scored in the group play; not a single clean sheet was kept. In the opening match, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo opened scoring at 5' only to watch USA dominate the rest of the game, with goals from Josh Sargent, Christian Pulisic, Andrew Luck, and Marshon Lattimore. Meanwhile, in the following match between Brazil and Egypt, a hat trick by Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah was negated by three goals by Brazil in the space of ten minutes late in the second half, all from different players. It was the game between the United States and Brazil which would be the "instant classic" of the group stage, however; after the USA jumped out to a 2-0 lead early after a brace from Tyler Adams, Brazil surged back to take the lead in the beginning of the second half with a brace from Neymar Jr. and a third goal by Gabriel Jesus. Mere moments after the Brazilian goal, however, a handball was called against captain Thiago Silva resulting in Pulisic converting a penalty to draw the game up again at 3-3 at 68'. Four minutes later, Neymar completed his hat trick to put Brazil up 4-3, and five minutes thereafter Kris Dunn tied the game up once again on an assist from Sargent. With the match tied and the clock ticking down, the game appeared to be likely to end at a draw when Luck caught a long ball from Adams, bounced it once on his knee, once off his foot, and then slammed it in from twenty meters out into the top corner of the net, powering through Brazil goalkeeper Alisson's fingers, an instantly iconic goal in the United States. In the other game, meanwhile, an injury to Ronaldo after his first goal and a brace from Salah allowed Egypt to come back from a 1-0 deficit to win their match 3-2.
The final round of games thus saw Portugal eliminated on no points and Brazil needing a win and an Egypt loss to be assured of advancing. Brazil earned the win they needed, running roughshod over Ronaldo-less Portugal, with Neymar scoring yet another brace and Fabinho and Casemiro adding to the totals along with Gabriel Jesus. In the USA-Egypt match, Salah earned his sixth goal of the group stage - tying him with Neymar Jr. and Kovacic, and one behind Immobile, an unheard-of scoring proficiency by multiple players for a group stage. However, goals by Adams and Luck after the halftime break assured the United States of 9 points, the only side besides Italy to accomplish this, and despite Salah's heroics Egypt were eliminated on goal difference.
USA 4-1 Portugal
Brazil 3-3 Egypt
-
USA 5-4 Brazil
Egypt 3-2 Portugal
-
Brazil 5-1 Portugal
USA 2-1 Egypt
USA 9
Brazil 4
Egypt 4
Portugal 0
Group H
What was anticipated to be a competitive group between Argentina and Netherlands opened with a matchup between the two traditional powers, ending in a 1-1 draw after a Kevin de Bruyne strike at 20' was levelled by Argentina's Sergio Aguero at 68', preserving Argentina's point and keeping the group level with every side at 1 point after Japan and Nigeria drew without a score. Argentina and Netherlands would jump ahead to four points apiece by dispatching the opposition 2-0 and 3-0, respectively, in the ensuing matches, with a particularly famous volleying score by Frenkie de Jong against Nigeria. However, Netherlands inability to maintain full points in their opening match came back to haunt them again in the final game against Japan, where Takumi Minamoto scored at 87' to deny Netherlands three points and first place in the group on goal difference; Argentina took care of their end of things, with a single Leo Messi score over Nigeria and holding tight for the win giving them first place in the group.
Argentina 1-1 Netherlands
Japan 0-0 Nigeria
-
Argentina 2-0 Japan
Netherlands 3-0 Nigeria
-
Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
Japan 1-1 Netherlands
Argentina 7
Netherlands 5
Japan 2
Nigeria 1
Group E got off to a famous start with Sweden's comeback against Spain in the first match; after Spain went up 2-0 in the first twenty minutes of the game behind scores by Alvaro Morata and eventual Best Young Player Borja Mayoral, Sweden fought back with a header by Emil Forsberg, followed by a corner kick that slipped past David de Gea from captain Marcus Berg, and finally in stoppage time a distance-strike by Viktor Claesson that earned Sweden the upset win over the No. 3 team in the world FIFA rankings. In the other match, Liberia and Peru fought to a goalless draw, putting Spain at the bottom of the group on points.
In the second round of matches, Spain revenged itself upon Peru, with Morata scoring again off an assist by Mayoral and then a late added goal by Marco Asensio. Sweden, meanwhile was held to a 1-1 draw by Liberia; despite an early goal by Berg, Liberia's stiff defense held Sweden out of goal when a Forsberg strike was deemed offside by VAR and after a controversial handball penalty awarded against Joel Andersson, Timothy Weah converted the penalty kick at 86' to draw up the game and earn a second point and theoretically keep Liberia's chances of advancing to the knockout for the first time since his father George achieved the feat in 1996 alive. This was not to be, however; Spain secured second place in the group thanks to a Mayoral goal over Liberia at 33' in their last game, while Sweden decisively defeated Peru 3-1 behind goals from Forsberg, Kristoffer Olsson, and Marcus Rohden.
Spain 2-3 Sweden
Liberia 0-0 Peru
-
Spain 2-0 Peru
Sweden 1-1 Liberia
-
Spain 1-0 Liberia
Peru 1-3 Sweden
Sweden 7
Spain 6
Liberia 2
Peru 1
Group F
The opening match saw a shocker, as traditionally mediocre Switzerland leapt out to a 3-0 lead over defending World Cup champions Germany, with only late goals from Julian Brandt and Thomas Muller rescuing Germany from humiliation. In the other match, Costa Rica shocked with two goals over favorites Colombia after a scoreless first half, with both coming from Joel Campbell on penalties. The following match, however, proved the genuine stunner in the group, as five different Colombia players scored goals against Germany in the first half, and despite, once again, two late goals to tighten the scoreline - this time from Brandt and Julian Draxler - the result sent Germany out as eliminated, the fifth consecutive World Cup champion to be eliminated at the group stage. Costa Rica continued its march to the knockouts by going three clear with a guaranteed place in the Round of 16 thanks to a three-goal defeat of Switzerland, with Francisco Calvo, youngster Anthony Contreras and Johan Venegas all finding the back of the net while the defense clamped down aggressively on a Swiss attack that had lost all potency since its match with Germany. In the final matches, Germany was able to deny Costa Rica full points thanks to Muller's late goal after a mostly scoreless game, and Colombia pipped Switzerland to the second spot after the Swiss went down to ten men and James Rodriguez scored his second goal of the tournament on the ensuing penalty.
Germany 2-3 Switzerland
Costa Rica 2-0 Colombia
-
Germany 2-5 Colombia
Costa Rica 3-0 Switzerland
-
Germany 1-0 Costa Rica
Switzerland 0-1 Colombia
Costa Rica 6
Colombia 6
Germany 3
Switzerland 3
Group G
Group G was widely regarded as the "Group of Death" coming into the tournament and lived up to its reputation; any of USA, Brazil or Portugal were thought to be potential semifinalists in the tournament and Egypt was regarded as the most talented, dangerous African team in Mexico. A record of 34 goals were scored in the group play; not a single clean sheet was kept. In the opening match, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo opened scoring at 5' only to watch USA dominate the rest of the game, with goals from Josh Sargent, Christian Pulisic, Andrew Luck, and Marshon Lattimore. Meanwhile, in the following match between Brazil and Egypt, a hat trick by Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah was negated by three goals by Brazil in the space of ten minutes late in the second half, all from different players. It was the game between the United States and Brazil which would be the "instant classic" of the group stage, however; after the USA jumped out to a 2-0 lead early after a brace from Tyler Adams, Brazil surged back to take the lead in the beginning of the second half with a brace from Neymar Jr. and a third goal by Gabriel Jesus. Mere moments after the Brazilian goal, however, a handball was called against captain Thiago Silva resulting in Pulisic converting a penalty to draw the game up again at 3-3 at 68'. Four minutes later, Neymar completed his hat trick to put Brazil up 4-3, and five minutes thereafter Kris Dunn tied the game up once again on an assist from Sargent. With the match tied and the clock ticking down, the game appeared to be likely to end at a draw when Luck caught a long ball from Adams, bounced it once on his knee, once off his foot, and then slammed it in from twenty meters out into the top corner of the net, powering through Brazil goalkeeper Alisson's fingers, an instantly iconic goal in the United States. In the other game, meanwhile, an injury to Ronaldo after his first goal and a brace from Salah allowed Egypt to come back from a 1-0 deficit to win their match 3-2.
The final round of games thus saw Portugal eliminated on no points and Brazil needing a win and an Egypt loss to be assured of advancing. Brazil earned the win they needed, running roughshod over Ronaldo-less Portugal, with Neymar scoring yet another brace and Fabinho and Casemiro adding to the totals along with Gabriel Jesus. In the USA-Egypt match, Salah earned his sixth goal of the group stage - tying him with Neymar Jr. and Kovacic, and one behind Immobile, an unheard-of scoring proficiency by multiple players for a group stage. However, goals by Adams and Luck after the halftime break assured the United States of 9 points, the only side besides Italy to accomplish this, and despite Salah's heroics Egypt were eliminated on goal difference.
USA 4-1 Portugal
Brazil 3-3 Egypt
-
USA 5-4 Brazil
Egypt 3-2 Portugal
-
Brazil 5-1 Portugal
USA 2-1 Egypt
USA 9
Brazil 4
Egypt 4
Portugal 0
Group H
What was anticipated to be a competitive group between Argentina and Netherlands opened with a matchup between the two traditional powers, ending in a 1-1 draw after a Kevin de Bruyne strike at 20' was levelled by Argentina's Sergio Aguero at 68', preserving Argentina's point and keeping the group level with every side at 1 point after Japan and Nigeria drew without a score. Argentina and Netherlands would jump ahead to four points apiece by dispatching the opposition 2-0 and 3-0, respectively, in the ensuing matches, with a particularly famous volleying score by Frenkie de Jong against Nigeria. However, Netherlands inability to maintain full points in their opening match came back to haunt them again in the final game against Japan, where Takumi Minamoto scored at 87' to deny Netherlands three points and first place in the group on goal difference; Argentina took care of their end of things, with a single Leo Messi score over Nigeria and holding tight for the win giving them first place in the group.
Argentina 1-1 Netherlands
Japan 0-0 Nigeria
-
Argentina 2-0 Japan
Netherlands 3-0 Nigeria
-
Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
Japan 1-1 Netherlands
Argentina 7
Netherlands 5
Japan 2
Nigeria 1
In all honesty where did you come up with those three as opposed to any other three semi-random Americans who played other sports than soccer OTL?
With Luck its more that he's a well-known soccer fan so it seemed to fit the mold. As for the others (and Luck to an extent), well, rugby has a very different physical skillset profile than gridiron football does. Some OTL players probably make the transition fairly smoothly, but certainly not all will. (For instance, you'd probably see, say, Brian Urlacher be even better as a rugby flanker than he was at linebacker, while a number of skinny quarterbacks who lack wheels should probably find a different sport).
Luck, Dunn, and Lattimore all seem to have physical measurements relatively similar to association football players (and aren't from the South - Luck's dad was Ohioan and played for WVU) so they made sense to sprinkle in.
I have one other superstar in mind for being a US Football star ITTL and maybe one or two others who wouldn't make as much sense in rugby or volleyball, but I'll save that for now.
2020 FIFA World Cup - Knockout Rounds
(Author's Note - I planned out who would win each game both in the group stage and knockouts before the recent edition of the World Cup ended. Thus, the US triumphing over Netherlands here is not me getting sweet revenge on those cheese-mongering Oranje but rather reflects a world where the US is a second-tier footballing powering with a star over its badge that can reliably do well in knockout stages from time to time)
Round of 16
The Round of 16 opened with the hosts Mexico defeating CONAFA rivals Texas 2-0 in Puebla in a controversial match; Texas was awarded a penalty taken by Jordan Owens, which while missed was heavily protested by Mexican players for a "phantom handball" even after VAR review. Curious refereeing decisions went against Texas shortly thereafter, when a goal by Julian Brooks was ruled offside and a red card was given out to Omar Gonzalez for a foul, after which Mexico converted the ensuing penalty thanks to Hirving Lozano with his first goal of the tournament. Striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez added another goal at the 80' minute as a substitute to close out the game. In a classic European rivalry, France and Britain faced off in a World Cup for the first time in 20 years, when France had defeated Britain in the 2000 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Germany. France once again got the best of their longtime rival; though Britain opened scoring at 33' with a goal from Jordan Henderson, Pierre Chevriot equalized at 89', which took the energy out of the British crowd in San Nicolas; at 102', France scored the winning goal on a penalty from Griezmann to go ahead, and after a header from Andrew Robertson went high at 120+2', the game was decided in France's favor. No such drama occurred between Sweden and Colombia in Guadalajara, as Marcus Berg's 25' goal was never relinquished over the next sixty-five minutes and Sweden secured advancement to the quarterfinals for the third time in four attempts. A tense game emerged for USA in Monterrey - Netherlands went up behind an early Jan Vertonghen header, but USA fought back to tie the game on a shock goal from Matt Miazga with an assist from Dunn at 90'+3', with literal seconds remaining in stoppage time, to force added minutes. Goalkeeper Zach Steffen saved two potential goals from de Bruyne in quick succession and then it went to penalty kicks. All five US penalty takers - Pulisic, Luck, Musa Jones, Adams, Haji Wright - got past Andries Noppert, who had been surprisingly subbed in instead of starting goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, who had started for Netherlands as first-choice since UEFA Euro 2014, where he had won two penalty shootouts; while Netherlands converted their first three penalties from de Bruyne, Frenkie de Jong, and Viktor Janssen, the penalty taken by Luuk de Jong was deflected by Steffen and with substitute Haji Wright's successful fifth penalty for USA, Netherlands were out.
The other half of the bracket saw its knockout round start with one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport. Ireland, famed as a "giant killer" for improbable group stage and knockout victories in the past, lived up to her reputation with a defeat of Italy in Zapopan. After holding the potent Italian attack of Immobile, Verratti and Paolini at bay for ninety scoreless minutes, Ireland at last triumphed off a header put just behind Gianni Donnarumma by longtime defensive stalwart and added time substitute Paul McShane at 119', stunning Italy and putting Ireland into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008. Croatia and Denmark went at it at the Estadio Azteca, with Croatia opening scoring at 10' behind Luka Modric's goal from a Kovacic assist, but Christian Eriksen scored his fifth goal of the tournament at 67' on a sliding kick off Nicklas Bendtner to slot the goal in and send the game to added minutes, where excellent goalkeeping brought it down to the last penalty of five with things tied up 2-2, with Andreas Christensen coverting the last penalty to put Denmark in a quarterfinal for the first time since 1992. In Leon, Joel Campbell's bold first goal at 7' looked like it could set the tone for yet another disappointing early knockout exit by Spain, but the 2012 World Cup champions successfully fought back, with a goal at 50' by Mayoral to tie up the game followed by Ferran Torres' sensational late goal headed in off a long volley from Sergio Ramos, playing in his final World Cup, past Costa Rica's mighty Keylor Navas. In the final Round of 16 match, held at the Olimpico in Mexico City, Argentina fell behind 2-0 to Brazil off of goals by Thiago Silva and Vinicius Junior, but fought back with a brace by Lionel Messi before he was subbed off due to cramping and a dazzling goal by Leandro Paredes at the death to put Argentina into the quarterfinals rather than their favored archrivals.
Mexico 2-0 Texas
France 2-1* Britain (aet)
Sweden 1-0 Colombia
USA 1-1* Netherlands (USA pen 5-3)
Italy 0-1* Ireland (aet)
Croatia 1-1* Denmark (DEN pen 3-2) [1]
Costa Rica 1-2 Spain
Argentina 3-2 Brazil
Quarterfinals
With the upsets in the group stage and Round of 16, it was the first time that a quarterfinal had not featured one of Britain, Italy or Germany, and thus the tournament's latter stages would be regarded as unusually open. Mexico, now emerging as a favorite thanks to their rugged defensive play and collected countering, faced France in Leon, where an early Jordan Veretout goal was the first time that an opponent had made their way past Guillermo Ochoa in the tournament. Mexico regrouped and struck back at 75', however, even when it seemed like the hosts were about to face yet another infamous quarterfinal exit, when substitute Chicharito came out onto the field again and scored an equalizer. After a scoreless extra time, Mexico and France faced off on penalties; Mexico converted all but their first, taken by Lozano, while Ochoa denied France and thus allowed captain Guardado's penalty kick to be the one that put Mexico in a semifinal for the first time since 1996, when they last won the World Cup. Meanwhile, in Zapopan, USA faced Sweden at El Chivas and once again fell behind initially, thanks to a goal by Rohden shortly after the half. With the clock ticking down to elimination and yet another improbable semifinal run by Sweden four years after having done it in France, American fortunes changed with Andrew Luck's shocking equalizer at 86'. At 106', having seen an Emil Forsberg goal disallowed as offside, the United States got a break on the counter and Pulisic scored his third goal of the World Cup to put the United States ahead and push them into the semifinals for the first time since 2008, when they won on home soil. [2]
On the other bracket, the two miracle teams of the tournament in Ireland and Denmark squared off at the BBVA in Monterrey, where a tense goalless draw that saw Irish winger Robbie Brady sent off with a red ended in extra minutes thanks to Christian Eriksen's bicycle kick into net at 110', sending Denmark to their first-eve World Cup semifinal. Spain's effort to make it two championships in eight years ended shortly thereafter as well at the Olimpico came to a sudden end, where after leading for much of the game thanks to Torres' goal, Nicolas Otamendi and Aguero each scored once at 82' and 86' to go ahead with a dagger to Spanish hearts, the first Argentinean semifinal appearance since 2004.
Mexico 1-1* France (MEX pen 4-2)
USA 2-1* Sweden (aet)
Ireland 0-1* Denmark (aet)
Spain 1-2 Argentina
Semifinals
Exhausted after two consecutive added minute games and with Pulisic picking up an injury in the quarterfinal triumph on his goal, when USA faced Mexico in Puebla it was running on fumes and played accordingly. Jonatan dos Santos scored at 23' to put Mexico ahead and the hosts subbed in defenders starting at 60' to take advantage of noticeable American fatigue at the high elevation and press their advantage. With the 1-0 victory, Mexico advanced to its sixth World Cup final and maintained its perfect 6-0 record in semifinal matches. Despite five shots on goal by Christian Ericksen, Argentina took advantage of similar Danish fatigue and ran up the score, with Messi, Paolo Dybala and Angel Di Maria all finding the net in the first half and Argentina cruised into its first final since 2004, maintaining her similar perfect 6-0 semifinal record.
Mexico 1-0 USA
Argentina 3-0 Denmark
Third Place
USA and Denmark would face off for the bronze in Guadalajara; for the fourth straight game in the knockout rounds, the United States fell behind thanks to Bendtner's header off an Ericksen assist at 38'. However, shortly thereafter, Lattimore scored on a Luck cross and Adams picked up his fourth goal of the tournament, bringing him level with teammate Luck, on a header off of corner kick from the same at 90+1'. With the win, USA won its third bronze medal, and Luck would go on to add to his three Man of the Match honors (including for the third-place playoff) the Silver Ball as the second-best player of the tournament with four goals, four assists and several crucial plays.
USA 2-1 Denmark
Final
(Dedicated update on Final to come)
[1] Croatia IOTL, of course, thrives on penalty kicks, so this is maybe a bit ASB haha
[2] I'm excited for when I eventually work my way backwards to this one... hehe
Round of 16
The Round of 16 opened with the hosts Mexico defeating CONAFA rivals Texas 2-0 in Puebla in a controversial match; Texas was awarded a penalty taken by Jordan Owens, which while missed was heavily protested by Mexican players for a "phantom handball" even after VAR review. Curious refereeing decisions went against Texas shortly thereafter, when a goal by Julian Brooks was ruled offside and a red card was given out to Omar Gonzalez for a foul, after which Mexico converted the ensuing penalty thanks to Hirving Lozano with his first goal of the tournament. Striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez added another goal at the 80' minute as a substitute to close out the game. In a classic European rivalry, France and Britain faced off in a World Cup for the first time in 20 years, when France had defeated Britain in the 2000 FIFA World Cup semifinal in Germany. France once again got the best of their longtime rival; though Britain opened scoring at 33' with a goal from Jordan Henderson, Pierre Chevriot equalized at 89', which took the energy out of the British crowd in San Nicolas; at 102', France scored the winning goal on a penalty from Griezmann to go ahead, and after a header from Andrew Robertson went high at 120+2', the game was decided in France's favor. No such drama occurred between Sweden and Colombia in Guadalajara, as Marcus Berg's 25' goal was never relinquished over the next sixty-five minutes and Sweden secured advancement to the quarterfinals for the third time in four attempts. A tense game emerged for USA in Monterrey - Netherlands went up behind an early Jan Vertonghen header, but USA fought back to tie the game on a shock goal from Matt Miazga with an assist from Dunn at 90'+3', with literal seconds remaining in stoppage time, to force added minutes. Goalkeeper Zach Steffen saved two potential goals from de Bruyne in quick succession and then it went to penalty kicks. All five US penalty takers - Pulisic, Luck, Musa Jones, Adams, Haji Wright - got past Andries Noppert, who had been surprisingly subbed in instead of starting goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, who had started for Netherlands as first-choice since UEFA Euro 2014, where he had won two penalty shootouts; while Netherlands converted their first three penalties from de Bruyne, Frenkie de Jong, and Viktor Janssen, the penalty taken by Luuk de Jong was deflected by Steffen and with substitute Haji Wright's successful fifth penalty for USA, Netherlands were out.
The other half of the bracket saw its knockout round start with one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport. Ireland, famed as a "giant killer" for improbable group stage and knockout victories in the past, lived up to her reputation with a defeat of Italy in Zapopan. After holding the potent Italian attack of Immobile, Verratti and Paolini at bay for ninety scoreless minutes, Ireland at last triumphed off a header put just behind Gianni Donnarumma by longtime defensive stalwart and added time substitute Paul McShane at 119', stunning Italy and putting Ireland into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008. Croatia and Denmark went at it at the Estadio Azteca, with Croatia opening scoring at 10' behind Luka Modric's goal from a Kovacic assist, but Christian Eriksen scored his fifth goal of the tournament at 67' on a sliding kick off Nicklas Bendtner to slot the goal in and send the game to added minutes, where excellent goalkeeping brought it down to the last penalty of five with things tied up 2-2, with Andreas Christensen coverting the last penalty to put Denmark in a quarterfinal for the first time since 1992. In Leon, Joel Campbell's bold first goal at 7' looked like it could set the tone for yet another disappointing early knockout exit by Spain, but the 2012 World Cup champions successfully fought back, with a goal at 50' by Mayoral to tie up the game followed by Ferran Torres' sensational late goal headed in off a long volley from Sergio Ramos, playing in his final World Cup, past Costa Rica's mighty Keylor Navas. In the final Round of 16 match, held at the Olimpico in Mexico City, Argentina fell behind 2-0 to Brazil off of goals by Thiago Silva and Vinicius Junior, but fought back with a brace by Lionel Messi before he was subbed off due to cramping and a dazzling goal by Leandro Paredes at the death to put Argentina into the quarterfinals rather than their favored archrivals.
Mexico 2-0 Texas
France 2-1* Britain (aet)
Sweden 1-0 Colombia
USA 1-1* Netherlands (USA pen 5-3)
Italy 0-1* Ireland (aet)
Croatia 1-1* Denmark (DEN pen 3-2) [1]
Costa Rica 1-2 Spain
Argentina 3-2 Brazil
Quarterfinals
With the upsets in the group stage and Round of 16, it was the first time that a quarterfinal had not featured one of Britain, Italy or Germany, and thus the tournament's latter stages would be regarded as unusually open. Mexico, now emerging as a favorite thanks to their rugged defensive play and collected countering, faced France in Leon, where an early Jordan Veretout goal was the first time that an opponent had made their way past Guillermo Ochoa in the tournament. Mexico regrouped and struck back at 75', however, even when it seemed like the hosts were about to face yet another infamous quarterfinal exit, when substitute Chicharito came out onto the field again and scored an equalizer. After a scoreless extra time, Mexico and France faced off on penalties; Mexico converted all but their first, taken by Lozano, while Ochoa denied France and thus allowed captain Guardado's penalty kick to be the one that put Mexico in a semifinal for the first time since 1996, when they last won the World Cup. Meanwhile, in Zapopan, USA faced Sweden at El Chivas and once again fell behind initially, thanks to a goal by Rohden shortly after the half. With the clock ticking down to elimination and yet another improbable semifinal run by Sweden four years after having done it in France, American fortunes changed with Andrew Luck's shocking equalizer at 86'. At 106', having seen an Emil Forsberg goal disallowed as offside, the United States got a break on the counter and Pulisic scored his third goal of the World Cup to put the United States ahead and push them into the semifinals for the first time since 2008, when they won on home soil. [2]
On the other bracket, the two miracle teams of the tournament in Ireland and Denmark squared off at the BBVA in Monterrey, where a tense goalless draw that saw Irish winger Robbie Brady sent off with a red ended in extra minutes thanks to Christian Eriksen's bicycle kick into net at 110', sending Denmark to their first-eve World Cup semifinal. Spain's effort to make it two championships in eight years ended shortly thereafter as well at the Olimpico came to a sudden end, where after leading for much of the game thanks to Torres' goal, Nicolas Otamendi and Aguero each scored once at 82' and 86' to go ahead with a dagger to Spanish hearts, the first Argentinean semifinal appearance since 2004.
Mexico 1-1* France (MEX pen 4-2)
USA 2-1* Sweden (aet)
Ireland 0-1* Denmark (aet)
Spain 1-2 Argentina
Semifinals
Exhausted after two consecutive added minute games and with Pulisic picking up an injury in the quarterfinal triumph on his goal, when USA faced Mexico in Puebla it was running on fumes and played accordingly. Jonatan dos Santos scored at 23' to put Mexico ahead and the hosts subbed in defenders starting at 60' to take advantage of noticeable American fatigue at the high elevation and press their advantage. With the 1-0 victory, Mexico advanced to its sixth World Cup final and maintained its perfect 6-0 record in semifinal matches. Despite five shots on goal by Christian Ericksen, Argentina took advantage of similar Danish fatigue and ran up the score, with Messi, Paolo Dybala and Angel Di Maria all finding the net in the first half and Argentina cruised into its first final since 2004, maintaining her similar perfect 6-0 semifinal record.
Mexico 1-0 USA
Argentina 3-0 Denmark
Third Place
USA and Denmark would face off for the bronze in Guadalajara; for the fourth straight game in the knockout rounds, the United States fell behind thanks to Bendtner's header off an Ericksen assist at 38'. However, shortly thereafter, Lattimore scored on a Luck cross and Adams picked up his fourth goal of the tournament, bringing him level with teammate Luck, on a header off of corner kick from the same at 90+1'. With the win, USA won its third bronze medal, and Luck would go on to add to his three Man of the Match honors (including for the third-place playoff) the Silver Ball as the second-best player of the tournament with four goals, four assists and several crucial plays.
USA 2-1 Denmark
Final
(Dedicated update on Final to come)
[1] Croatia IOTL, of course, thrives on penalty kicks, so this is maybe a bit ASB haha
[2] I'm excited for when I eventually work my way backwards to this one... hehe
2020 FIFA World Cup - Final
The 2020 FIFA World Cup Final was played on July 12, 2020 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and was the final match of the 2020 FIFA World Cup, the 25th edition of the tournament. The match was contested by Mexico, the host nation, and Argentina.
Both countries were among the most decorated in the history of the tournament; coming into the match, both were playing in their sixth final, having defended their perfect records in semifinal games. Mexico held the record for most FIFA World Cup titles with four, having won previously in 1948, 1960, 1968, and 1996; Argentina was attempting to match that record, having long been tied at three with Italy and Britain, having previously won in 1928, 1984, and 1988. Mexico had been a losing finalist only once, to hosts Brazil in 1940, while Argentina had collected silver medals on two occasions, 1992 in Italy and 2004 in Brazil, meaning that both sides had only ever lost to a host country in the final. Both had previously won on home soil, Mexico in 1960 and Argentina in 1928 and 1988; they were facing each other at a World Cup for the first time since 1996, when Mexico eliminated Argentina in the Round of 16. As such, the game was highly anticipated, with two traditional powerhouses returning to form, as Mexico had not appeared in a final since their last championship in 1996, whereas Argentina had last appeared in 2004, when they were defeated in added time to host and archrival Brazil.
The teams had arrived in Mexico City playing very different styles of football. Mexico, the hosts, had placed first in their group on seven points with three goals for and zero against, a stout defensive performance anchored by captain Andres Guardado and goalkeeper Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa that called back to their famous strategies that earned two World Cups in the 1960s. They had triumphed over Texas 2-0 in their Round of 16 game and then conceded their first goal of the tournament in the quarterfinal to France, requiring penalties which Mexico won 4-2. In the semifinals, they had avenged their 2008 quarterfinal exit to United States 1-0. As such, the team had scored a record-low seven goals ahead of the final while conceding only one the entire tournament, and were criticized for cautious and defensive play typically associated with North American football. Argentina, meanwhile, had enjoyed a more free-flowing style of play, wining their group with 7 points as well but emerging behind an open attack starring long-veteran players Sergio Aguero and Leo Messi as well as younger players such as Paolo Dybala and Leandro Paredes. Their knockout round had opened with a brilliant comeback against archrivals Brazil 3-2 followed by another comeback over Spain to win 2-1 after trailing for the first 82 minutes, and then a ruthless domination of Denmark in the subsequent semifinal. The teams were thus viewed coming into the game as fairly evenly matched, with Argentina playing more loose and open and thus having required two comebacks to arrive at the semifinal, while Mexico was considered stout and disciplined but highly reliant on scoring on the break.
The match was hosted at Mexico's iconic Estadio Azteca, one of the largest football stadiums in the world and home of the national team, in Mexico City. The stadium had undergone substantial renovations and modernizations ahead of the match, and a full capacity of 87,520 spectators was present. The referee was Nicola Rizzolo, of Italy.
The match started evenly, with Mexico dominating possession in midfield but failing to capitalize on a huge chance by striker Hirving Lozano at 27' when he was alone against Emiliano Martinez but sent his goal off the top bar. Argentina caught the break thereafter and Aguero appeared to have scored a goal at 31' but was ruled offside controversially. However, six minutes later, Argentina finally did find the back of the net with Dybala scoring at 37' on an assist from Nicolas Otamendi, and with that Mexico trailed for only the second time all tournament. An attempted chance by Lozano again at 45+2' went wide left and Argentina went into the dressing rooms at the half up 1-0.
However, shortly after the half, Raul Jimenez scored at 48' after catching the long ball from defender Luis Reyes, dribbling past Otamendi and slicing the ball into the far right corner of the net as Martinez leapt out for it but fell inches short of blocking. An outstanding chance for Messi at 60' was saved by Ochoa, who deflected it up and over the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, a second opportunity, this time for Aguero, went wide after Guardado got his ankle into the ball and bounced it off course. Aguero was controversially substituted off at 78' despite his excellent form, and within minutes Argentina's aggressive attack seemed to flounder; on the break, Lozano made up for his earlier miss when he received a close-in assist from substitute striker Henry Martin and drove his goal straight into the back of the net, putting Mexico ahead 2-1 at the 88th minute. Only three minutes of added time were granted, and Argentina failed to press in them.
The victory extended Mexico's record of World Cup titles from four to five and made them the fourth side, along with Britain (1924 and 1964), Brazil (1940 and 2004) and of course Argentina (1928 and 1988) to win two World Cups on home soil. Pavel Pardo, a defender on the 1996 champions, also became the first man to win a World Cup as both player and manager. Hirving Lozano, for converting the winning goal, was named Man of the Match.
Following the win, an estimated six million people took to the streets of Mexico City to celebrate the victory and a similar number was present for the team's championship parade on the Paseo. The team attended a luncheon at the Chapultepec Palace with Emperor Maximilian II, who had hosted the 1996 world champions as well, as well as the entire Imperial Family, before being honored separately the next day by Prime Minister Marcelo Ebrard and the Legislative Assembly of Mexico, where they received a five-minute standing ovation in honor of their fifth World Cup victory.
Both countries were among the most decorated in the history of the tournament; coming into the match, both were playing in their sixth final, having defended their perfect records in semifinal games. Mexico held the record for most FIFA World Cup titles with four, having won previously in 1948, 1960, 1968, and 1996; Argentina was attempting to match that record, having long been tied at three with Italy and Britain, having previously won in 1928, 1984, and 1988. Mexico had been a losing finalist only once, to hosts Brazil in 1940, while Argentina had collected silver medals on two occasions, 1992 in Italy and 2004 in Brazil, meaning that both sides had only ever lost to a host country in the final. Both had previously won on home soil, Mexico in 1960 and Argentina in 1928 and 1988; they were facing each other at a World Cup for the first time since 1996, when Mexico eliminated Argentina in the Round of 16. As such, the game was highly anticipated, with two traditional powerhouses returning to form, as Mexico had not appeared in a final since their last championship in 1996, whereas Argentina had last appeared in 2004, when they were defeated in added time to host and archrival Brazil.
The teams had arrived in Mexico City playing very different styles of football. Mexico, the hosts, had placed first in their group on seven points with three goals for and zero against, a stout defensive performance anchored by captain Andres Guardado and goalkeeper Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa that called back to their famous strategies that earned two World Cups in the 1960s. They had triumphed over Texas 2-0 in their Round of 16 game and then conceded their first goal of the tournament in the quarterfinal to France, requiring penalties which Mexico won 4-2. In the semifinals, they had avenged their 2008 quarterfinal exit to United States 1-0. As such, the team had scored a record-low seven goals ahead of the final while conceding only one the entire tournament, and were criticized for cautious and defensive play typically associated with North American football. Argentina, meanwhile, had enjoyed a more free-flowing style of play, wining their group with 7 points as well but emerging behind an open attack starring long-veteran players Sergio Aguero and Leo Messi as well as younger players such as Paolo Dybala and Leandro Paredes. Their knockout round had opened with a brilliant comeback against archrivals Brazil 3-2 followed by another comeback over Spain to win 2-1 after trailing for the first 82 minutes, and then a ruthless domination of Denmark in the subsequent semifinal. The teams were thus viewed coming into the game as fairly evenly matched, with Argentina playing more loose and open and thus having required two comebacks to arrive at the semifinal, while Mexico was considered stout and disciplined but highly reliant on scoring on the break.
The match was hosted at Mexico's iconic Estadio Azteca, one of the largest football stadiums in the world and home of the national team, in Mexico City. The stadium had undergone substantial renovations and modernizations ahead of the match, and a full capacity of 87,520 spectators was present. The referee was Nicola Rizzolo, of Italy.
The match started evenly, with Mexico dominating possession in midfield but failing to capitalize on a huge chance by striker Hirving Lozano at 27' when he was alone against Emiliano Martinez but sent his goal off the top bar. Argentina caught the break thereafter and Aguero appeared to have scored a goal at 31' but was ruled offside controversially. However, six minutes later, Argentina finally did find the back of the net with Dybala scoring at 37' on an assist from Nicolas Otamendi, and with that Mexico trailed for only the second time all tournament. An attempted chance by Lozano again at 45+2' went wide left and Argentina went into the dressing rooms at the half up 1-0.
However, shortly after the half, Raul Jimenez scored at 48' after catching the long ball from defender Luis Reyes, dribbling past Otamendi and slicing the ball into the far right corner of the net as Martinez leapt out for it but fell inches short of blocking. An outstanding chance for Messi at 60' was saved by Ochoa, who deflected it up and over the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, a second opportunity, this time for Aguero, went wide after Guardado got his ankle into the ball and bounced it off course. Aguero was controversially substituted off at 78' despite his excellent form, and within minutes Argentina's aggressive attack seemed to flounder; on the break, Lozano made up for his earlier miss when he received a close-in assist from substitute striker Henry Martin and drove his goal straight into the back of the net, putting Mexico ahead 2-1 at the 88th minute. Only three minutes of added time were granted, and Argentina failed to press in them.
The victory extended Mexico's record of World Cup titles from four to five and made them the fourth side, along with Britain (1924 and 1964), Brazil (1940 and 2004) and of course Argentina (1928 and 1988) to win two World Cups on home soil. Pavel Pardo, a defender on the 1996 champions, also became the first man to win a World Cup as both player and manager. Hirving Lozano, for converting the winning goal, was named Man of the Match.
Following the win, an estimated six million people took to the streets of Mexico City to celebrate the victory and a similar number was present for the team's championship parade on the Paseo. The team attended a luncheon at the Chapultepec Palace with Emperor Maximilian II, who had hosted the 1996 world champions as well, as well as the entire Imperial Family, before being honored separately the next day by Prime Minister Marcelo Ebrard and the Legislative Assembly of Mexico, where they received a five-minute standing ovation in honor of their fifth World Cup victory.
And with that we wrap the 2020 FIFA World Cup, though we'll be doing more sporting events here soon - though I'll take requests on what kinds of things people would like to see within that vein.
A wikibox for the most recent Olympics or a wikibox for the most recent Copa America would be interesting.
On the topic of the World Cup does the World Cup still start in 1930 and have any of the World Cups been canceled in the timeline like how there wasn’t a World Cup in 1942 and 1946 because of WWII?
On the topic of the World Cup does the World Cup still start in 1930 and have any of the World Cups been canceled in the timeline like how there wasn’t a World Cup in 1942 and 1946 because of WWII?
I can do that! I was mulling doing one for Euro 2022 as well so that would work perfectly.
As to your second question, no and yes. No further elaboration tho 🤐
Seattle City College
Seattle City College is an institution of tertiary education in the city of Seattle, Washington. Located on Capitol Hill and First Hill, it sits on a dense, urban campus of 45 acres and sports a student population of approximately 42,000 full-time and part-time students in two, three, or four year degree or continuing adult education programs. It is part of the Washington Colleges Association, and like all county, vocational and city colleges in Washington state, it does not charge tuition fees. At the heart of one of the most densely populated neighborhoods on the West Coast, SCC provides subsidized student housing for about a fifth of its student population in on-campus housing.
The college traces its history back to the 1960s, when non-four year degree campuses were established across the state without tuition costs for "non-traditional tertiary education needs." Since then, it has grown rapidly, particularly during Seattle's major economic boom from the mid-1980s to early 2000s, nearly doubling in enrollment between 1990 and 1999. Due to its location and often-transient student population, SCC has developed a reputation for student radicalism and its Associated Student Union has often been at the center of campus protests since its founding. The college in particular is known for its three-year nursing degree program with strong connections to nearby hospitals (it is adjacent to one of the largest hospital concentrations on the West Coast).
(As I keep feeling out what the international vibe will be, I wanted to go in a different direction - some city-specific updates across the US to give everyone a sense of what modern America is like ITTL. A lot of this will revolve around my hometown of Seattle, but we'll go all over the place, too)
The college traces its history back to the 1960s, when non-four year degree campuses were established across the state without tuition costs for "non-traditional tertiary education needs." Since then, it has grown rapidly, particularly during Seattle's major economic boom from the mid-1980s to early 2000s, nearly doubling in enrollment between 1990 and 1999. Due to its location and often-transient student population, SCC has developed a reputation for student radicalism and its Associated Student Union has often been at the center of campus protests since its founding. The college in particular is known for its three-year nursing degree program with strong connections to nearby hospitals (it is adjacent to one of the largest hospital concentrations on the West Coast).
(As I keep feeling out what the international vibe will be, I wanted to go in a different direction - some city-specific updates across the US to give everyone a sense of what modern America is like ITTL. A lot of this will revolve around my hometown of Seattle, but we'll go all over the place, too)