EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAnd ... exhale. Twenty-eight days after the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off in Mexico City, we finally have our first off day of the tournament. And what a breathless, unpredictable, wildly entertaining tournament it has been.It has been a World Cup of the Stars, headlined by a barely believable Golden Boot race that has Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbapp and Harry Kane constantly one-upping each other. It's been a competition filled with good vibes, whether from the impossibly jubilant Scotland fans or Unlikely Revelation of the Tournament Vozinha. There have been upsets (Uruguay knocked out in the group stage, Germany bounced in the round of 32, Brazil ousted in the last 16) and no shortage of drama: 31 goals have been scored in second-half stoppage time.So with the day of rest upon us, what better time for Gabriele Marcotti to pause and reflect on the tournament so far? This is Marcotti's Mini World Cup Musings.10. Messi flirted with the supernaturalHis expression afterward told the story. A blend of tears, disbelief, relief and "WTF just happened?" Messi looked like Samuel L. Jackson after being spared by a hail of bullets in "Pulp Fiction".After a first half in which he did little of note except miss a penalty, it was Messi who teed up Argentina's stunning comeback over Egypt in the final 13 minutes. He engineered the pinpoint cross that Cristian Romero headed into the back of the net to make it 2-1. He went on that absurd run from the left flank, beating three men before setting up Lautaro Martnez, who probably should have scored. He was there to slam it home for the equalizer. (No, he wasn't strictly speaking involved in the winner, but we can't rule out the possibility that he somehow willed Enzo Fernndez to jump those few inches higher for his winner.)Regular readers will know I'm not into GOAT debates, but what he did from minute 77 onward defied reason and was as breathtaking as any individual has produced in a snippet of a game. Messi's face suggested he was about as nonplussed by what he did as anyone. And when his teammates celebrated by tossing him up into the air, you wondered if he would actually come down or defy gravity as well.9. Argentina need to kick it up a notchMaybe what they produced in the past few games might be enough to get past Switzerland, but it likely won't be against Norway or England if they reach the semifinal. Coach Lionel Scaloni evidently recognizes the dangers of Messi dependency, which is why, presumably, he rejiggered his team, with a deep-lying playmaker like Leandro Paredes in for a winger like Thiago Almada.They just don't look like world champions: getting caught in transition time and again, making a guy like Egypt's Haissem Hassan look like Lamine Yamal, failing to control the midfield and being impalpable -- set pieces and Messi aside -- in the final third. True, you're not always going to run into standout keepers like Mostafa Shobeir (who divined a miracle to stop Julin lvarez as well as saving Messi's penalty), but if you concede five goals against Jordan, Cape Verde and Egypt, you need a fix.8. I share Hassan's frustration, but he's wrongI can understand why Egypt coach Hossam Hassan is so wound up. You're 2-0 up against the world champions, pretty much outfoxing them, and you lose 3-2 because one of your opponents dons a Superman cape. I'd be frustrated, too.But he's barking up the wrong tree with talk of conspiracy over the disallowed Mostafa Ziko goal. What referees call "step-on-foot" is a foul, every single time, regardless of intent. And when it comes at the start of a continuous attack (like Hassan's stunning run and pass) that results in a goal, VAR will intervene and rule it out. Marwan Ateya stepped on Lisandro Martnez's foot. Case closed.When the Egypt boss calms down, he may also remember how VAR saved Egypt against Iran in the group stage. And how maybe he raged at the referee in part because he didn't want to throw his own players under the bus for two crucial late-game mental errors. Like Mohamed Salah, who tried to buy another penalty, and lost the ball needlessly for the third goal. Or Yasser Ibrahim, who lost Fernndez on the final goal, something that should never happen on a long, looping cross with nobody else around.7. Credit to Belgium ...You have to credit Rudi Garcia's crew for what his team have accomplished; they deserve it. They've been poor throughout the tournament, he's been mixing and matching to try to find a solution, they had to complete an improbable comeback against Senegal to even reach the round of 16, and they had the added hurdle of preparing for Ricardo Pepi leading the United States attack only to see Folarin Balogun wheeled out in the final 36 hours. Plus, they lost Amadou Onana to injury after 21 minutes.Yet still they found the pride and the peace of mind to let their football do the talking. Starting with "The Prince," the much-maligned Charles De Ketelaere, on through Dodi Lukbakio, picked ahead of one Jrmy Doku (half fit, but still) and ending with Romelu Lukaku, who endured a nightmare campaign but now finds himself with three goals in three substitute appearances (four, really, since he caused the own goal in the opener).Was it the sense of injustice after the Balogun Affair that motivated them? I'm not big on psychological factors because they're impossible to prove or disprove, but, clearly, it didn't hurt their motivation. And the trolling dance, which looked a lot like the jig the President of the United States does when the DJ plays "YMCA," suggests it may have been a factor.6. ... but the U.S. made it really easy for themReality bites, and with hindsight, it's easy to retrospectively talk about how Belgium are a much better side and the U.S. got carried away by their results against relative minnows like Paraguay, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Australia (we'll leave Trkiye to one side because Mauricio Pochettino sent out the B-team and they lost comprehensively).But let's not forget that many bookies had the U.S. as favorites in this game, that home advantage is a thing and that Belgium had not been good. You want to play the "combined XI" game, in which you make a starting lineup out of players for both teams? Go for it. I have five USMNT players in mine. So, please, let's dispense with this notion that Belgium had a massive edge in terms of individuals.Rather, let's talk about how the U.S. didn't look prepared and made enormous individual mistakes. That's on the players and that's on Pochettino. (By the way, whichever executive wheeled out that four-year contract with the stipulation that this is "what we might give you after the World Cup," and then leaked it to the press, ought to be removed immediately.)One more thing: no more gushing about Malik Tillman's free kicks. Nice player and one of the better ones against Belgium, but one of them was a goalkeeping blunder and the other one had the benefit of a massive deflection.5. U.S. Soccer needs to be held to account over the Balogun Affair tooThere's a long history -- real or imagined -- of skullduggery and interference from on high at the World Cup: 1938, 1954, 1966, 1978, 2002 to cite but a few. So the reflex action is to put the Balogun Affair in the same bucket.Maybe that is indeed where it belongs. Certainly that's where UEFA, the Belgium FA and countless others place it. Perhaps you do, too.What we do know is that FIFA's Disciplinary committee hasn't published written reasons (their page was last updated on June 1, 2026) to explain their decision. All they've provided is this statement from the chairperson of the committee (whose name doesn't appear anywhere, but it's guy named Mohammad Al Kamali from the United Arab Emirates) that essentially says "we have a right to do this" and then cites precedents that have nothing to do with this situation.It feels like few in football wanted to "own" this decision. Certainly not FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who says he got a call from the U.S. President lobbying for a Balogun rethink, but told him there was nothing he could do because the process was "independent" and "already underway." So it's rather surprising that the U.S. Soccer Federation, without ever publicly explaining on what grounds FIFA should take this unprecedented in-tournament step, got involved in this, as sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle and others in the aftermath of this decision.They knew -- or should have known -- that getting the ban suspended would require an extraordinary departure from procedure that would have placed a permanent asterisk on their team at this World Cup. Maybe they hoped that President Trump would lobby Infantino on their behalf.So why even get involved? All it did was make them look like behind-the-scenes schemers, ready to wield power and relationships without caring for rules or due process or precedent. In so doing, they waved a red flag at a fellow member association and attracted ill will from every corner of the globe.4. England's ugly, gritty wins somehow make you believe more than pretty footballYou can look at their World Cup run and conclude that they haven't played particularly well since the 4-2 opening-game win over Croatia. Strait-jacketed by Ghana in the second game, bailed out by Kane and Jude Bellingham against Panama in the third, needing a comeback in the last 15 minutes against Congo DR in the round of 32 and, on Sunday, needing some Mexico errors and some ridiculous Jordan Pickford saves to advance (and losing the xG battle too, for what that's worth).I actually look at this as something of a good omen. First, grit, mental toughness and "bounce-back-ability" matter in knockout tournaments. This England side, whatever its ills, seem to have it in spades, unlike previous iterations. Second, having a couple superstars -- Kane and Bellingham in this case -- run hot at the right time is a huge bonus: form matters in this sport and it ebbs and flows.And finally, England are nowhere near their ceiling in terms of talent. They don't need a miracle in their next game against Norway. They just need to outplay them and let their superior talent make the difference. Easier said than done? Sure. But it's much better to have a next level (or two or three) to which you can go.3. Switzerland park their red bus in the quartersIt's not a criticism, there's nothing wrong with a bit of humility against a higher-ranked opponent. So chill out a little in the Cantons. But it's pretty much undeniable that Murat Yakin opted to go more and more safety first as the game progressed.Switzerland had the bulk of possession in their round-of-16 clash with Colombia, but zero shots on target after minute 32 of the first half. They had one shot -- off target -- in the final 60 minutes, including extra time.Might it have been different if Johan Manzambi had been available and if Rubn Vargas had been fit enough to start? Maybe. We'll never know. But it's a reminder that, come knockout time, for many nations, donning the helmet and battening down the hatches is an honest, if somewhat dull, strategy that actually works.2. Are Spain flying under the radar?I know, it seems ludicrous to suggest that the current European champions, the team that are second in the world and have yet to concede a goal, are going incognito at this World Cup. But it's undeniable that England, France, Argentina and even Norway (thanks to that Haaland guy) are getting all the hype.They're also the only team not to have scored in double figures thus far. The perception is that coach Luis de la Fuente's pass-happy approach -- in contrast to the Euros, when Yamal and Nico Williams ran wild -- amounts to conservatism. I'm not sure that's the case looking at the chances created (and often not converted). That said, against Portugal, their first real test of this World Cup (given that Uruguay was a slugfest, Cape Verde was one-way traffic despite the draw and Saudi Arabia and Austria were poor), the goal only came late (and thanks to a moment of genius from Fabin Ruiz).I think the lack of hype -- maybe because their most flashy player, Yamal, has yet to catch fire, and Williams has been battling to be match fit -- suits De La Fuente. This team draws its roots form the youth sides he coached in years past and, relative to the competition, is based very much on the collective, not the individual. The Euros showed his formula can work. Although a bit of Yamal magic wouldn't go amiss in the next round.1. Do we really think Ronaldo is done?After the defeat to Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo said that this was his last World Cup. At 41, he has earned the right to go out on his terms, whenever he likes, and has nothing left to prove. Certainly, exiting the big stage after a tournament where he started every game and played all but nine minutes was in stark contrast to his experience in Qatar, when he was unceremoniously dropped after the group stage.He didn't play particularly well -- other than the two goals against Uzbekistan, who are ... well, Uzbekistan -- and maybe it's true that Portugal might be better off with Gonalo Ramos leading the line. But after 23 years, it's going to be jarring to see Portugal without him.Whatever else his critics might say about him, his attachment to the national side is as impressive as his workout routine and the nearly 1,000 goals he has scored for club and country. Maybe that's why he's taking his time to consider whether he's retiring from the international game. And why, while it seems unthinkable that we'll see a 45-year-old Cristiano in 2030 when Portugal co-host the World Cup, given he's done the unprecedented, time and again, I'm not going to write him off.
