AbuTheMonkey

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Didn't realize Mexico had Americans playing for them. Anyone know if they just weren't good enough in the US set up. Or us this more of my Mexican heritage is more important.

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In Gutierrez’s case, he played internationally for the U.S. all the way until last year (including a couple friendlies with the senior team) before making the one-time switch in November. Also came up through the Chicago Fire academy.

He was more or less buried with us - not replacing our attacking mid-fielders or our wingers as it currently stands. The window is pretty tight to ever get a chance to play a World Cup, especially for a good-but-not-superstar like Gutierrez, so I get it.

Less sure about Vargas - assume the same, really (came up through Sounders system, played internationally for the U.S. until 2024).

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Announcers said Ecuador came in last minute, which is about the worst thing you can do going to altitude.

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Granted, Quito is even higher in elevation than Mexico City. Guessing they figured they’d have a residual acclimatization and traded near in acclimatization for an extra day’s rest. That and they probably wanted to stay out of the zoo that was Mexico City the last 24 hours.

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Idk what it is with the Moroccans but they never get tired, they were the same way in Qatar.

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One of the great distance running nations in history - probably the third greatest after Kenya and Ethiopia. Algeria right next door isn’t far behind them, either.

Combination of genetics and growing up in and training at altitude (for the ones who are actually from there).

So far I think it's the grandeur of the event. I like to think I am pretty well traveled and worldly with a deep sense of love and patriotism for our country but a clear eyed view of its shortcomings...

But I think much of the rest of the world has forgotten or been led astray by their domestic media about what the U.S. is really like (much of, if not all of it, due to Trump, whom I admittedly loathe even as someone who leans more conservative than not), they forget that this is the most powerful and richest empire in the history of the world.

They think guns, healthcare horror stories, obesity, racial animosity, and so on and so on.

The stadiums, the scale, the wealth involved, the almost unlimited reservoir of human capital in this country, the beauty both natural and man-made, the show and artistry, the creativity, the genius, the innovation...

They forgot about all that. Big time.

We're effectively putting on a show where we host at the equivalent of Camp Nou, Stade de France, Iduna, Bernabeu, Wembley, San Siro, Berlin, Old Trafford, and Tottenham all at once but also have like 3X as many hosts that weren't even included in this (just off the top of my head, Chicago, Baltimore, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Denver, San Diego, New Orleans, DC, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Tampa, Charlotte, about 12 SEC stadiums, about 12 Big Ten stadiums, etc., etc.).

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Alabama is generally a pretty nice place outside of the Black Belt - more akin to Georgia or Tennessee than Mississippi.


Agree if you extend "Black Belt" all the way down to the Florida line.

I have a lot of family in south Alabama and once you drive north out of the Fairhope area it's about like that Bay Minette ice cream shop video posted here a few days ago until you're past Montgomery.

I have a fond attachment to the area but "nice" is about the last adjective that comes to mind.

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I wouldn't necessarily agree. Dothan / Wiregrass area, Enterprise / Andalusia, etc. aren't really any different than much of what you'd find in much of the Southeast - comparable to Valdosta or Tallahassee or Thomasville or Macon or whatever. Mostly perfectly fine places to live with relatively healthy economies (compared to the rest of the rural or small city South) and so forth.

The Black Belt specifically really stands out compared to those areas (or the areas north of it like Auburn / Opelika, Lake Martin, Tuscaloosa, etc.). That's an entirely different level of poverty that's more comparable to the Mississippi Delta or the Dakota Native reservations or Kentucky / WV Appalachia.

What is the scenario now for us not to play Bosnia?

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Who was that guy with the antlers on his head??? The part where the dragon seeds were just hanging out bitchn at each other


A Green Man. Almost nothing is known about them.

Corlys is still alive, right? I just finished rewatching it and it looks like he was just thrown in the water when the ships hit the shore, not because of any injury.

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He has at least one scene from the final trailer that was not in last night's episode, so presumably so.

SPOILER

Can't imagine that he'd be among the major story arc changes that they would make given the rest of his path entails.

What happened to Jason Lannister? Think I may have missed that bit.

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University of Washington is #12?

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This is a comprehensive view of the university and includes research, grad programs, etc. This format heavily knocks schools that are excellent undergraduate institutions but are relatively weaker in grad programs, research, etc. Notice Princeton outside the top 5 even though it is arguably the most difficult institution to get acceptance to in the world.

UW has excellent graduate programs, medical school, etc. World class, in many instances.

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Some of these Bosnians are built like trucks

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Thought the same thing.

Those are some thicc bois