July 2 scores:

Spain 3 Austria 0
Portugal 2 Croatia 1
Switzerland 2 Algeria 0

Referee: Raphael Claus

VAR: Juan Ernesto Soto Arévalo

Time: 63 minutes

Incident: VAR overturn. Red card given to USMNT forward Folarin Balogun for serious foul play (SFP).

What happened: U.S. goal scorer Balogun was sent off following a VAR check after what seemed like innocuous contact with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic.

VAR decision: VAR recommended an on-field review for a possible red card for SFP.

VAR review: VAR was uncomfortable with the replays that showed the Bosnian defender's right ankle buckle under contact from Balogun when both players were challenging for the ball. VAR believed Balogun was dangerous in his play and recommended the referee visit the pitchside monitor to review for a possible red card.

Verdict: Balogun can feel unfortunate to be red carded in this situation as, in my opinion, this was not a red card offense. With both players challenging for ball, the contact from Balogun on Muharemovic, while it looked bad in slow motion, was purely accidental and an unfortunate result from two players challenging for possession of the ball in a normal football movement.

VAR made their recommendation to the referee based on slow-motion and still replays, which is not aligned with VAR protocols, as these should be used for only point-of-contact purposes in a red card tackle situation. Once at the screen, however, it would have been a surprise if the referee did not send off Balogun considering the pictures he was presented by VAR.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49244156/world-cup-var-review-misapplied-protocols-leave-usmnt-folarin-balogun-wrongly-red-carded-world-cup-vs-bosnia-herzegovina

That was a bogus red card on Balogun. Two players coming together suddenly and jostling for the ball and Balogun inadvertently steps on the other player's ankle. The ref allowed lots of pulling shirts, grabbing and hard fouls without even pulling out his yellow card but gives Balogun a red card when the player cut in front on him and Balogun steps on the back of his ankle inadvertently...no intent to commit a dangerous foul by Balogun...just two players getting tangled up in the action...lousy call...

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49244156/world-cup-var-review-misapplied-protocols-leave-usmnt-folarin-balogun-wrongly-red-carded-world-cup-vs-bosnia-herzegovina

The USA defeats Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-0 and now moves onto the Round of 16 for the first time since 2002. The Americans played the final 36 minutes down a man without their striker and leading scorer, Flo Balogun after he was given a bogus red card in the 64th minute.

The USA will play Belgium in Seattle at 5 pm next Monday, July 6th. Unfortunately, we will be playing without Balogun for this game because of the red card.

Belgium advanced in dramatic, comeback to beat Senegal 3-2 on a penalty kick in the 2nd 15 minute extra period. Belgium was down 2-0 but scored in the 87th and 89th minutes to tie the game and force the extra play and win the game in the 120th minute.

England beat DR Congo 2-0 to advance as well.

I expect Larison to make the 53-man roster as the #3 RB and contribute as a Kickoff Return man.

I hope to see some big things from Lan this year!

I joined MW+ today and was able to use the 15% discount. The total cost for an annual subscription with the discount was $67.99 plus a $6.80 service fee = $74.79.

June 30 scores:

Norway 2 Ivory Coast 1
France 3 Sweden 0
Mexico 2 Ecuador 0

Tough match for the USA tomorrow vs Bosnia & Herzegovina at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara at 5 pm. It should be and exciting game with the American star, Christian Pulisic back from injury and most certain to be in the starting lineup.

I believe so.

Here's the link to the MW+ streaming service where you can sign up to be eligible for the 20% discount when they start taking orders. It looks like the first event for the Aggies will be Women's Soccer at the Air Force Academy on September 24th. Games for Women's Soccer and Women's Volleyball and Men's Soccer are listed through November 19th.

https://watch.themw.com/uc-davis/?utm_medium=email&elq_cid=114790&ehash=7117502a313e7373ca6ac8c50f670759457d9820fe4a2f6331be4286b4f35a91&ra=uc-davis&elqTrackId=5B5F364B7B1BE4C7FAED783B3EF7FC9F&elq=ab7d4c7033da4a47af144ccdfec69d68&elqaid=435&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=336&elqak=8AF5AF57BC907649B4B57D86FB24955E4E64808B935D2EACC954CC3960C24AEEB73D

I signed up today so I would be eligible for the 20% discount. It looks like the cost will be $10.99 per month or $79.99 annually with a 20% discount available.

Paraguay stuns Germany by winning on penalty kicks 4-3 and Morocco upsets the Netherlands on penalty kicks 3-2. This is the first time the Netherlands failed to advance from the Round of 32 to the Rond of 16.

The tension and drama in these games that end up being decided on penalty shootouts are almost unbearable for fans of each team. World Cup Soccer...nothing like it!

Brazil scores in the 2nd half stoppage time and wins 2-1 breaking the heart of Japan.

Up next today: Germany vs Paraguay at 1:30 pm and the Netherlands vs Morocco at 6 pm.

Canada scores a goal in the second half stoppage and wins 1-0 over South Africa. Canada advances to the Round of 16 for the first time in history. Former Aggie AD, Kevin Blue, who is now the CEO of Canada Soccer, must be celebrating tonight!

The final Group games were today.

England 2 Panama 0
Croatia 2 Ghana 1
Columbia 0 Portugal 0
DR Congo 3 Uzbekistan 1
Algeria 3 Austria 3
Argentina 3 Jordan 1

The field of 32 is now set:

Mexico
South Africa
Switzerland
Canada
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Brazil
Morocco
USA
Australia
Paraguay
Germany
Ivory Coast
Ecuador
Netherlands
Japan
Sweden
Belgium
Egypt
Spain
Cabo Verde
France
Norway
Senegal
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Columbia
Portugal
DR Congo
England
Ghana
Croatia

First game in the Knockout Round is Sunday, June 28:

Canada vs South Africa at 12 noon in Los Angeles.

June 26 scores:

France 4 Norway 1
Senegal 5 Iraq 0
Cabo Verde 0 Saudi Arabia 0
Spain 1 Uruguay 0
Belgium 5 New Zealand 1
Egypt 1 Iran 1

26 teams have now qualified for the Knockout Round of 32. Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Spain, Cabo Verde, Paraguay, Egypt, England, Ghana and Portugal qualified today for the next round.

Türkiye scores in the final second to beat the USA 3-2. The USA will now play next Wednesday, July 1st in the Knockout Round at 3 pm against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara. Former Aggie, Max Arfsten, didn't get to play against Tûrkiye.

Other June 25 scores:

Côte d'Ivoire 2 Curaçao 0
Ecuador 2 Germany 1
Netherlands 3 Tunisia 1
Japan 1 Sweden 1
Paraguay 0 Australia 0

Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador and Bosnia-Herzegovina also advanced to the round of 32.

12 teams have now qualified for the Knockout Round of 32 and 20 spots are still up for grabs:

Mexico (Group A)
USA (Group D)
Germany (Group E)
Argentina (Group J)
France (Group I)
Norway (Group I)
Colombia (Group K)
Switzerland (Group B)
Canada (Group B)
Brazil (Group C)
Morocco (Group C)
South Africa (Group A)

The USA plays Türkiye in Los Angeles at 7 pm tonight and, hopefully, we'll ge to see Max Arfsten play quite a bit since the Americns have secured their spot in the next round of 32.

How do I ensure my subscription dollars go to my favorite school?

To ensure your subscription directly supports your favorite school, purchase your MW+ subscription through your school’s official athletics website. If subscribing via the MW website or the MW+ app, be sure to select your school during sign-up. This guarantees your subscription dollars are attributed to your chosen institution.

This is important. Be sure to designate UC Davis so that we are guaranteed some monetary support. This streaming service sounds great to me. Hopefully, it will be free from the glitches we often encountered on ESPN3.

June 24 games:

Switzerland 2 Canada 1
Bosnia-Herzegovina 3 Qatar 1
Morocco 4 Haiti 2
Brazil 3 Scotland 0
Mexico 3 Czechia 0
South Africa 1 South Korea 0

The following teams have qualified for the Knockout Round of 32:

Argentina (Group J)
Canada (Group B)
Colombia (Group K)
France (Group I)
Germany (Group E)
Mexico (Group A)
Norway (Group I)
Switzerland (Group B)
United States (Group D)