No thread I can see for this yet so figured it was worth making

Key dates

June 14 - Euros begin

June 20 - Copa America begins

July 14 - Euros Final (3 pm eastern) and Copa America Final (8 pm eastern)

Rose, I will have a Euro article up next week and COPA the week after. So stoked for some football and I will be at the US - Panama match in 3 weeks!!

While I'm excited to watch, I'm genuinely concerned for all of the players who are basically playing year round. Injuries are increasing, the human body isn't supposed to do this much and I think we're going to hit a breaking point soon.

MP you are spot on. It's one of if not the key reason the big money clubs always win. They have deep and talented rosters that enable them to rest players. Then of course that rest carries over to national team duty.

And its the same thing in every sport out there now. Ownership wants more and more games in order to keep their profits high while paying players insane amounts of money.And the public keeps paying for crazy ticket prices, streaming fees, team gear. On and on. I don't see an end nor do I see a solution.

And just as important, maybe even more important, than profits for the owners are the valuations of their clubs. A top-tier pro sports franchise will run you into the billions nowadays (the Commanders just sold for over $6B). These new owners that have plowed so much into buying the team want to make sure revenues keep growing, otherwise they could struggle to pay off debt they incurred to finance the purchase, plus risking taking a loss on the resale value. It sure feels like a bubble that has to burst at some point, but we're obviously not there yet.

• USMNT's Sargent (foot) could miss Copa América

MP you are spot on. It's one of if not the key reason the big money clubs always win. They have deep and talented rosters that enable them to rest players. Then of course that rest carries over to national team duty.

And its the same thing in every sport out there now. Ownership wants more and more games in order to keep their profits high while paying players insane amounts of money.And the public keeps paying for crazy ticket prices, streaming fees, team gear. On and on. I don't see an end nor do I see a solution.

What can you do under European labor laws, especially when this encompasses several different countries? And there’s no formal union I’m aware of to organize and support such a thing.

I think the only solution is a player strike, fueled by some of the biggest names in the sport speaking publicly on the issue. Certainly not going to come from owners or the organizing bodies.

The Ringer: The Ringer’s Euro 2024 Power Rankings

https://baltimorespo...l-championship/

Here's my take. Lets discuss...this should be a really fun tourney!!

https://baltimorespo...l-championship/

 

Here's my take. Lets discuss...this should be a really fun tourney!!

What's the difference between this Belgium team and the one that laid a massive egg 18 months ago at the WC?

What's the difference between this Belgium team and the one that laid a massive egg 18 months ago at the WC?

I mean France went WC champs/Euro R16 elimination/WC finalists without a huge change in their core, WC performance isn't always a good predictor of Euros performance and vice versa 

The 

What's the difference between this Belgium team and the one that laid a massive egg 18 months ago at the WC?

Several things.

1. First off its a tournament. Just like baseball playoffs. Things don't always go as you'd expect (see Orioles - Rangers 2023!!)

2. The manager is different. Roberto Martinez was a great manager for Belgium but they also didn't always rise to the occasion. Now they have Tedesco and they have been playing great under him. They are 7-3-0 this year.

Yahoo: Copa América power rankings: Can anybody top Argentina? Can the USMNT contend?

https://sports.yahoo...-190027068.html

Germany hosts Scotland to day. Kickoff at 3EDT on FOX. The things really get going tomorrow with 3 matches.

CBS Sports: USMNT's Copa America squad: Christian Pulisic leads largely unchanged roster; Josh Sargent makes the cut

https://www.cbssport...-makes-the-cut/

Germany all over Scotland. Was 2-0 then right before the half Scotland conceded a penalty and a red card. 3-0 at the half and down a man. Their advancement hopes are in really bad shape.

Germany on the other hand are setup great. Will likely sub early and use them all the second half. Save those legs for the knockout stage. 

Scotland doesn’t have a good side and it hurts my ego to say they haven’t in a looooong time!

No they haven't. Sad too. I have like Scotland for a long long time. Was the keeper coach at a summer camp here in Idaho that had two pros from Scotland on the staff. Had a blast spending the week with those guys...and man did the ladies dig their accents......lol