Part 196: Prologue: The rocket's red glare.

Prologue: The rocket's red glare.
June 10, 2026-July 13, 2026

Copa Mundial 2026. Lets show everyone what the Yanks can do.



Hunter Fisher is 21 and along with Isaac Parsons represents the first flowering of what I hope will become a golden generation for the United States. He'll split time at his position with Brian Burman, between the two of them we should have well rested and dangerous wingers throughout the Cup.



Those temperatures seem cool for LA in the summertime.



We're actually the oddsmakers favorite for this match, which is a surprise considering how well Bulgaria did in World Cup qualifying.

vs Bulgaria, June 12, 2026
World Cup, Group A
Preview

The USMNT has the personnel to play a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-5-1 needing to make substitutions, which allows me to adjust our formation on the fly. Bulgaria coming out in a 4-2-3-1 as well. A win in our first game will make everything so much easier, so cross your fingers.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Rubio de la Fuente, Parsons, Latham, Needham, Bruno, Woods (c), Padilla, Fisher, Spence, Ulusal, Dolinsky.
Subs: Toninho, Beer, Bartlett, Schlegel, Romaneiro, Burman, Ramos, Hartman, Baker, Moctezuma, Carroll.

3m: We score in the final minute of our last friendly, making me worry about our offense. So of course we start hot, with Sinan Ulusal pouncing on a miscleared ball.

USMNT 1-0 Bulgaria

4m Bulgaria answer with a chance of their own, but it's safe hands from Rubio de la Fuente.

11m: We're doing a reasonable job keeping possession, but can't do anything dangerous with the ball.

14m: Isaac Parsons picks up a ding, and I'm fervently hoping it's nothing that will keep him out of later matches.

16m: Bobby Padilla was so terrible in the 2023 Copa America that I left him out of the national team for a full year. I was very tempted to leave him out of the World Cup squad, as he'd never been more than decent. So of course he's the man who laces a blazing free kick into the net to give us a multiple goal lead.

USMNT 2-0 Bulgaria

17m: Parsons almost makes it 3-0, but jerks it wide left, his injury is affecting his play..

29m: Woods picks up a yellow card, he's got to be careful. Two yellow cards in the group stage equals suspension for the next game, and we can ill afford to be without him.

30m: Bulgaria is being much more aggressive now that they're down by two, I'm moving us to the 4-5-1 and hoping to catch them out with a counter attack.

37m: I'm a genius. A counter attack gets us a corner, and the corner gets us a third goal off of Bobby Padilla's left foot.

USMNT 3-0 Bulgaria

Halftime: Padilla is having the game of his life, and we're in great shape to grab all three points. Bulgaria brings on a fresh attacking midfielder to try and change up their look.

51m: Bulgaria goes to their bench again, bringing on another attacking player in an effort to salvage a point from the match.

52m: Our opponents have been taking shots, but they're from range and not particularly dangerous.

54m: Midfield destroyer Yanko Stoychev picks up a yellow of his own after upending Padilla.

56m: The Bulgarians are out of substitutions after swapping out yet another attacking player in the continuing search for something that can unlock our defense.

58m: Put out the lights, the party's over. Left back Borislav Dimov collides with Hunter Fisher and can't continue, leaving his nation down a man for the final thirty minutes.

58m: Immediately following the injury Fisher takes the ball 60 yards down the pitch and sends a perfect cross to Scott Dolinsky, who volleys the ball into the back of the net.

USMNT 4-0 Bulgaria

58m: I'm yanking Woods and Parsons, the former because of his yellow card and the latter because of his injury. Darren Latham slides to Parson's spot at right fullback while Mark Bartlett comes on as centerback and Sebastian Schlegel, the 31-year-old German emigre, takes over as our anchor man.

65m: Bruno picks up a dumb card, our two senior players who I need to stay on the field the most are now at risk of missing a match.

69m: Close but no cigar on a long range stroke by the other Dimov on Bulgaria's squad.

85m: After letting Bulgaria bounce around with possession for ten minutes, we get an opportuniy to break forward at pace. Scott Dolinsky goes agonizingly close, putting the ball inches off target.

88m: Tasko Valkov, the opposition's left back, picks up a yellow after a frustrated tackle on Ulusal, it's been all America today.

90m: 2 minutes of stoppage time.

Full Time: What a performance! Not only did we get three points, but it's going to be incredibly hard to top us on goal differential! USA! USA! USA!

Man of the Match: Bobby Padilla




USMNT 4-0 Bulgaria



Our next match is in five days, against Japan. It's very likely that Parsons will miss it. Brent Woods will cover for him, and either Sebastian Schlegel or Peter Romaneiro will start as our defensive midfielder.



Bulgaria is currently ranked 13th in the world. I think we showed that the ranking flatters them.



I think Padilla proved his worth to all the doubters who said he should be left off the team, too.



I'm not going to tell the boys that they shouldn't take confidence from their performance, though.



I think it does more than keep our hopes of advancement alive. We're in the catbird seat. What is a catbird seat, anyways?



This is why the World Cup should be held in the United States, we would almost certainly set a new attendance record. We'd break the 1994 record we originally set.



Oh come on. There's no place for you here, just leave and make us some money. I'm guessing your coach wants you to finish your negotiations so you can focus on the World Cup, considering you're part of the Welsh squad.



Ghana picked up a win over Japan, so Samurai Japan will need at least a draw if they want to keep alive any hope of reaching the knockout round. A draw for us, on the other hand, will probably see us through.



Chelsea can't hang on to their great left winger despite making the Champions League.



Hey, nice work Johnny Quibz.



And nice work, Wrexham. We're now a #1 seed, meaning we don't have to worry about being in the same group as Real Madrid again. Bring on the cupcakes like Videoton!





Now that the board has begun to zero in on the budget I can get around to giving contracts to those who waited patiently for them. Loseille, Reed, and Shirra earned £151,000/wk last year. Next year they'll earn £375,000/wk. Loseille and Reed are suddenly the fifth highest paid players at their position in the world.



Don't get overconfident, this is a whole new ballgame. I don't think we'll be putting four goals past Kojiro Minami.



You tell em, anonymous ex-USA player!

vs Japan, June 17, 2026
World Cup, Group A


A win and we're through, a draw and we're probably through. Japan, on the other hand, needs to take the game to us if they want to advance. I'm going to play on the counter, if we can manage an early goal we can force them to run around all game and their defense will suffer for it. One concern is that both Woods and Bruno have yellow cards, if they pick up another they'll be suspended for our final group stage match. As such I've told our players to not hassle our opponents on the ball quite so much.

Matt Baker and Jose Francisco Ramos are in the starting lineup in the place of Spence and Ulusal, and Woods is playing right back while Schlegel anchors our defense in midfield, but otherwise the lineup is the same as against Bulgaria.

Japan is using the same 4-5-1 formation we used, as opposed to the tight packed 4-2-3-1 that they used against Ghana.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter
Starting 11: Rubio de la Fuente, Woods (c), Latham, Needham, Bruno, Schlegel, Padilla, Ramos, Fisher, Baker, Dolinsky.
Subs: Toninho, Beer, Parsons, Bartlett, Romaneiro, Spence, Hartman, Burman, Ulusal, Carroll, Moctezuma.

11m: It's a dull opening, as we have a couple shots from counter-attacks that come to nothing,.

18m: More counter attacking, Bruno has a long shot curl over the bar and out of play.

20m: Japan still hasn't had a shot yet, our defense is doing their job and staying at home.

22m: Millions of children nine months from now will be named Bobby. A long throw from Bruno into the box catches the Japanese defense unawares, allowing Padilla to run onto the ball from deep and hammer it home.

USMNT 1-0 Japan

28m: Dolinsky gets whacked by Masaaki Morikawa, but is able to fight through the pain and continue.

38m: Japan is having a great deal of possession since we scored, but still have managed only an off target effort.

45+1: One of Japan's best offensive players, attacking midfielder Yosuke Yamazumi, pulls up lame just before halftime and has to be subbed off.

Halftime: We're 45 minutes from advancing!

49m: Japan almost equalizes with a shot from Shintaro Fujii that beats Rubio de la Fuente but goes harmlessly wide to the left.

50m: Japan has come out attacking with a purpose, earning a corner and looking dangerous.

52m: Hunter Fisher misses an easy chance, he had the whole net to work with from inside the six yard box and put it where Minami could reach. That could cost us.

61m: And it does, Japan are right back into the match! Hiroki Amo scores on a bounding ball in the penalty area, and this game is a long way from over.

USMNT 1-1 Japan

61m: Dolinsky has been uninspiring, so Rodrigo Moctezuma is getting his first taste of World Cup action.

69m: We're still getting good breakaway chances, Hunter Fisher cracks a shot off the woodwork.

77m: Japan's Amo scores when Rubio de la Fuente can't handle the incoming corner, and now we've got 15m to save a point we've held all match. I knew I should have started Toninho.

USMNT 1-2 Japan

78m: I send on Mario Carroll and move Moctezuma to the left wing, and bring on Isaias Hartman for Jose Francisco Ramos. We're switching to high tempo 4-2-3-1 to chase the equalizer.

79m: Amo almost has his hat trick, our players can't get so far ahead of ourselves that we give up another goal.

84m: Schlegel goes off the bar! Oh so close!

89m: Bobby Padilla can't repeat his free kick magic, putting his shot not far over the bar.

90m: 2 minutes stoppage time.

Full Time: There is no joy in Mudville, and the players are going to get an earful from me.




USMNT 1-2 Japan



Maybe if you'd spent less time gawping at the notion of losing, you could have prevented it.



Well, we gave up two goals in the final half hour, no wonder we're upset.



But we still have another match, so let's not get gloomy just yet.



The other groups have now finished their first matches and there's a few surprises, the largest of which is France getting blitzed for five goals by Senegal.



Bulgaria beats Ghana the day after we fall to Japan, putting the whole group at three points. We should be able to advance with a draw thanks to our +3 goal differential, either Japan or Bulgaria will win and we'll advance over Ghana (currently -1), or they'll draw and we'll win the group.



A dark day for Wales. Not only are they eliminated with a game to play, but the elimination comes at the hands of an England team that locks down their ticket to the knockout round.



This is the farthest thing in the world from my mind.



That's quite a step down from the World Cup. I'm not sure what happens if Japan makes a deep run and is still playing in mid-July.



Hey! You can't beat me so you headhunt my coaching staff?



Money cannot overcome the loyalty these people feel for me! It wouldn't have been the worst thing if de Campos left, but I hate hunting for coaches. I have to pull out a PDF to figure out which ones are actually good every time. It's why I still haven't found a new goalkeeping coach.



Keep your sinful lucre away from Wales.



I hope your confidence shows on the pitch, because you're getting the start after Rubio de la Fuente cost us a point last game.



We're underdogs? Hah.



After two matches, there's the potential for some major surprises. France is on the outside looking in at the moment, but get to play Colombia next. Scotland is still alive, as is South Africa.

vs Ghana, June 23, 2026
World Cup, Group A


Of course it comes down to Ghana. It always does. Ghana and the US have had a strange conjoined fate over the last several world cups. In 2006 Ghana knocked the United States out with a 2-1 victory in the final Group Stage match. Then in 2010 they beat the United States again, this time in the knockout round. That was a gutting loss after Extra Time, won by Asamoah Gyan's goal in the 93rd minute.

That's where our realities diverge. In the real world the United States faced Ghana again in the World Cup, but this time it was Americans who caused the heartbreak when youngster John Brooks scored the go ahead goal in the 86th minute of the first group stage match. In our Alternate Universe the Ghanaians were also matched with the US for the 2014 World Cup and won 1-0. That loss meant the US failed to make it out of the group stage despite beating Uruguay and drawing with Russia. In 2018 Ghana failed to make the World Cup, but in 2022 the American and Ghanaian national teams were again matched in the group stage, with the United States winning 2-1. That brings us to the present.

Ghana is coming out in a 4-5-1, while we're in a standard 4-2-3-1. Both of us know that if we win, we're in. I'm taking the risk of starting 17-year-old Moctezuma as our right winger, hoping he provides a spark but very ready to switch to Fisher or Burman if he hasn't done much by the half.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Toninho, Parsons, Latham, Needham, Bruno, Schlegel, Padilla, Woods (c), Moctezuma, Ulusal, Dolinsky.
Subs: Rubio de la Fuente, Beer, Bartlett, Romaneiro, Schlegel, Ramos, Hartman, Fisher, Baker, Burman, Carroll.

5m: We're getting possession early, but aren't breaking down Ghana's defense.

9m: Ghana's Richard Duodo sends a shot off the left post! I try not to let my concern show.

15m: It's still nil-nil in both this match and the Bulgaria-Japan match. We're looking comfortable in possession, but haven't been able to turn that possession into anything.

21m: Precise passing from Bruno to Woods to Ulusal to Dolinsky gives us the lead! USA! USA! USA!

USMNT 1-0 Ghana

22m: I switch us over to the 4-5-1, Ghana now needs two goals to survive and will have to attack.

27m: We're still getting a lot of possession despite the change in tactics, and turning that possession into shots.

31m: Dolinsky misses his second of the game by inches.

42m: Despite playing a counter formation we've still had 55% possession. Ghana haven't take a shot from anywhere near the goal since their initial effort.

44m: We're let down by our set piece defense, as we head away a corner but can't clear it. That allows Baba Owusu to score the equalizer and we have to slink to the lockers stewing over the goal.

USMNT 1-1 Ghana

Halftime: Bulgaria and Japan are still scoreless, if things finished as they are we'd actually win the group. I tongue-lash the players for their set piece sloppiness, then try to rebuild their confidence.

48m: Scott Dolinksy is playing well, but missing the final touch as can't get a half volley on target.

51m: Kiddy-league defense sees two Ghanaian defenders run into each other when trying to clear out an errant Moctezuma cross, the ball rolls directly to Dolinsky and he easily puts it away for his second of the game.

USMNT 2-1 Ghana

52m: Ghana makes a curious substitution, removing their goal scorer for a more defensive minded player.

56m: Woods takes a cleat to the ankle, and is hobbled as he runs off the pain.

58m: Moctezuma feeds Dolinksy, but the naturalized Englishman can't get his hat trick.

60m: Brian Burman comes on for Rodrigo Moctezuma, who had flashes of brilliance but played inconsistently.

61m: Obed Diallo is subbed on for Ghana.

62m: Toninho makes a sprawling save on a Ghana breakaway, and we maintain our lead. It's a great save, and a huge boost to our morale.

67m: Ghana have switched to a 4-2-3-1 in an effort to grab the two goals they need to avoid elimination, and make their final substitution. Ghana now have three Diallos on the pitch at their attacking positions, perhaps they're trying to confuse us?

71m: Padilla makes a surging run into the box, and the defender can only knock the ball away. It rolls off to the side of the net, where Sinan Ulusal is able to put it past the out of position keeper!

USMNT 3-1 Ghana

75m: Masataka Shimane puts Japan up 1-0 on Bulgaria, it's exceedingly likely they'll finish second in the group.

82m: I'm able to sub off Wood and Bruno, sparing their thirty-something legs the final minutes and preventing them from picking up a late game yellow that would keep them out of our knockout round match.

90m: 2 minutes of stoppage time.

Full Time: And we've done it, winning our group over Japan on goal differential.

Man of the Match: Scott Dolinsky




USMNT 3-1 Ghana



Damn right we should be happy that we beat Ghana in our quadrennial grudge match.



Really? Our group wasn't that difficult, it shouldn't be a surprise that we advanced. Anyways, who's next?



Oho, I know how to play against Australians! It's huge that we won our group, if we'd come in second we'd be facing off against Argentina.



Wrexham is second in England, and fourth in the world. I'm not sure if Barcelona's reputation is broken, they're somehow still #1 despite not having won jack for the last five years. Juventus is somehow above us and Man United too, which is also a bit odd even taking into account the Turin-based team's recent success.



Back to the Premier League for a bit. I'm not sure if this is in addition to the prior 5 point penalty, but Man City might be in slow meltdown mode where they regularly are getting docked points and unable to finish in a Champions League place. An unexpected upside, we won't be on the bottom of the table when the season starts!



Our minds are in concordance.



The rest of the world might not know he's the best player out there, but our fans do.



It's going to be tough to top that, those are some Messi-esque numbers.



Reed and Stringel are going to be gold plated locks for the decades by the time their run with the club is up.



Our entire best 11 have been with us for at least part of our Premier League days, even Danny Higgs was with us for the first half of the 2019-2020 season. At some point I'm going to do an interlude and try to see which of our lads would be worthy of joining Wrexham's real-life all time team.



I'm not sure who they're going to face, we're going to be in the United States for training camp and I don't want us flying back just to play them.



Wales can come home with their head held high, they did win a game at the World Cup and were in a tough group.



The first round is over, and there aren't that many surprises. France going out is certainly one, though, and Iran advancing is probably a surprise to most.



We lose one of the few people who can play left wing on the national team, but he hasn't been seeing time because Ulusal has been so strong.



Mujkic and Bastable are by far their best players; if we can contain those two I like our chance.

vs Australia, August 27, 2026
World Cup, Knockout Round


If we beat Australia, we accomplish my goal for this World Cup and the United States will have reached the Quarterfinal for only the second time in about 90 years. We have some seriously tired players, though, and I'm leaving Needham, Schlegel, and Dolinsky on the bench as potential subsitutes.

Australia going with a flat 3-5-2, they're relying on Meteor and his counterpart to run all day to give them some width. So we're going with the 4-2-3-1, I think their back line is suspect, and we might be able to exploit their width.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Toninho, Parsons, Latham, Bartlett, Bruno, Romaneiro, Padilla, Fisher, Woods (c), Ulusal, Carroll.
Subs: Rubio de la Fuente, Beer, Jimenez, Needham, Schlegel, Hartman, Ramos, Spence, Burman, Moctezuma, Dolinsky.

6m: 75% possession to start, which is just what I want to see.

8m: Mujkic finds Bastable on a cross, I've seen it dozens of times but as their coach instead of their opponent, but Romaneiro just barely gets back in time to deflect the shot!

10m: Kemal Selimovic of Australia gets a head on a corner, but nods it into the side netting.

21m: We get a corner of our own, and Darran Latham tonks his effort past the keeper to give us the lead.

USMNT 1-0 Australia

28m: We nearly go up 2-0 when Hunter Fisher zeros in on the goal from range, but the Ozzie keeper gets a hand on it to tip it over the crossbar.

30m: Australia again threaten from a corner, if we survive this I might have to go back and jazz up our corner tactic with something less ineffective.

32m: Mario Carroll frees Brent Woods on the break with a perfect pass to his feet, and he puts it in off the corner of the post!

USMNT 2-0 Australia

37m: Ok, now I feel comfortable going to a 4-5-1 counter-attacking formation.

38m: Fisher again denied a great goal, he's really feeling his oats out there.

43m: The Ozzies are getting a lot more possession now, but they're not doing anything especially impressive with it. They're also drifting way too far forward for them to recover if we can get a killer ball to our wingers.

45m: Hunter Fisher does not stop! Woods picks him out as he races downfield and he's all alone with the keeper, who has no chance to stop his shot from a handful of yards away. USA! USA! USA!

USMNT 3-0 Australia

Halftime: I could not have asked for better. We just need to protect our lead, and we'll be in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.

50m: Well, we couldn't expect to keep Bastable and Mujkic off the board for the whole game. Bastable scores on a corner, and Australia is jolted back to life.

USMNT 3-1 Australia

56m: Padilla is trying to reenact his free kick goal against Bulgaria, but he can't get the ball down and it zooms harmlessly over the net.

58m: Damnit, Meteor. He makes a classic crashing run, and it's suddenly a one goal game. You're not supposed to do that to me, Mat! You're supposed to do it for me.

USMNT 3-2 Australia

58m: We need fresh legs, so off come Padilla and Latham and on come Needham and Ramos.

65m: Australia are knocking on the door for the equalizer, we really need to turn momentum in our favor.

69m: Australia start using their subs, everyone who started the match is dead tired with conditions down in the 50-60 percent range.

74m: Brent Woods is injured in a collision, but gamely waves off the Physio and fights on. Australia subs on a fresh striker to pair with the winded Bastable.

83m: Momentum has swung back our way, and Australia are looking like they've punched themselves out.

85m: The opposition centerback, Duggan, hacksaws down Fisher and gives us a free kick. We dilly dally over it. Just a little more time...

89m: Bastable makes a run but is well marked and we're able to clear the ball, though Australia get their sixth corner of the game.

90m: Three minutes of injury time, I won't uncross my fingers until they're over.

90m: We clear away the first corner, but Australia gets another, and John Karbon gets the equalizer seconds before regulation is up.

USMNT 3-3 Australia

Full Time: We've got 30 minutes of Extra Time coming up, something that should never have happened. I'm using our last sub to bring on Rodrigo Moctezuma, in the hope that the kid can find the promised land.

94m: I think we're the ones who've run out of gas, as Australia score easily to open extra time.

USMNT 3-4 Australia

99m: We harry the goal, but can't push one across.

105m: It's halftime in extra time, and we're on the verge of elimination. We need a goal in the next 15 minutes, or it's curtains.

115m: Five minutes left, and it's looking grim.

120m: One minute left, and we're done.

120m+2: We have two last gasp corners, and we watch the ball spin behind the net after striking just outside of the goal.

Full Time: We blew a three goal lead, and our chances to make the quarterfinals. We got cocky, and Meteor made us pay.

Man of the Match: Mateo “Meteor” Mujkic




USMNT 3-4 Australia



That's a brutal result, and I'm not satisfied with advancing to the knockout round for the first time in 16 years. I deserve a huge share of the blame, I made no changes to the default corner defense tactic, and corners are what killed us throughout the tournament.



Maybe I should have been harsher on them after the match, they have no business being happy after losing a chance to go to the round of eight.



After the friendlies did anyone think our problem was going to be allowing goals instead of scoring them? We were an offensive juggernaut during our time in the World Cup, with eleven goals in four games. Our defense was a sieve, though, allowing seven goals in those same four games.




Still, in four years we'll be even better, and far more battle-tested. Players like Parsons, Fisher, and Padilla will be in their prime, while our promising young players will be old enough to play a major role. Also, we'd have played Germany in the next round, so it's not like we were going to make it much further if we did get past Bastable and Mujkic.



England didn't even make it to the quarterfinals this time, or to penalty kicks. The would be favorites get trumped by Mexico, and by Isaac Stringel. Also, this means we made it as far in the World Cup as England. Suck it, English! USA! USA! USA!



Enough grumping over spilled milk, it's time to refocus on Wrexham. I'm going to be extending Hammatt, Allan, Kocsis, and Maloney. I'll also be triggering Bouzid and Blyth's three option years. Matias Mercado has a vesting option with 15 games played, if he plays anything like last year he'll trigger it and we'll be glad for it.

The big move of the offseason will be the sale of Shahed Parr, assuming we can get more than £20m for him. Parr has been very good for us, but he wants a raise and he's not far from his decline phase. It's better to sell him while we can get something for him. I'm also toying with the idea of selling Sinan Ünsal, who doesn't fit in our 4-4-2 diamond and would bring a kings ransom in return.



This thread may have succeeded at turning Scotland into a giant, they have five players on their national team that we've had a major impact on. Two of those, Mair and Shirra, are just high potential players I plucked from the hinterlands and trained up to be stars. But Scott Scott, Paul McStay, and John McGoon, Jr. are entirely your doing, and they're all major cogs in the Scottish war machine.



Australia are the only true underdogs in the Quarterfinals, but it could have been us! If you put a gun to my head, I guess I'm cheering on Australia, Holland, Scotland, and Uruguay.



The club is worth £1.15b. That's £1,150,000,000. That's a loooot of money. I don't think we have to worry about our £120m debt, we have the collateral to borrow against. We're still a long way off from Real Madrid, though, who lap the field with a value of £1.76b. That's a full £500m ahead of second place PSG.





I finally get around to scheduling our pre-season friendlies, including a game against the semi-pro squad a couple towns over from where I grew up and a trip to Manchester United for the hell of it.



Parr might stay at Wrexham because no one wants to take him at a price I find appealing. If I can't find a buyer I'll extend him for a couple years to provide the bridge until Kristian Bale takes over our as our starting right wing.



I want to get in on this, but I can't justify the price.



For £9.25m, though, I can definitely justify bringing in an excellent, young wide midfielder.



We're one of four clubs who've put in an offer, and it's likely that Dortmund joins us. It's also likely that a bunch of other clubs will jump in, that's a criminally low price for a top quality player.



Hurrah for Holland, but the upside-down dream dies against the stern German defense.



Alas for Scotland, they ran into Isaac Stringel. Mexico is now just two victories away from a nigh unprecedented repeat, something that hasn't occurred since the 1958/1962 Brazilian teams.



Ayari is only 19, but I'm already thinkin' he's likely to get shipped off and won't ever play for us. He's already worth a couple million, so we'll get our money's worth when he goes.



You cannot stop Die Mannschaftt! Especially not when Matthias Laux is nailing his penalty kicks in the shootout.



That makes for a Germany vs. Mexico final. I guess I have to root for the Germans, since they never won the 2014 Copa Mundial in this Universe. Angela Merkel will only be 71 in 2026, I'm sure she'll be at the match cheering on her bros.



Real Madrid popped up and offered me £11m for Enrique. I countered with £15m. They accepted. This gives me the financial flexibility I need to strengthen the club, so he's gone. Enrique is a hell of a player with still unrealized potential, but we have better options at left back and defensive midfielder than a guy who's slightly less stout of heart than a fainting goat.



They offered him way more money than we did, £78k/wk to £60k/wk, so I guess I can understand his choice.



That must have been hell to watch for Mexicans, with the equalizer coming in the 89th minute. Stringel made his penalty kick but was let down by the rest of his team. Congratulations to your 2026 Weltmeisterschaft winners, Germany.



I'm “Secure” as USMNT coach, and there's not much chance they'll replace me before the next World Cup barring a compete debacle during a Gold Cup or something.



He's 32-years-old, but just signed a new three year deal with Valencia. It's very unlikely but not entirely impossible that he'll still be able to play a role in the 2030 World Cup.



Both the US and Wrexham get some plaudits at the end of the World Cup, with Bobby Padilla's goal being rated second best of the tournament and Isaac Stringel's third.



Hunter Fisher's only 21, I'm interested to see how he does in four years when he's had some time to mature.



Laux, Stringel, and Thiago all made the Dream Team.



And Stringel was granted the Golden Ball for best player in the World Cup after he dragged Mexico all the way to the final.

USMNT



A three goal lead with 45 minutes to play. Lost in large part because I didn't do my job and improve the corner tactics. Ugh. If the United States hadn't been so hapless for the better part of two decades before I arrived they would have shitcanned me, and with good reason. It's time to look forward to 2030, and relish everything up to the final hour of our World Cup experience.

Wrexham



Our pre-season is going to be relaxed by necessity, a lot of our players are going to still be worn down from their time in the World Cup. It'll be nice to have a whole month where none of the matches matter after the hectic nature of the last year. Also, check it out, we're not in last place!



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