What I Wrote This Week (7/17)

Normally, I am ethically opposed to the third-place game. It, too, is self-care for someone like me to skip an unnecessary soccer game after the amount of soccer that’s been pumped through my brain for the past month. I have loved the World Cup; I am excited for the World Cup to be over.

However, Saturday’s “match” will be featuring the two living men under the age of 41 who are most obsessed with personally scoring goals at the World Cup, and they’re both in range of winning the Golden Boot. What’s the over-under for combined shots attempted by Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe on Saturday? 15? 20? 100?

As for what I’ve written this week:

-I went through all of the proposed fixes for American soccer — more fun! more free! — and figured out how the USMNT actually might become as good as Norway.

-I did it again: wrote an article about how Lionel Messi is the greatest male athlete of all time. It was either Messi or Usain Bolt in 2022; four years later, the answer is no longer up for debate.

And one thing I watched:

-This clever, shoebox-sized, low-budget story about a dad who goes on a beach vacation and then deals with a bunch of unforeseen logistical issues as he tries to get back home to his wife and his son. It’s called The Odyssey.

Enjoy the final game(s), everyone!