{"id":2601,"date":"2026-07-07T15:09:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=2601"},"modified":"2026-07-07T15:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T15:09:48","slug":"soccer-players-dont-want-to-play-against-the-best-soccer-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=2601","title":{"rendered":"Soccer players don\u2019t want to play against the best soccer players"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

I guess if one repeats poppycock often enough, one may eventually believe it.\u00a0\u00a0One such clich\u00e9 is this: \u201cThe best athletes always want to play the best athletes.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Gavin Newsom signs bill to close California\u2019s \u2018Epstein loophole\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Wrong!\u00a0\u00a0Especially in soccer.<\/p>\n

The imbroglio surrounding the on-again, off-again suspension of USA star striker Folorin Balogun has hit the mainstream news.\u00a0\u00a0Several reporters assigned to the story insist that Balogun\u2019s\u00a0automatic<\/em>\u00a0red-card suspension (for an accidental coming together with a Bosnia & Herzegovina player in a previous match) and subsequent appeals process are concerns of the administrative weenies in suits.\u00a0\u00a0They maintain that the players just want to get on with it; they want to play against the best players their opponents can muster.<\/p>\n

Wrong!\u00a0\u00a0Especially in Belgium soccer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why do you think a team sits on pins and needles while potential paths through the tournament unfold?\u00a0\u00a0The players want the easiest possible route to the next round \u2014 that\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

The players\u2019 office staff and official football federation mouthpieces may talk a good game, but the players themselves (and coaches on the sideline) almost instinctively wave imaginary yellow cards when fouled on the pitch.\u00a0\u00a0Why?\u00a0\u00a0They want the opposing player to get two of them and be sent off, that\u2019s why.\u00a0\u00a0This is so evident that FIFA has, in the past, instructed referees under their auspices to issue yellow cards to players who wave imaginary yellow cards for a foul against them.<\/p>

Read more America\u2019s path through evolutionary eyes<\/a><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t earth-shattering news, but it is necessary to counter the lazy World Cup\u00a0reports that uninitiated soccer fans (perhaps tuning in for the World Cup) are subjected to: The players don\u2019t want to play the best players.\u00a0\u00a0The Belgium players are especially reluctant to go toe to toe with the best America has to offer.<\/p>\n

Soccer players want to win at all costs, and they aren\u2019t shy in attempting theatrical foul simulations (rolling around as if shot out of a cannon, etc.) in order to have opponents ejected for foul play.\u00a0\u00a0Just look at the Mexican players\u2019, coaches\u2019, and fans\u2019 reactions when an England player was red-carded in Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.\u00a0\u00a0They rejoiced as if they had just scored a goal.<\/p>\n

There is some nuance to this, because soccer players generally want to play in the best leagues (in search of higher salaries and potential career-enhancing trophies, no doubt).\u00a0\u00a0However, when it comes to specific matches, players want to\u00a0play with\u00a0<\/em>the best players, not against them.\u00a0\u00a0Not in a worldwide knockout tournament, anyway.\u00a0\u00a0And definitely not if your favorite breakfast is Belgian waffles.<\/p>

Read more The View\u2019s Sunny Hostin says American flags make her feel \u2018unsafe\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Image via Picryl.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I guess if one repeats poppycock often enough, one may eventually believe it.\u00a0\u00a0One such clich\u00e9 is this: \u201cThe best athletes always want to play the best athletes.\u201d Read more Gavin Newsom signs bill to close California\u2019s \u2018Epstein loophole\u2019 Wrong!\u00a0\u00a0Especially in soccer. The imbroglio surrounding the on-again, off-again suspension of USA star striker Folorin Balogun has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,464],"tags":[1061],"class_list":["post-2601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-sports","tag-related-topics-sports-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nSoccer players don\u2019t want to play against the best soccer players - Interstate Logistics Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=2601\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Soccer players don\u2019t want to play against the best soccer players - Interstate Logistics Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I guess if one repeats poppycock often enough, one may eventually believe it.\u00a0\u00a0One such clich\u00e9 is this: \u201cThe best athletes always want to play the best athletes.\u201d Read more Gavin Newsom signs bill to close California\u2019s \u2018Epstein loophole\u2019 Wrong!\u00a0\u00a0Especially in soccer. 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