Bandwagons, Good Hangs, And Everything Else I Love About Knockout Culture

Plus, why I’m rooting for this very special Canada team, and more from Mad Love Corner.

Welcome back to OffBallFC, a dedicated soccer platform where we capture the conversation around the game differently, going deep on its crossovers with fashion, music, culture and everything in between. From interviews with your favorite soccer players to analysis of Erling Haaland’s Snapchats, we’ve got you covered. OffBallFC is written every Wednesday and Friday by two people who really know their stuff: sports and fashion journalist Daniel-Yaw Miller (lifelong lover/victim of Arsenal) and pro soccer player Madison Hammond (Utah Royals player, Man City Girl fandom, but don’t let that frighten you).

It’s Wednesday here in Mad Love Corner and we’re watching the World Cup go from online hysteria to in-person euphoria. Is this going to become a soccer country after all?

This week, I’m letting you know what I’m loving into the knockout rounds and leaving behind in the group stages. There’s been so much love this summer but I think there have been some distinctly lovable moments that I hope stay alive through the rest of July.

What I love:

Hangouts and watch parties. Nike and Adidas showed us that with an unlimited budget, you too can have the hangouts of the century. Nike TOMA gave us what it’d be like to play our favorite pickup soccer in a Space Jam type of universe, when they put the National Finals in the middle of New York City’s Bryant Park. Even though Ronaldinho and Emma Hayes were sitting courtside, at its core the moment was about footy with friends and the stakes were about having fun.

Ronaldinho at Nike Toma NYC Finals. (Photo: Yuri Baranov)

Adidas met the moment with their House of Soccer event across the river at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Adidas athletes like Beckham, Pogba, Bonmatí were in attendance but Trinity Rodman giving us more blonde has been a fave moment of the summer. Tbh her real moment of the summer was getting Ciara to dance with her. Bucket list summer for the NWSL striker.

This summer of soccer is reminding me that having fun IRL is very much back in style. The joy of this World Cup has been the moments you realize “I have a moment to get together with people.” We’ve seen what it can do for the fans, but what about those in the sport? World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe wrote a short Substack reflection on what it’s like from a new perspective, not on the field, but still enjoying it all, IRL.

Day-to-day bandwagonism For two short weeks we all had June Jubilation, holding hands and celebrating so many firsts and admiring the melting pot of every nation enjoying the game together. Now, the landscape has changed, and in 90 minutes, I’m now emotionally attached to a team, and by extension, a whole culture. For example, suddenly everybody’s Paraguayan.

Goalkeeper stock is going up, up, up. I wouldn’t be surprised if after this World Cup there are more goalkeepers than ever before. Some of the performances have been beyond belief, and for a thankless position, the flowers are earned.

Oh Canadaaaaa I was pretty blessed to go to Wake Forest University – a soccer school with well-known men’s and women’s soccer programs. One of the best parts of this World Cup has been texting my beloved college group chat “Socks On” while we support Alistair Johnston and their Canadian Heritage moments throughout the tournament.

We’ve now watched Alistair not only qualify for the knockout stages, but make it to the Round of 16, which makes me feel proud to be like, “hey I know that guy!” To be clear, Ali is the only Canadian in the eight-person group chat, but every gameday morning starts with a series of messages that go something like:

“OHHHHHH CANADA”

“OUR HOME AND NATIVE LAND!”

And “let’s f***ing go Ali” which then transitions somewhere to “can we get the f*** in already lads COME ON THEN” when their first knockout game in history is still tied 0-0 in the 89th minute. At one point someone bribed Alistair with the fact that Jessica Alba was in the house for the game. Guess that Hail Mary paid off.

What I’m Leaving Behind:

Bye Bye Freddy7. The man (we think), the myth, the international legend deactivated his X account on Tuesday. We’ll tell his story around fires for decades to come when recounting the memories of the 2026 World Cup. It’s the best version of old school content in a finite way. Like when Andy Sachs threw her phone into the fountain at the end of “Devil Wears Prada.” Let’s just hope he wasn’t an industry plant.

VAR calling pinky toes offside. As a player, VAR has saved games. But as a viewer, the VAR is causing real frustration and certainly upsetting the flow of the game. Is it really ruining the spirit of the game if teams are missing out because their toes and butts are too big to stay onside?

France hate-watches. I’ll admit it, France was making me mad because they were playing like they expected to win every single game. But the knockout round version of France is fun, fun, fun, might be unbeatable, especially when Kylian Mbappé reminds everyone that international Mbappe is the best in the world. I would cry if I had to defend him.

USMNT has an “easy route” discourse. Bosnia and Herzegovina are ready for the moment against the Oosa boys. It’s all about one game at a time, but charting the final is a fun exercise. (But I am also loving the college-football comparisons getting the American casuals through).

AFCON slander. Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez expressed his sincere pride for the African nations, as 9/10 teams qualified for the knockout stages. It’s time we all give the AFCON tournament the same energy as the Euros and Copa Americas of the world.

Negative spins on this World Cup because despite the challenges and problematic moments, this is objectively the highest attended World Cup in three decades, with 4,644,549 fans through the group stages. If Kickball Dad can understand the shift in energy around the sport, so can you.

Rule change suggestions from those new to the sport.The penalty kick shootout is the deciding method. There’s been plenty of years of research and debate about the best ways to decide a match. There is no “fairer way” to decide a team’s fate. Only agony and pain. Believe it or not, in the MLS, you used to dribble from half-field instead. So stop trying to make fetch happen.

Outside of the World Cup and in case you forgot, club soccer still matters and here’s some good bits.

The NWSL resumes play this week after the summer break and huge news: Sam Kerr is back. The Australian superstar signed with reigning champs, Gotham FC. It’s basically like Thanos claiming another stone for those who are new here.

Did Chelsea’s admin really write that? The Premier League Blues’ blues are at an all-time high after an Instagram caption detailed Chelsea FC’s dismal season. And according to Tom Brady…is it the coach’s fault if your team just is bad?

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