Ryan Rosenblatt

@ryanrosenblatt

Work in ⚽️⚾️🎮. People who have paid me: @ESPN, @FOXSports, @Dodgers, @SBNation, @Eurosport. He/him. Contact: ryrosenblatt@gmail.com.

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Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· 26d

FOX was one of many American outlets that downplayed or straight up ignored the Falklands War in their coverage of England/Argentina. In doing so, they failed to cover the match: thinkoutsidetheball.substack.com/p/world-cup-...

There are Argentines who said beating England is more important than winning the World Cup. What could possibly make a semifinal more important than a final to some? If you read or watched much American soccer media, you might not even know.

It’s not new for media outlets to be scared of politics or people to claim they want to leave politics out of sports3, but when sports has brought politics to the stands and the field, when the politics is right at the heart of the game, it’s especially ridiculous to ignore it. At that point, you’re not just making a decision about politics - you’re making a decision to cut a chunk of the game out, poorly serve your audience and, frankly, do your job very badly.

The beauty of international soccer is that it encapsulates the whole world. The difficulty of international soccer is that sometimes the whole world can be quite dirty. Sometimes the countries involved have fought literal wars and people have died because of the two flags engulfing the pitch during the anthems. That is as much the World Cup as anything else, and if a network or media outlet is unwilling to recognize that, grapple with it and present it as part of the game the way it is, then they aren’t fit to cover the World Cup.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· 27d

This is the text I sent my friend while he was still celebrating Gordon's goal. This was so predictable.

Text that reads: Tuchel is going to use this goal to try and Mexico this game away but Argentina isn’t Mexico and you don’t beat them in your defensive third, you do it in the middle third. Tuchel is gonna let them walk it forward and that’s going to be the game no matter how many centerbacks he’s about to bring on.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· 27d

Once again, if you weren't talking about the Falklands and the way that war framed the entire match, you weren't covering the match

Argentina player holding up a sign that says "las Maldivas son Argentinas" on the field after the game

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· 28d

Look how happy my son is

Pedro Porro celebrating his goal with a gigantic smile

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· 28d

This might be a hot take, but I think this is Spain's best kit ever. That's partially because their kits are generally not great, but this is also a really gorgeous look.

Laine Yamal in a white shirt with red and gold trim and red shorts with gold trim

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· 29d

Nothing encapsulates 2026 like this World Cup: thinkoutsidetheball.substack.com/p/world-cup-...

In the end, the top four teams in the world made it to the semifinals. The upstarts had been dispatched, the titans retained their places and the rich became richer.

Corruption, ignored. Suffering, papered over. Failing institutions and a lack of trust in the integrity of the entire project, you got it. The most egregious capitalistic exploitation sports has ever seen, no doubt.

And yet a handful of people reached mesmerizing heights, in an event that celebrated the best of human expression and culture to provide respite for billions of people.

If that isn’t 2026 in one neat package.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 10

Finally, I found Donovan and Lloyd going after Pulisic disappointing. Not because he is above reproach (he is very much not!), but because the flood of former US players into the media has provided more barely defensible hot takes than it has insight or analysis.

Pulisic was healthy for one half of a game this World Cup and he had Paraguay in hell for those 45 minutes. The rest of the time, he was playing hurt. He plays hurt a lot, for club and country. If he ever gets a consistent run of health, he starts to look good, but that is rare and getting rarer by the year.

Breaking down Pulisic’s impact when he’s fit versus when he’s not and how much the team differs without him would be insightful. Questioning why the USMNT lean so heavily upon a player whose body cannot be relied upon would be interesting. How you manage that type of uncertainty in the dressing room and how the Americans have to change when Pulisic isn’t fit would be the type of illuminating analysis that can be unique to former players.

It’s a shame we don’t get that.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 10

Also had some fun with few dual national "what ifs?" (We do not judge players for picking the countries they did, that's lose behavior. This is just a fun alternate history.)

Achraf Hakimi: Born in Spain, Hakimi chose to represent his parents homeland of Morocco and has been terrific for the Atlas Lions, but imagine if he chose La Roja. With a midfield able to control the game like Spain’s does, he’d have total freedom to get forward and would help ease concerns about whether they could turn game control into chances. He alone might make Spain World Cup favorites, but it’s probably for the best. He and Lamine Yamal on the same wing might kill a left back.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 9

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 8

"Build academies like they do abroad!" Where they make mincemeat of thousands of human lives to produce a few good soccer players? The American system needs work, but copying global practices cannot be the solution. Also in here: thinkoutsidetheball.substack.com/p/world-cup-...

The problem is that to produce one first division professional player - not a star or even national team player, just someone who will have a full career - thousands of players have to go through the academy and fail, left to go into adulthood often with little education, few life skills and no direction.

Anyone who has been around clubs, be they Premier League or in the third division somewhere, has seen the heartbreak of the day when teenagers are told they are being let go. That their dream is over and they have to go out into the world with little preparation for the rest of their lives.

Even those who do make it to the professional level can be treated as little more than property, by clubs and agents, selling their rights and forcing them into transfers with little consideration for their career and directing the bulk of the money involved to themselves instead of the player.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 7

Comical Egyptian efficiency

Egypt shot chart with two goals from right in front and nothing else.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 7

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 5

l m a o

Gabriel on the ground, lounging in his failure as Haaland jogs away a goal scorer

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 5

Happy 4th of July

Alex Morgan sipping tea after scoring on England at the World Cup

Rob Green letting the US score on England at the World Cup

USA beating England at the 1950 World Cup

Celebrating scoring on England at the 2007 World Cup

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 4

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 2

Ronaldo is literally in Portugal's way, to the point that Leão is bumping into him and having to run through him when he's breaking on the wing

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 2

Look how happy he is

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 1

Not beating the allegations, Thiaw

92' Senegal wanted to make two changes before extra time, but their substitutes were seemingly not ready.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jul 1

I'm rooting for Senegal, but I simply cannot root against these Belgium kits. They are too pretty.

Belgium in a gorgeous blue and pink shirt with black trum and white shorts.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 30

This is a gorgeous kit match-up. What if we set the bracket for the knockout stages by choosing the best kit battles?

France in blue tops, white shorts and red socks. Sweden in yellow tops, blue shorts and yellow socks.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 30

Buono penalty save

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 30

"We've got three defenders to protect the front of goal and ... wait they have four?!?!?"

Still of Morocco goal with 4 Moroccans in front of goal and 3 Dutch

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 30

maybe my favorite world cup photo ever

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 28

i can't find the angle with the big kiss but here are two smaller kisses

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 27

I’m at the local Croatian church social club and it’s packed with people drinking all manner of things, singing folk songs in Croatian. It’s beautiful. And then a man in a Bosnia jersey walked in 🥴🥴

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 27

Cabo Verde shot chart against Argentina

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 25

Japan have one of the most beautiful kits in the entire World Cup, but they haven't worn it because FIFA keeps making them wear blue. Conspiracy?

Yuito Suzuki in a white Japan kit with black trim and green, blue, orange, gold and red stripes

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 25

I have to imagine Group E is going to run away with the best kit matchups of Matchday 3. Four beauties that all make for gorgeous clashes.

Ecuador in yellow with blue shorts, Germany in navy with teal.

Curacao wearing all navy with yellow trim and Ivory Coast in bright orange.

Ryan Rosenblatt@ryanrosenblatt· Jun 23

Had Senegal not had that goal line clearance, a 1-goal win over Iraq would only give them a 50% chance of advancing (per @michaelcaley.bsky.social). They'd need at least a 4-goal win to feel confident. Because of the clearance and goal, a 1-goal win gets them to 80% and 3-goal virtually guaranteed.