Cartilage Free Captain

Hi Hoddlers! It’s Day 5 of the World Cup and Day 1 of Fitzie’s Extended Work Vacation from the Hoddle. So you’ve got me instead.

Without dipping too deep into politics, there’s been a lot of talk and digital ink spilled already about what an absolute s**tshow the planning and execution of this World Cup has been, and fair enough. Between FIFA taking every opportunity to milk football fans for their precious hard-earned dollars to half-empty stadiums to players, support staff, referees, and former Arsenal sexual predators being denied entry to host countries, everyone I think expected this World Cup to fall on its face. And at some level, it already has.

But I think what a lot of people forget is that Americans on the whole are decent people — kind, generous, accepting folk who just like to have a good time and are enormously welcoming to people from other cultures. That’s evident from this Bluesky skeet which contains some stories about foreign fans coming to the USA for the World Cup and having a great experience.

I’ve seen so many heartwarming and awesome stories about Europeans and people from other nations coming here expecting to encounter hordes of arrogant people and instead finding awesome Americans and incredible food, and being blown away by the experience. It’s made me feel a lot better, and is also a reminder that social media is not society, and that I need to log off once in a while and get out to actually talk to people now and then.

As an American, it’s worth remembering that, whatever else is going on in the world that’s outside of our control, we still have power to be kind and welcoming to people who are different from us, and those experiences go a long way towards establishing what kind of a country we want to be. FIFA sucks, a lot. But that doesn’t mean we as a people have to as well.

Song of the Day: “Smoko” (The Chats)

News and Links:

Not footy related, but the New York Knicks won their first NBA title since 1973 with Saturday night’s win over the San Antonio Spurs. I’m not a Knicks fan but after the Europa League win I feel like we’re spiritual cousins now. [ESPN]

A short profile on Nestory Irankunde, the Australian goal-scorer who came to Oz as an immigrant from Burundi via Tanzania, and found his home in soccer Down Under. [BBC]

West Ham might soon have a new owner after the David Sullivan scandal; relegation might end up being one of the best things to happen to that club in a long time. (The Times)

There’s so much football happening at the World Cup that you’d be forgiven if you forgot about Tottenham Hotspur for a while. I’m here to remind you that good things are still happening outside of North America — and case in point, Fabrizio Romano is now stating that Pedro Porro has officially signed his new contract extension with Spurs, one that will keep him in North London until at least 2031.

We already talked about how Porro was likely to end up one of the club’s top wage earners, and that appears to have been borne out. More importantly, this contract locks him down as a Spurs player until 2031, the year he turns 31, with an option to extend for an additional year. This is a deal that speaks volumes, both about Porro’s importance to this side, his quality, and Roberto De Zerbi’s opinions of his play. Say what you want about Pedro — the offensively-minded wing-back we brought in specifically to play for Antonio Conte has vastly improved his defense over the past few years and has become a coveted all-around player. He’s even playing for World Cup title favorites Spain!

This is a contract that instead establishes Pedro Porro as a leader on De Zerbi’s new-look Tottenham team, and a key player in how he wants to structure his tactics. It’s a good signing. I was skeptical about him at first too, but he’s changed my opinion over the years, for sure. Congratulations, Pedro — I expect the official announcement will be coming in due course, probably on Monday.

Roll on World Cup! FIVE games today, including last night’s midnight matinee that I didn’t bother to preview because I didn’t realize was happening. Let’s dig in.

Day 2 Recap

Qatar 1-1 Switzerland (Group B)

Goals: Embolo (17’); Khoukhi (90+4’)

This match was an absolute snoozer until injury time of the second half. Breel Embolo put Switzerland ahead with a penalty kick early in the first half and then the Swiss seemed to do everything except actually try to score a goal. Qatar, meanwhile, was playing the worst kind of defensive low-block-and-counter anti-football; Switzerland had 86% of the ball and won the xG battle 3.24-0.76. But the thing is, if you just try and hold on to a 1-0 lead, sometimes you get football’d. That’s what happened when Boualem Khouki fired home a headed ball into the net from a simple cross, and Qatar escaped with the dumbest of points imaginable. Group B is now wide open, remarkably. The Swiss… missed.

Brazil 1-1 Morocco (Group C)

Goals: Vinicius Jr. (32’); Saibari (21’)

I tell you what, for most of the first half I thought we were watching Wario Brazil, especially after Saibari put Morocco ahead midway. Brazil looked listless and wilty in the New Jersey heat, and then Vinicius Junior came to play, rifling home a rocket of an equalizer. Brazil woke up and actually tried to play some football in the second half, and it was a very even affair with both sides getting chances but neither able to put it in the ol’ onion bag. This had the feel of a heavyweight slug-fest. Also: Spurs should pay whatever Lille asks for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Haiti 0-1 Scotland (Group C)

Goals: McGinn (29’)

I honestly thought this would be a dreadful match featuring two bad teams, but it turned out to be one of the more fun matches of the Cup so far. It’s a pretty geographically ridiculous match up — Scotland vs. Haiti in Boston? — but I was told Boston has the third largest Haitian population in the world, and there were also plenty of Scots in attendance. Haiti were a fun attacking side but had a problem with their finishing, while Scotland played physical. McGinn’s deflected goal was the difference. Because Brazil and Morocco, the two favorites from this group, drew their match, Scotland now lead the group.

Australia vs. Turkey (Group D)

Goals: Irankunde (27’), Metcalf (75’)

Look, I didn’t watch this and you probably didn’t either. So here are the highlights.

Day 4 Matches

Germany vs. Curaçao (Group E)

NRG Park, Houston, Texas, USA

TV: FOX (USA), Telemundo (USA - Español), ITV 1 (UK)

Stream: Fox One, Peacock (Español)

Current/former Tottenham players involved: none

Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F)

AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas, USA

TV: FOX (USA), Telemundo (USA - Español), ITV 1 (UK)

Stream: Fox One, Peacock (Español)

Current/former Tottenham players involved: Micky van de Ven (Netherlands)

Cote d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador (Group E)

One Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, USA

TV: FOX (USA), Telemundo (USA - Español), BBC One (UK)

Stream: Fox One, Peacock (Español)

Current/former Tottenham players involved: none

Sweden vs. Tunisia (Group F)

Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico

TV: Fox Sports 1 (USA), Telemundo (USA - Español), ITV 1 (UK)

Stream: Fox One, Peacock (Español)

Current/former Tottenham players involved: Lucas Bergvall (Sweden)

Joao Palhinha, despite not being a perfect fit in Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield tactics under Thomas Frank, nonetheless endeared himself to a large percentage of Spurs supporters with his gritty and tenacious tackling and propensity to pop up and score goals seemingly from nowhere.

There have been indications that Spurs might want to keep Palhinha around for longer, either on a permanent deal or another season-long loan, and Palhinha compared his relationship to the club as a “marriage.” But according to a report from Portugal outlet Correio de Manha, Joao looks like he instead will be returning to his old club Sporting.

The report states that Bayern Munich, Palhinha’s home club, are close to an agreement with Sporting for a permanent transfer in the amount of €25m (£21.5m) after Bayern reduced their asking price from €30m. That’s… cheap. Cheap enough for me to actually ponder the idea of purchasing him outright, especially with the free agent departure of Yves Bissouma. I know I’ve expressed frustration over his signing but that was because he only made sense if Spurs paired him alongside a midfield passer, something they did not do last season.

The article also says that Spurs attempted to trigger his purchase option after the conclusion of his loan to Tottennham, but that Palhinha has reportedly chosen to return to Sporting in order to be closer to his family. He’ll also serve as an experienced replacement for Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who is expected to leave the club.

It sure does appear that Palhinha has made his choice, and it’s not Spurs. That’s ok. I came around somewhat on his appointment and he certainly gave us moments to cheer in what was a pretty dreadful season overall. It’ll be interesting to see how Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs fill the gaps in the midfield with what remains of the summer — I suspect with the World Cup now underway that this might not get resolved until the end of the window.

OK, we got some weird/bad transfer news out of the way already this morning, so how about some good news? According to the Athletic, while right back Pedro Porro has been getting some transfer attention from large clubs like Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, Tottenham have no intention of selling him this summer, and are now reporting that Porro is close to signing a contract extension with Spurs.

See that? That’s good news. I like good news, more of that please. Honestly, in my heart I’ve been bracing for an unexpected move from Spurs on the outgoing side, with a couple of players being transferred out that nobody expected, and I thought Porro might be one of them. He’s a sold player, getting a lot of attention, and is now playing for Spain at the World Cup, one of the favorites to win the competition. I figured this might be an opportunity for Spurs to cash in as they try and reboot the squad under Roberto De Zerbi.

I was wrong, and I’m glad about that! For starters, it means that Pedro likes it at Spurs and wants to continue playing here. It also means that we aren’t selling one of our best players just because. The article claims that, if he signs, Porro’s new contract would make him one of the highest paid players at Spurs; since Xavi Simons and Cuti Romero currently own that title with reported wages of £200k/wk, we can surmise that he’ll be somewhere in that range as well. Porro is currently making a reported £85k/wk on his existing contract, so that’s basically more than doubling his salary. Worth it, imo.

It also suggests that the earlier reports that Tottenham were going to break their former wage structure are accurate. This is also a good thing — professional footballers famously like money and that’s a good way they can attract more, better players this offseason.

I’m good with this decision. Hopefully we get confirmation of Pedro Porro’s new contract soon.

Sometimes things happen in football that are simply inexplicable. This appears to be one of them. According to Seb Stafford-Bloor and David Ornstein in The Athletic, Brighton & Hove Albion have made a £30m bid for Tottenham Hotspur defender Luke Vuskovic, and the young Croatian apparently wants the move.

I… don’t understand.

There’s a LOT about this story that doesn’t make sense in my brain. First, there’s the idea that Tottenham would be willing to sell perhaps the best young player at the club since Harry Kane, one who is currently coming off an incredible loan in Germany and who made the Bundesliga Team of the Season at age 19, and whose Spurs contract doesn’t expire until 2030. And maybe they AREN’T willing to sell — the article doesn’t make it clear whether Spurs are amenable to that move.

But the article does suggest that Vuskovic wants the move, and sees going to a club like Brighton as the logical next step in his career. This is all happening while Tottenham are attempting to facilitate a transfer for Brighton’s 26-year-old Dutch central defender Jan Paul van Hecke, a transfer that Spurs are almost certainly going to overpay for.

Now look, I’ve argued in the past that if Spurs don’t think Vuskovic is ready for first team football in the Premier League then they should arrange for another loan. And I think that probably should happen, and would be a good outcome for everyone involved. And to be clear there are no indications that Tottenham would accept such a ludicrously low underbid for what could turn out to be a generational defender before he even plays a single moment for the club.

So maybe there are some details here that we’re missing. For example — if Spurs were to sell Vuskovic to Brighton for £30m, or a discount on whatever Van Hecke might cost, but maintain a very reasonable buy-back clause and/or right of first refusal to get him back in a year or two when De Zerbi (or whoever’s making the decisions at Spurs right now? Lange? God…) then there’s an argument that this could make a weird sort of sense. And Vuskovic needs to be starting games right now, not sitting as Tottenham’s 5th CB in a year when they’re not in Europe. Spurs would either need to keep him and START him, or loan him back out to Germany or wherever so he can continue his development.

The Athletic makes the point that Arsenal did something similar with the development of William Saliba, a player Spurs were also interested in at the time — they loaned him out three times to France before integrating him as a first team regular. Spurs might be attempting to do something similar with Vuskovic.

But there aren’t those kinds of details either — just a report that Brighton have made a £30m bid. Honestly, I wouldn’t let Vuskovic go for £80m right now and I’m hoping beyond hope that while this is likely a real bid from Brighton that Spurs wouldn’t be stupid enough to let him go, except out on loan. And yet, I do NOT trust the current leadership at Spurs and there’s a part of me that’s convinced that we’re going to end up with the worst and stupidest outcome possible.

Honestly, I’m trying not to fly off the handle here because there are no indications that Spurs are open to such a deal, but holy tap-dancing Christ, I hate this rumor SO MUCH.

Good morning everyone and welcome to Day 2 of the World Cup!

There are some exciting matches today to round up the co-hosts’ first games: Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, and USA vs Paraguay. Exciting!

The hoddle is will look a little different over these next few weeks. Duty calls, and your hoddler-in-chief must answer. Thus, I will be away for several days over the next handful of weeks.

That means you’ve got the two best people on this planet to hoddle in my place: Menno and MattyFlatt!

If you are at all curious, they will be taking over for me on the following days:

June 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 26, 29, 30

But the good news is I’ll be back for all the other days (maybe!)

These two legends of the game will be helping me out in my absence, and I’m sure they’ve got some great content planned.

Anyways, be kind to your substitute hoddler-in-chiefs in my absence. I’ll be lurking around the comments and might even pop in a couple days if I can. And be on your best behaviour with each other!

Fitzie will be back on June 18.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Sports, by Viagra Boys

And now for your links:

BBC: “From near death to World Cup hero - Jimenez’s tears for Mexico”

The Independent: “Jose Mourinho returns to Real Madrid as he signs three-year contract with Spanish giants”

The Guardian: “Kieran McKenna leaves emotional legacy at Ipswich to last generations”

Good news if you like the idea of Tottenham Hotspur players participating in major international football tournaments! The Argentine federation announced today that newly-signed Spurs central defender Marcos Senesi has been called up to La Albiceleste today, just in the nick of time.

Senesi is being called up to replace Leo Balerdi, who picked up an injury in training and was forced to withdraw. There was a suggestion as recent as yesterday that Argentina would choose to bolster their attacking options instead of calling up a defender to replace a defender, but instead Senesi got the call, which is probably good for both him and Argentina. Senesi is probably flying to Kansas City right now to join his teammates. Let’s hope USA accepts his visa.

It was a little weird that he was left out to begin with — I’m not totally familiar with the politics of the Argentine Football Federation, but going into a World Cup with a (slightly) shorthanded defense usually isn’t a good sign. So I’m glad Marcos is getting the nod. No idea how much (or if) he’ll play, but I would like to imagine him starting a match beside his (current) Spurs teammate Cuti Romero. Wouldn’t that be neat? I think that’d be neat.

Argentina are in Group J alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan. They’re already one of the favorites to win the World Cup for the second straight tournament, and this group shouldn’t give them too much difficulty. La Albiceleste opens their World Cup on June 16 vs. Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Good morning everyone and welcome to the first day of the 2026 World Cup.

If there’s one thing I think about when it comes to the World Cup it’s water bottles. We know it’s going to be hot out there. Players will be taking water breaks at the midpoint of each half (similar to the Club World Cup).

The fans too have to stay hydrated. And while they can’t bring water bottles into stadiums -

(Actually, Fifa reversed its policy so fans will be permitted to bring “one, soft, plastic, 20 ounces (590ml), factory sealed disposable water bottle into any FIFA World Cup 2026 match in the USA and Canada”)

- they also always have the option to go for a run instead of attending a World Cup match. Should they choose to run, it’s probably wise to carry a handheld water bottle.

But which to choose?

This is the predicament your hoddler-in-chief faces.

During my most recent marathon I chucked my water bottle at around Mile 24 because it became too heavy and, in a moment of madness, I discarded the extra weight.

Well, it’s now mid-June and I want a water bottle so I can stay hydrated during my runs.

I’m a big fan of the Nathan SpeedDraw handheld water bottle (the 12ox version). I find it’s pretty easy to squeeze, carries just enough water for me and I’m able to put a couple gels (or, if I’m traveling around, my car keys) in there.

But these DC summers are getting worse and worse, and I’m a little afraid this one’s going to be brutal too. So what’s a fella to do? Bump up to an 18oz water bottle? A hydration vest ?? (no thanks to the vest).

There are a few things I’m looking for:

Ease of squeeze: I don’t want to have to fight for my water. That’s what water fountains are for.

A comfortable feel: I want it to feel as if I’m not really holding the bottle at all. The less stress on my hand the better.

Storage capacity: Where else am I gonna store my gels? In my shorts with my apartment keys? That sounds like danger.

Breathability and weight: I don’t need the extra sweat or heat around my hands. At the same time, I wanna keep the bottle pretty light.

I stopped into a running store the other weekend and none of the bottles I checked out there passed the test. There was a soft flask that looked interesting but I didn’t like how it wrapped around my hand, and I imagined how uncomfortable it could be once its contents run dry towards the end of my run.

If anyone has a soft flask, let me know how you get on. Otherwise I’m open to all sorts of hydration ideas.

And, above all, stay hydrated.

Fitzie’s track of the day: We Will Not Be Lovers, by The Waterboys

And now for your links:

ESPN: “Why are there drinks breaks at the 2026 World Cup, and why has FIFA been criticised?”

Jay Harris: “Tottenham confirm Marcos Senesi signing on a free transfer”

BBC: “Legend of the club - but McKenna leaves promoted Ipswich”

I Run Far: “Best Running Water Bottles of 2026”

…To my mind Senesi is the signing that makes the most sense for Tottenham Hotspur this summer thus far. Although at 29 he’s a bit far along the age curve, the Argentine Senesi is a very solid all-around central defender. He’s good with the ball at his feet, is good in the air, and is comfortable in possession, all things that will endear himself to Roberto De Zerbi. Senesi is a high volume passer but his passing completion numbers take a hit because he’s more likely to go for a longer, higher-risk pass from deep than a comfortable short pass to the defensive midfielder. Like Micky van de Ven, Senesi also likes to step forward out of the defensive line to make defensive plays further up the field, and he’s fifth among all defenders in major European leagues in possession adjusted defensive action VAEP.

Due to his age he’s unlikely to be a long term signing for Spurs, but the skills he brings to the table are ones that will hopefully help transform Tottenham into a team that fits De Zerbi’s pressing and mid-to-high block tactics a little better than they do now.