World Cup Quarterfinal Open Thread - Day Two

Under normal circumstances, I’d be spending a paragraph gushing about yesterday’s chaos. Instead, we’re in shock over the sudden passing of Grant Wahl while he was covering the Netherlands-Argentina match yesterday. Wahl was one of the first journalists in the United States to dedicate himself to soccer journalism, especially when he joined Sports Illustrated in the late 90s. He covered MLS when it was struggling in its early years and the USMNT during multiple World Cup cycles. His loss will be felt for a long time in the entire soccer community, but especially in the USA. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.

Here is today slate of matches. Please remember all standard match thread rules apply.

Morocco vs. Portugal

Time: 3:00 PM UK, 10:00 AM ET

Portugal are flying after hammering Switzerland, 6-1, in the Round of 16. Of course there was a little story about Cristiano Ronaldo being upset with his benching, but it’s hard to argue with the results. The Portuguese are terrifying, but Morocco has played this entire game without an ounce of fear and squeezed the life out of Spain before ending their tournament in penalty kicks.

England vs. France

Time: 7:00 PM UK, 2:00 PM ET

This is the most anticipated match-up of the quarter-finals. The Captain and Vice-Captain of Tottenham Hotspur face off as Captains of their respective countries. Kane got going with a goal last match and has had a pretty good tournament. Hugo’s been pretty good but the star of France has been Kylian Mbappe, who has a pretty good case for the Golden Ball. If he wants that, France will need a victory over their European rivals.