Welcome to The Tap-Inn. Where you can tap into the world of soccer with me, your Irish Tap-Inn bartender, Joe. 🍻

The World Cup is over. But I’m not quite ready to move on yet. So today we’re going to review the tournament in full. The thrills, the spills and what we learned. Let's pour.

Today we're covering:

Sidny Lopes Cabral — Cape Verde v Argentina (103')

You know I just couldn’t get enough of the Cape Verde story this tournament so for me this was the best goal in the entire thing.

Trailing 2-1 in extra time against the defending champions, Sidny Lopes Cabral curled a shot from the edge of the box past Emiliano Martinez to level it 2-2. Cape Verde still lost 3-2, but they had the world champions rattled. Just three years ago, Cabral was playing in Germany's fifth division for about €1,000 a month. But during this play he looked like a million dollar man.

Fairytale.

Six weeks ago, 48 teams showed up to the biggest World Cup ever. Held across three countries, it certainly lived up to the hype. Let’s dive into some of the key moments from the last four weeks.

The record books got rewritten. This was the first 48-team World Cup, first with three host nations, and first on American soil for the men's side since 1994. 104 games. Every continent represented.

The co-hosts all went home the same round. Canada, Mexico, and the USA were each knocked out in the round of 16, Canada to Morocco, Mexico to England, the USMNT to Belgium 4-1 in Seattle. Three home nations, three exits at the exact same stage. Hosting duties, it turns out, come with a lot of pressure.

“What was your best bit, Joe?”

For me it’s always the upsets. Norway hadn't reached a World Cup in 28 years and had never beaten Brazil in history. They did both at once, Erling Haaland scoring twice late to send five-time champions Brazil packing in the round of 16.

Cape Verde, the smallest nation ever to qualify, went toe to toe with Argentina in a 3-2 classic that had no business being that entertaining. Paraguay reached the knockouts with under 30% possession some nights, proof there's more than one way to win a soccer game.

A new superstar arrived, and an old one signed off. Lamine Yamal, 19 years old, was the breakout name of the summer for the eventual champions. Lionel Messi played what was almost certainly his final World Cup, bowing out in the final itself, still the best player on the pitch even in defeat at 39.

“Did we get worthy winners?”

We sure did. Spain popped the champagne. Unbeaten across eight games, one goal conceded all tournament, a 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in the final. Second title in 16 years, built on the same patient, possession-heavy identity that won them the thing back in 2010, just with a sharper defense this time around.

As we referenced before, every World Cup winner in history has come from Europe or South America, and this one kept that streak alive too. Whatever's coming in 2030, in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, this tournament set a super high bar to clear.

Origin: Goes back to the 1630s, borrowed into English via French and Arabic from an ancient Greek word meaning "religious rite" or "consecration." Originally it meant a charm or engraved object believed to ward off evil and bring good fortune. Soccer writers stole it centuries later for the same basic idea, minus the actual magic.

Definition: A player whose presence alone lifts a team. Not necessarily the best player on paper, but the one everyone else plays with more belief when they're on the pitch, and noticeably less when they're not.

Usage: "Argentina without Messi just isn't the same team, is it?" "Nah. He's their talisman. Doesn't matter what the stat sheet says, they play different with him out there."

The USMNT epitaph

Three weeks out, and the hangover's finally cleared enough to dig into this review. This was, by the numbers, the best World Cup an American team has ever played. Three wins, more than any USMNT manager has ever collected in a single tournament. Six weeks where this country actually stopped and watched and packed bars from coast to coast. But then Belgium showed up in Seattle and took the whole thing apart in 90 minutes, 4-1, just like that the dream was over.

Round of 16, again. Fourth World Cup in a row ending at exactly the same point.

The Pochettino question is still unknown. Mauricio Pochettino said back on July 16 he'd decide his future within the week, choosing between a contract extension through 2030 or walking away. As of right now, U.S. Soccer is still waiting on that answer.

Whatever he decides, the bigger question doesn't go away. How does a golden generation with this much individual talent keep hitting the same wall?

The 2030 World Cup heads to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with a handful of centenary matches in South America to mark 100 years of the tournament in Uruguay. Four years for the USMNT to find a way through that Round of 16 door.

On Monday we covered the awards FIFA officially gave out, but let’s face it these are the ones you really want to win. The JOEYS.

Did we qualify for the World Cup? no. We lost to Czechia on penalties in March but I couldn’t leave you all without a review.

Best World Cup Finish: Quarterfinals in 1990. One game from the semis, beaten 1-0 by the hosts in Rome. I wasn't even alive for all of it, but my father still talks about that summer like it happened last week.

Star Player: Troy Parrott, 24, Dublin-born, currently banging in goals for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. Scored a hat trick against Hungary last November that dragged us into the playoffs in the first place. Didn't get us over the line against Czechia, but he's the reason we were even that close, and the reason we'll fancy our chances next time around.

Joe's Favorite City: Dublin. Temple Bar's for the tourists, good for one. But my advice hit up Grogan’s, The Celt or The Palace instead.

Top-Selling Beer: Guinness. Not even up for debate.

"So how much did Spain actually win?"

Thanks to Thomas in New York. Great question. The short answer: $51 million.

FIFA paid out $871 million total across all 48 teams this summer, the biggest prize pool in World Cup history, after a $100 million top-up got added back in April when European federations complained about travel costs across three host countries. Spain took home the biggest single check at $51 million, Argentina got $34 million for finishing second, and even the teams knocked out in the group stage still walked away with $9 million just for showing up.

Here's the twist casual American fans will appreciate: the money doesn't go to the players directly. It goes to each country's federation, who then decide how much of it trickles down to the squad as bonuses. Spain's federation is reportedly putting roughly 45% of their winnings toward player bonuses, which works out to somewhere around $865,000 per player before taxes.

And for the first time ever, FIFA handed out championship rings to the winners too, straight out of the NBA and NFL playbook. Spain's now got the trophy, the rings, and the biggest paycheck in the sport's history. Not bad for a summer's work.

As you know, we’ve featured a lot of fun stories in this section of the newsletter over the last 4 weeks but it only feels right that we end our World Cup coverage with a very heartwarming moment from the early stages of the tournament. If you missed this one, grab the tissues.

As Uzbekistan were losing 3-1 to Colombia in the group stage, one young fan was caught on camera in tears, sobbing into a replica trophy after one of Colombia's goals.

The Colombian supporters sitting near him noticed. They started chanting his team's name back at him: "Uzbekistan! Uzbekistan!" The clip went mega viral, reached the Uzbekistan federation itself, and the kid ended up invited to a full team training session and got to take home a signed jersey.

That's the beautiful game in one video. Enjoy.

As they say in Dublin, Sláinte! 🍻