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Those who were able to tune into the 2022 Men's World Cup final were treated to undoubtedly the greatest championship game in the Cup's 92-year history.
The incredible performance by both France and Argentina will stand as a game for the ages. Lionel Messi, playing in his final World Cup game at age 35, played brilliantly and never quit on his quest to win a World Cup in his incredible career, one many feel put him on top as the greatest player of all time.
He was looking to give Argentina its third World Cup title, while Kylian Mbappe was impressive for France, scoring a hat trick in the final game to try to give defending champion France its second consecutive title. Messi was equally as brilliant with his two goals exactly when they were needed.
Messi etched his name in the history books as one of the greatest of all time with others such as Pele, Diego Maradonna and Cristiano Ronaldo. Scoring a total of seven goals in this year's Cup, he was the Most Valuable Player Golden Ball recipient in the Cup, amassing a total of 13 goals in his World Cup play history.
Messi had put almost every honor on his resume except leading his team to a World Cup championship. It appeared Argentina had a lock on the game in the first half and the start of the second going up 2-0 . Argentina controlled time of possession, the pace of play and denied France any ball control. Suddenly, France came alive in the second half with Mbappe scoring two goals in slightly over 90 seconds to knot the game at 2-2. France, at that point, began quick transitions down the field, putting pressure on the Argentinian's defense.
The game ended regular time at 2-2 and went into tense extra time play. Messi struck first in extra time, looking like he had locked the game for Argentina, but a hand ball by Argentina allowed Mbappe to notch his third goal on a penalty kick. With the extra time periods ending at 3-3, the tension grew worse with the penalty kick shootout to determine the FIFA World Cup champions.
Argentina had a huge edge at this point as it was much more experienced and savvy at them since it had won two already in the tournament. The French had been in few shootouts, and the tension on them was obvious as Argentina nailed every one and France fumbled on two, to allow Argentina to emerge victorious as Cup champions.
Many soccer analysts felt following this victory that Messi had claim to the GOAT title.
USA competitive
The USA men played well in advancing out of their bracket with a win and two ties on their way to the round of 16s. They put their youngest team ever on the field in Qatar and played competitively but were not strong on finishing and were just unable to notch the goals needed even after controlling play in the field.
Netherlands' dominance over the USA continued with a 3-1 elimination win. USA has only ever pulled out one victory in all of its meetings with the Netherlands. There is a strong chance that many on the roster for USA will appear in the 2026 World Cup as they are in their 20s at this point.
American soccer fans won't have long to wait for more World Cup excitement, as the United States Women's Team will begin World Cup play in July of next year. It will feature a number of seasoned players with a great deal of extremely young players with no Cup experience. The U.S. women should make a strong roster of players to attempt to win their third consecutive World Cup.
Locally …
n Hollidaysburg Area High School boys head coach Craig Shale tendered his resignation after 18 seasons at the helm. Shale, one of the area's winningest coaches of all time, finished his career with 244 wins. He also led his teams to District 6 titles in 2005, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Shale was extremely experienced in every facet of the game and was a pure soccer enthusiast with an attitude of hard work and perseverance. He will be extremely hard for Hollidaysburg to replace.
n Indoor soccer concluded its first round of league play at the Summit and will begin its winter leagues at the beginning of the New Year. Hollidaysburg Area YMCA and the Northern Blair Recreation Commission are running indoor soccer play with strong numbers taking part.
Tom Schmitt writes a monthly soccer column for the Mirror.