US vs. Thailand: Was that a game?

The U.S. rout over Thailand has given rise to a pair of controversies: (1) should the U.S. have run up the score and (2) should U.S. players have indulged in major celebrations after scoring the late goals.

I have no problem with running up the score. Goal difference is a tie-breaker at the group stage of this tournament, and may end up deciding whether the U.S. wins its group. I think it unlikely that those final few goals against hapless Thailand will be needed for the U.S. to finish on top, but you never know.

However, some of the celebrations that followed the add-on goals were ridiculous, both on their face and judged by the norms of the sport. To take the most egregious example, in 40 years of watching men’s soccer, I can’t recall any celebration of a late goal in a rout that compares with Megan Rapinoe’s over-the-top celebration of goal number nine, which you can watch here.