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The Vibe Shift at the World Cup Has Been Insane

Joseph Chalfant
Joseph Chalfant  |  June 20, 2026 7:00 PM

The vibe shift is upon us. America’s stellar performance at the World Cup has ignited the greatest thing about the American spirit: our country is capable of achieving anything at any moment.

That sort of pride in your nation or your people has long been forgotten in the West. Self-hatred and contempt dominates the European (and Canadian) psyche. But it lives on in the United States, even deep down among some liberals.

And the world hates us for it. They cannot stand American domination on every front. Soccer was the last vestige of excellence that the rest of the world had over the United States. That claim is fleeting and the pain that the other nations of the world feel over that loss could not be more satisfying.

Look, we probably aren’t going to win the whole thing. We’ve faced some good teams and handled them pretty easily. What remains in store for us in the knock out stages will be a far, far harder battle than what we’ve seen from the likes of Paraguay and Australia and I’ll be pleasantly surprised if we make it past the Round of 16. But man has it been fun to experience.

And if we don’t pull off a miracle this time around…we’ll be back.