The McGeady Spin. The Cruyff turn. The Panenka. Legendary soccer feats, or football in my native England. Every Rematch player dreams of pulling off a run that people constantly talk about in the group WhatsApp chat. I love a bit of social stardom, too, but the game's popularity on social media is breeding a new kind of currency, as players race to name Rematch tricks after themselves. I used to think it was cringe, but it takes me back to a fond time in Call of Duty history.
I'm not dunking on folks for having some fun. When the game first launched, my TikTok became swarmed with clips of people pioneering movesets - so they think. Notably, Rematch players proclaim that simply adding some curl to the ball is now a glorious achievement known as The Kai Shot. Sorry to break it to you, friend, but FIFA games have been owning that as the Finesse Shot for years, and that's just a technical term.
@ippy_rematch The long awaited, Ippy Slide Tutorial. Hope this helped some people. Also, my mic filter is cutting out some of my words😭 #Ippy#Ippy_Rematch#IppySlideRematch #IppySlide #rematch #rematchgame #rematchclips #bluelock #foryoupage #soccer #futball #football #fyp #rematchbeta #gaming #egoist #dribblegod #tutorial
It all feels like one technique is the genesis of this makeshift movement: the Ippy Slide. Originating on Ippy_Rematch's TikTok page, the Twitch content creator's movement tech of performing a pullback shifted the meta on June 20, 2025. This is the moment that shifts the Rematch trick meta going forward. If football games have a Spider-Verse-style canon event, then the Ippy Slide is up there in the pantheon. Maybe I'll create a tackle called the Comrie Collision. But why is it becoming the norm to put your own moniker on pre-existing moves?
I think this speaks to the excellent social atmosphere that Rematch is curating. Developer Sloclap is aware of it, too, as game director Pierre Tarno mentions in my recent interview. There's room for it to get better, and Rematch crossplay is hopefully the catalyst to make it happen. For the last few weeks, I continued to vocal stim phrases like "square it" or "tekkers", replicating the game's distinct delivery of each callout. Even that aspect is becoming part of the lexicon, feeding into Rematch's growing reputation
But after nearly 30 hours of game time, it dawns on me exactly what all this trickery nonsense reminds me of, and that's the golden age of Call of Duty multiplayer. Temper shots, quick-scopes, ladder stalls, and doing the moonwalk with a Spas-12 shotgun. The original Modern Warfare 2 launched a cultural phenomenon, one that Activision is still trying to replicate 15 years later.
All of these exploits are woven into the fabric of time itself, existing as reminders of a simpler time when all that mattered to me was what was for dinner and if my friends would be on MSN to chat after school. I'm not saying Rematch is of equal quality to the FPS game's seasoned multiplayer, but Sloclap is capable of reaching those heights if it can sustain the goodwill afforded to it so far.
Because Rematch's approach to football doesn't care about your knowledge of the sport, every match feels like a stomping ground with friends and new allies alike. Comedically spamming the "sorry" emote is the new joke to gain instant social cred, while hurling a barrage of "thank you" emotes is a dagger in the heart when you're losing. These fictitious tricks are cut from the same cloth, and as eye-rolling as they may be, you know what? I wouldn't change a thing.
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