Cornucopia

Yes, an abundant supply of good things, even if every result isn't what you want.

A Proper Footballing Experience

I won't say the Club World Cup contest between Palmeiras and Chelsea at the Linc matched seeing Newcastle at St. James' Park, but it was close.  The Linc was packed with 65,872 fans, a significant and vocal majority of whom were Palmeiras supporters  They knew their role and played it well with songs, chants, banners and rollouts regardless of what was happening on the pitch; see here.  Would their team's backline been as well organized.  Chelsea fans were abundant too but tended to be quieter until their side actually did something.  

Our seats for Palmeiras - Chelsea; $200 doesn't buy what it used to

The match was close.  Palmeiras did some attacking early but Chelsea slowly took over.  Palmer's goal was the inevitable result of that pressure. (Wait, you can't spell Palmeiras without Palmer!)  Fortunately, Palmeiras did not concede a second before the halftime whistle and they came out with a better game plan in the second half.  From our vantage point, we have no idea how Estevao's shot got past Sanchez but it leveled things in the 53rd minute.  Back and forth from there and the prospect of extra time loomed.  Chelsea got the game winner on an own goal off defender Agustin Giay in the 83rd minute.  

The Union crew at the Linc

I won't say they were just happy to be there but Palmeiras supporters seemed to take the loss in stride, taking comfort perhaps in the good run their club had in the competition.  Chelsea fans were a bit more vocal leaving than they had been arriving.  

Except for maybe our seats not being the best, the four Union guys had a great time too.  Technically we
were neutrals looking for a close match but I think we became de facto fans of Palmeiras because of their underdog status.  Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Ya Done Good Philly

Inquirer writer Jonathan Tannenwald highlights here how well Philly came off as it hosted Club World Cup matches.  Attendance for the eight matches was just under 350,000 and two fixtures drew over 60,000.  Reviews from players and fans alike are positive for the venue, the restaurants and bars, and even the Broad Street subway.  To the extent this was a dry run for next summer's World Cup, the results are encouraging.  

All-Euro Final For CWC

I didn't see Fluminense's quarterfinal 2-1 win over Al-Hilal 2-1.  PSG did not exactly blow Bayern out the water despite what the 2-0 final suggests.  They didn't score until the 78th minute, then proceeded to have players sent off at 82 and 90+2 minutes to make the end more exciting.  Except Dembele scored in stoppage time to end the drama.  Speaking of stoppage time goals and drama, Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Dortmund featured three second half stoppage time goals.  Frankly the match wasn't all that exciting until then as RM jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes.  Dortmund got one back at 90+2, but Mbappe restored the two goal lead two minutes later.  But Dortmund got another via a PK at 90+8 in a play that saw Huijsen sent off for RM.  Not much time left but Courtois was called upon to make a game saving save in the final minute.  

The semis were more tepid affairs.  Chelsea was never really threatened in a 2-0 win over Fluminense.  PSG obliterated Real Madrid 4-0, scoring three times in the opening 24 minutes.  I didn't see the match but the stats back up the final score; possession was 69/31, shots 17/11 and shots on target were 7/2, with xG 2.45/.74.  Hmm, Real Madrid did no better than Inter Miami against PSG.

No Gold Cup for US

Some of the focus after the US 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup Final has been on the no handling call in the box (we'll get to that in a minute) but really the point is that US were thoroughly outplayed by the Mexicans.  Great that it was a hard-fought match but the US were clearly the second best team that night.  And I don't think it's really a big issue either.  This was a team that was missing 8-9 likely starters from next year's World Cup so expectations should be adjusted accordingly.  We learned a few things about which players might (or might not) be deserving of a spot on the WC roster.  We don't need any hand wringing right now.

As for the no handling call, you can see the play here.  Not a close call for me as the defender was falling after contact with the US player and was extending his arm to brace for the fall.  It seems like a tremendous stretch to say he was making himself bigger.  But some are still making the case; the still picture looks very damning but when you see the video, it doesn't look anywhere near as egregious.  There were also complaints about the foul that set up the free kick for the winning goal and about possible offside on the play as well.  A little too much whining for my taste given that the bigger issue was they were seriously outplayed. 

Maybe it's over but maybe it's not; the back of the goal
 post is in line with the back of the goal line so...

Also, I've scanned the web for a picture with a definitive image that shows Richards' header was completely over the line but found none.  Doesn't mean it wasn't the correct call; the AR had the best view and there was no reason for VAR to overturn the call.  My question though is how does the Gold Cup not have Goal Line Technology for the final.  This is supposedly a major competition in a venue that will be hosting World Cup matches next year.  Was this a budget cutting measure?  Did DOGE have anything to do with it?

Does US Soccer Have a Type?

Pochettino found a line up he liked and didn't mess with much rotation.  He was also extremely slow on the subs, often not doing much until after the 80th minute.  Not sure it mattered in this competition in terms of results but does it do much for the morale of those who were looking for a chance to make their case for the World Cup team.  Last August I noted that the USWNT manager Emma Hayes was not a big fan of rotation and used subs sparingly.  At least she gets to point to an Olympic gold medal.  Again though, a little worried about what that strategy does to the morale of the backups.  Didn't they both manage Chelsea?

Stuck Inside of Nashville with the Columbus Blues Again (apologies to Bob Dylan)

It was late in second half stoppage time with the Union and Nashville level at 0-0, which was annoying given that the U had been up a man since the 63rd minute.  BFS Artistic Director Laura O said she knew Nashville were playing for a draw at that point but might the Union also being willing to settle for just a point?  I said maybe but they shouldn't be.  About 30 seconds later, they get caught on a counter, Makhanya commits a foul in the box, Nashville converts the PK and the Union wind up with nothing.  Should have listened to Laura.

This is the second straight 1-0 loss from a match that they should have at least gotten a point.  They haven't scored in over 260 minutes and that was a PK from Damiani in the 10th minute against Chicago.  The loss drops them to third in the Eastern Conference.  They've been playing with a thin roster so some of the decline is understandable.  The good news is that Baribo made a late appearance against Nashville, though he didn't score.  Also, Sullivan and Harriel will be back from international duty.  Uhre and Westfield might be available Saturday as well.  Definitely need to see some goals again.

No Bulls

Yeah, that's unplayable
Photo: Bill Streicher - Imagn Images

The Union's quarterfinal US Open Cup match against Red Bulls was postponed when a  line parallelogram of thunderstorms took its time rolling through Southeastern PA.  The match is rescheduled for August 13.  The Union might benefit in two ways from the delay.  First, several players who would have been unavailable may well be ready by that date.  Second, thanks to the League Cup, Red Bulls will have seven matches between July 26th and August 16th, including contests on 8/7 and 8/10; they might be a bit fatigued at that point.

I Don't Think She Was Faking It

Dennis notified me of an interesting play in the Germany-Denmark Euro Championship match.  You can see the play here.  The Danish defender slams the clearance right into the face of the teammate and she goes down like she's been shot.  The ball ricochets right to a German attacker, who lays it off for a teammate, who scores the go-ahead (and winning) goal.

The Danish player clearly has a head injury.  Shouldn't the referee stop play immediately? The answer it appears, it elusive.  Here's the language from IFAB.

stops play if a player is seriously injured and ensures that the player is removed from the field of play

I saw many posts that add the word "immediately," but did not find that word in any IFAB documents.  Mark Clattenburg, who I almost always agree with, said there was no way the referee could stop play in that situation.  Part of the reasoning is based on the fact that it was a Danish player who kicked the ball into her teammate's face and therefore Germany shouldn't lose a goal scoring opportunity.  But wait, if the issue is player safety and getting treatment as soon as possible for the injured player, why does who kicked it matter?  If you watch the referee, I think she had just turned her head away from the play and did not see the ball strike Snerle in the face so maybe she wasn't sure if she needed to stop play right away.  I'm more okay with that line of reasoning, although she really should be following the ball at that point. I suppose you could argue that there was no disadvantage for Denmark as even if Snerle had not gone down, there's no way she could have been helpful in stopping the goal.  Again, if the issue is player safety and immediate treatment, that's irrelevant.  

All the Soccer with 80% Less Shithousery

I only picked up on the Women's European Championship with Thursday's group stage match featuring Finland and Switzerland.  The Finns needed a win to advance whereas a draw would have been enough for the Swiss.  Finland got their goal in the 79th minute on a PK but Switzerland got the equalizer in stoppage time and advance to the knockout stage.  Norway were the winners in that group.  

BTW, the women's game is noted for much lower level of shithousery than the men, though Dennis suggests Italy can shit house with the best of them.  I saw clearly in the Finland - Switzerland match that the women do not know the proper procedure for a PK.  The keeper went straight to the goal line, the taker went to the PK spot and everybody else lined up outside the box.  Don't they know everybody is supposed to crowd the PK spot for five minutes before going to these positions?

Still Plenty To Do

Two Union matches this week - Red Bulls Saturday at 7:30 and Montreal Wednesday at 7:30.  I have a ticket for both so two trips to Subaru Park for me.  The Union are favorites in both matches, especially against Montreal.  Six points is needed and four points is a minimum.

The Club World Cup concludes on Sunday afternoon at 3 pm on TBS with Chelsea facing PSG at the Meadowlands.  Opta has PSG as moderate favorites (42-32 with a 26% chance of the match going extra time).  The French club has been on a tear so Chelsea will have to bring their best game.  

The Women's Euro Championships finishes the group stage with two matches each Friday, Saturday an Sunday, all starting at 3 pm.  Quarterfinals run from Wednesday-Saturday with one match each day at 3 pm.    

Five Fridays from today, the EPL starts.

Club World Cup, Gold Cup and MLS, Oh My

Busted.  I watched more Club World Cup games.  And Gold Cup.  And the Union.  A lot of football.  What did we learn?

1) A one goal lead is the most dangerous in football

Freeze frame: Matt Freese with one of his 3 PK saves 

Panama were probably the better side against Honduras but never added to their 1-0 lead.  Honduras got the equalizer at 82 minutes and then won the penalty shoot out (they don't play extra time except for the final).  Somewhat the same story for Canada in their contest versus Guatemala except they added another degree of difficulty by getting a man sent off late in first half stoppage time. They were up 1-0 but conceded in the 69th minute, then were lucky to hold on for PKs.  Didn't matter as they lost the shoot out 5-6.

Exhibit C for the danger of the one goal lead is the US.  They fell behind Costa Rica 0-1 on an early PK but rallied nicely and carried a 2-1 lead late into the match.  I thought they were the better side but they conceded the equalizer at 71 minutes.  Nice work by Matt Freese to lead them to a 4-3 win in the shootout.You can see his three saves here.

2) Smoke and mirrors can only work for so long

The Union had done a great job getting results despite being shorthanded due to injuries, international duty and suspensions.  That run came to an end with a 1-0 loss at Columbus.  Expected goals (1.4-.7)  and no shots on target for the U suggest maybe this was the right outcome.  But the way the Union pretty much ran things in the second half makes me feel like they deserved a draw.  They really need a healthy Baribo.

3) Club World Cup is looking like UEFA Champions League with a few guests

Five European sides have advanced to the quarter finals.  It could have been seven if not for a couple of upsets on Monday.   Fluminense tripped up Inter Milan 2-0, then the Saudi club Al-Hilal triumphed over Man City in a 4-3 extra time classic.   Here's the game winner from Marcos Leonardo, his second goal of the night, that sent City home.

4) The gap between MLS and European Leagues is wider than the Atlantic Ocean

Maybe it's a bit unfair to use the PSG 4-0 thrashing of Inter Miami as a yardstick since the Parisien team has been scything through European opposition too.   However, at no point did it look like Miami stood a chance against PSG in this Club World Cup Round of 16 match.

5) Scoring early and often is a better strategy

Not the goal scoring Diego Luna

Very thankful that US, behind early goals by Diego Luna (not the star of Disney's Andor), had a 2-0 lead on Guatemala by the 15th minute in the Gold Cup semi-final.  We make Luna's second goal this week's YouTubeableMoment; pretty much a marvelous individual effort.  Unfortunately the US lost the plot somewhere in the first half and spent the rest of the match on their heels.  Eventually, they allowed a goal in the 80th minute, making the last 15 or so minutes squeaky bum territory.  Pochettino is acting like the Argentine version of Jim Curtin, waiting very late to make substitutions.  He put Aaronson in at 58, but waited until 77 and 85 to make further changes.  We'll never know but maybe earlier substitutions might have blunted some of Guatemala's momentum.

The US will now face Mexico, who struggled to get past Honduras 1-0 in the other semi.  El Tri did have another goal called back for offside based on an interpretation of what's a deliberate play, not whether the player was in an offside position.  I couldn't find a good video but this one wasn't as controversial for me; it came off the keeper making a save, and bounced off another Honduran player.  The key point here is that it was a save:

A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent.

I would think the US are decided underdogs in the final.  As Dennis put it "Yay, we get to go lose to Mexico."  For me, regardless of what happens Sunday, this Gold Cup goes down as a successful competition for the USMNT.  They played with a squad that was missing 7-9 starters from next year's likely World Cup squad and, despite looking shaky more often than we'd like, still made the final.  Slightly disappointed that Pochettino didn't take a longer look at some of the newer players - channeling his inner Jim Curtin again?  But, I think we found out that Chris Price, Malik Tillman and Diego Luna will do very nicely on next year's team.

BFS Book Club

I have been remiss in not mentioning this.  BFS Scandinavian Correspondent Philip S lent me the book Godwin: A Novel by Joseph O'Neill. It''s a fictional tale of people who see a video of the next potential Messi playing in anonymity somewhere in Western Africa.  We follow them as they attempt to track down and sign this phenom.  Like Ted Lasso, the story is grounded in soccer but the more important stuff is what the author has to say about family relationships, work relationships, career choices and deciding what you want in life. Highly recommended.

Permit me one small spoiler about the book.  One of the characters is a grizzled scout who has toiled in Europe all his life.  He is sitting with the protaganist at one point, thoroughly disparaging the American game and Major League Soccer.  "MLS, it sounds like a disease, not a soccer league."  Ouch, that'll leave a mark.  

Thanks For Nuthin'

I don't mean to be a curmudgeon, but the recent announcement (seen here), that NBC Sports Philadelphia will rebroadcast Union matches is a joke right?  The matches will reair between 48 hours and 7 days after the original broadcast.  Union president Tim McDermott was very self-congratulatory:

“This collaboration greatly enhances the visibility of the MLS Season Pass original content to the wide range of viewership for NBCSP so that our passionate fans are closer to the game than ever before.”

"Closer to the game than ever?"  Please.  You mean like when we could watch real time with our own broadcast team (Dellacamera and Higgenbotham - arguably best in MLS)?  This is only useful if you're willing to wait 2-7 days to see the result or if you don't care if you know the score and just want to see how they looked.  I won't totally disparage the second part because some find that useful but overall this is thin gruel.

One If By Car, Two If By Subway

The Union crew is off to the Linc Friday night to see the quarter final Club World Cup match between Palmeiras and Chelsea.  There's a good chance the crowd will exceed 50,000 and given that the City is already a hub of activity on July 4th with concerts and fireworks, getting to and from the South Philly venue could be an adventure. I believe the Broad Street subway is the preferred alternative.

I'm hoping Opta has this one wrong as they have Chelsea at 65%, Palmeiras at 15% with a 20% chance of extra time.  A more optimistic preview, at least in terms of an exciting match, can be found here.  

The other CWC quarters are Fluminense - Al-Hilal (guaranteeing one non-European side in the semis), Dortmund - Real Madrid and PSG -Bayern (guaranteeing at least two Euro sides in the semis).  Opta sees Al-Hilal, Real Madrid and PSG advancing.

The Gold Cup wraps up with the US - Mexico final Sunday at 7 pm.  Opta has that one at 43% Mexico, 31% US with a 26% chance of extra time.  

Don't despair, even as these tournaments wind down, there is still some mid-week football to be had.  The Club World Cup semis are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons at 3 pm.  Better still, the Union take on Red Bulls Wednesday night at Subaru Park in the US Open Cup quarterfinals.  

But, a slow period is on the way, which might not be a bad thing.

I Got Sucked In

I must ashamedly admit that I have been taking in way more of the Club World Cup matches than I intended.  Yeah, I got sucked in.

In my defense, the tournament has been much more competitive than expected.  The big guys are not just going through the motions and the underdogs are having their moments too.  I wasn't there but on TV you could tell that the 54,000 or so at the Linc in Philadelphia thoroughly enjoyed the Flamengo - Chelsea match that ended 3-1 favor the Brazilian side.  Miami's 2-2 draw with Palmeiras was excellent too, though Miami fans can't have been too happy watching the home side cough up a 2-0 lead.  Of course, the downside of the tournament's success is that FIFA will be encouraged to try it again.  Just because it may have worked this time doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Looking ahead the July 4th quarterfinal - to which I, Jeff H, Jeff K and Graham R have nosebleed seats - will feature the winners of the Palmeira - Botafoga and Benfica - Chelsea quarterfinals.

Step One - Get Out of Group Stage

Not that it means the tournament is a success for the USMNT, just they did what they needed.  They survived a howler from keeper Matt Freese to beat Haiti 2-1 and finish first in Group D.  Patrick Agyemang hasn't had a great tournament so far but we make his game winner this week's YouTubeableMoment.

The group stage of the Gold Cup went largely according to form, though Jamaica may wish to differ.  The top five in terms of FIFA rankings - USA, Mexico, Canada, Panama and Costa Rica - all advanced.  Guatemala might be considered an interloper.  The Mexico - Costa Rica match was a bit of a let-down but maybe because both teams knew they were advancing?  

Quarterfinal match ups are:

Panama - Honduras (Saturday 7:15)

Mexico - Saudi Arabia (Saturday 10:15)

Canada - Guatemala (Sunday 4 pm)

USA - Costa Rica (Sunday 7pm)

Hmm, one of these is not like the others.  On paper, Panama, Mexico and Canada are solid favorites.  The US maybe not so much. Should they advance, the US would play the winner of Canada - Guatemala.

Deliberating the Meaning of Deliberate

Late in stoppage time against Costa Rica, Santiago Giminez had appeared to win the match for Mexico with an awesome scissor kick goal.  You can see the play here (should open to 8:09).  After much rejoicing, the play was eventually ruled offside.  Pay no attention to Dr. Joe Machnik's explanation; I think the play woke him from a nap.  Landon Donovan was more on point - didn't the defender's header reset the play?  That is, Giminez was clearly off when the ball was kicked but he was on if you consider the defender's action a "deliberate play."

And here we go again.  I won't post the whole clarification but here are key factors the referee is supposed to consider that would make a play deliberate: 

The following criteria should be used, as appropriate, as indicators that a player was in control of the ball and, as a result, ‘deliberately played’ the ball:

• The ball travelled from distance and the player had a clear view of it
• The ball was not moving quickly
• The direction of the ball was not unexpected
• The player had time to coordinate their body movement, i.e. it was not a case of instinctive stretching or jumping, or a movement that achieved limited contact/control
• A ball moving on the ground is easier to play than a ball in the air

Hmm, inititally I thought this was a terrible call.  After multiple looks at the replay, I'm not so sure anymore.  Off the first three points, you'd have to say it was deliberate.  It was in the air so that leans against deliberate but as I read it, that point seems to suggest how you evaluate the first four.  The key on this play is the fourth one.  The defender was leaping and falling backwards as he headed the ball.  Seems like you can suggest with a straight face that it was "instinctive stretching and jumping" and also a "movement that achieved limited control."  Personally, I'd like to see more guidance on this.  Does failure to meet just one of the first four points mean it wasn't deliberate?  Or maybe just drop them all except the fourth.

Consorting with the Devil

Besides watching too much Club World Cup after trashing the concept, I also took in the Union's 1-0 win over Chicago on Apple's much maligned and despised (at least in these parts) MLS Season Pass.  Jeff H reminded me that as Union season ticket holders we get access to that service and he set me up with the appropriate information.

Ya done good Alejandro: Bedoya deputized as right back
Photo: Barbara Calabrese/MIR97 Media

Recall that the list of absences is still quite long due to various factors and includes Blake, Quinn Sullivan, Harriel, Westfield, Danley, Uhre and Baribo.  Despite being shorthanded, the Union moved the ball quite nicely for most of the match so that part was pretty good.  There was little service into the box and few (no?) quality chances.  Each side racked up 21 fouls.  The result turned on a PK in the 10th minute that was well-taken by Bruno Damiani.  I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to Bedoya for a decent job as a substitute right back.  

Also, as Jeff H pointed out, it was weird seeing Jack Elliott in a different uniform.

Annoying Stat of the Week

The Union scored as many goals as the Phillies got runs in their three-game series with the Astros.

More Hardware?

Sportif Allentown Armetta Financial Services wins LVOTSL
Dennis F 4th from left in second row, in front of their keeper

Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that Dennis's team was celebrating their win in the Friendship Cup?  Well they were back at it again Saturday, taking the Lehigh Valley Old-Timers Soccer League title with an easy 6-0 win over El Deportivo.  I have been calling his team Sportif Allentown but apparently they have a real sponsor so I need to refer to them as Armetta Financial Services.  They pretty much ran through the league, going 10-0-0 in the regular season, then cruising through the play-offs with a 12-0, 9-1 and 6-0 wins.

What Are You Doing Sunday Evening?

Uh oh, I smell a rant coming and it probably means Apple is going to get trashed once again on this blog.  So Apple has this big deal Sunday Night Soccer thing that features a marquee match-up each week.  The Union play their one match in that series this Sunday night in Columbus at 6 pm.  Sharp-eyed readers will note that the USMNT quarterfinal match vs Costa Rica is at 7 pm.  Nice work guys.  And by guys I mean MLS and Apple.  The quarterfinals were set for June 29 months ago.  Although no one could know the teams in those two contests back then, there was always a high likelihood that the US would be playing this Sunday.  Once it became clear that the US had a good chance of winning the group after the second win, there was a chance to change the time.  Sure, we can DVR our way out of this and watch both but this lack of coordination and stepping on the USMNT's space is another sign that MLS and Apple interest's are necessarily aligned with US soccer's.

As for the Union match, they will still be shorthanded, though I'm pretty sure they'll get back Blake, Danley and maybe Westfield.  On the other hand, Glesnes is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.  

We also have Club World Cup Round of 16 matches (two a day) on Saturday thru Tuesday.  Full schedule and some thoughts are here.

Then we have the Gold Cup semi finals at 7 and 10 pm on Wednesday.  

Pretty busy for the slow period.

Stuff Happened

Lots of results but are they all blogworthy?

Never Too Late

Ignore the fact that the winning goal came in the 98th minute (stoppage time on top of stoppage time); the Union's 2-1 victory over Charlotte was a fair result.  I didn't see the whole match but in the highlights provided by MLS, Philly looked the better team.  Charlotte did have a slight possession advantage (54/46) but shots (20/8), shots on target (9/2) and most importantly xG (2.2/.7) favored the Union.  Recall this was a Union line-up that was missing key players to international duty.  

Bueno has made regular appearances so he wasn't a newbie.  He had a laser strike for the first goal.  Markus Adeniyi Anderson Adedeji (M.A. Anderson in the line up sheet) was making his MLS debut.  He celebrated in grand fashion with the winning goal, seen here as this week's YouTubeableMoment.

The chase pack all got wins too so the Union lead at the top remains four points.  Cool.

The Storm Before the Calm

The final friendly for the USMNT before the Gold Cup was an ugly 0-4 loss to Switzerland.  Multiple sets of fingerprints were found at the crime scene.

1) FIFA Club World Cup - Several key players were not released from their clubs due to that competition.

2) Vacation - Christian Pulisic controversially declared that he needed a break.  He got reamed for his decision but not sure it's fully deserved.  First of all, Landon Donovan is in no position to comment based on his 2013 sabbatical.  Second, I count 53 appearances for Pulisic between 8/17/24 and 5/24/25.  If he played in the Gold Cup, he'd get up to seven more games between June 14 and July 6.  He would then be scheduled to arrive at Milan's training camp on July 7 and then proceed to play another 45-50 matches before the World Cup starts. Isn't this possibly a smart idea to reduce the likelihood that he gets hurt or burned out before the 2026 World Cup?  But, but, aren't others at the same risk of overwork?  Looking at players on the Gold Cup roster who play in Europe, only Brenden Aaronson (51) and Johnny Cardoso (48) are even close to Pulisic's workload; the others all had 36 or fewer appearances.  It's not an issue for MLS players, who are simply getting some extra mid-season games and they will get a break in the late fall and winter.  Those on teams playing in the Club World Cup, well, we can't do much for them but just because FIFA is nuts doesn't mean we have to risk another player.

Pulisic didn't need to post pictures of his vacation the day after the Switzerland loss.  And the issue between coach and player can admittedly be touchy.  My point is just that Pulisic's decision has been characterized as totally selfish but given his workload it might be the right decision for the USMNT's chances at the 2026 World Cup.

3) Pochettino -  He rolled the dice with an inexperienced line-up and got a ton of crap for it.  Again, not sure it was warranted.  He had a compromised roster to start with.  Also, isn't the year before the World Cup the time to find out how deep the talent pool is?

4) The players - Certainly this was not the most talented roster and some players were overmatched.  On the other hand, there was a clear lack of intensity in this performance.  That used to be the hallmark of US teams - we might not be the most talented but nobody will outhustle us.

So there was much handwringing and finger pointing.  Not the best way to go into a tournament. 

The Gold Cup

Chris Richards scored the only goal against Saudi Arabia
and probably saved a goal with a sliding shot block (Getty images)

That has gone better for the USMNT.  They opened with an easy win over Trinidad & Tobago, then stumbled to a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia, the guest country for this edition of the Gold Cup.  The good news is that they are onto the knockout round, though that is truly a low bar for the US in the Gold Cup.  The bad news is that unless they up their game, this team will not make it to the semi-final, as they will have to beat either Costa Rica or Mexico to advance.   

Club World Cup

Maybe not as many mismatches as I expected but that may have just been the favorites taking it easy.  Through Matchday 1 of 3 we saw:

Bayern 10-0 over Auckland City

PSG 4-0 Atletico (on paper that was not a mismatch)

Juventus 5-0 over Al Ain

Man City had a tepid 2-0 win over Wydad AC and Chelsea didn't run wild over LAFC.  The Fluminense - Dortmund contest was an entertaining 0-0 draw.  Real Madrid can't have been pleased with 1-1 draw vs Al-Hilal.  Same for Inter, who drew 1-1 with Monterrey.  Inter Miami edged Porto 2-1 on a free kick by Messi in another decent watch.  Matchday 2 and 3 run through next Thursday, with the Round of 16 kicking off next Saturday.  I still think the competition got too big for its britches but will also concede there have been some fun matches.

Ange, We Hardly Knew Ye

Thomas Frank; Daniel Levy is now his cross to bear

Well, the ax finally fell and Ange Postecoglou is out and Thomas Frank is in at Spurs. On the one hand, Spurs did win the Europa Cup and earned a spot in next year's Champions League.  On they other hand, they finished 17th with just 38 points, a total which in many years would have seen them firmly in the relegation battle.  On the one hand, they did play a largely entertaining brand of football under Ange.  On the other hand, that style and the rigorous training required to play it, very likely was the reason they were plagued with injuries.  

Frank became manager at Brentford in the Championship during the 2018-19 season.  They just missed promotion in 19-20 but made it 20-21.  Since promotion, the Bees have finished 13th, 9th, 16th and 10th, generally regarded as overachievement for a small club.

Show Me the Way (apologies to Peter Frampton)

BFS Artistic Director Laura O sends along this oldie but goodie in which the fans a German football club desparately try to help their team find the net.

The Week Ahead

Well, we will definitely check out US Haiti and 7 pm on Sunday.  Probably look in on Mexico - Costa Rica at 10 pm the same night.  Panama - Jamaica, Tuesday at 7 pm, might be worth watching.

As for the Club World Cup, Flamengo - Chelsea on Friday at 2 pm might be good.  Benfica - Bayern Tuesday at 3 could be worthwhile.  Definitely plan to watch Juventus - Man City on Thursday at 3.

The Union don't have a match this weekend but play away at Chicago on Wednesday at 8:30.

Just enough stuff that I won't get rusty.

 

What Now?

The frantic spring is about to be replaced with a relatively quiet early summer.  A month or so of light viewing might not be a bad thing.

PSG Celebrate: This is definitely a major award

I managed to get through the weekend without hearing the Champions League result so it was with some anticipation that I sat down to watch the DVR late Sunday afternoon.  The excitement was short-lived.  PSG was on the front foot from the opening whistle and had a 2-0 lead on Inter within 20 minutes. Though the match wasn't officially out of reach until later in the second half, it was essentially over.  With the third goal at 63 minutes, I started fast forwarding, pausing only briefly to check out the goals at 73 and 86 minutes.  The final 5-0 score seemed about right.

Desire' Doue had two of the goals in the 5-0 rout and got Player of the Match for his efforts but this felt like a true team effort.  Not to minimize the individual effort, the goals seemed like inevitable result of good passing and players knowing where they needed to be on the pitch.  Check out the first goal, this week's YouTubeableMoment.  Note that had Hakimi not been there to put it away, it would have simply rolled to another teammate who would have put it away.  "Put it in the Louvre" indeed.

Always A Bridesmaid

Dennis points out that Aston Villa fell to PSG in the Quarterfinals, 5-4 on aggregate. They also lost to eventual FA Cup winner Crystal Palace in the semis of that competition.  He is using that information to claim that Villa are the second best team in the world.  

Opportunity Missed

This is by no means a comment on the wedding reception - it was an awesome party - but Dennis's teammate Jeremy and I did check in on the Union's progress.  Our expectations were stepped up when a Dallas defender got a second yellow late in the first half.  By the second half we were watching on Jeremy's phone.  And growing more disappointed by the minute.  The final, 0-0, was a lost opportunity for the Union.  A few stats tell the frustrating story.  Possession was 63/37, shots were 23/7 and xG was 2/.6.  On the other hand, shots on target were 1/2; that's right, out of 23 shots, just one was on target. Clinical finishing was in short supply.  The lineup was heavily rotated and maybe the congested match schedule finally took its toll.

Turning to the positive, Cincinnat lost to DC United so despite the less than thrilling result, the Union have a four point lead at the top of the conference at the halfway mark.  

What Are You Doing for Summer Vacation?

Well, the MLS schedule continues.

Looking forward to Sullivan's USMNT debut
Photo: Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Then there's the Concacaf Gold Cup, which runs from 6/14 to 7/6.  Details can be had here.  Key points are there are four groups of four, top two in each advance from group stage and it's three knockout rounds from there (quarters, semis and final).  This competition is only about money and bragging rights.  For the USMNT, it is their only "competitive" action before the 2026 World Cup because, as a host country, they do not have to go through qualifying.  The team has a noticeable Philadelphia Union flavor with seven current or former players on the roster for this competition.  Current starters Quinn Sullivan and Nathan Harriel will make their USMNT debuts.  Union alumni include the brothers Aaronson (Brenden and Paxten), Mark McKenzie, Matt Freese and Jack McGlynn.  I guess we could count Zack Steffen as well since he was briefly with the Philadelphia Union academy.

The other competition to follow is the FIFA Club World Cup.  The tournament was originally set up as a competition limited to just the winners of each confederation (Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, "North America" and Oceania) championship.  But, like everything in soccer, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing for the purpose of making more money.  So now we have a 32-team tournament that runs from June 14th to July 13th.  This year the tournament is being held in the US, with several matches at Lincoln Financial Field.  Our group decided to pass on the group stage mismatches and even the Round of 16 knockout match.  We did however score tickets for the Quarterfinal match on July 4th.  We can't be exactly sure of who will be left at the point but potentially it could include two of Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Porto, Atleti and PSG. 

The full schedule for Club World Cup can be found here.

There are also two more match days in European WC qualifiers running from June 6-10.

So, it won't be a desert but it won't be the daily viewing we got used to over the last few months.

We are going to take a two week vacation so the next post will be June 20th.

 

Backing In

Classic Newcastle.  They could have simply beaten Everton to get a Champions League spot but instead lost 0-1 and had to sweat out Aston Villa's 0-2 loss at Man United.  The Union cough up another lead but then steal one back on Wednesday.

Drama to the End

Newcastle and Aston Villa contrived to create drama in the final 45 minutes of the season as they raced their way to the bottom (well, 6th place).  Villa won but barely.

With Man City and Chelsea on their way to wins over Fulham and Nottingham Forest respectively, Newcastle and Aston Villa were locked in 0-0 contests of their own versus Everton and Man United.  That meant they were level on points but Newcastle had a hefty advantage on goal differential so the Magpies still owned the last CL spot.  Villa's position looked the more suspect, as they were playing a man down after Emi Martinez got sent off late in the first half for DOGSO; plus, they had been thoroughly dominated in the first half.  Newcastle, on the other hand, had looked fully capable of scoring against Everton.

How about some love for Eddie Howe as Manager of the Year?

So of course, the Magpies yielded a goal in the 65th minute, not entirely against the run of play, which put Villa into the CL.  That position looked even more solid a few minutes later when Morgan Rogers took the ball from the Man United keeper Altay Bayindir and scored to give Villa a 1-0 lead.  Except that referee Thomas Bramall had called a foul on Rogers, believing the keeper had control of the ball.  More significantly, he had blown the whistle, which meant VAR could not get involved.  More on that (and the DOGSO below).  Things got worse for Villa when United scored a few minutes later.  Now they were back level on points with Newcastle and out of the Champions League.  A late penalty made the margin 2-0.  Meanwhile, Newcastle, probably with a sense of let's not completely back into this, had some more chances but could not break through and lost 0-1.  As noted football pundit Rosie Perez says, sometimes when you lose, you actually win.  Certainly Magpie fans would have preferred making it with a result in this match but it doesn't take away from the great campaign Newcastle put together.  

A $100 Million Call?

DSOGSO - Denial of Sort of Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity
Hojlund can probably put it in the empty net (Photo:BBC)

So about those calls in the Villa match.  We'll start with the DOGSO on Martinez.  Matty Cash made an ill-advised back pass that was intercepted by Hojlund, who now had a clear path to the goal.  Martinez made the choice to basically block tackle Hojland right out of the play.  The call on the field was red but I wasn't sure about it at first.  The argument was that once Hojlund was past Martinez, the goal was wide open.  I wasn't convinced it was that easy.  The still shot (left) leaves me thinking it was probably the right call.

The one that caused the big stink was when Morgan Rogers nicked the ball away from keeper Altay Bayindir and slipped it into the goal for a Villa 1-0 lead.  Except referee Thomas Bramall had blown the whistle for a supposed foul by Rogers on Bayindir.  You can see the play here as this week's YouTubeableMoment.  

The laws of the game are fairly generous about when the keeper is in control of the ball:

A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball with the hand(s) when:

• the ball is between the hands or between the hand and any surface (e.g. ground, own body) or by touching it with any part of the hands or arms except if the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper or the goalkeeper has made a save
• holding the ball in the outstretched open hand
• bouncing it on the ground or throwing it in the air

• A goalkeeper cannot be challenged by an opponent when in control of the ball with the hand (s)

Bayindir is not touching the ball when Rogers kicks it away

Bayindir did have "control" at several points in the play but not at the moment when Rogers kicked it away.  A VAR check would have likely suggested Bramall go to the monitor, at which point, he would have seen his mistake.  But that was not possible because he had blown the whistle, which meant the ball was dead and anything that happened thereafter was irrelevant.  I saw some headlines that this was a VAR failure, which it was not.  The rules are very clear and I would be interested to hear a defense of using VAR after the whistle has blown; yes let's speculate on what might have happened had the whistle not blown.  The other criticism was that Bramall needed to hold off on the whistle to see how the situation played out, knowing he could use VAR to sort it out afterwards.  That would mirror the advice to assistant referees on keeping the flag down on close offside calls and reviewing the play afterwards.  I get it but sounds easier in theory than in practice when it involves a foul.  

As for the claim that the call cost Villa $100 million or more in lost revenue from not making the Champions League, I note that 1) United ran them ragged in the first half, 2) Villa managed just one shot on target and 3) xG was 2.94-.36.  Even if we give Villa a big chunk for the disallowed goal, they were mostly outplayed.  Also, there were plenty of dropped points along the way so enough of that argument.

Participation Trophy?

So Chelsea got their cup.  They came back from 0-1 to defeat Real Betis in the Europa Conference League final.  It is a UEFA trophy but as the third tier of European football, it's not clear if it really qualifies as a major award.  I know you can only win the competition you're in but they were in the lowest level based on merit.   Pretty cheeky stuff from a guy who's team 1) has one "major award" in 50 years (a Carabao Cup League Cup to boot) and 2) finished behind Chelsea in this year's table.  

Not Again

For the second time this month, the Union carried a one goal lead late into stoppage time against a key Eastern Conference opponent only to surrender the tying goal in the dying minutes.  Maybe this is on me for saying before hand that I would gladly take a draw.

I was so thrilled that I had tuned into MLS Season Pass when Quinn Sullivan scored this beauty to give the Union an early lead over Miami.  Even happier when Baribo added a second before half time.  I was apprehensive when Miami got one back but buoyed again when Baribo restored the two-goal lead, though I wonder how he was not called offside on the play.  The sense of impending doom grew again when Glesnes fouled Messi just outside the box.  Yep, he converted the kick and it's squeaky bum time again.  And there it is at 95 minutes, the tying goal.  The match was a great advertisement for the MLS - an exciting, mostly well-played contest, even if the result was disappointing.  And I'm still not buying the "I told you a two-goal lead is the most dangerous" argument.  If it had been a one-goal lead, the Union would have lost both of those matches.  

Much of the sting of that draw was eased when the Union made a comeback of their own on the road in Toronto.  Down 0-1 late, they got a brilliant header from Harriel off a Wagner corner at 87 minutes and then the game winner on a deflected shot by Wagner in stoppage time.  Game highlights are here; scroll forward to about 5:00 to watch the two Union goals.  Stats suggest maybe a draw would have been a fair result, though xG at 1.4-.9 does favor the Union.  So close to six points but also not far from just one point so we should take the four and be happy.  Nearing the halfway point of the season and the U are in first with a three point lead.  Everybody who saw that coming, raise your hand.  Right, that's what I thought.

How You Like Me Now? (apologies to The Heavy)

So what do fans of the various clubs think about their seasons now that all is said and done?  Check out this graph from the NYT:

I think this was before Chelsea's triumph in the Europa Conference League so their numbers might be a bit better.  Nine teams had at least 90% Very Satisfied or Satisfied, including Spurs(!?).  A little surprised that Crystal Palace tops the list but they did come on nicely at the end of the season.  On the other hand, the majority of Man City fans (nearly 75%) are not satisfied with a third place finish and a Champions League berth; success has certainly created expectations.  Note that Arsenal fans aren't exactly overjoyed with their season either, despite a second place finish and a deep run in the Champions League.  

  

New Keeper, No Problem

How many Bucknell grads does it take to win the Friendship Cup?
Two - Darren C and Dennis F 

Recall that Dennis's team, Sportif Allentown, was headed to Canada for the Friendship Cup minus their goalkeeper.  Apparently he thought Canada was already the 51st state and therefore did not need to renew his passport.   They worked out a viable strategy though - just don't allow shots on target.  This worked out well for them as they won all four matches  and came home with the Friendship Cup.  

Now What?

Well, there is the Champions League Final on Saturday between PSG and Inter.  For the third time in five years, I will be a wedding for the final.  Well, not just any wedding but BFS Founder Dennis F and Brenna C.  I've been asked to do a reading, which I believe is going to be a review of highlights of the CL Final for all those who missed it.  

The Union close out a busy but productive May with an away match at Dallas.  I will refrain from commenting on what result will make me happy.

Denouement

Down to the final weekend for the EPL with lots to play for.  All the other relevant sides got three points this weekend so not the best set of results for Newcastle.  Two more wins for the Union.

Still A Loss

There was much to applaud in Newcastle's performance against Arsenal on Sunday.  Unfortunately, the result - an 0-1 loss - was not one of them.  Shots were 14/12, shots on target 5/4 and most notably xG was was 1.89/.84, all in favor of the Magpies.  Certainly a draw would have been a fair result here.  

Silver lining was that with Newcastle facing Arsenal away and Chelsea taking on Man United at home, there was every chance the Magpies +4 goal differential was going to be wiped out and maybe even flipped.  Instead, with both results at 1-0, Newcastle retain a +2 over Chelsea, which could play into the final placings after Sunday's matches.

No Help Elsewhere

Everybody else in the hunt for the Champions League spots got W's.  Aston Villa had a very controlled 2-0 win over Spurs, Man City took care of Bournemouth, Chelsea got their win over Man United, and Nottingham Forest bested West Ham 2-1.  

The Arsenal win over Newcastle clinches second place for them.  Third through seventh remain wide open.  The scenarios are mind-numbingly complex and are explained here.  Some of the clearer points

Man City, Newcastle and Chelsea finish top five with wins

Man City finish top five with a draw

Newcastle finish no worse than 6th even with a loss (assuming it's not a blowout)

Aston Villa need to win and have some others lose or draw

Crystal Palace Hoist FA Cup

And basically destroy the hopes of Brighton and Brentford.  Distracted viewing means I can only recall two key moments - Palace keeper Dean Henderson not getting a red card for DOGSO and then Henderson making a PK on Marmoush to preserve the 1-0 win.  

The Turning Point? Henderson pushes the ball away from Haaland
Jan Kruger - The FA/The FA via Getty Images

First, the possible DOGSO.  Haaland was running onto a long ball over the top as Henderson came out to the edge of the area.  Haaland tried to play the ball but Henderson swatted it away from the Norwegian.  Good idea, except though he was still in the box, the ball was outside the box.   This little detail was missed by the AR so play continued.  VAR cannot intervene on that basis alone but the possibility that this was DOGSO and red card situation did offer the chance for a review.  The decision was that as the ball was going away from Haaland, you could not call this an obvious goal scoring chance.  Of course, the ball was going away from Haaland because Henderson had illegally swatted it.  The second part I guess is that we don't know exactly where Haaland's touch would have left the ball so again, the "obvious" part of the equation is tough to nail down.  The minimum correct call here would have been a free kick just outside the box but that was not an option for VAR.  

That Henderson was still on the pitch for the PK must have been particularly galling to City.  That he then saved Marmoush's attempt made it worse.  You can see the save here.  

In times like these, we do like to point out BFS First Rule of Refereeing, namely that the referee did not cost you the match.  Despite dominating with 23 shots and six on target, City did not score, even given the PK to do so.  Crystal Palace played them tough and earn the Europa Cup place.

It's A Major Award

Before proceeding to trash the accomplishment, let me acknowledge that winning the Europa Cup is a "Major Award."  There are eight group stage matches, three two-leg knockout rounds and then the final.  This is fit in between the regular EPL schedule, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.  

However, it is still difficult explaining European football to the casual observer.  So you have this competition that pits the best of European club teams from different countries.  Well, it's not actually the best.  The best (top four in the case of the EPL) go to the Champions League.  And they qualify for this year's tournament based on last year's results.  So this year the two finalists - Spurs and Man United - struggled mightily sucked in the EPL.  In any other year, they would be fighting relegation.  But now, by virtue of their 1-0 win, Spurs qualify for next year's Champions League, despite their 17th place in the EPL.  It's actually easier to explain what happens on the dropped third strike in baseball.

Micky van de Van saves Spurs' bacon

Anyway, so they had this final.  The good news for Spurs is they found some defensive resolve when it
mattered.  Ben Johnson's barest of touches was enough for the only goal.  Actually, Dennis and I think it was really an own goal off the shoulder of Luke Shaw.   The biggest play though was probably Micky van de Ven's clearance off the goal line, seen here as this week's YouTubeableMoment, that preserved the slim lead.  Man United did mount a charge in the closing minutes, providing some of the most interesting moments of the match, but they could not break through.    

Free Parking, Primo Hoagies and a Union Victory

Sure it was about 50 degrees and raining Wedneday night but things couldn't have gone better.  I parked my Forester in the FREE Subaru parking lot which is much closer to the stadium than the lot we used to frequent.  Most of the concession stands were closed (I guess because it was a mid-week US Open Cup match?) so Jeff H and I wandered the concourse and discovered there's a Primo Hoagies stand on the northside.  Then the Union proceeded to defeat the Pittsburgh River Hounds 4-1 with a heavily rotated line up.  

Handling or not?  Tough call

We couldn't really see the handling that gave the Union an early PK.  With no VAR, the call on the field stood.  I found the picture from the match highlights; not sure I would have called that but also not sure that VAR would have enough to overturn.  There were also some times when the U just seemed to be treading water against a weaker opponent.  But they got the goals they needed and the 4-1 final felt about right.

That was their second victory of the week, having stymied Atlanta 1-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday.  I only saw the highlights so can't tell you much.  Looks like fill-in keeper Andrew Rick has the same habit as Andre Blake - a key save somewhere in the match to preserve the Union lead.  With Columbus and Cincinnati playing to a 1-1 draw, the win puts the U top of the table.

All-time Keeper Howler

Dennis's team, Sportif Allentown, is off to Canada to defend their Friendship Cup title.  On the eve of their departure, Dennis informs me that their goalkeeper has let his passport expire.  D'oh.  Sounds like something that would happen to the Union.  

Up on the Roof (apologies to Carole King)

BFS Artistic Director Laura O sends along this clip that feels like the British equivalent of the kids from The Sandlot finding the treasure trove of baseballs in Hercules' yard.  

TVs, Computers and Phones

With so many meaningful positions in the table still unsettled, four matches are definitely relevant and two more could be.  All matches are at 11 am Sunday on the various NBC affiliated stations or Peacock.  We may end up with a game on the TV and maybe one or two on the computer and/or phone. We also note the schedulers seem to be more about the status of the teams as opposed to which matches are shunted to Peacock.  

Our choice will of course be Newcastle hosting Everton.  We like our odds here (68/14/18) and if they play like they did last week at Arsenal this should be a win.  Oh if it was only that easy.  Also, this match should be one of the TV games instead of, say, Liverpool - Crystal Palace or Southampton - Arsenal; seriously, neither of those matches has any meaningful relevance to the table.

For the neutral, we are torn between recommending Man United - Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest - Chelsea.  At least the schedulers got these right, as the former is on CNBC and the latter on USA.  Opta likes Villa, even at Old Trafford (52/25/23) and that seems right.  Chelsea are also favored on the road but not as much (43/32/25).  Brighton and Brentford certainly care about both of these matches as Chelsea must lose and Villa win or draw for 8th place to have any shot at next year's Europa Conference League.  In theory Man City - Fulham also matters but does anybody see the Cottagers taking all three points here?

Brighton will secure the sort of coveted 8th place with a win or draw over Spurs, who might still be hung over from their Europa Cup win.  Brentford need Brighton to lose and must beat Wolves at Molineux, which sounds like a tall order.  Of course, we won't know if 8th even matters until the matches are finished.

The Union get a stern test at Subaru Park Saturday night as they face Inter Miami.  The table says we're first and they're seventh, seven points back but I'm not buying it.  A draw would be a solid result here.

Don't forget Conference League final on Wednesday with Chelsea vs Real Betis