Okay, Maybe We Overreacted

Last week we linked Newcastle with the R word yet now after a win at Crystal Palace, they sit 8th in the table. The Union finally saw their unbeaten streak broken but they did get a point on the road later in the week.  Fourth tier Fleetwood Town pulled off what might be the greatest upset in any English Cup competition.

We Needed That

While not as deadly as The Emirates, Newcastle haven't exactly shone brightly at Selhurst Park recently either.  They were outplayed by Palace in the first half but got busy right after the second half whistle.  At 47 minutes, Murphy sent a perfect cross that Osula could not help but put in the goal.  You can see it here as this week's YouTubeableMoment. Willock nearly made it 2-0 minutes later but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.  No matter, as soon after Harvey Barnes got one that counted.  Palace certainly had their chances in the final 40+ minutes but Hornicek effectively dealt with the few that did not go soaring over the cross bar.  Ah, here's a familiar situation - Palace had the better xG at 1.81 to 1.15.

Jaissle sent out significantly reworked line up for this one.  The back line featured Schaar, Burn and Dedic to go with Lewis Hall rather than Botman, Thiaw and Miley.  That paid off.  He also put Osula up top instead of Fernandez-Pardo and was rewarded for that too.  Nico Gonzalez had a solid game in the defensive midfield, providing some insight as to why he was so highly sought after.  And, Lukas Hornicek finally looked confident in goal and provided some key saves.

So maybe this is a side still working to figure out who they are as opposed to relegation fodder.

City No Longer Perfect

Jackson making Villa look good despite what Dennis or I say about him
Martin Rickett/Press Association

Speaking of being out xGed, Man City had 1.99 to Aston Villa's .64 but it was the Villans who got the 2-1 win,  handing the Citizens their first loss of the year.  Two clutch goals from Nicolas Jackson offset Haaland's tally.  Regular readers know that both Dennis and I have ragged on Jackson for several years running; he's highly rated but just too inconsistent a scorer for our tastes.  So there are slightly mixed feelings as his recent performance may be proving us wrong even as he's helping Aston Villa move up the table.  We are working on the theory that Jackson got his reputation working under Emery and is finding his scoring touch after being reunited with his former coach.  

Arsenal pretty much ran over Everton 2-0 so City and the Gunners are now level on points at the top. 

Carrick Hanging On By A Thread

Though we didn't see the match, the stats suggest there was nothing fluky about Bournemouth's crushing 3-0 defeat of Man United at Old Trafford.  United did have better possession and led in shots 15-9 but the Cherries had more shots on goal (4-3) and did better on expected goals 2.27 - 1.01. Embattled manager Michael Carrick seems to have survived the defeat, though the stories circulating suggest the support from ownership was not overwhelming and might not last should the Red Devils fall to Chelsea this week.

Getting Better All the Time (apologies to The Beatles)

Liverpool's fortunes look to be improving as they snagged an important 2-0 win over upstart Brighton.  That's two straight league wins plus two recent CL victories and a shoot-out win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.

Shaky debut for Mike Penders as
he punches the ball into his own goal

Good news for Tottenham fans too.  Spurs notched a 2-0 over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a place where they win maybe once a century.  Not to take too much away from the win, Chelsea were the architects of their own downfall.  The first tally was an own goal by keeper Mike Penders, who is filling in for the injured Emi Martinez (out six weeks with fractured jaw); he attempted to punch a cross out of the box but sent it into his own goal instead.  Cole Palmer then got sent off for a second yellow (he was lucky to avoid a straight red earlier) and Spurs took advantage, with Mathys Tel salting away the win with a nifty shot at 87 minutes.  This was a chippy affair, with 28 fouls (14 a piece) and seven yellows.

Not Minnows But Cods

Oh my Cod, we did it: Fleetwood players race
to celebrate their shootout win over Arsenal
Photograph: Jon Super/Reuters

Arsenal had looked to draw the easiest opponent in the Carabao Cup Fourth Round, getting to face Fleetwood Town FC, currently 18th in League Two.  That's a difference of 84 places in the English football hierarchy.  In these cup competitions, they always warn you about the minnows, or in this case The Cods.  Fleetwood struck first but when Arsenal scored at 50 minutes, one expected the underdogs o fold.  They did not and took the match to a penalty shoot out (in the early rounds they don't play extra time). The Fleetwood takers went 5 for 5 and sent the Gunners home to wonder how they lost despite outshooting their hosts 15-2 and having more shots on target (5-2). Here's the decisive miss by Guimaraes and the winning kick by Conor Haughey.

Newcastle started almost the same line up from Saturday as they faced Everton in their Carabao Cup fixture.  They won the statistical battle but lost 3-1 on the scoreboard.  Can't say I'm tremendously disappointed with the result.  I would much rather see them win the league contest with the Toffees on Monday.

Two other matches went to a shoot out, with Man City besting Brighton and Liverpool defeating Chelsea.  Aston Villa played a largely rotated line up and mostly looked disinterested in a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth.  Bradford looked better than their League One rival Peterborough in a 2-0 win, Sunderland bested Brentford. and Palace squeaked by Fulham.  The quarters on December 15th look like this:

Crystal Palace - Sunderland

Liverpool - Bournemouth

Man City - Bradford City

Fleetwood - Everton

The Streak Ends

The Union lost for the first time since spring, falling to the New England Revolution 1-2.  Possible explanations for the loss include:

- the Revolution are a good team

- the U were missing Cavan Sullivan, who sat out with an ankle injury

- they sent too many shots over the cross bar

- most of their crosses went right to NE keeper Matt Turner

- Jeff H and Steve had Primo hoagies instead of the usual sausage sandwich; yes that sounds like a violation of advice from Crash Davis but I had a chicken cheese steak last week and they still got a draw with Charlotte so we're heavily discounting this factor

The Boys in Blue did rebound with a 0-0 draw at league leading Nashville.  From what I saw, this looked like the correct result; neither team had many decent chances.  I guess Bender did have a pretty good chance to score on a great cross from Quinn Sullivan but hit the keeper.  

The point clinches at least the play-in playoff spot.

Busy Again

The Premier League has an incredibly crowded Saturday, a disappointingly skimpy Sunday and a dreaded Monday match for Newcastle.  There is midweek action in Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

The early Saturday match (8:30 instead of 7:30 because we haven't fallen back yet) is an intriguing one with Chelsea hosting Man United. The Blues are in fifth despite three losses in eight matches and Carrick's Man United look in total disarray.  Recommended if you like car crashes.

For some reason the schedulers piled five matches into the 11 am slot.  I will likely go with Hull - Ipswich, two of the pre-season relegation favorites who currently sit 10th and 12th in the table.  Coventry versus Sunderland is a true relegation battle as they are 19th and 20th in the table.  Other choices are Bournemouth - Leeds, Brentford - Nottingham Forest, and Man City - Brighton.  

The NBC feature match at 1:30 is a London derby between Spurs and Crystal Palace; on paper this looks like a chance for Spurs to continue their progress.  We get a bonus 4 pm fixture at 4 pm on Peacock with Aston Villa hosting Fulham; as with Spurs, this looks like a chance for Villa to creep up the table some more.

The crowded Saturday calendar leaves us with but one Sunday fixture.  At least it's a good one with Liverpool hosting Arsenal.  Even with the match at Anfield, Arsenal are still decent favorites at 41/33/26.

The match week ends with Newcastle hosting Everton at 3 pm on Monday.  So far this season, the Magpies have lost two Monday matches by an aggregate 2-8.  Still, Opta likes their chances at 47/27/26.

The Union are in Cincinnati for a 2 pm match.  A draw with their hosts would guarantee them 7th or better, meaning they would not have to do the single elimination wild card playoff.  A win would improve their chances of getting to fifth, which would likely mean their round one opponent would be Chicago instead of Miami or New England.

League play continues Tuesday through Thursday for the various European competitions.  Unfortunately two of the most interesting fixtures for us are both at 3 pm on Tuesday.  Aston Villa will host Barcelona in the Villans toughest Champions League test so far.  At the same time Man United will face off against Roma at Old Trafford.  We have questions like will Carrick even be the manager at that point or if he is, will a loss to Roma be the end for him?

The "R" Word?

Another disappointing performance from Newcastle has some people talking about the Magpies as a relegation candidate.  The Union continued their unbeaten streak.

No Yeah, Buts As Union Extend Unbeaten Streak to 15

The glass half empty people will find a way to devalue the Union's 2-2 draw with Charlotte and we have a few nits to pick as well but this was a good result.  Charlotte are a solid team, they had most of their key personnel available and they played the whole match at full strength.  As in, there weren't any of the "yeah, buts" that have taken some of the shine off results during the streak.  Like, yeah, but they are a lousy team or yeah, but they played 60 minutes down a man, etc. 

The Union came out of a lively first half with a 1-0 lead thanks to a PK from Iloski.  They completely lost the plot for the first 20 minutes of the second half and fell behind 1-2.  Damiani got the equalizer with this week's YouTubeableMoment at 73 minutes.  Both sides had decent chances to win in the final 20+ but couldn't convert.  Expected goals at 2.8 to 1.8 suggest that maybe the Union could have gotten all three but to my eye this looked like a fair result.  

Quinn Sullivan's name didn't show up on the scoresheet
 but he had a big impact

The biggest positive was how they rallied after falling behind.  They looked so lost for a time that we feared the wheels were going to come off.  Getting Quinn Sullivan on the pitch earlier than usual (at 55 minutes instead of 60 or later) was probably a key to getting momentum back.  Sullivan family members sitting right behind us pointed out that though he didn't get an assist on the play, his pass set up Damiani's goal.  Danley put in a great shift at midfield, including an assist on Damiani's goal. Neil Pierre was also solid at center back. 

Nits include a relatively poor outing for Kai Wagner as his deliveries into the box weren't up to his standards and he had trouble with Charlotte's speed down the wing.   Harriel did a good job breaking up multiple Charlotte attacks but he was also badly beaten for their first goal and missed a late header that could have won it.  Iloski did convert the PK but missed a wide open shot that would have given the U a 2-1 lead.

They are just two points out of fourth but the next two matches are New England and Nashville, 3rd and 1st respectively in the standings.  They do finish with Cincinnati and Toronto so there could be a few more points to collect.

A Fractious Fillebrown Derby

Manzambi was supposed to do this for us not against us

Jon Champion's words, not mine, but there were 25 fouls and eight yellow cards (six for the Magpies). Though Aston Villa left Saint James' Park with just a 1-0 win, it didn't feel that close.  Except for a spell late in the second half, Newcastle weren't much of a threat to score.  Sure, they had 16 shots but just one on target.  The Premier League website says they had no big chances.  I'm a little surprised to see xG at .99 - it didn't feel anywhere near that high.  They only surrendered the one goal (nice header by Manzambi, who was supposed to be playing in black and white this season until Villa snatched him up) but the defending did not inspire confidence.  New hires Fernandez-Pardo and Nico Gonzalez haven't offered much yet and Wissa looks like he left all his goals at the World Cup.  We are fans of Lewis Miley but not so much at right back.

There is probably enough talent here to avoid relegation but Matthias Jaissle needs to figure out a system that works.  Getting Livramento and Elanga back would probably help too.

Sack Time?

It's almost November and at least half a dozen managers are at risk. You can see the latest odds here.  Right now the two leading candidates are Crystal Palace's Pierre Sage (we hardly know him yet) and Michael Carrick (last year's manager bounce winner).  Sage's situation was certainly hurt by a 5-0 blowout at Brighton in their non-derby derby.  Man United could only manage a 1-1 draw at Leeds (totally fair result based on what I saw and the stats) so Carrick's position became more tenuous too.  Alvara Arbeola may have bought himself some time with Fulham's 1-0 win over Hull City.  Same for DeZerbi with Spurs 3-1 at home to Coventry; that one featured goals from Maddison and Marmoush plus the return of Kulusevski, things which suggest better days ahead for Tottenham.

Nottingham Forest may have deserved a little better than an 0-1 defeat against visiting Arsenal - the Gunners had one shot on target and xG was only 1.01 - .83 - but the result does nothing to take the pressure off Oliver Glasner.  No surprise to see Matthias Jaissle up there on the list, though with Newcastle in 11th, he's the highest in the table of the favorites to be sacked.  I wasn't paying attention but with Sunderland now bottom of the table, Regis LeBris moved up the list; the 0-2 loss to struggling Bournemouth did not help.

We will argue that it's nuts that any of these guys are top candidates for the sack.  Sage, Arbeola, Glasner, Jaissle and essentially DeZerbi are new in their positions.  Carrick lifted Man United out of the doldrums last year and all of a sudden he's a lousy manager?  Same for LeBris; he took Sunderland from a sure-fire relegation candidate to Europa League last year and now he sucks?  Right.

In Other News...

Maybe not super clear but Yarmolyuk
did move his head into Jacquet

Man City continue to roll, though the 3-2 win over Ipswich does betray a less than impenetrable defense.  Liverpool took another step in the right direction with a 2-1 win over Brentford. The asterisk there is that the Reds trailed 0-1 at halftime and rallied only after Brentford had a man sent off.  Yarmolyuk is the latest player to discover that when it comes to blows to the head, the laws say: 

a player who, when not challenging for the ball, deliberately strikes an opponent or any other person on the head or face is guilty of violent conduct unless the force used was negligible.

In other words the threshold is "not negligible" as opposed to involving "excessive force." We are fine with that.  And, based on their 2-0 win at Everton, Chelsea look to be finding some momentum; this was a chippy affair that featured seven yellow cards.

Conversation That Took Place But Not As Presented Below

Dennis: Spurs hanging on against Coventry is not where you want to be

Steve: Better than losing 4-1 to them like Newcastle did

Dennis: Always with the negative waves

The View From Europe

Liverpool (Villareal), Man City (AEK) and Aston Villa (Viking) all got wins.  Arsenal got a hard fought win away at Bayern.  Man United were not so lucky as they fell 4-1 to Como, a side that has been establishing itself as player in Serie A; this result will only ramp up the pressure on Carrick.  Villa and Liverpool remain perfect through the first three of eight matches in league play.  Last year, nine points got some teams through to the playoff stage so a few more points in the remaining five matches probably gets these two through.  

In Europa action, Bournemouth got a win while Sunderland and Palace got draws; that might buy some time for LeBris and Sage.  Brighton got a draw in Conference League.

Two Goals That Deserve A Second Look

BFS Northern California Correspondent Greg M sends us this clip of Martin Ojeda's piece of artistry for Orlando against DC United.  That is some display of acrobatics.

In the longer distance category, we have this goal from Brighton's Diego Gomez.  Already down 0-1 at that point, Crystal Palace must have realized they were in for a long day.

Future USMNT Material?

BFS Energy Policy Analyst David C (the same one who took me to the Ecuador-Ivory Coast World Cup match), sent along this video of his grandson zipping through the defense before deftly placing his shot in the far corner.

Newcastle strikers may want to check this out for some pointers.

How To Be Sure You're In No Danger of Dehydration

BFS Artistic Director Laura O made sure we did not miss this story about the use of smart urinals to assess how well players are staying hydrated.  You identify yourself (mark your territory?) by clicking on a screen above the urinal when your face appears.  They've come along way from assessing levels of hydration by simply looking at the color of your pee.

Hoping For Better

An early start to the weekend with an intriguing 3 pm Friday match with a  -dare we say it? - overperforming Ipswich hosting an embattled Nottingham Forest. 

Saturday's 7:30 match is worth getting up to see Aston Villa taking on Man City.  Unfortunately we'll be out refereeing and on delay for that.  A very limited 10 am slot with just Coventry - Fulham (a relegation special) and Arsenal - Everton.  The feature 12:30 does deserve that label with Spurs traveling to Stamford Bridge for a London derby with Chelsea; both may be rounding into form so we're hoping for a good one.

The Sunday 10 am slot (UK goes off daylight savings time, which means start times here spring forward) is crowded with four matches, most with some level of interest.  We'll be live with Newcastle facing Crystal Palace at our second favorite venue, Selhurst Park; losing manager there might get a phone call afterwards.  Liverpool host Brighton, with the Seagulls still ahead of the Reds in the table.  Perplexing Man United take on Bournemouth at home; frankly anything less than a win here for the Red Devils could spell trouble for Carrick.  As Hull City may be coming back to earth, their home match with Brentford may not be as pretty as some of their earlier fixtures.  Sunday concludes with a 12:30 match that may not excite many - Sunderland vs Leeds.

The Union are at Subaru Park to host New England Saturday and then go on the road to face conference leader Nashville on Wednesday.  That's a tough week.

The European competitions have the week off.  But there is midweek football with fourth round Carabao Cup action with 8 matches spread over Tuesday - Thursday.  Full schedule is here  Six of the matches involve EPL sides, including Newcastle - Everton and Chelsea - Liverpool.  Somehow, Arsenal got League Two Fleetwood Town while the Bradford City - Peterborough United match (two League One rivals) ensures that a non-EPL side will reach the quarterfinals. 

Enjoy 

38 of 42

With two more wins, the Union extended their unbeaten streak to 14, garnering 38 out of a possible 42 points since MLS action resumed after the World Cup.  Newcastle, not so much.  We'll start with the good news first.

Talking Union

They didn't exactly blow Real Salt Lake away but the 2-1 final is a fair result.  RSL didn't park the bus but they did put up a solid defensive effort.  Damiani broke through at 31 minutes to give the U the lead. It was back and forth thereafter, though it did feel like they would hang on.  The "insurance" goal was a long time in coming and wasn't even ruled a goal on the pitch.  You can see Iloski's game winner here.  This was a three-part VAR, questioning whether there was 1) a foul in the buildup, 2) offside and 3) a handball by Iloski.  After a long review, the answers were no, no and no respectively and the goal was given.  Good thing too because Union would surrender a goal late in stoppage.

Nightmare for MLS?  Sullivan is 2nd in
assists and Iloski 3rd in goals

Move ahead to Wednesday in Chicago, where things were a bit more difficult, at least for the first half.  I would have said the U were the better side in the first so of course Chicago scored in the 44th minute.  The good news is the seeds of victory were sown shortly after that when ex-Union player Jack Elliott was shown a second yellow shortly before the first half whistle.  The Union got after the Fire right from the second half kickoff.  Goals from Iloski and Damiani at 48 and 55 minutes essentially put matters to rest; Damiani's second at 67 minutes finished the job.  

Six more points and the Union are 12-2-0 since the restart; quick math tells us that's 38 out of possible 42 points on offer.  The win over Chicago was a six-pointer, leaving the U just three points out of fourth.  The road gets tough from here, with upcoming matches versus 5th, 3rd and 1st place, i.e teams above them in the standings.

They Don't Like Mondays (apologies to The Boomtown Rats )

Newcastle's buzz kill 4-1 loss to Coventry City brought their record on Mondays this season to 0-0-2, with the combined score of the losses 1-8.  They got off to a bad start when Hornicek didn't keep possession of a shot and in the course of trying to retrieve the rebound, fouled Cherif for a PK, which Rudoni converted.  The Mapgies dominated the rest of the half but failed to score, thanks to some heroic work by defender Bobby Thomas.  Cherif blasted a shot early in the second half to double the lead.  Sven Botman's 70th minute laser offered a small window of hope that was closed by Coventry goals at 81 and 86 minutes.  Ironically, it was the first match this season in which they had a higher xG (1.77-1.51).  Guess that makes up for all the points they've accumulated while getting beat on xG.

So their finishing wasn't great and there was a bit of bad luck.  Hornicek didn't look great in goal and Botman had a tough day, though he did contribute a goal.  They also look like they are trying to figure out who they are.  Fernandez-Pardo was new up top, Nico Gonzalez is still working his way into the mix.  Miley was pressed into service at right back.  In other words, I'm trying hard not to panic yet.

Conversation That Most Assuredly Took Place

Steve (after Newcastle scored to cut the deficit to 2-1): Plenty of time...to lose 3-1

Dennis (after Coventry scored to make it 3-1): Prophetic

Steve: Pathetic you mean

Not Worth A Row of Beans?

Jon Champion speculated that was the value of Man City's 3-0 rout of Liverpool given the uncertainty surrounding possible sanctions for City's financial violations.  His point is perhaps dramatic but nonetheless fair; any penalty that involves point deductions or UEFA competition bans or demotion could easily alter the implications of on-field results.  The FA needs to get this process moving.

Champion's description could also apply to the time spent watching the match.  Liverpool had the run of play early but didn't capitalize and City worked their way back into the game.  But mostly it felt like one of those boring heavyweight championship boxing matches I remember watching as a kid; nothing really happened.  Then Gravenberch got a second yellow (soft IMHO) and 15 minutes later it was 3-0 City.  Maybe Gravenberch's sending off only hastened Liverpool's demise but it would have been more interesting to see this one play out at even strength.

Snatching Key Points

Ipswich Town have an interesting MO that we may want to remember should they avoid relegation.  For the third time this year they defeated a relegation rival with a very late goal.  Earlier this year, they turned draws into wins with goals at 90 minutes against Sunderland and Crystal Palace.  Saturday was even more dramatic.  Down 0-1 to Fulham late, the Tractor Boys got an 88th minute goal from Outtara then the game winner at 90+2 from Dara O'Shea.   You can see the goals here.  Nine points rather than just two from these matches seems huge.  

Coulda Shoulda Woulda

From a managed expectations perspective, Aston Villa's 2-2 draw with Brentford was good enough.  After all, the Bees sit third in the table and are one of three teams without a loss after six matches (Man City and Everton!? are the other two) so it sounded like a good result.   From a factual perspective, Villa probably should have won the match.  They led in most categories, most notably expected goals which were 2.08-1.18.  That actually seems low for the Villans; I recall a number of missed opportunities that seemed pretty good.  I don't remember this aspect - Brentford had 24 fouls (vs 7 for Aston Villa) and five yellow cards. I guess with the poor start to the season the draw seemed okay until you looked closer.

Unsolved Riddles

Both Man United and Spurs remain enigmas after their 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Maybe Spurs were a little better in the first half but it ended 0-0.  Mbeumo put United up at 73 minutes and when Bentancur was sent off for a head butt at 78 you figured this one was over.  Except Solanke grabbed the equalizer at 90+2.

So Man United could only manage a draw at home, were out xGed 1.76 - .89 and couldn't hold the lead despite being up a man.  Spurs, though likelier the much happier of the two, still had trouble putting the ball in the net and were plagued with last year's bugaboo, the stupid red card.  To be fair, this did look like progress for Tottenham and maybe things started to move in the right direction.

Maybe You Shouldn't Answer the Phone For A While

Glasner: His predecessors lasted
8, 25, and 20 games

Given Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis' documented trigger finger when it comes to sacking managers, Oliver Glasner is on shaky ground after their 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace.  They started well enough with an early goal from Ndoye but were unlucky after that. I did see the match and the Palace goals did seem against the run of play; xG ended up 3.35 - 2.29 favor Forest.  At 15th in the table, two points above the relegation zone, I'd hold off on buying that house if I were Glasner.

Others

Arsenal stay 2nd after an underwhelming 2-1 win over Sunderland.  Brighton moved into 3rd with a 2-0 win at Sunderland.  Chelsea continued Bournemouth's terrible start with a 5-1 pasting at Stamford Bridge; the Cherries, along with Fulham and Spurs are the three clubs without a win this season.  Hull City stayed in the top half of the table with a hard fought 2-2 draw at home to Everton.

The View From Europe

Hopefully you remembered there was midweek Champions League action since the folks here at BFS forgot to mention that in last week's post.  The editorial staff was sent to bed without dessert.

Jackson and Barkley combined
for 4 goals and an assist vs Fenerbache

A very mixed experience for the EPL sides.  Arsenal took LOSC 3-0 and Liverpool won a 6-3 goal fest over LASK 6-3.  The easiest win was Aston Villa's 6-0 crushing of Fenerbache; they started scoring early and never stopped.  Dennis notes that when you allow Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley to each get a brace, you deserve to lose big.  The two Manchurian candidates for the Champions League title did not fare so well.  Man City fell behind PSG early, so much so that a second half brace from Haaland still left them on the short end of a 4-2 final.  Man United found only more questions in Spain, losing 2-0 to Atletico.

In Europa League action, Bournemouth and Sunderland remained unbeaten but Palace fell to Olympic Lyonnais.

Conversation That Sort of Took Place (NFL edition)

This weekend the Eagles were in London to take on the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Satdium.  It did not end well, as the Eagles took the lead with 8 seconds to go but then allowed a long kickoff returned, tackled the guy before the clock ran out and saw the game winning field goal go through with no time left on the clock.  Dennis knew that I was watching Liverpool - Man City in the den while Laura watched the Eagles in the main room.

Dennis: How loud was Laura cursing in the other room?

Steve: I heard some f-bombs

Denns: A friend of mine notes that was super effin' Spursy from the Eagles

Fillebrown Derby

Saturday looks like refereeing the morning, then off to Subaru for the 2:30 start against Charlotte.  I will be on super delay for Saturday, which means I won't see the Fillebrown derby live.  This might be a good thing given that Aston Villa may have found themselves while Newcastle look lost.

I am mostly surprised/stunned at the Opta predictions for Saturday.  Start with Everton favored over Chelsea 43/30/27 in the 7:30 match.  Then we see Brentford - Liverpool at 37/36/27; I guess the Bees do deserve to be favored since they are ahead the Reds in the table and it's a home match for them.  Man City at 71/13/16 over Ipswich makes sense but surprised to see Fulham at 45/28/27 versus Hull City.  Quite surprised to see that in the feature match (of course the Fillebrown derby is the feature match) Newcastle are solid favorites at 41/32/27; color me skeptical.

Sunday has three at 9, each with a reason to watch.  Bournemouth are in the relegation zone and Sunderland are just one point above the line so that's a key match for them.  Brighton - Crystal Palace is a non-derby derby; no one considers it a derby but that fans all act like it is. And who know what to do with Leeds - Man United; it might be an interesting watch just to see if the Red Devils have sorted anything out.  At 11:30 there's Nottingham Forest - Arsenal; that doesn't sound like a match to get Glasner off the hot seat.  The matchweek concludes Monday with Spurs - Coventry City; this does look like a chance for Spurs to make more progress.

There's a full midweek slate of Champions League, Europa League and Conference League fixtures.  The non-EPL-centric fans might go with PSG versus Barcelona on Tuesday at 3 pm: we'll likely go with Liverpool hosting Villareal.  Wednesday looks like Como - Man United at 12:45, then Aston Villa versus Viking at 3.  In truth, the better choice at 3 pm is probably Bayern hosting Arsenal.  Thursday is crowded with both Europa and Conference League action with EPL sides taking on clubs I've never heard of.  Brighton vs Jablonec?Sunderland versus Lech Poznan?  Bournemouth take on Milan and Palace face Besiktas - I have heard of those teams.

Back to Work

A solid outing for the Union and a very productive international window for the USMNT.

What Shorthanded?

Iloski looks pleased with his hat trick
Photo:Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

No Cavan? No Neil? No Andre? No Danley? No Frankie?  No problem.  The Union got after Orlando early and pretty much coasted to a 4-2 win.  They may have coasted too much as they let up goals at 78 and 90 minutes to make the final seem closer than it was.  The match swung the U's way early in the first half with a couple of close calls that broke in their favor.  First, a ball clearly hit Wagner's arm while he was in the box and it was arguably in an unnatural position.  However, it had come off his chest first so the decision was no handling.  Skeptical at first, even the commentator agreed it was the correct call.  Minutes later Orlando were whistled for a foul right on the line marking the penalty area.  Again close, but it was on the line and Iloski converted the PK.  A few minutes later Iloski added a second and things were pretty comfortable after that.  Especially after Iloski completed his hat trick at 51 minutes to put the Union up 4-0.

They are now just four points out of fourth, which would give them home field advantage for one round of the playoffs.  Still a long shot but three months ago the thought of a top four finish would have sounded ludicrous.

The Kids Are Alright (apologies to The Who)

We should not get carried away by the four wins posted by the USMNT during the international break.  The results do look great: 4-1 over Peru, 4-2 over Chile, 3-0 over Mexico and 1-0 over Canada.  But we know friendlies are about performance and learning about personnel, not the scores.  Overall, the grades on those criteria should be pretty good.  Against Peru and Chile, the ability to control and move the ball was excellent.  They simply played better soccer.  Not so much against Mexico.  They were basically unable to generate much offense (or even keep possession) on their own.  Fortunately for the scoreline, Mexico were glad to help out, as all three tallies were the direct result of misplays of one sort or another.  The positive of course is that the US took advantage.  Our favorite, as Union fans, is this YouTubeableMoment from Cavan Sullivan; sure it was a giveaway by the keeper but Cavan still had to make an incredible shot.  In the final match of the window, Canada did not dominate the US, but they did look punchless.  Canada's press seemed to suffocate the attack, as did the persistent fouling.  The positive from that one was that the US refused to be outphysicaled.

For my money, Poch used the window masterfully, maximizing what he could learn about this team.  First, he gave minutes (including starts) to eight players under 20, including Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, Julien Hall, Justin Ellis, Adri Mehmet, Zavier Gozo, Mathis Albert and Peyton Miller.  He got goals from Sullivan, Hall, Ellis and Albert.  He got serviceable minutes from all; in other words, the kids are alright.  A bunch of barely 20 year olds saw action too - Frankie Westfield, Brooklyn Raines, and Cole Campbell.  Poch blended in the "veterans" well; encouraging that these vets are mostly in their mid-20s themselves.  On balance, this window felt like a step in the right direction.

What's In A Name?

The best "Hi Mom" evah: Julien Hall has his mother's 
maiden name on the back of his jersey
Photo:Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

You can be forgiven for confusion about  exactly who number 19 on the USMNT is.  The announcers call him Julien Hall but his jersey says Zakrzweski.  As explained here, that's his mother's maiden name and it's meant as a tribute to her and her Polish heritage.  He certainly did his mama proud with three goals in four appearances in this international break.

The Shithousery Dance

Late in the US - Mexico contest marked with the usual chippiness you'd expect from these two, Mateo Chavez gave Greg Berhalter a double face slap.  You can see the incident here. Though the slaps didn't look to have much force behind them, in cases of deliberate blows to the face, the basic direction to referees is that regardless of force, it's likely a sending off.  Chavez's astonishment at the red card is all part of the shithousery dance.  And Berhalter knew his steps in the dance.  Notice how he touched his face, looked at the referee, THEN collapsed in a heap on the pitch.  He was already getting a yellow for the initial foul and I would have been fine with him getting a second yellow for terrible acting.  Such silliness.

Where Were We?

Right, there's all kind of interesting story lines in the EPL table, not the least of which is that current league leader Man City were found guilty of more than 100 financial violations.  That story is here.  Right now, the story feels a bit like transfer rumors - there are a million ways this thing could go from here so I'll stay out of the speculation game.

Some interesting fixtures for Matchweek 6 but the early Saturday contest between Arsenal and Leeds doesn't look like one of them. The 10 am menu is more appetizing.  We'll be focused on Aston Villa - Brentford (that's 4th place Brentford).  A little surprised to see the Villans as strong favorites at 48/26/26; this is a good test of whether they've gotten some things sorted out.  Ipswich - Fulham is a good choice if your tastes run to matters of relegation.  The other options are Chelsea - Bournemouth and Sunderland - Brighton.

The 12:30 match features the two most enigmatic sides of the season so far - Man United and Spurs. Certainly, Spurs have been the more disappointing of the two but the Red Devils have just a win and two draws against less than rigorous opposition.  Man United is a big favorite at 54/22/24 but Spurs are going to wake up at some point.

The Sunday 9 am slot has Crystal Palace hosting Nottingham Forest, both of whom could find themselves in the relegation picture if they don't get moving.  This will also mark the return of manager Oliver Glasner to Selhurst Park; it will be interesting to see how he is received by the home fans.  Your other choice is two teams with surprising starts to the season.  Consensus last place pick but currently 8th in the table Hull City will host Everton, who have done well to date, sitting in 7th.  The 11:30 match is worthy of attention with Liverpool facing Man City at Enfield.  Opta's predictions Sunday's matches are not up yet but you'd figure even away, City will be favored - unless the off field distractions prove too much.

Saving the last for last, on Monday Newcastle travel to face Coventry City.  With a number of players returning from injury, we have be thinking three points here.

The Union will try to extend their unbeaten streak to 12 with a home match versus Salt Lake City on Saturday, then a road match at Chicago on Wednesday.

Vacation Viewing

As expected, I only saw a few games, watching on my phone or computer after everyone else had gone to bed.  Another Saturday on which both Newcastle and the Union get a win.  

Things Undone

Arsenal are no longer perfect.  We had expected (hoped) Brighton would play the Gunners tough but did not foresee the 3-0 thrashing they gave last year's champions.  The highlights and the stats lead me to believe that Brighton did not steal this one but simply outplayed Arsenal.  Shots were 14/6 and shots on target were 6/1; only xG makes it seem close at 1.73/1.32.  Man City, which played sloppy but entertaining football in a 5-3 win over Sunderland are the only perfect side left.

Hull City are no longer unbeaten. Newcastle jumped on the Tigers quickly and had a 2-0 lead by the 7th minute.  We make Lewis Hall's goal this week's YouTubeableMoment.  Should have been 3-0 at halftime but Wissa's PK was saved.  The second half was an exercise in hanging on, especially after Cho made it 2-1 at 67 minutes.  Overall, I think we have to count the Mapgies lucky to get all three here.

And, looking at this table from Opta, we should count Newcastle as lucky to be sitting ninth.  

There are some other big spreads in there but Newcastle are by far the largest.  Probably should remember that we're only five matches in so we're dealing with the problem of small numbers.

Going back over expected goals numbers for the five matches so far, I could argue that the Magpies would be expected to have zero or, at most, one point.  Most of the difference is they've scored more than expected, not allowed more than expected.  We can hope that it's better quality finishing but will worry that we've just been lucky.

Aston Villa are no longer winless.  Spurs pretty much pushed Aston Villa around the whole first half so of course Villa took the halftime lead with a stoppage time goal from Manzambi.  They added second half goals from Jackson and Buendia and were cruising to victory.  To make things interesting though, they allowed goals at 86 and 90+8 to create the impression that this was a close match.  It really wasn't.

Coventry saved by Jesus transgression

Coventry are no longer goalless, pointless or winless.  They only needed one goal to dispatch Nottingham Forest.  A late equalizer by Jesus was ruled out for a foul he committed gaining possession of the ball; some felt it was light but there was contact on the foot.  Oliver Glasner is probably on the hot seat with Forest now in 13th, given Marinakis's track record in sacking managers.

Spurs are no longer goalless but do remain winless as noted above.

I would be remiss if I didn't note that Brentford did indeed keep Friday afternoon's match with Chelsea from turning into a nap.  Like Brighton's win over Arsenal, there wasn't anything lucky about the 3-0 final; the Bees were just better.

The Dreaded Three Goal Lead

I was prepared for this section to be entitled The Bubble Burst or something like that after the Union fell behind quickly to Sporting KC.  When I checked my phone they were down 3-0 score at 20 minutes.  When I checked in later I see the score is 3-2 and before I could get the game live on my phone it was 3-3.  Amazingly, Damiani, Cavan Sullivan and Iloski had scored at 64, 66 and 68 minutes.  The turnaround was completed by a Bassong own goal at 73 minutes. You can see the highlights of this comeback here (should open to about the 63rd minute).  Spent the final 20 minutes or so thinking about what a shame it would be to not come away with the win.  Fortunately, they held on.  Note that Quinn Sullivan doesn't appear on the scoresheet but many accounts say the game turned upon his entry into the contest at halftime.

The damn glass half empty people are pointing out that SKC has the worst record in MLS and were level with Cincinnati at 59 goals allowed going into the weekend.  The Union come back put them alone in first in that regard.  The don't talk to me about the glass people simply note that the U are now in 6th.

Bad Time for International Break?

Whether you're happy that we now head into an extended international break depends on who you are.  Newcastle, somewhat banged up, will be in a much stronger place when EPL action returns Saturday October 10th so this is a welcome break.  For the Union, maybe not so much.  First problem is that despite the break, they have a match on Saturday against Orlando, the side just two points behind them in the table.  But they will be missing Cavan Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, Neil Pierre, Andre Blake and Danley Jean Jacques - um, that's over half the starting line-up.  Second, the way they are playing I'm guessing they just want to keep this rolling.

I'm normally not a friendly guy (I mean about watching international friendlies, not my demeanor) but I'll likely try to catch USMNT fixtures to see what contributions Sullivan, Pierre and Westfield make.  The schedule is:

9/26 4:30 pm Peru

9/29 8 pm Chile

10/3 10 pm Mexico

10/6 8 pm Canada

That's all I got this week.  Will be taking next week off and will return 10/9.

Post script:  Dennis has alerted me to ref cam footage available on the EPL website. The commentary from Rob Jones here while he does the Newcastle - Bournemouth match is fascinating, especially his commentary on the Harvey Barnes goal.

Reality Bites

Newcastle get a dose of reality but the Union keep on trucking.

After four weeks in the EPL, here are some groupings.

Teams with a perfect record

Arsenal

Man City

The Gunners didn't exactly dismantle Sunderland at the Stadium of Shite Light but eventually came away with a 2-0 win.  Man City played over 70 minutes of the their Manchester derby down a man but still left Old Trafford with a 1-0 win.  See "You Make the Call "  for some interesting refereeing decisions from those two matches.

Teams with no losses

Arsenal

Man City

Leeds

Hull City

Brentford

Liverpool

Everton

Leeds huddle: Kick Newcastle's butt on three, 1, 2...

As Jim Beglin noted, the chickens came home to roost at Elland Road Park for Newcastle in a 4-1 defeat to Leeds.  The stats had been telling us that the Magpies were mighty lucky to be sitting with a win and two draws after three matches.  Leeds had them on the ropes from the kickoff though it took a little while for it to show up on the scoreboard.  An own goal and an excuse me header in the space of few minutes could have been brushed off as bad luck but it was really the result of relentless pressure.  A third goal just before the half made the game 3-0 and essentially out of reach.  The 4-1 final is kind to Newcastle.

Hull City weren't the ones scrambling for a draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.  Other than possession, the stats are pretty even and Hull actually have the better xG (1.57-1.18).  Bournemouth - Brentford was always expected to be close so the 2-2 draw is not a surprise.

Liverpool stayed undefeated but it isn't exactly what they wanted.  They add the 0-0 draw with Fulham to the 2-2 results with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.  Surely they would have expected more than three points from those fixtures.  And please don't call me Shirley.

Their Merseyside rivals are in the same boat recordwise but likely happier with their lot.  The 0-0 final at Spurs gives them three draws in a row, having previously drawn Man United and Bournemouth 

Newly promoted teams in the top 10

Hull

Ipswich

Hull actually fell to fourth after Leeds dispatched Newcastle. For the second time this season, Ipswich grabbed all three points in the dying seconds of a match, this time snatching a 3-2 win at Crystal Palace with a 90th minute goal from Flemming.  They did play with a man advantage for over 65 minutes so the W isn't a total shock.  Wins over Sunderland and Palace bode well for their relegation challenge.

Teams with no wins

Bournemouth

Spurs

Fulham

Aston Villa

Coventry

Alysson:My Aim Is True (apologies to Elvis Costello)

Aston Villa did finally get a league goal (a nifty header from Alysson) but didn't get any points against Nottingham Forest in a 1-2 defeat.  A bit of bad luck here as Villa had to burn a sub at 24 minutes when Torres went down with injury, then played the final 10+ minutes down a man when Maatsen was injured and Villa had no subs left.  Forest took advantage of that advantage and scored the game winner at 88 minutes.  It wasn't entirely bad luck that left Villa without any subs. Emery made two changes at halftime and another two more just after 60 minutes trying to find a combination that could score a goal.  They got the goal but had no options left when Maatsen went down.

Coventry City were plastered 5-0 by Brighton. Already down 0-2 they had a man sent off at 53 minutes and things just snowballed.  

Teams with no goals

Spurs

Coventry

A subset of the previous group as you cannot win if you do not score

Teams without a point

Coventry

A subset of the previous group as you can only earn a point without scoring by holding the other team scoreless.  Coventry have yielded ten goals in four matches.

You Make the Call

He started it

A few interesting calls this weekend to spice things up.  Arsenal players and fans are up in arms (see what I did there?) about the PK called on Ezri Konsa in the 55th minute of their then scoreless match with Sunderland.  Raya saved the PK, Arsenal scored two minutes later, and eventually won 2-0.  Never mind, they still have to complain.  You can see the play here (should open to the incident).   Looking at the still photo (left), I'm having trouble rousing any sympathy for Konsa.  Yes, Ballard does have a hold on Konsa's jersey.  But Konsa has both arms around Ballard.   I am in the minority of those who are okay with this call but right now I'd rather see a bias towards calling defenders for this kind of grappling.

On to the Manchester derby which had two interesting calls.  Phil Foden got sent off at 23 minutes after this entanglement with Bruno Fernandes.  Reaction was all over the place from play on it's a derby, to yellows for each, to red for Foden yellow for Fernandes to Michael Oliver got it right to red cards for both.  The play on view seems ridiculous to me; so we're going to excuse a certain amount of violence just because it's a derby. Dennis notes, shouldn't you call a derby closer preciously because it could get explosive.  I have little sympathy for the two yellow approach because Foden kicked out in anger and made contact.  Even if the contact was minimal (and it's not clear that it was) to me it's like attempted murder; we know what you were trying to do, you just weren't very good at it.  I would have been okay if Oliver had shown Fernandes a yellow or a red for his actions.  The fact that Fernandes didn't get any sanction does seem unfair but it shouldn't affect the consequences for Foden.  The majority of "informed" opinion that I saw does seem to say that Oliver got it right.

"Hurtling horizontally in the precise direction of the ball"
apparently does not constitute an attempt to play the ball

And then we have the granddaddy of them all, the only one of the weekend that led to an apology from the league.  Shorthanded Man City got a goal in the 60th minute from Haaland; you can see the play here.  A bit to unpack on this one.  To most of us watching, Haaland was obviously in an offside position.  Except he wasn't.  See Error, parallax.  The semi-automated system provided factual support for Haaland being onside.  Ah, but what about Enzo Fernandez diving through the box?  Incredulously, the conclusion was that Fernandez was deemed not to have played the ball.  Granted that is a subjective decision but it's hard to conclude that Fernandez did not affect the defenders with his action of going for the ball.  Former EPL referee Graham Scott unpacks the process (what happened, what should have happened) here.  I checked and the apology from the league and the referees association does not come with a point for Man United.

Time To Carabao It Yet?

Dennis was happy enough with Aston Villa's 3-1 win over Coventry,  Spurs almost made the end of their fixture with Liverpool interesting but the Reds prevailed 3-1 

Here are the fourth round matchups:

Fleetwood Town v Arsenal

Man City v Brighton

Everton v Newcastle

Sunderland v Brentford

Liverpool v Chelsea

Bradford City v Peterborough

Fulham v Crystal Palace

Bournemouth v Aston Villa

These will be played during the week of 10/26.

EPL Still Perfect in Europe

Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth all got wins in the first round of league play in the Europa Cup.  That makes the EPL 8-0-0 in European competitions so far.

That Bubble Didn't Burst

Cavan Sullivan: Coming to a national team near you

Each test the Union face has been theoretically tougher but they keep coming through with flying colors.  The latest was a 5-0 win at San Diego. Though each side had their moments in the first half, they were about to head into the lockerroom knotted at 0-0.  Then Vasilev put a tasty cross into the box that Cavan Sullivan turned into one of the more audacious goals of the year.  You can see it here at this week's  YouTubeableMoment.  The second half was really no contest.  Cavan got the first brace of his career with a second goal at 62 minutes.  Sullivan helped on the third just five minutes later on the through ball that Westfield crossed into the box for Damiani to deposit into the net.  An own goal at 87 minutes and a stoppage time tally from Malik Jakupovic (his first MLS goal) got them to the 5-0 final.

This time they did finish the weekend in one of the real playoff spots - 7th, just one point behind Orlando.  There are nine games to go and five teams close on their heels so nothing is for certain yet.  Still, this has been so much more fun.

"Conversation" That Took Place

Dennis:  I need to quick get a commentator job so I can repeatedly say that Philly are the playoff team no one wants to face.

 

Compromised Viewing Ahead

I'm on the road the next two weekends so not sure exactly what I'll get to see.  Probably means watching Peacock replays long after everyone else has gone to sleep.

Friday's 3 pm fixture does not look like a nap waiting to happen.  Brentford are hosting Chelsea and are only very slight underdogs (40/36/24).  Saturday's early 7:30 game also looks very worthwhile as Spurs host Aston Villa.  These sides are mirror images of each other right now - clubs that were expected to challenge for top six positions that have struggled so far.  They both have the personnel to succeed so maybe this is where they both start to gel.  I'm a little surprised how big a favorite Spurs are at 49/26/25.

If I was home, the 10 am choice for me would be Newcastle - Hull.  Opta likes the Magpies big time at 60/20/20.   I would like to think this will be an easy win for Newcastle at home but those numbers don't match up with either side's recent form.   The other choices are reasonably good too - Brighton hosting Arsenal or Everton vs Ipswich.

Not sure how Nottingham Forest vs Coventry ended up as the "feature" 12:30 match on NBC but there it is.

Three choices Sunday at 9 am, none all that tantalizing.  Bournemouth host Liverpool, Crystal Palace are at Elland Road to take on Leeds and Man City will face Sunderland at the Etihad.  I'd probably go with Bournemouth - Liverpool to see if the Reds can build on their Carabao Cup win over Spurs.  The 11:30 match doesn't overwhelm either as winless Fulham will host Man United.

The Union look to extend their streak with another road game, this time at Sporting KC.  That's Saturday at 8:30 on Apple.

If I read everything right, there is no mid-week action.

Bubble Didn't Burst Yet

Good results continue to pour in.  How long can it last?  Six of ten EPL matches ended in a draw.

An Acceptable Draw

Jacob Ramsey lowers his transfer fee to goals ratio
from $27m to $18m (Photo:Scott Heppell/Reuters)

We knew Bournemouth would be tough.  The Cherries manager Marco Rose had a game plan that effectively interrupted Newcastle's ability to move the ball.  When an own goal from Thiaw put Bournemouth up 2-0 at 35 minutes, things looked bleak.  The match turned a mere two minutes later on this pearl of a goal from Harvey Barnes. The team woke up and the crowd was back.  The Magpies were the better side in the second half but didn't grab the equalizer until the 88th minute.  The goal came on a precise shot from the top of the box by Jacob Ramsey, whose Newcastle career is still a work in progress.  Momentum at that point was such that a win didn't seem out of the question but it ended 2-2.

It seemed like a draw was a fair result but stats are telling me different.  Other than possession, they tilt in the Cherries favor, with shots 17/8, shots on  target 5/2 and xG 1.54/.81.  Rallying from a two goal deficit was cool though.

Two Out of Three Ain't Great (apologies to Meat Loaf)

Aston Villa entered the weekend's match with Hull City shotless, goalless, and pointless.  They did register a shot on target (two actually) and came away with a point for the 0-0 draw.  You'll notice that still leaves them goalless and winless so we're not exactly celebrating.  Watching live it felt like the Villans dominated and deserved more but maybe it was just the massive possession advantage (76/24).  Shots weren't all that different, though xG did favor Villa 1.66/.73.  

Spurs are basically matching Aston Villa with their poor start.  They could only manage a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest.  Sure it was their first point but like Villa, they are still goalless and winless.  

The Rest of the Draws

Brighton got a 71st minute goal to rescue a 1-1 tie at home to Leeds while Sunderland went until the 82nd minute to get their equalizer for a 1-1 draw with Brentford.  Everton waited even longer, almost too long, to get their 2-2 draw with Man United.   This was a pretty lively contest that went down to basically the last second.  We make Maitland-Niles late equalizer this week's YouTubeableMoment.

At the Top

In the feature match up, the final was only 2-1 but Arsenal looked much better than Chelsea.  Somehow, the outcome never seemed in doubt. I didn't see the match so I have no idea why Man City was only a 1-0 winner over Coventry City.  With Hull City's draw at Aston Villa, these are the only two left with perfect records after just three weeks.  We note that predicted last place finisher Hull City are still in third.

EPL Perfect in Champions League

Aston Villa finally got goals and a win away at Club Brugge. Man City dispatched Porto, also on the road.  Arsenal dominated Napoli but slinked home with a 1-0 win.  Liverpool and Atleti played a tough match at Anfield with the Reds eventually prevailing 2-1.  And Man United cruised 4-0 over CL debutants Sabah.

Edu That Voodoo That You Do

Regular readers know that we are admirers of Nuno Espirito Santo and were quite annoyed last year when he got sacked by Nottingham Forest just three games into the season.  Difficulties with newly appointed Global Head of Football Edu Gaspar were among the reasons cited.  Also recall how Forest then proceeded to go through a string of managerial sackings that included Postecoglou (10/20/25), Dyche (2/12/26) and Pereira (7/1/26).  Now we read that Edu has been terminated from his position - details here.  This just enhances my opinion of owner Evangelos Marinakis.  All that chaos for a guy he doesn't even keep for 15 months.  Though I like many of the players, I'm rooting for them to be relegated.

How Little We Carabao It?

Didn't even know there were some third round matches this week.  Newcastle got past Millwall 1-0 with a late goal from Willock.  More matches next Tuesday - Thursday.

Trap Avoided But Barely

Certainly the first half versus Montreal played out like a trap game.  Though I was only following on my phone, Dennis live at Subaru Park confirmed that it was exceedingly boring.  The second half, which I did see, was an improvement but not awesome.  Danley got the Union up 1-0 at 57 minutes with a scruffy looking goal.  That lead looked like it would be short-lived after Pierre was whistled for a foul in the box but Owusu delivered perhaps the worst PK evah - a weak effort right at Blake.  Cavan Sullivan added the insurance goal at 75 minutes.  Stats indicate the Union dominated but somehow this still felt like a shaky effort against one of the weaker teams in the division.

Nightmare at Subaru Park for Cincinnati: Three assists for
 Cavan and a goal plus two assists for Quinn

They were back at Subaru Park Wednesday for what was expected to be a tougher test against Cincinnati.  After an indifferent opening complexion of the match changed when Nwobodo got sent off for a dangerous challenge on Westfield.  Graham noted at the time that this was not necessarily a good thing as Cincinnati would now park the bus and the Union are not very good at breaking down opponents in that situation.  And for the next 30 minutes or so, that's exactly what happened, to the point where you felt that Union were getting too tense and tentative.  Fortunately at 43 minutes, Quinn Sullivan forced a foul just inside the box and he deftly dispatched the PK for a 1-0 lead.  Things got even better when Damiani took a precise pass from Cavan Sullivan to make it 2-0 in first half stoppage time.  For the second half, the Union did not come out looking to protect the lead but rather to add to it.  Which they did.  Damiani got his second at 49 minutes courtesy of a nice pass from Quinn, then completed his "natural" hat trick with a third at 61 minutes, this time with the help of Cavan.  By this point they were playing so loose, like it was practice.  A late PK made the final 5-0.  

For a brief time, the win slipped the Union into 7th, a real playoff spot as opposed to a play-in slot, but Orlando's win over Atlanta leapfrogged them past both Philadelphia and Cincinnati.  The glass is half full people note that the U didn't mess up the trap game and then got the win in what was theoretically a sterner test.  The glass is half empty types say that it's hard to view the Cincinnati match as a serious test since they played most of it a man up so what have we learned.  Those who don't give a crap about how much water is in the glass point out the Union got six points.    

Still Crowded

And with refereeing starting up... 

No Friday fixture or 7:30 Saturday match so that's helpful.  It's a packed 10 am time slot.  Our choice is definitely Aston Villa - Nottingham Forest; we are definitely looking forward to Villa getting their first goals and first win.  We kind of expect Chelsea to burst Hull City's bubble and Liverpool to keep Fulham pointless.  Either Palace - Ipswich or Bournemouth -Brentford could be entertaining to the neutral.  The feature match at 12:30 on NBC is intriguing as two clubs in disarray - Spurs and Everton - face off.  And we have a "special" 3 pm fixture with Sunderland hosting Arsenal.  

Sunday is light but does include a Manchester Derby.  Coventry City host Brighton at 9 before Man United take on Man City at Old Trafford at 11:30.    The match week concludes on Monday at 3 with Newcastle traveling to Leeds.  We'd like to think this is a good chance for a W but the Magpies form is  bit misleading.

No Champions League but fear not, midweek football in the form of Europa League fixtures is available.  Sunderland play AZ Alkmaar Wednesday at 3 while Bournemouth face Real Sociedad and Palace take on Lech Poznan Thursday at 3 pm.  

And there's Carabao Cup action too.  We draw your attention to the Liverpool-Spurs fixture at 3 pm on Tuesday.  

The Union have a road match out in San Diego on Sunday at 9 pm.  Their overall performance hasn't been great they have been tough at home, with six wins and three draws in 12 matches.