Never Underestimate the Greed of Those Who Run This Sport

Yeah, I said I was taking some time off but a couple of issues surfaced that are better addressed before I forget about them.

FIFA Announces World Cup Matches Will Be 4 Quarters, Not 2 Halves

Okay, that's not exactly how the announcement read but it is the de facto outcome.

FIFA has mandated hydration breaks for every match of the World Cup regardless of weather conditions.  Of course this is sold as a "player welfare" measure.  We do not disagree that hydration breaks are indeed intended to safeguard the athletes' health - when the weather conditions justify them.  We also don't disagree that playing in North American in June and July, we would expect numerous occasions when conditions would dictate breaks.

But that's not the same thing as a mandated three minute break.  This is now a guaranteed stoppage that will need to be filled with commercials.  And just how lucrative these breaks may be is revealed in the debate and confusion over exactly what will be allowed to fill this space.  Chestnut Hill soccer alum Henry Bushnell has an excellent article here outlining the issues.  Will the breaks be sponsored by Powerade or Gatorade?  Either way somebody's gonna make some good money.  Also, Ted Lasso was right.

Bad Lawyering?

Then, courtesy of BFS Track and Field Correspondent Jack W,  we have this story about how West Ham United is balking at letting the city use London Stadium for the World Athletic Championships (think World Cup for track and field) in 2029.  

Recall that the stadium was built as the track and field venue for the 2012 Olympic Games.  There was much concern about what would happen to the place after the Games; that history is chronicled here.  The upshot is that West Ham got an incredibly sweet deal on a lease for a brand new stadium.

London Stadium at its 2012 opening
Photo: Getty Images/Michael Steele

Wait a minute, if West Ham are tenants in, not owners of, London Stadium, how are they able to keep the city from using the venue?  This is where the bad lawyering comes in.  Apparently the city did not think through the possibilities and essentially gave West Ham veto rights during the football season.  This would not be the first time the lease hasn't worked for the city.  In 2023 West Ham qualified for the Europa Conference League, a new European competition.  Because that competition wasn't specifically mentioned in the lease, West Ham was able to use the stadium for free for those matches.  Yes, the Conference League didn't exist at the time the lease was drawn up but wouldn't you think the lawyers would be smart enough to include some catchall reference to "any other football competition" or language to similar effect.

There are many ways out of this mess and I hope it doesn't involve some compensation to West Ham or the Premier League for that matter.  They've already robbed the city blind on this deal.  The says it needs three weekends.  Since EPL teams rarely play consecutive home matches, it's likely that at most two matches would be affected.  With cooperative scheduling from the EPL that could easily drop to one.  And with a little more help, they could just switch the home and away dates for that team.  It would be a slight disadvantage to West Ham as they would play three consecutive away matches early in the season.  That would be balanced however by an extra home match somewhere later in the season.

British middle distance runner Keely Hodgkinson put herself in the debate, first humorously, then a bit more seriously.  As you can read here, her opening salvo was along the lines of we'll win more medals in this event than West Ham have earned in 130 years.  She's not that far off.  West Ham do have a couple of FA Cup trophies and did win the 2023 Europa Conference League title (a third tier European competition).  On the other hand, they've never finished first in the Premier League title and in fact have never won the first division of English football at any point in their history.  In subsequent posts, she notes that West Ham is denying English athletes to compete in front of home fans.

On top of all this, there is a non-zero chance that West Ham won't even be in the Premier League in 2029.  They are in a pitched battle to avoid relegation this year and should they fail to stay up, there's no guarantee they'll come back up soon.   Oy, this is complicating my relegation rooting strategy. 

Hell, since I'm here already, I may as well comment on the FIFA playoff results.

How Many Countries in This Country Made It to the World Cup?  

Two -  England and Scotland already qualified in the group stage.  Northern Ireland fell, not unexpectedly, to Italy in the first playoff round.  There were higher hopes for Wales, especially after they carried a 1-0 lead late into their playoff match against Bosnia & Herzegovina.  Then they surrendered a late equalizer and ended up losing in the PK shootout.  That day was not a good one for the region, as Ireland coughed up a 2-0 lead on Czechia and also lost in PKs.

Not again? Italy misses out on another World Cup
Getty Images

The first round went according to plan but the second did not.  Of the favorites, only Turkiye won their "final."  Most surprising was Italy losing on PKs to Bosnia & Herzegovina.  The Italians did dig themselves a hole by going down a man late in the first half but managed to play to a 1-1 draw through regulation and extra time.  Surely Italy would be favored in the shootout, especially with Bananarama Donnaruma in goal.  Except that doesn't help when you fire one over the bar and slam another one into it.  So this is a third straight World Cup without Italy, which could lead to the ouster of the current government.  Czechia upset Denmark, also in a PK shootout and Sweden bested the lightly favored Poland 3-2 in regular time.

In the international playoffs, Jamaica barely squeaked past New Caledonia in the first round and offered nothing in a 0-1 loss to Congo in the final so the Reggae Boyz will be sitting this one out.  As expected, Iraq beat Bolivia in the other bracket.

Groups of Death Revisited

So how do the upsets change the group stage dynamics?  Let's revise the analysis I did back in December to see what's up.  Recall that I suggested it's not so much the average ranking within the group but how closely the teams are ranked.  Also remember that FIFA world rankings can be suspect (looking right at you USA).

Here's the table with the rankings:

The warning signs for the US that I noted before are still there.  Group D has the best ranked third and fourth "seeds" of any group.  Also, the spread from one to four is easily the smallest of any group.

Looking at strength of schedule, things don't get better.

The US have by far the toughest schedule of any of the top ranked countries and the spread in strength of schedule across the group is the tightest.  Group F looks pretty tough too.  Big winner from the playoffs is Switzerland and Group B.  When we assumed Italy was the playoff winner, Switzerland's strength of schedule was 30.00.  Slot Bosnia into the group and the Swiss now have the easiest schedule of any country in the tournament; Canada was a big winner too.  However, I am going to stay with Group H as the Group of Lollipops and Unicorns as Spain and Uruguay look to have big advantages over the third and fourth ranked team in their group.

The Tudor Reign Endeth

Igor Tudor was given seven games and 44 days to correct years of dysfunction at Tottenham and of course failed miserably.  "By mutual consent," he and Spurs parted company on Sunday.  This turnstile approach to managers is utter nonsense.  And my relegation rooting strategy has already changed from two paragraphs ago.  Wolves and Burnley are toast so the choices are Nottingham Forest, Spurs and West Ham.  Forest are definitely my first choice to go.  The stadium hassle had me ready to dump West Ham but this managerial change made me switch to Spurs; especially since I'd like to see Nuno keep West Ham up while two clubs who sacked him fight it out for the last spot.

What Slowdown in the Schedule?

Not sure why I was thinking this was going to be a quiet period.  The FA Cup Quarterfinals are Saturday and Sunday.  Champions League, Europa Cup and Europa Conference League have the first legs of their quarterfinal series Tuesday-Thursday.  Then, EPL action returns from Friday to Monday.  For those with an iron constitution, you can also check out the Union's away match versus Charlotte on Saturday.  Check your local listings as they say.

On the road next week so chances of a blog post are low, but I said that this week so who knows.

 

Last Call For World Cup

Unfortunately, it's not Friday morning.  I wanted to do a mid-week post to alert you to the FIFA playoffs for the final World Cup spots.  While I'm here I might as well report on the weekend.  Mostly disappointing results but your actual mileage may vary (looking at you Dennis).

Last Chance

Six spots are still open for the 48-team World Cup tournament.  Four will go to European countries and two are reserved for international playoff winners.

Europe has a two game playoff with four groups of four.  The first round is Thursday with the "finals" on Tuesday.  Here are the matchups:

Thursday 26 March 2026

A Italy vs Northern Ireland
A Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
B Ukraine vs Sweden
B Poland vs Albania
C Türkiye vs Romania (18:00 CET)
C Slovakia vs Kosovo
D Denmark vs North Macedonia
D Czechia vs Republic of Ireland

Play-off finals

Tuesday 31 March 2026

A Wales / Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy / Northern Ireland
B Ukraine / Sweden vs Poland / Albania
C Slovakia / Kosovo vs Türkiye / Romania
D Czechia / Republic of Ireland vs Denmark / North Macedonia

The winner of the Group C (likely Turkiye?) thread will be slotted into the US group for the World Cup.  Some big names in there - Italy and Sweden come to mind.  FS1 and FS2 have some of these matches.

There are two international "pathways."  One includes Jamaica playing New Caledonia with the winner facing Congo DR.  The survivor there goes into Group K for the World Cup.  We have some interest in seeing Jamaica advance based on familiar names in the squad like Andre Blake (Union), Leon Bailey (Aston Villa), Damion Lowe (Union alum) and Isaac Hayden (Newcastle alum), among others.  Pathway 2 has Bolivia vs Suriname with the winner to face Iraq for a chance to be in Group I.  

"Pathetic, Weak, Lazy and Poor"

Brobbey finishes Newcastle

Thus was Newcastle icon Alan Shearer's unsparing criticism of the Magpies' second half performance in the 1-2 loss to Sunderland at St. James' Park.  He was being kind.  Newcastle got a lucky early first half goal on a Sunderland giveaway, then played okay - not great - for the rest of the half.  In the second half, Sunderland outeverythinged the Magpies.  So many problems with Newcastle's play; we'll go with ball watching as the most annoying.  Any doubt that Sunderland deserved the win is extinguished with the xG figures - 2.48 to 1.29 favor Sunderland.

So, is the lackadaisical second half showing on Eddie Howe or the players?  Answer:

They were clearly surprised by the Sunderland response.  But there was time to react and they did not.  Echoing my thoughts from last week, I am disappointed not because they lost to Sunderland but because they have clearly revealed themselves as a mediocre mid-level side.  To wit, they now sit 12th in the table.  Oh, and Newcastle again lead the league in dropped points from winning positions with 22; pretty sure that West Ham are second with 20.  We're number one!

An Ugly Day at St. James' Park

As if the loss wasn't bad enough, there were other issues Sunday.  First, prior to the match, there were violent clashes between Newcastle and Sunderland fans outside the stadium.  The sordid details can be had here. Hmm, not sure how that squares with the following as reported by the BBC:

"The policing operation around the match between Newcastle United FC and Sunderland AFC passed largely without incident" Ch Supt Mark Hall said.

Hate to think what they would consider an incident.  Fun times continued in the stadium as the match had to be stopped after allegations of racial abuse targeting Sunderland's Lutsharel Geertruida were reported to referee Anthony Taylor.  At least the Newcastle management response to this looks appropriate:

"Our stance is clear -- we do not tolerate discrimination of any form. We will work with the authorities to fully investigate and will ensure any individuals are identified and held accountable."

What happened to my beautiful game?

Conversation That Didn't Take Place But Most Certainly Could Have

Michael: Magpie fans will be drowning their sorrows at the Akenside Pub.

Steve:  Except now it's call the Ache-inside.

Meanwhile...

Spurs were throwing away all that good work last week against Liverpool.  Facing Nottingham Forest, a side one place and one point behind them, Tottenham absolutely came up flat in an 0-3 loss.  I did not see the game as it conflicted with Aston Villa - West Ham but I was following on line.  If memory serves, I don't think Spurs got a shot on goal until like 70 minutes.  The xG at 1.43 - 1.44, barely favoring Forest, hints that maybe it was closer than the score indicates.  Various accounts on the web suggest otherwise.  Whichever, this was a crushing six point loss that drops Spurs to 17th place, just one point above West Ham.  

Somewhere the Sun Was Shining

And that somewhere was Birmingham.  Aston Villa got a workmanlike 2-0 win over West Ham that featured goals from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins plus the return of Yuri Tielemans.  The Villans were certainly not overwhelming but it was a step in the right direction.  

Age is just a number: 35 year old Danny Welbeck
nets the first of his brace against Liverpool
Photograph: Simon Dack/TPI/Shutterstock

Villa also had a great weekend on the out-of-town scoreboard.  On Friday, Man United coughed up
leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.  The Cherries' second goal came courtesy of a Harry Maguire DOGSO in the box at 78 minutes.  Man United felt hard done by the call, especially as a "similar" play was not called in their favor; ESPN's VAR review, available here, suggests the ref got both calls correct.  Aston Villa's good fortunes continued on Saturday when Brighton knocked off Liverpool 2-1 on a brace from the ageless Danny Welbeck.  That was followed by Everton's 3-0 pasting of Chelsea. Brentford's 0-0 draw with Leeds didn't hurt either.

All this means that Aston Villa go into the international break in 4th, just one point behind Man United.  Liverpool trail by five with Chelsea six back.  A few weeks to heal won't hurt either.

We Watch So You Don't Have To

Did you miss the Carabao Cup Final in which Man City beat Arsenal 2-0 ?  Even if you did, you didn't.  Arsenal had the run of play in the first half but failed to score.  Though City were better in the second half, the match was still 0-0 heading into the 60th minute.  Then, Arsenal keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga absolutely butchered Cherki's cross, letting it go through his hands right to Nico O'Reilly, who buried it from about two feet out.  You can see the play here.  O'Reilly added a second minutes later and the match was essentially over.  We needn't spend any more time on it.

No Better This Side of the Pond

The Union's 1-2 loss at Subaru Park to the Chicago Fire wasn't fun either.  They did manage a non-PK goal but it was pretty goofy.  You can see it here.  Though it was good work by Iloski to get his head on the ball, I'd argue that it was a mistake by keeper Brady getting caught in no man's land.  The xG was horrible with the Union at .6 compared to Chicago's 2.5.  Hard to know how much is just the low expectations I have at this point but at no point did I feel like the Union would win this match.

The debate is on about whether this is simply a poor start or is this team just not good enough.  I read about the need for patience with a guy like Alladoh as he is just 20; however, now we hear that he is out for an undisclosed period  while "dealing with a couple of things personally."  It's also fair to point out there are some talented players on the squad - Blake, Makhanya, Iloski, Lukic, for example.  On the other hand, they don't have a proven finisher (could be Alladoh but he hasn't proven it yet), with Wagner's departure they don't have anyone who can reliably deliver the ball into the box, and the back line is incredibly thin right now (Ndinga has not impressed so far and I swear it looks like Makhanya doesn't trust him).  These are serious talent gaps that patience will not fill. 

 

With work and travel and a lighter soccer schedule, I'll likely take one or two weeks off.  

Don't forget the FA Cup Quarter Finals the weekend of 4/4-5:

Saturday 4 April 2026

• 12.45pm – Manchester City v. Liverpool on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max
• 5.15pm – Chelsea v. Port Vale on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max, BBC One and iPlayer 
• 8pm – Southampton v. Arsenal on TNT Sports 1, HBO Max, BBC One and iPlayer

Sunday 5 April 2026

• 4.30pm – West Ham United v. Leeds United on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max 

And, if you're still up for it, there's the Union at Charlotte on Saturday 4/4. 

Regular EPL programming returns Friday April 10th.

No Hardware This Year

With Barcelona's second half onslaught leading to an 8-3 aggregate loss, Newcastle is now officially out of the running for any hardware this year.  The Union is officially out of Concacaf Champions League and sucking wind in MLS play.

On A Brighter Note

Newcastle's week did get off to good start with a surprise 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.  Guimaraes is still out and Tonali was absent due to illness so the 2 in the 4-2-3-1 were Willock and Ramsey.  Ruh roh.  Both came through big time.  The game's only goal came on a through ball from Livramento to Willock, who waited just long enough to make the pass to Gordon, who despite nearly blowing the first touch, slotted the ball in for the game winner.  We make it this week's YouTubeableMoment.

The stats are somewhat mixed, suggesting maybe the Magpies stole this one.  Possession was 67/39 and shots were 22/7 in favor of Chelsea; on the other hand shots on target were 5/3 and xG was 1.41/1.39 favor Newcastle.  Watching, it felt like the win was deserved.  

The three points notwithstanding, Newcastle are officially out of the title race.  Actually, they were mathematically eliminated last week but I just didn't notice.  So there will be no trophies Tyneside this year.

ICYMI

Blues on three everybody?

The first image from the Chelsea - Newcastle match was quite jarring.  There stands referee Paul Tierney in the middle of Chelsea's huddle (see picture left).  Tierney says it wasn't his fault, he told them he wasn't moving off the midfield spot.  Of course opinions abound on this issue, ranging from the optics were horrible and Tierney should have moved to Chelsea were being disrespectful.  However, as detailed here, it looks as if Chelsea were told specifically not to do the huddle around the kickoff spot.  If true, then Tierney's error was in not sternly telling them to move their party elsewhere.

And Another Thing

BFS Spurs' correspondent Michael B suggests that Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior is actually Darryl Nelson, the actor who played Elaine's "black" boyfriend on Seinfeld.  Hmm, come to think of it, have you ever seen them together?

Villa Still Ailing

Granted going to Old Trafford to face a new manager bouncing Man United side wasn't the best way to get back in form.  And, they did play somewhat better.  The problem of course is that "somewhat better" is not good enough for a top five finish.  The game was close on the scoreboard for a while until Man United pulled away with goals at 71 and 81 minutes.  The 3-1 final felt about right, although note that xG was 1.1/1, barely favoring Manchester.

Signs of Life From Spurs

Relegation is still a threat however as all six of the bottom sides picked up a point this weekend.  Still, this was important as Spurs were down 0-1 at Anfield but played a solid second half and fully deserved the 1-1 draw and the point.  West Ham, on the other hand, clearly stole their point from Man City.  The final was 1-1 but the stats were highly skewed; possession was 71/29, shots 24/1, shots on target 6/1 and xG 2.03/.54.  Yes, West Ham scored on their only shot of the day.  Didn't see Burnley -Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest - Fulham or Crystal Palace - Leeds and that looks to be a good thing as all three were 0-0.  Wolves' 2-2 draw at Brentford was a good watch; the problem for Wolves is that one point at a time will not get them out of the bottom three.

Realistically, there is little to no hope for Burnley or Wolves.  The last relegation spot however is up for grabs:

15. Leeds - 32 points

16. Spurs - 30 points

17. Nottingham Forest - 29 points

18. West Ham - 29 points

Spurs' superior goal difference over all three rivals is essentially worth a point.

Is The Race Over

Thanks to Man City's draw with West Ham, Arsenal's lead grew to nine points as they beat Everton 2-0 on two very late goals.  One of them was from Max Dowman, who at 16 years and 73 days became the youngest goal scorer in Premier League history.  You can see the play here. Don't want to be too much of a spoil sport here, but, notice that his run came after a stoppage time corner when every Everton player, including keeper Jordan Pickford, were crammed into the Arsenal penalty box.  So, his solo run was unopposed and he put the ball into an untended goal.  Just sayin'.

Three Goal Leads Are Tough to Overcome

Not much of an improvement for EPL sides in Europe this week.  Chelsea surrendered a goal right away, then allowed two more to complete their 2-8 loss to PSG.  Man City gave up a goal and had a man sent off at 20 minutes.  Somehow they managed to only lose 1-2 for a 1-5 aggregate loss.  At least Spurs scored the opener and cut into their three goal deficit.  That set up a back-and-forth with Atleti that ended with a 3-2 Spurs result but a 5-7 aggregate loss.

Of course, you don't have to start with a three-goal deficit to get blown out.  Newcastle were 1-1 starting the day, fell behind quickly, responded, fell behind again, responded, then gave up five unanswered.  The first half was possibly one of the most fun 45 minutes of the year; well, except for Trippier's late foul in the box (which could have been DOGSO) that put Barca up 4-3.  Things fell apart from there and ended in an 8-3 aggregate loss.

So the EPL is left with just Arsenal (2-0 second leg for 3-1 overall against Leverkusen) and Liverpool (4-0 second leg versus Galatasaray for a 4-1 win).  

Europa Cup results were better as both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest advanced to the quarter finals.  Crystal Palace also advanced in Europa Conference League play.

Fast Forwarded Through the Union

It has come to this.  We dvred the Union vs Atlanta because it started while the Newcastle -Chelsea match was still in progress.  We got an ominous text from Dennis's teammate Jeremy (who by the way as a Wolves and Union fan deserves a special place in heaven) before we even started to watch the game.  Still we plunged in.  The first half offered little reason for optimism, with Atlanta scoring in the 28th minute with a goal from the awesomely named Emmanuel Latte Lath.  The U had a chance to level right before half time but Iloski could not convert the PK.  When Atlanta scored early in the second half, Dennis and I looked at each other and I knew what to do - move to fast forward.  Note that you can still follow the game so we felt the decision was correct after we saw Atlanta add a third at 68 minutes.  We did get to see Anello's nice but irrelevant header goal at 88 that made the final 3-1.  

A curious stat is that xG was 3.0/2.3 favor the Union.  Even taking out the PK, that suggests a level xG from open play.  I can't say that it felt that way viewing, though maybe speeding through leaves the wrong impression.  With Atlanta, Orlando and New England picking up their first wins, the Union fall to the bottom of the table, the only pointless side in the Eastern Conference MLS.

Move to mid-week and there was a moderate improvement in their 1-1 draw with Club America in Concacaf Champions Cup play.  The bad news is that wasn't a goal from open play but another PK.  Also, the 1-1 draw meant a 2-1 aggregate loss so the Union are out of this competition.  Buried deep in MLS standings, though it is early, it is hard to see the Union taking home any trophies this year.

And Another Thing

We also found out about this:

Major League Soccer has suspended Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner without pay through June 1, 2026 for violating the policies and standards of professional conduct required of league and club leadership.

More details can be had here.  Sorry, but this leaves me feeling that the organization is not just poorly run but is morally bankrupt.  Same for the MLS.  The allegations were out there and supposedly both the Union and MLS investigated but took no action.  Then, a reporter for The Guardian published a story about the situation that looked so bad that MLS and the Union "reopened" the investigation.  And the upshot is this three month suspension?  Hard to think this is not a slap on the wrist. Then look at Tanner's statement:

“I regret the impact that this situation has had on the Philadelphia Union organization and its supporters.  I remain proud of my work with the Philadelphia Union and look forward to my return and future work with the team.”

He's basically saying I'm sorry if you were offended by my actions, not I'm sorry for what I did.  I don't care how good a job he did as a sporting director, this is not cool.

The "We Fired Nuno and Now Face Relegation Derby"

Nottingham Forest and Spurs face off in a critical match fraught with relegation implications.  Hey wait a minute.  Wolves fired Nuno too and they now face relegation.  And West Ham hired Nuno and find themselves in the relegation mix too.  As my investment advisor consistently reminds me, past performance does not guarantee future results.  However, none of Wolves, Forest or Spurs were relegated when Nuno was in charge so we're going with West Ham to stay up.

Tiny Weary Derby

People are certainly making a big deal of Sunday's Newcastle -Sunderland Tyne Wear Derby.  As Dennis has asked in the past, are these derbies more of a thing for fans than the players?  Both these sides are pretty much buried in mid-table with no threat of relegation but little chance of qualifying for European competitions.  I just want the three points and it doesn't matter that Sunderland is the opponent.  But then I live 3,415 miles from Newcastle so what do I know?  Newcastle are big favorites  - 61/19 at Opta.  That's at 8 am on Sunday (England moves their clocks forward Sunday at 2 am).

The "bigger" fixture is the EFL Carabao Cup final between Man City and Arsenal, Sunday at 12:30.  They play at Wembley and the match is on Paramount+.  Opta has Arsenal as the big favorite at 52/25 with a 23% chance of the match going to extra time.  

That final means a truncated EPL schedule.  There is a fun Friday 4 pm fixture between Bournemouth and Man United.  Saturday has games lined up all day but they won't exactly leave you drooling:

8:30 Brighton - Liverpool

11 Fulham - Burnley

1:30 Eveton - Chelsea

4 pm Leeds - Brentford

On Sunday at 10:15, we have the Nuno Derby referenced plus Aston Villa vs West Ham. 

Between the FA Cup action next weekend and the international break, the EPL will be off until April 10th.

If you can stomach it, the Union are home versus Chicago at 4:30 on Saturday.  

After seemingly non-stop football for most of the winter, the schedule won't be as demanding for a couple of weeks.

There Goes the Triple

Man City unceremoniously dumped Newcastle out of another competition with a 3-1 win in their FA Cup 5th round match.  That leaves Champions League and the EPL!  Not a great week for English sides in Europe.

Fifth Time Was Not A Charm

Him again? Two from Marmoush ends Newcastle's FA Cup plans
Scott Heppell/Reuters

Newcastle lost to Man City for the fourth time since January 13th of this year.  This time it was 3-1 in the 5th Round of the FA Cup.  Things started out well and for 25 minutes Newcastle were the better side, holding a 1-0 on a nice shot from Harvey Barnes.  Then it was like the visitors woke up and said "Hey we're Man City and you're not."  Downhill from there, although it did take a little while for the goals to pour in.  By 65 minutes it was 3-1 and clear that the Magpies were outclassed.  Two came from Marmoush, who had a hat trick against Newcastle back in February 2025.

Wrexham Spoiler Alert

Do not read on if you want to be surprised when you watch the fifth season of Welcome to Wrexham.  There's talk that this is already an FA Cup Classic.  Wrexham scored first but then saw one of the ownest own goals of all-time (seen here).  Clearing the ball of the line to save a goal, it hit keeper Okonkwo and went straight back into the net.  Chelsea's second goal was legit.  Not giving up, Wrexham scored late and we were set for extra time.  Except minutes before the whistle for regular time, Wrexham's Dobson got a straight red, which meant they would play down a man in extra time.  Chelsea took advantage scoring at 96 minutes.  Seeming to rescue a PK shootout from the jaws of defeat Wrexham scored late in the second extra time period.  Alas, Brunt was fractionally offside; to make it even crueler, it's possible the ball was going into the goal without Brunt's touch (judge for yourself here).  Chelsea added another in stoppage time to make the margin look healthier but the 4-2 final understates how close a match this was.  

Minnows Acquitting Themselves Very Nicely Thank You

Three upsets in this round, though two really can't be considered shockers.  West Ham over Brentford, especially on PKs, isn't a big stretch.  Southampton, 8th in the Championship Division (2nd tier), aren't really a minnow either but it was a mild upset for them to beat Fulham 1-0.  Port Vale on the other hand, sitting in last place in League Two (4th tier) is definitely a minnow and their upset of Sunderland is a big deal. 

Wrexham certainly played well enough in a losing cause.  So did third tier Mansfield, who gave Arsenal fits in a 1-2 loss.  Wolves (3-0 loss to Liverpool), Norwich (3-0 defeat at Leeds) and Newcastle were the underdogs that did not fare well.

Quarter final matchups are Man City - Liverpool, Chelsea - Port Vale, Southampton - Arsenal and West Ham - Leeds.

We're Not In Kansas England Anymore

EPL sides mostly took it on the chin on the continent this week in the various European competitions.  Liverpool lost in Turkiye 0-1 to Galatasaray but that tie might not be irretrievable.  The prospects are not so rosy for Man City (loss at Real Madrid 0-3), Chelsea (shredded at PSG 2-5) and Spurs (also 5-2 losers away to Atleti).  Sure they're heading back home for the second leg but three goal deficits are tough.

Harvey Barnes gives Newcastle a 1-0 lead
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Newcastle had a decent day though it could have been better.  They went toe-to-toe with Barcelona at St. James' Park and were seconds away from taking a 1-0 to Spain.  Alas, Thiaw got deked by Dani Olmo in the box and the Newcastle defender stuck out his leg for a foul.  Yamal converted the PK so they head to Spain level.

Arsenal could also only manage a 1-1 draw with Leverkusen but that one is headed back to London so the Gunners' prospects aren't all that bad.

Aston Villa were the only English side to come away with a win, a narrow 1-0 victory over LOSC on the road.  The Villans played well enough though they would do well to get more shots on target; they took nine but only Watkins' game winning header was on target.  Still, Watkins scoring and McGinn back might mean an end to the slump.

Completing the mostly futile English effort, Nottingham Forest lost to Midttjylland (the t is silent) 0-1 at home in Europa Cup action and Crystal Palace worked a 0-0 draw with AEK Lamaca.  Given those second legs are on the road, not looking great for those two sides.

Do You Know The Way To Score On San Jose (apologies to Dionne Warwick)

I did not get to see the 0-1 loss at Subaru Park and may be better for it.  The stats say the U maybe deserved a draw.  Shots were 13/7, shots on target 3/3 and xG 1.4/.8, all favor the Union.  They did finish with 11 men on the field, a first in league play this year.  They are however pointless through three matches.  

Also didn't get to see the Concacaf Champions Cup match against Club America but the 0-1 loss at home reads like more of the same.  This time they didn't manage a shot on target.  Also looks like a scrappy contest with 31 fouls and four yellows (17 and 3 of those were the Union's).  Heading to Mexico for the second leg down 0-1 with an anemic offense does not sound like the recipe for advancing to the quarterfinals.

Making Chelsea Look Like Choir Boys

Our Monterey correspondent Greg M sends along this tale of cup match in Brazil that ended with 23 red cards.  No one was actually sent off as the red cards were issued post match (which was abandoned early).  My favorite part is that several of the players blame the referee.

Speaking of Chelsea players behaving badly, check out this week's YouTubeableMoment in which Pedro Neto pushes the ball boy in their Champions League match at PSG.  Neto wasn't sanctioned in at the time but is facing at least a one game ban.  Now, can we talk about the shithousery displayed by the ball boy?  First, note that he was intentionally trying to keep Neto from getting the ball and taking the throw.  Even more comical, notice that the ball boy grabs his face after the shove, even though Neto came nowhere near his face.  It's impossible not to be cynical.

Busy Again

Week 30 has some interesting match-ups.  I'll include Chelsea - Newcastle (1:30 Saturday - oh yeah we went to DST before England) in that list even though I'm skeptical that the Magpies can get a result there.  Our best chance is for Chelsea to get a man sent off; Opta agrees, having Chelsea  favored 55/22.

Marquee match of the weekend is Man United - Aston Villa (10 am Sunday).  They are level on points with United having the tiebreaker that puts them third in the table.  Villa's recent run of form leaves me less than confident even though this has been a side that is rarely out of a match.  Opta is less optimistic; they have it 44/29 favor United.  

Is this the weekend Spurs fall into the relegation zone?  Probably not, even though they face Liverpool at Anfield (Sunday 12:30).  That's because West Ham get Man City (Saturday at 4 pm) so the Hammers aren't likely to get any points either.  But Spurs could fall to 17th, as Nottingham Forest have Fulham (Sunday at 10) at home so they have a decent shot at getting a point or three.

Filling out the schedule, Saturday is a sleep late day if you want with the first matches at 11 am.  You can go with Burnley - Bournemouth or Sunderland - Brighton; we recommend the latter.  Competing with Chelsea - Newcastle in the Saturday 1:30 slot is Arsenal - Everton.  Sunday at 10 you can go with Crystal Palace - Leeds if the Man United -Aston Villa match doesn't thrill you.  The match week closes Monday at 4 with Brentford hosting Wolves.

Mid-week we have the second leg of last week's European fixtures.  Some of these look irretrievable for the EPL sides but most of the reverse fixtures are home matches so maybe there's a chance.

Two matches for the Union.  Saturday at 3 pm they take on pointless Atlanta, a side that is actually below them in the table. Goal differential makes that possible with the Union at -3 (1/4) to Atlanta's -5 (2/7).  Atlanta must be really bad because Opta has that one at 47/29 favor the Union even though it's road game.  Wednesday night they have the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup vs Club America at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.  

 

Poo-aah

Andy Walker, color commentator for Peacock and others, turns "poor" into a two-syllable word pronounced something like "poo-aah."  And he used it a lot in describing Newcastle's performance against Everton.  And it applied to many other sides as well.  

Newcastle did make a bit of a recovery mid-week; others not so much.

Too many results coinciding with an uptick in work.  Yes, that sounds like an issue of priorities. I'll do what I can.

Shades of Mediocrity (apologies to Simon and Garfunkel)

An apt description of Newcastle's performance in a 3-2 loss to Everton.  Yes, it was great they came back from 0-1 and 1-2 deficits and that they pretty much dominated the second half.  Then you realize both goals came on massive deflections, they stumbled through the first half and despite getting off 16 shots, they managed an xG of only 1.0.  As in, their finishing remains very poo-ah.  Pope's howler that allowed Everton's second goal was pretty bad too.  But the hardest thing to take is that Everton's second and third goals came just two minutes and one minute after netting the equalizers.  For a side that used to be solid defensively, that just isn't good enough.

Will Osula: Danish treat for Newcastle
Photo: Adam Vaughn/EPA

All of this makes the mid-week 2-1 win over Man United hard to explain.  I missed the most of the first
half but got a sense that the Magpies had the run of play to the point. I tuned in just in time to see Aaron Ramsey get a second yellow for simulation and an early exit.  Demonstrating some resiliency, they continued to attack and Gordon won a PK which he neatly converted.  Alas, they allowed Casemiro an open header on Fernandes free kick just before the halftime whistle and we entered the second half with trepidation.  Surprisingly, it was Newcastle that remained the attacking side, to the point where Jon Champion had to observe "isn't this the period where Newcastle are supposed to be outplayed?"  This was a good back and forth contest despite the man disadvantage.  The draw was broken by an incredible solo effort by Will Osula, seen here as this week's YouTubeableMoment. We like it so much here's another view from right next to the goal. The three points were well-deserved.  Also, this is the first win Newcastle has ever gotten in an EPL match that Bruno Guimaraes didn't start.  

No Fun In Birmingham

Aston Villa more than matched Newcastle's mediocrity with two home defeats.  They were moribund in the absolutely lifeless 0-2 loss to Wolves.  There were better moments against Chelsea and they even had the lead for a time.  But four straight from the visitors left the Villans on the short end of a 1-4 score.   I speculated that the recent poo-ah run of form for Villa is a measure of John McGinn's true worth.  Dennis added that maybe Tielemann's value is also being revealed in this spell.

Wolves at least proved to be equal opportunity destroyers, handing a stoppage time set back to one of Villa's key competitors - Liverpool.  Game winning goal can be seen here. Wolves are making a move to avoid relegation but the phrase "too little too late" probably applies here.

And Then There's Burnley

Kayode Ugly: Michael after the first of his two own goals for Burnley

Down 3-0 to Brentford, the Clarets rallied to draw level (thanks in part to two own goals from Kayode!), scored the go-ahead goal only to see it ruled out for offside, then conceded the go-behind goal at 90+3.  In the cruelest twist, Burnley scored the equalizer at 90+7 but saw it ruled out for accidental handling.  They followed that up with a 2-0 midweek loss to Everton in which they managed two shots on target.  Wolves are getting closer while 17th just gets farther away.

Chelsea Recidivists

After noting last week that Chelsea had the worst disciplinary record in the EPL, the Blues added four more yellows and a red to their tally in a 2-1 loss to Arsenal.  Throw in two more yellows against Aston Villa and will likely extend their lead as the most undisciplined side.

Biggest New Manager Bounce Evah?

With a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, Man United have garnered 19 out of 21 possible points since Michael Carrick took over and remained undefeated during his tenure at Old Trafford.  Of course, I wrote this before Newcastle's unlikely 2-1 win at Saint James' Park on Wednesday.  Still, a pretty good start for him.

New Manager Thud?

Spurs on the other hand are waiting for any kind of bounce under Tudor.  They fell behind 2-0 to Fulham, got one back and looked in the running for an equalizer but came up short once again.  Home against Crystal Palace, they took a 1-0 lead, saw van de Ven sent off for DOGSO at 38 minutes and gave up three goals before halftime. Unthinkably, they are now just one point out of the relegation zone, though at the moment they have the tiebreaker against both West Ham and Nottingham Forest.  The home match versus Nottingham Forest on March 22nd looms massively large right now.

In Case I Missed It

I forgot to point out last week that all nine of the EPL sides advanced to the Round of 16 in their respective European competitions.  This includes Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Spurs in the Champions League, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the Europa Cup and Crystal Palace in Europa Conference League.  This should help their league coefficient and keep that fifth Champions League spot?

I Mentioned the Bisque

Jeff K and I attended the Union match versus NYCFC on Sunday, weather wasn't awful, we had the sausage sandwiches, yada, yada, yada.   The yada, yada, yada of course is that they lost 1-2 on a stoppage time goal.

We were correct in asking where the Union goals were going to come from.  Yes, they did manage to score against NYCFC but it was a PK (according to Dennis that was a soft call but made up for missed call earlier).  With limited replays at the stadium, Jeff K and I really couldn't be sure.  

It's early and the U have a history of slow starts.  Still, this side seems to have a lot of holes.  The depth at center back will be tested as Makhanya has to serve a one-game suspension for picking up two yellow cards Sunday afternoon.  With two red cards in two games, are we the Chelsea of the MLS?

FA Cup and European Competitions

No EPL as we have the 5th Round of the FA Cup on the weekend and the Rounds of 16 for Champions  League, Europa Cup, and Europa Conference League midweek.  This will be "fun" for Newcastle as they will face Man City on Saturday in the FA Cup and Barcelona on Tuesday in Champions League before returning to EPL action against Chelsea next Saturday.  

The full FA Cup fixture list is here.  Matches are mostly sequential if you want to catch all eight. Not so much with Champions League; fixtures are:

March 10

Galatasaray vs. Liverpool (1:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. GMT)
Atalanta vs. Bayern Munich (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Atlético Madrid vs. Tottenham (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Newcastle United vs. Barcelona (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)

March 11

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Arsenal (1:45 p.m. ET, 5:45 p.m. GMT)
Real Madrid vs. Man City (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Bodø/Glimt vs. Sporting CP (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea (4 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. GMT)

We'll be focused on Newcastle but neutrals might go with Atleti - Spurs on Tuesday.  Probably Real Madrid - Man City on Wednesday.

Villa get LOSC on Thursday.

Just realized DST starts Sunday at 2 am.  Like I can really afford to lose an hour right now.

The Winter of Our Discontent

Still too much snow, feeling under the weather.  You know what that means?  Right, coverage a mile wide and an inch deep.

Still A Loss

Newcastle were in the match at Man City but you don't get any points for a 2-1 loss no matter how well you played.  I remember thinking that a second half equalizer was not out of the question but of course it never came.  Stats were pretty even.  If they play like this versus the rest of the league, they will get results.

Rescuing A Draw That Was Not In The Script

Aston Villa at home should be getting all three points against Leeds.  Instead they needed an 88th minute goal from Tammy Abraham to eke out a draw.  First and second place get further away.

Bad Boys

Chelsea got another red card and surrendered the tying goal at 90+3 in a 1-1 draw with Burnley.  As the table below shows, this was not an aberration.

Maybe They Need A Plantagenet

The Tudor Era at Spurs did not get off to a great start.  Though the final score of 4-1 may overstate the magnitude of the defeat, especially given that Spurs had a goal ruled out on a very soft foul and another ball saved off the line.  I believe the score was 3-1 at the time and if either had counted, the final 30 or so minutes could have been really interesting.  On the other hand, Arsenal generated 20 shots to Spurs 6.  There is a gap between these two sides right now.

Your Other Gomes

Quadruple sons of different mothers?

Wolves had an "interesting" day at Crystal Palace.  They had a missed PK late in the first half, then had Krejci sent off for two yellows in the space of three minutes.  Still they persevered and looked on the cusp of maybe grabbing a point.  Guessand ended that "dream" with a goal at 90 minutes.  

But we are more intrigued by the fact that the Wolves bench featured four Gomeses - midfield Joao, forward Rodrigo, defender Toti and midfielder Angel.  They might do better to stockpile Haalands.

Champions League Playoffs

Newcastle did well enough to close out a 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag FK.  Surprise and drama in other parts though.  Bodo/Glimt surprised Inter with a 2-1 road win to take a 5-2 win on aggregate. Juventus came back from three down to tie Galatasaray, sending that one to extra time.  At that point, Juventus turned into the Tired Old Lady, yielding two in added 30 minutes.  Atalanta was hosting Dortmund, down 0-2 after the first leg.  They roared back to take a 3-2 early in the second half but Dortmund leveled things at 75 minutes.  With extra time looming, we had this week's YouTubeableMoment in the form of a creative but ultimately costly defensive move.  With the PK, Atalanta move on.

The draw for the Round of 16 is Friday.  We know that Newcastle will get either Chelsea or Barcelona.

Not The Defense You Think It Is

The fallout continues from last week's ugly scene in Lisbon between Vinicius Jr and Prestianni.  I must include a disclaimer that much of this is based on "reports" so maybe there is more to come.  With that said, it appears that Prestianni's claim is that his comment to Vini was emphatically not racist but "just" homophobic.  Oh, well okay then.  Except the sanctions for homophobic slurs are covered by same regulations and call for the same punishment (10 game ban).  Prestianni is now claiming that he was responding to Vini calling him a dwarf.  Well, that's not great either, though UEFA regulations don't appear to cover physical characteristics like height.

Where Are The Goals Going To Come From?

This is my first thought after watching the Union fall 1-0 at DC United.  With Baribo and Uhre gone, Quinn out until July at best and Wagner no longer here to put crosses on a platter, how does this team score?  I guess Alladoh does have a track record as a goal scorer.  However, to do that, he will need to keep himself on the pitch.  Kind of a confusing sight as he was sent off for what we could only surmise was foul language (confirmed by Annie Savoy).  Later we found out it was directed at the DC United player, not the referee, not that it makes any difference for the sanction.  Also, based on his reaction scoring the game's only goal, seen here, Baribo did not get the memo about the proper way to celebrate a goal versus your former club.

Didn't make much progress on the new roster names.  Will try to provide more info next week.

Cavan Sullivan had two goals and two assists vs Defence Force

I'm still sticking with my original question about where are the goals going to come from even after
the Union completed a 12-0 aggregate trouncing of Defence Force FC.  No offence intended, but this was not the caliber of club the U will be facing in MLS.  Tonight was a 7-0 rout in the second leg back at Subaru Park.  Goal scorers included Martinez, Lukic, Korzeniowski (2), Bender and Cavan Sullivan (2).  If I read the bracket correctly, the Union will face America in the Round of 16.

Double Dose of EPL

We get match weeks 28 and 29 spread over Friday to Thursday.

Don't miss the early start to the weekend, with Aston Villa traveling to Wolves for our favorite - Friday football at 3 pm.  Not sure that applies to Saturday's 7:30 fixture between Bournemouth and Sunderland, though these are two of Newcastle's main competitors for the staying in the top 10.

Three matches at 10 but no real choice for us with Newcastle hosting Everton.  Opta has the Magpies 56/21 (23% chance of draw) favorites but that seems highly optimistic to me.  It's also probably the best choice for neutrals over Liverpool v West Ham or Burnley - Brentford.  The feature 12:30 with Leeds hosting Man City does not hold much promise.

Sunday at 9 has three choices.  We'll likely go with the London derby between Fulham and Spurs; though it makes sense, it's still jarring to see Spurs a decided underdog here. Brighton - Nottingham Forest doesn't sound exciting and on paper Man United vs Crystal Palace at Old Trafford shouldn't be all that close.  The matchweek closes with another London derby that sounds better than it might be - Arsenal vs Chelsea.  Opta says Arsenal at 63%, Chelsea 17% and 20% chance of a draw.  Wow, that's a huge spread.

The full list of match week 29 fixtures is here. Unfortunately, two of the week's better matches are stacked on top of each other.  On Wednesday, Aston Villa host Chelsea in match fraught with Champions League implications.  That's at 2:30.  But Newcastle and Man United kick-off 45 minutes later.  That match is mostly fraught with danger for Newcastle but would be an important win in Man United's resurgence.  

The Union have their MLS home opener vs NYCFC at 4:30 on Sunday.  We will be there, health and weather willing.

FA Cup Potpourri

Not every match was awesome but there were plenty that had that certain "je ne sais quoi" which makes the FA Cup sometimes watchable.

Everybody Hates VAR Until They Don't

Newcastle and Aston Villa squared off in the toughest match of the fourth round.  VAR, or the lack thereof (it's not used until the 5th round), quickly became a talking point.  Villa got an early lead on a free kick lofted over the Newcastle defensive line to Tammy Abraham, who deftly trapped it and scored.  Real time I thought he was offside and replay confirmed that.  Not by a lot but enough that the AR should have gotten it right.  Oh well.  Flash forward to later in the half when Luca Digne makes a rash challenge on Jacob Murphy.  Kavanaugh immediately went with yellow which seemed okay real time.  The replay wasn't as kind.  Many think it should have been red and that VAR would definitely have upgraded the card.  I'm less convinced.  Sure, it left a mark on Murphy but that might just be because he uses shin guards the size of credit cards.  Anyway, the worst was yet to come.

Kavanaugh and his team's bad awful
day in three pictures

Newcastle started the second half with a man advantage thanks to a massive brain cramp by Villa keeper Bizot, who drew a straight red for DOGSO on Murphy.  The Magpies seized the initiative but without immediate results.  Then, Trippier sent a ball into the box which Digne promptly handled for a PK.  Well it should have been but neither Kavanaugh or his assistant believed the handling was in the box.  They are the only two in the world who saw it that way.  Martinez punched the free kick out to the top of the box where Tonali rifled a shot that took a massive deflection into the net.  So they got a goal anyway. You can see the whole thing here as this week's YouTubeableMoment; Jon Champion called it "natural justice" but for me it was the coolest version of "ball don't lie" I've ever seen.  Tonali later scored on another long shot and Woltemade added insurance for the 3-1 final.

The match inspired a lively should we/shouldn't we use VAR.  The pro VAR side would seem to have a clear upper hand based on this situation but the antis got some good shots in.  Sure there were some bad calls here but life went on and wasn't it great not to have those lengthy interventions.  Maybe, but its a lot easier to be all like "shit happens" when the bad calls did not prevent the correct team from advancing.  Not sure you'd be hearing as much support for ditching VAR if Newcastle hadn't moved on.  Further, while you could argue this stuff evens out over the course of the season that is not the case in where you are bounced with a single loss.

Some unfortunate notes for Newcastle.  Guimaraes is out for up to 10 weeks with a hamstring problem and Wissa is hurt now too.  They need 1) Joelinton to return from injury b) Miley to return from injury iii) Ramsey to significantly lower his transfer fee/goals scored ratio or 4) all of the above.  Also, furthering conspiracy theory talk in the FA draw process, Newcastle get Man City in the next round.

Hope Spring Eternal Until the Well Runs Dry

The minnows generally gave a good accounting of themselves but only Mansfield Town was able to pull off the upset over Burnley.  We're not counting Newcastle over Aston Villa or Wrexham beating Ipswich because those sides are so close in their respective tables.  Burton gave West Ham fits, sending the match into extra time.  The Hammers scored at 95 then had a man sent off at 101; that gave Burton 20+ minutes to get an equalizer but it never happened.  Macclesfield clearly benefited from the home field advantage (i.e. the artificial surface) but it was Brentford that got the own goal game winner.  Wolves and Grimsby Town played 0-0 for a while in the muck (see below) until Wolves slipped in the game winner at at 60 minutes.  Birmingham had plenty of chances but it was Leeds that won the PK shootout.

That's Not What They Mean By Pitch

pitch

 1: a black or dark viscous substance obtained as a residue in the distillation of organic materials and especially tars

Grimsby Town vs Wolves: Some called it a "throwback" but
 mostly it looked like boys playing in the mud (Getty Images)

As in the pitch for the Grimsby Town - Wolves match looked like it was covered in pitch. Seriously, this was one step from being unplayable.  Or maybe it was unplayable.  There were several occasions when the ball simply didn't move after getting stuck in the mud.  Wolves probably deserve some credit here for just playing through the conditions to get a 1-0 win to advance to the 5th round.  It's about the only thing that's going right for them this season.

We Knew Them When

The Birmingham - Leeds match featured Union ex-pats Kai Wagner and Brenden Aaronson.  Both acquitted themselves well I thought.  Wagner did his usual thing of dumping mostly decent crosses into the box and blocked a potential goal in the box with a diving stop.  Leeds had struggled for most of the match and seemed to do better when Aaronson came on at 68 minutes.  Brenden also converted his PK in the shoot out, which Leeds won 4-2.  Aaronson also got in a fairly hefty challenge on Wagner, which earned him a foul but nothing more as seen here.

My Dog Ate My Homework

Leeds keeper Lucas Perri was all set for the PK shoot out with Birmingham, armed with paper that listed the tendencies of the Birmingham shooters.  Alas, it proved useless to him because, as detailed here, he couldn't recognize the players.  He still stopped one of the shots while a second soared over the bar, allowing Leeds to advance.  Also in the category of not using the resources available to you, it appears that Kai Wagner tried to tell his keeper which way Aaronson was going on his PK but as related here, the keeper ignored his advice.

Baku Is Lovely This Time of Year

Anthony Gordon gets the first of four against Qarabag

Well sure it is when you score in the first three minutes and have a 4-0 lead by 33 minutes.  Such was Newcastle's experience as they basically outclassed the Azerbaijani side Qarabag FK in a 6-1 rout in the first leg of their Champions League playoff.  Heading back to Saint James' Park for the second leg with that hefty lead leaves me optimistic that Newcastle will advance to the knockout phase of the competition.  But the Mapgies seem to be able to find a dark cloud behind the silver lining.  Newcastle already had 4-0 lead when Gordon was fouled by the keeper in first half stoppage time.  Now, Gordon is the designated taker of penalty shots but Kieran Trippier was trying to talk Gordon (who already had a hat trick) into letting someone else take the kick.  Gordon did not relent and converted the kick.  That wasn't quite the end of it, as the two had to be separated by teammates as they made their way to the locker room at half time.  Things appeared to be patched up by the end of the match but apparently we can't even enjoy a rout.

Not A Good Scene In Lisbon

Things were not so pleasant in Lisbon, where Real Madrid was taking on Benfica.  This was a scoreless but intriguing match until the 50th minute, when Vinicius Jr launched a laser past the Benfica keeper.  Things degenerated from there.  First, Vini got a yellow card for excessive celebration.  Then, Benfica's Prestianni lifted his shirt to cover his mouth and said something to Vini.  The Brazilian believed it was a racist comment and immediately ran to the referee to notify him.  In response, the ref raised the crossed wrists to indicate that the racist abuse protocol had been initiated.  You can see some of the events here.  The BBC provides more narrative on the incident here.  This looks frustratingly like it will end up as unresolved because it will come down to he said/he said.  All around just bad scene.

Don't Give Up Your Day Job

As Dennis noted a few weeks ago, Defence Force F.C. (the Union's opponent in the first round of CONCACAF Champions Cup) is made up of officers, soldiers and sailors from the Trinidad and Tobago army and coast guard.  I hope they are better at their real jobs because they did not defend on the pitch very well in a 0-5 loss in the first leg of Round One.  Goal scorers for the Union included Iloski, Alladoh, Makhanya and Damiani (2).  As Jeff H notes, pretty good for the first match of the season playing away from home.  I thought it was a good chance for us to get started on learning the new names.  The second leg is next Thursday in Chester.  Forecast says mostly clear skies and 43 degrees at kick-off.

The Weekend and Week

We have match week 27 and the second leg of all the European competition playoff series.

No 7:30 match - that's a good start.  There are three at 10 and our choice is clear - Aston Villa hosting Leeds.  Other choices are Brentford - Brighton or Chelsea - Burnley.  The "feature" 12:30 match, which really can't be called feature because it's not even on TV is West Ham - Bournemouth.  Saturday finishes with a 3 pm match that leaves Magpie fans quaking - a trip to the Etihad to face Man City.  Not going to even bother doing the research, pretty sure that one usually does not work out well for us. Opta has it 57/21 with 22% chance of a draw.

No truth to the rumor that Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will now be
called the House of Tudor now that Igor has been named manager
Photo: Getty/London Standard

Sunday at 9 is crowded with Crystal Palace - Wolves, Sunderland - Fulham or Nottingham Forest - Liverpool.  I like Palace and Wolves but I'm guessing Sunderland - Fulham will be the more competitive game.  The Tudor era begins for Spurs at 11:30 with the North London derby against Arsenal. Even with home field advantage, Opta doesn't give Spurs much of chance (60/19/21 - ouch). The match week concludes with Everton - Man U at 3 on Monday.  

For the European competitions, basically reverse everything from last week.  And there will be the second leg of Union versus the Trinidad and Tobago army.