We are truly sorry that, in the past, we have made light of your prestigious competition. Now that one of our own is so close to capturing the Cup, we see the error of our ways and hope that, in poking fun, we have not lessened its reputation. In our defense, we were, in part, led astray by the many teams (cough, Newcastle, cough), that have put so little emphasis on winning this competition. We should have seen through the lack of ambition exhibited by such clubs and realized the true value of bringing home a major competition like the FA Cup. Again, we apologize for our behavior and hope that you will not hold it against Aston Villa.
Dennis - do you think they'll buy it? Not a chance in hell.
This was one of the few FA cup matches I got to see (Thanks Michael B!) and it was worth it. I said last week that I would watch the match and find out how much I actually cared. The answer is a lot more than I thought but still a lot less than avoiding relegation - as Steve mentioned, the whole winning the FA Cup and still getting relegated thing didn't really pan out for Wigan two seasons ago. While watching, I realized that my priorities for the match were, in order:
1. No injuries - especially not to Benteke, who did spook me a little towards the end but appears fine
2. Continue their recent good form to carry through the rest of the season
3. Win the match
Amazingly enough, I got all three - minus an injury to Baker (who I don't really like but Villa don't exactly have a ton of fit central defenders so this injury could sting). Villa really owned this game, despite conceding the first goal. To understand how this game went, just read my comments on the 1-0 win over Spurs - the team looked confident and liked they belonged in the top half of the league, not a relegation battle. Sherwood even made the same confusing substitutions as last week, which I am definitely keeping my eye on.
I read some Aston Villa commentary suggesting that this was one of the greatest wins in club history. I have not been a fan of the team long enough nor do I put enough weight on the historical significance of the competition to agree. However, last week I would have scoffed at the idea that an FA Cup win was relevant at all. Now, having seen how much it can mean to players and fans, I'll at least listen to an argument about it's relevance.
The other semi was pretty riveting too. Reading, from the Championship division, did not go quietly into the night, giving Arsenal a decent fight, losing 2-1 in added extra time. The winning goal was not a thing of beauty, as you can see from this week's YouTubeableMoment. In fact, it may be the quintessential picture of the "agony of defeat," especially since keeper Frederici's heroics had kept Reading in the match up to that point.
So the final is set with Arsenal taking on Aston Villa on Saturday May 30th, with the winner getting a Europa League spot...unless Arsenal wins because they will likely have already clinched a spot in the Champions League, in which case the spot will go to the 7th place side in the EPL table. More on that later.
More of the Same
For my two sides, Newcastle and the Union, Sunday only brought more of the same. The Magpies were not awful but gave up two "hinky" looking goals in a 1-3 defeat at home to Tottenham. Frankly, the score flatters Tottenham a bit; with the score 1-2, Newcastle had several good looks at an equalizing goal and the third Spurs goal was basically the result of Newcastle throwing everything into the offense. But, a loss is a loss. Fans walked out, a small plane flew overhead taunting the fans that Sunderland have won the last five derbies, yes it was fun times. And all it did for Tottenham was to move Spurs closer to a Europa League spot, which we all know, works out so well for EPL sides. At this point, probably the only thing that will keep Tottenham out of that competition is an Aston Villa win in the FA Cup, and even that won't be enough if Spurs insist on winning matches.
The Union were not much better. Maidana had a beautiful set piece goal but Williams was toasted twice on defense and New England took all the points. Like Newcastle, they weren't awful but you felt like the best they were going to be able to do was to hang on to a draw. It's arguable that they withdrew into a defensive shell far too early. By the way, don't be fooled by the Union's 8th place position in the table. Ninth place Toronto has three games in hand and last place Montreal has four. Not sure why it's so unbalanced at this point but Philadelphia's situation could be worse than it looks, if that's possible.
No CL Final for the Mattress Makers
Many of the usual suspects gathered at 6911 for the second leg of the CL quarterfinal tie, and 4000th Madrid derby this season, between Real Madrid and Atletico. Like the first leg, the match was riveting but somewhat choppy with all the fouling. Still, it was a pleasure to see the ball skills exhibited by both sides. Unfortunately for Michael B, and he would agree with this, Real were the better side that night. Javier Hernandez (better know to us as Chicharito) got the game winner late as we had begun to contemplate added extra time.
Every Match Matters
Well, almost. Newcastle-Swansea is a yawner, though the Magpies are not completely out of the relegation fight yet. But the other matches have title, Champions League, Europa League or relegation implications.
Arsenal take on Chelsea at 11 am on Sunday; this is probably the last chance for the Gunners to make a run at the title. They are already down by 10 points and anything less than a win likely leaves them too far back with five matches left. Man United are relatively safe in third but have a tough match against a revived Everton side. Man City hold the last CL spot with a 7 point spread over Liverpool; they face Aston Villa, a side that needs a few more points to secure a spot in next year's EPL.
The Europa League sides are Liverpool, Tottenham and Southampton. If Arsenal win the FA Cup, these three will likely get the berths, barring collapse by anybody above them. If Aston Villa win, only two will play in Europa next year. Tottenham travel to the coast to face Southampton on Saturday while Liverpool heads to Birmingham to face West Brom.
And the relegation battle is revving up. Just three points separate 16th through 20th. And NBCSN knows that the threat of relegation can make for exciting football, putting the Burnley-Leicester match as the 10 am Saturday match. Leicester are in great form and have been playing exciting football even when they were losing. Burnley have not been a pushover for anybody. This could be some good stuff. Dennis (and now I) will be hoping that Crystal Palace takes care of Hull, Stoke handle Sunderland and the London derby between QPR and West Ham goes to the Hammers.
The Union travel to Columbus to face the Crew on Saturday night. Haven't said anything about the Red Bulls so far and Chris K hasn't gloated in the comment section but they are undefeated and atop the Eastern Conference. Sigh, it must be fun to watch your team do well.
And this commercial message from La Liga ... Sevilla is once again carrying the banner of Spain into the Final Quattro of Europa Cup - along with Fiorentina, Napoli, and Dnipro (a Ukrainian side who may end up playing their home matches in Kansas City or Buenos Aires or somewhere that Russian separatists can't find them).
ReplyDeleteI started rooting for Sevilla in 2007, when my daughter was there for a semester abroad. Starting that year, they've won 3 Europa (or UEFA) Cups. Not a bad track record. Viva Sevilla!
Happy with the CL matchups, unfortunately with the time difference being even worse, it's nearly impossible for me to watch them here.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely shocked by the success of RB...big game vs LA this weekend.
Did you see the suspension MLS gave NYCFC keeper Josh Saunders?? Wasn't even called a foul during the game and they gave him a suspension for his straight-on slide tackle in which he got ball. I think it was a terrible decision by the "disciplinary committee" aka Disco. There's a clip somewhere on the MLS site you can find if you feel so compelled.