There Are No Off Weeks

So the 2015-16 EPL season has been over for almost two weeks yet there is no break to the action in sight.  FA Cup and Union matches in the rearview mirror, Champions League, Championship Playoff, European Championships, Copa America Centenario ahead.  Not to mention all the off-season EPL news.  Man, the sport is non-stop.


In Rafa We Trust

 For me the biggest news was Rafael Benitez agreeing to stay with Newcastle even as they descend to the Championship Division.  This opens up the possibility that many players who otherwise might have bolted will stay.  More importantly, maybe some of these players might actually get better under Rafa's tutelage.  And most importantly, it means Charnley and Carr won't be making important decisions.  This is the most optimistic I've been about the club, ever.

There are the wet blankets out there, epitomized by this article here.  Essentially, the author makes two arguments.  First, Benitez hasn't managed in 2nd division English football so he won't know the competition - clubs or players.  Second, he is managing a group of recidivist underachievers, players who arguably didn't step up when it mattered this past year.  Maybe.  But he was clearly making progress at the end of the season as Newcastle were undefeated in their final six matches.  As for the competition, I'd say Newcastle's toughest competition is themselves; if Rafa gets their heads on straight, I'm not sure it will matter how much he knows about the other Championship sides.  Sure it's not guaranteed but I'm all in here.  I hope I'll be able to watch at least some of the games.


Chester-on-Delaware

The Union continue to do well, even with less than their best performances.  Friday's 1-0 win over DC United was a snoozefest, the soccer equivalent of endless three and outs.  They looked like the Union of old with no mid-field play, dumping long balls into the corner.  Fortunately, in a singular moment of quality, LeToux put a cross to about four yards out from the far post which Richie Marquez nudged into the net for a game winner in stoppage time.  Three points despite playing like crap - sweet.

Mackenzie:  [some comment about the last play]
Eastern European sitting next to her:  Wow, you really know the game!
Mackenzie: Well, I played.
Steve: Internationally, in France!
Eastern European: [Impressive nod of the head]

Move ahead to Wednesday night, with Jeff H hosting a viewing of the away match at Orlando.  First half, not really that much better than Friday.  Only moment of consequence is Blake's stop of Kaka's PK, which was not well taken (you might say his kick was kaka).

Second half is a roller coaster.  Union go up on a cross from Tribbett that Pontius heads to Barnetta wide open at the far post.  I say "too easy."  Camera zooms in on the Orlando keeper who mouths the words "too easy."  Then two goals in quick succession by Orlando, both with some controversy.  Was Blake fouled on the first?  Looked like a collision without a foul to me.  On the second goal, was the ball all the way across the line?  Hell if I know and so far I haven't seen any replay that would provide a better view than the AR had so I'm going to go with his decision at this point.  Of course, goal line technology would remove this as an issue.  I do think Kaka fouled Fabinho (or Tribbett) before making the cross but whatever.  Then Tribbett later put a rebound past Bendik to level things at 2-2.  Not a bad result on the road in a less than friendly place.  Damn I do not like that artificial turf.  Guess they can't grow real grass in Florida.

As a bonus, we switched to the US-Ecuador friendly for the last 20 minutes, in time to see Nagbe's nice settle and volley for the game winner.

This week's U-12 moment is the NYCFC-Red Bulls "derby."  Derby is in quotes because it was 0-3 Red Bulls at halftime and the final was 0-7.  Isn't the coach supposed to say you can only score on a header when the lead gets too large?  The Red Bulls continue to march up the table and have largely solved their poor goal differential.  


FA Cup Not Enough To Save van Gone Gaal

After a tepid first half, Crystal Palace and Manchester United got down to business.  But goals were hard to find.  At last, Jason Puncheon, on as a substitute, put Crystal Palace up 1-0 in the 78th minute and gave Alan Pardew a chance to show off his moves.

Unfortunately for him, his joy lasted barely longer than his dance, as Mata leveled things at 81 minutes.  With no more scoring in regulation, we headed to added extra time.  Smalling's send off for a second yellow might have given Crystal Palace an opening to snatch the cup but Jesse Lingard's laser in the 110th minute meant Manchester United were champions again; Lingard's instinctive volley is this week's YouTubeableMoment.

Dennis: Check out Pardew's boutineer
Steve: Boutineer?  It looks like the whole garden

Even with the win, Louie van Gaal was relieved of duties on Monday and as I write, news comes across that Jose Mourinho has been hired to take his place.   As Carlo Ancelotti put it:

 United might start "selling tickets" for news conferences as a result of the arrival of Mourinho.

This could be fun.

Copa America Dinero Centenario

Forgive my cynicism.  This is likely a great tournament but given that it's the brainchild of soccer executives and promoters - two of the more corrupt segments of the population - my first instinct is to make sure I still have my wallet.  The cheapest seats for US-Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field I found were $60.  Looks like you can still get Haiti-Peru ducats for a mere $50 in Seattle.

On paper the whole thing looks really cool.  Ten teams from South America (including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile), six from Concacaf (including US, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama).  Divide them up into four groups of four, two from each group advance to the knockout stages.  Matched with Colombia, Costa Rica, and Paraguay, my first thought was that the US chances of advancing to the knockout stage are on the low side.  Except both Colombia and especially Costa Rica fell off dramatically in 2015.  Of course so did the US so it's hard to say what happens in this group.

Matches start June 3rd and the final is in East Rutherford (which is in NJ despite the NY moniker of teams that play there).  We'll be looking in on the matches but with ticket dollars earmarked for the Union and the US Track and Field Olympic Trials, probably won't be seeing anything live.


Saturday's Triple Header

Start with the Championship Playoff at noon (BeIN Sports) between Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday.  This is the match to determine the third team, along with Middlesborough and Burnley, that will be promoted to the EPL.  With new TV money, promotion is worth over $200 million.  Uh, no pressure there.

Moving on through the day, we then have the Champions League Final at 2:45 (Fox) between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.  Our rooting interest here, and we have the scarf to prove it, is the Mattressmakers; besides, everybody knows Real Madrid was Franco's team (hat tip Philip S).

Later in the evening (9 pm) we have the Union (first place in the Eastern Conference) taking on Colorado (first place in the West).  A result here would be good but not expected.

Watching soccer on a holiday weekend.  A great American tradition.

There's Always the Year After Next

An otherwise enthralling EPL season ended with a whimper, not a bang, unless you count the goings on at Old Trafford, where authorities had to explode a suspicious looking device.  (More on that story here; best part - it was a dummy bomb left by a private firm after a security training exercise - it's so hard to get good help these days).  By the time Sunday rolled around, pretty much all that was left to do was point fingers, fire managers and talk about next year.  Not completely true as some European spots were sewn up but you get the picture.


Meaningless Win

Never has a 5-1 score been so meaningless and possibly misleading but that was Newcastle's margin over Tottenham in what will be the last EPL match at St. James' Park until at least August 2017. The Magpies took a totally deserved 2-0 lead into the break, playing like a team for which relegation should never have been an issue.  Spurs returned to the pitch with some fire in their bellies, likely understanding that Arsenal's first half goal would be more than enough for the win against Aston Villa and they would need at least a draw to maintain second place.  Lamela got one back at 60 minutes and in the 66th minute Mitrovic got a straight red for a thuggish challenge.  With Tottenham already on the front foot, you knew where this was going.  Except the next key moment was a phantom PK call against Tottenham; I didn't see any contact on Sissoko, did you?  Didn't think so.  Anywho, the PK is good, and momentum swings again and Newcastle add two more.  Before you feel too badly for Tottenham, ask yourself this question.  At the start of the year, would a Spurs fan gladly have accepted your offer of a third place finish with the proviso that Arsenal would finish ahead of them?  In a heartbeat.  As for Newcastle, the plane circling St. James' Park said it all.

Sunderland fans paid for a plane to fly over St James' Park during the match

I hate to be so black-and-white, but I really think Newcastle's long-term fate will be determined by whether or not Benitez stays.  As of Thursday, there is a verbal agreement that he will stay; my lawyer friends tell me oral agreements aren't worth the paper they're printed on.  But the signs are good.  In some ways it's not so much Benitez but the fact that if he stays, it will only be because Ashley, Charnley and Carr will have essentially ceded control to Rafa.  If he doesn't stay, those clowns will remain in power and the possibility for change goes down the tubes.  Full credit to Benitez if he doesn't bolt.  I'm with Ray Hudson on this one - want to prove you're a genius, take a sucky club and make it good.


Meaningless Loss

I kind of gave away the Aston Villa result above by revealing that Arsenal scored a goal.  The final ended up 4-0.  Every other EPL side doubled the number of Aston Villa's points.  Nuff said.  Unless Dennis wants to add anything.

You already pointed out the key fact - every team doubled up on Villa.  Honestly, I was hoping Norwich would earn a point against Everton so that every team more than doubled up, but alas, I guess there is a bottom to our wretchedness.  I honestly have no idea what my future with this team is.  I can't say I've really enjoyed watching them (for all 3 seasons), they don't appear to be one of those teams that bounce back to the top tier after just one season, and I can't even watch their lower league games.  I think all I can do is wait and see what happens over the summer (prediction: somewhere between nothing and re-acquire Tom Cleverley) and then see how I feel in August.  Whatever the case, it is clear they never really acquired my fanhood if I am so quick to consider jumping ship after a relegation and I'm not sure they will get another chance at it. 


Champions and Europa League Qualification

Leicester, Arsenal and Tottenham were already qualified for Champions League Group stage.  Man City's draw with Swansea (really?) meant that when Man United finally got around to playing Bournemouth at a secure Old Trafford, the Red Devils had to beat the Cherries 18-0 to take away the last CL spot.  Didn't happen, though Man United's 3-1 win did guarantee them a Europa League spot.  Southampton's incredible run in (five wins and draw) took them to sixth and a spot in Europa League.

That leaves one Europa slot open.  That spot goes to the winner of the FA Cup Final, which will be held this Saturday between Crystal Palace and Man United.  If Crystal Palace win, the spot is theirs.  Since Man United already have a spot, if they should win, the final spot will go to 7th place West Ham; the Hammers were looking like an automatic but lost two of their last three and saw Southampton race past them.


Sevilla Europa League Winner

Speaking of Europa League, how 'bout that Sevilla squad?  Third straight Europa League title with a 3-1 win over Liverpool.  Doesn't that mean they retire the cup or something like that?  This was a pretty high stakes match because both sides needed to win to qualify for European action next year.  The opening pace sure showed it.  Liverpool took a 1-0 lead in the first half but Sevilla needed about 14 seconds in the second half to level the match.  From there it seemed all Sevilla to me.  Bob K was not seen running naked down Gorgas in celebration, which most would agree is a good thing.


Good Draw

The Union were not at their best up in Montreal but still came away with 1-1 draw.  Given they were on the road with short recovery, I have it down as a good draw.  Especially after they went down 0-1 in less than five minutes.  C.J. Sapong demonstrated why he is a striker not defender as his attempted clearance went right to the feet of Didier Drogba, who had no trouble blasting it past Blake.  The next 15-20 minutes weren't so good either, as it looked like the Impact wanted to put it away early.  But the Union held firm and then got their equalizer off a nice combination pass from Barnetta to Pontius to LeToux to Sapong for an incredibly easy looking goal. A bit of a slow week so we'll make it this week's YouTubeableMoment.  Honestly don't remember much after that except the feeling that the Union were playing well enough.  Good enough anyway that Dennis says he'll be watching more frequently. 

The Red Bulls lost 0-2 to DC United (ouch) but beat Chicago in a mid-week match.  They have been decent at home but wretched on the road (five losses and a draw).  We're only a third of the way through but a Supporters Shield repeat isn't looking likely right now.


Light Weekend

I'll be seeing live soccer on Friday night as the Union take on D.C. United; former French star Mackenzie W will be joining me.  Saturday at 12:30 on Fox 1 sees the FA Cup Final with Crystal Palace taking on Manchester United.  Pundits seem to favor MUN but also suggest that a win will not be enough to save Louis van Gaal's job.  Actually, the latest rumor has van Gaal getting kicked "upstairs" with The Special One taking the on field reins.  Mourinho back in the EPL might be good for the blog.

An Unqualified Disaster

That was Dennis's assessment of recent events before Wednesday's action.  As we shall see, it got worse, much worse, from there.  The weekend featured a string of curious results.  Tuesday saw the final match at Upton Park. The Union were in action against the Aging European All Stars the LA Galaxy.  And right now Chester are on cyber vacation so there was no consolation to be had from Football Manager.


An Odious Night for the Magpies

Things started well enough.  Manchester United vanquished (barely) Norwich in the early Saturday game.  At half time in the 10 am matches things were not a total loss.  Newcastle had reverted to their harmlessly competent routine (where's the passion boys?) and were 0-0 with Aston Villa but the Magpies recent second half form gave us hope and Chelsea had scored a sloppy stoppage time goal to go back up on Sunderland.  That was the high point of the day.  Newcastle continued punchless play in the second half and failed to do what Aston Villa's previous 11 opponents had done, specifically 1) score at least one goal and 2) win.  By itself, the 0-0 draw was not the killer.  No, the news from Sunderland was the problem.  A 2-1 Chelsea lead first became a 2-2 draw, then a 2-3 deficit.  Now Sunderland needed only one point from their next two matches while Newcastle would have to beat Tottenham on Sunday.  In other words, Newcastle were hanging by a thread.

Which was properly and quickly severed on Wednesday night when Sunderland took apart a sagging Everton side 3-0.  Sunday's matches no longer matter.  Sunderland are safe while Newcastle and Norwich are joining Aston Villa in relegation.  Secretly I had harbored some fantasies that this fate could still be avoided but I sat on the couch pretty much stone-faced as the results became clear.  Commentator Peter Drury captured the spirit  - an odious night for the Magpies.

I have no idea what it's like to follow a Championship side while living outside of the country.  BeIN Sports carries some of the matches; maybe some are available via live streaming.  Any number of websites offer excellent coverage of the results so I'll be able to track Newcastle's results but clearly this will not be the same.  I'm not going to adopt another EPL side.  I'll be like Will Rogers who said "I belong to no organized political party, I'm a Democrat."  Or in my case, I'm not a fan of an EPL team, I'm a Newcastle supporter.

Also, not planning to take apart the decline.  The obituary will simply say died after a long illness.


Advantage Not Taken

Tottenham had a chance to seal up second place, ahead of Arsenal for the first time since 1995, but couldn't hold a lead at home to Southampton.  Spurs looked like they were missing the suspended Alli and Dembele in the 1-2 loss.  Since Arsenal play Aston Villa, Tottenham will need to beat Newcastle to seal the deal. West Ham had a chance to make a run at Champions League but came up spectacularly short in a 1-4 loss at home to Swansea City.  And, though I'm not saying it was an easy task, Man City had a chance to grab third place with a home match against Arsenal but could only manage a 2-2 draw; for the Gunners it did leave them a shot at second.  Cruelly, Danny Welback reinjured his knee and is out again for six to nine months.  Not good news for Arsenal or England.


I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

WHU fans give new meaning the phrase "parking the bus"

Just not at Upton Park anymore.  After 112 years and something close to 3,000 matches, Tuesday saw the final game at this ancient ground before West Ham move to Olympic Stadium.  And what an eventful day it was.  The match was delayed 45 minutes because West Ham fans attacked the Man United coach.  Wait, they went after Louis Van Gaal?   Oh, you mean the bus.  When the match finally started, it was a cracker.  Hammers up 1-0, then down 1-2, then two unanswered goals to take away a 3-2 win to move into sixth and possible shot at next year's Europa Cup.  And if they hadn't blown it against Swansea on Saturday, they could have been looking at Champions League qualification.


Whither Leicester

Two interesting facts have emerged about Leicester's season.  First, they had only 27 line up changes throughout the season.  As you can see from this article, that's the second lowest number ever for any EPL winner, with only 1992/1993 Manchester United at 26 being lower.  Typically, the number is between 80 and 120 (hat to Bob K for putting me onto this story).  Second is Leicester's 14-2 record in games decided by one goal.  Man United were 12-7 and West Brom were 10-9.  No other side had more than 10 wins by one goal.

On the first point - few lineup changes - we can ask whether they were lucky to have so few injuries or do they have a better fitness regimen?  Hell if I know but it sounds kind of lucky.  And short on depth.  On the one goal wins, Bill James has shown that winning close games has less to do with inherent clutchness or brilliant managerial skills and more to do with random luck, which luck he also showed to be fleeting as teams with good records in close games one year don't fare so well the next.  This is something I think I can study as the folks at soccerstats.com have a nice historical data base.

I don't mean to take anything away from Leicester's achievement.  It was earned on the pitch.  I am worried about next year as they will have a target on their back and a much more crowded schedule including trips to the continent.  On the other hand, they will have sack full of money to add personnel.  Hope they spend it wisely, unlike a certain side I know that rhymes with bluecastle.


U Got It

Guess I wasn't paying attention; I didn't realize the LA Galaxy had become a kind of seniors tour for EPL and other international players.  Keane, Gerard, Cole, dos Santos.  Whatever.  The Union laid some attractive football on them Wednesday night and came away with a well-deserved 2-2 draw.  Earnie Stewart said he wanted more possession and better midfield play and he got them; boy is it fun to watch.  Got nervous after we let a 1-0 lead become a 1-2 deficit early in the second half, fearing the Union would collapse against the veteran squad.   Didn't happen, probably because we have our own veterans like Barnetta, Carroll (had an excellent match IMHO), Ilsinho, Noguiera, etc .  Our side ramped up the intensity and got the equalizer from early rookie of the year candidate Keegan Rosenberry.  Their response was excellent, unlike a certain side I know that rhymes with ruecastle.  Yeah, I know it's still only a quarter of the way in but there is so much to like about this team.

Red Bulls got a draw with Orlando and are creeping up in the table.


Schedule

I'm not bitter or anything but it's hard to get excited about the final weekend of the EPL with basically a few scraps to fight over.  Yes, Arsenal and Tottenham are fierce rivals but 1) you're both going to finish in the top three 2) you both get automatic Champions League berths, and 3) YOU'LL BE PLAYING IN THE EPL NEXT YEAR REGARDLESS (unlike a certain side I know that rhymes with truehassle).  Okay, that did sound bitter.

Anyway, all the games are Sunday at 10 so check your local listings this handy guide for which NBC affiliate is carrying the game(s) you care about.

Of more interest is the Union traveling to Montreal for a match up between first and second in the Eastern Conference.

And I anxiously await word from the Chester board as to what my transfer budget is going to be this year.  I'm hoping it's over $50m but we'll see.

Euro Champs start 6/10.


Housekeeping

Don't know if it's just coincidence but the number of hits in the weeks I don't send an email is about 25% of the volume in weeks when I send a separate notice.  I have no idea if the automatic notice is the reason but we'll take a closer look.

Shattering the Glass Ceiling

We have written before about how the top four places of the EPL are almost exclusively the domain of the Axis of Evil clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Man United.  Last year was no exception with all four places going to those teams.  But this year things are different.  You've probably already heard about Leicester defying the 5000 to 1 odds and clinching the EPL title last week.  Then there's Tottenham, which despite being locked out of the title, is guaranteed no worse than a third place finish.  And West Ham is mathematically not out of the chase for a Champions League spot, though they face long odds.  So at least two non-Axis faces in the top four and maybe a third.  If I read my own spreadsheet correctly, the last time there was more than one outsider in the top four was 1996.

Wait, wrong Captain Morgan

The real Captain Morgan

As predicted by the BFS model, the Man United-Leicester and Chelsea-Tottenham matches both ended in draws.  Man United struck early but Captain Rex (uh that's Wes) Morgan (above) leveled things at 17 minutes.  Frankly I don't remember anything much from there.  Leicester could have clinched things but with the draw had to wait for the outcome of Monday's match between Chelsea and Tottenham.  That contest was slightly more memorable, though not for entirely the right reasons.  With goals at 35 and 44 minutes, Spurs were pretty much in control of the contest, if not their tempers.  Not that Chelsea were being choir boys.  Then, pretty much against the run of play, Gary Cahill gave the Blues some hope with a close range goal at 58 minutes.  Eden Hazard, who all of a sudden looks interested in playing again, deflated Tottenham's hopes with a stunner at 83 minutes. Hazard's incredible bending strike, the one which sealed the title for Leicester, is this week's YouTubeableMoment. The match included more unsavory moments late. Alderweireld was the only Spurs field player not to get cautioned and there was some tussling in the tunnel.

I’ll be honest, I was sitting on the floor when Hazard scored the equalizer and couldn’t restrain myself from jumping up and celebrating.  At halftime, I was definitely getting a little nervous about Leicester’s chances – for both this match and the title - as this felt like a situation where the longer they dragged it out the harder it would be to finish.  But the announcers insisted on reminding us that Spurs had not won at Stamford Bridge for 26 years, and I guess this was just another example of why those historic trends might actually have some meaning.  In any event, Leicester managed to outfox [I see what you did there] everyone, finally bringing my season long dichotomy of cheering for the first and last place teams to the proper end.  No one can say that this title was undeserved and it will be fascinating to watch the off-season transactions, or hopefully lack thereof, and their approach to next season.  Seeing as I have only been a fan for roughly 1.75 seasons, this isn't exactly the most satisfying championship, but you better believe I was standing and holding my scarf high as the final seconds ticked away.      

We're Not Dead Yet

Heck, we're not even in the relegation zone right now.  Newcastle played just well enough to take a 1-0 victory from Crystal Palace, "spoiling" Alan Pardew's homecoming.  I use quotes because in the days before the match, the former Magpie manager had been quoted as saying he was "desperate" that his former club stay in the Premier League; so how broken up could he be that the three points lifted Newcastle clear of the bottom three?

The match resolved itself around two key events - Andros Townsend's nicely curled free kick from about 25 yards out and Karl Darlow's save of Cabaye's penalty kick.  The PK call had a U-11 feel to it, as Sissoko jumped and raised both hands in the air - what was he thinking?  Cabaye's attempt was not great - it needed to be more towards the post - but Darlow guessed right and might have saved even a better kick.  So we sweated out the last 25 or so minutes but Newcastle held on for the W.

The three points were so big that even bad news from Stoke, where Sunderland had snatched a draw on the strength of a stoppage time PK, wasn't all that disconcerting.  And, we'll thank Arsenal for their 1-0 defeat over Norwich.  The counter to the good news is that both Sunderland and Norwich have a game in hand over Newcastle.  And they both play Watford.  Have I ever mentioned what big Watford fans we are - Elton John's team and all that...


Snatching Defeat from the Draws of Victory

Does this say Aston Villa or what?  They go up a goal on Watford (one of our favorites) only to give it back in first half stoppage time.  They take the lead in the second half only to have Cissoko sent off (looks like straight red) in the 73rd minute.  The victory is gone with an equalizing goal by Troy Deeney in the 90th minute.  Deeney scores again in stoppage time and the Villans come home with no points for their efforts.

For already being relegated, this was actually a pretty painful loss.  A win here would have salvaged some amount of pride as well as be a huge step forward towards meeting my last goal for them of not being doubled up on points by every other team.  But of course, they couldn’t even let me have that.  Coming on the weekend of Leicester’s title, I guess it was appropriate that Villa would manage another stunning 3-2 defeat, since the last one was a huge factor in setting both the Foxes and Villans on their current trajectories.  Then there was the whole business of Agbonlahor stepping down as captain this week, after being suspended for improper conduct several weeks ago (he was caught partying on the night after the team was relegated, supposedly with laughing gas canisters).  Just another black mark on a hideous season.

Next Time, Let's Decline the Penalty

Things were going pretty well at Talen Energy Stadium.  The Union were up 1-0 (could have/should have been at least 2-0) and they were regularly cutting through San Jose with beautiful combination passing.  Then Godoy got his second yellow and the Union were up a man.  I said to Jeff K, this never works out well for the Union.  Sure enough.  The organized play we'd been seeing all day was gone and none of the substitutions seemed to help.  The inevitable equalizing goal came in the 83rd minute.  Opportunity lost.

Soccer America has cited the Union with two of the best offseason player moves - the trade for Chris Pontius and the Superdraft pick of Keegan Rosenberry (who has played every minute so far).  The Red Bulls put a hurtin' on FC Dallas and have escaped the cellar.


Ich Bin Ein Mattress Maker

Michael B came back from Spain (seen here with daughter Allison at Calderon Stadium) with an Atletico scarf for me so what choice did I have?  So I was rooting for them as they took on Bayern in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.  It wasn't pretty but it was riveting.  The Mattress Makers went in with a 1-0 lead but Bayern levelled things early.  Then there was the save of Muller's PK, which would have put Bayern up.  Then Griezmann got Atletico the crucial away goal.  Lewandowski's header meant the final 15 minutes plus five stoppage time minutes were tense but Atletico held on.  They'll face Real Madrid, a 1-0 aggregate winner over Man City in what was a two-legged snooze fest.  Neither team did anything of much interest and we will be in Atletico's corner for the final.


Chester Win the Double

And the excitement continued on the virtual pitch as Chester ending up taking seven of nine points in their final three matches to win the Premier League by six points over Man City.  We followed that up with a 3-1 win over Bayern (bad week for them) to take the Europa Cup.  Awards are piling up, including Manager of the Year for yours truly.


More Relegation TV

NBC again shows it knows drama when it sees it.  All three relegation relevant matches will be televised starting Saturday at 7:45 am with Norwich-Man United.  The two televised 10 am games are Aston Villa-Newcastle (NBCSN) and Sunderland-Chelsea (USA).

I suppose there's some relevance to the Man City-Arsenal match at 11 on Sunday.  That was tongue-in-cheek because the third automatic Champions League berth is still up for grabs.  An Arsenal win would seal it for them; Man City is probably out even if they get a draw.  Europa Cup spots are still up for grabs so the West Ham-Swansea, Tottenham-Southampton and Liverpool-Watford (have I mentioned we're big fans?) contests all have meaning too.

The mid-week clashes are incredibly crucial.  On Tuesday West Ham hosts Man United; a win for one or the other is critical to have any hope at a top four finish, a draw probably sinks both.  Wednesday is big in the relegation battle.  Norwich hosts Watford and Sunderland takes on Everton at the Stadium of Clinging Onto Premier League Status for Dear Life.  Combined with this weekend's results, we could have anything from the relegation battle being wrapped up to a set up for a wild final Sunday.

I hear that the Spanish La Liga title is up for grabs between Barcelona, Atletico and Real Madrid.

European Championships start June 10.  Oh baby!