Keeping it short...
So after 120 or so international matches in about 6 days, we're back to league play.
You Can Only Beat Who You Play...
Sure it was St. Vincent and Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago but the USMNT took care of business in both matches. Christian Pulisic and Sacha Kljestan had a fine time setting up or scoring goals. So the team is onto the final phase of World Cup qualifying - The Hex. Six teams - US, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trindidad & Tobago, Honduras and Panama - will play each other home and away between November and October. The top three advance directly to the WC Final in Russia. The fourth place side will face a home and away playoff with a team from the Asian Football Confederation.
I don't mean to ignore the qualifying matches in Europe and South America but there were so many of them. I did get to see a few. France could only manage a 0-0 draw away to Belarus. Iceland was lucky to get a 1-1 road draw when a Ukrainian PK hit the post. All of the qualifying processes have a long way to go.
...Unless You Don't
The Union looked ineffective on the road against Chicago. The 0-3 final maybe flatters the Fire a little given that the Union did have decent possession but mostly they laid an egg. Missing Bedoya and Blake (international duty) and Yaro (injury?) clearly hurt. Ilsinho was back but didn't look full recovered.
Bob K: Any reason I should watch the DVR of the match?
Me: Only if you just swallowed poison and need an emetic.
And the news was not good from around the conference. Orlando pummeled Montreal and New England also won. DC United lost and falls into 7th, out of the playoffs.
Derby and Derby
Saturday looks to be a decent lineup. Start with the Manchester derby at 7:30 (NBCSN); at 10 you can choose between Arsenal-Southampton (NBCSN) or Tottenham-Stoke (CNBC). The day wraps up with Liverpool-Leicester at 12:30 on NBCSN.
The important match of the day for me will be Newcastle traveling to Derby at 12:30. No coverage and I'll be out on the pitch reffing so I will only be able to read about it later.
Sunday you can watch Swansea-Chelsea at 10:55 on NBCSN.
Big weekend for MLS. I'll be at Talen Energy to see the Union-Montreal in person. Key match for the U and not an easy one. I think a draw might be an okay result here. Toronto takes on Chicago (I'm okay with Chicago upset here), New England faces NYCFC (c'mon NY), the Red Bulls have DC United (looking for Red Bulls to handle this one), and Orlando plays LA (get your troops in order Mr. Arena).
I feel your pain Miguel, but it's early in La Liga. They will right the ship. Bob K tells me that, in the past, newspapers wouldn't even bother printing the tables until a month or two into the season.
Actually, I would've said it took me a month or two just to get my Spanish vocab working so I could understand what local papers were saying about La Liga. I think it was Mark Wilson who had the precise quote.
ReplyDeleteAs for the U, with limited matches left to play, ya gotta take 3 points at home - esp from a playoff rival. COYU!