Drama - For 45 Minutes
Man City scored early and often against Watford so their situation was never in doubt. But Arsenal scored quickly against Everton (who have been playing in flip-flops for weeks now) while Liverpool were struggling to get on the board against Middlesbrough. So, approaching halftime, Arsenal were in and Liverpool out in the Champions League race. But a stoppage time goal from Wijnaldum essentially ended the drama as I had as much chance of scoring as Middlesbrough did. It was a sweet tally so we'll make it this week's YouTubeableMoment. Thus we end with Chelsea, Tottenham, Man City and Liverpool as the top four.
With Arsenal 1) not in the top four and 2) finishing behind Tottenham I am now of the view that an FA Cup win over Chelsea will not be enough to save Wenger.
Back Door to the Champions League?
Manchester United will be playing Champions League football again thanks to their 2-0 Europa Cup win over Ajax (all together class, say I-yacks). Certainly winning this competition is no small feat so the headline is probably a bit harsh. Offering a CL spot to the Europa Cup winner was a good way to put some luster into that competition. Can't say the match was enthralling and this is a criticism you always hear about Mourinho - that his teams don't play attractive football. I'm happy to get on the Special One's case for other things but not on this point. His job is to win. He has salvaged something from an otherwise unremarkable season.
So how come he won't be under the same pressure as Wenger? If Arsenal win the FA Cup you could argue their seasons are remarkably similar - disappointing/underachieving EPL campaigns but some silverware from other competitions. Expectations (lower for Man United)? Trends (decline for Arsenal)? Tenure (Mourinho just getting started at Manchester)? All of the above?
It's Still Worth Three Points
The Union came out flat against a weak Colorado side and found themselves down 0-1. As Ze Roberto points out, that was a U12 goal. Onyewu kept ceding ground to Calvert even as he got near the 18 while Blake, for his part, was standing rather indifferently at the 6 like there wasn't going to be a shot on goal. Frankly, they didn't improve all that much as the match went on. A lot of toothless possession.
Then there's a penalty and Sapong buries the PK. A few minutes later Calvert gets two yellows essentially for the same incident. First, he goes down injured by the goal line but won't get off the field. I thought he got a yellow for delay but it was for dissent. Then he comes back on the field without the referee's permission. That's a second yellow and he's gone. More on this in a minute. A little while later, Medunjanin buries a free kick (video here) and the Union have a 2-1 comeback win. Note to Jeff H - I might be ready to say that Medunjanin is an acceptable replacement for Barnetta.
Ze Roberto asked if the yellow for entering the field without permission was harsh. It is very clearly spelled out in the laws of the game - it's got its own section. The referee had certainly had enough of Colorado's time wasting tactics, going back to his warning of Howard in the 32nd minute. And if it's a cardable offense, it's not supposed to matter that you already have one. For me, I thought it was harsh. In my infinite wisdom as a Grade 8 referee, I would have waved him back off the field and to make my point, might not have waved him back on right away.
Yet for all the poor play and lucky breaks, I see in the paper that the win still counted for three points.
Good Weekend for the Wijnaldums (Wijnalda?)
On Saturday, Giliano made a very creditable debut for the Union at left back. I don't recall any major faux pas and he handled the ball well. This would be a big boost if he can spell Fabinho on occasion (and Fabinho is hard to spell).
On Sunday, brother Georghinio's goal in first half stoppage time basically sent Liverpool into the Champions League. Anfield had been a nervous place through the first half with Arsenal up and Liverpool unable to break through against Middlesbrough. With the goal, things settled down and Liverpool pretty much cruised from there.
Best Use of the Term Own Goal in an Blog Post (warning: left leaning political views presented)
My man Charles Pierce has a fun post about Trey Gowdy thinking he's got John Brennan all teed up for a gotcha moment in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee (we'll save debate as to whether that's an oxymoron for another day). But what's this, the attempt backfires and Pierce credits Gowdy with an own goal. Details in this post, which includes an embedded video of the great Andres Cantor's signature GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!
Transfer Targets Galore
Easily my favorite time in Football Manager is the July transfer window. How big a budget will the board give me? How do I prioritize the team's needs? How do I maximize value for the dollars spent? Will this star player actually be interested in coming to Chester?
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| Batshuayi would look great in Newcastle kit |
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| So would Iheanacho |
In Newcastle, the process has begun and it's difficult to keep up on all the possibilities. We hear that Benitez might get 70 to 100 million to spend (believe it when I see it given tightwad owner Mike Ashley's previous history). Strikers like Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi and Man City's Kelechi Iheanacho are named as possible targets (either would be great but Batshuayi price tag has got to be 35m or more). Midfielder James McCarthy and winger Andros Townsend still get mentioned frequently. Very much looking forward to seeing what Rafa does to set this team up to compete in the EPL.
Lighter Schedule
Fortunately the Union got their act together as the European schedule winds down. Still some clean up items though. FA Cup Final featuring Chelsea and Arsenal is 12:30 Saturday on Fox. Is this Wenger's last appearance? No favorite for me there so just looking for an interesting match.
You can start your Memorial Day sports viewing with the most lucrative playoff competition in professional sports - the Championship Division match for the last promotion spot into the EPL. Huddersfield Town will take on Reading at 10 am on beIN SPORTS. Wouldn't mind seeing either team get promoted so again, just looking for a good match.
And the Union will play Saturday night in Salt Lake City at 8 pm. Real Salt Lake are 10th in the West so I'd like to think the surging Union have decent chance to come away with something.
What will you do with all this free time?
What will you do with all this free time?
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