Speaking of second division, Newcastle continued to impress this season as they lost to Championship side Nottingham Forest in the League Cup on Wednesday. The score this time was 2-3 in added extra time. Alarm bells should be going off everywhere but we'll see if Rafa can pry any money out of Ashley to make changes. I get that you shouldn't pay $25 million for a midfielder worth half that but Newcastle are getting hung up on much smaller amounts.
One Point From Two Road Matches
Things were not much better this side of the pond. Yeah, a point at San Jose was unexpected but when you enter the last minute of stoppage up 2-1 you start thinking about the three points. Yaro's penalty negated what would have gone down as a tremendous road win, especially after falling behind. More kudos to defender Jack Elliott for another great effort on the back line. Wednesday's match against MLS juggernaut Toronto went as expected. Check out this free kick from Giovinco, this week's YouTubeAble Moment. The 3-0 finally was fully justified.
On paper, the standings say the Union are still six points out of the playoffs but most of the teams in front of them have one, two or three games in hand. We're far enough back that Soccer America Daily didn't even bother to include the Union on the list of critical losses on Wednesday night.
Get A Real Home
BFS notes NYCFC will be bumped from Yankee Stadium for a game in September. They'll play in East Hartford CT at a stadium frequently used for US international matches. In other words, a decent soccer venue. With both teams looking at post season berths, scheduling conflicts during the playoffs is a remote possibility. The picture at left reveals another reason - besides having the width of a U12 pitch - that soccer in Yankee Stadium is a dumb idea. Check out how far away from the action most of the seating is. Places Where the Sun Is Shining
Given the current fortunes of Newcastle and the Union, we must look elsewhere for happy scenes for BFS regulars. Oops, not at Wembley - Tottenham's home away from home - where Spurs went down 1-2 to Chelsea. Seemed like decent energy in the stadium for the home side and Spurs looked to have the run of play; indeed fivethirtyeight.com metrics suggest that Spurs might have earned a win and certainly a draw. Down 0-1, an 82nd minute own goal seemed to have rescued a point for Spurs. Minutes later though, Marcus Alonso slipped a shot past Lloris that stood as the game winner. We got Michael B down off the ledge by Tuesday.
Moving on, Arsenal probably...oh never mind, they lost 0-1 at Stoke despite clearly dominating. Next. Well Jeff H has to be happy, as Man United completes a second consecutive 4-0 thrashing, this time at Swansea. On one hand, you might say the score flatters United, since the score at 80 minutes was just 1-0. But the three goals in the final 10 minutes truly reflect the total Red Devils dominance of the match. Jeff K is probably okay with Everton's away draw with Man City. A strange match that one. Wayne Rooney gave the Toffees a lead at 35 minutes and when Kyle Walker was sent off at 44 minutes for a second yellow, their prospects were looking good. Except Man City dominated the second half. Sterling scored in the 82nd minute and the Citizens were pressing for a game winner. Schneiderlin got sent off in the 88th minute with his second yellow and the last minutes were a real scramble for Everton. They were lucky to come home with the draw.
Didn't see it (haven't plunked down my $50 for NBCSN Gold subscription yet) but Southampton-West Ham might have been the most exciting viewing. Down a man and two goals, Chicharito rallied the Hammers with two tallies of his own. Only a PK in stoppage by Charlie Austin rescued the win for the Saints.
Virtual Sunshine
One place the sun is shining is Chester, even if it's only on the computer. The Blues opened up at the Stadium of Light, thumping Sunderland 5-2, with both goals allowed after the result was a foregone conclusion. We turned around quickly for a Tuesday match against Chelsea that on paper looked much more difficult. Except we were up 3-0 by half and were never pressed in the 4-0 win. Um, this was with our #1 striker out with an injury. Off season transfers to bolster the front line seemed to be paying off.
The Calendar
With trepidation, we look at the weekend's fixtures. Newcastle's home match with West Ham, for unknown reasons, was moved from NBCSN Gold to NBCSN at 10 am Saturday. Clearly based on these clubs histories, not current performance. Frankly, I'd be happy with a draw here.
I'm drawn to Sunday's 11 am match on NBCSN between Liverpool and Arsenal. Both sides have looked very tense in their matches so far so this could be a taut affair. Come to think of it, this might not be the place to go if you're looking for goals. Maybe Man United-Leicester at 12:30 Saturday on NBC would be a better choice for that. The Foxes will have their hands full. Probably will check out Chelsea-Everton Sunday morning at 8:30 (NBCSN) as well. Rounding out the TV games is the Saturday morning opener, Bournemouth hosting Man City at 7:30 (NBCSN).
Spurs fans will need NBCSN Gold to see their match against Burnley, Sunday at 11. A good opportunity for a bounce back win to squash any of this Wembley jinx talk. Bob K, working on his second week as a Huddersfield supporter, will also need Gold to catch his beloved Terriers against Southampton on Saturday.
The Union face what could be their last chance to get a playoff drive going when they host Atlanta at Talen Energy Stadium Saturday night. We hear about how the Union are good at home but we are confusing "better" with "good." Just checked the table and only Orlando and DC United have fewer points per home game than the Union. Regardless, Atlanta is one of the clubs ahead of them in the table and the Union can't miss any more opportunities to gain ground.
Big match for the USMNT coming soon.
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