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A poor outing from Newcastle but some pretty good viewing otherwise...


Championship Level Finishing

 Tomer Hemed scores the winner past Newcastle’s Robert Elliot.
Photograph: Craig Mercer/CameraSport via Getty Images

And of course the Magpies stumble on the coast, losing 0-1 to Brighton.  And Hove Albion.  Newcastle were not awful and fivethirtyeight metrics suggest this was a very close contest.  This one came down to whose finishing was the least bad, with the only goal a scraggly looking corner that bounced around a few times.  Yes, both teams looked like they are playing in the Premier League with Championship Division quality finishing.  Joselu, Gayle and Perez aren't bad given what we paid, but they are simply not going to convert chances at the same rate as higher priced players. Not a disastrous result and maybe instructive if Ashley et al get that until this problem with finishing is addressed, the relegation threat will remain.


Brighton may be turning into a favorite of Michael B's with their Jewish owner (Tony Bloom) and Israeli striker, Hemed.  But just to clarify Michael, their nickname is the Seagulls, not the Siegels.


Return of Scoring

And not just the "Man" sides.  Saturday started brightly with Spurs 3-2 win over West Ham.  Tottenham built a 3-0 lead with two more from Harry Kane, then had to hang on after Aurier was sent off with a second yellow.  Great stuff for the neutral but probably white knuckle time for Spurs fans.  Even better was Leicester-Liverpool.  Coutinho helped Liverpool to a 2-0 lead, first with an pinpoint cross to set up Salah, then a laser of a free kick.  Either could have been this week's YouTubeableMoment but we'll go with the free kick.  But with Liverpool's defending this was not a safe lead.  First Okazaki got one back in first half stoppage time. After Henderson made it 3-1 Vardy responded immediately to make it 3-2.  Mignolet then fouled Vardy in the box and we were looking at a level match.  Except Vardy did his power shot up the middle and Mignolet stopped it.  So it ended 3-2 for Liverpool but Klopp sure has some work to do.

I flipped back and forth between the Chelsea-Stoke and Man City-Crystal Palace.  The Citizens did look a little lax and then tight through 44 minutes until Sane broke the ice.  Then the rout was on and the final there was 5-0, leaving the Eagles pointless and goalless through six matches with a -16 goal differential.  Chelsea got on Stoke early and that was a 4-0 match that wasn't all that interesting.

Probably better viewing would have been Everton-Bournemouth, where the Toffees were trailing 0-1 through 76 minutes.  This would have been a potentially devastating loss.  But then Oumar "Pain" Niasse rallied Everton with two goals in five minutes for a big comeback win that may quiet things Merseyside for at least a little while.

Arsenal continued to get healthy, albeit on lesser lights, but I'm sure the 2-0 win over West Brom was satisfactory.  Man United kept pace with City (though not on goal differential) with 1-0 win at Southampton.  That match featured Mourinho's 9th sending off, this time for entering the pitch.  Though he denied it, the video was pretty clear; why not just say it was an emotional moment and I lost track of my location instead of denying something so easily proved?  Ah, the Special One.  He didn't get a touch line ban for this transgression.  Huddersfield posted another clean sheet but the 0-0 draw with Burnley may not have been a thriller; the Terriers have ceded just three goals so far this season.


Not Going to Make It

On Saturday, the Union came up with a sterling performance against the Chicago Fire to keep the flickering play-off hopes alive. But an 0-3 road loss to Atlanta on Wednesday put the chances on life support.  In the Chicago match, Chris Pontius ended his season-long scoring drought with a pair of goals and CJ Sapong got his 14th to tie the Union record held by Sebastien LeToux from the team's inaugural season.  The 3-1 final fairly reflects the Union dominance.  I didn't get to see the Atlanta match but Jeff H says we weren't awful; metrics from fivethirtyeight suggest it was a little closer than the score indicates.  So now we're seven behind the Red Bulls with three to play.  Any combination of three points gained by them or dropped by the Union and the deed is done.

Did you notice that in the East, four of six playoff berths are sewn up but in the West, no one has clinched a spot yet?


Schedule

Big home match for Newcastle on Sunday as they take on Liverpool at St. James' Park (11:30 NBCSN).  Not feeling very confident about this one.  In theory, even the Magpies should be able to get a goal or two against this defense.  On the other hand, this will be likely the toughest test for the Newcastle defense since the opener against Spurs.  I'll be on tape delay, leaving for the Union match with Seattle at just around kick-off time helping Mackenzie move into her new apartment.

Saturday's first match looks interesting with Spurs traveling to Huddersfield for a 7:30 match on NBCSN.  As we mentioned earlier, the Terriers have been stingy with the goals but maybe they haven't seen the likes of Harry Kane yet.

Chelsea at Stamford Bridge hosting Man City is the week's top match and gets the 12:30 spot on Saturday, though it's on NBCSN for some reason.  Between them, the two sides have 33 goals and allowed just seven.  Hope it's not a bust.

The continuing car crash that is Crystal Palace's season moves on to Old Trafford.  What a prospect, six straight losses, no goals, and now they get to face Man United at home.  For those who simply can't turn away, that's at 10 am Saturday on NBCSN.  We will note that Admiral Ackbar wasn't totally off-base with his warning to Man City last week as they struggled for almost the entire first half.  Man United would do well to heed his words.  Everton will try to stay on course with a home match against Burnley.  Like Bournemouth, this is a match that the Toffees can't afford to lose.

The Union host Seattle on Sunday but could already be out of the playoffs depending on what the Red Bulls do against Toronto on Saturday. 

Europe Here We Come

If the season were to end today, the EPL representatives for the Champions League would be Manchester City, Manchester United,  Chelsea and Newcastle.  One of these is not like the others.

As Dennis might say to me, easy there Sparky, it's really early.  Indeed, we're only through five matches and the Newcastle schedule has not exactly been rugged.  But with a 2-1 win over Stoke, there the Magpies are, 4th in the table.  Two things about this start.  First, in previous years, Newcastle would have likely been sitting at three to five points instead of nine.  Second, even though it has been a soft schedule, winning these matches was important so there wouldn't be as much pressure when the tougher games come around.

I only got to see highlights but it appears that in comparison to the matches I did see, the Newcastle-Stoke contest might have been the most viewable of any of the weekend's fixtures.  There were some excellent goals and it seems like the match had a good back-and-forth to it.  Ritchie and Lascelles teamed up again for the winner and get a second straight YouTubeableMoment for their effort; it's a short clip but I love the videos from the stands.  Matt Ritchie also had the assist on the Christian Atsu goal; that was his fourth of the year and he's just one behind league leader Henrikh Mkhitaryan (possibly the best player ever with "kh" in both his first and last name).  We are clear-eyed about how far there is to go in the season and frankly still doubt that the squad is strong enough for a mid-table finish.  But damn this has been fun.


Dearth of Goals

Except for squads that begin with "Man," not a whole lot of scoring this weekend.  Three 0-0 draws and three other sides shut out.  If anybody sat through the West Brom-West Ham scoreless match, let me know if that was a bad as it sounds; of course, Bilic will probably take the point on the road.  Crystal Palace continue without a goal this season, becoming the first EPL team to fail to score in their opening five matches; it's actually six in a row if you go back to last season.  Wait, here's the best part; there were three different managers in those six matches - Allardyce, de Boer and Hodgson.

Actually, the Chelsea - Arsenal 0-0 match wasn't awful.  It certainly had the proper snarl for a London derby, concluding with a straight red for David Luiz.  But some goals would have been appreciated.  Same for Spurs - Swansea.  After a decent CL performance at Wembley mid-week, you might have thought Spurs were ready to move past that jinx talk.  But there they were, scoreless against the Swans.  Textbook case of "parking the bus."  Swansea had nine and sometimes 10 in the box.  Tottenham finishing was a little suspect and Harry Kane hit the cross bar.  So Spurs are one of seven teams with identical 2-2-1 records.   Damn, after we had gotten Michael B to close the window, he's back out on the ledge again.

Jurgen, we've identified the cause of your severe TMJ

So Man City cruised 6-0 over Watford, a very disrespectful showing with former Hornets' owner Sir Elton John in attendance.  Man United added three goals from the 83rd minute on to make the 4-0 win over Everton look slightly more one-sided than it was.  Wayne Rooney was enthusiastically received by the Old Trafford crowd.  As we've said it's early but Everton sit in 18th after a massive summer spend; clearly not what they had in mind.  Not a good start Merseyside as Liverpool could manage just a draw at home to Burnley and then fell to Leicester in the League Cup.  This can't be good for Jurgen Klopp's TMJ.  Seriously, is a jaw supposed to move that far side-to-side?

But cheer up, at least you're not Crystal Palace...


Redefining Victory

The scoreboard says the Union got a 0-0 draw with Red Bulls up in Harrison but we know it was a moral victory.  See, the Red Bulls had hoped to rest stars Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips for Wednesday's US Open Cup Final against Sporting KC.  Except as the scoreless match dragged on, Jesse Marsch also knew he needed three points from the match to protect his playoff spot and possibly get away from a road game in the knockout round.  So he was forced to use both in the second half.  Didn't help, mostly because Andre Blake was at his best, making some acrobatic stops and some good decisions about when to come out to play the ball.  Can't think of any Union highlights though - maybe some more key interventions from Jack Elliott.  This was the third straight draw for the Union and they remain 10th and nine points out of the playoffs with five to play.  As the ESPN announcers noted, they're not mathematically out of it but...

Taylor Twellman had two points during the telecast that I agreed with.  First, he suggested the difference between the Union and the teams above them was the quality of our designated players.  This makes sense to me - we've hardly seen Maurice Edu because of injury and Alejandro Bedoya is good but not so much so that he elevates the play of those around him.  That suggests that improvement doesn't require a massive shakeup in personnel as much as a better spend on designated players.  His second point was in response to someone saying the Red Bulls hadn't won any trophies.  He pointed to the Supporters Shield banners hanging at Red Bull Arena and asked don't they count for something.  Exactly. Two times the Red Bulls have had the best regular season record in MLS.  In just about every other country, that is the definition of a championship.

Speaking of the US Open Cup Final, Sporting KC did look to be the better side Wednesday night in their 2-1 victory over the Red Bulls.  A late goal for the NJ side did make the finish more interesting.  Looks like maybe Philly did tire them out.


It's A Trap

Admiral Ackbar has the proper warning for the Magpies as they travel to the coast to take on Brighton.  Yes, the Seagulls are 16th in the table and are coming off consecutive losses (one in EPL and one in the League Cup) to Bournemouth, a squad that hasn't exactly been setting the league on fire.  If Newcastle take this match lightly, they'll end up on the wrong side of the score like they did at Huddersfield.  A draw wouldn't be terrible but would suggest that Newcastle are not the stuff of upper table finishers.  The match is your only Sunday EPL viewing at 11 on NBCSN.

Maybe Man City ought to pay heed to the Admiral as well.  Winless and goalless Crystal Palace come to town and on paper this looks like a car crash waiting to happen.  Man City has scored 16 and allowed just two.  My Football Manager pregame message would definitely be to guard against complacency.  This one is at 10 am Saturday on NBCSN.  The other 10 am match on TV is Stoke hosting Chelsea (CNBC).

The weekend starts off with a match featuring two teams that haven't settled well into their new homes - West Ham hosting Spurs at 7:30 Saturday on NBCSN.  The Hammers are in their second season at Olympic Stadium, a place that just seems too big and spread out for a proper club venue.  Last year West Ham managed to finish 11th but had the 5th worst home record.  At least for Spurs, their discomfort with Wembley as a home field will only last one season.

Saturday's NBC 12:30 match is a quick replay for Leicester and Liverpool.  The Foxes won the league cup match 2-0 midweek but have but four points in league play and have surrendered nine goals.  But so have Liverpool.  Maybe a chance to see some scoring?

Arsenal hosting West Brom on Monday (3 pm NBCSN) closes out the EPL TV week.  Those with the NBC Gold subscription might want to check out Southampton - Man United at 10 am Saturday.  

The Union have two chances to resuscitate their playoff hopes with matches on Saturday (vs Chicago) and Wednesday (vs Atlanta).

Lascelles a Prince in Wales

Dennis once did a pithy movie review - "it was good until it started to suck."  Newcastle's match with Swansea on Sunday was the opposite.  The first 25 minutes offered little to recommend it but from then on it was a match even the neutral could enjoy. End to end action, though with a 1-0 final, there is some question as to the quality of finishing.  Fairly late I had reconciled that even a loss wasn't going to be a disaster because of how well the Magpies had played.

How did Abraham not score from this position?  Click on
the YouTubeableMoment to find out.  CREDIT: PA

And they could have easily lost this one.  Abraham had beaten Elliot but somehow Jamaal Lascelles saved the shot off the line.  Lascelles later scored the game winner with an emphatic header of a Matt Ritchie corner.   Lascelles work at both ends of the pitch gets him a YouTubeableMomentHighlight Reel.  A smart man predicted last year that Lascelles could be a Premier League defender; check out the Yank
at 31 seconds in this video. Jamaal was less than stellar for much of last season but we later learned he was playing with a groin injury from December on.  Rafa must have seen something in the guy to make him captain at age 23.

Speaking of Rafa, he didn't even make the trip to Wales after undergoing surgery to repair a hernia.  Probably got it from the heavy lifting he's done to make something out of this franchise.  Anyway, he still did the team talk and was in constant communication with the coaches on the field.  His replacement - Mikel Antia sure looks like Matt Dillon.

Too Soon?

Yeah it's only September but in two matches you could detect the distinct odor of relegation flop sweat.  Crystal Palace ceded an early goal to Burnley, then spent the rest of the match frantically chasing an equalizer, which was not forthcoming.  Four matches into the season, they are seeking not only their first points but their first goal; it's the worst start to a top flight season in 93 years.  And it got Frank de Boer sacked after just 77 days.  I'm not a big fan of ditching the manager, especially so quickly, but this article suggests that his hiring was in fact a very poor decision by ownership that needed to be addressed swiftly.

As the West Ham-Huddersfield match continued scoreless, you could sense the desperation in the West Ham players and fans.  An incredibly lucky ricochet broke the tension and the Hammers added a second soon after so all ended well in London.  Lifelong Huddersfield fan Patrick Stewart was seen in the stands but we believe Bob K did not make it over for the match.

The featured matches were again largely busts.  Sadio Mane got himself sent off, leaving Liverpool a a man short against Man City; that one turned into a 5-0 rout for the Citizens.  At Goodison Park, Everton looked largely uninterested and Spurs were more than happy to take advantage for a 3-0 win.  At least Stoke - Man United delivered a compelling 2-2 back and forth draw.  Newcomer Choupo-Moting tallied both for the host Potters.  Arsenal did indeed appear to get healthy at Bournemouth's expense; the Gunners 3-0 win left the Cherries without a point through the first four matches.  At least Bournemouth have a goal this season, which puts them ahead of Crystal Palace on goal differential.


We Love VAR

Most important moment in Union 1-1 draw at Minnesota

A 1-1 draw seems like a logical conclusion when a stoppable force (Union) meets movable object (Minnesota).  Not awful but just not good enough at this point.  And that one point wouldn't have been possible without the help of the Video Assistant Referee.  In the 68th minute with the score 1-1, Onyewu went up for a ball in the box and the ball hit his arm.  Referee signals PK and issues Onyewu a yellow - his second of the night.  A big turning point in the match.  Except upon review, the referee determined that Onyewu had been fouled prior to the handling.  I thought they got it right but the Loons went nuts about it.  The Union have dropped to 10th and sit nine points out of the last playoff spot - currently held by the Red Bulls.  Yikes, haven't been paying attention to the NJ squad but this doesn't seem like a good year for them.


Calendar

On the road for much of the weekend but hope I can catch up Sunday with judicious use of the DVR. A north London derby featuring Chelsea-Arsenal Sunday morning at 8:30 (CNBC) is obviously a biggie.  Arsenal were better against Bournemouth and got a win in their Europa League opener so maybe things are improving.  Chelsea's 2-1 win at Leicester moved the Blues up to third.  With the match at Stamford Bridge, this is a real test for the Gunners.

Newcastle are home versus Stoke.  Last week was a test of how much they were going to struggle to avoid relegation.  This week is more about whether the Magpies might be a legitimate mid-table side.  Stoke are decent but with the match at St. James' Park, we should be thinking at least a draw.

TV matches include Spurs-Swansea (12:30 Saturday NBC), Crystal Palace - Southampton (Saturday 7:30 NBCSN), Watford - Man City (10 am Saturday NBCSN) and Man United hosting Everton (11 am Sunday NBCSN).  That last match features the return of Wayne Rooney to Old Trafford; wonder what the reception will be like.  For those looking for an excuse to leave the office early, you can catch Bournemouth-Brighton at 3:00 Friday afternoon on NBCSN.

The Union travel to NJ to take on the Red Bulls.  Hard to see a result coming out of that match.

Yankee Almost Went Home

Wow, that was some tough viewing.  Costa Rica was a plain beat-down.  Not a big upset but a critical 0-2 loss nonetheless.  The center defense pairing of Tim Ream and Geoff Cameron - both veterans of English football - came in for some serious criticism.  Well, yes, their spacing was totally off on the first goal but Ream recovered enough to force Urena wide of the goal.  I thought Tim Howard had to take his share of the blame on that one.  The second one as well - he just seemed to react slowly.  Not to put the defeat on him.  The team basically tiptoed around, was beaten to most balls and didn't seem to offer much creativity.  The 0-2 scoreline was fully deserved.


Red Lamb Arena

Things are so bad, Red Bull Arena, arguably one of the better soccer venues in the US, was cited as a reason for the lackluster showing against Costa Rica.  Too comfortable for visiting teams.  Too many Costa Rican fans, despite the best efforts of US soccer officials to keep tickets out of their hands.  Even Bruce Arena, while not saying it was a reason for the loss, said the USMNT should not have matches there.  Seems like a bit of an excuse to me; what made the Costa Rican players comfortable was the US effort, not the venue.  Still, don't expect to see an important USMNT match played in the NY area for some time to come.


Knock on Wood

Bobby Wood (9) after scoring the tying goal.
CreditRebecca Blackwell/Associated Press

The away match against Honduras was never expected to be a picnic - 90+ temperatures, shoddy pitch and a hostile crowd.  But the loss to Costa Rica had made a draw an absolute must.  A relatively early goal for Honduras made things even worse, allowing them to pack the defense more than usual.  Fortunately, after an untidy looking scramble on a free kick, Bobby Wood scored in the 85th minute to secure the draw.  Though not necessarily a thing of beauty, several players had a role in the tally.  Acosta's free kick was a bullet that the Honduran keeper could merely punch away.  Matt Besler flicked the ball back towards the goal, where Jordan Morris headed to Wood, who calmly took it off his chest and deposited it into the goal.   A huge goal, as a loss would have essentially put the USMNT's fate in the hands of other teams.

This article from fivethirtyeight notes that the US chances of making the finals are now 69%.  There are many scenarios that get them there.  The easiest is to win at home vs Panama and away at Trinidad & Tobago but there are scenarios that involve a draw with Panama that still work.  So while it's way more uncomfortable than it should be, they should make it.  Except, what then?  Money quote for me from fivethirtyeight:

This team as currently constituted is just about good enough to qualify for the World Cup. The problem is that it isn’t much better than that.

How Many Countries From This Country Will Qualify?

All four of Great Britain's sides had a great international break, collecting six points each and keeping World Cup qualifying hopes alive.  England beat Malta and Slovakia and lead their group by five points with two to play.  Scotland bested Lithuania and Malta and are one point out of second place, which would get them to a playoff.  Wales was victorious over Moldavia and Austria and currently sit in second.  And Northern Ireland bested San Marino and the Czech Republic to clinch no worse than second in their group.

BFS faves Iceland had a mixed week, stumbling against Finland but getting a big win at home versus Ukraine.  They are tied with Croatia for first in the group but Turkey and Ukraine are just two points back so that group has everything to play for.   Belgium are in, having run away with their group.


Musical Chairs

The CONMEBOL (South America) qualifying table keeps shifting and some really good sides could be left out when the music stops.  This article from Deadspin nicely lays out just how crazy things could get.  With two wins this break, Peru flew past four teams and into the fourth and last qualifying spot.  As it stands now, Argentina (who had two draws in this break) would have to qualify via a playoff series while Chile (who got no points in this break) would be flat out of the competition.  But since just seven points separate 2nd through 8th, everything will be riding on the last set of matches in early October.  That break will include, among others, Argentina-Peru, Chile-Ecuador, Brazil-Chile and Ecuador-Argentina.  Mark your calendars...


Doing Fine

Chester are 4-0 and atop the EPL, thanks for asking.


Calendar

Back to league play and a big one for the Magpies as they travel to Wales to face Swansea (11 am Sunday NBCSN).  This will be an excellent barometer of just how tough Newcastle wants to make this season.  Since it's a road match, a draw would be an acceptable result, though I see that the  oddsmakers are preferring the Swans right now.

The weekend starts with an excellent fixture featuring Man City hosting Liverpool (7:30 Saturday NBCSN).  Last time I predicted a match would have a lot of goals I was dead wrong but I'm going to suggest this one should feature some excellent attacking football.  Another possibly tasty fixture is Everton vs Spurs at Goodison Park (10 am Saturday CNBC).  I would expect Everton to see this as an early test of whether the gazillion dollars they spent this past transfer window is going to get them something other than another 7th place finish.

Saturday's featured 12:30 match on NBC is Man United at Stoke City.  A more cynical person might say no need to turn this one on before, say, 2:05 given the Red Devils penchant for scoring most of their goals after 80 minutes.  But you might miss a Mourinho moment so watch the whole thing.  Arsenal try to right the ship with a home match against Bournemouth, a side that has struggled even more than the Gunners; that's at 10 am Saturday on NBCSN.

Bob K - you'll have to wait until Monday for Huddersfield but they are taking on a West Ham side in total disarray whose manager barely missed getting axed after losing to, gulp, Newcastle.

Saturday at 8 pm the Union take on expansion Minnesota United FC for the first time.  United are not doing all that well, have a mediocre record at home and have allowed a league high 52 goals.  But of course, the Union are 1-8-4 on the road so who knows what will happen as a very stoppable force meets a movable object.