By Tuesday night I had already been treated to two turkeys - one each from Newcastle and the Union. Hope I still have room for another on Thursday.
The Newcastle 0-2 loss to Chelsea wasn't a surprise at all. In some ways, it was the best we could have hoped for. The first tally was an unfortunate own goal off the foot of Fernandez and the knockout blow didn't come until Tammy Abraham put away Timo Werner's excellent feed in the 65th minute. Meaning they theoretical spent much of the match one set piece or counterattack away from getting back in the game. Except the Magpies were mostly lifeless save for maybe the first 10-15 minutes of the second half. Very difficult to watch.
The Union 0-2 playoff loss to New England is another matter. Yes, it's hard to beat a team six times in the same year (Union had four wins and a draw in the other five encounters this year) and the Union had a 16-day layoff between this fixture and their last game (ironically a 2-0 win over New England). Part of the problem here is the American obsession with playoffs, a fixation exacerbated by this year's decision to allow 10 teams into the playoffs. However, like the Electoral College, this is the flawed process we are given and must live with.
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| Choose your caption: Carles proves to be Union's Achilles Gil or Buchanan stands regular season on its head |
Unlike last year's playoff win over the Red Bulls, there was no coming back from this 0-2 deficit. The Union did manage to get some shots on goal but none really tested NE keeper Matt Hunter. Curtin did realize that it was not Martinez's night and subbed him out at half for Ilsinho, which did help a little. I might have tried Fontana a little earlier, probably for Bedoya who seemed invisible for much of the game. Not going to second guess Curtin too much here since he was mostly right all season. They were flat, distracted, and frankly, undisciplined.
Nice sum up from Matthew Ralph at The Brotherly Game:
That’s the MLS Playoffs for you. The place Supporters’ Shields go to die.
He also notes that all the crappy aspects of the MLS playoff format don't excuse this performance. Let's hope they learn from it. The good news is "We'll always have the Supporters Shield."
Entrees Besides Turkey
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| At least Oliver looked at it himself before overtuning the call |
Michael B was certainly smiling after Spurs took the measure of Man City 2-0. City have the statistics on their side - 66% possession, 22/4 shots, 5/2 shots on target and 2.4/.75 expected goals. Tottenham have the points. Good weekend for Michael as Atleti also beat Barcelona and he barely avoided a nasty, potentially life-threatening bike riding accident. He hasn't yet ranked the three events in order of importance yet.
Liverpool showed how much they missed Salah with a 3-0 win over Leicester that might not have been even that close. Diogo Jota is one reason the Reds can afford to be without Salah. Check out this goal; a perfect cross from Robertson to catch Jota on a diagonal run finishing with a clinical header. This may also explain why Wolves aren't as lethal as last year.
Speaking of Wolves, they did manage to eke out a 1-1 draw against hot Southampton. That was enough to knock the Saints out of the top four and keep themselves in the top half of the table. Had hoped for more scoring but it was still worth watching.
The predicted "most competitive match" of the week did indeed turn out 1-0 as West Ham edged out Sheffield United. The Blades stay winless, with just one point from nine matches. They didn't lose ground to West Brom, who also stayed winless after falling 0-1 to Man United. The Red Devils hardly looked impressive beating the Baggies at Old Trafford; sorry Jeff H but a solitary soft PK goal against this team isn't encouraging. I didn't see Everton slip by Fulham 3-2; the Cottagers missed a PK there and have a slight edge on the stats so that was probably a good watch. Burnley's sort of surprise 1-0 win over Crystal Palace took them past Fulham and out of the relegation zone.
Speaking of unimpressive, Arsenal aren't exactly chewing up the competition either. They could only manage a 0-0 versus Leeds and the stats (possession, shots, shots on goal, expected goals) and my own eyes tell me they were lucky to walk away with a point.
Not saying things will end this way but I know Newcastle have been less than impressive and yet they are just one point behind Man City and two behind Man United and Arsenal.
A Hot Mess
The MLS playoffs so far have been a car crash that you cannot take your eyes away from. The two top seeds in the East are gone (Toronto lost 0-1 to Nashville in extra time and Toronto were lucky they even got to extra time). Three of the eight first round matches went to PKs (more on that below). The Sporting KC - San Jose match featured a stoppage time goal for each that sent that one to extra time and eventually PKs. We note that Chris Wondolowski got the San Jose equalizer (seen here) in the 97th minute and wonder where that was in the 2014 World Cup. No, we're not bitter or anything.
For total madness though we must go to the Orlando - NYCFC PK shootout. For those so inclined, you can see the whole thing here, this week's YouTubeableMoment YouTubeable22Minutes. That it even got that far is a little amazing since Orlando played a man down from 85 minutes on. Things proceed well through the first eight kicks. When Orlando's keeper Pedro Gallese stops Castellano's shot, Orlando appears to have won 4-3. There was much rejoicing and Orlando manager Oscar Pareja sprints down the tunnel. Except if you listen closely, you can hear referee Allen Chapman's whistle blow multiple times within seconds of the stop. His call is that Gallese has left his line too early and the kick must be retaken. Given how quickly the whistle came, that suggests to me this was Chapman's own call, not the VAR's. The replay is tight but looks to me like he got it right; I don't think Gallese has a heel on the line when the ball is struck. I assume the first delay is waiting for VAR to confirm the call on the field.
The next step is that Chapman shows Gallese a yellow card for encroachment. Normally that might be a formality except Gallese is already on a yellow card for wasting time. So he is gone. Except there is confusion by the announcers about whether a yellow card is required as the 20/21 rules say that the keeper is merely warned for the first encroachment infraction. Except MLS has not adopted the 20/21 rules yet, presumably because the competition began under the 19/20 rules. So far, Chapman is in the clear from my perspective, despite what the announcers say. He thought, on his own, there was encroachment, VAR did not overturn it, and the yellow card was correct and thus the sending off is correct. The announcers sound annoyed, questioning whether Chapman should have made the encroachment call in the first place. Stop it. Gallese came off the line early, it doesn't matter if it was close, and the sanction is the kick is retaken and the keeper gets a yellow.
Unfortunately for Chapman, things are going to get weirder and his handling of the situation from here on out is going to get him in trouble. Gallese appears to know the rules as he hands his gloves to Rodrigo Schlegel, a defender on the field. After some further delay, Chapman allows back up keeper Brian Rowe into the match and things proceed to the point where Castellano is preparing to retake the kick with Rowe standing in goal. But wait, someone is talking in Chapman's ear again, likely telling him the substitution is not permitted. Further delay, after which it looks like the substitution is going to be allowed. No, he's sent back and Schlegel is putting on the gloves. I cannot explain the reason for the confusion over the substitution. There are temporary rules regarding additional subs in extra time but they do not apply to shootouts. The players on the field at the end of extra time are the only ones who can participate in the shootout. Also, the rules do allow for replacement of a keeper but only in the case of injury. Rowe should never have been allowed on the field and this is Chapman's undoing. It looks terrible and gives the announcers additional fodder.
Wait, how'd it turn out? Kind of cool. Castellanos converts the retake. Won't matter if Nani makes his but of course he doesn't so we go to a sixth round of kicks. Both score. Then Schlegel stops the NYC shot. (Side note to announcers who were confused as to why the match wasn't over at that point: please to STFU about rules as you didn't understand that Orlando still had to make their kick. No, I'm not bitter.) Finally, the thing ends with Benji Michel burying his attempt, sending Orlando on to the next round. MLS indicated that the officiating crew will not be doing any more playoff matches. Harsh but probably fair. I somehow doubt that, despite all their mistakes during the incident, the announcing crew will also be suspended for the rest of the playoffs.
Too Soon?
Diego Maradona passed away on Wednesday at age 60. His talent was undeniable. So was his ability to find controversy. We'll simply note that that he had two memorable goals within the space of just minutes in the 1986 World Cup quarter final against England. In the first, known as the "Hand of God," Maradona essentially punched the ball into the goal with his fist. This being pre-VAR, the goal was allowed to stand. For the second, often cited as the Goal of the Century, he made a 70-yard solo run with the ball beating multiple English defenders along the way. If you think about it, there was the talent and controversy of Maradona on display in a just four minutes.
Michael sent a text shortly after the news came out.
Michael: Argentina will observe 3 days of mourning
Don: Actually, with stoppage time it will be 3.2 days
Snow Days?
Dennis and I had the same thought about ESPN's chyron. With most of the information now about postponements and cancellations of college and professional contests, it's taken on the flavor of announcing school closings after a heavy snow. Seton Hall - Baylor, closed. Steelers - Ravens, closed. Tulsa - Houston open two weeks late. Cowboys - Washington Football Team, cancelled but staff should report.
The good news from the EPL is that there were only eight positive tests this week, down from 16 last week.
Yellow Balls
Though it sounds like it could be an English schoolyard taunt, we refer here to the "winter" ball that the EPL uses from November to March. More details here. Presumably, the ball is more visible on those darker and or occasionally snowy days. Frank Zappa's advice regarding snow probably applies here too.
Second, Third and Fourth Helpings
Sunday looks tasty enough. The Southampton - Man United contest at 9 (all matches NBCSN unless otherwise noted) is an interesting test for both. For the Saints, the question is are they as good as they seem; United will be trying to prove they aren't as mediocre as their record suggests. Put Arsenal Wolves at 2:15 in that same category. Best/most important match of the weekend is Chelsea - Spurs at 11:30. Despite not really having found their feet, Tottenham are top of the table. Chelsea have actually looked more dominant in working their way to third place but have also had some unsteady moments. At 538, Chelsea are healthy favorites (50/26/24); Spurs have proved resilient in getting results.
Black Friday has Newcastle at my second favorite venue - Selhurst Park - as underdogs against Crystal Palace (3 pm). We'll hope for some glimmer of a competitive effort before we even start to think about a result there.
Saturday's most interesting fixture is a relegation special - 19th West Brom vs 20th Sheffield United (3 pm). At 538 they have each side at 35% chance of winning with 30% chance of draw, meaning little to choose between the two. Everton hosting Leeds (NBC feature match at 12:30), who sometimes put up a pretty good effort, might be okay . But Brighton - Liverpool (especially at 7:30 on Peacock) and Man City hosting Burnley (10 am) don't offer much hope for competitive matches.
The four-day weekend concludes on Monday with Leicester - Fulham (12:30) and West Ham - Aston Villa at 3 pm. Wouldn't expect the Foxes to be tested at home against Fulham. The Villans won't be expected to have an easy time against the Hammers but I'd like to think there's a good chance they come home with something.
And again, while the EPL plays, so does the MLS. Sunday has the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Orlando host New England at 3 pm on ABC and Columbus have Nashville at home at 8 pm on ESPN. The home squads are solid favorites but that hasn't mattered too much so far. Seattle and Dallas play Tuesday at 9:30 on FS1 while Sporting KC host Minnesota Wednesday at 9 pm, also on FS1. Again, the home sides are big favorites. With the Union out, I can now totally hope for more chaos.
Dennis offers the following advice for the Thanksgiving meal. Have as much as you can but don't eat so much that you end up hating yourself. We recommend you follow the same advice with respect to watching football.
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