So Near and Yet So Far

 Certainly one of the stranger weeks in MLS history in the run up to the Union-NYCFC conference final.  Good results for Newcastle and Aston Villa.

Woulda Coulda Shoulda

A team purporting to be the Union and wearing Union jerseys took the field on Sunday to face NYCFC for the Eastern Conference title.  The problem was they were missing 4/5ths of the defense, a couple of strikers and their captain.  In total, 11 players were unavailable due to COVID protocols (see below).  The good news is that the makeshift line up made a go of it. The bad news is, they still lost 2-1.  

Aurelien Collin: The French defender made
in his only MLS appearance this season since 2019

With a back line of  Findlay, Collin and Harriel in place of Elliott, Glesnes and Wagner, fronting third string keeper Matt Freese, we might have expected the defense to be the problem.  They actually played pretty well as a unit.  In fact it was the only regular - Mbaizo - who ended up being the weak link, somewhat culpable on the first goal and definitely exposed on the second.  A minute on Aurelien Collin.  He had played one minute this year, late in a CONCACAF Champions League match.  He did not play at all in 2020.  His last MLS match was September 29, 2019.  By rights, he should have been subbed out by 65-70 minutes but there weren't really any good options.  Unfortunately, if you look at the winning goal, it's possible that even after Mbaizo's mistake, Collin could have denied the cross to Magno.  Not quite the fairy tale ending.  Just like for the team as a whole.

That we had trouble scoring wasn't a surprise.  Our offense has been pryzt for awhile.  The scoreless first half was a relief and better than we might have expected.  The Union took the lead on an own goal in the 63rd minute.  In reality, that was one of those own goals, where if the defender hadn't put it in, the attacker would have.  Probably.  It was shuhBILLkoh who was right there and he has been spotty lately but we think he puts that one away.  Unfortunately the lead did even outlast the blue smoke released by the Sons of Ben from the river end.  Maxi Moralez leveled things less than two minutes later.

It was at this point that, IMHO, the COVID shortened roster made the difference.  NYCFC could make subs while our options were severely limited.  This would have been when Curtin changed things up by putting Santos on for shuhBILLkoh to make NY deal with a faster, more wide open game.  Second, fatigue was becoming an issue and there weren't really any good choices.  This was a real problem given that NYCFC put a pile of fresh players on at 58 minutes.  The Union seemed hamstrung and a late goal from NYCFC inevitable.

Note I am not saying the Union would definitely have won without the COVID quarantine.  I am saying the last 30 minutes would have played out differently.  Not disparaging the effort the squad put up, just wishing that we could have seen how it would have played out with the regulars.

For me, viewing the playoffs as a quaint American tradition, I still rank last year's Supporters Shield season as the best in Union history.  On balance though, a deep run into CONCACAF Champions League, second in the Eastern Conference, a good run towards the MLS Cup, this was a good season as well, especially given the personnel changes that had to be addressed.  Here's hoping this off season is not about replacing losses but adding to what we have.

How Did This Happen?

Aside from the result on the pitch, we are still left with the question of how did 11 Union players find themselves sidelined for the final.  The MLS covid protocols are provided here.  Note that aside from testing positive for COVID, you can find yourself quarantined for five days for high-risk behavior (defined in Slide 16) and high-risk close contact.  Also note that you can get an exception to the quarantine for high-risk close contact if you are 1) vaccinated, 2) asymptomatic and 3) continuing to test negative.  

BFS Travel Consultant Jeff K circulated this article about the situation.  Though it leaves many questions unanswered, I took away two things - every player was vaccinated and that "no players broke the rules."  Given the exemption for vaccination, we are left with conclusion that players were either not asymptomatic or were testing positive or violated some aspect of the high-risk behavior provisions.  Technically, you could read the statement that "no player broke the rules" as ruling out high-risk behavior.  

In short, we really don't know what happened and may never know.  

In the Neighborhood

Neumann: A stone's throw from Subaru Park

So near and yet so far also applied to my situation as a fan on Sunday.  As I pulled into the parking lot
at Neumann for the recording gig, I realized how close I was to Subaru Park (see picture).  You can actually see stadium tucked in right next to the bridge.  Dennis pointed out the potential visual and audio spoiler alerts given that they set off fireworks for Union goals.  Didn't hear or see anything while recording the likes of Grieg and Strauss so I made it home to take in the match on dvr a few hours later.

Things Get Real for Salt Lake

In the Western Conference final, Portland finally put an end to the great playoff run from Real Salt Lake.  The Timber struck gold in the 5th minute and pretty much controlled the match.  A second goal in the 61st minute meant that another improbable finish from RSL was not in the cards.  That became even clearer when Herrera picked up a second yellow in the 79th minute.  Except for expected goals, the stats aren't as lopsided as I thought they would be, but the match did not feel close.

Last Points in 2021?

Though not on the scoresheet,
 Almiron was a force against Burnley

Newcastle managed to eke a 1-0 win at home over Burnley.  On the one hand, how excited can you get about barely beating the second or third worst team in the EPL at home?  On the other, if it's your first win of the season, turns out it's still a good feeling.  Neither side distinguished itself in the offensive department.  The game's only goal came when Burnley keeper Nick Pope spilled a rebound which fell to the feet of Callum Wilson.  The Magpie striker made the most of the gift as you can see in this week's YouTubeableMoment. Sweet fan cam experience there at SJP, as the crowd knew how important that goal was.

We shouldn't dismiss the defensive effort that held Burnley to one shot on target.  Also, Miguel Almiron got a start and made the most of it, earning high ratings even without getting on the scoresheet.  The Magpies have six points from their last five games and the effort on the pitch has been  admirable.  However, the next four fixtures are Leicester, Liverpool, Man City and Man United so points might be pretty scarce in these parts for awhile.  Maybe they can nick a point at Goodison Park on 12/30 but we need to face up to the possibility that the Magpies will end 2021 with the same 10 points they have now.

Love That New Manager Smell

Somehow Konsa's header is going to find it's
 way into the goal for the game winner

For Aston Villa at least, the new manager bounce is real and it's spectacular.  Under Steven Gerrard, the Villans have wins over Brighton, Crystal Palace and Leicester plus a narrow defeat to Man City.  The latest result was a solid comeback 2-1 win over Leicester, featuring two goals from defender Ezri Konsa.  Hold for a second while we confirm that.  Yes, it's correct.   That stats say maybe a draw was the fairer result here but at the same time this doesn't feel like an underserved three points.  The best part is despite the 3-1 record under Gerrard, I feel like this team can play even better.  

League of Their Own Part III

Maybe not as dominating a week as we've seen but the biggest gap in the table ( six points) remains between third and fourth.  Man City had an easy time beating Watford 3-1 and Liverpool scratched out a 1-0 win over Wolves.  Chelsea were not so fortunate, dropping all three points against West Ham in a 2-3 loss.  That was a great back and forth match that once again highlighted how the Hammers (and their maligned venue) have been totally rehabilitated since their near relegation two years ago.  To Michael B's delight, we note that Spurs 3-0 win over Norwich brings them two points of West Ham with a game in hand (vs Burnley.)

Leaving It Late

By my count, four matches were decided in stoppage time, another in the 87th minute and another in the 77th minute.  Liverpool got their game winner against Wolves in stoppage time, as did Everton in their entertaining contest with Arsenal.  Leeds (against Brentford) and Brighton (against Southampton) got the equalizers after the 90th minute.  Both of those were probably helpful to Newcastle's cause.  West Ham's unlikely winner came in the 87th minute while Man United were able to edge past Crystal Palace with a 77th minute tally from Fred.

RTFM

Schmeichel clearly has his hand on the ball

The incident with Ramsey's disallowed goal against Leicester put the general ignorance of FIFA Laws by people who should know better on display once again.  You can see the play here (should open to the spot but if it doesn't scroll to 6:00).  I was pretty sure the goal was going to be disallowed by VAR.  The rule is very clear, except somehow many, including ex-keeper Tim Howard, didn't really understand it.  The language is here:

A goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball with the hand(s) when:

• the ball is between the hands or between the hand and any surface (e.g. ground, own body) or by touching it with any part of the hands or arms, except if the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper or the goalkeeper has made a save

First, many didn't even know this was the definition.  Then, people got thrown off track by the exception at the end.  But that applies to the last phrase of the rule (or by touching it...), not the part about the ball between the keeper's hand and the ground.  Absolutely the correct call here.  Maybe you don't like the rule but take that up with the IFAB.  And before you lead the charge to change it, ask yourself how much do we want attackers hacking away at keepers?  

By the way, this mini-vent is not aimed at most fans.  The Laws of the Game are detailed and some of the finer points are not common knowledge.  But players and pundits have no excuse.  This is your job, learn the rules dammit.

Enter at Your Own Risk

BFS Scandinavian Consult Philip S sends along this clip from a recent women's UEFA Champions League match in which Sam Kerr "decleats" a pitch invader.  The article says she got a yellow card for the challenge.  I might argue it was shoulder-to-shoulder.  In any case, I'm happy to pay any fine she incurred.  On a more serious note, I don't think a yellow card is an option in this situation.  I couldn't find anything regarding a "reckless" challenge to a spectator.  However, the list of sending off offenses includes:

• physical or aggressive behaviour (including spitting or biting) towards an opposing player, substitute, team official, match official, spectator or any other person (e.g. ball boy/girl, security or competition official etc.)

Seems like it's a red card or nothing.

Busy Week Ahead

We have the MLS final Saturday at 3 pm on ABC; not sure if that is kickoff time or when the broadcast starts.  Usually I am in the school of root for the team that beat you.  However, I can't see myself cheering for a team that 1)plays in Yankee Stadium  and 2) is affiliated with Man City.  Not a big fan of artificial turf but I hear the Portland stadium is great otherwise.  So, go Timbers.  Or as Dennis noted, "10000% for Portland."  The projection at 538 is NYCFC 57/43.

In the EPL we have another week with two match weeks, one running from Friday-Sunday, the other Tuesday-Thursday.  Frankly, Matchweek 16 mostly offers a series of mismatches.  Newcastle at Leicester (Sunday at 9 on Peacock) may be one of the more competitive contests, which is saying something.  Certainly we will be tuning in for that one but with limited expectations.

On paper, the closest match is Crystal Palace - Everton Sunday at 11:30 on NBCSN.  We will also check in on Liverpool - Aston Villa (Saturday at 10 on USA) to see 1) if Villa can match their performance against Man City and 2) how the Liverpool crowd responds to the return of Steven Gerrard to Anfield. 

I think the schedulers might have the right idea putting Brentford - Watford on Friday at 3 pm (NBCSN)).  Hell, we'll watch anybody on a Friday afternoon.  You can rise early on Saturday to see Man City possibly lead the Wolves to slaughter (7:30 NBCSN). Your 10 am choices besides Liverpool - Aston Villa are Arsenal - Southampton or Chelsea - Leeds.  The "feature" 12:30 match is Norwich hosting Man United.  Going against the Leicester  - Newcastle Sunday 9 am fixture is Brighton - Spurs  (not so fast Sparky, just read that match is postponed due to COVID outbreak at Tottenham) or Burley - West Ham.  Just not a match week to get the blood flowing.

Matchweek 17 is a little better.  May we recommend something in a London derby?  Arsenal host West Ham Wednesday at 3 pm, wisely scheduled for NBCSN.

Tuesday we'll go with Norwich - Aston Villa in the hopes that Dennis's team helps us out.  Your alternates are Brentford - Man United or Man City Leeds.

Wednesday our choice as mentioned is Arsenal - West Ham.  But if, lower table is your style, Crystal Palace hosting Southampton should be a close match as well.  Your other choices are Brighton - Wolves and Burnley - Watford.  

Depending on whether the COVID issues get sorted out, for Thursday we would recommend Leicester - Tottenham.  That is partly based on one of your other choices being Liverpool - Newcastle.  Car crash anyone?  Or you could go with Chelsea - Everton, which might be okay

I did say a little better, not great.