World Cup in Philly

Certainly a quieter period but there was some important stuff, including World Cup qualifiers, some USMNT matches and the Allentown Over 30 Championships.  And news that The Linc will host some 2026 World Cup matches.

Final Tickets Punched

With a couple of European playoffs and two international playoffs, the last spots in the World Cup line up were filled during this international break.  Wales defeated Ukraine - who had earlier defeated Scotland - to grab the final Europe spot.  This was a tight 1- 0 affair, with the only tally coming when a Bales' free kick was redirected into the net by Yarmolenko for an own goal.  Ukraine actually held a pretty decent statistical advantage; sometimes it's just not your year.  The result means that Wales will be the USMNT's first opponent in the World Cup.  

I didn't see the Australia - Peru playoff but maybe that was for the best.  It featured three shots on target and went to kicks from the spot, which the Aussies won 5-4.  I did see the other international playoff between Costa Rica and New Zealand.  Also, not a goal-laden affair.  Costa Rica got a quick one from Joel Campbell at three minutes and that stood for the entire match.  Biggest takeaway for me was watching Newcastle's Chris Wood see the frustration of his club season carry over to the international level.  He had a goal taken away by VAR for a foul in the build up, saw several good assist possibilities wasted by teammates and missed a few of his own.  

Who Was In the VAR Booth?

VAR says "nyet" to Ukraine PK

Ukraine's luck against Wales was probably worse than I let on above.  Late in the first half, they were arguably hard done by the decision of Mateu Lahoz to not call a penalty against Joe Allen for a potential foul in the box. You can see the play here (should open to 4:04 to see the play).  Certainly the VAR was consulted but Lahoz was not asked to even venture over to the monitor for a second look.  I thought it was a foul.  Makes you wonder who might have been in booth.  

USMNT Active

Hello Muddah, hello Faddah,wish we could play
against Grenada; Pulisic in the mire (Getty Images)

They had four matches over the break - friendlies with Morocco and Uruguay and Nations League
contests ("glorified friendlies?) with Grenada and El Salvador.  I missed the 3-0 win over Morocco which featured a goal from Medford's own Brenden Aaronson.  The 0-0 draw with Uruguay seemed like a useful experience.  This was a good test against a top ranked (13th) team.  The 5-0 rout of Grenada was expected and frankly didn't offer enough of a challenge to help in the WC prep.  The El Salvador match probably had some value in that regard.  Not that El Salvador are that highly ranked but it was a road match against a team that doesn't like us in absolutely ridiculous conditions (mud and downpour).  The US fell behind in the late in the first half and their prospects didn't look so good after Arriola was sent off - incorrectly in our opinion - with a straight red.  They still had the run of play and when Costa Rica had a defender sent off for DOGSO, you felt like a draw was important.  And they got it, courtesy of a nice header from Jordan Morris, his first goal since returning from surgery. 

A decidedly mixed bag for the window.  Biggest thing I saw was even better performances from Musah.  I've always liked his game but it seemed like he stepped it up a notch.

Hardware for Sportif Allentown

Sportif Allentown celebrate - Dennis is third from left in the back

We traveled up the Northeast Extension (I-476 for you younger readers) to see Dennis and his Over 30 team play for the league championship.  Clearly not a neutral here but I thought his team had the run of play but simply couldn't convert.  They finally got a tally mid-way through the second half but the lead was short-lived.  The prospect of two 10-minute sudden death periods, or worse, kicks from the spot loomed.  Fortunately there was a handball in the box and the PK was converted in the 84th minute.  No controversy about the call; it was so obvious, the offender's teammates yelled at him, not the  referees.  

Dennis scored an important goal in the semis but in this one his contributions were good runs, some that were seen, others not.  In a way, he contributed to the first goal, as he was standing at the center line ready to replace the guy who scored the goal; good thing he didn't get in right away.

All Things Considered, FIFA Would Rather Be In Philadelphia

Or Boston, Miami, New York/New Jersey (you can't fool us, it's Secaucus), or Toronto.   Actually, those are just the cities in the Eastern group; there are Central and Western venues.  The full list is here.  Knowing how FIFA works, we can only hope that there were no bribes involved and that we won on the merits.  

Farrah vs Bolt

Wait, how does a 10k man face off against a sprinter?  In a charity soccer event that's how.   BFS Track and Field Consultant Jack W sends along this article about a fun event at London's Olympic Stadium.  We like both athletes, though we note that Farrah is an Arsenal fan.  

EPL Fixtures Released

You can see the full list here.  Highlights include that each team will play 38 matches, two against each team, one home and one away.  

Another highlight is that the English Football Association asked the EPL not to schedule matches between top six clubs on the final weekend before the World Cup starts.  Their thinking was that a large percentage of the English national team players come from these clubs and they were hoping not to have a tough contest right before the world tournament.  Part of me gets that but as Dennis noted, it looks like more effin' Big Six privilege.

Back to Subaru

Things will actually get even lighter now that the international break is over.  All we got for a while is MLS.  Dennis and I will be at Subaru Park on Saturday night as the Union take on Cincinnati FC; that's 7:30 on PHL 17 I think for those who can't make it down to the park.  I'll also be there a week from Sunday when the U take on NYCFC.  That should be fun.