Back from Eugene. With 10 days of track and field plus four Union matches over the last few weeks, I'll do my best to recall what happened. I didn't miss any matches thanks to full event replays on ESPN+.
In our last post - which seems forever ago - we suggested that this part of the schedule was a chance for the Union to put up some points, making hay while the sun shines as it were. We can report that it was a full harvest - 12 points in four matches, perhaps even more than we could have asked for.
Missed the Extra Point?
The sequence began with 7-0 trouncing of DC United. The score was 3-0 by the 25th minute. Every pass, every shot (except Gazdag's missed PK!?) seemed to work. It was like all the luck that had eluded them for weeks showed up. Dennis wondered if we would have preferred to save some of those goals for upcoming matches. We decided it was better for the scorers to get the feel of putting the ball in the net and worry about the consequences later.
One Night in Miami
My memory is less clear on the 2-1 win in Miami. Gazdag got the first on a PK and Burke scored the second on a nice header. I remember the final minutes were not as comfortable as we would have liked thanks to a tremendous shot from Higuain. The stats say this was close so there was some argument that a draw would have been a fair result. On the other hand, xG (shot and non-shot) at 538 reads 1.75 - .95 for the U so maybe this was fine.
You Say You Want the Revolution (apologies to The Beatles)
Back home Saturday for their third match in nine days, and a tougher opponent in the New England Revolution to boot. I returned from action at the World Championships and watched the replay with the volume turned down low so as not to wake the rest of the house. Disappointed when Bou put New England up in the 61st as we hadn't looked all that dangerous. Fortunately, they leveled things with a Uhre header off a Wagner corner at 75 minutes; we'll make it this edition's YouTubeableMoment, as seen by the Sons of Ben. Then, Kessler fouled Gazdag in the box; one of the easier PK calls this year - Kessler with fully extended arms pushed Gazdag, right in front of the referee. Gazdag converted again and the Union were winners here too. Not much doubt for me that they stole the extra two points. Almost everything is dead even - except of course possession, which the U always suck at.
One Night in Orlando - The Sequel?
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| Daniel Gazdag had 3 goals and 2 assists over the four matches Photo:Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports |
On the positive side, the passing has improved; except for the Orlando game, they've been over 80% in this streak. They had three multiple goal matches in a row and two more shutouts. Maybe they were a little lucky to come away with 12 points instead of 8 or 10. Maybe the table flatters them a little right now but not that much. They head into the weekend top of the table, with a one point advantage over NYCFC, who have a game in hand. But there is a gap of six points down to third place Red Bulls.
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Find Someone Else to Boo
Richarlison's transfer to Tottenham meant that Dennis would be denied the chance to boo him when Everton visited Minnesota United for last week's friendly. No worries, another on his "boo worthy" list - Dele Alli - did make the trip. And what a performance from the former Spurs star. He got booed by the crowd for some shithousery and missed a wide open net from a yard out; check out that miss here. The evening was topped off by a 4-0 win by the home team. A good time was had by all despite Richarlison's absence.
Life Imitates Art
In transfer news, Newcastle continue to be linked with every breathing attacking midfielder (except Dennis - WTF?). I can't really take the articles seriously at this point. However, two names did catch my eye - Arnaud Kalimuendo and Alan Virginius - who both currently play in France. In my Football Manager virtual world, I signed both of these players in 2021 for my Forest Green side. Kalimuendo (a free transfer) really wasn't good enough to start when we were in the Championship Division so he went out on loan. He's improved but is not good enough to start as we play in the Premier League this season and has been loaned out again; frankly, not sure he will ever be good enough but we'll see. Virginius ($200k transfer fee!), on the other hand, logged considerable time at right attacking midfielder last year and will start for us this season. He has enormous upside potential.
Given the overlap of Newcastle and Forest Green transfer targets, I wonder if 1)that's proof that Genie Scout (the FM add-on that rates players) is really good or 2) that means Newcastle use Genie Scout to identify targets. I'm going with the former as the latter is too distressing to even ponder.
How Track and Field Is Like Soccer
1. For in-stadium viewing, higher up is better
For half the meet we had second row seats the first turn, the other half we were in the upper section looking down the home straight. While you can see and appreciate the intensity and speed (and in our case, the high jump) from the track side seats, you lose too much perspective on the events. For the field events, we could only go by the crowd reaction as to the quality of the attempt. It was hard to see the action on the far turn and though we could see the finish line, it was impossible to sort out finish order. I've found soccer to be the same - the close ups are cool but it's hard to follow the action anywhere but in front of you.
2. You can't blame on field officials for what it says in the rule books
We've been through this many times. People get upset at the referees for applying the rules as written. Your problem isn't with the referee, it's with the rules. This happened at the World Championships to Devon Allen, US hurdler who had an excellent chance to medal. Unfortunately, he was disqualified for a false start because his reaction time to the gun was .099, or .001 faster than allowable. No doubt it sucked, on many levels. But how is the starter supposed to make an exception? He's a medal contender so we'll let it slide? Or, this is his hometown crowd so we'll ignore it? That's a dangerous road to go down. Not saying it's a good rule, but fix the rule, don't apply it only when you feel like it.
3. Announcers will frequently say his first attempt was way over the bar
I realize that's a good thing in the high jump but lousy in soccer but the announcer do say it both sports.
4. There are guys named Przybylko
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| There's a shuh-BILL-koh at the World Championships |
Oh, and though it was hard to hear, I think the stadium announcer butchered the pronunciation.
5. Sausage sandwiches!
Just like Subaru Park, right down to the production delays and supply issues. By the time we got to the front of the line, the only choice was chicken basil sausage topped with tomato salsa. The good news though is that it was really good.
Offside Reinterpreted Again
The IAFB (rule making authorities for football) has issued a clarification on the offside rule. Technically, the rule has not changed; an attacker in an offside position receiving a ball that was deliberately played by a defender will still be ruled onside. But, what constitutes deliberate play has been more explicitly delineated. From Athletic Weekly:
IFAB’s new laws state: “‘Deliberate play’ is when a player has control of the ball with the possibility of passing the ball to a team-mate, gaining possession of the ball, or clearing the ball.
“If the pass, attempt to gain possession or clearance by the player in control of the ball is inaccurate or unsuccessful, this does not negate the fact that the player ‘deliberately played’ the ball.”
In addition, IFAB provided the following indicators that a player “deliberately played” the ball:
- The ball had travelled from distance and the players had a clear view of it
- The ball was not moving quickly
- The direction of the ball was not unexpected
- The player had time to coordinate their body movement
- A ball moving on the ground is easier to play than a ball in the air
I think there may still be trouble with the phrase "clearing the ball." Much of the annoyance of the existing interpretation has been when the defender strains to head or kick the ball clear, makes contact, but gets an uncontrolled result. We'll see how this plays out. Geoffrey Rush may have the best explanation of the announcement here.
Last Week of Summer Break?
Yikes, the EPL season opens next Friday. And Newcastle without an attacking midfielder to wear. I hope I can get you a sample of previews/predictions for the league in next week's post.
This weekend we'll be back at Subaru Park to see the U take on Houston. That's at 7:30 on Saturday. Those without tickets can watch on PHL-17. Houston are 11th in the Western Conference and 538 has the U as serious favorites (64/14/22). Anything but three points here is a disappointment.
Maybe we can get some help from Montreal as they host NYCFC; that's at the same time as the Union match.
If you need a little more to watch, check out the UEFA Women's Final between England and Germany. That's Sunday at noon on ESPN.
Starting next week, you'll have no trouble finding a game.
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