Unhelpful Draws

 Another post while on the road...

Both Newcastle and the Union came away with draws.  Neither was very helpful to their situations.  Sure, sometimes draws are fine but this weekend, Ted Lasso's wisdom was spot on:

“Look, we are not playing for a tie. Ain’t nobody here gonna kiss their sister…which is an American phrase that I’m now realizing does not exist here, and that’s good, ‘cause it’s creepy, and I hate it myself; I don’t know why I said it.”

No Fair, This Time They Played Hard

In Atlanta, the home team played like they were fighting for a playoff spot while the Union looked completely surprised by the intensity of their opponent, a team they had beaten 4-1 a few weeks ago.  The stats match perfectly with the one sided contest we saw on the field.  Possession was 60/40, shots were 16/5 and shots on goal were 6/0, though both sides did hit the post.  xG was 1.3-.2 on MLS and 1.7-.45 at 538.  The Union were lucky to come away with a 0-0 draw.  

Yeah, the draw did clinch a spot in next year's Champions League and it did reduce the magic number to win the Eastern Conference to two points (as in two draws in the final two matches would be enough).  But with LAFC beating Houston, the Union no longer control their destiny for the Supporters Shield.  

What, Me Worry?

Good advice from Alfred E. Neuman

Newcastle pushed Bournemouth all over the place but came away with a 1-1 draw.  Though it partially offsets the lucky draw they got with Brighton, this a fixture they must be winning.  Despite having the run of play, Newcastle's only goal came on a PK.  Guimaraes was back but ASM and Wilson were still sidelined so they are not playing their complete line up.  The Magpies still have just the one loss, but still just the one win too.  Not panicking yet but really would like to see a win or two to shore up the confidence.  

Return of the Prodigal Son

Tottenham - and South Korean fans - were happy to see
 Son break his scoring drought Photograph: Vincent Mignott/EPA

At least we are not Leicester.  As sort of predicted last week, Tottenham took the measure of the Foxes with a 6-2 win.  Actually, this was a close 3-2 contest until Son Heung-Min entered the fray.  Son, who has struggled this year, posted a natural hat trick with goals at 73, 84, and 86 minutes, allowing Spurs to coast in.  Tottenham remain unbeaten through seven matches.  This was another game in which Spurs were much better in the second 45 minutes.  Thinking that this might be Conte's strength - half time adjustments.  Will try to look more closely if I get time.

Arsenal (over Brentford) and Man City (over Wolves) both posted 3-0 wins to stay 1-2 in the table.  At the other end of the table, West Ham lost again, this time 0-1 to Everton and sit 18th in the table.   

 

It's Hard Out There for a Premier League Manager - Part II

Aston Villa still looked totally out of sync but got a goal from Jacob Ramsey but were never really threatened by Southampton. The 1-0 win was deserved.  We're going to make Ramsey's goal this week's instructional" YouTubeableMoment.  The announcers profess surprise that there was no offside on the play.  First, Konsa (#4), though in an offside position, clearly does not affect the keeper's ability to play the ball.  Second, Ramsey, also in an offside position when the initial shot was taken, is put onside by the deliberate play by the Southampton defender.  Before the recent IAFB clarification, there would have been no question that Ramsey was on.  With the new directive to look for a more deliberate play as opposed to a simple touch on the ball, the play probably deserved the second look.  But even then, that was a clear play so the offside assessment resets.  The call really can't be considered controversial.

Well, if this gig with Southampton doesn't work out,
I can always be a casino dealer

Southampton have had an up and down start to the season.  However, we are still surprised that
manager Ralph Hassenhuttl looked to be interviewing for a position at the Borgata in Atlantic City at this match (see picture right).

Bloated Mid-table

Right now the EPL mid-table is bigger than a beer-guzzling bowler's belly.  Sure it's only 7 games in but the spread from 10th to 17th is just 2 points and from 8th to 17th is just 3 points.  Newcastle (and Aston Villa) are disappointingly involved. 

Break

We're on the last international break before the World Cup.  The US has two friendlies.  The first is against Japan at 8:25 am on Friday (as in by the time you read this, the first half may be in the books).  The second is Saudi Arabia at 2 pm on Tuesday.  Berhalter is getting down to the last decisions on the squad for Qatar.  One Union alum - Brenden Aaronson - looks to be a lock.  A second  - Mark McKenzie  - is still in the running.

World Cup is just 58 days away.