Wow

Must be an awesome weekend when a 4-0 Newcastle win is the second best result.  Indeed it was, as the Union roared back from 0-1 to send NYCFC up the turnpike with a 3-1 win for the Eastern Conference title.

Not Even Our Best?

There was an early tell in the Eastern Conference final.  NYCFC keeper Seth Johnson dawdled over the first goal kick in the opening minutes.  Really?  This was not an isolated incident.  They were playing for a penalty shoot out from the start? Maybe not, but they clearly wanted to slow the match down.  And it worked for a while but it was not a winning strategy.   The first half was choppy with maybe just a slight advantage to the Union, which didn't even show up in the stats.  The U seemed to lose the plot in the opening minutes of the second half.  Worse, they fell behind at 57 minutes when Maxi Moralez snuck one past several defenders and Blake.  

Three minutes later, Blake made his most MVPest save of the year, stopping Alex Callens' shot from close range; 0-2 at that point would have been a long way back.  We make it this week's YouTubeableMoment (should open to the right spot but go to 3:26 if it doesn't); sure the goals were important but they probably don't happen with out this save.

A Cory Burke ending

The introduction of Cory Burke at 62 minutes proved to be the other key moment of the game.  He changed the dynamic and shortly thereafter the U broke through on a quick free kick from Glesnes over the NYCFC defense that Carranza ran onto and put past Johnson for the equalizer.  Open the floodgates.  Two short minutes later Carranza headed a long cross from McGlynn to the breaking (and barely onside) Gazdag, who headed it in for the lead.  Feeling much better but not home yet, we were more than thrilled when Burke, largely on individual effort put one into the roof of the net at 76 minutes.  Blake took a page from Seth Johnson's playbook in the final 15 or so minutes, taking his sweet time over every goal kick and the Union managed the clock well to bring home the win.

Several notable things about the 3-1 final.  First, this reminded me and Dennis of the old Union, where we would be outpossessed (35/65 this time) and would score on blistering counters as opposed to incredible work in the final third by Gazdag/Carranza/Uhre.  Second, Uhre wasn't much of a factor.  Third, our passing percentage was a distressing 67.6%.  Fourth, Bedoya did start but only made it through the first half.  He spent most of the time behind Mbaizo on the right wing.  (An interesting sight was seeing him limp up the stage to raise the trophy in the post-game celebration - he is questionable for the final.)   In other words, this was not the Union's best.  On the flip side, xG was 1.7 - .6 in favor of the Union; that means NYCFC could not convert that possession into dangerous shots.    

In the other conference final, LAFC was never really at risk of not advancing as they rolled past Austin 3-0.  The U are decided underdogs for this final; 538 has this 64/36 for LA. That seems a bit harsh but the match is at Banc of California Stadium.  They were 13-2-2 during the regular season and have added two post-season wins as well.  

No Parking for You

LAFC may have home field advantage but it won't translate into an easier trip to the stadium for their fans.  Because USC has a home football match, there will be no parking available for those attending the MLS Cup Final at Banc of California Stadium.  As detailed here, fans will have to take public transit or park at Dodger Stadium and take a shuttle.  

Newcastle Romp

Almiron again - scoring in this third straight

The BFS derby was not the contest we envisioned back in August.  The first half was tight, with
Newcastle only getting the advantage after a tough handling call on Ashley Young in stoppage time.  Things degenerated in the second half.  Goals at 56, 59 and 67 minutes put the game out of reach.  Even allowing that there was a bit of luck on some of those, Newcastle also hit the crossbar and the post so it actually could have been more.  Villa had just three shots, none on target.  

No improvement in the table for the Magpies off the win but it did put some room between them and the middle of the pack.

You Can't Go Home Again

Chelsea outscored Brighton 3-2 at the Amex but the problem for the Blues was that two of them were own goals.  As in, Brighton won, 4-1.  I did speed through this match but the score reflects what I saw; Brighton put Chelsea under pressure for much of the match.  Though there's often bad luck involved in own goals, there were balls that were put in such a dangerous position you felt the only likely result was the somebody from one team or the other would end up putting them in the net.  All in all, a very rude homecoming for Graham Potter.  

Wrong Again

Once again, contrary to our prediction, the top sides mostly did not cruise to victory. Well, Arsenal dispatched Nottingham 5-0.  Man City could only squeeze out a 1-0 win over Leicester.  Of course, they were giving away 1.65 goals as Haaland had to sit out with a foot injury.  Frankly, it didn't look all that close anyway.  Spurs conceded two for Bournemouth and spent the rest of the day overcoming that deficit.  They did, just, with a stoppage goal to rescue the 3-2 win.  As we mentioned above, Chelsea went down at Brighton.  And Liverpool continued to scuffle, falling to Leeds - at Anfield no less - 1-2.  Yikes, consecutive losses to Nottingham Forest and Leeds. What is up with the Reds?  

We didn't put West Ham - Man United in the "easy" category and the 1-0 win for the Red Devils was a pretty good watch.  A nifty heady from Marcus Rashford was the difference there.

Compressed Still

Other resuslts did little to relieve the compression in the table.  Draws in the Fulham - Everton (0-0) and Brentford - Wolves (1-1) matches kept things pretty tight.  Even Crystal Palace's 1-0 win over Southampton didn't give them much space.  Going into the weekend, the spread from 12-18th is just three points.  If not for the fact that Leeds and Bournemouth play, the wrong set of results elsewhere could have put Everton and West Ham in jeopardy of starting the weekend 12th and 13th and waking up in the relegation zone.  Further evidence of the compression?  The spread from 9th to 18th is just five points.  Or the spread from 9th to 20th is just seven points.  

BFS Swag

Be the first on your block to get one

BFS La Liga Correspondent Michael B has found that there is BFS swag to be had (see picture left).  This was news to us.  I had our warehouse guys searching for hours but they couldn't find any of these stickers.  So don't contact us.  Check in with Buckingham Friends School, maybe they have some.

When Reindeer Fly

Santa may have met his match

You've probably seen the Fox promo campaign for the World Cup featuring Jon Hamm as Santa
realizing the international sporting event will overlap the holiday season.  Hmm, so we are turning to the guy who can make reindeer fly to help the USMNT win the World Cup?  Actually, that makes sense.  They do seem like miracles of about the same order.

Fun Stuff

A London derby (one of the more serious ones) leads the fixture list this weekend.  Chelsea will host Arsenal at - wait, what? - 7 am on Sunday on USA.  At least we get an extra hour of sleep but damn that's early.  With the match at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are probably slight favorites.  They cannot afford to lose this one; a loss would leave them 14 points behind the Gunners.

Despite recent form and their places in the table, we will still tune in with interest to Tottenham - Liverpool at 11:30 on Sunday on Peacock.  At 538, they have the match at 33/45/22.  Ouch, that's a smack at Spurs, especially with the match being in London.  I would not have been surprised with a close prediction but that says Liverpool are solid favorites.  

For intrigue and interest, we recommend Everton - Leicester, the feature match Saturday at 12:30 on NBC.  Both have underperformed so far.  Is Leicester going to make a bigger step away from the the relegation zone, dragging Everton into the mix?  This looks like a draw on paper.

Fulham - that's 7th place Fulham to you - may get a harsh dose of reality as they travel to the Etihad to face Man City.  Especially if as looks likely, Erling Haaland returns to the line up.  That is the USA match at 11 am Saturday.  Your Peacock choices for that time slot are Leeds - Bournemouth, Notthingham Forest - Brentford, or Wolves - Brighton.  I'll be out reffing so I'll probably be stuck with Man City - Fulham but would probably go with Wolves - Brighton if I wasn't stuck using the dvr.

Sunday at 9 am is also crowded with three matches sandwiched between the early London derby and the Spurs - Liverpool fixture.  Our choice is easy as Newcastle will travel to Saint Mary's to face Southampton; trying not to get too cocky but this should be at least a draw and really a win.  I wouldn't mind seeing West Ham vs Crystal Palace (on USA) or Aston Villa - Man United in Unai Emery's debut.

But these will all be overshadowed by the MLS Cup Final at 4 pm on Fox.  Glad to see the Union make it this far.

Doop