High and Dry

A weekend with virtually non-stop rain, nothing to do but watch soccer.  And yet, with all the precipitation, I came home from Subaru Park Saturday night relatively dry and neither of the Phillies games were postponed.  

Between EPL, MLS, Caraboa Cup and US Open Cup, we are a bit overwhelmed.  Let's see what we remembered.

Eight Is Enough

Five of these guys scored (IMAGO/Focus Images/Andy Sumner)

More than enough.  Newcastle had a easy time at Sheffield United Sunday, running roughshod over the Blades 8-0.  Not just eight goals but eight goals from eight different scorers - Longstaff, Burn, Botman, Wilson, Gordon, Almiron, Guimaraes, and Isak.  That helped the goal differential, which is now 4th best in the league despite the Magpies mediocre record of 3-0-3.  Two consecutive wins have them sitting 8th in the table.

They Can't Beat You With One Hand Tied Behind Their Back

I eschewed what turned out to be a great North London Derby (see below) in favor of seeing how Aston Villa would handle Chelsea.  I expected Villa would be a challenge for the Blues and I was correct.  They were 0-0 through 57 minutes with Chelsea having the  advantage on possession but otherwise basically even.  Then Gusto went in on Digne with, well, too much gusto (sometimes you have to go with the obvious) and got a straight red.  After the sending off, there was maybe a slight momentum shift to Aston Villa but the game really felt like it could go either way.  A laser accurate shot from Watkins gave Villa 1-0 lead at 73 minutes.  Again, the contest felt balanced and 1-1 still seemed like a real possibility.  But the equalizer was never forthcoming and Villa snuck out of London with all three points.  You can't say the points were undeserved but you also can't help but wonder what is up with Chelsea.  

London Derbies

As I said, watching Villa meant I missed the Arsenal - Tottenham contest.  By all accounts, this was a cracker of a match, with Spurs rallying twice to take away a 2-2 draw.  Son accounted for both Tottenham tallies.  

The other London derby  - Crystal Palace vs Fulham - was pretty good too.  They played to a 0-0 draw that featured 25 fouls and 5 yellows.  Yeah, pretty snarly.

Age Is Just A Number

Jonny Evans: Doesn't look a day over 34
AMA Getty Images

Jonny Evans made his first start for Man United in eight years on Saturday against Burnley.  He looked to have made it a special occasion with a solid header goal.  Alas, it was chalked off for offside.  He did however get an assist the goal by Fernandes, a stunning volley that is a candidate for the goal of the year and an easy choice for this week's YouTubeableMoment.  Evans added eight clearances and an interception for a solid player rating of 7.85; he also was named as Player of the Match.  Not a bad day for the 35 year-old.

Fun With Statistics

Everton grabbed their first win at Brentford in 71 years.  Sounds like an awesome talking point, right?  Well, until you unpack it.  They've only faced each other 23 times, just once between 1954 and 2021.  So the winless streak included a draw on 8/27/22, and losses on 11/28/21, 9/21/10 and 2/24/54.  So the winless road streak before Saturday's 3-1 win was just four.  Full record between the two clubs is here.

Red Card Update

Three more teams had a player sent off this weekend and the recipients went 1-1-1.  We already mentioned Chelsea.  Man City had a 2-0 lead over Nottingham Forest when Rodri was sent off early in the second half.  Nothing changed in the ensuing 45 minutes.  Wolves played about 50 minutes down a man and still got a 1-1 draw with Luton Town.  For the season, red carded teams are 5-3-6.

Failed Quads and Triples

Not talking skating but the consequences of various cup results.  Loss to Houston in US Open Cup ended Miami's admittedly long odds for a triple (Leagues Cup, US Open Cup, and MLS Cup).  Without Messi and Alba, they fell 2-1.  As discussed below, their MLS Cup chances are still in play.

Sometimes one is enough; Isak gets game winner vs Man City

With a 1-0 surprise win Newcastle ended Man City's quad hopes (League Cup, FA Cup, Champions League and EPL).  City played a heavily rotated line up but so did Newcastle.  To wit, the Magpies back line was Livramento, Lascelles, Dummett and Targett.  First half was all City possession but no serious threats.  Second half subs of Gordon and Bruno for the kids Miley and Hall worked wonders.  Isak scored at 53 minutes.  City never looked all that interested in getting a goal and that was the final.

What If They Had a Match and No One Shot on Goal?

You'd have Saturday night's snooze fest at Subaru Park.  The teams combined for six shots, none on target.  The stats stay Union passing accuracy was 73% but I guess all the balls rolled out by Blake to the feet of Wagner bring up the average.  Conditions were terrible.  Not much rain except for a few minutes of downpour and maybe some showers.  The wind however was a factor, blowing towards the river.  LAFC had a couple of scary chances but mostly looked content to contain the Union.  The home side did have a nice goal called back for offside.  One point against LAFC, even at home doesn't sound terrible but the play just wasn't very good.

Textbook stuff from Quinn Sullivan; Photo Phila Union

Wednesday there was a little more life the result was still a draw, 1-1 against FC Dallas.  First half was energetic and the U had their chances.  Sullivan did convert a great pass from Wagner to score the opener.  As seen here, the play was a good outlet from Blake, nice carry and cross from Wagner and a clinical first touch and finish from Sullivan, his second in three games.  They couldn't hold the lead though as a failed clearance allowed Velasco to take a shot from the top of the box.  Sometimes you have to give the other guy credit.  The second half was no where near as excited, at least for the home side.  Dallas did grab what looked like a late game-winner but fortunately it was called by for a handball by the scorer.

We got a break with Orlando's draw against Miami  and the Columbus draw with FC Dallas.  The two draws lift the U into third place.  But, don't look behind you because the next (last) four games are against the four teams behind us in the standings.  Frankly, they could finish anywhere from 2nd to 6th.  How is possible that after 30 matches, this team is still largely an unknown quantity.

Playoff Math - Miami's Chances

DC fell to Red Bulls and now aren't the target.  NYCFC moved into 9th with a 3-0 win over Toronto.  Miami, without Messi and Alba, grabbed an unexpected point at Orlando with a 1-1 draw.  NYCFC faces basically the same math that DC United did.  They have 37 with 3 to go while Miami have 32 with 5 to go.  In other words, strangely enough, despite being five points behind, Miami contol their destiny.  And here's a fun wrinkle: Miami host NYCFC Saturday night in a classic six pointer.  Alas, the Cupertino Overlords did not deign to put that one on free Apple so it's behind the paywall.  

Choices Again

The schedule makers are not helping here - there are six matches at 10 am on Saturday.  And they're not all that great.  We'll be doing Newcastle Burnley on Peacock (on replay because I'm reffing until noon).  The TV game is Man United - Crystal Palace.  Wait, we just saw them.  The two played an uninteresing 3-0 mid-week Carabao Cup match.  Opta suggests that Everton - Luton Town may be the most competitive choice.  Or you can go with Wolves - Man City, Bournemouth - Arsenal or West Ham - Sheffield United.

At least the Saturday early and late games look good.  At 7:30 we have Aston Villa - Brighton, which Opta has at 38/29/33; a little surprised that they give Villa the slight edge.  After the 10 am match of your choice, the feature 12:30 fixture (on USA not NBC this week) is Spurs and Liverpool.  That should be fun.  

Only one on Sunday, Nottingham Forest vs Brentford at 9 am on USA.  Then on Monday we have a London derby featuring Chelsea - Fulham at 3 pm on USA.  The Blues have fallen in Opta's assessement as they have that one at 30/30/40.  Yes, that means Chelsea are favored but only given a 40% chance of beating the Cottagers.  Ouch.  Oh, and there's a Tuesday match, Luton Town - Burnley at 2:30 on Peacock, the rescheduled home opener for which the EPL did not think Luton Town's venue, Kenilworth Road, was ready for Prime Time.

Ooh boy, also a full mid-week of Champions League, Europa Cup and Europa Conference League.  Lots to choose from.  We note Newcastle host PSG on Wednesday at 3 pm.  Oh to be Tyneside now that Champions League is here.

And MLS action too.  The Union are at Columbus but not on "free" Apple.  They also have a mid-week game hosting Atlanta on Wednesday.  

What a great time to be a soccer fan.  Football is life!