Not Much To Miss

Not much happened in the last two weeks.

Meet The New Boss (apologies to The Who)

Pochettino: Definitely not the same as the old boss

Mauricio Pochettino and US Soccer and Chelsea finally worked out the contract details and he will be the new USMNT manager.  His first matches with the team will be the next set of friendlies on 10/12 (Panama) and 10/15 (Mexico).  Poch is not the first "foreigner" to manage the US team but arguably he's the highest profile manager the team has ever had.  Though I remain skeptical about how much he'll be able to accomplish in the larger infrastructure that is the chaos of US soccer, I'm excited to see how it works out.

The USMNT lost 2-1 to Canada and drew 1-1 with New Zealand in this international break.  The NZ goal sounds and looks like an unlucky break in the 89th minute.  

The Report Of My Death Was An Exaggeration

Sean Dyche did not get sacked.  In fact, two factors weigh against a quick sacking.  First, the club will be hard pressed to afford the £4 million payout Dyche would be owed upon sacking.  Second, Everton are in the midst of a possible ownership change and that new ownership will want to make the choice of manager.  As detailed here, that sale will neither be quick or sure to happen. So Dyche may have some time to save his position.

Must Go Faster

Though most of the MLS was off for the international break, the Union still lost ground in the playoff chase.  That's because DC United bested Chicago 2-1, moving them past both Atlanta and Philadelphia into the last playoff spot. Going into the weekend, the Union sit in 11th.  

A Nose For The Game?

Kerlon uses the seal dribble in a U17 match vs Uruguay

BFS Track and Field Correspondent Jack W sends along this article about the man who brought the "seal dribble" to mainstream soccer.  You can see Kerlon employing the technique here.  Interesting story, including the story about how the writer eventually tracked Kerlon down.  The article does not address this but there is plenty on the internet about how the technique is now "banned" by current rules.  That is not exactly the case.  There is no specific reference to seal dribbing in the laws.  There is however this definition of dangerous play:

Playing in a dangerous manner is any action that, while trying to play the ball, threatens injury to someone (including the player themself) and includes preventing a nearby opponent from playing the ball for fear of injury.

Since there is no way to safely challenge for the ball, using the technique when opposing players are close would qualify as playing in a dangerous manner.  Kerlon's long history as the subject of violent tackles does highlight how it can be dangerous. Some have also suggested that the technique, in certain circumstances, could be considered unsporting behavior as a form of taunting (looking at you Richarlison).  

 

Back to Work

A North London derby highlights the EPL return from the international break.  Tottenham will host Arsenal at 9 am on Sunday on USA.  Even at home and with the Gunners missing Declan Rice (suspension) and probably Odegaard (injury on international duty), Spurs are slight underdogs.  At least it looks competitive.  The rest of the fixture list is less promising.

A struggling Man United is still a strong favorite over host Southampton in the early Saturday match.  Of the 10 am contests, only Fulham -West Ham looks to offer the prospects of a competitive match.  Elsewhere, the home sides Brighton (Ipswich), Crystal Palace (Leicester), Liverpool (Nottingham Forest) and Man City (Brentford) look like good bets.  Palace - Leicester is the USA choice, the others are on Peacock.  The feature 12:30 NBC game is Aston Villa hosting Everton; anything less than a win for the Villans would have to be viewed as a disappointment.  There's a "bonus" Saturday contest at 3 pm on Peacock featuring surprising Bournemouth versus Chelsea; even at home, this would be a true "surprise" if the Cherries get anything out of this one.

Off some good performances as a sub and for Italy, expect
 Tonali to be in the starting XI for Newcastle (Getty Images)

Sunday has the aforementioned derby at 9 followed by Wolves - Newcastle at 11:30 on USA.  I like the Magpies' chances here but note that they haven't won at Molineux since February 2017, when both sides were in the 2nd tier Championship League.  In the six contests since then, the Magpies have drawn five and lost one.  

The Union will continue their quest for playoff berth with a tough contest away at Miami (7:30 Saturday behind Apple's double paywall).  They'll follow that up with another tough one at NYCFC (at MLS worst venue - Yankee Stadium) on Wednesday, also behind Apple's double paywall.

Midweek Champions League football returns with 18 matches Tuesday through Thursday.  Tuesday you can watch Aston Villa at Young Boys at 12:30 then tune in for Milan-Liverpool at 3 pm.  Wednesday has Man City hosting Inter at 3 pm.  Thursday is Arsenal at Atalanta, also at 3 pm.  The new Champions League format is explained here.

Except for some international breaks, it's gonna be a packed fall.