Newcastle get their first major trophy in 70 years and results in the EPL were mostly helpful for the position in the table this year. The Union were not so lucky.
Hardware!
If you saw Newcastle's 2-1 win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final, you know it didn't feel that close. Shots were 22-10 and shots on target were 7-3, both in favor of the Magpies. Surprisingly, xG was only 2.06-1.20; watching the game I would have thought the Newcastle xG was much higher. Liverpool did have the better of possession at 66-34 but it didn't feel all that threatening.
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| Dan Burn scores the opener: You can't teach height. Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs |
Of course, since this is Newcastle, nothing comes easy. They missed numerous chances to extend the lead to three or four goals so when Liverpool scored in stoppage time, it was squeaky bum time. They did the end of game management well, getting the ball to the corner and winning throw-ins and corners to keep the ball out of trouble.
I fully realize this is the least prestigious of the domestic competitions. On the other hand, they did beat, among others, Chelsea, Arsenal (over two legs) and Liverpool to win the title so there's nothing cheap about it. Also, I think it was important to show some progress in transforming the franchise under the new ownership. And, as Dennis noted based off the on-field celebration, the players definitely did Carabao it.
Conversation That Could Have Taken Place and Did
Steve (after Tonali was kicked in the groin): Wonder if they use magic spray in that situation?
Dennis: He's freezing his nuts off out there!
Good News in EPL
Since they didn't have a league match, Newcastle could have seen their position in table weakened. Instead, the results were mostly helpful. Man City could only manage a draw at home against Brighton so the Citizens are only one point up on us. Kind of reinforces what we said about Brighton last week; they have been tough lately and are level with Newcastle on points. Chelsea fell to Arsenal; though not a surprise, it was to Newcastle's benefit. Fulham beat Spurs 2-0 and now the Cottagers are creeping up so that's something to watch. Bournemouth could have gone level with Newcastle but continued their cool down, falling to Brentford.
Aston Villa, also idle because they played their match with Liverpool a few weeks ago, likely welcomed the results as well.
Play Likes There's No Midnight (apologies to Cinderella)
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| Anthony Elanga: I love this game. His brace took Forest past Ipswich |
their place 4-2. Forest took some time but once they broke through the match was gone. Goals at 35, 37 and 41 convinced me I could switch over to the Man City - Brighton match. Coupled with the results elsewhere, Forest are in third with a five point lead over Chelsea and six over Man City.
Relegation Realities
Is it time to declare that race over? Wolves beat Southampton, Ipswich lost to Nottingham Forest and Leicester lost to Man United. The spread from 18th to 17th is now nine points. Ipswich have lost four straight, Southampton five and Leicester six. Hard to imagine any of the three will rally at this point.
Cold Water
Turns out the Union - Nashville match was on Fox so with judicious use of the DVR, I was able to fit the match in between the Newcastle League Cup and the Players Championship. All good except the Union laid an egg. Early pressure from Nashville resulted in a totally deserved goal at 15 minutes. Frankly, the Union defense looked shaky from the get go. Fortunately Jovan Lukic evened things up with this wonder strike, which is already being touted as a candidate for goal of the year. The bad news was they couldn't get to halftime with a draw, surrendering a second just before the whistle. The score stayed 2-1 for most of the second half; I remember some Union chances but also more defensive break downs. This was not a great day for Westfield or Glesnes. A late PK for Nashville put the match out of reach.
Somewhat annoying that the Union had been denied a penalty after a visit to the monitor by Pierre-Luc Laauziere for a foul against Sullivan minutes before he awarded Nashville the PK after another trip to the monitor. For my money, it was inconsistent; I didn't think either were worthy of overturning the on-field decision. After declining to overturn the Sullivan incident, he has to leave the other one alone as well.
No More Dollar Dog Days?
In case you missed it, as the penalty incident late in the Union match unfolded, fans from the Sons of Ben section began tossing hot dogs onto the field. Very disappointing behavior from supposedly knowledgeable fans.
Explaining Europeans World Cup Qualifiers
The process of selecting the 16 European countries that will participate in the 2026 World Cup starts Friday. Back in December, 54 countries were divided into 12 groups - six with four teams each and six with five teams each. They'll play a traditional home and away series with each team in their group. The 12 group winners automatically advance to the World Cup. The 12 runners up and the four best ranked group winners of the UEFA Nations League that didn't finish 1st or 2nd will participate in a playoff. They'll create four brackets of four teams with each bracket having a single leg semi final and final to get the last four teams.
The composition of some of the groups is still up in the air as the Nations League is not finished yet. On the face of it, that competition is just glorified friendlies but it can determine your group placement (easier or harder) and does offer some of the less-skilled teams a sniff at WC qualifying. The process is explained in detail here.
Relegation Coming To A Town Near You?
Several loyal readers alerted me to the news that the USL is moving towards a three-tiered system with promotion and relegation. Details can be had here. Dennis notes that, like England, there's no sense to some of the division names. Divsion 1 for the top tier is fine but the second tier is the Championship Division and the third tier is called League One. Sometimes, it's impossible to improve on stupidity. Uh oh, I smell a Ted Lasso rant coming.
ICYMI
Actually, you didn't "miss" anything. The USMNT did not distinguish themselves in an 0-1 semi-final loss to Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League. In truth, they were probably the "better" team but this contest was not much to watch. You can't put lipstick on a friendly, which is what the Nations League is in the end. Neither team showed much attacking prowess or even that much interest. Panama's goal in stoppage time at least saved us from 30 minutes of extra time. I guess this means they get to keep the canal.
Mexico won the other semi 2-0 over Canada. They'll play Panama Sunday at 9:30. The US will play the third place match versus Canada at 6 on Sunday. Hopefully, they will be better behaved than the hockey teams.
International Break
Plenty of European World Cup Qualifying matches, some are even on Fox but most look to be on Fubo.
We'll be at Subaru Park Satruday night as the Union take on St. Louis. Because MLS loves to play through international breaks, we'll be missing Baribo, Blake Bueno, Gazdag, Danley and Westfield. Great. At least it won't be 30 degrees and windy. Still early but we note that St. Louis are unbeaten with two wins and two draws.
Enjoy the quiet time because April's going to be nuts.
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