Cornucopia

Yes, an abundant supply of good things, even if every result isn't what you want.

A Proper Footballing Experience

I won't say the Club World Cup contest between Palmeiras and Chelsea at the Linc matched seeing Newcastle at St. James' Park, but it was close.  The Linc was packed with 65,872 fans, a significant and vocal majority of whom were Palmeiras supporters  They knew their role and played it well with songs, chants, banners and rollouts regardless of what was happening on the pitch; see here.  Would their team's backline been as well organized.  Chelsea fans were abundant too but tended to be quieter until their side actually did something.  

Our seats for Palmeiras - Chelsea; $200 doesn't buy what it used to

The match was close.  Palmeiras did some attacking early but Chelsea slowly took over.  Palmer's goal was the inevitable result of that pressure. (Wait, you can't spell Palmeiras without Palmer!)  Fortunately, Palmeiras did not concede a second before the halftime whistle and they came out with a better game plan in the second half.  From our vantage point, we have no idea how Estevao's shot got past Sanchez but it leveled things in the 53rd minute.  Back and forth from there and the prospect of extra time loomed.  Chelsea got the game winner on an own goal off defender Agustin Giay in the 83rd minute.  

The Union crew at the Linc

I won't say they were just happy to be there but Palmeiras supporters seemed to take the loss in stride, taking comfort perhaps in the good run their club had in the competition.  Chelsea fans were a bit more vocal leaving than they had been arriving.  

Except for maybe our seats not being the best, the four Union guys had a great time too.  Technically we
were neutrals looking for a close match but I think we became de facto fans of Palmeiras because of their underdog status.  Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Ya Done Good Philly

Inquirer writer Jonathan Tannenwald highlights here how well Philly came off as it hosted Club World Cup matches.  Attendance for the eight matches was just under 350,000 and two fixtures drew over 60,000.  Reviews from players and fans alike are positive for the venue, the restaurants and bars, and even the Broad Street subway.  To the extent this was a dry run for next summer's World Cup, the results are encouraging.  

All-Euro Final For CWC

I didn't see Fluminense's quarterfinal 2-1 win over Al-Hilal 2-1.  PSG did not exactly blow Bayern out the water despite what the 2-0 final suggests.  They didn't score until the 78th minute, then proceeded to have players sent off at 82 and 90+2 minutes to make the end more exciting.  Except Dembele scored in stoppage time to end the drama.  Speaking of stoppage time goals and drama, Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Dortmund featured three second half stoppage time goals.  Frankly the match wasn't all that exciting until then as RM jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes.  Dortmund got one back at 90+2, but Mbappe restored the two goal lead two minutes later.  But Dortmund got another via a PK at 90+8 in a play that saw Huijsen sent off for RM.  Not much time left but Courtois was called upon to make a game saving save in the final minute.  

The semis were more tepid affairs.  Chelsea was never really threatened in a 2-0 win over Fluminense.  PSG obliterated Real Madrid 4-0, scoring three times in the opening 24 minutes.  I didn't see the match but the stats back up the final score; possession was 69/31, shots 17/11 and shots on target were 7/2, with xG 2.45/.74.  Hmm, Real Madrid did no better than Inter Miami against PSG.

No Gold Cup for US

Some of the focus after the US 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup Final has been on the no handling call in the box (we'll get to that in a minute) but really the point is that US were thoroughly outplayed by the Mexicans.  Great that it was a hard-fought match but the US were clearly the second best team that night.  And I don't think it's really a big issue either.  This was a team that was missing 8-9 likely starters from next year's World Cup so expectations should be adjusted accordingly.  We learned a few things about which players might (or might not) be deserving of a spot on the WC roster.  We don't need any hand wringing right now.

As for the no handling call, you can see the play here.  Not a close call for me as the defender was falling after contact with the US player and was extending his arm to brace for the fall.  It seems like a tremendous stretch to say he was making himself bigger.  But some are still making the case; the still picture looks very damning but when you see the video, it doesn't look anywhere near as egregious.  There were also complaints about the foul that set up the free kick for the winning goal and about possible offside on the play as well.  A little too much whining for my taste given that the bigger issue was they were seriously outplayed. 

Maybe it's over but maybe it's not; the back of the goal
 post is in line with the back of the goal line so...

Also, I've scanned the web for a picture with a definitive image that shows Richards' header was completely over the line but found none.  Doesn't mean it wasn't the correct call; the AR had the best view and there was no reason for VAR to overturn the call.  My question though is how does the Gold Cup not have Goal Line Technology for the final.  This is supposedly a major competition in a venue that will be hosting World Cup matches next year.  Was this a budget cutting measure?  Did DOGE have anything to do with it?

Does US Soccer Have a Type?

Pochettino found a line up he liked and didn't mess with much rotation.  He was also extremely slow on the subs, often not doing much until after the 80th minute.  Not sure it mattered in this competition in terms of results but does it do much for the morale of those who were looking for a chance to make their case for the World Cup team.  Last August I noted that the USWNT manager Emma Hayes was not a big fan of rotation and used subs sparingly.  At least she gets to point to an Olympic gold medal.  Again though, a little worried about what that strategy does to the morale of the backups.  Didn't they both manage Chelsea?

Stuck Inside of Nashville with the Columbus Blues Again (apologies to Bob Dylan)

It was late in second half stoppage time with the Union and Nashville level at 0-0, which was annoying given that the U had been up a man since the 63rd minute.  BFS Artistic Director Laura O said she knew Nashville were playing for a draw at that point but might the Union also being willing to settle for just a point?  I said maybe but they shouldn't be.  About 30 seconds later, they get caught on a counter, Makhanya commits a foul in the box, Nashville converts the PK and the Union wind up with nothing.  Should have listened to Laura.

This is the second straight 1-0 loss from a match that they should have at least gotten a point.  They haven't scored in over 260 minutes and that was a PK from Damiani in the 10th minute against Chicago.  The loss drops them to third in the Eastern Conference.  They've been playing with a thin roster so some of the decline is understandable.  The good news is that Baribo made a late appearance against Nashville, though he didn't score.  Also, Sullivan and Harriel will be back from international duty.  Uhre and Westfield might be available Saturday as well.  Definitely need to see some goals again.

No Bulls

Yeah, that's unplayable
Photo: Bill Streicher - Imagn Images

The Union's quarterfinal US Open Cup match against Red Bulls was postponed when a  line parallelogram of thunderstorms took its time rolling through Southeastern PA.  The match is rescheduled for August 13.  The Union might benefit in two ways from the delay.  First, several players who would have been unavailable may well be ready by that date.  Second, thanks to the League Cup, Red Bulls will have seven matches between July 26th and August 16th, including contests on 8/7 and 8/10; they might be a bit fatigued at that point.

I Don't Think She Was Faking It

Dennis notified me of an interesting play in the Germany-Denmark Euro Championship match.  You can see the play here.  The Danish defender slams the clearance right into the face of the teammate and she goes down like she's been shot.  The ball ricochets right to a German attacker, who lays it off for a teammate, who scores the go-ahead (and winning) goal.

The Danish player clearly has a head injury.  Shouldn't the referee stop play immediately? The answer it appears, it elusive.  Here's the language from IFAB.

stops play if a player is seriously injured and ensures that the player is removed from the field of play

I saw many posts that add the word "immediately," but did not find that word in any IFAB documents.  Mark Clattenburg, who I almost always agree with, said there was no way the referee could stop play in that situation.  Part of the reasoning is based on the fact that it was a Danish player who kicked the ball into her teammate's face and therefore Germany shouldn't lose a goal scoring opportunity.  But wait, if the issue is player safety and getting treatment as soon as possible for the injured player, why does who kicked it matter?  If you watch the referee, I think she had just turned her head away from the play and did not see the ball strike Snerle in the face so maybe she wasn't sure if she needed to stop play right away.  I'm more okay with that line of reasoning, although she really should be following the ball at that point. I suppose you could argue that there was no disadvantage for Denmark as even if Snerle had not gone down, there's no way she could have been helpful in stopping the goal.  Again, if the issue is player safety and immediate treatment, that's irrelevant.  

All the Soccer with 80% Less Shithousery

I only picked up on the Women's European Championship with Thursday's group stage match featuring Finland and Switzerland.  The Finns needed a win to advance whereas a draw would have been enough for the Swiss.  Finland got their goal in the 79th minute on a PK but Switzerland got the equalizer in stoppage time and advance to the knockout stage.  Norway were the winners in that group.  

BTW, the women's game is noted for much lower level of shithousery than the men, though Dennis suggests Italy can shit house with the best of them.  I saw clearly in the Finland - Switzerland match that the women do not know the proper procedure for a PK.  The keeper went straight to the goal line, the taker went to the PK spot and everybody else lined up outside the box.  Don't they know everybody is supposed to crowd the PK spot for five minutes before going to these positions?

Still Plenty To Do

Two Union matches this week - Red Bulls Saturday at 7:30 and Montreal Wednesday at 7:30.  I have a ticket for both so two trips to Subaru Park for me.  The Union are favorites in both matches, especially against Montreal.  Six points is needed and four points is a minimum.

The Club World Cup concludes on Sunday afternoon at 3 pm on TBS with Chelsea facing PSG at the Meadowlands.  Opta has PSG as moderate favorites (42-32 with a 26% chance of the match going extra time).  The French club has been on a tear so Chelsea will have to bring their best game.  

The Women's Euro Championships finishes the group stage with two matches each Friday, Saturday an Sunday, all starting at 3 pm.  Quarterfinals run from Wednesday-Saturday with one match each day at 3 pm.    

Five Fridays from today, the EPL starts.