Magical Moments

Some decent international action and the EPL schedule is out.


Can't Win For Drawing

Start with these facts:

• Scotland hardly ever beat England
• Scotland had arguably outplayed England in this match but had surrendered a goal in the 70th minute and were down 0-1
• Leigh Griffith had leveled things in the 87th minute with a great free kick that beat Joe Hart to his left
• A point was better than none but Scotland really needed three to keep its WC hopes alive

Okay, now watch this video as Leigh Griffith lines up to take another free kick in the 89th minute.  Stunning as he beats Joe Hart to his right this time.  Two superb free kicks in two minutes from the same guy to rally Scotland from an 0-1 deficit to a 2-1 lead.  Full disclosure requires that I tell you that Harry Kane had a brilliant strike of his own in the closing seconds to snatch the victory away from the Scots.  Still, that moment must have been awesome for those Scottish fans.  I like the England team a lot but Scotland needed the three way more than England needed one.

Rummaging around the other European qualifiers, it was a decent round for the United Kingdom (how many countries are in this country - four).  Aside from the Scotland-England draw, Northern Ireland got a win and Wales got a point in Serbia.  England still leads its group and Northern Ireland looks like a decent bet to get to the playoff round.  Sweden took the measure of France and are now tied with the Frogs at the top of their group.  And BFS fav Iceland snatched a critical win at home against Croatia on a 90th minute corner from Gylfi Sigurdsson that Magnusson put away for the winner.  The victory puts the Our Boys level on points with Croatia at the top of the Group I table with 13; but since Turkey and Ukraine are close behind with 11 points each, nothing is settled in this group.  For those wondering which two sides are the punching bags in that group, they would be Finland and Kosovo who have one point a piece. And yes, they got their lone points in a draw against each other.


Thrilla in Azteca

Michael Bradley (4), who scored, and his United States teammates
 after a draw against Mexico on Sunday in a World Cup qualifying
 match. CreditRebecca Blackwell/Associated Press

Michael Bradley's deft chip aside, the Mexico-USA match didn't have quite the singularly dramatic moments of Scotland-England contest, but the 1-1 draw will be remembered for some time.  That the draw felt like a victory for the UMSNT is evident from the picture at the right.  But we get ahead of ourselves.

First there was the workmanlike win over Trinidad & Tobago. Our guys took their time in getting unraveled but goals from Christian Pulisic at 52 and 62 minutes were enough to kill the drama there.  I would be remiss if I didn't cite the performance of Newcastle's own DeAndre Yedlin, who had a hand in both goals.  With the three points in hand, the trip to Mexico wasn't quite as scary as it could have been.

For the Mexico match, Bruce Arena made seven lineup changes and went with three central defenders and two wingers (five man back line on defense but the wingers became midfielders in possession).   You'd have to say it was bit of break when Bradley scored an improbable goal in the sixth minute.  I don't speak Spanish but I believe the announcers in this video are offering grudging respect for Bradley's effort.   The US gave it back when Bobby Wood basically fanned on a shot in the box and Ochoa's outlet pass sent Mexico off to the races; any kind of shot from Wood probably means there is no chance for a quick counter.  Though there would be no more scoring, it was still intense all the way to the final whistle.  As Michael B notes, the result might be more important to the USMNT psyche than the point they took home.  Certainly the Hex does not look as daunting as it did last November.

And that is partly due to some help from Honduras, who worked a draw on the road against Panama.  Though they got a point in Costa Rica, Los Canaleros may be ruing missed opportunities.  They played a man up against Costa Rica but only got a draw and then found themselves outplayed by Honduras, rescuing a draw with a dramatic 90th minute goal.  That allows the US to slip past Panama into the third and final automatic qualifying spot.  Still four to go but the schedule favors the US going forward.


EPL Fixtures Announced

The season schedule is up at the EPL website here.  Actually, the schedule at this point is more what you'd call guidelines because the TV guys haven't worked their magic yet.  Many games will be moved from Saturday to Friday, Sunday or Monday; even games that don't change dates could change starting times.  But you get the general picture.

Newcastle get to open at St. James' Park but face a tough side in Tottenham.  From there the schedule looks to be a bit inviting until it gets really nasty in December. Always seeing the glass half empty, the Magpies cannot afford to get off to a slow start given that schedule.

Nothing worth reporting on the transfer front - just more rumors and speculation.  This was supposed to be the summer of Rafa but not so much yet.  And another rumor is that Ashley is preparing to sell the team to Chinese investors.  Observers are suggesting it may be true this time because Ashley, unlike other times, has not issued a denial.  I saw one commenter express hope that it isn't true, saying the devil you know, etc.  You mean the devil who has presided over two relegations in less than 10 years?

BFS will be taking a few weeks off, though in this case it really means shifting to the track and field blog to focus on the US Champs and a three meet Tracktown Series pitting teams representing NYC, Portland, San Francisco and Philadelphia against each other (details here).

Don't forget Gold Cup and Confederations Cup and MLS action.  Plenty to watch.  Check your local listings as they say.

Football Can Be Unfair

We've all watched matches where the result doesn't fit with our sense of how the game played out.  A team that dominated possession, outshot their opponent 8 to 1 and hit the woodwork a few times somehow lost 0-1.  Check out this feature on Nate Silver's fivethirtyeight blog.  I draw your attention to two items - shot based expected goals and non-shot expected goals.  There's more detailed explanation at the site but they are basically an analysis of how many goals the team could have been expected to score based on the chances they created.  The authors like the metric but caution that they've only been collecting the statistic for about six years and are not willing, at least for public consumption, to fully stand behind it yet.  But it can serve as a good reality check.

Remember a few weeks ago I suggested the Union were more than just a little lucky to come away with a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls.  These metrics suggest at best a close match and indicate that maybe the Red Bulls were the better team.  Looking at the DC United, Houston and Colorado data suggests those were reasonably fair results.  Same for Real Salt Lake and the NYCFC scores (discussed below).

Looks like a fun site to check in with after you're left scratching your head when a result doesn't match what you just saw.


Get Real

Damn Real Madrid.  One minute we were having a competitive Champions League final, the next minute it was a blow out.  Quite an offensive display by Real Madrid, including two from Ronaldo (who took some criticism from the female viewers at 6911 for the frosted tips - see right).  Even if we count Mandzukic's incredible goal at triple value, Juventus still loses 3-4.  But the goal was truly awesome and the context (leveling the final at 1-1) makes it even better. We'll make it this week's (year's?) YouTubeable Moment.  Hard to deny that Real were by far the better side though.


Union in the Big Apple

Didn't Mick Jagger say something like playing soccer in this town must be tough, tough, tough, tough?  The Union were bad for about 85 of the 90 minutes but were lucky enough to be holding a 1-0 lead into the 80th minute thank's to a quick moment of brilliance involving C.J. Sapong and Fafa Picault and some more fine goalkeeping from Blake.  For a moment I thought about how good it would be to steal out of Yankee Stadium with all three points.  Then I realized that was greedy, especially given how they were playing, and admitted that even sneaking home with one point was a pretty good thing.  Of course they got neither, surrendering two goals within 5 minutes off of NYCFC corners.  The result was an absolutely fair reflection of the match.


Sliding Into Second Base

Separating it from the result so as not to make it look like an excuse for the loss, I still have to comment on the ridiculous idea of playing soccer in Yankee Stadium.  It's bad enough that they play on an 8 v 8 sized pitch but the number of players that slipped on the grass laid over the infield dirt was possibly a bigger issue.  Why don't they just play their home games at Red Bull Arena until they get something better?  Oh right, we can't have two "New York" football teams playing in the same New Jersey stadium.  That would be unprecedented.  Based on this article, sure doesn't look like there's an alternative coming in the near future.


Silly Season

The stories coming out about possible Newcastle transfers are too numerous and often baseless rumors anyway so we'll just wait until there are real signings.  It does appear that the Magpies lost out to Villarreal on one target and Arsenal are possibly going to snatch another one away.  So at this point, other than signing Christian Atsu, there's nothing new.

Sad news that Cheick Tiote died of an apparent heart attack on the training ground of his club in China.  The former Magpie defensive midfielder was just 30 years old.  In remembrance here's a video (love the announcer's "boom, boom, shake the room!") of what was easily Tiote's most memorable moment with Newcastle, as he completes the Magpies comeback from 0-4 down against Arsenal.


USMNT

Serious business afoot for the US in World Cup qualifying.  Thursday night they are in Colorado to take on Trinidad & Tobago (7:50 FS1) and Sunday night they are in Mexico (8:30 pm, also FS1).  The T&T match is in the must-win category.  Mexico?  If we get a point out of that, I'll be thrilled.

Looking at the other matches, at the end of this round the US could still find themselves sitting in the uncomfortable fourth position in the Hex table.  Recall that spot doesn't get you to the World Cup final, just to a play-in series versus the fifth place side from Asia. We get a bit of break in that the two teams just ahead of us, Costa Rica and Panama, have to play each other Thursday.  But their second matches in this window are against the bottom two sides.  One will probably get a minimum of three points and the other possibly a maximum of six.  I think I'd prefer to see Costa Rica take all three against Panama.  That way, if we do eke out a point in Mexico, the US could move into the third spot based on goal differential.  You can look at various scenarios in this Soccer America Daily update.

TV coverage is pretty good so you can follow other key matches in the Hex.  On Thursday you can see Costa Rica-Panama (beINSports at 9:50) and Honduras-Mexico (FS1 at 10 pm).  Tuesday you can watch the Panama-Honduras contest at 9:25 on beINSports.

You can also catch a smattering of the European qualifiers, including Sweden-France (Friday at 2:45 on FS2), Scotland-England (Saturday at noon on FS2) and Serbia-Wales on Sunday at 2:45 on FS2.

Just a heads up - BFS will take a week or two off after this international window is done.

FA Cup Saves Wenger Again

A good FA Cup Final, a dismal performance from the Union and a tense but ultimately unsatisfying Championship Division Final.  Also, getting ready for a "busy" summer of international action.


A Match of Two Calls

Ramsey heads in Giroud's cross for the game winner

Overall I thought Saturday's FA Cup Final was a great match for the neutral with plenty of back and forth attacking football.  Recognizing that I still believe that referees' decisions don't cost you games, there were two calls that, shall we say, changed the complexion of the match.  One I think Anthony Taylor got wrong but he was spot on with the other.

At four minutes, Alexis Sanchez got Arsenal on the board with a play that was a) a handball, b) offside, c) handball and offside or d) no infractions at all.  Taylor and his assistant went with d) no infraction but a) might be the correct answer.  You can see a decent video of the incident here.  For me, Sanchez extended his arms in an unnatural way and guided the ball so that he could maintain control; in other words, he handled it.  I agree with the announcer that the play was not offside.  You could try to make a case that Courtois didn't get a clear view of Sanchez as early as he otherwise might have, coming around Ramsey as he did but that's about it.  You also might say the rule stinks if that play was not offside but I don't think Taylor was wrong in not calling offside.

The Arsenal goal probably helped make this a lively contest.  But then it seemed Chelsea's fate was sealed with a textbook dive by Victor Moses, right in front of Taylor, for which Moses was awarded his second yellow of the match and was sent into exile.  The video, complete with laugh track, is here.  BFS co-founder and Diving Analyst Dennis F was especially impressed with the technique but ultimately awarded only a 4.5 out of 5 saying there "was not enough embellishment for the full 5."

Chelsea promptly showed how devastating the loss was by equalizing eight minutes later on a fine play by Diego Costa.  But Arsenal would carry the day with a great cross from Giroud that Ramsey headed emphatically into goal for the winner.  This was the third title for Arsenal in four years but probably carries a bit more prestige given the quality of the opponent.  This is not a knock on Hull City or Aston Villa.  Wait, it actually is.

And I would be proven wrong about Wenger, as days after the win, he signed a two-year contract extension.  So, Arsenal fans will still have him to kick around.


Union Run Out of Luck

The Union put up another stinker but this time there would be no PKs or sending off to save them.  I don't know if the Union were slow or if Salt Lake was pressing them but it seemed like every pass was made under pressure, with the result that they were intercepted or otherwise ultimately unsuccessful.  Without heroics from Blake, this would have been 0-3 or 0-4 instead of the final 0-1.  Graham R points out that this team is probably not as bad as the early record suggested nor as good as the recent form might indicate.  No, without improvement or changes, this is a mediocre team that could contend for one of the last playoff spots.  This latest loss helped them to slip back to 9th.  They are back in action at 1 pm vs NYCFC, who sit 5th in the table.  Not hopeful of a good result here, plus soccer at Yankee Stadium is practically unwatchable; the pitch is about as wide as a bowling lane.


Huddersfield Are Going Up

Sir Patrick Stewart displays the full range of a football fan's
 emotions while taking in  Huddersfield-Reading

With Sir Patrick Stewart (right) urging them on, Huddersfield Town edged out Reading in a penalty shootout to secure the last promotion spot from the Championship Division to the EPL.  The match had all the tension you would expect and for about 75 minutes, though scoreless, wasn't terrible.  From there on, through the 30 minutes of extra time, it was just tense, as it looked like everybody was playing not to lose so it was still scoreless after 120 minutes.  Somewhat understandable - would you want to be known as the guy who cost his team $150 million?   Thus, it came down to kicks from the spot and Huddersfield won out, 4-3.  They return to top flight football for the first time since 1972.


Champions League Final

The European club season draws to a close on Saturday with the Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid (Fox, 2:45).  The oddsmakers suggest this should be a close match, with Real Madrid a slight favorite.  We will be rooting for Juventus for marginally suspect reasons.  First, the Juventus black and white kit (left) is very Newcastle-like.  Second, as a casual Atletico fan (I do have a scarf), Real Madrid is not a particular favorite of mine.  Mostly, though, I'd just like to see a decent match decided in the run of play, not on a shootout.


International Calendar

Though European club soccer is done, there will be a vigorous international schedule.  The US has two world cup qualifiers in June - 6/8 vs Trinidad & Tobago and 6/11 vs Mexico.  The Gold Cup, Concacaf's biennial tournament, runs from 7/7 to 7/26.  Europe will have a round of WC qualifiers between 6/9-6/11.  And there's the Confederations Cup, an eight team tournament that serves as a dry run for the next World Cup host (Russia in this case).  That will run from June 17 to July 2.  So definitely not as busy as August to May but you'll be able to find some good stuff.

Shifting Focus

The EPL's final weekend, an ugly win for the Union and Newcastle transfer doings.

Drama - For 45 Minutes

Man City scored early and often against Watford so their situation was never in doubt.  But Arsenal scored quickly against Everton (who have been playing in flip-flops for weeks now) while Liverpool were struggling to get on the board against Middlesbrough.  So, approaching halftime, Arsenal were in and Liverpool out in the Champions League race.  But a stoppage time goal from Wijnaldum essentially ended the drama as I had as much chance of scoring as Middlesbrough did.  It was a sweet tally so we'll make it this week's YouTubeableMoment.  Thus we end with Chelsea, Tottenham, Man City and Liverpool as the top four.

With Arsenal 1) not in the top four and 2) finishing behind Tottenham I am now of the view that an FA Cup win over Chelsea will not be enough to save Wenger.  

Back Door to the Champions League?

Manchester United will be playing Champions League football again thanks to their 2-0 Europa Cup win over Ajax (all together class, say I-yacks).  Certainly winning this competition is no small feat so the headline is probably a bit harsh.  Offering a CL spot to the Europa Cup winner was a good way to put some luster into that competition.  Can't say the match was enthralling and this is a criticism you always hear about Mourinho - that his teams don't play attractive football.  I'm happy to get on the Special One's case for other things but not on this point.  His job is to win.  He has salvaged something from an otherwise unremarkable season.

So how come he won't be under the same pressure as Wenger?  If Arsenal win the FA Cup you could argue their seasons are remarkably similar - disappointing/underachieving  EPL campaigns but some silverware from other competitions.  Expectations (lower for Man United)? Trends (decline for Arsenal)?  Tenure (Mourinho just getting started at Manchester)?  All of the above?

It's Still Worth Three Points

The Union came out flat against a weak Colorado side and found themselves down 0-1.  As Ze Roberto points out, that was a U12 goal.  Onyewu kept ceding ground to Calvert even as he got near the 18 while Blake, for his part, was standing rather indifferently at the 6 like there wasn't going to be a shot on goal.  Frankly, they didn't improve all that much as the match went on.  A lot of toothless possession.

Then there's a penalty and Sapong buries the PK.  A few minutes later Calvert gets two yellows essentially for the same incident.  First, he goes down injured by the goal line but won't get off the field.  I thought he got a yellow for delay but it was for dissent.  Then he comes back on the field without the referee's permission.  That's a second yellow and he's gone.  More on this in a minute.  A little while later, Medunjanin buries a free kick (video here) and the Union have a 2-1 comeback win.  Note to Jeff H - I might be ready to say that Medunjanin is an acceptable replacement for Barnetta.

Ze Roberto asked if the yellow for entering the field without permission was harsh.  It is very clearly spelled out in the laws of the game - it's got its own section.  The referee had certainly had enough of Colorado's time wasting tactics, going back to his warning of Howard in the 32nd minute.  And if it's a cardable offense, it's not supposed to matter that you already have one.  For me, I thought it was harsh.  In my infinite wisdom as a Grade 8 referee, I would have waved him back off the field and to make my point, might not have waved him back on right away.

Yet for all the poor play and lucky breaks, I see in the paper that the win still counted for three points.

Good Weekend for the Wijnaldums (Wijnalda?)

On Saturday, Giliano made a very creditable debut for the Union at left back.  I don't recall any major faux pas and he handled the ball well.  This would be a big boost if he can spell Fabinho on occasion (and Fabinho is hard to spell).  

On Sunday, brother Georghinio's goal in first half stoppage time basically sent Liverpool into the Champions League.  Anfield had been a nervous place through the first half with Arsenal up and Liverpool unable to break through against Middlesbrough.  With the goal, things settled down and Liverpool pretty much cruised from there.

Best Use of the Term Own Goal in an Blog Post (warning: left leaning political views presented)

My man Charles Pierce has a fun post about Trey Gowdy thinking he's got John Brennan all teed up for a gotcha moment in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee (we'll save debate as to whether that's an oxymoron for another day).  But what's this, the attempt backfires and Pierce credits Gowdy with an own goal.  Details in this post, which includes an embedded video of the great Andres Cantor's signature GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!

Transfer Targets Galore

Easily my favorite time in Football Manager is the July transfer window.  How big a budget will the board give me?  How do I prioritize the team's needs?  How do I maximize value for the dollars spent?  Will this star player actually be interested in coming to Chester?  

Batshuayi would look great in
 Newcastle kit

So would Iheanacho

In Newcastle, the process has begun and it's difficult to keep up on all the possibilities.  We hear that Benitez might get 70 to 100 million to spend (believe it when I see it given tightwad owner Mike Ashley's previous history).  Strikers like Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi and Man City's Kelechi Iheanacho are named as possible targets (either would be great but Batshuayi price tag has got to be 35m or more).  Midfielder James McCarthy and winger Andros Townsend still get mentioned frequently.  Very much looking forward to seeing what Rafa does to set this team up to compete in the EPL.

Lighter Schedule

Fortunately the Union got their act together as the European schedule winds down.  Still some clean up items though.  FA Cup Final featuring Chelsea and Arsenal is 12:30 Saturday on Fox.  Is this Wenger's last appearance?  No favorite for me there so just looking for an interesting match.

You can start your Memorial Day sports viewing with the most lucrative playoff competition in professional sports - the Championship Division match for the last promotion spot into the EPL.  Huddersfield Town will take on Reading at 10 am on beIN SPORTS.  Wouldn't mind seeing either team get promoted so again, just looking for a good match.

And the Union will play Saturday night in Salt Lake City at 8 pm.  Real Salt Lake are 10th in the West so I'd like to think the surging Union have decent chance to come away with something.

What will you do with all this free time?  

All Over But the Shouting

Well, not exactly but most things were resolved over the weekend and mid-week matches.
Still to be resolved are the final two Champions League spots and there are multiple scenarios involving Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal.  Recall that while both 3rd and 4th qualify for the European competition,  the 4th place side faces a play-in series to get to the actual Champions League action.  Man City and Liverpool control their own fates but Arsenal can still slip in, even as high as 3rd, with the right set of results.


Weakend

Bobby Madley is not ordering two Heinekens

Well that wasn't the most scintillating set of fixtures ever.  Chelsea clinched the title with a drab 1-0 win over West Brom.  Crystal Palace turned what could have been a tense relegation match into a laugher with easy 4-0 win over Hull, condemning the Tigers to the third relegation spot.  Spurs are set for second place with a win over Man United, whose direct route to the Champions League - a top four finish - is blocked (though a Europa League win over Ajax could still get them there).  Man City-Leicester was interesting but mostly because of the bizarre PK attempt by Mahrez.  With the Citizens leading 2-1, Mahrez was awarded a PK in the 77th minute.  He slipped but still slotted the attempt into the net.  Except, in the course of slipping, he actually struck the ball twice.  In the words of Ted Lasso, that is a violation.  Goal doesn't count, indirect free kick coming out from the spot of the violation.  Looked at a pile of videos and in none could you actually see the how he kicked the ball off his other foot.  So all you get is a picture of ref Bob Madley (above right) giving the peace sign, ordering two beers or indicating that Mahrez got two touches.

Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal each won all their matches, setting up the final weekend fun.


Future Trivia Answer

Q: Who scored the last goal at White Hart Lane?
A: Wayne Rooney


Union Rules

Wow, what is happening here?  The 4-0 scoreline for the Saturday match fairly reflects the Union's domination over DC United.  Granted, the sending off of Acosta in the 55th minute did make things easier by 1) taking a DC player off the field and 2) taking off the player most likely to score against the Union.  But the Union had been unpressed to that point and it seemed likely they would add to the 1-0 lead.  Which they did.

Wednesday's match was more of the same.  The first half was all Union and they could have had 3 or 4 instead of the 2 they got.  The second half was quieter but Houston never really threatened all the much.  They now have gone 363 minutes without yielding a goal

The backline combination of Gaddis/Onyewu/Elliott/Fabinho seems to have gelled.  Bedayo has found a home as a defensive midfielder and Medunjanin is keying the offense with excellent distribution of the ball.  The latest revelation might be Ilsinho as our #10.  He set up one and scored one on Wednesday and played 60+ minutes with a work rate heretofore unseen from him.  We'll make Ilsinho's tally this week's YouTubeableMoment.

Championship Division Playoffs

On Tuesday Reading eked out a 2-1 aggregate win over Fulham on a tough but likely correct handling call.  Then Huddersfield edged out Sheffield Wednesday Wednesday on kicks from the spot.  The two winning sides will meet at Wembley on Monday May 29th for the right to move up to the EPL.  The $100+ million minimum value of promotion makes this likely the most lucrative pay day in sports.

The Many Channels of the NBC Network

Sunday is the season finale for the EPL, with all matches kicking off at 10 am.  And by utilizing their multiple affiliates, NBC can offer every one of them live, drawing on USA, SYFY, OYGN, ESQR, E!, MSNBC and Bravo in addition to the usual trio of NBC, NBCSN, and CNBC.   But only three of the matches have any meaning.  Watford-Man City is on USA, Liverpool-Middlesbrough is NBCSN and Arsenal-Everton is NBC.  I'll probably go with Arsenal-Everton because if the Gunners don't manage at least a draw, the other matches will only matter for 3rd and 4th.

The Union host Colorado, who are bottom of the Western Conference, Saturday night.  Every reason to expect a good result there but, well, let's not assume anything but instead hope the run continues.


PS - This marks the 200th post of Booked For Simulation.  I had hoped to do a bit more to mark the occasion but work and other stuff limits my time.  I'll just say that I'm still having fun with this so we'll keep posting.

  

Pleasant Surprises

A pair of surprising results from the BFS home teams plus important results from the EPL made for a good weekend.


Outrunning the Bear

Recall a month or so ago I pointed out that to achieve automatic promotion Newcastle did not need to finish ahead of Brighton, but simply had to stay in front of Huddersfield and the other campers.  Turns out they ended up outrunning the bear too.  Newcastle made easy work of Barnsley at home 3-0 while in Birmingham, Jack Grealish's 89th minute goal gave shorthanded Aston Villa a draw with Brighton. So the Magpies win the Championship division.  In the grand scheme of things it probably doesn't matter that much.  Maybe some extra prize money, maybe a little easier to woo transfer targets.  But hey, one of my teams actually got some silverware.

Meanwhile at Chester-on-Delaware

Exceeding all expectations, the previously unwon Union put together their best 65 minutes of soccer this year came away with a 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls.  C. J. Sapong's hat trick got him the man of the match but my choices would have been Bedoya and Med.  Alejandro personally foiled numerous Jersey attacks and Med did a great job distributing the ball in ways that created good attacking runs.

Now the wet blanket part - the score flatters the Union and not just a little bit.  While the Union had the run of play in the first half, Jersey had probably as many good scoring chances with quick counter attacks.  We could have been down 0-1 or 0-2 at half.  Next, the first 25 minutes of the second half were awful.  From our perch at the 18 at the River End, Jeff K and I were getting stiff necks watching all the action down at the other end.  Could have been 0-3, 0-4 by 70 minutes.  About 50-50 between poor finishing by the Red Bulls and good goalkeeping by Blake.  Third, our first goal came on a deflection; nice play to set it up but if it doesn't hit the defender, it doesn't go in.  Fourth, shortly after our goal the Red Bulls should have tied it but Royer (I think) completely missed the goal. Fortunately a few minutes later Pontius sent a header across the goal mouth and Sapong put it away. Given its importance to the Union, we'll make it this week's YouTubeableMoment.

Good result and maybe the players will build off it.  But this team is still a work in progress.


By the Time You Get to Read This

The EPL title may have been decided.  Chelsea's win over Middlesbrough and Spurs upset loss to West Ham means that Chelsea can clinch Friday afternoon with a win at West Brom.  Tottenham really looked flat and it cost them.  The good news for Spurs fans is that Liverpool's 0-0 draw  with Southampton (which featured a rare PK miss by James Milner) means only Man City can catch Tottenham for second.


So You're Telling Me There's A Chance

St Totteringham's Day is cancelled but Arsenal are not out of the Champions League running yet.  Wins over Man United and Southampton leave the Gunners three back of Man City and four back of Liverpool with three to play.  Yes, the Citizens' schedule doesn't look overwhelming (Leicester, West Brom and Watford); neither does Liverpool's (West Ham and Middlesbrough).  Arsenal's goal differential is also worse  than either Man City or Liverpool.  Still they are not mathematically out of it.  Should the Gunners finish top four and then win the FA Cup, how in the world is it not Arsene Wenger's choice if he stays or goes?


And Then There Were Three

A combination of their own results and/or Hull's bad awful loss to Sunderland meant Leicester, Stoke, Watford, Burnley and West Ham all saw their relegation threats end.  At the dark end of the street, Middlesbrough's defeat at the hands of Chelsea meant their relegation struggle was over too but not in a good way.  Therefore we are left with Crystal Palace (38 points), Swansea (35) and Hull (34) fighting to avoid the last spot.


No Cup For You

Well the virtual FA Cup Final vs Arsenal didn't go as planned.  It was a statistically even match but we had poor tackling and shooting, got poor performances from our top two players and all of our strikers and we hit the woodwork twice.  Perhaps the most interesting thing is that with all that, we only lost 0-1.  But I look at it the other way.  If it was that close and we played our worst, that suggests even an average game from us would have been enough to claim the cup.  I blame the manager.


The View From Europe

Atletico made things exciting but a late first half goal from Real Madrid put that Champions League semi-final to bed.  Juventus was unpressed closing out Monaco in the other semi.  Man United held on against Celta while Ajax won the other Europa semi so both European competition finals are set.


Relegation Matchup

I recommend you watch or at least DVR Sunday's clash between relegation rivals Crystal Palace and Hull City (7 am CNBC).  Not saying it will be a quality match but unless it's a blow out, the tension will be high.  Crystal Palace will be safe with a win or a draw.  A win for Hull means the final relegation spot won't be decided until the final Sunday.  The other relegation candidate, Swansea, travels to Sunderland for a Saturday match ( 10 am NBCSN).

For those looking for an early start to the weekend, take in the aforementioned West Brom-Chelseas match at 3 pm Friday (NBCSN).

At the top of the table you'll want to stay current on Liverpool at West Ham (Sunday 9:15 CNBC), Man City hosting Leicester (Saturday 7:30 NBCSN - this should be a fun match to watch anyway), Stoke hosting Arsenal (Saturday 12:30 NBCSN) and Spurs-Man United (Sunday 11 am NBCSN).

Unfortunately it appears there is no coverage here of the two playoff series in the Championship division featuring Reading-Fulham Saturday and Tuesday and Huddersfield-Sheffield Wednesday Sunday and Wednesday.  Hopefully beIN Sports will choose to at least cover the finals.

The Union travel to Washington to face DC United, hoping to build on recent performances.

And a reminder that next week is crammed with mid-week EPL action as the teams with games in hand will take the pitch.  Not clear if any will be meaningful depending on this weekend's results but the schedule includes matches Monday through Thursday.  Tuesday's matches with Arsenal hosting Sunderland and Man City hosting West Brom are most likely to still matter.

Gonna be a rainy Saturday so enjoy your football.

Calmer Waters

Isaac Hayden's goal sealed Newcastle United's win at Cardiff City

With the raid of SJP and the arrest of Lee Charnley starting to look like a heavy handed overreaction on the part of tax authorities, the week was a little better Tyneside.  The players, for their part, seemed unfazed by the buzz, and managed a fairly easy 2-0 win over Cardiff City; combined with Brighton's loss, first place in the Championship Division is still up for grabs this Sunday.  Much of the talk, as it should have, returned to speculation as to Rafa's targets in the upcoming transfer window.


Tis But A Scratch

Jamaal Lascelles will miss the final match of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a double hernia.  We just learned that he's been playing with the injury for almost four months now.  Tough kid.  Benitez must have seen something in him as well, as the manager knew of the injury but often chose Lascelles over a healthy Mbemba or Hanley.  To be honest, Lascelles did struggle at times this year but now you have to wonder how much of it was the injury.  BFS obtained secret footage of Lascelles attempt to persuade Benitez that he could still play.


St Totteringham's Day Cancelled

St Totteringham is the patron saint of Arsenal football whom the Gunners' fans honor on the day that Arsenal mathematically clinch a higher spot in the table than Tottenham.  The day has been observed for 22 straight years, though careful watchers will have noted that it had been coming later and later in the year.  Last year, it was on the final day of the season.  This year, it's cancelled altogether because the Gunners 0-2 loss at White Hot Hart Lane means Arsenal will not catch Spurs this year.  Tottenham gained no ground on Chelsea though, who destroyed Everton 3-0; the cliche about already having the flip-flops on, preparing for summer holiday, clearly applied to the Toffees.

Arsenal's loss should have been more costly but their chief rivals could only manage draws against weaker competition.  Man City needed Jesus to save them with a late goal at Middlesbrough and Man United were undone by a late equalizer from Gylfi Sigurdsson.  Man United has home draws against Swansea, Everton, West Brom, Bournemouth, Hull, Liverpool, West Ham, Burnley, and Stoke.  We'll give 'em Liverpool, Everton and even West Brom.  But the other six draws have cost Man United 12 points, which would put them equal with Spurs and safely into next year's Champions League.

With less than satisfactory results from the chase pack, Liverpool moved to solidy their hold on third place, thanks to this incredible bicycle kick from Emre Can.  The YouTubeableMoment of the year?  I particularly like Lallana's pass to Origi that gets the play started.


Stadium of Turn Out the Lights The Party's Over

Sunderland's relegation fate was sealed by a late goal from Bournemouth.  You won't hear much gloating from me.  Could easily be us again next year.  Swansea's draw kept a few teams from claiming safety although Southampton and Bournemouth are now effectively clear based on an insurmountable goal differential.  Magic numbers for Leicester, Stoke and Watford are now one point, Burnley and West Ham are at two points and Crystal Palace are at three.


If I Had A Nickel For Every Time...

The announcer said Diego Costa is down but the referee is unmoved...

I'd be rich.

Better Is Not Good But It's Better Than Worse

The Union traveled to the little stadium of horrors out on the west coast but did manage to bring home a point with a 0-0 draw against the LA Galaxy.  For once, they got a bit of luck, as Pedro's shot richoted off both posts but stayed out (video here at about 30 seconds).  Obviously better play from the back line (shout out to Jack Elliot) and Med did some nice work in the midfield.  But I think this quote from mlssoccer.com sums things up well:

While sloppy play and low confidence prevails in general for these teams at the moment, the goalkeepers acquitted themselves well in this game.

Earnie Stewart interviewed today says he does not see the need for major changes.  Not quite the dreaded vote of confidence in Jim Curtin but...


Chester Finish Season

A second consecutive EPL title for us, by 15 points this time.  FA Cup Final coming up versus Arsenal.  Already working on July transfer window.  I'm feeling like there will be pressure from the board and fans to go deeper in the Champions League next year.  We made it out of group stage but were well handled by Real Madrid in the first knockout round.


Early Start to the Weekend

Blow off work early and take in Friday afternoon's West Ham-Spurs match (3 pm on NBCSN).   Feature match of the weekend is easily Sunday's Arsenal-Man United contest (11 am NBCSN); neither team, but especially Arsenal, can really afford anything but a win here.

Saturday's TV coverage has a decidedly relegation bias to it.  Hull-Sunderland is at 10 on NBCSN, the featured NBC match at 12:30 is Swansea-Everton and you can catch Leicester-Watford at 10 on CNBC (one or both of those two teams could be safe at the final whistle).  Knowing that one or both of the chasers is going to drop points this weekend, Man City host Crystal Palace at 7:30 Saturday on NBCSN.

Newcastle will host Barnsley while Brighton travels to Aston Villa as the Championship season concludes on Sunday.  There are actually multiple scenarios which could see the Magpies capture first as they are just one point back and have the superior goal differential.  None of those scenarios involve a Newcastle loss.  A win combined with a Brighton loss or draw is enough.  A draw combined with a Brighton loss would also work.  The playoffs are set with Reading, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield and Fulham just competing for seeding at this point.

I'll be at Talen Energy Stadium to see the Union take on the Red Bulls Saturday night.  The Jersey boys were always favored in this one and I'm not happy to see they got smacked by Sporting KC midweek; that will just have them angry.

Champions League semis continue on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Real Madrid put a 3-0 hurting on Atletico so the second leg of that one may already be over.  And for that matter, Juventus 2-0 road win over Monaco puts the French side in a huge hole too.  DVR just in case there are wild comebacks?