Ugh... Ugh... Ugh.. SC

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- All the anticipation... for another City SC/FC team.  Oh, gawd.  I was glad that it couldn't be another City FC team because the USL team is named that, but it totally slipped my mind that it could be City SC.  Why this was such a BIG secret is laughable as that would be my first four guesses (FC St. Louis, St. Louis FC, SC St. Louis, St. Louis SC).  Add City to each and you get 8.  St. Louis City SC is safe and boring.  I do like the honesty of majority owner Carolyn Kindle Betz who had to be convinced "City" was a brand that would take the city international.  I like the crest shape (mimicking the Arch) and symbols of the two rivers and arch in the art, but why are the fonts of the name and "SC" different?  There is yellow and gray in the official color list but not in the logo (it's the opposite dumb reason given why the gawdy red Youtube logo in the LAFC shirts was okay because "red" is an official LAFC color (!)).  

BUT, if I write the fan fiction that it's St. Louis City Soccer Capital, then I can live with it.  While NHL's Seattle team referenced their old 1917 PCHA championship hockey team in the logo, I kinda wish there was some visual reference or nod the the St. Louis Stars (NASL) or St. Louis Steamers (MISL) teams.  

Meanwhile, FC Dallas hosted the first MLS match with fans since the pandemic hit and 2,912 fans showed up (limited capacity was 5,110) which was mostly season ticket holders and invited guests, or what a typical FC Dallas match looked like.  Nashville managed to get their first-ever win on a late goal to beat the hosts.  Same two teams in Dallas on Sunday as they try to catch up with the rest of the league.  I love how you have to sign a waiver to not sue if you catch COVID-19 though.  Too funny.  Yes, we are a sue-happy country.  

The three Canadian teams are now set to play each other six times in Phase 1 in hopes the travel quarantine ban will be lifted after August 21 to allow for inter-country play in Phase 2.  TOR and MTL already played in the MLS is Back tournament so when Phase 1 is over, they will have played 4 times in their 11 regular season matches.

Issue 11.5.1 "Defense Wins Championships" (After Final)

 Archive

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

2020 MLS is BACK CHAMPIONS

POR - Portland Timbers | "Forever Green & Gold" | "Rose City 'Til I Die"   #RCTID  Timbers Army | "Green is the Color"

#13 | F4 | F Winner | 5-0-2 2nd Championship (MLS Cup '15) F2: Beat LA Galaxy 2-1 | F3: Beat Houston 2-1 | F6: Tied LAFC 2-2 R16: Beat 2E-FC Cincinnati 1:1 (4:2) (PSO) | QF: Beat 3A-NYCFC 3-1 SF: Beat 2A-Philadelphia 2-1 | F: Beat Orlando City SC 2-1

PORTLAND COLLECTS SECOND MAJOR TROPHY KNOCKING OFF THE HOSTS
No one got champion, 11th soccer pool is over!

WORK FROM HOME, CA (smt) -- 1A-Orlando City SC had prided itself in not allowing a set piece goal all tournament but 1F-Portland Timbers scored twice off set pieces, one on a free kick and one off a corner kick to win the first (and maybe only) MLS is Back tournament, 2-1, in front of zero fans on Field 17 of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.  Larrys Mabiala bounced in a header off a Diego Valeri free kick in the 27' but considering POR had not kept a clean sheet yet, ORL inevitably scored when Mauricio Pereyra settled a Nani pass and toe-poked it in the 39'. 

The 24th halftime tie of the tourney was broken when Dario Zuparic redirected a shot from Jeremy Ebobisse who had redirected a shot from Eryk Williamson off a corner kick by Valeri in the 66'.  Whew.  Both Mabiala and Zuparic are central defenders and POR's defense absorbed ORL's 64% possession and didn't create too much excitement at the end, keeping ORL at bay.

Final: Portland v Orlando City LIVE! (8/11)

It's finally here.  The MLS is Back Final!  Will Group F winners Portland Timbers get their 2nd trophy or will Group A winners Orlando City SC get their first?  No drama for the pool as the top 3 have secured their spots.

5:49 pm PDT:  Geez, I hate late kickoffs, especially when there is no pomp and circumstance or national anthem. Wasn't this a 5:30 pm start (and originally 5 pm even up to the Semifinals)?

14':  Great job by the groundskeepers in keeping Fields 16 and 17 in great shape every match.  This final is on Field 17, next to the main building.  Either way, the teams will be happy to see their families in person for the first time in more than month.

26': Nice touch with the added MLS is BACK FINAL lettering on the front of the jersey.  Oh, and GOAL!  27' put in by POR's Mabiala off a free kick cross.  POR 1:0 (tiebreak total goals = 8).

31':  Hydration break.  Great audio between POR' Blanco and the referee.  No fake crowd noise!  Though, I do not know why they can't just feed hundreds of live streams with real fans, fans who can do chants and stuff for their home team.  You can add a noise filter so if one person wanted to yell and swear over and over it wouldn't be heard, just come across as crowd noise.  And get live oohs and aahs instead of manufactured ones or chants that are just not in the right place.   You couldn't do it random because the networks have a 10-20 second delay, but let fans sign up for live feeds.

39': #10 Pereyra ties it up with an assist from... Nani (OK, Opta incredibly didn't give an assist on that.. Only Opta).  And for the 11th straight match, each team has scored a goal.  Remember all those 0-0 halftime scores early on?   ORL 1:1 (tiebreak total goals = 9).  POR has given up at least one goal in all 7 tourney matches.

43':  POR's Valeri tries a close free kick kicking it low and trying to go under the wall.  The one I remember that worked was in the famous '07 LA@NY match for Beckham's NY debut and NY's Juan Pablo Angel scored that way in a wild 5-4 Red Bull win in front of 66K fans.

Half:  4 min of stoppage and we're tied at 1.  This is the 24th tie (of 51 matches) at halftime.  Remember, no Extra Time.  Oh, the part-Austin FC owner Matthew McConaughey MLS commercial!  He's got a great voice and loved the love it/hate it Interstellar.

55': POR has let ORL have possession (>64%) while pretty much even on shots.  Kudos for ESPN for complimenting the grounds crew.  Also, jealous of the FC Dallas fans who will get to see their team play tomorrow.  Limited to 5,000 or so fans but since it's DAL, no guarantee of a sellout.  I don't know of any other teams allowing fans and Louisville City (USL Championship - that's the name of the league, not an actual final) has had success with sellouts of almost 5,000 each match with no "outbreaks".

64': A giveaway where ORL needs to foul right outside the box.  Great free kick opportunity for Valeri whose shot is saved by ORL GK Gallese.

65':  Another fast reaction save by Gallese (again) off the CK attempt.

66':  Another POR CK bounces around and POR puts it in!  Goes through the box and Zuparik redirects it in.  POR 2:1 (tiebreak total goals = 10).

72':  Nani may have knocked POR's Villafana but Villafana then moved his head into Nani and fell backward.  Well, Nani still got the yellow (73').

76': Hydration break.  ORL has more shots but only one on goal and still has 63% possession.  Teams are under .500 when having 63% or more possession (2-3-6).

85': 7th card, 4th on ORL.  Really bad high boot by Ruan.  Regardless, both teams will start the regular season in 3rd place in their respective conference.  One more goal will give Super League 10th place over BigRedMessi 2.

88':  Always nervous when the ball is played back to POR's GK Steve Clark.  Remember the CIN match?  One thing I hope they keep is the live audio between VAR and referee.  Simple, non-judgmental.  Just the facts.

90': Another big save by ORL.  5 minutes stoppage.  Blanco and Valeri are out, hopefully no PSO.

90'+2':  ORL has a clear shot all by himself and... skies it high.  Kyle Smith.  American.  College-trained.  USL.  No wonder.  ORL GK Gallese's OMG reaction was classic.  It's no coincidence that the players mentioned thus far are from outside the USA (Blanco, Mabiala, Pereyra, Nani, Valeri, Zuparik, Gallese).  The exceptions are POR GK Steve Clark, but I only mentioned him because of his gaffe against CIN, and Jorge Villafana, who I only mentioned because he acted like he got hit by a sledgehammer and dove.  OK, McConaughey is American and great and probably would've scored on that clear shot.

90'+4':  ORL GK in the box on the CK.

90'+5': POR with CK and they can kill 30 seconds.

95:03:  Match over!  Great to see POR celebrating like it means something!  POR gets their 2nd trophy to go with MLS Cup '15.  ORL falls short with an uninspired last 30 minutes or so.  With 10 goals scored in the final 3 matches, Kona Coast Sliders takes 7th over Kona Coast Fauci's.  BigRedMessi 2 takes 10th over Super League.

Issue 10.4.2 "10th Year vs 6th Year" (Final Preview)

 Archive

Monday, August 10, 2020

	vs
MLS is BACK FINAL		Tuesday, August 11 - 5:30 pm PDT - ESPN
1975 (NASL)- 2001 (A-League)- 2005 (USL)- 2011-2015-2018		2010-2014 (USL Pro)
POR - Portland Timbers (The Timbers) "Forever Green & Gold" "Rose City 'Til I Die"  #RCTID Timbers Army "Green is the Color"		ORL - Orlando City SC (The Lions) "Forever Our City" "Vamos Orlando"  #OrlandoCity Iron Lion Firm & The Ruckus "La Grande Victoria"
#13 | F4 | F Winner | 4-0-2 3rd Final (Cup: '15, '18)		#22 | A1 | A Winner | 4-0-2 1st Final

TEAMS CELEBRATING JUST 6TH AND 10TH ANNIVERSARIES FACE OFF
With nothing at stake, would we do this again?

MAKING SOURDOUGH EVERYTHING, CA (smt) -- While Major League Soccer celebrates its 25th year, it's two evenly-matched relative newcomers who will play for the MLS is Back Tournament final.   The sixth-year 1A-Orlando Pride Soccer Club has never made the playoffs in its five years but are a win away from a major (albeit short - 13 inches tall) trophy.  The 1F-Portland Timbers have been around for 45 years but are just playing their 10th season in MLS and have already won an MLS Cup ('15).  While Sebastian Blanco has led the Timbers with 3 goals and 5 assists, ORL's Nani has chipped in 3 goals and 3 assists plus a game-winning PSO penalty kick.  While POR has allowed at least one goal in all six matches, ORL has scored just one goal in 3 of the 6 matches.  Each team has survived a PSO while POR has given up five PKs and ORL has missed their only PK attempt. 

The winner will get $300,000, a spot in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League, a one-foot tall trophy, and the title of MLS is Back Champion.  While the wins in the knockout stage do not count in the regular standings, the great group stage performance means ORL will start the "Return to Season" portion of the regular season in 3rd place (vs 9th) in the East and POR will also start in 3rd place in the West (vs 7th-Tied).  Nashville SC and FC Dallas will kick of this Phase 1 (regional in home markets) the next day on August 12 in Dallas (with fans! Limited to 5,110 and no guarantee of a sellout, given it is FC Dallas). However, most teams, including both LA teams won't have fans for at least Phase 1.  The USL has had success with some teams having fans and the only team that has had positive tests was a team that did not play in front of fans (LA Galaxy II).  Go figure.

Issue 9.4.1 "Group A Winner vs Group F Winner" (After Semifinals)

 Archive

Thursday, August 6, 2020

PORTLAND AND ORLANDO EACH SCORE FIRST TWO GOALS EN ROUTE TO FINAL
No one got either semifinalist giving TarjetaRoja 2nd and The Six Foot Box 3rd

BUBBLE PARTY & PLAYTIME, CA (smt) -- Group F winner Portland Timbers capitalized on two corner kicks and survived giving up their 5th penalty kick and a 50/50 offside call to defeat 2A-Philadelphia Union, 2-1.  PHI skied a PK over the crossbar before halftime and after cutting the lead in half, nearly scored a minute later but the ref called offsides nullifying the goal.  Had the ref done let the 50/50 call go to VAR the goal would've stood.  Alas, POR defeats their second consecutive Group A foe (beating 3A-New York City FC in the quarters) and will have a chance to make it 3-for-3 in Group A as they will face Group A winner Orlando City SC.  POR has won the past two matches despite having two days less rest than their opponent.  This time they will have one more day rest than ORL.

Host ORL roared with two Nani first-half goals, the first Nani just overpowering the defender to toe poke it past the goalkeeper and the second a world-class strike from outside the box.  Nani added a garbage time assist as ORL beat 2D-Minnesota United FC 3-1.  MIN's first goal came on a 50/50 offside where the ref correctly let it go and it was close enough VAR didn't even have to review it closely, just check it like all other goals.  ORL had just 7 shots but four were on goal.  The Final is Tuesday. 

Nani, Nani Part Two (8/6)

HDD BOOT DEVICE NOT FOUND, CA -- The evenly matched semifinal (ORL +150, MIN +175) between Orlando City SC and Minnesota United FC did not account for the Nani factor.  I wore my MIN jersey as I needed them to win to claim 2nd in the pool (it's pride!).  Of course, it didn't work when I wore my LA Galaxy jerseys for their 3 matches.  Rain and lightning delayed the match 79 minutes, the third such major weather delay in the tourney.

While MIN had most of the control and shots, it was Nani who scored twice in the first half in superstar fashion with the first him bullying the defender off a long pass over the top to slide it past the GK in the 36' and the second just scoring a world-class bender outside the box in the 42'.

MIN struggled but finally cut the lead in half in the 83' on a 50/50 offsides that was NOT called, thus it stood (whereas last night it was called and the goal was no good).  MIN had 17 shots and 13 corners but couldn't find the finishing touch (only 3 shots on goal).  ORL added a garbage time goal in the 90'+6' (Nani had the assist) to win 3-1 and advance to their first-ever major final.  ORL only had 7 shots but 4 were on goal.

No one got ORL which means everyone missed both finalists, the first time that has happened in our 36 HWCI NCAA and Soccer pools.   As a result, TarjetaRoja gets to keep 2nd place and The Six Foot Box claims 3rd.  There are 2 tied entries if people care about 7th or 10th place as the total goals scored stands at 7 with one match left to play.

Freeze Frame (8/5)

WATCHING INSANELY FUNNY "BUSTED" ON NETFLIX, CA -- After a rocky start with two teams dropping out due to positive COVID-19 cases and another match postponed with inconclusive results, the MLS is Back tournament has been lucky as there have been no more positive cases in four weeks and the MLS avoided the potential bad weather from Hurricane Isaias as their quarterfinals ended before it hit Florida and these semifinals are occurring after Isaias veered off the east coast and landed north of Florida.

The result was picture perfect sunset as the first semifinal kicked off.  Once again, 1F-Portland Timbers were playing with two days less rest than their opponent but were a slight favorite (+140 vs +180) and held a 6-1-3 record against 2A-Philadelphia Union.

Here is how the pool results shaped up as the match progressed.  TR = TarjetaRoja (2nd, 69 pts), T6FB = The Six Foot Box (3rd, 65 pts), D=K = Duetschland = Koenig (6th, 57 pts).  D=K needs PHI to win and then ORL to beat MIN tomorrow to force a tiebreaker with T6FB.

13': POR opens scoring, the first time PHI has trailed in the tourney (thanks to GK Andre Blake making 28 saves in the previous 5 matches).  D=K needs PHI to win which means at least 2 goals towards the tiebreaker for 3rd..

45'+1':  PK to PHI!  Well, more goals is okay for T6FB who would win the tiebreaker with D=K if PHI&ORL wins with 7 or more in the 2 semifinal and final matches.  First PK for PHI in the tourney and the 5th (!) PK POR has given up.

45'+2': PHI skies the PK over the crossbar.  None of the four semifinalists have made a regulation PK and are a combined 0-for-2 (ORL missed theirs).

70': POR capitalizes again on poor marking and go up 2-0.  If PHI is to win, the total goals would have be at least 4 now. D=K hoping for one of those PHI 3 goals in 15 minute spurts.

85':  PHI coming to alive and they finally score off a saved direct free kick.  3 goals and hope for D=K.

86':  Opportunistic, and PHI ties it... oh, offsides.  VAR looking at it.  Wow, I would say tie goes to the runner.  But because it was called offsides, no overwhelming evidence to overturn it.  Had it been called a goal, there would be no overwhelming evidence to overturn it.  Really, the refs have to let the 50/50s go to VAR.  That would have been 4 goals with PHI with a chance to win in PSO.  D=K can't believe it.  T6FB is looking at the easy way out (PHI loses) to secure at least 3rd place.

End:  A few more tries but PHI comes up short, losing 2-1.  D=K is eliminated and T6FB will finish either 2nd (bumping TR to 3rd) or 3rd, depending if his finalist pick of MIN wins tomorrow.  No one got POR keeping the standings the same.  POR has beaten the 3rd place team in Group A and now the 2nd place team.  Will they get a chance to knock of the 1st place team in Group A (ORL) in the Final?

Issue 8.3.2 "Real Silverware" (Semifinal Preview)

Archive

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Semifinal # 1 - Wednesday 5pm PDT - FS1			Semifinal # 2 - Thursday 5 pm PDT - ESPN2
2010-2018	1975 (NASL)- 2001 (A-League)- 2005 (USL)- 2011-2015-2018		2010-2014 (USL Pro)	2010 (USL Pro)- 2012-2013- 2016 (NASL)
PHI - Philadelphia Union (The U) "Jungite aut Perite"  #DOOP Sons of Ben "DOOP"	POR - Portland Timbers (The Timbers) "Forever Green & Gold" "Rose City 'Til I Die"  #RCTID Timbers Army "Green is the Color"		ORL - Orlando City SC (The Lions) "Forever Our City"  #OrlandoCity The Ruckus & The Iron Lion Firm "La Grande Victoria"	MIN - Minnesota United FC (The Loons) "Forever United"  #mnufc Dark Clouds & True North Elite "Wonderwall"
#10 | A4 | A Runner-Up | 4-0-1 5th Semifinal (USOC: '12, '14, '15, '18)	#13 | F4 | F Winner | 3-0-2 6th Semifinal (Cup: '13, '15, '18; USOC: '13, '19)		#22 | A1 |  A Winner | 3-0-2 2nd Semifinal (USOC: '19)	#4 | D4 | D Runner-Up | 2-0-3 2nd Semifinal (USOC: '19)

THREE TEAMS LOOKING FOR FIRST SILVERWARE
Two vying for final spot, will TarjetaRoja get to keep 2nd?

LITTLE TIME OFF, CA (smt) -- Interestingly, three of the four semifinalists actually made the U.S. Open Cup semifinals last year.  2D-Minnesota United FC reached the USOC final while 1F-Portland Timbers and 1A-Orlando City SC both lost in the semifinal.  2A-Philadelphia Union reached the USOC final in '18.  Of the four, POR is the only who has enjoyed success in the MLS Cup playoffs, winning the Cup in '15 and losing the final in '18.  Three of the four teams got their start in the 2nd or 3rd Division and if you include that, POR (NASL1, NASL Indoor, WACS/WSA/WSL, APSL/A-League, USL-1, USL D-2) reached the semifinals in the NASL1 ('75, '78), WSL ('89), and USL-1 ('07, 09), ORL (USL) reached the semifinals in the USL ('11, '12, '13), and MIN (USL D2 Pro, NASL2) reached the semifinals in the NASL2 ('11, '12, '14, '15).