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.

Should They Score or Should They Stay?

The United States walloped Thailand 13-0 and after finally scoring more than a goal (3) in the first half of a group stage match since 2003, to others it seemed it was bad sportsmanship to pile on (I appreciate Rob Stone speaking up passionately after the match on FOX -- I hope he still has a job!), especially after scoring four goals in six minutes to lead 7-0.  Records are made to be broken and the USA broke a boatload of them and it was fun to watch.  While the USA was using the match as target practice (we still don't know how good GK Alyssa Naeher will be), it seemed like THA was also using it as a learning situation as THA never changed to play more defensively, never fought harder for 50/50 balls, and never went more aggressive in defending (e.g., tugging on shirts, knocking a few USA players down).  It was as if THA was going to use the tape on this match to plan for the other two matches as the USA provided a free clinic in how to adjust for the next matches.  They committed just five fouls and only picked up one yellow.  That is begging the USA to have free reign to attack them without the possibility of injury and in a stage where goal differential is the first tiebreaker, your job is to score goals. 

To their credit, THA never gave up but that meant the USA didn't give up.  Why would the USA play the last 35 minutes just passing the ball around the pitch -- that doesn't do the fans who paid money any good, doesn't give any respect to THA, and like I said, GD is key so how many do you think SWE would score?  4?  6?  8?  You don't know.  And to be fair, if THA had a taller and more veteran goalkeeper, probably half a dozen goals would not have gone in, even with that porous defense.  And Alex Morgan's first-class touches (which would put most LA Galaxy players not named Zlatan to shame) created at least a few of her five goals and three assists so she earned those goals.

BUT, there were three instances of cringe-worthiness.  Jill Ellis

When it Rains... (6/11)

After the first two games today, the past four matches saw three 0-0 halftime scores and one that was 0-0 until the 45'.  Well, the third match produced a few goals... more later...  It rained in Rennes that actually stopped the match and it rained goals in Reims that divided the fandom.

First, E3-New Zealand looked like it was going to hold E4-Netherlands to a 0-0 draw but a stoppage time goal in the 90'+2 gave the Dutch a 2-0 win and the full three points and into a first place tie with E1-Canada.

After a sunny start, in the 72', it had been raining hard for about twenty minutes but