The Soccer Thread (Version 13) — Winter World Cup Edition

I rung in the 1990s at Trafalgar Square as a youngster with a couple of drinks with some Millwall supporters. They were ... enthusiastic.

 

I feel like one of the best illustrations I've seen of that element, at least in modern times, was a couple of years ago when some Islamists started trying to knife folks at a couple of hangouts near London Bridge, and some bloke throws down his chair, screams, "F*** you, I'm Millwall!" and starts taking them on with his bare hands.

Stabbed Millwall fan recounts fight with London Bridge attackers

And then his buddies sent him a book entitled, "Learn to Run."

 

Found a juicy, disappointingly long thread on the matter. If the league wanted to do something about this, they would've by now. At best, a minority of racist fans is being enabled by official fecklessness; at worst, those in charge approve of the abuse and/or think doing anything meaningful about it would be bad for business. The amount of victim-blaming on display is stunning, even by the usual standards of sports fans.

 

OK, so money doesn't necessarily win every time. Good to see there's still some places where having a soul is considered preferable to milking every bit of revenue possible.

 

On April 15 FC Kaiserslautern were looking to be on a glide path to at least a playoff for the Bundesliga, but they left 13 points on the table in their last 5 matches. At least they're safe for another run next year.

The Green Bay Packers of German football. Play in a really tiny town that back in the day was mostly Yank soldiers and airmen. (Still might be.)

 

I know the US Open Cup is the afterthought of all afterthoughts. But when you’ve adopted a hometown club into your heart, watched it gain its footing the past four years and then that culminates with taking down a MLS side at home in their first ever shot, it’s surprisingly emotional. And in two weeks we get to do it all again.

 

Didn't Kaiserslautern host games at Germany 2006?
---

Only one catch-up game left (Man United-Chelsea on Thursday) before the final day in the Premier League. Here's what's at stake:

Man City are champions, Arsenal and Newcastle are guaranteed top four. Man United need a point in either of their last two games (v. Chelsea, v. Fulham) for the fourth and final Champions League spot.

Liverpool needs a win at Southampton and two Man U losses to take fourth on goal difference. Brighton are locked into sixth and the second Europa league spot.

Villa clinch European football (albeit the Europa Conference League) with a win vs. Brighton. They'd also finish seventh with an equal or better result than Spurs (at Leeds), so long as ninth-place Brentford don't win (vs. Man City) and pass them both.

Fulham are locked into 10th.

Palace, Chelsea, Wolves, West Ham, Bournemouth and Forest are in the bottom half but safe. If you're rooting for schadenfreude, the lowest Chelsea can finish is 14th and it would require a six-goal swing to West Ham.

The relegation battle: Everton are safe with a win (vs. Bournemouth). Leicester (vs. West Ham) and Leeds (vs. Spurs) are both down if they don't win. If Everton draw, Leicester would relegate them on goal difference if they won. Leeds would need to win by at least three to pass them.

Southampton are relegated.

Burnley, Sheffield United and one of Luton Town or Coventry City (playoff final on Saturday) will be coming up.

 

Kaiserslautern hosted US-Italy in 2006. It was our last night in Germany because we were flying out early in the morning and agreed to all stay sober because we had a long drive back to Frankfurt after the game. Luckily the 2 drivers did because the rest of us certainly didn’t live up to that pledge.

 

One of whom was my dad. He was actually about 15 miles outside of town, but apparently that's where they went on the weekends.
Also, apparently my dad had a habit of swiping ashtrays from the bars there because I found 8-9 with the names of the places and various beers on them in a box.

 

For once Man United took care of business in what was a laugher against Chelsea. Casemiro was complete class.

So only relegation and the Conference League to play for.

 

Somewhat sarcastically, I used to observe that the game that NBC put your team on for Championship Sunday said a lot about how your season went.

The intrusion of Qatar 2022 pushed the final day into conflict with Memorial Day weekend and the Indy 500, which NBC also airs so no games there. Also, with Peacock, they're putting a lot of inventory on there instead of bothering the folks on Golf Channel.

Considering Villa is in a win and in scenario for Europe, I was hoping that would be on real TV, but I'm guessing they had to commit to ManU-Fulham before they secured fourth, and it's just the conference league anyway.

1. Everton v. Bournemouth (USA)
2. Leeds v. Tottenham (CNBC)
3. Leicester v. West Ham (SyFy)
4. Manchester United v. Fulham (Bravo)
5. Arsenal v. Wolves
6. Brentford v. Manchester City
7. Chelsea v. Newcastle
8. Southampton v. Liverpool
9. Aston Villa v. Brighton
10. Crystal Palace v. Nottingham Forest

 

They should have put Leeds on History Channel because that's what our time in the Premier League is soon to be.

They should have put Leeds on Oxygen because that's what we're about to run out of in the top flight.

They should have put Leeds on NASA TV because our asses are about to be launched into the heart of the sun.

I'm full of fiddling-while-Rome-burns yuks as I await the inevitable.

Also, fuck Jesse Marsch and Weston McKennie. Toodle-do.