The Leagues for the USMNT starting lineup vs England today

Edit: I was also later reminded that Dest is on loan in Italy right now, so I wasn't 100% on the above.

Wikipedia entry on 'Three Points for a Win'

A brief look into what is now a very common scoring system, but it only began to come around in the 1980s.

Japan World Cup team honors their long-time team chef by including him in the team photo

(Link goes to the Google translation of the page. Text below uses those translations.

On the evening of the 19th, the Japanese national team took a commemorative photo of the team before practice. In addition to the 26 members there, there is another man in a uniform... Mr. Yoshiteru Nishi (60), the exclusive chef of the national team.

Nishi has accompanied the team since the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This is the fifth time in a row that she (sic.) has "participated" in the tournament.

(As noted above, the translation uses 'she' but is clearly referencing Mr. Nishi.)

They apparently did something similar last time with their kit/gear guy.

World Cup Group Stage Predictions

Here are my Group Stage predictions.

Group A

• Netherlands
• Ecuador
• Qatar
• Senegal

Group B

• England
• USA
• Iran
• Wales

Group C

• Argentina
• Poland
• Saudi Arabia
• Mexico

Group D

• France
• Denmark
• Australia
• Tunisia

Group E

• Germany
• Spain
• Costa Rica
• Japan

Group F

• Belgium
• Croatia
• Canada
• Morocco

Group G

• Brazil
• Cameroon
• Switzerland
• Serbia

Group H

• Portugal
• Uruguay
• Ghana
• Korea Republic

Why I Love the Un-American Football

I originally wrote this eight years ago in 2014, I am finally migrating this over from my old blog as we are forty-eight hours away from the start of 2022 World Cup. Unfortunately, the videos I had originally embedded have been taken offline (they were hosted elsewhere.) Enjoy.

---

I started this blog post literally months ago. And I've tried to write a similar post for the past two years only to abandon each of them. This one is the closest I've come to success, and I've soldiered on revising and editing and fact checking. With the World Cup happening, I believe now is the time for me to publish it.

It was at Georgia Tech in 2002 that I met David. We weren't good friends, or even close friends really, but we did hang out from time to time and during those times I discovered David was 'weird.' Now, being 'weird' at Georgia Tech is saying something. It was (and most likely still is) largely a geek college with a heavily skewed male to female ratio. I mean, to be fair, I was weird at Georgia Tech too. But David was 'weird' because he was, well, he was a die hard soccer fan. Die hard despite lacking access to downloaded recordings of games or infinite satellite channels for European broadcasts. He had just grown to love the sport with what he had been able to catch and follow online over a decade ago. He was always checking ESPN's soccer coverage website. Like I said, he was 'weird.'

Of the things I regret in college, I regret not spending more time with David and not getting to know soccer through his eyes. He was an American kid who had fallen in love with a sport which was firmly entrenched as the least popular professional sport in America. Rather than learning to love the game through David, I took another path.

My education in soccer first started as a kid when I played on a YMCA team. I wasn't good. My earliest experience was in an in-door soccer league in Kansas City. I have no real memories of it but I have heard a story which involves the mob of kids on the field chasing the ball and I eventually collapse on the ball and curl up over it, determined to defend the ball in the only way I know how. When viewed as an action by a four or five year old child, it's adorable. So focus on that angle.

Soccer required an athleticism that I lacked such that I was often put on defense where the coach's instruction was "stay near the corner of the box and keep the ball away from the goal." Not a rousing coaching strategy but then it was YMCA. Combine my less-than-stellar soccer skills with television actively pushing me towards other sports which I could actually watch: (American) football, basketball, and baseball. Soccer was left in the dust. I grew up seeing it as a sport that kids played and adults elsewhere (not America) played and thus not something I should worry about. I mean, I wasn't seeing a soccer player peddling a sugary drink.

And so it was all the way through college, despite a friend named David, until I returned to Orlando in 2005. During that time I reconnected with some childhood friends from church, a pair of Brazilian brothers named David and Daniel. They were members of my childhood church. David was two years my senior, and Daniel was four years my junior. I was in middle school for one year with David, and I can remember him playing soccer for my middle school's soccer team. I don't know I ever watched a game, but I remember him in the uniform and the team photo. I knew both of them much more from church youth group and choir.

It was with these brothers that I watched the 2006 World Cup in Germany. I contend that there is no greater event than gathering with a Brazilian family to watch World Cup soccer. It was a feast of food for every game and they were infinitely patient as they explained the rules of the game which I didn't understand. I will always be thankful for that first spark that relit my love of soccer.

As a brief aside: I think I returned the favor. My contribution was to take them to Sci-Fi City in Orlando where they bought their first RPG dice sets, before we went on to play many wonderful games of D&D with them and some other friends. The older of the two brothers, David, passed away a few years ago and while the group continued to play D&D without him it wasn't the same.

After the 2006 World Cup passed, my interest in soccer waned once again as the world around me turned away from soccer and back to those other popular American sports.

In 2009, tied to the fateful events which turned me down my current career path, I joined CoolStuffInc.com where my two bosses were both big soccer fans. When the 2010 World Cup rolled around we took our laptops down to the game store before it opened and watched the games on the television while we worked. And it was there my love of soccer was truly reignited. Again, I was swept up in the World Cup, and again I was educated by those who knew far more about the sport.

Again though, the World Cup left us, but this time the interest in the sport was buoyed. I began seeking it out by following some oversea teams. Though I was only casually interested, this time the barrier to entry was lower.

Television was changing. America was changing. The Internet was changing. And I had two new allies: one of my bosses and my fiancee. Katie, as it turns out, was a soccer fan as well so she was all too eager to share this love with me. As I grew to know more about soccer, as I began to find teams I liked, and as the world around me made soccer more accessible here in the states I began to find more and more to love for it.

Perhaps the most critical event of this timeline was just before Katie and I left Orlando. It was then that Orlando launched their NASL team (and now soon to be an MLS team featuring a famous player named Kaka) the Orlando City Soccer Club. Our first experience with them was at a friendly against Newcastle United. Katie and I were able to enjoy the excitement together and we were planning to buy season tickets for the next season were it not for the fateful opportunity that brought us to Seattle.

For those of you who don't know, Seattle is home to the Seattle Sounders, an MLS club since 2010 (NASL team since 1974). And we are the only city in America to consistently draw European-level crowds for their soccer matches (2013 averaged 44,000 fans per home game.) Katie and I, as I said, had discovered the joy of watching and attending a soccer match while in Orlando and so we knew we had to check out the Sounders. We attended, I believe, two or maybe three games and watched others on television before we decided to order season tickets for the 2013-2014 season.

As much as the Sounders matches with Katie deserve credit for feeding the flame, the Internet and the changing landscape of American television deserve a great deal of credit too. The Internet has become an American soccer fan's lifeline providing clips and full replays of games from leagues around the world, available with just a few clicks of a mouse. Watching them stream live or as recorded matches ripped from broadcasts. It is a common practice for me to acquire a match or two before a trip so I can watch them during a flight, I've found I prefer those matches to any other in-flight entertainment.

Additionally, the landscape of American television proper is changing. It is my belief that soccer in America was actively stymied by the proliferation of television and the rise of commercials. Soccer is not an easy sport to profit off of as a broadcast network. Where football, basketball, baseball, NASCAR, and any other sport has countless natural breaks where commercials can be run – soccer does not. And so for that reason networks, in search of profits during some previous decade, shunned soccer. Maybe this is unfair, or perhaps there is more at work than I am aware, but the logic makes perfect sense so I choose to believe it.

Now though, the world has changed. America is going through a soccer renaissance as MLS is on a growth spurt, and American networks are competing to broadcast more and more soccer. Those, combined with online access to games, and infinite clips on YouTube, makes soccer a very accessible sport for those getting into it.

So then why? Up to now I've walked you through my personal journey of how I fell in love with soccer, but I haven't done anything to capture the why. Before I do so, let me first step into a discussion about what I think a few of the reasons are for why soccer has struggled in the United States.

I think part of the reason that soccer struggles is because our modern media machine has not been built to allow soccer to succeed. Television broadcasting relies on advertising deals for commercials and product ads, where NFL, NBA, MLB and other televised sports have many opportunities for commercial breaks (some initiated specifically for that purpose rather than used opportunistically)—soccer doesn't allow for that. The game is two forty-five minute halves without stops. No chance for commercials, and thus not exactly the poster boy for profitability.

There is one thing which could force the broadcasters to eat this: public demand. And what brings public demand? National team success or the rise of a popular league. Neither of which has truly happened yet.

These issues are a chicken and an egg problem in today's world. It is imperative for any professional sport that it not only get exposure but also the revenue from the coverage. With that coverage comes not only revenue but also the growth of a culture around the sport: kids watching and loving the sport's stars. Lastly, this coverage is critical for also the reason of comparison against other sports. As a kid, why should I care about a sport I can't watch on TV when instead I can follow Jordan and the Bulls, or Deion Sanders and the Falcons or Cowboys, or… someone relevant from baseball (Greg Maddux) or hockey (Wayne Gretzky.)

So, aside from the popularity, with the rise of attention that Americans give it around every World Cup there is still a problem of "stickiness." It doesn't grab Americans who aren't indoctrinated in it. I contend one of the major reasons is the need for people to learn the sport beyond the base rules. Many people think soccer is slow, boring, or hard to follow.

The advantage other sports have that is that they are more "busy" than soccer. American Football is a multi-hour broadcast for less than an hour of active game play. Basketball's last two minutes of action can take twenty-plus minutes. Baseball is a series of pitches which result sometimes in bursts of action. These sports are short easily processed chunks which create punctuations of action that make us believe that, on the whole, they are faster and more action packed than soccer. The difference is that there are nice and easy digestible bites of these sports. Whether the plays of football, or the shot-clock limited fast-paced action of basketball, these are benefits of short attention span because it lets you know for sure when a play or series of actions is complete.

Soccer is more like a marathon. The clock starts and runs without stop for forty-five minutes. You can't stop and go to the bathroom without risking missing action unless a player is injured. And during this time, there's no promise of a score, much to many American fans' frustration. Games end 0-0 or maybe 1-0! Where's the blow out? Where's the double digit win?

Soccer's continuously long period of motion creates a barrier to entry.

Next comes the lack of clear direction of attention. I sort of spoke to this above, but the trap of soccer is that following the ball is only part of what you should be watching. Soccer's real beauty lies in the whole picture and not just what happens immediately around the ball. I'll use the Seattle Sounders' as an example, right now the Sounders have Nigerian Obafemi Martins and American Clint Dempsey as their star scorers with Clint leading the way. However to give either of them sole credit for their success thus far this season is a discredit to the other, and in fact the team as a whole.

Here's a goal from the Sounders 2013 season, it's Obafemi Martins who scores, but watch the passing that leads up to the goal:

[Video removed from host]

So in that play you see a pass from Brad Evans (I can't see clearly, but I think that's who it is) to Obafemi, who immediately dishes it out to Andy Rose who is streaking up the side. It's actually this run which is so crucial, without the run the three defenders around Obafemi would be focused solely on him, and thanks to the run they aren't, which allows Obafemi to make the turn and get into position for Andy's return pass before the score.

Now here's another clip for you to watch:

[Video removed from host]

What you see is Obafemi Martins streaking down the right side of the pitch, and doing so draws the Chivas defenders attention (as it should) we then see a pass to Mauro Rosales (now playing for Chivas funnily enough) who slips as he passes it on to Lamar Neagle who is left wide open because the defense has closed in on Obafemi and Mauro. Again, while the goal is exciting, it's the movement leading up to the goal which is important.

[Video removed from host]

Now for something a bit different, a defensive play that shows you the beauty of defense. A lightning quick foot move to stop an attack and then a tenacious defense.

[Video removed from host]

Another shot from the World Cup which shows an amazing pass. It's unlikely Guti, the player who makes the backwards pass, actually knew for sure a team mate was there but it shows the amazing team work where he felt confident a team mate would be in the area.

These aren't plays which will convert non-soccer fans, but they are examples of the need to be watching more than just the ball.

So, now that I've just shown you the importance of not watching the ball – I'm not going to lie. Goals are amazing exclamation points, better than touchdowns, home runs, or three point shots. I mean sure, some are better than goals, but the best goals will defeat the best touchdowns in my opinion.

Alright, let me show you some amazing goals:

[Videos removed from host]

I could keep going. The fact that I can make those above embeds with only a few minutes of work is exactly what is going right for soccer now. Technology is opening up the world of soccer in new and Internet-friendly ways. The World Cup aside, it's an exciting period.

MLS is growing quickly, they've announced their next four expansion teams in the next three years: Orlando (as mentioned above), NYC FC (a partnership between Manchester City and the New York Yankees), Miami (courtesy of David Beckham and LeBron James), and Atlanta (with the likes of Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons). No other sports league in America is expanding like the MLS is right now.

In addition to these new teams, they announced a new landmark television deal with ESPN and FOX. This deal is exciting because the amount of money they're talking about is actually more than NBC is paying for the English Premier League.

That's exciting because it means that MLS is really starting to be taken serious by US broadcasters, and it also means that EPL is being broadcast in the US, and there is even more exciting news in that there is a deal for FOX to carry Bundesliga starting in 2015. My soccer excitement isn't only because of the World Cup (though that is obviously part of it) but also because the years ahead are very exciting for fans of the sport.

Some may think I've strayed away from why and back to how, and that is understandable, except I haven't. I'm still on why. I'm in love with the sport now because I have readily available access to it. Something which when I was in college wasn't true.

There is another major factor which I shouldn't overlook, though it is far from a conclusive one. Having a hometown team to cheer for is fantastic. Seattle's love for the Sounders certainly plays part in why I love soccer. I love going to the matches and experiencing the atmosphere of it all. More so than going to a live basketball, baseball or football game, the soccer match experience is fantastic in Seattle.

As I write this latest revision to the blog post the United States Men's team are on the verge of proceeding to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The only time we have proceeded further was in 1930, when we placed third out of the eight teams that participated in the first ever World Cup. Interestingly, the first match we played during that tournament was a 3-0 win over Belgium.

Will we be able to overcome one of our most ancient of professional soccer foes? I suppose I'll find out tomorrow. But regardless of how it ends up, I know I'm going to love to continue to watch the rest of the tournament (though I'll love it more if I'm rooting for the good ole' red, white, and blue.)

IBELIEVEWEWILLWIN

NWSL kicks off their first-ever free agency period

The NWSL (National Women's Soccer League) is one of the most tragically underrated sports leagues in the country. It is filled with world class talent playing the beautiful game. And it's overlooked because it's soccer and more-so, that it's being played by women. The NWSL, which is the latest iteration of the country's top-tier women's soccer league, started ten years ago and this year they will give players who qualify free-agency to control their team and destination.

To many US sports fans, this entire thing seems weird. US soccer is a weird combination of American sports structures (single-entity) and the structure which dominates the rest of the world, where the teams are fully independent organizations. I won't delve too deep into it this morning, but I felt it was definitely worth highlighting that the NWSL has crossed this milestone.

Redditor dives deep on every team in Serie A which got relegated and never made it back into the top league

Redditor /AntajaSW has these amazing super long posts (they've also done posts about Bundesliga, post 1 and post 2) and they are fascinating reads for soccer fans to learn about these clubs. Economically, a team getting relegated is going to be in dire straits unless their owner(s) pony up cash to cover the shortfall in income until they can get back up.

Specifically to the Serie A post I linked above, they came out with Part 2 of it today.

Elon Musk says he's buying Manchester United

I'll believe it when I see it. But, assuming he does, I'll welcome that many more people to join the club of people who hate Manchester United.

European Soccer is back!

Today is nearly a national holiday for me. As the Premier League and Bundesliga start a new season. I am able to watch soccer almost without stop today between European soccer and the US. Allow me to give you my overall game scheudle:

• 4:30a: Fulham vs. Liverpool (EPL, Peacock+) - The only game on when I wake up, but Liverpool are my second Premier League team because I really like their coach, Jurgen Klopp. He used to coach my German team, Dortmund.
• 7:00a: Tottenham Hotspurs vs. Southampton (EPL, Peacock+) - The Spurs are my Premier League team of choice. They captured me when Clint Dempsey (American soccer legend) played for them. And I've been an ardent fan ever since.
• 9:30a: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, ABC) - My German club starts their season. They've lost their star striker in the off season and I'll be curious to see what quality they have.
• 12:00p: Atlanta United vs. Seattle Sounders (MLS, ABC) - My MLS club is away at my hometown. Atlanta's coach is also an Ex-Sounders coach, and the two have immense respect for each other.
• 3:00p: Aval vs. Corinthians (Brasileirão, Paramount+) - A Brazilian soccer game sneaks into the queue due to a hole in the schedule. Corinthians are one of the storied clubs of Brazil so I need to check them out.
• 4:00p: Charlotte vs. Chicago Fire (MLS, ESPN+) - MLS at this point will basically be on TV the rest of the night.
• 6:00p: Colorado Rapids vs. Minnesota United (MLS, ESPN+)
• 7:30p: Portland Timbers vs. FC Dallas (MLS, ESPN+)

And during all of these, the odds of my multiscreening is high, I might throw a second game on the laptop or maybe set my phone up. The multiscreening will grow more intense over the coming weeks as the rest of the European leagues start their seasons.

Happy Soccer day!

Top tier European soccer returns this weekend and it kicks off today with games in England and Germany. I'm excited to get back to watching more soccer. I love MLS, but one of the reasons I love soccer is that it is international and I have a bevy of choices.

A great team photo for the Reign last night. I just love Jess Fishlock's (far right) huge grin. The player hunched next to her is Kim Little who has recently returned to the team on loan. She was a member of the original squad and those two played together originally. Jess looks like her best friend has returned.

Reign went on to win 2-0 last night.

"Why I Love the Un-American Football"

I will eventually migrate the entire post over, but for now, it seems fitting to link to my old Wordpress blog for the article I published during the 2014 World Cup.

MLS inks a deal with AppleTV+ for broadcast rights

This article is from the focus of being a Sounders fan, but the deal looks to be very interesting. I think it's very interesting as far as partnerships. MLS definitely trends towards an audience that are somewhat better off financially, so I think it makes a lot of sense for Apple to lean into them for having a better overlap and a willingness to pay for the coverage.

How Soccer Succumbed to the Global Elite

Deep down, there’s something about sport that reveals people’s natural conservatism. The experience of living through the decline of great players and great teams brings an acute sense of the passing of time and of loss—something you don’t get so obviously with states or empires, which take longer to fall. This is why documentaries about Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls continue to be watched by millions, and why TikTok seems to constantly offer me clips of old English Premier League players reminiscing about the good old days. These are all reminders of a more innocent age in one’s own life.

Conte to stay on coaching for the Tottenham Hotspurs

I am thrilled by this news. The turnaround he managed with our squad has been fantastic and I am very hopeful for the future.

A very touching speech by Clint Dempsey during his Hall of Fame induction

The Spurs will play in the Champions League

To think that the Spurs could finish here after the start of their season is incredible. Congratulations to the Spurs and I look forward to seeing what next season holds.

Borussia Dortmund Sack Marco Rose

I am very surprised by this move and very curious to see what comes next for them.

Sounders at Houston, recap: road rules - Sounder At Heart

I don't write often about my soccer love on this blog. That might change, but I have to commend the team on a 1-0 victory on the road last night. Putting them on a 2 game winning streak and it certainly feels like the squad is gearing up for a push in MLS standings to get out of the basement.

Soccer Broadcast Rights in the US

What an absolutely amazing time to be a soccer fan in the US. I just compiled the leagues and competitions which are broadcast by the major networks and this is what the landscape looks like:

ESPN+ / ESPN / ABC

• MLS
• USL
• EFL
• FA Cup
• Scottish Premiere League
• Bundesliga
• DFB-Pokal
• Eredivisie
• La Liga
• Chinese Super League
• Danish Superliga
• Allsvenskan
• A-league
• Indian Super League

NBC / Peacock

• Premiere League

Paramount+ / CBS

• UEFA Champions League
• Europa League
• NWSL
• Serie A
• Coppa Italia
• Argentina Primera Division
• Brasiliero
• Asian Football Confederation

FOX Sports

• MLS
• World Cup
• Concacaf
• Conmebol
• Liga MX (Tijuana, Monterrey, Santos)
• Canadian Premier League

Tonight's coding is not on Glowbug but on another one of my projects. One in need of a refresh and rewrite: My Fixture Picker. Currently it lives on firsttou.ch, but honestly I might let the domain drop and just bring it over to trickjarrett.com. We'll see.

This site solves a problem for me: I really like watching soccer. I have access to lots of games in different leagues on different channels or streaming services. How do I pick what I should watch?

What exists right now is entirely made via server side code using PHP. What I need is to rewrite it so instead it provides your browser with all the raw match data and then you can set some variables for preferences, pick favorite teams, etc. And then it is saved in cookies or as a unique user for you.

So, my plan today is to begin working on that rewrite. I might use this as a chance to experiment with ReactJS since I have no experience with it. We'll see.

Joe Biden has ties to US Soccer, from the Philadelphia Union to helping pitch for the 2026 World Cup

"It's the most unusual sporting event I've ever attended, and I've attended thousands probably in my career," said Biden, who's been to three World Cups (two men's, one women's). "It's a feel, and you can feel it even before you get anywhere near the stadium. You can feel it before you even land. It's in the air. It's a palpable sense of energy that I've never quite experienced before. And it's consequential. It is the most consequential sporting event in the world, and it's amazing how not just interested, but how deeply, deeply, deeply passionate every country is about the World Cup."

The Drama of the Champions League

This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.

UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, is the governing body that oversees soccer for all of Europe. In 1955 they introduced the European Cup, or properly it was known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, and it welcomed the top team from each country's league to compete. Jump forward to 1992, the tournament is changed and rebranded to what it is today.

Participation in the Champions League is for top teams from across Europe, but not just one for each country, the distribution is based on the strength of the countries in FIFA's rankings. Twenty six teams were inserted directly into the group stage based on their finish in their home leagues. Fifty three others put into the tournament to earn one of the remaining 6 slots.

Three of this year's Champions League semifinal teams were among those immediately placed into the group stage: Barcelona, Liverpool, and Tottenham. Only one had to earn their way up. That was Ajax.

Ajax is one of the teams from Eredivisie, the top league of the Netherlands. They are a storied club in Europe and they have had success in the Champions League in the past, having won it four times, the most recent one being 24 years ago, 1995. Last season they finished second behind PSV Eindhoven. Due to this, Ajax were forced to enter this year's Champions League during the second qualifying round. There they defeated Sturm Graz, the Austrian football club, 5-1. Ajax then advanced to the third qualifying round where they defeated the Belgian club, Standard Liege, 5-2. In the Playoff round they faced Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine, defeating them 3-1. They had to win three matches before Barça, Tottenham and Manchester City, the other semifinalists, even joined the tournament.

In the group stage, four teams in each group play each opponent twice. The best two overall records in the group advance to the knockout stage, the third place team gets inserted into the Europa cup, and the fourth place team goes home.

Tottenham and Barcelona were put into the same group. Barcelona dominated Tottenham in their matches, but Tottenham did well enough that both teams were able to advance out of their group over Milan's Internazionale and PSV Eindhoven.

Liverpool were in a group with the French powerhouse Paris Saint Germaine, Italy's Napoli and the Serbian team Red Star Belgrade. Liverpool and PSG advanced to knockouts.

Ajax were put into a group with the German juggernaut Bayern Munich, Portugal's Benfica, and the Greek AEK Athens. Ajax did very well, overall drawing with Bayern 3-3 across their two games, and having a winning record against the other two teams. Both Bayern and Ajax advanced to the knockouts

In the knockouts, the story of the quarterfinals was the elimination of the reigning champions, Real Madrid, at the hands of Ajax. It's been a tough year from Real Madrid, forcing them to bring back Zinedine Zidane as their coach after a struggling season in their domestic league. In the first leg, Real Madrid won 2-1 at home but the trip to the Netherlands was the stuff of nightmares for the Spanish club as Ajax dominated 4-1.

Ajax though did not find their road easier from there as they met Juventus. Going from Ronaldo's previous club to his current one. Unlike Real Madrid, Juventus has had a fairly good season. Perhaps not as dominant as they would have hoped, but still dominant. Surely Ajax had finally reached the end of their story in this year's Champions League...

And here I remind you they are named for Ajax the Great, the son of King Telamon, and a towering warrior hero in the Trojan war mythology.

Ajax's journey in the Champions league was again atop the headlines as they vanquished Ronaldo and Juventus this week while on the road in Italy, having held them to a 1-1 draw at home, and then they manage to win 2-1 in Torino. An upset in the truest sense of the word.

Not to be outdone though, perhaps in the most dramatic and exciting game in the tournament's history, was this week when Tottenham faced Manchester City. Manchester City are considered to be the best club in the world according to 538's global soccer club rankings.

I think it is fair to say: Tottenham was expected to lose this game.

One of their stars, Harry Kane, has been out injured. But even with him they would still be outgunned. And yet, saying that, Tottenham had managed a 1-0 victory at home last week thanks to Hugo Lloris, their keeper, stopping a penalty kick by Sergio Aguero, which would have tied it up.

So, traveling to Manchester City's stadium, they are up 1-0. In the first 20 minutes of their second game both team score 2 goals, bringing the aggregate to 3-2 Tottenham. In the 21st minute, Raheem Sterling scores a goal to put Manchester City even on aggregate, 3-3. But Manchester City need to score one more, because Tottenham has the advantage on away goals. It was the 59th minute when Sergio Aguero puts Manchester City ahead.

Now, I need you to understand, these games take place during midday for those of us on the west coast. I watched the majority of it during lunch but I had to stop as I had a post-lunch meeting. And so I had to follow it via social media.

In the 73rd minute, Fernando Llorente scores a contentious goal which takes VAR to verify, but that goal puts Tottenham back in the lead. Then in extra time Raheem Sterling scored a goal which would have sealed it for City, only to have it ruled offside in the build up. Brutal for City and its fans, but the game has become an instant classic of the tournament.

There are stories for each of these teams, I've touched on Ajax and Tottenham, who face off in the semifinals. Across from them Liverpool and Barcelona will meet.

Barcelona is the club of Messi, a player who inexplicably has people argue whether he's the best player currently playing the game or not. Liverpool are coached by Jurgen Klopp and have the Egyptian footballer Mohammed Sallah. Both Barcelona and Liverpool have won the Champions League five times. Liverpool having won it most recently in 2005, Barcelona in 2015. In this matchup, I favor Barcelona to win on the back of a solid defense and another godly performance from Leo Messi.

The only team among these final four not to have won the Champions League in their history is Tottenham. They face Ajax, and the question becomes can Ajax continue their run or can Tottenham push their way into the finals this year?

I cannot wait for the games in two weeks, this is the peak of club soccer drama out of Europe.

My 2019 MLS Predictions

This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.

Trying to predict the future is a loser's game. - Ken Liu

You know the beauty of playing a loser's game? One that's rigged and no one expects you to get right? Like, predicting the end of an MLS season?

If I'm wrong, well, of course I was. But... if I end up being right, then I look like a genius. It's why TV talking heads love to make predictions. But, unlike them, I'm just a random fan not some professional analyst. So, I've got nothing to lose. Let's do it!

MLS Cup Winner

LAFC - They joined the league last year and ended up getting to 3rd in the West. Based on the start of this season, how Carlos Vela looks, I think they are going to win it all - even over my Seattle Sounders.

Supporter's Shield

Seattle Sounders FC - Look. I might just be swallowed up in the hope and excitement of an undefeated start to our season, but the Sounders look truly scary offensively and once the defense solidifies in the post Ozzie era, the team could set a new league record for points.

US Open Cup

DC United - Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta are something to behold this year and I have a feeling DC United will find themselves sitting atop the Lamar Hunt Open Cup.

Cascadia Cup

Seattle Sounders FC - I mean... look at the league standings. I might feel different next week after Seattle heads up to Vancouver, but for now, this seems obvious.

MVP

Carlos Vela - I have always been a Carlos Vela fan. His arrival in the MLS has been very exciting and what I have seen thus far this season he is the key to LAFC this season. If he continues to excel, so shall the team. But I worry if he fails, so will the team. And that has the makings of an MVP season.

Comeback Player

Jordan Morris - 3 goals already this season, looking fast and threatening on the wing. He had a disappointing sophomore slump and then a year long recovery from an injury which has ended countless careers. Let's see how the season ends, but I don't think this is a hard sell.

Golden Boot

Wayne Rooney - Rumors float of Acosta being highly wanted in Europe, if he leaves then DC United will lean on Rooney even more. The Manchester United legend has shown his class and his ability, I won't be shocked if he makes his mark this season.

Defender of the Year

Graham Zusi - This one is tough and honestly of all of these wild guesses, I feel least confident about this one. But Aaron Long won it last year. Chad has won it three times and if the Sounders are as dominant in awards as I think they will be this year, I think Chad might be overlooked again unless he is truly dominant.

Keeper of the Year

Stefan Frei - Zack Steffen won it last year despite Frei deserving it in nearly every category of statistics for goalkeeping, sure he had a good season but... Frei was better. The league screwed up and Frei has reached the point where he just doesn't care about the award anymore. And that's bad news for the league because he is going to stand on his head this season purely for himself and for the team.

Coach of the Year

Alan Koch - Cincinnati have come out and competed better than I think anyone expected. At this point, so long as they finish upper middle table or better, I think Koch gets this.

Tweet of the Year

I think this goes to the one and only Clint Dempsey with his early entry to the competition: