Throughout the past week, national soccer teams the world over have been engaged in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Predictably, at this stage of qualifying, results varied dramatically. Spain, for example, belted poor Liechtenstein, 8-0. The German Mannschaft rolled to its eighth consecutive final round victory, improving its goal differential to 35-2 with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic and a 6-0 drubbing of Norway.But keeping things in Europe, tiny Luxembourg drew mighty France, 0-0 to put a monkey wrench in Les Blues plans for Russia. The Faroe Islands, which might be imaginary, beat Andorra, which definitely is, by a 1-0 score, rising to striking distance of third place in their group, a moral victory in the making.
Closer to home, our Yanks were four minutes away from goose-egging this international break, trailing Honduras, 1-0, on the heels of a dismal 2-0 home loss to Costa Rica. Had Bruce Arena's squad failed to equalize, the U.S. would've fallen to fourth place in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, and put our hopes in real jeopardy. Great American Bobby Wood let us breathe for a few more weeks by doing this:
The U.S. plays its final two matches against minnows Panama and Trinidad and Tobago, but at this point in the process, nothing is guaranteed, given both the USMNT's tepid form and the fact that fucked up stuff happens in CONCACAF on the regular. The top three teams in the region qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the fourth is forced into a playoff.
In far less sublime global soccer news, FIFA ruled today that Senegal and South Africa must replay a qualifier originally contested in November after finding that the match official, Ghanaian Joseph Lamptey, "unlawfully manipulate match results'. Lamptey awarded the South Africans a penalty kick on a phantom handball in the Senegalese penalty area, which keyed the home team's 2-1 win.
Since sports are nothing if not redemptive, we'll close on an amazingly emotional note. Syria, a nation that's been through some of the worst trauma imaginable, has made a surprisingly competitive run through the Asian Football Federation's qualifying process. More than 50 Syrian professional players have been killed during that nation's six-year civil war, and 13 others are missing or detained. Top talents have left the country in fear for their lives. Nonetheless, the Syrians entered play yesterday with an outside chance to guarantee a World Cup berth.
Into stoppage time, Syria trailed Iran, 2-1, and results elsewhere meant that the underdogs would be eliminated with a loss. And then this happened:
Syria now play a home and away series against Australia, with the winner advancing to take on CONCACAF's fourth place team. Which, as we've learned, could be the United States of America.
And how'd you like that for some geopolitical intrigue?
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26 comments:
An Austrian soccer team she wanted, my German Mannschaft she got.
Do you work there any more?
Sad news about Charles Bradley in the last posts' comments. If you're in DC area, get to Rosslyn Jazz Festival this Saturday and see Lee Fields and the Expressions.
I'd make the trip up if I weren't waiting at the finish line of a cross country meet to take my kid to his first soccer match of the year as soon as he finishes. And priming and painting the attic. And tweaking my drainage so the hurricane remnants don't flood my basement.
Good luck to all the Floridians in Irma's path.
Upon further review my first GTB post was about Lee Fields, not Charles Bradley, although Bradley is on the compilation album mentioned in the post.
http://gheorghe77.blogspot.com/2009/09/music-month-i-know-you-got-soul.html
Mandatory evacuations officially ordered for all barrier islands in my county. Deadline is 3 pm friday. I'll likely wait to head inland until early Saturday. Still, I'd really like to see Irma keep inching eastward.
the path I see does not show it inching eastward but hugging the coastline all the way up...
after matthew I came very close to ditching the storm shutters (or shall we call them shudders) figuring if they weren't needed for that one we'd never need them. thankfully we held onto - they go up tomorrow. good times.
our plan at this moment is to hunker down. that is subject to change and if so will head northwest at odark hundred Saturday morning.
should we stay, our house comes replete with a safe room. it's my closet actually - it's essentially a giant safe, encased in roughly 4" steel and with a heavy duty door. most of the newer homes in our 'hood have one. so I've got that going for me.
when your house comes with metal storm shutters and a safe room, other options should be exhausted.
The path has moved significantly from middle of the state to the coastline over the past few days. That's what I was referencing. The current path is about as bad it gets for us with a Category 4 eye predicted to pass right on top of my town. I'm likely to go inland to my sisters house on Saturday morning but will hold out hope while being as prepared as possible. About to start boarding up.
Got it. The closest thing to a positive is we should still be alive and well for cfb viewing on Saturday. NFL - we'll see.
Stay safe you two.
Dave, thanks for those soccer drills. No, really.
Hahaha. I emailed Rob about some soccer drills for my daughters U6 team. He included Dave on the reply. Dave has yet to reply. This was about a month ago.
Also, thanks Squeak. I feel better about Irma than I probably should but that's where I'm at currently.
this is the first time in more than two decades that i don't have a fantasy football team. it's weird.
i'm supposed to fly to atlanta on tuesday. that seems...unlikely.
It appears Sloane Stephens wore fake eyelashes during her match vs Serena. I could care less. She showed a ton of heart and has a giant smile. That 3rd set was more exciting than the NFL. Not even close. Sloane is sexy. Good job, Jozy!
I met today w/ some professional colleagues from Houston. They told some harrowing tales. The flooding impact in Houston was a lot more random than I realized. There are several dams/rivers/bayous in random areas that just could not contain the water that inundated them. Anybody close to one of those areas got hammered. A guy I know a bit who is in his late 30's lost his entire home 5 days after his 3rd child was born. As tragic as that sounds, he's an upper middle class white guy with myriad support options. I would bet there were lower income families in similar situations w/ far fewer options. Heartbreaking.
Mike Gillislee has been criminally underrated throughout his career. 3 star player in high school in Deland. Didn't get to play a lot at Florida until he was a senior. Cut by the Dolphins. Underutilized in Buffalo. Going to be a star for New England. Go figure.
Houston has been incredibly overdeveloped with little thought given to flood zones, rain absorbent grasslands and other important factors. Many areas of the city regularly flood during normal storms. Harvey was a worst case scenario but it couldn't and shouldn't have been shocking to those that live there.
I'm lucky enough to live a couple blocks from the beach without being in a flood zone. High winds are always my primary concern. Not flooding. Many around me on the barrier islands can't say the same. Going to be some real anxious days ahead for many in my community.
Hey CoCo. Feel free to give a shit anytime.
did i actually send squeaky soccer drills? i don't think i ever saw the mark/rob email. i'm in soccer hell right now-- screwed up a uniform order, 8 AM games on saturday and sunday for tournament, not all the med forms turned in, need to laminate the player cards, ian's foot is hurt, one kid with a broken arm, took forty minutes for me to figure out how to print rosters, pdfs can't become google docs, don't have my parking pass because i didn't put my address in the right form, lost a set of pug goals somewhere and no one seems to know where they are, and my kids are too small for 11 v 11 on a giant field.
who needs drills?
I have never seen Alex Smith look so good.
Madison Keys' top front teeth are ginormous.
Besides the fact that NE is our oldest's favorite team, Gillislee is also on his Fantasy team this year. All American tennis semis for women is pretty cool. Hoping for Irma's strength to lessen, though it's not looking like it.. Be safe y'all!
What the fuck does it take to get a roughing the kicker penalty now?
"Quarterbacks hyperprotected under all circumstances. Punters... fuck 'em."
Yes. Fuck punters. They have the best job in pro sports.
Best of luck to the Floridiots. Stay safe down there.
Dave, I'll add the '/s' at the end of all my sarcastic comments for you. But it sounds like you are your own hurricane in the making.
Just looked at my FFL team and I have Gillislee as well. He did well last night, the Pats not so much.
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