The US Wrap up the WC Qualifiers

 

Evening, all! The US Men's National Team wrap up their WC qualifying campaign for Qatar 2022 tonight on the road in Costa Rica. But for the win against Panama on Sunday night, this one might have been a nail-biter; fortunately, however, barring a complete melt-down, the US will qualify for the World Cup Finals by the end of the night. That said, this will still be a test of Greg Berhalter's young side to see if they can finish with a professional performance. Come on, you Yanks! 

England v. Ivory Coast Live!

 

Afternoon, chaps - it's footer time again! The focus for me, of course, is England's friendly against the Ivory Coast at Wembley this evening. It's Gareth's last chance for the summer to take a look at a few players who might be on the margins of the squad for Qatar 2022. It's also another chance for Harry Kane, now on 49 goals to get close to Wayne Rooney's tally of 55 goals for England. 

Join me if you're loafing about this afternoon, won't you? 

A Crucial Match for the USMNT!

 

It's a must-win evening for Greg Berhalter's US Men's National Team as they host Panama tonight. Three points would virtually secure qualification for Qatar 2022; anything less and the US face the challenge of getting something on the road in Costa Rica, never a friendly place to visit for the team, on Wednesday night. 

I'll be a bit in and out of this one tonight, but I thought I'd start this thread for those of you who are able to concentrate on it. Come on, you Yanks! 

England v. Switzerland Live!

 

Gareth Southgate's England side are safely into the pot for Qatar 2022, so they'll be embarking on a series of friendly matches to stay sharp in the interim. That campaign starts today at Wembley against Switzerland, the kind of second tier European opposition that England will likely meet in the Group Stage and perhaps even in the Round of 16. 

It all starts on ESPN+ at 1:30pm this afternoon. Join me for all the fun, won't you? 

The CONCACAF El Classico!

 

It doesn't get much bigger for the US Men's National Team than a match against El Tri in the Azteca. Greg Berhalter's men really don't need much from tonight, but a draw would certainly make the last two matches, where they'll need four points, a lot less tense. 

Join me from 10pm onward on Paramount Plus tonight, won't you?

Qatar 2022 World Cup Playoffs!

 

Hiya, boys - I've just wrapped up my research work for the day and am settling in to enjoy this afternoon's World Cup playoff action. We've got four big playoff matches this afternoon: 

Italy v. North Macedonia

Portugal v. Turkey 

Sweden v. Czech Republic

Wales v. Austria

ESPN2 is showing what they consider the marquee match-up with CR-17's Portuguese side going up against Turkey. Ronny could make a record fifth World Cup appearance in Qatar if the Portugeezers make it into the tournament. 

I'll be watching Ryan Giggs' Wales side up against Austria in what has been termed the most important fixture for Wales since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Wow! 

Join me for all the action this afternoon.

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 30 Update

A very good Tuesday morning, everyone! I'm back as usual with our weekly check-in of the scores from our humble PPP game. As we head into the last international break of the season, things are very tight in the table and in our standings. Liverpool have now pulled within a point of Man City at the top of the Premier League; likewise, only a point separates Teddy Goaleselvelt and Swansong at the top of our standings. At the bottom of the table, Everton, Watford, Burnley and Norwich are battling it out to avoid relegation, while three of us - Red Devil 1FCK, Red Dragon and yours truly - continue to languish at the bottom of our table. 

It should be a thrilling end of the season. Here are the current standings: 

1. Teddy Goalesevelt - 50 points

2. Swansong - 49 pts

3. Man Utd Rules - 46 pts

4. MOT the Hoople - 45 pts

5. The Bee's Knees - 44 pts

6. Gooner71 - 38 pts

7. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 37 pts

8. Someone Said - 36 pts

9. Pink Kits - 29 pts

10. The Saint - 27 pts

-  United We Stand - 27 pts

12. Yellows - 25 pts

13. West Ham Rising - 24 pts

14. Red Devil 1FCK - 20 pts

-  Red Dragon - 20 pts

16. Blue Devil - 19 pts

And an Odd Sunday

 

Our odd Sunday with a bit of this and a bit of that continues this morning with three FA Cup matches and two Premier League matches scattered across the various platforms. As I type, the early kick in the Cup has Palace 2-0 up over hapless Everton. I'm on USA waiting for the early Premier League match between Leicester and Brentford.  

That's followed by Soton v. Citeh in the Cup on ESPN+ at 11am. The later match in the Prem is a London Derby between Spurs and West Ham with a European slot on the line. Then we wrap up the day on the Plus with a late Cup match between Forest and Liverpool. 

Join me for all the fun today, won't you? 

An Odd Saturday

For those of us who were raised on a full slate of matches at 3pm on a Saturday, a weekend like this is more than a bit odd. Only two matches on today, starting with Arsenal trip to Villa at 8:30am. Then one FA Cup 5th Round match between Boro and Chelsea at 1:15pm. So, if you've got some weekend errands to do, now's the time. 

Join me for whatever is on, eh? 

Friday Night Fights

 

Afternoon, chaps - I'm just back from the office and settling in to enjoy this afternoon's match. Let's be honest - every match until the end of the season is a cup tie for us with precious points on the line. This evening, it's Wolves away at Molineux for us. We picked up a last gasp 2-2 draw at Elland Road back in the fall courtesy of a penalty by Rodrigo. I'd be delighted with that result again today, as it would give us another vital point toward safety. 

Join me on USA from 3:30 pm onward. Come on, you Leeds! #MOT! 

Quarterfinal Draws for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League

Enclosed are the draws for the Euro Quarterfinals:

Quarter-finals[edit]

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET.^[30] The first legs will be played on 5 and 6 April, and the second legs will be played on 12 and 13 April 2022.

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Chelsea	1	Real Madrid	6 Apr	12 Apr
Manchester City	2	Atlético Madrid	5 Apr	13 Apr
Villarreal	3	Bayern Munich	6 Apr	12 Apr
Benfica	4	Liverpool	5 Apr	13 Apr

Semi-finals[edit]

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.^[30] The first legs will be played on 26 and 27 April, and the second legs will be played on 3 and 4 May 2022.

Enclosed is the draw for the Europa League

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Winners of quarter-final 2	1	Winners of quarter-final 1	26/27 Apr	3/4 May
Winners of quarter-final 4	2	Winners of quarter-final 3	26/27 Apr	3/4 May

The Europa League Draw :

Quarter-finals[edit]

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 13:30 CET.^[19] The first legs will be played on 7 April, and the second legs will be played on 14 April 2022.

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
RB Leipzig	1	Atalanta	7 Apr	14 Apr
Eintracht Frankfurt	2	Barcelona	7 Apr	14 Apr
West Ham United	3	Lyon	7 Apr	14 Apr
Braga	4	Rangers	7 Apr	14 Apr

Semi-finals[edit]

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 13:30 CET, after the quarter-final draw.^[19] The first legs will be played on 28 April, and the second legs will be played on 5 May 2022.

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Winners of quarter-final 1	1	Winners of quarter-final 4	28 Apr	5 May
Winners of quarter-final 3	2	Winners of quarter-final 2	28 Apr	5 May

The Conference League:

Quarter-finals[edit]

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 15:00 CET.^[32] The first legs will be played on 7 April, and the second legs will be played on 14 April 2022.

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Bodø/Glimt	1	Roma	7 Apr	14 Apr
Feyenoord	2	Slavia Prague	7 Apr	14 Apr
Marseille	3	PAOK	7 Apr	14 Apr
Leicester City	4	PSV Eindhoven	7 Apr	14 Apr

Semi-finals[edit]

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 15:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.^[32] The first legs will be played on 28 April, and the second legs will be played on 5 May 2022.

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Winners of quarter-final 4	1	Winners of quarter-final 1	28 Apr	5 May
Winners of quarter-final 2	2	Winners of quarter-final 3	28 Apr	5 May

Champions League Tuesday

 

Hiya, chaps! It's a big afternoon of Champions League action. Man Utd face Atletico at Old Trafford in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie. United go into this one in pole position with a precious away goal from the 1-1 draw in Madrid two weeks ago. A simple 1-0 win or even a 0-0 draw would put them through to the quarters. 

In the other tie, Ajaz host Benfica in a similar situation, having drawn 2-2 in Lisbon. Along with those matches, there is a hefty agenda of Championship action as well. 

I'll be at an appointment with our tax attorneys from 2-4pm, but fortunately, the clocks haven't gone forward yet, so this one starts at 4pm on Paramount Plus, so I hope to join in close to kickoff. Come on, United! 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 29 Update

Happy Tuesday, PPPers - I'm checking in as usual with the weekly update on our standings. As we round the corner into the last third of the season, several races are still very tight and thus our standings very tight at the top. It's all to play. 

Man City's disappointing draw at Crystal Palace last night means that Liverpool can pull within a point of the top with a win at Arsenal on Wednesday. The race for third and fourth is tight as well, with Arsenal, Man Utd and West Ham continuing to put pressure on Chelsea. At the bottom, Watford's win at Southampton, pulled them level on points with Everton. My beloved Leeds United's win over Norwich gave us some breathing space but we're definitely not out of trouble yet. 

In the Championship, Fulham and Bournemouth are somewhat locked in, with Huddersfield just outside the top two automatic spots and Sheffield United have now crept into the playoff spots, alongside QPR and Stoke. 

It all means that our current leader Teddy Goalesevelt remains on top with Swansong merely a point behind. Here are the current standings: 

1. Teddy Goalesevelt - 53 points 

2. Swansong - 52 pts

3. Man Utd Rules - 48 pts

4. MOT the Hoople - 45 pts

5. The Bee's Knees - 44 pts

6. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 43 pts

7. Gooner71 - 42 pts

8. Someone Said - 40 pts

9. Pink Kits - 33 pts

10. Yellows - 32 pts

11. The Saint - 31 pts

12. United We Stand - 28 pts

-  West Ham Rising - 28 pts

14. Red Dragon - 24 pts

15. Blue Devil - 23 pts

16. Red Devil 1FCK - 20 pts

 

A Huge Match for Leeds

 

I'm waking up with an ominous feeling ahead of this morning's football. My beloved Leeds United host Norwich City today. A home match against the bottom club is of course a must-win. If we can't beat Norwich at home it will beg the question of where the next win will come from. 

At the same time, there are several matches that have implications for the relegation battle, including Chelsea's home match with Newcastle, Everton's home match with Wolves, and Southampton's home match with Watford. If we can do our jobs and get a little help from our friends elsewhere, the picture will look a lot better in a couple of hours. Come on, you Whites! #MOT!

Join me for the roller coaster ride, won't you? 

Hurray, it's Saturday!

 

Morning, boys - I've settling in to enjoy this morning's fare in the Premier League. We start on the South Coast, with Liverpool trying to keep up with the Guardiolas, with the title race potentially down to three points after this match. That's followed by the usual 10am kickoffs, including another key one for Leeds fans - Brentford v. Burnley. We'll be Bees fans, hoping that the Premier League new boys can drive another nail in Sean Dyche's coffin. Finally, at the end of the day, we've got the marquee match-up between United and Spurs. The winner will take a massive step toward Champions League qualifing.

Join me for every kick,  won't you? 

A Very Big Thursday Afternoon

 

I'm on pins and needles as I settle in to watch my beloved Leeds United this afternoon. The fun has left along with Marcelo Bielsa, replaced with a gritty relegation pitched battle to the end of the season.  Every match is a cup tie, with priceless points on the line. It starts today, with Aston Villa visiting the hallowed Elland Road stadium. We drew Villa 3-3 at Villa Park a month ago; today, we need a win and three big points. If we were to get two from today's match and Sunday morning against Norwich, as well as a point at Wolves Friday week, we'd end March on 30 points and would breathe a lot easier. Come on, you Whites! #MOT! 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 27 Update

A very happy Tuesday to all of you. I'm checking in with the usual update on our PPP standings. It was a good week points wise for us, as Arsenal joined the top four again, pushing West Ham out of the European slots and adding four (or five) points to most of our totals. Likewise, with Middlesbrough back in the Championship playoff spots, a number of us have picked three (or four) points. AC Milan has pushed Napoli out of the way at the top of Serie A, so that's added two points for a few of us. And Trent Alexander Arnold is all on his own now on the Top Assists list, now with 11 assists. 

Also, now that we're down to eight sides left in the FA Cup, I've taken note of those in our picks who's been knocked out of the tournament. 

It all means that Teddy and Swansong are still deadlocked at the top of the charts on 53 points. Here are the current standings: 

1. Swansong - 53 points

-  Teddy Goalesevelt - 53pts

3. Man Utd Rules - 48 pts 

4. MOT the Hoople - 47 pts

5. The Bee's Knees - 43 pts

-  What's Up Wheaton Simon - 43 pts

7. Gooner71 - 38 pts

8. Someone Said - 34 pts

9. Yellows - 33 pts

10. Pink Kits - 32 pts

11. The Saint - 30 pts

12. United We Stand - 28 pts

13. Red Dragon - 24 pts

14. Blue Devil - 23 pts

15. West Ham Rising - 21 pts

16. Red Devil 1FCK - 19 pts

 

A Big Sunday Doubleheader

 It's a Sunday double header with interest at both ends of the table, starting with the Hornets vs the Gunners kicking off at 9 AM. If the Gunners win then they will move up to fourth place before the Man Derby kicks off from, the Etihad. A Hornets win would move them up to third from bottom, behind the Toffees on goal difference. The day concludes with the Man Derby from the Etihad kicking off at 11;30 AM. A United win would put them three pints behind third place Chelsea and leave Citeh with just a three point lead over Liverpool while a Citeh would put them six points clear at the top. I picked this picture because I feel it accurately reflects the mood of both clubs at this time. Join if you can for the all the action on USA.

Another Critical Saturday

 

Morning, guys - I'm still heartsick over the events of the last week at my beloved Leeds United. But I'm here to roar on the boys as they kick off the Jesse Marsch era. We're away at Leicester today in yet another challenging fixture with an understrength side. A draw would be welcome. 

That's just the start of a day dominated by matches involving teams in the bottom seven, including Burnley v. Chelsea on USA. 

The late one is a top of the table clash between West Ham and Liverpool. Join me for all of the action, won't you? 

Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 26 Update

Happy Hump Day, everybody! I'm checking in as usual with an update of the standings in our PPP Game. The big news this week is that Liverpool won the first silverware of the season, besting Chelsea on penalties in the League Cup Final on Sunday. This was a particular boon to Simon, who bagged the full eight points by guessing a Liverpool win and Chelsea loss correctly. Many of us got either six points for the Liverpool win or two points for the Chelsea. I, of course, plumped for a Chelsea win and Liverpool loss and got no points at all and still sit at the bottom of the table. It's been that kind of season for me (sigh). 

Elsewhere, Burnley and Watford changed places at the bottom (and they con continue to do that for the rest of the season, in my mind). In the Championship, our old East Anglian friends Luton Town are in the sixth playoff spot! And in Serie A, Napoli are nudging Juve and Inter out of top spot. 

This all means that Teddy (our current Lancer Cup holder) and Swansong (our current LOB Shield holder) are tied at the top on an impressive 53 points. It should be a thrilling run-in to the season. Here are the current standings: 

1. Teddy Goalesevelt - 53 points 

-  Swansong - 53 pts

3. Man Utd Rules - 49 pts

4. What's Up Wheaton Simon - 45 pts

5. MOT the Hoople - 44 pts 

6. Gooner71 - 41 pts

7. Someone Said - 40 pts

8. The Bee's Knees - 38 pts

9. The Saint - 34 pts

10. Pink Kits - 32 pts

11. Yellows - 31 pts

12. West Ham Rising - 29 pts

13. United We Stand - 27 pts

14. Red Devil 1FCK - 20 pts

-  Red Dragon - 20 pts

16. Blue Devil - 15 pts

A Busy Tuesday

 

Afternoon, chaps! It's a busy Tuesday afternoon of footer action today. Uppermost in my mind is a Premier League clash between Burnley and Leicester, where of course I'll be hoping for a big win for the Foxes on the road at Turf Moor. I'll have that on in the background on Peacock.

Along with that, we've got some FA Cup 5th Round action on ESPN+, including Posh v. City, Palace v. Stoke and Boro v. Spurs. 

I'll be attending to a webinar in the midst of it but I thought I'd get us started with a thread. Join in if you've got the time.