It’s Man City-Liverpool, Guardiola-Klopp, on Sunday at 11:30 am ET (Photos by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Man City-Liverpool is one of those modern-day rivalries that has the benefit of producing entertaining games in addition to tension-filled ones. They meet again on Sunday in what could go a long way in determining the Premier League race. Stateside, we’ve also got the LA derby between LA Galaxy and LAFC and the USWNT taking on Uzbekistan. Feel free below to ask any probing, thoughtful and/or amusing questions about any soccer topic, and I’ll answer the best ones as part of the Friday Newsletter. Thank you!
Can Arsenal recover from the Palace drubbing and take fourth? Or, does the combination of the losses of Tierney and Partey and Spurs’ recent form and veteran leadership make fourth too big a reach for a young Arsenal squad?
A goalie has a poor angle for determining if an opponent is onside or offside. If the goalie had the best angle then the AR would be standing there near the goalie, too.
At 1 -1 the ManCity player loops the ball in to ManCity #9. There are four (4) other ManCity attackers AFFECTING THE GOD-FORSAKEN positioning of the goalie. The goalie ? IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW? that the brain power behind the laws? AND the referee? AND the referee's assistant ? will adjudge those four to have been "not affecting play"??? As if the fellow looping the ball into the area might not have passed to one of those four?
As you saw, a fifth ManCity player comes in with good timing and scores. You're gonna say the Liverpool defenders should have all instantly abandoned their central positions to cover the ManCity #9, G. Jesus? The defenders positioning was unaffected by the presence of four opponents?
Looking back on qualifying, what was the most pivotal game for the USMNT? Qualifying on goal difference means every point was essential, but I look back to the two games in Columbus as pivotal. For the El Salvador game, in retrospect beating the 7th place team 1-0 looks like an especially close moment.
(Speaking as a big Sounders fan)... how important is it for an MLS club to win a CONCACAF Champions League title, in terms of the league gaining more international respect? Do you see it happening this year?
What youth development approach(s) has been the most important factor to creating a deep US MNT pool — original residency program ; original academy ; mls take over of academy ; home grown mls signings and: or earlier movement to euro teams of middle teen players ?
Iran has multiple players who live and play in Qatar's 1st division. Iran played multiple WCQs in the new WC stadiums. WC2022 is quite literally a home tournament for many of these players. Meanwhile the Yanks have mostly never been anywhere near Qatar.
Is there anything preventing US Soccer from attempting to schedule a double header friendly in Qatar? I suppose the CC Nations League dictates that the June window be in North America. What about the window directly before the tournament - could the team just arrive effectively weeks in advance, do one or two friendlies and just stay in country?
We know that form in qualifying doesn't predict success or failure at a World Cup, for both teams and players. Given the USMNT's (I hesitate to use this next word because it's a slight exaggeration) struggles in the Octagonal, is there a case to be made that it's better for a team to have more potential than product seven months out from Qatar?
Case in point: previous US World Cup teams have too often, in my opinion, peaked 8-12 months ahead of the World Cup — with the notable exception being the 2001 qualifying team, which ended up having a surprising and memorable tournament. With minor quibbles, the 1997, 2005, 2009 and 2013 teams may have ultimately been better, or at least more clearly defined, than ones that actually represented the country on the world stage a year later (I also believe that you could include the 2017 team, who may have been on course for a hiding had they actually qualified for Russia, in this list, but no need to revisit that again).
Was too much made about qualifying third in CONCACAF, and who would be best-served putting it in the rear-view mirror?
Could you do a pod or an article about the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup? Went to my first match in San Diego last night and can't wait to see what happens in the next round.
Do you think Karim Benzema not playing for his national team for so long (well documented as to why) has contributed to him being undervalued as a player? Seems like so much global adoration for players comes from national team play vs club
Seems like maybe US Soccer, and maybe a couple other institutions such as the NCAA, should introduce a new rule: Coaches may not have sex with players. Is this rule too obvious? Would it get quiet pushback? I'm sure there's a male college coach who married one of his female (probably former) players, but I can't remember who.
Do you have any intel on what November 14-November 21 will look like for USMNT? Will the European players head straight to Qatar on the 14th? Will the MLS players have an earlier camp?
Can Arsenal recover from the Palace drubbing and take fourth? Or, does the combination of the losses of Tierney and Partey and Spurs’ recent form and veteran leadership make fourth too big a reach for a young Arsenal squad?
re: Manchester City's second goal.
Title: A weakness of the the offside law.
A goalie has a poor angle for determining if an opponent is onside or offside. If the goalie had the best angle then the AR would be standing there near the goalie, too.
At 1 -1 the ManCity player loops the ball in to ManCity #9. There are four (4) other ManCity attackers AFFECTING THE GOD-FORSAKEN positioning of the goalie. The goalie ? IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW? that the brain power behind the laws? AND the referee? AND the referee's assistant ? will adjudge those four to have been "not affecting play"??? As if the fellow looping the ball into the area might not have passed to one of those four?
As you saw, a fifth ManCity player comes in with good timing and scores. You're gonna say the Liverpool defenders should have all instantly abandoned their central positions to cover the ManCity #9, G. Jesus? The defenders positioning was unaffected by the presence of four opponents?
Looking back on qualifying, what was the most pivotal game for the USMNT? Qualifying on goal difference means every point was essential, but I look back to the two games in Columbus as pivotal. For the El Salvador game, in retrospect beating the 7th place team 1-0 looks like an especially close moment.
(Speaking as a big Sounders fan)... how important is it for an MLS club to win a CONCACAF Champions League title, in terms of the league gaining more international respect? Do you see it happening this year?
What youth development approach(s) has been the most important factor to creating a deep US MNT pool — original residency program ; original academy ; mls take over of academy ; home grown mls signings and: or earlier movement to euro teams of middle teen players ?
Does the U.S. national team need an enforcer for Qatar? Do they have an enforcer, in your estimation? Weston McKennie, maybe?
Can Mexico learn from how the USMNT handled the Weston McKennie incident vis-à-vis Chicharito?
Iran has multiple players who live and play in Qatar's 1st division. Iran played multiple WCQs in the new WC stadiums. WC2022 is quite literally a home tournament for many of these players. Meanwhile the Yanks have mostly never been anywhere near Qatar.
Is there anything preventing US Soccer from attempting to schedule a double header friendly in Qatar? I suppose the CC Nations League dictates that the June window be in North America. What about the window directly before the tournament - could the team just arrive effectively weeks in advance, do one or two friendlies and just stay in country?
We know that form in qualifying doesn't predict success or failure at a World Cup, for both teams and players. Given the USMNT's (I hesitate to use this next word because it's a slight exaggeration) struggles in the Octagonal, is there a case to be made that it's better for a team to have more potential than product seven months out from Qatar?
Case in point: previous US World Cup teams have too often, in my opinion, peaked 8-12 months ahead of the World Cup — with the notable exception being the 2001 qualifying team, which ended up having a surprising and memorable tournament. With minor quibbles, the 1997, 2005, 2009 and 2013 teams may have ultimately been better, or at least more clearly defined, than ones that actually represented the country on the world stage a year later (I also believe that you could include the 2017 team, who may have been on course for a hiding had they actually qualified for Russia, in this list, but no need to revisit that again).
Was too much made about qualifying third in CONCACAF, and who would be best-served putting it in the rear-view mirror?
What's your best guess of what an "equal prize money" deal will look like between USSF, USWNT, and USMNT?
Could you do a pod or an article about the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup? Went to my first match in San Diego last night and can't wait to see what happens in the next round.
What's the best/worst footy scran you've ever had?
Any insight or predictions for the final 2026 WC USA venues?
Do you think Karim Benzema not playing for his national team for so long (well documented as to why) has contributed to him being undervalued as a player? Seems like so much global adoration for players comes from national team play vs club
Seems like maybe US Soccer, and maybe a couple other institutions such as the NCAA, should introduce a new rule: Coaches may not have sex with players. Is this rule too obvious? Would it get quiet pushback? I'm sure there's a male college coach who married one of his female (probably former) players, but I can't remember who.
Who will be the fourth team in WC 2022 Group B?
Do you have any intel on what November 14-November 21 will look like for USMNT? Will the European players head straight to Qatar on the 14th? Will the MLS players have an earlier camp?
What’s going wrong with the New England Revolution? Is it their older roster? Losing Matt Turner? Will they turn it around?