With the FIFA World Cup kicking off in about a year, there is instability regarding the US Men’s National Team (USMNT). The coach and the star player are sniping at each other; the coach – – seemingly to exert dominance – – did not take the best players overseas for some friendlies; the team had lost 4 games in a row. Just as there was no joy in Mudville when Casey struck out, all was not peaches and cream as the USMNT began play in the Gold Cup tournament.
Not to worry; the opening opponent was Trinidad and Tobago, and they were simply overmatched. The US prevailed 5-0 which is the soccer equivalent of a laugher. Next up for the USMNT will be Saudi Arabia and then Haiti. If the USMNT is to make a respectable showing in the World Cup next year, this is the time to put aside internal squabbles and put the pieces of a competitive team in order.
The USMNT is guaranteed a slot in the World Cup because the US, Canada and Mexico are the joint hosts for the tournament and most of the games will be played here in the US. The competition there will be a bit stiffer than Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, if the team intends to generate some sort of interest-generating momentum in the months leading up to the tournament, they need to change the narrative around the team and change it quickly. Beating Trinidad and Tobago is one minuscule step in that direction.
Moving on … In one sense, it was shocking to hear that the Red Sox were trading Rafael Devers; in another, it was inevitable. Devers was the Sox third baseman, and he was All-Star quality. In the offseason, the Sox signed Alex Bregman as a free agent, and he too is a third baseman. The Sox planned to have Devers play another infield position, but he balked; so, they made him their DH – – but evidently even that was not working out. So, the Red Sox sent Evers to the Giants for two young pitchers and two minor league prospects.
Two years ago, Devers and the Red Sox agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth $313M; almost $250M of that deal is still outstanding and it is now the responsibility of the Giants to foot that bill. Devers is only 28 years old, so he has plenty of good years ahead of him from a physical perspective, but his intransigence and general behavior ever since the Bregman signing indicate at least some risk for the Giants in the deal. The reason I bring that up is that the Giants have an entrenched players at third base – – Matt Chapman.
In another story related to a good MLB player, Wander Franco is on trial in the Dominican Republic for sexual abuse of a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation of a minor and human trafficking. The minor in question was supposedly 14 at the time of these alleged activities. As if that were not bad enough, he has also now been charged with illegal possession of a handgun. What is strange about this additional charge is in the timing.
Franco was arrested last November after an “altercation in a parking lot”. As part of that event, a gun was found in Franco’s vehicle. That gun was registered bot Franco’s uncle. Now, more than 6 months after that “altercation in a parking lot” where the gun was found, charges have been brought forward. In my simplistic mind, it would appear that the authorities have had more than sufficient time to have made the decision to charge him, and this timing is strange.
Switching gears … The UFL Championship Game happened yesterday, and the DC Defenders beat the Michigan Panthers 58-34. That was the first time a UFL team scored more than 50 points in a game, and it was enabled in the second quarter when the Defenders outscored the Panthers 31-6. Defenders’ QB, Jordan Ta’amu – – out of Ole Miss – – put on a show with this stat line:
- 21 of 28 for 390 yards and 4 TDs.
- [Aside: Those 390 yards passing set a UFL record for passing yards in a game.]
I have not been able to find any reports on the TV numbers for the UFL Championship Game, but I will keep looking…
Finally, an important insight from Jackie Gleason:
“The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you’re off it.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………