Happy Holidays, Reds and Blues! So far this holiday period has been anything but joyful for both Chelsea and United. And as we approach the truly Festive Fixtures at the end of the season, what can each set of fans expect and hope for? Let’s see what Evan and Aaron have to say!

 Chelsea kicked off December with a deserved win over Brighton & Hove, but their ongoing issues were still on display. Up 2-1 just minutes before halftime, Conor Gallagher picked up a 2nd yellow card to force Chelsea to play the entire 2nd half with 10 men for the 3rd time in their last few games. Another goal from B&H made things nervy, which may have carried over to their next match against United. ManU started on the front foot and took advantage of Poch’s decision to bring a defiantly attacking mentality to Old Trafford. United dominated from the outset and could have been home and dry well before halftime if they were more clinical (more on that below). 2-1 said a lot about both sides, and a repeat viewing of the match illustrates just what is going wrong for both clubs at the moment. Chelsea followed that up with a poor performance against an aggrieved and rejuvenated Everton side. Chelsea will play 5 matches before the end of the year, and despite Newcastle being the only one in the top half of the table, Chelsea’s 12th-place standing means it’s probably more important to win the other 4 games and hope for a good result against an injured but still dangerous Toon.

 Manchester United yet again held a 2-goal lead (away at that!) in the Champions League and still managed to slip to a 3-3 draw in Turkey that left it all to play for on the final matchday. Yesterday, Bayern Munich put the final nail in the CL coffin with, for them, a relatively easy away day at Old Trafford. United worked hard, but the gulf in form and class were on full display. In between, United limped to an away defeat at Newcastle, were either unlucky or flattered with their victory over Chelsea, and thoroughly embarrassed at home by a rampant Bournemouth. To make matters worse, United will travel next to Liverpool (site of last season’s horrible 7-0) and West Ham before a Boxing Day fixture at home to Villa and an away trip to Forest. Some fortitude and resilience will be needed to avoid further embarrassment at Anfield. Any further mental damage could see a debilitating slide to end the year.

 Two Indiana teams made the Great Eight of the College Cup and faced off against one another in the quarters. A hard-fought 1-1 draw was decided on penalties, with Notre Dame’s GK making some big saves to send IU to a second consecutive exit on PKs. Notre Dame would go on to beat Oregon State before succumbing to Clemson in the final. Congrats to both teams for their deep runs in the tournament.

 We’ll be decking the halls and hoping Santa brings us some goal-scorers and better leadership for both our clubs. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers at 7pm, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Welcome back, Reds and Blues! The USMNT limped into the next round of the CONCACAF Nations League, Chelsea continued to yo-yo, and United have quietly become the in-form team in the EPL. Can they replicate that recent form in the CL today? Let’s find out.

When last we saw Chelsea, they were coming off of a rousing 4-1 victory over a Spurs side that has begun to fall of their strong, early form. That was followed by an even crazier match with City that could have gone either way but ultimately finished at 4 apiece. 8 goals in 2 games gave the impression that they had finally found their form in front of goal. But 2 weeks off apparently made them forget that form and their common sense. Not to take anything away from a Newcastle side that is still exceeding expectations, but most of the damage to Chelsea was self-inflicted. Poor defending, decision-making, and self-control caused them to ship another 4 goals. Will the real Chelsea FC please stand up? They have a chance to do just that at the Bridge against Bright & Hove, but it will not be an easy task as the Albion sit 2 spots higher.

Manchester United seem to have found form on the back of some consistency and much-needed returning players. Despite things not going well in the Champions League, they have been the in-form team in the Premier League for several weeks now. Moving Rashford to the right has helped him get back on track thanks to the overlapping runs of Dalot/AWB; something that had been missing during Luke Shaw’s long absence on the left. It has also given Garnacho more game time, and he rewarded United fans (and impartial footy fans everywhere) with a spectacular bicycle kick against Everton. They head to Turkey, where the locals will surely “welcome them to Hell”. Can United produce their recent league form, or would an early exit be a potential blessing in disguise? We’ll find out today.

The USMNT played 2 matches over the break against Trinidad & Tobago. The first came with a flattering scoreline as they needed nearly 40 minutes playing against 10 men to finally break them down before it became comfortable. The 2nd should have a bit more straight-forward. And it began that way with the US taking a 4-0 lead on aggregate through a rocket from Antonee Robinson. But Sergino Dest went absolutely insane getting himself sent off, and things went downhill from there. T&T took full advantage and scored either side of halftime, but they US managed to hold on to advance. This team is winning almost in spite of themselves. That does not bode well for a long run in upcoming tournaments.

We’ll be wondering what actually qualifies as a handball and being completely wrong in every scenario. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers at 7pm, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Hello again, Reds and Blues! It’s been a mixed bag of results for both clubs, and it’s hard to know which direction either are truly heading in. And we got a welcome surprise in news surrounding the USWNT. Let’s get into it!

 Chelsea’s season continues to confound. After putting in a rousing performance against Arsenal for about 75 minutes, it seems letting them claw back a point had a knock-on effect. Brentford rocked up to Stamford Bridge and took all 3 points back home. That 2-0 defeat was followed by a fairly straight-forward 2-0 win over Blackburn in the Carabao Cup. So, onto Monday and a trip up the road to Tottenham. From a neutral’s perspective, this was over 100 minutes of attacking intent. It was also littered with VAR interventions, cards, and goals. Spurs looked to be running away with it early, but red cards and injuries conspired to let Chelsea back into the game before taking full control late on. Games like this are hard to take much away from because of the frenetic nature but scoring 4 goals and ending the run of the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League should raise the spirits of fans, players, and coaching staff alike. Can they repeat such scenes against City at the weekend?

 Manchester United remains in much the same boat. It is safe to say that the manager and players got it all wrong in the Manchester Derby. Tributes to Sir Bobby Charlton were not enough to lift them against a very clinical City side. And they followed that up with an even more limp display against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. 2 3-0 defeats in a row made the away trip to Fulham that much more important, and with VAR yet again chalking off a United goal it looked to perhaps be too much for them. But the captain popped up late on with a nice strike to snatch all 3 points in a game they didn’t look likely to get much from. They visit Copenhagen today in the UCL where they desperately need to get all 3 points to keep their chances of advancing alive. A more cohesive performance will be needed to get such a result.

The USWNT sacked Vlatko Andonovski after they crashed out of the WWC. Weak tactics and an over-reliance on veteran players at the expense of young talent cost him dearly. And it was loudly questioned as to who could and should be the next in line to lead them on. Those questions were rousingly answered this week as the current Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, was announced as the next leader of the USWNT. She brings a wealth of experience and success, as Chelsea currently sit atop the WSL. Let’s hope she brings a fresh perspective and some needed confidence to our changing squad.  

We’ll be stopping occasionally to randomly review plays but not letting anyone know about it until after. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers at 7pm, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Greetings, Reds and Blues! Our clubs returned from international duty and were immediately thrown into the gauntlet that is the Premier League. And Americans headlined the weekend clash between AC Milan and Juventus. Let’s see how they fared.

 Chelsea’s first clash on their return from the international break was to host early title challengers Arsenal. While many Chelsea fans would have gladly taken a draw before kickoff, it was the visitors who looked the worse for wear. Poch got his setup just right, and perhaps Arteta was a bit naïve with his own. While Arsenal had the majority of possession, it was largely along their own back line and out wide. But this movement was too slow to drag Chelsea players out of position, and it was Chelsea who struck first through the penalty spot. VAR has intervened far too often and produced inconsistent results, and this incident will surely be a continued talking point. But Cole Palmer yet again coolly slotted the pk home. He is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his effort and goals. Starting the 2nd half with the lead, it was Chelsea who again did the pressing. Mudryk was almost certainly looking to pick out Sterling at the back post, but Raya’s aggressiveness on crosses proved his undoing as the ball sailed high and into the corner of the net. Now up 2-0, Chelsea began to show some of their weaknesses, and Arsenal pounced. A wayward pass from Sanchez allowed Rice to score a long-ranger into an empty net, and then Gusto was caught napping at the back post to give Trossard just enough space to volley home from close range. Chelsea will be disappointed to drop points, but for 75 minutes they had a top team on the ropes. Seeing things out will be the next step in their progression. A visit from bottom-half Brentford may just help that along.

 Meanwhile, Manchester United continues to confound. Traveling to Sheffield should never be taken lightly, but they do sit bottom. And with McSauce scoring his third goal in 2 games, things looked to be going as well as possible on the day of Sir Bobby Charlton’s passing. But it’s never quite that easy right now, and Scott handled shortly after to allow Sheffield an equalizer from the spot. Things looked to be heading toward a draw as United struggled to break down a rigid defense. But Diogo Dalot popped up late to hit a beautiful curler to take all the points. That should have been a momentum builder, but Copenhagen showed up to Old Trafford to make life difficult. And for 70 minutes it appeared they would succeed. But then 2 players who have struggled for form and support of late came to the rescue. Firstly, Harry Maguire turned home Eriksen’s cross from the wing to take the lead, and then Onana came up huge with an injury-time penalty save that may be the spark for both players and club to push on. The upcoming Manchester Derby will be a gut check.

 The USMNT showed their good and bad traits in both games during the break. At times looking very attacking and composed, they took a deserved lead against Germany before quickly showing their defensive frailties and inability to convert more chances. But that loss inspired a quick-fire performance against Ghana to take an insurmountable lead into the halftime break. Little else transpired, but perhaps this team is showing signs of being a true contender on home turf at the next Cup. In addition, the Serie A chose to feature 4 Americans in their weekend promo, and all 4 started as Juve narrowly defeated Milan. It is definitely good to see so many of our boys playing on such a big stage.

 We’ll be holding our arms in unnaturally natural positions to avoid random handballs. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers at 7pm, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Greetings, Reds and Blues! Quite a lot has happened in the past 2 weeks, but sadly little has changed in our respective fortunes. Chelsea continues to look like a collection of individuals rather than a unified squad in Pochettino’s vision. United, on the other hand, seem to have a plan but not quite enough players to implement it just yet. Elsewhere, what should have been a celebration and culmination of a fabulous Women’s World Cup has descended into patriarchal nonsense. Though some justice has been done, there is still much left to do. Let’s get into it!

Chelsea bounced back from their early-season loss to West Ham with a decent victory over an already relegation bound Luton and a comeback win over Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup. But their lack of cohesion returned with a home defeat to Forest. Despite the lion’s share of possession, the final product just wouldn’t come. Nkunku’s absence can certainly be listed as a contributor, but Chelsea will need to figure out how to score and win without him over the course of the season, especially against the bottom half of the table. Other new players have not quite settled in just yet. Poch will be hoping that the international break will allow for a fresh start for many, and no additional injuries for others.

 United appeared to be headed toward a second consecutive loss at home to Forest, as they shipped 2 goals in the first 5 minutes. But they recovered to provide a vintage fightback and salvage a 3-2 win. And for long stretches in their match against Arsenal they appeared composed and willing to spring counterattacks. One of which resulted in a goal late on, only to be chalked off by VAR’s narrowest of margins. The 3-1 scoreline overly flattered Arsenal, as United had been looking the likelier side to take all 3 points. But a deflected goal off a corner was enough, with an even later goal coming for Arsenal with United stretched across the field. While there are positives to take from it, it continues to be off-field issues that are distracting from the squad pushing on. Antony is the latest to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, and the Glazers have yet to finalize a sale that has lingered for nearly a year. The break has come at a good time for EtH.

 We should all be basking in the glow a well-played and even more watched/attended Women’s World Cup. Unfortunately it was Spain’s own federation and employees that ruined the party for their newly crowned champions. The RFEF has taken as many steps backward as they have occasionally taken forward. Firing the coach is a good start, but others should follow. It continues to show the blind spots that so many in the game still have with regard to women’s soccer (and women’s sports in general). We must move on from the “boys will be boys” trope, especially when those boys are men who make decisions at the highest level of the game. 

Finally, the USMNT will be back in action with 2 friendlies coming up. Very little will probably be learned by either the outcomes or squad inclusions, but some Americans will definitely be looking to improve on their good early-season form. Pulisic has hit the ground running in Milan, and Sergino appears to be grabbing his latest opportunity with both hands. Here’s to hoping they, and others, can continue that form through and beyond the window.

 We’ll be randomly placing VAR lines on floor and hoping no one notices. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Greetings, Reds and Blues! It’s been 3 weeks since we last chatted with you, with an international break squeezed in for good measure. Some things have changed, but much has largely stayed the same. But there is a need for some change at both clubs. How have they fared since their return to action?

 Chelsea seems to be growing more “Chelsea” by the day. A goalless draw with a struggling Bournemouth side was then followed by an even drearier performance against Villa; losing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Poch’s woes seem to be the same that several previous managers have had to endure, and now the owner seems hell bent on getting involved in day-to-day affairs. But until he addresses the fact that his transfer policy is to simply load up on young players that aren’t ready for the Premier League, as well as having little cohesion with one another, Boehly’s dressing room visits will probably not have the impact he’s hoping for. Poch has a tough mandate: win enough games in the present to remain within touching distance (and relevancy) while also building a championship side out of young players who don’t seem to grasp the overall plan. Unenviable, and likely to end exactly as recent history suggests. Chelsea face Brighton (Carabao) at home today, then play Fulham and Burnley away, before home tests against Arsenal and Brentford are followed by a trip to Spurs. The next 6 weeks may be Poch’s most crucial of his career.  

United, meanwhile, returned to action with a truly poor performance. And it followed much the same script: dominate early possession and come close to scoring, then concede with nearly the first attack from the opposition. United sunk to a 3-1 defeat, with the only bright spot being a cracker of a goal from young Hannibal. That was followed by a return to the reality of the Champions League, where Bayern Munich was waiting. Again, United looked bright early, only to be undone by 2 goals in quick succession. The goalkeeping was especially poor for a few of the 4 goals they shipped, with positional and tactical awareness also alarming at times. Still, they managed to score 3 goals away in the CL. A far tougher win than it should have been over Burnley also saw the return of Johnny Evans, and his influence was key both in attack and defense. United finally got things going with a comfortable and dominant 3-0 over Palace in the Carabao Cup. A repeat of the fixture and venue awaits at the weekend. They have a favorable run of games leading up to the Manchester Derby at the end of October. Have they turned the corner or simply looked better against truly weaker sides?

 The USMNT played 2 largely meaningless friendlies over the break against Uzbekistan (3-0) and Oman (4-0). Little new was learned, but hopefully it built more cohesion among these young players. With news that Berhalter and Gio have talked it out and are ready to move forward, perhaps a side that could potentially challenge for a World Cup on home soil in a few years is slowly coming together. An upcoming test against Germany – for which a health (fingers crossed) Reyna should be involved - in the next window may give us an early glimpse.  

We’ll be observing VAR making decisions and then doing the exact opposite when the same situation arises. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Hello, Reds and Blues! The 2nd international break of the Fall is now underway, so let’s catch up on what’s happened with our clubs, as well as what we can expect from the upcoming USMNT friendlies.

Chelsea’s results in the past few weeks have been promising, at least when compared to their overall start to the season. Since the home loss to Villa they have won at home against Brighton and picked up 2 away wins against Fulham and Burnley. The performances themselves have not always been quite what they would hope at time, with the Burnley game another example of their occasional shortcomings. But fans will point to 3 wins in a row with 2 clean sheets, and a team performance to come back from an early goal down to comfortably win 4-1. So perhaps the break comes at an inopportune time at the moment, as both players and manager will want to build on these results as well as some momentum. Chelsea returns from the break to face Arsenal and then Brentford, both at home. Good performances in both matches could finally see them turning things around and moving back into the top half of the table as the holidays approach. Question marks abound, but there is reason for optimism. Also, tip of the hat to the retiring Eden Hazard. He is a Chelsea legend, and all fans should be grateful to have seen him play.

“Football. Bloody hell!” Sometimes that’s all you can say in the face of the game’s strange events. After completely dominating Palace in the Carabao Cup at home United faced them again only a few days later. But the performance and result were much different. Conceding yet another early goal, United looked completely without ideas on how to break down a defensively compact team. They had more than an hour to find an equalizer, but despite nearly 80% of possession and 19 shot attempts they managed only 4 tamely on target. That was followed by a home fixture in the Champions League against Galatasaray. The team that famously welcomed them to hell in the mid-90s came to Old Trafford to repeat it. Hojlund scored an early goal only for the visitors to respond immediately. This was repeated halfway through the 2nd period with United then Gala scoring minutes apart. That was followed by yet another howler of a pass from GK Onana, which forced Casemiro into another bad decision of a tackle and got sent off. The ensuing penalty was missed badly, but the momentum was truly with the visitors and they bagged a winner late on. Which brings us this past weekend’s match with Brentford. United looked beaten even before the match begun, and more poor defending led to a Brentford goal. And once again United looked unwilling and unable to get things level. Scott McTominay was brought on late, but few could expect what would happen next. But as Sir Alex famously said, this game is sometimes hard to comprehend. Scott would bag 2 goals in injury to take all 3 points in front of a rapturous home crowd. It is obvious that there is much to work on and players that don’t seem to fully buy into the team concept just yet. With 3 games left in October upon their return from break, Erik ten Hag has little time to get them to gel prior to the first Derby of the season. Finally condolences to Sir Alex, who’s wife passed away this weekend.

GGG has called up a strong and largely unsurprising squad for the upcoming fixtures against Germany (who is also bringing a decent team) and Ghana. Considering the excellent form of several Yanks so far this season for their clubs, it’s not ridiculous to believe the US should get some positive performances and results. Gio Reyna finally got some minutes for Dortmund, so hopefully he can contribute to what Puli, Weston, Yunus, Timothy, Tim, and several others have been doing. 2 wins would go a long way toward (some) fans finally buying into GGG’s long-term plans.

We’ll be hoping for no technical glitches this time around. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers at 7pm, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Hello again, Reds and Blues! It’s been a while since we last chatted, and a lot has happened. Sadly, the USWNT was dumped from the Women’s World Cup. And things have only marginally changed for our respective club teams. Let’s dive into all of that and more!

 Chelsea (read: Todd Boehly) reportedly spent over $1 Billion (yes, with a B) in the transfer window, but you wouldn’t really know it from either the names on the team sheet or the performances on the field. A sloppy but workmanlike showing in their first game of the season against Liverpool gave some reason for optimism despite seeing some of the same issues that plagued them last season. And after going down a goal early to West Ham, their play improved with Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka both showing glimpses of speed and directness. Chukwuemeka equalized with a strong, solo effort from close range after beating his man in the box. But the ensuing lift in energy and play was not to be. Michail Antonio scored early in the 2nd half to retake the lead, and Chelsea never really looked like getting themselves level again. A late and needless penalty only increased the messy result. Poch looked frustrated well before the final whistle. Moises Caicedo, fresh off his record-breaking transfer, looked lost and more than a step slow. Much will have to change, and quickly, if Chelsea are to have anything resembling a better season than last.

 If that sounds bad, then things could only be described as worse for a Manchester United squad that was thought to be much further along in their development than Chelsea. They were made to work way too hard on the opening weekend to get all 3 points from Wolves, and many would argue they didn’t deserve them after VAR failed to overturn the ref’s decision to not award a penalty against Andre Onana on his Premier League debut. That result should have been a wake-up call, but their performance against Spurs – outside of the first 20 minutes in which Garnacho looked especially energetic – was even more dire. Despite going into the half at 0-0, Spurs were definitely in control and quickly made their intentions clear shortly after the break. Lisandro Martinez, imperious last season, was responsible for both goals (the 2nd an OG, at that), and the entire team seemed to not really have a clue as to what they were supposed to be doing. Shouts of “ten Hag out!” are definitely premature, especially considering their similar dismal start to last season. But if their goal of pushing City for titles is to be met, he will have to right the ship ASAP. A few more signings may come in, and the protracted sale of the club coming to a conclusion should also settle things. But time and points are precious in the EPL.

 The USWNT failed to do what no team (men or women) has ever done before, so their failure shouldn’t be looked at as terrible. However, their performances on the field were well below what we have come to expect from them, and they were bounced at the earliest point of a WC tournament in their history. Vlatko resigned, and the search for the next manager of what is supposed to be the strongest team in the world has begun. Megan Rapinoe had already announced her intention to retire before a ball was kicked, but other veterans remain. The new manager will have some tough decisions to make right away in order to get the next generation ready for the Olympics next summer.

Some big names on the USMNT made big moves for their club careers. And none was bigger than Christian Pulisic’s move from Chelsea to AC Milan. He setup Milan’s first and then scored an absolute banger for their 2nd after he linked up with his former handsome leading man at Chelsea, Olivier Giroud. Yunus Musah has joined him at Milan as well, with Timothy Weah linking up with Weston McKennie at Juventus, and many other first-teamers connecting at various clubs. Hopefully those club bonds will carry over into cohesive play at the international level. Though we still need a manager to put them all together.

We’ll be checking VAR and then promptly ignoring it. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Greetings, Reds and Blues! Things have picked up in the transfer market for both of our clubs. And it looks like there could be more to come. Meanwhile, the reigning Women’s World Cup Champions have looked a bit wobbly in the group stages thus far. Our ladies have not exactly waltzed into the knockout phase, and a goal-hungry Sweden awaits.

 Chelsea have largely opted for a youth movement in their transfer dealings. Christopher Nkunku is the biggest name thus far, but they appear to be building for the future with several new signings under 20. And while pre-season matches can be tough to judge progress, they have won 3 of 4 matches with just 1 draw. Can Poch get the right mix of youngsters and veterans to gel on the field? Swapping an unhappy Romelu Lukaku for Dusan Vlahovic might be the catalyst for success.

 Manchester United’s protracted sale by the Glazers continues to linger on with no end in sight. But its impact on the transfer window seems to have waned. Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund have followed Mason Mount to M16, and more signings could be on the way in the form of Sofyan Amrabat. Several names have also been floated as goalkeeper options to give Onana some competition. Are these the missing pieces to finally get them challenging for trophies?

 The USWNT has not been easy to watch in the group stage. Even the 3-0 opening match victory over Vietnam looked a bit labored. A come-from-behind draw with the Netherlands showed further signs of disjointedness, but it was the scoreless draw with Portugal in the final group match that got the fans (and former players!) riled up. Perhaps 14 new faces (and key injuries) were too much too soon. They will need to find their cohesion and some goals if they expect to get past a Sweden team that has outscored their opponents 9-1 so far.

 We’ll be discussing all this and probably some pre-season predictions live from Chatham Tap Fishers. So, join us there or follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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Chelsea’s mass exodus has slowed somewhat, with Mason Mount the only real new exit since our last chat. But they have also brought in a few fresh faces. So far they have been younger and with an eye on building for the future. It remains to be seen what Poch’s short-term and longer-term plans are. But surely we’ll see more exits to trim their bloated squad, and hopefully a few marquee names to bolster their needs.

Manchester United’s off-season has not gone well so far. The protracted saga surrounding the potential sale of the club continues to linger on, with the younger siblings apparently wishing to remain involved. This uncertainty has, in turn, made it difficult to sign new players of quality. Ethan Laird and Zidane Iqbal have been allowed to leave permanently, while several others will continue their loan spells. So that leaves Mason Mount as the sole signing thus far, with the priorities of a striker and now potentially a gk going as yet unfulfilled. De Gea’s contract talks are especially egregious: his previous contract was allowed to run out, and the parties appear far apart with regard to salary and playing time. Inter’s Andre Onana remains a coveted gem for EtH, but that signing is far from done. With the summer competitions on the horizon, now is not the time for United to trip over these hurdles.

Despite the overwhelming negativity of US Soccer Twitter in general, and their recent dual bogeymen of Berhalter and an intentionally weaker Gold Cup squad, the USMNT has marched into the quarterfinals. Yes, the 1-1 with Jamaica raised some eyebrows, but 2 convincing attacking performances from them (and especially Jesus Ferreira’s consecutive hat tricks) have the Baby Eagles looking strong as they face Canada next. Not winning this competition would not be the worst thing to happen to this team but making it to the final and/or winning it all would go a long way toward quieting down some of the naysayers.

The USWNT roster was recently announced, and it’s quite an interesting mix of young and old. 14 players will be participating in their first WC, while Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz, and Kelley O’Hara will be making their own history. A 3rd consecutive title and all-time greatness status awaits those 4. But their young counterparts will have to be ready from the outset, as all teams will be gunning for US. One last friendly against Wales is left before our ladies travel down under, where Vietnam, Netherlands, and Portugal await. Their journey begins July 21.

We’ll be practicing our “I Believe” chants and looking for spare transfer fee money in the couch live from Chatham Tap Fishers. So join us there or follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below to find out. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS! #TheRedandBlueSoccerChat

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