Ahead of every weekend this season I will give you my three thoughts on what’s going on in the Premier League. These might not always be the biggest stories, but rather my personal observations as the games approach each Saturday.
So, Matchday 13 (with a little TFC vs. Impact), here you go…
A great moment for Canadian soccer
Sitting in the Big O on Tuesday night, just as the grounds crew scampered onto the pitch to spray away the incorrectly measured 18-yard box lines, the very real possibility existed that dozens of fully grown adults, who had all committed large parts of their lives to the sport of soccer, would simultaneously drop to their knees and weep in unison. Finally, Canada had its special moment, a legitimately big soccer match, in front of a world class crowd, and we’d blown it. We couldn’t even get the pitch markings correct.
Thankfully a genuinely compelling match, an instant classic as it were, saved the day. The earlier fiasco, now just part of a night that will be talked about for years. One million people watched the match on television. One million! Two Canadian teams, on a Tuesday night, one million people.
I still don’t know how we quantify just what this Eastern Conference Final will do for the growth of Canadian soccer, but I imagine not all those one million people were necessarily soccer fans. In fact, I imagine a large percentage couldn’t have named a player on either side ahead of the match; what they witnessed was an entertaining 90 minutes, lots of goals, lots of chances, lots of drama, and even a little controversy. I am certain MLS won over some fans that night. Perhaps this was one match that did in fact grow the sport here in Canada.
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Farewell, Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard retired on Friday. Some will argue he retired following a 6-1 loss to Stoke City in May 2015, just prior to his move to MLS. Of course, that would be cynical, but let’s not pretend Stevie G’s U.S. vacation was anything other than a complete waste of time.
Gerrard will walk into most pundits’ Liverpool all time XI, he certainly makes mine, and given the wonderful history of this club, that is no mean feat. In an era where often the most marketable player dons the captain’s armband, but is not necessarily the team’s best leader, Gerrard was a throwback; a true leader of men who could do it any way, not least of which was taking over a match, and singlehandedly driving his side to a win.
Gerrard has silverware, not least of which being his 2005 Champions League trophy, but the critics will always mention his failure to win a Premier League title. It should be remembered that over the years Gerrard stayed loyal to Liverpool during some very lean years, and that he spurned the advances of some modern mega-clubs where he would have won titles. Such loyalty just adds to the mystique of a private man.
The move to the LA Galaxy was understandable, but sadly in my humble opinion, it does separate Gerrard from true “one club men.” The likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher and, of course, the great Francesco Totti. Regardless, Gerrard is one of my all-time favourites, my type of footballer, a man who happily sits beside such luminaries as Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard, Roy Keane and Scholes in the Premier League’s all time midfield.
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Big wigs struggling a bit in Europe
There is one round of matches left in the Champions League group phase, and it looks as if we’ll see big wigs Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich sitting in pot 2 for the Round of 16 draw. It may be one of those years where you’re happier to finish second in the group than finishing first.
Bayern have had its struggles this season, especially domestically as it currently sits behind Leipzig, of all teams, at the top of the Bundesliga. Carlo Ancelotti is one of the all time great coaches, but it just speaks to Pep Guardiola’s presence in the modern game that Bayern’s reputation has taken a beaten this season just by seeing the Spaniard leave. The German club was “must watch TV” the last three years. Now? Not so much.
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