All posts tagged USL

A big sports Saturday.

Dang! It was another beautiful morning…

Good morning from Northside…

And we walked down the path by the school to look at the sunrise again…

We drove over to Oakley to go to the grocery. But first, we stopped to fuel up Genifer’s Audi. The sun was just coming up over the buildings…

And then it was on to the grocery…

Kroger was completely sold out of both the panda bear and the train…

So somebody does actually buy them. I wonder if they are any good? Someday, I’ll manage to sneak them into our cart.

Kroger did have a very nice assortment of great balloons today…

With it being so close to Halloween, I almost got this Monster POP!

And then we got our Saturday morning Mad Llama coffee…

Good evening from Northside…

Genifer made a slow-cooker pot roast for dinner tonight…

I made mine into an open-faced roast beef sammich…

And it was awesome! I’d been craving a sammich like this for a whlie now.

Mack kept bringing me his football. He must really be ready to kickoff another season of Michigan football as well…

Later this evening, all my teams kicked off at exactly the same time…

On the TV, I had with my Louisville City hosting Tampa Bay Rowdies the USL Eastern Conference finals. On the iPad, I had my Minnesota United versus our FC Cincinnati. And on the iPod, I had the opener of the Michigan football season as they played away to Minnesota.

LouCity lost 2-1. MNUFC stole one from FC|C 1-0 on a late scramble in the 90+2′, and Michigan whooped Minnesota 49-24. I guess two out of three isn’t bad. Louisville had a wonderful season that included a run of 13 games unbeaten, with eight straight wins that ended with tonight’s loss. 😀🌄❤️

UPDATE: USL made the determination that the season will conclude after Tampa Bay Rowdies and Phoenix Rising FC each progressed through the playoffs to win the Eastern Conference and Western Conference titles, respectively. USL announced that the 2020 USL Championship Final will not be played after multiple persons within the clubs tested positive for COVID-19. The final was scheduled for Sunday, November 1. Tampa Bay and Phoenix will explore the possibility of a 2021 Season Kickoff game between the two clubs prior to the start of the 2021 Championship season.

Wow. A season without a champion. 2020 just keeps getting better.

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by Thadd F. on October 24, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in Odd & Ends

Posted by Thadd F. on October 24, 2020

https://tplusg.com/2020/10/24/a-big-sports-saturday/

Another good Saturday.

We love our new little side yard…

And we love our backyard fence…

Good morning from Northside…

This afternoon we drove out to West Chester…

We had lunch at Dingle House…

They had a peanut butter milk stout from Left Hand that was just out of this world…

Genifer ordered Mike’s pastrami on sour dough…

I had a half-order of their fish and chips…

While we out in West Chester, we visited Geri for a bit, gathered Oscar and Bear to finally bring them back home with us and then we headed back to Northside…

Good evening from Northside…

And this evening, we watched Minnesota United draw with Houston and Louisville City thump Memphis…

It was another really good Saturday. 😀🌄🇮🇪📺⚽️❤️

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by Thadd F. on September 19, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in #SUMMERinCINCY, Northside, Odd & Ends, Sports, Suburbia

Posted by Thadd F. on September 19, 2020

https://tplusg.com/2020/09/19/another-good-saturday-2/

Road trip to Indianapolis.

ROAD TRIP! This afternoon we drove over to Indianapolis. Before we left to go to North Carolina, we bought tickets on one of those ticket resale sites for the USL soccer match between Indy 11 and our favorite USL squad, Louisville City…

We dropped Mack at Pet Spot for the night and we dropped Oscar at Geri’s before heading over to Indianapolis…

Compared to all the driving we did last weekend, the drive over to Indianapolis really seemed like nothing. It went by so fast…

We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis…

It was a really nice hotel with a beautiful open air atrium…

Our room was very nice as well…

Before the match, we shared a BBQ burger and pepperjack cheese bites at Loughmiller’s Pub…

Amazing burger. And then it was on to Lucas Oil Stadium…

Indy 11 pulled back a goal from a penalty kick just the before the halftime whistle. And that made the score 3-1 to Lou City at the half.

After seeing four goals in the first half, we broke camp in the 60th minute. We didn’t want to wait around to see if Indy 11 could mount a pretty epic comeback.

Lucas Oil Stadium sure is a beautiful place to watch a game. We were so happy we got to see it with the roof open and without many people inside. The announced attendance was just 6,700.

And the final score of the match was Lou City 3-1 over Indy 11. We saw all the goals. Plus, we were sitting behind the goal where Lousiville scored all three of their goals and then we moved to the other end and were sitting behind the goal when Indy 11 scored their PK. Pretty neat stuff.

We stopped for a postgame drink at Brothers…

And then we meandered through downtown back to our hotel…

We ordered pizza and called it a night…

And good night from Indianapolis. It was a really fun day! 😀🗺️⚽️🍺❤️

Click to see all the photos we took on our road trip to Indianapolis.

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by Thadd F. on September 5, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in Odd & Ends

Posted by Thadd F. on September 5, 2020

https://tplusg.com/2020/09/05/road-trip-to-indianapolis/

And here’s what actually happened.

I had this really epic soccer Sunday planned. And as you know, very rarely does anything ever go as planned. This is what actually happened with my epic soccer Sunday. I watched all the matches. But the results weren’t as I would have liked them.

Last night, the start of the FC Cincinnati versus Columbus Crew match didn’t start until well after 11pm because the match before theirs had a weather delay. I stayed up to watch the entire match. I don’t know why. It was bad. Really bad. It was the first match in charge for FC Cincinnati’s new manager, Jaap Stam. And it looked every bit of it.

News flash… FC Cincinnati is still terrible and lost 4-0.

This morning we watched the second half of Wolves clinical 3-0 thumping of Everton. With the win, Wolves became the first English side to win competitive games in two different Julys in the same season. I was all set for the start of Toronto versus DC United. But the match was postponed because of COVID-19 concerns. I mentioned we might watch yesterday’s Doosan Bears-Lotte Giants KBO game but we actually watched it yesterday. My Bears lost 5-4. Jose Fernandez hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth to pull the Bears within one. But then the next batter flew out to center and that was the ballgame. I was also going to touch-up my quarantine haircut but I did that yesterday too. I got new clippers when we were running around yesterday. And I wanted to give them a try. They worked really well.

So with that, we had to endure Aston Villa versus Crystal Palace in its entirety. I don’t know how Crystal Palace don’t get relegated every season. Every time I see them play, they play the most uninspired, uninterested, and just plain boring soccer. Even when we saw them play FC Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium, they were pretty boring. Palace beat FC|C 2-0. But today, Palace lost 2-0 to Villa. Again.

The North London derby started well for Arsenal with Lacazette’s absolute screamer. The Gunners took a 1-0 but then the defense. Sigh. Arsenal. After the match, I changed from one of my Arsenal polos to my Leicester t-shirt. I switched the channel to ESPN to watch a bit of Parma-Bologna so I didn’t have to watch the Jose Mourinho post-match interview on NBCSN. I’ve never liked him. I can’t envision a scenario that would cause that to change.

Leicester looked to be rolling right along after Jamie Vardy scored his league-leading 26th goal. But then the wheels came off the Leicester wagon after the referee awarded Bournemouth a penalty. Leicester was reduced to ten men after a red card and Bournemouth would go on to score three more times to win 4-1. What. The. Heck?

Lousiville City started their USL season hosting Pittsburgh Rverhounds as they opened their new soccer-specific stadium. Speedy Williams scored the first goal for City in their new home. But then they gave up three unanswered goals to lose 3-1.

Are you seeing a trend here? All of my teams took a 1-0 lead and then lost.

Minnesota was trailing 1-0 as the clock approached the 90th minute. And then United scored two goals in stoppage time to win 2-1. The first was a penalty kick at 90+2 and then the winner at 90+7. And with that, Epic Soccer Sunday was salvaged!

It would have been a real bummer if all my teams lost. Thankfully, Minnesota United saved the day. 😀⚽️❤️

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by Thadd F. on July 12, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in #SUMMERinCINCY, Northside, Odd & Ends

Posted by Thadd F. on July 12, 2020

https://tplusg.com/2020/07/12/and-heres-what-actually-happened/

It’s finally happening!

I can’t remember the last time we had an epic sports day. One of those days where there are so many good games on TV, you don’t how you’re going to watch them all. It’s been soooo long since we’ve had a really epic sports day. It’s been so long since we had sports. But today is truly an epic sports day! I’m calling it, EPIC SOCCER SUNDAY! This is what I’ll be watching during today’s massive football feast with the teams I’ll be cheering for highlighted in blue…

I’m not entirely sold on watching Toronto-DC United. I guess it depends on if I managed to stay awake until the end of last night’s FC Cincinnati versus Columbus match. The 10:30pm starts during the MLS is Back tournament are just a little late for me. I might also watch my Doosan Bears versus Lotte Giants KBO game that was on ESPN very early yesterday morning. We’ll see how it goes. I might also touch up my quarantine haircut first thing this morning.

Of the four matches I’m really interested in watching today, Arsenal seems to finally be finding their form after the restart. The Gunners are undefeated in their last five with four wins and a draw against Leicester. Spuds are doing their best Totteringham over their last five with two wins, draws at both Everton and Bournemouth, and a whopping 3-1 loss away to Sheffield United. Leceister City are currently sitting fourth in the league and hope to regain their pre-COVID-19 form against Bournemouth, who have lost four of their last five. My Foxes have just one win in their last five with two losses and two draws. But with Chelsea also losing to Sheffield United yesterday, a win could put Leicester back in third.

Leading up to Sunday’s USL Championship restart, two-time USL Champion Louisville City will be christening their brand new, $65 million state-of-the-art, Lynn Family Stadium at approximately 30% of the new facility’s regular 15,304-person capacity.

And finally, there’s my Minnesota United. Before the season was suspended, the Loons won both of their matches, 3-1 away to Portland and 5-2 away to San Jose. So I’m super excited to have them start playing again. I stocked up on MNUFC gear in the off-season, and I’ve been waiting all year to finally have the opportunity to wear it.

There are other matches on Sunday too. There are two early Premier League matches on Sunday. Wolves face Everton at 7am. Wolves have been in great form since the restart and hadn’t given up a goal until they play Arsenal last weekend. The second match is Aston Villa versus Crystal Palace. And it just sounds like it’s going to be a boring, lifeless draw. But watch it end up being the most exciting match of the day. AC Milan plays Napoli in Italian Serie A at 3:45pm on ESPN+. The Rossoneri stunned Juventus 4-2 midweek. And there’s also the late MLS tournament match between Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids at 10:30pm on ESPN. I don’t know that we’ll make it all the way through the late MLS match. But I’m pretty sure it’ll be on our TV as we’re heading to bed.

It’s going to be an Epic Soccer Sunday. And I couldn’t be more excited. 😃📺⚽️🤗💯❤️

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by Thadd F. on July 12, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in #SUMMERinCINCY, Northside, Odd & Ends

Posted by Thadd F. on July 12, 2020

https://tplusg.com/2020/07/12/its-finally-happening/

A world without sports.

Last night, the NBA shocked everyone by abruptly suspending the remaining games of their season after a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for coronavirus…

But at least, my Mavs are the 2019/20 Champions. This afternoon, Michigan was set to begin their 2020 B1G TEN tournament against Rutgers in Indianapolis at a Bankers Life Fieldhouse without any spectators…

And just as the game was about to tipoff, the entire tournament was canceled…

Both teams were on the floor, warmed up and ready to tip-off their tournament and then the plug was pulled on the whole thing.

Some things are bigger than basketball. This is a global situation and we need to make sure we follow the guidance and direction of the experts and health officials. While we are disappointed of not being able to play this event — especially for Zavier and Jon.

We need to stay bonded together during this time. We want everyone to stay safe and take precautions to protect yourselves and loved ones.

We are a Michigan family… forever.

— Michigan Head Coach, Juwan Howard

But on the upside, Michigan is still undefeated against Rutgers.

And less than an hour later, MLS postponed their season for 30 days…

No Minnesota United soccer for a while…

In a related story, I’m done with FC Cincinnati. Completely done. But that’s another post for another time. And not long after MLS, USL followed suit and suspended their season for at least 30 days as well…

Louisville City just completed their soccer-specific stadium before the beginning of this season, and now they’re going to have to wait a little while longer to christen their stadium. But it looks just beautiful…

A few hours later, it was baseball’s turn…

And then later this afternoon, March Madness turned into March Sadness…

Ha. And when I got home from work, I saw an update from England…

Apparently, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been diagnosed with COVID-19…

The FA is scheduled to release a statement of the future of the English Premier League season. I’m guessing it will be postponed for the foreseeable future…

And there you go. Now we’re living in my nightmare, a world without sports. It’s a very sad day. And it’s going to be a really long month. 😭🚫❤️

UPDATE: The Premier League season has been suspended with the intention of returning on April 4. The League intends to reschedule the postponed matches.

And the NBA season is likely to resume. Games could return in April and possibly go straight into the playoffs, or the league could push the entire calendar back. But my Mavericks will always be 2019/20 NBA Champions to me.

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by Thadd F. on March 12, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in #WINTERinCINCY, Northside, Odd & Ends, Sports

Posted by Thadd F. on March 12, 2020

https://tplusg.com/2020/03/12/a-world-without-sports/

Thanks, Timehop.

These popped up in my Timehop this morning…

Oh, the good old days of ~~FC Cincinnati~~ Orlando City B in the USL. I miss those days. And four years ago, we stopped for milkshakes on our way up to Michigan…

Also, look how little Violette and Edgerton used to be. Thanks for the memories, Timehop. 😀🦕❤️

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by Thadd F. on September 11, 2019 • Permalink

Posted in #SUMMERinCINCY, Odd & Ends

Tagged #gtfMichigan2015, #Timehop, 2019, Cincinnati, FC Cincinnati, Ffffound, Four years ago, Northside, Odds&Ends, Ohio, Orlando City B, Seen and noted, Sept11, September, Sports, Three years ago..., USL

Posted by Thadd F. on September 11, 2019

https://tplusg.com/2019/09/11/thanks-timehop-3/

Seen and noted.

Our FC Cincinnati was playing in a four-team preseason tournament in Charleston. All the matches were available to stream through the Charleston Battery’s website, which was less than ideal. This afternoon FC|C played its final match of the Carolina Challenge Cup against Columbus Crew. And someone could have used a hand in their spelling of ~~Clombus~~ Columbus…

No matter how you spell it, Crew thumped Cincinnati 3-0. 🤪⚽️❤️

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by Thadd F. on February 23, 2019 • Permalink

Posted in #WINTERinCINCY, FC Cincinnati, Odd & Ends, Sports

Tagged 2019, Charleston Battery, Cincinnati, Columbus, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, February, Ffffound, MLS, Odd&Ends, Ohio, Oops, Seen and noted, Soccer, Spelling is hard, Sports, USL

Posted by Thadd F. on February 23, 2019

https://tplusg.com/2019/02/23/seen-and-noted-68/

USL Cup 2018: FC Cincinnati versus NY Red Bulls II.

USL EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS! Our number one seeded FC Cincinnati was playing host to the fifth seed baby Bulls of New York…

HERE WE GO!

At halftime, it was 1-0 New York Red Bulls II…

And after a very frustrating second half with very few chances created, the match would end 1-0 to NY Red Bulls…

With today’s loss, FC Cincinnati saw its 2018 season come to an end. It was a great season for FC Cincinnati. They went on an unbelievable undefeated run that spanned FC|C’s last 23 games of the regular season, and last 25-games overall. The undefeated streak began all the way back on June 2 and also included draws in the club’s US Open Cup fourth-round match against MLS’ Minnesota United (0-0, 4-1 loss in PKs) and last week’s Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against Nashville SC (0-0, 6-5 win in PKs). FC Cincy posted a regular-season record of 23-3-8 with 77 points. They set USL records for regular-season wins, longest undefeated streak and most points. And they were crowned USL regular season champions. It was a pretty amazing season.

But all good things have to come to an end. I would much rather have them get knocked out in the conference semi-finals by Red Bulls than rival Louisville City in the conference finals. Or for them to make it to the USL Cup final only to lose that match. Hopefully, they’ll keep getting better and better players and will be competitive next season in MLS. We’ll just have to wait and see. 😀⚽️🏆❤️

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by Thadd F. on October 27, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in #FALLinCINCY, FC Cincinnati, Odd & Ends, Sports, Uptown

Tagged 2018, Cincinnati, FC Cincinnati, New York Red Bulls 2, Nippert Stadium, October, Odds&Ends, Ohio, Playoffs, Seen and noted, Soccer, University of CIncinnati, Uptown, USL, USL Cup

Posted by Thadd F. on October 27, 2018

https://tplusg.com/2018/10/27/usl-cup-2018-fc-cincinnati-versus-ny-bed-bulls-ii/

USL rebrands and it’s wonderful.

We were watching our FC Cincinnati play away to Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The match ended in a very uneventful 0-0 draw. But at halftime, USL unveiled their new future rebranding, and it was pretty slick…

As a designer who loves soccer, this would have been a dream project to work on. And it’s really well done. It’s a very nice rebranding for USL Soccer. The entire effort, everything about it feels very Premier League to me. The animations, the graphics, the fonts, the whole thing is wonderful. Well done, USL! I love how they tiered their leagues. It makes me sad that Cincinnati isn’t going to be a part of it. Because I think it’s great. I think the USL has a lot more vision than MLS. MLS has always just seemed like a huge cash grab to me. Less about the soccer, certainly less about the fans, definitely about snatching every last dollar possible. Sorry, I’m just not a fan of MLS. At all.

Here are the “highlights” from a pretty boring 0-0 draw…

But with this draw, FC Cincinnati tied a USL record by extending their undefeated streak to 22 matches. They can break the record next weekend at Nashville in the game of the regular season. 😀⚽️🏆❤️

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by Thadd F. on October 6, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in #FALLinCINCY, FC Cincinnati, Northside, Odd & Ends, Sports