“Choose your favorite weapon”
Photo by Elizabeth Shaw
Match Haiku
Other people’s dogs,
Are a decent distraction.
Gotham is too good.
“Choose your favorite weapon”
“New Amusements” - Drawn to the Deep End, 1997
I feel like if Racing played this match ten times, they would probably lose at least nine but lose each one in a unique way. I maybe haven’t been as overt as I could be, although I have never hidden this: I admire Gotham FC. They always seem to play in a classy style that suits my eyes. They are so. so talented now that when I checked their form prior to the match, I was actually shocked at how poor it had been over the last three matches.
On the evening, Gotham never seemed to have to exert themselves too much to be in control. Here are the ways in which they can beat you that were displayed in this outing:
With a wonder strike from a defender
Cutting through a slow-footed defense coming straight out of halftime
Killing off six minutes of stoppage time with classy possession
(Audible sigh)
It’s proof of how good you can be when you only have to draw 5 out of every 10,000 citizens to your matches and have a seemingly endless pile of money to make your team better. (Louisville would have to draw roughly 80 out of every 10,000 to be on par.)
Racing didn’t play poorly on the night. They played like Racing, which will pretty much guarantee you the result they got against Gotham.
One thing that Racing misses when Petersen is on the bench is her fine deliveries from corners. She almost scored an Olimpico and Fischer, who frequently finds herself in the right spot, scored on a simple header. Set pieces are a great equalizer, when the deliveries are good. Too bad Racing forgot that the second half starts in the 46th minute and not the 47th as they looked flat and frankly, asleep on Gotham’s winning goal. It was way too easy and allowed Gotham to pretty much cruise the rest of the way. Like I said, it wasn’t unexpected. You pick your poison with Gotham. At least we got to enjoy a beautifully worked goal as we choked on Gotham’s lethal elixir.
Honorary Man of the Match
Definitely this guy in the houndstooth jersey (now identified as Legion member Daniel Goforth). He loudly encouraged center referee Robert Vincze, who he deemed “Bob”, to step up his game in the officiating department with often hilarious results. Who says your team has to win a match to have a good time. I thoroughly enjoyed his one-sided banter with good ol’ Bob.
To be fair to Bob, I thought he did fine myself. Who always sucks and has to make everything about her is Danielle Chesky. In case you didn’t know, Chesky was on VAR and took entirely too long to review Racing’s goal, surely looking for the smallest infraction. She seemed to be in Bob’s ear quite a bit. She is the worst, but Bob took the brunt of the crowd’s disapproval.
Definitely not “Man” of the match, any combo Gotham/Chelsea fans who were in attendance. They can buzz off right back to their evil lairs. London is red and don’t you ever forget it.
Post Match Moment of the Match
It is not lost on me that one of these remaining matches could be the last time I ever talk to Bev. I hope that isn’t the case and try not to read too much into things as they stand. Bev is always nice to me. We are definitely more friendly than any other coach that Racing has employed. I realize that it affects my objectivity, but I don’t really care. Some people may think it bad form for me not to ask her about the piece from Jeff Kassouf. What would she even say? I am never going to ask a player or coach about the sins of ownership unless a player or coach wants to go on record with me.
What I did ask her about was the six-minute stoppage time performance from Gotham. She essentially just reinforced my thoughts. It was a good team seeing out the match using their biggest strength. It really was an enjoyable six minutes if you take a step back and appreciate how Gotham killed off the match.
Weber and Fischer spoke as well. They seemed pleased with the performance if not the result. I tend to agree that they did well to stay in the match even if they didn’t quite have that golden opportunity to equalize. Something that Bev didn’t say on the record, but I don’t think she will mind me sharing was just how impressed she was with Fischer on the night. I get in discussions/arguments with fans about Fischer especially when they suggest she be deployed in the midfield. Fischer is never going to be my favorite player, but she has been the brightest spot on the team this season. In a match like this, fans thought she might be deployed back into the midfield due to lack of options. I say never again on that. She is too valuable as a forward. I don’t think any other team in the league would put her in the midfield. Every team would be proud to have someone who fights as hard as she does.
Thing I bought at ear X-tacy back in the day
Artist: The Smiths
Album: Hatful of Hollow
Year: 1994 (album released in 1984)
Format: CD
Store Location: 1140 Bardstown Road
Usually, I highlight something I bought the day or near the day it was released. In this case, this is a purchase made to catch up on a band that I was too young to appreciate in real time. I won’t waste your time on the story of the Smiths. Just know that they were the best English band in a world for a while (no arguments will be entertained). Because they were so short-lived and everything they did was great, they live in a moment in time. But also, they are bigger than that moment in time.
While that douchebag Morrissey does his level best to tarnish the Smiths’ legacy, Johnny Marr was never not the coolest man on the planet. Sometimes we have to take the good with the bad when it brings us joy. As pictured above, the Smiths became a symbol. Before that, they made devastatingly good music so effortlessly that it was almost unfair. As always, your listening experience may differ, but this is a universally revered album, and it isn’t even an album. It’s a collection of singles and B-sides.
Burn bright and brilliant if you have the luck to do so.
The Taylor Flint Honorary Yellow Card of the Match
Racing picked up a couple of tactical yellows, but we’ll call Morris’ the pick of the bunch because I am always a fan of getting your money’s worth.
45th Minute-Tactical Foul - Sarah Weber
69th Minute-Tactical Foul - Lauren Milliet
93rd Minutes-Reckless Offense - Makenna Morris
None of Racing’s players were on the potential naughty list this week, so everyone should be available next week if healthy. I haven’t noticed before, but two coaches, Eidevall and Spirit assistant Cristian Catena have to be on their best behavior to avoid suspension.
Speaking of healthy, Flint was walking around in a boot after the match again. She was healthy enough to hold a puppy sans boot at practice on Wednesday but didn’t participate as far as I could tell.
The 2026 UFL Champion Louisville (Draft?) Kings Sports Betting Corner
Here is a reminder of the relocation odds I set back in July.
Cincinnati +125: Who wouldn’t be down for the “Hell is Real Derby” (Women Scorned Edition)? I would make the annual trip to Cincy for that for sure.
Cleveland +130: Boring!
Minneapolis +150: I would be okay with this. I would love an excuse to go back there a few times a year.
St. Louis +180: Almost as boring as Cleveland with the added bonus of a 25% likelihood of failure.
Nashville +200: I could get down with that and maybe go to a few matches except that I am allergic to whatever passes for country music now and I am sure the pre- and post-game music would be mostly Morgan Wallen.
I feel like all betting should be temporarily suspended for Cincinnati at this point. It makes the most sense. Cincinnati has turned itself into a good soccer city, not that they haven’t always been. They support their MLS team well and are consistently in the top quartile in attendance in the MLS. That is no guarantee of success, but it is a “big paws on a puppy” good sign.
Believe it or not, there may actually be less competition in Cincinnati for the sports entertainment dollar, if you put the emphasis on entertainment. Only gluttons for punishment would attend many Reds games during the summer and their crappy TV deal makes people forget that they even exist. The Cincinnati Bearcats still think it is a solid idea to employ Scott Satterfield. I can’t imagine a more depressing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Speaking of depressing, you could spend your Sundays watching the Bengals play in a decaying, open-air latrine and lose games by the score of 45-42 as their crappy defense lets opponents run roughshod. Their offense will be entertaining until Joe Burrow gets his league-issued turf toe injury in about Week 6.
Of course, the citizens of Cincinnati will “enjoy” all of these activities while eating the most disgusting food item in the history of mankind: Cincinnati-style chili. If truly “the first bite is with the eye”, I guess “dog vomit” must also be high on the list fine cuisines in Hamilton County.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I would enjoy covering their NWSL team for a year or so at least. Their mileage may vary.
I almost forgot, screw Mike Brown, Mike DeWine and all other terrible Ohio Mikes that sully my good name.
“From this list I have assembled”
As I said above, Gotham can beat teams in so many ways. That being said, Racing wasn’t played off the pitch. The first half performance was pretty good and Racing had some peaks on the momentum chart.
Gotham just had more and longer stretches. The second half shows way more imbalance and Racing couldn’t really get an effective foothold after the 60th minute.
Still no Macy Phillippus, which continues to be a head-scratcher for me. Her pedigree is good, but we haven’t seen her since a forgettable 18-minute appearance in Kansas City. I wonder what’s going on there.
With Racing now firmly in next-season mode, and all reliable information pointing to the 2027 season still being under the “Racing Louisville” name, the team has to figure out how to run next season. Emma Sears isn’t going to command a $10 million transfer fee, but you wonder it having someone like her signed and on the squad might get you an extra $10 million on the asking price. Any new ownership group buying the franchise is also buying the rostered players. The better your players, the more you can ask for in a sale price. Therefore, I think it makes financial sense to field as good of a team as possible. Soccer Holdings has always been way too short-sighted to think that way. I can’t see any way that next season’s roster is better than this one, but you never know.
I really do think that a franchise with decent central defenders drives the price up. Racing sorely needs that, so my unsolicited advice would be to focus on that specific area. Racing could use help in the midfield, but that is easier to find and buy. Racing might be mathematically eliminated earlier than they have ever been. I will have to check the math on that. When that happens, we need to see the clearest picture of what Racing could look like in 2027.
