Photo by Elizabeth Shaw
Match Haiku
The brisk autumn chill
And a strengthening drizzle
Frame Racing’s sad end.
“The wind, it just whips her and wails”
“Waterfall” - The Stone Roses 1989
Racing fell victim to a couple of well-executed (assisted by lackluster defending) set pieces from KC and lost its third match in a row to end its dreadful season. On the evening, Racing defended better than they had done recently, sticking with a back four in the second consecutive match. The one-on-one defending was decent, but defensive organization continues to be a concern. Racing didn’t really get a decent sniff of the goal until the match was in the Current’s easy and full control.
To be honest, all that I wanted from this match was for Racing’s players to come out unscathed and go into the incredibly short offseason as healthy as possible. That seemed to be the case when the match ended. Everyone deserves a break from this season, and I am more than looking forward to it even if I will probably have a few more things to say before going into radio silence until January at least.
Post Match Moment of the Match
Petersen and Wright were made available for media and discussed the match. They both pointed to the set pieces that KC scored on being the turning point of the match. While Arin seemed to concede a little on my suggestion that defensive organization has been the thing that has let them down the most this season, Bev wasn’t quite willing to go there. This may be the last interaction that Bev and I have as friendly adversaries in the Media versus Coaching battle to get good material that I can write about. Bev always kept the on the record stuff close, but in private was always willing to share her thoughts. I have probably probed more behind the scenes on the “will she/won’t she” issue of Bev signing a new contract that I have any other potential piece of news in my writing career. I have no news to report. Only Bev knows what she has decided, and maybe she doesn’t even know for sure. Then again, I may just be a terrible investigator, and the issues has been settled for some time. Regardless, I told her that I would miss her is she leaves but hope she stays.
Thing I bought at ear X-tacy back in the day
Artist: The Bluetones
Album: Expecting to Fly
Year: 1996
Format: CD
Store Location: 1534 Bardstown Road
I am pretty sure I read this review in Q Magazine at the time which stated, “Perhaps the most accomplished rock debut album since The Stone Roses in 1989, Expecting to Fly avoids the usual primitive drive of first recordings, in favour of technical brilliance and adventurous songwriting... a classic rock album.”
I assume almost nobody reading this has heard of this album and you aren’t missing anything. I maybe only listened to this album once or twice and it left no lasting impression.
It was definitely not in same category of The Stone Roses.
Here’s to things that should be confined to the dustbin of history.
The Taylor Flint Honorary Yellow Card of the Match
Racing picked up a couple of soft yellows in my opinion.
32nd Minute-Tactical Foul - Sarah Weber
40th Minute-Tactical Foul - Katie O’Kane
It being the last match of a terrible season, I would have damn sure gotten my money’s worth on a yellow if it was me. If I had been born in Canada, I would have probably been a decent hockey goon. I am not quite sure what that says about me.
The 2026 UFL Champion Louisville (Draft?) Kings Sports Betting Corner
This should be a fascinating playoff for the NWSL. Here is how I would set the odds:
Gotham: 4:1
Wave: 4:1
Current: 5:1
Spirit: 5:1
Angel City: 7:1
Thorns: 8:1
Reign: 20:1
Royals: 25:1
The Royals’ form is dismal, but Gotham’s was too last season, so you never know. I like the Wave at 4:1, but you definitely shouldn’t gamble and you most definitely shouldn’t go with my picks.
“And fills up her brigantine sails”
Or so one hopes it does. Racing isn’t a self-propelled vessel at the moment. It is a ship adrift, in dire need of the trade winds to bring her back on course. Whether that comes from investment or an outright sale, the sails are in need of tremendous attention. Racing needs an assured arm at the helm and a better crew, but more than that, the ship itself has been woefully neglected.
A more expert and involved ownership group could right Racing’s ship but would probably insist on finding it a new port. From the league’s perspective, that might end up being the best solution in the long term. For now, the crew will press on and hope to change the ship’s fortunes.
Enough of the boat metaphors.
Job one for Racing in the offseason will be to figure out who the coach is. The Bev saga has been allowed to drag on too long. Soccer Holdings loathes making hard decisions and the only thing it loathes more is paying someone to go away. A well-run organization would have demanded an answer from Bev by the summer break and not be going into the offseason still not knowing who the head coach is. If Bev stays, the organization will save face to some degree, if you are Team Bev, but if she leaves, this inability to pull the trigger on a tough call will be a fatal wound. Does anybody get the sense that Racing is anything other than an annoyance to this ownership group at this point?
I will be going deeper on this before I wrap up for the season, but for today enough has been said.
