#t: preseason 23 24

[crystaldeclear]

If we win, it brings good fortune and prosperity for the new season. If we lose, it means absolutely nothing and it's a little tacky for Yanited fans to be so hungry for a little crumb of success

[seeminglyranch87]

Taylor & Travis Timeline

August 2024 - Part 2

"salt air and the rust on the door, I never needed anything more" August, T. Swift

August 11,12 - Chiefs Training Camp, St Joseph, Mo | Day 16 & 17

#1 The Tortured Poets Department tops the Billboard 200 for the 14th non consecutive week - and this has consequences for other artists...

August 13 - Daily Mail report (x)

Taylor Swift hosted a lavish thank you party for her 200-strong tour team at private members' club Annabel's in Mayfair, London on Tuesday night. The hitmaker, 34, let her hair down with her crew and partied until 3am ahead of her final leg of the Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium.

Taylor is dressed in Vivienne Westwood.

Chiefs Training Camp, St Joseph, Mo | Day 18

Patrick Mahomes is interviewed on SiriusXM and shares...

“I've been trying to get [Travis] to grow his hair out and all of a sudden Taylor gets him to do it."

Reminds me of this moment during the Eras Tour with Travis dancing to Shake It Off (x)

August 14 - Chiefs Training Camp, St Joseph, Mo | Day 19

August 15 - The Eras Tour, Wembley Stadium, London, UK N4

Taylor appeared to tear up at the first show after events in Vienna.

Everything Has Changed x End Game x Thinking Out Loud with Ed Sheeran (guitar x) & King Of My Heart & The Alchemy (piano x)

Taylor also does the archer pose during her performance of So High School - do we assume Travis is watching the live stream?

ETonline reports (x)

A source tells ET, "Taylor and Travis always prioritize each other even when they are physically apart. They are still in constant communication texting and FaceTiming each other." The source adds that the pair is "very affectionate with each other even when they're apart."  One way that Kelce apparently shows his affection is by lavishing Swift with heartfelt gifts.  "Travis sends Taylor flowers and loves to shower her with surprise gifts and tokens of gratitude," the source says. "Their connection is unlike anything that they've ever experienced before." 

IJBOL - available for a few more hours... thank You aimEe live, see Taylorswift.com to purchase!!! Let's keep TTPD at #1 and remember who made TS famous.

Chiefs Training Camp, St Joseph, Mo | Day 20 Military Appreciation Day & final practice

August 16 - The Eras Tour, Wembley Stadium, London, UK N5

Taylor debuts a new Midnights costume ✨🌙

London Boy (guitar) & Dear John x Sad Beautiful Tragic (piano)

August 17 - Chiefs v Lions, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO. NFL preseason. 23 - 24

Patrick passes behind his back to Travis for the first down (x)

The Eras Tour, Wembley Stadium, London, UK N6

I Did Something Bad (guitar) & My Boy Only Breaks HIs Favourite Toys x Coney Island (piano)

Cheekily there was no announcement for Reputation (TV). Taylor has played all songs from Rep on the Eras Tour.

Travis attends Kansas City Current women's soccer final with Patrick & Brittany Mahomes & friends.

August 19 - The Eras Tour, Wembley Stadium, London, UK N7

Long Live x Change (guitar) & The Archer x You're On Your Own Kid (piano)

Travis at preseason practice, KC (x)

Travis Kelce is announced to star in action comedy ‘LOOSE CANNONS’ for Lionsgate (x).

Go to previous update -> August 2024 part 1

Go to next update -> August 2024 part 3

Return to the timeline

[uniqueeval]

Rising NFL valuations mean massive returns for owners

Ryan Flournoy, #18 of the Dallas Cowboys, catches a touchdown pass as Matt Hankins, #23 of the Los Angeles Chargers, defends during the first half of a preseason game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Aug. 24, 2024. Ron Jenkins | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images A National Football League team today is a $6.5 billion business. That is the average value of the NFL’s 32 franchises,…

[bongaboi]

Oakland: 2023-24 Horizon Men's Basketball Champions

Indianapolis — Oakland's waited a long time for this moment.

And when the final seconds ticked off the clock, Trey Townsend clutching the ball and his teammates starting to dance around him, it was even sweeter than Oakland coach Greg Kampe remembered.

Kampe's known for his talking, not so much for his crying. But he was in tears late Tuesday night, as his Golden Grizzlies earned a trip back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

Oakland beat Milwaukee, 83-76 in a thriller of a Horizon League championship game before a small but raucous crowd that was decidedly pro-Oakland at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Oakland will learn its NCAA Tournament opponent and destination on Selection Sunday.

"My whole focus for the whole year was to get here and get these kids here," Kampe said as the celebration continued at center court behind him, the players wasting little time to change into their championship T-shirts and hats.

"I haven't been to sleep since we got here. I've probably gone through 12 5-Hour Energies, maybe I'm a little bit jacked up on caffeine right now because of that. But it just hit me. When the confetti came down, it hit me, man.

"I just can't tell you," Kampe continued, as he began to choke up, "how happy I am."

Townsend, the Horizon League player or the year, had the best game of his career, pouring in a career-best 38 points to go with 11 rebounds — and he flat-out put the team on his back in the second half, when his teammates needed him the most.

Townsend scored almost all of Oakland's points in the final 10 minutes of the game, perhaps none bigger than a bucket-and-one with 4 minutes, 43 seconds left. The bucket, set up on the other end by a strip and steal by senior guard Blake Lampman, made it 65-64, and Townsend let out a roaring scream when the ball went in, bringing the bench to its feet.

He made the free throw to make it 66-64.

A bucket by Milwaukee's Kentrell Pullian on the other end tied it up, but Townsend answered right back with a floater, taking advantage of rare single-coverage.

B.J. Freeman made a 3 from the corner, bouncing high off the rim and in, to tie it at 70, but there was Townsend again, with an answer, on a jump hook to make it 72-70. He then had a steal on the other end, came down, put up a missed shot, got his own rebound and put up another — and Milwaukee was called for goaltending. That made it 74-70.

When Townsend finally did miss a bucket, there was fellow senior forward Chris Conway there with the putback to make it 76-72 with 1:20 left, and it was, finally, smooth sailing from there.

Townsend got a block on the last defensive possession, scooping up the ball and cradling it as the Oakland bench and crowd began to celebrate the program's first Horizon League championship.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Townsend said, a piece of the cut-down nets draped around his neck.

Foul trouble for Milwaukee big man Faizon Fields, who eventually fouled out, certainly helped.

"I just kept going to what was working, and it worked out. It just happened to be my day today. It feels amazing."

Oakland (23-11) won the Horizon League regular-season championship for the first time, but the goal all along was to get to the NCAA Tournament. Kampe frankly said anything less and the season would be considered a "failure."

That was the goal even though Oakland, in the preseason poll, was picked to finish sixth. It didn't take long into the season, as Oakland went toe-to-toe with several Big Ten powerhouses and then won at Xavier, that the preseason projects were short.

Oakland is heading to the Division I NCAA Tournament for the fourth time (2005, 2010, 2011), but the first time since joining the Horizon League in 2014. The Golden Grizzlies won three thrillers, against Purdue Fort Wayne, Cleveland State and Milwaukee, to do it.

Oakland beat Milwaukee (20-15) for the third time this season, and all three games were super tight.

"You look at who we beat," said Lampman, who had 12 points, five rebounds, four blocks and two steals. "We're resilient. Resilient. Then we gave it to our guy, Trey T. He was unbelievable."

Townsend was named tournament MVP, and was serenaded with "M-V-P" chants from teammates as he cut down his own piece of the net, his parents, former Oakland basketball players Skip and Nicole looking on and smiling.

Senior guard Jack Gohlke, who also made the all-tournament team, added 15 points, all on 3's, and two steals for Oakland, and Conway had 10 rebounds and three blocks — playing a huge presence on defense throughout the Horizon League tournament.

For Milwaukee, Erik Pratt had 16 points, Pulian had 15 and Freeman had 14.

Oakland, which led, 37-33, at halftime, becomes the first mid-major team from Michigan to make the men's NCAA Tournament since Western Michigan in 2014. It's the first team from Michigan to clinch a berth this year; Michigan State should join Oakland on Sunday. Oakland figures to be a 13 or 14 seed.

"Dream come true," said Gohlke, "that's what you play the game for."

The Horizon League has been a source of many headaches over the years for Oakland, including for this senior class, which lost to Cleveland State in the 2021 championship game. But on Tuesday night, the demons finally were exorcised, despite Oakland playing short-handed again, without senior guard Rocket Watts and sophomore forward Isaiah Jones, both out with ankle injuries.

Watts, who played in the NCAA Tournament for Michigan State in 2021, still was right there in the middle of the celebration, holding the Horizon League championship trophy.

Also in the celebration was Oakland athletic director Steve Waterfield and president Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, who humorously took pleas from Oakland students who made the trip — Oakland bussed in about 50 students for the championship game — to cancel classes on Wednesday.

"If you could've been on the stage and seen the tears on these kids' faces and how happy they are, they just love each other," Kampe, in his 40th season at Oakland, said, shaking as he spoke.

"You have no clue how hard it is to do what we just did. We went about our business, and look where we are.

"I'm speechless, and you know for me to be speechless, that's special."

[afuturemilf]

hockey content

PIT vs NYI nov. 1, 2018

islanders mic'd up sept. 3, 2020

training camp jan. 9, 2021

media availability may 28, 2021

head empty, no thoughts jun. 8, 2021

islanders @ lightning - semifinals, game 2 | jun. 15, 2021

barzal: practice availability | jun. 18, 2021

TBL @ NYI G.6 R.3 SCP | jun. 23, 2021

barzal & lee media availability | jun. 27, 2021

the mixer | 2021 us open sept. 4, 2021

mathew barzal has 3 moods and that's it oct. 4, 2021

mat expressing his disagreement about penalty oct. 14, 2021

“that’s all you, all you baby” oct. 24, 2021

nhl 2020 all star fastest skater everyone oct. 24, 2021

islanders @ predators | oct. 30, 2021

sunday nov. 7, 2021

mat barzal intermission interview nov. 7, 2021

rangers @ islanders | nov. 24, 2021

when your man and you both look 🔥 mar. 18, 2018

pre-game: beau and barzy mar. 20, 2018

TBL @ NYI - Semifinals, Game 6 | jun. 23, 2021

stars of the game jun. 23, 2021

barzy waiting for beau before heading to the ice! oct. 5, 2021

“take your shirt off, lets go!” sept. 6, 2018

training camp jan. 6, 2021

tit for tat feb. 28, 2021

phi vs nyi apr. 3, 2021

anthony beauvillier postgame interview may 1, 2021

anthony beauvillier: NYI @ NSH oct. 30, 2021

nyi @ tbl nov. 15, 2021

anders lee: NYI v. TBL: intermission sept. 17, 2020

flames off the ice sept. 12, 2018

tkachuk, president of fan club aug. 1, 2020

cgy v edm ; apr. 29, 2021

matthew drawing a penalty and swan diving nov. 2, 2021

pregame media availability stars @ flames nov. 4, 2021

matthew tkachuk: cgy v ott ; nov. 14, 2021

tyler seguin is honest and a model nhl player oct. 9, 2015

tyler in a beanie mar. 15, 2018

PHIvsDAL mar. 27, 2018

one track mind Segs really wanted the t-shirt cannon mar. 31, 2018

preseason: post-game with Tyler Seguin | sept. 29, 2021

more shirtless segs nov. 13, 2021

“let’s go 400!” nov. 27, 2021

nsh @ col nov. 7, 2019

col vs. min | apr. 7, 2021

tyson jost gets a suprise on zoom june 1, 2021

it all started with that damn smile sept. 30, 2021

same mikko, same oct. 16, 2021

TYSON I CANT DO THIS RIGHT NOW nov. 12, 2021

tyson jost media availability nov. 21, 2021

hulu has live sports again aug. 28, 2020

off day: crosby feb. 19, 2021

sid isn’t the “we have food at home” dad mar. 1, 2021

slutty sid may 21, 2021

crosby via penguins twitter oct. 19, 2021

timbits of wisdom nov. 8, 2021

pens vs caps nov. 14, 2021

pens vs jets nov. 22, 2021

out of context hockey: auston & freddie apr. 8, 2020

[masonsutd]

A history of Luke Shaw at Manchester United Football Club

Luke Paul Hoare Shaw

 Born 12th July 1995, Kingston upon Thames.

He grew up a Chelsea Football Club Fan and trialled for their academy. He was refused and instead went to Southampton Football club at aged 8, he eventually broke through to the first team where he would stay until 2014.

 First season - 2014/15

27th June 2014

Manchester United by 18-year-old left back Luke Shaw from Southampton after being rejected the month previously. He signs for £27 million with the option to rise to £31 million dependent on performances. He signs a 4-year contract with an option to extend for a further year taking him to 2019. 

14th September 2014

After an eventful preseason in the US which was riddled with fitness concerns Louis Van Gaal had already named Shaw as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers. Luke would not make his debut for Manchester United as he would be left as unused during the 90 minutes. Manchester United would go on to with this match 4-0.

21st September 2014 

Luke would again be an unused substitute against Leicester City Football club. Manchester United would go on to be beat 5-3 with left back Tyler Blackett being sent off. A perfect opportunity for the new left back people would cry out.

27th September 2014

Luke Shaw would make his full competitive debut for Manchester United on this date at Old Trafford wearing the number 3 shirt. He would play again West Ham United. Manchester United would win 2-1 with the starting line up being as follows: 1. D. De Gea, 2. R. Da Silva, 33. P. McNair, 5. M. Rojo, 3. L. Shaw, 17. D. Blind, 21. A. Herrera (25. A. Valencia), 7. A. Di Maria (39. T. Thorpe), 10. W. Rooney🟥, 20. R. Van Persie, 9. R. Falcao (24. D. Fletcher).

8th February 2015

Luke Shaw would find himself with his first red card for Manchester United in the return fixture of his debut. He would receive his second yellow in extra time with the clock reading 90+3’. Manchester United had just scored to equalize the score.

First season review 

Luke Shaw made 16 appearances for Manchester United in the premier league during his debut season with only 7 being from start to finish, would have been 8 if he didn’t get sent off in the final minute. He played 1127 minutes.

 He made 4 appearances in the FA cup resulting in 184 minutes. And he played 45 minutes in the under 23’s. He only had one assist which was for the under 23’s.

He played twice for England during the European qualifiers, he played both matches from start to finish with him earning himself an assist during the second match which was against Switzerland.

Luke missed 14 premier league matches due to injury, he was an unused sub for the two matches already mentioned. And he wasn’t in the match day squad for 5 matches that wasn’t through injury.

A rocky start to his time at Manchester United but Louis Van Gaal was sure that Luke would find his feet and tackle his niggling injuries and really find his feet during his second season with the Red Devil’s.

Second season – 2015/16 

Premier league

Luke would play the first 5 matches for Manchester United in the premier league during the 15/16 season. He would get an assist during the 2-1 defeat to Swansea, but he would play the full 90 for all those matches. 

Champions league qualifiers

Luke would play the full 90 in both of Manchester United champions league qualifiers against Club Brugge.

Champions League

On the 15th of September 2015 Luke Shaw would be in the starting 11 for his first real champions league match. The line-up would be as follows: 1. D. De Gea, 36. M. Darmian, 12. C. Smalling, 17. D. Blind, 23. L. Shaw, 31. B. Schweinsteiger, 21. A. Herrera, 18. A. Young, 8. J. Mata, 7. M. Depay, 9. A. Martial. Manchester United’s opponents would be PSV Eindhoven. Manchester United would lose 2-1 but the match wouldn’t be remembered for that.

Career Ending Injury?

15 minutes after kicking off Hector Moreno would bring down a 20-year-old Luke Shaw who was running through to goal. Immediately Moreno knew it was bad having suffered an injury like it only a year before. There would be no punishment for Moreno even though Luke Shaw would require 10 minutes of on the pitch treatment to eventually be taken off the pitch on a stretcher requiring oxygen.

It was thought that initially Luke had injured his ankle. However with the broadcaster not wanting to show replays of the tackle how could we be sure. During half time it was said that although Moreno caught the call Luke should have got a penalty at least and possibly a red card because even if there was no malice it was dangerous okay that ended up with a player being carried off the pitch on a stretcher requiring at least an X-Ray and who knows what else.

53 minutes after the tackle Luke Shaw tweets “thank you everyone for your messages, words can’t describe how gutted I am, my road to recovery starts now, I will come back stronger” as of this moment fans are still unsure exactly what injury Luke has sustained.

After the match it was confirmed that Luke Shaw was suffered a break to his right tibia and fibula, Louis Van Gaal had hoped he wouldn’t need more than 6 months out but admits he’s no doctor so couldn’t say how long it would take.

Second season review

I really feel for Luke here, he was finding his stride and it almost feel intentional, he sadly wouldn’t go on to play another minute for united or England this season meaning he misses out on the euros. Luke posts pictures on his Instagram of his recovery journey throughout and it looks promising.

Third Season – 2016/17

Community Shield

Luke would play 69 minutes in the first match under new manager Jose Mourinho in which United would beat Leicester 2-1. Not bad for someone who hadn’t played for almost a year.

Premier League

During the first 10 matches of the 2016/17 season Luke played in 7 of them if you count the fact he made a 1-minute appearance against Liverpool out of the 630 minutes available during those 7 matches he played 526. The three he missed he wasn’t on the bench for, and it wasn’t due to injury, I suspect new manager Jose Mourinho was concerned about rushing him back into every match after such a horrific injury. Luke would go on to miss the next 9 matches due to a groin injury. He would miss the next 6 even though Mourinho confirmed he was fit. Luke would play 70 minutes for the first time in 5 months to be dropped to the bench again the match after and not be in the squad the match after that. Out of the next 540 available minutes Luke would only play 95 with 3 of those matches being an unused sub. Luke would miss the last 4 matches with a foot injury.

Europa League

Luke would again miss a large portion of Manchester United’s Winning run in the Europa League, including the final. He would play half of the group stages and he wouldn’t then be named in the squad until the quarter finals against RSC Anderlecht where he would be an unused substitute during the first leg, and he would play the full 120 minutes in the second leg that saw Manchester United go through to the semi-finals. However he was a part of the squad which means he did get a medal for that trophy.

FA Cup

Out of the 4 matches Manchester United played in this competition Luke Shaw played 90 minutes and was an unused substitute in another. He was not in the squad for the other two.

EFL Cup

Manchester United would win the EFL this year however Luke would only play one full match and half a match on another. The media was concerned that Luke had fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho however he stated it was as simple as is team was playing well and he was happy with his defence.

Third season review

A season people hoped Luke would succeed in after that horrific injury however he just couldn’t get a run of matches and it wasn’t helped with Jose Mourinho making comments about his weight. The Media focused on Luke’s eating habits rather than why his manager wasn’t playing him Mourinho stated his defence was playing well but they came 6th and yes they got titles but surely if Luke was available and you’re not winning you’d at least try him. People were really questioning what Manchester United had paid almost £30 million for.

Fourth season – 2017/18

Super Cup

Luke Shaw missed the super cup final again Real Madrid due to a foot injury that he attained at the end of the previous season. Manchester United did end up losing this match 2-1.

Premier League

Luke Shaw didn’t make his first premier league appearance for Manchester United until game week 17 however he was on the bench for game week 12 and 16. He was then on the bench for the next two matches before going on a run of 4 matches, 2 more on the bench before playing another 90 minutes and then he was back on the bench for another 2 matches. He played 23 minutes in game week 29 and that was it until game week 35. He then wasn’t in the squad until the last three matches. United came second losing 7 matches with Luke being on the pitch for 1 of those. He was on the bench for 3 of those loses. Luke did miss the first 2 matches due to a foot injury that he had from the previous season but other than that he didn’t miss any more through injury.

Champions League

During Manchester United’s run to the last 16 Luke only played the final match of the group stage. He was on the bench for the previous two matches. People questioned whether Luke would have been useful against Sevilla who eventually beat United 2-1 and knocked United out.

FA Cup

Luke played in the first 4 matches of Manchester United FA Cup run which saw them be beat in the final by Chelsea. He played the full 90 in the first 3 and then 45 in the fourth. He was not in the squad in the semi-final or the final.

EFL Cup

Luke played in all 3 of United’s matches in the EFL Cup if you count his 3 minutes against Swansea. His only full 90 in the competition came against Bristol city who won 2-1 knocking United out of the competition.

Fourth season review

Again another choppy season for Luke where he missed out on the World Cup, and we all know if he had a run Southgate would have picked him which could have been good for his confidence. Jose made a tonne of comments regarding Luke and his professionalism which has surely got something to do with how little game time Luke got this season. Could he have gotten more game time under a different manager?

Fifth Season – 2018/19

Premier League

Luke started his season with his first senior goal to give united their win on the opening day. He would play the first 4 matches of the season missing the 5th through concussion he attained on international duty. He would play the next 7 missing match week 13 due to yellow card suspension due to having 5 out of the first 12 matches. He would then play 72’ before being taken off with a knock and missing the next 3 matches. Luke would then start the second half of the season missing only 1 out of 15 under new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he would get another 5 yellow cards meaning he missed the next two matched due to suspension. He would come back into the team straight after his suspension and in the 89th minute he would get another yellow card. He would not be involved in the final match of the season. In total Luke received 11 yellow cards, 4 assists and 1 goal in the premier league. Even though United sacked their manager before the Christmas, new year run they still managed to finish 6th with the difference being only 6 points between 3rd and 6th.

Champions League

Manchester United played 10 matches in the Champions League with Luke with only missing 2, 1 through a knock which he received in the premier league and the other through a suspension due to receiving 3 yellow cards. He received those yellow card in three consecutive matches. One of them being in the match that a lot of football fans will know about that night in Paris.

FA Cup

Luke played in 3 out of 4 of Manchester United’s matches in the FA cup including the loss against wolves where he got an assist. These matches were played after the new manager came in.

International

Luke was recalled by Manager Gareth Southgate for the UEFA Nations League however he only played 53 minutes. Missing 2 games due to injury and he was on the bench for the third.

On the 5th of September 2018 Luke was on international duty and he gave a prematch interview with the media regarding his time under Jose Mourinho and how his diet has changed drastically by bringing in a nutritionist, however the focal point of that interview was when Luke was asked about how he was able to pull himself through the dark points of his injury and he stated he relied on his family and friends but that sometimes he did think about quitting not just when he was injured but the time after too. He stated one of his motivations is that one day he wants to be recognised as one of the best left backs in the world, flash forward to 2021 and I can tell 3 years ago Luke that it has happened. 

One of the reporters was asking about Luke saying he had wanted to quit, and Luke confirmed that wasn’t because of any negative comments it was because of how serious his injury was, it was because whilst trying to recover from his broken leg he felt static as he kept doing the same thing and he was still limited with the type of injury he had. The reporter asks if there was any doubt from doctors on whether Luke would play again, and he replies that what no-one knows is that he almost lost his leg and that he only found that out 6 months later. He states that almost 3 years later from the initial injury it feels stronger and that he’s ready to go. sadly Luke would get concussion during the match the next day.

Fifth season review

Luke managed to get a good run of games even before Jose Mourinho was sacked, he was physically carrying more weight than he previously had which he was addressing with his nutritionist, but he was still able to play 90 minutes frequently, this makes me question why Jose was mentioning his weight the previous season. You could really see that Luke found his confidence more when Ole took over and he himself has credited this to Ole and his man management. He was also rewarded with a new contract on October 18th which keeps him at the club until June 2023.

Sixth season – 2019/2020

Premier League

Luke played the full first two matches of the season but unfortunately had to be brought off at 34 minutes in the third match with a hamstring injury. He missed the next 10 matches to that injury however he did get straight back into the squad, he started with 11 minutes, then it was 3’ and then it was 5 matches of 90’. He then played 1 minute on game week 20. He played the full 90 the next match where united lost 2-0 and Luke was dropped for the next game. Luke played 87’ and the 21’ of the next two match which Manchester United lost, he then played 10 matches of 90’ in a row and then sadly came off at 75’ in the 11th game due to an ankle injury. The ankle injury sadly made Luke miss the last 3 matches in the season. Manchester United managed to get to third this season and secured themselves champions league which surely secured more match time for Luke right?

Europa League

Luke missed the first 4 of the group stages matches due to the hamstring injury he got playing in the 3rd match of the premier league. He played one out of the remaining two matches that one being the only one that United lost the whole group stage. He then played the next 3 matches before missing the last 3 due to injury. United would sadly lose out in the semi-final to Sevilla.

FA Cup

Luke missed the first match due to illness and was rested for the replay however he did play the next 3 matches and he got a goal and an assist in the fifth round against Derby County. He then missed the semi-final against Chelsea through an ankle injury which United lost.

EFL Cup

Luke missed the third and fourth round due to his hamstring injury, he then played against Colchester United Football Club in the quarter finals, he missed out on the semi-final first leg against Manchester City through illness which United lost 3-1 meaning they needed to win 2-0 next leg which they failed to do. He did manage to play again in the second leg.

Sixth season review

Luke was unlucky to the get injuries he did during this season and sadly it feels like had Luke not gotten ill United could have gotten further in certain tournaments. He didn’t play fantastic during this season and sadly it made the manager look at another left back bringing in Alex Telles during the transfer window. Every United fan was hoping that Luke would use the summer and the arrival of Telles to push him further and to finally reach the potential that he had when he was signed at 18. This season was halted with the pandemic, and it turned out to be a very short summer, United only had one preseason match and the question on everyone’s lips was how this would affect United’s start of the season.

Seventh season – 2020/21

Premier League

Whilst United’s season didn’t start very well Luke managed to get a run of 6 games without being subbed or benched and sadly 67 minutes into the 7th game Luke pulled his hamstring again, would this be a recurring injury throughout his career. Luke only missed 3 matched taking the team to game week 10. Out of the next 28 matches Luke was benched for 2 and was rested for the final. He got 5 assists, another goal and 8 yellow cards in total through the season. As much as Telles hoped he would displace Luke from the starting 11 he barely got a look in only really playing when Luke was injured, Luke played very well with people claiming him to be the best left back in the league. Luke was dubbed Shawberto Carlos during this season because he not only was tight defensively, but he also gained his confidence in going forward again just like how he played before his leg break. Could we finally be seeing the Luke Shaw people hoped for?

Champions League

Luke played in first 3 matches in the group stages missing the next 2 due to his hamstring injury, he then played the final match against RB Leipzig which United lost meaning they didn’t get out of the group stages and would be playing in the Europa League.

Europa League

Luke was on the bench for the intermediate matches then he played 16 minutes of the last 16 first leg, he then played the whole of the second leg, he played 45 minutes of the quarter finals first leg and was rested for the second leg. He then played the whole of the first leg of the semi-final whilst only playing half of the second leg. He played the full 120 minutes of the final in which Manchester United saw themselves being beaten by Villarreal on penalties.

EFL Trophy

Luke didn’t play in any of the EFL matches which saw Alex Telles getting some minutes.

EFL Cup

Luke missed the first two matches and played 6 minutes in the quarter finals; he played the full 90 in the semi-final against Manchester City which saw United being knocked out with City winning 2-0.

FA Cup

Luke was rested the first match of the FA Cup, playing the full 90 in the fourth round which was against Liverpool and United won 3-2. He then didn’t play more than 30 minutes in the next two matches. United were beat by Leicester 3-1 who then went on to win the trophy.

Internationals

Luke was rested in 2 out of 3 of the World Cup Qualifiers that England played. When he did play he played the full 90 and got an assist. Should he go to the euros was the question the media was asking, with others saying who would replace him with the season he’s had.

Luke was recalled for the final friendly before the Euros in which England beat Romania 1-0, he played 74 minutes which was probably because he’d not long played 120 minutes in the Europa League final.

EUROS 2020

Luke was on the bench for England for the first match of their euros 2020 campaign, he then played the final two matches of the group stages that saw England going through to the round of 16 top of the group, this had then draw Germany as the next match. He was probably the first name on the team sheet seeing him play the full 90 minutes and get an assist in a match that made history, with England winning and getting through to the quarter finals. Luke played 65 minutes of the quarter finals but that was enough time to get two assists and ensure that England still didn’t concede. Luke played the full 120 minutes of the semi-final seeing England make history and get into a final for the first time in 55 years.

EUROS FINAL

Luke Shaw, where do we start with Luke Shaw in this match. Not only was this match history but Luke then and made history himself. He scored his first England goal in a final no biggy right? What about if I say it’s in the first 2 minutes? Yeah Luke Paul Hoare Shaw scored his first international goal in the first final for his country in 55 years in 1 minute and 57 seconds. That’s amazing. I forget to mention this final was the night before his 26th birthday what a present. Sadly England would go all the way to penalties and would be beaten by Italy but it’s okay because Luke played well, and the World Cup is only 18 months away.

[martinnecas]

Quick Guide | Carolina Hurricanes: Meet The Team - Opening Night 2019-20

New season means a new quick guide to the roster 

2018-19 season

This took me a couple of days to put together so please appreciate it

Want to know how to pronounce a players name? 

Click this link!

*All gifs made by me* 

Forwards: 

☞ Sebastian Aho™️ #20

Yes there is another “Sebastian Aho” from Sweden but he’s usually in the AHL (Bridgeport/Islanders)

Born: July 26, 1997 (22 years old/Leo) from Rauma, Finland

6′0, Centre, 35th overall CAR 2015

Nicknames: Fishy, Seabass, Sepe, Sebu

He’s the face of this franchise and the only player on this team that the Canadian media knows about

Is being held against his will in Raleigh because he wants to play for Montreal if you don’t know the actual story MTL sent him an offer sheet that he signed because he wanted the money and knew Carolina could pay it, but you know how Habs twitter can be.

Possibly the messiest Hurricane 

Who’s my daddy?! 

Spirit animal is a lion, hear him roar

Avid coffee drinker

Baby face

Painted a picture of his cat one time

☞ Ryan Dzingel #18 

Born: March 9, 1992 (27 years old/Pisces) from Wheaton, Illinois

6′0, Centre, 204th overall OTT 2011

Nicknames: Zinger, Dizzy, Dzingel Bells, D-pingel

Played with the Ohio State Buckeyes for 3 seasons, recorded the first hat trick in Big Ten history against Xichigan

Traded to CBJ Feb ‘19, signed with CAR as a free agent summer ‘19 

Might need glasses, he squints like that ^ a lot 

Golfs... A L O T 

Wants to produce for the team so he can stay here in Raleigh and make it his home ♥︎

Jeep guy 

Looks uncomfortably similar to Tripp Tracy 

UNC fan 

☞ Warren Foegele #13

Born: April 1, 1996 (23 years old/Aries) from Markham, Ontario 

6′2, Left Wing, 67th overall CAR 2014

Nicknames: Foegs, Foegdaddy 

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton

Duke fan 

Accidentally broke Osh*e’s collarbone but TJ and C*p fans will claim he tried to murder him

Spirit animal is a tiger, also hear him roar

Very easily scared 

Duke fan

☞ Erik Haula #56

Born: March 23, 1991(28 years old/Aries) from Pori, Finland

6′0, Left Wing, 181st overall 2009 MIN

Nicknames: Hauls, Haulsy  

Moved to Minnesota in 2008 to play hockey in boarding school

Played for the University Of Minnesota Gophers for 3 seasons

Signed with MIN in 2013, was picked up by the VGK in 2017 as a free agent in the Expansion Draft, then traded to CAR summer of 2019 (for Nic Roy & draft pick)

Suffered a pretty bad knee injury in the 2018-19 season 

CAKE 

Got married this past summer ♥︎

Currently living in Calvin de Haan’s old house 

☞ Jordan Martinook (A) #48

Born: July 25, 1992 (27 years old/Leo) from Brandon, Manitoba

6′0, Left Wing, 58th overall 2012 PHX

Nicknames: Marty, Marty Man, Marty Party 

Signed with PHX/ARI in 2012, traded to CAR in 2018 (for Krüger)

Raw chaotic dad energy 

Doesn’t like corndogs and has a very high pitched scream

His wife gave birth to their first son last season before he got his downstairs fixed in the offseason

LETS GO SVECH

Spirit animal is a dolphin because he has a great impression 

There is so much more I want to put on here but you should really just follow his Twitter 

☞ Brock McGinn #23

Born: February 2, 1994 (25 years old/Aquarius) from Fergus, Ontario

6′0, Left Wing, 47th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Ginner, Brock McWinn, McPing, the new Mr. Game Seven (that one is kind of a joke though), Big Cock Brock 

Single handedly defeated evil not only once but twice on April 24th, 2019, earning him the nicknames “Brock McWinn” and the new “Mr. Game Seven”

Has two brothers who also play professionally; Jamie (NHL) and Tye (AHL) McGinn

Co Owner of the Roanoke Rail Road Dawgs with his brothers and father

His daddy is Bob

Has a high probability of burning his whole house down 

Used to be a fighter, but he didn’t fight anyone last season 

Thor

Was 3rd in the league with most MsS Post (10) in the 2017-18 season earning him the nickname Brock McPing 

☞ Martin Nečas #88

Born: January 15, 1999 (20 years old/Capricorn) from Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Rebublic

6′2, 12th overall 2017 CAR, “He plays, like, Centre”

Nicknames: Neči, Marty, Nacho, Marto 

Your 2019-20 ****** ****** winner 

He’s here to fix out PP units, quote me on that

Little hockey stick chain ^ 

Is known for falling while scoring 

Is it avocado or avocaydo?

Hidden talent: Belly dancing 

Almost killed the entire team with a golf club last season  

Don’t mess with him

Just won the Calder Cup with the Checkers :) 

☞ Nino Niederreiter #21

Born: September 8, 1992 (27 years old/Virgo) from Chur, Switzerland

6′0, Right Wing, 5th overall 2010 NYI

Nicknames: El Nino

Was the highest drafted Swizz born player until Hischer in 2017 

Signed to the Islanders in 2010, traded to Minnesota in 2013, then traded to Carolina in January 2019 (for Rask)

Was about to take a nap when he was traded

Just when canes fans almost lost hope, Nino showed up and saved our season

When he came to Carolina, someone gave him sweet tea and he really liked it

Was voted best dressed by a couple teammates

Loves the surge

Supports women’s hockey

☞ Jordan Staal (C) #11

Born: September 10, 1988 (31 years ago/Virgo) from Thunder Bay, Ontario

6′4, Centre, 2nd overall 2006 PIT

Nicknames: Stallsy, Jordad, Gronk

Arrested at his brother’s bachelor party

Won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009 

Jordan is the youngest out of the other brothers (Eric, Marc) in the league (NHL) 3rd brother is the youngest and is now a coach 

Signed with PIT in 2006, traded to CAR in 2012 (for 8th overall pick, Brandon Sutter and Brian Dumoulin)

Named Captain in the 2017-18 season, became Alternative Captain in 2018-19, is now Captain again in 2019-20 

Great at dad jokes 

☞ Andrei Svechnikov #37

Born: March 26, 2000 (19 years old/Aries) from Barnaul, Russia

6′2, Right Wing, 2nd overall 2018 CAR

Nicknames: Svech, Mother Russia 

Svech is ready

“Just win every game” 

Wears #37 because that’s what his brother, Evgeny Svechnikov (DET), wears

Russia = Cold, Raleigh = Hot

Apparently his biggest talent outside of hockey is… magic? 

Best friends with Warren Foegele and Dougie Hamilton

Likes to shovel the ice during practice 

Me?

Terrible at golf..

.. I mean like really bad  

☞ Teuvo Teräväinen #86

Born: September 11, 1994 (25 years old/Virgo) from Helsinki, Finland

5′11, Left Wing, 18th overall 2012 CHI 

Nicknames: Turbo, Teukka

Shortest Hurricane 

Began with CHI in 2014, traded to CAR in 2016 (along with Bickell for 2nd round pick)

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (Along with van Riemsdyk)

Has the worst sense of smell ever

I mean come on.. pumpkin? toothpaste? 

I could keep going with this I don't know what’s wrong with his nose

Most likely the messiest Hurricane 

Would dump Sebastian on the side of the road after 100km 

Gets scared REALLY easily

His sisters plays hockey over in Finland (and is pretty good at it too) 

☞ Lucas Wallmark #71

Born: September 5, 1995 (24 years old/Virgo) from Umea, Sweden

6′0, Centre, 97th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Wally

My daddy!?

His spirit animal is… a horse? 

^ He enjoys watching horse racing

*Straight face* “Snacks!? Candy!?” 

Deal with it

Showed up to a U12 and U18 team practice to work on skills with kids 

Owns a pug named Lovis

Defense 

☞ Joel Edmundson #6

Born: June 28, 1993 (26 years old/Cancer) Brandon, Manitoba

6′4, 46th overall 2011 STL

Nicknames: Crop Top King, Eddy

Won the cup in 2019 with STL and partied in a crop top 

True Canadian, ate poutine out of the cup

Traded in September 2019 to CAR (along with Bokk for Faulk and draft pick)

Going to strengthen our PK I promise 

Finally, an enforcer 

Forgot to take his skate guards off during his CAR preseason debut in front of 18,000 people 

Is a barbie girl, living in a barbie world 

☞ Haydn Fleury #4

Born: July 8, 1996 (23 years old/Cancer) from Carlyle, Saskatchewan 

6′3, 7th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Fleurs 

Beat his little brother Cale (MTL) during his NHL debut 

Best friends with Trevor van Riemsdyk

Has the cutest dog named Kobe

Won the Calder Cup along with Nečas :)

If you want to giggle watch this 

Has the worst witch cackle you will ever hear 

Apparently the best golfer on the team

Big Duke fan

☞ Jake Gardiner #51

Born: July 4, 1990 (29 years old/Cancer) from Minnetonka, Minnesota 

6′2, 17th overall 2008 ANA

Nicknames: Gards 

Played for the University of Wisconsin for 3 seasons 

Traded to TOR in 2011, signed as a free agent to CAR in summer 2019

Has the cutest baby 

Denied several offers from other teams mtl to play with us instead 

Hands down had the best Halloween costume two years ago

☞ Dougie Hamilton #19

Born: June 17, 1993 (26 years old/Gemini) from Toronto, Ontario

6′6, 9th overall 2011 BOS

Nicknames: D-Ham, Doug the Thug, well his real name is Douglas so I guess Dougie is technically a nickname

Tallest Hurricane 

Both of his parents are Olympians, brother also plays professional hockey 

Started with BOS in 2012, traded to CGY in 2015, then traded to CAR in 2018 (Last remaining player from the huge Hamilton, Ferland & Fox for Lindholm and Hanifin trade)

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Warren Foegele 

Porche guy 

Grew out a mullet because his hair salon couldn’t take him as a walk in

Jack Edwards complained that he was wearing a number retired from the Whalers so he taped a 6 over the 1 in 19 to make 69

Goes to children's hospitals dressed as woman characters 

Lowkey shootout king

Floss

Another Duke fan

Wears the same blazer to every road game

☞ Brett Pesce #22

Born: November 15, 1994 (24 years old/Scorpio) from Tarrytown, New York

6′3, 66th overall 2013 CAR

Nicknames: Pesh 

“I play defense bro”

Played for the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with van Riemsdyk)

Pretty ^

Wears 22 for his dad 

He’ll break your ankles

Fortnite squad

Brought his wonderful brother on the mentors trip

Allergic to cats

☞ Jaccob Slavin (A) #74

Born: May 1, 1994 (25 years old/Taurus) from Denver, Colorado

6′3, 120th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Slav-o

The second ‘c’ stands for captain

Faith and family

Played for Colorado College for two seasons 

Adopted a beautiful baby girl with his beautiful wife

Has an instagram for his two dogs

His daddy is “Robert” 

Not afraid of snakes at all 

☞ Trevor van Riemsdyk #57

Born: July 24, 1991 (28 years old/Leo) from Middletown, New Jersey

6′2, Undrafted 

Nicknames: TVR, Riems

Agreed to terms with CHI in 2014 

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (along with Teräväinen)

Was picked up by the VGK in the 2017 expansion draft 

The next day traded to CAR (for 2nd round pick)

James van Riemsdyk (PHI) is his older brother 

Played with the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with Pesce) 

He’s too tired to be scared 

March Madness

Best friends with Haydn Fleury 

Pride representative for the team 

Goalies 

☞ Petr Mrázek #34

Born: February 14, 1992 (27 years old/Aquarius) from Ostrava, Czech Republic

6′1, 141st overall 2010 DET

Nicknames: Mrazzle Dazzle, St. Petr

Moved to Ottawa at age 17 

Signed with DET in 2014

Was HUGE for them during the 2015 playoff run

Traded to PHI in Feb ‘18, signed as a free agent with CAR in July ‘18

Stylish 

He had custom hats made for every player on the team

Always has Peter Griffin in his helmet design 

Signature move: Poke Check  

☞ James Reimer #47

Born: March 15, 1988 (31 years old/Pisces) from Morweena, Manitoba

6′2, 99th overall 2006 TOR

Nicknames: Optimus Reim, The Statue, Reims

Debuted with TOR in 2010, traded to SJS Feb ‘16

Signed with FLA as a free agent summer ‘16, traded to CAR summer ‘19 (for Darling and a 2020 6th round pick)

Has two kids 

Really good swimmer

You may recognize this famous goalie meme, that’s right, that's him

Optimus Reim helmet art

He looks so much like Weston from Love Island USA 

Honorable Mention

☞ Julien Gauthier #44

I’m including him because everyone expected him to make the team as he did phenomenal in the preseason (playing all 6 games) but due to cap space (and our horrid pp units), he was sent back down.

Born: October 15, 1997 (turning 22/Libra) from Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec

6′4, Right Wing, 21st overall 2016 CAR

Nicknames: Goat, Gauths, Jules

Big boy

Bilingual (French/English)

Cute accent

His uncle played 554 games in the NHL (Denis Gauthier) 

Both his father and grandfather were professional bodybuilders

That explains his muscles

The best thighs in the league (not up for debate) 

Also won the Calder Cup this past season with Haydn Fleury and Martin Nečas

Head Coach

☞ Rod Brind’Amour #17

Roderick Jean Brind’Amour

Born: August 9, 1970 (age 49 years/Leo) from Ottawa, Canada

6′1, Centre, 9th overall 1988 STL

Nicknames: Rod the Bod, RBA 

Played with Michigan State for one season

Started with STL in the playoffs of ‘88, traded to PHI in ‘91, traded to CAR in 2000

Captain of the 2006 CAR Stanley Cup winning team

Played 20 seasons, 1,484(GP) 452(G) 732(A) 1,184(P)

Became head coach for the 2018-19 season

First year as HC broke the team’s 9 year playoff drought and brought them all the way to the ECF

Is known for his extreme workouts

Still in better shape than 98% of the league

Could very well still lace up and play better than 80% of the league 

Lives rent free in W*lson’s and Reirden’s heads

Gives the best post-game speeches

President & General Manager

☞ Don Waddell

I really just wanted an excuse to put this gif in here 

Coached the 1998 DET Stanley Cup winning team 

Named Pres. & GM of CAR in May ‘18

Owner

☞ Tom Dundon 

Lives rent free is Habs fans minds

Estimated net worth is $1.1 billion?

Majority owner of TopGolf (55%)

Chairman of the Alliance of American Football

Purchased 52% of CAR in January 2018 for $420million

Likes to hang around team/fan events 

Stays in the same hotel as me lol

[newsfact]

College football polls: Updated AP Top 25, Coaches Poll rankings after Week 8

They just don’t make top-10 teams like they used to.

No. 7 Penn State and No. 8 Oklahoma State lost on Saturday, making it seven times through eight weeks of the college football season that at least one team ranked in the top 10 has lost. It also marked the sixth time that multiple such teams lost on the same day.

The Nittany Lions’ second loss of the season — and second in as many games played — was the result of a nine-overtime laughter against Illiinois, one that somehow ended up with a score of 20-18. James Franklin has questions to answer as the Nittany Lions look to salvage their season. That includes his team’s inability to move the ball, even with quarterback Sean Clifford back in the lineup, but also whether he will leave State College to take on jobs at USC or LSU.

MORE: College Football Playoff Picture for Week 9: Oklahoma, Oregon not going away

The Cowboys are in slightly better position following their loss; it came against preseason top-10 team Iowa State and, as it was only their first of the season, keeps alive the possibility they run the table en route to the Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff berth.

No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 10 Oregon also faced surprisingly tough competition, beating Navy 27-20, Kansas 35-23 and UCLA 34-31, respectively. No. 4 Alabama also weathered an inspired performance against Tennessee before taking a seven-point fourth-quarter lead and turning it into a 52-24 victory in Tuscaloosa.

Another top-25 team of note in action on Saturday was Pitt, which in beating Clemson 27-17 has now taken full control of the ACC. Aside from Wake Forest — which is 7-0 following a 70-56 win over Army — the 6-1 Panthers are now the ACC’s best hope of making the Playoff. Just like everyone predicted before the start of the season.

Only one more week of football remains before the first set of Playoff rankings are released on Nov. 2. Until then, the best barometer of who the top four teams are will be reflected in the latest AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings. With that, Sporting News breaks down the top 25 teams in those polls after Week 8:

MORE: What’s wrong with Clemson? Struggling quarterback, offensive play key part of Tigers’ demise

College football rankings for Week 9

Coaches Poll

Rank Team Record Points (No. 1 votes) 1 Georgia 7-0 1,600 (64) 2 Cincinnati 7-0 1,469 3 Alabama 7-1 1,439 4 Oklahoma 8-0 1,430 5 Ohio State 6-1 1,338 6 Michigan 7-0 1,313 7 Michigan State 7-0 1,208 8 Oregon 6-1 1,139 9 Ole Miss 6-1 1,019 10 Iowa 6-1 1,008 11 Notre Dame 6-1 950 12 Kentucky 6-1 857 13 Wake Forest 7-0 838 14 Texas A&M 6-2 736 15 Oklahoma State 6-1 684 16 SMU 7-0 535 17 Penn State 5-2 517 18 Baylor 6-1 509 19 Pit 6-1 487 20 San Diego State 7-0 431 21 Auburn 5-2 418 22 UTSA 8-0 219 23 Iowa State 5-2 190 24 Coastal Carolina 6-1 134 25 N.C. State 5-2 73

Others receiving votes: Louisiana 42; BYU 42; Arkansas 41; Houston 27; Arizona State 27; Virginia 23; Oregon State 13; Florida 13; Fresno State 10; Air Force 9; App State 5; Texas 3; Liberty 3; Utah 1.

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[tkmedia]

Alabama looks human, and the biggest takeaways from college football week 4

No. 1 Alabama beat No. 11 Florida 29-27 on Saturday, but the Crimson Tide showed something that didn’t seem possible after two weeks. The Crimson Tide might be human after all. The Gators made it a four-quarter game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and offered a blueprint for others trying to do the unthinkable and beat Alabama in 2021.Florida made that almost happen in three easy steps.Survive the first quarter: Alabama jumped out on Florida 21-3 after the first quarter, and Bryce Young hit 12 of 16 passes for 138 yards and three TDs. The Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents 45-3 in the first quarter through three games. Most teams are done at that point. Florida weathered that first punch. Young was just 10 of 19 for 102 yards for the rest of the game. The Gators’ defense didn’t give up the big play the rest of the way. MORE: Breaking down the biggest plays in Florida-Alabama thrillerRun the ball, stop the run: The Crimson Tide finished with 28 rushing attempts for 91 yards, and it’s clear at this point Najee Harris is missed. Brain Robinson managed 91 yards on 5.2 yards per carry and new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien stuck with the running game. It’s just not a game-changer through the first quarter of the season.Florida, meanwhile, had 245 rushing yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry with a diversified attack they stuck with. The Gators scored three TDs on their first three possessions in the second half, too. That’s a credit to quarterback Emory Jones.A dual-threat quarterback: Redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson did not play because of a hamstring injury, and that would have been an interesting wrinkle. But Jones played well. He hit 18 of 28 passes for 195 yards and shook off an early interception. Jones added 19 carries for 77 yards, and Florida had a chance to tie with 3:10 remaining on a two-point conversion that was just short.MORE: Clock malfunction adds to chaos of final moments in Bama winAll that still wasn’t enough to stop the Crimson Tide from extending their FBS-best 17-game win streak, and those three keys have to go right for anybody to have a chance against Alabama.Yet, that tease of mortality is out there, now. Florida went four quarters with the Crimson Tide in a game that resembled last year’s SEC championship game. Maybe a rematch with Richardson in the fold is possible down the line. No. 2 Georgia might have a chance with that ferocious defense. No. 17 Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin could make it interesting Oct. 2. Even Jimbo at Texas A&M, Coach O at LSU and SEC West surprise Arkansas can feel a sense of hope.Dare we say, "A New Hope" against the Alabama Death Star?

More Penn State-Auburns, please

Getty Images https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/48/c3/johan-dotson-9-18-gettyjpg_1576tinhgr7ay1js8lnatsh2zo.jpg?t=-66190837&w=500&quality=80 The ABC prime-time game was fun, right?Penn State tight end Tyler Warren leapt over the pile for a goal-line touchdown. Auburn's Jarquez Hunter hurdled a Penn State defender on a break-away run. The Tigers had a chance to win on the final play, but Auburn's Bo Nix's desperation pass was broken up by Nittany Lions' safety Jaquan Brisker.The "Whiteout" between No. 10 Penn State and No. 22 Auburn was a fun-filled matchup, and the Nittany Lions won 28-20 with the help of a big-time performance from Sean Clifford, who finished 28 of 32 passing for 280 yards, two TDs and an interception.One of the casualties of the SEC vs. Alliance talk is that it theoretically could hamper more matchups like this in the future. Let's hope it's not like that. SEC-Big Ten matchups produce a lot of heat in bowl season, but the best hope to replicate Saturday's atmosphere remains the potential for on-campus games in the expanded College Football Playoff. This game felt like a CFP quarterfinal.RELATED: Is there 'mutual interest' between James Franklin, USC?The Nittany Lions will make the return trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2022. Alabama has future home-and-homes with Wisconsin (2024-25) and Ohio State (2028-29). Nebraska has a home and home with Tennessee in 2026-27, but there should be more matchups like this scheduled in the future.The Auburn-Penn State matchup was just the eighth on-campus matchup between the Big Ten and SEC since 2010. It was the first regular-season game at a home site between ranked teams from those conferences since No. 3 Alabama beat No. 23 Penn State 27-11 on Sept. 10, 2011.We should not have to wait that long between matchups.

Sooners (really) can't lose

There was beautiful nostalgia with No. 3 Oklahoma and Nebraska taking a one-score slugfest into the fourth quarter on the 50th anniversary of their fabled Game of the Century, even if it will be a Big Ten-SEC matchup next time.Oklahoma closed out the Huskers in a 23-16 victory, but left questions about the Sooners' resume after two one-score games against inferior non-conference opponents. Oklahoma needs to rediscover its blowout genes in Big 12 play.Nebraska closed Oklahoma's lead to 14-9 in the third quarter, but Isaiah Coe blocked the extra point and Pat Fields returned for a two-point conversion. Spencer Rattler hit 4 of 5 passes for 45 yards on the ensuing touchdown drive, and D.J. Graham came up with a jaw-dropping one-handed interception.   Yet the Huskers, like Tulane in the opener, still had a last-chance drive before the Sooners came up with back-to-back sacks. Rattler, a preseason Heisman favorite, averages 250.3 passing yards with seven TDs and two interceptions.The Sooners remain clean heading into a potential seventh straight conference championship run. Still, Oklahoma does not want to take a loss and fall in that one-loss conversation with Ohio State and Clemson, not with just one ranked Big 12 team left on the schedule. It's best to have the one-up on the Buckeyes and Tigers.That's something to think about with a Week 4 prime-time matchup against West Virginia. In other words, run it up Lincoln Reilly, or face those doubts.

Cincinnati passes one of its big tests

Stop questioning No. 8 Cincinnati's top-10 credentials. The Bearcats rallied from a 14-0 deficit to beat Indiana 38-24 in one of their two prove-it games against Power 5 opponents this season.When Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell took a field goal off the board after an offsides penalty and went for it on fourth-and-1 with 6:49 remaining against the Hoosiers, it was on. The Bearcats scored TDs on four of their last five possessions.The truth is Cincinnati is right where it belongs. Since 2018, Fickell has led the Bearcats to the sixth-best record in the FBS, one that compares favorably with the College Football Playoff regulars.Best FBS records since 20181. Alabama 41-3, .932 2. Clemson 41-4, .911 3. Ohio State 35-4, .897 4. Notre Dame 36-5, .878 5. Oklahoma 36-6, .857 6. Cincinnati 34-6, .850 Georgia is a half-game behind the Bearcats at 34-7. The next step is obvious. Cincinnati has a bye week to prepare for Notre Dame, a game that will have even more shine if the Irish can knock off Wisconsin at Soldier Field. This is the Bearcats' best chance to appeal to the CFP committee that they need to stay in that conversation.That game has so many coaching ties. Brian Kelly used to coach at Cincinnati. So did Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. Fickell, of course, shot down interest in the USC job. That's because he's the ideal fit to be Notre Dame's next coach when Kelly retires.Win there, and Cincinnati will have a good look at 12-0. At that point, could it bypass a step and play in the Big 12 championship against Oklahoma?We wish we weren't kidding.

USC snaps out of it

It was a tough week in Trojan land with the Monday firing of Clay Helton following a listless loss to Stanford. Up next was the somewhat uninspiring destiation of Washington State, and USC played like it didn't want to be there for the first quarter plus.USC trailed 14-0 and lost a fumble on its own 35-yard-line early in the second quarter. Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis was already lost for the game. Things were not looking bright for interim coach Donte Williams' debut. Would this be another Trojan humbling?BENDER: Top 10 candidates to replace Clay HeltonNope. From that point forward, the Trojans outscored Wazzu 45-0 behind a brilliant outing from backup QB Jaxson Dart. The freshman was 30-for-46 for 391 yards and four touchdowns, though he did have two interceptions.Slovis is scheduled to return to practice this week, but with Dart putting up such big numbers, Williams may have to navigate an unexpected QB situation during his interim period.

Week 4 Sneak Peek

— Wisconsin-Notre Dame is an elimination game of sorts for the Badgers. Wisconsin is 5-4 in its last nine games dating back to the COVID-interrupted 2020 season. This is a big one for Paul Chyrst. Brian Kelly can become Notre Dame's all-time win leader, surpassing Knute Rockne. Soldier Field should be rocking.— Texas A&M and Arkansas is the best-guaranteed matchup between ranked unbeaten teams, and it’s fitting it will be in Jerry World. The Aggies have won nine straight meetings in this rivalry that dates back to 1903.— Tennessee coach Josh Heupel gets his first taste of the rivalry with Florida, or whatever you call a matchup when one team has won 15 of the last 16 meetings. Can the Vols catch the Gators with a hangover?

Mike Norvell done at FSU?

Getty Images https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/d8/e/mike-norvell-9-18-gettyjpg_l01j079psmt1fjh02mlygtgi.jpg?t=-65937725&w=500&quality=80 Wake Forest beat Florida State 35-14. That’s the Seminoles’ worst loss to the Demon Deacons since a 30-0 shutout on Nov. 11, 2006. Bobby Bowden coached three more seasons after that loss. Will Norvell last three more games?After what happened with Helton last week, you can’t rule anything out. Any feel-good material from the Labor Day comeback against Notre Dame has been lost since a Hail Mary loss to Jacksonville State and a three-TD loss to Wake Forest. Remember, Willie Taggart was fired two weeks after a 22-20 loss to the Demon Deacons in 2019. Florida State is 0-3 for the first time since 1976.You can see the "Fire Norvell" campaign, and it’s easy to see what comes next. The "Hire Deion" movement is building. Deion Sanders won his first two games at Jackson State as a first-time coach, and no hire would bring more excitement to the program.Would Coach Prime work in Tallahassee? The Seminoles are 14-23 since Jimbo Fisher left. Any better ideas?

Extra points

— Which top 25 Michigan team should you buy more stock in? The Wolverines improved to 3-0 and average 350.3 rushing yards per game after a 63-10 victory against Northern Illinois. The three-headed attack of Blake Corum, Hassan Haskins and now freshman Donovan Edwards is imposing. Corum (407 yards, 7 TDs) averages 10.7 yards per carry. Michigan State should join Michigan in the AP Top 25 after knocking off No. 24 Miami 31-17. Kenneth Walker III (493 yards, 5 TDs) averages 8.6  yards per carry. These uneasy brothers look like identical twins. The Spartans are a better bet to be unbeaten when they meet the Wolverines on Oct. 30. We'll buy the Wolverines if they win at Wisconsin on Oct. 2; a victory that has eluded them since 2001.— D'Eriq King hot takes are coming given he was the first quarterback to take advantage of NIL deals this offseason.   Miami QB D'Eriq King was one of the stars of the name, image and likeness rush. Miami loses to Michigan State, now 1-2, with win a 2-point victory over Appalachian State. Partners would find him hard to activate now. — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 18, 2021 King hit 38 of 59 passes for 388 yards with two TDs and two interceptions despite suffering a shoulder injury during the game. Is King worth seven-figures worth of NIL deals? That's debatable, but NIL is designed for college players to take advantage of their opportunities, especially the ones who might not go on to NFL stardom. The market will eventually correct itself. Piling on King is unnecessary.— Ohio State's defense didn't alleviate too many concerns after allowing 487 yards in a 41-20 victory against Tulsa that was a one-score game with 12:07 left in the fourth quarter. Ryan Day said defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs did not make the play calls this week, leaving them to secondary coach Matt Barnes. The good news? It won't be easy to outrun the Buckeyes when freshman TreVeyon Henderson is loose. Henderson totaled 270 yards, the third highest single-game total in Buckeyes' history. He scored on TD runs of 48, 52 and 54 yards. Henderson has 339 yards through three games, and it is not too early to peek at that Ohio State freshman rushing record. J.K. Dobbins set that with 1,403 yards in 2017, which broke the record of 1,237 yards set by Maurice Clarett in 2002. Henderson can be that kind of difference-maker.— Clemson managed to weather a one-hour, 52-minute weather delay against Georgia Tech and needed a goal-line stand with a game-saving tackle by James Skalski to stave off the Yellow Jackets in a 14-8. Clemson's defense has yet to allow a touchdown this season. Perhaps the most-surprising development for the Tigers is quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has just one TD pass through three games, and Clemson failed to get a play of more than 20 yards against Georgia Tech. The Tigers’ perception won’t be helped by the fact the ACC remains as unpredictable as ever. The ACC Coastal does not have an unbeaten team. West Virginia beat No. 15 Virginia Tech 27-21 with a help of a goal-line stand in the Black Diamond Trophy game, and Pitt lost a 44-41 shootout with Western Michigan. No. 21 North Carolina also knocked Virginia from the unbeaten ranks in a 59-39 shootout. Sam Howell passed for 307 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 112 yards as he tries to reignite his Heisman campaign.— Notre Dame's Kyren Williams busted loose with a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that sealed a 27-13 victory against Purdue. Still, the Irish do not have the same-old dominant offensive line. Notre Dame totaled 120 rushing yards on 3.5 yards per carry, and through three games those numbers are at 317 yards on 2.9 ypc. The Irish have a curious +20 point differential through three games as a result. Their next two opponents, Wisconsin and Cincinnati, also have a bye week to prepare. Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan will be the subplot Saturday, but how that running game stacks up against the Badgers is the real story.— Other than Michigan State, here is a quick roll call of unranked 3-0 teams in the Power 5: Baylor, Boston College, Kansas State, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma State, Rutgers, Texas Tech and Wake Forest. Those teams had a combined record of 40-53 last season, and the Eagles and Cowboys were the only teams with winning records last season. — Cincinnati and No. 16 Coastal Carolina are the only ranked Group of 5 schools, but Memphis made its case to join those two after a 31-29 victory against Mississippi State. The Tigers won despite being outgained 468-246 with the help of this wacky 94-yard punt return by Calvin Austin III.SMU also improved to 3-0 with a Hail Mary from Tanner Mordecai to Jr. Roderick Roberson for a 39-37 victory against Louisiana Tech.   Read the full article

[soccerball112]

How Having Cancer Helped Chris Odoi Realize That Soccer May Not Last Forever

The #AskASocerPro show is a Live video podcast where 11 year MLS vet and Mental Strength Coach Quincy Amarikwa dives into the mentalities of highly successful individuals both on and off the pitch. In this weeks episode Chris Odoi discussed about biggest misconception on being a MLS player,  What does he do off the field, his favorite memory and more.

Time Stamps

0:00-1:59 This might just be our mentally toughest episode yet with the 102nd episode. 👉🏽😶👈🏽

2:00-3:05 Why you need to adopt the MSL mindset. 👉🏽😶👈🏽

3:21-4:23 Don’t get left behind because you didn’t check out the Perfect Soccer Subscription

www.PerfectSoccerSkills.com/Subscription

4:22-6:42 Chris Odoi - MSL Mentee Joins The #AskASoccerPro Show!

6:43-9:20 Chris Odoi on how the Long Term Winners Mindset influences his decisions.

9:21-16:16 How Having Cancer Helped Chris Odoi Realize That Soccer May Not Last Forever, And What He Did About It.

16:17-22:11 Chris Odoi On How Fear Affects Him.

24:14-31:18 Chris Odoi on his biggest misconception on being a MLS player @markbtackett

31:19-36:15 What does Chris Odoi’s plan look like post career? @joe.jackson11

37:25-39:20 What does Chris Odoi do off the field to help him become a better player? @is.umar_

39:21-45:00 Why Chris Odoi uses the Perfect Soccer Time Management Worksheet

http://www.PerfectSoccerSkills.com/Time

47:40-51:12 Chris Odoi’s favorite memory from playing with Quincy

51:24-53:47 New competition between MSL Mentee’s Earl Edwards Jr. and Chris Odoi.

53:48-57:12 A Little Trash Talk And Why YOU MUST Purchase Your Perfect Soccer Subscription.

http://www.PerfectSoccerSkills.com/Subscription

57:13-59:18 How To Stay Up To Date With Chris Odoi And His Story.

If you would like to listen to the episode:

If you would like to watch the episode:

If you would like to read the interview:

*Transcript is unedited and machine-generated. There will be errors. For further clarity please refer to the audio or video.

Quincy Amarikwa (00:00):

We're all here to ride the MSL waves. You've mentioned the strength lead. I'd like to welcome you to another episode of the hashtag ask eight soccer pro [inaudible] art what's going on. RF. K refugees. Welcome. Welcome Eden EDI en. Welcome in Joe Jackson, Connor Johnson. Shannon, what up? Hi, David loud artists. What's going on? I'm doing well. I'm doing well. Looking forward to today's episode and today's guest. Oh man. Almost, even. I got so excited for today's guest. I forgot to get, I forgot to download his graphics. Uh, what's going on? I'm doing well. Soccer, soccer sub podcast dropped by what's going on, Matt. What's happening. What's happening. Let's see. Um, yeah, I'm not going to be able to pull it up. Cause the internet at my house of residence is not, is not doing too hot right now. Um, spending that hard button, but all right, let's get into it because 2020 one's about that frequency.

Quincy Amarikwa (01:11):

I'm getting dialed in. I'm excited for today and I'm also excited for the, the, the, I don't even know how to describe it, but let's get into what I've got here. And, um, as we prepare for today's show guest, so, uh, what's going on everybody. Welcome to another episode of the hashtag. Ask a soccer pro show. I am your host. 12 year pro MLS cup champion, MLS comeback Claire, the year UC Davis hall of fame member, black players for change founder and MSL coach Quincy America. Now what is the MSL? You may be asking yourself, well, that's what we're here to discuss and break down every Thursday, 6:00 PM, PST 9:00 PM EST live here on the perfect soccer, Instagram account, the mental strength league. I mean, you had, uh, dropped those Ivan. You had emojis if you're down in the MSL and for those of you who are just now tuning into this frequency, hopefully you like what I did there.

Quincy Amarikwa (02:14):

It's a game of 40 chess, one where you're either aware and an active participant or you're upon in the game steady getting played. So what is the MSL? It is the mindset you need to accomplish your goals. Why should you have this mindset? So you can learn how to learn, why learn, how to learn? Well. So you can know how, and when you were stopping yourself from achieving your goals and what to do about it. And when does this mindset start? Well, when you take responsibility for where you are, even if where you are, isn't your fault and put forth a plan to learn what you need to, to continue forward. So if you guys are ready for two days episode, I'm going to need you guys to spam that heart button and drop below what you're excited for, uh, with today's episode as well, those humming your head, emojis, loving that, loving that love, and that love in that.

Quincy Amarikwa (03:05):

Uh, Joe Jackson already dropping them in your head emojis. Uh POBA Jr. Trevor Willis increased football, yo Jordan, what's going on, um, loving that scene. Everyone has spending the heart button and, uh, while everybody is doing that, sharing with me, what you're excited for today's episode in today's show guests, I'm going to give you guys a quick word from today's sponsor yet. So today's episode is brought to you by perfect soccer. The number one platform online to talk to learn from and work with pro soccer players. Sign up for your perfect soccer subscription today over@perfectsoccerskills.com slash subscriptions subscription that's subscription subscription, right? So this is for youth players to pros, coaches and parents get access to everything you'd ever need on your soccer journey with your perfect soccer subscription. Again, head over to perfect soccer skills.com/subscription today, and shout out Joe Jackson for dropping that link for everybody on the live here as they're spamming at heart button to sign up because an investment in perfect soccer, is that an investment in yourself?

Quincy Amarikwa (04:14):

You guys know what it is [inaudible] and, uh, I'm excited for today's show guest. We're having a future legend. I wouldn't even know, say future legend, current legend and future double legend. Chris, a, uh, my old teammate over at DC United and an MSL mentee of mine. Mans has been doing work and has an amazing story. Um, I'm excited to bring him on here today. Uh, uh, give the audience a little bit of breakdown of his mentality. I'll even let him share a little bit, um, let him, uh, we'll have him share a little bit of his story for those of you who aren't aware of, uh, where he's been and, um, get an idea of where he's going and, uh, any questions that you guys have, make sure you drop them in the comment or in the question box here. And I think I saw Chris had already joined in, so let me send him that so we can get him in here and get going. Uh, uh, Justin Mauro dropped in the live. What's going on brother say Chris's late. That's that's a fine where I come from, bro. Chris is not late. Mans was on time. He's been patiently waiting, uh, even patiently waiting cause I've I'm coming correct with the, uh, the official, the official introduction to the show. What's going on, brother? How you doing brother? And you're the actual legend man. I me bro. Hey, come on bro. Come on, come on, bro. You'll make me bless you're on the live. You know, yo love that.

Quincy Amarikwa (06:04):

Yo, I love that man. Repping the long-term winner's mindset, you know, uh, man, I pull up now you're making me, uh, relive good times. Um, I'm thinking about when we had the t-shirts, uh, at preseason 2020, uh, I saw you, I, the long-term winners mindset t-shirt immediately and say that that's me. That was mine. I mean, Hey, I need that. I need does it. Okay. Bet, bro. This is the only one I have, but facts it's yours. Yeah, no, I'm happy to see you still got it, brother. What a man. I know we'll, we'll end up talking about a whole bunch of stuff as we typically do. Uh, what, what made you, uh, what made you go for that, that shirt? What about that was, what about that represents you?

Quincy Amarikwa (06:52):

Yeah, the long-term mindset, something I really picked up off of you. That's something that you preached in our conversation, several conversations throughout our year together, um, you know, before go, the beating you and talking to you and learning your mindset. I was very stern sort term with my thinking and how I went day by day and how I went about life. Um, you know, just take a sort term for quick reference. You know, first couple of years in a lead, I wasn't really thinking about life after soccer. You know, like I'm a professional soccer player, things are going okay. You know, I'm not going to be here for awhile. Not thinking that anything can change at any moment. Uh, and things did. And my career was we'll probably get into a little later, which kind of starts shifting my mindset and that in addition with meeting you and talking to you and having our conversations, uh, so now more of a long-term thinker in terms of the way I operate.

Quincy Amarikwa (07:55):

That's awesome, man. No, I appreciate, I mean, I appreciate that and it's, it's cool, man. It's been cool to really see your progress and your process, you know, just like, uh, initially meeting you in DC, watching, watching you watch me and Earl just have long debates in the, in the locker room, uh, you know, helping me better understand, you know, your approach and how you think about things and you know, always, I will always tell you, you know what I mean? Like I learned just as much, I think I feel I learned even more from you, you know what I mean? Like, and I've always appreciated how open you've been in, in, um, your willingness to like recognize where you're at. Like, I, I guess my main thing I'm getting around to the directing is like, there's a, it's, it's a skillset of knowing you don't know everything, but also confident that you do know, you know, what you know, and you're good at what you do.

Quincy Amarikwa (08:59):

You know what I mean? So it's like, it's, it's a, it's a good, it's a good balance. And um, I always thought you did a really great job of that. And um, it's just been cool to see how that progressed over time. Um, you, you, of, you touched on it a little bit in terms of what might've kind of, kick-started your, Hey, you know, soccer doesn't doesn't necessarily, might not last forever. Um, w you want to give us a little bit of, uh, of your, of your story, you know, uh, of it, of what you'd like to share and, and, and what that process has been like for you.

Quincy Amarikwa (09:34):

Yeah, sure. So, um, I guess I'll take it back a little bit. Just give people a little bit of my background. Uh, Chris had deleted sham, my full name. If you didn't know, going into my fifth year of professional soccer with DC United, uh, born and raised in Maryland. So I'm from this area I've been here my whole life pretty much. And I think that's where it all stems from. You know, I think I've lived, uh, you know, a very good life, especially growing up. My parents worked very hard to give me all the resources I needed in order to be successful. You know, whether it was the, the schools I went to growing up, or, uh, finally it's to go to a better team. You know, growing up the team was an hour away. The practice was our way. Parents made that sacrifice to get me there in order to become a better player.

Quincy Amarikwa (10:25):

And I think that's where it was like, I was just, I was pretty much in a comfortable position for most of my life. Um, and that lasted a long time, you know, as I progressed and got older, uh, soccer was always pretty comfortable. I was always one of the better players in the area in high school. My junior year, the team that at school would, I was wanting to go to Maryland, can call her. And so I committed early my junior year, I got to Maryland four years started there. Uh, so, you know, this was all comfortable, but once I got to my procreate, that's when things got shaken up a little bit and started becoming a little uncomfortable for me. Uh, 2017, I got drafted to DC United, uh, two weeks into my first pre-season. I got hurt, got an injury was out for a couple of weeks, came back, got sent, uh, the USL team Richmond, uh, at the time.

Quincy Amarikwa (11:17):

And, uh, I couldn't even play there. You know, I, I knew I was not having a chance of playing with the first thing and I was fine with that. I'll get my experience. And he goes, so it's hard to get my chance for the first thing. I go down to USL and I can't even get on the field there, you know, I'm like a month or two in my career and I'm like, I'm play in the USL. Like maybe I'm not cut out for this, you know, just hard on myself and my mentality wasn't right at the time. But, uh, eventually that might've been a good thing. Uh, since I was playing there, then he kept me at DC and train. I started quickly Franny and eventually like an injury happened. I started getting back into the, to the roster and the best of planning and starting games.

Quincy Amarikwa (12:00):

So it worked out in the, uh, in the end. So my first year was okay towards the end of the year. I got hurt again. Um, and then 2018 happened my second year in the league. I had a decent first year, so I'm expecting my second year to be even better. I'm trying to take it up a notch and make a true impact in the league. And that wasn't the case at all. Uh, immediately just started dealing with injuries. My second year had the surgery and then I was just always, uh, not feeling good, not feeling right. Something was always wrong. I didn't know what it was. I was going to the team telling them something's off something, you know, can, can I get checked out, find something, they couldn't find anything wrong with me. I got in my head and started thinking like, Oh man, they must think I'm lying or making the sub that out.

Quincy Amarikwa (12:47):

I was like, man, maybe I'm not cut out for this. You know, just went to a bad path. And towards the end of the year, it came out that I had possibly as my former, uh, form of blood cancer. So, you know, uh, went through, you know, obviously that's a very life-changing event that happened for me. And, uh, you know, that's when I really picked up the idea that man, like my career really could have been over at any time and the time I'd spend off the field. I wasn't really preparing myself for life after soccer. You know, it was more of coming home and taking a big nap for two, two and a half hours, uh, playing video games that Alize the grant, whatever, you know, just not being very productive with my free time when we have so much free time as professional soccer players.

Quincy Amarikwa (13:39):

Uh, so, you know, I went through chemotherapy, eventually made it back on the field and, uh, you know, that's that following year 2019 is when I met you. So, uh, the combination of, you know, having a cancer and going through that experience and then meeting you, someone with your mindset, just the combination of those things together just really had me motivated to start just doing things that were better for, for my life. Maybe after soccer or just putting in the work. Now, changing my mentality on certain things, certain things that you pointed out, maybe some flaws in me that you would point out, but, uh, with you, the type of person you are being so selfless. And even though you pointed out these flaws in me, you were willing and more than able to help me throw them and helped me work on them. And the amount of time that we spent like having conversations, man, it was a lot throughout the year, but I was appreciated you spending that time, like passing on your knowledge and information that you accumulated over your lifetime and your career and your willingness to pass that on to anybody who was willing to listen as everybody here in perfect soccer knows, uh, that you have, that you have, that you have that mindset and that you have that get to pass that on to other people.

Quincy Amarikwa (15:01):

So that's not my story. That's kind of how I changed my mindset. And I'm still working on still constant process. I still fall short a lot of times, but, uh, you know, I'm still trying to go up and up, uh, as, as life goes on,

Quincy Amarikwa (15:15):

Man, I love that, man. You gave me teary-eyed over here, bro. Might try to try to make me cry over here on my show, bro. That's that's I mean, I, I appreciate that. That's like, that means a lot. I, um, um, yeah, but I wasn't expecting to hear that, man. I just was, I was just always, uh, focused on hopefully trying to share how to avoid many mistakes that I made because I've made, I made a whole lot of them and I'm sure you saw me make a whole, a whole lot more, even, even in our time in, uh, in DC. Right. Uh, but as you know, and we talked about here on the show with the three S's of self-awareness, you know, like, um, making mistakes is part of the process and being, being open to criticism and self reflection and self-awareness is, is, is key right?

Quincy Amarikwa (16:09):

To accomplishing your goals, said it, I said it a little bit earlier here in the intro of what the, a, what the MSM mindset is. And, uh, I think something that you pointed out as well as like, you, you fall short, but you're falling forward, you know, and if you've got the long-term winners mindset, you know, a loss or a setback, um, even you had mentioned it, um, when you were talking about, uh, when you got sent down to the USL very early in your, your, you know, your first year looking back on it, it's a positive, but during, it's not, it's not so positive. Right.

Quincy Amarikwa (16:46):

He talked about the, um, the state of self doubt, uh, questioning, am I cut out for this? You know, is it me? Is it the system? Is it, you know, it's a very uncomfortable, uh, face and I think what's great. What's great in your story and you sharing that is, um, a lot of players, parents, coaches, um, don't see that side of the game, right. They don't, they don't, they don't hear about that. That's not spoken to very frequently or often. And, um, it, it can, it can make people feel as though they're alone or they're by themselves, you know, they're by themselves in that. Um, so I, I think it's a amazing, your willingness to kind of share that and, um, and, and be so open. Um, when most people would be very scared, be very scared to be. Um, and, and that makes me even think about, uh, the, the conversations and, and, uh, jokes and stuff we'd have in the locker room about me always teasing you about being hella scary all the time. Right. Uh, okay. What, what do you, what do you think that, like, you know, I obviously I have my thoughts as to what it, what it is or what I think it to be, but like, for you, like, do you feel like those were rational fears? Do you think, like they're healthy? Like how, how do you describe what fear is? Like, what does fear to you?

Quincy Amarikwa (18:17):

Fear to me, I would say is the unknown. Um, so like our previous previously said, you know, I was always pretty much in a comfortable position and then didn't really care too much for too much change, you know? Uh, so, you know, fear to me is it's probably changed stepping into the unknown. And you were quick to point that out and said, do what you say. You're scared of just scary that I, I didn't like you saying that, but at the same time, you know, the fact that I realized, man, this question seems to send me like, this must be a real thing with me. Like, how do I, how do I work on, or how do I flex on it? And, you know, he gave me some great advice with that. And he said anything that's, you're, you're afraid of, or, uh, apprehensive to do, man, just step into it and see what you're scared of. He's like half the time, your head step in there and you look around, you're like, man, like I shouldn't, I shouldn't have got scared at all. You know, this isn't too bad that I, so, you know, I've tried to take that. So try to apply that. It's how to do things that, you know, a few years ago there was no chance I would have been doing so for sure, appreciate you for the poking at me, uh, to get, to get better.

Quincy Amarikwa (19:37):

Yeah. Not, uh, not everybody's too happy with my approach. Right. Uh, in the short term, um, the goal and hope is that in the long-term right. Um, it seemed for what it, what it's meant to be, which is a love, you know what I mean? Like I see your puppy. I see, I see where you are and I also see what you can become and what, you know, you can become for yourself. Right. Um, but nothing, nothing of greatness happens staying in your comfort zone, always, you know? And, um, it doesn't mean you're always going to step into step into the unknown and everything's going to go great. Sometimes it's gonna, it's going to go terribly wrong, but that also is an opportunity to learn. And I think you've, you've done it in your own way. And, and, uh, you know, you did the work I could, I could, you know, I can pull it out or call it out and tease you or, you know, encourage you, or however you want to, you know, someone might look at it as teasing and someone else looks at it as encouragement.

Quincy Amarikwa (20:43):

Right. Motivation. Um, so, and, and, and we talk a lot about that here. Right? Take negativity or positivity, or take negativity and turn it into positivity and take positivity and utilize it no matter what, it's energy. Right. So how are you going to utilize the energy to focus the attention people give you positive or negative? Um, so, uh, it's, it's no, it's, it's cool to, it's cool to see it. It's really cool to hear, because my point is really, you still have to do the work that matter if I call it out or pointed out, right? Like you're doing the work, your, your self reflect your step when you could maybe do more or when you need to do less, you know, cause you know, we're not all the same. We don't all have the same background, the same advantages disadvantages. And, um, what works for me might not work for you. Um, but your willingness to kind of, like I said, here, be confident in, in what, you know, but also open to seeing and hearing other things. I always, I always thought was a very valuable and, and um, impactful attribute that you have and, um, hopefully hopefully more clubs see that, understand that and, uh, and value that here moving forward. I, I, I think they will, if they're the smart ones will at least broke.

Quincy Amarikwa (22:11):

Um, okay. So let me see here. So everybody, uh, so obviously obviously a bunch of people are spending the heart button love and the love and the conversation so far, and a lot that you're talking about, um, uh, if anyone's got any questions, make sure questions for Chris, drop them in the, in the chat box here below also I'll look through the, um, Oh, Kevin joined in and said what up, um, tournament. Okay guys, you're talking about the tournament. What's uh, uh, uh, let's see. You always end up falling behind on the, on the scrolling here. Um, yeah, I've ever been on, this is your first live bro for something new, right? Yo, shout out.

Quincy Amarikwa (23:06):

I love that, man. You know, the, uh, it's very, uh, uh, we had DWP Bradley, right. Phillips was on. I want to say like episode, Oh man. Now to my knowledge. But, um, he came on, it was his first Instagram live as well to mans didn't know nothing about it. I was just like, what? Let's go, what up? Let's do it. Yeah. It was a great episode. So it was like, I respect that. That is a quality that a lot of people had, so they got to be prepared, perfectly love that. Uh, okay. So let's see what we got here, uh, at camp Kendall had said through adversity comes greatness and then dropped her I'm in the head and her I'm in the head. I'm in your head emojis. Uh, Kevin Perez said that boy, Chris is different. Right.

Quincy Amarikwa (24:02):

Having a different breed backs. Right.

Quincy Amarikwa (24:10):

Um, let's see.

Quincy Amarikwa (24:14):

Okay. So we got Mark Tackett, Mark [inaudible], um, asked, uh, what was your biggest misconception about being an MLS player?

Quincy Amarikwa (24:25):

Biggest misconception.

Quincy Amarikwa (24:27):

Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (24:37):

Like prior to being a player and then realized that once I get in trouble, once I get that

Quincy Amarikwa (24:43):

Yeah. Let's, let's go. Um, let's go with that.

Quincy Amarikwa (24:54):

Probably I bought, I was more prepared for the adversity. Like the first thing that I mentioned, you know, I was prepared not to play right away for the first team, but, you know, I thought for sure I'd be able to play, uh, start in the USO and it wasn't, I wasn't even getting into that. That was just a real rude awakening for me, uh, that I had to go through, but you know, maybe better in the long run. So, uh, yeah, I would say that, uh, that maybe not easy to play in MLS, but definitely in the USO. I thought I was well prepared for that.

Quincy Amarikwa (25:36):

Okay. I like, okay. So then what was it that you were missing at that time? Like, cause clearly you figured it out, right? Like where you figured out what you needed to do, what, what, what did you get comfortable? What were you too comfortable with? And like, how did you under S how did you, how did you underestimate it so greatly?

Quincy Amarikwa (26:02):

You know, I thought it was just a given that, okay, the first thing sends me down to USO are going to be playing and, and starting and getting my minutes because you're not allowed. That's how it works. And I think five of us were sent down from the first team and all the, all of the four others were starting to play the whole game. And I'm there sitting on the bench, the whole game. I'm like, like, like what's up with me? Like, what am I doing? And then I started seeing him, I played my play, started to decrease until just like all mentality. I was like, man, I'm like, good for this look good enough for this level. So, you know, that's what it was for me. And it was, it was hard to get out of that, but, you know, eventually they call me back to the first team to train and that's when I started helping my game and improving at a fast rate. But, you know, if they had left me there, I don't know what else would have happened to be honest.

Quincy Amarikwa (26:57):

Gotcha. So what, what did you, what did you hone in on focus in on, like, what was your kind of North star?

Quincy Amarikwa (27:06):

Uh, what do you mean? Exactly?

Quincy Amarikwa (27:09):

So like you, you, you went down, you weren't expecting that you weren't playing, you got kind of like a second opportunity at getting back up to the first team and getting some, some training. What, what about once you got back? What did you focus on? So that, that, that wouldn't happen to you. So like you focused on the, how you felt not being involved and that made you work harder. Um, and if so, like what did you work harder at? Like what did you stop taking for granted? What did you stop? Um, what did you stop thinking was a given?

Quincy Amarikwa (27:49):

Yeah, for sure. I didn't want to feel that feeling again. So when I get back, got back to DC training, I was prepared to go back down. But, uh, when I did go back down, I was like, okay, I'm gonna be ready next time I go back for sure. So it was just things like, uh, going to training and even staying at the training, you know, knowing our assistant coach Nolan, he was helping me a lot. He was the guy who I was talking to a lot throughout that time and helping me focus on certain things after practice, maybe it was after practice, I've stayed a little later within maybe 20, 20 crosses or something like that. There's different parts of my game, just trying to get better at the round, out my game. Um, so whenever I was, you know, as me thinking, going back to USAA, I'll be ready, but it came to the point where the opportunity opened up for me with the first team. And I think I took full advantage of it when I was, uh, put in there, you know, start playing games, subbing in and definitely started starting the games. And, you know, I think my first year after I played, you know, good to, uh, above average, you know, every game support supper, maybe one game, I had a bad game, but other than that, I was pretty consistent or, uh, really felt like I belonged after that.

Quincy Amarikwa (29:06):

Love that. Okay. So, so you, you got a slice of humble pie, right? And then had to be honest with yourself about that and know that you didn't want to feel that again, you got, you, you took self initiative, cause you said I'm not going to make that mistake again. And I'm going to do additional work prepared for the next time. And then you held yourself accountable to that, to the point that you didn't even have to end up getting sent back down. Cause it's almost like you learned your lesson and you started accelerating growing quickly from that, from that experience. So I like that, man, that's active, that's active, uh, execution of the three S's of self-awareness man.

Quincy Amarikwa (29:47):

No, the last part self, uh, accountability. That's a big part that I feel like sometimes I like to just stay consistent and disciplined and that, uh, uh, and when I'm doing so for that year, you know, I was pretty consistent with doing quite a bit of extra work after training. And I think I really hope, and I should be doing more of it now to be honest, but yeah,

Quincy Amarikwa (30:13):

No, I follow you. I think, I think that's the one that can get most difficult because when you hold yourself accountable, it becomes habit and routine and then that becomes comfortable, you know? And, and then I think I talk about it. We talk about a lot. I talk about it here on the show, you know, what got you here might not get you there. And especially at the professional sports level, right? It's, there's constantly someone that's coming for your spot. So we talk about, you know, adapt or die. You got to adapt times change and sometimes they change real quick, you know? And, um, uh, I think understanding your strengths and your weaknesses is, is crucial to developing a long-term winner's mindset and surviving, you know, uh, for the, for the longterm. So I think, yeah, I think your experience is very unique and your perspective is extremely unique. And, and because of that, I think it only will, it only helps you Excel in the professional, in the professional world, you know, and, um, I think, uh, that's kind of a good, good, uh, transition into the next question that came in from, uh, from Joe Jackson. Um, he had asked, uh, what, uh, what do you want to do after your career, or what do you think be interested in,

Quincy Amarikwa (31:31):

Hey, great question. Um, I'm still working on that, trying to figure exactly what I want to do post career. And I don't know if you wanted to bring that up or I can bring it up now, but, uh, I'll be starting the internship actually with, uh, Quincy and perfect soccer learning under him. I think that's just, it's just a great time for me, you know, I spent almost the last year or two really learning and doing, going through personal development and things like that, but I think it's now it's time to put things into action. So, you know, things came up maybe possibly going back to school or maybe get a MBA or something like that. But, uh, you know, our conversation has made you Quincy and you vastly brought up this idea of me, you know, really working under you and learning and helping you at perfect soccer. And I thought it was a great opportunity. So, uh, you know, you're going to have me in different roles and positions to figure out what I like best. And I think it would give me more of a clarity to figure out which direction I want to go post career.

Quincy Amarikwa (32:37):

And, uh, was, Joe had asked that question yet. And, uh, I was excited. I'm excited to announce that, uh, yeah, Chris will be joining as a perfect soccer intern starting out here, um, with us. Um, we've had, you know, several, several interns in the past so far and some have become a full members of our, of the perfect soccer team. Um, some have kind of moved on into other industries and areas and it's, uh, it's been an amazing process. Um, Chris has helped us with our newly updated onboarding process, which has been awesome and, uh, creating a space where like he had mentioned, he can kind of, um, figure out where he wants to go because as a lot of, um, our followers and members, um, struggled with is, you know, how do I figure out what it is that I want to do? How do I know what I want to do?

Quincy Amarikwa (33:29):

That's like, that's a big task, you know, and a lot of people just put it on delay and they procrastinate, right. Cause they're just like, ah, I'll do it later. I'll figure it out later. I'll figure it out later. And very similar where you said, Hey, as a pro player, you got a lot of time, right? As a, as a, you know, a kid in high school in junior high kid in elementary school kid in college, you, you have a lot of time, you know, and, um, working and at a slow pace to figure that out is better than delaying it. So you said you've been, you've been researching personal development learning kind of tasting a little bit here and there over the last two years. And in that two year time, then it said, Hey, I think I want to, I want to dabble in this.

Quincy Amarikwa (34:15):

I know you're doing, you were trying to, you're a little bit of re real estate and you know, stock market. And I mean, I think my point is people think that you have to have it all figured out right away and from the beginning. And that's not the case, you know, that that's not the case at all. And, um, hopefully here with conversations like this and a big reason why I wanted to have you as a, you know, episode one Oh two of the show is, um, creating that space. So we have the room to figure it out. You know, we're not going to know everything. We're going to make mistakes. You can try something and that will maybe let you know that you don't want anything to do with it. And it's okay. Let's move on to something else. But let's also, let's also make sure we have a plan that we can commit to, um, over time, this is that longterm winners mindset.

Quincy Amarikwa (35:04):

I'm just, I'm just seeing, I'm just like your ex you're just you're executing on it. Right. You're living it. And, um, it, I guess it makes me reflect on like being in the locker room and I can be preaching it and saying it, and then it can be, I act, Quincy, Quincy, just talk him just the same old thing. Right. And I get that, right. Like, that's good, good. If I get tired and you're, you're sick of hearing me. That means you, at least you heard me say, you know, if, and when you hit that typical time or that road or whatever, if, if, if that story is helpful, cool. I did my job. Right. That's how I'm looking at it. And, uh, E being on this side, in terms of just seeing the results of the work that you've been doing in your free time, right?

Quincy Amarikwa (35:54):

Like when no, one's looking, holding yourself accountable, taking initiative, being honest with yourself, like the results speak, you know, and I, I think it's been well-deserved and I think you've earned. I think you've earned it, you know? So I'm, I'm just, uh, I'm proud of what you've been doing. And, um, I'm excited for, for what's what's to come and your future man. And, uh, you got other, uh, you got other fans, uh, uh, Philippe joined in, gave away. Yeah. Uh, uh, Earl, Earl Edwards Jr. Came and said, ah, I'm mad. I missed the first half of this one. Let me see. Okay. Yeah. So like I said, I'll fall behind on the step. Okay. So Earl's on Earl said for everyone watching Quincy, Chris and I sat side by side in the DC locker room and would have Cabos just like this every day for hours. Um, it was, it was our intro into the MSL life-changing, uh, Facebook. And he said, yeah, four hours. Yeah. You said four hours, but four hours. Isn't far off LOL. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you got, uh, Christina dropped, uh I'm in your head emojis, uh, jaw. Oh yeah. W it was a jaw had said, Oh, just finish a sweaty run. Didn't want to, didn't want to, but I'm part of the MSL school. I, uh, let's see. I think I saw another question for you. Come in here. Um, okay. Is dot Umar, U U M a R underscore said, Hey, Chris, what's the number one thing you do off the field that helps you progress as a player?

Quincy Amarikwa (37:36):

How I spend my time though, like I said, I used to spend it not being productive at all waste of time. It was just cool. Like, you just have to find a balance that works for you, but you can't be all one end of the spectrum too much. So before, when it was solely like TV, NABS, whatever, now it's more learning like, like you had previously said, learning about investing in real estate, investing in a stock market, you know, something that can set me up for, for the future, uh, you know, and continue to develop. So, uh, I've taken certain courses. They have free courses online, uh, that spend time on, uh, financial literacy course was kind of introductory me too, but I found another one on my own. Just how to better manage my money on my home and stuff like that. Uh, what else I spent my time doing, uh, um, I cook a lot now. Uh, you know, I changed my diet, so I have to cook a lot more for me, uh, spend time meditating. Uh, I tried to do that as soon as I wake up in the morning I go to sleep. I felt like that's really helped me, um, clear my head. Um, but yeah, just try to be productive with my free time. Um, for sure.

Quincy Amarikwa (39:05):

I love, I love that. Um, I can stand to do that a bit more. I did. I tried meditating. I did that for a little bit. Um, I liked that and enjoyed that. Like, I need to make time for that. That one's a good one. Um, you'd mentioned a lot of that is coming down to like time management. Did, um, did you utilize the time management, uh, worksheet and training that we had?

Quincy Amarikwa (39:29):

Yeah. So for those of you don't know, uh, once we Earl and I started talking to Quincy and he started to bring us into the MSL mindset, uh, he had, uh, started, uh, clock in what we're doing and how we're spending our time every day, what we're doing every 30 minutes of the day. Um, so, you know, I definitely got really into that. And just at first you could kind of see how you would spend your time and how it wasn't productive, and you really don't really notice it or realize when you're doing it, but when you have to write it down and type it, and you're spending box at the box saying watching TV, watching TV, watching TV, it's like, man, like maybe I shouldn't be spending as much time watching TV. And that was a great thing for me is, uh, um, to be honest, I'm still not currently doing that right now, but I definitely do have better, uh, knowledge of what I'm doing and how I'm spending my time. But, you know, for that first year I did it, uh, I did it consistently for a year. I think you're helping. It really did help me in a lot of ways, seeing how I spend my time more productive,

Quincy Amarikwa (40:44):

I'd love that we can. I think for the longest time I thought I thought the problem was, uh, I thought the root problem was a financial problem, like of like, okay, everyone spends their time doing things to kind of, to make money or to earn money so that they can take vacation and start a business, invest in their futures, pay for school, whatever. Right. And I was going like, okay, a lot of people don't have a financial literacy so that, you know, I focused on building that, that first financial literacy course and, and sharing what I had learned and mistakes I've made and the real estate deals and all that stuff. And it wasn't necessarily resulting in what I thought it was until I really focusing. And I went, you know what, it's actually, it's a time literacy, literacy, uh, issue, right? Like it's like people, people, one, they don't know how to budget their money.

Quincy Amarikwa (41:36):

That's one problem. But worse is, people don't know how to budget their time, you know? And to the point that you're making is, you know, when you're not writing down where you spend your time, you literally don't see your time. You don't see it. So you don't even, you don't realize you are bleeding time. Right. Um, and, uh, once, once we put together that time management worksheet, I mean, for me, that was like the light bulb for me, in terms of like how I can better utilize my time as well too, is showcasing how guys can learn, how to budget and manage their time, their time for themselves. Um, and with you saying that, you know, is that you stuck to it for a year, that's massive, right. It becomes a habit. And now you can start thinking in terms of your time allocation and you don't necessarily have to write it every day to break up your day into 30 minutes segments.

Quincy Amarikwa (42:36):

Right. For sure. Um, it's a, it's an act, it's a practice in meditation it's own way because you have to be focused on a task for a certain duration of time. And it's a task that you might not necessarily enjoy because it's showing you where you fall short and literally have to confront it every day. Like you're looking at your BS every day and you're just like, okay, can I keep looking at this and still do it and not like, and then make excuses as to why that opportunity was because of someone else, you know? Um, no, it's beautiful. Uh, cause I was thinking with, uh, Earl, right. Earl's I think Earl's more my temperament like, go, go, go today. Yes. Okay. Go, go, go crash bird. Do it again. Uh, uh, and seeing, seeing you guys approach the time management sheet and the, the, uh, the feedback I get from you guys in terms of like hating it.

Quincy Amarikwa (43:40):

Yeah.

Quincy Amarikwa (43:46):

Is, you know, this is, this is stupid, you know what I mean? Like what's the point I don't see. And I go, yeah. Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (43:58):

Yeah.

Quincy Amarikwa (43:58):

Yeah, man. Uh, it's, it's, it's uh, it's positive feedback. It's good to hear. Right. Cause like the feedback now is like, all right. Yeah, yeah. Like that was helpful. You know what I mean? I didn't enjoy it. I look at it like preseason, I didn't enjoy it. I didn't enjoy throwing up. Cause I ran too hard and I didn't have fun doing the beep test, but I am happy that I'm healthy in the middle of the year and I'm fit and I'm ready to, uh, destroy the team that we're playing on the weekend. You know? So, uh, yeah bro,

Quincy Amarikwa (44:31):

I did.

Quincy Amarikwa (44:32):

I didn't know. I didn't know you, uh, you utilized it for over a year, man. That's dope. I'd have to ask the girl Earl tapped out after, I don't know Earl. How, how long until you tapped out on the time management sheet, man, let's see. Uh,

Quincy Amarikwa (44:50):

No more crying.

Quincy Amarikwa (44:51):

Okay. Uh, John just said, keep out at every one time to get on that homework grind. I'm in your head. Uh, see you all next time. Thank you, Quincy. And thank you, Chris. So yeah, I think a lot of people are really enjoying this episode, man, and have taken up an awful lot of gems from you. Um, and I appreciate the time man. Umar said appreciate the answers brother. Um, Wessex uh, gave you three goat emojis all in a row

Quincy Amarikwa (45:19):

And that's my guy, friends man from second grade. Oh wow. Shout out West,

Quincy Amarikwa (45:27):

The most diesel a school teacher.

Quincy Amarikwa (45:30):

Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (45:36):

I love that role. He's got to start Instagram account bro. Just flex them on everybody.

Quincy Amarikwa (45:42):

Uh,

Quincy Amarikwa (45:42):

Let's see. Okay. Joe Jackson said, yo Quincy, that's the next challenge. Try to fill out the time management cheat every day for six months, I liked that we could do that. Um, uh, uh, last week, um, last week we had our first winner of the 10 pushup challenge. Um, what, what it was was I challenged our, our followers to say, okay, all you have to do in this offer still stands. All you have to do is 10 pushups every day without and not miss a day for six months, you do that. You get some free perfect soccer Merck. And uh, I think has been like two years sentence going on and we've only had one, one person she's made it so far. Uh it's it's it's easy physically. It's difficult mentally. Um, let's see. Earl had said, I remember not wanting to tell you, uh, why the time sheet was hard to embarrassing.

Quincy Amarikwa (46:42):

Yeah.

Quincy Amarikwa (46:42):

Uh, okay. Earl said I actually lasted a little over a year. Okay. That's decent. I just took a short hiatus early on. Cause I wasn't ready for all that. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I avoided you for two weeks. Uh, yeah. I love that. The part of the, the part of the process where everyone I work with goes on a hiatus. It just ignores me and sends me no messages. It just doesn't look me in the eye for however long. And I'm like, uh, okay. Uh, I guess either I'll never talk to them again or there'll be back around once they they've calmed down or

Quincy Amarikwa (47:23):

Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (47:24):

I love that. Right. Okay. Uh, now I, I love time, man. We've got, let's say we've got about 10 more minutes here before. Uh, we'll. We'll wrap up the hour here. Uh let's uh, keep it more. I know we've gone deep on a lot of things. What what's uh, so some foams fun stories or, uh, something that stands out to you during our time in, um, during our time in 2019, like couples share a couple of stories, uh, that you thought were, were ridiculous. Stupid, funny, sad. Uh, w what do you got?

Quincy Amarikwa (48:01):

Definitely some funny moments. Um, one off the top of my head is, is your introduction to the team, but, uh, with the presentation and then Earl, the reason why Earl awarded you for first couple of months, and that's, that's always a funny story. You can tell this story.

Quincy Amarikwa (48:22):

No. Okay. All right. So why do you, you remember it? Like, Oh, okay. I've never, okay. I've never heard from your perspective, so, okay. I'll give a quick background story on that. Right. So for those who don't know, Earl essentially like blew me off for the first, like three months. So like Earl had said in the, in the comments there, uh, Chris Earl and myself were right next to each other as locker mates while I was at DC. Right. But for the first three months, Earl just ignored my existence. Thought I was the dumbest person who ever existed and just wrote me off right from the beginning. And he wrote me off because of a joke I made at the, uh, MLS, like introduction presentation, where they, they go over all the things you can, you and things you can, and can't say on the board and the guy who was giving the presentation was saying every word and doing everything, but avoided saying the N word. Right.

Quincy Amarikwa (49:20):

You know, and I can tell he's on the hot seat and he really wanted to move on from it. And I had raised my hand and he is, Oh, okay. Quincy called me and said, Hey, what's that word? I, all the other words I've written out, but what about that, that, that word there? He said, which one was it? The end? That one, what does the word, what is that? And he was, he was just sitting there for a little bit before I was, I said, Oh, I thought it was, hell, I still think it's hilarious, bro.

Quincy Amarikwa (49:48):

I thought it was hilarious. I was dying. Like the,

Quincy Amarikwa (49:51):

Okay, well that's okay. I love that. So like, what was your experience? Because Earl thought it was the dumbest joke out of ti like wrote me off for three months. Uh, what, what were your, what were your thoughts?

Quincy Amarikwa (50:05):

Yeah, that was my first time. Cause this was like your first day, right? So no one really knows who you are. I don't know. I didn't really know you. And literally that's my first thing I hear you say is like, Oh, what's that N word up there. And gas trace and how Shirky was up there, man. I was laughing in the back of the room when, uh, you know, he gets to see in the locker room. Some people find it funny. Some people didn't Earl was obviously one who did not find that plenty at all to the point where he didn't want to talk to Quincy for like three months off of that one joke. But I thought it was funny,

Quincy Amarikwa (50:46):

Bro. You gotta shoot your shot, bro. Like, like, well, hopefully that, okay. So there's a lesson to be learned there. Like, Hey, there's, there's not much that you can't recover from. There's a, there's a path back, you know what I mean? Like, Hey,

Quincy Amarikwa (51:04):

Takes time to get there. You'll get back there.

Quincy Amarikwa (51:09):

Yeah. He said, yo, I'm crying. Oh man. Uh, okay. Uh, Oh, Joe Jackson. Yeah. I remember that story. Uh, Oh yeah. And Earl said, I'm sure you guys cover this. We did not yet. So I'm glad that you brought it up. Uh, but he said, Chris, congratulations again on the new contract. Uh, uh, for those who don't know, uh, Chris just signed his new deal with DC United, uh, ink, the deal. What? Little less than a week or two weeks ago. Okay.

Quincy Amarikwa (51:40):

Yeah. About a week and a half ago last week.

Quincy Amarikwa (51:44):

Well, congratulations on that. I know we're uh, we're just to see what 2020 has to has in store as well as beyond, um,

Quincy Amarikwa (51:54):

Appreciate her shout out to her for, uh, signing with new England.

Quincy Amarikwa (51:59):

Yes. Right? This man's making moves, bro. Hey, so what's uh, if uh, new England meets DC bro, this year who who's, who's coming away with the w yeah.

Quincy Amarikwa (52:13):

You already know, you probably know Aero already knows to come on, man. Next, next question. Next question.

Quincy Amarikwa (52:32):

EMA cover for you, bro. Bro, bro email. Still. He still has to come talk to me yet, bro. You tell this man, bro. He's not yay. EMA. Where you at, bro? Where are you back? Oh man. I love that. Oh, okay. Uh, Dania. Any other stories? Any, any other ones that come to mind?

Quincy Amarikwa (52:57):

I'm not sure. What about you? You, you have any off the top of your,

Quincy Amarikwa (53:01):

Uh, let me, uh, let me think. Oh, uh, I'll let you think while I see Earl now Earl's show throwing his shots. I know he's wishing he could three way call in on this is 1996, weights, eight wins in any trophies. Um, man, I hope, I hope I ended up getting back into the Emma MSL. I've always been in the MSL bro, but getting back to the FLS road just so I can show up to you guys to cities and just talk mad

Quincy Amarikwa (53:43):

Marrow, man. We all, we always go back and forth on trash talk and especially like football, you know, he's a big, uh, chargers fan. I'm a big football team, Washington football team fan. So, you know, we always go back forth on that fantasy football. So we will always talk trash to each other.

Quincy Amarikwa (54:04):

Is it, it doesn't mean anything unless we're, unless there's putting something on the line bro. And Earl said he seen EMA today looking like a beast. Don't be scared to get outta here. Uh, uh, Chris, Chris always ends with you. Got it. Uh, yo okay. No, what we'll do we'll table it. I appreciate that, man. Uh, this has been a good life. I'm glad we got to wrap a bit, uh, share, share a bit of what's going on, make some amazing announcement, uh, announcements and I'm looking forward to, uh, you join into perfect soccer team here, moving forward. We'll figure out, you know, how that will look and, um, what you'll be involved with. I'm sure the fans will see you on a live here or something. Uh, you guys, if you've got any questions or ideas, make sure you send them in contact@perfectsoccerskills.com. Um, we'll, uh, we'll be getting clips in the replay of this episode and published on next Tuesday.

Quincy Amarikwa (55:13):

So for those of you who miss out on the lives, you got to wait some time before you get to re download any of the knowledge. Um, uh, shout out to, uh, Chris again for joining in today. And for those of you who haven't yet, make sure you go to perfect soccer skills.com/subscription, get your perfect soccer subscription. You'll get access to all of our books, tools, training center, uh, training resources, uh, the time management sheet that, uh, Chris is talking about. The, um, the perfect soccer player blueprint, the ultimate college soccer recruiting blueprint, the goalkeeper, uh, blueprint. Oh man, I'm trying to think of all the stuff we've got the pro weekly now, uh, beginner, intermediate and advanced, um, at-home private, uh, personalized training programs, uh, every week, every Sunday. So all seven days of the week, that includes mentality training. Um, as well as we'll, we're setting up a weekly zoom training sessions and deep dive, uh, private MSL sessions, uh, just like this.

Quincy Amarikwa (56:12):

So, um, there's a lot that comes with that perfect soccer subscription. We're also including the monthly subscription comes with a free perfect soccer mini ball. A year subscription comes with the perfect soccer match ball. You hit a perfect soccer, uh, uh, resume. So, uh, your own website with, uh, edited services and a highlight tape and all that to promote yourselves, to coaches and, um, uh, teams to get scouted plus a breakdown of how to reach out to college coaches, um, professional coaches, agents, and, uh, get yourself promoted, promoted, properly marketed. So you can play with the team of your choice. The purpose soccer subscription comes with a whole bunch of stuff. I'm, I'm missing a bunch of things. Um, I get so wrapped up in, uh, getting to the, uh, the mindset, the strategies and all of that, that I, I always forget to promote where everybody can get access to everything. So I wanted to make sure I take a, took a moment to let everybody know about the perfect soccer subscription. Uh, thank, uh, Chris again for joining in, um, man, everyone's spamming that heart button. They're loving this, uh, the drop and I'm in the head emojis for you, Chris, uh, before, before you take off here, is there anything you, uh, you were wanting to, uh, share, promote, um, let the followers know about, uh, to where they, where can they follow you? Um, yeah,

Quincy Amarikwa (57:31):

Yeah, no, uh, I only have Instagram, so you can find me there. Chris underscore I'll Dewey a chain, uh, but like Quincy said, I'll be involved with, uh, purpose soccer going forward. So I'll be seeing a lot of you guys a lot more often. So thanks again, Quincy for having me on the day. Appreciate talking to you as always. And we'll talk soon. Thanks again, bro.

Quincy Amarikwa (57:58):

Yo, that is, uh, that's massive. Uh, love, always love wrapping with Chris. A shout out to everybody who stopped by and joined in and, and shared their thoughts. Um, Popa said the live today though, uh, cry face emoji, uh, soccer dad for life that had a good have a good night. Have a good night. Thanks. Thanks for stopping by Joe Jackson, uh, had said was a great life. Thank you both have a great week. Of course. Thanks for stopping by as always, uh, Umar, uh, dropped diamond, your head emojis, Pope bus at another great episode down, uh I'm in your head emojis, Joe Jackson would be Jesus' hands. And, uh, Ryan Rodriguez said I'm a fan here in Brazil. So as always we're international, this works in all markets all over the world. This is the, the global mentality update and you guys are along for the ride. I appreciate everybody for joining in tuning in big shout out again to Chris. Um, and as he said, he'll be, you'll be seeing him here more as time goes on. And as always everybody I'm in your head, see you next week.

[crystaldeclear]

Who will serve cunt when Xhaka leaves? Who will pick fights and end fights? Who will call random flight attendants "fucking white bitches" and upset the Daily Mail?

[newsfact]

College basketball rankings: AP Top 25 preseason poll released for 2021-22 NCAA season

This upcoming college basketball season has numerous prominent storylines heading into 2021-22 following a year in which the NCAA Tournament returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic and wherein Baylor downed Gonzaga for the Bears’ first title in school history.

It’ll be the first season at the helm for several coaches at prominent schools — Hubert Davis at UNC, Mike Woodson at Indiana, Shaka Smart at Marquette, Tommy Lloyd at Arizona and Porter Moser at Oklahoma, to name a few.

Similarly and perhaps most notably, it’s also the last season of Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, with all eyes on the Blue Devils as Jon Scheyer prepared to take the reins from a college basketball legend in 2022.

At Memphis, Penny Hardaway has one of the nation’s top recruiting classes thanks to Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren and even added Hall of Famer Larry Brown and former NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace to his coaching staff, making the Tigers one of the more compelling Group of 5 schools and one of the more compelling programs in the Volunteer State.

SN EXLCUSIVE: Coach K reflects before final season leading Duke

Kentucky and Kansas also will look to return to prominence, with the Wildcats not even making last year’s tournament and with Bill Self’s Jayhawk squad getting bounced in the second round.

There will also be several prominent coaches of perennial top 25 teams absent for games — most notably Gonzaga’s Mark Few, who will miss his team’s first game against Dixie State following a DUI arrest and Louisville’s Chris Mack, who will miss six games amid myriad scandals, including ones stemming from Dino Gaudio’s extorition conviction.

The Associated Press released its preseason top 25 poll for the 2021-22 college basketball season on Monday. Here’s a first look at where teams start before play begins Nov. 9.

College basketball rankings for preseason

AP Top 25

Rank Team Record Points (No. 1 votes) 1 Gonzaga 0-0 1,562 (55) 2 UCLA 0-0 1,459 (8) 3 Kansas 0-0 1,427 4 Villanova 0-0 1,332 5 Texas 0-0 1,315 6 Michigan 0-0 1,255 7 Purdue 0-0 1,213 8 Baylor 0-0 992 9 Duke 0-0 963 10 Kentucky 0-0 894 11 Illinois 0-0 861 12 Memphis 0-0 831 13 Oregon 0-0 775 14 Alabama 0-0 713 15 Houston 0-0 694 16 Arkansas 0-0 673 17 Ohio State 0-0 581 18 Tennesee 0-0 563 19 North Carolina 0-0 547 20 Florida State 0-0 381 21 Maryland 0-0 294 22 Auburn 0-0 267 23 St. Bonaventure 0-0 238 24 UConn 0-0 161 25 Virginia 0-0 125

Others receiving votes: Michigan State 87; Indiana 41; USC 30; Arizona 26; Virginia Tech 25; Oklahoma State 25; Xavier 22; Texas Tech 17; Richmond 13; Rutgers 11; Colorado State 11; LSU 7; Belmont 7; San Diego State 5; St. John’s 5; Mississippi State 5; Syracuse 5; Drake 4; Colorado 4; BYU 3; Notre Dame 3; Louisville 3

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[auburnfamilynews]

Mary Hattler/File

Where success is built from failure

War Eagle Auburn fans! Welcome back for yet another week of us all trying to make sense of where our rooting interests most benefit the Tigers. This week, we’ve got what feels like a light plate in terms of where we can serve to benefit within the SEC, with both Alabama and LSU being off prior to the Game of the Century of the Year. That being said, we’ve got some real hate to direct towards Jacksonville, Florida this weekend and a night game in Jordan-Hare to get to. With that in mind, let’s figure this out...

Ole Miss at Auburn

Normally I’d use this space to go down a laundry list of reasons why we all hate Ole Miss. Which, if we’re being honest, sure we all hate everybody we play to a certain extent, but hating Ole Miss requires a lot of work that I just don’t have in me. Also because our losses to Ole Miss typically come on some of the more forgettable seasons in Auburn Football history. Except one.

On November 8, 2003 the Ole Miss Rebels, ranked 20th in the country came to the Plains with a quarterback by the name of Eli Manning in tow, a national television audience from CBS, and hopes for an SEC Championship. Meanwhile Auburn, ranked in the preseason at #6 in the country, came into the game at 5-3, attempting to salvage a potentially lost year and stay hopeful for a chance at getting to Atlanta. This was set to be a tremendous showdown between the greatest Ole Miss quarterback in a generation (literally) and an Auburn offense that had found some rhythm after an 0-2 start, and featured a fierce backfield of Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Brandon Jacobs.

As the game went back and forth into the 4th quarter, Auburn had pulled ahead 20-17 until less than 3 minutes to go when Ole Miss punched it through to take a 24-20 lead. 3 plays into Auburn’s next, and last drive, a sophomore receiver named Ben Obomanu caught a screen pass and raced 51 yards to the 10 yard line. Auburn was within striking distance with plenty of time and a chance to contend deep into November (somehow) in the SEC West.

3 plays later, on 3rd and goal, a lesser player...no, a lesser person, would have let this moment define their career. Ben Obomanu had dropped a wide open ball in the south end zone that would’ve been a huge momentum clinching game for a team in desperate need of it. Sadly, the player responsible for getting us into position to win the game was at the center of blame for why we lost.

Obomanu grew up a few minutes after that moment, choosing to face the media and take ownership over what happened, like someone with maturity beyond their years. Any feeling of finger pointing in the locker room wouldn’t stand up to the integrity and character that Obomanu showed that day.

My question to you all is this...when you think of Ben Obomanu, is the Ole Miss game the first thing that comes to your mind? Because I have a few moments that far outweigh him coming up short that night in Jordan-Hare.

I think about a screen pass early against Alabama a few weeks later, letting the Tide know they were never going to have hope at momentum as we took out a season of frustrations on a hapless Crimson Tide. The hurt and pain from weeks earlier in the south end zone had been redeemed.

I think of the wide receiver who never got the picture painting like Courtney Taylor against LSU in 2004, but managed to lead the undefeated and uncrowned 2004 Auburn Tigers in TD receptions

I think about opening the floodgates on the opening drive of the 2005 Iron Bowl with a TD reception. I think about a flawlessly executed reverse go 45 yards to pay dirt, giving him his second score of that wonderful afternoon. Both of those touchdowns being celebrated in the south end zone served to further distance any shred of failures on that same part of grass 2 years prior.

I think of the Selma native getting drafted in the 7th round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks and lasting the better part of 7 seasons in the NFL.

I think of the man that upon retirement chose to go back to school to work and ultimately obtain his law degree.

I think about the guy sitting in Brother Chette’s office as I walked into it, a freshman, non-student athlete, hurting and in need of encouragement and going to one of the few people on Auburn’s campus who had a personal relationship with me and cared. Brother Chette was on the phone when I walked in. And there was Ben, a real, legitimate leader in the locker room and FCA, with a smile on his face as genuine as I’d ever seen. Ben had no reason to care about me or talk to me. He was a senior football player who I viewed as a legend. And yet there was this humble kid from Selma, just shooting the breeze without a care in the world with a broken, depressed, and lost kid trying to figure too much out all at once. I think about that act of kindness most.

So on this 2019 version of Ole Miss week, let’s remember Ben Obomanu, a sophomore who put us in position and then made a mistake. Let’s remember that a moment in time doesn’t have to be the memory we hold closest by the time this brief moment in the players’ lives are through. And let’s believe that for every painful moment we had in Gainesville and Baton Rouge in October, that the defining moment of this team is in front of them. They haven’t played their best game...YET.

War Damn Eagle.

(Also if you’d like to read more detail about that 2003 Ole Miss game, please go read this excellent piece from Wesley Sinor a few years back.)

Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)

Ah Jacksonville. The most spacious parking lot in America. This is a super fun game to go to if you hate both of these teams, even if you’re dressed in a Gene Chizik inspired shacket!

Even if it means you end up losing a pain of sunglasses to the Atlantic all for the sake of a joke. :(

ANYWAY...common sense, decency, and the downright ethical and moral thing to do in this game is to pull for Georgia...to absolutely get their ass kicked. I know I know...we all hate Dan Mullen for somehow getting a Mississippi State problem to somehow become an Auburn issue in 2010. And that loss a few weeks back still stings. And there’s even some logic in wanting to be the ones to ruin Georgia’s season by handing them their second loss, all but ensuring they miss a chance at the national championship for (as of 11/1/19 at 5:03 PM) the 14,182nd day...not including roughly 23 hours and 49 minutes.

I mean, sure! That sounds great! But let’s think about this...what if we don’t end up winning that game? You really want that kind of pressure on this bunch right now? Wouldn’t it also be pretty great to see a deflated Georgia walk into Jordan-Hare with nothing to play for and not a care in the world because of some false sense of entitlement that they’ve had for 14,182 days, 23 hours, and 51 (now) minutes? I want to watch this team get buried, dug up, kicked, and buried again.

GO GATORS!

Seriously, don’t pull for Georgia. These people deserve bad things, and they deserve them all the time.

Mississippi State at Arkansas

Y’all I’m gonna be honest with you and say that you can go ahead and root for whoever you want here...just know that one or both of these coaches will probably not be coaching at either of these schools soon. For that reason the comedy of it seems like State winning and maybe getting their fanbase hopeful is the best way to crush a soul, since Arkansas has been numbed to all of this for a while.

Hail State?

UAB at Tennessee

I picked Tennessee to win this game because they’re playing better. They should be able to outlast a C-USA team, right? But OH MAN am I pulling hard for the Blazers here. There’s few things that would make me happier than seeing UAB find a way to beat Tennessee. And CAN YOU IMAGINE THE T-SHIRTS IF THEY WERE TO DO IT BY MORE POINTS THAN THE TIDE?!? Please let it be so.

GO BLAZERS!

Have a different perspective on where our rooting interests lie this weekend or want to throw in some games of your own that you have some personal hate invested into? Feel free to share in the comments section below!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/11/2/20944319/rootability-index-vol-4

[crystaldeclear]

Can someone tell that big ass barca player to calm down?!

[abusa1978]

2019 NFL Schedule: date, time, odds, live stream

NFL 2019 - August 23, 24 & 25 Preseason Week 3, time, odds & live stream. Friday, August 23, 2019 Cleveland Browns vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2019 NFL, August 23, Preseason Week-3 at 7:30pm ET, Venue: Raymond James Stadium. Buffalo Bills vs Detroit Lions 2019 NFL, August 23, Preseason Week-3 at 8:00pm ET, on CBS Venue: Ford Field.

Saturday, August 24, 2019 Arizona Cardinals vs Minnesota Vikings 2019 NFL, August 24, Preseason Week-3 at 1:00pm ET, on NFLN Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium. Chicago Bears vs Indianapolis Colts 2019 NFL, August 24, Preseason Week-3 at 7:00pm ET, Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium. Houston Texans vs Dallas Cowboys 2019 NFL, August 24, Preseason Week-3 at 7:00pm ET, on NFLN Venue: AT&T Stadium. New Orleans Saints vs New York Jets 2019 NFL, August 24, Preseason Week-3 at 7:30pm ET, Venue: MetLife Stadium. San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs 2019 NFL, August 24, Preseason Week-3 at 8:00pm ET, Venue: Arrowhead Stadium. Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Rams 2019 NFL, August 24, Preseason Week-3 at 9:00pm ET, Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Seattle Seahawks vs Los Angeles Chargers 2019 NFL, August 24, Preseason Week-3 at 10:00pm ET, on NFLN Venue: StubHub Center.

Sunday, August 25, 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers vs Tennessee Titans 2019 NFL, August 25, Preseason Week-3 at 8:00pm ET, on NBC Venue: Nissan Stadium.

Read the full article

[flauntpage]

Premier League Picks Week 11

Pep Guardiola may show up this week in a t-shirt and sneakers, too. Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY.

Another heartbreaker of a week for your friendly prognosticator. Last week my hopes for a winning week came down to Manchester City beating Tottenham Hotspur (with both teams scoring) at Wembley Stadium a little more than 24 hours after the Eagles had beaten the Jaguars on the same field. I knew the turf would take a beating, but it turns out I didn’t really understand even a little bit just how bad it was going to be:

The NFL has left its mark on Wembley Stadium's playing surface ahead of Tottenham-Man City

https://t.co/yOl5IqYhL4 pic.twitter.com/Y1WL7KVorH

— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) October 29, 2018

It is pretty hard to believe that Manchester City consented to send its highly-paid, often injury-prone mercenaries out onto that mess. But they did, and the 1-0 City win doomed me to another losing week.

As the search for that first winning week here slogs on, it dawns on me that you need to crawl before you walk, walk before you run, etc. So these picks are not going to be especially thrilling. But they are very likely winners, and the journey of a thousand miles…never mind.

MANCHESTER CITY v. SOUTHAMPTON

It is really very tempting to reach out for an exotic wager here. City are at the top of the table with Liverpool, leading the Reds on goal difference, while Southampton are suspended precariously above the drop zone in 16th place. The Saints haven’t scored in their last five — FIVE — Premier League matches, and are riding a two-match goalless draw streak that would put anyone to sleep. They still haven’t won in the league since September 1. Conversely, City haven’t lost in the league yet, and have conceded three goals in 10 league matches while scoring 27. So it’s going to be a bloodletting, right?

Well, it probably will be. But here’s the thing: Lately, City manager Pep Guardiola is doing that annoying “score just enough to win” thing that screws up every cute “City to win and over 3.5 goals” wager that offers decent odds. As poor as these picks have been, the time has come to take short odds, cash them and move on. I am very tempted to take (you guessed it) City to win and over 3.5 goals at 20/23. Unfortunately, they’ve let me down too many times before. Take City to lead at the half AND at full-time at 4/9.

CHELSEA v. CRYSTAL PALACE

It’s that time again — time to look up after another sorry, disappointing Chelsea season and see that they have once again figured everything out and back among England’s best. Chelsea finished fifth last season, earning them a tour through the Europa League and the easier matches that competition brings. Not surprisingly, then, they are sitting third in the current league table, joining Liverpool and City as the last potential invincibles this season. Chelsea hasn’t lost in any competition this season, and they annihilated Burnley 4-0 last week in a match that I somehow failed to pick.

4⃣ goals and 3⃣ points for the Blues!

#BURCHE pic.twitter.com/eMlsMH2g9t

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 28, 2018

I won’t make that mistake twice. Crystal Palace continue to live in that footballing purgatory where drawing Arsenal thanks to being awarded two penalties at home somehow constitutes progress. The Palace is terrible, Chelsea are excellent, and buying Chelsea these days is a wise investment. Take Chelsea to win AND over 2.5 goals at 3/4.

CARDIFF CITY v. LEICESTER CITY

Premier League fans will never forget the 2015-2016 Leicester City side that overcame ridiculous preseason odds to win the league at a canter. It’s hard to imagine, but the Foxes won the league by 10 points. Smash-cut to two-plus years later, and it is no surprise that the richest clubs in the league have restored order by outspending the likes of Leicester (and everyone else). In a way, that Leicester title is to blame for the way the Prem now looks like La Liga did for the past ten seasons, you know, before Messi and Ronaldo got old.

Leicester supporters suffered a cruel blow last weekend when the club’s owner’s helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium, killing him and four others:

RIP Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha & the other 4 people who have tragically lost their lives in the Leicester helicopter crash. He gave us all the belief that anything is possible when he guided his club to the Premier League title against all odds. He allowed us to dream. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/SQ67sfdiQq

— Spencer FC (@SpencerOwen) October 28, 2018

Leicester understandably postponed its midweek League Cup fixture with Southampton which was set to be played at the King Power this past Tuesday. No one was ready for that. So their first match after their owner’s tragic passing comes against a very poor Cardiff City side coming off a 4-1 drubbing by Liverpool. It’s true that Cardiff got their first win of the campaign two weeks ago. It’s also true that that win came over Fulham, who is exactly as dreadful as Cardiff is.

Watch sports long enough, and the narratives tend to write themselves. If Leicester was set to play Arsenal this weekend, or Chelsea, or even Manchester United, you might not pick them. But the forces have aligned to put Leicester in with a terrible opponent the week after their beloved owner passed unexpectedly. Hearts will be healed, even if only for a moment. Take Leicester to win at 23/20, and if you can get odds on Jamie Vardy scoring and saying he did it for Vichai in the post-match presser, take them too.

Best of luck this weekend.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

City to win and both teams to score at 21/10: LOSS

Arsenal to beat Crystal Palace at 8/11: LOSS

United to beat Everton at 7/10: WIN

LAST WEEK: -$130

TOTAL TO DATE: -$896

The post Premier League Picks Week 11 appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Premier League Picks Week 11 published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/