Walt Bahr, 1950 World Cup Star, Dies

In 1950, the United States pulled off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history when it defeated England, 1-0, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  This week, Philadelphia's Walt Bahr, who assisted on the lone goal, died this week at age 91 in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania.

The 1950 U.S. team was the subject of a film called "The Game of Their Lives,: which I have yet to see.

Both the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer have quite good tributes to Bahr, and his passing was announced on U.S. Soccer's website.  That site posted a tribute with numerous quotes from the soccer community the following day.

Bahr was quite a guy: 19 caps, captain of an Olympic team (in 1948), assist on the lone goal in an historical upset, husband and father, coach at Frankford High School, Temple and Penn State and member of the Soccer Hall of Fame.  He came from Philadelphia soccer hotbed Kensington and played at the famous Lighthouse Boys Club there, then for local club and pro teams.

I met Bahr once although I can't recall where or the occasion, only that he was personable.  I do recall him telling me that Gaetjens, who was born in Haiti but had begun the process to apply for United States citizenship, disappeared somewhere in that country.  ESPN.com ran a lengthy story about Gaetjens in 2010 and describes his presumed death in 1964.

I played against Bahr's oldest son, Casey, when he was at the Naval Academy, a team we had no business playing.  My senior year as a fullback he scored three goals against us as Navy beat us by, shall we say, a lot.  This was before fullbacks were fast and would attack.  I later met Casey when I was covering the Philadelphia Atoms of the North American Soccer League, for which he played while stationed in New Jersey.  I reminded him of the game and he was very gracious.

Bahr's other two sons played in the NASL but became more famous as kickers in the NFL and kicked in the Super Bowl.  His daughter, Davies Ann Desederio, was no slouch as an athlete either as she was an All American gymnast at Penn State.

Over the years I have occasionally read suggestions that Gaetjens wasn't an intentional shot but rather bounced off his head at an odd angle past the British keeper.  Bahr described the play in a 2010 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News

Ed McIlvenny threw the ball in from the sideline to me. He was my midfield playing partner. He threw the ball in about 35 yards out from the goal. I collected it, pushed it forward a bit, and took a shot from about 25 to 28 yards out.

If you took the 6-yard line and extended it out to the 18-[yard line], and then extended it out a little bit further, that’s about how far I was off the right-hand post. I took my shot and I hit it fairly well.

Bert Williams, the English goalkeeper, had to move to his right to get my shot. Which most likely he would have gotten. Somehow, on the flight of my shot, Joe Gaetjens got through traffic, and got a piece of the ball — a deflection, that’s the best word — it was a deflection that went to Bert Williams’ opposite side. He [Williams] was leaning right, and the deflection sent it back to his left and he just couldn’t react fast enough.

Bahr was the last surviving member of the 1950 U.S. team.

MLS Preview - From MLS

Should've run this last week, but better late than never.  This is the preview of the 2018 MLS Season as found on the MLS website.  New Media editor Ben Baer picks the Union to finish 11th in the East with New York City FC winning the East and Real Salt Lake taking the West.

MLS vs. the Fans

As the Major League Soccer opens its 23rd campaign, there is a battle brewing in many cities between the teams and their fans, as reported in today's New York Times.  Meanwhile, the Union opened the season with a 2-0 win at home over the New England Revolution.

Standing For The United States

As reported in today's New York Times, U.S. Soccer will now require national team players to stand during the playing of the national anthem.  The new rule is apparently in response to Megan Rapinoe, who knelt during the playing of the anthem before a friendly against Thailand as well as before a match with her club team,  the Seattle Reign. 

For those who howl "she has a right of free speech":  no she doesn't when it comes to a non-governmental entity such as U.S. Soccer.  A governmental agency may not require someone to stand during the Star Spangled Banner, but an employer may.  And that aside, if an athlete is representing the United States, she should show respect for the country.  She is certainly free to express her opinions on Twitter, to the media or whatever, but when it comes to the national anthem, it is not unreasonable to expect American athletes to show respect. 

Budesliga Clock Ticking for Hamburger S.V.

The New York Times today reported on Hamburger Sport Verein (HSV), the only team to have played in the Bundesliga continuously since its founding in 1963, and its struggles to remain in the first division.  Coach P wrote about HSV's close calls with relegation back in May.

The Hamburg club maintains a clock showing how many years (53), days, hours, minutes and seconds it has played in the top level.  But if the team does not pick it up in the remaining 15 games, the clock will stop ticking.

The bottom two teams are automatically relegated to the second division.  The 16th or third from last team, which is where HSV sits now, plays a two game series with the third place team in the second division for promotion to the first division.  HSV has played in that series before.

This year, with 15 matches remaining, Hamburg is in 16th place, just one point ahead of FC Ingolstadt 04.  (Werder Bremen as the same number of points - 16 - but is two better in goal differential.  If the season ended today HSV would be in a familiar position of playing a two game fight for life. 

There are 15 games left to play.  Here's hoping HSV can spring to life and move up as few notches to spare its fans the tension and keep the clock ticking.

12 Cities Vie For 4 New MLS Franchises

MLS has received bids from 12 cities competing for an anticipated four expansion teams in the coming years.  That would take the league to 28 teams.

A summary of each bid is at the MLS website.  The cities competing are Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Detroit, Phoenix, St. Louis, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio, Sacramento, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg and San Diego.  All have at least one team in the other four major sports.  St. Louis and Tampa Bay had teams in the old North American Soccer League.  Long before that St. Louis had a soccer history as one of the country's hotbeds. 

No word on when the winning bids will be announced.

50% More World Cup

Don't look now, but FIFA appears likely to add to the number of teams in the World Cup finals by as much as 50 percent, going from the current 32-team format to 48.

As reported by the AP on ESPN FC, a FIFA study has said that while the current format produces the highest quality soccer, 16 groups of three would be more profitable. The 2026 World Cup is the earliest any change could be implemented.

The AP says that FIFA's ruling council will vote on the proposed changes next month, but quoted the organization as saying "it should not be a financial decision" and that "the goal of expanding the World Cup is to further advance the vision to promote the game of football, protect its integrity and bring the game to all."

I liked the comment posted on the website by a Mike Lee of UC Berkeley:  "Not a fan of expansion, but I don't hate it. But The 3 team group format is awful. I would love a 40 team cup with 8 5-team groups. and would be okay with a 48 team cup with 12 4 team groups, with half advancing. Then the top 8 group winners get a first round bye. 3 team groups are the worst: it becomes even more about the draw and arbitrary tie breakers will decide several groups."  Maybe FIFA will read it.

"Star Of The South" Shines With Fans In Bavaria

Imagine if one of the players from the Phillies went out to, say Harrisburg, on his off day and spent a few hours tossing down beers with the fans.  Probably not happening.

But German powerhouse FC Bayern, described in its theme song as "Stern des Südens" (Star of the South) makes sure its players do just that on a regular basis, as reported in today's New York Times.  The story features forward Thomas Müller (#25), a native of Bavaria, visiting the town of Waging am See 100 miles east of Munich.  Müller, the story says he knows that these visits are "part of what it is to be a Bayern Munich player" and that playing for Bayern "is more than just going to work."

To quote the song: "Und so war es, und so ist es and so wird es immer sein."  (And so it was, and so it is and so it will always be.)

MLS Cup Final Saturday in Toronto

One team will win its first ever MLS Cup Saturday when the Seattle Sounders visit FC Toronto Saturday night.  Neither team has ever won the Cup.

There is a good preview of the match from MLS here.

Tragedy in Colombia

The soccer world is deeply saddened by the plane crash near Medellin, Colombia Monday night that wiped out the Brazilian Serie A (First Division) team, Chapecoense.  As reported in the New York Times, the team was traveling to Medellin to play Atlético Nacional in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana, when the plane experienced electrical problems and went down, killing 71 of 77 on board.

Based in Chapecó, a city of about 210,000 in southern Brazil, Chapecoense was mired in the fourth division as recently as 2009 and made it to the top tier in 2014 when it finished 15th.  This season it was in 9th place with a week to go.

Atletico has asked the tournament to declare Chapecoense the champion and the other teams in the Brazilian Serie A has said they will lend players to the club in the new season.

Kaine's Jet Does No Better In Post-Campaign Use

The New York Times reported that the aircraft that carried Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine around the country has been "re-purposed" and was used to fly the U.S. men's national team to Costa Rica for a World Cup qualifying match, which it lost, 4-0.  At least Kaine and running mate Hillary Clinton received more votes than their opponents, Donald Trump and Mike Pence.  Too bad they don't have an Electoral College in the World Cup.

And speaking of the men's national team, Sam Borden reports in the Times that after the Costa Rica defeat, which came on the heels of a 2-1 home loss to Mexico, coach Jurgen Klinsmann's job is in jeopardy and that a change could be made this week.

New MLS stadium in Boston?

Article in today's Boston Globe about the New England Revolution's search for a stadium site in the city has an overview of venues around the league.

Instant Replay May Be On Its Way

More than six years ago, on March 7, 2010, I applauded the decision not to use instant replay om soccer.  My concern was that stopping a match to look at a video replay would break up the flow of the game, one of the sport's attractions.
 
Now, as reported in today's New York Times, video review is back. Although I was against the concept, it appears FIFA has thought it out pretty well as it begins experiments in six countries, including Major League Soccer.  The list of reviewable situations is deliberately short:  clear errors on goals, penalty decisions, straight red cards and case  of mistaken identity.  Unlike other sports, coaches would not be able to request a replay.  A video assistant referee can recommend a review but only the center referee can initiate a formal review.

The International Football Association Board, which administers the Laws of the Game, has run several days of tests in North Jersey and has been in contact with other sports about their use of replay.  Experiments in actual matches will not begin until 2017.

It appears as though technology has advanced since my post six years ago and I am encouraged that the IFAB is taking its time to conduct thorough research.  This might work afterall.

Tunnel Vision

Offbeat story in today's New York Times by soccer superwriter Sam Borden about the trend of televising and filming teams in the tunnel leading to the field before a match.  More than other sports soccer has a ritual of teams parading onto the field, led by the officiating crew, and lining up to face the fans.  For a number of years now, the parade includes one youth player for each pro.

Anyway, interesting piece.

Copa America: It Got Worse After the National Anthem

The Uruguayan National Team should have had a hint it wasn't going to be their night before the opening match of Copa America against Mexico in Glendale, Arizona Sunday night.  As the teams lined up for the playing of the national anthems, the University of Phoenix stadium played the national anthem of Chile.

Things went downhill from there.

In the 4th minute, Uruguayan defender Alvaro Perieira started the scoring - for Mexico - by heading the ball into his own goal.  Just before halftime, Matias Vecino was sent off for a second yellow card after kicking a Mexican player, leaving Uruguay with 10 players.

Despite being down a man, Uruguay rallied when Diego Godin scored off a set piece in the 74th minute.  But being down a man proved too much and Mexico went up for good when Rafa Marquez scored in the 85th minute.  El Tri made the final 3-1 with goal in stoppage time.

A Soccer Media Bonanza

Gone are the days when soccer fans had to strain their eyes to find a few paragraphs about the sport in newspapers and magazines.  Generally the sport gets pretty good coverage in the major publications, even when there is no World Cup or Olympic tournament going on.  But this week was a pure bonanza.

A few days ago ESPN The Magazine arrived and there was Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer on the cover of what was billed as the "World Football Issue."  While I love watching Neuer play and look forward to reading the story, even better than that article was Hallie Grossman's piece on Carli Lloyd.  That of course was priority reading and it turned out to be one of the best Carli Lloyd stories I have read, objective and matter-of-fact, recognizing Carli's hard work to get where she is without being over the top.

Before I even had  chance to dig into the "World Football Issue," today Sports Illustrated arrived and there's Lionel Messi on the cover of the "Summer of Soccer" issue.   While The Magazine called Neuer the best goalkeeper in the world, SI refers to Messi as "The best player on the planet."

OK, so now I have a few days of reading to do.  But wait.  There's more.  Today's New York Times has an interesting story by soccer superwriter Sam Borden on the European Champions League Cup.  Not the tournament, whose final is tomorrow in Milan between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, but the actual trophy.  Borden tells us that thew cup is 29 inches high and weighs 16 1/2 pounds - more than twice the weight of the Super Bowl trophy.  It is made by GDE Bertoni in Paderno Dugnano, Italy. 

This Year It Was Easy For Hamburger S.V.

  For the third straight year Hamburg's status as the only team to have played every season in the German Bundesliga's First Division came down to the final day of the 34-game season.  Unlike the past two seasons, however, this year HSV avoided relegation with room to spare, beating Augsburg, 3-1.

Two years ago Hamburg advanced by a one-goal difference after a two game play-off with the number 3 team in the second division.  Last year, as reported on this blog, HSV was again in a play-off, this time with Karlsruhe, and was 12 minutes from relegation  when it scored a game-tying goal, then a go-ahead goal in overtime, then saw its keeper stop a penalty to avoid demotion.

By comparison, this year was a breeze.  Hamburg started the day with 38 points, tied for 12th place with Darmstadt and Augsburg.  Hoffenheim was in 15th place with 37 points and Eintracht Frankfurt in 16th with 36.  The 17th and 18th teams are automatically relegated while the 16th plays the 3rd place finisher in the second division for a spot in the top league.   As it turned out, even if HSV had lost it would have retained its place in the First Division because Werder Bremen beat Frankfurt and leapfrogged over them into 13th place.

So next year, when the 53rd Bundesliga season kicks off, Hamburger Sport Verein will be there, just has it has always been.

The Foxes Wait

Leicester City must wait at least one more day - and perhaps longer - to clinch the Barclay Premier league championship, and in the process defeat 5,000 to 1 odds.

The Foxes could have clinched the title with a win over Manchester United but could manage only a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.  Tottenham Hotspurs are 8 points behind and play at Chelsea tomorrow.  A tie or a Chelsea win puts Leicester over the top. Should the Spurs gain the three points, Leicester will have to try again Saturday against Everton.

In today's New York Times, Sam Borden looks at the Foxes' remarkable and improbable run,starting with near relegation just 13 months ago.

MLS in Motown?

Two NBA owners are forming an investment group to bring an MLS team to Detroit and the league is interested.

Commissioner Don Garber was to have met yesterday with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilber.  Garber is on record as supporting an expansion to 28 teams from the current 22.

The story is on the MLS website.

Ribery's "Traumtor" Wins It For Bayern

I was switching channels tonight and stumbled upon the FC Bayern - Eintracht Frankfurt match that was played last weekend  - just in time to watch one of the most spectacular goals I have ever seen.

In the 20th minute Mario Goetze (you remember him, had that nice shot against Argentina that won the World Cup in 2014) took a shot from just outside the 18.  Eintracht keeper Lukas Hradecky made a nice kick save with his left foot, only to see the rebound loop towards Franck Ribery, who went airborne and made a perfect bicycle kick over Hradecky for the game's only goal.

The Bundesliga website said, "Ribery Traumtor Führt Bayern Zum Sieg" (Ribery Dream Goal Leads Bayern to the Victory."  

Watch a video of the goal here.