#-1: Gopher football (Re-Entry!). P. J. Fleck, all is forgiven for that stupid-ass Northwestern Loss -- you've just won Floyd Of Rosedale! First time since 2014, and the first time the U. has won it at Iowa City since 1999! They were helped tremendously by, let's just say, a very technical "invalid fair catch signal" that wiped away a Hawkeye go-ahead Punt Return For A Touchdown. But it seemed to be in the rules, and Justin Walley made it official with the late Interception to seal a 12-10 Gophers victory.
(Oh, going back to the "all is forgiven" part? Nah. I was joking. Fleck has won back some of the detractors yesterday/Saturday afternoon, but not all. Also, I don't think he's going to back off on asking the university and boosters for more NIL, so there's still a non-zero chance he leaves after this Year. Hell, this Win might enhance the possibility he moves on.)
They're not in the College Football Playoff conversation, and I doubt anyone's thinking they'll get to Indianapolis. But spirits are brighter now that they've won a trophy Game very few people thought they would win. For those reasons, they're not above negative numbers, but they are solidly on top of the heap. Can they follow that up with another Win Saturday at home versus Michigan St.?
#-3: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -4). After home Wins this past Week over Northwestern Sunday (albeit in five, eesh) and Rutgers Friday (via sweep, something they failed to when they lost at Piscataway), I guess they're place in the NCAAs is ensured. That's something ... right?
By the way, while watching my alma mater embarrass themselves and shame everyone who set foot on campus, I saw #1 Wisconsin play #2 Nebraska in Lincoln last/Saturday night on a separate TV; it was being broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Scintillating match; the Cornhuskers prevailed in five Sets on a successful Coaches' Challenge (the Referees said that the Husker Attack that went out of bounds was not touched by Wisconsin hands; Nebraska Head Coach John Cook said it was). BTN I think is showing more and more volleyball Matches on Saturday nights, and that's a good thing; I believe there is a growing audience and appetite to watch this "Olympic" sport on television, and seeing such a big Match will in turn attract more eyeballs and whet more appetites. Next Sunday, according to the U. athletic website, Minnesota's road Game against Wisconsin will be shown on, get this, Fox/Channel 9. If you're a market (and I'm talking nationwide here) that will get one Game that's in the early window, you're going to see that Match after that Game. I think it's time.
Till then, the Gophs finish up a three-Game homestand this/Sunday afternoon against Michigan St., then visit ranked Purdue Thursday.
#-4: Vikings (Last Week: -6). Beat the Bears in Chicago last Sunday, 19-13, but as much of an asshole Dan Barreiro is, he's right; if you had to hold on to beat a club who had to go to its backup, and if that backup came from Division II Shepherd University (that's in Shepherdstown, W. V. -- oh, and his name is Tyson Bagent, and he holds the current NCAA record [across all flights] for Touchdown Passes in a career), that ain't an impressive Win. I mean, I'll take it, but yeah, there's a reason I opted to volunteer to work that afternoon instead of watching that crap. And besides, they're now 2-4, and they have a home date with San Francisco for Monday Night Football, and even though Deebo Samuel will not play and Christian McCaffrey might not play, and this is the unpredictable National Football League, that record is going to be 2-5 pretty quick.
#-5: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -2). Hey, no men's top-flight college hockey team is going to go undefeated. And it's pretty much tradition that the #1-ranked team in the nation loses every Week. It happened to the U. as they renewed their hated rivalry with North Dakota over the weekend. They clowned The Fighting Hawks 4-0 Friday night, but got clipped by them last/Saturday night, 2-1. Sure, they'll fall from the top spot in the poll. I'm thinking they'll get back up there this season ... and then go back down again.
The squad begins Big Ten play at home vs. Wisconsin or two Thursday and Friday.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -5). I was going to say that they when these guys lose, they get blown out; see Los Angeles coming into St. Paul Thursday and destroying the Mild, 7-3. But then they lost another home tilt last/Saturday night to Columbus in Overtime. (They did beat the Canadiens in Montreal, 5-2, Tuesday as Les Habs committed penalty after stupid penalty, and the Wild scored not one but two Shorthanded Goals on the same Montreal Power Play.)
The effects of the Parise & Suter buyouts are biting hard on this organization right now. They were so cash-strapped at the beginning of the screening Week that the large club, the Wild, had to go with one fewer skater than a team can usually roster because they simply didn't have the cap space. That situations relieved itself when Alex Goligoski went on Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR), so the franchise got enough wiggle room to call up Gopher alum Sammy Walker from AAA Iowa. That doesn't help the defensive corps, which is still riddled with injury (Jared Spurgeon is still out) and, as evinced by the defeat to the Kings, sucks right now.
This Week: Home to Edmonton Tuesday, then at Philadelphia and Washington Thursday and Friday.
#-7: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -3). Yeah, remember when I said in last Week's WMNSS that these women had the chance to reach the B1G Tournament. Yeah, fuck that, because not only did they lose both Matches this screening Week, they got shut out in both -- 2-0 at home to Nebraska last Sunday, 3-0 at Northwestern Thursday. They are now eliminated from all postseason play. And it makes three straight seasons in the three-Year tenure of Head Coach Erin Chastain's tenure that she has failed to take her alma mater into the NCAA Tournament.
The conference's Decision Day is this/Sunday afternoon; they are at winless (in league play) Purdue.
#-Infinity: United FC (Re-Entry!). Well, of course they weren't going to make the playoffs despite what the most delusional fans (let alone MNUFC itself) tried to convince you otherwise. They had to win in the season finale at Sporting Kansas City, a place where they've never won a regular-season Match. (They have, however, won once there before -- in the 2020 postseason, a scintillating 3-0 Win. You know, the one with Emanuel Reynoso's three Assists and Kevin Molino's Brace [Bakaye Dibassy scored the other Goal]? Remember that this was during the pandemic, where no one was there to watch, and this Match was shown on Fox/Channel 9 because the scheduled NFL Game was postponed because of an outbreak of COVID. I want to think this helped ratings for Major League Soccer and lifted recognition of our Loons. You don't remember?)
Interim Manager Sean McAuley assembled a Christmas tree 4-3-2-1 formation; Reynoso had the right side alongside Franco Fragapane with Teemu Pukki being the "star." Frankly, though, it didn't work. They went down at Halftime, 2-0, and eventually ended their playoff appearance streak at four with a 3-1 Loss. I was out seeing my alma mater underachieve again last/Saturday night, but from what I heard, the XI couldn't be bothered to fucking play with any urgency. Sounds a lot like the football team I watched.
My initial instinct is to blow it all up. I say that because -- well, sorry to go on and on about this, but because of the bullshit I saw from my alma mater last night. But while I think the Backline needs some serious shoring up (a point of view I don't think too many MNUFC watchers and fans are speaking up about), the big thing that ruined this season were the blown leads. They blew 16 of them over 14 Matches (in all competitions although, to be fair, I think the two Matches in which they blew two leads were not in MLS play). The Loooooooooooooooons were tied for second in Points dropped from a winning position, with 22. Counterpoint: The club that finished tied with MNUFC, Columbus, and the squad that led the league in that dubious category, Charlotte, both made the playoffs.
Regardless, blowing leads is a problem with tactics and motivation, and that falls on Adrian Heath, and he was fired about two Weeks ago. There might need to be some new blood -- should Will Trapp go? Could Michael Boxall? Egad, could Rey leave? -- and of course they have to spend, but is it possible the personnel just weren't in a position to excel? Not to put on rose-colored glasses, but these guys were fighting for a spot until the final Game. Maybe they're not far off, or gone. Or, maybe I am one of those delusional fans.
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