#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -3). Finished up the first half of their regular season by defeating The Atlanta Dream at home, 86-79, on Wednesday. That puts them in a tie with Seattle for third place in the Women's National Basketball Association (1 1/2 Games behind Connecticut for second, 4 behind New York for first). Napheesa Collier and Team USA dueled with Kayla McBride and Team WNBA in Phoenix for the WNBA All-Star Game, won by Team WNBA, and now the same johnny-come-latelies who defend the honor of Caitlin Clark for her role in civilizing the W are calling for the head of Cheryl Reeve, who is coaching Team USA in the Olympics for the next month. Hey, women's basketball worldwide is still in its infancy. The USWNT is the most dominating team in international sport. They're winning their ninth-straight (?) gold medal in Paris. The reserves probably can coast to a silver medal. They didn't go all out in this exhibition because she didn't want any of her players to get hurt. That's all.
No shade to the Lynx, but it'll be fun not needing to put an entry in about them for till mid-August.
#-2: United FC (Last Week: -2). I was at Wednesday's Match, where they were up 2-1 on D. C. United but then coughed up two Goals in two Minutes (the 90th and 91st) to pull defeat from the jaws of victory. This was eerily reminiscent of Game in the Loooooooooons' second season, their final one at then-TCF Bank Stadium. Late in the contest and clinging to a one-Goal lead, they allowed The Seattle Sounders to score the Game-tying and then Game-winning tallies, the latter of which was also in stoppage time. I think I said then that that was the first time I ever regretted having season tickets to watch this club. Wednesday was the second. And DCU is not good at all.
They sure as hell needed some luck, and they got it Saturday when Jeong Sang-bin's Cross got deflected by a San Jose Defender's foot and into the Goal. Bongokuhle Hlongwane headed in a Cross in the Second Half, and they had a relatively easy time in beating the Earthquakes, another bad team, 2-0, to hold onto the last spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.
But league play is put on the back burner for now because it's the silly season for Major League Soccer. The MLS All-Star Game is in Columbus Wednesday, and Robin Lod will represent MNUFC there. Then the proprietary Leagues Cup begins group play, and it's a quick(-ish) turnaround for the squad as they visit tormentors Seattle Friday.
#-3: Twins (Last Week: -1). Begin the second half of the season on a sour note, losing both Games of a rare Saturday-Sunday series at Target Field vs. The Bastard Seattle Pilots. Not that it matters, but Saturday's 8-4 Loss came in twelve Innings (after both teams plated two Runs in the 11th), and yesterday/Sunday afternoon they lost 8-7.
They remain five Games behind a scuffling Cleveland outfit (they're 3-7 in their last ten), but they are in a statistical tie with Kansas City for second place in the A. L. Central. And now that the All-Star break is behind them, the Games are going to get more serious, and this Week is going to be a tough one -- three at home versus high-flying Philadelphia starting tonight/Monday night, then a weekend three-Game series at Detroit beginning on Friday.
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