The Red and Blue Soccer Chat – 6/21/23

Greetings, GFOPs! Happy Solstice. Summer’s here, and the time is right, to catch up on some footy news. There hasn’t been too much to get excited about for either club, but the Baby Eagles have already made us proud and are about to kick off a second summer tournament. And the ladies are poised to hopefully do something no team – men or women – has ever done before. Let’s get into it!Thus far Chelsea has seen more players leaving – or talking about leaving – than new players coming in. Which, given their bloated, disjointed squad, is probably a good start. But the manner of the departures does raise some eyebrows. Few can find much issue with letting N’Golo Kante leave when his contract runs out. He’s almost universally loved and will be a nice addition to the player-laden trophy case the Saudis are amassing at the moment. But allowing Kovacic and potentially Mount and Havertz go to direct rivals while trying to claw their way back into the Big 6 conversation might be cause for consternation. Just how much Mauricio Pochettino has been involved in these discussions remains to be seen. It’s too early to speculate exactly what Poch’s short- and long-term plans are for the club, but the arrival of Christopher Nkunku should demonstrate some ambition. “Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to the light.” Chelsea fans will hope not too long.Manchester United’s season was not quite capped off as they would have liked. A Cup Final victory over their crosstown rivals was not to be, and salt was further rubbed into the wound as City also managed to grab the Treble after defeating Inter in the CL. But despite such things, the real damage being done right now is by their owners. The continuing saga over selling the club is now beginning to impact transfers at a crucial time for Erik ten Hag. Rumors swirl on the daily, but fans are let down just as often with no resolution in sight. Whether directly responsible for the inability to sign Mason Mount (and Harry Kane, and Declan Rice… and…), it’s obvious this negative impact could stretch on for the summer and cause United to miss out on crucial needs for squad improvement. I (AG) am personally opposed to the PIF taking over and would definitely prefer lifelong fan Ratcliffe be handed the reins, the reality is that a deal needs to be made immediately. Otherwise, whoever the new owners are won’t have the impact either are promising anytime soon.Doom and gloom have surrounded the USMNT since the Dutch spilled us from the Cup and the ensuing soap opera between the Reynas, Berhalters, and USSF became the lead story. And what should have been a successful Nations League victory lap was tainted by the premature announcement that after 6 months, third-party consultants, and independent reviewers, GGG would be returning to the managerial post. While not nearly as apoplectic as many on US Soccer Twitter, we do find the whole production a bit curious. Hopefully GGG can make amends with the very talented but also very injury prone Gio, because what we just saw should make us all excited for what could be coming in 2026. A vastly different group of players are in for the Gold Cup, but a few will surely make a case for their inclusion when the road to US/CAN/MEX begins in earnest.And finally, our women are getting ready to take on the world by way of Australia and New Zealand when the World Cup kicks off next month. A very tongue-in-cheek commercial shows just what the world has to do to get in our way. We’ll be sewing Weston’s jersey back together and making Tres a Cero a new thing, live from Chatham Tap Fishers, so join us there or follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below to find out. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIH_XXtwLOX74un6Jr367HAhttps://www.facebook.com/TheEvanAndAaronShowinstagram.com/theredandbluesoccerchat--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/redbluesoccerchat/support