Bad news
U.S. soccer knocked out of World Cup with loss to Trinidad and Tobago
Sports Map Staff
Oct 10, 2017, 5:00 am
The United States men's national team will not play in the 2018 World Cup.
The U.S. was shocked by lowly Trinidad and Tobago in a 2-1 setback Tuesday night. That, coupled with wins by Honduras and Panama left the U.S. on the outside looking in.
Trinidad and Tobago had just one win before Tuesday night. The result was a shocker, and a blow to U.S. soccer, which now has to wait until the 2022 World Cup. It will take soccer out of the minds of the American sports fan for the next several years.
The U.S. fell behind 2-0 in the first half and never recovered despite Christian Pulisic's early goal to start the second half. The U.S. had chances, but lacked the desperation needed.
The loss is a major embarassment for U.S. Soccer, which will not play in the World Cup for the first time since 1986. The U.S. finished fifth in CONCACAF, one of the easier qualifying groups. The U.S. proved that despite its best efforts, it does not measure up as an international soccer competitor.
Bruce Arena replaced Jurgen Klinsmann halfway through qualifying, but it did not matter. The U.S. team simply was not good enough, and now has four years to sort out the future.
Pulisic is a current and future star, but expect major changes and shakeups. That is for another day.
Today was about a failure of epic proportions.
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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