The Red and Blue Soccer Chat - 7/5/23

The Red and Blue Soccer Chat

Hello, Red and Blue fans! The transfer window is in full swing, and at least one of our clubs has been very active, while the other is being bogged down by their owners. Meanwhile, a much-derided USMNT squad has booked passage to the knockout round and will face their northern rivals. Let’s get into it!

Chelsea’s mass exodus has slowed somewhat, with Mason Mount the only real new exit since our last chat. But they have also brought in a few fresh faces. So far they have been younger and with an eye on building for the future. It remains to be seen what Poch’s short-term and longer-term plans are. But surely we’ll see more exits to trim their bloated squad, and hopefully a few marquee names to bolster their needs.

Manchester United’s off-season has not gone well so far. The protracted saga surrounding the potential sale of the club continues to linger on, with the younger siblings apparently wishing to remain involved. This uncertainty has, in turn, made it difficult to sign new players of quality. Ethan Laird and Zidane Iqbal have been allowed to leave permanently, while several others will continue their loan spells. So that leaves Mason Mount as the sole signing thus far, with the priorities of a striker and now potentially a gk going as yet unfulfilled. De Gea’s contract talks are especially egregious: his previous contract was allowed to run out, and the parties appear far apart with regard to salary and playing time. Inter’s Andre Onana remains a coveted gem for EtH, but that signing is far from done. With the summer competitions on the horizon, now is not the time for United to trip over these hurdles.

Despite the overwhelming negativity of US Soccer Twitter in general, and their recent dual bogeymen of Berhalter and an intentionally weaker Gold Cup squad, the USMNT has marched into the quarterfinals. Yes, the 1-1 with Jamaica raised some eyebrows, but 2 convincing attacking performances from them (and especially Jesus Ferreira’s consecutive hat tricks) have the Baby Eagles looking strong as they face Canada next. Not winning this competition would not be the worst thing to happen to this team but making it to the final and/or winning it all would go a long way toward quieting down some of the naysayers.

The USWNT roster was recently announced, and it’s quite an interesting mix of young and old. 14 players will be participating in their first WC, while Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz, and Kelley O’Hara will be making their own history. A 3rd consecutive title and all-time greatness status awaits those 4. But their young counterparts will have to be ready from the outset, as all teams will be gunning for US. One last friendly against Wales is left before our ladies travel down under, where Vietnam, Netherlands, and Portugal await. Their journey begins July 21.

We’ll be practicing our “I Believe” chants and looking for spare transfer fee money in the couch 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! #TheRedandBlueSoccerChat

#ChathamTapFishers

#ChelseaFC

#manchesterunited

#USMNT

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIH_XXtwLOX74un6Jr367HA

https://www.facebook.com/TheEvanAndAaronShow

https://open.spotify.com/show/7gC93OQZpUrk1ZKkHG7bya

instagram.com/theredandbluesoccerchat

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/redbluesoccerchat/support