The Weekly Rekrap: Magic tricks and Open Cups

It seems like only four weeks ago that the World Cup final ended a fantastic month of soccer. Club teams in Europe will get back to it this weekend though so the best players in the world are once again either playing or trying to get back into form after a long summer of international soccer. Meanwhile in the US, MLS is still in full swing with most teams having between 12-10 games left, though squads that make the playoffs will end up perhaps playing until well past Thanksgiving because that’s how the league works. In any case, the start of a new season is always a cause to celebrate dreams that will only be dashed within weeks of realizing that the manager has lost the locker room or that the new transfer is really not working out.

Anyway, onto the Rekrap...

It’s called, el prestigio

How did they do this trick? I can only hope the explanation isn’t found in Nikola Tesla’s laboratory.

ég elska þig

There are few goalkeepers who can say they stopped Lionel Messi from scoring on them, Hannes Halldorsson is one of them. The Icelandic netminder has another unique claim, he’s also a filmmaker. He directed the Iceland Eurovision competition entry and a 2018 World Cup Coca-Cola commercial. He gave an interview with Weszelo and described how a nearly career ending injury when he was 14 led him to train as a keeper in a horse stable and that eventually led him to standing before Messi in a World Cup helping seal the greatest soccer result in his country’s history.

The magic of the Open Cup

After a hard fought match between lower division sides the Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire, with Philly advancing, and LAFC falling to the Houston Dynamo, the US Open Cup final is set. Everyone saw the games right? They aired on... the internet. No word yet if the final will be broadcast on the Ocho.

Just another fringe voice coming out for pro/rel

Rebecca Lowe gave an interview with the Athletic in which she advocated for promotion and relegation in MLS and for the US pyramid. It seems like eventually if MLS wants to be regarded as one of the top leagues in the world it needs to adopt the mechanism. When and if that happens is obviously another issue.

What do you mean nobody brought Geoff Cameron in?

The Premier League is back later this afternoon. That can only mean one thing - 19 teams in England spent the collective sum of the GDP of several countries to bring in talents like Richarlison and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Read all about the winners and losers and Jose Mourinhos in this article over on the big SBN Soccer page.

Dark clouds in New Jersey

It’s been widely discussed in recent weeks, but Sky Blue FC is a troubled franchise. Deadspin put together a comprehensive look at how the team found itself in this position.

Goals

Bayern Munich decided to put it on easy mode for a preseason friendly and scored 22 goals and Alphonso Davies hasn’t even joined the team yet.

Here’s what ended up being the game winner and NWSL Shield clencher for the NC Courage as Lynn Williams notched a brace in the first half last Sunday against the Portland Thorns.

You should listen to

Everyone is talking about how great Mission Impossible is but if you want to see someone be self-aware of their overacting, I suggest going out and seeing The Meg. If you don’t want to go to the movies at least listen to the I Don’t Even Own A Television episode featuring what is sure to win Best Picture.