230120 Raven Newsletter

January 20, 2023

HAIL GFOP!

I type with fingers crackling with anticipation at the weekend we have to come. Arsenal face Manchester United and Liverpool host Chelsea in what must surely be one of the most heavyweight midtable clashes of all time. Everton travel to West Ham which will undoubtedly be the saddest. Our US Women play tonight. The Bundesliga returns. Bring on all the football. 

I am headed to Chicago for a flying visit. I cannot describe the excitement I feel every time at the prospect of my return to that city of wonder. To take my family there feels especially profound. Chicago looms so large in our family telling, my kids all feel that a fragment of their identity is rooted in that city, even though they were not born there.  This is actually my daughter Zion’s first visit. We are going to inhale all the pizza, lay waste to all the Italian Beef. Cheezborger! Cheezborger! Cheezborger! 

This has been some joyous week at MiB. We have spent time with Bukayo Saka and Tim Ream. Two players at different ends of the age spectrum, yet both experiencing peerless seasons and savoring every second – both talked about taking nothing for granted when they step on the field. I cannot wait for you to hear these interviews. Bukayo is in person as he appears on the field. A burst of love. We spent an hour filming with Tim and the quality of his storytelling is humanly remarkable. Roll on next week when both will be in your ears and on our YouTube. More, much more below.

🗣️The Men in Blazers TV Show is back. This Sunday, Jan. 22 our latest episode goes live on Peacock. And it features none other than USMNT captain Tyler Adams and Tottenham Hotspur's Heung-Min Son. Tyler's segment is a World Cup retrospective during which he takes us through the tournament, step-by-step, from his perspective. USMNT fans, it is cannot miss (despite our involvement). And Spurs fans, we are here for you after last night's loss. With a Sonny interview during which he confronts the challenges of this World Cup-Interrupted season. Plus, an infusion of joy when describing his fashion style and why he'll never have a tattoo. Every show from the last two seasons of the Men in Blazers TV Show is available on Peacock. WATCH HERE. 

2. To the Football

i. Liverpool vs. Chelsea (Saturday 7.30 AM ET, P’Cock)

Two bewildered managers drag their woefully uncalibrated super teams into the fray, praying that the 1-0 wins both eked out in their previous games prove to be sparks to reignite the pilot light on their respective damp seasons. Mykhailo Mudryk may be available to bring his fresh energy and bold tattoo game to a Chelsea squad in desperate need of warm, uninjured bodies. Klopp will manage his 1000th game. Take heart Liverpool Fans: Your Man has never lost a milestone match.

More: Will Chelsea's Transfer Spend Break Financial Fair Play Rules? Deep forensic accounting dive by the inimitable Swiss Ramble.

ii. Arsenal vs. Manchester United (Sunday, 11.30 AM ET, NBC Proper)

Your League Leading Arsenal face up to Ten Hag’s resurrected force. That Dutch brain in a bottle will rue the absence of the suspended Casemiro, that fantastically square-shaped man who fits into every round hole through force of will. How his leadership will be missed against Arsenal, who are racing to have new signing Leandro Trossard, that ophthalmological-obsessed Belgian ferret of a striker, available for duty.   

iii. Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle (Saturday, 12.30 AM ET, NBC)

Magical to read English Papers full of laudatory analysis of Chris Richards’ play after his dazzling Premier League start against Manchester United on Wednesday night, capped off by one deeply telegenic half-of-the-field high-speed car chase in which he met speed freak Antony stride for stride before obliterating him in the corner. Greatest Premier League moment in Alabama history. Palace will draw strength from the point well-gleaned as they face Fourth Place Newcastle, shorn of the ankle-injured talisman Bruno Guimarães. In his absence, Newcastle’s win percentage drops to 20%. 

iv. Manchester City vs. Wolves (Sunday, 9 AM ET, USA)

City are back at home after a game of madness, in which they found themselves in an unusual position: behind 2-0 to Spurs at halftime. A predicament which led to them being booed off by their home fans. Yes. Fans who have seen their team win four of the last Premier League titles booed their players off the field. Sometimes I just can’t.  

Second half, City remembered, “Lads. It’s Tottenham.” And Riyad Mahrez went all Trevor Lawrence against the Chargers on Spurs’ ass. Even Erling Haaland scored. Post game, Pep said they are a “happy flowers” team. Yay flowers. Wolves under Lopetegui will be some tactical test. No longer patsies. They have only lost once in the league since the arrival of the cunning Basque.  

v. Leeds vs. Brentford (Sunday, 9 AM ET, P’Cock)

A simply enormous game for Jesse Marsch, whose charges unfurled a 5-2 can of FA Cup whoopass on Championship side Cardiff which featured this exclamation point Willy Gnonto strike amidst the goal orgy. Marsch remained incandescent post-match, describing reports claiming senior players wanted him out of the club as “BS.” It is hard to watch him attempt to be transparent and honest; to do so with two unforgivable sins – not being Marcelo Bielsa whilst in possession of an American accent – is extraordinarily difficult when the team is in the scrum in the bottom half of the table. Expect new $40M striker Georginio Rutter to be in the squad against surging Brentford and their deliriously cohesive idea of football.

More: Megan Swanick covers Jesse Marsch speech at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia in which he talked about taking over from Bielsa, creating culture, and managing dissent.

vi. West Ham vs. Everton (Saturday, 10 AM ET, USA)

Which manager do West Ham fans hate more? David Moyes or Frank Lampard? We will find out amidst the most dire conditions as both men lead their feeble teams onto the field under “Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant” conditions. Football can bring such joy to those who love it. Not this game. The misery derby. Ninety minutes of soon-to-be Everton Manager David Moyes muttering, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” 

More: Full Premier League Broadcast Schedule HERE (Including MiB at 2 PM ET Sunday on P’Cock) 

3. Subscribe to Men in Blazers on YOUTUBE

Want more Men in Blazers? Check out our YouTube page, where we are producing so much content these days. Fresh out of the MiB Hamster Wheel: a really wonderful interview with Trent Alexander-Arnold. WATCH HERE. We speak with him about Liverpool’s difficult season, his connection to America - yes, that is right, TAA could’ve played for the USMNT - and we also hear what his mother thinks of his new Calvin Klein ad with him in his undies. So much going up on our YouTube right now. Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe. We also have a Bukayo Saka interview in the edit right now, which will drop on there imminently. SUBSCRIBE

4. More Football, Did Ya Say?

i. An elite footballer tells the horrific story of what happened when she became pregnant at Lyon – the way the European Champions treated her with contempt during her pregnancy and once she returned to the pitch. Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir worked with the French players’ union and FIFPRO to get a landmark ruling against former club Olympique Lyonnais which sends a clear message to clubs and footballers worldwide.

ii. Great piece on American Men’s Pioneers in Europe. A trend which began earlier than you might imagine. 

iii. As the Bundesliga resumes, lovely profile of Christian Streich. The idiosyncratic and deeply singular Koln manager who leads with charisma and emotion and is tearing up the Bundesliga against the odds. 

5. US Women Go Again for some more Lady Fern Wonder 🇺🇸🇳🇿

The United States Women's National team completes its two-game tour of World Cup co-host New Zealand tonight in Auckland. The Lady Ferns are vastly understrength and were ultimately overwhelmed 4-0 in Tuesday night’s game – a scoreline which flattered the US who were flat in the first half until Trinity Rodman’s arrival sparked the creativity the team needed to unlock a very raw New Zealand backline. Savor this Rose Lavelle Wizard Filth. This tour is all about the squad familiarizing themselves with the setting for the World Cup group stage to come. Kick Off 10.05 PM ET on HBO Max.

6. US Men Assemble. Still Lack a Permanent Coach 🇺🇸😢

The volume around Reynagate has turned down. Way down. It saddens me that the United States is still not enough of a football country for this story to remain on the backpages outside of our Soccer Bubble. With the NFL playoffs raging, US Soccer can use the legal investigation of its coach and his childhood friend to let the story slink back into the shadows.  Alexi Lalas has fired an emotional yet irrational hottake into the ether. It was fascinating to watch DaMarcus Beasley call for Berhalter to be let go. Fascinating because of who he is – one of the most long-tenured, respected American Male Internationals – who actually played alongside Gregg. Also fascinating for where he said it – on HBO Max’s first US Soccer broadcast, setting an incredibly honest tone for their new endeavor. By and large, we stumble into the new cycle leaderless and rudderless, letting any momentum from the World Cup fritter away in unnecessary stasis. Roll on next week’s January Camp.

7. More from MiB World HQ 🌎🌍🌏

i. If MiB World HQ had a license plate, the slogan on the bottom would be "Land of 1,000 Pods." This week: a Derby Day Pod with Rog and Davo (might want to give this one a listen Arsenal, United fans) and a double shot of Do it Live! immediately following Palace snatching a last gasp draw off United and City barnstorming back to thump four second-half goals past Spurs. All of it is available ON OUR POD FEED. And if you are not already... please subscribe to the Pod. It is one tiny thing you can do – like rating and adding a comment which help us produce more, more, more. 

ii. If you like this newsletter, can we also interest you in our American States United Newsletter? It's a weekly missive that flies every Wednesday and provides you with everything you need to know about our Baby Eagles and World Cup Champion US Women playing club football abroad. SUBSCRIBE HERE. 

iii. Next week is a massive week here at MiB HQ thanks to a very special Tim Ream interview we recorded yesterday. An hour-long sit down with Mound City Maldini in which he talks about his incredible career arc, Fulham's rebirth this season... and the reason he was left out of most of WCQ before his triumphant recall. It is a special conversation with a truly wonderful human being. Look for it on our Pod feed Thursday. 🇺🇸

8. Not Football, And All the Better For It

ii. The Worst Seat in Baseball: All 30 MLB Ballparks ranked. There's no crying in baseball I gently remind the man sitting in the worst seat in baseball as I pat him on the shoulder and offer him the uneaten half of my soft pretzel.

iii. Geezer Happy Hour. It’s the Coolest Rock Show in Ann Arbor. And Almost Everyone There Is Over 65. One day very soon boomers are going to realize that "coolest rock show for retirees" is a redundant sentence and I worry that we will all be caught in the fallout.

iv. How extinct animals could be brought back from the dead. If only there were a beloved blockbuster movie that diligently worked through the specifics of what might go wrong here.

v. The Chess World’s New Villain: A Cat Named Mittens. Bet you a thousand dollars this is a Pulisic burner account 

vi. 60 Minutes interview with legendary music producer, Rick Rubin. “I have no technical ability and I know nothing about music.” Hero to aspiring trust fund Ibiza DJs the world over. 

vii. A moment that changed me: I began wearing skirts with pockets big enough to hold a wine bottle. Mostly changed her in that she had to keep fending off the joke, "is that a wine bottle in your skirt or are you just happy to see me," which rolled off the tongue of everyone she encountered in this getup as if each person she ran into was trapped in the same terrifying comedic epiphany.

ix. Will It Ever Snow in New York City Again? The answer to this question was completely overshadowed by my unbridled joy at seeing my favorite weatherman described here as "a favorite among the city's meteorological cognoscenti," an identifier which will now be incorporated onto my tombstone.

x. Honey bees are not in peril. These bees are. A weird personal fact about me that most people don't know is that my first pet as a young child was a dead bee I found in our stairwell one afternoon. I named him after my brother and kept him in a jar on my dresser for many years.

xi. “It’s Expensive to Look This Good”: Gossip Girl Creator Josh Safran on the End. The HBO Gossip Girl reboot has been one of the purest available sources of masochistic release over the past two years and while canceling the worst show on television is not on the whole a really divisive business decision, we are taking it extremely personally and extremely hard.

xii. Public Radio’s Winning Strategy: Music Discovery. Shoutout to radio DJs out there doing God's work. A couple of years ago I got stuck in an unending Spotify Phoebe Bridgers recommendation loop and was saved by the Emerson College radio station. Pulled me out of a dark place. I'm sure Paul Mescal can relate. Full Disclosure: I always listen to All Songs Considered New Music Friday while writing this newsletter. 

I want to finish by paying tribute to the memory of Charlotte FC Defender Anton Walkes who passed away tragically after a boating accident in Florida during pre-season training. The 25-year-old Englishman was a former Tottenham academy and first team player who came to MLS initially in 2017 to play for Atlanta United in their inaugural season. The story of his death is an agony. Our deepest sympathies to the Walkes family and everyone in the Charlotte FC family. A reminder of how fragile and short life can be, and how we should always “be kind, while there is still time.”

To better days ahead for all.

May we make great memories through football together and never take a second for granted.

Big Love

Courage

ROG