Yeah, that's over. Jurgen Klinsmann's concentration on winning meaningless friendlies while leaving us woefully unprepared for games that actually count for something cost us qualification for this year's World Cup. And, today, still with no full-time manager and no full-time Captain, we lost 3-0 to England at the new Wembley Stadium in London.
It should have been 5-1: There was a shot we should have made, and we were lucky that England simply aren't very good, either.
Current interim manager Dave Sarachan is a career assistant, his only previous head coaching job being with the Chicago Fire from 2002 to 2007, where he won the 2003 MLS Supporters' Shield, but that's it.
The team needs a manager. Someone available, not currently under contract with anyone. Someone familiar with players and tactics from all over the world. Someone who would be good managing a team where bankroll -- for buying players and, dare I say it, referees -- doesn't matter. Someone good with developing young players, and who would never, ever have to sell a player just to pay down a stadium debt.
Dare I say it?
*
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: None. They are about to drop the puck right now, against the Philadelphia Flyers, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. They next play the New York Islanders on the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 23, a 4:00 matinee at the Prudential Center in Newark. The next game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday night, January 31, 2019, at the Prudential Center.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 2. See the following entry.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 2, this Saturday at noon, at HighPoint.com Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 5, this coming Tuesday, at 3:00 PM New York time, a friendly against Italy. Oddly, it will not be played in either country, but at Luminus Arena in Genk, in the Dutch part of Belgium, home to Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (meaning Royal R.C. Genk), a 3-time winner of Belgium's league, most recently in 2011.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 7. See the following entry.
Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 7 this coming Thursday morning at 10:00 AM, at Old Bridge. Just 1 week. East Brunswick goes into the game a mere 2-7.
Days until Arsenal play again: 10, on Sunday, November 25, at 8:30 AM New York time, away to Dorset (South Coast) team Bournemouth. The Arsenal are sitting on a 16-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, which had included an 11-game winning streak.
Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 10, on Sunday, November 25, at 5:00 PM, in the 1st leg of the MLS Eastern Conference Final, away to Atlanta United. The 2nd leg will be the following Thursday, November 29, at 7:00 PM, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. The winner over the 2 legs will face the Western Conference Champion, either Sporting Kansas City or the Portland Timbers, in the MLS Cup Final on Saturday night, December 8. Thanks to the action on the final night of the regular season, when the Red Bulls won and Atlanta lost, the Red Bulls have the Supporters' Shield as overall regular season Champions, for the 3rd time, all in the last 6 seasons. So if they're in the MLS Cup Final, they will host it, and have their best chance ever at that elusive 1st MLS Cup win, in their 23rd season of play.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": Unknown. The 2019 MLS schedule hasn't been released yet, so we don't know when they will next play New York City FC, the Philadelphia Union, D.C. United or the New England Revolution.
Days until the next North London Derby: 17, on Sunday, December 2, at the Emirates Stadium. Under 3 weeks.
Days until the Democratic-controlled Congress will convene, and the impeachment process can begin: 49, on Thursday, January 3, 2019. Exactly 7 weeks.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 69, on January 23, 2019. Under 10 weeks.
Days until the Yankees' 2019 Opening Day: 133, on Thursday, March 28, home to the Baltimore Orioles. A little over 4 months. Four long months.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 152, on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at Yankee Stadium II. Just 5 6 months.
Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 204, on June 7, 2019, in France. Under 7 months. The U.S. team is 3-time and defending Champions.
Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 226, on June 29, 2019. A little over 7 months.
Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 398, on December 18, 2019. A little over a year, or a little over 13 months.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 433, on January 22, 2020. A little over a year, or a little over 14 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 617, on July 24, 2020. A little over a year and a half, or a little over 20 months.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 719, on November 3, 2020. Now under 2 years, or a little under 24 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 797, at noon on January 20, 2021. A little over 2 years, or a little over 26 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.
Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 1,177, on February 4, 2022. A little over 3 years, or under 39 months.
Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,467, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. A shade over 4 years, or a little over 48 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.
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