
I Dig Sports

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – MX Sports Pro Racing has confirmed that 20-year-old AMA Pro Motocross racer Jonathan Mayzak has died.
Mayzak died Sunday as a result of injuries sustained Friday night before the Unadilla National in New Berlin, N.Y., when he was struck by a vehicle while crossing the road in front of the paddock on Route 8.
State Police have charged the 31-year-old man who was operating the vehicle with driving while drug-impaired and vehicular assault. More charges are expected as a result of Mayzak’s death.
Mayzak first competed on a national stage in 2006 when he earned a gate at the 2006 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s in the 51cc (4-6) Class, and again in 2015 in Open Pro Sport. In 2016 Mayzak earned his professional motocross license and was assigned No. 210. This year the No. 210 competed in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in four events in the 250 Class, including the inaugural Florida National and historic Southwick National, making the Fast 40 in both.
Mayzak and his fiancé, Kenzie Hebbelman, were planning to marry in October and take a cruise for their honeymoon. In addition to Kenzie, Mayzak is survived by his parents and several siblings, two of which are in the military serving our country.
Services have not yet been announced.
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RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed team president and general manager Don Waddell to a contract extension.
Owner Tom Dundon announced the signing of the multiyear deal Monday, but team officials did not disclose its specific length or terms.
The 60-year-old Waddell had been mentioned as a candidate for the Minnesota Wild's GM vacancy. He has been with the organization since 2014, and the Hurricanes made their first playoff appearance in a decade during his first season as the team's full-time GM.
Dundon says Waddell's "leadership and experience are invaluable to our organization."
He was the Atlanta Thrashers' GM from 1998-2010.
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This week in golf (Aug. 12-18): TV schedule, tee times, info
Published in
Golf
Monday, 12 August 2019 07:17

Here's a look at what's happening in professional golf this week, and how you can watch it:
PGA Tour
BMW Championship
Thursday-Sunday, Medinah Country Club (No. 3), Medinah, IL
Course specs: Par 72, 7,657 yards
Purse: $9.25 million
Defending champion: Keegan Bradley
Notables in the field: Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas
Tee times: N/A
TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, Noon-3:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) and 3-6 p.m. ET (NBC); Sunday, Noon-2:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) and 2-6 p.m. ET (NBC)
PGA Tour Live: Thursday-Friday, 9:45 a.m.-3 p.m. ET
Korn Ferry Tour
Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship
Thursday-Sunday, The Ohio State University Golf Club (Scarlet Course), Columbus, OH.
Course specs: Par 71, 7,455 yards
Purse: $1,000,000
Defending champion: Robert Streb
Notables in the field: Viktor Hovland, Smylie Kaufman, Beau Hossler, Hunter Mahan, Ollie Schniederjans
Tee times: N/A
TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 3:00-5:00 p.m.; Sunday, 2:00-4:30 p.m.
PGA Tour Champions
DICK'S Sporting Goods Open
Friday-Sunday, En-Joie Golf Club, Endicott, NY.
Course specs: Par 72, 7,040 yards
Purse: $2,050,000
Defending champion: Bart Bryant
Notables in the field: Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh, Kenny Perry, Retief Goosen
Tee times: N/A
TV schedule: Friday, 7:00-9:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 5:00-7:00 p.m.; Sunday, 4:30-7:00 p.m.
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DeChambeau vows to improve pace of play in Instagram post
Published in
Golf
Monday, 12 August 2019 08:50

After all the slow-play dust settled from Liberty National, Bryson DeChambeau took to social media to address what ended up being the main talking point over the weekend at The Northern Trust.
It began Friday, while paired with Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, when two videos surfaced on social media of Bryson DeChambeau's methodical pre-shot routine, once on a 70-yard chip and again while surveying an 11-foot putt.
DeChambeau has been one of the focal points all season regarding the Tour's pace-of-play debacle, though he isn't the only one who has been criticized. Following his third round Saturday, DeChambeau sounded off while speaking to reporters.
“It's really kind of unfortunate the way it's perceived because there's a lot of other guys that take a lot of time,” DeChambeau said. “For me personally it is an attack and it is something that is not me whatsoever. People don't realize the harm that they are doing to the individuals.”
A day after finishing the tournament T-24, nine shots behind winner Patrick Reed, DeChambeau posted a statement on Instagram.
Brooks Koepka has been extremely vocal this season about pace of play, and he and DeChambeau spent time Sunday before their final round discussing the hot topic.
Since then, the PGA Tour has announced plans to review its current pace-of-play policy. The Tour suggested the possibility of expanding fines and penalties for those found out of position.
DeChambeau is teeing it up again this week in the second postseason event at the BMW Championship at Medinah Country Club.
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Randall's Rant: Enough slow play; golf must act now to accelerate the game
Published in
Golf
Monday, 12 August 2019 11:32

Time misleads, and it can flat out lie.
Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods showed us the upside of that in golf, and Bryson DeChambeau the downside.
As heavily as he relies on empirical evidence and a scientific approach, DeChambeau asked us to show some faith last weekend.
Time, he basically told us, is on his side in the slow-play imbroglio he found himself involved in again at The Northern Trust.
He is not really a slow poke, he insisted, no matter what our lyin’ eyes tell us. Believe, he implored, in what we can’t see, or at least what we aren’t seeing, because, hey, a couple viral videos can distort the truth.
“How about you look at the full story and see what actually happened during those instances?” DeChambeau said, aiming his remarks at the social media critics.
One video showed DeChambeau taking 2 minutes and 20 seconds to hit a putt at the eighth hole on Friday, another showed him walking off a 70-yard shot in the same round. He said they were exceptions to the rule in his pace of play.
“Is that every time? No,” DeChambeau said. “That's probably 1 percent of the time that I take over two minutes.”
More than one fellow pro was skeptical that he is rarely that slow.
“It’s every hole, pick a hole,” Justin Thomas said.
In Monday’s aftermath, DeChambeau acknowledged he can be better.
“I’m constantly trying to improve, and I will do my very best to improve my pace,” he said in an Instagram post. “Golf is my passion and livelihood. It’s my responsibility to help improve the game to be more enjoyable for all. Pace of play has been an issue for golf at all levels for a long time, and I'm committed to being a part of the solution, not the problem.”
DeChambeau is one of the game’s bright young stars and personalities, but the slow-play controversies are dragging him down, as they did the entire start of the FedExCup Playoffs last weekend. The slow-play furor spilled outside the game’s niche Saturday with “Good Morning Britain” host Piers Morgan aggressively weighing in on the topic.
“You’re destroying golf @b_dechambeau with your snail-like antics,” Morgan tweeted. “Either speed up and stop being so willfully disrespectful to spectators, viewers & other players – or quit & spare us this agony.”
Ouch!
Slow play isn’t good for DeChambeau’s image, but more importantly, it isn’t good for the game’s. It’s not just media and social critics saying so. It’s the game’s best players. Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are among the stars fed up with slow play.
Yes, it is a complicated topic, because there are those rare times when slow play can be great for the game. In fact, there are times when it can be absolutely riveting.
Every second Spieth took to recover from his wayward shot into the practice range on his way to winning in the final round at The Open at Royal Birkdale two years ago was terrific theater.
So was every second Woods took to chip in for birdie at the 16th on his way to winning the Masters in 2005.
The problem is all those guys who think a green jacket or claret jug are hanging in the balance on Thursdays and Fridays of regular Tour events.
Koepka, McIlroy, Scott and the other stars who want to see meaningful change need governing bodies to step up more sternly to help.
Yes, it was encouraging to see the PGA Tour respond more than superficially last weekend, with a pledge to “take a deeper look” at the problem and how ShotLink technology may assist. But, like DeChambeau, PGA Tour officials are asking us to have faith in them. The Tour has slow played its slow-play problem for so damn long, faith among players and fans is in short supply.
The PGA Tour needs help.
Anyway, slow play is an issue plaguing more than one tour. The American Junior Golf Association, USGA, R&A, college golf, LPGA, LET, European Tour and the PGA Tour all have their own slow-play policies and penalties.
Somebody once said: “First we make our habits, and then our habits make us.”
The best way to break the game’s slow-play habit is to teach everyone to play by the same pace-of-play rules with the same penalties.
The game may need a slow-play summit to get there.
It needs all the different bodies to collaborate in teaching and reinforcing the same habits. In a world that continues to move faster, the game needs to keep up.
Yes, you can’t fine amateurs, but that’s the beauty of this collaboration. It doesn’t matter where you're playing, the best penalty is to a player’s scorecard. Whether it’s a one-shot or two-shot penalty, there is strong message sent up and down the game’s ranks, for whatever slow-play policy the governing bodies agree upon.
The details of a new uniform policy are important, but the sheer effort the governing bodies would put into a collaboration like that will send a message in itself. The message is that the sport is finally serious about creating new habits to speed up play across every landscape in the game.
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Wu (65) fights off jetlag to take early lead at U.S. Amateur
Published in
Golf
Monday, 12 August 2019 13:07

What jetlag?
After helping the U.S. to the gold medal at the Pan American Games, Brandon Wu took a red-eye flight from Lima, Peru on Sunday evening and less than 24 hours later was standing on the first tee at Pinehurst No. 4.
The Stanford grad took a while to get going on a tough scoring day for both U.S. Amateur host courses, but he eventually caught fire late on the easier No. 4. After playing even-par golf through 13 holes with two birdies, Wu strung together three straight birdies beginning at the par-3 14th hole, and he followed his birdie at the short par-4 16th with eagle at the gettable par-5 penultimate hole.
A closing par left Wu with a 5-under 65 and a one-shot lead after the first of two stroke-play qualifying rounds. The top 64 players out of a field of 312 after 36 holes move on to match play, which begins Wednesday on course No. 2.
Wu’s hot start comes as little surprise, as Wu is ranked eighth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and has had a red-hot summer. After going 3-0 in match play to help Stanford to an NCAA team title in late May, Wu qualified for both Opens, at Pebble Beach and Royal Portrush, making the cut at the former. He also was invited to play both Pinehurst courses in early July as part of media day, though the courses were much softer than the firm and fast conditions players saw Monday.
Of the 27 players under par after Day 1, just four of them played No. 2 – William Walker III (2-under 68), Van Holmgren (68), Julien Sale (68) and Spencer Ralston (69).
Notre Dame’s Palmer Jackson and Arizona’s Trevor Werbylo share second at 4 under while 2016 U.S. Amateur runner-up Brad Dalke, an Oklahoma grad, is part of a four-way tie for fourth with Auburn grad Jacob Solomon, Australia’s Blake Windred and Texas Tech’s Sandy Scott.
World No. 1 Cole Hammer, who is trying to lock up the McCormack Medal this week, opened with a 75 on No. 2, as did world No. 3 David Micheluzzi. The third player in the group, No. 2 Conor Gough, shot 79.
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Brandon Wu got off to a hot start Monday with a 5-under 65 at Pinehurst No. 4 to take the first-round lead at the U.S. Amateur. But let's be honest, Wu was already a lock to make the U.S. Walker Cup team.
Seven players will be named to the squad Sunday after the conclusion of the final match at Pinehurst. The winner, if American, receives an automatic spot, and three players – Cole Hammer, Akshay Bhatia and Stewart Hagestad – have already been named to the team.
Here's a look at how the American contenders stack up after Day 1 of U.S. Amateur stroke play:
Brandon Wu (5-under 65, No. 4)
John Pak (6-over 76, No. 2)
Steven Fisk (71, No. 2)
Quade Cummins (69, No. 4)
Ricky Castillo (72, No. 2)
Sahith Theegala (71, No. 4)
Alex Smalley (74, No. 4)
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Austin Eckroat (72, No. 2)
Pierceson Coody (72, No. 2)
Michael Thorbjornsen (69, No. 4)
Chandler Phillips (75, No. 2)
Isaiah Salinda (68, No. 4)
Cameron Young (71, No. 4)
Spencer Ralston (69, No. 2)#
John Augenstein (70, No. 4)
#-new addition from previous day; replaces William Mouw (78, No. 2)
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The United States is making plans to bid for the hosting rights to the 2027 Women's World Cup, U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro indicated on Monday.
Cordeiro was speaking on a conference call with reporters in which he announced that Kate Markgraf has been named GM of the U.S. women's national team while Earnie Stewart had been promoted from his GM position with the U.S. men to be the USSF sporting director, overseeing all of the technical aspects of the federation.
In outlining Markgraf's responsibilities, Cordeiro said that she will take charge of what he is calling "Vision 2027."
"Not surprisingly, that is linked to us bidding to host the 2027 Women's World Cup," Cordeiro said.
This is not the first time that Cordeiro has hinted that the U.S. will bid for the tournament's hosting rights. During his speech at the USSF's Annual General Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. last February, Cordeiro said, "We need to ensure excellence across all our women's teams. So when we look ahead to 2027 we can imagine -- dare I say, dream -- of once again hosting the Women's World Cup right here in the United States, including a win on home soil."
There are some practical considerations that need to be addressed before the USSF can submit a bid. FIFA has yet to name a host for the 2023 Women's World Cup. Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa have all submitted registrations to host the tournament. A joint bid from North and South Korea has also been submitted.
FIFA is expected to name a host in March of 2020. Once that takes place, focus can shift to find a host for the 2027 edition of the tournament.
The decision to bid on the hosting rights must also be approved by the USSF Board of Directors, but one federation source said that it was "very likely" that the USSF would submit a bid.
The U.S. has previously hosted two Women's World Cups. The first was in 1999 when the U.S. prevailed in a penalty shootout over China at the Rose Bowl.
The U.S. was a last-minute replacement to host the 2003 Women's World Cup after a SARs epidemic in China resulted in FIFA opting to relocate the tournament. That competition was won by Germany.
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Gab and Juls podcast: Man United papering over cracks?
Published in
Soccer
Monday, 12 August 2019 10:51

Gab and Juls discuss Man United's deficiencies despite their impressive win over Chelsea. Plus, do Real Madrid and Barcelona need Neymar, and can they strike a deal with PSG?
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It's back! After a summer of international soccer, Gab Marcotti returns with his weekly column reflecting on the big talking points. It's the first edition of Monday Musings for the 2019-20 season.
Jump to: Is Neymar really on the move? | Man United vs. Chelsea | Stop complaining about VAR | Juve's squad issues | Are Man City deep enough? | Bayern get their winger
The latest on Neymar's transfer saga
So now it's apparently just a question of making the numbers work. PSG sporting director Leonardo confirmed that the club are in talks to sell Neymar, with Real Madrid and (possibly) Barcelona the likeliest destinations. But when you put a $210 million Euro price tag on a guy, it's far from straightforward. Particularly since whoever signs Neymar will also be on the hook for some $300m-plus in wages over the next five years.
The depressing thing here is that this seems to be driven more by ego than footballing logic on all sides. Sure, Neymar is a hugely talented player and, possibly, still one of the heirs apparent to the Cristiano Ronaldo/Lionel Messi duopoly. But Barcelona have just added Antoine Griezmann to a front line that includes Messi and Luis Suarez (not to mention Ousmane Dembele). Real Madrid have just spent $110m on Eden Hazard and have big plans for Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, plus Marco Asensio won't be injured in perpetuity. (And that's before we get into Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez.)
Where does he fit at either club, except as an ego trip and commercial roll of the dice?
The answer? He doesn't. Signing Neymar would require a dismantling of the team that has been built (and, presumably, planned, though with Real Madrid you're never quite sure how much planning is involved). And is his contribution, especially at that price, big enough to justify tearing up the blueprint?
I'd suggest the answer is a resounding "no," not to mention the numbers. I know some people treat Financial Fair Play as a joke but, hey, it's real and it's still around. Barcelona can't find a few extra million to land Matthijs De Ligt but they can commit half a billion to bring back Neymar, the guy who left so he could write his own story away from Messi's shadow? Really?
Real Madrid, already stuck with two guys (Bale and James) whom they're struggling to sell because of the absurdly onerous contracts they gave them, happily go and lavish another mega-deal on a guy who started less than half of his league games at PSG in the past two years? You sure?
It's a sign of the modern game, and the way big clubs are straitjacketed by massive contracts, that if this deal happens, it won't be a cash deal. The only way it works is by throwing in makeweights, which is why you're likely to hear plenty of talk of Philippe Coutinho or Nelson Semedo, or James or Isco going the other way. Sticking a player in as part exchange not only saves you cash, but it allows for some neat accounting sleight of hand because you can put almost whatever valuation you like on him and then let the magic of amortization do the rest.
Stay tuned.
There's also the distinct possibility that he doesn't move at all, which would mean that sanity prevailed. Thomas Tuchel hinted at it after Sunday's Ligue 1 opener for PSG. Of course, if he stays it will be curious to see what the reaction of Les Parisiens fans will be. On Sunday night, during PSG's 3-0 win over Nimes (Neymar was nowhere to be seen), he was invited -- via banners and chanting -- to get the hell out of the club.
Will it be the sort of thing that gets forgotten after a few good performances and some winning runs? You hope not, but you fear yes, just as you hope that if Florentino Perez or Josep Bartomeu break the bank one more time for this guy, they will be held to account.
There's nothing wrong with spending big if you think you have the right guy: Kylian Mbappe is Exhibit A, B and C here. But to do it out of ego, in the waning weeks of the transfer window, while ripping up the script, smacks of irresponsibility. This is a good time to remind Florentino and Bartomeu that they don't own their clubs. They are presidents with a responsibility for stewardship.
Breaking down Man United vs. Chelsea
2:03
Nicol questions Chelsea's lack of goal-scoring threat
Steve Nicol and Gab Marcotti examine where Chelsea were exposed by Man United and question lack of goal-scoring options.
Frank Lampard is playing with house money this season. As one of the more analytical and reflective football men out there, you could picture him in the summer playing the scenario game.
Best (realistic) case?
The combination of youngsters, loan diaspora and holdovers coalesce around his brand of football (which, lest we forget, is far closer to his predecessor's than any Chelsea manager since Andre Villas Boas), Chelsea break into the top three, go deep in the Champions League and he gets a big, fat transfer budget next summer.
- Ogden: Pulisic must hit ground running at Chelsea
- Gab and Juls podcast: Man United papering the cracks?
Worst (realistic) case? The kids' inexperience costs Chelsea dear, the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham offer further evidence of the gulf between the Premier League and the Football League, there's a massive Hazard-shaped hole that Christian Pulisic can't come close to filling and they slip down the table, missing out on the Europa League.
But guess what? Between the transfer ban, the Hazard departure and the fact that he finally tapped into Chelsea's vaunted Academy, there are enough mitigating circumstances there that he gets a pass. And he has another go in 2020-21, except with a full year of Premier League experience under his belt and a chance to actually acquire players next summer.
It's worth bearing all of this in mind when evaluating Chelsea this season, in particular the opening 4-0 smackdown at Old Trafford. Despite leaving N'Golo Kante (who was unfit) on the bench and being without Antonio Rudiger, not to mention the long-term injuries to Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi, they hit the woodwork twice and looked bright and sharp on the ball for most of the first half. But Kurt Zouma's sloppy tackle gave United a penalty, which Marcus Rashford converted, and as the saying goes, goals change games.
United were able to play on the counter and they did it very well, though again the second and third goals were the result of individual errors by Cesar Azpilicueta (not something you can chalk up to youthful inexperience) and the fourth was a deflected effort to crown a fast break that began with Zouma on his back and Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire asking the referee to stop the game for what they thought was a head injury.
In other words, a healthy dose of misfortune, individual errors and happenstance, though that doesn't gloss over the fact that there is plenty of work for Lampard and Chelsea to do. The individual blunders loomed large but there was also a serious lack of balance in the side, which isn't surprising when it's the first game of the season and more than half your starting XI were either elsewhere or on the bench last season.
2:26
Burley: Pogba thinks he should be playing with better players
Craig Burley, Steve Nicol and Gab Marcotti address whether Paul Pogba's inconsistent performances are down to his resolve or his teammates' abilities.
As for United, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Maguire hit the ground running and gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the perfect platform upon which to counter-attack. For all the venom he gets from some quarters, Paul Pogba popped up with two assists (one of them as delightful as you're likely to see this weekend). And yes: When it comes to flat-out pace, United have plenty.
The test, of course, will come later, as Jose Mourinho (not that he has an axe to grind or anything) pointed out on TV: What happens when they face teams who park the bus? Speedy strikers are great if they have space in which to run but when the opposition sit deep, you need either creativity (that's on you, Paul) or the physicality to punch it in (and both big Belgians are gone).
That's where Solskjaer will earn his bacon, and in that sense he faces a far more daunting task -- at least as far as 2019-20 is concerned -- than Lampard.
Enough complaining about VAR already!
2:14
Hislop slams 'ridiculous' VAR complaints in Man City win
ESPN FC's Shaka Hislop will "always defend VAR" and doesn't understand why people are so resistant to evidence it's a positive.
There were no VAR screw-ups in its first weekend of Premier League life. Of course, this doesn't mean there was no controversy, mainly because -- despite the fact that it has been around for nearly three seasons and fans, players and media would have seen it in the World Cup, Champions League knockouts and FA Cup -- some observers seemed to act as if they were seeing it for the first time (witness the Raheem Sterling offside) and others seemed unaware of the changes to the Laws of the Game that came into effect on June 1 (Leander Dendoncker's disallowed goal in Wolves' win over Leicester).
- VAR in the Premier League: Big decisions explained
My colleague Dale Johnson has written about this at length if you want to go granular, but put in its simplest form: offside is offside and it doesn't matter how close it is. It's frustrating to have to repeat this. And while, I'll grant you, offside VAR is more of a by-product of why video replay was brought in to begin with (which was to correct major, aka clear and obvious, errors), the fact that we have the technology to apply it to offside calls more accurately than human assistants means there's no reason not to use it.
Whatever you think of the margin of error that exists at the junction of frame velocity, human velocity and the brains of VAR operators, it surely is more accurate than a sprinting linesman asked to look in two directions at once while determining the exact moment boot strikes ball.
I've heard some suggestions that it would be better to only use VAR on blatant offside errors. OK, fine. So how do you judge what is blatant? And, while we're at it, when it's that close, even the very best human assistant referees are left to guess. With no VAR, Sterling might have been flagged offside or he might not. It would have been a coin flip.
Does that really sound more reasonable?
The Wolves incident actually has nothing to do with VAR but simply with a rule change that came into effect on June 1. If you handle the ball, even accidentally, and then gain an advantage from it that allows you to score a goal, that goal gets disallowed. Why? Because IFAB figured it's against the spirit of the game to score with the help of an arm or hand and they want to standardize officiating, with more consistency. Making refs decide on the spot what is accidental and what is not when a goal is scored is, according to them, unnecessary. Which sounds reasonable enough, though it was somewhat jarring for Wolves fans on Sunday.
In the Dendoncker goal, the Belgian midfielder struck a ball that hit his teammate, Willy Boly, on the arm. It was clearly accidental and had it just rolled away, everything would have been fine. But the ball sat up for Dendoncker to hit cleanly into the back of the net, and that's why it was disallowed.
Would the goal have stood if there had been no VAR? Not unless the referee didn't see the ball hit Boly's arm. In which case, it's a good thing there is VAR.
There will undoubtedly be mistakes and blunders, either with the VAR protocol or technology or implementation this season. But Week 1 went smoothly and whatever "controversy" arose feels mostly down to folks needing something to talk about.
Once the VAR novelty wears off, hopefully by the start of September, we can all move on.
Can Juve resolve squad issues before it's too late?
It's rare that you get a manager speaking with the sort of honesty we heard from Maurizio Sarri over the weekend, when he admitted Juventus need to shift six players between now and the end of the transfer window or risk having to cut them from their Champions League squad. A lot of the focus has been driven by the transfer window, with speculation about the likes of Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and/or Mario Mandzukic moving or, in midfield, Sami Khedira or Blaise Matuidi. But there ought to be a bigger concern: How did we get here?
Juventus can count and they knew that because they have just one homegrown player in the squad, perpetual third keeper Carlo Pinsoglio, they can only register 22 players. So what kind of planning is it to find yourself in mid-August being forced to give guys away?
This situation is aggravated by the fact that most of the players they want to shift are older and with hefty contracts. What's more, with the Premier League window closed, there are only so many potential destinations and there won't be any late-August panic buys from mid-table English sides.
It's pretty basic stuff. You hope that sporting director Fabio Paratici has some sort of plan up his sleeve, one that won't cost the club too much money. Otherwise, for all his success in landing the likes of De Ligt, Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey, he will have dropped the ball big time.
Is Man City's squad deep enough?
Manchester City raced out to a resounding 5-0 victory at West Ham in Week 1 of the Premier League season and most have them as favourites to three-peat as champions. Rightly so, perhaps, but you wonder if they aren't a little bit thinner than you'd like them to be in central defence.
At centre-back, Vincent Kompany is gone and, effectively, City's fourth central defender is Eliaquim Mangala, who hasn't actually played at all in 18 months (and was nothing to write home about before that) and won't be stopped from leaving should the right offer appear. Nicolas Otamendi is a year older and coming off a Copa America. John Stones had a poor season last year. He may bounce back, he may not.
The next option, presumably, is dropping Fernandinho into defense, but he's 34 and has had injuries. Plus, if he's at the back, he's not in defensive midfield, which leaves only Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan (whose injury record isn't great) in the middle of the park.
You can only assume Guardiola has a ton of faith in some of the teenagers populating the development squad, like Eric Garcia and Joel Latibeaudiere. Otherwise, a rough patch of injuries and suspensions could cost them dear.
Bayern get their man (and it's not Sane)
Having missed out on Leroy Sane, Bayern seem set for a Band-Aid solution to the wing by bringing in Ivan Perisic from Inter on loan. If the reported numbers are correct -- $5m loan fee, plus a $25m option to buy -- it's a cheap-and-cheerful way of adding some experience and quality in a guy who already knows the Bundesliga well.
It may be one of those rare moves that helps all those concerned.
Perisic wasn't part of Antonio Conte's plans at Inter, and from their perspective, getting his wages off the bill and a little bit of money back makes sense. He's been frighteningly inconsistent but has his moments and perhaps Bayern, a far more stable club than Inter, can ensure he gets some continuity to his performances. He ought to seize this opportunity with both hands, because this is what you call landing on your feet after falling off a skyscraper.
As for Bayern, if he performs the way he did most of last season, no biggie: They can just send him back in the summer.
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