As there are many sports topics that affect both or either of the Portuguese and Canadian communities, and others of course, I will discuss some of the bigger topics from around the world of sports. And given the state of Portuguese soccer this week, there is no better place to start there and the horrid VAR performances.
- Two Taça da Liga semifinal games filled with goals and back-and-forth play, yet soccer fans could not be more disappointed. The state of Portuguese soccer is in major turmoil, there is simply no excuse for VAR to not get the call right. For it to happen two straight nights calls for change. We need to hear from the league as to why and how the league decided to make these decisions. The ping-pong match off the pitch between the four main teams has reached its breaking point. This league has lost its reputation as a top league due to it, and it continues to fall. These clubs need to realize that the referee system and communication methods require a massive overhaul. Portuguese players and coaches are making an impact on the global scene, and the Portuguese have missed the boat several times on positive promotion to outside of Portugal. The focus is always on the poor state of refereeing and who is more corrupt. If the teams fix the officiating and spent less on their communications, things would be quite a bit better.
- One big issue affecting Portugal is their poor quality in schedule. The league only announced the schedule a few days before the games and this does not bode well for TV to pick up games outside of Portugal. You need to look organized, and the Portuguese are far off the ball in these cases. Portugal needs to get their act together or things will continue to decline.
- On to the NFL, where two conference playoff games went to OT. The Saints felt they should have gotten a pass interference call at the end of the 4th quarter which would have most likely led to a touchdown and victory for the NFC championship. Meanwhile, in the AFC championship game, the Patriots defeat the Chiefs showing Brady still has it. However, this leads me to mention what I believe to be the biggest problem with the NFL overtime system: it's unfair. Why should a coin toss have such a major impact on a game? Both teams should get the football in overtime, no questions asked. These games are too important for only one team to get the ball in OT. Even in the regular season this should happen. And PLEASE eliminate ties in football, it's stupid. Heck, I'm even good that in the regular season, after 15 minutes of OT, we go to a field goal formation starting at the 25 yard line and have the kickers shoot through the uprights. Then you keep moving back until the tie is broken. Sure, it's not the best way to decide a game, but compared to a penalty kick, it's less gimmicky because field goals are a natural part of the game, they're used in the conversion of an extra point of a touchdown and of course for all regular field goals.
- In the NHL picture, the Edmonton Oilers have stolen the attention this week for firing Peter Chiarelli. The question is what took them so long! They've lost Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, amongst others . The contracts that have come in are horrendous, most notably Milan Lucic. It's a shock this didn't happen sooner. Connor McDavid can't win championships alone, and for the most part he's been in his own island. Now, you must hit the reset button if you're Edmonton. You have the best player in hockey on your team, convince players to come in and play with him. That's your bargaining chip. For the bad contracts you have, most likely you'll be able to find some fool on another team who will take them. If you can't, that's okay too, you'll work around them somehow.
- The Anaheim Ducks had lost 12 straight but are only one point off of a wild card spot. Randy Carlyle keeping his job during this difficult stretch can either turn things in the positive direction, or hide things for a while until a couple bad games cause fans to revolt again.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled recently, but as I've stated before no panic button needed. You know what they are, you know you may need to make a couple deadline moves. This team will be fine, still no major reasons for concern. Focus on playoff prep.
- The Toronto Raptors are without Kawhi Leonard until they face the Houston Rockets this week. Is this reason for concern? No! Just get healthy for the playoffs and make sure the players are ready for them. This may be your best chance at a championship, baby your stars like everyone else does. Let the infamous bench get down to work.
- Back to where we started: Portuguese soccer. Benfica is playing much better soccer now after Rui Vitoria decided to leave. Bruno Lage is taking this opportunity to show his talents, and the players are responding well to playing in 4x4x2.
And that's a cap for today. Thanks for reading!
In this photo, was it offside? Let us know your thoughts.
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