Steve Sirk
@stevesirk.bsky.social
Author of soccer books. Regional Emmy Award winner. Never learned to type with more than two index fingers and my left thumb for the spacebar.
Unless there was some camera angle we don't know about, I was stunned when that goal stood. At least it didn't decide the game. The amount of trauma Cincy fans would have suffered would have been incalculable. I might have even felt too bad to laugh at it.
November 9, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Unless there was some camera angle we don't know about, I was stunned when that goal stood. At least it didn't decide the game. The amount of trauma Cincy fans would have suffered would have been incalculable. I might have even felt too bad to laugh at it.
That lime green area needs to also be in the defensive penalty area. I can't even compute how many times I have LOLed at the preposterously calm shit he routinely pulled off dribbling out of a scramble in the back.
November 9, 2025 at 1:46 AM
That lime green area needs to also be in the defensive penalty area. I can't even compute how many times I have LOLed at the preposterously calm shit he routinely pulled off dribbling out of a scramble in the back.
No. We played a regular season to seed the playoffs. Cincy earned homefield advantage and straight up won two games. You cannot get more fair and deserving than that. #Crew96 #AllForCIncy
November 9, 2025 at 1:40 AM
No. We played a regular season to seed the playoffs. Cincy earned homefield advantage and straight up won two games. You cannot get more fair and deserving than that. #Crew96 #AllForCIncy
I didn’t take it personally! This is the least important disagreement two people could have. Haha.
November 3, 2025 at 2:43 AM
I didn’t take it personally! This is the least important disagreement two people could have. Haha.
All good. We’ll definitely have to agree to disagree. And that’s okay.
November 3, 2025 at 2:41 AM
All good. We’ll definitely have to agree to disagree. And that’s okay.
PS- It wouldn’t be my first terrible take! Haha. But I hated aggregate in MLS playoffs so so so much. I know many disagree and that’s okay.
November 3, 2025 at 2:29 AM
PS- It wouldn’t be my first terrible take! Haha. But I hated aggregate in MLS playoffs so so so much. I know many disagree and that’s okay.
If the third and deciding game, it’s like any other elimination game. A necessary evil that sucks. But deciding games one and two on PKs is dumb. Only play game three if W/L (no aggregate) or D/D.
November 3, 2025 at 2:17 AM
If the third and deciding game, it’s like any other elimination game. A necessary evil that sucks. But deciding games one and two on PKs is dumb. Only play game three if W/L (no aggregate) or D/D.
Two-game aggregate is a necessary evil to create fairness in international competition . It has no logical place whatsoever in a seeded domestic competition.
But that’s separate from my point here. GD isn’t an argument in THIS format as the games would be played totally differently with aggregate.
But that’s separate from my point here. GD isn’t an argument in THIS format as the games would be played totally differently with aggregate.
November 3, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Two-game aggregate is a necessary evil to create fairness in international competition . It has no logical place whatsoever in a seeded domestic competition.
But that’s separate from my point here. GD isn’t an argument in THIS format as the games would be played totally differently with aggregate.
But that’s separate from my point here. GD isn’t an argument in THIS format as the games would be played totally differently with aggregate.
I think THAT is the flaw in this format, that 2 PKW and one regulation loss > 1 regulation win and 2 PKL. That’s dumb.
November 3, 2025 at 2:10 AM
I think THAT is the flaw in this format, that 2 PKW and one regulation loss > 1 regulation win and 2 PKL. That’s dumb.
Totally different competitions. Seeded best of three instead of a 180-minute game. Aggregate would be played totally differently so aggregate in this series is meaningless.
November 3, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Totally different competitions. Seeded best of three instead of a 180-minute game. Aggregate would be played totally differently so aggregate in this series is meaningless.
In a seeded best of three playoff series, nobody is using goal differential for that. And nobody is declaring the World Series, NBA Finals, or Stanley Cup based on scoring differential instead of wins and losses.
Besides, if MLS used awful two-game aggregate, games would go very differently.
Besides, if MLS used awful two-game aggregate, games would go very differently.
November 3, 2025 at 2:03 AM
In a seeded best of three playoff series, nobody is using goal differential for that. And nobody is declaring the World Series, NBA Finals, or Stanley Cup based on scoring differential instead of wins and losses.
Besides, if MLS used awful two-game aggregate, games would go very differently.
Besides, if MLS used awful two-game aggregate, games would go very differently.
A win is a win. And if they were using aggregate rules the games would ha e been hosted in opposite order and would have gone differently and would have been all cagey etc.
November 3, 2025 at 1:48 AM
A win is a win. And if they were using aggregate rules the games would ha e been hosted in opposite order and would have gone differently and would have been all cagey etc.
Except why should goal differential matter in the slightest?
November 3, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Except why should goal differential matter in the slightest?