The end of the summer term at Drexel has marked the beginning of fall sports for the Dragons. Both men’s and women’s soccer have been in action recently, along with field hockey. Aug. 19 brought the season opener for women’s soccer against Villanova. The Dragons played away for their first match of the season and took a close 2-1 loss. Drexel’s goal was scored by Gabrielle Perrotto, marking her first career goal for the Dragons. Goalie Miyuki Schoyen saved six goals for the Dragons. On Aug. 26, the Dragons played their home opener against Lehigh. Their last match of the month will be against Lafayette away on Aug. 29. The Dragons have four new freshmen joining their team for the season. Alexis Dooley from New Jersey, Tori Yost from New Jersey, Casey Touey from PA and Kelly Jones from Baltimore will be eager to make their mark for the Dragons. 

Starting off their season, Drexel men’s soccer  played their season opener against Syracuse away, also on Aug. 26. They will play again on Aug. 30 against Lafayette, playing away again. Drexel is sporting a few new freshman additions to their team, including Luke Smith from PA, Youri Senden from the Netherlands, and Roey Mordechay and Ori Arzi from Israel. The team also has seven returning graduate students granted another year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout September, the Dragons will be busy with matches lined up against Stony Brook, Saint Peter’s and UNCW, all being played at home at the Vidas Field. They will also be traveling to Hofstra, Columbia and College of Charleston in September. 

The final fall sport beginning in August is field hockey. Since they’ve practiced all summer, the Dragons are more than prepared to step onto the pitch. They will play their opening match against Longwood at home on the Buckley Field at Drexel. You can watch the season opener at 4 pm on Friday, Aug. 27. With a quick turnaround, the Dragons play again on the Aug. 29 at home against Temple at midday. The Dragons have seven new freshmen on their team, all hoping to make an impact. Jordyn Travis from Richmond, Tina Rawa from PA, Amanda Foster from PA, Anna Getty from Wilmington, Sage O’Connor from PA, Michela Favazza from PA and Aren Dardarian from PA are all new members of the team. Drexel Basketball CAA Defensive Player of the year, Hannah Nihill, is also joining the Field Hockey team. She is returning for a fifth year at Drexel as a double-sport athlete.

Rewind to almost exactly a year ago and the delayed 2020 Champions League Quarterfinals proved to be the graveyard of FC Barcelona yet again. This time, a merciless 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich was quite possibly the most humiliating and shocking score in Champions League history. The Catalan club, Barcelona, was at their lowest point in recent memory, going trophyless for the first time in years. They had failed to defend their La Liga title, getting outbested by a mediocre Real Madrid side after falling short in the Copa del Rey Quarterfinals against Athletic Bilbao several months before. This was accompanied by continual heavy defeats in the Champions League knockout stages every year with the 8-2 mauling by Bayern Munich being the painful climax.

The president of Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and his board are mostly to blame for this persistent decline of one of the best teams in world football with their short-sighted business dealings and lack of professionalism. But even as the fans begged, Bartomeu and his board refused to resign. Both Barcelona fans and players alike knew that Bartomeu did not have the club’s best interests in mind, and the only direction was down.

But then the bombshell report came out shortly after the Bayern defeat — Barcelona’s star and greatest player ever, Lionel Messi, wanted out. Seeking to activate a loophole in his contract, which allowed him to leave for free on his own accord, Messi wanted to leave the club he loves because of his differences with Bartomeu and his assessment of Bartomeu’s judgment only spelling further despair for Barcelona.

However, it wasn’t as easy as once thought because Messi’s contract said he could leave only if he notified the club before June, the end of the season. But since the COVID-19 Outbreak postponed world football and Barcelona’s season ended in August, Messi and his lawyers thought the claim still held weight. Nevertheless, Messi knew that if he took this to court he most likely would have won, but he did not want to drag his beloved club into a long and bloody legal battle. Therefore, he stated he will stay in Barcelona.

Then, in October of 2020, Bartomeu and his board relented and announced they will step down. Barcelona later elected former president, Joan Laporta as their new president in March 2021 much to the delight of many fans and players, including Messi himself. Laporta was the president who oversaw and ushered in Barcelona’s most successful period in their history in the late 2000s and early 2010s. He also has a good relationship with the Barcelona Number 10. And while the 2020/21 Season wasn’t perfect, Barcelona still greatly improved since the previous season, and the club looked like they could only get better. Furthermore, Messi looked to be fully invested in Laporta’s project and doubts of his departure diminished to almost improbable.

But this summer proved that we should never underestimate how badly Bartomeu’s legacy could affect this club, even after he left. As Messi was negotiating a new contract with Barcelona, it became aware that the club’s wage bill was astronomical. La Liga has a strict salary cap for each club and Barcelona far beyond exceeded it. This meant that Barcelona could not register Messi as a player for the current season;, Laporta banked on La Liga allowing Barcelona some leeway in Messi’s case, given the massive profit he brings to the Spanish League, but they did not budge. In possibly the toughest decision of his career, Laporta had to let Messi go even as both the club and Messi himself wanted to stay. And in an emotional press conference, Messi was reduced to tears, saying goodbye to the club he spent his entire senior career as a footballer.

In swooped Paris Saint-Germain who are building their own project, aiming to become the best team in Europe. Flexing their financial muscle, the French giants signed the Argentine superstar, officially announcing him as a PSG player two weeks ago, ending an era of Lionel Messi’s dominance as the King of Barcelona.

Why was Messi Forced to Leave Barcelona?

Bartomeu’s reign as Barcelona’s president reaped deep consequences that the club will have to deal with for years to come, even as Bartomeu himself and his board are long gone. Multiple terrible and expensive signings and negligent mismanagement of Barcelona’s funds have left the club in debt soaring as high as 1 billion Euros by the beginning of this month. This sole issue is actually why Barcelona joined the failed European Super League back in April. Even more damaging though, was Bartomeu’s handling of player wages. Many players were given monstrous amounts of money each week, many of whom didn’t perform well enough on the pitch to deserve those amounts. Not only did this make some of these players impossible to sell on, but it led to the situation we are in currently with La Liga.

La Liga imposed a strict salary cap for all its clubs and Barcelona’s wage bill went far over the limit, meaning that Barcelona had to either cut their player’s wages or sell some big names. It was almost impossible to sell players like Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Samuel Umtiti as they are in terrible form and few clubs were willing to pay their sky-high wages. Some of the players could have taken a pay cut but they refused. And while this would have helped the club, you cannot force a player to lower his own wages, that is not right, especially when the club is the reason why they are so high. Even if they did lower their wages, the bill was so high it would not be enough. Laporta had assumed that he could cut a deal with Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, which could see the league excuse Messi’s wages given the amount of profit he alone brings into the Spanish league every year. But Tebas stuck to his guns.

So came the unfortunate but necessary final option — sell Messi, the highest-paid player at Barcelona. It was reported that Messi even took a 50 percent pay cut, yet even this was not enough and his exit was the only way. Even as Messi left, lifting a massive burden, the problem still wasn’t fully resolved and the new captain, Gerard Pique, was forced to take a 50 percent pay cut himself just so that new signings, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay, could be registered a day before Barcelona’s opening game of the La Liga season last week.

Messi is already 34 years old, so Barcelona fans knew that he was not going to be around forever, yet the way in which he left was what was so painful. Messi had hinted in the past that would either like to retire at Barcelona or end his career at his boyhood club, Newell’s Old Boys back in Argentina. Yet instead, he has been forced out due to Bartomeu’s financial mismanagement. Messi didn’t get a proper send-off in the Camp Nou like Andres Iniesta or Xavi Creus did. Instead, Messi’s last match at the Camp Nou was a limp 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo where Barcelona basically surrendered the title race at the end of last season. There weren’t even any fans in the stadium due to Spain’s COVID restrictions.

But as he left, PSG quickly proved to be the only possible destination. Only a few clubs across the world could ever afford Messi’s wages, but the abrupt nature of his unexpected departure meant most clubs were not prepared. The day before Barcelona announced his departure, Manchester City spent had just 100 million Euros on their English Number 10, Jack Grealish, while Manchester United went on their own spending spree last month. The Italian giants, Juventus and Inter Milan are both in financial crises leaving only PSG as the sole winner.

Lionel Messi’s Legacy at Barcelona

To say that Barcelona benefitted from Lionel Messi would be an understatement. Simply put, Messi took the club to an entirely new level never charted before in football history. He is no doubt the greatest player in Barcelona’s history. While he was not alone of course and was surrounded by a talented cast, Messi was the catalyst that transformed Barcelona as well as the world of football; in fact, many consider Messi to be the best footballer of all time.

To put it into perspective, FC Barcelona as a football club has existed since 1899 and they have a total of 96 major trophies. But since making his first-team debut with Barcelona in 2004, Messi has won 35 trophies, meaning that nearly a third of Barcelona’s trophies are because of the Argentinian Number 10.

Hailing from Rosario, Argentina, Messi’s talent was apparent from a young age playing for the youth team of his local club, Newell’s Old Boys. His career could have ended before it began when a hormone deficiency threatened his growth, but a scout from Barcelona cut a deal with his parents where Messi would play for the team in Spain while they would also pay for his treatment. Famously, the scout was so eager to sign Messi he wrote the contract on a napkin.

Raising up the youth ranks in Barcelona’s youth program, La Masia, Messi quickly was integrated into the first team, exploding onto the scene with a hat trick against Barcelona’s heated rivals Real Madrid in 2007 at just 17. But Messi would taste extreme success for the first time in 2009 under the new manager Pep Guardiola in a stacked team featuring the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Thierry Henry and many others, winning the sextuple, meaning that Barcelona won all six possible trophies they could: the Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup, a feat never achieved before. As a result, Messi won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, the award given to the best player of the year.

Barcelona would continue to dominate world football for the next few years and would conquer Europe yet again in 2011 with Messi at the center of everything. Barcelona overcame Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, yet again in the final, with Messi yet again scoring the decisive goal. This 2011 team, built upon the success of the 2009 predecessor, while not having won as many trophies, is considering by many to be the greatest football team ever put together.

Then in 2015, Messi would build possibly the deadliest attacking trio in the history of football with Neymar Jr. and Luis Suarez, scoring an obscene amount of goals and winning more trophies, winning the treble yet again as Barcelona became the first team to win two trebles. Even as Barcelona regressed as a club from 2017 to the current year, Messi was the linchpin at the Catalan capital, dragging the club from the depths and saving them on numerous occasions and continuing to win trophy after trophy.

When you total up everything he has done for the club, Messi was won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, seven Copas del Rey, eight Spanish Super Cups, three UEFA Super Cups and three Club World Cups. He has more appearances for Barcelona than any other player with 778 and he is Barcelona’s top scorer with 672 goals. He also won six Ballon d’Ors and Pichichis (La Liga Top Scorer).

To list all of Messi’s records would take a few more pages but one record in particular which really puts how immense he was for Barcelona into perspective was his goal-scoring record in 2012. Normally, if a striker were to score 40+ goals in a calendar year while playing in a top league, they would be considered one of the best players in the world, most likely a Ballon d’Or contender as well. But in 2012, Lionel Messi scored an incredible 91 goals in only 69 games. A record that will likely never be broken.

What Messi’s Move Means for PSG and the Rest of World Football

Before Messi’s arrival, PSG already had one of the best teams in the world, one could even argue the best in terms of player quality. But with Messi, they have the best squad by far and there is absolutely no debate. Messi joins his close friend and former teammate, Neymar, and as his countryman, Angel Di Maria, as well as the best young player in the world, Kylian Mbappe (if he stays). The likely starting front three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe will induce more fear into defenses than any other attacking trio across the world, and if one were to create a list of the top five best players in the world, these three players will all be in it. It is simply unfair.

Although it must be said that given Neymar already wear the Number 10 at PSG, Messi has been given the Number 30 shirt as an homage to the first squad number he wore for Barcelona back in 2004. Some fans have taken this to be a bad omen since Messi is synonymous with the 10 shirt.

As often with big transfers, Messi to PSG is currently causing a transfer window domino effect as we speak. Now that they have Messi, PSG are no longer against Kylian Mbappe leaving, as long as it is for the right price. And as of Wednesday, Aug. 25, Real Madrid have submitted a staggering 160 million Euro bid for the French youngster which was denied by the Parisians for being too low. Another club who are hunting their first-ever Champions League, Manchester City, look to counter PSG’s most recent transfer by enticing Messi’s rival, Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus. Given Man City’s rumored pursuit of Ronaldo and stalling discussions, transfer talks with Tottenham Hotspur have broken down meaning Harry Kane will remain put in London, despite submitting a transfer request at the beginning of the summer. On a sadder note, Lionel Messi’s best friend Sergio Aguero, who is nearing the end of his career, joined Barcelona in June simply to wind down his playing days with his Argentinian compatriot. He is now rumored to be forcing a transfer away from his new club upon Messi’s exit, likely going to the MLS in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Alec Bohm’s rookie season in 2020 gave Phillies fans a lot to look forward to after he finished with a .338 batting average, a .400 on-base percentage, and a .452 batting average with runners in scoring position. However, if a sophomore season could define the term “sophomore slump,” it would be Bohm’s 2021 campaign. Bohm’s struggles led to him being sent down to the Triple-A amid a playoff race for the Phillies. So, what does this mean for Bohm’s future with the Phillies?

In the immediate future, Phillies fans should expect to see Bohm back in the big leagues in September when rosters expand. It is hard to imagine the Phillies keeping Bohm in the minors while calling up other players. Will he start in September though? I’m sure he will occasionally start games at third for the Phillies, but as of right now, Ronald Torreyes has earned a starting spot at third base defensively and even offensively this year. He has a career-high in homers, and by the time the season is done, he could also have a career-high in RBIs. Defensively, he has not committed an error at third base this year compared to Bohm’s 15 errors at third, first in the majors at third. So expect to see Bohm get occasional playing time in September, but not an everyday role.

This offseason and spring training will be crucial for Bohm’s big league career. As of now, Bohm will be the Phillies 2022 everyday starter. However, if the 2022 trade deadline comes around and Bohm is playing as he did in 2021, and the Phillies find themselves in the postseason hunt, third base could be a position they look to upgrade. Any trade for a third baseman would have to include Bohm, which means his time in Philly would end. To make sure that does not happen, Bohm will have to come back new and improved for his 2022 campaign.

Let’s play devil’s advocate for a second, though. What if the Phillies decide to pursue a third baseman in free agency this upcoming off-season? The big fish is Kris Bryant, and he is someone that would fit perfectly with the Phillies. He’s versatile as he sees time at third, first, and the outfield, and a team can never have too much versatility. He would slide into the middle of the lineup with Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Rhys Hoskins and would be a massive boost to this Phillies roster. However, I see Bryant staying in San Francisco after this year. Other than Bryant, there are not any young third basemen in free agency that the Phils can pursue, so that should give Bohm some confidence that he’ll be starting at third next year.

So, how did things go so badly for Bohm this year? The most apparent reason for his struggles is that pitchers have more information on him and therefore know how to pitch to him better than they did in 2021. Another problem for Bohm this year was that he was swinging and missing way more than 2020. His whiff percentage increased 1.6 percent, his strikeout percentage increased 6.5 percent, while his walks were down 1.3 percent. His strikeout percentage on four-seam fastballs alone went up 6 percent compared to 2020, and you cannot miss the fastball in the big leagues. Bohm had his struggles defensively in 2020, so when you combine the fact that he was never a good fielder with his offensive struggles, the result is his 16 errors this year. The mental efforts lead to fielding struggles and vice versa. Bohm has to put it all together and keep his confidence up, so he does not compound his errors and hitting woes.

Bohm is such a critical piece for the Phillies moving forward. At his best, he can hit the ball the other way and drive in runs at a productive rate. Phillies fans still haven’t seen the power Bohm could have if he reaches his full potential. If he can figure things out this offseason, look for Bohm to have a bounce-back 2022 season.

As this summer of international football continues on, yet another trophy was up for grabs, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the continental tournament of this region and the North American equivalent to the Euros or Copa America. And if this summer couldn’t get any better in terms of football, the U.S.A. overcame their heated rivals, Mexico, in the final on Aug. 2 to crown themselves the kings of North America, ending what was truly an exciting and competitive edition of this continent’s premier international cup.

Both teams had memorable runs to the final. The U.S.A. were drawn into a group with Haiti, Martinique and Canada. However, Gregg Berhalter, the manager of the U.S. team, decided to field a B-team (some would even say C-team) this Gold Cup due to the fact that the inaugural Nation’s League Finals was last month, which the U.S. won, and World Cup Qualifying is coming up within the next six weeks. This meant that America’s star players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams and many others would not be present. On top of that, Berhalter wanted to prepare this team for the future, testing out new and old talent. For example, Berhalter wanted to see if fringe players like Gyasi Zardes and Kellyn Acosta can hack it at the top level. Or if young players like Daryl Dike or Sam Vines are mature enough for the A-team. With that in mind, the U.S. was still expected to be dominant, but less-than-perfect performances were acceptable. And that’s exactly what happened in the group stage.

The U.S. topped the group with three out of three wins, 8 goals scored and only one conceded. While it looked great on paper, they didn’t actually play all that well. They struggled against Haiti despite winning 1-0, blew out Martinique 6-1, a team that is not even an independent nation or member of FIFA, before getting outplayed by Canada but winning by virtue of holding on to an early 1-0 lead. Ultimately though, results are what matter the most in tournament football and the US marched on to the Quarterfinals where they met Jamaica.

The Jamaicans had a team full of young attacking talent and were playing some very exciting football, but they were inexperienced and naive at times. Despite a strong start from Jamaica, the U.S. was strong enough to endure the storm and grab the winner with Matthew Hoppe’s header in the last 10 minutes. It was a similar story in the semifinals against Qatar, an team invited to the Gold Cup and the reigning Asian Champions who were playing some great dynamic football. This was seen on full display as the American goalkeeper, Matt Turner stopped Qatar from scoring on multiple occasions. Into the second half though, the U.S. grew into the game and scored yet another late winner, this time by Gyasi Zardes, sending them to the final.

Mexico’s route to the final was rarely ever in doubt. Unlike the U.S., Mexico did not bring a B-squad. However, there were some notable absentees, for example, Memo Ochoa and Diego Lainez went to the Olympics instead, while Chucky Lozano and Raul Jimenez missed the tournament through injury. But beyond these exceptions, Mexico fielded their top team with veterans like Hector Moreno, Hector Herrera, Jesus Gallardo, Jonathan dos Santos and Carlos Salcedo among others. Mexico was drawn into a group with Trinidad and Tobago, El Salvador and Guatemala (who were a last-minute replacement for Curacao, who withdrew from the tournament). Although Mexico was held to a 0-0 draw against Trinidad and Tobago, they still heavily dominated the match before crushing Guatemala 3-0 in the next match. And while El Salvador were formidable opponents, Mexico still came out on top winning 1-0, going undefeated in the group, conceding zero goals.

If there was one weakness in this side, it seemed that they created many chances but failed to finish a lot of them. But that was completely put to bed when Mexico tore Honduras to shreds 3-0 in the Quarterfinals. However, Mexico’s semifinal opponent, Canada, proved to be a much tougher adversary than expected, with Mexico failing to fully dominate a match for the first time this Gold Cup and Canada being arguably the better team throughout. But despite Canada scoring the first goal on Mexico this tournament, Mexico was able to win 2-1 with some controversy mixed in between a goal from Herrera sealing the win in the 100th minute, setting up a meeting with the U.S. in the Final.

The rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico is one the most heated and intense in all of global football. Historically, these two nations are by far the best in terms of North American football, meaning that every match isn’t simply to win or for a trophy, it’s to assert dominance over the region and claim the throne as the king of North America. The Mexican-American hegemony can be seen very clearly in the Gold Cup as well. Since this tournament’s inception in its modern form in 1991 (before the Gold Cup there was the CONCACAF Championship, which was slightly different), there have been 16 editions with either the US or Mexico winning every single time except in 2001 when Canada won.

To make this particular match even more interesting, there has been very recent history between the two teams. This June, the U.S. met Mexico in the Nation’s League Final with both teams at full strength. In a back-and-forth match, a penalty from Christian Pulisic and a penalty save from Ethan Horvath in extra-time saw the Americans win 3-2. However, back in July 2019, in the last iteration of the Gold Cup, a wonderful finessed goal from dos Santos led Mexico to win 1-0 over the U.S. As a result, the two teams go in this match with extra motivation, both looking to get revenge and defend a title. When you also consider the current political landscape between the United States and Mexico as well as the occasionally violent history between the regional rivals outside of sport, it only made this match all the more exciting to watch.

Then, on a warm August night in the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the match kicked off between the two rivals. Because the U.S. had not brought their top players, Mexico were seen as favorites. However, all were aware of how high-profile of a rivalry this is, meaning anything could potentially happen and this trophy was anyone’s to take.

It became very clear that this match was going to be end-to-end action when Mexico’s striker, the Argentinian-born Rogelio Funes Mori, had a clean header off a corner saved by Turner, only for the U.S. to immediately go in the opposite direction with a forced error from Sebastian Lletget leading to a one-on-one chance for Paul Arriola, whose shot hit the post. Turner turned up again for his team as Funes Mori carved out a chance with a strong run, only to be saved. Then, shortly after, Funes Mori connected with a low cross from Chaka Rodriguez and hit a one-touch shot, which was, yet again, saved by Turner. Both teams tried to gain the lead before the halftime whistle blew. The U.S. had a corner which the breakout star, Hoppe, steered just wide. At first glance, it looked like a wide miss but upon watching the replay, it just missed the open goal by a few inches. Then for Mexico, a swinging longshot from outside the 18-yard box from Edson Alvarez was deflected away by Kellyn Acosta.

At the very beginning of the second half, Mexico had two crucial chances which they really should’ve scored. The first of which saw Orbelin Pineda collect a great cross from Herrera before taking a touch inwards, leading to a clear opening to shoot. It looked to be a guaranteed goal, but Pineda pulled the shot wide. Only a few minutes later, a curling cross from Rodriguez found Pineda yet again at the mouth of the U.S. goal. All Pineda had to do was get a clean touch and it would be the opening goal, but instead, he tried to use the outside of his boot, to which the ball deflected off his shin and over the net.

The U.S. had been let off the hook massively, but credit to them as they made sure Mexico would not be able to grow into this dominant position. The U.S. responded with a flutter of chances of their own. Zardes had shot fly wide but was ruled offside anyway, then another defensive mishap from Mexico resulted in a powerful curved shot which was deflected off-target by a Nestor Araujo header. Hoppe had yet another chance as a cross missed Zardes, only for Hoppe to grab the rebound. A quick touch and change of direction saw Rodriguez to the grass, slipping and sliding on the way down, but a last-ditch tackle from Alvarez blocked a sure-goal.

With less than 20 minutes left of the 90, the U.S. had their closest chance of regulation time when they were awarded a freekick. Acosta whipped in a beautiful cross but Zardes wasn’t able to connect cleanly, instead sending the ball into the ground bouncing right in front of Mexico’s open goal. Arriola came rushing in, ripping a thunderous shot but Mexico’s goalkeeper, Alfredo Talavera, flew across the goal-line like Superman, throwing his body in front of the shot and eventually saving it with his back. The U.S. should’ve taken the lead there but were very unlucky to be thwarted. Having exhausted so much energy throughout the match, the two teams did not push forward that much in the final minutes of regulation, sending the 2021 Gold Cup Final to extra-time.

The U.S. and Mexico went into the next 30-minute period walking on eggshells, trying to look for a winner but not wanting to commit too many numbers forward in fear of a counterattack. As a result, both teams had a few half-chances; Funes Mori had a curling shot that was easily saved by Turner, as it lacked power, while Nicholas Gioacchini had a shot pawed away by Talavera, but it was from such a tight angle that realistically it would not have been a goal. However, as extra-time lumbered on, the U.S. seemed to be the more comfortable team overall. Zardes had a nice turn and shot which had to be saved by Talavera, and the U.S. continually made dangerous runs into Mexico’s territory resulting in several fouls.

With less than five minutes to go, it looked that the match would go to penalties even as the U.S. kept charging forward, but then Gioacchini was violently taken down by Alvarez, resulting in the fourth yellow card of the game and a freekick in a dangerous area on Mexico’s right flank. Then, in the 117th minute, Acosta stood over the ball for yet another set-piece. As he did throughout this match, he sent in another fantastic ball which hooked over the entire defense. With a Michael Jordan-like leap, the emerging star of a center back, Miles Robinson, outjumped his markers, rising far above Alvarez and Araujo before heading the ball straight into the ground, under Talavera’s outstretched arm and bouncing it into the open net. The U.S. scored the elusive goal and dealt the final death blow to their opponents. With barely any time left, tired legs meant that Mexico had no ability to push for an equalizer, and just like that the referee blew his whistle for the final time, ending the match 1-0 in favor of the United States of America, securing their seventh Gold Cup trophy.

With their hard-fought victory in the Nation’s League in June with the A-squad and now this Gold Cup win with the B-team in August, the U.S. proved that they are the undisputed king of North America, for the time being. Looking ahead to World Cup Qualifiers in a few week’s time, the U.S. hasn’t looked this good in years, if ever. The manager, Gregg Berhalter, who has been subject to a lot of criticism since taking the job in late 2018, redeemed himself and solidified his credentials. While the players in these two winning squads were different, the one thing that didn’t change was the strong team mentality, desire to win and pride for both the team and the country, qualities that are worth more than any amount of talent or tactics.

After winning eight games straight, the Philadelphia Phillies have jumped into first place in the National League East. As many thought, the NL East is going to be a tight race towards the end of the year, with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves still in the mix. The Phillies have caught fire at just the right time with less than two months left, and will need to sustain it from here on out. Here are some keys to how they can do that and capture the East crown.

Bryce is hot and needs to stay hot

Bryce Harper has put together a solid 2021 campaign, but injuries have slowed him down from what could have been a monstrous season. However, Harper seems to be fully healthy, swinging in the heart of the Philly lineup and has been a force for the Phils in August. Through the eight-game win streak, Harper has slashed a .367/.457/.933 batting average to go along with four home runs and seven RBIs. He is seeing the ball extremely well as he only struck out twice and walked four times in the same eight-game stretch. As the Phillies lineup gets healthier, these numbers can go up as the team strives to reach the next level, and it all starts with the superstar batting third.

Aaron Nola needs a second half turnaround

For who was supposed to be the ace of the Phillies starting rotation, Nola has been one of this year’s biggest disappointments. Nola is 7-6 with a 4.35 ERA (earned run average) and 1.14 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), less than stellar and unexpected from the righty in his seventh season in the majors. If it wasn’t for a Cy Young-caliber year from Zack Wheeler, the Phillies may not be in the postseason picture right now. With less than two months left, Nola has to be better than what he has been doing, which he has shown glimpses of this year. With the Phillies playing with a ton of confidence right now, maybe he can find some ease and put together a string of quality starts down the stretch.

Ian Kennedy solidifying the closer’s role

The bullpen has put Phillies fans through enough year after year. Dave Dombrowski, Phillies President of Baseball Operations, traded for Kennedy, along with Kyle Gibson, to address the bullpen need and gave up a lot to do it. Since Kennedy started closing games back in 2019, he is 48 for 53 in save opportunities, and this year, he is 18 for 19. There’s no need to mess around with anyone else; if there’s a save opportunity, Kennedy should be the only pitcher jogging out of the bullpen. He has proven he is reliable in the closer’s role, and the Phillies gave up Spencer Howard for Kennedy to keep shutting the door in the ninth.

After a tremendous stretch of Phillies baseball, Citizens Bank Park is packed and electric for the first time in a long time as the fans are starting to believe that this Phillies team can return to the playoffs for the first time in a decade. There’s still plenty of season left and the East race will go down to the wire. However, the pieces are clicking at the right time, the energy is felt all throughout the sea of red and white at CBP, and the boys in pinstripes are playing with more confidence than any other team in the league. It’s going to be a fun and intriguing end of the season in Philadelphia.

Last month in the 2021 Copa America, Brazil faced Colombia in the group stage in what was a highly anticipated match. Brazil, the host nation and the reigning Copa America champions, had to come from behind to controversially win 2-1 after Colombia took the lead with a world-class goal from Luis Diaz. However, this was also particularly interesting for several other reasons as well. Colombia was the first real test that Brazil had to play thus far, and the way this match panned out was very similar to Brazil’s Quarterfinal match against Belgium at the 2018 World Cup. Overall, this game between Brazil and Colombia was a perfect showpiece for how this Brazilian team plays under their manager, Adenor Leonardo Bacchi, otherwise known as Tite, and how opposing teams attempt to counter their system.

Heading into this match, Brazil had opened the 2021 Copa America with a 3-0 rout over Venezuela before smashing Peru 4-0. In both of these games, Brazil was head and shoulders above their opponents. Venezuela are historically the weakest team in South America, and while they actually have a decent squad in the current era, a COVID outbreak among their squad meant that 13 of their players, most of them starters, were unable to play. As for Peru, they were going through a transitionary phase where the manager was trying to phase out old players and integrate new players into the team. While Peru ended up doing well this tournament, their first match against Brazil occurred before the new squad fully settled into the team.

Colombia on the other hand, was to be Brazil’s toughest opponent up until that point. Even though Brazil are still a clearly a better team, the gap is much smaller. That being said, Colombia were not in the best of form — at least offensively, as they had beaten Ecuador 1-0 in a very drab game before being held to a 0-0 draw by Venezuela — so Brazil were obviously the favorites. The rivalry between Brazil and Colombia, which had been reinvigorated in recent years, was also another factor of interest in this match.

And now in the 2021 Copa America, the trend continued. The match started out equally, Brazil had more possession, but Colombia looked to create dangerous chances. But 10 minutes in, the Colombian veteran, Juan Cuadrado received the ball out on the wing and sent in a wicked looping cross. The ball was served slightly behind everyone so in a moment of genius, the winger, Luis Diaz, leaped in the air with his back to goal and unleashed a catapult of a bicycle kick, scoring with a rather unorthodox two-footed jump. Easily the goal of the tournament.

The Brazilians were in utter shock — they were on a 10-match winning streak going back two years, and this was the first time they were trailing. Without the match in their control, they looked lost and disoriented. Colombia were even getting into some dangerous positions on the counter, trying to increase their lead. Quickly though, Brazil collected themselves and looked to crawl their way back into the match; for the first time at the 2021 Copa America, they had a real challenge on their hands. But even as Brazil dominated possession and backed Colombia far into their own half, they didn’t create enough clear-cut chances, forcing Tite to make some substitutions at halftime, aiming for a more direct approach. The most effective of which; the introduction of Roberto Firmino.

Then into the second half, it looked only inevitable until Brazil found their equalizer. But to be fair to Colombia, it wasn’t until late in the match when Brazil found their goal, even though they had several close chances beforehand.  Neymar da Silva Santos Junior played a pass that accidentally hit the referee, Nestor Pitana, 78 minutes in. Usually, the referee stops play and does a drop ball if the ball hits him, but he decided that play advantage as Brazil still retained the ball. However, one or two Colombian players waited for Pitana to blow the whistle, which he never did, and in the confusion, Lucas Paqueta passed the ball to Renan Lodi, who crossed it to Firmino, who headed it home. The Colombian players were furious because they argued that play should not have continued after the ball had hit him, but regardless, Pitana said it was a fair goal and now the score was 1-1. A subsequent video assistant referee (VAR) check and further protesting from Colombia saw the play delayed several minutes, meaning a whopping 10 minutes of stoppage time was added by Pitana, much to Colombia’s dismay. Then in the 100th minute, Brazil were awarded a corner:, Neymar sent in a driven cross and poor marking saw Carlos Casemiro storm into the box and head in the ball with seconds left on the clock. The center-back pairing of Yerry Mina and Davinson Sanchez which had been unbreakable throughout the match, made one vital error, costing them the match as Brazil won 2-1. Though controversial in their manner of victory, one cannot say that Brazil were undeserving of the win as they had dominated the overwhelming majority of the match.

One cannot help but notice some very strong similarities between this match and Brazil’s Quarterfinal tie against Belgium at the 2018 World Cup. The script went almost exactly the same save for a few differences.

Both teams went toe-to-toe in the opening minutes, which heavily worked in Brazil’s favor as they had the much better chances to score. Thiago Silva even hit the post after he tried to volley in the ball off a corner, then Paulinho Bezerra Maciel Junior miskicked a tap-in off another corner moments later.

In the 13th minute however, Belgium had a corner. The ball was lashed in and three players jumped to head it, all three of them missing and the ball then unfortunately ricocheted off Fernandinho Luiz Roza’s shoulder and into his own net. Seemingly out of nowhere, Belgium had the lead despite Brazil’s dominance. But from that moment on, the Brazilians frantically tightened the vice-grip around their opponents as Belgium’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, was forced into several saves to stop shots or crosses from Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Willian Borges da Silva, Marcelo Vieira da Silva Junior and Philippe Coutinho. It must be said though, that Belgium looked extremely dangerous on the counter and Brazil were playing with fire by having their two fullbacks, Fagner Silva da Luz and Marcelo so high up on the pitch.

That approach came back to bite them as about a half-hour into the match, Brazil had been caught in transition with Fagner up in Belgium’s half, meaning the entire defense had to shift over, leaving a wide-open gap on their left flank. Then Romelu Lukaku raced forward with a quick counterattack as Fernandinho and Paulinho failed to steal the ball. Lukaku passed the ball out to Kevin De Bruyne, who was unmarked on Brazil’s left side, and was met by Marcelo, who did not close him down. With all this available space, De Bruyne ripped a hellfire shot which flew past Alisson Ramses Becker and into the net. Despite not playing bad overall, Brazil found themselves 2-0 down.

The Selecao continued to push forward in the remaining minutes of the half but were thwarted by a pair of brilliant saves from Courtois and an off-target header by Jesus, leaving Tite to attempt to calm the situation and roll out a new battle plan at halftime. At halftime, Tite subbed on Firmino and shortly after he would also sub on Douglas Costa, meaning Brazil had essentially a five-pronged attack. As a result, they continued to have the lion’s share of possession and shots on goal. They even had a penalty shout, which should have been given in my opinion. Like the future match against Colombia, Brazil would find their goal with less than 15 minutes left when a diagonal cross from Coutinho was headed in by Renato Augusto. Unfortunately for Brazil, and unlike that match against Colombia, a second goal would not follow as Neymar’s beautiful curling effort was batted away by Courtois in the last minute of the game. And just like that, Brazil were dumped out of the World Cup in the Quarterfinals despite being the favorites at that point of the tournament and Tite was handed his first loss in a competitive game as manager of Brazil.

Brazil under Tite have a very distinct style which they employ every single game. Unlike Brazilian teams of the recent past, the spine of the squad is built upon a strong defensive solidity in the backline and midfield. This way, it allows the flair players to do their magic and create chances, but when needed, everyone helps out on defense. Tite also sets up his team to play the game in sections. In the opening minutes, Brazil look to overwhelm the opposition and grab a goal or two, if not, at the very least, assert dominance on the match. Then after about 45-60 minutes, they slightly ease their foot off the gas, allowing the opposing team back into the match. However, it is sort of a false hope as they cede possession but protect the 18-yard box, restricting any definite clear chances. What this actually does is just tire out the other team while allowing Brazil to conserve energy. Then, in the last 15-20 minutes or so, after the other team is now fatigued, Brazil go in for the kill, scoring a goal or two more, finishing off the game. This is when Brazil really let loose and play their most aggressive football. They have been characterized as a second-half team and the stats back this up as they have scored eight of their 12 goals at the 2021 Copa America in the second half, four in the 89th minute or later. Seven of their 13 goals at the 2019 Copa America and five of their eight at the 2018 World Cup were also scored in the second –half.

And overall, this strategy works as Brazil have only lost two competitive matches under Tite since he took charge in 2016. They easily won the 2019 Copa America, and despite not winning the 2018 World Cup or the 2021 Copa America, they still played well and made it far. Several perfect examples of Tite’s strategy working are Brazil’s group stage match against Serbia at the 2018 World Cup and their Semifinal meeting against their heated rival, Argentina at the 2019 Copa America.

Versus Serbia, Brazil pushed the Serbians deep into their own territory, having lots of dangerous chances before grabbing the lead when Paulinho poked in a looping through-ball from Coutinho. Then into the second half, Serbia grew in confidence and created a few half-chances, but none really that troubling. Then, just as Serbia thought they were inching closer and closer to an equalizer, Brazil raced forward on the counterattack and earned a corner. Right at the near-post, Thiago Silva headed in Neymar’s cross and Brazil killed off the game, winning 2-0 comfortably.

It was a similar story at the 2019 Copa America Semifinals when they played Argentina. Just like the others, the match started out with both teams going in for the kill but marvelous build-up play between Dani Alves and Firmino saw Jesus smash home the opener for Brazil 20 minutes in. From that moment on, Argentina tried desperately to grab an equalizer. Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero even hit the post but nothing went in. Then, as the game started to wind to a close, an Argentinian corner led to a rapid-fire counterattack from Brazil where Jesus dribbled through Argentina’s defense like practice cones, allowing Firmino to easily slot in the second to solidify Brazil’s victory over their archenemy.

When Brazil are able to employ this strategy, they never lose. However, when things don’t go their way, that is when their underbelly is exposed. Brazil are at their weakest when they are not in control. That is what happened against Belgium. Despite dominating the match, Brazil were behind a goal early on due to unfortunate luck, which can happen often in football. Belgium were then able to gain a strong enough lead by picking their moments and rely on their goalkeeper and some more luck to keep them in front.

One can suspect that Colombia’s manager, Reinaldo Rueda, studied the match tape of that Brazil-Belgium game under a microscope. Just like Belgium, Colombia raced to an early lead through unconventional circumstances throwing a wrench into Brazil’s plans. However, there were some very clear differences between these two matches. Firstly, Belgium were continuously dangerous on the counter whereas Colombia heavily dropped off by halftime. Part of this is because of Colombia’s attack which was very disappointing at the 2021 Copa America. With Duvan Zapata, Rafael Santos Borre and Miguel Borja all in poor form, Colombia lacked a powerful striker like Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, who would just run straight at Brazil’s defense. Furthermore, Rueda’s controversial choice to leave home Colombia’s star playmaker, James Rodriguez, meant that they were heavily missing that creative spark to unlock Brazil’s defense like Belgium had in the form of De Bruyne. If Colombia had James and if at least one of their strikers had been in form, maybe the story may have gone differently.

That is unlikely, though, given the biggest difference between these two matches, and that is Brazil themselves. Probably no one on Earth watched the match replay of that Belgium Quarterfinal more than Tite, as it was the sole blotch on his perfect record up until that point. He knew exactly why and how his team lost, and he made sure it was to never repeat itself, which is why Brazil was able to overcome Colombia. Throughout the match this time around, Brazil quickly recollected themselves and calmed the nerves after going behind, even as the match was nearing its end; the players didn’t seem phased, as if they, and Tite, knew they were still going to win. Beyond the further mental fortifications, Tite also tweaked the system tactically. The main reason De Bruyne was able to score that second goal was the free-flowing nature of Brazil’s fullbacks; both Fagner and Marcelo were caught in transition and out of position. After that match, Brazil’s fullbacks still go forward, but are far more conservative, prioritizing defense. Marcelo, who can occasionally be a liability tracking back, was replaced by the defensively stout, Filipe Luis. Other fullbacks with more defensive capabilities such as Alex Sandro, Danilo Luiz da Silva, occasionally Eder Militao and many others have been used, making it even harder to poke holes in this Brazilian defense.

Overall, all this tinkering has led to clearly successful results, with the victory over Colombia righting all the wrongs and serving as the completion of the arc. Now all Tite needs to do to be written into Brazilian folklore is to capture the “Hexa,” Brazil’s long-standing quest to win their sixth World Cup, which I’m sure is definitely an easy task.

The 2021 Tokyo Olympic games have proved to be one of the most exciting ever, despite the many restrictions facing the games due to COVID-19 safety measures. With new sports such as skateboarding and surfing included, along with major upsets in home favourite Naomi Osaka’s run in tennis and U.S. champion Simone Biles in gymnastics, this year’s games is making up for the extra year we all had to wait for them. 

Skateboarding has already broken records, with some of the youngest medal winners seen in games history. Momiji Nishiya of Japan became one of the youngest gold medal winners in the Summer Games at just 13 years old. Winning the silver medal was Rayssa Leal from Brazil, who is also 13 years old. The bronze medal was won by Japan’s Funa Nakayama, who is 16 years old. It’s first time at the Olympic Games and certainly turning a lot of heads, we can expect to see much more from skateboarding in the future, along with these exciting young skaters. 

Defeat for tennis superstar Naomi Osaka shocked fans as she bowed out in the third round to unseeded Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. Having lit the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the games, big things were expected of second-seed Osaka. She lost out 6-1, 6-4 in a heartbreaking defeat. Osaka has previously spoken publicly about the importance of mental health in professional sports, which is something we are seeing more and more of amongst athletes who feel immense pressure.

Simone Biles took a similar route to Osaka, choosing to retire from the USA team gymnastics event for mental health reasons. After stumbling on the vault, Biles announced that she would not be competing in the rest of the team finals for team USA. Many have criticized her decision, although this is an important turning point for professional athletes. Mental health is just as critical as physical health, and Biles has expressed extreme pressure being felt on her behalf to perform at the Olympics. Despite her decision not to compete in the finals, team USA still managed a silver medal win in the finals.

Drexel alumna, Gabriela Marginean is competing at the Olympics in Basketball for Romania. Against Mongolia, she led all scorers with seven points in their win. She will be in action again against France later in the week. Keep an eye out for other Drexel alumni, Justin Best ‘19, who will be competing on the U.S. Men’s Eight rowing team, and Reilly Dampeer ‘21, who will be coach to Benin’s first-ever rower to qualify for the Olympic Games. A total of three Drexel alumni are in action at this year’s games!

In the first week of this historic Olympic Games, the host country Japan is currently in the lead for medals, with 10 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze, making a total of 18. A close second is the United States with 9 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze, a total of 25 medals so far. Third is China, with 9 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze for a total of 21 medals. This is just the early stages of the games, and we can expect many more shocks and surprises as the action continues!

Perhaps the most exciting time of the baseball season is here, the MLB trade deadline. There are many big names on the trade block this year, such as Trevor Story, Kris Bryant, and Max Scherzer, to name a few. The hometown Philadelphia Phillies are one team that has a ton of work to do before the deadline as they sit in second place in the NL East. So what names should Dave Dombrowski be looking to add to the Phillies roster?

1. Robbie Grossman

Center Field has been a problem for the Phillies since the beginning of the year, and the situation has improved since opening day with Odubel Herrera and Luke Williams. But, with Herrera only batting .240 with an on-base percentage of .293 and Williams still finding his way in the big leagues, getting a consistent batter to play center field is a top priority at the deadline. After Oakland acquired Starling Marte, there aren’t a lot of options out there on the trade block. I think the Phillies’ best bet to address center field is Detroit’s, Robbie Grossman. His batting average isn’t impressive, only.231, but he has hit 16 home runs with a .357 on-base percentage. Compared to Herrera, that combination of getting on base and power would be an upgrade. The problem is, can Grossman play center field every day? He is primarily a left fielder but has minimal experience in center field, as, throughout nine seasons in the majors, he has played 39 games in center. If the Phillies believe he can hold it down in center, he is a cheap upgrade, something the Phillies need. He is under contract through 2022 as well, which means if Andrew McCutchen does not return to Philly after this season, Grossman could return to left field.

2. Danny Duffy

Pitching remains a problem for the Phils, so we’ll start with the rotation. Zack Wheeler has been every bit of a Cy Young candidate this year as he anchors this staff. After that, the staff has really struggled, including Aaron Nola, who many expected to be the ace of the rotation. The Phillies need another reliable, consistent arm, preferably a lefty, in their starting rotation, and Danny Duffy would be a great fit. Yes, he is currently on the injured list, but with a 2.51 earned run average and an opponent’s batting average of .226, the Phils should still roll the dice. With numbers like that, you may be thinking the asking price would be high for Duffy, but that’s not entirely true as he will enter the free agent market after this season, making him a rest of the year rental. However, they will have to beat out the Dodgers and Giants, who are interested in the lefty as well.

UPDATE: Danny Duffy was traded to the Dodgers, Thursday evening.

3. Craig Kimbrel

Now the bullpen, which once again, is a problem as they lead the league in blown saves. Craig Kimbrel, who has been arguably the best closer post-Mariano Rivera, is not as dominant as he was in his Atlanta Braves days, but he’s still reliable, something the Phillies’ pen lacks. Kimbrel has 23 saves for the Cubs this season, with only two blown saves, and has made the All-Star team. He will be a very sought-after arm this deadline, as teams are always looking to bulk up their bullpens, so the Phillies might have to give up quite a bit to go and finally get the closer they have needed for years.

The chances the Phillies land all three of these guys are not great, but for a team still in the race while only playing around .500 baseball, they have to be aggressive and understand they are not one piece away from being true contenders. The trade deadline will not be on July 31 this year as usual, and instead will be at 4 p.m. on July 30.

The men’s singles match at the Wimbledon 2021 final was a historic one for two reasons; Novak Djokovic won his 20th Grand Slam title, and Matteo Berrettini made his first major final. 15,000 people watched at Center Court — an unusual sight as one of the first major sporting events to have a full capacity crowd in attendance. The crowd did not disappoint, all sporting Italian or Serbian flags in favor of either player.  

25-year-old Berretini, known for his powerful forehand and aggressive serves, was not thrown off by the prestige of the event or the experience of 34-year-old Djokovic. Djokovic had already won the Australian and French Open this season and aimed to become the fifth man in history to win the first three majors of the season. Berrettini took a tense opening set 6-7, which many predicted would be imperative for the Italian to win if he were to stand a chance against the Serb. The first set lasted for over an hour and was sealed by a typical high-speed ace by the Italian.  

From the second set onwards, there was little Berrettini could do to stop Djokovic on his way to his 20th grand slam. Djokovic flew into a 5-1 lead in the second set, which Berrettini impressively clawed back to just 5-4. Djokovic then won the set 6-4. The third set also went in favor of Djokovic, again winning 6-4. The fourth and final set was close until 3-3 when Djokovic gained the lead from a Berrettini double fault. The Serb flew through the games to win the last set, 6-3.  

On his historic road to the final, Berrettini said, “I’m really happy with the final, and hopefully it will not be my last one here or my last one in a Slam, I’m so honored to be here and it’s been a really great run for two weeks.” Berrettini was not short of fans at Center Court either, with the crowd chanting in his favor on many occasions, a rare sight against a legend like Djokovic. Even Djokovic seemed rattled by the crowd’s support of his opponent at times, sending stern looks into the crowd. Despite his loss in the final, Berrettini has certainly made his name known in tennis. 

Djokovic maintained his status as a legend of the tennis world, joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on their 20 major titles each. Djokovic seems motivated by the idea of making tennis history, as he shows no signs of letting up at the age of 34. His next goal will be to overtake Nadal and Federer and become the player with the most major titles. Speaking of the fellow legends, Djokovic said, “They are the reason why I am where I am today. They made me realise what I had to do to get stronger — mentally, physically, and tactically.” And despite the crowd’s support for his opponent, it seemed that everyone at Wimbledon was happy to see Djokovic capture yet another title and do so gracefully.

Back in 2016, with the first overall pick in the NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Ben Simmons, a 6-foot-11 Australian-born point guard. He had played one year of college basketball at Louisiana State University. The pick excited 76ers fans and labelled Simmons asthe next great one, with frequent comparisons made to Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Still, we should have taken note that Simmons had never attempted a three-pointer while at LSU.

And that incredible hype comes with huge expectations from the local fan base, particularly in Philadelphia. The fact that Simmons went on to miss his first year after breaking his foot in the preseason only added to the intrigue surrounding the former number one pick.

In his first full season of action (2017-18 season), Simmons put his skills on full display. He averaged 16 points per game, eight rebounds and eight assists, which resulted in him winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award.

In Simmons’ second full year of playing in the NBA, he had an even better year than his first, with averages of 17 points per game, nine rebounds, and eight assists en route to making his first all-star appearance. In the following two seasons, Simmons made two more all-star appearances, but saw his numbers go down each season. And throughout his time in the league, Simmons has yet to develop or even attempt any type of jump shot. It doesn’t help that in most of the games he plays in, he’s not looking to shoot the ball; he either drives to the basket or passes.

For his career, Simmons is 5-34 from the three-point line over four seasons. The ratio is uninspiring, but he is also averaging less than nine attempts per season. In today’s league, with high-powered offense leading the way, this is remarkable. Still, Simmons has proven he is able to develop his skills; in the regular season, he has gradually improved his free throw percentage, going from 56 percent his first year to 61 percent this past year.

When it came time for the 2021 NBA playoffs this year, with the Sixers having the number 1 seed in the east, an MVP candidate in Joel Embiid and a “star” in Ben Simmons, there were big expectations. Those expectations: a championship finals appearance or bust.

As we are too well aware of, the Sixers playoff run was a “bust,” primarily due to Ben Simmons’s inability to be aggressive in games. In the first series, the Sixers played against the Wizards, during which they won in five games. Simmons wasn’t a star in this series, but his play was good enough to help get them to the second round.

The issue with Simmons came in that second round against the Atlanta Hawks. Simmons, a defensive specialist and runner-up for this year’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, struggled mightily covering Hawks star point guard Trae Young, who averaged  29 points and 11 assists in the series. 

Besides a solid performance in game three — recording 18 points and seven assists in a Sixers victory — Simmons was almost nonexistent in the seven game series, averaging 9.9 points, 8.6 assists and 6.3 rebounds. His worst statistic of the series was his performance from the free-throw line, shooting an abysmal 15-of-45 from the free-throw line.

In the playoffs as a whole, seven-game Simmons shot 34.2 percent, which (according to ESPN) is the worst free-throw shooting percentage in NBA playoff history with at least 70 attempts. And that includes some notoriously bad free throw shooters (Shaq, Wilt, etc.) but no point guards!

The boiling point came in game seven during a play that pretty much encapsulated Simmons’ confidence mentally. With three minutes and 31 seconds left in game seven and the 76ers down by two, Simmons was in the post—backing down Danilo Gallinari, getting by him, leaving him wide open for a dunk. Instead of dunking the ball for an easy two points, Simmons passed the ball to Matisse Thybulle, who was completely covered and could only make one free throw after getting fouled. 

The Sixers lost the game to the Hawks 103-96, which eliminated the Sixers from the playoffs. This marks the second time in three years that the 76ers were destroyed in game seven of the second round.

After the game, 76ers superstar Joel Embiid was asked what the turning point in the loss to the Hawks was. While he didn’t mention Simmons by name, Embiiid referred to Simmons passing up a dunk as the turning point in the game.

“I’ll be honest: I thought the turning point was when we had an open shot, and we made one free throw, and we missed the other, and they came down and scored,” Embiid told the Washington Post.

“From there … it’s on me,” he added. “I turned the ball over and tried to make something happen from the perimeter. But I thought that was the turning point.”

So, where do the 76ers go from here? Specifically, what does the team do with Ben Simmons? Do they keep him and hope he magically develops a jump shot and confidence. Or do they trade him for an established player who has a jump shot and, more importantly, doesn’t lack confidence? That’s up to the 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey to decide.

According to NBA reporter Shams Charania of the Athletic, the 76ers would be willing to trade Ben Simmons away, but only for a “all-Star caliber player” in return. There are only a handful of players in the league that are considered all-star caliber, and even less that teams would actually consider trading. Some of the names that have popped up as trade candidates include Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Collin Sexton, Zach Lavine, and even Russel Westbrook.

Of those players, the best fit and player for the 76ers would be Damian Lillard. His resume speaks for itself: He has been named an all-star six times in his career at only 30-years-old, he can facilitate and, most importantly, he is lethal from three-point range and can create his own shot. The combination of Lillard and Embiid would be deadly for the 76ers. What’s better than having two MVP candidates on the same team? This would be a dream scenario for the 76ers.

However, acquiring a player of Lillard’s caliber would take more than just giving up Ben Simmons. The 76ers would probably also have to give up draft picks, as well as Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle or both.

This trade can only happen if the Blazers want to trade Lillard. That may be the case if Lillard asks to be traded, which he hasn’t yet. Given the frequency of trade requests lately over the years in the league, it would not be a surprise to see Lillard do the same. If this is the case, Lillard should be the Sixers number one goal.