Mbappe and Barcola Stun in Paris; Marlins Head to Spring Training
PSG put one foot into the Champions League Quarterfinal as the Marlins open their season
It was a great day for sports teams that Ethan Budowsky is a fan of. The Florida Panthers throttled the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2. The Miami Heat won another game over a top team despite a depleted roster, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 109-104.
We talked about the Heat yesterday, and we will get to the Panthers later, but the most important result on Valentine’s Day came in the City of Romance. Paris Saint-Germain scored a massive victory to kick off the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 over Spanish club, Real Sociedad.
As a PSG fan, life is all about the Champions League and every UCL day is a big one. PSG have conquered everything there is to conquer in France, but the last hurdle they have to clear is winning the UCL, the biggest annual sporting competition on the planet.
The tournament matches up 32 of the best teams in Europe, and it is the most prestigious trophy a European soccer club can win. It is the one gap in PSG’s trophy case, and the last thing they have to do to prove they are one of the world’s top clubs.
As such, the UCL is an obsession to the club, and each game comes with an absurd amount of pressure. This year is no different, as PSG squeaked through the group stage and drew Sociedad in the Round of 16.
In the Champions League, each round leading up to the final is a two-legged tie. Each team plays a home game, and the winner on combined score at the end of two legs advances.
As a result of finishing second in their group, PSG hosted the first leg Wednesday. It was a chance to put themselves in good position to advance, and they did just that.
Le Rouge et Bleu came out quite sloppy in the first half, with the teams heading to the locker in a scoreless tie. Kylian Mbappe had the best chance of the half, a breakaway six minutes into the game that was saved by the Sociedad keeper. A chance he does not miss often, it was an omen for a frustrating first half.
PSG struggled to hold possession against the Sociedad press, and could not string passes together in their own half when they got the ball. It was ugly to watch, and as a fan it was an extremely discouraging performance. The frustration boiled over at half as I let some expletives fly and called for some halftime substitutions.
However, PSG manger, Luis Enrique, held strong with his starting XI and the move paid off. One of the guys I wanted taken off, midfielder Fabián Ruiz, ended up being one of the most impactful players in the second half. Ruiz was great at linking-up play between the defenders and attackers with sharp passes leading to attacks, including a splendid second goal.
Before that goal put the nail in the coffin, it was Mbappe who broke the deadlock off a corner in the 58th minute. A ball deflected off a shoulder, and Mbappe was right there to pounce and poke the ball into the roof of the net.
Who else but Kylian would come to the rescue in that moment? The best player in the world was there yet again to bring PSG to life and spark the victory.
If you do not know much about soccer, I implore you to learn about the wonder that is Kylian Mbappe. I got asked the other day who my favorite athlete to watch in the world is, and without hesitating I answered Mbappe. He is so graceful and such a joy to watch when he gets out in space, he will make you fall in love with football.
Another player like Mbappe that will make you fall in love with The Beautiful Game is Bradley Barcola. Brought over from rival club, Lyon, in the summer, Barcola has taken Paris by storm. The 21-year-old Frenchman has captured the hearts of PSG fans this season, and announced himself to the world with a stunning goal today.
The winger dashed down the left wing, pushed the ball past a defender with a long touch on his right foot, then just guided the ball with his weak foot through the keeper’s legs and into the net. A beautiful goal on a beautiful Parisian night to put PSG ahead 2-0.
From there PSG smelled blood and Mbappe nearly bagged a third a couple times, but in the end the game finished at 2-0. PSG will now head to San Sebastian on March 5 for the second leg, looking to lock down its first quarterfinal appearance since 2021.
Marlins Open Spring Training After Disappointing Offseason
The Miami Marlins open their Spring Training today as pitchers and catchers report to their Jupiter headquarters. It was an extremely disappointing offseason for the Marlins, who have yet to sign a single Major League free agent.
I wrote a long-form article about my thoughts on the Marlins offseason for Just Baseball. You can find that article here and read more in depth, but I will sum it up here.
Following their first playoff appearance in 20 years, to not improve the team, and possibly even get worse, is a massive missed opportunity. The front office had a chance to build on excitement from last year with a fanbase begging for a team to love, and they completely botched it.
The Marlins let general manager, Kim Ng, walk and chose to replace her with Rays general manager, Peter Bendix. The move should have come as no surprise, as the Rays are the franchise the Marlins have been trying to emulate for years.
Bendix has been building out his front office staff, hiring more executives than he has signed players. He clearly wants to change the infrastructure of the organization and do things completely differently.
That is probably a good thing. At the same time, it is likely going to set back the franchise at a really unfortunate time. The team was always going to need to start over a bit and inject some talent into the farm system. For it to happen right after they make the Postseason for the first time in a full season since 2003 is terrible timing.
As hard as it is to admit it, it is probably the best move for the long-term health of the franchise. How long it will take to pay off will be a big determining factor in how much patience Marlins fans have.
The Florida Panthers Are Amazing
In the same way if you want to fall in love with soccer you should watch Kylian Mbappe, if you want to fall in love with hockey you should watch the Florida Panthers.
This team is incredible. As good as they were in the playoffs last year, they are likely even better this year. Their run to the Stanley Cup Final is easy cover for what was a bad 2023 regular season. The Panthers squeaked into the Postseason as the eight seed and were really close to missing out.
Yet they put it all together in April and May and went on a run for the ages. This looks like the team that went to the Cup Final, only better and even more dominant.
Just this week they shut out the Colorado Avalanche 4-0, and the performance was even better than the score. The Cats suffocated one of the league’s best offenses and Sergei Bobrovsky was tremendous. A few nights later, Florida went up to Pittsburgh and crushed the Penguins.
After recording just four shots in the first period, the Panthers scored four goals in the second period on their way to a 5-2 win.
I went to a Panther game last week in which they beat the Capitals 4-2, and they are such an entertaining product. The Panthers will have these stretches where they will just shut teams down on defense, then launch everything at them on offense. They are truly spectacular to watch, and they have so much talent up and down the roster.
The Cats go four lines deep, and have defensemen that can score as well. Against the Pens, the Panthers got goals from their third line, their fourth line and a defenseman.
It is still hard to believe that our little hockey team in South Florida has become such a force. I have gone to so many games where you can get $15 dollar tickets and move down to the glass and find empty seats.
Those days are long gone.
Panther games are slammed, they are an event, the fans are into it and the team is awesome. Paul Maurice has the boys buzzing, and South Florida is buzzing about their Ice Cats. Sitting on 72 points, the Panthers have a real shot at winning the Eastern Conference, and possibly even a second Presidents’ Trophy in three years.
Either way, a deep playoff run seems in the cards, and I cannot wait to see what this team has in store.