Sunderland vs. Cardiff City: Plight of the Bluebirds

I took off from work this past Friday to drive to my hometown in Pennsylvania.  I saw my parents, I saw some friends, and of course I made it a point to consume some of my Philadelphia favorites.  That would be soft pretzels and cheesesteaks.

One other thing I did this weekend was wake up at 7am to catch the Bluebirds match.  

7am?!  My god that's early!

Sure it was early.  I figured that I'd set my alarm for 6:55am, fire up the iPad, watch Cardiff City dominate Sunderland, and maybe we'd be so far ahead by the half I could go back to bed.  Triumphant escape from the relegation zone completed, right?

Hold your nose...

Sunderland 4 - Cardiff City 0

• Wickham (SUN) 26'
• Borini (SUN) 45'
• Giaccherini (SUN) 76'
• Wickham (SUN) 86'

There are no words to describe the disappointment that was this match.  Sunderland were literally the worst club in the league.  And the Bluebirds had supposedly found their best starting XI.

The feeling I had when Sunderland's Connor Wickham scored his first goal was akin to watching a carefully balanced Jenga tower fall over.  Only this Jenga tower was built with pieces of my fragile heart.

There's honestly no point in walking you through the match summary.  It was a nightmare you'd only expect to see after spending one week naked in the lotus position solving Pinhead's puzzlebox.

Cardiff City got spanked, end of story.  Time to dust ourselves off.

With this loss, the Bluebirds move down to 20th place with 7 wins, 9 draws, and 20 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 05/01/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

It's very tough to digest that Cardiff City are sitting in 20th place with only two matches remaining (Newcastle United and Chelsea).  But if you look closely at the righthand column you'll see that all is not yet lost.  Here's the situation.

These are the 12 clubs that cannot be relegated:

• Liverpool
• Chelsea
• Manchester City
• Arsenal
• Everton
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Manchester United
• Southampton
• Newcastle United
• Stoke City
• Crystal Palace
• Swansea City

This means that there are still 8 clubs that can be relegated.  Let's take a look at the standings of the bottom 5 clubs

• Aston Villa - 35 pts
• Sunderland - 32 points
• Norwich City - 32 points
• Fulham - 31 points
• Cardiff City - 30 points

Cardiff City need at least 3 points out of their remaining 2 matches or they WILL be relegated.   

My predictions last week were again mediocre.  I picked 2 matches correctly out of 4.  Let's try this again...

Here is what I believe are the most likely outcomes for everyone in the bottom 5 except Cardiff City...  

• AVL pick up 3 more points (win against HUL)
• SUN pick up 1 more point (draw against WBA)
• NOR pick up 0 more points
• FUL pick up 0 more points

This would lead to a bottom table of:

• AVL - 38 points
• SUN - 33 points
• NOR - 32 points
• FUL - 31 points
• CAR - 30 points (not accounting for the remaining 2 matches)

Based on these outcomes, Cardiff City need at least 4 points. But Probably 6 points to be safe.  A win against Newcastle United this week is acheivable.  Stealing a point from Chelsea will really depend on their position in the title race.

Regretably, no interview this week.  I hope to locate one or two more US Bluebirds before the end of the season.  If you're reading this and have a friend who might be interested, please sent me a tweet (@dragon_bluebird).

In Fantasy news, I'm really no better of a manager than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.  The Cardiff'rent Strokes are diving worse than Luis Suarez...

• Rank (Last Week):  1,086,221
• Rank (This Week):  1,168,101
• Total Players:  3,215,774

Cardiff City's next match is on May 3rd away against Newcastle United.  This may very well be the Bluebirds' last weekend of meaningful Premier League play, so be sure to tune in via the NBC Sports Live Extra app.

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Twitter or Blogger.  See you next week!

Cardiff City vs. Stoke City: Finish the Race

The 118th edition of the Boston Marathon took place this past Monday.  And as we have for the past three years, my wife and I stood on Boylston Street and cheered on the runners as they approached the finish line.

I can only tell you so much about this race and these runners.  If you ever have the opportunity to see the Boston Marathon (or any marathon really) in person, you'll see why words cannot do justice to the awe-inspiring physical and mental toughness that they exhibit.

I don't go to the Marathon to see the elite runners finish, although the idea that a human being can run 26.2 miles in about 2 hours is bonkers.  I go to see the athletes in wheelchairs and handbikes.  I go to see the amputees.  But most of all I go to see the guys that look like you and me who have been running for 5 hours.  

By mile 26, these amateurs (I say that with no insult intended) are typically trotting or walking.  Sometimes their backs are arched horribly from muscle spasms.  Sometimes their legs stop working properly and each step comes with a grimace.  Training, gatorade, and gel packs have carried them most of the way.  Force of will and the cheers from the crowd get them over the finish line.  

I love being a part of that experience, and so to do the hundreds of thousands of spectators along the race route.  

Attending this year was terribly important to me.  Last year, my wife, our good friend Leah, and myself were on Boylston Street.  We were on the same side of the street as the bombs and witnessed them both go off.  It is only by sheer luck that we were almost exactly in the middle of the two explosions and thus out of the blast radius of both.  If you look at the map below, we were standing roughly across from the Lenox Hotel.

(Image Credit:  New York Times)

I spent the next few weeks...months really...in various states of sadness and anger.  But at the same time, I was buoyed by the strength of the Boston community.  The spirit of the marathon is to never give up, to finish the race despite all obstacles.  And even though I wasn't a participant, I felt compelled to be there this year to show my support.

I was particularly happy to witness Dick Hoyt pushing his son Rick (who has cerebral palsy) in their 32nd and final Boston Marathon...

(Image Credit:  AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

You can see an Instagram video I took of them approaching the finish line here (safe for work).  Be sure to listen with sound!

A friend of mine, Maureen Spencer, did not get to finish her first Boston Marathon last year due to the bombings.  But this year, she re-trained, joined Team Hoyt, and finished her race...

From the somber to the uplifting, let's bring this blog back to it's purpose.  How are the Bluebirds progressing in their own marathon of a season?

Cardiff City 1 - Stoke City 1

• Arnautovic (STK) 45'
• Whittingham (CAR) 51'

A frustrating draw when, in all likelihood, a win was needed.

This match was a unique experience for me as a novice Premier League follower.  In the Bluebirds' prior 34 matches, they had no penalties awarded for or against themselves.  This weekend, within the span of six minutes, Cardiff City both received and gave a penalty.  And those two penalties resulted in both of the match's goals.

The team's seem evenly matched in the first half, with perhaps a slight edge towards Cardiff City.  A foul committed in the final moments of the first half led to Stoke City's Marko Arnautovic penalty kick... 

(Image credit unlisted)

Coming off the break, the Bluebirds were reinvigorated and became more aggressive.  And by odd coincidence, the Potters committed a foul and set up this Peter Whittingham penalty kick...

(Image Credit:  Scott Heavey/Getty Images)

For perspective, the next closest club in terms of limited penalties is Norwich with 2 for and 3 against.  The club with the most penalties combined is Liverpool with 12 for and 4 against.  

Smelling blood in the water, Cardiff City played for the win and Juan Cala, the hero of last week's match against Southampton had what everyone thought was the winning goal.

(Image credit unlisted)

Alas, celebrations were cut short when it turned out that Cardiff City were offsides.

This deflated the team but luckily the Bluebirds had David Marshall to prevent an emboldened Stoke City.

I have run out of ways to tell you of David Marshall greatness.  So let me try a different angle.  On Monday (April 21st), the Premier League equivalent of Monday Night Football (which is confusingly also called Monday Night Football) named their 2013 Dream Starting XI.  Among the winners were:

• 4 players from Liverpool
• 3 players from Chelsea
• 1 player from Everton
• 1 player from Southampton
• 1 player from Manchester City
• 1 player from Cardiff City (you guessed it, David Marshall)

The Bluebirds may be one of the worst Premier League clubs, but they do have the talent within to be great if they can survive.  

I say "if" they can survive because for Cardiff City a win was desperately needed.

With this draw, the Bluebirds move up to 18th place with 7 wins, 9 draws, and 19 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 04/23/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

This season is in its final act and the relegation race is heating up.  At this point these are the 11 clubs who are safe from relegation:

• Liverpool
• Chelsea
• Manchester City
• Arsenal
• Everton
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Manchester United
• Southampton
• Newcastle United
• Stoke City
• Crystal Palace

It's worth noting that Crystal Palace has become the first of the newly-promoted clubs to reach safety. Which is even more impressive considering that this is their FIFTH stint in the Premier League and the previous four were one and done seasons.

Now let's take a look at the current state of the bottom six clubs:

• AVL - 35 points
• WBA - 33 points
• NOR - 32 points
• CAR - 30 points
• FUL - 30 points
• SUN - 29 points

Cardiff City need at least 3 points out of their remaining 3 matches or they WILL be relegated.  And even if the Bluebirds win all 3 matches (gaining 9 points), it still may not be enough to survive.  

My predictions last week weren't so good.  I picked 3 matches correctly out of 5.  Let's try this again...

Here is what I believe are the most likely outcomes for everyone in the bottom 6 except Cardiff City...  

• AVL pick up 3 more points (win against HUL)
• WBA pick up 4 more points (draw against SUN, win against STK)
• NOR pick up 0 more points
• FUL pick up 0 more points
• SUN pick up 1 more point, not counting their match against CAR (draw against WBA)

This would lead to a bottom table of:

• AVL - 38 points
• WBA - 37 points
• NOR - 32 points
• CAR - 30 points (not accounting for the remaining 3 matches)
• FUL - 30 points
• SUN - 30 points

Based on these outcomes, Cardiff City need at least 3 points. But Probably 6 points to be safe.  An achievable plan, but by no means easy.

After a two weeks off, it is once again time to Meet a US Bluebird!

Meet Andrew Lewis (@margam_lew, 04/21/14)

Where do you live and where are you from originally?:  I live in Princeton, New Jersey now.  I moved here 5 years ago. I am originally from the village of Margam in South Wales. It's on the outskirts of Port Talbot. It's a strange town really, very working class with a big steel works. However, it has produced some very talented actors; Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen.

How long have you been following the Bluebirds and how did you become a fan?:  I've been a fan for about 20 years, since my early teens.  Growing up in Port Talbot, you have two choices; Swansea or Cardiff. A lot of older boys from the area supported Cardiff; I liked the way they dressed and the stories they told of going to games.

What is your most favorite Cardiff City memory and why?:  Probably the first time I went to Ninian Park and stood on the Grange End. I think we either played Carlisle or Scunthorpe; shows how far we have come.

If not that, then definitely when we knocked Leeds out the FA Cup. Scott Young and Graham Kavanagh scored, against a Leeds team who were one of the best in the country. 

Who is your most favorite current Cardiff City player?:  Marshy or Kevin McNaughton.  

What makes Cardiff City important to you?:  Cardiff isn't a glamour club, but the people are unique in my opinion. It's a big catchment area for support, in what is predominantly rugby country. Football isn't widely played in schools.

If you grow up playing football, and following cardiff - it's like you're part of a select group.

What is your favorite US sport and team?  Do you follow any MLS clubs?:  NFL, NY Jets. I follow the Red Bulls a bit, and am always interested to see how the former Premier League guys are doing.

Beckham's team in Miami could be a real game changer, in terms of the profile of MLS. I expect it. 

Do you think Premier League is growing in popularity in the US?  What can NBC or the League itself do to grow its popularity in the US?:  Absolutely, no doubt about it. The switch to NBC was critical and has worked well.  I really like Gary Lineker, it's a coup for NBC to have him involved. The hillsborough segment he did for the 25 year anniversary was incredible.   I love the early morning kickoff times here on the east coast, breakfast and football are a great combination!

Thanks for the interview, Andrew!

In Fantasy news, as Cardiff City scrape and claw their way up the Premier League table, the Cardiff'rent Strokes continue their tailspin...

• Rank (Last Week):  939,294
• Rank (This Week):  1,086,221
• Total Players:  3,213,058

Let's forget about previous targets of top 800k or 900k.  My only goal now is to manage my squad back into top 1 million players and stay there.

Cardiff City's next match is on April 27th away against Sunderland.  This is the most winnable of the Bluebirds' remaining matches, and could very well be their last chance for any points this season.  You can watch the match live at the ungodly hour of 7am EST or tune in to Dragon and Bluebird next week to find out the result!

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Twitter or Blogger.  See you next week!

Cardiff City vs. Crystal Palace/Southampton: The Music, The Moment

I have a long list of songs that I listen to when I need to get fired up.  My running playlist changes every few months, but currently interspersed between Kesha anthems (she's dropped the $ from her name since her stint in rehab) you'll find the following:

• Welcome to the Jungle, by Guns n' Roses
• Down with the Sickness, by Disturbed
• We Will Rock You, by Queen
• Lose Yourself, by Eminem

That last track, Lose Yourself, never leaves the rotation.  It's the song I listen to just before the start of every race I run.  It was the last song I listened to before diving into the water for my triathlon.  And you better damn well believe that if the Star League recruits me to defend the Frontier from Xur and the Ko-dan armada, then I will be blaring the song in the cockpit of my Gunstar before I launch.

Yes, I really do believe this could happen to me

Maybe I'm a masochist, but a hatred of losing drives me more than a love of winning.  And that is the essence of Lose Yourself.  A reminder that defeat tastes like bile and you can choose to be your best or to be a loser.  A reminder that seems fitting for Cardiff City in its past two matches.  The song goes like this...

Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity

to seize everything you ever wanted.  One moment.

Would you capture it or just let it slip?

Yo...

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy

There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti

He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready to 

drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down,

The whole crowd goes so loud

He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out

He's choking how, everybody's joking now

The clock's run out, time's up over, bloah!

Cardiff City 0 - Crystal Palace 3

• Puncheon (CPL) 31'
• Ledley (CPL) 71'
• Puncheon (CPL) 88'

One can only hope that Dragon and Bluebird's Wales correspondent, @jodylaforge, had antacids with him on April 4th when he attended this debacle...

The Bluebirds and the Eagles came into this match ranked 18th and 16th respectively.  Cardiff City had just pulled off a miraculous 3-3 draw against West Bromwich Albion.  And Crystal Palace were coming off an equally astonishing 1-0 win against Chelsea.

So as far as I'm concerned, both teams had just as much motivation and expectation to leave everything they had on the field.  

Alas, it was only Crystal Palace who showed up to play.  Eagle Jason Puncheon's two goals were disheartening, but perhaps less painful than the goal they bookended...

(Image Credit:  Getty Images)

That was the scene after Joe Ledley, Welshman and former Bluebird put one past David Marshall.  

Crystal Palace earned this win.  Cardiff City's Fraizer Campbell's reaction fairly captures the team's mood and that of the fans for the next six days.

(Image Credit:  Huw Evans Picture Agency)

After all the talk of "must-win", the draw and loss to West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace had left me deflated.  This wasn't how the story was supposed to play out.  Cardiff City were supposed to break into the Premier League and set down roots.  Instead, the Bluebirds found themselves with 5 matches left and the same odds of surviving as getting hit in the face with a meteorite.

Lose Yourself continues...

No more games, I'ma change what you call rage

Tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged

I was playing in the beginning, the mood all changed

I've been chewed up and spat out and booed off stage

But I kept rhyming and stepped right into the next cypher

Southampton 0 - Cardiff City 1

• Torres Ruiz (CAR) 65'

For the Bluebirds, this match was a return to Malky Mackay's "park the bus" play style.  And for once, I am perfectly fine with the approach.  If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sticks around for a few more years, maybe he can find a way to turn Cardiff City into an offensive powerhouse without leaking goals.  But this team in this season is at it's best when they set up defensively and wait for their opponents to screw up.

This past Saturday, Southampton owned Cardiff City in every possible stat except the only one that matters...

(Image Credit:  PA)

(Image Credit:  Huw Evans Picture Agency)

This win was shocking for several reasons.  First, Southampton are unquestionably a superior team to many that have previously beaten Cardiff City.  Second, the Bluebirds by all reports were imploding not just on the field but in the locker room as well.  Third, Cardiff City had only won on the road one time this season (against Fulham back in September).

With a loss and win over the past two weeks, the Bluebirds are in 19th place with 7 wins, 8 draws, and 19 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 04/16/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

Believe it or not, even just one goal can make the difference in the relegation race.

We have long since passed the point where Cardiff City could control their own destiny.  But thanks to the win against Southampton and some tough match runs ahead for other relegation candidates, there is still hope for the Bluebirds.  Let's start by looking at which clubs cannot be relegated:

• Liverpool
• Chelsea
• Manchester City
• Arsenal
• Everton
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Manchester United
• Southampton
• Newcastle United

Now let's take a look at the current state of the bottom six clubs:

• SWA - 33 points
• WBA - 33 points
• NOR - 32 points
• FUL - 30 points
• CAR - 29 points
• SUN - 25 points

As you can see, none of these clubs are safe from relegation.  There are still too many end-of-season scenarios to detail them all, but what we do know is that Cardiff City need at least 4 points out of their remaining 4 matches or they WILL be relegated.  And even if the Bluebirds win all 4 matches (gaining 12 points), it still may not be enough to survive.  

I haven't done much predicting this season, mostly because I have no idea what I'm talking about.  But let's throw caution to the wind for a moment.  Here is what I believe are the most likely outcomes for everyone in the bottom 6 except Cardiff City...  

• SWA pick up 7 more points (wins against AVL and SUN, draw against NEW)
• WBA pick up 6 more points (wins aginast SUN and WHU)
• NOR pick up 1 more point (draw against ARS)
• FUL pick up 3 more points (win against HUL)
• SUN pick up 0 more points (this doesn't count the result against CAR)

This would lead to a bottom table of:

• SWA - 40 points
• WBA - 39 points
• NOR - 33 points
• FUL - 33 points
• CAR - 29 points (not accounting for the remaining 4 matches)
• SUN - 25 points

Based on these outcomes, Cardiff City need at least 5 points. Probably 8 points, because flukes happen and NOR or FUL could pull out an unexpected win.  Improbable, but achievable.

I did not conduct an interview for this post.  I'm not a shoddy journalist, just an epic procrastinator.  Plus the mood was so dreadful following the Crystal Palace loss that I didn't think it was a good time to ask people how they felt about Cardiff City.

But in the vein of American Bluebirds' supporters, I asked a good friend of mine @MrJoshClancy if he could help me design a new logo for the blog.  Josh plays Graphic Design Hero on Legendary, check out his work!

If you like this logo and have any interest in something similar for your blog or website feel free to contact Josh at mrjoshclancy@gmail.com

In Fantasy news, the Cardiff'rent Strokes have dipped in performance, but I still think we can finish in at least the top 900,000 players...

• Rank (Last Week):  915,073
• Rank (This Week):  939,294
• Total Players:  3,210,060

Well that's it for this week.  Cardiff City's next match is at home on April 19th against Stoke City.  Survival is still a very real possibility and the Bluebirds can do anything to which they set their mind.  Let's hope they set their minds to kicking the Potters' asses.

(Image Credit:  Unlisted)

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  Please be sure to check out friends of the blog @jodylaforge, @DodgemXofficial, and @MrJoshClancy.  Also feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Blogger.  Would love to hear your thoughts as the season winds down.  See you next week!

West Bromwich Albion vs. Cardiff City: Gaining Steam

Ever since NBC announced its plan to begin broadcasting the Premier League in the US, I've been skeptical of whether or not Americans would embrace the sport.  Yes, I'm well aware that soccer is the number one most popular youth sport in America and that people gave a crap about Premier League in this country before 2013.  But let's be honest, the number of fans was not staggering.  

Over the past seven weeks, I have interviewed US-based Bluebirds to hear their thoughts on the state of Premier League popularity in the US.  You'll find the latest interviewee's thoughts towards the end of this post, but here are the others' answers to the question, "Do you think the Premier League is growing in popularity in the US?":

• @IanPJ1927, "Yes I do."
• @lukeangevine, "I think it's growing. Young kids want to play more soccer.  The exposure of the sport has grown with the help of NBC."
• @SonOfCrunch, "NBC has done an absolutely incredible job with their Premier League rollout this year...There's very little I'd like NBC to do that I believe would help grow the game."
• @OnlyMadeFor1D, "I think through NBC Sports and games like FIFA, the Premier League is getting more coverage in the US. I know a lot of people at my college that are obsessed with it."
• @pgnoble, "Without a doubt.  In my local bar alone I notice that people are taking more notice and I can only see it growing further.  Folks who would only be interested in talking about The Yankees or Red Sox ask me how Cardiff are doing and some have started to watch Premier League games regularly."
• @druidbar, "Definitely, more and more people are aware of soccer in general, Americans enjoy any sport that’s played at a high level."

OK so that's the opinion of six Americans, but Dragon and Bluebird readers are scholars who crave numbers.  Do we have any facts to back up the opinions?

Actually we do.

A March press release from NBC stated that the network had posted "the [Premier] League's best-ever monthly audience in the U.S. in February."  On average, 609,000 American viewers watched each Premier League match last month.  And perhaps more interesting is the fact that, "the February viewership marks the second consecutive U.S. record monthly viewership for the Premier League, following the prior mark of [an average of] 492,000 viewers [per match]."

It is worth noting that the state of our domestic league, the MLS, is not so rosy.  A January SportsBusiness article reports that the average TV viewership for a 2013 MLS match was 112,000.  And that is down from the 2012 MLS average match viewership of 121,700.

These numbers might need a bit of context.  As I mentioned last week, professional football is the most popular sport in America.  According to a recent press release the NFL had a staggering average of 17.6 MILLION viewers per regular season broadcast in 2013.  

NBC, which also carries NHL regular season games, stated in a press release that "NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the 2013 NHL regular season averaged 392,000 viewers".

I won't go through every sport we Americans watch, but you get the idea.  The Premier League is gaining steam.  Less than one season into NBC's new broadcast contract, soccer is officially more watched on television than the NHL, and it is growing in popularity every month.

Regardless of the country from which you watched, did you by any chance see the Baggies clash with the Bluebirds last weekend?

West Bromwich Albion 3 - Cardiff City 3

• Amalfitano (WBA) 2'
• Dorrans (WBA) 9'
• Mutch (CAR) 30'
• Caulker (CAR) 73'
• Bifouma Koulossa (WBA) 94'
• Daehli (CAR) 95'

Don't grimace at the score line.  This was a heart attack-inducing, yet positive result for the Bluebirds.

Allow me to re-enact my match experience for you...

• 0-9 minutes:  Watching on my iPad
• 9-31 minutes:  Reading Steinbeck's "Log from the Sea of Cortez"
• 31-74 minutes:  Peeking occaisionally at Twitter for score updates on my iPhone
• 74-94 minutes:  Watching on my iPad
• 94-95 minutes:  Biting the knuckle of my index finger so heard it left a mark
• 95th minute:  Screaming so loud I disturbed my pug's third nap of the day (but only for a moment, his narcolepsy is legendary)

Who is this team that now scores not one, not two, but THREE goals on a regular basis?  I looked back through the Cardiff City results this season.  The Bluebirds scored three single-match goals in only one of their first 33 matches.  They've done it now three time in the past four matches.

Sure, they now have the second worst Goals Allowed record in the league.  But if I'm going to watch Cardiff City get relegated, I'd rather watch them go down in flames than with a whimper.

If you have a few moments, watch this NBC Sports recap of the match goals (Safe for work).

I rifled through the internet for a few of my favorite moments, here they are... 

Steven Caulker revels with the away fans after equalizing the score (Image Credit:  ProSoccerTalk on NBCSports)

Mats Moller Daehli celebrates his last breath goal with Campbell, Caulker, and Mutch (Image Credit:  Rui Vieira/AP Daehli)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does the Ayatollah for the away fans (Image Credit:  Reuters)

After the match, Solskjaer told reporters that while Daehli kicked the ball it was the fans themselves who sucked it into the net.  

However it happened, Cardiff City are still in the fight and perhaps like the Premier League in America also gaining steam.

With this draw, the Bluebirds are in 18th place with 6 wins, 8 draws, and 18 losses.  The table below captures the full Premier League standings as of 03/31/14.  The table columns are:  Current Position (POS), Last Position (LP), Club Name (CLUB), Matches Played (P), Wins (W), Draws (D), Losses (L), Goals Fielded (GF), Goals Allowed (GA), Goal Differential (GD), and Rankings Points (PTS).

If we're being honest, the Bluebirds really did need a win this past weekend.  A draw has moved them one spot closer to safety, but there are only six matches left now.  I fear that most of those need to be Cardiff City wins if they are to survive.

If we look at the larger picture, the following clubs cannot be relegated:

• Liverpool
• Chelsea
• Manchester City
• Arsenal
• Everton
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Manchester United

Next week these are the results we need:

• Norwich City to beat West Bromwich Albion
• Tottenham Hotspur to beat Sunderland
• Aston Villa to beat Fulham

With these results, a win this weekend would leave Cardiff City tied with West Bromwich Albion at 17th.

Ok, that covers the match now let's commence with this week's "Meet a US Bluebird"!

Meet Adam Hawkes (@BankRobber303, 03/30/14)

Where do you live and where are you from originally?:  I am originally from South San Diego but live in Littleton Colorado now.  No ties to Wales.

How long have you been following the Bluebirds and how did you become a fan?:  I've been following Cardiff just this year.  I always enjoyed watching soccer, but never supported a club, mostly because it was rare to find a lot of games on American television, especially since most stations would rather play MLS games.  

I became a fan the very first week the BPL was being shown on NBC.  I was automatically sucked in.  It was neat seeing a group of underdogs make such a big impact so quick.

What is your most favorite Cardiff City memory and why?:  My favorite Cardiff moment would be when Cardiff beat Swansea in the South Wales Derby back in November.  Learning about the history of that series and the intensity of the game was pretty epic.  

After that game, I'd have to say, when Cardiff City tied Manchester United two weeks after they played the Derby.  They already had 6 losses going into that game and people were already talking about relegation.  It was great seeing the boys hold their own against such a good team.

Who is your most favorite current Cardiff City player?:  My favorite player currently would be a draw between two players.  David Marshall and Craig Bellamy.  I think Marshall is one of the best keepers in the league, but doesn't get the credit he deserves being on a low ranking team.  He's saved the teams ass far too many times this season.  Put him on any other team and he'll shine.

I like Bellamy because, to me, he personifies the grit and toughness of the team.  He's emotional and aggressive and doesn't back down.  I like how he isn't afraid to get physical and is unapologetic about it all.  

What makes Cardiff City important to you?:  Cardiff is important to me because, being a new fan, its awesome to be a fan of a team with so much great history.  Even now with the "revolt" going on against Vincent Tan, the poor season we're having and the changes in coaching, it's important to keep our eyes on the prize and keep up in the league and continue supporting our club, through thick and thin, win or lose.

What is your favorite US sport and team?  Do you follow any MLS clubs?:  I'm an ex hockey player, so I mostly follow hockey.  My favorite team are the LA Kings, though a VERY close second are the Colorado Avalanche.  Have to support the local boys.

I also support the Colorado Rapids of the MLS, though I'm a huge fan of Thierry Henry of the New York Red Bulls.

Do you think Premier League is growing in popularity in the US?  What can NBC or the League itself do to grow its popularity in the US?:  I would like to think the Premier League is growing.  All of the clubs are getting close to equal amounts of TV time and with the MLS getting more and more popular, its only natural that Premier Clubs are getting the attention they deserve.  One thing NBC could do more of would be to advertise the games more often, promote the big games and give people an opportunity to learn about the game.  I think the more that people understand the rules, the more they'll end up being fans.

Thanks for the interview, Adam.  Bellamy is a favorite player of mine as well.  In fact I have his book "GoodFella" which I plan to review of before the end of the season.

As I mentioned, the season is winding down.  The same is true for Fantasy.  The Cardiff'rent Strokes have done very well for themselves and we are comfortably within the top one million players...

<Fantasy Comments>

• Rank (Last Week):  931,757
• Rank (This Week):  915,073
• Total Players:  3,204,055

Let's see if we can reach the top 800,000 in the next six weeks!

Cardiff City's next match is at home on April 5th against Crystal Palace.  When these clubs last met in December, the Bluebirds suffered an embarrassing 0-2 defeat.  Will the tables be turned against this fellow promotee and relegation candidate?

Tune in to Dragon and Bluebird next week to find out!

Thank you as always for reading.  You can follow me on Twitter @dragon_bluebird.  And feel free to leave some comments on my posts via Blogger.  Would love to hear your thoughts on the season so far and I'm always open to suggestions for any features or topics you'd like to see on this blog.  See you next week!