Weekend in Climbing: IFSC World Cup in Wujiang and NACS in Virginia

It was a busy weekend in the climbing world as the final IFSC World Cup and the final North American Cup Series events of 2023 both took place. Now, this doesn’t mean we have to wait until next year for some elite climbing, as there are many regional tournaments coming up with a bunch of Olympic spots up for grabs.

One athlete who has yet to secure an Olympic invite but is fully expected to qualify is the 16-year-old phenom from Japan, Sorato Anraku. Anraku dominated yet again as he reached hold 39, while second place, Shion Omata, reached jsut 30+. Anraku ended the season with 4300 points, running away with the season title with second place scoring just 2650 points. A third Japanese climber, Taisei Homma, finished third, giving Japan a podium lockout in China.

The season title was still up in the air coming into the weekend, with Janja Garnbret did not make the trip Jessica Pilz had a chance to secure the title if she were to finish on the podium. She placed fourth in the semi-finals, while Janja’s Slovenian teammate Mia Krampl surprisingly failed to get out of. Both Ai Mori and Natsuki Tanii managed to reach the top during the semi-finals, while Jain Kim matched Pilz with 34 holds.

The women’s final proved to be incredibly difficult, as the high score when Pilz stepped to the wall was just 22+ holds. She blew that number out of the water, reaching hold 31+. Kim wound up falling after hold 20+ giving Pilz the season title. Tanii made it to hold 26+ to secure third and Mori finished her season on top of the podium with 36+.

The speed races featured one shocking result, as world record holder Aleksandra Miroslaw fell in the quarterfinal and placed just fifth. Her national teammate Natalia Kalucka came up just short in the final as Lijuan Deng managed to win the final in front her home fans.

In the men’s speed final featured to Chinese climbers matched up against one another, with Peng Wu getting the win against Jingjie Huang.

Locally, the Elite National Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandra, Virginia hosted the final NACS event of the year. Micaela Patajo won the women’s speed competition, while Kaden Kang won the men’s competition. In lead, three men reached the top in the final, with Victor Baudrand reaching to top quickest and taking home victory. On the women’s side it was domination by Julia Duffy. While she only won the final by a single hold, she did finish first in qualification, the semi-finals, and the finals, sweeping the weekend.

F1 Preview: 2023 Japan Grand Prix

Red Bull not only had their first race of the year without a win, but their first without a podium for the team, and for Max Verstappen. Now they head to Japan where they look to get back to their winning ways, and are in good shape to do so. While Verstappen has historically struggle in Singapore, and that continued a week ago, last year he qualified pole and won the race while Sergio Perez finished second despite crossing the line third, as Charles Leclerc was served a five second penalty for leaving the track to gain an advantage.

Last year race day was rain soaked, saw multiple cars crash in lap one and a red flag come out that led to the race finishing under timing rather than lap count. This year the weather looks much more favorable and should be sunny skies for most, if not all, the on-track sessions.

Verstappen will not be able to secure the driver’s championship this year, but the constructor’s title could be officially decided this weekend. Red Bull comes in 308 points ahead of Mercedes, and they need to be 309 points ahead after the conclusion of the race to secure the title. This means they simply need to score one more point than Mercedes this weekend and the title is theirs. While Verstappen is an easy favorite to win the race, it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton find the podium, I actually expect them to do just that, which would mean the title would need another week to be decided.

F1 Review: 2023 Singapore Grand Prix

The story around Marina Bay was Red Bull this weekend, as they genuinely struggled for the first time, coming away without a victory for the first time this season and Max Verstappen missing out on a podium for the first time this season.

When you look the end of a historic run, there was no shortage of drama throughout the weekend. The practice sessions were relatively quiet, but qualifying left everyone on the edge of their seats.

As time was winding down on the Q1, Lance Stroll lost control of his Aston Martin and hit the wall at high speed, demolishing his car. The good news is he was able to get out and walk himself to the medical car, although he did not participate in the race on Sunday. The one who’s qualifying was impacted the most was Oscar Piastri, who was putting in a quality lap but wound up missing Q2.

Two of the five drivers that were eliminated in Q2 were in a Red Bull, giving us our first Q3 of the season without either Sergio Perez or Verstappen. In the end it was Carlos Sainz who ended up on pole with George Russell alongside.

During the race we saw Yuki Tsunoda wound up with a DNF as he pulled off the track early with a puncture he felt would prevent him from getting back to the pit lane. Esteban Ocon and Valteri Botas also failed to see the checkered flag. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both pit for a fresh set of medium tires during the Virtual Safety Car that came out when Ocon’s day ended, and it looked to be the perfect strategic move as they had significantly more pace than the rest of the field down the stretch.

Unfortunately, that pace got the better of George Russell in the end and he found himself in the barriers, taking him from a podium spot to a DNF. He and Hamilton found themselves pushing harder than they expected thanks to some ingenious driving by Sainz, who kept allowing Lando Norris to just get into DRS range, which allowed him to hold off both Mercedes, and prevent them from mounting a chase for the front. The strategy worked as Sainz finished on the top step of the podium, while Norris finished second, and Hamilton third.

Fernando Alonso was the last of all drivers to cross the finish line, meaning he falls out of third place in the Drivers Championship, as Hamilton now has a ten point lead there. Ferrari took home a first and fourth place in the race, slowly closing the gap on Mercedes, now only twenty four points back for second in the Constructors Championship.

2023 F1 Singapore GP Preview

The prevailing sense around the industry is this is the race! This is the race that stands in Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s way of finishing the rest of the season on top of the podium, making it a clean sweep for Red Bull. Verstappen struggled on the wet track a year ago while Sergio Perez took home the checkered flag helping create his street track dominant persona. Ferrari finished 2-3 after Leclerc held pole a season ago, but they aren’t the favorites to challenge Red Bull this weekend.

Instead, McClaren and Mercedes are the cars to watch out for, and Lewis Hamilton may be the single biggest threat to Red Bull’s chances at a clean sweep. The weather is always unpredictable in Singapore, and nobody is better at adapting in real time than Hamilton. Add to that there is a change on the course this year, with the weaving stretch under the grandstands gone and replaced with a long straight that could see some overtaking take place.

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While I am not sure what to root for as a fan or as someone covering the sport, a clean sweep is unprecedented, but the Red Bull dominance does have some casual fans losing interest this season. Ultimately I believe the new straight will actually help Red Bull during the race and allow Verstappen to continue his streak and catapult Red Bull to the sweep. It will be close though, as I anticipate Hamilton and Perez filling out the podium.

USMNT vs. Uzbekistan Friendly: Player Ratings

Welp, Berhalter ball is back, y’all. After some promising performances under interim coach Anthony Hudson, and some downright exciting ones under BJ Callahan, who probably should have been offered the full-time gig, the team was back under the stewardship of World Cup coach, Gregg Berhalter. The results were about what one who pays attention would expect. The 3-0 scoreline in favor of the US, the least they should probably have expected, flattered the hosts. An early goal by Tim Weah started the US off hot, but instead of putting their stamp on the game, the scrappy Uzbeks had several opportunities to level the score before a couple of late tallies secured the win for the home side. Let’s see how our individual performers did. As always, we’ll use a 1-10 rating system with half points when I can’t make up my damn mind.

GK Matt Turner – 7.5

The US and Nottingham Forest number 1 didn’t have a ton to do, but was sharp when called into action, stopping two breakaways as well as a clever effort at the near post that certainly would have gone in if not for his intervention. Importantly as well, Turner was solid with the ball at his feet. He’ll never look comfortable in that role, but his control was good and his passes were accurate. Was cleanly beaten by one clean strike that rattled the crossbar, but not sure any keeper in the world was getting anything on that.

LB Jedi Robinson – 6.0

Typical workmanlike performance from the first choice left back. Plenty of marauding runs up the left flank that ultimately were let down by his poor final ball. On a night where most of the US defenders didn’t close down on attackers well, Robinson was pretty responsible on that front and kept his side clean. One of these days the hope is he’ll really put it together and be a threat. Tonight wasn’t that night, but he was certainly solid enough.

LCB Tim Ream – 4.0

Woof. The usually dependable captain had a nightmare of a first half. Got caught in possession that led to a breakaway which was ultimately thwarted by Turner. Made several poor passes to the wrong point in the Berhalter triangle which led to turnovers. Didn’t close on the shooter on the aforementioned shot off the woodwork. He improved to his usual standard in the second half with timely interceptions, aerial dominance in defense, and better passing, but by then he’d dug himself such a hole that short of scoring a goal, this was the best rating he would get.

RCB Chris Richards – 6.0

The criminally underappreciated – both by USMNT fans and at Crystal Palace – Richards cuts a hulking figure in defense but plays with a comfortable grace that belies his physical presence. Where Ream was calamitous early, Richards was calm and collected throughout. Could probably have been rated higher but was a complete non-factor on set pieces at the other end. Some of that is poor delivery, but it’s an area where he should be involved.

RB Sergino Dest – 5.5

Another one of the defensive crew who didn’t close down well enough early on. Also committed a poor foul in a dangerous area that a good right back wouldn’t commit. As always, he was active on the wing and willingly incisive in the attack. The final product, much like his left sided counterpart, just too often lets him down. One spectacular run near the end could and should have ended in a goal if not for a shanked finish. Certainly not awful from Dest today, but not particularly great either.

DCM Luca De La Torre – N/A

Went off injured early with what appears to have been a broken nose. Tough luck for the dude because this was the ideal opportunity for him to showcase his ability in the Tyler Adams role, but it wasn’t to be.

LM Yunus Musah – 6.5

I think we’re just beginning to see the blossoming of this young fella into the player he can become. Committed on defense, increasingly aggressive on offense, it seems to be coming together. Stop me if I sound like a broken record, but plenty of good moments with serious potential ended with a pass that narrowly missed connecting, or an errant shot attempt, but overall, he’s done well here and shown the world he’s ready to make his mark. AC Milan will be delighted they have him.

RM Weston McKennie – 6.5

Delightful bit of individual skill to set up Weah’s opener. Good in possession and reliable in tracking back on offense. On an afternoon where the US attack sputtered more than hummed, most promising US endeavors in the Uzbekistan end involved him. We’ll see if he truly gets a second run in the Juventus side this season, but he seems to be in solid form. One knock on him, and we saw it today, if some of the play around him isn’t good, he’s not really the type to create much individually. Oh well, not everyone is Messi.

LAM Christian Pulisic – 5.5

Well, he bagged a goal on a penalty kick late on. That’s about it. He wasn’t necessarily poor today, but Berhalter ball just doesn’t suit him. Uzbekistan, while far from a powerhouse, isn’t a lousy side by any stretch, but you would have expected Pulisic to make his mark on the game. And he just didn’t. Had one decent opportunity in the second half but his tame header from six yards was easily saved. The penalty was well-taken, so there’s that at least.

RAM Tim Weah – 6.0

His goal in the fourth minute was a thing of beauty. Set up by McKennie, he lashed a beautiful bullet into the far post side netting to start the US off on a good note. Then it was like someone replaced his Energizer batteries with some shitty knock off brand. It’s not that he quit trying. He’s always enterprising, but today his first touch was atrocious, and he never took it upon himself to run at anyone in the 18-yard box. I guess it’s a testament to his quality that he can have a mostly anonymous match and still muster a moment of brilliance, but when you start off like that, it leaves fans hoping for more.

ST Folarin Balogun – 6.0

The US has never had a striker like Balogun. Today wasn’t his best day, but on multiple occasions he showcased how he can be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. Was a little unlucky to head off the post from six yards with the goal gaping in front of him and didn’t hit his shot particularly well after some nifty footwork allowed him to create space amongst multiple defenders, but he sure is exciting to watch. Subbed off at the break for Pepi.

The Subs

Tanner Tessman – 3.0

Came on for De La Torre midway through the first half. Best that can be said about him today is that he didn’t get sent off. An awful back pass led to a breakaway that was kept out by Turner. Multiple errant passes that should have been easy completions led to Uzbeki counterattacks. Frustratingly to me, Tessman is huge yet absent in set pieces both on offense and defense. You’d think he could use that size to become a problem. He did showcase some talent today, with a couple of pinpoint 50-yard floating passes, and that’s great. But when you’re playing in a CDM role, you can’t be turning the ball over like he did. Poor, but maybe there’s some potential?

Ricardo Pepi – 5.5

Scored a nice goal with a powerful shot from the top of the box with the goalie partially screened. Other than that, he was entirely anonymous. I’ve said this before, but you don’t need your center forward to be sublimely skillful. You just need him to smash goals in when the opportunity presents itself. I guess he did that once today but for a guy who played 45 minutes, the hope is his name is mentioned by the announcers more than three times. On the plus side, he’s a willing helper when defending from the front.

Brenden Aaronson – 6.0

Set up Pepi’s goal with a nicely weighted pass in traffic. Hustled relentlessly to help on defense. And honestly, I’m never happy when his name is announced but he played fairly well the final 25 minutes or so today. He’s just… not very good. He can’t get a cross past the first defender. Despite his work rate and plus speed, he’s just not willing to run at defenders in the box, and I don’t freaking get it. More on why that’s important later, but in fairness to BA there was more good than bad today.

Mark McKenzie – 6.0

Another guy I’m not personally high on, but he was solid in relief of Richards today. One notable contribution was bailing out Tessman after a brutal back pass with some alert reactions. Responsible in distribution. A non-factor on offense but that’s fine when you’re solid on D.

Kristoffer Lund – N/A

First cap for the recently committed dual national. He didn’t trip over the furniture in his brief time on the pitch and didn’t look out of place, but there’s not enough of a sample size from today’s ten minutes or so to drop an accurate rating.

Malik Tillman – 7.0

Only on for the last ten minutes, and maybe it’s a coincidence but the US looked like a completely different team after he came on. Maybe it was a formation change as well, but Tillman looks capable of being a menace. His most telling play was winning the penalty in stoppage time with a darting run into the box, right at a tired defender, drawing a clear foul on a clever hip and head fake that sent the defender in the wrong direction. This was exactly the blueprint of what Aaronson needs to do when coming on late. Tillman deserves a longer look next game to see if what we saw these ten minutes translates over a longer period. Nicely done, sir.

Let us know on Twitter (I refuse to call it X) @thestainsports if you think we got it wrong here. As always, thanks for reading.