The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

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Talgrath thanks for the "Fading of the Flair" summarizations.

Additional notes on FCDvPOR:
- To call security a joke would be too kind. There were still fans waiting to get in to the stadium at the 50th minute, probably even later than that. I'd demand a refund
- That schoolyard style Portland goal. Yeesh.
- I really thought Dallas were going to rally for a draw. Props to the Portland defense

Additional notes on NYRvCLB:
- Match was meh but when NY hit the woodwork I was certain it was going in. I was freaking out and the wife was speechless (granted neither of us were pulling for either team; that was just insane)
 
Talgrath said:
So, MLS Cup is between the Timbers and Crew? Who do you think takes it? Both teams are playing lights out right now, but I'm leaning towards Columbus.
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I think it depends on if Ridgewell is healthy or not. I think Ridgewell and Borchers can handle Kamara, I don't know if Paprato (sp) can. He seemed to get out of position too much against FC Dallas. If Teixeira was a better finisher he'd have like done some damage.
 
So, with the final game of the MLS on Sunday afternoon, it's once again time for the weirdest and wonkiest of MLS's various player acquisition methods, the "reentry draft"! It's also time for free agents, for the first time ever. For those of you unfamiliar with the reentry draft, it's basically how cut players in MLS at the end of the season can resign with MLS teams, by going through a draft process. Free Agents, more or less, work as you see in other American leagues though. Here's the current list of MLS free agents and reentry draft players:

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/12/01/mls-offseason-player-moves-free-agency-re-entry-draft

One name looms large here, Mike Magee, Magee had a couple of banner years in 2013 and 2014, but injuries have kept him off the field for most of 2015 and upon his return he didn't exactly set the world on fire in Chicago. (Pun intended!) interestingly, ALL of the free agents so far are Chicago Fire players, including Jeff Larentowicz, who has been one of their most steady players.

As far as the reentry draft well, these are slim pickings. Steven Beitashour is probably the best of the bunch here, the 28 year old defender is solid enough, he won't make a starting 11 as a general rule but he's a good enough backup right back, and he's making league minimum or close to it; the same thing goes for Jalil Anibaba, although to a lesser degree. The surprising one was Chris Konopka, Toronto's starting keeper as of just a few weeks ago is out on his ass, but I can't blame Toronto as he was definitely sub par. Others may very well be at the point where its time to call it a career, Mauro Rosales, for example, is great at serving in long balls and passes in general, but at 34 he's too slow to keep up and he's fragile enough that he can't be a starter. Robbie Findley is probably done, though that has more with his lack of talent than age, I think. Overall, no "diamonds in the rough" that I can see here, but a few of these guys may find new homes as back ups.
 
There's a pretty wide-ranging interview between Grant Wahl and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, most of it is him using business speak to deflect questions, but there's some interesting bits in there:

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/12/01/don-garber-mls-commissioner-expansion-beckham-cup-lafc-qatar-usmnt-klinsmann-gulati

A few things stuck out to me:

-He seems pretty happy with their new TV deal arrangement, no mention about Unimas not being available in a lot of areas of the country.
-No relegation, question shut down immediately.
-AEG is actively shopping to find someone to buy their majority stack in Houston Dynamo.
-He abruptly shuts down any talk of Qatari investment in the Miami Beckhams, which is a bit odd
-Garber quite clearly doesn't like Klinsmann's roster decisions, and it's pretty clear he's gotten a verbal smackdown from the rest of US Soccer telling him to stay out of it, given his answers to questions regarding the USMNT.
 
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but does the log normally travel to away games and welcomed by the host stadium?
 
Talgrath said:
-Garber quite clearly doesn't like Klinsmann's roster decisions, and it's pretty clear he's gotten a verbal smackdown from the rest of US Soccer telling him to stay out of it, given his answers to questions regarding the USMNT.
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He's bummed that Luis Robles hasn't been part of the USMNT.

I get the want for Finlay, Feilhaber and McCarty kinda. I don't think Dax can cut it enough and is a fine player, but would be nothing more than training fodder for the USMNT and doesn't even have a single great skill like say Alan Gordon. I think Feilhaber is too limited in his abilities to be a positive impact on the best XI of the USMNT but I think he should have some PT especially in qualifiers where we may be down some men from injuries, teams not releasing them, etc. Also IIRC Klinsmann last time around drew heavy from the january camp for the January WCQ and January camps have traditionally been almost all MLS so there's Benny's best shot. THere's also the very real chance that Feilhaber may have bene one of the Klinsmann dissenters and is basically excommunicated. I think Finlay is about to get his callup. I don't think he's a star, but I can see value from the bench from him. I think he'll be brought in for that January camp.

But Robles makes me wonder if everyone is on crack or something. Robles is a good keeper, but even if he was being Nick Rimando 2.0 would that be a win for MLS? Wouldn't championing Hamid be better? Basically by agreeing with that he's ****ting on an MLS player in Hamid who I would think MLS would greatly want to keep in the league. Robles is a fine keeper, but he's not Howard or Guzan. He's not even remotely close to those 2.
 
Mongrel said:
This isn't the average away game
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Why would the home team let a symbol of the away team besides signs and the like, in their stadium? Should Dallas have let the Sounders bring the flame-throwing posts?
 
hoppyhoppyhippo said:
He's bummed that Luis Robles hasn't been part of the USMNT.

I get the want for Finlay, Feilhaber and McCarty kinda. I don't think Dax can cut it enough and is a fine player, but would be nothing more than training fodder for the USMNT and doesn't even have a single great skill like say Alan Gordon. I think Feilhaber is too limited in his abilities to be a positive impact on the best XI of the USMNT but I think he should have some PT especially in qualifiers where we may be down some men from injuries, teams not releasing them, etc. Also IIRC Klinsmann last time around drew heavy from the january camp for the January WCQ and January camps have traditionally been almost all MLS so there's Benny's best shot. THere's also the very real chance that Feilhaber may have bene one of the Klinsmann dissenters and is basically excommunicated. I think Finlay is about to get his callup. I don't think he's a star, but I can see value from the bench from him. I think he'll be brought in for that January camp.

But Robles makes me wonder if everyone is on crack or something. Robles is a good keeper, but even if he was being Nick Rimando 2.0 would that be a win for MLS? Wouldn't championing Hamid be better? Basically by agreeing with that he's ****ting on an MLS player in Hamid who I would think MLS would greatly want to keep in the league. Robles is a fine keeper, but he's not Howard or Guzan. He's not even remotely close to those 2.
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Well, I was also referring to his response to the question of whether Klinsmann is the right coach for the USMNT, where he basically opens with "it's not my decision", indicating he has been specifically told since his little spat with Klinsmann to shut up regarding those sorts of comments. He then follows it up with the answer about roster decisions in relation to the MLS starting XI.

I more or less agree with your assessment of the MLS players people complain should be on the USMNT. Feilhaber, in particular, irks me; he had years of being a regular member of the USMNT to do something awesome and he didn't, in 41 games over the course of about 4 years including the 2010 World Cup Feilhaber had 2 goals and 2 assists, and all of those came in his first few games. Personally, I feel that when the game is at a higher tier he simply can't cut it, just because he looks good in MLS doesn't mean he's going to do well internationally. Dax could be an okay stop-gap if we need one...but his skill at CDM has a lot more to do with the fact that he's played so long, not due to being particularly great. For the younger guys, I think the chance will come eventually, I know everyone gets hyped for young talent but a senior team call up sometimes needs to wait.
 
Well Finlay isn't young. I mean he's 25 which is pretty young, but it's hardly like say Julian Green.

Jurgen will keep making hard decisions. I don't envy him at all. I think the one thing he has to do ASAP is cap tie Cameron Carter-Vickers. The guy could be a machine. I can't imagine the love I'd have with the potential of CCV, Brooks, and Miazga all fighting for 2 spots

Actually my real 2018 dream if the 3 of them develop is something like a 3-5-2

CB - CCV
CB - Miazga (I actually think with his speed Miazga would be a great 3 back CB)
CB - Brooks
RWB - Yedlin
LWB - Shea
CDM - Cameron
CM - Bradley
CM - Hyndman/Zelalem
ST - Wood/Jozy/Zardes etc.
 
I think you're being unreasonable. I'll admit I'm a jaded CCSC fan, but I'd never expect our side to have the ability to interject any type of ritual to give our side a feeling of home field.

It's a big game. I hope our side wins. Really, though, I hope the timbers play well and it's a good match. Porter did great things at Akron and nagbe played for the Cleveland internationals, IIRC. I'll be cheering for them to have great games but our side to play lights out. Either way, it's pretty exciting. I

More than anything, it's exciting to see the growth in the past few years in C-bus. Precourt and berhalter have done some great things the past few years.
 
hoppyhoppyhippo said:
http://www.espnfc.us/major-league-s...e-sounders-decline-options-on-marco-pappa-mls

Looks like Seattle is starting their rebuild. Martins and Dempsey are the biggest names still safe. Wonder if they get rid Ozzy now.
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Rumor is they're trying to trade him, but I'm not so sure they should. Admittedly, when he's injured he's of no help, but when he's on he's an absolute destroyer, easily in the top 3 CDMs in MLS; Evans can play CDM as can Friberg, but they're not as good defensively as Alonso is. Azira is gone, as is Pineda and Andy Rose is on trial in England, Alonso is the only "pure" CDM left on the roster right now. Unless the Sounders can get a true high quality CDM for him somehow, I think trading Alonso would b ea mistake.
 
I don't disagree with you on Ozzie's ability. He is probably the best CDM in MLS. Or as you said certainly top 3.

I think Seattle needs to let him go though because of injuries but also because they need to reassess their DP slot. If their goal is no longer to win now, then he's the one to get out. Dempsey and Oba put butts in the seat. I think Seattle needs to look for their next Oba/Giovinco, etc. Someone young and skillful and who you can build your next generation around.
 
Yay it's match day!

Gathering people already involved with or interested in USL Reno 2017 and the budding supporters group. We're meeting at a local soccer pub and officials from the team Front Office will be there. I wrote up a short survey asking about interest in participating in the supporters group as well as suggestions for group name.

I've been very much looking forward to this. Not just excited about watching the match but also enjoying it with other soccer fans and getting the word out about the new team. We're expecting pretty decent numbers.
 
What a nutty weekend. City falls to Stoke. Chelsea falls to Bournemouth. Liverpool falls to Newcastle. Man U draws. And Leicester keeps on winning and moves back to the top. I suppose if there's a context where Spurs blow a match and draw it (odd when we all feel let down by 1 point) still being alright, this is it.

I'm starting to wonder when the Foxes are finally going to crash. We all know (or at least say) it's coming, but I thought it would have come a lot sooner than this.
 
As a GT, Falcons, Braves and Chelsea fan, I really just want quit following sports altogether and just drink more beer. This year has been unbearable on all fronts.
 
jspain3 said:
As a GT, Falcons, Braves and Chelsea fan, I really just want quit following sports altogether and just drink more beer. This year has been unbearable on all fronts.
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Falcons I thought were gonna be a bright spot after their start. They've taken suckign to new heights. Can't even beat the freaking Bucs.

That being said, screw Chelsea.

Looking forward to the match today. I think Portland is in a good position with Ridgewell on the field.
 
Alright, Liverpool lose to Newcastle... :)

Everton don't let me down! Time to start moving up the table!!
 
Absolutely crazy MLS Cup Final, stupid Portscum win. That was fun to watch though and definitely not boring.
 
I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be rioting right now.

hoM4T93.jpg
 
With the end of the MLS Cup chase, two seasons have come to end at once. Columbus Crew lost, so let's see how they got there.

Why does this matter to the USMNT?
Ethan Finlay and Will Trapp are both promising young talents, theoretically destined for time with the USMNT. Jack McInerney has played for the USMNT before and could still make it back if he starts playing like he did two years ago. There are some other young US eligible players as well.

How are they out?
A 2-1 loss to the Timbers in the MLS Cup Final.

What went wrong?
All season defense has been Columbus' Achilles heel, it seemed like they found the solution somehow in the playoffs, but it came back to bite them in the final. To a certain extent, this is a natural extension of how Columbus played, when they went on the attack they went all out, swarming and attacking from every possible angle. But on the other hand, some of it is a function of not having a great defense, particularly centrally.

What went right?
Gregg Berhalter has pulled off one of the more impressive and quick turn arounds in terms of style in MLS history. Columbus used to be a bunker and counter team, and now they're an offensive force. Kei Kamara was nearly golden boot winner, proving he was an excellent offseason acquisition. Cedric Mabwati could be an excellent super sub or starting winger. If he can compliment the Crew's newfound attacking power with some defense too they could be a real force.

What do they need to do to improve?
I keep saying it, but getting solid defense needs to be a priority this offseason. Finding a back up or replacement for Kei Kamara should be high on the list too, the veteran striker is 31, he wont' last forever, and Jack McInerney doesn't seem to be the man to replace his production.
 
The Timbers won it all, let's take a look at why they won it all.

Why does this matter to the USMNT?
Darlington Nagbe is starting to see some time with the USMNT. Beyond that, not much else, most of the Timbers USA born players are too old and the rest of the roster is foreign.

How Did They Win?
A 2-1 victory over Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup Final.

What went wrong?
Up until the end of the season, the Timbers striking core was unable to score despite lots of great work from the midfield. Adi seemed to find his scoring boots at the end of the season and into the playoffs, but if I were the Timbers' GM I'd still be concerned about the lack of scoring throughout the rest of the season from the striker corps.

What went right?
Moving Nagbe to center mid was a smart move on Caleb Porter's part, one that has potential to unlock his true potential, for the Timbers it's just a shame it took years for Porter to realize that. Beyond that, the Timbers were one of the better defensive teams in MLS and their midfield remains strong.

JHow do they stay on top?
While the central defense has been good this year, it's looking long in the tooth; Borchers is 34 and Ridgewell is 31. Beyond that, while Adi seems to be producing now, some improvements on the overall striker roster is in order; Maxi Urruti is being paid far too much for 4 goals and 3 assists, Lucas Melano shows some promise but simply isn't there yet.
 
A couple of thoughts surrounding last night's championship game.
1) Credit to Caleb Porter and PTFC. Their first goal was a complete rope-a-dope. Deliberately give the opposing team a GK because they thought high pressure and knew the tendencies of the back line and Clark. As soon as the GK was taken, the Crew was in trouble Adi closed down Parkhurst quickly and the left mid closed down the forward pass. The pass went to Trapp and the only option was the back pass. Trapp laid a soft one back, Clark (he's played with the ball under pressure often this season) took took a settling touch (actually about 8 small steps) before trying to release it. Just like PTFC drew it up. Well played Portland.

PTFC did a great job disrupting central passing lanes and really did well isolating the Crew's wide players. Francis, Afful, Findley and Miriam were largely ineffective. Portland's #2 and #3 were always supported by either a midfield or CDB. You could tell that strategy disrupted CCSC's rhythm. They really never got things going.

The Nordecke has turned into partydecke. The notion that it's acceptable to throw anything, let alone full beer cans a a player is embarrassing. That north east corner of Mapfre stadium has become more of a get drunk party rather than a supporters section. I hope the Nordecke ticket holders took notes on the behavior of the TA. They seemed like a great, positive group.

Congrats to PTFC on earning their star. They were the better team last night.
 

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