The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

BrewKnurd said:

I certainly see your points, and I think the main thing is that a strong MLS is certainly good for the US soccer culture in general. And I'm glad that I'm not in charge of how things work, because I'd surely F things up. But I would just argue that the growth and development of the league isn't hampered much by losing a handful of high level american pros to Europe. Meanwhile if the development of a handful of high level american pros is hampered by staying in a league that isn't quite at their level does significantly hamper the national team. By all means, as long as you can grow in the MLS, do it. But I just don't believe that say, dempsey, would be the player he is now if he had stayed in the MLS.

As for the development of an american style based on hard work and minimal cheap crap... you don't feel that that's already developed as the american style? I feel like that's what the USMNT has been known for ever since they actually started making it to WCs again.

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I like the way you think. And yeah, seems the "club or country" conundrum will never cease.

But yeah, we as supports have been aware of the American-style since the days of Alexi Lalas' goatee and denim kits.... but is it known world-wide that the Yanks play a clean, hard game?

Reno_eNVy said:

I like the way you think. And yeah, seems the "club or country" conundrum will never cease.

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Well, hopefully someday it will. I don't think its unreasonable that in the next 10-20 years, the MLS can be an absolute top notch league. And then there's no conundrum. Am I being hopelessly optimistic? Perhaps. But I'm ok with that.

Reno_eNVy said:

But yeah, we as supports have been aware of the American-style since the days of Alexi Lalas' goatee and denim kits.... but is it known world-wide that the Yanks play a clean, hard game?

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Valid question. I dunno. I assume you're asking about is it known to the general soccer viewing public the world round. And I would guess many of them have never bothered to watch a US game, so I guess probably not.

A friend of a friend on facebook was making snide comments about the US v Antigua Barbuda game, saying "at least England can point to their next opponent (France) on a map." What I didn't think to say at the time, and really wish I had, was "True, but at least one team in the America/A&B game made it out of the group stage at the WC......"

BrewKnurd said:

Well, hopefully someday it will. I don't think its unreasonable that in the next 10-20 years, the MLS can be an absolute top notch league. And then there's no conundrum. Am I being hopelessly optimistic? Perhaps. But I'm ok with that.

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Hopelessly optimistic is my favorite kind of optimistic.

BrewKnurd said:

A friend of a friend on facebook was making snide comments about the US v Antigua Barbuda game, saying "at least England can point to their next opponent (France) on a map." What I didn't think to say at the time, and really wish I had, was "True, but at least one team in the America/A&B game made it out of the group stage at the WC......"

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Snap, sir... snap!

And I can find A&B no problem. The Caribbean may be a big archipelago but there are only so many islands large enough to be sovereign.

Come on guys, England did make it out of the group in WC 2010. Granted they did come out 2nd in the group behind the US, and then got trounced 4-1 by Germany in the round of 16!! So I still think it's fair game to razz on the England v France matchup.

As an interesting side note, I played at UNLV with a guy that made some appearances for the Antigua and Barbuda team. His name is Kelly Frederick, and I actually remember him missing a week or so of practice here and there to go off and play an early round WC qualifier.

He was a very good player. Probably our best striker for the two years he was with our team(he was a JC transfer). He actually made the all western region team during his senior year(my sophomore year). And that team included players that were on some top collegiate teams(UCLA, U-dub, Stanford, university of Portland, UNM, USD, etc.)

So somebody ragging on the A&B team shouldn't do so, because I have first hand experience with a very good player from Antigua that only managed to play a half-dozen or so games for their national team.

DregAddict said:

Come on guys, England did make it out of the group in WC 2010. Granted they did come out 2nd in the group behind the US, and then got trounced 4-1 by Germany in the round of 16!! So I still think it's fair game to razz on the England v France matchup.

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Well fine, my brain changed history. Oops.

BrewKnurd said:

Well fine, my brain changed history. Oops.

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I was thinking the same thing... guess I figured they got beat so bad in the knockouts they may as well have not made it out of the groups =)



But Dreg, who was ragging on A&B? I thought they played a fantastic match considering.

Reno_eNVy said:

But Dreg, who was ragging on A&B? I thought they played a fantastic match considering.

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I assumed he was referring to my facebook friend of a friend.

Reno_eNVy said:

I was thinking the same thing... guess I figured they got beat so bad in the knockouts they may as well have not made it out of the groups =)

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They were not good enough for sure, but that disallowed equaliser was a huge factor in the way the game continued. Had it been allowed the outcome could (possibly) have been closer. The scoreline does not always tell the whole story, especially in knock-out games.

Laughing_Gnome_Invisible said:

They were not good enough for sure, but that disallowed equaliser was a huge factor in the way the game continued. Had it been allowed the outcome could (possibly) have been closer. The scoreline does not always tell the whole story, especially in knock-out games.

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This is quite true. That was around that time people started demanded FIFA do something.

I may be crazy, but have there been extra officials at the EURO 2012 matches? I could swear I saw non-flagged officials at the end-lines intently watching the run of play. Is this a trial run for a solution that doesn't involve bringing in technology?


EDIT: Yup, there are definitely end-line officials.

Also, holy hell! I tuned in to Greece vs Czech Rep at the 10th minute.... it's already 0-2 to the Czech.

Reno_eNVy said:

This is quite true. That was around that time people started demanded FIFA do something.

I may be crazy, but have there been extra officials at the EURO 2012 matches? I could swear I saw non-flagged officials at the end-lines intently watching the run of play. Is this a trial run for a solution that doesn't involve bringing in technology?


EDIT: Yup, there are definitely end-line officials.

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They are starting to test the technology now. They are experimenting with some clubs in England, apparently with something in the balls. Yes, FIFA have something in their balls at last!

Reno_eNVy said:

I may be crazy, but have there been extra officials at the EURO 2012 matches? I could swear I saw non-flagged officials at the end-lines intently watching the run of play. Is this a trial run for a solution that doesn't involve bringing in technology?


EDIT: Yup, there are definitely end-line officials.

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I think it was one of the end line officials that caught lampards knee to the back in the CL semifinal, wasn't it?

BrewKnurd said:

I assumed he was referring to my facebook friend of a friend.

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Yeah, that was my point. Sorry I didn't mean to suggest that anyone here was putting the Antigua team down.

About the goal line officials, I've definitely noticed them. They're actually pretty funny when two guys are battling for a ball near the endline. The official is right there only a few yards from the action, bent at the knees, watching with ultra concentration.

Does anybody know where the new officials authority ends? They obviously wear a headset to communicate with the center official. But in addition to making goal line decisions, do they also make endline in-or-out decisions, goal kick v corner kick decisions, call in fouls to the center official, etc?

DregAddict said:

About the goal line officials, I've definitely noticed them. They're actually pretty funny when two guys are battling for a ball near the endline. The official is right there only a few yards from the action, bent at the knees, watching with ultra concentration.

Does anybody know where the new officials authority ends? They obviously wear a headset to communicate with the center official. But in addition to making goal line decisions, do they also make endline in-or-out decisions, goal kick v corner kick decisions, call in fouls to the center official, etc?

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HA! That's when I first noticed the endline official: sweet footwork and boxing out in the 18 with the official staring them down

I think the endline officials jurisdiction is action in the 18: in/out of bounds (and, thus, corner vs goal kick), fouls in the box, goal determination. I may be wrong but that's what I've noticed.

The referee makes all the decisions based on the advice of the other officials. He can ignore them if he's stupid enough.

Hmmm... okay so it's almost game-time. Time to predict another USMNT match! (Just like Paul the Octopus. RIP you sweet invertebrate.)

vs

Guatemala 1 - 2 USA

The Yanks are going to have a hard time keeping their attack contained when Guatemala is known for flopping if you breathe on them wrong. Same applies for the American attack: too strong going forward and Guatemala draws fouls so the US is held to two.

I hope I'm wrong and the Yanks run up the score but I'm going middle-ground.

Reno_eNVy said:

The Yanks are going to have a hard time keeping their attack contained when Guatemala is known for flopping if you breathe on them wrong. Same applies for the American attack: too strong going forward and Guatemala draws fouls so the US is held to two.

I hope I'm wrong and the Yanks run up the score but I'm going middle-ground.

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I am just so bitter about the PPV situation. I hope traffic/integrated sports lose a boatload of money on this.

First Row Sports

Put it in the google so you can put the soccer in your face.

Ugh. That was everything a match in GC should be expected to be. The ref had a good first half before playing most all of the second.


And OMG Altidore.

Yeah apparently you can foul almost every time you get beat, roll around like you've been shot every time you get touched, stand in front of every free kick, complain on every call you don't get, and still only get 2 yellow cards.

Altidore literally scored on a play that should have been continued for advantage(the goalie might have saved it if the whistle hadn't blown), and the Guatemalan player still didn't get a yellow for the foul on dempsey at the top of the box. If you're going to stop that play, you better ****ing book the guy. And to make it worse, Fabian Johnson committed a foul at almost the same spot that led to their goal, and of course he got booked.

Also, to be fair to Jozy, he definitely got brought down in the box on one play. Of course the Guatemalan feed didn't show a replay.

DregAddict said:

Yeah apparently you can foul almost every time you get beat, roll around like you've been shot every time you get touched, stand in front of every free kick, complain on every call you don't get, and still only get 2 yellow cards.

Altidore literally scored on a play that should have been continued for advantage(the goalie might have saved it if the whistle hadn't blown), and the Guatemalan player still didn't get a yellow for the foul on dempsey at the top of the box. If you're going to stop that play, you better ****ing book the guy. And to make it worse, Fabian Johnson committed a foul at almost the same spot that led to their goal, and of course he got booked.

Also, to be fair to Jozy, he definitely got brought down in the box on one play. Of course the Guatemalan feed didn't show a replay.

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Seriously... officiating was all over the place.

And SWMBO and I were of the opinion that Altidore would have looked fine if not for the beating he suffered.

Wow, about time.

Philadelphia Union sack Peter Nowak after he systematically dismantled a playoff-worthy club over the last few months.

Live press conference:

EDIT: Okay, guess I can't embed the video.

http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/live

Reno_eNVy said:

Wow, about time.

Philadelphia Union sack Peter Nowak after he systematically dismantled a playoff-worthy club over the last few months.

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Was he sacked? Or did he trade himself for allocation money and a 12th-round pick?

dwarven_stout said:

Was he sacked? Or did he trade himself for allocation money and a 12th-round pick?

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ZING!

Ha

You ready? I've got another one:

Tottenham fired 'Arry today (he had a year left on his contract, and they told him not to come back). Tottenham will be shortly headed back to the bottom of the table.

'Arry will be leaving with a 5 million severance check- so after taxes, that's 5 million.

dwarven_stout said:

You ready? I've got another one:

Tottenham fired 'Arry today (he had a year left on his contract, and they told him not to come back). Tottenham will be shortly headed back to the bottom of the table.

'Arry will be leaving with a 5 million severance check- so after taxes, that's 5 million.

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"Mind the SACK!"

Let's all laugh at Spurs...

dwarven_stout said:

You ready? I've got another one:

Tottenham fired 'Arry today (he had a year left on his contract, and they told him not to come back). Tottenham will be shortly headed back to the bottom of the table.

'Arry will be leaving with a 5 million severance check- so after taxes, that's 5 million.

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I see what you did there.

England 3, Sweden 2

Huge shame for the Swedes. A draw would have been unfair. Both sides deserved to win! That was the best game so far, and both sides played with passion. As a limey, I'm pleased to see England finally play with some heart. I just wish that Sweden had played like that earlier and could go through , they were excellent.

On a personal note, I was glad to see Walcott score and Oxlade Chamberlain make an impact as the other sub. They may be Arsenal players now, but both are from Southampton's academy and we made a bundle on selling them on.

What's everyone watching right now?

Oh man, I missed a lot of action last night!

SWMBO and I were hanging out with my parents all day and then we were at a neighbors drinking homebrews all night. At least I got to watch highlights this morning over coffee and a headache. Man Sporting were out of control! They really know how to work the 4-3-3

But there's more soccer today! Just an hour away from Portugal v Netherlands. That should be a great one. GROUP OF DEATH!!!

And then, of course, there's Chicago hosting a RBNY full of holes due to injury, and the match of the night LA v Portland. Both clubs have been struggling and LA is going to be without Keane, Buddle, Leonardo, and Magee. Things just keep getting better for the "Blue, White, and Gold" =/

Reno_eNVy said:

But there's more soccer today! Just an hour away from Portugal v Netherlands. That should be a great one. GROUP OF DEATH!!!

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/sigh. When Nani isn't the worst diver on a team, you know that there's a problem.

Reno_eNVy said:

And then, of course, there's Chicago hosting a RBNY full of holes due to injury, and the match of the night LA v Portland. Both clubs have been struggling and LA is going to be without Keane, Buddle, Leonardo, and Magee. Things just keep getting better for the "Blue, White, and Gold" =/

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Curious to see if Mwanga starts (I think he'll sub) and how he does with Boyd if he plays. Not sure if two guys up top unused to chasing balls is really the solution for Portland right now.

Reno, congrats on a deserved win marred by truely awful reffing.

Yeah I'd say most refs would call that obstruction.

But I'll take the win.... anything to break the winless streak. I'm just hoping this could be the turning point of their season.

dwarven_stout said:

Curious to see if Mwanga starts (I think he'll sub) and how he does with Boyd if he plays. Not sure if two guys up top unused to chasing balls is really the solution for Portland right now.

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I really wish they would have kept Perlaza, he might not have been scoring but the guy would run his ass off and make attempts.

Reno_eNVy said:

Yeah I'd say most refs would call that obstruction.

But I'll take the win.... anything to break the winless streak. I'm just hoping this could be the turning point of their season.

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The biggest problem with that play is the fact that the goalie was more worried about getting the call than stopping the damn ball. He would have easily stopped that shot if wasn't flopping around trying to draw a call. How embarrasing for that goalie....he should be benched for that crap.

This is why soccer will never be big here. I went out of my way to watch that match; and that's what I was rewarded with. The acting/flopping culture of soccer makes it nearly unwatchable for me. I do watch from time to time, however, because Portland now has a MLS team.

HoppyDaze said:

The biggest problem with that play is the fact that the goalie was more worried about getting the call than stopping the damn ball. He would have easily stopped that shot if wasn't flopping around trying to draw a call. How embarrasing for that goalie....he should be benched for that crap.

This is why soccer will never be big here. I went out of my way to watch that match; and that's what I was rewarded with. The acting/flopping culture of soccer makes it nearly unwatchable for me. I do watch from time to time, however, because Portland now has a MLS team.

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Yeah he did make a show of it... but it also should have been called. I can understand trying to make a big stink out of preventing a loss.

But seriously, MLS has by far the least amount of flopping/acting in the world, whether compared to national clubs or league clubs. And at the beginning of the season the commissioner "The Don" Garber gave refs a little hint that they should start booking players for simulation more often to try to eliminate it completely. We even had a conversation in this thread about a week ago pertaining to how the American game has always been hard work and rough play without the acting.

And there really is quite little simulation... when it does occur, the majority of the time it will come from an international player from a region famous for diving (i.e. Central/South America, Italy.) Hell, Philadelphia used to have a Guatemalan international named Carlos Ruiz... but his nickname that he got prior to coming to MLS was "El Pescadito" or "The Little Fish" on account of the high volume of flopping.... and his short stature

Give it time. Soon it will be gone or very rare in MLS.... and then they can focus on that bullsh*t "YSA Chant." It drives me nuts... at least in LA we yell "Puto" at the keeper. It's not as offensive if it's in a different language, right?

Joker, I think I remember you talking up Perlaza before. He's never really done much for me- Portland has other guys that can run all over the field while doing a better job staying onside. I'm just not sure that Boyd + Mwanga is the best solution with our midfield the way it is.

HoppyDaze said:

He would have easily stopped that shot if wasn't flopping around trying to draw a call.

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What game did you watch? Most of the "show" was after the goal.

WOO!! Tons of mid-week action this week. Be sure to confirm your Fantasy Manager team early since it will lock it early Wednesday afternoon.

LGI: Beckham made the call... England all the way. I guess we'll see how good their chances are in a few hours

HoppyDaze said:

This is why soccer will never be big here. I went out of my way to watch that match; and that's what I was rewarded with. The acting/flopping culture of soccer makes it nearly unwatchable for me. I do watch from time to time, however, because Portland now has a MLS team.

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You obviously aren't a fan of the NBA or the NFL then...

In my opinion Perkins made the fatal mistake of not playing until the whistle or the end of the play. Stop the ball and then petition for the interferance, not bounce guy, throw hands in air and complain.

As for Perlaza the reason I like him over Cooper or Boyd is even if it is a bad pass he makes an effort to run it down. Cooper and Boyd turn and look and don't even move toward the ball. If I had to pick favorites on the team Zizzo, Chabala, Nagbe, Futty would be my favorites to watch. Kaliff is amazing when he is on his game that guy has some great ball control.