The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

[dwarven_stout]

Everton fan here. Pretty excited to see the Timber starting up, too. Hopefully they play as good as their kit looks!


Also, Man. U vs Arsenal just kicked off. My money's on Arsenal- with Nani and Rio out, I don't think they have the creativity or the defense to win. Wilshere has looked completely baller the last few games.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Let's go Gunners!



Oh and thanks to whoever joined my Fantasy League. And to everybody else... you've hurt my feelings.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

On the subject of fantasy leagues.....This is not one You get to manage a team of imaginary players against your friends. I've been doing it about 3 years, it's a bit of fun. I can start a new league if there enough people interested.

 

[dwarven_stout]

Two observations:
Wilshere is still superb.
Van der Sar is having a steller game.


Oh, and it was me that joined your fantasy league. Should be interesting... the scoring is very different from the ones I've played before.

 

[aygov]

Well, the story of the last 3 maybe even 4 years at Arsenal can be summed up in 3 words: Not Good Enough.

Well, I guess as long as we're getting CL money who gives a hoot about silverware...

 

[Pappers_]

damn

 

[Reno_eNVy]

WOOOOOO!!! First Kick is tomorrow, mofo's!

Also, join my league

 

[Reno_eNVy]

After much waiting, the season official kicks off today!!!!

Click the image for a link to the match preview




And drinking for the match officially kicks off in about 3 hours :rockin:

 

[Pappers_]

Can't wait!

 

[Joker]

Everton fan here. Pretty excited to see the Timber starting up, too. Hopefully they play as good as their kit looks!

Got season tickets for the family and I for the Timbers I hope their first season is a great one.
:rockin::rockin:

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Yesterdays match was slightly sloppy but that's understandable considering it was a downpour the entire match on fieldturf... bad combination.

LA's defense did really well, considering the back-line general Omar Gonzalez was out**, they looked organized, fast, physical and actually like they've had a couple seasons under their belts.

As for Ricketts being out, Saunders stepped up hardcore... dude was HUGE in the posts.

Midfield had some good possession but the field conditions made passing a chore. Also, Juninho with the huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge strike. And I can't fault Kasey Keller for giving up that goal... it was a cracker of a shot.

Attacking (Magee, Barrett) were each half a player, so technically I can say LA won with 10 men

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Got season tickets for the family and I for the Timbers I hope their first season is a great one.
:rockin::rockin:

Very nice! I'm looking forward to seeing how Portland will fair; love the history, love the atmosphere, love the kits.

 

[McGarnigle]

Yesterdays match was slightly sloppy but that's understandable considering it was a downpour the entire match on fieldturf... bad combination.

LA's defense did really well, considering the back-line general Omar Gonzalez was out**, they looked organized, fast, physical and actually like they've had a couple seasons under their belts.

As for Ricketts being out, Saunders stepped up hardcore... dude was HUGE in the posts.

Midfield had some good possession but the field conditions made passing a chore. Also, Juninho with the huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge strike. And I can't fault Kasey Keller for giving up that goal... it was a cracker of a shot.

Attacking (Magee, Barrett) were each half a player, so technically I can say LA won with 10 men

I recall Saunders flailing aimlessly on a cross right before Friberg shot just wide. But other than that, he was good.

Slightly loose play, but fairly open as is often the case in MLS. Could have been 2-2 or 2-1.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

So if anybody is bored and have nothing to do, my Fantasy League draft is beginning in an hour.

Click here to go to the game and select "Get a Team." After setting your team up, select "Find a League" or "Search for a League".

The league name is "Supporters of LA Galaxy" and it's public so no password. You don't have to be a LAG supporter, just sign up for the fun and competition.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

And what a great weekend for MLS! I signed up for their MatchDay Live program, which allows me to watch almost every match this season (not including FSC, ESPN or Telefutura televised matches.)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC: 4-2
What an excellent match. An over-capacity Vancouver stadium had amazing atmosphere and looked great all wearing white. 'Caps first DP, Hassli, scored the first goal for Vancouver and had a follow-up goal in the second half. So much for all of the preseason predictions of Vancouver being a bottom-feeder in the West.

Toronto looked alright... a little sloppy, but the chemistry is still lacking as there have been a lot of personnel changes. However, congratulations to Dwain De Rosario for scoring the leagues 8000th goal.


New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC: 1-0
A tough fought game at Red Bull Arena which saw excellent midfield control from each side, resulting in some great battles for possession. 18 year old US National Team and MLS rookie Juan Agudelo gets the game winner in the 70th minute from a beautiful sailing through-ball from Tainio... he quickly gained control of the ball on a nice first touch, put some serious body into the marking defender and rocketed one helluva shot from the outside of his right foot. Can't wait to see him against Argentina at the end of the month.


D.C. United vs. Columbus Crew: 3-1
It's so nice to see United do some serious damage after ranking last-place every week last season. Charlie Davies was out of control; his first career goal came from his first touch of the game, his second coming from his second touch of the game. Things are looking up in the nation's capital.


FC Dallas vs. Chicago Fire: 1-1
After a season of averaging just over 10,000 fans a match at Pizza Hut Park, both clubs were able to put together quality performances in front of a near-sold-out crown of 20,145. The game was rather physical as they are rivals in a derby of sorts, "The Brimstone Cup" which harkens back to the old days of MLS when FC Dallas was the Dallas Burn.


Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union: 0-1
Philly started off their second season properly with a well deserved win over Houston. The goal was incredibly early (5') that was the result of some scrappy play in the penalty box. Sebastian Le Toux railed a huge shot off the crossbar, to which Danny Califf won the rebound and put the ball in the back of the net.


Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers: 3-1
Yesterday wasn't hunky-dory for all of the expansion (or recently expanded) clubs. Portland got lucky enough to play the reigning MLS Cup Champions in their opening match and were very much outplayed. Kenny Cooper completed the Timbers only goal. Let's see if they can pick up the pace when they look to face less dominating competition. And on a side note, DAMN Portland's kits are sliiiiiiiiiick.


San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake: 0-1
The CONCACAF semifinalists and Club World Cup hopefuls RSL faced a solid looking San Jose squad at Buckshaw Stadium.... in absolutely, god-awful conditions. At one point it was raining sideways, but there was a torrential downpour the entire match. San Jose had many many chances in the second half with the wind at their backs but RSL's keeper Nick Rimando is a friggin beast... so glad he's on my fantasy team. The result could have been different also if 2010 Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski didn't biff two point-blank goal opportunities.


Chivas USA vs. Sporting Kansas City: 2-3
Wow, what a match! Early early goal conceded by the Goats, to a just-drafted rookie in his first match C.J. Sapong. He definitely showed he deserved to be a starting forward. Oh, and speaking of starting forwards, Omar Bravo was absolutely out of control!!!!! Both of the Mexican internationals goals were gorgeous and much more difficult to finish than they looked.

All of these highlights can be found in the video section of MLSsoccer.com





TONIGHT, 5PM Pacific Time: LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution
My boys in blue, white and gold host the Revs in their season home-opener. It's already raining like mad in Southern California, so we'll see if there are enough diehard LAG fans out there to give them some home-field advantage. New England is currently in a rebuilding phase, with a completely revamped back-line and some new attacking power from overseas. However, which the backs seem healthy enough, their other new signings are showing on the injury report. Can LA start the season with 6 points?

Be sure to tune-in if you get GALAVISION... otherwise you can get it online at certain streaming websites. PM me if you want the links.

BLUE WHITE AND GOLD!
BLUE WHITE AND GOLD!
THE COLORS THAT MY BLOOD SHALL ALWAYS FLOW
I SING FOR YOU
AND ONLY YOU
WHEREVER I MAY BE I'LL SING FOR YOU
OLE OLE! LA LA!
I SWEAR I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY
OLE OLE! LA LA!
I SWEAR I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY

 

[Pappers_]

Anyone see the Fire v. Dallas game? 55th minute (I think) Fire get a breakaway, one-on-one with the keeper, and Hartman saves it. *facepalm* That was the difference between 3 points and 1.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Oh yeah.... Hartman is a beast!

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

So what do you guys think of the OchoCinco experiment?

I think it is great and the soccer talking heads need to embrace it NOW! It is a win win situation for them, unless they poo-poo on it and make themselves look like self righteous pricks (there current track).

1. Chad is actually serious about it, and brings a huge amount of press even if it is a publicity stunt (the league isn't exactly flush with aces in that department)
2. He could end up being a good prospect and maybe be a really player in the future (he has been unhappy with the Bengals for a while, he may actually leave if he could)
3. Even if he is a total disaster it builds up the sport. MLS will then be able to once and for all stomp on the critics who always say, 'yeah but if so-and-so played soccer he would be the best.' End of argument, or at the very least a powerful rebuttal. One of the best NFL players in his prime is unable to perform in a sport at the professional level that he actually competitively played... it shows that soccer is a more legit game than many Americans give it credit for.

Anyway, I just watched the Press Pass segment on the try out and the manager from New England comes off as a pompous douchenozzle. He is what is hurting the sports popularity.

.....................................................

Side note: what is with ESPN3 not carrying MLS games this year??? This suxors so far. They only showed the opener (I agree it was sloppy, but whatev).

 

[BertusBrew]

I don't think there is a chance in HELL that OchoCinco could compete at the level of the MLS. I read an interview with him where he said that he loves soccer more than football, but he chose football because that is where the money is at(at least in this country). But that doesn't mean he is any good. But any attention the league gets is good, so I'm all for him trying out.

That being said, the Fire home opener is this Saturday, I will be there and I am PUMPED!!

 

[McGarnigle]

I don't think there is a chance in HELL that OchoCinco could compete at the level of the MLS. I read an interview with him where he said that he loves soccer more than football, but he chose football because that is where the money is at(at least in this country). But that doesn't mean he is any good. But any attention the league gets is good, so I'm all for him trying out.

That being said, the Fire home opener is this Saturday, I will be there and I am PUMPED!!

+1. And it's an insult to the sport to think he could just play professionally. Maybe if he'd chosen a different path years ago, but not now.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I think I am going to pick the Fire as my MLS team to route for. They are close (I live near Milwaukee), I have family in Chicago, and they aren't the best team in the league right now so the timing is good. Anyway, who in there right mind doesn't have a functioning website!? Someone tell that soccer club how the 21st century works..... sheesh

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

So when a soccer player tries out for the NFL is that an insult to the game? Dude. Take it easy. A sport that never sees the light of day is front page news for a week, a very prominent player in the most popular sport in the country is showing he thinks soccer is a really cool sport, and when he doesn't make the team it shows that the pros in the league really are that good.

I lost where the insult in a guy wanting to follow a childhood dream is? Even if Ocho is acting it up for publicity, who gives? It is good press for the league.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Actually I watched his first day of the trail online yesterday morning. Here are my notes:

1) He is taking this quite seriously.
2) He isn't in soccer shape just yet but it's offseason for throwball
3) The passing is crisp, even with the left
4) Crossing is decent, if not often lower than needed
5) His shots have power, the placement isn't quite there yet
6) Can't say anything about his off-ball movement... the camera angle was pretty crappy

As of now he is not MLS quality... but that's not to say he doesn't have enough talent to make Vermes notice and give him an extension on the trial after Saturday.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

So when a soccer player tries out for the NFL is that an insult to the game? Dude. Take it easy. A sport that never sees the light of day is front page news for a week, a very prominent player in the most popular sport in the country is showing he thinks soccer is a really cool sport, and when he doesn't make the team it shows that the pros in the league really are that good.

I lost where the insult in a guy wanting to follow a childhood dream is? Even if Ocho is acting it up for publicity, who gives? It is good press for the league.

Oh and nice post.

 

[McGarnigle]

I stand by my point: it would be embarrassing if Ocho Cinqo were to make it in MLS. Soccer is a skill sport and he hasn't played it since high school. People in the US tend to think athleticism is everything.

If he wants to try out, so be it. But unless I'm overrating MLS and the skill required to play this game, he won't come close.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I hadn't heard about this Cinqo guy before, interesting! I'll be keeping an eye on that story!

For now, I'll just go on record as saying that if he only has high school experience, it is VERY unlikely that he will be anywhere near MLS standards. There are some excellent players in the MLS, it is extremely unlikely that someone out of the game for so long could even approach the standards of even the more run of the mill players. He would have had to have been a prodigious HS player to stand a chance. Being fast is just not enough.

 

[McGarnigle]

He's also 34 years old, quite old for a non-keeper.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

To be clear, I fully predict failure for his attempt. I just think it is a sizable positive for the league that he is trying at all.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Really good points by everybody, I like the talk. It's a lot more civil than on bigsoccer.com... woooooo are there some ******-tickets on there!

LGI, I'm actually quite surprised you haven't heard of Ochocinco (unless you were making a joke based on the spelling of Cinqo.) The media likes him so he's always in the news and on SportsCenter.

Here's a video from trail day 2. He's looking decently comfortable, had a nice cross (of which he discussed with impressive humility), played a nice through-ball that resulted in a shot and looks like he can juke players and still keep a decent touch.

The odds are against him for sure.... I'm just curious and fascinated by this whole process. Looks like it's paying off for Sporting's marketing team.

Also, awesome new tifo for The Cauldron

 

[Pappers_]

I think I am going to pick the Fire as my MLS team to route for . . . . Anyway, who in there right mind doesn't have a functioning website!? Someone tell that soccer club how the 21st century works..... sheesh

Are you talking about the Fire? http://www.chicago-fire.com/ They also have a great and active Facebook page. And check out Section 8 on the web and Facebook, they are my favorite nutjobs!