The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

[aygov]

Fire beat San Jose 3-2. An excellent game very back and forth. The Fire are on a 9 match unbeaten run now...

 

[danielofthedale]

The Atlanta Silverbacks are the Spring Season Champions of the North American Soccer League!!!

 

[Norselord]

I know this will not be of interest to most of you since you are not in the Atlanta area but I figured it might be seen by some people in the area or some of you might know some people in the Atlanta area and would pass this allong.

Next Monday, July 8th, ATLwantsMLS teams up with Monday Night Brewing. We'll be hosting a brewery event and for everyone who shows up for a tour/tasting, Monday Night Brewery will donate $2 to our Gold Cup funds!

ATLwantsMLS is a group of passionate soccer fans that are trying to orgainze the soccer fans in the Atlanta to show MLS and Arthur Blank that the city has what it takes to support a team.

* $10 gets you a pint glass, 4 drink tickets, a raffle ticket and $2 will be donated to ATLwantsMLS
* Wear a soccer shirt/scarf and get an extra raffle ticket!
* Meet other soccer fans in the city and talk about the great Silverbacks season that just finished, the crazy European Transfer Market, or how Jack McInerney and Sean Johnson are going to shine for the US in Gold Cup

So if you like soccer or craft beer or both we would really like if you were able to come out this coming Monday! Also if you know anyone who would be interested please let them know. If you would like to know anything else feel free to post it here or shot me a PM

Thank you,
Daniel Monroe

I am in Canton, GA - and would love to see a team in ATL, hell anywhere in the southeast would be nice. In protest I have been supporting the Whitecaps all season, which is as far from ATL as any team is...

Monday is just a little too tough to make it out anywhere, usually late work, son and wife are usually extra crazy on Monday on account of not adjusting back to work/school after a weekend (long one this time around too, so extra crazy), and then -- well its drinking on a Monday...

 

[user 107007]

RSL v Philly was a good match to watch. With all of the losses to national duty was a chance to see some of the younger team members.

Real back and forth game with some ref drama. Really impressed with Casey and his work rate. Interesting to see if his price goes up from this years efforts.

 

[Grannyknot]

Does anyone know the team selection for tonight's USMNT friendly?
I assumed the gold cup squad....

 

[danielofthedale]

Does anyone know the team selection for tonight's USMNT friendly?
I assumed the gold cup squad....

Yeah this is a tune up game for the Gold Cup so I think the lineup you see tonight will be pretty close to what we see Tuesday against Belize.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Corona has looked really good so far.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Very good first half.

DIdn't see it mentioned, but Jozy to Sunderland.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Welcome back Landycakes

 

[Grannyknot]

Reports in UK say Jozy might move to the PL with Sunderland being the front runner. Hull also with a previous connection.

Glad to hear his name being thrown around in the transfer window, but I hope he holds out till late summer for a better move.

Hoppy....mentioned above, but heard the offer has been rejected & he might hold out on personal terms for a move to a better side like spurs. As much as I hate spurs, would be a much better option for him.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I don't know if Spurs would work for him. I root for the Spurs so I'd love him, but they've shown plenty of impatience with Strikers so Jozy would have to be dominant or he'd lose his spot there.

Also I have to say, Brek Shea is going to be a special player. If he, Diserkud, Holden, and co come along the US will have a heck of a side in the upcoming years.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Wow that was a beauty

 

[BrewKnurd]

I know it's against a rebuilding Guatemala team.... but it is so nice to see Stu contributing at a high level.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

Almost feel bad for the Guatemalans.

But I have to say overall, the old guard guys who may be trying to win spots back (Gomez, Donovan and Onyewu) all looked great. If this squad plays like this the whole Gold Cup, I think they have what it takes for the win. Since pretty much every side has their best players on the sideline, the US seems to have the best of the rest. Keeping I think is a concern, but if the defense holds like it did today, and the offense clicks, it looks good for the US.

Have to say I feel bad for Hercules, he seems to have found his groove, he's just outclassed by Jozy.

 

[BrewKnurd]

Almost feel bad for the Guatemalans.

But I have to say overall, the old guard guys who may be trying to win spots back (Gomez, Donovan and Onyewu) all looked great. If this squad plays like this the whole Gold Cup, I think they have what it takes for the win. Since pretty much every side has their best players on the sideline, the US seems to have the best of the rest. Keeping I think is a concern, but if the defense holds like it did today, and the offense clicks, it looks good for the US.

Have to say I feel bad for Hercules, he seems to have found his groove, he's just outclassed by Jozy.

I'll agree with you on Donovan, after a few bad touches in the early going. I'm not sure what to say about Gomez, since the only reason he wasn't involved in the last set of qualifiers was a knee injury... so on the one hand, I'd say there's no reason to say he's necessarily lost his spot, but on the other hand, I'm not sure where I plug him in the lineup right now. Gooch... well, I didn't think he did anything to prove he deserved to be in consideration for a starting CB spot. Admittedly, I don't know what he could have done in a game like this, because he just wasn't tested that much.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I think not really being tested is a sign of good CB play. Seems like mostly he and Goodson paired well and steppedup to stop awkward transitions which has been a problem for our current CBs. Don't think he'll push Besler or Gonzalez as I think they're th efuture, but having good depth is never a bad thing.

And Gomez was bound to lose his spot to Jozy, but him performing at a high level in the GC will JMO make Jozy even better feeling the pressure of someone behind him.

ANd I think he could otherwise replace Johnson up top and slide Johnson back to LB or RB.

 

[BrewKnurd]

I think not really being tested is a sign of good CB play. Seems like mostly he and Goodson paired well and steppedup to stop awkward transitions which has been a problem for our current CBs. Don't think he'll push Besler or Gonzalez as I think they're th efuture, but having good depth is never a bad thing.

It can be a sign of that, but in this case, it sure looked like more of a case of the opposing offense not being good enough to do much. And yes, depth is great, but my point is that Gooch didn't do anything to convince that he's anything more than that at this point.

And Gomez was bound to lose his spot to Jozy, but him performing at a high level in the GC will JMO make Jozy even better feeling the pressure of someone behind him.

ANd I think he could otherwise replace Johnson up top and slide Johnson back to LB or RB.

I've thought Fabian belonged at let back for a while. But apparently Jurgen prefers DMB. And Fabian has done some good things at left wing, so hey, maybe its the right call after all. What do I know.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I think Johnson in the midfield is just so Klinsmann can try to find alternates for the fullback position. Basically the same reason why Cherundolo hasn't been picked for any of the internationals this year. He'll be in the mix next world cup, but the US needs insurance in case something happens like what happened when Johnson, Chandler, and Cherundolo were all hurt.

I'm hoping that by WC 2014 the starting lineup will be either

RB - Cherundolo
CB - Gonzalez
CB - Besler
LB - Johnson
CDM - Bradley
CDM - Jones
RM - Landycaskes
CAM - Dempsey
LM - Holden
ST - Jozy

or

Same defense
CDM - Bradley
CDM - Holden (though with this pairing Holden would be more offensive/creative)
RM - Landycakes
CAM - Dempsey
LM - Shea
ST - Jozy.

I think either of those lineups makes us a tough team to beat. Not really weak at any point. I like the second one better cause Shea for me has the physical ability to make a real difference in the next level, Though I guess a positive to the first lineup is you can bring Shea off the bench where he's just as strong.

 

[Pappers_]

Fire beat San Jose 3-2. An excellent game very back and forth. The Fire are on a 9 match unbeaten run now...

And on a nice run in the US Open Cup!

 

[Reno_eNVy]

The Atlanta Silverbacks are the Spring Season Champions of the North American Soccer League!!!

That's impressive, considering they finished dead last the previous two seasons.

Now I'm interested to see how NY does, both attendance-wise and how much attention they bring to the league.

 

[aygov]

And Mexico's slide continues... is this the end of Chepo?

 

[danielofthedale]

What a crazy start to the Gold Cup! Canada and Mexico upset by Martinique and Panama!

 

[lgilmore]

This certainly isn't the Mexico of years past. They seem to get easily frustrated and take themselves out of games. What's odd is appears across the board on their national teams. With the different events going on, I've had a chance to watch a lot of Mexican soccer and they seem to be lacking a playmaker or spirited forward who is creative. But what's odd is it seems to be this way at all levels of play. Starting to wonder if they will pull it together for WC qualifying.

 

[Grannyknot]

So, it seems that Jozy's move to Sunderland is going to go through....
What do you guys think?

Personally, I'm a little worried. This could go well, or it could end up going horribly wrong, with Jozy sitting on the bench or in a relegation battle.
I know the team had a lot of energy when Di Canio came in, but think back on how well they played after MON was hired.
He is also forgoing the chance to play in a European tournament (with AZ), and plus I'm not 100% sure that Jozy can displace Steven Fletcher.

I guess I saw Jozy getting a move to a better team.

 

[danielofthedale]

So, it seems that Jozy's move to Sunderland is going to go through....
What do you guys think?

Personally, I'm a little worried. This could go well, or it could end up going horribly wrong, with Jozy sitting on the bench or in a relegation battle.
I know the team had a lot of energy when Di Canio came in, but think back on how well they played after MON was hired.
He is also forgoing the chance to play in a European tournament (with AZ), and plus I'm not 100% sure that Jozy can displace Steven Fletcher.

I guess I saw Jozy getting a move to a better team.

I have many of the same concerns that you have. One I don't share the Fletcher one. They play a 4-4-2 and Jozy is going to be Fletcher's partner up, at least to start with.

 

[Grannyknot]

Unless they are playing under a new formation this year, if memory serves me correctly, Di Canio finished last season playing a 4-4-1-1, with sessegnon playing as an attacking mid or deep lying striker who would go back into the midfield to pick the ball up. That's not really Jozy's strength, nor do I think he would displace sessegnon.

He would really need to start alongside Fletcher in a new formation, or win a role as a lone striker.

Fletcher was injured for the last 6 or 8 matches last season, and Sunderland really paid for it because they didn't have a decent back-up. Considering the low fee they are paying for Jozy, I hope they don't assume that will be his role.

 

[HoppyDaze]

What do you guys think about the beheading in Brazil? Effed up story

 

[russrob81]

What do you guys think about the beheading in Brazil? Effed up story

That was crazy. Why did the ref feel he needed a knife then good ol' fashion medieval justice. Have something to look forward to next year

 

[Grannyknot]

......Considering the low fee they are paying for Jozy........

I stand corrected. 8.5mil is no drop in the bucket. Good for him.

 

[BrewKnurd]

I stand corrected. 8.5mil is no drop in the bucket. Good for him.

Yeah, i think what Sunderland paid for him says they expect to start him. If he went for that to man u, it wouldn't mean anything, but for a team like Sunderland, money like what they threw out probably means a starting role is his to lose.

I think he's good for 10-15 goals this season, depending on how the team performs overall.