Beautiful own goal. Of course my former boss is a Liverpool supporter so I have to take the piss.
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The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread
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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.
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.
jspain3
Well-Known Member
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.
hoppyhoppyhippo
Well-Known Member
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.
hoppyhoppyhippo
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Crazy start for the final.
HoppyDaze
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Sloppy first half. Go Timbers!
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Mongrel
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Sad state of affairs when the MLS Cup isn't broadcast on network TV in the US, only on cable, so of course I have an illegitimate European stream.
HoppyDaze
Well-Known Member
Every sports fan has cable here otherwise you'd never see any good sports
Believe me, I am very well aware. My wife doesn't buy it. So Streamhunter/Drakulastream/Whatever it's calling itself now since the name keeps changing is my best friend.
Congrats to the Portland Hipsters I mean Timbers.
Mongrel
Well-Known Member
Time to bring in the victory log, and Timber Joey!
ShizuokaBrad
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Alright, Liverpool lose to Newcastle... 
Everton don't let me down! Time to start moving up the table!!
Everton don't let me down! Time to start moving up the table!!
Mongrel
Well-Known Member
It's fitting that the best part of Cascadia is the first to bring home the trophy.
mrgstiffler
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be rioting right now.
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.
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.
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.
Hugh_Jass
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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.
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.
Fudge. Just drew Leicester in the FA Cup. Not that I don't think we can beat them (I think we can), but they've been looking very good lately.
With the MLS Cup Final done, it's time for the offseason. A few thoughts on this season of MLS and the upcoming offseason.
Best Season Ever?
Given that there was some doubt that this season would even happen, this was a very good season for MLS, perhaps the best ever or at least one of the best ever. Attendance continues to rise, as do TV ratings, and the playoffs included two penalty shootouts and record-breakingly fast goals. With the TAM system, more stars and great athletes are coming to MLS too. Of course, much ballyhooed expansion team NYCFC is going to be playing in Yankee Stadium for the foreseeable future and David Beckham's Miami dreams were stymied for most of the season, but hey Orlando City SC was a huge hit and already are 2nd in attendance, so it's not all bad news on the expansion front.
Records Were Shattered
Cyle Larin destroyed the old rookie scoring record with 17 goals, enough to put him in the top 6 for the golden boot (beyond Bradley Wright Phillips only due to assists being the tie-breaker). Sebastian Giovinco scored a combined 38 goals and assists to beat the old record for combined goals and assists set by Chris Wondolowski. We've had the records for fastest playoffs goal and fastest MLS Cup goal broken, by a long distance. All told, aside from the goals in a season record (that Giovinco was only 5 away from tying) virtually every major scoring record was broken in MLS this year.
The TV Deals Worked Out
Some of the biggest news this season was the start of the new TV deals with Univision, ESPN and Fox Sports; so far it looks like those deals have panned out. Ratings are up and as a fan, I must say knowing that every Sunday afternoon there is at least one game makes it easy to remember, even if I can't see those Univision games on Friday. There were some hiccups and problems, like games being moved to Fox Sports 2 to accomodate NASCAR delays, but overall it was a pretty positive deal. For the love of God though, get Alexi Lalas out of the commentator's booth, he's terrible.
The Future: Free Agents and Foreigners?
Much was made in the last offseason about free agency, for the first time in MLS history we actually have free agents and, from a fan perspective, it's not exactly an exciting group. Due to the heavy limitations on free agents, almost all of them are mediocre talents, guys that have always been just good enough to stick around in MLS, but not good enough to become designated players or jump over to Europe; the only real exception is Mike Magee, and even he is a little doubtful after a year filled with injury recovery and disappointment.
During the season, much hang-wringing was done about Sebastian Giovinco and Didier Drogba coming into the league and being so good after being mediocre in Europe mere months before, so is MLS destined for a future in which foreign players dominate the league? I don't think so, and not just because MLS artificially limits the number of foreign players, after all a lot of other big name European transplants flopped (See: Lampard and Pirlo) and others were actually outperformed by their local counterparts (Cyle Larin outscored Kaka, after all). Ultimately, if our boys can't hack it then that's on the US, its players and its training systems though, not on MLS; coaches are paid to train and field the best teams possible, general managers are paid to assemble the best team possible and team owners aren't owners for charity purposes.
The future, in my opinion, looks bright for the league as it reaches drinking age, and that is unquestionably a good thing for soccer in the US.
Best Season Ever?
Given that there was some doubt that this season would even happen, this was a very good season for MLS, perhaps the best ever or at least one of the best ever. Attendance continues to rise, as do TV ratings, and the playoffs included two penalty shootouts and record-breakingly fast goals. With the TAM system, more stars and great athletes are coming to MLS too. Of course, much ballyhooed expansion team NYCFC is going to be playing in Yankee Stadium for the foreseeable future and David Beckham's Miami dreams were stymied for most of the season, but hey Orlando City SC was a huge hit and already are 2nd in attendance, so it's not all bad news on the expansion front.
Records Were Shattered
Cyle Larin destroyed the old rookie scoring record with 17 goals, enough to put him in the top 6 for the golden boot (beyond Bradley Wright Phillips only due to assists being the tie-breaker). Sebastian Giovinco scored a combined 38 goals and assists to beat the old record for combined goals and assists set by Chris Wondolowski. We've had the records for fastest playoffs goal and fastest MLS Cup goal broken, by a long distance. All told, aside from the goals in a season record (that Giovinco was only 5 away from tying) virtually every major scoring record was broken in MLS this year.
The TV Deals Worked Out
Some of the biggest news this season was the start of the new TV deals with Univision, ESPN and Fox Sports; so far it looks like those deals have panned out. Ratings are up and as a fan, I must say knowing that every Sunday afternoon there is at least one game makes it easy to remember, even if I can't see those Univision games on Friday. There were some hiccups and problems, like games being moved to Fox Sports 2 to accomodate NASCAR delays, but overall it was a pretty positive deal. For the love of God though, get Alexi Lalas out of the commentator's booth, he's terrible.
The Future: Free Agents and Foreigners?
Much was made in the last offseason about free agency, for the first time in MLS history we actually have free agents and, from a fan perspective, it's not exactly an exciting group. Due to the heavy limitations on free agents, almost all of them are mediocre talents, guys that have always been just good enough to stick around in MLS, but not good enough to become designated players or jump over to Europe; the only real exception is Mike Magee, and even he is a little doubtful after a year filled with injury recovery and disappointment.
During the season, much hang-wringing was done about Sebastian Giovinco and Didier Drogba coming into the league and being so good after being mediocre in Europe mere months before, so is MLS destined for a future in which foreign players dominate the league? I don't think so, and not just because MLS artificially limits the number of foreign players, after all a lot of other big name European transplants flopped (See: Lampard and Pirlo) and others were actually outperformed by their local counterparts (Cyle Larin outscored Kaka, after all). Ultimately, if our boys can't hack it then that's on the US, its players and its training systems though, not on MLS; coaches are paid to train and field the best teams possible, general managers are paid to assemble the best team possible and team owners aren't owners for charity purposes.
The future, in my opinion, looks bright for the league as it reaches drinking age, and that is unquestionably a good thing for soccer in the US.
ShizuokaBrad
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Not good enough Everton! Not making our way up the table like we should be!
OP
OP
Reno_eNVy
Well-Known Member
Plus the Miami Beckhams found a site. It sucks (not very big, bad part of town, parking a mile away) but it's close to downtown so we'll see how that goes.
I'd say give Toronto the off-season to build around Gio and Jozy a little more and they might have something special right out the gate in 2016.
I think Alexi is okay, though he does say some stupid stuff sometimes. Twellman is getting better but still has his cringey catch-phrases. But the real issue was Ramses at Unimas. Crap on a stick it's bad... that dude has the weirdest cadence, says the dumbest stuff, constantly mispronounces names, and does that "GOOOOOOOOL" hackery.
Legitimacy was also added with big stars coming over and consistently informing the news back home that MLS is not a retirement league, that it is competitive and difficult to play in. It certain helps our image across the Atlantic and down south... but who cares what they think anyway, I like our product.
The Don has mentioned a couple times recently that the league is now stable. After the CBA scare, it seems as though the fear of folding is in the rear-view mirror. The league is officially at 24 teams: Atlanta Cliche (god, there was so much potential for an awesome name), the LAFC Millenials, Minnesota Cliche, and Miami Part 4. The Board locked in the biggest markets they were shooting for. It's great for the growth of the league but there is still much work to do for all of them: Miami have an upward battle but seem to be on the right track, Minnesota at least is going to the city that really really wanted them, the Millenials need to cut the cooky buzzwords and gimmicky marketing (the fan vote for the colors meant nothing, and it will be apparent when they make the announcement and there is no pink), and Atlanta seems to be doing just fine... just change the name before real business starts. Nip it in the bud.
The Board has given the "OK" to expand to 28. Which is great because Sacramento needs to be given a franchise; they've done absolutely everything right. Then there are cities that have gotten attention lately (San Antonio, Detroit, Vegas, St. Louis) and large markets that have shown interest and would add a lot to the TV viewership (Phoenix, San Diego). Then there are markets to look at that would fill in the gaps (the Carolinas, New Orleans, Canadian Great Plains area).
I have to say I was disappointed in the Atlanta name, I think someone had floated the idea of the Atlanta Phoenix as I recall, keeping with the bird theme; someone even did some sample kits incorporating red, black and I think gold. Would have been flashy and stood out, but no...had to go with Atlanta United. Also, if LA FC (or whatever they call themselves) doesn't have pink, we riot.
hoppyhoppyhippo
Well-Known Member
Gonna comment on this briefly.
First, I'd trade Alexi for Twellman any day of the week. I cannot stand Taylor Twellman. He takes a game and turns it into a 90 minute soapbox where he's smarter than everyone (in his mind only of course)
Second there was a massive failure in the deal, and it was in the handling of the knockout round. There's no excuse IMO to have it on Spanish channels only, especially since Unimas has pretty limited viewership. Many folks (like myself) had to watch the games on stream from somewhere.
Grannyknot
Well-Known Member
Didn't spurs play Leicester in last years FA cup as well?
Yep. But that was the next round. We beat Burnley first. Foxes knocked us out. However at the time I believe we were in the League Cup, FA Cup, Europa, and PL all at once so something had to give.
Funny thing here is we face Foxes in thr FA Cup 4 days before facing them again in the PL (both at home I believe).
You know, I completely forgot about that until now, my Sounders had a deal to televise the knockout round on local TV, so it wasn't a problem for me but you are right on that. More problematic is that Univision isn't available nationwide.
Unless playing for Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, Cyle Larin is a foreigner and is designated as such by (unfair) MLS rules.
So, a brief commentary on the recent Philadelphia-Houston trade. In case you aren't up to date, the Union gave up Maidana and Wenger for the number 6 overall pick and some allocation money. Given that Maidana seemed to be the only really good offensive piece Philly had last season, it seems insane to trade him away; especially since he had 15 assists (almost as much as Sebastian Giovinco). The allocation cash, seemingly, immediately went to pick up Chris Pontius, the often-injured DC United midfielder/forward. To my mind, this is an exceedingly bad trade, in exchange for your best chance creator and a decent defender you've gained a player who spent roughly half of last season on the mend, almost all of the previous season injured and hasn't had a season with double digit combined goals and assists since 2012 (which was the best year of his career) and a 6th overall pick. The previous two 6th overall picks haven't exactly been stellar talents by the way, Tesho Akindele may have started for Dallas most of the year, but he didn't score most of the goals and Alex Bono (selected this year) is a keeper yet to play a single game. I suppose this draft will be a test of whether building through the draft is even viable anymore, with Philadelphia as the Guinea Pig; I look forward to them selecting two goalkeepers within the first six picks.
