***Official 2014 World Cup Thread*** (2 Viewers)

[Eephus]

Galatasaray have confirmed that talks with David Moyes have taken place as they seek a replacement for Roberto Mancini but said Joachim Low and Jurgen Klinsmann were their top targets.

Moyes has been out of work since being sacked as Manchester United manager in April after only 10 months in charge at Old Trafford.

Former Manchester City boss Mancini left Galatasaray earlier in June, and the club confirmed to the Press Association that Moyes had visited Turkey to talk to club officials.

However, the Turkish Super Lig side said Germany boss Low and U.S. boss Klinsmann were their priorities.

A spokesman said: "The president has given a speech about it. He said that we just spoke with David Moyes, and he said that he can come to Galatasaray, but he is not one of the main targets for us.

"They just spoke to each other, exchanging ideas -- that is it. It is true the president talked with David Moyes. We are not in a rush. We are waiting for the end of the World Cup. The first two targets are Low or Klinsmann."

Low and Klinsmann have led their sides into the round of 16 at the World Cup in Brazil.

Klinsmann on Friday denied he had been contacted by the club. "My response is a simple no," he told ESPN's Doug McIntyre after the U.S. team practice in Sao Paulo.

Is there any reason at all to think Klinsmann would be tempted by Galatasaray or any other club job?

I am going to go with no. He lives in the US (socal), has been given the keys to revamp the entire us soccer system, He's married to an American woman... I would be surprised if he left, esp for Turkey.

Maybe around Thanksgiving?

I think this is just brave talk from Galatasaray management. Mancini's experience with the club should be cautionary for any potential incoming managers, especially those with a more stable current position.

 

[B Maverick]

Let's do this fun chart - latest FIFA rankings with whether or not they progressed

1) Spain - OUT

2) Germany - Won Group G

3) Brazil - Won Group A

4) Portugal - OUT

5) Argentina - Won Group F

6) Switzerland - Runner-Up Group E

7) Uruguay - Runner-Up Group D

8) Colombia - Won Group C

9) Italy - OUT

10) England - OUT

11) Belgium - Won Group H

12) Greece - Runner-up Group C

13) USA - Runner-up Group G

14) Chile - Runner-Up Group B

15) Netherlands - Won Group B

17) France - Won Group E

18) Croatia - OUT

19) Russia - OUT

20) Mexico - Runner-Up Group A

21) Bosnia-Herzegovina - OUT

22) Algeria - Runner-up Group H

23t) Cote D'Ivoire - OUT

26) Ecuador - OUT

28) Rich Coast - Won Group D

33) Honduras - OUT

37) Ghana - OUT

43) Iran - OUT

44) Nigeria - Runner-up Group F

46) Japan - OUT

56) Cameroon - OUT

57t) South Korea - OUT

62) Australia - OUT

-QG

So how good are these rankings and if they're spot on are we truly an even match for Belgium as it appears?

Any good analysis of the Belgian team and players out there?

FIFA rankings are meaningless but Belgium is a strong side. It's the round of 16 in a World Cup, you're unlikely to draw a patsy at this stage of the competition.

Here's ZN's pre-tournament analysis of Belgium. I think Scooby posted his in this thread as well.

Of all the group winners I believe this matchup is our best one to proceed. CRC could be argued but the way they are playing only a freak snowstorm would help (i know, I know...) As mentioned they do have a lot of high profile players who play in the top leagues but they are not really playing like a team. And as good as Lukaku was in the EPL he hasnt found success at the cup.

I like our chances to advance in this matchup.

 

[El Floppo]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

There's like a billion Greene Turtles in OC and I imagine they'll play the World Cup proper as opposed to a random qualifier.

But here's a quick Googling.

http://shorebread.com/2014/06/13/where-to-watch-the-world-cup-in-ocean-city/

 

[Jaysus]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

Ocean City Brewing Company: Link

 

[NewlyRetired]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

The Green Turtle is showing games. Here is a list for Maryland

MARYLAND

Baltimore

Abbey Burger Bistro | 1041 Marshall Street | @Abbey_Burger

Barracudas Tavern | 1230 East Fort Avenue

In Like Flynn Tavern | 1371 Andre Street

MaGerk's Pub | 1061 South Charles Street | @magerkspubFH

Miguel's Cocina y Cantina | 1200 Stuart Street | @miguelscocina

No Idea Tavern | 1649 S. Hanover Street | @NoIdeaTavern

Slainte | 1700 Thames Street | @Slaintepub

Bel Air

Magerks Pub | 120 South Bond Street

Kingsville

Gunpowder Lodge | 10092 Belair Road

La Plata

The Greene Turtle | 6 St. Marys Avenue #104

Parkville

Racers' Cafe | 7732 Harford Road

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

This was a long long time ago now, but we used to go to the big hotel bars to watch big sports events the summers I lived down there. Far less crowded, more comfortable and not someplace most of the 20 year olds visit.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Watching Yedlin play really makes me think Diego Fagundez could have had a small impact on this WC for the US. He is not as fast as Yedlin but has a ton more skill out wide.

Pulling in Fagundez, Nagbe, Green (if he can match his hype) next cycle could really change the look of the team, from one that is more plodding to one that has quickness in multiple spots (picture Yedlin and Fab on opposite wings once Yedlin develops the defensive side of his game).

Throw in a more mature Agudelo who is loaded with potential and it could be a very fun side to watch develop offensively.

 

[El Floppo]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

Ocean City Brewing Company: Link

we'll be right across the bridge/bay... looks like my best bet, except I hate going into Ocean City proper.

 

[Mjolnirs]

Using the FIFA ranking system and the point calculations, here are how many points each WC team has earned after 3 matches. Of course as time progresses older points fall off so I don't know what a team's net is.

6056.16 Netherlands

5671.92 Colombia

5484.72 Belgium

5378.16 Argentina

5368.00 Costa Rica

4887.44 Germany

4704.00 France

4572.00 Uruguay

4458.08 Mexico

4303.68 Brazil

3851.52 Switzerland

3824.16 Chile

2688.08 Nigeria

2495.52 Ecuador

2466.16 USA

2356.40 Greece

2340.40 Portugal

2280.00 Italy

2098.40 Algeria

1620.24 Bosnia-H

1589.28 Ivory Coast

1486.08 Croatia

1424.14 Spain

1104.24 Russia

792.00 Ghana

752.00 Japan

724.00 South Korea

605.44 England

536.64 Iran

0.00 Honduras

0.00 Cameroon

0.00 Australia

Netherlands and Chile eached earned the max for a single game with their wins over Spain.

Beating the #1 ranked team, in the World Cup and that team being from UEFA or CONMEBOL = 3*4*200*1 = 2400

 

[El Floppo]

Watching Yedlin play really makes me think Diego Fagundez could have had a small impact on this WC for the US. He is not as fast as Yedlin but has a ton more skill out wide.

Pulling in Fagundez, Nagbe, Green (if he can match his hype) next cycle could really change the look of the team, from one that is more plodding to one that has quickness in multiple spots (picture Yedlin and Fab on opposite wings once Yedlin develops the defensive side of his game).

Throw in a more mature Agudelo who is loaded with potential and it could be a very fun side to watch develop offensively.

nagbe. If he and Fagundez can get citizenship, wow.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Watching Yedlin play really makes me think Diego Fagundez could have had a small impact on this WC for the US. He is not as fast as Yedlin but has a ton more skill out wide.

Pulling in Fagundez, Nagbe, Green (if he can match his hype) next cycle could really change the look of the team, from one that is more plodding to one that has quickness in multiple spots (picture Yedlin and Fab on opposite wings once Yedlin develops the defensive side of his game).

Throw in a more mature Agudelo who is loaded with potential and it could be a very fun side to watch develop offensively.

nagbe. If he and Fagundez can get citizenship, wow.

Nagbe is a lock. The only question is whether it comes before or after the Gold Cup in 2015. it is very close now.

Diego is not a lock, at least for next cycle.

 

[El Floppo]

Watching Yedlin play really makes me think Diego Fagundez could have had a small impact on this WC for the US. He is not as fast as Yedlin but has a ton more skill out wide.

Pulling in Fagundez, Nagbe, Green (if he can match his hype) next cycle could really change the look of the team, from one that is more plodding to one that has quickness in multiple spots (picture Yedlin and Fab on opposite wings once Yedlin develops the defensive side of his game).

Throw in a more mature Agudelo who is loaded with potential and it could be a very fun side to watch develop offensively.

nagbe. If he and Fagundez can get citizenship, wow.

Nagbe is a lock. The only question is whether it comes before or after the Gold Cup in 2015. it is very close now.

Diego is not a lock, at least for next cycle.

that sound you here is me, giggling like a school girl while rubbing my hands together.

 

[B-Deep]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

 

[B-Deep]

i googled international soccer for dummies

lol

 

[The Z Machine]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

The Green Turtle is showing games. Here is a list for Maryland

MARYLAND

Baltimore

Abbey Burger Bistro | 1041 Marshall Street | @Abbey_Burger

Barracudas Tavern | 1230 East Fort Avenue

In Like Flynn Tavern | 1371 Andre Street

MaGerk's Pub | 1061 South Charles Street | @magerkspubFH

Miguel's Cocina y Cantina | 1200 Stuart Street | @miguelscocina

No Idea Tavern | 1649 S. Hanover Street | @NoIdeaTavern

Slainte | 1700 Thames Street | @Slaintepub

Bel Air

Magerks Pub | 120 South Bond Street

Kingsville

Gunpowder Lodge | 10092 Belair Road

La Plata

The Greene Turtle | 6 St. Marys Avenue #104

Parkville

Racers' Cafe | 7732 Harford Road

nearly every bar in Baltimore that has TVs is showing the World Cup.

 

[NewlyRetired]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

we are probably the best resource.

Let me try and break it down:

First there are two main items:

1) Club

2) Country

Lets focus on country first

Every country is placed into a region. The regions are

1) CONCACAF - North and Central America and the islands

2) CONMBOL - South America

3) UEFA - Europe

4) CAF - Africa

5) AFC - Asia

6) Oceania - New Zealand area

Every region has a regional championship. Some are run every 2 years, some are run every 4 years.

The winners of these regional championships plays in the CONFED Cup which is played the year before the WC in the WC host country as a dry run

Every region holds its own qualifying tournament for the WC based on the numbers of spots it is allocated by FIFA

The 31 qualifiers and the host country come together every 4 years for the WC. And then the cycle starts all over again

=====================

That is international soccer from a 5000 foot level. Ask any questions you want on this top go into more detail

 

[NewlyRetired]

Ok now club soccer is run like this

1) Every country has a domestic league, typically broken into multiple divisions

2) Country's can choose their own season but the majority of the countries run from late August to late May. MLS runs from March to December for weather reasons

3) Every region also has what is called a "Champions League" (different names but same concept). These competitions bring together the best of the best from the various leagues in the region, based on their previous seasons record. The UEFA Champions League is considered the best of these tournaments

4) Most countries run a league structure, which means that there are no playoffs as we know them. You play the entire season and whom ever is in first at the end is the Champion

5) Most countries have a domestic cup competition in which teams from every level from amateur to the biggest pro team compete in a knockout type tournament. The most famous of these is the FA Cup in England.

ok that is club soccer from a 10,000 foot view, now ask questions to go into more detail

 

[B-Deep]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

we are probably the best resource.

Let me try and break it down:

First there are two main items:

1) Club

2) Country

Lets focus on country first

Every country is placed into a region. The regions are

1) CONCACAF - North and Central America and the islands

2) CONMBOL - South America

3) UEFA - Europe

4) CAF - Africa

5) AFC - Asia

6) Oceania - New Zealand area

Every region has a regional championship. Some are run every 2 years, some are run every 4 years.

The winners of these regional championships plays in the CONFED Cup which is played the year before the WC in the WC host country as a dry run

Every region holds its own qualifying tournament for the WC based on the numbers of spots it is allocated by FIFA

The 31 qualifiers and the host country come together every 4 years for the WC. And then the cycle starts all over again

=====================

That is international soccer from a 5000 foot level. Ask any questions you want on this top go into more detail

wow i thought i knew some of this, but was off on some

so the regional championships are not the same as the WC qualifier, i would a been wrong there

how many teams are in the CONFED Cup, just 6?

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

 

[B-Deep]

Ok now club soccer is run like this

1) Every country has a domestic league, typically broken into multiple divisions

2) Country's can choose their own season but the majority of the countries run from late August to late May. MLS runs from March to December for weather reasons

3) Every regional also has what is called a "Champions League". These bring together the best of the best from the various leagues in the region, based on their previous seasons record. The UEFA Champions League is considered the best of these tournaments

4) Most countries run a league structure, which means that there are no playoffs as we know them. You play the entire season and who ever is in first at the end is the Champion

5) Most countries have a domestic cup competition in which teams from every level from amateur to the biggest pro team compete in a knockout type tournament. The most famous of these is the FA Cup in England.

ok that is club soccer from a 10,000 foot view, now ask questions to go into more detail

this makes sense

a club team will play its club games

some friendlys with other clubs from other leagues

if it is good enough, in its regions championship league

in it's countries cup (if it has one)

sounds about right?

 

[Eephus]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

we are probably the best resource.

Let me try and break it down:

First there are two main items:

1) Club

2) Country

Lets focus on country first

Every country is placed into a region. The regions are

1) CONCACAF - North and Central America and the islands

2) CONMBOL - South America

3) UEFA - Europe

4) CAF - Africa

5) AFC - Asia

6) Oceania - New Zealand area

Every region has a regional championship. Some are run every 2 years, some are run every 4 years.

The winners of these regional championships plays in the CONFED Cup which is played the year before the WC in the WC host country as a dry run

Every region holds its own qualifying tournament for the WC based on the numbers of spots it is allocated by FIFA

The 31 qualifiers and the host country come together every 4 years for the WC. And then the cycle starts all over again

=====================

That is international soccer from a 5000 foot level. Ask any questions you want on this top go into more detail

wow i thought i knew some of this, but was off on some

so the regional championships are not the same as the WC qualifier, i would a been wrong there

how many teams are in the CONFED Cup, just 6?

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

8 teams in Confed Cup. The 6 reigning federation champs are joined by the defending World Cup champions and the host nation for the next World Cup.

 

[NewlyRetired]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

we are probably the best resource.

Let me try and break it down:

First there are two main items:

1) Club

2) Country

Lets focus on country first

Every country is placed into a region. The regions are

1) CONCACAF - North and Central America and the islands

2) CONMBOL - South America

3) UEFA - Europe

4) CAF - Africa

5) AFC - Asia

6) Oceania - New Zealand area

Every region has a regional championship. Some are run every 2 years, some are run every 4 years.

The winners of these regional championships plays in the CONFED Cup which is played the year before the WC in the WC host country as a dry run

Every region holds its own qualifying tournament for the WC based on the numbers of spots it is allocated by FIFA

The 31 qualifiers and the host country come together every 4 years for the WC. And then the cycle starts all over again

=====================

That is international soccer from a 5000 foot level. Ask any questions you want on this top go into more detail

wow i thought i knew some of this, but was off on some

so the regional championships are not the same as the WC qualifier, i would a been wrong there

how many teams are in the CONFED Cup, just 6?

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

Regional tournaments are typically seperate from qualifying. Qualifying is a long drawn out process, where as a regional tournament is run similar to the WC where teams can be out quickly.

They usually try and fill out the CONFED cup field to 8 teams to make 2 groups of 4. Last year it was

Mexico - Concacaf champions

Uruguay - South America Champions

Italy - UEFA runners up

Brazil - hosts

Spain - UEFA Champions

Tahiti - Oceania Champions

Nigeria - African Champions

Japan - Asian Champions

 

[B-Deep]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

we are probably the best resource.

Let me try and break it down:

First there are two main items:

1) Club

2) Country

Lets focus on country first

Every country is placed into a region. The regions are

1) CONCACAF - North and Central America and the islands

2) CONMBOL - South America

3) UEFA - Europe

4) CAF - Africa

5) AFC - Asia

6) Oceania - New Zealand area

Every region has a regional championship. Some are run every 2 years, some are run every 4 years.

The winners of these regional championships plays in the CONFED Cup which is played the year before the WC in the WC host country as a dry run

Every region holds its own qualifying tournament for the WC based on the numbers of spots it is allocated by FIFA

The 31 qualifiers and the host country come together every 4 years for the WC. And then the cycle starts all over again

=====================

That is international soccer from a 5000 foot level. Ask any questions you want on this top go into more detail

wow i thought i knew some of this, but was off on some

so the regional championships are not the same as the WC qualifier, i would a been wrong there

how many teams are in the CONFED Cup, just 6?

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

8 teams in Confed Cup. The 6 reigning federation champs are joined by the defending World Cup champions and the host nation for the next World Cup.

that sounds like fun

that'd be some damn good footie to watch, wouldn't it?

 

[NewlyRetired]

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

just to be clear, the qualifiers are not a tournament style per say. They are played out over multiple years during the 4 year cycle.

The US first had to advance from the semi final group of 4 to get to the hex.

And then once in the Hex, they had to be one of the top 3 teams to advance to the WC.

It was a total of 16 games to qualify for the US.

Any country that is registered with FIFA can be in the qualifiers. For 2014, the number of countries that tried to qualify was 203.

 

[B-Deep]

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

just to be clear, the qualifiers are not a tournament style per say. They are played out over multiple years during the 4 year cycle.

The US first had to advance from the semi final group of 4 to get to the hex.

And then once in the Hex, they had to be one of the top 3 teams to advance to the WC.

It was a total of 16 games to qualify for the US.

Any country that is registered with FIFA can be in the qualifiers. For 2014, the number of countries that tried to qualify was 203.

ok

this makes some sense, it is not a one and done, it is a long process

i assume it varies slighlty region by region, and the details of it are prbably not super important at this juncture

 

[Eephus]

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

The WC qualifying process differs widely across the regional federations. The most straightforward by far is CONMBOL where the ten South American teams play each other twice. Federations with lots of nations use a variety of multi-round formats to get rid of the small countries (i.e. minnows). In Europe, UEFA allows the small countries such as San Marino and the Faroe Islands to participate throughout the group stages, while here in CONCACAF the minnows from the small Caribbean countries get eliminated pretty quickly.

 

[NewlyRetired]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

we are probably the best resource.

Let me try and break it down:

First there are two main items:

1) Club

2) Country

Lets focus on country first

Every country is placed into a region. The regions are

1) CONCACAF - North and Central America and the islands

2) CONMBOL - South America

3) UEFA - Europe

4) CAF - Africa

5) AFC - Asia

6) Oceania - New Zealand area

Every region has a regional championship. Some are run every 2 years, some are run every 4 years.

The winners of these regional championships plays in the CONFED Cup which is played the year before the WC in the WC host country as a dry run

Every region holds its own qualifying tournament for the WC based on the numbers of spots it is allocated by FIFA

The 31 qualifiers and the host country come together every 4 years for the WC. And then the cycle starts all over again

=====================

That is international soccer from a 5000 foot level. Ask any questions you want on this top go into more detail

wow i thought i knew some of this, but was off on some

so the regional championships are not the same as the WC qualifier, i would a been wrong there

how many teams are in the CONFED Cup, just 6?

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

8 teams in Confed Cup. The 6 reigning federation champs are joined by the defending World Cup champions and the host nation for the next World Cup.

that sounds like fun

that'd be some damn good footie to watch, wouldn't it?

it was fun except that Tahiti kind of threw things out of whack. Normally 99 out of a 100 times New Zealand would represent Oceania and not look horribly out of place. Tahiti ended up with a goal differential of -23 after 3 games :(

 

[roadkill1292]

Just realized I'm going on vacation next week...

any recommendations for where to watch the games in lovely and cultured Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines)?

I remember being down there years' ago for a qualifying game- went to a place called the Green Turtle and had to beg the manager to get one of their 9000 TVs (in a corner by the bathroom) to play the game instead of pre-season Ravens.

I think it'll be different this time.

The Green Turtle is showing games. Here is a list for Maryland

MARYLAND

Baltimore

Abbey Burger Bistro | 1041 Marshall Street | @Abbey_Burger

Barracudas Tavern | 1230 East Fort Avenue

In Like Flynn Tavern | 1371 Andre Street

MaGerk's Pub | 1061 South Charles Street | @magerkspubFH

Miguel's Cocina y Cantina | 1200 Stuart Street | @miguelscocina

No Idea Tavern | 1649 S. Hanover Street | @NoIdeaTavern

Slainte | 1700 Thames Street | @Slaintepub

Bel Air

Magerks Pub | 120 South Bond Street

Kingsville

Gunpowder Lodge | 10092 Belair Road

La Plata

The Greene Turtle | 6 St. Marys Avenue #104

Parkville

Racers' Cafe | 7732 Harford Road

nearly every bar in Baltimore that has TVs is showing the World Cup.

I watched the match yesterday in an Owings Mills pizzaria. Place was pretty full of interested fans.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

just to be clear, the qualifiers are not a tournament style per say. They are played out over multiple years during the 4 year cycle.

The US first had to advance from the semi final group of 4 to get to the hex.

And then once in the Hex, they had to be one of the top 3 teams to advance to the WC.

It was a total of 16 games to qualify for the US.

Any country that is registered with FIFA can be in the qualifiers. For 2014, the number of countries that tried to qualify was 203.

ok

this makes some sense, it is not a one and done, it is a long process

i assume it varies slighlty region by region, and the details of it are prbably not super important at this juncture

Correct, it does vary. Every region has its own set up to determine who qualifies.

The full process for 2018 will be in place by next summer.

 

[B-Deep]

so i assume there is some super computer at google that (while trying to become self aware and set up skynet) schedules all of this, because it sounds like a scheduling nightmare

lol

 

[B-Deep]

is there a good resource that can track, explain, list all these international cups and tournaments etc....

that's among the more confusing things for a soccer novice

there's international tourneys, there are qualification tournaments, there are champions leagues tournaments, along with all the leagues that have their regular schedule and championships (though no playoffs, unless that is EPL specific)

it seems there is always soccer but i rarely know what it means or how important it is

do all of the various leagues run at about the same time of year?

what is the off season, is there one?

we are probably the best resource.

Let me try and break it down:

First there are two main items:

1) Club

2) Country

Lets focus on country first

Every country is placed into a region. The regions are

1) CONCACAF - North and Central America and the islands

2) CONMBOL - South America

3) UEFA - Europe

4) CAF - Africa

5) AFC - Asia

6) Oceania - New Zealand area

Every region has a regional championship. Some are run every 2 years, some are run every 4 years.

The winners of these regional championships plays in the CONFED Cup which is played the year before the WC in the WC host country as a dry run

Every region holds its own qualifying tournament for the WC based on the numbers of spots it is allocated by FIFA

The 31 qualifiers and the host country come together every 4 years for the WC. And then the cycle starts all over again

=====================

That is international soccer from a 5000 foot level. Ask any questions you want on this top go into more detail

wow i thought i knew some of this, but was off on some

so the regional championships are not the same as the WC qualifier, i would a been wrong there

how many teams are in the CONFED Cup, just 6?

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

8 teams in Confed Cup. The 6 reigning federation champs are joined by the defending World Cup champions and the host nation for the next World Cup.

that sounds like fun

that'd be some damn good footie to watch, wouldn't it?

it was fun except that Tahiti kind of threw things out of whack. Normally 99 out of a 100 times New Zealand would represent Oceania and not look horribly out of place. Tahiti ended up with a goal differential of -23 after 3 games :(

that'd still be fun!!!!

 

[Eephus]

that sounds like fun


that'd be some damn good footie to watch, wouldn't it?

Tahiti might disagree after losing by 10-0 and 8-0 scores to Spain and Uruguay in 2013.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

The qualifier tournis, do ALL teams play in those?

At one stage or another, pretty much.

In CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Carribean) the tiny island nations will start the process fairly soon.

The US and other 'big' teams don't get involved until the semifinals (I believe 'big' means teams that made the Hex the previous cycle).

The semi finals are three groups of four, with the top two in each group advancing to 'the Hex'.

The Hex is the final six teams -- each team plays the other five, home and away (10 games). Top 3 go through, 4th plays in a playoff for a spot.

Europe throws everyone into one of eight or nine groups. Group winner advances to World Cup. 2nd place teams play each other in home and away playoffs for the other four spots.

South America throws all 10 teams into one long home and away group with 18 games.

 

[B-Deep]

so

a right and proper insult to a national team would be to say they are "so bad Tahiti would have to spot them 4 goals"

 

[NewlyRetired]

so i assume there is some super computer at google that (while trying to become self aware and set up skynet) schedules all of this, because it sounds like a scheduling nightmare

lol

FIFA has a calendar which defines international dates. Clubs do their best to work around these and are required to release players to the international teams during these windows.

It is up to every region to then use these dates to schedule their games, be they friendlies, regional championships or WC qualfying.

Oh and I should have said, that even the regional championships have their own qualifying. For example the Euro Championships in 2016 will be for 24 teams, so more than half of the UEFA region will not qualify.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

btw... if you look at the final Hex standings you'll notice that Mexico finished fourth and had to play New Zealand home and away to get into the World Cup.

With five minutes left in in the last game of qualifying Panama was in the World Cup, and Mexico was out -- in 5th place. But the US scored two very late goals in Panama to put Mexico into the playoff even though they lost to Costa Rica in a 'must win' game.

 

[B-Deep]

I think i am starting to get a handle on it

what i need to do is pay attention and go into the soccer thread and ask when i am not sure what a match is

 

[Sinn Fein]

Ok now club soccer is run like this

1) Every country has a domestic league, typically broken into multiple divisions

2) Country's can choose their own season but the majority of the countries run from late August to late May. MLS runs from March to December for weather reasons

3) Every regional also has what is called a "Champions League". These bring together the best of the best from the various leagues in the region, based on their previous seasons record. The UEFA Champions League is considered the best of these tournaments

4) Most countries run a league structure, which means that there are no playoffs as we know them. You play the entire season and who ever is in first at the end is the Champion

5) Most countries have a domestic cup competition in which teams from every level from amateur to the biggest pro team compete in a knockout type tournament. The most famous of these is the FA Cup in England.

ok that is club soccer from a 10,000 foot view, now ask questions to go into more detail

this makes sense

a club team will play its club games

some friendlys with other clubs from other leagues

if it is good enough, in its regions championship league

in it's countries cup (if it has one)

sounds about right?

Sort of - friendlies are generally only in the pre-season. There may be multiple domestic Cups - Teams in the English (Barclay's) Premier League will play in the FA Cup - prestigious open to all, and the Capital One Cup, lest prestigious, and open to EPL and Second- level teams.

Also lost in the discussion is the concept of Promotion and Relegation - using the English system as an example, each season the bottom three team in the Premier League will be relegated to the Championship League (2nd tier), and three teams from the Championship are promoted each season to Premier League.

So, within a season, there are several races going on at any given time. A handful of teams will compete to win the league title; a slightly larger group will compete to finish in the top-4 (top-4 essentially assures that the team will play in the Champions League the following year - nice money boost), a few more teams will compete for 2 or 3 spots in the Europa Cup - a tier below the Champions League, but still playing teams across Europe. Finally there will be a race at the bottom of the table (table = soccer's version of "standings") to avoid relegation. The monetary difference between being a Premier League club and a Championship League club is vast, to say nothing of the prestige.

 

[B-Deep]

Here are the final tables for the CONCACAF semifinal round and Hexagonal round this last time.

that whole article explains a lot

 

[SmoovySmoov]

I think i am starting to get a handle on it

what i need to do is pay attention and go into the soccer thread and ask when i am not sure what a match is

It's amazing how much you pick up. You start out watching the Premier League, and then you learn about the Champions League and international breaks, and so on. The more you watch, the easier it will become to you.

 

[Eephus]

so

a right and proper insult to a national team would be to say they are "so bad Tahiti would have to spot them 4 goals"

Don't sleep on Tahitian striker Steevy Chong Hue

 

[Eephus]

I think i am starting to get a handle on it

what i need to do is pay attention and go into the soccer thread and ask when i am not sure what a match is

It's amazing how much you pick up. You start out watching the Premier League, and then you learn about the Champions League and international breaks, and so on. The more you watch, the easier it will become to you.

If you follow the sport long enough, you eventually learn it's not OK to bite people

 

[NewlyRetired]

I think i am starting to get a handle on it

what i need to do is pay attention and go into the soccer thread and ask when i am not sure what a match is

yup, that is the easiest way. You will get quick, concise answers that you can then further ask questions on if you need.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

There are a few exceptions but professional clubs usually only play friendlies as part of their pre-season preparations.

Friendlies are much more common in international soccer -- teams need games in-between major competitions and qualifying, and so work together to schedule games. They aren't meaningless, but it's safe to put a lot less stock in those results than those of a real competition -- teams often start young, unproven players or experiment with new formations, or substitute freely and etc. They're definitely not as intense even though some of the players are fighting for spots in their international teams.

 

[B Maverick]

and dont worry, I knew most of this and still reading through it made my head

 

[SmoovySmoov]

I think i am starting to get a handle on it

what i need to do is pay attention and go into the soccer thread and ask when i am not sure what a match is

It's amazing how much you pick up. You start out watching the Premier League, and then you learn about the Champions League and international breaks, and so on. The more you watch, the easier it will become to you.

If you follow the sport long enough, you eventually learn it's not OK to bite people

Go #### yourself, Eephus.

 

[jon_mx]

Not too much love for Zusi here. I like the way he has played.

 

[B Maverick]

There are a few exceptions but professional clubs usually only play friendlies as part of their pre-season preparations.

Friendlies are much more common in international soccer -- teams need games in-between major competitions and qualifying, and so work together to schedule games. They aren't meaningless, but it's safe to put a lot less stock in those results than those of a real competition -- teams often start young, unproven players or experiment with new formations, or substitute freely and etc. They're definitely not as intense even though some of the players are fighting for spots in their international teams.

Most friendlies for club teams are preseason games and they go on a tour and play in another county, and a lot of teams come here to play these games. They use it to increase their brand but its basically like an NFL preseason game.

http://www.internationalchampionscup.com/

RM, United, City, Liverpool, AC Milan, Roma, Inter and Olympiacos all are going to be in the US in July. Usually the MLS All Star Game is vs a European club.

 

[strykerpks]

I might bookmark this page. Lots of good info here. Thanks everyone, even Deep for asking the right questions

 

[NewlyRetired]

Usually the MLS All Star Game is vs a European club.

yup and this year is is Bayern Munich.