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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (5 Viewers)

Is there some bizzare old fued between Fergie and Ronaldo (Brasilian) that I somehow missed? It struck me odd, and kind of classless for Fergie to call him "old and fat" for no reason.

 
'NewlyRetired said:
Is there some bizzare old fued between Fergie and Ronaldo (Brasilian) that I somehow missed? It struck me odd, and kind of classless for Fergie to call him "old and fat" for no reason.
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I loved Ronaldo's retort:
‘I have nothing to add on my old physical appearance. I regret how disrespectful he was when he referred to me, it was not something that befits a 'Sir'.
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Blammo.
 
'NewlyRetired said:
Is there some bizzare old fued between Fergie and Ronaldo (Brasilian) that I somehow missed? It struck me odd, and kind of classless for Fergie to call him "old and fat" for no reason.
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Well, Ferguson is older and fatter so it seems like an odd statement.Ferguson is in trouble with UEFA for throwing a temper-tantrum and refusing media access after the game. My guess is he's in a generally crappy mood and is lashing out.
 
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'jonessed said:
'GoFishTN said:
'The Gator said:
'honky kong said:
Nice to see Spurs drop the hammer today. I'm hoping to see more of the same Sunday. :thumbup:
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4-1 Liverpool
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Looks like a classic trap game, unfortunately.
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It's at Anfield so I imagine Liverpool are favored, but they have yet to beat a top 5 team all season. They certainly aren't going to suddenly blow one out.
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And the one top 10 team they finally beat trotted out the B team for that game. Liverpool is clicking right now but Spurs aren't exactly struggling. Should be a good game.
 
LA got out of Costa Rica with a 0-0 draw in the first leg. They survived a horrendous pk call in the 86th minute when the player blasted the pk off the cross bar.

Second leg back at The Stubby next Wednesday.

 
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'NewlyRetired said:
Here are some details on the USASA Qualification. Is Western NY considered Region 1?http://thecup.us/2013-us-open-cup-qualifying-usasa-region-i-field-announced-with-8-northeast-teams/
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It's hard to find details, but I don't think so. The story was always that the winner of our local cup gets to go to states, but it looks like only Eastern NY (probably just downstate) gets a bid to the Region 1 qualifiers.
 
Picturing each player in his prime, rank the following 3 players using what ever reasoning you want.

Ronaldo

Ronaldihno

Cristiano Ronaldo

 
Those bastards at the Spanish Football Federation decided that the Final of the Copa del Rey should be played... at Santiago Bernabéu. What bull####. Pure favoritism towards RM.

 
'The Z Machine said:
'Native said:
'NewlyRetired said:
Picturing each player in his prime, rank the following 3 players using what ever reasoning you want.RonaldoRonaldihnoCristiano Ronaldo
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RonaldoRonaldoRonaldihno
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Agreed. I think CR7 is better than OG Ronaldo, but not by much.
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I find the CR7 / Il Phenemeno comparison almost impossible. Almost all I know of OG Ronaldo is from the World Cups and Youtube clips of his club career. God knows how many CR7 games I've seen. Alot. I don't even know how to define Ronaldo's peak, as he had lost some of the absurd pace and power through injuries by the time his game really matured.I do think the mythical Ronaldo who avoided injuries and fitness problems would have been the greatest pure striker the world has ever seen.
 
'gianmarco said:
'NewlyRetired said:
Picturing each player in his prime, rank the following 3 players using what ever reasoning you want.RonaldoRonaldihnoCristiano Ronaldo
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Why these three? What do they have in common?
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No reason at all. Just kind of popped into my head last night after thinking about Fergie's pathetic comments on Ronaldo.Also I find it kind of fun that 3 all time greats have such a similar name.
 
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'Steve Tasker said:
Can you call yourself a US soccer fan if you don't support MLS? Link
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Yeah, we seem to have the same discussion just about every 2 years.I think you can be. There are a lot of factors that go into whether I follow a given league. I want to see some of the best players in the world. But I don't watch much outside the EPL because I can't see it in HD, and frankly, I don't have a team I readily associate there.

MLS I can get in HD. NBCSports coverage is pretty excellent, IMO. In the past, I have not followed MLS. Mostly because I felt that I wasn't seeing the best players. It might be perception, but I think the games have seemed to have more quality in the last five years or so. But I still don't make time for it the way I do for the EPL. I don't think that makes me a bad fan. Watching a 90 minute soccer game is a big commitment. I can only watch 3 or so a week.

And I don't think that MLS has to succeed for soccer to succeed in this country. I think that's backwards. I think that soccer has to succeed for the MLS to succeed. And I think the best way to hook someone on soccer is to have that person watch someone who is extraordinarily good at soccer. Like Messi, CRo, or Bale.

 
'Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
'Steve Tasker said:
Can you call yourself a US soccer fan if you don't support MLS? Link
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Yeah, we seem to have the same discussion just about every 2 years.I think you can be. There are a lot of factors that go into whether I follow a given league. I want to see some of the best players in the world. But I don't watch much outside the EPL because I can't see it in HD, and frankly, I don't have a team I readily associate there.

MLS I can get in HD. NBCSports coverage is pretty excellent, IMO. In the past, I have not followed MLS. Mostly because I felt that I wasn't seeing the best players. It might be perception, but I think the games have seemed to have more quality in the last five years or so. But I still don't make time for it the way I do for the EPL. I don't think that makes me a bad fan. Watching a 90 minute soccer game is a big commitment. I can only watch 3 or so a week.

And I don't think that MLS has to succeed for soccer to succeed in this country. I think that's backwards. I think that soccer has to succeed for the MLS to succeed. And I think the best way to hook someone on soccer is to have that person watch someone who is extraordinarily good at soccer. Like Messi, CRo, or Bale.
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:goodposting: I would also add that the best boost for US soccer will be for Americans to go overseas to the big leagues and star. Dempsey is the closest we've come, but he's now all but disappeared at a bigger club. Donovan should have done that at Everton but didn't. The MLS is simply not a good enough league to develop top talent in except maybe for their earliest years.

 
'Steve Tasker said:
Can you call yourself a US soccer fan if you don't support MLS? Link
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Not sure who I am supposed to support locally for the MLS as that states. I was a fan of the TB Mutiny (Valderrama and Lassiter FTW), but the league folded them. The closest team is in DC 400 miles away. I have been to DC as many times as I have been to Barcelona, and the trip to DC was to see Barcelona play. Not really a local team to support in the southeast. I normally watch a few MLS games a year randomly, but I don't see anything purposefully follow.

 
'Steve Tasker said:
Can you call yourself a US soccer fan if you don't support MLS? Link
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Yes

'T Bell said:
I would also add that the best boost for US soccer will be for Americans to go overseas to the big leagues and star. Dempsey is the closest we've come, but he's now all but disappeared at a bigger club. Donovan should have done that at Everton but didn't. The MLS is simply not a good enough league to develop top talent in except maybe for their earliest years.
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This is the wrong way to go about building the league. MLS would be better if the best players STAY, not leave. Having them leave obviously only fuels the "They went to a better league, MLS is garbage" talk.

Take all the US players playing abroad and put them in the MLS. That's a lot of talent that would really help the league. A better league = better players = better coaches = more fans

Maybe as the MLS grows they start to stay? At some point the talent needs to stay or the MLS will never catch up or even get close imo

 
'The Gator said:
'Steve Tasker said:
Can you call yourself a US soccer fan if you don't support MLS? Link
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Yes

'T Bell said:
I would also add that the best boost for US soccer will be for Americans to go overseas to the big leagues and star. Dempsey is the closest we've come, but he's now all but disappeared at a bigger club. Donovan should have done that at Everton but didn't. The MLS is simply not a good enough league to develop top talent in except maybe for their earliest years.
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This is the wrong way to go about building the league. MLS would be better if the best players STAY, not leave. Having them leave obviously only fuels the "They went to a better league, MLS is garbage" talk.

Take all the US players playing abroad and put them in the MLS. That's a lot of talent that would really help the league. A better league = better players = better coaches = more fans

Maybe as the MLS grows they start to stay? At some point the talent needs to stay or the MLS will never catch up or even get close imo
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While everything you say Gator is true, I don't think T Bell was talking about how to build MLS. In fact his plan pretty much assures the league would never grow from where it is today.I think when he said US Soccer, he did not really mean soccer in the US, he meant more the US National team.

I never do quite understand "MLS is not good enough to develop players" schtick. Where do people think Bradley, Dempsey, Donovan, Howard, Jozy, Cameron, Holden, Shea, Espinosa, Sacha, Parkhurst, Edu, Guzan and many others had their break through?

To answer the original question, of course you can be a fan of US Soccer (ie the US National team) and not be a fan of MLS.

IMO, in terms of the long term health of the national team, a stronger MLS is what everyone should hope for whether you follow the league or not. A stronger MLS means more depth and more players playing at a higher competition and also more chances for the top leagues to poach players.

Of course the flip side to a stronger MLS likely helps some of the CONCACAF teams as well but that is a trade off I am willing to deal with.

 
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The most interesting part of that article is the notion that MLS is more respected overseas than it is in the US.

I have no idea if that is true but it is an interesting theory with likely many different reasons (that the article tried to simplify down to talking points).

 
'NewlyRetired said:
While everything you say Gator is true, I don't think T Bell was talking about how to build MLS. In fact his plan pretty much assures the league would never grow from where it is today.
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I don't think that's true. I think that MLS will grow as soccer grows. So that eventually players will have the option to stay and develop (and perhaps more relevantly stay and make the type of money they can make overseas).But I also don't think any player is obligated to go overseas to develop. I don't begrudge Landon staying with the Galaxy. I think he turned out OK. I generally think the quasi-free market will take care of all that. If an American star has the goods to really contribute at a Liverpool or something, then he'll have a significant monetary incentive to do that until the MLS can compete with that.
 
'NewlyRetired said:
The most interesting part of that article is the notion that MLS is more respected overseas than it is in the US.I have no idea if that is true but it is an interesting theory with likely many different reasons (that the article tried to simplify down to talking points).
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That seems to me to be an apples to oranges comparison. They're comparing coaches and directors of football operations overseas to fans here in the states. Maybe Tony Pulis has a higher opinion of Geoff Cameron than the average Big Soccer poster, but it's not clear he has a higher opinion of him than Dom Kinnear does.
 
Simeone re-upped with Atletico last week and Laudrup signed an extension with the Swans today. Chelsea fans have nothing to do these days other than follow manager news. Expecting a bloodbath at OT on Sunday.

 
'Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
'NewlyRetired said:
While everything you say Gator is true, I don't think T Bell was talking about how to build MLS. In fact his plan pretty much assures the league would never grow from where it is today.
Click to expand...
I don't think that's true. I think that MLS will grow as soccer grows. So that eventually players will have the option to stay and develop (and perhaps more relevantly stay and make the type of money they can make overseas).But I also don't think any player is obligated to go overseas to develop. I don't begrudge Landon staying with the Galaxy. I think he turned out OK. I generally think the quasi-free market will take care of all that. If an American star has the goods to really contribute at a Liverpool or something, then he'll have a significant monetary incentive to do that until the MLS can compete with that.
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I disagree with this. I agree more with what Klinsmann is telling the National players. Right now the best in the world play in Europe. Klinsmann wants these guys fighting to be part of the best teams in the world and win the most coveted trophies in the world. For the foreseeable future that is Europe. I think that is the best way to develop. That is way Brazilians are excited about Neymar going to compete with the best in the world instead of keeping him in a lower level domestic league. Bradley is much better today for what he is doing at Roma than where he would be if he was playing in the MLS. On the other hand, I don't think Dempsey is getting better riding the bench at Spurs instead of getting his 90 every game at Fulham.

 
Bradley article

Highlights:

AMSTERDAM – Early last year, US boss Jurgen Klinsmann charged his squad with seeking out new challenges to progress as players. And since then, perhaps no American has filled the brief better than AS Roma midfielder Michael Bradley.

While he stayed in the same league, the 25-year-old moved to a new level with a summer transfer from Chievo. In the sweltering heat of Roman soccer, Bradley has spent most of this Serie A season confirming that Klinsmann's message was received.

"He talks about playing at higher levels," Bradley told MLSsoccer.com by phone from Roma's training ground on Wednesday. "Without that drive and determination, it's hard for anyone to become a real player."

If he wasn't already that "real player" before arriving, he has surely announced it this season. Working out of a packed midfield stable, Bradley has started 18 of his 21 league matches for the Giallorossi – sometimes even getting the nod ahead of local hero Daniele De Rossi.

........

"Roma is one of the biggest clubs in the world in one of the biggest cities in the world," he said. "There's pressure from the outside, there's pressure from the inside. There's this want and need and desire to have a successful team. Every time we step on the field, we're expected to win."

Of course, Bradley knows all about repeatedly finding higher levels, counting both his club and international careers. Not one to rest on accomplishments, he still talks a lot like the teenager who arrived at Heerenveen from MLS to start proving a lot of people wrong about his ceiling as a player.

"There's no time to stand around and feel good about yourself, you know? You're constantly trying to improve and push yourself up that ladder, so the move to Roma has been a great one in all ways," he stated. "But it doesn't stop there. I'm still trying everyday to get better."

.........

Predictably, Bradley isn't much for fretting and hand-wringing over a loss in the opener of final round CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. Needless to say, Bradley is eager to put some points on that board when they meet Costa Rica and Mexico in qualifiers later this month.

"Let's be honest: You can talk about how things didn't go according to plan in the first game, but these two games are huge at this juncture regardless of if we took a point out of Honduras," Bradley said. "These are the two other best teams in the region. The time for talking is over. Now, it's time to step on the field and get the job done."

If it makes tense USMNT observers feel any better, the 2010 World Cup standout is confident the squad will right the ship.

"There's enough guys in that team who have been through difficult moments and played in big games, who know what it's like when everything is on the line," he said. "I said it after the Honduras game: The hexagonal is never easy, there's twists and turns, and things don't always go your way.

"We're not going to let this throw us off. We're going to do everything we need to make sure that after 10 games we're going to the World Cup."
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Love this guy.
 
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'Sebowski said:
I disagree with this. I agree more with what Klinsmann is telling the National players. Right now the best in the world play in Europe. Klinsmann wants these guys fighting to be part of the best teams in the world and win the most coveted trophies in the world. For the foreseeable future that is Europe. I think that is the best way to develop. That is way Brazilians are excited about Neymar going to compete with the best in the world instead of keeping him in a lower level domestic league. Bradley is much better today for what he is doing at Roma than where he would be if he was playing in the MLS. On the other hand, I don't think Dempsey is getting better riding the bench at Spurs instead of getting his 90 every game at Fulham.
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I just think Klinsmann's advice is too simplistic and too "one size fits all." Careers can be ruined (or at least years of development can be wasted) by players making the wrong move. See, Gio Dos Santos. If anything, I think the fact that Landon didn't waste a ton of time trying to breakthrough at Leverkeusen gave him games where he could get better in MLS. I also think that 24 and up is the wrong time to worry about the best way to develop. RVP has matured a lot in his late 20s, but I'd still say that 95% of the stuff that makes him RVP came from before he ever came to England. It's crazy that we're expecting Clint Dempsey to somehow further develop by competing at a higher level. He's 29.
 
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