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

[NewlyRetired]

This is a nice video. It is a 10 minute mini documentary on the fans that travelled to Azteca for the recent qualifier.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Schurrle you jest.

I guess I'll just have to root against Dortumund.

What a Lahm pun.

Neuer just being difficult.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Schurrle you jest.

I guess I'll just have to root against Dortumund.

What a Lahm pun.

Heh. I didn't even notice that.

Probably wasn't paying Klose 'nough attention.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

I will criticize Tasker's next pun furiously. After all, what comes around Gotze around.

 

[Mjolnirs]

regarding the last few posts.

 

[Eephus]

The US/Germany friendly at RFK on June 2 also opened for public sale this morning. Still haven't pulled the trigger, but am very tempted.

I think this will be a fun game. If I am not mistaken, this is the 100th anniversary game for US Soccer.The German squad may not be the full squad. I believe any German team involved in either the CCL Final or the German Cup Final won't have players called up. Also the Real Madrid Germans may not be available and as well as a handful of other names.

Schurrle you jest.

I guess I'll just have to root against Dortumund.

I am not familiar with these "shutdown regulations" that will prevent some other players from being called. Have you ever heard of them?

http://bundesligafanatic.com/german-national-team-announces-u-s-tour-in-2013/

"Although the Bundesliga season ends on the weekend of May 18, Real Madrid German internationals Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil will still be involved in domestic league play while Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker, as well as Lazio’s Miroslav Klose, will unlikely be available for national team duty because of shutdown regulations. With the Champions League final scheduled for May 25 in London, as well as the DFB Pokal final scheduled for June 1 in Berlin, Low could possibly be missing a significant portion of his regular national team roster. Germany’s U-21s meanwhile will be preparing for the U-21 European Championship in Isreal mid June."

When did Israel move to Europe?

In 1974, Israel was expelled from the AFC. During the 1980s, it played the majority of its matches against European teams, and competed in the European stage of qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. For the next two tournaments, it entered Oceana's qualification stage. In 1989, Israel made it to the CONMEBOL-OFC playoffs for the 1990 World Cup to play against Colombia, which qualified from the South American group, but lost (1–0, 0–0).

In 1991, Israeli clubs began participating in European club competitions, and Israel returned to the European leg of World Cup qualifying in 1992.

 

[Slapdash]

Two great games today. I've got some contractors at the house so am "working from home". Toni Kroos probably still has nightmares of Andrea Pirlo from Euro 2012 and PSG will be a tough test for FCB. It seems like just a few weeks ago we had Bayern, FCB and ManU all sitting on huge leads in their league tables, prepping for serious runs at a treble. All three still have a lock on their league titles, but ManU has been eliminated from the FAC and CL and Barcelona knocked out of the Copa. Juve now has a decent lead in Serie A, but was eliminated from the Coppa Italia. PSG has a six point lead in Ligue 1 and is into the quarter finals of the Coupe de France, so still has a three front fight and probably doesn't have the depth to be competitive in all three. Bayern are really the interesting team remainig at the moment for me. They significantly added to their depth last summer with Mandzukic, Martinez, Dante, Pizarro, Shaqiri. They have a 20 point lead over 2nd in the Bundesliga and have an easy path in the DFB Pokal, having reached the semifinals with three lower/mid-table teams left. They are totally focused on the Champions League right now and have the resources and depth to bring home a historic treble. Juve will be a great test today.

Both ties should be tough and could go either way. A couple of weeks ago Bayern and Juve were my favorites to meet in the final.

 

[gianmarco]

Got my tix for the ManCity/Chelsea game. Super stoked. It'll be my first professional soccer game. Nice timing for getting into soccer this year. The channel is pretty much on all the time and watch games every weekend with my son tuning in. So, he actually knows and likes both teams (he's 8,btw) and I'm sure is going to be very excited. Gonna keep it a surprise but can't wait.

For you spectator pros, I'll be looking for tips on making it great. Do I need to learn some chants?

 

[Sinn Fein]

What channel are these games on?

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Nice strike from Alaba, but Gigi has to be found at least a bit culpable there.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Nice strike from Alaba, but Gigi has to be found at least a bit culpable there.

The deflection was harsh. I don't think I understand the physics of the way that ball spun off of Vidals foot.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

What channel are these games on?

Both on Fox soccer for me.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Got my tix for the ManCity/Chelsea game. Super stoked. It'll be my first professional soccer game. Nice timing for getting into soccer this year. The channel is pretty much on all the time and watch games every weekend with my son tuning in. So, he actually knows and likes both teams (he's 8,btw) and I'm sure is going to be very excited. Gonna keep it a surprise but can't wait. For you spectator pros, I'll be looking for tips on making it great. Do I need to learn some chants?

Congrats! Only thing I can suggest is get there early and watch warm ups with your son. That can be a lot of fun depending on your seats. I would not worry about chants so much. Unless you are sitting with a specific group of supporters for either team the vast majority of the audiance won't know the chants. These friendlies tend to be pretty open so hopefully you will get to see plenty of goals. There is no way to predict the strength of either squad but be prepared for numerous subs no matter what. You guys should have a blast.

 

[Sinn Fein]

hmm...messi with a goal and an injury - looks like a hammy.

Stayed on the field but may be coming out at half.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

[expert analysis]

It's probably important to finish your chances when you're against playing a team with Messi.

[/expert analysis]

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Good God, that ball from Alves was absurd.

 

[gianmarco]

Got my tix for the ManCity/Chelsea game. Super stoked. It'll be my first professional soccer game. Nice timing for getting into soccer this year. The channel is pretty much on all the time and watch games every weekend with my son tuning in. So, he actually knows and likes both teams (he's 8,btw) and I'm sure is going to be very excited. Gonna keep it a surprise but can't wait.For you spectator pros, I'll be looking for tips on making it great. Do I need to learn some chants?

Congrats! Only thing I can suggest is get there early and watch warm ups with your son. That can be a lot of fun depending on your seats.I would not worry about chants so much. Unless you are sitting with a specific group of supporters for either team the vast majority of the audiance won't know the chants.These friendlies tend to be pretty open so hopefully you will get to see plenty of goals. There is no way to predict the strength of either squad but be prepared for numerous subs no matter what.You guys should have a blast.

Thanks.

Actually, the tickets we got allow us to attend Chelsea's training session the day before at Busch (included) so that should be awesome as well.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Got my tix for the ManCity/Chelsea game. Super stoked. It'll be my first professional soccer game. Nice timing for getting into soccer this year. The channel is pretty much on all the time and watch games every weekend with my son tuning in. So, he actually knows and likes both teams (he's 8,btw) and I'm sure is going to be very excited. Gonna keep it a surprise but can't wait.For you spectator pros, I'll be looking for tips on making it great. Do I need to learn some chants?

Congrats! Only thing I can suggest is get there early and watch warm ups with your son. That can be a lot of fun depending on your seats.I would not worry about chants so much. Unless you are sitting with a specific group of supporters for either team the vast majority of the audiance won't know the chants.These friendlies tend to be pretty open so hopefully you will get to see plenty of goals. There is no way to predict the strength of either squad but be prepared for numerous subs no matter what.You guys should have a blast.

Thanks. Actually, the tickets we got allow us to attend Chelsea's training session the day before at Busch (included) so that should be awesome as well.

That is very cool. If those are first come first serve seats for training, get there early and sit close. It can be fun listening to the coaches and you will absorb the sport even quicker.

 

[Sinn Fein]

hmm...messi with a goal and an injury - looks like a hammy.

Stayed on the field but may be coming out at half.

Messi stays in locker room at halftime

 

[NewlyRetired]

Reminder that Seattle plays Santos(Herculez Gomez team) tonight in the CCL semifinals at 10:00pm on Fox Soccer.

This will be a good game to check in on Deandre Yedlin's progress if he gets a chance to start.

Yedlin is the kid that caught a bunch of fans eyes when he started his first pro season this year.

He is 19 and has done enough in just a few games that Tab Ramos is calling him up for the next US U20 camp in April.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Buffon pretty shaky on the second goal. Bavarians could easily have 3 or 4 today.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Something tells me that Barca fans will not take the fact that Ibra was roughly seven miles offsides philosophically.

 

[Sinn Fein]

barca with a gift away goal

 

[Sinn Fein]

oof - 2-2

 

[Christo]

Huuuuuuge goal for PSG at the end!

 

[The Gator]

Good God, that ball from Alves was absurd.

"this ball by Alves is underrated..." what a tool and glad Barton stepped in right away to squash that.

 

[The Gator]

hmm...messi with a goal and an injury - looks like a hammy.

Stayed on the field but may be coming out at half.

Messi stays in locker room at halftime

I don't like this new unsure emoticon

 

[Sebowski]

Something tells me that Barca fans will not take the fact that Ibra was roughly seven miles offsides philosophically.

Not to mention a BS foul for that free kick to boot

 

[gianmarco]

Man City vs. Chelsea coming to St. Louis in May

Tickets go on sale on April 2nd. I'll be getting some for sure

Tickets

Just a friendly reminder for anyone interested in going to this: tickets go on sale in about 10 minutes.

Tickets already completely sold out. I just checked now, it's been <7 hours since they first went on sale, not sure how fast they went.

ETA --Sold out

More

World Series Game 7 type action

Holy cow, I just checked StubHub and these tickets are going for 4-6x what I paid for them (costing $600-$1000) now. I figured it might sell out relatively quickly but had no idea it would generate this amount of interest.

 

[Slapdash]

Something tells me that Barca fans will not take the fact that Ibra was roughly seven miles offsides philosophically.

Not to mention a BS foul for that free kick to boot

That was a ridiculous sequence.

 

[Slapdash]

2-2 away isn;t a bad result considering the injury and blatant offside. Alexis had a massive game in tracking back and retaining possesion.

It is going to be an interesting return leg without Messi. Bartra is likely an improvement over Masch anyways. I hope they roll out the 4-5-1 a la Spain.

 

[T Bell]

Something tells me that Barca fans will not take the fact that Ibra was roughly seven miles offsides philosophically.

Does that include his nose?

 

[NewlyRetired]

Can't wait for this. I have seen this group play a few times now and they are a very exciting group with a couple of possible break out stars.

By DAN KARELLU.S. U-17 Men’s National Team manager Richie Williams announced on Tuesday a 20-man roster for the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, set to take place from April 6-19 in Panama. The last four teams remaining in the competition qualify for the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates this October.Junior Flores, Rubio Rubin and Shaquell More headline a list of of 20 players on the team, with 18 being members of the U.S. U-17 residency program in Bradenton, Florida. The lone outsider is Joel Soñora, who plays in the Boca Juniors academy in Buenos Aires. Soñora is the son of former MLS player Diego Soñora, who played with the Dallas Burn, Metrostars, D.C. United, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny between 1996-2001.“We’ve brought a lot of guys in through Residency and a lot of guys have done really well,” Williams said to USSoccer.com. “It’s been a long process, but we feel like we’ve narrowed it down to the 20 players for the roster. It’s never easy.”Here is the full roster:U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team CONCACAF Qualifying RosterGOALKEEPERS (2): Jeff Caldwell (North Carolina Fusion; Todd, N.C.), Evan Louro (New York Red Bulls; South River, N.J.)DEFENDERS (6): Conor Donovan (NC Alliance; Fuquay Varina, N.C.), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake AZ; Tucson, Ariz.), Shaquell Moore (Unattached; Powder Springs, Ga.), Tommy Redding (FC America Premier; Oviedo, Fla.), John Requejo Jr. (Real So Cal; Carpinteria, Calif.), Peter Schropp (Omaha FC; Omaha, Neb.)MIDFIELDERS (7): Corey Baird (San Diego Surf; Escondido, Calif.), Junior Flores (Unattached; Manassas Park, Va.), Angel Heredia (San Jose Earthquakes; San Jose, Calif.), Christopher Lema (New York Red Bulls; Ridgefield, N.J.), Elijah Martin (Unattached; Fresno, Calif.), Joel Soñora (Boca Juniors; Buenos Aires, Argentina), Tyler Turner (South Central Premier; West Haven, Conn.)FORWARDS (5): Mukwelle Akale (Minnesota Thunder; Minneapolis, Minn.), Sebastian Elney (Boca United; Lake Worth, Fla.), Rubio Rubin (Unattached; Beaverton, Ore.), Ahinga Selemani (CSA Wolves; Ann Arbor, Mich.), Alan Winn (Solar Chelsea FC; Garland, Texas)——————–The squad features players born in 1996 and 1997, three of which come from MLS developmental academies. Midfielder Angel Heredia plays with the San Jose Earthquakes academy, and both midfielder Christopher Lema and goalkeeper Evan Louro are part of the New York Red Bulls academy.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Yikes, both Eddie Johnson and Obafemi Martins are out tonight with injuries for Seattle and their top keeper is suspended on yellows. One of the back up strikers, Estrada, is also out with an injury.

This was going to be an up hill battle with their top squad.

Old man Marcus Hahnemann is in net for Seattle.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Seattle going 4-1-4-1 tonight. No Rosales and starting the Pillsbury doughboy up top.

..................Hahnemann

Yedlin.....Scott.........Traore.......Gonzo

........................Alonso

Martinez.....Evans........Joseph........Caskey

......................Ochoa

 

[GoFishTN]

Was this shared before? If so, it needs to be seen again.

http://d3fsqtc6sy2z27.cloudfront.net/uploads/56f8a7c60fb8e8bb3f9740cd4976efe8_large

 

[The Gator]

 

[NewlyRetired]

Was this shared before? If so, it needs to be seen again.

http://d3fsqtc6sy2z27.cloudfront.net/uploads/56f8a7c60fb8e8bb3f9740cd4976efe8_large

That is really good I can't make out the teams. Any idea who it is?

 

[GoFishTN]

Was this shared before? If so, it needs to be seen again.

http://d3fsqtc6sy2z27.cloudfront.net/uploads/56f8a7c60fb8e8bb3f9740cd4976efe8_large

That is really good I can't make out the teams. Any idea who it is?

Found it on youtube also:

Summary says it's what is now Rochdale Town vs. FC United.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Was this shared before? If so, it needs to be seen again.

http://d3fsqtc6sy2z27.cloudfront.net/uploads/56f8a7c60fb8e8bb3f9740cd4976efe8_large

lol

 

[NewlyRetired]

Yedlin is certainly a bundle of energy. Not a lot of class but he chews up the right hand space like he is starving.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Seattle is playing well despite the weakened lineup.

 

[Slapdash]

Doesn't sound like Messi's injury is very serious. I can't see him missing the return leg even if not 100%.

 

[CBusAlex]

I never thought I would say this, but Seattle actually had the second-ugliest uniforms on the field yesterday.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I have a question for the peeps whose knowledge is more encyclopedic...

Has there ever been a bigger diver than Drogba?

 

[NewlyRetired]

I have a question for the peeps whose knowledge is more encyclopedic...

Has there ever been a bigger diver than Drogba?

Maybe not bigger, but certainly better

 

[NewlyRetired]

And then there was always our fearless leader

 

[NewlyRetired]

LA plays Monterrey tonight at 10:00pm on Fox Soccer. Game is at the StubHub (Home Depot) Center.

Unlike Seattle last night, LA looks to be close to full strength. Both Donovan and Keane are available but I don't if one or both will start.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Joe Max Moore and Peter Vermes have been voted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame. I thought Joe Max was going to be close. Glad to see him get in. Vermes got in via the veterans ballot.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The Costa Rican soccer federation is set to decide on Wednesday whether to stage the Sept. 6 World Cup qualifier against the US national team at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, where the USMNT has never won, or at the newly constructed Estadio Nacional, which opened its doors in March 2011.The artificial turf and the proximity of fans to the field and lockers have made the Estadio Saprissa a nightmare venue for the USMNT, living up to its nickname the "Monster's Cave." And the Costa Ricans know it.The new Estadio Nacional, where Costa Rica have played their recent matches, was a gift by the Chinese government and features a pristine grass surface."I only want to confirm what I've been saying: Both stadiums are useful to the national team," said Costa Rica manager Jorge Luis Pinto in November 2012. "When we believe it's convenient, we'll use Saprissa or the National Stadium."Especially in light of the SnowClasico victory by the USMNT Costa Rica's protest of the match was struck down by FIFA the Ticos want to do their best to exact some serious revenge on Jurgen Klinsmann & Co.There's one hitch: Apparently the state of the artificial turf at Estadio Saprissa is such that it's not even clear that the Costa Rican national team players want to play on it.