***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (2 Viewers)

[TLEF316]

Altidore was great last night IMO. He made some very nice little touches in the final 3rd and shielded really well. Work rate was great. He just didnt finish. I think you can chalk that up to the emotion. he wanted to score so badly.

Good point. I was re-winding a few times he did this to show to my 5-year old how he shielded the ball. I'm expecting him to use it this weekend against the other U5's and TOTALLY DOMINATE!!!Actually I did show it to him a few times since I had been talking about it earlier this week. He tends to dominate a little at the games so I try to get him to use some of his other skills (step-overs, pullbacks, passing to teammates etc.) throughout the game instead of scoring.

rouddad:

good thing he doesnt have to play against Mike Crimes' kid.

 

[Native]

If anyone finds a video of the Honduras fans watching the US's injury time goal, please post it. TIA

I have the next best thing Native. I was very happy to see the moment at 2:00 with the guy on the motor-scooter:

Very cool

 

[walnutz]

I know Altidore's finishing was not great last night but damn did I enjoy watching him play. I have no idea what got into to him but his work rate was significantly higher than normal. Combing that high work rate with that big young body of his was causing issues for the defense. Very few strikers work as hard as he did and it really showed.If he can some how make this work rate his normal work rate and then clean up a bit on finishing(of which is his strong suit), he is going to be very solid for the US.

I think Jozy wanted to show off the Davies gear underneath his jersey. That is why he worked so hard.But obviously that is just speculation.

So, I missed the match last night. I got tied into this happy hour / appetizers with a client. Needless to say I was supremely pissed that I had to go this work deal when the U.S. was playing CR. Jozy is the guy on the team who seems to be closese to Davies. So, I have to think that Davies accident has effected him the most of all the guys on the team. I was wondering if he would try too hard to make something happen last night. Someone mentioned that he was pushing a CR player after a shot and already had a yellow. I gotta think that Jozy probably took things the hardest of all people and maybe some of his lack of finishing was a result of trying too hard. I dunno. The Gooch injury worries me. I know nothing about toren patella tendons but if it is in fact a 6 month recovery time I have to worry about what kind of form he will be in for SA. He was already struggling to get playing time and I think that had reflected on his Nat team play already. With this injury, rehab and then a precarious club situation I gotta think he becomes a question mark for SA in '10. I am no expert but just an initial thought.

 

[andy_b]

Those of you who watched the game, how evenly divided was the crowd at RFK? Was it all USA fans or did the DC metro areas sizeable Central American population show up to support the Ticos?

I would guess >90% US support. As we speculated earlier in the thread, CR has by far the smallest local population of the general Central American countries.And lets face it, any Honduran fans who came were certainly not rooting for CR last night in DC

 

[Native]

If anyone finds a video of the Honduras fans watching the US's injury time goal, please post it. TIA

I have the next best thing Native. I was very happy to see the moment at 2:00 with the guy on the motor-scooter:

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Now that the dust has settled from last night's festivities , I am firmly on board the Costa Rica bandwagon to knock off Uruguay in the playoffs and get 4 teams from CONCACAF in the World Cup for the 2nd straight cycle. More teams in the WC = a stronger rated confederation. A stronger rated confederation = greater chance of US seeds in future World Cups.

The team (and fans) may be too rattled to put it back together, but there's no reason that Saprissa can't be as big a pain in the ### for Uruguay as it is for us.

Go CR!

 

[LHUCKS]

Also on the Costa Rica bandwagon...go Ticos!

 

[DCThunder]

Now that the dust has settled from last night's festivities , I am firmly on board the Costa Rica bandwagon to knock off Uruguay in the playoffs and get 4 teams from CONCACAF in the World Cup for the 2nd straight cycle. More teams in the WC = a stronger rated confederation. A stronger rated confederation = greater chance of US seeds in future World Cups.The team (and fans) may be too rattled to put it back together, but there's no reason that Saprissa can't be as big a pain in the ### for Uruguay as it is for us.Go CR!

Just curious, but would the US qualify if it were in the South American federation or mixed in with any of the general European qualifying pools? It seems like there are a whole bunch of really good 2nd place European pool teams that have to play off for spots in the final field of 32 for South Africa.

 

[LHUCKS]

My thoughts from last nights game...

Donovan...has had better games

Bocanegra...not bad

Gooch...just doesn't match up well against smaller/quick defenders, got ruined on that first goal

Howard...much better game than last

Altidore...best US player on the field IMHO...would be surprised if he doesn't start from here on out....most importantly didn't disappear at the end...excellent first touches, strength etc. etc...probably his most well rounded effort...ever

Bradley...meh

Holden...subpar for him

Torres...should see more playing time, had a positive impact

Bornstein...haven't been a big fan, but he had a great game...would be great to see him step up like that more consistently

Felihaber....need more from him

Rogers...nice effort, terrible skill

Casey...terrible, slow, off the mark, couldn't hold, misjudged crosses....but nobody cares because of Honduras.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Now that the dust has settled from last night's festivities , I am firmly on board the Costa Rica bandwagon to knock off Uruguay in the playoffs and get 4 teams from CONCACAF in the World Cup for the 2nd straight cycle. More teams in the WC = a stronger rated confederation. A stronger rated confederation = greater chance of US seeds in future World Cups.The team (and fans) may be too rattled to put it back together, but there's no reason that Saprissa can't be as big a pain in the ### for Uruguay as it is for us.Go CR!

Just curious, but would the US qualify if it were in the South American federation or mixed in with any of the general European qualifying pools? It seems like there are a whole bunch of really good 2nd place European pool teams that have to play off for spots in the final field of 32 for South Africa.

South America - IMO more often than not, but probably not every cycle. US plays pretty well against South American teams, when they bring their A side, unlike what they did in Copa America a few years ago.Europe - it would be a challenge, they've probably fare around the same as a team like Sweden or Ireland - rarely if ever win the group, but would make the 2nd place playoffs pretty regularly

 

[Big Rocks]

Honduran radio announcer when the US scored the tying goal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tL-Wfs1ZjU

 

[BoulderBob]

Sorry if it has been posted already, but this is the radio call from Honduras. I've never heard/seen an announcer get this emotional on the air. Goal around the :20 second mark.

 

[Sammy3469]

Now that the dust has settled from last night's festivities , I am firmly on board the Costa Rica bandwagon to knock off Uruguay in the playoffs and get 4 teams from CONCACAF in the World Cup for the 2nd straight cycle. More teams in the WC = a stronger rated confederation. A stronger rated confederation = greater chance of US seeds in future World Cups.The team (and fans) may be too rattled to put it back together, but there's no reason that Saprissa can't be as big a pain in the ### for Uruguay as it is for us.Go CR!

Just curious, but would the US qualify if it were in the South American federation or mixed in with any of the general European qualifying pools? It seems like there are a whole bunch of really good 2nd place European pool teams that have to play off for spots in the final field of 32 for South Africa.

I think we'd be lucky to make every other WC out of either federation (assuming the number of bids stayed the same). S America is just gruelling and there are only 4.5 bids for 8 WC quality sides. Europe is different since qualification basically boils down to draw and then 4-6 games. Its more of a crapshoot and one bad game (or one bad game from the #1 in your group...see Ukraine v. England...can ruin your WC shot...see Croatia). Having said that if Switzerland and Slovakia can win their groups, I don't see why the US couldn't regularly qualify out there. Good luck having to get results in Chile/Columbia/Ecuador/Argentina/Brazil/Paraguay/Uruguay on a consisant basis.

 

[The Z Machine]

Unlike most of you, I'll be pulling for Uruguay against the Ticos.

1) I'm a sucker for formerly good teams that perennially can't reach the heights they once had. Uruguay was a soccer power in the 1930s and since then they've only had mediocre success. They barely missed WC2006, so missing WC2010 would be a blow to them.

2) Diego Forlán (of Atlético Madrid fame) is from Uruguay and will play for them.

3) I've met 2 Uruguayos and 2 Costa Riqueños in my time. Out of the 4, I disliked 1 of the Ticos the most, although the "Uruguasho" accent was annoying.

 

[Native]

Honduran radio announcer when the US scored the tying goal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tL-Wfs1ZjU

Excellent. Love this reaction.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Unlike most of you, I'll be pulling for Uruguay against the Ticos.1) I'm a sucker for formerly good teams that perennially can't reach the heights they once had. Uruguay was a soccer power in the 1930s and since then they've only had mediocre success. They barely missed WC2006, so missing WC2010 would be a blow to them.2) Diego Forlán (of Atlético Madrid fame) is from Uruguay and will play for them.3) I've met 2 Uruguayos and 2 Costa Riqueños in my time. Out of the 4, I disliked 1 of the Ticos the most, although the "Uruguasho" accent was annoying.

Uruguay is a dirty team - I'll never forgive them for their crap they pulled a few years ago against the US in the U-20 World Cup when they basically tried to outright injure Jozy Altidore a few times. I have no problems whatsoever rooting against them in the playoff.

 

[Big Rocks]

Jonathan Borstein, national hero.

Link

Rough translation thanks to google:

Thank you Jonathan Borstein

Jonathan Borstein, the man who headed the 2-2 draw with Costa Rica and gave us our second World Cup qualifying, is of Jewish descent and Mexican.

Once he told ESPN in an interview that "I have experienced both cultures, sometimes I have belonged to that country.

But what has not been noticed is that yesterday I Borstein catracho nationalized. 24 years old, was born in Torrance, California, a November 7, 1984.

The whole country celebrated his goal! The 8 million Honduran rose when he rose and nodded. He has no idea of what he did for our country Borstein.

"We'll invite Honduras and you are paid a vacation in the Bay Islands," he said on national television yesterday the president of Honduras Roberto Michelleti.

In 2006 he began training as a professional player. He was elected in the SuperDraft to Chivas. Striker was in college, but it did happen to Bob Bradley left Chivas side.

On June 3, scored his first goal against FC Dallas, the team where he played the Honduran Ramon Nunez.

That same year he was named rookie of the year, a winner.

IN THE U.S. SOCCER

His first appearance and goal with the U.S. Soccer Team was on January 20, 2007 against Denmark.

Since then one of the people of Bradley, who is also his debut as coach of USA.

It premiered in qualifying against Guatemala 2-0 USA Trinfo and was part of the historic victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup.

Well, the truth is that their story is interesting because it was happy to 8 million people in Honduras since the 94th minute scored the 2-2 yesterday. At the 94th minute gave us World Cup.

 

[andy_b]

Jonathan Borstein, national hero.

Ironically, he is likely better known in Honduras than he is in America now...

 

[Christo]

Jonathan Borstein, national hero.

Ironically, he is likely better known in Honduras than he is in America now...

Or ever will be.

 

[Christo]

Jonathan Borstein, national hero.

Link

Rough translation thanks to google:

Thank you Jonathan Borstein

Jonathan Borstein, the man who headed the 2-2 draw with Costa Rica and gave us our second World Cup qualifying, is of Jewish descent and Mexican.

Once he told ESPN in an interview that "I have experienced both cultures, sometimes I have belonged to that country.

But what has not been noticed is that yesterday I Borstein catracho nationalized. 24 years old, was born in Torrance, California, a November 7, 1984.

The whole country celebrated his goal! The 8 million Honduran rose when he rose and nodded. He has no idea of what he did for our country Borstein.

"We'll invite Honduras and you are paid a vacation in the Bay Islands," he said on national television yesterday the president of Honduras Roberto Michelleti.

In 2006 he began training as a professional player. He was elected in the SuperDraft to Chivas. Striker was in college, but it did happen to Bob Bradley left Chivas side.

On June 3, scored his first goal against FC Dallas, the team where he played the Honduran Ramon Nunez.

That same year he was named rookie of the year, a winner.

IN THE U.S. SOCCER

His first appearance and goal with the U.S. Soccer Team was on January 20, 2007 against Denmark.

Since then one of the people of Bradley, who is also his debut as coach of USA.

It premiered in qualifying against Guatemala 2-0 USA Trinfo and was part of the historic victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup.

Well, the truth is that their story is interesting because it was happy to 8 million people in Honduras since the 94th minute scored the 2-2 yesterday. At the 94th minute gave us World Cup.

Things like this are why sports is fun.

 

[Capella]

I'm not here to trash soccer, because I do watch the WC and some of the USA games...but football is about 1000x more exciting.

seriously and I am not kidding, either talk about the games/players/matchups/coaches/tactics/broadcasters/ect or go away. None of us care why you don't like the sport.It is the absolute height of ignorance to come in to a specialized thread and then fart in it, friggan numerous times.Do you go into NASCAR threads and say "why are the drivers only taking left turns"Do you go into basbeball threads and say "why is he on the injured reserve list with a hang nail?"Do you go into football threads and say "why is there 5000 commercials for everry 10 seconds of play?"

Wow you're angry.I was in the middle of a conversation with Z, you idiot. He asked me a question, I answered it. Not like I dropped in here with a SOCCER SUCKS LOL comment. In fact, two posts before that I mentioned how much I enjoyed what I watched.Seriously...lighten up or get a life or get laid. Something. A little too riled up.

 

[The Z Machine]

Check out

(or more like audio). Even if you don't understand the language, the raw emotion is simply awesome.FYI: "Estados Unidos" = USA

and "mundial" = "World Cup Finals"

 

[The Z Machine]

In that translated article, they use "catracho nationalized", which in Spanish would have been "catracho nationalizado", i.e. Bornstein has been naturalized as a Honduran citizen.

A national hero indeed.

 

[Capella]

That guy should go there and get all the ##### he can handle.

 

[The Z Machine]

That guy should go there and get all the ##### he can handle.

It's likely that the people who would be most willing to give it up would be men though. That might pose a problem.Oh and Honduran women aren't all that much to write home about.

 

[Steve Tasker]

That guy should go there and get all the ##### he can handle.

"Jonathan Bornstein will miss this year's World Cup because he's contracted six types of syphilis"- Bob Ley

 

[Capella]

That guy should go there and get all the ##### he can handle.

"Jonathan Bornstein will miss this year's World Cup because he's contracted six types of syphilis"- Bob Ley

I would say that it's worth it, but then AndyB will come in here cursing me for saying sex is better than soccer.

 

[Native]

Heres a scene from a Sports Bar in Honduras as National Hero Jonathon Bornstein scores the decisive goal.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Is this normal? I don't remember ever hearing about a club demanding money from a national soccer federation due to injury. I understand their point, but just didn't know if it was common.

AC Milan hoping for compensation from U.S. Soccer

MILAN -- AC Milan is hoping for compensation from the U.S. Soccer Federation because defender Oguchi Onyewu was injured in a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.

"I'm very angry because once again the national teams take players and we lose out due to injuries," AC Milan chief executive officer Adriano Galliani told Italian media Thursday.

"This is a problem that needs to be resolved. We at Milan are expecting compensation from the American federation. We can't pay a player who can't play for six months," Galliani said.

Onyewu tore the patellar tendon in his left knee late in Wednesday night's 2-2 draw against Costa Rica in Washington. He left Standard Liege after last season and signed a three-year contract with AC Milan in July.

USSF president Sunil Gulati declined comment on Galliani's remarks.

The Italian club said in a statement on its Web site that it had been informed of the injury by the American federation and, if further tests in the United States confirm the initial prognosis, Onyewu will be operated on.

Milan said club physician Massimo Manara was "in constant contact" with Onyewu, and that coach Leonardo and several teammates had also called to offer encouragement.

The 27-year-old has appeared in just one of the club's 10 competitive matches this season, making his official debut as a 60th-minute substitute in the 1-0 Champions League loss to Zurich on Sept. 30.

 

[andy_b]

Is this normal? I don't remember ever hearing about a club demanding money from a national soccer federation due to injury. I understand their point, but just didn't know if it was common.

Its not common at all but its been bubbling under the surface for many years now. I bet that sooner or later there is going to be a Bosman like ruling on something like this.

 

[The Z Machine]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

BTW, this just makes me hate Italian club football even more. I really dislike all the major teams there: Milan, Inter, Juve, Roma, Napoli, Fior... none of these are appealing to me.

 

[andy_b]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

I am worried about his rehab. Do you think he will get loaned out once he is back to fitness? I don't know what the windows are like for this. If he is hurt during the windows, we could be looking at Gooch not having any real game play outside of what ever friendlies the US can schedule.

 

[Steve Tasker]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

I am worried about his rehab. Do you think he will get loaned out once he is back to fitness? I don't know what the windows are like for this. If he is hurt during the windows, we could be looking at Gooch not having any real game play outside of what ever friendlies the US can schedule.

I would guess that he won't be fit until at least ~April-ish, and the transfer window ends at the end of January. Unless of course you're talking about summer transfers, which won't really be until after the World Cup. If he does get transferred in January, I can't really see him getting on the field until the mid-spring at the earliest.

 

[walnutz]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

I am worried about his rehab. Do you think he will get loaned out once he is back to fitness? I don't know what the windows are like for this. If he is hurt during the windows, we could be looking at Gooch not having any real game play outside of what ever friendlies the US can schedule.

I echoed that concern earlier as well Andy. I read on a twitter feed from US Soccer, I think, that they were sayign 3 months then rehab. Not sure if it is 3 or up to 6 months. If it is the longer of the 2 then I think he will be challenged to be ready and fit for SA in 10. Gooch not being there would be an incredible blow to the US defense. There is no one that I see of his quality and characteristics that could fill his spot.

 

[Texas Football]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

I am worried about his rehab. Do you think he will get loaned out once he is back to fitness? I don't know what the windows are like for this. If he is hurt during the windows, we could be looking at Gooch not having any real game play outside of what ever friendlies the US can schedule.

I echoed that concern earlier as well Andy. I read on a twitter feed from US Soccer, I think, that they were sayign 3 months then rehab. Not sure if it is 3 or up to 6 months. If it is the longer of the 2 then I think he will be challenged to be ready and fit for SA in 10. Gooch not being there would be an incredible blow to the US defense. There is no one that I see of his quality and characteristics that could fill his spot.

They could loan him to an affiliate in a lower league during the window. I don't know who the AC affiliates are but as long as he is running around it will be better than say...MLS. AC would be paying the full price, but it would get his cardio, etc back up.I am actually surprised people argue against a club wanting compensation. They pay the salary of the player and their families. The national teams are just glory for the individual and of course the country. What is a star US player paid per appearance? What about England? Compare that with Rooney's weekly at ManU and tell me which is more important from a financial standpoint.Gooch will be fine and still our best central defender. Do we have anyone in the pipeline near his size? I watched too much of the u20 cup and the US need some expats back. (I am not a Bocanegra fan)

 

[andy_b]

I don't know who the AC affiliates are but as long as he is running around it will be better than say...MLS. AC would be paying the full price, but it would get his cardio, etc back up.

I know most people on here don't like MLS for various reasons, but I think its going way overboard to say that some Serie C team is going to be better for Gooch to rehab in than in MLS.

 

[kblitz]

Is this normal? I don't remember ever hearing about a club demanding money from a national soccer federation due to injury. I understand their point, but just didn't know if it was common.

AC Milan hoping for compensation from U.S. Soccer

MILAN -- AC Milan is hoping for compensation from the U.S. Soccer Federation because defender Oguchi Onyewu was injured in a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica.

"I'm very angry because once again the national teams take players and we lose out due to injuries," AC Milan chief executive officer Adriano Galliani told Italian media Thursday.

"This is a problem that needs to be resolved. We at Milan are expecting compensation from the American federation. We can't pay a player who can't play for six months," Galliani said.

Onyewu tore the patellar tendon in his left knee late in Wednesday night's 2-2 draw against Costa Rica in Washington. He left Standard Liege after last season and signed a three-year contract with AC Milan in July.

USSF president Sunil Gulati declined comment on Galliani's remarks.

The Italian club said in a statement on its Web site that it had been informed of the injury by the American federation and, if further tests in the United States confirm the initial prognosis, Onyewu will be operated on.

Milan said club physician Massimo Manara was "in constant contact" with Onyewu, and that coach Leonardo and several teammates had also called to offer encouragement.

The 27-year-old has appeared in just one of the club's 10 competitive matches this season, making his official debut as a 60th-minute substitute in the 1-0 Champions League loss to Zurich on Sept. 30.

Maybe it would help if a federation pays for insurance policies in case that a player will miss games for his regular team. They would have to pay very expensive premiums though.

 

[Sinn Fein]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

I am worried about his rehab. Do you think he will get loaned out once he is back to fitness? I don't know what the windows are like for this. If he is hurt during the windows, we could be looking at Gooch not having any real game play outside of what ever friendlies the US can schedule.

I echoed that concern earlier as well Andy. I read on a twitter feed from US Soccer, I think, that they were sayign 3 months then rehab. Not sure if it is 3 or up to 6 months. If it is the longer of the 2 then I think he will be challenged to be ready and fit for SA in 10. Gooch not being there would be an incredible blow to the US defense. There is no one that I see of his quality and characteristics that could fill his spot.

They could loan him to an affiliate in a lower league during the window. I don't know who the AC affiliates are but as long as he is running around it will be better than say...MLS. AC would be paying the full price, but it would get his cardio, etc back up.I am actually surprised people argue against a club wanting compensation. They pay the salary of the player and their families. The national teams are just glory for the individual and of course the country.

What is a star US player paid per appearance? What about England? Compare that with Rooney's weekly at ManU and tell me which is more important from a financial standpoint.

Gooch will be fine and still our best central defender. Do we have anyone in the pipeline near his size? I watched too much of the u20 cup and the US need some expats back. (I am not a Bocanegra fan)

Don't kid yourself - the clubs get plenty of exposure, and by extension revenue, when their players play for their countries in major international tournies.

 

[Sammy3469]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

I am worried about his rehab. Do you think he will get loaned out once he is back to fitness? I don't know what the windows are like for this. If he is hurt during the windows, we could be looking at Gooch not having any real game play outside of what ever friendlies the US can schedule.

I echoed that concern earlier as well Andy. I read on a twitter feed from US Soccer, I think, that they were sayign 3 months then rehab. Not sure if it is 3 or up to 6 months. If it is the longer of the 2 then I think he will be challenged to be ready and fit for SA in 10. Gooch not being there would be an incredible blow to the US defense. There is no one that I see of his quality and characteristics that could fill his spot.

They could loan him to an affiliate in a lower league during the window. I don't know who the AC affiliates are but as long as he is running around it will be better than say...MLS. AC would be paying the full price, but it would get his cardio, etc back up.I am actually surprised people argue against a club wanting compensation. They pay the salary of the player and their families. The national teams are just glory for the individual and of course the country.

What is a star US player paid per appearance? What about England? Compare that with Rooney's weekly at ManU and tell me which is more important from a financial standpoint.

Gooch will be fine and still our best central defender. Do we have anyone in the pipeline near his size? I watched too much of the u20 cup and the US need some expats back. (I am not a Bocanegra fan)

Don't kid yourself - the clubs get plenty of exposure, and by extension revenue, when their players play for their countries in major international tournies.

Agreed...these guys make a killing from the increase in transfer fees generated by some of these guys in international competition yet cry wolf the first time a guy gets injured. I get their point when a guy has been injured (Ronaldo), but please spare me the indignation when a healthy guy plays for a national team and gets hurt.

 

[bosoxs45]

Anyone following the U-20 World Cup Final? Ghana is playing Brazil later today.

 

[Pskov1420]

It's not like Gooch was gonna actually play for them, so it's no loss for Milan.

I am worried about his rehab. Do you think he will get loaned out once he is back to fitness? I don't know what the windows are like for this. If he is hurt during the windows, we could be looking at Gooch not having any real game play outside of what ever friendlies the US can schedule.

I echoed that concern earlier as well Andy. I read on a twitter feed from US Soccer, I think, that they were sayign 3 months then rehab. Not sure if it is 3 or up to 6 months. If it is the longer of the 2 then I think he will be challenged to be ready and fit for SA in 10. Gooch not being there would be an incredible blow to the US defense. There is no one that I see of his quality and characteristics that could fill his spot.

They could loan him to an affiliate in a lower league during the window. I don't know who the AC affiliates are but as long as he is running around it will be better than say...MLS. AC would be paying the full price, but it would get his cardio, etc back up.I am actually surprised people argue against a club wanting compensation. They pay the salary of the player and their families. The national teams are just glory for the individual and of course the country.

What is a star US player paid per appearance? What about England? Compare that with Rooney's weekly at ManU and tell me which is more important from a financial standpoint.

Gooch will be fine and still our best central defender. Do we have anyone in the pipeline near his size? I watched too much of the u20 cup and the US need some expats back. (I am not a Bocanegra fan)

Don't kid yourself - the clubs get plenty of exposure, and by extension revenue, when their players play for their countries in major international tournies.

I don't know about the US or any other teams, but I do know that the English FA has an insurance scheme that will partly cover the wages of any player who suffers a long term injury whilst on national team duty. For example after Michael Owen ruptured his ACL in the 2006 World Cup the FA paid Newcastle approx. £7m in compensation.

 

[madshot31]

Anyone following the U-20 World Cup Final? Ghana is playing Brazil later today.

Right now on espn, its going to penalty kicks for the title.

 

[The Z Machine]

Maradona officially went nutso. Check this out:

http://www.cadenaser.com/deportes/articulo...srcsrdep_2/Tes/

Regarding the press he said, "They suck, and will continue to suck". And the "suck" in this instance is not exactly the same usage as it is in English. It's more "fellate".

You have to check out the pictures in that link.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Arsenal v Birmingham link (not english)

 

[guru_007]

How awesome would it be to see Chelsea/Liverpool and Man City all lose this week!

 

[whoknew]

How awesome would it be to see Chelsea/Liverpool and Man City all lose this week!

That would not be awesome at all.

 

[Steve Tasker]

How awesome would it be to see Chelsea/Liverpool and Man City all lose this week!

That would not be awesome at all.

Agree to disagree...

 

[Steve Tasker]

As a half-assed Hearts fan, I love seeing former Hearts star Craig Gordon robbing Liverpool twice in the last 2 minutes.

What an exciting last 7 minutes of stoppage time in that game.

Steve Bruce>

 

[Mjolnirs]

Luca Toni finally took the field for Bayern this season. He got a few shots in and flopped a few times in his 70 minutes.

Bayern wins 2-1 thanks to a Frieburg own goal.

 

[Native]

Nice clip from CNN about how more Americans are taking interest in the WC. According to the video, Americans have bought more tickets to South Africa 2010 than any other country - 100,000 to date.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/sports/20....sex.soccor.cnn

What bar was that at the end of the clip?