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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (3 Viewers)

'guru_007 said:
I believe Arsenal pretty much showed you what you're going to get all year. They are a dangerous club, make no mistake about it. But, they are going to allow a ton of chances also. Udinese is really nothing more than a mid table Serie A side this year, probably finish about 6th-7th, and they had a ton of chances against Arsenal. I'm not a real high on Theo Walcott, to me he seems like a one-trick pony, he can run really ####### fast. But if he does not have a ton of space to set up his shot, he just doesn't have the composure, talent of yet to be great. Him not finishing in the first half with basically a shot point blank, yet getting the late breakaway goal, well that's about his story wrapped up in one game.It was a very nice win for Arsenal no doubt, it would have been a crushing blow to been knocked out so early, no matter what spin you put on it. Yes, this is not a very deep side, but there is plenty of talent still. La Liga situation seems to be all squared away now which is nice. Not a huge fan of the league, but I like additional soccer matches all the same.Meireles out a bit for Liverpool, I think they'll be okay.Malouda may move to Juve?Joey Barton saga wages on. He's available on a free transfer....may move to QPR. I've read earlier reports linking him with West Ham, and that would be fantastic, imho.
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A year or two ago, I would've agreed with you about Walcott, but his finishing has gotten much much better in recent years.
 
'Spartans Rule said:
'Spartans Rule said:
Arsenal has a decent draw so far.
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Ooof. So much for that. Arsenal, Dortmund, Marseille, Olympiacos. They're not guaranteed to get through that.
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It's never a guarantee to get through the group, though...you know that. It's nice not to be drawn into a group with the sneaky Iberian teams like Sevilla and Porto that Arsenal seem to struggle so much against, and no trap games in Turkey this time around.I don't hate the draw, I don't like the draw. There's worse and better out there.Bottom line is that to be the best, you have to beat the best.
 
'jonessed said:
I understand why the minnows from small leagues are thrown in, but it does seem a shame that some very good large league teams miss out.
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I think its like the NCAA tournament, with big conferences wanting more teams in - but like that tourney, there really are only a handful of teams truly capable of winning, I don't think adding a few more big market teams will alter that - i.e. I don't think they would be among the handful that can win.
 
'Norman Paperman said:
'jonessed said:
I understand why the minnows from small leagues are thrown in, but it does seem a shame that some very good large league teams miss out.
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I think its like the NCAA tournament, with big conferences wanting more teams in - but like that tourney, there really are only a handful of teams truly capable of winning, I don't think adding a few more big market teams will alter that - i.e. I don't think they would be among the handful that can win.
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It would definitely make the group matches more interesting though.
 
'jonessed said:
'Norman Paperman said:
'jonessed said:
I understand why the minnows from small leagues are thrown in, but it does seem a shame that some very good large league teams miss out.
Click to expand...
I think its like the NCAA tournament, with big conferences wanting more teams in - but like that tourney, there really are only a handful of teams truly capable of winning, I don't think adding a few more big market teams will alter that - i.e. I don't think they would be among the handful that can win.
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It would definitely make the group matches more interesting though.
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Champions League revenue is a huge windfall for smaller clubs. The number that's always thrown around for the value of an ECL berth is £40M. That's not chump change for the big clubs but it's a major portion of the annual budget for a team with fewer expenses
 
I like that they have smaller clubs, but the whole pot system and the coefficients dealie needs to be replaced with an NCAA-style seeding. Except, you know, attempting to be accurate.

 
'Steve Tasker said:
'Spartans Rule said:
'Spartans Rule said:
Arsenal has a decent draw so far.
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Ooof. So much for that. Arsenal, Dortmund, Marseille, Olympiacos. They're not guaranteed to get through that.
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It's never a guarantee to get through the group, though...you know that. It's nice not to be drawn into a group with the sneaky Iberian teams like Sevilla and Porto that Arsenal seem to struggle so much against, and no trap games in Turkey this time around.I don't hate the draw, I don't like the draw. There's worse and better out there.Bottom line is that to be the best, you have to beat the best.
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It's not guaranteed, but the last time Arsenal didn't get out of group was 99-00. Even with a weaker team this year, I'd have felt pretty safe if they hadn't pulled Dortmund out of that last pot.Arsenal probably doesn't have much chance to win the CL this year, but getting out of the group is important to make more money for Wenger to not spend, so a little easier draw would've been nice.
 
'Good said:
I like that they have smaller clubs, but the whole pot system and the coefficients dealie needs to be replaced with an NCAA-style seeding. Except, you know, attempting to be accurate.
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Sure what could possibly go wrong with a behind the scenes seeding when it comes to soccer ;) . No chance at corruption there.
 
What a year for the sport

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's K-League has imposed a lifetime ban on 40 more soccer players indicted over their alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal.Last month, prosecutors indicted the players for allegedly taking bribes in return for trying to rig the results of games or bet on games after learning their outcome would be fixed.The K-League said Thursday that it has decided to ban them from appearing in games and assuming any official soccer-related jobs.It says seven indicted soccer players-turned-gambling brokers also have been banned.The league says some of those given bans could eventually be rehabilitated because they voluntarily reported their wrongdoing before their arrests.Ten others were banned in June.
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'Moe. said:
US roster for upcoming friendlies to be announced within an hour or so. Should be interesting.
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So many possibilities. I would love to see Jones dropped at this point. I don't see the benefit of trying to integrate him at his age especially with some decent talent in the midfield.
 
'Spartans Rule said:
Group A the group of death by far. Bayern, Villareal, Man City, Napoli.
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damn.if any of you caught the Serie A last year, you'd agree with me that Napoli were a really fun team to watch: Hamsic, Cavanni and Lavezzi were all tearing it up... some dynamic attacking stuff from the South.Outside of Inter (my team from having lived in Milan for a bit), I started to really get behind Napoli- that draw is the suck for them... but don't write them off yet- hopefully they can produce some magic and knock the traitorous yellow submarine and one of the others out.
 
'Eephus said:
'jonessed said:
'Norman Paperman said:
'jonessed said:
I understand why the minnows from small leagues are thrown in, but it does seem a shame that some very good large league teams miss out.
Click to expand...
I think its like the NCAA tournament, with big conferences wanting more teams in - but like that tourney, there really are only a handful of teams truly capable of winning, I don't think adding a few more big market teams will alter that - i.e. I don't think they would be among the handful that can win.
Click to expand...
It would definitely make the group matches more interesting though.
Click to expand...
Champions League revenue is a huge windfall for smaller clubs. The number that's always thrown around for the value of an ECL berth is £40M. That's not chump change for the big clubs but it's a major portion of the annual budget for a team with fewer expenses
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:goodposting:
 
'NewlyRetired said:
'Moe. said:
US roster for upcoming friendlies to be announced within an hour or so. Should be interesting.
Click to expand...
So many possibilities. I would love to see Jones dropped at this point. I don't see the benefit of trying to integrate him at his age especially with some decent talent in the midfield.
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I really want to see him play live before I completely judge, but I tend to agree with you andy. He's had some very solid games that make me feel like he's the right guy, but then disappears- first hand viewing might tell me better what's going on as right now I'm shuked.re: corruption... so- is it that there's more corruption now, or is it that it's easier/better-climate to catch? I tend to think the latter.
 
'El Floppo said:
'NewlyRetired said:
'Moe. said:
US roster for upcoming friendlies to be announced within an hour or so. Should be interesting.
Click to expand...
So many possibilities. I would love to see Jones dropped at this point. I don't see the benefit of trying to integrate him at his age especially with some decent talent in the midfield.
Click to expand...
I really want to see him play live before I completely judge, but I tend to agree with you andy. He's had some very solid games that make me feel like he's the right guy, but then disappears- first hand viewing might tell me better what's going on as right now I'm shuked.re: corruption... so- is it that there's more corruption now, or is it that it's easier/better-climate to catch? I tend to think the latter.
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More money --> more corruption
 
'Eephus said:
'El Floppo said:
'NewlyRetired said:
'Moe. said:
US roster for upcoming friendlies to be announced within an hour or so. Should be interesting.
Click to expand...
So many possibilities. I would love to see Jones dropped at this point. I don't see the benefit of trying to integrate him at his age especially with some decent talent in the midfield.
Click to expand...
I really want to see him play live before I completely judge, but I tend to agree with you andy. He's had some very solid games that make me feel like he's the right guy, but then disappears- first hand viewing might tell me better what's going on as right now I'm shuked.re: corruption... so- is it that there's more corruption now, or is it that it's easier/better-climate to catch? I tend to think the latter.
Click to expand...
More money --> more corruption
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good point.
 
Jozy has two goals today in Europa play and Boca has one goal.

AZ will be advancing but Rangers need one more goal to get to extra time.

 
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US Roster

GK-Hamid, Howard;

D-Bocanegra, Castillo, Chandler, Cherundolo, Goodson, Loyd, Orozco Fiscal, Pearce, Ream;

MF-Beckerman, Dempsey, Edu, F. Johnson, Kljestan, Larentowicz, Rogers, Shea, Torres;

F-Agudelo, Altidore, Bunbury, Donovan

Who is F Johnson? I am drawing a blank.

Nice to see Chandler.

 
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'NewlyRetired said:
US RosterGK-Hamid, Howard; D-Bocanegra, Castillo, Chandler, Cherundolo, Goodson, Loyd, Orozco Fiscal, Pearce, Ream;MF-Beckerman, Dempsey, Edu, F. Johnson, Kljestan, Larentowicz, Rogers, Shea, Torres;F-Agudelo, Altidore, Bunbury, DonovanWho is F Johnson? I am drawing a blank.Nice to see Chandler.
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F Johnson is Fabian Johnson. German born. Must be another service mans kid.
 
U.S. MNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will take charge of his second and third games for the USA next month.U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named a squad of 24 players to prepare for the upcoming friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium. The MNT Blog asked Klinsmann for a few thoughts on the roster and the team's upcoming games:On Costa Rica:“Playing Costa Rica is an exciting opportunity. At the moment they are in transition because of a change in leadership.  Costa Rica put in an impressive performance at the U-20 World Cup. They are a gifted team and have a lot of exciting young players coming through the ranks.” On Belgium:“Belgium is one of the up and coming nations in Europe. In qualifying for the European Championship they are right behind Germany in their qualifying group and have a good chance. All the coaches I have spoken to say they are one of most talented squads in Europe. It should be a good realistic benchmark to play against them and see where we are it.”On the exclusion of Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark and Jermaine Jones:“All three of these players are trying to sort out their club situations, and the deadline for transfers is a week away. They have also not been playing matches, so for these reasons we decided to select different players for this roster.”The U.S. first hosts Costa Rica on Sept. 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Galavision. Four days later, coverage from King Baudouin Stadium begins at 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN and ESPN3.com. Fans can follow both matches live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.
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'scoobygang said:
No Adu. No Buddle. Guess LHucks has to cancel that Edible Arrangement he was going to send to Klinsmann.
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It really was the largest group of players that could have been called that I ever remember. The depth is as large as it has ever been but not convinced the starting 11 has any more quality than the past decade.
 
Looking at his wikipedia page I see that Johnson has been capped by Germany at U19, 20, and 21. Hard to believe he'd forego an opportunity to play for Germany, but I suppose it is worth a shot.

Friendlies don't tie players to a country, correct?

 
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I love the irony of losing so many players who were born or live in the US but have such a nice mini pipeline of players from Germany who could barely find the US on a map :)

 
btw- finally got around to watching Once in a Lifetime- the story of the Cosmos and the NASL. Really fascinating viewing for anybody that's interested in either. I had wrongly figured that the NASL AND the Cosmos had already found traction by the time Pele came over- not even close.

 
'Moe. said:
Looking at his wikipedia page I see that Johnson has been capped by Germany at U19, 20, and 21. Hard to believe he'd forego an opportunity to play for Germany, but I suppose it is worth a shot.Friendlies don't tie players to a country, correct?
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correct
 
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