***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[El Floppo]

Does FSC still have rights to some games during 2012, or no?

you shut your piehole.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

These are the 3 games that will be shown on the NBC broadcast channel. Ted, shine your shoes and look spiffy!Sat, September 15 3:30 pm Portland Timbers vs. Seattle SoundersSat, October 6 3:30 pm New York Red Bulls vs. Chicago FireSat, October 27 1:30 pm Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls

I'm ready for my closeup!That's really cool. Interesting though that LA isn't visiting any of the East coast teams this year. Guess we'll have to wait to see Beckham in the MLS Cup Final

 

[NewlyRetired]

Does FSC still have rights to some games during 2012, or no?

No, FSC lost the rights to NBC. New rights won't come up until the 2014 season is complete.Garber slipped up in a recent interview and said that Fox actually offered more than NBC but that the league believed NBC could give them more exposure. I am sure that knowledge caused him even more discomfort when Fox won the WC rights.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Oh for Christ sake. American on American crime. And his first day on the job :( . Hopefully it is nothing

AMSTERDAM — Fresh FC Nürnberg loan recruit Omar Gonzalez had a rough first day on the job, suffering a knee knock from a collision with fellow American Timothy Chandler on Thursday afternoon, according to the German club's website.The 23-year-old LA Galaxy center back did not finish his first training session and the club has announced he will undergo an MRI exam on Friday. It is not yet known if the US call-up will be available when Nürnberg host a friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday afternoon.

 

[NewlyRetired]

This is a really nice piece looking back on a ten year anniversary of one of the worst days of the league and how the hard decisions made led to the prosperity of the league a decade later.

Did eliminating Tampa, Miami save MLS?

MLS has come light years since decision to contract 10 years ago

It’s all good news during a week in which Major League Soccer unveiled its largest and most ambitious schedule in its history, rejoiced in a major TV deal with NBC, gets set to run the annual Combine and SuperDraft, and looks forward to a season with an unprecedented 19 teams.

Lost in the shuffle is an auspicious anniversary. Sunday will mark exactly 10 years since MLS announced that it was contracting.

On Jan. 8, 2002, the official word came down from league headquarters that, in a unanimous decision by the MLS Board of Governors, the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion were being folded.

"The decision to leave both cities for the 2002 MLS season was extremely difficult," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement at the time. "I can assure all of our fans that we worked tirelessly to find a plan that would have allowed us to remain in both markets.”

It’s hard to envision such a dire time amid all the positive developments today, but flash back a decade. The economy was reeling in the wake of 9/11. Professional sports were hit particularly hard – Major League Baseball was deep in discussions as to whether it would contract as well, nearly eliminating the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins.

For MLS, that same decision wasn’t unexpected, but it was still a tough one. Tampa Bay were without local ownership, operated entirely by the league, while Miami had floundered in their market playing their games in Ft. Lauderdale. MLS was losing money at the time, and immediate action had to be taken. And the line was drawn with the weakest links.

In the immediate aftermath, the effects were shocking to those involved. No official announcements were made by the clubs to their players – most of them found out second-hand that they were out of work.

Steve Ralston had just completed his sixth season with Tampa Bay, and had just built a new house and celebrated the birth of his first child, daughter Anna. He remembers that he first heard the news immediately after he and a few of his Mutiny teammates were participating in an informal offseason workout.

“We’d heard the previous year there was a possibility of maybe moving to Rochester, [N.Y.],” the current Houston Dynamo assistant recalled to MLSsoccer.com. “But this was early January, and a bunch of us guys were out training, thinking there was no way they’d make a big decision this close to the [new] season. We got back in our cars, and we all had messages from friends telling us they heard the team had folded.”

Meanwhile, Miami goalkeeper Nick Rimando, then just 22 and about to begin his third MLS season, was off in Claremont, Calif., participating in his first US national team January camp. Similarly, he heard the news by word of mouth as it made its way through camp.

“There was a little bit of panic,” the current Real Salt Lake backstop admitted to MLSsoccer.com on Thursday from Phoenix, where he is again in USMNT camp. “My first reaction was, ‘I don’t have a job anymore, and I want to continue to play. I’m starting to get recognized, I’m in January camp – and I don’t have a team.’”

In the short term, the loss of two teams reversed the dilution of talent from which MLS at the time had been suffering a bit. All Miami and Tampa Bay players were made available in subsequent allocation and dispersal drafts.

Ralston went to New England, along with Mutiny teammate Mamadou Diallo. The Revs also picked up Miami's Alex Pineda Chacón, Carlos Llamosa, Jim Rooney and Jay Heaps (above left, with Ralston). All told, the six new players formed the early genesis of the Revolution dynasty of the mid-2000s.

Rimando, meanwhile, went to D.C. United, where he eventually won an MLS Cup. Those drafts also saw Pablo Mastroeni, Kyle Beckerman and Chris Henderson go to Colorado, Tyrone Marshall to LA and Preki to Kansas City, among others.

The rest, as they say, was history. Most of the players landed on their feet and became key figures for their new teams. But there’s a slightly more ironic twist that often gets forgotten amid what some considered one of the darkest days for MLS. Without that decision – and the initiatives that were put in place in concert with contraction – the league would not be where it is today.

In that same announcement, MLS also unveiled a series of initiatives that were huge investments in the league’s future: a five-year extension of its broadcasting deal with ABC and ESPN, the formation of Soccer United Marketing, the acquisition of the TV rights for the 2002 and ’06 World Cups and an incentive system for owners to build soccer-specific stadiums.

“It took some time for those investments to bear fruit,” MLS president Mark Abbott told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday, “but we made a point for people to know that this was not a decision to retreat – it was decision of investment in our future.”

Even more ironically, the board also made a unanimous decision to plan for expansion in the coming years. Those changes, says Abbott, along with the performance of the US national team in that summer’s World Cup, made for a banner 2002 for the league, and represented a huge rebound in its financial outlook. The following year was similarly healthy and, in 2004, plans were laid for the additions of Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA in 2005.

“Ultimately, to get where we wanted to go, we knew we had to grow the league beyond 10 teams,” Abbott said. “There is no question in my mind that without [those decisions in 2002], the league would not be where it is now.”

And that is clearly the last instance of reduction by MLS. In 2002, the league had only three owner-operators for its 10 franchises. Now there are 18. Back then, there was just one soccer-specific stadium. This season, the league will add its 14th. In ’02, there was just one national TV partner; in 2012, there are four. The list of comparisons goes on and on.

When MLSsoccer.com caught up with Arsenal chief executive and former MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis in London in November, he was quick to point out how astronomically far the league has come in a decade.

“I was there in 2001,” he said, recalling a leaner time. “And believe me, nobody was thinking this would be a 19-team league. There are diverse ownership groups, record attendance, new TV contracts and strong, deep marketing relationships. All these things were completely unforeseen 10 years ago.”

Kind of funny when you think about it. Making the league smaller eventually made it get much, much bigger. Sometimes you’ve got to go backwards to go forwards.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

This is a really nice piece looking back on a ten year anniversary of one of the worst days of the league and how the hard decisions made led to the prosperity of the league a decade later.

Good stuff.I read somewhere today that this season close to 25% of MLS matches will be available on national TV, which is amazing considering that just 5 years ago, some matches weren't even available on local TV. And it's about time they moved the MLS Cup Final off a Sunday night. The last two years it conflicted with an Eagles game.

 

[NewlyRetired]

This is a really nice piece looking back on a ten year anniversary of one of the worst days of the league and how the hard decisions made led to the prosperity of the league a decade later.

Good stuff.I read somewhere today that this season close to 25% of MLS matches will be available on national TV, which is amazing considering that just 5 years ago, some matches weren't even available on local TV.

I never though of that but you are right. Next years season will have a total of 323 games, of which 88 will be nationally televised ( I am not counting the one stray game on ESPN Deportes). That is over 27%. Pretty cool. Some other changes include a two game conference final in the playoffs and the higher seed hosting MLS Cup for the very first time.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The Henry loan deal is complete and officially announced by the club

Henry completes return to ArsenalFormer France striker Thierry Henry has rejoined Arsenal on a short-term deal, the Premier League club said on Friday.Henry, 34, who is currently playing for the New York Bulls, made 370 appearances for Arsenal from 1999-2007 and remains the club's leading goal-scorer with 226 goals."Thierry Henry has today rejoined Arsenal on a short-term loan deal," the north London club said in a statement on their website."After negotiations between Arsenal, Henry, the New York Red Bulls and Major League Soccer, the striker will team up with the Gunners on a temporary basis during a period of fixtures in January and February that will see Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh depart for Africa Cup of Nations duty."Henry, who has been training with the club, told the website that manager Arsene Wenger had asked him to help during the absence of the two players."When it comes to Arsenal my heart will always do the talking," he said."Once I knew the plan behind it I was okay with it. I am not coming here to be a hero or prove anything, I am just coming here to help. People have to understand that."Marouane and Gervinho are going to the Africa Cup of Nations, so I was asked to fill in the gap. It is a loan deal and I'll be on the bench most of the time. If I can make the bench that is."The boss has a team here already who are doing something good. I am just going to be part of the squad."Henry reassured Red Bulls' fans he planned to return."I am not coming here for the whole season, I will be back and I want to win the Major League Soccer Cup with the Red Bulls. I hope it is win-win situation where I can help Arsenal and come back fit for the MLS season."Henry, who played for Barcelona after leaving Arsenal, was a member of the France team who won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships.A bronze statue of Henry was recently unveiled at Emirates Stadium alongside former captain Tony Adams and Herbert Chapman, their innovative manager in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

 

[Slapdash]

The Henry loan deal is complete and officially announced by the club

Henry completes return to ArsenalFormer France striker Thierry Henry has rejoined Arsenal on a short-term deal, the Premier League club said on Friday.Henry, 34, who is currently playing for the New York Bulls, made 370 appearances for Arsenal from 1999-2007 and remains the club's leading goal-scorer with 226 goals."Thierry Henry has today rejoined Arsenal on a short-term loan deal," the north London club said in a statement on their website."After negotiations between Arsenal, Henry, the New York Red Bulls and Major League Soccer, the striker will team up with the Gunners on a temporary basis during a period of fixtures in January and February that will see Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh depart for Africa Cup of Nations duty."Henry, who has been training with the club, told the website that manager Arsene Wenger had asked him to help during the absence of the two players."When it comes to Arsenal my heart will always do the talking," he said."Once I knew the plan behind it I was okay with it. I am not coming here to be a hero or prove anything, I am just coming here to help. People have to understand that."Marouane and Gervinho are going to the Africa Cup of Nations, so I was asked to fill in the gap. It is a loan deal and I'll be on the bench most of the time. If I can make the bench that is."The boss has a team here already who are doing something good. I am just going to be part of the squad."Henry reassured Red Bulls' fans he planned to return."I am not coming here for the whole season, I will be back and I want to win the Major League Soccer Cup with the Red Bulls. I hope it is win-win situation where I can help Arsenal and come back fit for the MLS season."Henry, who played for Barcelona after leaving Arsenal, was a member of the France team who won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships.A bronze statue of Henry was recently unveiled at Emirates Stadium alongside former captain Tony Adams and Herbert Chapman, their innovative manager in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Very cool.The Cup of Nations is a PITA for clubs.

 

[El Floppo]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

groan.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

groan.

It will be interesting to see how LA handles these loans in the future. This is now the second time a major player has gone down during the loan period (Becks missed almost an entire MLS season when he got hurt at Milan).I know Donovan is already on loan and Villa has been asking about Keane. The swears coming out of Arena's mouth right now would likely burn a sailors ears.I really felt LA had a realistic chance at winning the CCL this year, but now after losing Juninho and Gonzo, I think they are vulnerable.

 

[The Z Machine]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

That's horrible. Tough injury for the kid too. It will be work to come back. Ugh.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

That's horrible. Tough injury for the kid too. It will be work to come back. Ugh.

Chandler must feel like crap too. This sucks in so many ways, for both club teams, for the player, for the US National team. Nurnberg was planning of buying him outright this summer if he did well too :(

 

[jonessed]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

groan.

It will be interesting to see how LA handles these loans in the future. This is now the second time a major player has gone down during the loan period (Becks missed almost an entire MLS season when he got hurt at Milan).I know Donovan is already on loan and Villa has been asking about Keane. The swears coming out of Arena's mouth right now would likely burn a sailors ears.I really felt LA had a realistic chance at winning the CCL this year, but now after losing Juninho and Gonzo, I think they are vulnerable.

I am always a bit shocked when an MLS team agrees to a loan like this. Why hand over your best players for a few months when they should be resting? It's really hard to feel bad for the Galaxy here. Stupid is as stupid does.The fees involved must be massive for it to make any sense at all.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

groan.

It will be interesting to see how LA handles these loans in the future. This is now the second time a major player has gone down during the loan period (Becks missed almost an entire MLS season when he got hurt at Milan).I know Donovan is already on loan and Villa has been asking about Keane. The swears coming out of Arena's mouth right now would likely burn a sailors ears.I really felt LA had a realistic chance at winning the CCL this year, but now after losing Juninho and Gonzo, I think they are vulnerable.

I am always a bit shocked when an MLS team agrees to a loan like this. Why hand over your best players for a few months when they should be resting? It's really hard to feel bad for the Galaxy here. Stupid is as stupid does.The fees involved must be massive for it to make any sense at all.

With Beckham I think it was part of his contract that he be allowed to go on loan if he wanted to.Also, Klinsmann is in the ear of nearly every player telling them they need to play as much as possible in the off season so the players are pishing this.In terms of the fee's, they are pretty big, at least for the big name players like Donovan and Becks. I doubt Gonzo was that much though in terms of cost.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Well this is officially the worst loan spell ever. Gonzo tore his ACL in his first practice with Nurnberg. Coming back to US for surgery. What a shame for both him and the Galaxy.

groan.

It will be interesting to see how LA handles these loans in the future. This is now the second time a major player has gone down during the loan period (Becks missed almost an entire MLS season when he got hurt at Milan).I know Donovan is already on loan and Villa has been asking about Keane. The swears coming out of Arena's mouth right now would likely burn a sailors ears.I really felt LA had a realistic chance at winning the CCL this year, but now after losing Juninho and Gonzo, I think they are vulnerable.

I am always a bit shocked when an MLS team agrees to a loan like this. Why hand over your best players for a few months when they should be resting? It's really hard to feel bad for the Galaxy here. Stupid is as stupid does.The fees involved must be massive for it to make any sense at all.

With Beckham I think it was part of his contract that he be allowed to go on loan if he wanted to.Also, Klinsmann is in the ear of nearly every player telling them they need to play as much as possible in the off season so the players are pishing this.In terms of the fee's, they are pretty big, at least for the big name players like Donovan and Becks. I doubt Gonzo was that much though in terms of cost.

also, I meant to mention a comment about the rest compared to the loan period of Jan and February. MLS training camps start in mid January after the draft and those involve numerous friendlies. So while it is obviously not as rigorous as a league game, it is not like the players would normally be on vacation either.

 

[prefontaine]

don't know if this was already posted but it's pretty interesting to me. Looks like the new wave of television content battles is about to be waged with footy at the heart of it.

 

[NewlyRetired]

don't know if this was already posted but it's pretty interesting to me. Looks like the new wave of television content battles is about to be waged with footy at the heart of it.

Fascinating! Thanks for posting. The ripple affect of something like that could get ugly. Does FSC get a cut rate on the EPL package because of Murdoch or do they pay their fair share?

 

[NewlyRetired]

Bolton eyes Red Bulls' Tim ReamBy Leander SchaerlaeckensESPN.comNEW YORK -- English Premier League club Bolton has made a formal transfer offer for New York Red Bulls and U.S. national team defender Tim Ream, a source told ESPN.com Friday.The sides are close to an agreement, with the transfer fee likely worth somewhere between $2.5 million and $3 million, according to a source close to negotiations. Incentives for game appearances could inflate the final value of the deal."There's not such a big gap between the sides," the source said. "There's been significant progress in the last couple of days. Right now both sides are optimistic."After offseason training stints with Bolton and West Bromwich Albion in December, a deal looks imminent."There may be a little movement today," the source said on Friday. "It could potentially be done today but more likely over the weekend."Ream, 24, has made seven national team appearances and played in 58 MLS games since being drafted in the second round by the Red Bulls in 2010. Rumors of a move to Europe have swirled since Ream's meteoric rise to the national team after his 2010 rookie season.Bolton, which moved out of last place in the Premier League on Wednesday, thanks to a 2-1 win over Americans Tim Howard's and Landon Donovan's Everton team, is said to be in need of a center back.Incumbent Gary Cahill is on the verge of a move to Chelsea.The source, however, says Bolton doesn't think of Ream as an immediate replacement. "He's not being bought to replace Cahill, but certainly Cahill would be going," he said. "Certainly, the manager [Owen Coyle] does like him in that position but it's tough to replace Cahill. And other players could be coming in, too."Bolton also has American midfielder Stuart Holden under contract.The Red Bulls would not confirm that a deal was imminent."There are a few European clubs interested in signing Tim," Red Bulls general manager and sporting director Erik Soler said. "Other than that, we are not in a position to comment at this stage."The completion of any deal is incumbent on Ream -- who is getting married Saturday -- being granted a British work permit.

 

[El Floppo]

Bolton eyes Red Bulls' Tim ReamBy Leander SchaerlaeckensESPN.comNEW YORK -- English Premier League club Bolton has made a formal transfer offer for New York Red Bulls and U.S. national team defender Tim Ream, a source told ESPN.com Friday.The sides are close to an agreement, with the transfer fee likely worth somewhere between $2.5 million and $3 million, according to a source close to negotiations. Incentives for game appearances could inflate the final value of the deal."There's not such a big gap between the sides," the source said. "There's been significant progress in the last couple of days. Right now both sides are optimistic."After offseason training stints with Bolton and West Bromwich Albion in December, a deal looks imminent."There may be a little movement today," the source said on Friday. "It could potentially be done today but more likely over the weekend."Ream, 24, has made seven national team appearances and played in 58 MLS games since being drafted in the second round by the Red Bulls in 2010. Rumors of a move to Europe have swirled since Ream's meteoric rise to the national team after his 2010 rookie season.Bolton, which moved out of last place in the Premier League on Wednesday, thanks to a 2-1 win over Americans Tim Howard's and Landon Donovan's Everton team, is said to be in need of a center back.Incumbent Gary Cahill is on the verge of a move to Chelsea.The source, however, says Bolton doesn't think of Ream as an immediate replacement. "He's not being bought to replace Cahill, but certainly Cahill would be going," he said. "Certainly, the manager [Owen Coyle] does like him in that position but it's tough to replace Cahill. And other players could be coming in, too."Bolton also has American midfielder Stuart Holden under contract.The Red Bulls would not confirm that a deal was imminent."There are a few European clubs interested in signing Tim," Red Bulls general manager and sporting director Erik Soler said. "Other than that, we are not in a position to comment at this stage."The completion of any deal is incumbent on Ream -- who is getting married Saturday -- being granted a British work permit.

oh wow... I"m sure I'm not alone in thinking this, but the EPL would just eat up Ream- doesn't seem like the right place for his skills and faults... mostly the latter. He get's burned far too much on set-pieces, crosses and switching coverages to be able to handle the game in England, IMO. or maybe it would be good for him to be thrown to the lions on a foundering Bolton squad that looks doomed to relegation at this point. He'll definitely get a lot of action in their defensive third.

 

[prefontaine]

don't know if this was already posted but it's pretty interesting to me. Looks like the new wave of television content battles is about to be waged with footy at the heart of it.

Fascinating! Thanks for posting. The ripple affect of something like that could get ugly. Does FSC get a cut rate on the EPL package because of Murdoch or do they pay their fair share?

I don't know on that. There haven't exactly been a lot of bidders for soccer content in the States up til the last year or so. Witness Directv airing all the CL and Europa games for free. I doubt they are paying much for that. But the Apple interest would open up things imo. I'd like to see a big player move into this space, just not sure how I feel about it being Apple. But rather than paying for FSC, Plus, GolTV, etc, you would pay for EPL matches or La Liga or Bundesliga or Championship, etc. It would be like NFL Sunday ticket I suppose and different players like Apple might try to corner the market on content to force you onto their platform. I'd much prefer if this was Google or someone going after it. They are more likely to simply buy the content and distribute to cable companies and things like Hulu (which to me is the direction it's all going to take eventually).

Bundling of tv programming really needs to end. And the provider that does it is going to rip the industry apart the way mp3s did the music industry.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Bolton eyes Red Bulls' Tim ReamBy Leander SchaerlaeckensESPN.comNEW YORK -- English Premier League club Bolton has made a formal transfer offer for New York Red Bulls and U.S. national team defender Tim Ream, a source told ESPN.com Friday.The sides are close to an agreement, with the transfer fee likely worth somewhere between $2.5 million and $3 million, according to a source close to negotiations. Incentives for game appearances could inflate the final value of the deal."There's not such a big gap between the sides," the source said. "There's been significant progress in the last couple of days. Right now both sides are optimistic."After offseason training stints with Bolton and West Bromwich Albion in December, a deal looks imminent."There may be a little movement today," the source said on Friday. "It could potentially be done today but more likely over the weekend."Ream, 24, has made seven national team appearances and played in 58 MLS games since being drafted in the second round by the Red Bulls in 2010. Rumors of a move to Europe have swirled since Ream's meteoric rise to the national team after his 2010 rookie season.Bolton, which moved out of last place in the Premier League on Wednesday, thanks to a 2-1 win over Americans Tim Howard's and Landon Donovan's Everton team, is said to be in need of a center back.Incumbent Gary Cahill is on the verge of a move to Chelsea.The source, however, says Bolton doesn't think of Ream as an immediate replacement. "He's not being bought to replace Cahill, but certainly Cahill would be going," he said. "Certainly, the manager [Owen Coyle] does like him in that position but it's tough to replace Cahill. And other players could be coming in, too."Bolton also has American midfielder Stuart Holden under contract.The Red Bulls would not confirm that a deal was imminent."There are a few European clubs interested in signing Tim," Red Bulls general manager and sporting director Erik Soler said. "Other than that, we are not in a position to comment at this stage."The completion of any deal is incumbent on Ream -- who is getting married Saturday -- being granted a British work permit.

oh wow... I"m sure I'm not alone in thinking this, but the EPL would just eat up Ream- doesn't seem like the right place for his skills and faults... mostly the latter. He get's burned far too much on set-pieces, crosses and switching coverages to be able to handle the game in England, IMO. or maybe it would be good for him to be thrown to the lions on a foundering Bolton squad that looks doomed to relegation at this point. He'll definitely get a lot of action in their defensive third.

I get the feeling it is very easy to fall in love with Ream. I am certainly guilty of doing that and I know Henry himself said some amazing things about the kid just after playing with him a few times in practice. He has some skills that very very few center backs in the whole world have but he also lacks proficiency in some skills that every center back must have. And what he lacks is more glaring than what he brings to the table since they are the basics of being a center back. There are thousands and thousands of center back donkeys out there who could never hit a ball like Ream can but all of them are better center backs than he is.I am in total agreement with you that it could get very ugly very fast for him in the EPL. I know NY is likely to sell him though because he is on his last year and could walk away leaving them with nothing.I still don't quite understand how he would acquire a work permit but I gave up trying to understand that process years ago and just need to wait it out.

 

[onionsack]

What a fabulous goal by Mendy! Big upset in the cards if Macclesfield Town can keep their heads here against Bolton. Gotta love the FA Cup!

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

Dempsey Hat Trick!

 

[Steve Tasker]

What a fabulous goal by Mendy! Big upset in the cards if Macclesfield Town can keep their heads here against Bolton. Gotta love the FA Cup!

Yeah, that was a sick goal. Damn.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I kinda love all of these ratty fields.

 

[El Floppo]

I so the FA Cup early rounds.

And Bolton was primed to be taken out early... too bad though, if the Ream transfer/loan is coming- would be cool for him to take part in that.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I kinda love all of these ratty fields.

My league has fields in better shape than some of these fields...

 

[Christo]

Dempsey Hat Trick!

Deuce!

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I kinda love all of these ratty fields.

My league has fields in better shape than some of these fields...

I jogged on our local HS' pitch this morning, and it's pristine."Go get the ball, it landed in that shed full of trash."

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Ray Hudson just said that Granada's equalizer gave their fans "orgasmic pleasure."

 

[Steve Tasker]

Poor back-pass from Villa leads to a Bristol Rovers goal, and they're awarded a PK just minutes later. Guzan makes the PK save to preserve the 3-1 lead late.

 

[derek245583]

Ray Hudson just said that Granada's equalizer gave their fans "orgasmic pleasure."

He also referenced George Costanza calling the Moors the Moops in seinfeld earlier in the game. I love that guy.

 

[The Gator]

There've been a few tweeter reports that the Bent to Liverpool deal is done

If it's even true, probably north of 20M

 

[GoFishTN]

There've been a few tweeter reports that the Bent to Liverpool deal is done If it's even true, probably north of 20M

Didn't they buy an English striker last year for a ton of cash? What happened to him? Oh ... right.

 

[The Gator]

There've been a few tweeter reports that the Bent to Liverpool deal is done If it's even true, probably north of 20M

Didn't they buy an English striker last year for a ton of cash? What happened to him? Oh ... right.

I'll still give him a break, the kid is only 22.* Hell, people were wanting to sell Lucas two years ago. Now the season is over because he's out for the year.*not defending the 35mil price tag. Just the player.

 

[otello]

BS straight red on Kompany

 

[prefontaine]

this ref is having quite a howler. After the awful straight red we've had Giggs tackle from behind getting no ball. No card. Phil Jones with a really ugly shot on Aguero. No card. Welbeck bumps into the back of Kolorov when he stops in his path. Yellow. Wtf?

 

[jonessed]

this ref is having quite a howler. After the awful straight red we've had Giggs tackle from behind getting no ball. No card. Phil Jones with a really ugly shot on Aguero. No card. Welbeck bumps into the back of Kolorov when he stops in his path. Yellow. Wtf?

It's the same ref that totally botched Chelsea vs. Wigan and Tottenham vs. Stoke. He doesn't belong anywhere near the premier league.

 

[TLEF316]

Had to DVR the Manchester game. Insane. Scholes comes back, an awful red card (Soccer really should put some sort of replay ability in for red cards. it ruins the game) 2 sick Man U goals, a great City come back. Just awesome.

Really should have been 5-0 before the first city goal. Welbeck barely missed on that low cross by Valencia (who is miles better than Ashley Young as far as I'm concerned) and Man U should have been awarded another penalty.

Just a crazy game.

 

[bentley]

I'm really not sure that this should come from the official LFC Facebook page.ETA - Never mind. It's Facebook's biggest unofficial fan page. Still a bad idea.

LiverpoolStewart Downing has been arrested on suspicion of assault after allegedly hitting an ex-girlfriend in a nightclub row.

LiverpoolOn the positive side of the Downing story, it's his second shot on target this season!

 

[otello]

Even with the lame red, City made it interesting.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I'm really not sure that this should come from the official LFC Facebook page.ETA - Never mind. It's Facebook's biggest unofficial fan page. Still a bad idea.

LiverpoolStewart Downing has been arrested on suspicion of assault after allegedly hitting an ex-girlfriend in a nightclub row.

LiverpoolOn the positive side of the Downing story, it's his second shot on target this season!

I shouldn't be laughing, but

 

[NewlyRetired]

Everton vs Fulham in next round of FA Cup. Could be Landon, Dempsey and Howard all playing.

Liverpool will host Man U as well.

 

[El Floppo]

Wow.

City all over United in those first 15 minutes- I figured it was going to be rout. Then a perfectly executed counter, basically out of nothing, and United goes up 1-0. Game on, I figured. Then that shambolic call by the ref... terrible, terrible call.

Yeah, it was clearly two footed- but not a whiff of Nani in that tackle and all ball yet. This seems like the type of play by the ref where it's been dictated that all two-footed tackles are immediate reds, regardless of circumstance, so all room for human decision gets lost. Much the same way these stupid hand-ball in the box or last man commiting the foul dictate immediate red/yellow rather than allowing the ref the room to use his judgement. I hate all of that. Let the ref determine what's appropriate based on the specific circumstances of each play- I'd rather that kind of mistake than automatically giving this kind of foul a red. So we had a great game basically ruined- although full credit to City for putting up a fight, and quite frankly looking the better team w/10 or 11.

lol at Scholes too... I did a triple take when they showed him warming up... wtf? And it had all the hallmarks of being exactly the worst situation for the automatic-Red-Machine. But then I forgot how good he is dictating the game with simple passes... if he's got some time to do it. But Scholes and Anderson on the field at the same time just begged for a red card or an easy,quick push through the middle by City.

I've always basically routed for United, even though I'm more a neutral than a fan (don't ask me why- probably just a sucker for having them forced down my throat so much and recognizing them better than other teams)... but I soooo wanted them to lose today after that red. That ref should be sent to the lower leagues.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

My new favorite team is Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

[Steve Tasker]

My new favorite team is Dagenham & Redbridge.

I'm still disappointed that Rushden & Diamonds folded. I guess I'll have to root for Cockfosters instead.

 

[derek245583]

at the refereeing in that match.

 

[bentley]

My new favorite team is Dagenham & Redbridge.

I'm still disappointed that Rushden & Diamonds folded. I guess I'll have to root for Cockfosters instead.

S####horpe fan here.