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

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Each of the League’s 19 clubs will play 34 matches, 17 at home and 17 away, over 35 weeks More than 90 percent of this year’s regular-season games are on weekends or holidays, and none will overlap directly with FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. During the summer months, most games will kick off no earlier than 4 pm local time in an effort to reduce the impact of hot weather.

Awesome

 

[NewlyRetired]

Looks like DC just signed an interesting young DP on loan for the year

D.C. United on Wednesday announced that the club has signed Brazilian striker Rafael as a young Designated Player on loan for one year, giving head coach Ben Olsen more firepower to get his team back to the postseason after reaching the Eastern Conference Championship last season.Rafael, 20, joins D.C. from Bahia of the Brazilian Serie A, where he has made 36 first-team appearances and has scored 10 goals. Per club and league policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rafael will be available for selection pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and visa.“We are very excited to have reached a deal to bring Rafael to D.C. United on a one-year loan with a view to a permanent transfer,” D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper said in a statement. “He is a young, talented player with solid experience with the Brazilian Serie A club Bahia. We believe Rafael has all the qualities to be a successful striker in Major League Soccer, and we look forward to having him join us in preseason 2013.”Rafael has represented his native country of Brazil at very high levels, including most recently at the 2011 Pan-American games. The young striker is now the youngest current Designated Player in MLS and the second-youngest Designated Player signing in League history (Fabián Castillo was 18 when he signed with FC Dallas).Rafael will join D.C. United and fellow Brazilians Marcelo Saragosa and Raphael Augusto for preseason training when players report on Jan. 17.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Looks like DC just signed an interesting young DP on loan for the year

D.C. United on Wednesday announced that the club has signed Brazilian striker Rafael as a young Designated Player on loan for one year, giving head coach Ben Olsen more firepower to get his team back to the postseason after reaching the Eastern Conference Championship last season.Rafael, 20, joins D.C. from Bahia of the Brazilian Serie A, where he has made 36 first-team appearances and has scored 10 goals. Per club and league policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rafael will be available for selection pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and visa.“We are very excited to have reached a deal to bring Rafael to D.C. United on a one-year loan with a view to a permanent transfer,” D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper said in a statement. “He is a young, talented player with solid experience with the Brazilian Serie A club Bahia. We believe Rafael has all the qualities to be a successful striker in Major League Soccer, and we look forward to having him join us in preseason 2013.”Rafael has represented his native country of Brazil at very high levels, including most recently at the 2011 Pan-American games. The young striker is now the youngest current Designated Player in MLS and the second-youngest Designated Player signing in League history (Fabián Castillo was 18 when he signed with FC Dallas).Rafael will join D.C. United and fellow Brazilians Marcelo Saragosa and Raphael Augusto for preseason training when players report on Jan. 17.

Very intriguing. Other than the irrational hope that they could somehow land Drogba, this strikes me as just the type of guy I'd rather gamble a DP slot on. An objectively talented kid still looking to make his name and catch the eye of the big spenders.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Looks like DC just signed an interesting young DP on loan for the year

D.C. United on Wednesday announced that the club has signed Brazilian striker Rafael as a young Designated Player on loan for one year, giving head coach Ben Olsen more firepower to get his team back to the postseason after reaching the Eastern Conference Championship last season.Rafael, 20, joins D.C. from Bahia of the Brazilian Serie A, where he has made 36 first-team appearances and has scored 10 goals. Per club and league policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rafael will be available for selection pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and visa.“We are very excited to have reached a deal to bring Rafael to D.C. United on a one-year loan with a view to a permanent transfer,” D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper said in a statement. “He is a young, talented player with solid experience with the Brazilian Serie A club Bahia. We believe Rafael has all the qualities to be a successful striker in Major League Soccer, and we look forward to having him join us in preseason 2013.”Rafael has represented his native country of Brazil at very high levels, including most recently at the 2011 Pan-American games. The young striker is now the youngest current Designated Player in MLS and the second-youngest Designated Player signing in League history (Fabián Castillo was 18 when he signed with FC Dallas).Rafael will join D.C. United and fellow Brazilians Marcelo Saragosa and Raphael Augusto for preseason training when players report on Jan. 17.

Very intriguing. Other than the irrational hope that they could somehow land Drogba, this strikes me as just the type of guy I'd rather gamble a DP slot on. An objectively talented kid still looking to make his name and catch the eye of the big spenders.

I hope in the next CBA the league can find a way to encourage this type of signing more often. I would love to see the 3 DP's kept in place and then this youth DP slot added as a 4th DP.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

So it looks like a player like Rafael would count $150,000 against the cap. Which is less than a top draft pick would likely make. My (imperfect) googling suggests that Kitchen earned $170,000 his rookie year and that Andrew Wenger counted $202,000 against the cap last year. These young DPs strike me as huge bargains if you can get them. As MLS's quality improves you'd think that European teams would start to think seriously about loaning out some of their youngsters who are prospects. A kid like Adam Campbell could play competitive games, and still come back for half a season to play some reserves games for Newcastle, for example.

 

[Slapdash]

Eephus, is the African Cup of Nations on TV any where this year?

ESPN3 - matches are already listed in the coming soon section

I just made a sad (because of how dumb I am) but great discovery for myself last night.I am a Direct TV customer and have an ipad. In the past, I have tried to use the WatchESPN app on the ipad and been blocked because they don't have a contract with Direct TV signed to allow that.But I never realized I was just being blocked from watching ESPN/ESPN2 on my Ipad. Once I signed in with my COMCAST id (which is who my internet provider is), I am now able to use the WatchESPN app to view all ESPN3 content. I am still blocked from ESPN/ESPN2 content on the app, but it appears that many of the games that ESPN/ESPN2 televises are also on ESPN3 so I may be pretty well covered.

Wow, did not know this.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Eephus, is the African Cup of Nations on TV any where this year?

ESPN3 - matches are already listed in the coming soon section

I just made a sad (because of how dumb I am) but great discovery for myself last night.I am a Direct TV customer and have an ipad. In the past, I have tried to use the WatchESPN app on the ipad and been blocked because they don't have a contract with Direct TV signed to allow that.But I never realized I was just being blocked from watching ESPN/ESPN2 on my Ipad. Once I signed in with my COMCAST id (which is who my internet provider is), I am now able to use the WatchESPN app to view all ESPN3 content. I am still blocked from ESPN/ESPN2 content on the app, but it appears that many of the games that ESPN/ESPN2 televises are also on ESPN3 so I may be pretty well covered.

Wow, did not know this.

Give it a try with your ISP login. Assuming your ISP has signed a deal with ESPN (most have) you should be able to get the ESPN3 games on iPad. Let me know if it works for you.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Just use firstrowsports.eu in conjunction with AdBlock. F 'em all.

 

[NewlyRetired]

So it looks like a player like Rafael would count $150,000 against the cap. Which is less than a top draft pick would likely make. My (imperfect) googling suggests that Kitchen earned $170,000 his rookie year and that Andrew Wenger counted $202,000 against the cap last year.

Neither Wegner nor Kitchen counted against the cap in their rookie years. Both players were signed to Generation Adidas contracts for their rookie years. All Generation Adidas players are considered "off budget" which is why they are highly coveted during draft day. They make more money but are very cap friendly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_AdidasAs a side note, Kitchen made $148k his rookie year and $170k last season.

 

[Slapdash]

Eephus, is the African Cup of Nations on TV any where this year?

ESPN3 - matches are already listed in the coming soon section

I just made a sad (because of how dumb I am) but great discovery for myself last night.I am a Direct TV customer and have an ipad. In the past, I have tried to use the WatchESPN app on the ipad and been blocked because they don't have a contract with Direct TV signed to allow that.But I never realized I was just being blocked from watching ESPN/ESPN2 on my Ipad. Once I signed in with my COMCAST id (which is who my internet provider is), I am now able to use the WatchESPN app to view all ESPN3 content. I am still blocked from ESPN/ESPN2 content on the app, but it appears that many of the games that ESPN/ESPN2 televises are also on ESPN3 so I may be pretty well covered.

Wow, did not know this.

Give it a try with your ISP login. Assuming your ISP has signed a deal with ESPN (most have) you should be able to get the ESPN3 games on iPad. Let me know if it works for you.

I have those TWC bastards as my ISP, just never tried anything that isn't on ESPN/2 on it before. Are Bundesliga games still being shown on ESPN3 some? It sucks that Direct TV axed Gol...

 

[NewlyRetired]

Just use firstrowsports.eu in conjunction with AdBlock. F 'em all.

It might be just my environment on the iPad, but watching through the WatchESPN app last night was like night and day compared to watching firstrow streams in terms of video quality, which is why I was happy to see it working

 

[NewlyRetired]

Eephus, is the African Cup of Nations on TV any where this year?

ESPN3 - matches are already listed in the coming soon section

I just made a sad (because of how dumb I am) but great discovery for myself last night.I am a Direct TV customer and have an ipad. In the past, I have tried to use the WatchESPN app on the ipad and been blocked because they don't have a contract with Direct TV signed to allow that.But I never realized I was just being blocked from watching ESPN/ESPN2 on my Ipad. Once I signed in with my COMCAST id (which is who my internet provider is), I am now able to use the WatchESPN app to view all ESPN3 content. I am still blocked from ESPN/ESPN2 content on the app, but it appears that many of the games that ESPN/ESPN2 televises are also on ESPN3 so I may be pretty well covered.

Wow, did not know this.

Give it a try with your ISP login. Assuming your ISP has signed a deal with ESPN (most have) you should be able to get the ESPN3 games on iPad. Let me know if it works for you.

I have those TWC bastards as my ISP, just never tried anything that isn't on ESPN/2 on it before. Are Bundesliga games still being shown on ESPN3 some? It sucks that Direct TV axed Gol...

Yes, I think Bundesliga games are on ESPN3. They are on break now so I can't be sure but in googling it looks like they may be covered.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Rio Ave and Maritimio (Portugal) ended up 9 on 9 at the very end today.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Chelsea getting Chelsea'd here.

 

[Eephus]

2013 MLS schedule up

Colorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

 

[The Gator]

Chelsea getting Chelsea'd here.

My link

 

[NewlyRetired]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

 

[NewlyRetired]

from today's BBC:Bolton manager Dougie Freedman hints that midfielder Stuart Holden could make his first-team comeback in next Tuesday's FA Cup replay at Sunderland.The USA international has not played since September 2011 after undergoing two knee operations. Freedman tells BBC Radio Manchester that Saturday's game at home to Millwall may come too soon for him, but he could play at the Stadium of Light.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I have not seem him play but reports continue to stress how well Edgar Castillo has been playing for the best club team in Mexico at LB. While I still firmly believe in keeping Fab as the starter at LB this development does open up the possibility of if the US has to chase a game in the second half, that they can shift Fab more into a left winger and slide Castillo in at LB. With Cherundolo, Chandler, Fab, Castillo and even Cameron (who has majority played outside back, both sides, in the EPL), the US suddenly is flush with outside backs. They are still a mess at CB obviously but hopefully one or more will emerge in the next 6 months.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Sergio Ramos banned for 5 games for a red card and insulting the ref.

 

[El Floppo]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

I don't get it.

 

[El Floppo]

from today's BBC:Bolton manager Dougie Freedman hints that midfielder Stuart Holden could make his first-team comeback in next Tuesday's FA Cup replay at Sunderland.The USA international has not played since September 2011 after undergoing two knee operations. Freedman tells BBC Radio Manchester that Saturday's game at home to Millwall may come too soon for him, but he could play at the Stadium of Light.

(and if you look closely, those thumbs are crossed along with all my fingers and toes. Stay healthy!)

 

[El Floppo]

I have not seem him play but reports continue to stress how well Edgar Castillo has been playing for the best club team in Mexico at LB. While I still firmly believe in keeping Fab as the starter at LB this development does open up the possibility of if the US has to chase a game in the second half, that they can shift Fab more into a left winger and slide Castillo in at LB. With Cherundolo, Chandler, Fab, Castillo and even Cameron (who has majority played outside back, both sides, in the EPL), the US suddenly is flush with outside backs. They are still a mess at CB obviously but hopefully one or more will emerge in the next 6 months.

Maybe things are changing this season, but the problem I've seen with Castillo (besides the obvious up and down play) is that El Tri players seem to have zero respect for the guy and just go at him non-stop- usually beating him too.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

 

[El Floppo]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

Still not getting it.

 

[Moe.]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

Still not getting it.

For some reason April 20th (4/20) is like national weed day. WA and CO just legalized marijuana, Seattle plays Denver on 4/20.

 

[El Floppo]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

Still not getting it.

For some reason April 20th (4/20) is like national weed day. WA and CO just legalized marijuana, Seattle plays Denver on 4/20.

ah- it's national Kyle Beckerman day... got it. thanks

 

[GoFishTN]

DirecTV Moves FOX Soccer to Choice Xtra and Choice Ultimate

I'm starting to think switching to DirecTV was a mistake. If this is true, and they do it before the end of the season, I will be super pissed.

 

[The Z Machine]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

Still not getting it.

Both WA and CO passed laws legalizing the mary jane in Nov.

 

[The Z Machine]

DirecTV Moves FOX Soccer to Choice Xtra and Choice UltimateI'm starting to think switching to DirecTV was a mistake. If this is true, and they do it before the end of the season, I will be super pissed.

If they kill it for the Spanish language packs, I'll be PISSED.

 

[El Floppo]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

Still not getting it.

Both WA and CO passed laws legalizing the mary jane in Nov.

I don't get it.

 

[Eephus]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

Still not getting it.

Both WA and CO passed laws legalizing the mary jane in Nov.

I don't get it.

forget it

 

[Moe.]

What were we talking about again? I'm really hungry for some reason.

 

[NewlyRetired]

DirecTV Moves FOX Soccer to Choice Xtra and Choice UltimateI'm starting to think switching to DirecTV was a mistake. If this is true, and they do it before the end of the season, I will be super pissed.

If they kill it for the Spanish language packs, I'll be PISSED.

hmm, I have something called Choice Xtra Classic on my bill, I wonder if that will be covered.There seems to be some confusion in the comments section of that link though. Some are saying it has already moved and others are saying they still are getting it in the Sports Pack.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Granted, it's Cordoba, but two very nice finishes by David Villa early on. Most of the first team sitting for this one.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Random Tidbits* KC will host the MLS All Star game this year on July 31st. Opponent has not been named yet* Still no word on who is going to host the first WCQier in March. Last rumor was that it was between Rio Tinto and DSG. Announcement is hoped for next week* Jovan Kirovski has been named the first ever Technical Director for LA Galaxy* Portland has signed Argentine Diego Valeri as a DP from the Argentine 1st Division. 26 year old playmaker. He will be on loan for a year with the perspective of a full purchase should things work out. Other Argentine play makers(Morales for RSL, Higuaín for Columbus and Rosales for Seattle) have done very well in MLS so this has the makings of a great addition* Fredy Montero looks to be on his way out of MLS, as he said his good byes over twitter yesterday to the Seattle fans, stating that he intends to come back* Zach Pfeffer (on loan from the Union) has started to play with Hoffenheim's U19 team and already has 2 goals in his first two games

 

[GoFishTN]

DirecTV Moves FOX Soccer to Choice Xtra and Choice UltimateI'm starting to think switching to DirecTV was a mistake. If this is true, and they do it before the end of the season, I will be super pissed.

If they kill it for the Spanish language packs, I'll be PISSED.

hmm, I have something called Choice Xtra Classic on my bill, I wonder if that will be covered.There seems to be some confusion in the comments section of that link though. Some are saying it has already moved and others are saying they still are getting it in the Sports Pack.

I asked them on their official twitter feed and they seemed to indicate it has already been removed. I'll have to check when I get home.

 

[NewlyRetired]

DirecTV Moves FOX Soccer to Choice Xtra and Choice UltimateI'm starting to think switching to DirecTV was a mistake. If this is true, and they do it before the end of the season, I will be super pissed.

If they kill it for the Spanish language packs, I'll be PISSED.

hmm, I have something called Choice Xtra Classic on my bill, I wonder if that will be covered.There seems to be some confusion in the comments section of that link though. Some are saying it has already moved and others are saying they still are getting it in the Sports Pack.

I asked them on their official twitter feed and they seemed to indicate it has already been removed. I'll have to check when I get home.

I still have it on my tv right now but that may be due to the Choice Xtra Classic vs getting it via the Sports Pack.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Inter Milan have accepted a bid of 10 Million Euro's from Galatasary for Wesley Sneijder. The team is now negotiating with Sneijder on a contract. Wesley has not played since September 25th with a dispute over his contract at Inter.

 

[otello]

2013 MLS schedule upColorado hosts Seattle on 4/20. Somebody in the league office has a sense a humor.

Yeah, I listed the schedule earlier in the thread. http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=305522&view=findpost&p=15204022That date is too funny. I hope it was on purpose

The Cannibis Cup presented by Cheetos

Still not getting it.

Both WA and CO passed laws legalizing the mary jane in Nov.

I don't get it.

Free kickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_%28cannabis_culture%29

 

[The Kansas Comet]

Granted, it's Cordoba, but two very nice finishes by David Villa early on. Most of the first team sitting for this one.

Unfortunately he pulled a muscle later. Nice of Sanchez to find the net a few times, finally.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Why is Crystal Palace (potentially) selling Zaha? He's pretty awesome, correct? And signed through 2017, and CP has a good shot at promotion. What am I missing here?

 

[The Gator]

Juan Agudelo possibly going to Celtic

 

[GoFishTN]

Why is Crystal Palace (potentially) selling Zaha? He's pretty awesome, correct? And signed through 2017, and CP has a good shot at promotion. What am I missing here?

I don't think they want to. I think it's one of those things were the players head has been turned or the agent is trying to cash in. You know how it goes once they decide they're moving on.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Why is Crystal Palace (potentially) selling Zaha? He's pretty awesome, correct? And signed through 2017, and CP has a good shot at promotion. What am I missing here?

I don't think they want to. I think it's one of those things were the players head has been turned or the agent is trying to cash in. You know how it goes once they decide they're moving on.

That's part of it. But 12 million is a good price considering he'll be loaned back for the entirety of the season. Palace's first priority is to get promotion. At worst, they haven't hurt their chances there. If the deal is done quickly, maybe they even get a bit more help.

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Why is Crystal Palace (potentially) selling Zaha? He's pretty awesome, correct? And signed through 2017, and CP has a good shot at promotion. What am I missing here?

I don't think they want to. I think it's one of those things were the players head has been turned or the agent is trying to cash in. You know how it goes once they decide they're moving on.

That's part of it. But 12 million is a good price considering he'll be loaned back for the entirety of the season. Palace's first priority is to get promotion. At worst, they haven't hurt their chances there. If the deal is done quickly, maybe they even get a bit more help.

Plus, the Evil Empire gets what it wants.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Plus, the Evil Empire gets what it wants.

Sheesh. Man U stands out to me as a team that really doesn't just splash ridiculous cash for a player. They've never paid as much for a player as Liverpool did to grab Carroll, for instance. I hated to see them take Van Persie, but it was a fair offer and the guy wanted to go. I don't mind the big money teams making their money count. I think the EPL is more interesting with City and Chelsea. But compared to them, I think Man U is pretty careful with the cash. The worst I can say is that Zaha represents Fergie's continuing inability to find a completely reliable winger after losing Ronaldo (although I like Tony V.).

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Liverpool's victory over Arsenal for Nuri Sahin was short-lived. He's now back with Dortmund. Weird that the Bundesliga Player of the Year could completely wash out two places so completely.

 

[GoFishTN]

Plus, the Evil Empire gets what it wants.

Sheesh. Man U stands out to me as a team that really doesn't just splash ridiculous cash for a player. They've never paid as much for a player as Liverpool did to grab Carroll, for instance. I hated to see them take Van Persie, but it was a fair offer and the guy wanted to go. I don't mind the big money teams making their money count. I think the EPL is more interesting with City and Chelsea. But compared to them, I think Man U is pretty careful with the cash. The worst I can say is that Zaha represents Fergie's continuing inability to find a completely reliable winger after losing Ronaldo (although I like Tony V.).

Whatever the got for Torres was tied to how much Newcastle wanted for Carroll, so that's really not an apples to apples comparison.

 

[jonessed]

Why is Crystal Palace (potentially) selling Zaha? He's pretty awesome, correct? And signed through 2017, and CP has a good shot at promotion. What am I missing here?

I don't think they want to. I think it's one of those things were the players head has been turned or the agent is trying to cash in. You know how it goes once they decide they're moving on.

Once a top team makes an offer that's it. The player is going to want their big shot and the money (understandably). I think it's up to CP to negotiate the best price they can get, but they aren't going to be able to hold on.