***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (8 Viewers)

[El Floppo]

Here's the video of Adebor's "face-stomp" of Van Persie

 

[El Floppo]

Jermaine Jones news, per ESPN...

Report: Jones might need another surgeryESPNsoccernet news servicesSeptember 14, 2009Jermaine Jones' much-anticipated debut with the U.S. team continues to be placed on hold as the 27-year-old Schalke midfielder has endured a post-surgery recovery setback.Jones underwent surgery for a shin injury back in June, but reportedly continues to feel pain in his leg. Schalke officials are considering new options for treatment, one of which is to perform another procedure."Jermaine possibly needs to undergo surgery again. We will make a decision about that later this week," Schalke coach Felix Magath told German newspaper Bild.Jones had been initially expected to return to match action in Schalke's Bundesliga opener, but Jones has yet to make his first official appearance of the 2009-10 campaign.

 

[Native]

I realize it's WAY too early to panic, but this is the third consecutive Milan match where Gooch didn't even make the bench. This better not end up as another American wasting away and letting his form go to pot in a World Cup year.

This is definitely what will happen IMO. He'll stay for a year, earn good cash to sit on the bench and then move to a smaller club at the end of the season. This move was about resume building, not about playing time - and I dont mean that as a slight. Unfortunately, it happens in a World Cup year.

 

[El Floppo]

Heath Pearce coming back to the US and MLSper espn

Heath Pearce to join FC DallasAssociated PressSeptember 11, 2009FRISCO, Texas -- U.S. national team defender Heath Pearce is joining FC Dallas after two seasons with Hansa Rostock in Germany.The 25-year-old from Modesto, Calif., has made 28 appearances for the national team, including seven in World Cup qualifiers.He attended the University of Portland, then signed in 2005 with Nordsjaelland in Denmark. He appeared in 31 games for Hansa Rostock.Dallas signed Pearce using its No. 1 allocation ranking in Major League Soccer. The club waived defender Steve Purdy to clear a roster spot and also said it had agreed with Alvaro Sanchez to end the forward/midfielder's contract.

 

[andy_b]

Floppo this is an important one for you, although it should be important to all MLS fans.

Long has the NY franchise been hoped to be the flag ship if the league and for nearly 14 straight years it has disappointed to varying degrees, and arguably could be considered the worst franchise in leagues history.

Many good coaches have come and gone but the off the field management has always been a disaster from the get go. I personally have always held out hope for one man that I thought could revitalize the franchise off the field and with a gorgeous new stadium coming online, this rumor I think has some legs....

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story...mls&cc=5901

 

[The Z Machine]

My Atleti stinkin it up at home again. Tied 0-0 to APOEL in the 60+ min.Put one in the net jerkoffs!

Forlan hit the crossbar a second ago Kinda have to get 3 points this match though.

It was a poor showing (AGAIN!!!!!) by Atlético. They had 9 shots on goal (17 total) and couldn't put one in. Shameful. This could be their demise in CL, and if they don't get out of Group this year, Kun is as good as gone.This was the worst team in their group by a long shot, and they drew scoreless at home. Not good.They have the talent to win at Porto and hold Chelsea to a draw in London and win at home, but not the way they are playing now. They are once again, shambolic...

 

[El Floppo]

Floppo this is an important one for you, although it should be important to all MLS fans.

Long has the NY franchise been hoped to be the flag ship if the league and for nearly 14 straight years it has disappointed to varying degrees, and arguably could be considered the worst franchise in leagues history.

Many good coaches have come and gone but the off the field management has always been a disaster from the get go. I personally have always held out hope for one man that I thought could revitalize the franchise off the field and with a gorgeous new stadium coming online, this rumor I think has some legs....

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story...mls&cc=5901

Interesting read...

 

[prefontaine]

My Atleti stinkin it up at home again. Tied 0-0 to APOEL in the 60+ min.Put one in the net jerkoffs!

Forlan hit the crossbar a second ago Kinda have to get 3 points this match though.

It was a poor showing (AGAIN!!!!!) by Atlético. They had 9 shots on goal (17 total) and couldn't put one in. Shameful. This could be their demise in CL, and if they don't get out of Group this year, Kun is as good as gone.This was the worst team in their group by a long shot, and they drew scoreless at home. Not good.They have the talent to win at Porto and hold Chelsea to a draw in London and win at home, but not the way they are playing now. They are once again, shambolic...

When they are playing well, I really enjoy watching Altetico but frankly they really have sucked in the game and a half or so I've watched this year. Not sure what is missing but they seem a bit lifeless. This result is going to be hard to overcome in that group. None of the other results really shocked me. Most of the good matches are tomorrow though.

 

[Native]

ANyone know where we can catch replays of todays game? Looking for a stream of the Chelsea match?

Chelsea needed this win as they have two more games without Drogba due to the CL semifinal outburst....

 

[guru_007]

Too busy to catch the games today... sound like good ones.

Looks like Adebayor is OUT for the Manchester derby due to FA charges of improper conduct (violent tackle on V Persie).. link

I was really looking foward to seeing those teams go at eachother at full strength.

Tevez should be back though (he missed the arsenal game)Should be a good one

 

[El Floppo]

Too busy to catch the games today... sound like good ones.

Looks like Adebayor is OUT for the Manchester derby due to FA charges of improper conduct (violent tackle on V Persie).. link

I was really looking foward to seeing those teams go at eachother at full strength.

Tevez should be back though (he missed the arsenal game)Should be a good one

Big Tevez fan, but as you know he's a much different player than Adebayor and gives City a much better shape up front. I have no idea who has been paired with Adebayor... Robinho? Ireland? but I would love to see Tevez AND Adebayor play together- I think it will be a pretty lethal tandem up front with Tevez's cojones/work-rate and Adebayor's positioning/finishing.

 

[prefontaine]

Floppo this is an important one for you, although it should be important to all MLS fans.

Long has the NY franchise been hoped to be the flag ship if the league and for nearly 14 straight years it has disappointed to varying degrees, and arguably could be considered the worst franchise in leagues history.

Many good coaches have come and gone but the off the field management has always been a disaster from the get go. I personally have always held out hope for one man that I thought could revitalize the franchise off the field and with a gorgeous new stadium coming online, this rumor I think has some legs....

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story...mls&cc=5901

Interesting read...

As someone that goes to 2-3 MLS games a year but rarely follows it at all, I thought this quote was interesting:"Too many soccer-interested people in the U.S. care only about participation or non-U.S professional leagues. Both WPS and MLS need to work to attract a greater percentage of the non-attending audience and not worry about stealing each other's fans. To put it in edible terms, there's a big cherry pie out there and WPS and MLS are only taking a few small slices right now. We need to increase the size of our slices, not worry about taking a few cherries off each other's plate."

I've given this some thought and I'm really not sure what they can do to interest me without greatly enhancing the level of play which is simply not something that can be done overnight. I know a ton of people who play and/or watch the game around here. None of them go to FC Dallas matches but I had about 5 different groups of people that hit me up to go to the Chelsea-Club America game.

I can tell you there are quite a few factors that turn me off to the Dallas franchise. In general, I think it is run by buffoons. They put the stadium in the distant suburbs with no easy access to it. The atmosphere is atrocious and they cater almost exclusively to soccer moms and kids. This seems to attract a crowd that is not enthusiastic and doesn't really understand the game. I also think kids go through phases and this is not the way to build a long term fan base. Those 9 year olds that go to games will be 13 and into baseball and football and girls. And they won't want to go to a game focused on kiddie stuff. It's simply not cool to teenagers and younger adults that are not parents.

Because of this you are constantly cycling your fan base. Concentrate on growing the hooligan fanbase however and they will keep coming. I'm not sure if this is true of all the teams though.

 

[guru_007]

Too busy to catch the games today... sound like good ones.

Looks like Adebayor is OUT for the Manchester derby due to FA charges of improper conduct (violent tackle on V Persie).. link

I was really looking foward to seeing those teams go at eachother at full strength.

Tevez should be back though (he missed the arsenal game)Should be a good one

Big Tevez fan, but as you know he's a much different player than Adebayor and gives City a much better shape up front. I have no idea who has been paired with Adebayor... Robinho? Ireland? but I would love to see Tevez AND Adebayor play together- I think it will be a pretty lethal tandem up front with Tevez's cojones/work-rate and Adebayor's positioning/finishing.

They've played everyone together. In a Cup game, I saw them start Robinho/Tevez & Adebayor up front with SWP/Barry & Ireland in the midfield, and Lescott/Toure/Bridge and Richards in the back. Against Crystal ####### Palace. I'm fairly sure Bellamy would get the nod in place of Adebayor...that's a very short, but very quick attack with Robinho, Tevez, Bellamy and SWP.

It will be very interesting when Santa Cruz is ready to play how they will add him into the mix, as he bring a dimension similar to Adebayor.

Should be a very good game this weekend. United's central defense should own their penalty area, but Man City will certainly be able to exploit the wings.

To be perfectly frank, Phillips has been the best attacker City has had so far this year.

 

[andy_b]

Toronto FC, which plays to sold out crowds for almost every game the last two years, has the initial approval to change from Field Turf to grass for the 2010 season.

 

[andy_b]

I can tell you there are quite a few factors that turn me off to the Dallas franchise. In general, I think it is run by buffoons. They put the stadium in the distant suburbs with no easy access to it. The atmosphere is atrocious and they cater almost exclusively to soccer moms and kids. This seems to attract a crowd that is not enthusiastic and doesn't really understand the game. I also think kids go through phases and this is not the way to build a long term fan base. Those 9 year olds that go to games will be 13 and into baseball and football and girls. And they won't want to go to a game focused on kiddie stuff. It's simply not cool to teenagers and younger adults that are not parents.

You would love Peter Wilt. He was first guy who actually got it in terms of building a relationship with more hard core fans, and he did that through the internet. That is why many of us are hoping that the rumors are true about him taking over NY. Everyone knows that Red Bull is going to clean house in the off season to do what they can to right the ship before moving into the new stadium. The Dallas and NE franchises are arguably the two worst franchises in the league in terms of knowing how to build a fan base. NE flushed their hard core base many years ago, when they were regularly drawing 20k legit in the place every game in the early years of the league and that has dropped considerably as the Revs are perhaps the furthest thing from relevance as they have been in their 14 years of existence.It is not the same every where. Some teams do better than others specifically the new teams. Toronto and Seattle have large knowledgeable audiances every game. Philadelphia seems headed in that direction as well as their season ticket based, buoyed by an incredibly strong supporters group is excellent and is pointing to likely sellouts every game next season.In the end though, I think many of the soccer fans in the US that won't give MLS the time of day won't be changed until the league is significantly upgraded in talent. That does not make them snobs of course, everyone should enjoy what they want to enjoy but it does lead to a self fulfilling prophecy in that if the rather large group of soccer fans in the US continue to ignore MLS, it can never have the chance to grow into something better. Kind of sad in a way.

 

[guru_007]

Standard Liege :(

and almost drew a penalty!

 

[guru_007]

nm, DID draw the penalty, video went out on me Standard Leige up 2-0.

 

[The Z Machine]

Holy crap. #### now has a mountain to climb.

 

[Desert_Power]

Wow, not the way to start the year off for Arsenal.

 

[guru_007]

Arsenal pull one back right before the break. They deserve to be down, they are playing very poorly.

 

[Desert_Power]

Inter-Barca level. Both sides have had their opportunities to go ahead. Barcelona have had better ones so far. Odd seeing Eto'o on another club.

 

[guru_007]

yeah, Barca/Inter's been a pretty entertaining half. I have a wager on Barca, but haven't seen either team with many golden chances. Barca, small edge in play perhaps, but I think this one may go 0-0.

 

[El Floppo]

I've seen Milito play a couple of times for Inter... not good.

 

[El Floppo]

man... I just love watching Barca, even if Inter is my team.

 

[The Z Machine]

Dinamo Kiev is down 1-0 to Rubin Kazan. They should be playing in Kiev I think. Not a good start for them if they don't pull level.

 

[The Z Machine]

No huge results today. Some minor blips.

- Arsenal pulled it out and came back to get a big 3 points after being down 2 goals away. Nice result, but I gots to think that Standard screwed the pooch on this one. What a chance they had to get points at home.

- Barça not being able to put one in the net in Milan is worth noting. I didn't watch any of the games, so please tell me the flow of this game, and in particular if Inter did anything special against the Barça attack.

- Dinamo came back after being down at home, which means pretty much what we though... Rubin Kazan is probably the worst team in this round.

- Rangers Stuttgart drew 1-1 and Rangers had a great chance to steal 3 here and put them in a good place. Didn't happen.

 

[Native]

Question:

What websites do you guys use get up-to-date soccer news and analysis? Ive been using BBC, SKY and Goal.com for years but Im sure there are many better resources available.

thanks

 

[guru_007]

Question: What websites do you guys use get up-to-date soccer news and analysis? Ive been using BBC, SKY and Goal.com for years but Im sure there are many better resources available. thanks

I stream all the games I want to watch online live. usually justin tv as livefooty is generally down. iraqigoals is good too sometimes.For live updates if I can't watch, I use soccernet, if for nothing else their commentary is often very funny.For live scores, if I just need the scores, I go to flash score.Prior to the match, I use Sky sports, BBC, soccernet, or google search

 

[Christo]

I've seen Milito play a couple of times for Inter... not good.

Really? The only time I watched him this year (Milan derby) he was pretty good.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

- Barça not being able to put one in the net in Milan is worth noting. I didn't watch any of the games, so please tell me the flow of this game, and in particular if Inter did anything special against the Barça attack.

I didn't see the game, but you can't discount the fact that they are in the group stage with two patsies in their group. Typically in this tournament there is no predictable advantage to finishing first or second in the group, so you play nice with the other powerhouse and get your points from the other 4 games.

 

[The Z Machine]

Question: What websites do you guys use get up-to-date soccer news and analysis? Ive been using BBC, SKY and Goal.com for years but Im sure there are many better resources available. thanks

as.comIt's Spanish language from Spain. Lots of great la Liga news there, and they have live scores and gamecasts going on. I think they have an English version of the gamecast, but I never use it.

 

[El Floppo]

- Barça not being able to put one in the net in Milan is worth noting. I didn't watch any of the games, so please tell me the flow of this game, and in particular if Inter did anything special against the Barça attack.

I didn't see the game, but you can't discount the fact that they are in the group stage with two patsies in their group. Typically in this tournament there is no predictable advantage to finishing first or second in the group, so you play nice with the other powerhouse and get your points from the other 4 games.

Inter had 7 guys in their own box for most of the 2nd half (I only watched the 2nd half) and they let Barca possess the ball around the box- no real shots in anger from outside and not much success breaking down those 7 guys. They let Barca bet Barca on the outside and then shut it down when it got inside the 18.I had been thinking that Eto'o and Ibra were better suited to their prior teams' play- Eto'o more of flowy striker compared to Ibra's direct play. But they each looked pretty good and integrated with their new teams. If anything, I thought Ibra was too much of a Barca player (constantly trying to play the one-touch or finding Messi) when they could have used his Inter-nose-for-goal play.

 

[prefontaine]

- Barça not being able to put one in the net in Milan is worth noting. I didn't watch any of the games, so please tell me the flow of this game, and in particular if Inter did anything special against the Barça attack.

I didn't see the game, but you can't discount the fact that they are in the group stage with two patsies in their group. Typically in this tournament there is no predictable advantage to finishing first or second in the group, so you play nice with the other powerhouse and get your points from the other 4 games.

Inter had 7 guys in their own box for most of the 2nd half (I only watched the 2nd half) and they let Barca possess the ball around the box- no real shots in anger from outside and not much success breaking down those 7 guys. They let Barca bet Barca on the outside and then shut it down when it got inside the 18.I had been thinking that Eto'o and Ibra were better suited to their prior teams' play- Eto'o more of flowy striker compared to Ibra's direct play. But they each looked pretty good and integrated with their new teams. If anything, I thought Ibra was too much of a Barca player (constantly trying to play the one-touch or finding Messi) when they could have used his Inter-nose-for-goal play.

Really thought Inter did a fine job on defensive organization. No one ever had a lot of space and they did a good job shutting down the little passes that Barca loves to do in and around the box. That said, I thought Barca was just not quite hitting on all cylinders. The few times they did have space on the passes they weren't as exact and then the first touches weren't there. It reminded me why other teams don't play that style. It requires perfection and looks so easy when you have Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, and Henry weaving in and out and making little passes and intricate runs. But even with that talent, if you aren't quite in rhythm, it can be stopped. Inter did a good job defending it but it still looks a bit like preseason for Barcelona.

And still unsure whether Ibra is a good fit for them.

 

[El Floppo]

- Barça not being able to put one in the net in Milan is worth noting. I didn't watch any of the games, so please tell me the flow of this game, and in particular if Inter did anything special against the Barça attack.

I didn't see the game, but you can't discount the fact that they are in the group stage with two patsies in their group. Typically in this tournament there is no predictable advantage to finishing first or second in the group, so you play nice with the other powerhouse and get your points from the other 4 games.

Inter had 7 guys in their own box for most of the 2nd half (I only watched the 2nd half) and they let Barca possess the ball around the box- no real shots in anger from outside and not much success breaking down those 7 guys. They let Barca bet Barca on the outside and then shut it down when it got inside the 18.I had been thinking that Eto'o and Ibra were better suited to their prior teams' play- Eto'o more of flowy striker compared to Ibra's direct play. But they each looked pretty good and integrated with their new teams. If anything, I thought Ibra was too much of a Barca player (constantly trying to play the one-touch or finding Messi) when they could have used his Inter-nose-for-goal play.

Really thought Inter did a fine job on defensive organization. No one ever had a lot of space and they did a good job shutting down the little passes that Barca loves to do in and around the box. That said, I thought Barca was just not quite hitting on all cylinders. The few times they did have space on the passes they weren't as exact and then the first touches weren't there. It reminded me why other teams don't play that style. It requires perfection and looks so easy when you have Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, and Henry weaving in and out and making little passes and intricate runs. But even with that talent, if you aren't quite in rhythm, it can be stopped. Inter did a good job defending it but it still looks a bit like preseason for Barcelona.

And still unsure whether Ibra is a good fit for them.

Good stuff, Pre.I've really liked Sneijder (or however the dutch spell it) for Inter as more of a true #10. But I noticed he spent a bit of the 2nd half tucked on the wing, which left the whole middle of the field open (on both sides of the ball). Later, he went back into the middle but really deep... also leaving the whole middle of the field open. INter's spacing looked pretty ragged on offense, but I'm guessing Barca's offense (and having to defend with 7-8 guys around your own box) will do that to even the best teams (I'm looking at you, 2008/9 Man United).

I'm a huge Ibra fan, but I'm with you about how well he'll fit in. I haven't seen him play to his strength yet while playing with Barca the way he did for Inter. Thought he played well today- just not the aggressive goal-scorer/threat he was with Inter.

edit: Plus, it looked like the defense for both teams knew exactly how to limit their old attacking team-mates.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Nice comeback

 

[The Z Machine]

Sneijder is absolutely a winger for both the Dutch and when he was at Real. He isn't/wasn't a true #10 for either squad, so I'm not sure why you think you'd like him there for Barça. I recall him switching wings from left to right for Real, playing only occasionally in the middle.

####.... I'm thinking of Robben playing on the wing for Real last year. Sneidjer barely got a game so I'm mistaken. Still, I don't recall thinking he's a true playmaking #10.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Arsenal-Wigan link

 

[Steve Tasker]

Vermaelen puts Arsenal up 2-0 in what is essentially a must-win.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Jozy started for Hull today and was subbed out in the 64th. No word on how he played.

 

[guru_007]

gonna be a real bittersweet Saturday for Z-Machine

Nice win by Cal, but oooof is Barca laying it on right now

 

[The Z Machine]

gonna be a real bittersweet Saturday for Z-MachineNice win by Cal, but oooof is Barca laying it on right now

This is what happens when you're a glutton for punishment and enjoy backing teams with years of heartbreak.I wasn't expecting a win in Camp Nou for Atlético. They don't lose often there. However, I wasn't expecting them to go down 4-0 in the first half. God that team is in shambles right now, and their defense STILL sucks.I didn't get a chance to watch the game, so if anyone did, let me know what the hell happened and where it happened.They are approximately the anoos of la Liga right now.

 

[editor47]

can we still add our favorites to the mix?

if so, put me down for: MLS-Philly Union; England-Liverpool, Man City; Germany-Dortmund; International-US, Germany

Count me as a fan of the blonde who is co-host on the one FSC show that is usually on at 1 a.m. EST. in the US.

 

[Steve Tasker]

This is what happens when you're a glutton for punishment and enjoy backing teams with years of heartbreak.

GO BILLS

 

[Steve Tasker]

So who else wishes the United/City game was on TV here?

Bellamy equalizes in the 90th....3-3

 

[Steve Tasker]

And then Owen makes it 4-3!

wow

 

[TLEF316]

best match I've ever seen. Probably a top 5 sporting event i've ever seen (at least as far as regular season games go).

2 minutes of extra extra time and united needed every second of it. What a game. Giggs is an absolute magician out there.

 

[TLEF316]

So who else wishes the United/City game was on TV here?Bellamy equalizes in the 90th....3-3

it was on Setanta sports (which i normally dont get, but for some reason was on today)

 

[Bonzai]

WOW

 

[andy_b]

can we still add our favorites to the mix?if so, put me down for: MLS-Philly Union; England-Liverpool, Man City; Germany-Dortmund; International-US, GermanyCount me as a fan of the blonde who is co-host on the one FSC show that is usually on at 1 a.m. EST. in the US.

welcome to the thread! Are you going to be getting season tickets for the Philly MLS team next spring?

 

[El Floppo]

best match I've ever seen. Probably a top 5 sporting event i've ever seen (at least as far as regular season games go).2 minutes of extra extra time and united needed every second of it. What a game. Giggs is an absolute magician out there.

wow... sounds amazing- wish I had seen it. Any chance it gets shown on FSC or ESPN Deportes as a replay?