***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (9 Viewers)

[El Floppo]

..................Balotelli-Italy

Tevez-Arg.........Nasri-France.......Ronaldo-Por

............Barton-Eng.........De Jong-Neth

Moreno-Col.....Terry-Eng.....Pepe-Brazil.....Ramos-Spain

..................Gustavo-Brazil

 

[Sebowski]

Messi............Rooney.........Ronaldo

Iniesta........Pirlo.......Schweinsteiger

Evra.....Vidic......Kompany......Alves

.................Cech

 

[Sebowski]

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Having innate field vision can make up for a lot of shortcomings, IMO. I was permanently one of the smallest - if not the smallest - players on the field until I was about 18. I've never had the top end speed required to excel on the wing. But a player who is able to know where his teammates are at all times and to deliver them the ball really should be on the field and not in net, IMO.

I'm not sure why he likes playing keeper so much, but he does. FWIW, one of my favorite memories was about 4 years ago, when he stopped a penalty kick from a kid 2 1/2 times his size. It caught him square in the chest but he didn't flinch, even though it must have hurt. The thing is, he has a pretty slight build and isn't particularly tall/lanky, so all he has are his reflexes and willingness to dive for the ball. Maybe he also likes playing keeper because he gets to throw the ball as well, which he does well because of baseball.Thanks, and also thanks to Floppo for ball handling tips. It's good to know the unskilled can help the skilled.

 

[El Floppo]

2v2 and 3v3 aren't...

Good gravy. I really should have gone to sleep earlier last night.

 

[El Floppo]

US women vs Canada at 2:45 in Oly knock-out play.

 

[El Floppo]

Anybody watch RM vs Santos (Mex) last night? I watched about 20 minutes and Herc Gomez continuing to show great awareness and timing on his runs getting into fantastic positions diagonally- could/should've scored at least one but misfired on the shots.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

PSG reportedly set to drop 45mm on Lucas Moura. Dear God.

 

[Bonzai]

PSG reportedly set to drop 45mm on Lucas Moura. Dear God.

 

[jonessed]

PSG reportedly set to drop 45mm on Lucas Moura. Dear God.

I knew the Financial Fairplay rules lacked teeth, but considering the continued buying sprees from the billionaire teams they must have found a way to completely ignore them.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Anybody watch RM vs Santos (Mex) last night? I watched about 20 minutes and Herc Gomez continuing to show great awareness and timing on his runs getting into fantastic positions diagonally- could/should've scored at least one but misfired on the shots.

I missed the game but read the report. I heard the temperature was over hundred during the game. Yikes.Speaking of Herc, his brother Ulysses (parents obviously liked naming these kids ), made his UFC debut this past weekend. He got knocked out, but still interesting to see two brothers excel at two different sports.

 

[Txns8]

Can us work people get an update on the US women? I see they are down 1-0. Are they not finishing or not playing well?

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Played fairly evenly so far, and the US has had chances. But Canada's goal was well worked and well taken.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

US goal -- direct off the corner kick. Morgan made a run from the near post drawing two defenders. Someone screened keeper and defender so they couldn't get to the post, defender dropping back from the six yard line to cover couldn't play it without knocking it into her own net. Ball curls inside near post between legs untouched until after it crossed the line I think.

 

[ffldrew]

rut - roh

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

HFS... this is turning epic. 2-2

Another nice goal by Sinclair to put Canada up 2-1, then a few minutes later Rapinoe levels with her second from outside the box left, off the far post. Beautiful strike.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Sinclair with the hat trick. 3-2 Canada.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

sweet goals in this US/CAN game.

 

[Txns8]

Time left?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Time left?

12 minutes or so

 

[GroveDiesel]

12+ left.

US might want to mark Sinclair a bit better.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

OMG

refs giving the game to the USA

 

[GroveDiesel]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

it wasn't out.the first call was odd too.

 

[NewlyRetired]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

I am not sure I have ever seen the call about the keeper taking too long.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

3-3

Indirect free kick awarded inside Canadian box for timewasting by the keeper. Then a PK awarded on a deflection off the wall that hit a second defender's arm. Anyone would hate both calls if they went against your team.

 

[GroveDiesel]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

I am not sure I have ever seen the call about the keeper taking too long.

Yeah, that was weird.But Canada just lucked out there because that was DEFINITELY a penalty in the box.

 

[NewlyRetired]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

I am not sure I have ever seen the call about the keeper taking too long.

Yeah, that was weird.But Canada just lucked out there because that was DEFINITELY a penalty in the box.

Absolutely not. Replay show a clean tackle, got ball first.

 

[Slapdash]

I'd use my Spanish player on Iniesta.

Iniesta was on fire during the Euros.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Wambach misses open net from tightish angle on a 2 v 2 break from Morgan. Really entertaining game.

 

[GroveDiesel]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

I am not sure I have ever seen the call about the keeper taking too long.

Yeah, that was weird.But Canada just lucked out there because that was DEFINITELY a penalty in the box.

Absolutely not. Replay show a clean tackle, got ball first.

You know it can still be a penalty even if she gets ball first, right? She came from behind her and went through her. That's a penalty.

 

[NewlyRetired]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

I am not sure I have ever seen the call about the keeper taking too long.

Yeah, that was weird.But Canada just lucked out there because that was DEFINITELY a penalty in the box.

Absolutely not. Replay show a clean tackle, got ball first.

You know it can still be a penalty even if she gets ball first, right? She came from behind her and went through her. That's a penalty.

Yes I know that. Both announcers also admitted on replay it was a fair challenge and praised the defender.

 

[GroveDiesel]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

I am not sure I have ever seen the call about the keeper taking too long.

Yeah, that was weird.But Canada just lucked out there because that was DEFINITELY a penalty in the box.

Absolutely not. Replay show a clean tackle, got ball first.

You know it can still be a penalty even if she gets ball first, right? She came from behind her and went through her. That's a penalty.

Yes I know that. Both announcers also admitted on replay it was a fair challenge and praised the defender.

Must be watching a different play because Chastain only said "Canada needs to be careful, could have been a penalty kick".

 

[NewlyRetired]

OMGrefs giving the game to the USA

Can't put the elbow out. Tough luck.

I am not sure I have ever seen the call about the keeper taking too long.

Yeah, that was weird.But Canada just lucked out there because that was DEFINITELY a penalty in the box.

Absolutely not. Replay show a clean tackle, got ball first.

You know it can still be a penalty even if she gets ball first, right? She came from behind her and went through her. That's a penalty.

Yes I know that. Both announcers also admitted on replay it was a fair challenge and praised the defender.

Must be watching a different play because Chastain only said "Canada needs to be careful, could have been a penalty kick".

Both White and Chastain said fair tackle and White then said "good for her". Just rewind and listen during the replay.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Watched it again. Chastain never says it's clean. Other announcer says "good for her."

 

[Slapdash]

...................Falcao

Ronaldo............Iniesta.........Messi

..........Toure.....Pirlo

Bale.....Hummels......Kompany......Alves

.................Cech

 

[NewlyRetired]

This is exactly how I remember this being handled. In the end though I absolutely hate time wasting in all sports so if that is what the rule specifies so be it.

Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves)

8/6/12 4:37 PM

I've seen a million referees give goalkeepers a yellow card for time-wasting. NEVER seen an indirect free kick given for time-wasting.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

...................FalcaoRonaldo............Iniesta.........Messi..........Toure.....PirloBale.....Hummels......Kompany......Alves.................Cech

Really good, except for Bale. Think I'd put Cole there instead. Or Evra at LB, and Woz in goal.

 

[Slapdash]

...................FalcaoRonaldo............Iniesta.........Messi..........Toure.....PirloBale.....Hummels......Kompany......Alves.................Cech

Really good, except for Bale. Think I'd put Cole there instead. Or Evra at LB, and Woz in goal.

LB is always tough, figured I would go with an attacking back. Woz's faces during pks drops him for me.

 

[Moe.]

      Rooney               MessiBale      Neymar      Ronaldo          PirloEvra   Kompany   Vidic  Ramos           Neuer

 

[Good Posting Judge]

      Rooney               MessiBale      Neymar      Ronaldo          PirloEvra   Kompany   Vidic  Ramos           Neuer

Man, not a lot of defensive cover in front of the back four there.

 

[jonessed]

      Rooney               MessiBale      Neymar      Ronaldo          PirloEvra   Kompany   Vidic  Ramos           Neuer

Man, not a lot of defensive cover in front of the back four there.

Yeah, I would take out Neymar and put someone like Toure next to Pirlo. I think I would actually switch Rooney and Messi as well.

 

[Steve Tasker]

PSG reportedly set to drop 45mm on Lucas Moura. Dear God.

I knew the Financial Fairplay rules lacked teeth, but considering the continued buying sprees from the billionaire teams they must have found a way to completely ignore them.

 

[Steve Tasker]

RvP-----Messi-----C. Ronaldo----Rooney----Falcao----Chicharito----Neymar----Benzema----Rossi

Bradley

Casillas

 

[Good Posting Judge]

What, no Balotelli?

 

[NewlyRetired]

RvP-----Messi-----C. Ronaldo----Rooney----Falcao----Chicharito----Neymar----Benzema----Rossi

Bradley

Casillas

Awesome. Two US born players

 

[NewlyRetired]

:( . There is nothing natural about a extremely fit 22 year old dieing.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An autopsy performed on Columbus Crew midfielder Kirk Urso on Monday did not reveal any trauma and the coroner says signs point to "an apparent natural death" pending results from toxicology tests.The 22-year-old Urso was pronounced dead at 1:50 a.m. Sunday at Grant Medical Center after collapsing at a downtown Columbus bar and restaurant.Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak says toxicology tests will not be finalized for four to six weeks. "We are leaning toward an apparent natural death, but we don’t know why," she said. The autopsy showed "heart changes" which may not have contributed to death.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I am a newcomer to this thread so forgive me if this has been mentioned. A new independent film is being debuted at SXSW and it sounds worth checking out.

Pelada

On a day when the Champions League knockout rounds start, I wanted to draw your attention away briefly from the stadium lights to a marvelous new soccer documentary by four young Americans that I saw a sneak preview of on Monday. The film is called Pelada--the Brazilian term for pickup soccer--and it follows two former college standouts (Duke's Gwendolyn Oxenham and Notre Dame's Luke Boughen) as they visit 25 countries in search of pickup games and the stories of the people who play them.

The movie, which debuts at the prestigious South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Tex., on March 14, is a testament to the power of the world's game to dissolve the boundaries of gender, language and culture. Armed with a ball and a thirst for adventure, the Americans bribe their way into a Bolivian prison game, play for money in a Nairobi slum tournament and test the limits of Iranian authorities when Oxenham joins an all-male game in Tehran.

But what elevates Pelada from a cute highlight travelogue to something more resonant is the filmmakers' ability to find compelling stories and earn the trust of their interview subjects. "Once you play a game with someone, interview doesn't seem like the appropriate word," says Oxenham. "There's this level of intimacy that you don't get if you don't play soccer. Every place we went, you're then invited into their homes. Everyone's mother wants to cook for you."

"[Playing soccer] would change the situation from being an outsider having an interview with them to having a conversation with a friend," adds Boughen.

The result is a film that combines eye-popping cinematography (by co-directors Rebekah Fergusson and Ryan White) with human stories: the dreams of a teenage Brazilian girl nicknamed Ronaldinha; a lunchtime kickabout among workers building the Cape Town World Cup stadium; and an Italian writer who pens love poems to the sport. A tense game between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem reveals the benefits (and very real challenges) that come with the sport.

Boughen and Oxenham are also clearly good players, and a running thread is the reaction in male-dominated soccer cultures to a woman who's eager to join them on the field. "It was funny because Luke would score three goals and nobody really cared because everyone can see he's a good [male] soccer player, but all I would have to do was a little pivot and everyone freaked out," says Oxenham. "There was very little negative reaction to me, except for maybe in Italy, where in a couple pickup games it was like, 'Who is this woman?' In Iran they passed the ball to me more than they did in any other country, whether I was in a good position or not, which was interesting to me."

The filmmakers financed their project by piecing together grants and contributions, but they're still raising money to cover costs after spending around $250,000 on the project. While they have done a deal with PBS International for the international rights, they're hoping that the buzz from the South by Southwest Film Festival and others (they have applied to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City) will lead to a distribution deal with a U.S. studio or television channel.

For now, though, they're excited about their film finally making its public debut. "It's surreal," Oxenham says. "You spend three years and you've got 400 hours of footage and getting it down to 80 or 90 minutes tops, it feels like you're killing babies left and right. But it's great to see it shaping up into the thing that you always imagined from the beginning."

Yet being accepted into a major film festival isn't the only news for Oxenham and Boughen. After crisscrossing the globe together, they're getting married in June. Part of their honeymoon may involve a screening of Pelada in Cape Town during the World Cup.

You can find more information about Pelada (including a movie trailer and tax-deductible donations) at www.pelada-movie.com.

Sound great Like most of you guys I'm sure, I've played pickup soccer all over the place and have found no better way of being immediately taken in by the home-peeps.

Yeah, this definitely sounds interesting. If someone sees where it ends up getting picked up I'd like to know.

I've seen some lengthy excerpts from this - going back a year or more - on youtube and the like. Its good stuff, but not necessarily something I would expect to be a feature-length documentary.

I finally checked out Pelada last weekend now that it is available on Netflix watch instantly. Its not a perfect film by any means and I've got a few complaints, but there are some great scenes that make it well worthwhile imo, especially for a soccer fan. On my list of best soccer movies, I'd put it well above Ladybugs but a notch or two below Victory.

 

[AcerFC]

I am a newcomer to this thread so forgive me if this has been mentioned. A new independent film is being debuted at SXSW and it sounds worth checking out.

Pelada

On a day when the Champions League knockout rounds start, I wanted to draw your attention away briefly from the stadium lights to a marvelous new soccer documentary by four young Americans that I saw a sneak preview of on Monday. The film is called Pelada--the Brazilian term for pickup soccer--and it follows two former college standouts (Duke's Gwendolyn Oxenham and Notre Dame's Luke Boughen) as they visit 25 countries in search of pickup games and the stories of the people who play them.

The movie, which debuts at the prestigious South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Tex., on March 14, is a testament to the power of the world's game to dissolve the boundaries of gender, language and culture. Armed with a ball and a thirst for adventure, the Americans bribe their way into a Bolivian prison game, play for money in a Nairobi slum tournament and test the limits of Iranian authorities when Oxenham joins an all-male game in Tehran.

But what elevates Pelada from a cute highlight travelogue to something more resonant is the filmmakers' ability to find compelling stories and earn the trust of their interview subjects. "Once you play a game with someone, interview doesn't seem like the appropriate word," says Oxenham. "There's this level of intimacy that you don't get if you don't play soccer. Every place we went, you're then invited into their homes. Everyone's mother wants to cook for you."

"[Playing soccer] would change the situation from being an outsider having an interview with them to having a conversation with a friend," adds Boughen.

The result is a film that combines eye-popping cinematography (by co-directors Rebekah Fergusson and Ryan White) with human stories: the dreams of a teenage Brazilian girl nicknamed Ronaldinha; a lunchtime kickabout among workers building the Cape Town World Cup stadium; and an Italian writer who pens love poems to the sport. A tense game between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem reveals the benefits (and very real challenges) that come with the sport.

Boughen and Oxenham are also clearly good players, and a running thread is the reaction in male-dominated soccer cultures to a woman who's eager to join them on the field. "It was funny because Luke would score three goals and nobody really cared because everyone can see he's a good [male] soccer player, but all I would have to do was a little pivot and everyone freaked out," says Oxenham. "There was very little negative reaction to me, except for maybe in Italy, where in a couple pickup games it was like, 'Who is this woman?' In Iran they passed the ball to me more than they did in any other country, whether I was in a good position or not, which was interesting to me."

The filmmakers financed their project by piecing together grants and contributions, but they're still raising money to cover costs after spending around $250,000 on the project. While they have done a deal with PBS International for the international rights, they're hoping that the buzz from the South by Southwest Film Festival and others (they have applied to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City) will lead to a distribution deal with a U.S. studio or television channel.

For now, though, they're excited about their film finally making its public debut. "It's surreal," Oxenham says. "You spend three years and you've got 400 hours of footage and getting it down to 80 or 90 minutes tops, it feels like you're killing babies left and right. But it's great to see it shaping up into the thing that you always imagined from the beginning."

Yet being accepted into a major film festival isn't the only news for Oxenham and Boughen. After crisscrossing the globe together, they're getting married in June. Part of their honeymoon may involve a screening of Pelada in Cape Town during the World Cup.

You can find more information about Pelada (including a movie trailer and tax-deductible donations) at www.pelada-movie.com.

Sound great Like most of you guys I'm sure, I've played pickup soccer all over the place and have found no better way of being immediately taken in by the home-peeps.

Yeah, this definitely sounds interesting. If someone sees where it ends up getting picked up I'd like to know.

I've seen some lengthy excerpts from this - going back a year or more - on youtube and the like. Its good stuff, but not necessarily something I would expect to be a feature-length documentary.

I finally checked out Pelada last weekend now that it is available on Netflix watch instantly. Its not a perfect film by any means and I've got a few complaints, but there are some great scenes that make it well worthwhile imo, especially for a soccer fan. On my list of best soccer movies, I'd put it well above Ladybugs but a notch or two below Victory.

What about Hotshots?

 

[SmoovySmoov]

Suarez is a ##### and deserves to be booed everywhere outside of Anfield in real games but it seemed somehow anti-Olympian for the home crowd to be all over him in the GB-Uruguay game.

Couldn't disagree with you more.