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

Checked out MLS Cup odds at Oddschecker and got roughly the following for chance to take the title:

LA - 31%

DC - 25%

SEA - 23%

HOU - 21%

 
'Aaron Rudnicki said:
'NewlyRetired said:
'Aaron Rudnicki said:
'NewlyRetired said:
Here is the official schedule for the conference finals Sunday November 18Seattle vs LA 9:00pm ESPN
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just bought tickets to this one:excited:
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That should be a great crowd up there that day. What are the price of the playoff tickets?
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I got lower level seats for $45 plus fees.I think seats in the upper deck were selling for as low as $18.
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Nice, thanks for the info. That should be a great take for that price. Although "seats" are a misnomer at Sounders games I think, as everyone mostly stands from what I have seen on TV :)
 
'NewlyRetired said:
Brian Sciaretta is tweeting that reports out of Germany say that Chandler will be on US squad against Russia. Like every other time, this won't cap tie him.
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I don't see the point of this. Unless Chandler changes his mind and decides to cap-tie himself to the US, we shouldn't be wasting minutes or roster spots on him.
 
Ugh. You can't call Chandler in for a friendly at this point unless it comes with a firm promise that he'll accept his next cap-tying call up.

If you let him just show up to friendlies played in Europe, it sends a really bad message

 
Local soccer update- we went 8-0-2 and won first place. Went down to a tie breaker of goals allowed of which we had two fewer. Now to defend our City Cup title and go for the double.

 
France midfielder Yann M'Vila has been banned ''from any national team" until after the 2014 World Cup after breaking a curfew.

Previously, the 22-year-old M’Vila was suspended for one match after refusing to shake the hand of coach Laurent Blanc and substitute Olivier Giroud when he was taken off against Spain during the European Championship in June.

 
This is from Big Soccer. It breaks down the previous Hex rounds and sees how they stacked up when compared to the ELO ratings.============================================================================

I'm going to look at the Hex's for the last 3 WCs to see how well the final standing correlated with the teams Elo Ratings as of the end of the semifinal rounds.Let's start with qualifying for the 2010 WC. I give two numbers in parentheses. The first is the points the team gained in the Hex and the second is their Elo Rating as of the end of the semifinal rounds.2010US (20) (1791)Mex (19) (1814)Hond (16) (1706)CR (16) (1682)ES (8) (1471)T&T (6) (1568)Elo did pretty well here in distinguishing between the front-runners (US and Mexico), the middle teams (Honduras and Costa Rica) and the weaklings (ES and T&T). There was a mild upset in the form of the US finishing ahead of Mexico and a bit more of an upset from El Salvador finishing ahead of T&T.Moving on to to the 2006 WC.2006Mex (22) (1844)US (22) (1804)CR (16) (1670)T&T (13) (1473)Guat (11) (1581)Pan (2) (1495)Here there was one upset. T&T's Cinderella run all the way to the WC. Otherwise, no significant surprises.2002CR (23) (1579)Mex (17) (1848)US (17) (1768)Hon (14) (1689)Jamaica (8) (1536)T&T (5) (1639)Here we get an even bigger surprise from Costa Rica. They outperformed their rating by a huge amount (with the result that their Elo Rating rose almost 200 points over the course of the Hex). Notable results for CR included road wins at Honduras, T&T, Jamaica and Mexico! And T&T was a significant underperformer.Let's now take a look at the ratings going into the 2014 Hex2014Mex (1894)US (1744)Pan (1668)Hon (1664)CR (1648)Jam (1624)Based on these ratings, this could be a very competitive Hex. The #6 team has a significantly higher rating than in the prior three Hexes. The US's gap over the number #6 team is 120 points. In the prior three Hexes the gap was 320, 331, 232. In this Hex our gap over the #4 and #5 teams is less than 100. In prior Hexes we enjoyed a bigger ratings edge over those teams. Finally, Mexico starts out this Hex with a seemingly much bigger gap over us and the rest of the competition than in the prior three Hexes.
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As expected NY made some moves today

1) Andy Roxburgh, former Scotland Manager and UEFA Technical Director, was named new NY Red Bulls Sporting Director, and will run all soccer activities at the club. He will start immediately

2) Head Coach Hans Backe was let go (not technically fired because his contract ran out)

3) Mike Petke (long time MLS player) was named interim head coach while Roxburgh interviews candidates.

 
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Andy Najar picked up an additional 2 game suspension for his moronic chucking the ball at the ref. He will miss conference finals for DC.

 
Ives, bringing his A game. Floppo, look away, this is not pretty. This was written before the press releases today about Backe and Roxburgh.

ANOTHER NIGHTMARE ENDING HAS RED BULLS FACING UNCERTAIN FUTURE

By IVES GALARCEP

It was the kind of brutal ending that long-time New York Red Bulls fans have seen too many times before. Another playoff collapse. Another season ending in disappointment. Another chapter to the saddest history of results in MLS playoff history.

Thursday night’s loss seemed like the perfect ending to another dysfunctional season and now that the 2012 campaign is over for the Red Bulls, an off-season of major changes is already in the works. From head coach Hans Backe, to a good chunk of the current roster, there will be plenty of people walking out of Red Bull Arena for the last time.

Multiple sources within the team, and around the team, have helped paint a vivid picture of what has been going on with the Red Bulls in recent months, and what lies ahead for the club, and as you might expect, major change is on the way.

As much as Backe tried putting a brave face on things after Thursday night’s loss, insisting that no decisions have been made in his future, his fate is as certain as anything you can count on in MLS this winter. His three-year contract is set to expire in December and he has a better chance of his hair turning black on its own than he does leading the Red Bulls again.

Then you have Rafa Marquez, the disappointing designated player who managed to show signs of quality play only to overshadow those moments with his latest acts of rage-fueled stupidity. He has one more year left on his Red Bulls contract, but if he isn’t shipped off to the highest Mexican bidder this winter then that could be a sign that the new Red Bulls leadership isn’t all that much smarter than their predecessors.

The buzzards have been circling Red Bull Arena for weeks now, starting with the dismissal of former general manager Erik Soler and hiring of Jerome deBontin, but much more has been afoot. Gerard Houllier is the head of Red Bull’s global soccer operations, and has been plotting the reconstruction of the Red Bulls front office for some time, a reconstruction that won’t include Backe.

New power brokers have entered the picture in New York, some hiding in plain sight. Darren Dein, Thierry Henry’s best friend and agent, has emerged as a powerful figure behind the scenes at the Red Bulls, and he has spent weeks in the area, serving as Houllier’s surrogate and as one of people tasked with figuring out how to fix the Red Bulls. He hasn’t been doing it in private either. He has been spotted for several weeks in the team’s locker room after games, and around the stadium.

The club is also on the verge of naming a new technical director, with former Scotland manager and UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh the favorite to land the position. The 69-year-old Scot recently concluded an 18-year run as UEFA’s technical director, and has a strong relationship with Houllier, who is also expected to strongly consider his former Aston Villa assistant, Gary McCallister for the Red Bulls head coaching job.

All the behind-the-scenes maneuvering couldn’t have helped matters in Red Bull camp, where some recent meltdowns showed clear issues developing within the team. According to multiple sources, defender Wilman Conde was effectively banished from the team after blasting his high-priced teammates and Backe after the team’s loss to the Chicago Fire a month ago (a match Conde was subbed off at halftime in). Conde ripped into Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, as well as Backe, leading the team to ask Conde to take some time off, which was spun as him needing time off for personal reasons.

Conde never played another minute for the Red Bulls, and will almost certainly be part of the team’s roster purge this winter.

The team’s dysfunction continued into the playoffs, where sources tell SBI Rafa Marquez and Hans Backe had a verbal altercation at halftime of the team’s first-leg draw vs. D.C. United, which was proceeded by Marquez leaving the match for what was called a mild calf strain. That story seemed curious to begin with, but the mood in the team’s locker room after that first-leg draw, a very good result for the team, suggested that things were far from normal that night. Marquez was presented to the media after the match, where he sold his injury story, but he came off about as believable as a three-card monty dealer.

Despite all that, the team still had the Eastern Conference finals in their sights, the team’s considerable talent managing to help overcome all the behind-the-scenes drama. The Red Bulls played a good game on Thursday, and created good chances, but ultimately failed to deliver in train-wreck fashion. From the team’s botched penalty kick set-up, which saw the team encroach on Kenny Cooper’s made first attempt, to Rafa Marquez’s bone-headed red card, to Thierry Henry’s indefensible decision to defer to playoff pariah Roy Miller when a 23-yard free kick stared him in the face with the playoffs on the line, it all served up the most fitting end to what has been another disappointing era for the Red Bulls.

Hans Backe will leave after three seasons with the team, and while some may look at his tenure as moderately successful, the fact remains he was given more resources than any coach in the team’s history and couldn’t produce a single trophy of consequence, or even a single playoff series victory. The Swedish manager has a charming personality, and worked the media like few others, but when it came to running the team, his inability to nurture young talent and his hands-off approach made the Red Bulls a soft team that had plenty of talent, but no leadership.

Even the squad’s considerable talent couldn’t overcome Backe’s shortcomings, or the locker room’s lack of true leaders (it should be noted that Tim Cahill has the makings of a strong team captain, but he clearly chose to stay in the background as one of the team’s newest players. That is something that should change in 2013).

The team’s new bosses will appoint a new coach, and build a new roster, and Red Bulls fans will have to endure yet another makeover. Fans of the team formerly known as the MetroStars have grown accustomed to plenty of things in the past 17 years. Big-name players, playoff disappointments and wholesale changes to the team. Their only hope this winter is that this team, this historically inept team, will finally figure things out, and finally turn the club into a winner.

After so many failed attempts, and so many nightmare endings like we saw on Thursday night, there won’t be anybody in the New York/New Jersey area, or anywhere in MLS for that matter, holding their breath for that.
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:lmao:

=======================

Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) tweeted at 9:50pm - 9 Nov 12:

Chivas USA fired its coach, assistant coach, technical director, head scout and, for good measure, the athletic trainer. #Goats

 
Is Gooch coming back from the dead again?

After being MIA for months, he got a start in a recent spanish cup game. Also has been a regular on the bench and now got a start today in a La Liga game.

Could we see a surprise recall for Gooch against Russia?

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Jones, Williams and Fab all went 90 today in the Bundesliga (Jones subbed out in injury time) likely making them a solid roster spot for the Russia game

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With Eddie Johnson out for Russia and possibly Herc out, could we see Jozy get another chance? Twitter says he scored another great goal today for AZ (still looking for the video).

=============

More rumors came out yesterday that Josh Gatt will get called for the Russia game.

 
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'The Gator said:
'Christo said:
'NewlyRetired said:
'Sinn Fein said:
'NewlyRetired said:
Stat of the day: Arsenal has missed 5 of its last 10 pk's in the EPL.
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Terrible at almost any level.
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The EPL league average I think is 75% this year.
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What's the average without Arsenal?
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:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
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Man U is the worst so far this season. They have missed 3 out of 4. According to this link, 16 out of 23 (70%) have been converted so far this season. With out Arsenal it looks like 16 out of 22 (73%), not much different. http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2012-2013/stats/penalties/Last season Liverpool missed 5 out of 6. League wide it was 72 out of 99 (73%). http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2011-2012/stats/penalties/
 
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'NewlyRetired said:
Man U is the worst so far this season. They have missed 3 out of 4.

According to this link, 16 out of 23 (70%) have been converted so far this season. With out Arsenal it looks like 16 out of 22 (73%), not much different.

http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2012-2013/stats/penalties/

Last season Liverpool missed 5 out of 6. League wide it was 72 out of 99 (73%).

http://www.football-lineups.com/tourn/FA_Premier_League_2011-2012/stats/penalties/
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Unlike some teams, Arsenal doesn't get gifted free PKs all that often (yesterday being an exception, of course). Missed offsides calls are more their thing.
 
Dwayne DeRosario is being listed as probable today after a lengthy injury spell. This will give Olsen an interesting sub should he want it for DC.

Rosales is being listed as questionable for Seattle.

Should be two interesting games today. Reminder of the schedule today

Houston vs DC 4:00pm NBCSN

LA vs Seattle 9:00pm ESPN

 
'Native said:
Has the roster for the USMNT Hex been announced yet?
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The Hex is a 9 month long qualifying round. There will be multiple rosters for these games as the year goes on usually announced a few days before each qualifier. The US will be playing Russia in a friendly this week and the roster for that game will be announced either today or tomorrow, depending on whose report you believe.
 
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