andy_b
Footballguy
yes thats true I agree.And yet picture if Mathis returns to form AND NY adds a DP this summer..... That would be one hell of a squad.
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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter jpeace121
- Start date
andy_b
Footballguy
From USA Today
"ESPN will announce today that its Thursday prime-time Major League Soccer games will have super-imposed TV graphics, like football's virtual first-down lines, to show offsides. And those MLS games will get replay and with a radar gun system — like what ESPN uses for baseball pitches — will show the speeds of kicks."
No, I don't understand the second setence either. I guess english is not required to write for USA Today
"ESPN will announce today that its Thursday prime-time Major League Soccer games will have super-imposed TV graphics, like football's virtual first-down lines, to show offsides. And those MLS games will get replay and with a radar gun system — like what ESPN uses for baseball pitches — will show the speeds of kicks."
No, I don't understand the second setence either. I guess english is not required to write for USA Today
andy_b
Footballguy
Here are all the announced MLS changes.
I don't have any problems with them. Simple, yet affective
http://www.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ym...s&fext=.jsp
I don't have any problems with them. Simple, yet affective
http://www.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ym...s&fext=.jsp
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El Floppo
Footballguy
I don't even know what "BS" is.You guys must not be reading the Red Bull section of BS much lately. And I wasn't intimating that Cletus would take the place of the DP, just that in light of the news of a potential DP signing, bringing on Mathis doesn't produce the same level of excitement.And I agree, re Mathis- I don't know anybody who's disappointed with the move. More a cautious optimism about him AND the DP. I really hope they don't blow that pick with somebody useless.LOL. Truer words have never been spokenIt will come down to money. If he wants Beck's type money, I can't see it working out in LA. Granted he and Becks would likely sell out almost every away game they played, but from the early ticket sales, its looks like Becks could do that all by himself.
Best thing for MLS to do is to spend one more large chunk of money on a big name and get him in NY for 2 years (to bridge the new stadium opening).
I'm just talking about the people I know and see around the pickup games. But yeah- definitely not the same as bringing in an Angel, Delgado or ... gasp... Zizou.
andy_b
Footballguy
it is the largest soccer forum in the entire worldwww.bigsoccer.comI don't even know what "BS" is.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Did you guys catch any of the MLS opening weekend games?
I watched some of the Chivas v Toronto and Colorodo v DC games. Disappointed to see so many empty seat- especially at Colorado for the opener of a new stadum (granted, it looked cold as crap). And the stadium- bleh.
Some decent stuff on the field from Chivas, and both Col and DC showed some offensive flair. Col more about the typical US approach of speed and quick passing, DC with a more international approach of getting the ball to the playmakers and letting them work.
The worst part of it was the ABC coverage. The commentating duo of Dave O'Brien and Julie Foudy was horrific. Foudy is a decent analyst for before and after games, but she was really green trying to do color. I have hope for her though.
ABC's use of O'Brien is both infuriating and insulting to us fans- they clearly don't give a ####. That guy knows nothing about the game and besides his "announcer" voice, has no use. He was a newscaster monotone the entire game- punctuating certain word, but not giving a crap about what went on the field. Goal attempts got as much pep as throw-ins. The only time he showed any excitement vocally was when they ran some kind of plug-in graphic about people with a shared name of somebody on the field.
Along with that graphic, ABC repeatedly cut away from the action DURING the game to show Allan Hopkins interviewing somebody. DURING THE FRIGGING GAME! You could hear the crowd reacting to the ongoing play- but no point showing it on air, apparently. And then there's the typical lack of coverage in replay of what's important- goal attmepts, bookable fouls.
It seriously makes me want to give up my profession and go into Sport Broadcasting just so I can take over from those frigging idiots, either in front or behind the camera.
I watched some of the Chivas v Toronto and Colorodo v DC games. Disappointed to see so many empty seat- especially at Colorado for the opener of a new stadum (granted, it looked cold as crap). And the stadium- bleh.
Some decent stuff on the field from Chivas, and both Col and DC showed some offensive flair. Col more about the typical US approach of speed and quick passing, DC with a more international approach of getting the ball to the playmakers and letting them work.
The worst part of it was the ABC coverage. The commentating duo of Dave O'Brien and Julie Foudy was horrific. Foudy is a decent analyst for before and after games, but she was really green trying to do color. I have hope for her though.
ABC's use of O'Brien is both infuriating and insulting to us fans- they clearly don't give a ####. That guy knows nothing about the game and besides his "announcer" voice, has no use. He was a newscaster monotone the entire game- punctuating certain word, but not giving a crap about what went on the field. Goal attempts got as much pep as throw-ins. The only time he showed any excitement vocally was when they ran some kind of plug-in graphic about people with a shared name of somebody on the field.
Along with that graphic, ABC repeatedly cut away from the action DURING the game to show Allan Hopkins interviewing somebody. DURING THE FRIGGING GAME! You could hear the crowd reacting to the ongoing play- but no point showing it on air, apparently. And then there's the typical lack of coverage in replay of what's important- goal attmepts, bookable fouls.
It seriously makes me want to give up my profession and go into Sport Broadcasting just so I can take over from those frigging idiots, either in front or behind the camera.
andy_b
Footballguy
Yes, I saw 3 of them (or the majoirty of three at least)
I love the stadium. Couldn't be more perfect for a small team like the Rapids.http://www.ibiblio.org/footy/2007a/0406_ds...web_024_sab.jpg
http://www.ibiblio.org/footy/2007a/0406_ds...web_018_sab.jpg
The weather couldn't have been much worse for opening weekend. In fact it was the worst weather on average league wide in the history of the league.
DC looked out of sorts to me. I think once they have Fred intermixed with the golden 3 of Gomez, Moreno and Emilio they will be the best team in the league. Missing unheralded but VERY solid Josh Gross hurt their wing play significantly against the Rapids.
Blame Waldo and his friggan drunken rant which caused him to be suspended for the first game and they had to enlist Foudy on short notice.Lukcily ESPN announced today that Waldo will be back for the primetime game on Thursday night on ESPN2
I agree 100%. Shame too, because here is a recognized respected American announcer who actually likes the sport, and has worked hard to get the soccer gig and yet sucks as much today as he did in the beginning of 2006 when he called his first game.Just a quick note, ABC has nothing to do with sports anymore. All sports shown on ABC are produced and directed by ESPN.
If you get a chance, the Telefutura Sunday game was almost flawless. All it was missing was HD. Most people agree it was perhaps the best MLS telecast ever.
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El Floppo
Footballguy
It's a soccer stadium, so I love that. As an architect, I am REALLY disappointed with the winged rooves. Horrible.But given the new stadium and opening day, I still would've expected a few more people to show up.
Yeah- I guess I agree that DC looked a little off, especially with the last touch. But they showed their capabilities at times- particularly in the 2nd half. The big 3 with Olsen showed they'll be tough to handle. And I gree that once Fred works his way into the mix better, they should run away with things.
Forgot about Wyno... I like him a lot as an Amercian color guy. I'd still like to see Foudy get some more work as she knows the game, but she needs a lot more work before she should be handling the color job solo, especially if she's partnered with O'Useless.
Telefutura? Spanish?
andy_b
Footballguy
It was suppose to represent the Rocky Mountains I think. I too don't like the roof that muchI thought the stadium looked relatively full in the first half but after half time and certainly after 2-0 it emptied out quite a bit.El Floppo said:
yah, its part of the Univision family of networks. They will be showing an MLS game every Sunday night this season.
Moe.
Footballguy
caught the mls game on espn2, i thought they did a good job with the coverage. the game itself wasnt too bad, i think it was the first mls game ive ever watched. donovan didnt really do much for los angeles, although he did provide the corner that led to their goal. i think beckham will do wonders for them, when is he expected to come over and start playing?
andy_b
Footballguy
Becks is expected sometime in July. The exact date is not yet known but he likely will be here for the LA game against Chelsea.
andy_b
Footballguy
From ESPN
Villa's Angel 'free to leave' for New York Red Bulls
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has told striker Juan Pablo Angel he 'will not stand in his way' if he has the chance to play in Major League Soccer in America.
Angel is understood to be on the verge of agreeing a two-year contract with New York Red Bulls.
It will mean the end of Angel's six-year stay at Villa in which he became the club's record signing at £9.5million when he signed from River Plate early in 2001.
O'Neill said: 'Juan has a year left on his contract here and obviously we're trying to re-structure.
'There are two transfer windows over in America and I wouldn't stand in his way if he has the chance to extend his career.
'A few weeks ago I wouldn't have considered it. We still needed points and John Carew was out injured. But John is on his way back and Luke Moore is also back.
'Juan has been really excellent since I came here to the football club in terms of being a real professional and I genuinely have nothing but praise for him.
'In the latter stages, perhaps he hasn't played the number of games he would hope to but I thought earlier in the season he was excellent for us, led the line and did great.
'He lost his place in the side just after Christmas, but ever since then, his attitude has been great.
'Maybe now he feels the upper echelons of the Premiership might be eluding him, but there could be a great chance to start a new life in America.'
Angel has had an up and down career at Villa with his best season in 2003-2004 when he notched 23 goals.
He has netted seven times this season but has gradually slipped down the pecking order after a bright start to the current campaign as the sole striker in a 4-5-1 formation.
The Red Bulls are reportedly prepared to take over the final year of Angel's contract - worth around £40,000 a week - plus another 12-month deal on top for the 31-year-old.
Villa's Angel 'free to leave' for New York Red Bulls
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has told striker Juan Pablo Angel he 'will not stand in his way' if he has the chance to play in Major League Soccer in America.
Angel is understood to be on the verge of agreeing a two-year contract with New York Red Bulls.
It will mean the end of Angel's six-year stay at Villa in which he became the club's record signing at £9.5million when he signed from River Plate early in 2001.
O'Neill said: 'Juan has a year left on his contract here and obviously we're trying to re-structure.
'There are two transfer windows over in America and I wouldn't stand in his way if he has the chance to extend his career.
'A few weeks ago I wouldn't have considered it. We still needed points and John Carew was out injured. But John is on his way back and Luke Moore is also back.
'Juan has been really excellent since I came here to the football club in terms of being a real professional and I genuinely have nothing but praise for him.
'In the latter stages, perhaps he hasn't played the number of games he would hope to but I thought earlier in the season he was excellent for us, led the line and did great.
'He lost his place in the side just after Christmas, but ever since then, his attitude has been great.
'Maybe now he feels the upper echelons of the Premiership might be eluding him, but there could be a great chance to start a new life in America.'
Angel has had an up and down career at Villa with his best season in 2003-2004 when he notched 23 goals.
He has netted seven times this season but has gradually slipped down the pecking order after a bright start to the current campaign as the sole striker in a 4-5-1 formation.
The Red Bulls are reportedly prepared to take over the final year of Angel's contract - worth around £40,000 a week - plus another 12-month deal on top for the 31-year-old.
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andy_b
Footballguy
Its now official
http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/t107/
Very nice signing. I was listening to the press conference.
He was fluent in both spanish (I assume) and english. Seemed to already know a lot about the Red Bulls and talked about Jozy's Altidore bright future in the US.
Said he is going to make every effort to get here in the next couple of days.
NY suddenly may be the class of the league now, especially with LA and DC both getting off to unexpected poor starts.
http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/t107/
Very nice signing. I was listening to the press conference.
He was fluent in both spanish (I assume) and english. Seemed to already know a lot about the Red Bulls and talked about Jozy's Altidore bright future in the US.
Said he is going to make every effort to get here in the next couple of days.
NY suddenly may be the class of the league now, especially with LA and DC both getting off to unexpected poor starts.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Wow.How did I miss this? Thanks for the info, Andy.
Still don't know why the hell he'd essentially end his career in coming over here (although I guess he could just pick it up and head down south to Argentina or Brazil and still get some some good game in his mid-30s).
I like him- but as I said before, on top of his obvious skills and work-rate, I've noticed he tends to make some bad decisions on and off the ball. Hopefully he'll be able to get things done in the MLS- I just have my doubts.
And as last game showed- Mathis still has something left to give. I wonder what the Angel signing means to Mathis in the lineup? Will he shift to the midfield? Will Angel? Altidore? I'd think they have to have all three of those guys on the field at the same time.
Oh- I dont' remember if we had a pool going, but Reyna missed the 2nd game with an injury (thigh bruise).
andy_b
Footballguy
Big Soccer has been tracking this for a while now. Every rumor for the last 2 weeks pointed to this coming and I think once Villa said that no transfer fee was needed the deal was consumated.
It might be a lifestyle decision with a young family. He may want his kids to grow up here and it was becoming obvious that his stay in the EPL may not be for much longer. And thats too funny about Reyna. Its what everyone expected to happen but for gods sake, couldn't he at least play twice?
I am hopeful that Angel will act as a good mentor for Altidore.
andy_b
Footballguy
oh come on!What, are you saying that drinking your way to a fat belly and pretty much blowing your career in your prime is not good fodder for mentoring?
Hopefully Mathis has matured enough that he can actually help Altidore stay away from some of the bad elements in NY (which is pretty much the starting point of Mathis quick spurt and then slow decline).
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El Floppo
Footballguy
oh come on!What, are you saying that drinking your way to a fat belly and pretty much blowing your career in your prime is not good fodder for mentoring?Hopefully Mathis has matured enough that he can actually help Altidore stay away from some of the bad elements in NY (which is pretty much the starting point of Mathis quick spurt and then slow decline).
Hopefully he can steer him away from the guy who gave him the crap mohawk before 02'.
andy_b
Footballguy
I am
to say I have never seen this guy play.Some who have think the Crew landed one of those Christian Gomez type player who will make a big impact.God knows the Crew needs it.
Here is a long running thread on the player on Big Soccer when the rumor first broke last week.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515382
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El Floppo
Footballguy
Not sure how old he is, but I feel like he's been playing for Boca as long as I've been able to watch them.Look up "crafty veteran" and you'll see a pic of Schelotto. Has great work-rate, field generalship, skills. I can't remember whether he plays on the wing or in the middle- but I'm sure he'd move to the middle for the crew. At this point his only knock might be that he's old (? mebbe) and for the US market takes a LOT of... ummm... license with the rules. Particularly diving. Viva el Floppisimo!I amto say I have never seen this guy play.Some who have think the Crew landed one of those Christian Gomez type player who will make a big impact.
God knows the Crew needs it.
Here is a long running thread on the player on Big Soccer when the rumor first broke last week.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515382
I think he's a great signing for MLS if it happens and will be a great role-model (diving aside) for his young team-mates- although I'd imagine he won't be here until after his season with Boca ends.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Word was he had a deep thigh bruise.
jpeace121
Footballguy
Is this where I come to eat crow? 
DC has looked horrible so far. Standing in the cold rain at the home opener on Saturday wouldn't have been nearly as bad if we didn't look like a JV squad out there.
Oh, and our defense is
. If anyone sees it, please point it towards Washington.
Kudos to RBNY for finally working out the Angel deal.
DC has looked horrible so far. Standing in the cold rain at the home opener on Saturday wouldn't have been nearly as bad if we didn't look like a JV squad out there.
Oh, and our defense is
. If anyone sees it, please point it towards Washington.Kudos to RBNY for finally working out the Angel deal.
andy_b
Footballguy
Holy smokes. I just read that this is not even a DP signing, just a major allocation slot, which means the Crew still hold their DP slot open.El Floppo said:Not sure how old he is, but I feel like he's been playing for Boca as long as I've been able to watch them.Look up "crafty veteran" and you'll see a pic of Schelotto. Has great work-rate, field generalship, skills. I can't remember whether he plays on the wing or in the middle- but I'm sure he'd move to the middle for the crew. At this point his only knock might be that he's old (? mebbe) and for the US market takes a LOT of... ummm... license with the rules. Particularly diving. Viva el Floppisimo!andy_b said:I amEl Floppo said:
God knows the Crew needs it.
Here is a long running thread on the player on Big Soccer when the rumor first broke last week.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515382
I think he's a great signing for MLS if it happens and will be a great role-model (diving aside) for his young team-mates- although I'd imagine he won't be here until after his season with Boca ends.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Holy smokes. I just read that this is not even a DP signing, just a major allocation slot, which means the Crew still hold their DP slot open.El Floppo said:Not sure how old he is, but I feel like he's been playing for Boca as long as I've been able to watch them.Look up "crafty veteran" and you'll see a pic of Schelotto. Has great work-rate, field generalship, skills. I can't remember whether he plays on the wing or in the middle- but I'm sure he'd move to the middle for the crew. At this point his only knock might be that he's old (? mebbe) and for the US market takes a LOT of... ummm... license with the rules. Particularly diving. Viva el Floppisimo!andy_b said:I amEl Floppo said:
God knows the Crew needs it.
Here is a long running thread on the player on Big Soccer when the rumor first broke last week.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515382
I think he's a great signing for MLS if it happens and will be a great role-model (diving aside) for his young team-mates- although I'd imagine he won't be here until after his season with Boca ends.
andy_b
Footballguy
Too early to eat crow and DC is too talented for this to continue IMO.As a side question, did DC use the DP slot on either Fred or Luc?Is this where I come to eat crow?
El Floppo
Footballguy
I wonder if some of the smaller market teams might have a hard time at this point luring the bigger names over for the DP spots. I can't imagine many guys of Blanco or Angel's level even, let alone Becks, would want to come over here and play for a Columbus or Houston.
And I agree- DC will be just fine with that cast of talent in place. But I'd be just as happy if they play well and keep losing...
And I agree- DC will be just fine with that cast of talent in place. But I'd be just as happy if they play well and keep losing...
andy_b
Footballguy
Columbus I agree with, but Houston I don't.Houston would be a fantastic destination for any hispanic based player IMO.By the way El, I see that Arena is not wasting any time in making the Bulls his team. Did you see his traded away last years #1 overall pick Wynne to Toronto?El Floppo said:
El Floppo
Footballguy
You're right about Houston, but you get the gist right?Wow... missed that. Wynne was supposed to be the consensus #1 with nothing but upside last year and I was looking forward to seeing his progress with the Bulls. Any idea what they got for him?
andy_b
Footballguy
yup I get the gist and agree with it whole heartedly. Just replace Houston with say KC.The only way teams like KC and Columbus ever landing a semi big name player would be for them to overpay for them. With the Hunt's running Columbus that will never happen and the OnGoal group running the KC team is trying to raise money for a new stadium, so I have a hard time seeing them forking out big money either.
As for Wynne
http://njmg.typepad.com/sbi/2007/04/marvell_wynne_t.html
"The Red Bulls have traded Wynne to the Toronto FC for a second round pick in the 2008 MLS Draft and a partial allocation, multiple sources within MLS confirmed on Tuesday."
El Floppo
Footballguy
Man- sounds like Arena making his stamp indeed. A first rounder for a 2nd rounder and partial- when the kid's only just started his 2nd year?
andy_b
Footballguy
Yah I have to admit that even though he was raw, he certainly seemed to have some potential. Does not seem like much to get for the overall #1 pick that was pretty highly regarded last year at this time.And from what has percolated, the partial allocation is very small in size (I have no real understand of how this works. No matter though, by the time I would figure it out MLS would quickly change the rules)
andy_b
Footballguy
Interesting piece on Rossi.
What a mess that a player this good, born in the US may never pull on the US shirt
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story...mls&cc=5901
What a mess that a player this good, born in the US may never pull on the US shirt
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story...mls&cc=5901
El Floppo
Footballguy
andy_b said:
Thanks for the link- very interesting. And I've never even heard of the other two Ameritalians listed, Vincenzo Bernardo & Gabriel Ferrari. Hopefully one of those guys will come home to the USMNT... maybe once we've left Iraq? I know how simpering the Italians can get over wars and such.I caught one of Rossi's best performances in the FA cup for ManU- last year, IIRC. He took over the game- light's out in a Giggs kind of way- albeit against a not great team.
Screw him anyways, frigging traitor.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Other news...I caught some of the Bulls' win over Houston- didn't know, but was hoping they were playing a man down as they looked really lackluster on offense and a bit deep in their own 1/3 on D. Fortunately they were playing with a man down as a result of Mathis getting a supposedly questionable red card midway through the first half. Altidore hit the game winner... living up to the sophomore hype so far.But overall a pretty bleak looking game from both sides. Hopefully things will pick up as the season progresses because as it is, the quality on the field in all the MLS games I've watched is severely lacking. I actually think Chivas looks the best of the league so far- we'll see how things progress once all the Dspots take root.
I've never heard of this cat- sounds like the quintessential definition of "journeyman".
Hopefully sooner rather than later.
andy_b
Footballguy
I have loved Angel's attitude so far. It really sounds like he is looking forward to joining the team as soon as possible.http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ym...s&fext=.jsp
The Red Bulls play FC Dallas tonight on ESPN2 HD. I am interested to get a good look at Altidore tonight.
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whoknew
Footballguy
Three comments from my recent watchings:
1) There's a huge difference in skill between the European leagues and MLS.
2) Watching Serie A is painful. The Italians are such divers -- its ridiculous. Its not even a fun league to watch.
3) The lack of a world class striker just kills the US. Mcbride was good -- but not world class. Watching Rooney dominate the Man U comeback over Everton really pounded it home (and yes I know Rooeny is amazing -- the elite of the elite -- but it does illustrate how much the lack of a striker hurts the US). For those who follow the U23s and whatnot -- is there hope on the horizon?
1) There's a huge difference in skill between the European leagues and MLS.
2) Watching Serie A is painful. The Italians are such divers -- its ridiculous. Its not even a fun league to watch.
3) The lack of a world class striker just kills the US. Mcbride was good -- but not world class. Watching Rooney dominate the Man U comeback over Everton really pounded it home (and yes I know Rooeny is amazing -- the elite of the elite -- but it does illustrate how much the lack of a striker hurts the US). For those who follow the U23s and whatnot -- is there hope on the horizon?
andy_b
Footballguy
great comments! I will address them one at a time.1) There is a huge difference between MLS and some of the Euro leagues. Obviously the top leagues in Spain, England, Italy and Germany are all more skilled. The top leagues in Portugal and Holland have individual teams that are significantly better than anything MLS has but once you get past the top 4 or 5 teams in those league, then the difference is barely noticeable.
Once you get past the best leagues though, the mid tier Euro leagues in countries like Scotland, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Ireland, Turkey etc are not that much better than MLS.
2) Serie A is a mess these days. Horrible attendance, lack of abundant star foreign players, violent fans, and perhaps the least unentertaining brand of soccer on the planet.
To think this league was by far and away the best league on the planet in the early 90's when every team was stocked with incredible players, its sad to watch a game today.
3) The US has abundance of average fowards like Twellman and Ching and Rolfe etc but none of these are real international quality strikers.
The long awaited hope was that Eddie Johnson would take on this role but he has had a couple of seasons of struggles both at the club and country level. He is off to a nice start this season with 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 4 games so there is some hope that he is finding he way out of the funk.
As for the youth, the question starts and ends Jozy Altidore of the Red Bulls. He is a 17 year man child. How he progresses is going to be anyones guess but he is by far and away the best prospect in the youth system right now.
He is off to a nice start this year helping the Red Bulls to the league best early season record and will be the main striker in the U20 World Cup this summer in Canada.
Offa
Footballguy
Excuse me? The SPL has clubs like Rangers and Celtic, which are in Europe every season and get pretty far. If you were talking about the lower divisions of the Scottish league I'd agree with you, but the SPL is pretty high quality.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I had the same thought. But Scottland is like Holland in that regard- once you get past a couple of world-class teams, the drop off is pretty steep. And I'd add Greece, Turkey and Belgium to the same camp. Each of those leagues has teams that would regularly stomp all over MLS teams, but those same MLS teams could compete against the rest of them.
andy_b
Footballguy
I was talking about the league from top to bottom. Many leagues in Europe have one or two very good teams and then the rest are average IMO.Scotland is a perfect example. Outside of Celtic and Rangers, I would not rate their teams any higher than an average MLS team.Offa said:
Just my opinion.
And as a side note, while it was just an exhibition and as such not that meaningful, its worth noting that DC United destroyed Celtic last year 4-0.
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ym...s&fext=.jsp
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andy_b
Footballguy
Ok lets walk through this one at a time
1) RSL believes no one will take Jason Kries, and leaves him unprotected.
2) Toronto scoops him in the expansion draft
3) RSL then trades an allocation to get him back
4) RSL implodes at beginning of season
5) GM (Pastorino) is fired
6) Coach (Ellinger) is fired
7) Kries retires
8) Kries named head coach on a multi year contract today
You can't make #### like this up
Andy
1) RSL believes no one will take Jason Kries, and leaves him unprotected.
2) Toronto scoops him in the expansion draft
3) RSL then trades an allocation to get him back
4) RSL implodes at beginning of season
5) GM (Pastorino) is fired
6) Coach (Ellinger) is fired
7) Kries retires
8) Kries named head coach on a multi year contract today
You can't make #### like this up
Andy
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El Floppo
Footballguy
RSL =
chook
Footballguy
Am I allowed to talk Premier League on here? If so, a smaller woo hoo today than yesterday's one for United. With Charlton's loss, Fulham (club I worked for whilst living in the UK) stay up for another year.I guess for MLS purposes (I'm Australian & have very little to do with MLS, sorry) Boca & McBride were there during my time, while Dempsey is there now, scoring against the scouse on the weekend.Boca was actually one of the only players who'd constantly come out for a beer after games with us and some of the coaches.
As for this one...
Before I went to Fulham, I couldn't stand McBride. How my time there changed my opinion - so much so that I had some $$ on him to win the golden boot at the World Cup last year. You are right, he isn't on the same page as Rooney, Eto'o, RvN etc, but what he lacks in talent he certainly makes up in effort. Rarely have I seen someone work so hard on both ends of a pitch - playing up front by himself at times he would run as hard as van Nistelrooy would in his days at United. And for his size he is exceptional in the air.Add to that he is an absolute gentleman off the pitch. But doesn't drink I don't think (never came out for one), so I'll have to still hold that against him.
As for this one...
Tell me about it. You guys took a point off Italy in Germany so you know what it's like playing against that stuff, but I still feel sick in the stomach just thinking about that dive that cheated Australia out of a World Cup Quarter-Final spot (we would've belted Ukraine & made the Semi too). I'm just so glad United smashed Totti's boys 7-1 at OT a few weeks back. Kudos to Milan though, they play a lot less 'Italian' than most Serie A clubs.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Great stuff, chook! What were you doing for Fulham?
US and Australia seem like pretty comparable soccer countries: focus on other sports (Aussie Rules, Rugby, Cricket, Baseball, US Football, Basketball), not a lot of history in the sport (I'm speaking out of my ### here- I don't know much of anything about Australian soccer history), but a lot of good athletes and potential for the future. Do you watch any MLS? How does it compare to the... is it ASL? AFL? A-League (I think that's it, right?)?
McBride- you totally nailed it. The guy lays it all out there every game, regardless who he's playing for or against. He'd never get mistaken for world-class, but he's got enough skills and vision to do what needs to be done on the field and more importantly, always make his team and team-mates better. I don't think there are many US players who can say the same thing. IIRC, he a devout born-again Jeebus guy- might explain the tea-totalling.
Italian soccer- #### 'em.
US and Australia seem like pretty comparable soccer countries: focus on other sports (Aussie Rules, Rugby, Cricket, Baseball, US Football, Basketball), not a lot of history in the sport (I'm speaking out of my ### here- I don't know much of anything about Australian soccer history), but a lot of good athletes and potential for the future. Do you watch any MLS? How does it compare to the... is it ASL? AFL? A-League (I think that's it, right?)?
McBride- you totally nailed it. The guy lays it all out there every game, regardless who he's playing for or against. He'd never get mistaken for world-class, but he's got enough skills and vision to do what needs to be done on the field and more importantly, always make his team and team-mates better. I don't think there are many US players who can say the same thing. IIRC, he a devout born-again Jeebus guy- might explain the tea-totalling.
Italian soccer- #### 'em.
chook
Footballguy
Marketing exec.And I can't mention the 'S' word. But football in Australia has been reborn over the past couple of years with the A-League's invention. Melbourne Victory already pulled regular crowds of 40,000 - 50,000+ at the Telstra Dome, and that shows no sign of fading.Great stuff, chook! What were you doing for Fulham?
US and Australia seem like pretty comparable soccer countries: focus on other sports (Aussie Rules, Rugby, Cricket, Baseball, US Football, Basketball), not a lot of history in the sport (I'm speaking out of my ### here- I don't know much of anything about Australian soccer history), but a lot of good athletes and potential for the future. Do you watch any MLS? How does it compare to the... is it ASL? AFL? A-League (I think that's it, right?)?
McBride- you totally nailed it. The guy lays it all out there every game, regardless who he's playing for or against. He'd never get mistaken for world-class, but he's got enough skills and vision to do what needs to be done on the field and more importantly, always make his team and team-mates better. I don't think there are many US players who can say the same thing. IIRC, he a devout born-again Jeebus guy- might explain the tea-totalling.
Italian soccer- #### 'em.
The problem for us was that the domestic game was founded by the different ethnic groups spread around the country. South Melbourne Hellas, Sydney Olympic, Melbourne Croatia, Adelaide Juventus, etc.
Eventually those team names were changed to things like South Melbourne, Sydney United, Melbourne Knights, Adelaide City, etc., however nothing changed - Melbourne Knights vs South Melbourne was just an excuse for about 5000 testosterone-filled kids from Croatian & Greek heritage to try and fight each other.
Parents didn't want to take their kids to that and for people like me who weren't tied to any of the ethnic groups aligned with the clubs, it was hard to feel part of a club or feel passionate about them. The A-League got rid of all teams from the previous NSL and made cities bid for the new licences. This way people simply support their city, as I do with Melbourne Victory.
The old NSL also had too many teams. The A-League has changed that with only 8 teams, each team playing the other seven three times during the season. While ridding many fringe players of a team to play for, the concentrated talent pool has resulted in a higher standard of play. Couple this with better stadia, marketing & a new TV deal and the league has been very successful thus far.
The national side making it to the World Cup for the first time since '74 was a huge boost also. Cricket & Rugby Union (a sport only played in 2 1/2 states) were our nation's only major international team sports before that, and either team shirt was the closest we had to a 'national shirt'. That has changed. As it is almost everywehere else around the world (except over there in the States of course), the 'Socceroos' top has clearly become the 'national' top to wear, expecially for expats overseas.
I'm actually looking into working for the Melbourne Victory as we speak, however am also considering work with Cricket Australia at the same time. While I would love nothing more than to continue to pioneer football to the forefront of this country's national imagination, it's still going to be a while before the good $$ can be made in our domestic league.
As for an MLS comparison? No idea. There's minimal coverage over here on ESPN sometimes, but I've only ever seen tiny pieces of it. I think Becks, if nothing else will bring attention to the game over there which can only be good for you guys. However I'd hate it if it became the norm for players poached from European Leagues to be given absurd amounts of money to prop MLS up. I know league rules prevent that from hapenning, but I fear the day is nearing when players will be bought at a young age (pre-international) with help from companies such as Nike, with a view to them one day representing the USA in a World Cup.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Watching Becks play for Real has cemented the fact in my mind that he is a quality professional and still a damn good player.
He doesn't have the speed to keep up, but his touch on the ball (especially the long pass) or cross is unmatched. He does make mistakes in close quarters and can sometimes be a drag on the defensive end, but as a set-up man, he's one of the best. His right leg is still gold (although he still misses open shots from 20 yards out on occasion).
He'll be a GREAT addition to the MLS. I shocked that the English team doesn't need a player like Becks on their national side. Sure Cole and others are better, but Becks is a pro and is sort of the antithesis of a clubhouse cancer. Everyone loves him (except some fans).
He doesn't have the speed to keep up, but his touch on the ball (especially the long pass) or cross is unmatched. He does make mistakes in close quarters and can sometimes be a drag on the defensive end, but as a set-up man, he's one of the best. His right leg is still gold (although he still misses open shots from 20 yards out on occasion).
He'll be a GREAT addition to the MLS. I shocked that the English team doesn't need a player like Becks on their national side. Sure Cole and others are better, but Becks is a pro and is sort of the antithesis of a clubhouse cancer. Everyone loves him (except some fans).
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