Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
EPL Top-4 odds -- top three heavy favorites to make it, then...
Liverpool 7/4
Tottenham 10/4
Chelsea 11/4
Liverpool 7/4
Tottenham 10/4
Chelsea 11/4
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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ramsay Hunt Experience
- Start date
El Floppo
Footballguy
Toronto FC's Sebastian Giovinco, the Columbus Crew's Kei Kamara and Sporting Kansas City's Benny Feilhaber are finalists for the MLS Most Valuable Player award. The league announced the finalists on Tuesday for the Landon Donovan MVP honor, named for the recently retired MLS and U.S. national team star.
The finalists for the rookie award are San Jose's Fatai Alashe, Orlando's Cyle Larin and Chicago's Matt Polster. Larin's 17 goals set an MLS record for rookies.
Giovinco is also a candidate for the newcomer of the award -- for players with previous professional experience in other leagues -- along with Montreal's Didier Drogba and New York's Mike Grella.
Defender of the year finalists are Montreal's Laurent Ciman, FC Dallas' Matt Hedges and Vancouver's Kendall Waston.
The coach of the year finalists include the winners of each conference -- the New York Red Bulls' Jesse Marsch and FC Dallas' Oscar Pareja, as well as Carl Robinson of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who finished with the third-best overall record.
The finalists for top goalkeeper are D.C. United's Bill Hamid, Vancouver's David Ousted and New York's Luis Robles.
The finalists for the rookie award are San Jose's Fatai Alashe, Orlando's Cyle Larin and Chicago's Matt Polster. Larin's 17 goals set an MLS record for rookies.
Giovinco is also a candidate for the newcomer of the award -- for players with previous professional experience in other leagues -- along with Montreal's Didier Drogba and New York's Mike Grella.
Defender of the year finalists are Montreal's Laurent Ciman, FC Dallas' Matt Hedges and Vancouver's Kendall Waston.
The coach of the year finalists include the winners of each conference -- the New York Red Bulls' Jesse Marsch and FC Dallas' Oscar Pareja, as well as Carl Robinson of the Vancouver Whitecaps, who finished with the third-best overall record.
The finalists for top goalkeeper are D.C. United's Bill Hamid, Vancouver's David Ousted and New York's Luis Robles.
JMon348
Footballguy
No Bellerin, Koscielny, Ramsey, Chamberlain, or Walcott.Arsenal really need at least a point today. Bellerin has already been ruled out today, so it will be Debuchy marking Costa
If the favorites, Bayern and Olympiakos, win, the group is essentially over.
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
For me, Seba is a lock for MVP and newcomer and Ousted is a lock for GK. Larin is obviously the rookie of the year. Ciman was the best defender I saw with Waston a close #2. Coach of the year is a toss up, but I lean Pareja.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Agree with your list, although Hamid might be in there and I'm partial to Marsch for taking what should have been a disaster without Henry & Cahill, and winning the supporter's shield by playing consistent, well balanced and decent soccer.
Kafka
Footballguy
Roma-Bayer Leverkusen...Absolute must-win for Roma. The first game ended 4-4 at Bayer. The "Derby Della Capitale" vs Lazio is on Sunday, making this encounter even more delicate with squad rotation, or lack thereof. Pjanic is the key today; he has been on phenomenal form, with 5 free-kick goals already this season, & has finally asserted himself in the role of maestro, pulling all the strings in Roma's attack. Vital. Forza Roma!
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
I like Hamid a lot, but he was a little better last year. Ousted has been immaculate in every game I've seen him. Not just in making big saves, but in snuffing out chances early and organizing his defense.
Nobody could complain about Marsch winning. Dallas and NYRB finished even on points. Both did so with low payroll teams. I give the edge to Pareja because he really didn't inherit anything as his young guys were guys he developed running the Academy. And while I think that Castillo and Diaz might be better than anyone on NYRB, I think the NYRB roster is better front to back (I think Miazga is already a better CB than Hedges and would have been my #3 in that category).
El Floppo
Footballguy
yeah... the Castillo/Diaz combo give them better players, as you say, so gives Marsch the edge.
RBs... they had Sam, B Wright-Phil... honestly blanking off of any other starters worth mentioning returning- oh- Robles. Team- to my faulty memory- is essentially rebuilt.
I honestly don't know enough about Dallas to know what he had to work with there outside of the stars this year. IIRC, weren't they in discussion as pre-season dark horse favorites?
RBs... they had Sam, B Wright-Phil... honestly blanking off of any other starters worth mentioning returning- oh- Robles. Team- to my faulty memory- is essentially rebuilt.
I honestly don't know enough about Dallas to know what he had to work with there outside of the stars this year. IIRC, weren't they in discussion as pre-season dark horse favorites?
Autumn Wind
Footballguy
Haven't check in for awhile. I am actually kind of looking forward to the next Union season, and am hopeful that Earnie can bring some much-needed credibility to the club. I'm moving to PA next year and if they can begin to get their act together I would have no issue going to many more games.
As for Swansea, man, this has just been a huge letdown of a season so far. Since the first few wins they've shown close to nothing of what made them so much fun to watch last year. I'm not one to say Monk should be on the hot seat but clearly something needs to change. Otherwise all they're doing is hoping for teams like Sunderland to keep sucking and filling up those relegation spots.
I'm hoping Liverpool can build off last week's win and they should be able to dispatch Palace with relative ease. We shall see.
As for Swansea, man, this has just been a huge letdown of a season so far. Since the first few wins they've shown close to nothing of what made them so much fun to watch last year. I'm not one to say Monk should be on the hot seat but clearly something needs to change. Otherwise all they're doing is hoping for teams like Sunderland to keep sucking and filling up those relegation spots.
I'm hoping Liverpool can build off last week's win and they should be able to dispatch Palace with relative ease. We shall see.
Jaysus
Good times!
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El Floppo
Footballguy
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
RBs are loaded with steady veteran players. The stache. Dax. Sam. Kemar Lawrence, Felipe, SWP. Perrinelle.
Dallas had 5 homegrown players start at least 8 games. Acosta and Ulloa in particular played huge minutes. Add in Zimmermann and Akindele and you get a bunch more starts from young players who are not established. Do Red Bulls even have another homegrown other than Miazga and Lade? Pareja almost won the Supporters Shield playing kids that most coaches in the league wouldn't let off the bench. Certainly not all at the same time.
Jaysus
Good times!
Kafka
Footballguy
meh...should of had two...#profligate#
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
This sounds like a pretty nice hiring by Orlando City.
========================================
Orlando City has made a surprising hire at the top of its front office after just one season in MLS.
The club announced Tuesday it hired a former Portuguese soccer club executive as its Chief Soccer Officer to oversee all of soccer operations. Armando Carneiro had extensive success at SL Benfica as general director, where he oversaw everything from the Benfica B team to the club’s academy and its scouting network.
“Looking at where we’re going and looking at where we want to get to, we’ve always said that we have a goal to be not only one of the largest, but one of the best soccer clubs in the world,” Orlando City president Phil Rawlins said. “Not just Central Florida or Florida, but we’re looking at a global stage. To do that we need someone with that kind of level of expertise and knowledge to come in to be able to help manage that and help run it. We’re fortunate to get someone with his background and his experience.”
Carneiro guided the Benfica academies to multiple national and international tournament titles and helped the Portuguese club re-establish itself not just as the top power in its league, but also as one of the best developmental clubs in Europe.
Carneiro will now serve as essentially Orlando City’s sporting director.
Current Orlando City general manager Paul McDonough will now report to Carneiro. Carneiro will oversee all staff for Orlando City's three professional clubs -- Orlando City, Orlando City B and Orlando Pride -- as well as the youth academy.
========================================
Orlando City has made a surprising hire at the top of its front office after just one season in MLS.
The club announced Tuesday it hired a former Portuguese soccer club executive as its Chief Soccer Officer to oversee all of soccer operations. Armando Carneiro had extensive success at SL Benfica as general director, where he oversaw everything from the Benfica B team to the club’s academy and its scouting network.
“Looking at where we’re going and looking at where we want to get to, we’ve always said that we have a goal to be not only one of the largest, but one of the best soccer clubs in the world,” Orlando City president Phil Rawlins said. “Not just Central Florida or Florida, but we’re looking at a global stage. To do that we need someone with that kind of level of expertise and knowledge to come in to be able to help manage that and help run it. We’re fortunate to get someone with his background and his experience.”
Carneiro guided the Benfica academies to multiple national and international tournament titles and helped the Portuguese club re-establish itself not just as the top power in its league, but also as one of the best developmental clubs in Europe.
Carneiro will now serve as essentially Orlando City’s sporting director.
Current Orlando City general manager Paul McDonough will now report to Carneiro. Carneiro will oversee all staff for Orlando City's three professional clubs -- Orlando City, Orlando City B and Orlando Pride -- as well as the youth academy.
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Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
They're not. It's a first choice side absent injuries (to Koscielny, Bellerin, and just about every right sided midfielder they have).
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
forgot about Dax and I really shouldn't have- he's been a solid, consistent force for this team for years. Roy Miller too, I guess- although I don't even know if he's still playing- feels like he's been injured since the WC.
But I'm not talking about now- I'm talking about where the Metros were from last year into this one. A team built around a handful of stars who were all gone and rebuilt- almost completely- into a team with a low payroll that has won consistently. But I like the homebuilt aspect of Dallas you're describing... just feel like I expected more from them this year than I did from the RBs, who I expected to be just horrible.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Red Bulls have 4* home growns on the roster, Miazga, Lade, Castano, Davis.
Castano never plays (back up keeper).
*They have just (last couple of days) promoted Tyler Adams to the full roster. Adams is the kid who scored against Chelsea this summer and was on the US U17 WC team.
El Floppo
Footballguy
I love that profligate is a thing.
Went to HS with a kid named- and I #### you not- Hieronymus. one of my classmates liked his name so much, he'd use it like the smurfs use... well... "smurf". I think his favorite thing to say was "be hieronymus unto others, as you'd have them be hieronymus unto you"
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I just looked up Miller since I lost track of him. He has only appeared in 6 league games this year for NY.
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The Hardline
Footballguy
Arsenal looking like dog$#it
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
They also had a lot of the off the field crap to start the year with the unexpected Petke firing and the fans kind of having a nutty which led many to have bad feelings going into the year.
I can't give Marsch enough credit. He did a wonderful job not only having to deal with a shiny new toy with big names playing near by (NYCFC), he also had to deal with fans who were resentful of him because of Petke.
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
Yeah, I left out about 4 other Dallas homegrowns who were on the roster but had logged under 200 minutes. You can't go wrong with either coach. I think most people think the West was a little tougher this year, which also informs my choice.
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
They weren't all major injuries, sure. I'm not embarrassed. They're away at Bayern. If Koscielny had seriously injured himself chasing fool's gold this afternoon, I'd have been pissed.
Sammy3469
Footballguy
The good news for them is that Zagreb is up right now, so if results hold, they still control their own destiny (GD notwithstanding)
shader
Footballguy
Kafka
Footballguy
Coincidentally, he shares a first name with one of my favorite artists...I'm assuming he had a similar positive & refreshing outlook on life too?
Ramsay Hunt Experience
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
well, I doubt he shared his name with anybody else.
all I remember about him was that he carried a lead pipe around in his backpack 24/7. in retrospect, that should have raised more red flags than his name.
Jaysus
Good times!
Jaysus
Good times!
B Maverick
Footballguy
As a well know Donovan hater I have to say calling the MLS MVP trophy the Landon Donovan MVP is lame. Did he die recently? Is he already in the HoF? If not I think its too soon to grant him that honor.
Native
Footballguy
Kafka
Footballguy
This is true.
Kafka
Footballguy
For what?
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Agree or disagree: United is a dicier situation in their group than Chelsea despite being at the top of the group table.
