***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (5 Viewers)

[Sinn Fein]

I was watching - and they were glorious....

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

You're welcome, soccer thread.

 

[Sinn Fein]

 

[AAABatteries]

 

 

[Sinn Fein]

Neil Ashton ‏@neilashton_  36m36 minutes ago
LVG in press conference: 'Daniel Levy knows what he could have had - me.'
Whew...really dodged one there.

 

[roadkill1292]

Who knew Cletius was a hobbit?

 

[GoFishTN]

https://twitter.com/LamelaRabona/status/709504865303658496

Looking at the fixtures this is what I predict... Tottenham winning on goal difference

I like it.

 

[Sebowski]

So weird, same thing happened to me.  I was away for a few minutes and came back to 3-0.  Are we the only ones this happened to?

Opposite for me. Turned the TV on right before the first goal. I am the Yang to all ya'll's Yin. 

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

btw...was it me or did Yedlin have a pretty good game today?  Didn't see the whole 90, but the part I did he looked strong in general and had a number of good covering runs.

 

[AAABatteries]

https://twitter.com/LamelaRabona/status/709504865303658496

I like it.

I'm not sure why anybody would expect United and Chelsea to beat Leicester 

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

btw...was it me or did Yedlin have a pretty good game today?  Didn't see the whole 90, but the part I did he looked strong in general and had a number of good covering runs.

I thought he looked OK, but he could have been called for a PK against Okazaki.

 

[Sinn Fein]

I'm not sure why anybody would expect United and Chelsea to beat Leicester 

I expect it.  

Of course, I can be delusional....

 

[The Gator]

I expect it.  

Of course, I can be delusional....

been there  

 

[roadkill1292]

So the best Spurs can do is 80 points. If Leicester picks up nine more, they win. And they've got home games against West Ham, Everton and Swansea in addition to the aforementioned United and Chelsea. There's six points there for sure, what's so great about the other three opponents and, finally, who says Spurs will take 15 out of 15 anyway?

I know it's bloody football and all that so if something bad can happen, it will, but this is looking pretty good for the Foxes. Sorry, Totnum guys, your club is great to watch but I don't think it's your year.

Please feel free to look this post up for derisive purposes in a few weeks.

 

[The Z Machine]

Leicester has to be greater than 80% at this point.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Leicester has to be greater than 80% at this point.

Great guess:

Leicester 81.8%
Tottenham 15.1%
Arsenal 2.9%
City 0.2%

 

[roadkill1292]

We're close enough now that we should be able to do this with all the clubs scrambling for Europe. Southampton -- 56, 59 if they pull off a win at Everton Saturday. Will beat Villa and Palace, lose to Spurs and Citeh. Saints may give most of the top teams a tussle but they never come close to beating Citeh.

 

[Jaysus]

Was the De Jonging on Nagbe already discussed? link:

 

[Sinn Fein]

So the best Spurs can do is 80 points. If Leicester picks up nine more, they win. And they've got home games against West Ham, Everton and Swansea in addition to the aforementioned United and Chelsea. There's six points there for sure, what's so great about the other three opponents and, finally, who says Spurs will take 15 out of 15 anyway?

I know it's bloody football and all that so if something bad can happen, it will, but this is looking pretty good for the Foxes. Sorry, Totnum guys, your club is great to watch but I don't think it's your year.

Please feel free to look this post up for derisive purposes in a few weeks.

It definitely an uphill battle.   Schedule makers have not been kind either - moving the next 3 Spurs matches to Monday.  But, I think this ends up getting close. West Ham, Everton and Swansea will be difficult matches.

I could see Leicester losing to West Ham, beating Swansea, and losing at United in the next 3 matches.  Spurs beat Stoke, West Brom, and draw against Chelsea.  That would put it at 75 - 72.  Spurs should beat Soton and Newcastle to close out the season on 78 points - meaning Foxes need a win and a draw against Everton and Chelsea - lots of pressure on those two games...

 

[shader]

It definitely an uphill battle.   Schedule makers have not been kind either - moving the next 3 Spurs matches to Monday.  But, I think this ends up getting close. West Ham, Everton and Swansea will be difficult matches.

I could see Leicester losing to West Ham, beating Swansea, and losing at United in the next 3 matches.  Spurs beat Stoke, West Brom, and draw against Chelsea.  That would put it at 75 - 72.  Spurs should beat Soton and Newcastle to close out the season on 78 points - meaning Foxes need a win and a draw against Everton and Chelsea - lots of pressure on those two games...

Anything can happen.  This weekend, the Spurs should win and Leicester have a really tough game.  If the Spurs make up 3 points this weekend, it's looking really good.

But I think a Leicester win this weekend pretty much clinches things from a realistic point of view.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

That's a disgraceful stomp by DeJong, and disgraceful refereeing.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Was the De Jonging on Nagbe already discussed? link:

see the US thread.  that was awful. 

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Anything can happen.  This weekend, the Spurs should win and Leicester have a really tough game.  If the Spurs make up 3 points this weekend, it's looking really good.

But I think a Leicester win this weekend pretty much clinches things from a realistic point of view.

Friendly FYI

 

[gianmarco]

see the US thread.  that was awful. 

Stu Holden


"It’s almost fate, wasn’t it, that this was going to happen. Nigel and I actually had an opportunity [to talk] before the game, and full disclosure, he sought me out and made an apology for this challenge [from March 2010]. As you can see there, I had a grade-2 MCL sprain and a broken right fibula which almost put me out of the World Cup in 2010. Now I did rehab and get back, and I felt that that was a nasty challenge.

"And I also felt that the one today, on Darlington Nagbe, he comes over the ball. I came away from it feeling … He talked about being in a dark period in that part of his career. About the media was on his back. He was under a lot of pressure on the field and was making challenges. In my book, it’s no excuse for breaking legs. It’s no excuse for bad challenges. But I walked away from that feeling good.

"And I’m sitting here and now I’m seeing this challenge firs hand on Darlington Nagbe, and it makes me feel sick. Because I know what Darlington Nagbe is going through. We saw him sitting there. He had the towel over his head. We saw his body mannerism and that’s a man that knows he’s done something serious. I don’t want to speculate what it is, but I know it’s not good. And De Jong did go over and apologize, but there is absolutely no excuse for that type of challenge. We don’t need it in the game. It’s horrific. It’s horrible. And he’s going to get retroactive punishment.

Mike Magee

Q: Was it more than a yellow card?

"Watching on the replay, it’s tough. He definitely gets him [Nagbe]. I see Nigel day in and day out, and he competes on every single play. That's hard to watch and I don’t think he does it intentionally. But that’s not a great tackle.”

Q: If it was on an LA Galaxy player what would you be saying right now?

"That’s a very difficult question to answer. Any time you see someone get hit studs-up, you’re not happy about it. It’s my teammate, so I’d love to defend him, but the game can do without those kind of tackles."

Q: What’s the character that is Nigel De Jong?

"Listen, it’s bad timing to say this, but we all love him and I can’t reiterate enough that he competes like that at all times. Maybe not studs-up. A guy that’s going that hard 24-7 every minute of the day, it’s really unfortunate. It’s hard for me to even comment on it, really, seeing the video and being as close to Stu [Holden] as I am and knowing what happened to him. I’m kind of at a loss for words.”


Alexi Lalas


"I don’t like retroactive [punishment], but it’s going to happen because that’s what MLS does -- they have a Disciplinary Committee. They’re going to go back and I think he’s going to get dinged multiple games. It was a red card in my book. It was dirty. It is from a player who has a history of doing this, so it should be a surprise to absolutely nobody. And when you look at it, if you are a human being, you will realize that that is not acceptable. And it’s not acceptable in 2016 in MLS. Quite honestly, it’s never been acceptable."

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

It was a red card in my book. It was dirty. It is from a player who has a history of doing this, so it should be a surprise to absolutely nobody. And when you look at it, if you are a human being, you will realize that that is not acceptable. And it’s not acceptable in 2016 in MLS. Quite honestly, it’s never been acceptable."

Right on.

 

[shader]

Friendly FYI

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

DeJong's assault on Alonso in the WCF

 

[gianmarco]

Friendly FYI

"It is from a poster who has a history of doing this, so it should be a surprise to absolutely nobody. And when you look at it, if you are a human being, you will realize that that is not acceptable. And it’s not acceptable in 2016. Quite honestly, it’s never been acceptable."

 

[NewlyRetired]

Friendly FYI

it is part of our lore.

Columbian loan striker who plays for The Spurs.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Oh well, carry on then.

True story, early in my soccer-watching career a Glaswegian girlfriend threatened to break up with me if I ever called the team the Celtics again.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Neymar's people took another run at Barca trying to let him play in the Copa but it looks like Barca stood firm.

Wahl just tweeted that Neymar's image is being removed from the Copa marketing plans.

 

[shader]

"It is from a poster who has a history of doing this, so it should be a surprise to absolutely nobody. And when you look at it, if you are a human being, you will realize that that is not acceptable. And it’s not acceptable in 2016. Quite honestly, it’s never been acceptable."

 

[The Gator]

Right Spot on.

 

[The Gator]

"It is from a poster who has a history of doing this, so it should be a surprise to absolutely nobody. And when you look at it, if you are a human being, you will realize that that is not acceptable. And it’s not acceptable in 2016. Quite honestly, it’s never been acceptable."

 

[NewlyRetired]

Dan Hunt (owner of FC Dallas) did an interview on a podcast yesterday and told a story I never heard before.

Most fans know that MLS was close to folding in 2001, but Hunt said it was not close, he said the league actually officially folded.  He was in the meeting where it was voted on to shut down and they called the lawyers to start the bankruptcy process.

But before they released the info to the press, he said the next day his dad was able to convince others (which history shows us was Kraft and Anschutz) to hang on a little longer to see if they could turn it around.

 

[gianmarco]

"It is from a poster who has a history of doing this, so it should be a surprise to absolutely nobody. And when you look at it, if you are a human being, you will realize that that is not acceptable. And it’s not acceptable in 2016. Quite honestly, it’s never been acceptable."

I plan on using this as a response to many posts in the future.

 

[Kafka]

 

[gianmarco]

####.  I meant to include the line before as part of it:  It was dirty.

 

[The Gator]

####.  I meant to include the line before as part of it:  It was dirty.

Save that inclusion for a christo post 

 

[gianmarco]

Save that inclusion for a christo post 

He's the one I had in mind to use it mostly on!

 

[El Floppo]

oh, what... de jong did something?  gtfo.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Cheatin' Foxes

 

[NewlyRetired]

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Oliver Kahn said, "Lately, I've been seeing more of Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack than my own wife's breasts."

 

[Sinn Fein]

Gator is Oliver Kahn?

 

[Jaysus]

Bulgaria! Link

 

[NewlyRetired]

Univision has released their TV package for the Copa

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

Univision Deportes will air all 32 games at the 2016 Copa Centenario, most in prime time. 18 games will air on Univision Network and 15 on UniMas. The USA-Colombia opener will be covered on both networks. In addition, all games will be simulcast on UDN, which will also include at least two hours of live pre- and post-game coverage.

 

[Mjolnirs]

What chance has each quarter-finalist got?

From uefa.com




What chance has each quarter-finalist got?







History tell us that Real Madrid and Paris each have less than a 20% chance of reaching the semis, but Benfica and Atlético have more reason for optimism despite first-leg deficits.






Wolfsburg, Bayern München and Barcelona are all ahead going into their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second legs, but what does history tell us are their chances of going through to the last four?


And what of Manchester City, widely recognised as marginal favourites to beat Paris Saint-Germain having drawn 2-2 in the French capital last week?
Real Madrid v Wolfsburg (0-2)

• In the UEFA Champions League, teams who win 2-0 at home in the first leg go through 84.2% of the time (144/171).
  

• In UEFA club competitions, teams who win 2-0 at home in the first leg go through 82.4% of the time (566/680).
  

History favours ... Wolfsburg


Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain (2-2)

• A 2-2 away draw in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League tie has heralded progress 82.1% of the time (64/78).
  

• In UEFA club competitions, teams who draw 2-2 away from home in the first leg progress 79.4% of the time (220/277).
  

History favours ... Manchester City

Benfica v Bayern München (0-1)

• A 1-0 first-leg home win in the UEFA Champions League has been good enough to qualify 54.4% of the time (136/250).
  

• A 1-0 first-leg home win in UEFA club competitions has been good enough to qualify 59.1% of the time (570/965).
  

History favours ... Bayern


Atlético Madrid v Barcelona (1-2)

• Teams who win 2-1 at home in the first leg of a UEFA Champions League tie have reached the next round 51.2% of the time (84/164).
  

• Teams who win 2-1 at home in the first leg of all UEFA club competition ties have reached the next round 50.8% of the time.
  

History favours ... Barcelona (just!)

 

[NewlyRetired]

This could be fascinating or a complete train wreck

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

Grant WahlVerified account‏@GrantWahl

Wednesday at 5 pm ET: An hour-long special on @FS1 with Gianni Infantino's 1st US English interview as FIFA president (with @AlexiLalas).

 

[Bonzai]

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Oliver Kahn said, "Lately, I've been seeing more of Cristiano Ronaldo's six-pack than my own wife's breasts."

 

[GoFishTN]

Anything can happen.  This weekend, the Spurs should win and Leicester have a really tough game.  If the Spurs make up 3 points this weekend, it's looking really good.

But I think a Leicester win this weekend pretty much clinches things from a realistic point of view.

Yeah. If Leicester beats West Ham, it's over.