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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (6 Viewers)

Atlanta spent 8.5 million in transfer fees on Almiron (looks like they are paying him 2.5 million a year)...that's in addition to Villalba (he's a mix of Villa and Alba...the bad parts).  They're looking to sign another DP with the same transfer fee/per year amount/age as Almiron.  They may be very, very good next year.  

EDIT: this has always been where MLS should have been going (plucking the best young Latin America talent), it's nice to finally see a team serious with both scouting and money doing it.  442 seems to think LAFC will follow a similar path.  

 
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Sammy3469 said:
Atlanta spent 8.5 million in transfer fees on Almiron (looks like they are paying him 2.5 million a year)...that's in addition to Villalba (he's a mix of Villa and Alba...the bad parts).  They're looking to sign another DP with the same transfer fee/per year amount/age as Almiron.  They may be very, very good next year.  

EDIT: this has always been where MLS should have been going (plucking the best young Latin America talent), it's nice to finally see a team serious with both scouting and money doing it.  442 seems to think LAFC will follow a similar path.  
Click to expand...
I continued to be amazed by Atlanta.  They are doing as much "right" possible as an expansion team could be.   

Almiron looks to be a nice composite of the type of South American player that has found great success in MLS.  And the fact the he is young is an extra bonus.

Looks like Atlanta had to give Seattle chump change of $50k to get the rights to sign him.

 
You Atlanta fans have a ton to look forward to, even if it takes a couple of years to come together.  As someone who is a fan of an MLS team who does nothing, count me as insanely jealous.

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

Atlanta United will set the new standard for MLS' next era
 

The Seattle Sounders changed the league when the franchise entered as an expansion team in 2009.

It was a cultural shift as much as anything else – thousands of fans packing into an NFL stadium to watch soccer in the Pacific Northwest – but there was a sense of ambition with Seattle that precipitated a swing in the investment of the newest ownership groups.

If the Sounders helped to launch MLS 2.0, consider Atlanta United FC the standard-bearers of the next phase.

Atlanta will announce the signing of Paraguayan national team winger Miguel Almirón this week, perhaps as soon as Monday afternoon, according to league sources. The league’s newest franchise, guided by billionaire Arthur Blank, paid a transfer fee of $8.5 million to Lanús for the 22-year-old, one source said, which will rank among the biggest paid fees in MLS history.

The total investment in Almirón will approach $20 million over a five-year deal, the source said. That is in addition to the millions spent on young designated player Hector Villalba. Atlanta also has one DP spot left to use and will likely shop in the same price point as Almirón.

These are not moves for the future. Almirón drew the interest of Arsenal and Chelsea as recently as this summer. He is being brought to Atlanta to win now. That’s what you’re paying for when you plop down $8.5 million on a transfer fee.

MLS wants to be a world player in the immediate future. To do so, it will need teams willing to pay big money for players, and not just over-30 players that help sell tickets. We’ve seen an uptick of such players in recent years: Ignacio Piatti, Nicolas Lodeiro and, of course, Sebastian Giovinco. Atlanta is taking that to the next level by inking a young player being chased by top European teams.

Pair that type of vision with a billion-dollar stadium, a $60 million training facility and a coach with Barcelona and Argentina on his resume, and Atlanta is already competing in the global market.

This is not Orlando City, which paid smaller transfer fees for young designated players to pair with the uber-marketable Kaká in the hopes they would develop over a three-year period. Nor is it New York City FC, which signed big-name stars on the back end of their career in Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and MVP candidate David Villa, who has been a fantastic addition to the league.

Atlanta is setting a new path with its signings. These are not developmental players. They are also not marketable stars brought in to sell jerseys and tickets.

Almirón is an attacking midfielder who could be one of the most dynamic players in MLS from the start. On a line that already includes the speedy Villalba and the looming presence of Kenwyne Jones up top, Atlanta could potentially field one of the more dangerous attacking teams in the league.

The big money is being spent on the types of players you usually see savvy European teams chase. And the players are being inked with 100 percent ownership, which means Atlanta will reap the benefits if Almirón continues to draw interest from the top clubs in Europe.

Atlanta is also balancing that with an eye towards the youth. U.S. youth national team stars Andrew Carleton, Chris Goslin and Brandon Vasquez are an indication of that vision, as is the work being done in the youth academy. If United is smart, it will also try to strike a balance with MLS experience on the roster – especially when building its depth.

Right now, on paper, United looks well on its way to being the first expansion team to make the playoffs since the Sounders did so in 2009. More important than on-field results in year one, however, Atlanta’s investment has made it a transformative expansion team in the league’s history.

If this is where MLS is going – and many believe LAFC will operate with a similar mentality – we’re bound to see a very different league in the near future.

 
If this team is actually run well I we may not know how to handle it - our sports teams are very average.  I will say that AFC (that's how I plan to refer to them) is owned by Arthur Blank who has totally changed the Falcons organization IMO.  They aren't world beaters but they are professionally run now which was not the case for YEARS.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I continued to be amazed by Atlanta.  They are doing as much "right" possible as an expansion team could be.   

Almiron looks to be a nice composite of the type of South American player that has found great success in MLS.  And the fact the he is young is an extra bonus.

Looks like Atlanta had to give Seattle chump change of $50k to get the rights to sign him.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I never quite understood why MLS teams (besides for a select few) didn't pursue this strategy.  I know it takes some upfront money, but both of these guys seem like they could get sold along pretty easily.  Maybe the DP slot is too restrictive since it's hard to replace and as your star you want him to be a known quantity, but this should be bread-and-butter business for the MLS.  

 
Sammy3469 said:
Yeah, I never quite understood why MLS teams (besides for a select few) didn't pursue this strategy.  I know it takes some upfront money, but both of these guys seem like they could get sold along pretty easily.  Maybe the DP slot is too restrictive since it's hard to replace and as your star you want him to be a known quantity, but this should be bread-and-butter business for the MLS.  
Click to expand...
to be fair though, teams like Atlanta can pursue this strategy because teams that came before them built the league up in popularity.  

This type of investment probably does not happen with out first building the popularity of the league starting from the Beckham signing on, with the older name players to help draw more eye balls/sponsorship to the league.

I hope for a nice mix in the future.  The more Giovinco's, Dos Santos's, Lodeiro's, Almiron's, the better IMO.

 
FA Cup 3rd rd Draw

FA Cup third-round draw:

Ipswich Town v Lincoln/Oldham

Barrow v Rochdale

Manchester United v Reading

Hull v Swansea

Sunderland v Burnley

QPR v Blackburn

Millwall v Bournemouth

West Ham v Manchester City

Brighton v MK Dons/Charlton

Blackpool v Barnsley

Wigan v Nottm Forest

Birmingham v Newcastle

Chelsea v Peterborough/Notts County

Middlesbrough v Sheff Weds

West Brom v Derby County

Everton v Leicester

Liverpool v Newport/Plymouth

Wycombe v Northampton/Stourbridge

Watford v Burton Albion

Preston v Arsenal

Cardiff v Fulham

Stoke v Wolves

Cambridge Utd v Leeds

Bristol City v Shrewsbury/Fleetwood

Huddersfield v Port Vale

Tottenham v Aston Villa

Brentford v Halifax/Eastleigh

Bolton v Crystal Palace

Norwich v Southampton

Sutton Utd v AFC Wimbledon

Accrington v Luton

Rotherham v Oxford/Macclesfield

 
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Ned said:
Ya know, this got me thinking...... A couple years ago I thought y'all were some weird ### mother#######.  Then I found myself more and more sucked into these soccer threads.  And now today I find myself seeking them out first and laughing at 90% of the posts.

You guys are an acquired taste.....Or I'm just coming to realize I'm a weirdo too.  :unsure:  
Click to expand...


CGRdrJoe said:
It all changes once you learn to decipher @Kafka suddenly parts of these threads makes sense. Oh, and it also helps that we all hate @The Gator
Click to expand...
If you learn to decipher Kafkanese, than yes, you are a weird ### mother####er.  NTTAWWT.  

 
Looks like Atlanta is going all in on the South American strategy to help fill out the initial squad.

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

Atlanta United closing in on young trio from Newell’s Old Boys

Valenzuela is an 18-year-old left back who has cracked into the first team at Newell’s this year. Valenzuela is a 21-year-old center back who was in the mix as a young player when Martino managed the squad in 2013 prior to leaving for Barcelona.

Joaquin Torres is a 19-year-old attacking central midfielder. He joined Newell’s when he was twelve years old after three trials against other talented young players at his age. He is small, fast, and has scored goals with the junior teams of the club.

These additions would be loans, with Atlanta United having an option to buy the players’ rights if they choose. There is another player, 21-year-old Franco Escobar, that Martino likes but Newell’s does not want to let him leave.

 
So basically hire Tata and use his contacts at Newell's to get young players.  That seems like a hard strategy for other clubs to emulate.  Maybe DC United can wait until Gallardo is done at River Plate or something. 

 
Now imagine how fast these would have sold if a "real" football culture existed ;)

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

NEW YORK (December 5, 2016) – Major League Soccer announced today that tickets for 2016 MLS Cup, which will feature Toronto FC hosting Seattle Sounders FC, sold out three minutes after going on sale to the general public.

Between Toronto FC’s season ticket holder pre-sale, Seattle Sounders FC’s away game allotment of tickets and the public on-sale today at 1:00 p.m. ET, all available tickets for Saturday’s MLS Cup have sold out.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
So basically hire Tata and use his contacts at Newell's to get young players.  That seems like a hard strategy for other clubs to emulate.  Maybe DC United can wait until Gallardo is done at River Plate or something. 
Click to expand...
I think other teams are trying as well.  NYCFC for all their big name DPs have brought in Matarrita, Gomez, and Mena; and had Bravo and Mendoza in on loan.  So they're at least trying though not with the bigger names down there (I often wonder when ManCity won't just tell them to sign one or two name SAmerica young guys still in SAmerica to get them into their system).     

 
Sammy3469 said:
I think other teams are trying as well.  NYCFC for all their big name DPs have brought in Matarrita, Gomez, and Mena; and had Bravo and Mendoza in on loan.  So they're at least trying though not with the bigger names down there (I often wonder when ManCity won't just tell them to sign one or two name SAmerica young guys still in SAmerica to get them into their system).     
Click to expand...
Lots of teams try to play the South American market.  DC United has been doing that for years.  Sometimes hitting, sometimes missing.  What Atlanta United are doing strikes me as something different.  Tata is pretty much Newell's Sir Alex Ferguson.  He's the coach who brought them the most success and a guy who is still intimately connected at the club.  And he's serving as a pipeline to promising young players in their system. They aren't relying on a scouting network.  They're taking his word for it.

Almiron and the other DP player are different, although I've heard of Almiron so it's not as if they needed the best scouting to find him. 

 
NewlyRetired said:
Now imagine how fast these would have sold if a "real" football culture existed ;)

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

NEW YORK (December 5, 2016) – Major League Soccer announced today that tickets for 2016 MLS Cup, which will feature Toronto FC hosting Seattle Sounders FC, sold out three minutes after going on sale to the general public.

Between Toronto FC’s season ticket holder pre-sale, Seattle Sounders FC’s away game allotment of tickets and the public on-sale today at 1:00 p.m. ET, all available tickets for Saturday’s MLS Cup have sold out.
Click to expand...
Yes, yes, yes. 

Edit to add the verbal hand wave.

 
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Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
. They aren't relying on a scouting network.  They're taking his word for it.
Click to expand...
I know Boca has been scouting in South America on and off for the past 6 months looking for players but you are right, these type of lower level young players are not being found by regular scouting.  But part of spending a ton of money on a coach is getting his knowledge and contacts too.

Atlanta (and Minnesota) are required to find a ton of players on their own since the expansion draft was dramatically reduced this time around.  So I think for the first couple of years we are going to see some different type signings.

I guess you could qualify these moves as extremely low risk.  I am sure these players are not at all expensive as young loan players and if they hit, it sounds like Atlanta will have the option to buy.

 
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Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
Lots of teams try to play the South American market.  DC United has been doing that for years.  Sometimes hitting, sometimes missing.  What Atlanta United are doing strikes me as something different.  Tata is pretty much Newell's Sir Alex Ferguson.  He's the coach who brought them the most success and a guy who is still intimately connected at the club.  And he's serving as a pipeline to promising young players in their system. They aren't relying on a scouting network.  They're taking his word for it.

Almiron and the other DP player are different, although I've heard of Almiron so it's not as if they needed the best scouting to find him. 
Click to expand...
I think what is different (at least with Atlanta's and NYCFC's moves) is they are concentrating on young guys with upside.  Take them either by loan or a low transfer fee, try to develop them, or let them go if there are better options after the loan is up.  In NYC's case it seems to work.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Now imagine how fast these would have sold if a "real" football culture existed ;)

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

NEW YORK (December 5, 2016) – Major League Soccer announced today that tickets for 2016 MLS Cup, which will feature Toronto FC hosting Seattle Sounders FC, sold out three minutes after going on sale to the general public.

Between Toronto FC’s season ticket holder pre-sale, Seattle Sounders FC’s away game allotment of tickets and the public on-sale today at 1:00 p.m. ET, all available tickets for Saturday’s MLS Cup have sold out.
Click to expand...
crazy Canadians imo..... 

 
B Maverick said:
FA Cup 3rd rd Draw

FA Cup third-round draw:

Ipswich Town v Lincoln/Oldham

Barrow v Rochdale

Manchester United v Reading

Hull v Swansea

Sunderland v Burnley

QPR v Blackburn

Millwall v Bournemouth

West Ham v Manchester City

Brighton v MK Dons/Charlton

Blackpool v Barnsley

Wigan v Nottm Forest

Birmingham v Newcastle

Chelsea v Peterborough/Notts County

Middlesbrough v Sheff Weds

West Brom v Derby County

Everton v Leicester

Liverpool v Newport/Plymouth

Wycombe v Northampton/Stourbridge

Watford v Burton Albion

Preston v Arsenal

Cardiff v Fulham

Stoke v Wolves

Cambridge Utd v Leeds

Bristol City v Shrewsbury/Fleetwood

Huddersfield v Port Vale

Tottenham v Aston Villa

Brentford v Halifax/Eastleigh

Bolton v Crystal Palace

Norwich v Southampton

Sutton Utd v AFC Wimbledon

Accrington v Luton

Rotherham v Oxford/Macclesfield
Click to expand...
Mother####ing %^&*@!, I want my $100

 
Merry Christmas :(

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


The End: Cosmos terminate all player contracts


The New York Cosmos are preparing for the end — and this may be the most definitive proof of that statement to date.

Cosmos players received termination letters on Monday, assuring that the Cosmos will not be taking the field in 2017.

Or ever again.

Players will be paid through the month of November and have been promised to be paid their bonus money for the year. However, no player will be paid for December or for the remainder of their contract  — no matter the length of their current deals.

Sources continue to tell EoS that Seamus O’Brien is looking for potential investors to take over the club. That search has included groups in Asia, Europe and a group of potential New York based investors. Interestingly enough, several sources also tell us Seamus O’Brien could be looking to offload his shares in the team as well. O’Brien, the Chairman of the team’s current ownership which includes Saudi outfit Sela Sports, bought the team name in 2012 from then-owner Paul Kemsley. O’Brien has been the public face of the ownership group since its reboot in 2013 and was directly involved in shaping the club’s mission, which included an apparent 10 year plan to reach the “top” of the American soccer pyramid.

Meanwhile, team staff and front office continue on their second week of furloughs, which will now likely become a mass layoff for the organization. Many office staff are now bracing for their third consecutive billing cycle without pay, equating to nearly six weeks of unpaid wages.

The Cosmos and the NASL are expected to make an official announcement on their futures following this week’s USSF Board of Governors meeting in Manhattan on Tuesday.

 
I hope that if NYCFC and/or Red Bull have any openings, that they will look to the people displaced in the operations of the Cosmos....

 
Flagship Footy–  ‏@FlagshipFooty

USSF has brokered a deal that would allow exiting NASL teams to pay USL fees over a 10 year period

 
Ok, Barcelona is officially trolling Roma.  First, letting us "develop" Enrique & the subsequent ludicrous Bojan "loan"; then driving Gerson's loan price ridiculously high, even though they had no intention of signing him; then that vermin Vermaelan coming over, whilst we gift you a young & improving Digne; & now, their proposed 3rd kit for next year...

@Sebowski, @Slapdash, @The Kansas Comet, et al...have you seen this?  :lmao:

(It looks like an exact replica from Roma's jersey, circa 2008-10..)

...& Messi trumps Florenzi for UEFA "Goal of the Year", with Florenzi's golazo from midfield coming against?  Yup.  Barca...

:bag: :violin: :pokey: ...but most importantly...

:ptts: :ptts: :ptts:

eta: the third kit takes the cake though.

 
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Kafka said:
Ok, Barcelona is officially trolling Roma.  First, letting us "develop" Enrique & the subsequent ludicrous Bojan "loan"; then driving Gerson's loan price ridiculously high, even though they had no intention of signing him; then that vermin Vermaelan coming over, whilst we gift you a young & improving Digne; & now, their proposed 3rd kit for next year...

@Sebowski, @Slapdash, @The Kansas Comet, et al...have you seen this?  :lmao:

(It looks like an exact replica from Roma's jersey, circa 2008-10..)

...& Messi trumps Florenzi for UEFA "Goal of the Year", with Florenzi's golazo from midfield coming against?  Yup.  Barca...

:bag: :violin: :pokey: ...but most importantly...

:ptts: :ptts: :ptts:

eta: the third kit takes the cake though.
Click to expand...
If it makes you feel better, you can probably get Enrique back at the end of the year

 
El Floppo said:
  Quote
Barring a last-minute miracle between Sunday night and Monday morning, it appears the Cosmos have played their final soccer game.The two-time defending North American Soccer League champions have ceased operations, a source with knowledge of their situation told BigAppleSoccer.com Sunday night.The club also has released their players, who have been paid through the end of November, but won't be compensated for December because they were not with the team anymore, according to the source.The staff has not been paid, the source added.According to a source, the Cosmos have been in negotiations with a New York group interested in purchasing the team. As of Sunday night, no deal had been reached and it was not immediately known whether one could be finalized by Monday."It's not a signed deal yet," the source said. "They are still negotiating."The NASL and the other owners are trying to make it happen," before Monday's board meeting of U.S. Soccer.If a deal is completed to sell the team, the new owners would have to pick up a debt of several million dollars, a source said.The board is scheduled to meet in New York City Monday to determine second division status for the United Soccer League.The NASL, which started its 2016 season with 12 teams, has been the second division of pro soccer in this country. However, it has dwindled down to nine teams after Minnesota United moved up to Major League Soccer, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Ottawa Fury decided to join the USL.A Cosmos spokesman said that "no decision has been made."
Click to expand...
NewlyRetired said:
Merry Christmas :(

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


The End: Cosmos terminate all player contracts


The New York Cosmos are preparing for the end — and this may be the most definitive proof of that statement to date.

Cosmos players received termination letters on Monday, assuring that the Cosmos will not be taking the field in 2017.

Or ever again.

Players will be paid through the month of November and have been promised to be paid their bonus money for the year. However, no player will be paid for December or for the remainder of their contract  — no matter the length of their current deals.

Sources continue to tell EoS that Seamus O’Brien is looking for potential investors to take over the club. That search has included groups in Asia, Europe and a group of potential New York based investors. Interestingly enough, several sources also tell us Seamus O’Brien could be looking to offload his shares in the team as well. O’Brien, the Chairman of the team’s current ownership which includes Saudi outfit Sela Sports, bought the team name in 2012 from then-owner Paul Kemsley. O’Brien has been the public face of the ownership group since its reboot in 2013 and was directly involved in shaping the club’s mission, which included an apparent 10 year plan to reach the “top” of the American soccer pyramid.

Meanwhile, team staff and front office continue on their second week of furloughs, which will now likely become a mass layoff for the organization. Many office staff are now bracing for their third consecutive billing cycle without pay, equating to nearly six weeks of unpaid wages.

The Cosmos and the NASL are expected to make an official announcement on their futures following this week’s USSF Board of Governors meeting in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Click to expand...


that really sucks. 

they really screwed the pooch by not going all-in on being the 2nd NYC MLS team. 10 year plan to reach the top of the US soccer pyramid? :wall:  

hopefully new ownership arrives and saves the day... needless to say, I haven't heard from my teammate who is obviously busy trying to find work. we have other teammates involved with both NYC and RB, so hoping he can transition to one of those (just got engaged too)... but tbh, I'd have to assume both teams have their front office pretty well filled. :(

 
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