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

He was also asked if he was still trying to get in the German national team when he retired from international football last year.  Which is about the level of embarrassing question I think we could have anticipated.  The World Cup one is just bonus stupidity.

 
NewlyRetired said:
Atlanta United today announced that forward Josef Martinez is likely to miss approximately 4-6 weeks with a left quad injury. Martinez suffered the injury last week during a call-up with the Venezuelan National Team for 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification.
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Seems more likely to be Asad up top if Tata wants to keep pressing with speed. I almost think Kenwyne Jones isn't a Tata guy. He was signed before Tata committed. 

I'm hoping this gets the kid a shot, but that would be a tough debut on the road vs. Seattle. 

:popcorn:

 
Txns8 said:
Seems more likely to be Asad up top if Tata wants to keep pressing with speed. I almost think Kenwyne Jones isn't a Tata guy. He was signed before Tata committed. 

I'm hoping this gets the kid a shot, but that would be a tough debut on the road vs. Seattle. 

:popcorn:
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more popcorn

 
Sinn Fein said:
Just got tickets in Spurs Supporter section for Spurs v. Man City in Nashville :thumbup:
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You may know this...but try to get to Nashville early in the day (or the day before) and take in a Spurs practice.  

The liverpool practice I went to was ten times better than the game.  

We found the practice location literally last minute by checking twitter and the clubs main journalists. 

 
Things are finally happening with WC qualification this past international break.

Brazil secured their spot.
Thailand was mathematically eliminated in Asia, as were Bolivia and Venezuela in South America.

Now we are down to 102 countries and 30 spots.

 
Mjolnirs said:
Things are finally happening with WC qualification this past international break.

Brazil secured their spot.
Thailand was mathematically eliminated in Asia, as were Bolivia and Venezuela in South America.

Now we are down to 102 countries and 30 spots.
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finally

 
Not that this was really a surprise, but Goodbye Hex!:

Slot allocation*

·         AFC: 8 direct slots

·         CAF: 9 direct slots

·         CONCACAF: 6 direct slots

·         CONMEBOL: 6 direct slots

·         OFC: 1 direct slot

·         UEFA: 16 direct slots

* The host country would also automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup, and its slot would be taken from the quota of its confederation. In the event of co-hosting, the number of host countries to qualify automatically would be decided by the FIFA Council.

Play-off tournament for two remaining slots
The above allocation accounts for 46 of the 48 participating teams. The proposal reviewed by the Bureau of the Council includes a play-off tournament involving six teams to decide the last two FIFA World Cup berths:

-          One team per confederation with the exception of UEFA + one additional team from the confederation of the host country;

-          Two teams to be seeded based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. The seeded teams will play for a FIFA World Cup berth against the winners of the first two knockout games involving the four unseeded teams;

-          Tournament to be played in the host country(ies) and to be used as a test event for the FIFA World Cup;

-          Existing play-off window of November 2025 suggested as tentative date for the 2026 edition.
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The only meaningful matches the US might play after '18 are in the World Cup.  I do like the play-off tourney :bag:  

 
South America must be thrilled with that allotment.  

I fear this may be the beginning of the end for me as a fan of the international game.  Qualifying is now almost entirely meaningless for the US and the WC itself looks ruined to me.

:(

 
Sammy3469 said:
Not that this was really a surprise, but Goodbye Hex!:

The only meaningful matches the US might play after '18 are in the World Cup.  I do like the play-off tourney :bag:  
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after '18 or after '22?  I thought these changes were for the 2026 WC.  I was hoping that the 2022 WC would still be the normal 32 team format.

 
NewlyRetired said:
after '18 or after '22?  I thought these changes were for the 2026 WC.  I was hoping that the 2022 WC would still be the normal 32 team format.
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http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2017/m=3/news=bureau-of-the-council-recommends-slot-allocation-for-the-2026-fifa-wor-2878254.html

So 2026...of course we probably will go direct into that one anyway :oldunsure:   CONMEBOL is basically gets 7 spots since the team will be seeded in the playoff and will be on the opposite side from the CAF team.  

 
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I guess all we can hope for is that we can get a regular combined Copa America every cycle, or it is going to be barren of useful games.  The big US Mexico qualifiers are probably gone now too.  Even friendlies are going to get stale if UEFA continues with the idea of removing all friendlies for their members.

 
NewlyRetired said:
I guess all we can hope for is that we can get a regular combined Copa America every cycle, or it is going to be barren of useful games.  The big US Mexico qualifiers are probably gone now too.  Even friendlies are going to get stale if UEFA continues with the idea of removing all friendlies for their members.
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yeah but haiti and turkmenistan will finally get to play in the WC.

are they still talking about groups of 3 with only 2 guaranteed games?

 
Not sure if this is what Chicago expected for exposure from the Bastion signing but I guess they will take it

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

The journalist who infamously asked Bastian Schweinsteiger whether Chicago Fire could win the World Cup has come forward to explain his awkward question.

Derek Henkle, an AFP video journalist, says he was actually trying to establish whether the German's arrival would help the MLS club win major trophies, such as the Fifa Club World Cup.

Of course, by saying World Cup and not Club World Cup, it was widely assumed that Henkle was asking the impossible of Schweinsteiger.

MLS teams can qualify for the Club World Cup by winning the Concacaf Champions League.

"I'm truly sorry if I offended anyone," Henkle told The Telegraph in an email.

"As a general assignment video reporter, I was seeking facts at a press conference. 

"I get that I named the wrong trophy and greatly appreciate Schweinsteiger attempting to clean up the question for me. It was a classy move. 

"My question missed its mark, but it has allowed me to become better educated on the ins and outs of soccer.

"I may have been one of the only general assignment guys in the room - but I believe, like a lot of Chicago, that Bastian Schweinsteiger's arrival presents an amazing opportunity for those of us who want to experience soccer to more fully embrace the sport."

He adds:  "I report on everything ranging from presidential politics to science - and I'm the first to admit that I don't know everything, but I do ask." 

 
NewlyRetired said:
Not sure if this is what Chicago expected for exposure from the Bastion signing but I guess they will take it

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

The journalist who infamously asked Bastian Schweinsteiger whether Chicago Fire could win the World Cup has come forward to explain his awkward question.

Derek Henkle, an AFP video journalist, says he was actually trying to establish whether the German's arrival would help the MLS club win major trophies, such as the Fifa Club World Cup.

Of course, by saying World Cup and not Club World Cup, it was widely assumed that Henkle was asking the impossible of Schweinsteiger.

MLS teams can qualify for the Club World Cup by winning the Concacaf Champions League.

"I'm truly sorry if I offended anyone," Henkle told The Telegraph in an email.

"As a general assignment video reporter, I was seeking facts at a press conference. 

"I get that I named the wrong trophy and greatly appreciate Schweinsteiger attempting to clean up the question for me. It was a classy move. 

"My question missed its mark, but it has allowed me to become better educated on the ins and outs of soccer.

"I may have been one of the only general assignment guys in the room - but I believe, like a lot of Chicago, that Bastian Schweinsteiger's arrival presents an amazing opportunity for those of us who want to experience soccer to more fully embrace the sport."

He adds:  "I report on everything ranging from presidential politics to science - and I'm the first to admit that I don't know everything, but I do ask." 
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MORON

 
shader said:
http://www.90min.com/posts/4770072-tottenham-manager-spotted-in-secret-meeting-with-barcelona-president-amid-speculation-over-future?a_aid=35153
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Mauricio Pochettino has categorically ruled out a move to Barcelona because of his allegiance to their crosstown rivals Espanyol. The Tottenham Hotspur manager reinforced the point he wanted to make about the primacy of loyalty by saying that, by the same token, he could never imagine himself working at Arsenal.

Pochettino was linked with the Barcelona job early this month, after Luis Enrique said he would stand down at the end of the season and he did little to discourage the speculation. Then Pochettino talked about how he knew how the game worked and that he was not surprised to be on the long-list of potential successors to Luis Enrique.

The link between Pochettino and Barça was reignited last week when he was spotted in a Barcelona bar with the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. But Pochettino dismissed it as a chance meeting and, given that he previously played for and managed Espanyol, he made it clear there was no possibility of him ever going to Barcelona. “It was a coincidence in a bar in Barcelona last Tuesday,” Pochettino said. “I know him [Bartomeu] for a long time – before he became chairman of Barcelona. Our children went to the same school in Barcelona. We spent five minutes together. That was the reality. After that you know the rumour is impossible to stop.

“But I am an Espanyol supporter. I don’t think I need to speak too much. It’s like if one day [the Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy sacked me – in a few years it would be impossible for me to manage Arsenal. In football I know it is so difficult to keep your values and to be loyal – with your heart and emotion. But for me before being a manager, before being a player, being loyal is more important. I am an Espanyol fan. I love Espanyol. It’s like Tottenham for me now. It will be impossible, one day, to move to Arsenal. It will be impossible.”

:wub:

 
Sinn Fein said:
Mauricio Pochettino has categorically ruled out a move to Barcelona because of his allegiance to their crosstown rivals Espanyol. The Tottenham Hotspur manager reinforced the point he wanted to make about the primacy of loyalty by saying that, by the same token, he could never imagine himself working at Arsenal.

Pochettino was linked with the Barcelona job early this month, after Luis Enrique said he would stand down at the end of the season and he did little to discourage the speculation. Then Pochettino talked about how he knew how the game worked and that he was not surprised to be on the long-list of potential successors to Luis Enrique.

The link between Pochettino and Barça was reignited last week when he was spotted in a Barcelona bar with the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. But Pochettino dismissed it as a chance meeting and, given that he previously played for and managed Espanyol, he made it clear there was no possibility of him ever going to Barcelona. “It was a coincidence in a bar in Barcelona last Tuesday,” Pochettino said. “I know him [Bartomeu] for a long time – before he became chairman of Barcelona. Our children went to the same school in Barcelona. We spent five minutes together. That was the reality. After that you know the rumour is impossible to stop.

“But I am an Espanyol supporter. I don’t think I need to speak too much. It’s like if one day [the Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy sacked me – in a few years it would be impossible for me to manage Arsenal. In football I know it is so difficult to keep your values and to be loyal – with your heart and emotion. But for me before being a manager, before being a player, being loyal is more important. I am an Espanyol fan. I love Espanyol. It’s like Tottenham for me now. It will be impossible, one day, to move to Arsenal. It will be impossible.”

:wub:
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Sincerely,

Sol Campbell

 
Sinn Fein said:
Mauricio Pochettino has categorically ruled out a move to Barcelona because of his allegiance to their crosstown rivals Espanyol. The Tottenham Hotspur manager reinforced the point he wanted to make about the primacy of loyalty by saying that, by the same token, he could never imagine himself working at Arsenal.

Pochettino was linked with the Barcelona job early this month, after Luis Enrique said he would stand down at the end of the season and he did little to discourage the speculation. Then Pochettino talked about how he knew how the game worked and that he was not surprised to be on the long-list of potential successors to Luis Enrique.

The link between Pochettino and Barça was reignited last week when he was spotted in a Barcelona bar with the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu. But Pochettino dismissed it as a chance meeting and, given that he previously played for and managed Espanyol, he made it clear there was no possibility of him ever going to Barcelona. “It was a coincidence in a bar in Barcelona last Tuesday,” Pochettino said. “I know him [Bartomeu] for a long time – before he became chairman of Barcelona. Our children went to the same school in Barcelona. We spent five minutes together. That was the reality. After that you know the rumour is impossible to stop.

“But I am an Espanyol supporter. I don’t think I need to speak too much. It’s like if one day [the Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy sacked me – in a few years it would be impossible for me to manage Arsenal. In football I know it is so difficult to keep your values and to be loyal – with your heart and emotion. But for me before being a manager, before being a player, being loyal is more important. I am an Espanyol fan. I love Espanyol. It’s like Tottenham for me now. It will be impossible, one day, to move to Arsenal. It will be impossible.”

:wub:
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:wub:

 
Poke_4_Life said:
Who would ever want to manage assenal anyway?
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David Moyes

He could make a habit of being the sacrificial manager that follows a legendary manager so when they bring in a real successor the pressure isnt as big.  Its a rebuild instead of living up to the previous guy.  

 
A rare and interesting Friday night nationally televised double header in MLS tonight.  Both games on FS1

KC @ Toronto (home opener)

Atlanta @ Seattle

 
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:censored:  9 games in the next 4 weeks/30 days

Mata could miss rest of season after groin surgery.  Pogba out with hammy issue.  Herrera suspended 1 more game.  Zlatan suspended 1 more game. Smalling and Jones injured and out who knows how long. Schweini sold.  Schneiderlin sold.

Guess that means MORE  :fro:  and ROO

  :wall:

 
The Liverpool injuries (Lallana and Hendo) and travel situations (Firmino and Coutinho) could make the derby this weekend more of a fitty-fitty deal than it's been lately.

Virgil van Dijk now pretty much called for the rest of the season. The Guardian is running the rumor that Chelsea is preparing the winning bid for him this summer (to do what, replace Cahill? I dunno, maybe) but my money is still on ManU with all the money they're going to save by Barcelona not selling them Neymar.

 
roadkill1292 said:
The Liverpool injuries (Lallana and Hendo) and travel situations (Firmino and Coutinho) could make the derby this weekend more of a fitty-fitty deal than it's been lately.

Virgil van Dijk now pretty much called for the rest of the season. The Guardian is running the rumor that Chelsea is preparing the winning bid for him this summer (to do what, replace Cahill? I dunno, maybe) but my money is still on ManU with all the money they're going to save by Barcelona not selling them Neymar.
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Everton's injuries are pretty bad though, too.  No Coleman.  No Funes Mori.  No McCarthy.  No Schneiderlin.

Koeman has revived his long-running beef with Martin O'Neill over McCarthy, accusing him of "not protecting the player."  O'Neill's initial release (which appears to have been edited now) was delightfully catty, referring to Koeman as a "master tactician of the blame game." 

I love a good soccer beef. 

 
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