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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (11 Viewers)

Jaysus said:
Tell Beckham to pound sand?
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That has been my stance for a while now but no rumors are floating that this will happen.   I think the easiest thing to do is if Cincy gets the vote, to let all 3 (Cincy, Nashville, And Sac) in and simply tell Miami since they are no where near ready to start, that they simply be delayed to the next expansion announcement.

 
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After listening to so many points, I would be shocked if this vote fails.

It comes down to one very simple point.

The city is not on the hook for even a penny of the stadium and the infrastructure costs have to be made by the city no matter who develops the land and the group that controls the land says it will be developed by someone else if not FCC.

 
London Soccer Trip report:

I'll try to break this up into days but will post about it just in this thread (yes, it's the right thread).  As I mentioned above, the trip was truly awesome.  I've never been to London before and it was a perfect tour to see the city as well as take part in the soccer and visit a few other spots as well.  For those of you with boys that play in clubs, I would highly recommend reaching out to AM Sports to see if they might be able to partner with where you are and take advantage of it if possible.  I'll be happy to answer questions about it after I write this stuff up as well.

The nice part of the tour is that everything is planned and arranged.  We just had to show up and the rest was taken care of.  At the same time, we had plenty of time to explore the city (and a few other spots) on our own.  The second thing was that the schedule was not completely fixed so they made updates as needed and it always worked out. 

Day 1:  So, to start, we arrived and had a taxi there waiting for us to bring us back to the hotel.  We arrived Saturday morning and made it to the hotel by ~10am.  As we weren't meeting up with the group until 3pm, we just went into the room and slept for a few hours since we traveled overnight.  The hotel where we stayed is about 20-30 minutes SW of center of London near the outskirts.  Decent location and nice enough hotel.  Our 2 tour guides were both from Scotland (with thick accents) in their 20's.  Incredibly nice guys that really made the trip fantastic.  For being so young, I'm amazed at how organized they were.  On the trip, there were 7 boys total with their families.  A couple sisters around the same age were able to take part in a few things as well which was really nice.  We knew one family from before as the kid was previously on my son's team but the rest we met there.  Good group for the most part and everyone was pretty laid back which helped.  We also had a bus with an awesome driver that took us everywhere throughout the week. 

So, at 3pm, we all met for the first time, boarded the bus and traveled to Craven Cottage to watch Fulham vs. Derby County.  It's crazy how the stadium is right in the middle of a residential area.  The stadium is pretty small with a cozy feel to it.  Our tickets were for a corporate box so we had free dinner and a drink there.  It was pretty chilly that night (30's) so it was cool that we could be inside this little room as well as head out into regular seats as we wanted.  For those that don't know, you can't drink in your seats at any stadium for English football.  So the funny thing is that we had to keep the blinds closed while inside as a rule so that we can't be seen drinking. 

The traveling fans from Derby County were awesome (opposite corner from us in last pic below).  Again, for those unfamiliar, they group all the opposing fans in one section (surrounded by orange security).  Those guys were chanting and going nuts for most of the match.  It ended in a 1-1 draw and was a great opening experience.  Afterward, back to the bus and to the hotel. 

https://ibb.co/iJ6tcm
https://ibb.co/npW4iR
https://ibb.co/jniTA6
https://ibb.co/mT41V6

 
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gianmarco said:
So, at 3pm, we all met for the first time, boarded the bus and traveled to Craven Cottage to watch Fulham vs. Derby County.  It's crazy how the stadium is right in the middle of a residential area.  The stadium is pretty small with a cozy feel to it.  Our tickets were for a corporate box so we had free dinner and a drink there.  It was pretty chilly that night (30's) so it was cool that we could be inside this little room as well as head out into regular seats as we wanted.  For those that don't know, you can't drink in your seats at any stadium for English football.  So the funny thing is that we had to keep the blinds closed while inside as a rule so that we can't be seen drinking. 

The traveling fans from Derby County were awesome.  Again, for those unfamiliar, they group all the opposing fans in one section (surrounded by orange security).  Those guys were chanting and going nuts for most of the match.  It ended in a 1-1 draw and was a great opening experience.  Afterward, back to the bus and to the hotel. 

https://ibb.co/iJ6tcm
https://ibb.co/npW4iR
https://ibb.co/jniTA6
https://ibb.co/mT41V6
Click to expand...
awesome stuff!

Did Luca or Ream play for Fulham that game?

 
NewlyRetired said:
gianmarco said:
So, at 3pm, we all met for the first time, boarded the bus and traveled to Craven Cottage to watch Fulham vs. Derby County.  It's crazy how the stadium is right in the middle of a residential area.  The stadium is pretty small with a cozy feel to it.  Our tickets were for a corporate box so we had free dinner and a drink there.  It was pretty chilly that night (30's) so it was cool that we could be inside this little room as well as head out into regular seats as we wanted.  For those that don't know, you can't drink in your seats at any stadium for English football.  So the funny thing is that we had to keep the blinds closed while inside as a rule so that we can't be seen drinking. 

The traveling fans from Derby County were awesome.  Again, for those unfamiliar, they group all the opposing fans in one section (surrounded by orange security).  Those guys were chanting and going nuts for most of the match.  It ended in a 1-1 draw and was a great opening experience.  Afterward, back to the bus and to the hotel. 

https://ibb.co/iJ6tcm
https://ibb.co/npW4iR
https://ibb.co/jniTA6
https://ibb.co/mT41V6
Click to expand...
awesome stuff!

Did Luca or Ream play for Fulham that game?
Click to expand...
isn't there a Brian McBride bar or something inside Craven?

and wait- was this tour with your son's team, or just him and a few other kids?

 
El Floppo said:
isn't there a Brian McBride bar or something inside Craven?

and wait- was this tour with your son's team, or just him and a few other kids?
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For the first part, no idea as we stayed in the corporate box the whole time in that corner.

As for the 2nd part, it was open to any kids from the 2005 age group at his soccer club.  With about 10 teams at the club in that group (and 14-15 kids per team), it was just for anyone that wanted to go.  I'm quite surprised that only 7 total went.  So no, it wasn't his team.  In fact, after his team broke up this past summer (coach was moving on), he's since switched clubs after being with this one for 6-7 years but it didn't really matter.  One of the other kids who went did the same thing and is now at the same club as my son and coached by the same coach so they knew each other as well.  3 of the 7 kids currently play on the same team, another 2 of the 7 play on the same team, and my son and this other kid are on sister teams coached by the same guy. 

The one negative from this trip was that a couple of the kids on the trip were really obnoxious so a lot of the time our son just hung out with us to avoid them.  But it wasn't that big of a deal as it was easy enough to work around. 

 
gianmarco said:
As for the 2nd part, it was open to any kids from the 2005 age group at his soccer club.  With about 10 teams at the club in that group (and 14-15 kids per team), it was just for anyone that wanted to go. 
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You have 10 teams in the 2005B group?  :shock:  

 
Day 2 (Sunday) -- Breakfast was included in the hotel we stayed in.  English breakfast buffet which included the best fried eggs (heavenly orange yolk), hash browns, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, bacon (ham), sausage, and a variety of meats, cheeses, baked goods, and fruits and juices.  It was served from 7a-10a every day and was a wonderful way to start every day.  As most days we didn't meet to leave until about 9:30am, it gave us plenty of time to get the morning going without being rushed.  My wife and I ran a few miles some of the mornings so we could get up at 6:30a, run from 7-8, then head down to eat around 8:30 with our son and go back to get ready and leave in time.  While we are normally early risers and I like to take advantage of time while on vacation and trips, it was a good relaxed start each day.  With most days ending late, this was welcomed.

We were supposed to have the first friendly with the boys that day but it got moved to Tuesday night so this day was for sightseeing.  We met in the lobby close to 10am this morning and got on the bus to go into London.  Arrived at London Tower and had a Thames river tour for the first hour or so together as a group included.  After that, we had a meeting point and were given about 5 hours to walk around and tour London at our leisure.  Each family would split off and do their own thing.  The boys each got 10 pounds to cover lunch as well.

We did a good bit of walking this day, heading to Buckingham palace, Westminster, and then Picadilly Circus.  Ate at an English Pub and got to see some Christmas festival thing while we were out.  No soccer related activities this day. 

English bathrooms smell pretty good overall and they almost universally have air dryers for your hands without paper towels.  Just something I noticed.  Also, it gets dark pretty early there (just a bit after 4pm). 

Got back on the bus by 5pmish and back to the hotel for a dinner buffet in the hotel restaurant just for us.  Had a tough time sleeping that night but afterward was fine. 

The boys together by Tower of London just before getting on the cruise

 
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Those small (by our standards) English stadiums look like they would really maximize the fan experience. But I'm a hopeless romantic and could be way off about this.

 
Day 3 (Monday)  -- The boys had their first training experience.  After breakfast, we boarded the bus and went to this outdoor facility where it was just one guy and our boys.  He's a part of the Chelsea training academy as well as running this specific ground.  I liked this guy and he really pushed them.  Drills and training for about an hour and then about 30 minutes of just fun scrimmaging with the 7 boys, 2 of the girls with them, and the 4 adults (our 2 tour hosts, the trainer, and the 1 soccer coach from the soccer club back home that joined the trip).  This was fun to watch and see how he worked with them.  Nothing ground breaking but very efficient and effective.  He had 7 stations set up and the boys rotated through each one and he'd jump in and work with them at each one as well. 

https://ibb.co/hnKqOR
https://ibb.co/cS8jiR
https://ibb.co/g82MV6
https://ibb.co/hWX5q6

After that, we got on the bus and headed to Brighton.  It's about 1 hour south of London right on the coast.  Stupid cold and windy and rainy but a neat sea-side town.  When we arrived, we were given about 3 hours to explore the town on our own before meeting back up.  Again, money given to the boy's for lunch.  We then met up and had a dinner together at a restaurant there (we ordered food the day before) and had our own room at the place.  Once dinner was done, we loaded onto the bus and headed to AMEX stadium to watch Brighton vs. Stoke.  No corporate box here but instead had seats in the front row right by the corner flag.  Really nice stadium too.

The Stoke City fans were in the section to our left and were absolutely crazy.  Probably the most enjoyable part of the match.  Stoke took a 1-0 lead, then Brighton tied it up, and when Stoke took the lead back at 2-1, those fans were doing some of the most obscene gestures to the surrounding fans.  It was AWESOME. 

https://ibb.co/dtdpHm
https://ibb.co/iqTBV6
https://ibb.co/igHGxm

Stoke fans to our left

Stoke chant

 
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I'll kind of group the rest of it together at this point. 

Touring -- The rest of the days each had something different.  Tuesday we went back into London for the day before heading to the boys first friendly match that night.  Next day we visited Windsor Castle and the area of Windsor.  Absolutely amazing.  Friendly match vs. Windsor FC that night after our day there and dinner with Windsor FC parents and players.  Thursday we got to visit Stamford Bridge and tour the stadium after a morning training session with another Chelsea academy person. You'll see some pictures below.  Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to the pitch to desecrate it although I got my foot dangerously close to where they said I couldn't.  Friday was our last day in London which we spent mostly in Harrod's for my wife, although it is pretty amazing to see.  Final friendly that night.  Saturday finished up with a trip to Camden Market and then onto Wembley to watch Spurs play the match of the season against West Brom.  After match, farewell dinner back at the hotel.

Soccer -- The boys ended up playing 3 friendlies.  There was some disappointment with this as both the first and last friendly were against boys that were 2 yrs older than our 2005's.  It made for some lopsided play, unfortunately.  They actually held their own skill wise but these were just bigger kids that were stronger and faster.  The middle friendly had them matched against appropriate kids but they also had to lend us some players.  The players they lent us were from the top team in Windsor, i.e. an Academy team and these boys were unreal (even though only 4 of them).  One kid, no lie, was taking warm up shots on the keeper from 30-35 yards out and putting them on goal and even into the corners with ease.  Those boys dominated the play in the beginning until they got moved back on defense just to let the others get more involved.  That said, our boys played well and they were comparatively matched against their peers on the other side. 

Some extra bits of thoughts from the trip

-- There are soccer fields and green spaces EVERYWHERE.  It really is crazy how ubiquitous and large some of the playing areas are all over London as you drive around.

-- London is a lot cleaner and quieter than I expected throughout.  I would imagine it's a nice place to live except for the CRAZY traffic.  It took us 2 hours at times to get from one area to the other.

-- Food is decent.  People are nice.  Prices are mostly reasonable.

-- We got to chat and hang out with some of the parents of the players while there which was also a neat experience.  In the 2nd match, they even lined up the boys and brought them out like a professional match and exchanged club items.  The boys loved it.  Each of these little stadiums that are part of their football clubs have these club rooms that we went in and got drinks while they played.  Good times. 

Pics below....I'll add other things later if I think of them.

1st friendly at an outdoor "indoor" pitch (7 vs 7)
After the 1st friendly

2nd training ground
2nd training
2nd training

Lining up for 2nd friendly at Windsor FC
Gift kit from Windsor for 2nd friendly
Lining up for 2nd friendly
Start of 2nd friendly

Sutton FC where they played their 3rd friendly
The social room at Sutton FC reserved for members only but we were allowed in
3rd friendly
3rd friendly at Sutton

Stamford Bridge tour
Stamford Bridge tour
Stamford Bridge press area
Chelsea home changing room
Chelsea home changing room
Chelsea player seating area

Wembley
Wembley
Tottenham showing off
Wembley at night after a celebrated tie

For Shader and Gator

ETA -- Every match we went to ended up in a tie. 

 
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One thing I was amazed at today while watching was the total and complete support for soccer and FCC.  Even those vehemently against the deal admitted that they were fans of the team and the sport.

Here is one of the two people on the committee who voted against the deal today. 

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

P.G. Sittenfeld‏Verified account @PGSittenfeld 2h2 hours ago

While we debate dollars & development, these points need no debate: 1) Soccer is absolutely ascendant 2) FCC has been phenomenal for the city 3) The Lindners & other ownership members have been incredibly generous to our city in many ways.

 
Sutton United has a long-standing relationship with AFC Wimbledon.  They were the opponent for the Dons' first friendly in 2002, a little more than a month after the public tryouts on Wimbledon Common.

Sutton also beat the Dons in the FA Cup 3rd round this year but I don't want to talk about that.

 
Amazing write-up and pics gianmarco. :thumbup:

Did the kids feel like they learned or could see ways to get to the level of those academy boys?

 
El Floppo said:
Amazing write-up and pics gianmarco. :thumbup:

Did the kids feel like they learned or could see ways to get to the level of those academy boys?
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So, here were my observations.  Keep in mind that playing 2 out of 3 matches against boys 2 years older really makes it hard to truly compare.  I think they were pretty well matched against the kids in the 2nd friendly.  The borrowed players on our team from that match that were really good were at about the same level that I see from the Academy players in our club here, tbh.

Training sessions -- I liked the station work.  It kept all the boys working simultaneously while working on different things.  He focused on working them hard for 90-120 seconds at a time, short break to catch their breath, then switching to the next one.  Most of the training sessions I've ever seen back home will almost always involve some standing around while others are working OR they all work on the same thing at the same time.  This was a good way to have them focus on one thing without standing around.  I also liked how he focused on not letting them rest in between to force them to work hard and learn to deal with being tired.  I think that's something that is lacking overall in training sessions I've seen from our club back home.  Otherwise, nothing terribly different.

Matches -- I think the foot skills are pretty comparable.  I think the physical play is also comparable.  The 2 biggest things I noticed:

1)  Their players will take more shots and from farther out.  They seem to have learned to shoot from distance, not just within the 18 yard box or even closer.  A lot of our players don't have the shot strength to get a quality ball on target from outside the box while in play.  They are taught to keep passing until a good look comes up while the English players selfishly took more shots from a larger area. 

2)  Their crosses seem to be more to an area.  As the boys go down the wing they will just cross it in without even really looking.  Our players normally will try to see if someone is there and either find them or not cross it if no one is there.  I think the benefit to how they do it is that it teaches the boys to make runs without the ball because the ball is going there no matter what.  I'm sure if you start seeing cross after cross without someone in the area eventually you learn to start getting there.  If the crosses don't come, then there's a feedback that it's ok because you just weren't there.  I don't know if that makes sense or not or if it's a real thing but just something I noticed during the 3 matches.

Overall, though, not many striking differences I noticed.  While they may have just been nice, I heard plenty of comments during play such as "nice move" or "good pass" or "good ball" while our boys were playing from the opposite side so they weren't out there making a mess of the game.

 
gianmarco said:
It really was awesome and a completely different experience.  Not only that, but it's crazy how it's literally in the midst of a residential neighborhood.  That's the stadium there
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I know Highbury and whatever West Ham call theirs now are the same.  Seemed really weird to just be walking past people's houses and then, bam, a stadium, huge crowds, and policemen riding horses.

 
Dinsy Ejotuz said:
I know Highbury and whatever West Ham call theirs now are the same.  Seemed really weird to just be walking past people's houses and then, bam, a stadium, huge crowds, and policemen riding horses.
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:oldunsure:

West Ham call their's London Stadium, after taking over the olympic stadium...it is a soulless pit, where the managers are permitted to use golf carts going from the dugout to the sideline.

Upton Park has been demolished.

 
Heh.... Yeah, those days are over for me at this point. 

And I love @Native liking only 2 posts--The two either mentioning Chelsea or with pictures of it. Getting arrested for peeing on the pitch would have been worth it.

 
gianmarco said:
1)  Their players will take more shots and from farther out.  They seem to have learned to shoot from distance, not just within the 18 yard box or even closer.  A lot of our players don't have the shot strength to get a quality ball on target from outside the box while in play.  They are taught to keep passing until a good look comes up while the English players selfishly took more shots from a larger area. 
Click to expand...
My son's previous coach talked about this a lot.  He played in Europe and said Americans are obsessed with pass pass pass where a lot of euros are encouraging the shooting/selfish play.  I always found that surprising. 

 
gianmarco said:
Heh.... Yeah, those days are over for me at this point. 

And I love @Native liking only 2 posts--The two either mentioning Chelsea or with pictures of it. Getting arrested for peeing on the pitch would have been worth it.
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LOL. Only scrolled through the last page on my phone - did not get to read the posts on the previous page yet!

I'll shoot you a note as soon as I like your other posts  :grad:

 
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