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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (8 Viewers)

Question for @Moe. @Sammy3469or anyone else who understands this stuff.

Typically I root for the majority of concacaf teams to get in.  Should I change my stance on this?

My thought process is that if Panama/Honduras comes in 4th and has to play a team from Asia for the playoff spot, should I root for the Asian team so that there are more chances in pot 4 to grab an Asian team for once?

 
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Question for @Moe. @Sammy3469or anyone else who understands this stuff.

Typically I root for the majority of concacaf teams to get in.  Should I change my stance on this?

My thought process is that if Panama/Honduras comes in 4th and has to play a team from Asia for the playoff spot, should I root for the Asian team so that there are more chances in pot 4 to grab an Asian team for once?
Short answer is Yes, especially if Iran gets in Pot 3.  I do have to look at the stuff in the morning, since a badly ranked UEFA team may qualify (I don't remember where Serbia is ranked) which may slide a UEFA team into 3/4 in which case we definitely would want Honduras/Panama to lose.

I

 
Sheesh Peru is ranked 12th in the world? I'll take a Poland-Peru-USA-Saudi Arabia group please. 
I haven't looked recently, but I think Peru has a brutal last 2 matches (at least compared to Argentina)...my guess is they are the team staying home.  

 
Technically you are probably right but I think the benefit is so marginal that I will still be pulling for the CONCACAF team in the playoff. There is a chance that a UEFA side or two ends up in pot 4 (currently Serbia 32, B&H 36th, Montenegro 37th) and two CAF sides are in pot 3. Egypt and Tunisia are 30/31 right now.   

 
I haven't looked recently, but I think Peru has a brutal last 2 matches (at least compared to Argentina)...my guess is they are the team staying home.  
@Argentina and then Colombia, so yeah, you are probably right. Man CONMEBOL qualifying is so damn hard. 

 
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Reactions: Ned
Atlanta United have a nice run-in.  They play every team in the East currently below them in the standings once except for D.C. (which has owned us this year for some odd reason) plus the Galaxy and Minnesota.  Last game of the season is Toronto but it's at home and they should have things wrapped up so maybe resting players.  If they win their games in hand they could move up to 3rd in the East.  Playoffs are starting to look guaranteed and any spot other than 1st is realistic at this point.

 
Just noticed something else - AUFC is 2nd in all of MLS in GD with a +22.  Would have been interesting if they had Martinez all season - their record when he doesn't start isn't very good.  As much as Almiron has gotten most of the attention I think Josef may be having the bigger impact. 

 
Just noticed something else - AUFC is 2nd in all of MLS in GD with a +22.  Would have been interesting if they had Martinez all season - their record when he doesn't start isn't very good.  As much as Almiron has gotten most of the attention I think Josef may be having the bigger impact. 
And their kryptonite (DCU) has scored 23 all season while playing 2 more games than AU.  Friggin' wild.

 
Sammy3469 said:
Short answer is Yes, especially if Iran gets in Pot 3.  I do have to look at the stuff in the morning, since a badly ranked UEFA team may qualify (I don't remember where Serbia is ranked) which may slide a UEFA team into 3/4 in which case we definitely would want Honduras/Panama to lose.
 So the real answer is that it (if the US qualifies) doesn't really matter unless Syria qualifies over Aussie-CONCACAF.  Pot 4 is South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, 4 African teams, and the Asia-CONCACAF playoff winner.  

Pot 3 is some combo of best African ranked (probably Egypt), Iran, USA, CR, Croatia, 3 more UEFA clubs or 2 UEFA clubs and Mexico

Pot 1 is probably Russia, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, France (Swiss have to beat Portugal to stay in this pot), Argentina, Poland

Pot 2 is 3 COMNEBOL and 5 UEFA or 4 UEFA and Mexico.

Some odd notes:  

  • If Serbia qualifies they will be in Pot 3.  
  • Iran is locked into Pot 3.  
  • Swiss has to beat Portugal to stay in Pot 1
  • Spain, England, Italy will all be in Pot 2 if they qualify
Like I said yesterday, the club that really has to hold their position is Mexico.  They could go from the possibility of an relatively easy draw in Pot 2 (Poland, Mexico, Iran, Tunisia for instance) to definitely either 2 UEFA teams or a UEFA team and CONMEBOL team  at the head of the group.  

 
Poland still isn't a lock to qualify, right?  They're 3 up on Denmark and Montenegro (with worse goal differentials than both).  I think they have one layup, and then a game with Montenegro.  So if Montenegro win out, they're likely to take the group. 

 
Atlético open their new stadium (Wanda Metropolitano) tomorrow with the first home game of the season against Málaga.  The stadium looks beautiful, seats 70000.  Looks much bigger and so much more modern than Vicente Calderón.  Seems similar to the Allianz Arena to me.  They took an existing track and field stadium, dug out the ground for the field to add another ring of seats below the existing stands )to reduce the distance from sideline to stands, left the giant set of stands on one side, then built the other three sides to wrap around the field, then stuck on a beautiful looking roof to cover the stands, but not the field.  Pretty amazing architecture / civil engineering IMO.  Let's hope that Alteti can turn it into a fortress.

 
Poland still isn't a lock to qualify, right?  They're 3 up on Denmark and Montenegro (with worse goal differentials than both).  I think they have one layup, and then a game with Montenegro.  So if Montenegro win out, they're likely to take the group. 
They're pretty much a lock for the Playoffs though.  Montenegro and Denmark still have to play as well, so they only way they don't at least make the playoffs is if they drop points to Armenia and then lose to Montenegro.

Plus if Montenegro win out, they're going to be in Pot 3 (any of the UEFA teams in the 20-40 range that qualify automatically will accumulate enough points in their last 2 matches to be in Pot 3).  Even Ireland would pip Iran by a point in the rankings with 2 wins.  Basically the only way a UEFA team slips into pot 4 is if Slovakia loses to Malta (would allow Slovenia or Scotland to possibly in the playoffs) or Greece/Cyprus somehow get in (the 2nd place team in Group H probably won't make the UEFA playoffs anyway).  Basically a lot has to happen for a UEFA team to be in Pot 4.  

 
Poland still isn't a lock to qualify, right?  They're 3 up on Denmark and Montenegro (with worse goal differentials than both).  I think they have one layup, and then a game with Montenegro.  So if Montenegro win out, they're likely to take the group. 
An all star team from the old Yugoslavia nations would be a tough out.

 
An all star team from the old Yugoslavia nations would be a tough out.
4-2-2-2

                     Oblak

Vrsaljko    Savic    Lovren  Kolasinic

             Modric      Matic

         Pjanic             Kovacic

                 Kalanic

                           Dzeko

Forwards are deep.  I'm leaving Mandzukic, Kramaric, and Jovetic on the bench.  Bench depth is thin in defense, but a fine starting XI.

 
4-2-2-2

                     Oblak

Vrsaljko    Savic    Lovren  Kolasinic

             Modric      Matic

         Pjanic             Kovacic

                 Kalanic

                           Dzeko

Forwards are deep.  I'm leaving Mandzukic, Kramaric, and Jovetic on the bench.  Bench depth is thin in defense, but a fine starting XI.
:lmao: Thanks for getting right on that. This is awesome. That midfield would give anybody big problems.

Is Tito still dead?

 
4-2-2-2

                     Oblak

Vrsaljko    Savic    Lovren  Kolasinic

             Modric      Matic

         Pjanic             Kovacic

                 Kalanic

                           Dzeko

Forwards are deep.  I'm leaving Mandzukic, Kramaric, and Jovetic on the bench.  Bench depth is thin in defense, but a fine starting XI.
3 Atlético players in that back 4 + goalie.

 
4-2-2-2

                     Oblak

Vrsaljko    Savic    Lovren  Kolasinic

             Modric      Matic

         Pjanic             Kovacic

                 Kalanic

                           Dzeko

Forwards are deep.  I'm leaving Mandzukic, Kramaric, and Jovetic on the bench.  Bench depth is thin in defense, but a fine starting XI.
Good list, but its hard to start any LIverpool defender these days. I'd consider Schalke's Nastasic over Lovren.

Also, I'd want to find a spot for Rakitic in his current form.

 
Sadly, this is the type of **** I think about everyday instead of work. "I know I have a Opposition to Summary Judgment due at the end of the week, but I wonder what Portugal's All-Time Best XI would be?"
because I can't remember who's who unless I'm hit in the face with it, I looked googled all the former Jugo country naational team roosters just now. that's a lot of guys playing at big clubs (most of whom I don't recognize, but names ending in "ic") along with a lot of big-time names I obviously recognize.

 
just saw this regarding the Koln crowd in the Emirates. the picture I had in my head was that it was waaaaaay worse than they desribe here.

UEFA has charged Cologne and Arsenal following crowd problems at their Europa League game at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

The match was delayed by an hour as thousands of Cologne fans outside the stadium prevented Arsenal supporters from getting to the turnstiles.

On Friday, UEFA announced that it had opened disciplinary proceedings.

It has brought four charges against Cologne -- crowd disturbances, setting off fireworks, throwing objects and acts of damage.

Arsenal face one charge of violating security regulations because of blocked stairways in the away section, UEFA said.

An estimated 20,000 Cologne fans travelled to the game despite Arsenal having only allocated around 3,000 tickets to away supporters.

Thousands managed to buy tickets meant for home fans, but the atmosphere was largely peaceful throughout the match, which Arsenal won 3-1.

Flares were lit in the away section on two occasions, but were quickly put out by police.

UEFA said its disciplinary committee would deal with the case next Thursday, with its rules stating that the host club is "responsible for order and security both inside and around the stadium before, during and after matches."

The rules also say the hosts are "liable for incidents of any kind... unless they can prove that they have not been negligent in any way in the organisation of the match."

However, the regulations state that each club can be punished for "inappropriate behaviour on the part of their supporters."

Earlier on Friday, Arsenal had issued a statement saying they were conducting an investigation.

"We worked in full consultation with police and UEFA officials on the night and in advance of the game and had taken extensive steps in advance to prevent tickets being sold to visiting supporters," the club said.

"The 3,000 tickets issued to Cologne fans was in line with competition rules, but it is clear many more visiting fans arrived, causing significant congestion and disturbance outside the stadium before kick-off.

"Many tickets were sold through touts, and this is very disappointing."

 
because I can't remember who's who unless I'm hit in the face with it, I looked googled all the former Jugo country naational team roosters just now. that's a lot of guys playing at big clubs (most of whom I don't recognize, but names ending in "ic") along with a lot of big-time names I obviously recognize.
Ditto. I read a story somewhere a while ago about how good Yugoslavia's national teams were back in the days before I was really following the game (and before some of you in here were probably even born) and it peaked my interest. Four of the countries (I think) that came out of old Yugo are currently in the running for WC qualification and there's not a big, or wealthy, population in any of them.

 
Ditto. I read a story somewhere a while ago about how good Yugoslavia's national teams were back in the days before I was really following the game (and before some of you in here were probably even born) and it peaked my interest. Four of the countries (I think) that came out of old Yugo are currently in the running for WC qualification and there's not a big, or wealthy, population in any of them.
I remember watching a soviet Jugo play a game against a big-time euro competitor (germany, france, italy, something)... maybe a cup final, or late round game that ended in PKs. early to mid 80s.

I was struck by two things- that Jugo played just as well as the big-name soccer country. they took every PK high and straight down the middle with the GK diving to either side every time. I think they won the game. 

 
Diego Valeri scored in his 8th straight MLS game last night, setting the MLS record.

TFC became the first MLS team ever to have two separate 6+ game winning streaks in same season.

 
LA Gals shredded at home 4-0 by a Tor team without Gio or Jozy.
TFC was missing two other starters as well.

This was a combination of how good TFC is this year and how bad LA has become.  Wonderful timing by LA since they are now months away from competing with LAFC for fans.

 
fun tidbits from Reddit

* Man United and Man City have identical wins, draws, losses, goals for and goals against

* Jose Mourinho has coached 105 games on a Sunday in his career and has never lost. 81 wins and 24 draws

* Man City and Man United account for 25% of all goals scored in EPL this season

* Falcao has 10 shots on target this season and has scored on 9 of them in Ligue 1

* Napoli have won 9 straight Serie A games for the first time ever

 
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