Soccer Thread 2011-2012

[DeToxRox]

Source: Klinsmann to be named U.S. coach

By Michael Lewis
TropiGol.com Editor

Juergen Klinsmann is the man.

U.S. Soccer selected the former German international striker and coach to succeed Bob Bradley as U.S. national coach, according to a reliable source in the U.S. soccer community.

Klinsmann could be announced as coach as early as Friday.

Klinsmann, who turns 47 Saturday, had turned down an offer to coach the U.S. national side in 2006 because he wanted more power and responsibility than U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati wanted to give out to any individual.

It was not known immediately known which side had relented.

Klinsmann guided Germany to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup and was a vital member of West Germany’s 1990 World Cup championship side.

He enjoyed an 18-year professional career, that included stops with the Stuttgarter Kickers, VfB Stuttgart, Inter, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Sampdoria.

Klinsmann lives in southern California and played under another name for the Orange County Blue Star, an amateur team.

He could make his debut as coach when U.S. plays Mexico in an international friendly at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Aug. 10.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Icy

I'm an ignorant about USA soccer but I don't think he did bad at all with a team from a country with little men's soccer tradition, with most of the best players playing outside USA making it harder to scout them, etc. So why all the critics?

Is there a good USA born substitute for Bradley as USA coach or do you think that a known foreign one will be appointed as new one?

Several arguments Icy: The development of the team has stagnated. The team is consistently not ready to play at the beginning of games and falls behind early" argument. Also, tactical inflexibility (which is maybe beginning to crack a little).

[DeToxRox]

DT - Do you know what changes to overhaul the developmental system Klinsmann wanted to make in 06?

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Several arguments Icy: The development of the team has stagnated. The team is consistently not ready to play at the beginning of games and falls behind early" argument. Also, tactical inflexibility (which is maybe beginning to crack a little).

It's funny - on the face of it you'd agree with Icy, he's done a really nice job with a team that historically hasn't got very far, and on paper doesn't have the talent of some of the other elite teams in the world.

Then you watch a game and "tactical inflexibility" doesn't even begin to describe it. He might have fit in with the lower league games in the UK I used to watch in the 1990's. Modern soccer at the higher level, no. He might be one of the worst gameday managers I've ever seen.

Basically a long winded way of saying I have no idea how the US has done so well under Bradley. I think they'll go a lot further with Klinsmann.

[The Jackal]

I think the inconsistency shown under Bradley speaks to his tactics/managerial ability. I think the signature moments speak to the will of the players, and have nothing to do with him.

Happy to be moving on. Klinsmann is who USA soccer wanted when they hired Bradley, so now there are no excuses!

[MJ4H]

oh god let it be klinsmann

[MrBug708]

Just for fun, we should bring in Steve Sampson for a week. Let's watch him trot out this line-up against Mexico:

Yeldell
Spector-Ream-Gonzalez-Pearce
Rogers-Jones-Edu-Bedoya
Buddle-Wondolowski

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Icy

I'm an ignorant about USA soccer but I don't think he did bad at all with a team from a country with little men's soccer tradition, with most of the best players playing outside USA making it harder to scout them, etc. So why all the critics?

Is there a good USA born substitute for Bradley as USA coach or do you think that a known foreign one will be appointed as new one?

He did a good job of locating ex-pats and players in second-tier countries.

He did a good, but not great, job with the talent he had on hand. For a team with no forwards and a mediocre defense, they did well the last WC.

Not many coaches stick around past one WC cycle, so he's already past his expiration date.

There was always a conflict of interest with his son being on the team (If you think about it this is really ridiculous to allow at this level, in this day and age) that led many to question his lineup decisions. Example A being the recent Gold Cup where Michael Bradley logged a lot of minutes after hardly playing at all for Aston Villa.

He didn't really do much to advance the training infrastructure in the US, bring in foreigners to help build a technical foundation, tec.. I realize there's a lot of pieces there, but the sense is that our youth system has not substantially improved, as exemplified by our continued lack of striker talent.

[DeToxRox]

ussoccer.com confirms it's Klinsmann:

CHICAGO (July 29, 2011) — U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati named Jürgen Klinsmann as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team today, making him the 35th coach in the history of the program.

“We are excited to have Jürgen as the head coach of our Men’s National Team,” said Gulati. “He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program. Jürgen has had success in many different areas of the game and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field.”

U.S. Soccer will hold a press conference in New York on Monday, Aug. 1, to formally introduce Klinsmann. Further details regarding the press conference will be released later today.

Klinsmann’s first match in charge of the U.S. National Team will be against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Philadelphia. Tickets are still available for the match and can be purchased at ussoccer.com. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Univision. In addition, Univision will air a live pre-game show beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.

* Tickets: U.S. Men vs. Mexico, Aug. 10

“I am proud and honored to be named the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team,” said Klinsmann. “I would like to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for the opportunity, and I’m excited about the challenge ahead. I am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against Mexico and starting on the road toward qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.”

Klinsmann has been involved in soccer almost his entire life as a player, coach, television analyst and consultant. As a player, Klinsmann was one of the game’s premier forwards and enjoyed a 17-year career that included stints in four major European leagues for a number of clubs, including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich. One of the most well-known international players of all-time, he earned 108 appearances for Germany and scored 47 goals while helping the team win the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy and the 1996 European Championship.

After retiring from professional soccer following the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Klinsmann moved into different areas of the sport. He also moved to the United States with his wife, Debbie, and they currently reside in California with their two children, Jonathan and Laila.

In July of 2004, Klinsmann was named manager of the German National Team. He guided Germany to a 20-8-6 record and a third place finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, earning him Coach of the Year honors in Germany. Despite stepping aside as Germany’s manager after the World Cup, he left a foundation for ongoing success, including the core of the German National Team coaching staff and players.

Two years later, Klinsmann took over the head coaching position at Bayern Munich. Under his guidance, Bayern reached the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League, losing to eventual champion Barcelona. Overall, his record with Bayern from 2008-09 in all competitions was 25-9-9.

After the match against Mexico, the U.S. will play a pair of friendlies in September, hosting Costa Rica on Sept. 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., before traveling to face Belgium on Sept. 6 in Brussels. Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the National Training Center is set for 8 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Galavision. Four days later, coverage from King Badouin Stadium begins at 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN Classic and ESPN3.com. Fans can follow both matches live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

DT - Do you know what changes to overhaul the developmental system Klinsmann wanted to make in 06?

I don't recall off the top of my head the exact nature of them, no.

Are you asking because you don't recall either, or is this a setup-question?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

ussoccer.com confirms it's Klinsmann:

DOUBLE HALLELUJAH!!!!!

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!

Here's hoping he can do what we all seem to believe that he can do...

[Coffee Warlord]

Helllllll yes. This will either rock, or be a spectacular failure.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I don't recall off the top of my head the exact nature of them, no.

Are you asking because you don't recall either, or is this a setup-question?

I'm just starting to really follow soccer so in 2006 I didn't even know who Klinsmann was. Just curious what the issues were that he had.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

I'm just starting to really follow soccer so in 2006 I didn't even know who Klinsmann was. Just curious what the issues were that he had.

Cool. I don't recall what they were now, and I have a fuckton of work to do today, but I'll look around tonight and see what I can find.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Helllllll yes. This will either rock, or be a spectacular failure.

If it's a success I will cry tears of joy.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Icy

I'm an ignorant about USA soccer but I don't think he did bad at all with a team from a country with little men's soccer tradition, with most of the best players playing outside USA making it harder to scout them, etc. So why all the critics?

They stagnated over the last year or two, and weren't trying to develop the young players very much.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

If it's a success I will cry tears of joy.

He's one of the few coaches I honestly believe, if they give him full control, can make the US relevant in world soccer. Not dominant, but on par with more of Europe.

[whomario]

re : Michael Bradley : I honestly never saw that problem, imo the guy was among the best NT players for the US for a couple years now and i couldn´t find a single friend of mine (from germany) who disagreed on my take there.
Imo it´s much more a case of people seeing him more critically than justified because of his father than his father giving him more leeway.

On Klinsmann :

They need to give him the keys and just let him work how he wants or it won´t work at all. He isn´t a great coach per se (don´t stone me, read along. He simply isn´t a coach really) but he´s a great manager of talent and has a vision for how to play and has worked hard to accumulare knowledge on youth development and practice theories. But he´s had help as the german NT coach (in form of current successfull NT coach Löw)
He will likely bring in a couple guys to help him out i guess, be interesting who is available.

Klinsmann took a clinically dead german NT (the 2002 WC was a total fluke result that was the perfect storm of circumstances that let the "good german qualities" shine one last time) and made them a great feel-good story that had a great WC under difficult circumstances (home WCs do give you an edge, but the climate in germany was brutal between 2004 and 2006, very little support and a lot of "oh please, don´t suck again" from fans, tons of media scrutiny) and with unorthodox methods. He was the one that laid the fgroundwork for the german NT today. without him we are still a has-been.
He also made several key changes to the setup of the youth NTs and youth development. This wasn´t just him (started after the 00 EC), but he played a big part here.

On the pitch, he made them play way more modern than before (germany was among the last teams to play 3 at the back f.e.) with quicker passing, more active yet structured defense (less fouls, more won balls) and brought in young players and trusted them in key roles.
Also wasn´t stubborn when things didn´t work (f.e. he brought Ballack back to the defensive midfield to play with 2 DMs right before the WC after a heavy loss to Italy among other indicators)

Butlike i said: A big part of all that was also then-assistant Joachim Löw, mostly all tactical designs were created by him as well as a lot of the practice drills. It was set up that way from the start, Klinsmann was the manager but Löw was effectively the coach.

Klinsmann really hasn´t coached much beside those 2 years (he flamed out within his first season at Bayern aftwerwards, although i don´t think he was to blame solely there).

He is however definitely a guy who has great ideas and thinks outside the box (he implented a ton of practice methods from other sports) and seemed to have a great relationship with the team yet still made courageous roster decicions !

Will be very interesting to see what sort of team he brings along with him.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

I'm just starting to really follow soccer so in 2006 I didn't even know who Klinsmann was. Just curious what the issues were that he had.

IIRC Klinsmann wanted to make some significant changes (though I don't know the specific changes he wanted) to how the youth teams (U-17, U-20, etc.) and the development academy in Florida were run. USSF president Gulati didn't want to give him that much control over the program so Klinsmann declined the job offer and Bradley was given another contract.

I think Bradley actually did okay with the talent he had to work with. Three Gold Cup finals and one win, runners up in the Confederations Cup, and making it to the knockout round of the World Cup is not bad at all. But the way the team has lost some of these big games has been painful. Blowing a 2-0 lead to Brazil, blowing a 2-0 to Mexico, getting murdered 5-0 in the 2009 Gold Cup Final, getting the selection wrong in the Ghana game, etc. Considering this and the generally accepted thought that having the same manager for two World Cup cycles is not a good recipe for success, it was probably a good call to change managers imo.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by The Jackal

Happy to be moving on. Klinsmann is who USA soccer wanted when they hired Bradley, so now there are no excuses!

This is where I am when it comes to the USMNT. To many, we are a sleeping giant just waiting to, as someone said earlier in this thread, "be on par with more of Europe." We just needed to get rid of Bradley. Well Bradley's gone, so U.S. Soccer no longer has any excuses in my book. Expectations have been raised for the entire system.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

This is where I am when it comes to the USMNT. To many, we are a sleeping giant just waiting to, as someone said earlier in this thread, "be on par with more of Europe." We just needed to get rid of Bradley. Well Bradley's gone, so U.S. Soccer no longer has any excuses in my book. Expectations have been raised for the entire system.

For the most part, my feeling is if they don't do something special under him, then nobody will ever get USA soccer over the hump.

[Blade6119]

I disagree entirely, I think the whole point of this hire is what he brings to our future as a nation and our soccer identity. There is nothing he can do to change our pool of talent right now, and this is not a pool with the talent to challenge the top teams. That is a fact, nothing changing a coach can hide. But Klins brings two critical factors to the forefront, an idea that youth is key(and a willingness to trust it) and a passion for attacking soccer. In my mind, if this hire is a success, we will start bearing fruits from it in 10 years. No doubt he will be judged(unfairly) on results in the short term before he is able to put his stamp on the team. But this hire excites me for what changes we may see with the U-20 squads or his collaboration with Reyna to overhaul youth development in this country.

[MrBug708]

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

I disagree entirely, I think the whole point of this hire is what he brings to our future as a nation and our soccer identity. There is nothing he can do to change our pool of talent right now, and this is not a pool with the talent to challenge the top teams. That is a fact, nothing changing a coach can hide. But Klins brings two critical factors to the forefront, an idea that youth is key(and a willingness to trust it) and a passion for attacking soccer. In my mind, if this hire is a success, we will start bearing fruits from it in 10 years. No doubt he will be judged(unfairly) on results in the short term before he is able to put his stamp on the team. But this hire excites me for what changes we may see with the U-20 squads or his collaboration with Reyna to overhaul youth development in this country.

To me, what you are saying is that Klinsmann is actually a de facto replacement for Sunil Gulati which if that the case is a good thing. But if US Soccer is going to continue to manage US soccer as they did with Bradley, then Klinsmann should be held to the same standard as Bradley.

[whomario]

ridiculous goal by Neymar this week :



wowzers

[MIJB#19]

The FIFA World Cup 2014 preliminairy rounds draw is ongoing.

It appears to be an easy draw for Team USA, as they need to finish top two in a group with Jamaica, group winner of: Grenada, Guatemala, St. Vincent & Grenadines and Belize, and group winner of Haiti, Antigua & Barbuda, Curacao and US Virgin Islands. The top two will go into a six-team round robin for the real tickets.

Mexico could be in for a challenge, with Costa Rica and most likely El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago. The other third round group consists of seeds Honduras and Cuba, and most likely Canada and Panama.

[MIJB#19]

Alright, Spain vs France in the world cup qualifiers.

[whomario]

some of this qualifiying modes are damn confusing, as a Euro i´m glad we still do it as easy as we do (there´s also been people asking for preliminary rounds for the weaker teams).

For germany it could have been better but also worse. Actually it´s propably as good/easy as it gets. Again getting Austria and Kazakhstan (have them in the current Euro qualifiers allready), personally i´d like to go see the game on the Faroe Islands if possible (simply as i´ve wanted to go there for a while)

GROUP A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia,Wales
GROUP B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta
GROUP C: Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan
GROUP D: Holland, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra
GROUP E: Norway,Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland
GROUP F: Portugal,Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland,Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
GROUP G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Liechtenstein
GROUP H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
GROUP I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland

[MrBug708]

Martin Vazquez to be the assistant of USMNT?

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

IIRC Klinsmann wanted to make some significant changes (though I don't know the specific changes he wanted) to how the youth teams (U-17, U-20, etc.) and the development academy in Florida were run. USSF president Gulati didn't want to give him that much control over the program so Klinsmann declined the job offer and Bradley was given another contract.

I think Bradley actually did okay with the talent he had to work with. Three Gold Cup finals and one win, runners up in the Confederations Cup, and making it to the knockout round of the World Cup is not bad at all. But the way the team has lost some of these big games has been painful. Blowing a 2-0 lead to Brazil, blowing a 2-0 to Mexico, getting murdered 5-0 in the 2009 Gold Cup Final, getting the selection wrong in the Ghana game, etc. Considering this and the generally accepted thought that having the same manager for two World Cup cycles is not a good recipe for success, it was probably a good call to change managers imo.

Basically the change that needs to be made is less a focus on games and more a focus on developing technical skills and the capability to improvise. I forget who wrote the article, but a few years ago someone did an analysis on the youth system in the US and noted that players basically spend the majority of their time playing matches during their youth development. Which is the exact opposite of how it works in a country like France, where the majority of time is spent practicing.

I think Klinsmann is aware of this issue based on the comments he's made previously. With his track record, he's the perfect guy to overall the system. I think that's the biggest value he adds. He will need to bring in some game coaches to help with the actual management of the preperation and in-game decisions. If he walks away having overhauled the US training system so we start producing players whose technical capabilities and decision making match their athleticism, I think his term will have been a success.

[Icy]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Alright, Spain vs France in the world cup qualifiers.

Ouch, will be tough for sure.

[sovereignstar v2]

Did everyone see this one yet from the Thai Premier League?

[DaddyTorgo]

Chivas up 2-1 on Barca. Couple of beautiful goals by Chivas.

[Big Fo]

Toronto and Dallas have already advanced from the preliminary stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. Seattle and San Francisco (Panama) are about to go into extra time with the score 1-1 on aggregate. If Seattle wins then MLS would have five of the 16 teams in the group stage.

This has been a pretty good game too, San Francisco's goalkeeper is having quite a game to keep them in it.

[DeToxRox]

Roster for Mexico game on Aug 10th

ussoccer U.S. SOCCER
#USMNT Roster: GK - Howard, Hamid; D-Bocanegra, Castillo, Chandler, Cherundolo, Goodson, Orozco Fiscal, Pearce, Ream...

ussoccer U.S. SOCCER
#USMNT Roster, Pt. 2: MF- Beckerman, Bradley, Clark, Edu, Jones, Shea, Torres; F- Adu, Agudelo, Beasley, Buddle, Donovan

[DaddyTorgo]

No Gooch. Nice to see. Orozco Fiscal!??!?! Dunno who he is, but that's always nice to see (expanding the player pool). Good to see Torres get a call too.

But why didn't Jurgi magically conjure us a ST? You mean he doesn't have that power!??!! I was robbed...I want my money back!!!

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

No Gooch. Nice to see. Orozco Fiscal!??!?! Dunno who he is, but that's always nice to see (expanding the player pool). Good to see Torres get a call too.

But why didn't Jurgi magically conjure us a ST? You mean he doesn't have that power!??!! I was robbed...I want my money back!!!

Orozco has played for the US before, not really expanding the pool. I remember him looking pretty decent in Beijing, but he hasn't really done much.

I think we'll learn in a few years that Bradley Jr. is really Klinsmann son, and the nepotism haters won't know what to think.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Orozco has played for the US before, not really expanding the pool. I remember him looking pretty decent in Beijing, but he hasn't really done much.

I think we'll learn in a few years that Bradley Jr. is really Klinsmann son, and the nepotism haters won't know what to think.

Really? The name doesn't ring a bell - are you talking at the U-23 level though then?

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Really? The name doesn't ring a bell - are you talking at the U-23 level though then?

He is kind of, he played 1 senior game and a few u-23s:

Professional

Orozco Fiscal made his professional debut for San Luis during the Apertura 2006 tournament, when he entered as a second-half substitute against Tigres UANL, but was sent off after just two minutes.[1] He has played 55 league matches for the club through August 2008.

In January 2010, Orozco Fiscal left San Luis to join MLS side Philadelphia Union on loan. After one season, Philadelphia decided not to exercise its purchase option on Orozco Fiscal and he returned to San Luis.[2]
[edit] International

Orozco Fiscal was called into numerous American U-23 camps in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[3] He helped the U-23 national team to qualify for the 2008 Olympics with stellar performance on defense; he was included in the Best XI of the 2008 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualification All-Tournament Team.[4] On July 17, 2008, Orozco Fiscal was named to the U.S. team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Orozco Fiscal started all three games for the U.S., but received a red card in the third minute of U.S.'s 2-1 loss to Nigeria in the final group game for throwing an intentional elbow to the chest of Solomon Okoronkwo.[5]

On August 28, 2008, Orozco Fiscal was called up to his first full national team camp, in preparation for the United States' qualifiers against Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago.

[BishopMVP]

I don't know where the surname Fiscal came from - whenever he played on youth teams he was known as simply Michael Orozco.

[RainMaker]

Great to see Chandler on the squad. From what I've read, he was voted the 4th best Fullback in Germany. Have to imagine he'll help the team out moving forward.

Also, any chance of Brek Shea playing? I keep hearing he's got great potential and has been solid in the MLS. Sort of interested in seeing him get some time with the team as he could be a factor in 2014.

[whomario]

It´s propably that he had the 4th highest average rating in the major german soccer paper (Kicker), but i can´t check right now. By all acounts he had a great run though, hope he can sustain it as i´ve grown fond of his club due to living relatively close and getting to see a couple games per year.

Brek Shea was a legend for me in one of the former FM versions if i recall correctly, glad to see he´s not just a mythological figure now (like other former FM great wonderkids)

German Bundesliga is about to start this weekend, tonight defending champion (and awesomnest team ever ) Borussia Dortmund will start at home againsg Hamburger SV who have undergone a complete rebuild. Game starts at 20,30 in Dortmund, which should be 2.30 pm eastern time if anyone wants to look for a stream (there should be lots, since like a million TV stations are broadcasting, also GolTV which aparently is broadcasting in the US)

Dunno if anyone is interested, but bare with me as i try to hold in my excitement until tonight
Last years shooting star Shinji Kagawa is back (was injured the 2nd half of the season) and allready looked awesome in the preseason matches as is captain Sebastian Kehl (who has been injured for the majority of 2 seasons now). Lucas Barios returned from the Copa with a muscle injury and is out 5 weeks, Marcel Schmelzer also out still ...
They lost Nuri Sahin to Real Madrid, but added a couple promising players :

-Ivan Perisic : 22 year old versatile attacking midfielder that reminds me of a young Michael Ballack (long and lanky with good technique and a nose for the goal)
- Ilkay Gündogan : 20 year old central midfielder who came from Nuremberg and is the replacement for Sahin although he´s a different sort of player. Just got nominated for the German national team to face brazil next week.
- Moritz Leitner : 18 year old midfielder who´s been great in preseason and was great in the 2nd league last year.
- Chris Löwe : 22 year old left defender who came as a total unknown (from a 4th league team, not even has a wikipedia page ) but looked great in preseason filling in for the injured Schmelzer.


Bayern Munich had the biggest transfers this offseason, adding german NT keeper Manuel Neuer, brazilian right back Rafinha (Genua, formerly german club Schalke), Jerome Boateng and also promising striker Nils Petersen who scored 25 last year in the 2nd league.
Miroslav Klose left the club.
They are the big favourites as every year.

[Big Fo]

When it comes to the Bundesliga I've always been in the Anyone But Bayern camp so it'd be cool if Dortmund could make a stronger title defense than the last two non-Bayern winners.

I came across this yesterday, one of those meme pic things in the mold of Bachelor Frog, Socially Awkward Penguin, Courage Wolf, etc. This one is US Soccer Fan Problems and some of them are pretty funny:

SOCCER PROBLEMS: Archive

[sovereignstar v2]

This is how you celebrate winning the Super Cup, hosted in Beijing this year, according to Pato.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

This is how you celebrate winning the Super Cup, hosted in Beijing this year, according to Pato.

He's just trying to stop the tears of joy at winning such a major competition. Give the guy a break.

[whomario]

Dortmund with an easy 3:1 win over an overmatched oponent, you´ve got to try and watch them if you can (maybe once the CL comes around ).



couldn´t find a extended video, a couple of their non-scoring moves were even better The reporter at the 2nd goal might not sound enthustiastic, but it translates to a shocked "oh my god" which sounds about right if the guy that was considered the weak link (Lewandowski filling in for Barios) makes an assist like that

Götze and Kagawa are just straight awesome, what they do with the ball is mindblowing at times. If Götze keeps his head on straight (no danger here from what i know) and stays healthy then there´s no limit for him. Easy to forget he´s barely 19 if you see with what compsure and calm he plays ... Hope he finally gets his first start with the national team against Brazil next Wednesday.
Plus Hummels imo isn´t far from reaching Pique´s level with a similar style, only that he plays even more ridiculous "killer balls" for a central defender.

[JPhillips]

Is that the German spelling of goatse?

[Big Fo]

Nice to see Jozy Altidore scoring in is first league game for AZ. They beat PSV 3-1.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Nice to see Jozy Altidore scoring in is first league game for AZ. They beat PSV 3-1.

Hah, you beat me to it.

[whomario]

Jermaine Jones made a surprise start for Schalke btw (but wasn´t very good in a 0-3 loss) and Chandler´s team won their opening match.

Also, everytime Balotelli is shown he does sth stupid, doesn´t he ? What a weird guy ...

De Gea having a rough game ...