Soccer Thread 2013-14

[MrBug708]

Klingy got tossed...

One of us! One of us!

[Vince, Pt. II]

What'd he get booted for? Does that mean he's ineligible for the sidelines for the championship match?

[MrBug708]

As of now, yes. I suspect that he might get a reprieve.

He got tossed for arguing/saying something to the ref. It was after Beasley nearly got decleted and then knocked to the ground by a second player. No card for either Hondoran player, both of which didnt bother playing the ball

[MrBug708]

Costa Rican ref getting revenge for Denver

[SirFozzie]

Grant Wahl ‏@GrantWahl 8m
Confirmed: Jurgen Klinsmann suspended for Gold Cup final after being sent off.

[cartman]

This place is about to turn into Azteca Norte


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[SirFozzie]

Now CONCACAF Press Officer is saying that they'll decide on Klinsmann in 24-48 hours.

And hopefully not to jinx it, Panama leads Mexico (again).. Hope it keeps up!

[bulletsponge]

panama 2-1!

[sovereignstar v2]

[kingfc22]

Bring on Panama!

[SirFozzie]

The sad thing is that it means El Chepo will be fired and Gus Hiddink will probably be brought in, which will boost El Tri..

[cartman]

I'm wore out this morning, but it was worth it. Awesome experience at Cowboys Stadium last night. It was probably 60% Mexican, 30% American, 7.5% Honduran and 2.5% Panamanian fans.

[GoldenEagle]

Kilnssman apparently spiked the ball, which is a big no-no.

I would be surprised if he coaches the final.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

The sad thing is that it means El Chepo will be fired and Gus Hiddink will probably be brought in, which will boost El Tri..

Guus has been quoted of being on a break for several weeks before looking at his future. Quite frankly his departure from FC Anzhi has to be the most mysterious decision in his coaching career. As an added bonus, wherever he goes, he'll arrive with a 6-match ban.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Grover

Arsenal have reportedly bid £40,000,001 for Luis Suarez.
Quote Liverpool owner John Henry "What do you think they're smoking over at Emirates."
If I'm Henry, I bite their hands off and invest in players who fit Rodgers' philosophy immediately.

Yes and no - much as Suarez is dodgy in character at times (not sure how much is 'media' and how much is real so won't get into that) .... he's also a sublime talent, there are only so many such players in the world which is why they command such high prices and are suffered by coaches when more disciplined and professional players are available.

The other issue you have is that he's currently the 'talisman' for Liverpool, if you sell him then how do you attract other high profile names to the club, what ambition are you showing to them that they might lift trophies etc. ...

[MIJB#19]

Now that was a short European adventure for FC Utrecht... 2-1 loss on the road, 3-3 draw at home... Against Luxembourg's FC Differdange.

[britrock88]

Hmm. Checking this thread intermittently leads me to think... could this thread be separated into a club soccer and an international soccer thread?

[MrBug708]

Great article on Landyshades

Landon Donovan and the Gold Cup - Grantland

Also I never knew about this

DONOVAN'S GRIEF* 2005 repost: U.S. star remembers tragic collision in T&T

[MrBug708]

It also looks like John Anthony Brooks is getting called up to the USMNT for a friendly vs Bosnia. Won't cap-tie him, but hopefully he works out because our central defense could use the talent influx down the line

[GoldenEagle]

Klinsmannn out for the final.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Now that was a short European adventure for FC Utrecht... 2-1 loss on the road, 3-3 draw at home... Against Luxembourg's FC Differdange.

Losing to the amateurs, ouch!

[sovereignstar v2]

Real Madrid have bid 86 million pounds for Gareth Bale. Methinks Daniel Levy is nuts if he doesn't accept.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

Real Madrid have bid 86 million pounds for Gareth Bale. Methinks Daniel Levy is nuts if he doesn't accept.

Depends on how much being in Champions League would be worth.

[sovereignstar v2]

Eh. They'd be just as likely to make the Top 4 if they took the dosh and made some good buys.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar v2

Real Madrid have bid 86 million pounds for Gareth Bale. Methinks Daniel Levy is nuts if he doesn't accept.

All rumour and innuendo I expect - he's a very good player, but I'd be amazed if a bid lands for that ..

[Grover]

Who is reporting this? Marca? The Sun?

[whomario]

quick Bundesliga update:

Bayern might not be unbeatable this season. Will sure as hell win the Bundesliga, but might not be 1:1 odds favourite to win all 3 big competitions (league, cup, Champions eague) afterall.

Sure they missed a few key players (Neuer, Götze, Martinez, Ribery, with Schweinsteiger not yet at 100%) but so did Dortmund (Pisczek, Mkhitaryan) and main thing to take away from the game is that Guardiola might be trying too hard to change things up. Considering Bayern was the world´s best team last year, a more moderate aproach might be wise, instead he basically play with just 1 defensive midfielder (and aparently favours his protege Thiago there, who isn´t even defensive minded and awfully inexperienced at the highest level) and no striker (Gomez is gone to Fiorentina, Mandzukic played yesterday, but on the left wing).
Talent level is still absolutely insane. A guy like Gustavo (who played great for Brazil at the confed cup) will likely still be sold due to not having a chance. In the end, their bench 11 would propably still be a Top3 team in the league.


Dortmund won 4:2 btw and as a sidenote: Lewandowski (who many report to have an agreement to go to Bayern in 2014 for free and who was reported to be mad as hell) looked good on the pitch as well as interacting with his teammates.

As for the state of things at Dortmund:

the new guys all looked good so far. Still think they should have kept 1 of Leitner/Bittencourt for depth and would have liked to get another defender and another midfielder, but still a decent offseason. Aparently got the guy they wanted all along (Rodgers of Liverpool said they wanted Mkhitaryan and got told by his camp the deal was done way before it was announced), got a multi-use high quality backup defensively in Sokratis and also a bonus in Aubameyang.

Since many non-FM players likely know little about the 2 new offensive players, the short notes:

Mkhitaryan(or Miki, as he shall henceforth be known ) looked amazing in the first prep games, fitting in very well in the 10 slot. Worked hard against the ball, clever passing, fast, finding the open space to score himself. Basically a better passing version of Reus.

Aubameyang on the other hand might be the fastest soccer player on the planet. Seriously, the guy lookd like Usain Bolt out there. Thankfully he also actually knows a thing or 2 about making use of this gift. Does a good job at lulling in the defense before attacking the space behind them, allways has his head up for the better standing player when breaking through, decent technique.

[MrBug708]

[Karlifornia]

Greetings from TigerDroppings, Bug.

[cartman]

Panama looks content to try to wait for penalties.

[cartman]

GOAL!!!!!!!!!!! Brek Shea steals a goal from Donovan, right after coming on

[cartman]

How on Earth did EJ miss that?

[cartman]

WOOT! 1-0, USA

Now time to concentrate on next summer in Brazil.

[SirFozzie]

ugly win, but a win is a win.

Good thing is now we have at least a playoff for the 2017 Confederations Cup (2013 and 2015 winners playoff for the 2017 birth)

[MizzouRah]

YES!!!

[MrBug708]

That's gotta be Stu's career

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

That's gotta be Stu's career

Didn't watch the game yet cuz I was on a plane - what happened?

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Didn't watch the game yet cuz I was on a plane - what happened?

All I read was sprained knee, but expected to be much worse.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

All I read was sprained knee, but expected to be much worse.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

All I read was sprained knee, but expected to be much worse.

Yep, this might be it. Such a shame.

Stuart Holden has torn right ACL - ESPN FC

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Yep, this might be it. Such a shame.

Stuart Holden has torn right ACL - ESPN FC

FML - I <3 Holden, but man...the guy must have like brittle bone syndrome or something.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

FML - I <3 Holden, but man...the guy must have like brittle bone syndrome or something.

I can't believe he tore his ACL on that. It just wasn't the type of play you see those kinds of injuries.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

FML - I <3 Holden, but man...the guy must have like brittle bone syndrome or something.

{trollface} Hey dipshit, he didn't tear a bone! Idiot.{/trollface}

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

{trollface} Hey dipshit, he didn't tear a bone! Idiot.{/trollface}

Right - hence "or something."

Frustrated with all the injuries the poor guy has had. Derailed a great potential career.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

{trollface} Hey dipshit, he didn't tear a bone! Idiot.{/trollface}

lulz.

[GoldenEagle]

The only positive thing you can take away from this is that it is not the knee he has had two previous surgeries on.

But another year lost is bad. He had so much potential. That Johnny Evans tackle really f'ed him up.

And I think there will be some backlash on Klinsi for this one. Playing him for 90 minutes on the concrete in Dallas couldn't have been good for him, although I doubt it directly contributed to the injury.

[RainMaker]

Guy can't catch a break.

[sovereignstar v2]

The last details are starting to emerge about the NBC Universal/EPL contract. Dish Network is now confirmed to be offering both 'Premier League Extra Time' and 'NBC Sports Live Extra' to subscribers of the Top 250 package. Premier League Extra Time will give you the ability to watch matches with the same kickoff time by using overflow channels. Henceforth, you will be able to catch every single EPL match live if you so choose. NBC Sports Live Extra, from what I understand, allows you to stream every single match to your PC/phone/tablet and perhaps "replay" them.

I am super stoked for the season to begin. Fox Sports and Gus Johnson are getting blown out of the water and it's great to see it beginning to unfold.

[MrBug708]

Aron Jóhannsson has declared for the USMNT

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Yes and no - much as Suarez is dodgy in character at times (not sure how much is 'media' and how much is real so won't get into that) .... he's also a sublime talent, there are only so many such players in the world which is why they command such high prices and are suffered by coaches when more disciplined and professional players are available.

The other issue you have is that he's currently the 'talisman' for Liverpool, if you sell him then how do you attract other high profile names to the club, what ambition are you showing to them that they mft trophies etc. ...

This is just bizarre. As an Arsenal fan, I've obviously been dreaming of guying a superstar for a long time. We buy players, but usually only because we are forced to do so or things are going so far south we have no choice. (Love Arteta and Mertesacker, but if we don't get thrashed 8-2 at Old Trafford, I'm not sure they would have been here)

So finally, we are going to go after a star. . . and it's this guy. Seriously, a diver, a biter, an instigator who will use racial remarks if it means trying to get in someones head. A guy who I despise everything about.

I see why we want him. The front line becomes frightening if he's in it. With him lying behind the big fella and Cazorla and Walcott on the wings, that group becomes pretty damned potent up front. Hell, we'd even actually have something called depth at a position. (holy crap, I can't believe I just wrote that)

But still, it's this guy? ugh.

They need another DC pretty badly. Probably another MC/DMC type guy as well.

I just hope we haven't laid all the eggs in the Suarez basket. As great as he is, that would be a stupid mistake.