Soccer Thread 2008-09 {R}

[Chief Rum]

All right, everyone, started a new thread, since we're well into the offseason of the new European soccer season, and we're past the Euro. And I started it in the Soccer forum (even if it's a soccer text sim forum ).

Well, my Boro haven't made any splashes, but what they have done, I am encouraged by. There is a move toward matching the already strong youth on the team with youthful imports, so the team can grow and play together. I think this is a good move, with as strong as Boro's youth academy is, one of the best in England.

Southgate has said he is gearing the team toward youth, enthusiasm and pace, so at the very least, that oughta shake it up a bit and have this team be a more exciting watch.

We added France U-21 Didier Digard, a holding mid from Paris-StG, and Sparta Rotterdam attacking mid Marvin Emnes (MIJB, know you anything about him?). They both look like young and fast players.

We let Schwarzer go, and seem to be going with are backups (Turnbull and Jones) in net, which is fine. They are products of the same academy and have been waiting for Schwarzer to move, so good to see them get a shot.

Rochambeck and Mendieta are gone, too, and Boateng is about to go. Everyone wants Mido to go (doesn't look like it will happen, though).

So we'll have an attack that features Alves, Downing, Tuncay, Johnson, O'Niel and Emnes, and maybe Aliadiere will finally put it together. Pogatetz is our new captain, with Huth, England U-21 Wheater, McMahon and Didier in defensive roles. It might seem like a step back with respect to "names", but I think it's actually a significant step forward with talent, except perhaps in net, and now with Alves getting a training camp with the boys, and all it needs is execution and a little better health than we have been getting to stay clear of the drop.

[law90026]

And i'm somewhat depressed by the state of affairs at Arsenal.

In: Samri Nasir, Aaron Ramsey
Out: Mattheau Flamini
Probably out: Adebayor, Hleb

It just looks like another season of struggling to hold on to our better players and being unable to build on an unexpectedly surprising season last year. Just once, I would like to see Wenger take a risk and splash out on a couple of "name" players, especially if Adebayor and Hleb leave for around 30-40 million pounds collectively.

But no, he comes out in an interview to say that he is concerned doing so might affect the development of the younger players. Sigh...

[SirFozzie]

Revs beating Santos 1-0 (and up a man after a first half elbow that earned a red)

[SirFozzie]

Can we consider ESPN360: The Fourth Soccer Network?

Well, probably not, but they definitely have a lot over the next month (I'm looking at the schedule, and I'm seeing J-League, Chinese, Russian Premier League, the Beach Soccer World Cup, the Rotterdam Tournament (Featuring Celtic, Tottenham, Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund), and the (Emirates Cup featuring Arsenal et al)

Just looking at the games for the next month, there's a ton of different leagues, and even the U-19 Euro Championships:

The schedule that they have up right now, looks like they're going to air at least 9 games from the U-19 Euros:

7/14 @ 11:25 AM Czech Republic vs England
7/14 @ 1:25 PM Germany vs Spain

7/17 @ 11:55 Spain v Hungary
7/17 @ 2:25 PM Germany V Bulgaria

7/20 @ 11:55 AM Italy v Czech Republic
7/20 @ 1:55 PM Hungary vs Germany

7/23 @ 11:25 AM Semifinal Game 1
7/23 @ 2:00 PM Semifinal 2

7/26 @ 12:55 Euro U-19 Championship Game

Note: If you're unable to watch the games live, ESPN 360 allows you to watch via Replay. Of course, you have to subscribe to the service. (or more accurately, your ISP has to have it). I know Verizon FIOS does (that's who I have). Not sure who else has it, but I'm hoping it continues to grow.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by law90026

And i'm somewhat depressed by the state of affairs at Arsenal.

In: Samri Nasir, Aaron Ramsey
Out: Mattheau Flamini
Probably out: Adebayor, Hleb

It just looks like another season of struggling to hold on to our better players and being unable to build on an unexpectedly surprising season last year. Just once, I would like to see Wenger take a risk and splash out on a couple of "name" players, especially if Adebayor and Hleb leave for around 30-40 million pounds collectively.

But no, he comes out in an interview to say that he is concerned doing so might affect the development of the younger players. Sigh...

i do not see how it is "another season of struggling to hold on to our better players" when this is really the first time that there has been a major exodus against mr. wenger's wish. the only two players who have really left previously when mr. wenger has not been willing or ready to let them go has been anelka and cole.

even ignoring that, if/when hleb and adebayor leave, i fully expect mr. wenger to buy a replacement for them. in much the same manner as he did with buying eduardo to replace henry when he was sold. and i would prefer that they do leave, given the lack of class they have shown. we do not need anyone who does not wish to be with us.

thus far, i am perfectly satisfied with the summer. the only thing that would make me happier would be for adebayor, hleb, gallas and eboue to find new addresses and 3 players of the sagna/eduardo brought in - a striker especially if barazite does spend a year on loan, an attacking midfielder who can play out wide right and a defender who is able to play left back at the premiership level. if gilberto silva also leaves, i would like an extra defensive-minded midfielder.

[law90026]

Originally Posted by daedalus

i do not see how it is "another season of struggling to hold on to our better players" when this is really the first time that there has been a major exodus against mr. wenger's wish. the only two players who have really left previously when mr. wenger has not been willing or ready to let them go has been anelka and cole.

See transfer saga of Viera and Henry. While they might not have left, it's hard to argue that they didn't perform at their best the season after the rumours started.

Put it another way, there is no way Hleb or Adebayor can play as well as last year and they are leaving now, it's just a question of when. And that hurts because these are good players (albeit with their own flaws) and the club should be building on to last season's success instead of having to find new players to replace them again.

even ignoring that, if/when hleb and adebayor leave, i fully expect mr. wenger to buy a replacement for them. in much the same manner as he did with buying eduardo to replace henry when he was sold. and i would prefer that they do leave, given the lack of class they have shown. we do not need anyone who does not wish to be with us.

I have my reservations about AW's transfer policy to be honest. I think he's caught in the past when transfer fees were somewhat reasonable. Unfortunately things have moved on since and he doesn't want to pay what the current market insists is the going rate for top notch players. I don't disagree that Adebayor and Hleb should go because of the way they have handled the situation but, at the same time, I don't think Arsenal handled the matter very well either.

Let's take Adebayor for example: the rumour was that we wanted to sell for 36 million. Now it appears that figure is far-fetched and the likely price will be around 22 or so million pounds. It makes the club weak or appear to be weak.

thus far, i am perfectly satisfied with the summer. the only thing that would make me happier would be for adebayor, hleb, gallas and eboue to find new addresses and 3 players of the sagna/eduardo brought in - a striker especially if barazite does spend a year on loan, an attacking midfielder who can play out wide right and a defender who is able to play left back at the premiership level. if gilberto silva also leaves, i would like an extra defensive-minded midfielder.

And here's the other concern I have with Wenger's transfer policy (I hope he proves me wrong!). He doesn't necessarily buy to replace, because he has faith in his youngsters. This coupled with his failure to keep his word (he had promised replacements within before Euro 2008) and the suggestion that Arsenal has to sell every year (the interview Wenger gave which, to date, has not been rebutted by anyone) suggests there are perhaps fundamental problems behind the scenes right now. I don't see Wenger buying another 4 players .. it's just not his way and I just hope that the players we have coming back (Vela, RvP, Rosicky) will be sufficient.

Now if he would go out and buy Aguero and Barry, I would be a happy man

[SirFozzie]

From the folder marked.. "Only in MLS..."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution has announced that defender Chase Hilgenbrinck has decided to leave the club and retire from soccer to enter a Catholic seminary in Maryland to prepare for a new career in the ministry.

Hilgenbrinck, 26, signed with the Revolution on March 28, 2008 following a four-year career in Chile. He made four appearances in MLS first-team matches, including one start. A native of Bloomington, Ill., he also started the Revs' two U.S. Open Cup victories this month. Additionally, he started all six of the reserve team's games for which he was available, captaining the team twice.

"We understand Chase's decision to retire from soccer and pursue his mission of helping others and we support his desire to make this change in his life." Revolution Vice President of Player Personnel Michael Burns said. "We wish Chase the best and thank him for the service and leadership he provided in his brief tenure with us."

"After years of discernment, I feel strongly that the Lord has called me to become a priest in the Catholic Church," Hilgenbrinck said. "Playing professional soccer has been my passion for a long time and I feel blessed to have successfully lived out this dream. My passion now is to do the will of God, which is wanting only what He wants for me. Though I will miss the game of soccer, I know that I am moving on to something much greater."

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by law90026

See transfer saga of Viera and Henry. While they might not have left, it's hard to argue that they didn't perform at their best the season after the rumours started.

you have good players and teams will come sniffing. it is happening now with chelsea (lampard), manchester united (c.ronaldo) and milan (kaka). the teams i have seen the least problems of this type with are real madrid and barcelona.

henry had rumours basically every year. he happened to have been injured in his last year as they intensified. he is now struggling with injuries at barcelona (although he supposedly led them in goal regardless, at least as far as what somebody on BS said, i have not check since i do not follow them) and apparently has said that he will probably struggle with that injury for the remainder of his career.

vieira also had rumours basically every year. his hard playing style finally caught up with him in his last year with the gunners and his body began breaking down. there are those who have suggested that domenech may have made a mistake to start him in the euro as he still continues to struggle to regain fitness.

Originally Posted by law90026

Put it another way, there is no way Hleb or Adebayor can play as well as last year and they are leaving now, it's just a question of when. And that hurts because these are good players (albeit with their own flaws) and the club should be building on to last season's success instead of having to find new players to replace them again.

let us be honest, adebayor played his left nuts off last year. even IF these rumours and situations had never developed, he was never ever likely to repeat it. think of it like mike gallego's 1993 where he hit .283 and slugged above .400.

i am of the opinion that hleb is underappreciated for his tracking back and linking up with cesc (providing an outlet for his passes) but, really, he was never actually terribly productive. early last season, when he got to play behind adebayor, he was actually lively in the attack. but, beyond that, he was not terribly productive.

while it would be nice to keep the same group of players around to build around, getting rid of players who do not want to be around does not hurt my feeling in any way, shape or form.

Originally Posted by law90026

I have my reservations about AW's transfer policy to be honest. I think he's caught in the past when transfer fees were somewhat reasonable. Unfortunately things have moved on since and he doesn't want to pay what the current market insists is the going rate for top notch players.

or . . . as mac (i believe that was who said it) put it, he prefers young players he can mould to play his football. arrogant? sure. has he earned the right to do that? i am of the opinion that he has.

Originally Posted by law90026

I don't disagree that Adebayor and Hleb should go because of the way they have handled the situation but, at the same time, I don't think Arsenal handled the matter very well either.

in what sense? how should they have handled what better? i am confused by this statement.

Originally Posted by law90026

Let's take Adebayor for example: the rumour was that we wanted to sell for 36 million. Now it appears that figure is far-fetched and the likely price will be around 22 or so million pounds. It makes the club weak or appear to be weak.

correction: we were never looking to sell. milan came sniffing around to try to unsettle a player and were informed of the price that they did not felt like meeting. end of.

now that his agent managed to get in his head and made him think he is worth henry money, selling may become a more desirable outcome for mr. wenger. if that means the price for adebayor becomes £22M then we can take our £15M or £19M profit, buy a striker and pocket the rest to continue to bring the club past the ashburton grove debt.

Originally Posted by law90026

And here's the other concern I have with Wenger's transfer policy (I hope he proves me wrong!). He doesn't necessarily buy to replace, because he has faith in his youngsters.

unfortunately, as my view is similar to mr. wenger (thus my support for the club), i disagree with the "concern" factor. why should he not have faith in these youngsters? is that not the whole point of having a youth academy? it is also the premise of how he manages to lure so many high class young players to the club. if he continually goes out and sign big ticket players to block their ways then he will have failed them.

i expect fran merida to be in the left midfield picture along with vela once glass man breaks (again). nacer barazite has supposedly impressed tremendously, although it has not been decided yet whether his ETA is this year or next (after a season on loan). henri lansbury is supposedly highly thought of, although jack wilshere seems to have risen above him during lansbury's struggle with injuries. wilshere, though, is still 2-3 years away from prime time. i have a tough time crying about expensive buys when we have these exciting young players coming up.

Originally Posted by law90026

This coupled with his failure to keep his word (he had promised replacements within before Euro 2008)

my understanding is that nasri was supposed to have been this buy. not certain as to why it was drawn out as long as it did. one suggestion was that marseille wanted the sale (as well as their purchase of ben arfa) to be after july to be in the new fiscal year. how truthful that is i do not know

Originally Posted by law90026

the suggestion that Arsenal has to sell every year (the interview Wenger gave which, to date, has not been rebutted by anyone) suggests there are perhaps fundamental problems behind the scenes right now.

what? like the fact that we still have the pocketbook of a medium-sized club? i do not understand how people can think that 2 years of very good cash flow can automagically erase the debt necessary to fund a new stadium. i see the same whines on BS, constantly -- "we are making money now, why are we not buying!!!" because we still owe money. there have also been suggestions that there are less than rosy pictures with the redevelopment at highbury (which was expected to be a big part of repayment of the loan).

if mr. wenger goes to the board and ask for bigger purse to buy someone, i am sure they will try everything they can to make it happen -- they would not want to lose him. on the other hand, between being frugal (cheap) and his preference for younger players that he can mould, i just do not see that happening.

Originally Posted by law90026

I don't see Wenger buying another 4 players .. it's just not his way and I just hope that the players we have coming back (Vela, RvP, Rosicky) will be sufficient.

you are probably right, he probably would not buy 4. i can easily see him buying at least 2, however, if he does end up selling 4 people (as the people i mentioned wanting to see leave).

Originally Posted by law90026

Now if he would go out and buy Aguero and Barry, I would be a happy man

while i have heard incredible things about agüero and i have heard positive things about barry, i cannot see that happening (nor would i expect it to). barry will likely cost more than carrick or hargreaves . . . because he is english. overpaying is simply not the boss' MO. kun, on the other hand, if all the hype is accurate would be worth the 25 that he supposedly would cost. i just do not know that mr. wenger would do that.

[Cringer]

Am I the only one watching SuperLiga? I get the feeling I am the only one who pays attention to MLS sometimes so it wouldn't surprise me (plus I am watching on local mexican TV which many guys may not get, though I know you can get a national version of it on DirecTV).

As a Dynamo fan I clearly want them to win (and very happy with the first game against Atlante), but if they can't make the final I am kind of hoping to see Chivas vs. Chivas.

[MIJB#19]

Bad idea to start this thread far away from the general discussion, because I rarely look in this sub-forum. But since I got directed here a minute or five ago...

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

We added France U-21 Didier Digard, a holding mid from Paris-StG, and Sparta Rotterdam attacking mid Marvin Emnes (MIJB, know you anything about him?). They both look like young and fast players.

Do I know anything about him? I'm actually a bit of a fan of Emnes. I got lucky and saw the guy live in action a couple of months ago, he impressed me a lot. I have to admit that I'm usually worried when guys that age go abroad, but it doesn't make sense to think it could hurt his speed and technique. The money should be good and Middlesbrough is obviously a step up. Emnes isn't your typical goal-machine striker, nor left winger. Somewhat in between of the two, kinda like Ryan Babel, whom Premier League followers should know. Obviously he's not such a big name yet, but he's coming off a great season. It's hard to see him kick off as a starting eleven guy in the world's best league at the moment, but as far as I know he's got the skills and winner mentality to have a shot at it.

[Cringer]

The Dynamo-CD Guadalajara game was a great 0-0 game until a minute ago when about the 72nd minute Patrick Ianni screwed up once more for the Dynamo and the Chivas player nailed a goal into net because of it.

I have never disliked a player on my favorite team in any sport as much as I dislike Ianni.

[Cringer]

BTW, this crap I am watching in the stands in Houston are the reason I feel the SuperLiga is important to soccer in the U.S. We need to start owning this tournament so these bastards who were born and raised in Texas are not filling the stands cheering on a team from Mexico. Mexico playing a friendly against a Euro team Houston sells out Reliant Stadium. The MLS improving to were it is consistently better then Mexican League teams will help gain some fans and support IMO.

Maybe I don't know squat, but that is my thought.

[Cringer]

Ianni just got pulled fromt he game. 85 minutes too late though.

[Cringer]

The Guadalajara keeper had a hell of a game, I will give him respect for that. One stop was questionable though, but with no good replay it is pointless to argue.

[Chief Rum]

Superliga was terrific fun last year. Was the best part of the year for the Galaxy.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Cringer

The Guadalajara keeper had a hell of a game, I will give him respect for that. One stop was questionable though, but with no good replay it is pointless to argue.

Heck of a game, particularly for that keeper. I think he did have that one where he was in the goal - the camera angle wasn't great, but it didn't look like all the ball crossed the line. I can certainly understand the frustration - Houston was the better team most of the night.

Am I the only one watching SuperLiga? I get the feeling I am the only one who pays attention to MLS sometimes so it wouldn't surprise me (plus I am watching on local mexican TV which many guys may not get, though I know you can get a national version of it on DirecTV).

I do get Telemundo up here and am following most of the time, but I don't know how much there is to discuss. We probably don't have more than 10 knowledgable MLS fans at FOFC (SirFozzie is the only other Revolution one I know here), and there is so little national coverage I don't really feel qualified to comment on most other teams (and very little even locally for the Revs, partly due to the FO and partly the newspapers). At most there's 1-2 national games a week, and about 6 teams I don't want to watch if they're on. Even the one opponent that is easiest to follow (NYRB) just had so many transfers in of players I hadn't heard of before I'm not sure what to make of them.

All that said, the biggest obstacle to caring is the way MLS structures it's season. You have the supporters shield, the MLS Cup playoffs, Superliga, CCL and the US Open Cup that NE is in this year. I'm not really sure how to prioritize the competitions. Some NE fans really care about the Shield, while more would say we should be aiming for the MLS Cup. I'm not a fan of MLS Cup playoffs - the season shouldn't reward 2 weeks of good play over a seasons worth, but nobody really cares who wins the regular season, especially because (the good) teams lose so many players to international fixtures. And of course, these Superliga games are much more exciting than the average MLS game (unless NE is playing Hou, DC, Chi, LA, occasionally CLB/NYRB it doesn't excite me) but is winning this tourney really that important - I mean, LA almost won last year and they were terrible. Plus the Mexican media+fans will just claim their teams weren't trying/it was preseason when American teams win.

[Cringer]

Blah, the Mexican teams have been warmed up well enough by now. They have games on TV all the time, I hardly noticed a break from last season. And the Dynamo played without Ching and Rosario to make it fair last night.

I see where you are coming from though.

These SuperLiga games are all free to stream on MLSnet if guys didn't know. superliga2008.com also links to the streams.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Blah, the Mexican teams have been warmed up well enough by now. They have games on TV all the time, I hardly noticed a break from last season. And the Dynamo played without Ching and Rosario to make it fair last night.

I see where you are coming from though.

These SuperLiga games are all free to stream on MLSnet if guys didn't know. superliga2008.com also links to the streams.

They still can't admit our national team is as good as theirs, and we've been beating them there for years.

The other added benefit to superliga2008.com streams is they're in English, but my connection isn't quite good enough at home to make it worthwhile. Wish I was still at college.

[DaddyTorgo]

I used to be a knowledgeable MLS fan - my interest waned a bit (used to have revs season tickets), and honestly there's so much new blood in the league that I am not knowledgeable enough about.

But i'd class myself as a revs fan - try to get out to games (when I can afford it), watch on TV when I can't

[SirFozzie]

Revs beat their second straight Mexican team, Santos, 1-0, thanks to a VERY disputable handball call at the end of the game. As things turn out, the Revs scored a goal earlier in the game that was unjustly called back for offside.

Pat Phelan, Revs player suffered one of the scariest injuries I've seen, apparently a severe concussion

[I. J. Reilly]

The gold medal hopes for the US women’s team took a big hit last night.

http://ussoccer.com/articles/viewArt...p_7962629.html

While it certainly hurts their chances of meeting expectations, it may make the team more fun to watch. Every game I’ve seen them play it seems like the only strategy was lump it forward to Wambach and hope she can score.

[Cringer]

I admit I don't follow women's soccer much but I look forward to watching it in the Olympics, mainly with my daughter. She likes soccer a lot but has not yet seen any kind of womens soccer on TV or in person. She just loves the Dynamo like her daddy.

She has fallen in love with softball though since I turned it on to show her during the college world series, and she has watched two of the U.S. Team warm up games. I think she will love womens soccer just as much.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by I. J. Reilly

The gold medal hopes for the US women’s team took a big hit last night.

http://ussoccer.com/articles/viewArt...p_7962629.html

While it certainly hurts their chances of meeting expectations, it may make the team more fun to watch. Every game I’ve seen them play it seems like the only strategy was lump it forward to Wambach and hope she can score.

i'm disappointed with wambach's injury. i'm a big fan of wambach. i think she has the ability to be a birgit prinz-type of player.

while i agree with you, IJ, that they end up falling back on wambach's ability a lot, i feel like it has a lot to do with the rest of the team being found wanting. i hear a lot about boxx and she is now a mainstay in the lineup but, in the current team, i do not see much from her. the most recent lineups seem to not favour ally wagner and she's the only one i can think of in the current group to really be a creative force. like you, i am curious to see how they will recover from this as a team.

[SirFozzie]

Players and members of the staff of the New England Revolution subdue crazy person who strips naked and tries to open emergency door midflight:

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/re...ome&position=5

[Cringer]

Naked person? That's a funny story even though I am sure nothing about the situation was funny at the time.

Dynamo knock off United tonight to get into the SuperLiga semifinals, I'm happy with that. 3 goals in the game and none from Ching (who came on late for DeRo) or De Rosario, that is very nice to see. I really hope the Dynamo have found their offense and can get out of the 1 goal/scoreless draw funk they have been in in MLS play.

[BishopMVP]

Good news for Cringer. Olympic Qualifying rosters announced, and Patrick Ianni is on it. Stu Holden is too (as well as Michael Parkhurst from NE) but Houston has ome depth there, so I'm sure Cringer will take the trade. Great roster overall, the only objections I have are Ianni over Franklin or Hill and taking Guzan as an overage player instead of letting Seitz start and bringing in another defender. Looks like Nowak might actually play a 3-5-2. Adu behind Altidore/McBride/Davies up top, with Rogers/Holden/Kjestan on the wings would be fantastic.

NE about to start their last Superliga game, which unfortunately we still (might) need a result in. A loss by us to ChivasUSA and a Pachuca win means all 3 teams tied at 6 points, same as happened in Group A. NE +2, CUSA =, Pachuca = right now.

[SirFozzie]

Revolution advance with a 1:1 Draw, so they will play Atalante at Gilette in the semis (I believe).

Meanwhile, bring on the thuggery..

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A halftime brawl between more than 100 fans marred an exhibition match Sunday between West Ham United of the English Premier League club and the MLS' Columbus Crew.

The fights, which overshadowed West Ham United's 3-1 win, began when a handful of West Ham supporters, some wearing the team's claret and blue colors, entered the northeast corner of the stadium where the Crew's most boisterous supporters typically gather.

Crew supporters began directing chants toward the rival fans, and fights quickly broke out between more than 100 Crew fans and at least 30 West Ham fans. Columbus police officers and Crew Stadium security staff eventually separated the groups.

Highway Patrol officers arrested one fan outside the stadium for disorderly conduct, Patrol spokeswoman Anne Ralston said. A dispatcher didn't know whether Columbus police had made any arrests inside the stadium.

This is the second incident Crew fans have been involved in this season. As New England celebrated its winning goal at Columbus on May 24, a fan shouted a racial slur at Revolution forward Kheli Dube, who scored in the 89th minute. Dube is black. The incident prompted a league investigation, with MLS commissioner Don Garber saying that the fan will be banned from league games for life if officials were able to identify him from a video that captured it.

[SirFozzie]

And the third time's Most of the charm....

1st scheduled game between DC and Houston: Postponed due to weather (lightning) and field being inundated

rescheduled game: Called off due to power outage.

2nd time to attempt to replay the game: They start the game, then 54 minutes in.. ALL OF THE ABOVE (Lightning causes power outage, field completely inundated with water)

They say Fuck this, we're finishing this TONIGHT, and wait 2 hours 50 minutes to continue the game, and finally Houston wins 2-0.



A photo taken from RFK's pressbox during the delay.

[Cringer]

SuperLiga semi's tonight and tomorrow night. Pachuca has been a pain in the Dynamo's asses in international play. Pachuca knocked the Dynamo out of SuperLiga last year in the semi's on penalty kicks with a total of three guys being sent off between both teams during the match. In the CONCACAF Champion's Cup semis Pachuca knocked the Dynamo out then as well, with a 5-4 aggregate win. I am not a Pachuca fan. Hopefully Ianni doesn't play, he was one of the guys sent off last year and I could see him screwing up again just to piss me off.

New England and Atlante have never met in international competition, though they did play a friendly early this year.

[AlexB]

Robbie Keane to Liverpool for £20m - good price for Spurs, good signing for Liverpool. But Tottenham look thin now up front, and need at least one extra guy, if not two, and if they lose Berbatov they look pretty weak tbh...

[Ajaxab]

Originally Posted by Jari Rantanen's Shorts

Robbie Keane to Liverpool for £20m - good price for Spurs, good signing for Liverpool. But Tottenham look thin now up front, and need at least one extra guy, if not two, and if they lose Berbatov they look pretty weak tbh...

I agree with you on your point about the price for Spurs. Robbie Keane is a good player, but I've never felt like he was ever as good as the hype surrounding him. Tottenham are definitely thin now up front, but 20 million pounds for Keane is far too good to turn down, imo.

[Cringer]

First half of the Pachuca-Dynamo game was great for a 0-0 score. Dynamo had a great shot to go up 1-0 when DeRo had a huge breakaway from a great move on a defender only to have it bounce off the keeper and Ching was about 4 feet away from the right spot for a rebound and sure goal.

With the hurricane and all down here I seem to have missed some news on the Dynamo. They have Nate Jaqua once again, who has come back from Europe. That is fantastic as everyone has played like crap alongside Ching this year except when DeRo is up there. Jaqua played well for the Dynamo last year and he is playing tonight. They also traded for Kei Kamara of San Jose, who I remember scoringa goal on them earlier this year. The 21 year old Carraccio was released. Funny how Ianni gets years with crappy play and they have given up on Caraccio already. I am happy with Jaqua and bringing in Kamara though.

[SirFozzie]

1-0 Houston leads late. Pachuca should've had the first goal, but one of the worst offside calls I've seen ever negated the goal

[SirFozzie]

Dos a Cero, it's not just for International Games any more.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

1-0 Houston leads late. Pachuca should've had the first goal, but one of the worst offside calls I've seen ever negated the goal

That was too close to call it, I agree. With that said I could care less. Pachuca is going down 2-0 and they are going out like little bitches, grabbing throats and shoving guys all over. They can screw off, no SuperLiga finals for them this year.

And now crap at the end of the game. They better get out of town.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

I agree with you on your point about the price for Spurs. Robbie Keane is a good player, but I've never felt like he was ever as good as the hype surrounding him. Tottenham are definitely thin now up front, but 20 million pounds for Keane is far too good to turn down, imo.

not that familiar with keane but my understanding is that it is a very high price for a "pretty good" player. is this correct?

i am assuming he will be a greater goal threat than crouch and maybe a good partner for torres so it should still make for a good addition for them.

spuds would still have bent and berbatov to start up front. that is still a pretty good pair of strikers, no? unless they add an extra striker, though, i agree that they would be fairly thin. but they will now have keane's money (minus what they spend on bentley) to use.

on the other hand, they will now have multiple attacking-type of midfielders (with the addition of mordric and bentley), could ramos be going with a 4-3-3?

[Critch]

Yeah, Keane's a good player but it is a very high price. Surprised that Spurs got so much for him even after he made it clear he was desperate to go to Liverpool. He's more like Kuyt than Crouch, constant movement and running into space, but he's a far better finisher than Kuyt.

A lot of the British boards are full of Liverpool fans sure that Keane is the player that will transform them into EPL champions for the first time. For the 19th season in a row they're sure this is the season they win the league and I bet that for the 19th season in a row they're wrong.

From what I've read Ramos at Sevilla played an attacking 4-3-2-1 formation with a big target man and two supporting strikers. Bent with Berbatov and Bentley supporting maybe, if Bentley signs and Berbatov stays. Be interesting to see with Spurs whether Bent can come good, whether Modric is too lightweight for the EPL, whether dos Santos is ready, whether the defense can stay fit enough to gel, whether Berbatov stays or who his replacement is, and lots of other stuff too.

[Celeval]

I've been a fan of Keane since his performance at the World Cup Finals in 2002 - I'm looking forward to seeing him at Liverpool. From what I've been reading, it sounds like they're expecting him to settle in sort of a dropped-back striker mode (AMC/ST?) with Torres up front.

[dacman]

Originally Posted by Critch

A lot of the British boards are full of Liverpool fans sure that Keane is the player that will transform them into EPL champions for the first time. For the 19th season in a row they're sure this is the season they win the league and I bet that for the 19th season in a row they're wrong.

Does your opinion change any with the addition of Gareth Barry? I think that gets them a lot closer -- maybe leaves them a quality DM/CB away from truly legitimate contention.

[Critch]

Originally Posted by dacman

Does your opinion change any with the addition of Gareth Barry?

From what I've read Liverpool will have to sell to buy Barry, moving out Alonso to bring in Barry doesnt seem like much of an upgrade to me, if any.

I still think they need a right back, especially if Finnan as part of the Barry deal, a wide midfielder and some strength in depth.

Keane's an upgrade from Kuyt in a wide position (Liverpool are reported to be planning on using Keane wide in a 4-2-3-1 formation) and Dossena should be a good upgrade at left back if he settles to the EPL, but I'm still betting on them to finish below Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea.

[Cringer]

I get the impression English clubs turn over at least half their roster between seasons, or half (well roughly half) the starting 11. Is this far from the truth?

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I get the impression English clubs turn over at least half their roster between seasons, or half (well roughly half) the starting 11. Is this far from the truth?

Liverpool in particular change their squads a lot, Spurs have been active this year in terms of overall transfers in/out. But United and Arsenal traditionally have very stable squads, Martin O'Neill was cautious while Leicester manager and seems to be the same at Villa.

A lot depends on the style of the manager, finances and ratio of recent success against expectations.

That's probably the wooliest 'sometimes' answer I've given in a while

[dacman]

So much for the Barry speculation -- although it could just as easily reverse itself again and go through tomorrow.

Early prediction:

1. Manchester Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Aston Villa
6. Everton
7. Tottenham
8. Manchester City
9. Newcastle
10. Portsmouth
11. West Ham
12. Blackburn
13. Middlesbrough
14. Sunderland
15. Wigan
16. Bolton
17. WBA
18. Fulham
19. Hull City
20. Stoke City

[SirFozzie]

After last night's Pachuca whine-fest, I thought we had set a new low in sportsmanship for the year. It wasn't even the worst activity by a Mexican team in the SuperLiga this week.

Atlante are the biggest bunch of classless fucks.. Five of their players got red cards (2 in game, 3 after the game) and the Revs advance to play Houston in the Superliga final

[daedalus]

jari . . . i believe we loaned a kid to your club. do you know if he will be playing with the first team?

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by dacman

So much for the Barry speculation -- although it could just as easily reverse itself again and go through tomorrow.

Early prediction:

1. Manchester Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal
5. Aston Villa
6. Everton
7. Tottenham
8. Manchester City
9. Newcastle
10. Portsmouth
11. West Ham
12. Blackburn
13. Middlesbrough
14. Sunderland
15. Wigan
16. Bolton
17. WBA
18. Fulham
19. Hull City
20. Stoke City

i think spuds will be scarier than a 7th place club. they have a lot of talent and juande ramos is one of the best managers in the world. a number of people believe that mordric will be able to adapt to the premiership, bentley, while a douchebag, has talent and dos santos is supposed to be quite talented (although i am banking on vela turning out better). if huddlestone can get on ramos' good side, they have a heck of a midfield anchor to build from.

i think people will be surprised at how good we are. i don't know if we'll necessarily be winning the league but i think we'll be in the mix and making people nervous.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Hopefully Ianni doesn't play, he was one of the guys sent off last year and I could see him screwing up again just to piss me off.

New England and Atlante have never met in international competition, though they did play a friendly early this year.

Don't you read my postss Cringer - Ianni is gone for the month, banished a continent away in China for the Olympics. Now he can disappoint an entire country. Or at least the 10000 of us that wake up at 5am to watch their games.

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

After last night's Pachuca whine-fest, I thought we had set a new low in sportsmanship for the year. It wasn't even the worst activity by a Mexican team in the SuperLiga this week.

Atlante are the biggest bunch of classless fucks.. Five of their players got red cards (2 in game, 3 after the game) and the Revs advance to play Houston in the Superliga final

There were like 10 cards total and a couple reds in the preseason "friendly" and this was tonights list.

NE -- Amaechi Igwe (caution; Reckless Foul) 27 NE -- Sainey Nyassi (caution; Pushing, Holding) 52 ATN -- Giancarlo Maldonado (caution; Dissent) 53 ATN -- Gerardo Espinoza (caution; Pushing, Holding) 56 ATN -- Fernando Navarro (caution; Pushing, Holding) 71 ATN -- Alan Zamora (caution; Reckless Foul) 84 ATN -- Luis Gabriel Rey (ejection; Violent Conduct) 85 NE -- Chris Albright (caution; Dissent) 85 ATN -- Federico Vilar (caution; Dissent) 86 ATN -- Federico Vilar (ejection; Second Caution) 91+ ATN -- Alan Zamora (ejection; Second Caution) 94+ ATN -- Javier Munoz Mustafa (ejection; Second Caution) 95+ NE -- Jay Heaps (ejection; Violent Conduct) 95+ ATN -- Luis Venegas (ejection; Violent Conduct) 95+

Things are lined up to meet again in the CCL.


I love playing the Mexican teams. They can't handle the speed on the wings of Nyassi, Khano Smith and Ashe. And they definitely can't handle the physicality of guys like Shalrie Joseph and Larentowicz. Fozzie - I was watching the Telemundo feed and don't speak Spanish. Do you know what happened when Shalrie went down in the box before the free kick (was he sucker punched or was it just the last straw of getting knocked around?) and what the Mexican keeper/coach were saying after the game? I might hate Telefutura for flashing their intro graphic all over the screen during the middle of play, but I'll give the sideline reporter credit - he was interviewing players while the melee was ongoing.

I can't say enough about Shalrie's performance tonight. Dominating at D-Mid, then adding the goal and a rocket off the crossbar to top it off. He and Beckham are the only two field players in MLS I could see playing in Champions league and standing out as a good player.

[BishopMVP]

Dola - apparently the Atlante goalie was saying the refs were bought off and he couldn't say more because the US was a dangerous country. Followed by their coach saying the same thing.

Keep in mind their coach hit Albright in the eye from behind during the scrum.

Another classless act I forgot to mention was an Atlante player taking the ball to goal when our player was down and even his own teammates had stopped. I was terrified Albright or Heaps would kill him in the box and get a red and a PK but the ball crossed the end line a split second before they laid him out. Speaking of laying people out though, credit where credit's due - the hit on Dube was nice. I mean, completely illegal and card-worthy in soccer, but he kept the elbow down and laid him out nicely with the body/shoulder. Any hockey or soccer coach would be ecstatic to see a hit like that. Unfortunately, it was in a soccer match.

[SirFozzie]

The attack on Shalrie was a low blow. Literally

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Don't you read my postss Cringer - Ianni is gone for the month, banished a continent away in China for the Olympics. Now he can disappoint an entire country. Or at least the 10000 of us that wake up at 5am to watch their games.There were like 10 cards total and a couple reds in the preseason "friendly" and this was tonights list.

Sorry, I forgot about the Olympics. What a blessing they are this year.

I missed the NE-Atlante game last night, but I figured it had topped the HOU-Pachuca game when I turned it on at the end and saw the melee going on. Nice descriptions of what happened, thanks.

Hey Foz, interested in a sig bet on the final? Kidding, I wouldn't because I feel at this point of the season the Dynamo are finally warming up, but probably won't be able to match the Revs.