Soccer Thread 2011-2012

[Easy Mac]

This is pathetic

[Big Fo]

The US is in big trouble, they just gave up two goals in about two minutes. El Salvador leads 2-1 with a few minutes left in the first half.

[Big Fo]

By the way, Microsoft Silverlight kind of sucks. Why can't it just stay in fullscreen on one monitor when I use a program on the other monitor?

[Easy Mac]

I think it's using flash, but maybe not. It's running I my google tv. But I'm streaming from concacaf.

[Big Fo]

Ah, mine is from universalsports.com

CONCACAF TV wasn't working for me, it showed all the other games but this one.

[Easy Mac]

porter needed a better talk, they're still playing way too panicked

[Easy Mac]

Sean Johnson had a great outlet. Hopefully we haven't expended too much energy, and el Salvador is content with a draw.

[Easy Mac]

USA 3-2

[bulletsponge]

woohoo!

[Big Fo]

Hell yeah. Long way to go though with this defense.

[Easy Mac]

adu may be the most skilled American I've ever seen. I wish he would learn you can't take everyone on all the time

[Easy Mac]

porter needs to swap on Shea and Mixx for a defensive player.

[MrBug708]

Adu just isn't fast enough

[Easy Mac]

adu didn't even touch that kid and he got a yellow.

[Easy Mac]

I'd prefer if we didn't do the time wasting, if only because with the defense, we might need it later.

[Big Fo]

It's funny to see the Salvadorans complain about it considering how they behaved for the middle half hour of the game.

[Easy Mac]

one guy is bleeding and another gets thrown down, and there's no cards?

[kingfc22]

WTF was that!

[MrBug708]

This ref is bad

[MrBug708]

Time to invade El Salvador

[Easy Mac]

holy shit

[kingfc22]

So much for that...

[MrBug708]

Fuck this

[Big Fo]

What a punch in the balls at the end there. Fucking terrible goalkeeping.

[MrBug708]

That goal was on Shea

[Big Fo]

That shot is saved over 95% of the time I'd guess. Hard to blame someone more than the keeper.

[Easy Mac]

I blame Johnson, Shea, Porter, and the ref, in that order. I don't know how you don't stop that ball. I don't know how you don't hoof it down the field. Why bring in Gyau? And how is the US not playing 11 v 9 after the shit El Salvador pulled?

[MrBug708]

He didn't clear it.

Porter should be fired

[Grover]

Ranieri finally sacked by Moratti and Inter after losing to Juventus. The club is in 8th and has 12 losses. One shy of their record 13 set all the way back in 1947-48.

I really believe they should have stuck with Gasperini all along. He was never really given a fair shake because the team struggled early.

I really hope they hire Andre Villa-Boas next year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Interesting to read afterwards that two U.S. players say they were bitten by the El Sal guys.

Boyd went to the sideline with blood on the front of his shirt late in the game. Diskerud said both he and Adu were bitten and showed reporters marks as proof. "Part of the game, I guess," Diskerud said.

http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/...-olympic-hopes

[Big Fo]

There are some pretty cool soccer related pictures on this blog that I found out about today:

Football and Nietzsche

Definitely worth a look if you have 10-20 minutes to scroll through them all.

[Critch]

Some of those pictures are great, thanks for the link.

[Ajaxab]

That Giggs-Welbeck image was really interesting.

[whomario]

one of the best games i´ve ever seen happened tonight, Bundesliga leaders Dortmund played in-form Stuttgart at home :





4:4, every single goal either pure class or at least super entertaining, played under the lights in one of the stadiums with the best atmosphere anywhere, doesn´t get much better than that. Well, avoiding that stupid 4:4 equalizer would have been nice judging as a dortmund fan, but other than that

[sovereignstar v2]

There's always next season.

[MIJB#19]

With six rounds to go, the Eredivise race is tight as hell, with six remaining championship candidates.
1. Ajax 58 pts
2. AZ 57 pts
3. FC Twente 55 pts
4. PSV 54 pts
5. Feyenoord 54 pts
6. SC Heerenveen 54 pts

[whomario]

Barca´s average positions tonight in the first half :



this is absolutely insane and would any other team tried that, they´d be slaughtered.

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

With six rounds to go, the Eredivise race is tight as hell, with six remaining championship candidates.
1. Ajax 58 pts
2. AZ 57 pts
3. FC Twente 55 pts
4. PSV 54 pts
5. Feyenoord 54 pts
6. SC Heerenveen 54 pts

that´s awesome

In Germany, there will be the big showdown between Dortmund and Munich next Wednesday in Dortmund. (and the weekend after, Dortmund plays at Schalke in the biggest rivalry of the league)

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by whomario

Barca´s average positions tonight in the first half :



this is absolutely insane and would any other team tried that, they´d be slaughtered.

AC Milan wasn't exactly trying to get into the Barcelona territory in the first half being in a good position until the second penalty kick, although it certainly was a mixed bag with Barça being superior as well.

[MIJB#19]

Btw, where'd you get that pic? That's cool stuff.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Btw, where'd you get that pic? That's cool stuff.

it´s from the espn soccernet game channel : Gamecast: Barcelona v AC Milan - UEFA Champions League - ESPN Soccernet

(for some odd reason you can´t acount for subs, that´s why at the end of games it has 14 dots on)

[Big Fo]

So it's down to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea. Ugh. I dislike those four clubs more than any others in this year's UCL not named Manchester City. I'm not even sure who I want to win at this point.

[Ajaxab]

+1

I guess it's Madrid for me just because the scars from Barca divers have still not healed. I like and respect Messi, but the rest of the team needs to learn not to go down at the slightest puff of wind. But pulling for the Madridistas. Ugh, not something I really want to do...

[whomario]

Curious as to why you guys hate Bayern ? Same as many germans for the cocky management ?

I do when it comes to bundesliga but can´t really help but root for them internationally and while they do have tons of money and aren´t afraid to spent it, they also do it very selectively for a couple stars (rather than buying a ton of guys and hope some pan out)

And have had quite a few guys from their own youth break into the squad and are actively looking to get good german players as well which certainly didn´t hurt the NT the last couple years.
Actually they currently often play 6 guys from their own youth setup (Lahm, Badstuber, schweinsteiger, kroos, müller and Alaba) and regularly 8 or 9 german players at a time.

[Big Fo]

A few of my reasons:

- Lots of UCL battles between them and Man Utd

- Whenever another German team has a good season or two it seems like Bayern takes their best players and the other club falls back to the middle of the pack. I guess it just annoys me that there hasn't been another true "heavyweight" German club for the past decade or so, unlike the other top four leagues. At least now Dortmund seems like it might be around the top for a few years.

- Stefan Effenberg

[Big Fo]

Balotelli is somehow immune to red cards for violent behavior. I'd be more annoyed if Man Utd hadn't benefited from a very fortunate call early in their match today.

Arsenal have been better than Man City so far, RVP was unlucky when Vermaelen deflected what looked to be a goal bound header onto the post.

[Big Fo]

What a strike by Arteta.

Now Balotelli's been set off, only about 60 minutes after he should have been.

[Big Fo]

Eight points up now, what a nice Easter Sunday of watching sports so far. Maybe Mickelson will win the Masters too.

[whomario]

OK, for my club Dortmund the toughest and deciding stretch of the season is coming up, playing 2nd place Bayern, 3rd place Schalke and 4th place Gladbach within 10 days

Kick off Wedenesday is 2 pm eastern (20.00 CET), you´ve got to try and find it playing somewhere if you aren´t working at the time.




And then on saturday it will be Schalke vs Dortmund, which is not only equally as important for the standings but emotionally might be even a bigger fixture for the fans, being an intense rivalry.

And then next weekend it´s Dortmund vs Gladbach.

the top 4 in the bundesliga right now :

Pos.	Mannschaft	Sp.	g.	u.	v.	+/-	Pkt
1	Borussia Dortmund	29	20	6	3	44	66
2	FC Bayern München	29	20	3	6	50	63
3	FC Schalke 04	29	18	3	8	29	57
4	Borussia M’gladbach	29	15	7	7	21	52
5	VfB Stuttgart	29	12	7	10	13	43

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Balotelli is somehow immune to red cards for violent behavior. I'd be more annoyed if Man Utd hadn't benefited from a very fortunate call early in their match today.

Arsenal have been better than Man City so far, RVP was unlucky when Vermaelen deflected what looked to be a goal bound header onto the post.

The refs in soccer have been so painfully bad this year. . . In the Arsenal game they miss a clear penalty on RVP in the box, the miss a red card from Mr. Scumbag, and then I watch the halftime highlights and see Man U benefit from an offside and dive on the same play. . . UGH.

Huge game tomorrow. After Tottenham and Chelsea choked yesterday, Arsenal can get a huge grip on third place with a win at Wolves.

[Grover]

Balotelli is the next Gascoigne.