2008/2009 Football (Soccer) Thread

[HaemishM]

He'd have to have unseated both Ballack and Torsten Frings, who are both pretty good at the international level (though both have really lost a step in the last few years), as well as a few others. This was probably a better move for him. As for how bad could he be? Well, he's younger than Mastroeni and he's had a regular place at Schalke, meaning he's probably not as injury prone as Mastroeni has been the last few years. I'd say unless he has the positional sense of Onyewu, he's probably going to be at least as good as what we've got.

[sigil]

FiFA 09 ranks hims as an 80 

Don't think I can make a player that will be an 80.  perhaps if I tank the ai dependent things in favor of his prime stats I can make him :)

Also. Really looking forward to seeing Houston and Seattle play now. Houston  can make shit shine like solid gold. Just ask Cam Weaver!

[sigil]

It's going to be a fucking miracle if we get one point from this group.

Find a replay of Egypt - Brazil. Egypt has such vision and control on the ball. Which we don't have. They canb't defend a set piece for shit though.

Brazil... equal parts of   

[sigil]

Mother fucking Traitor Rossi :(

[Abagadro]

Didn't get to see it, was the send-off legit?

[sigil]

Yes and no.

No, that does not get a red in italy. or any where else. But it did there. and worse, it was on FUCKING GATTUSO? Motherfucker does ten times worse before eating  breakfast himself. Yes in the sense of the following truth: We are not Italy, we are the USA. We will never get calls  against Italy.It took a pretty decent flop  by Jozy to get the PK, and by rights he should have gotten at least a yellow. Landon also got Jobbed on a penalty call late in the game, but fucker just waited for the crunch. if he makes a halfassed effort for the ball he gets a shot to make it 2-2, and we probably stay there.

I :really: want to see Jones with this lineup. And I'm having serious doubts as to Dempsey. I think Bradley needs to sit him. Fuck. Sit him for Azteca, No one should feel their spot on the Nats is a birthright. Well, save for Timmeh. Donovan.... no, not even him.

And once again. Fuck Guiseppi Rossi. 

[Hoax]

I've been on the fuck Dempsey tip for quite some time, welcome to my bandwagon.  That guy is a piece of shit most games, I refer to him as the American Anelka at times.

That sending off was crazy, I have no idea how anyone can imagine that was a straight up red, what did I not see?  I knew it was an auto-yellow but I couldn't imagine it being a red, when I saw all the reaction I thought he was on a yellow that I had missed.  Sucks for that  kid too I had enjoyed his play up to that point.

They tired out really, first and second goals might not have happened if defenders weren't so easily caught flat footed.

Jozy can be a beast, but I  doubt it happens in time for this world cup, he's our only hope though so Bradley can only keep starting him, people who yammer about Ching are fucking insane.

MVP's for me:
Bradley, who I usually hate with a passion but who has won me over for now.  He ran himself out of the game by the 70th minute but he'll learn.

Spector, he played a really good game, best defender on the pitch for us by a mile.

Bornstein, yeah he had a hard time but he had a hard time against one of the best and almost held his own on defense.  He also came forward and played with conviction and confidence throughout the game before he completely gassed.  We need more of that.

Donovan, I don't know if anyone else noticed but he actually played balls to the walls at points, I wish he would have taken that one shot that he tried to lay off (wish Jozy had done the same) and I wish his free kicks were as good as people tell him they are.  But he takes a solid pk and his corners have looked a bit better (less of this loft it hella too high to the far post shit) so I give him props for once.

I'm actually really fucking excited right now about 2010, that team looked like  they could score 3-5 goals if they show up with that kind of effort.  Given the right group and some magic from Howard and 3-5 goals could be enough to get to the knock outs.  I fully expect 0-1 goals against Egypt and Brasil to crash my hope and make it burn.

[sigil]

Donovan did look sharp. Bradley totally bottled that attempt, and Jozy forgot his main job it to score goals. I want to see what tomorrow brings.

[sigil]

IF I EVER SEE DAMARCUS FUCKING BEASLEY ON THE FIELD AGAIN FOR THE US  I"M CLIMBING THE FUCKING BELLTOWER AND TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM MYSELF.

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!>!

FUCK FUCK FUCK YOU IN YOUR FUCKING ASS YOU TALENTLESS PIECE OF DONKEYSHIT.


GAH


I'm done. Fuck...

hold on:

 How do you give up a fucking goal on a corner... when you're taking the corner?

Sasha, nice red card. Fucker. You're not playing IN MLS! you won't get a call. EVER!


Jesus christ. NOW I'm done.

[WayAbvPar]

Bob Bradley needs to go. He refuses to put a even semi-competent team on the pitch.

[HaemishM]

God that corner was a fucking travesty. Bad enough Brazil was getting fouls called for them when the US players even breathed on them (talk about some diving bitches - way to flop there, Brazil). But to just fuck up a goddamn corner THAT BADLY... why is Beasley out there again? Could Justin Mapp really have been a worse option? FUCK. You know who I'd like to see them use on the wings? John Thorrington with Chicago. He's not bad and shit, he cannot CANNOT be as bad as both Beasley and Dempsey have been lately. Those two fuckers have been useless.

But really, our back line without Frankie Hejduk is just sub par. We're ok at the defense part, but the transition game is awful. They dawdle on the ball too long, get caught out and suddenly they have to foul or they give up a goal. There should have been at least two guys playing back on that corner, so why was Spector the only one with any shot at stopping that breakout? Where was Bornstein?

[Mr_PeaCH]

So...

How about those Egyptians?

I love love LOVED seeing Italy go down.  Watching them flounder and flail and dive to no avail in the final 5 minutes was a wonderful thing.

[WayAbvPar]

My two favorite teams are the US and whoever is playing Italy. I fucking LOATHE them. I was happy to see them lose, and will be even happier on Sunday when they get eliminated.

I TiVo'ed both games and ended up watching more of the 2nd- I hit fast forward after Brazil went up 3-0. The second game was much better obviously.

[Abagadro]

Heh. Hilarious that the US gets through after looking so crappy.

[sigil]

That was one of those, holy shit , is this really happening moments that makes you wonder where the fuck that was earlier in the week.

[WayAbvPar]

Eqypt were AWFUL. The US really didn't play all that well, but they finally buried some chances for a change. I almost didn't bother watching- I set the TiVo and was watching the US Open, but thought I would watch the first few minutes to see how quickly they coughed up a goal. When it got past 10 minutes I figured I would just watch a decent performance. No way did I think they would ever get through, even after Brazil went up 3-0 so early.

Nice reward- Spain will fucking dismantle them. Unfortunately I think this may have saved Bob Bradley's job.

[sigil]

Gooch was a monster. Demerit played well. Spector played himself into at least a backup to Cherundolo, and Clark probably will hold D-Mid until Jones can get a look in October. Bradley is looking solid. and Donovan pushed this whole team.

Which leaves us with Dempsey, who needs a break or something... Even with the goal. Jozy needs work, a lot more work. Our second forward, well right now it's Ching. Ching does all the stuff Jozy doesn't do well, so it makes him look better and is an aerial threat.

OH and right back. We've only been saying that since 1994...

[HaemishM]

Big football broadcast news:

Setanta UK is le dead.

Supposedly, this doesn't affect subscribers of Setanta in the US.

ESPN gets the English Premier League broadcast rights that Setanta had for the UK Market.

ESPN2 will broadcast some La Liga matches in the US next season as a sublicensee of GolTV.

Most of that is bad news (because I find it hard to believe that Setanta US won't follow its parent company down the tubes eventually) but the ESPN2 news of La Liga is good. Even if their commentators suck at it, more La Liga is a good thing. There's some damn good football being played there.

[Amarr HM]

Ah good oul Sellotanta Sports serves them right,

MOTD viewers might enjoy this quite funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmGrVIFGOB4&feature=related

Mark Lawrenson was one of the English players drafted into the Irish national team under Jack Charlton under the grandmother rule.

[Abagadro]

How about THAT!

[sidereal]

That game was Onyewu's start to end.  He stopped 8 goals by himself.

[Abagadro]

Howard was pretty nails too.

[Megrim]

God, that was good to watch. The Aus commentator said it best - Fernando Torres, all blonde hair and empty air.

[sigil]

I am dumbstruck. if not for some deepy sad shit that happened IRL. I think I'd be doing a dance today.

[WayAbvPar]

Sorry to hear that, sigil.

I TiVoed the game but accidentally heard the score before I watched. I am actually almost glad I did, since I probably would have had a heart attack otherwise. Spain should have won that game about 5-2. Howard was great, and Demerit and Onyewu were awesome. The other two backs, not so much. I don't know if it was Bradley or Clark or whoever, but someone should have been marking Villa at the top of the area- he got the ball there what, 10 times, with room to work?

US got very lucky. The played hard too, which is likely what saved them. Bradley's red card was a bad tackle, but judging from the angles I saw shouldn't have been a straight red. I am really getting tired of referees imposing themselves into match stories. It is far worse in MLS, but 3 red cards in 4 games for the US? Clark's was probably legitmate (but I see that stuff let go every week in EPL), but the other two were dicey at best.

[HaemishM]

Great game. Let's face it, the US goals were both lucky goals - a good bounce and/or a slightly off touch from a Spain player. BUT... the US finished the chances and they defended well. I wouldn't say Onyewu was fantastic. He was good at what he does, which is stopping shots. As soon as he's called on to play the ball in anything other than a reactionary way, he invariably makes the wrong move. He should never leave his half 3rd of the field for any reason other than corners. Dermerit and Howard were both spectacular though.

Who is this Charlie Davies kid? I've never heard of him but he was damn good most of the night. Clint Dempsey, you are the luckiest fuck alive, because you were useless for 89 minutes. The one good touch you had was a poacher's goal that fell at your feet. Do we just not have anybody on the wing that can play worth a fuck? Is that why he keeps getting starts?

That Bradley red card was BULLSHIT. If you squint real hard, that's a yellow. The Donovan yellow was also bullshit.

I really think we need to use a midfield of Clarke or Feilharber on one wing, Bradley in the center and find someone who can play a defensive mid behind Bradley. I think that's a big part of why Onyewu's play bugs me - he doesn't have someone in front of him to pass it to out of the back. Both Clarke and Bradley tend to go too far forward to be good holding mids. We also need wingers not named Dempsey and Beasley. Dononvan/Clarke/Felharber on the wings with Altidore/Davies/Ching/Casey up front sounds good. Now we just need some fullbacks.

[WayAbvPar]

Feilhaber should be in the lineup Sunday with Bradley out for sure. I would like to see Adu get some time too- Bring Dempsey in as a striker sub in the 60th minute or something.

[sigil]

better now, thanks man.

We made the most of our chances we took advantage of mistakes.

That's what good teams do.

Altidore showed me a lot, even if he did pull a bonehead with the shirt. The way he held off the defender through strength and positioning, then fooled Casillas. That was a fade away tip as he dove to his left and center, (as opposed to full right  or left.)

Some things we now know.

US plays much MUCH MUCH better pissed off and with a chip on its shoulder... not even close.

US athleticisim and heart can go very very far in the right circumstances.

Spain play similar in style to mexico, just much better. We can handle that type of play. Other teams probably took note. Look for European teams to try similar pressure tactics. Capello was at the game with his staff. You can be sure copious notes were taken.

US - Mex at Azteca just got a :lot: more interesting. We win there, and we should probably sew up getting seeded after this. God I'd love to get us seeded. It is FIFA though, so I
wouldn't bet the ranch on it.
                 

I'd bet
             Timmeh
Spector Oneywu DeMeritt Boca
Dempsey Feilhaber  Clark   Donovan
      Davies                Altidore

Casey in at70 for Davies.

Frankly, based off of Adu's behavior, he's been acting like a dick in some of his tweeting for one, which looks terrible, I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't  one step up from DMB. How many people are going to have to fall over dead before he puts on the shirt? Kevin Goldthwaite , Brad Evand  and Pat Ianni will get looks before DMB. Breck Shea will get a look before DMB...

[WayAbvPar]

Evans may get a chance sooner than later.

As for Adu- the kid has to be frustrated. He doesn't get any PT anywhere he goes. It is really hard to develop as a player without playing games. Training only does so much. On the other hand, he needs to show that he is committed and ready in training in order to convince his coaches to play him. Chicken/egg, etc.

Soccer sells pretty well already in Seattle, but adding a Sounder to the USMNT for the Gold Cup just added 3000 more fans to the July 4th game (if it isn't sold out yet). Probably 65% female, since Brad is dreamy 

[sigil]

oh yeah, fogot about gold cup.

you know,  I think we are very subtly sneaking up on having depth.

I really wanted to see Cameron from Houston get a shot.

[WayAbvPar]

I would really like Bradley to call up a bunch of new faces for the Gold Cup- give guys some experience, and maybe find some parts that work better than people like Beasley.

[Xuri]

Bradley's red card was a bad tackle, but judging from the angles I saw shouldn't have been a straight red. I am really getting tired of referees imposing themselves into match stories. It is far worse in MLS, but 3 red cards in 4 games for the US? Clark's was probably legitmate (but I see that stuff let go every week in EPL), but the other two were dicey at best.

Didn't he tackle Alonso? Then he was fated to receive a red card. Everyone who tackles Alonso gets one. =P

[sigil]

I would really like Bradley to call up a bunch of new faces for the Gold Cup- give guys some experience, and maybe find some parts that work better than people like Beasley.

Goalkeepers: Jon Busch (Chicago), Troy Perkins (Valerenga, Norway), Luis Robles (Kaiserslautern, Germany).
Defenders: Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Clarence Goodson (Start, Norway), Jay Heaps (New England), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland, Denmark), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany).
Midfielders: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado), Sam Cronin (Toronto), Brad Evans (Seattle), Stuart Holden (Houston), Logan Pause (Chicago), Robbie Rogers (Columbus).
Forwards: Freddy Adu (Monaco, France), Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby, Sweden), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United).


Not bad...


My guess:
           Robles
Dolo Conrad Marshall Parkhurst
Evans Beckerman Holden Rogers
  Ching          (Davies - Adu)

[WayAbvPar]

Perfect! Now play Adu kthx.

[HaemishM]

I cannot understand why Beckerman, Conrad and Heaps aren't in this Confederation's Cup team. Or Kenny Cooper for that matter. Beckerman is criminally underrated. Why doesn't John Thorrington get more love as well?