:no:Quote:
Originally Posted by MTR
Can you imagine if the World Cup Final or the FA Cup was decided over a seven match series? Sudden death is soccer at its best.
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:no:Quote:
Originally Posted by MTR
Can you imagine if the World Cup Final or the FA Cup was decided over a seven match series? Sudden death is soccer at its best.
Well my thing is that MLS used to play multiple games in every round except the final. That is just plain silly in my eyes. The thing with the World Cup is that after the first round it goes to single elimination so it flows right. MLS keeps fucking with their playoffs. This year the first round was a home and home with most goals winning. In case of a tie they played an sudden death overtime at the end of the game. So the team with the best record got to have the second game at their place so in a way it was home field advantage in case it went to the overtime. The conference finals and the MLS Cup final were just one game. That just does not make sense to me. Either do multiple games or singles games. Personally I think in this case it should be all single elimination. I don't mind them mixing it up if they did in some sort of logical fashion like the World Cup. Again Americans are used to seeing series in the playoffs of 3 out of 5 or 4 out of 7 except in the college ranks where almost everything is single elimination except baseball which is double elimination.
They do that system in all European games. In the Champion's League there's groups of 4 with each side playing each other twice, then 3 knockout stages of 2 legs before a one leg final at a neutral ground.
Much better.Quote:
Originally Posted by MTR
:angelic:
What is a "double elimination"? Sound like a WWE storyline...
Quick question for american 'sawker' fans here....how good is Landon Donovon at the mo, havent heard a lot about him since the world cup thought he was pretty good. I heard somewhere that his club valued him at £15m, cant be right.
Lead his time to their second MLS Cup in three years. The German team that he actually belongs too keeps wanting him back and so far they have managed to keep him in MLS. Not sure if he is worth that much but he is still top notch and doing well in MLS and for the National Team.
Double elimination is where you have to lose twice to be eliminated. There is a loser's bracket. Basically the only way for the last team standing in the loser's bracket to win the tournament is to beat the winner of the winner's bracket twice in a row.
As far as the format goes like I said MLS has done some weird stuff since they formed and there is nothing that is real logical about the systems they have used. A couple years they used some weird point system. That is what I am mostly complaining about.
fulham signed carlos bocanegra from chicago fire.....aparently he plays for the national team and was defender of the year in 2002
any of you guys seen him play????
I've heard he's a pretty consistent and solid defender but also has a bit of class and is good on the ball.
cant be worse than melville then.....maybe chrissy has done it again with his free signings then!
Everybody leaving... please don't take my Landon away...
Lots of soccer coming up, actually, as a pair of MNT friendlies (vs. Denmark and vs. the Netherlands) book-end the Olympic qualifying efforts of the U-23 team. And believe it or not, we actually get to see both MNT games! Good lord, American television actually broadcasting American games; what a concept!
No broadcast of the Olympic qualifiers though :(
When are the friendlies? And what station is covering them?
1/18 vs. Denmark in the awesome Home Depot Center... 12.30pm on ESPN
2/18 vs. Netherlands in the also awesome, but decidedly less local Amsterdam Arena... 2.30pm on ESPN2
Both live. Sweet.
I missed the game against Denmark. We tied using an all MLS team and debuting a new goalie. Not bad. They were using a young new team as well. I am going to have to make a point to remember the Netherlands game. That game will rock.
I don't get something though. Adu is the highest played MLS player and he has not played a game yet. I think that is crap. I know he is damn good and all but that just kind of spits at the players busting their ass year in and year out around the league that he is the highest paid player before he plays a game and he is only 14. Once he started playing I would be fine with it.
McBride is heading to Fulham in England. Nice to see another good player head to England to play. Mathis is in Germany or whatever but I am not a Mathis fan.
3 months of soccer stuff in one post. Watch me.
First off- we got a gift in the Denmark game, cause that was one weak ass call in the box that gave us the penalty kick. Not that I'm complaining. Just saying it was a gift.
Second of all, its a good thing we signed Adu, because the MLS just lost two pretty big names in Brian McBride and Clint Mathis. Obviously, we'll have to see how big of an impact Adu has, but losing those two hurts. I mean, McBride IS Columbus. I mean, he has to have been MLS since close to the start. And Mathis, while still unexplored potential at this point, is pretty charasmatic, and fun to watch.
Third of all, about Adu. If we didn't pay him that much money, he may have decided to go into Europe, even if it wasn't the right choice for him. Its obviously a risk, making a 14 year old kid your top pick. But if Adu pans out like the experts say he can, he could easily become the biggest American soccer star of all time. And I'd say it was a good investment if that does happen.
Oh, and I don't know if the schedules have come out yet, but if San Jose plays DC United, I am SOOOOOOOOOOO going down to see it.
McBride deserved to go. He is, quite simply, one of the top five American soccer players at this moment. His stint with Everton proved he can play at the level of the Premiership. I have a feeling The American Airman will take as well to the game as Howard has, putting in the goals the way Howard has stopped them.
Mathis... well, I'm just glad he's away from here... that dirty fucker...
Adu, however, absolutely has to be the highest paid player, especially in the way they did it. He's not the highest salaried player, but gets a huge amount of bonuses and other perks like, oh I don't know, housing because he's only 14. He deserves every penny for staying in America, but to say he's the highest paid is misleading because if we're just talking money made from playing MLS games, he's not.
Which brings me to another little thing... the list of salaries that Soccer America got their hands on... first of all, how in the world has there not been a bigger outcry for MLS to be more liberal with releasing financial records? These things have been guarded like nuclear weapons for almost a decade, and frankly, it's a scandal waiting to happen. But anyway, I wanted to point out a few things.
A) Josh Wolff. Love him, but are you kidding me? The highest pure salary player ($350,000), and the second highest player with bonuses/endorsements ($418,571.43). Just for fun, let's look at the top five pure salaried players: Wolff, McBride (the list came out at the beginning of the year), John Spencer, Ante Razov, and Freddy Adu. Notice anyone missing? Exactly...
B) Landon Donovan. The man grows in my heart every day. He's pitifully paid in salary ($280,000), less than Earnie Stewart, whose best days are so far behind him they're almost gone. Less than Razov and Spencer, both great players but nowhere near Donovan's skill. Sure, when you add in bonuses and the like, LanDo is the third highest paid player, but he's still behind Wolff, and obviously behind Adu. You'd think some of this would have come up a few months back when Leverkusen made their play to bring him back. But Landon said no, I want to stay in America, essentially turning his back on millions of dollars. He's the man, no question about it.
C) Carlos Ruiz. I'll be honest: I don't follow the MLS as closely as I should, for one because you can see as many, if not more, European games than you can MLS ones here in the States. But I follow closely enough to know that the guy was the league MVP a few years ago, and one of the key players when L.A. was basically a Western Conference power. So what is the guy making? $30,000 base. $50,000 overall. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I can sit here and complain about Landon not making enough money, but here is a guy making almost the league minimum ($24,000, I believe) and one-tenth of what Adu is going to make, and he's not just a proven player; he was the most valuable player in the entire league! Absolutely horrid.
PS: Etcheverry retired today. Good. That mullet always rubbed me the wrong way.
I still don't agree paying Adu that much so fast. He has played awesome on the international level. I will give him that but I think he would have stayed in the states without the money. The teams in Europe could have give him more money probably. He wanted to stay in the states and close to home for now. I don't blame him either considering his age and the fact he would have gotten put on a youth team for a while when he can play for DC right off the bat.
Etcheverry retired. :( I liked him when I got a chance to watch United games.
thats some interesting stuffQuote:
Originally Posted by Dan The Man
im a fulham fan and dont know much about him! do you know much about carlos bocangera?
There is a cover story on Tim Howard in USA Today. Good read. Nice to see a soccer player get some recognition around this country.
FIFA set transfer windows for MLS.
http://www.sportsline.com/soccer/story/7030280
:cry:
LANNNNNNNNNNDOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
:cry::cry::cry:
It is just a loan unless FIFA makes them use those stupid new transfer windows. Then he may not be back until August. :(
Lalas is the new President and GM of San Jose.
http://www.sportsline.com/soccer/story/7041051
I have not heard any more news about the Donovan deal. I know that they are hoping to get around those transfer windows because it is not a transfer and only a loan.
*crosses fingers*
Also the MLS opens up on April 3 with a national televised game between D.C. United with Adu against defending MLS Cup Champions San Jose Earthquakes with or without Landon.
The deal is basically dead from what I've heard, because of the second window... LanDo would basically be doing nothing for almost three months, between the end of the Premiership season and the re-opening of the MLS window...
He will, however, be leading the Olympic team, since he's still U-23...
That sucks. I think the deal should go through since it is a loan and not a transfer. Stupid FIFA had to go make these transfer windows for MLS. Oh well. At least he will play MLS and for the Olympic team.
Landon is not a happy man. He really wanted to go play over there and give playing overseas a try. Like he said it was perfect for everyone but those transfer windows screwed it up and they were supposed to be a good thing according to FIFA.
Oh well. He is getting ready to qualify for the Olympics right now anyway.
Guess he took out his frustration on Panama. Scored a goal, plus Convey scored two in a 4-3 win. Although they were up 3-0 and panama tied it, so it looks like that young defense might be as worrisome as feared.
*sigh*
I really wish they would show this stuff on TV. Put on 12 college basketball games a week, can't even give up one time slot for soccer . . .
Well, you guys missed one hell of a game. Although our defense played like shit, we never stopped attacking and never stopped trying. Even in the first half we hadquite a few chances to score, and finally in the second half we broke through scoring some amazing goals. Too bad, we let in that somewhat fluke goal in the end. Overall, I'm very proud of my boys, I never expected that. We sure gave you guys quite a scare.
Do any of you follow college/university soccer?
A little here and there. I follow the Ole Miss women and to a small degree the SLU men who are usually highly ranked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnus Barelegs
I might be clutching at straws, but do you know of Duncan Bray from the University of Indiana?
He is from Shetland too and just won some big award
Never heard of him. But he if he plays for Indiana then that is a good sign. They are one of the top teams year in and year out I believe.
Adu had his first official professional practice yesterday. The team is practicing where he goes to school for these two weeks. He goes to school in the morning and practices in the afternoon.
Son of a bitch
This is obviously some elaborate Mexican conspiracy to keep me from caring at all about the Olympics. First the bastards take out our baseball team, now this. Its only a matter of time before elaborate Mexican undercover agents take out the basketball team, and complete their master plan.
Seriously, its a bunch of crap that we had to face Mexico in the qualifying match. I mean, I understand why, because the dumb Mexican bastards didn't win their bracket and all. But still, the fact that Costa Rica is in and we're out just sucks.
Aye.
Although we obviously want to be there, we would have had no chance anyway. I mean, (and not to bring it back up and rub in everyone's face, but) I was two rows away from an older, more experience, almost Cup-calibre US MNT that looked out of place against the Brazilian U-23/Olympic team. You're asking a lot of kids much younger, and much much less experienced to take on the same guys? Not bloody likely.
Disappointing, but not completely surprising, and likely not as disappointing as it would be if we were similarly shelacked on the international stage.
First things first: 0-1 loss to the Netherlands today, in what sounds like was a good game with lots of big saves by van der Sar and the only goal coming from Hedjuk getting beaten thus allowing a breakaway.
Second things second: MNT upcoming schedule
3/18: vs. Haiti (Miami, FL)
3/31: vs. Poland (Poland)
4/28: vs. TBA (TBA)
5/26: vs. TBA (TBA)
6/13 and 6/20: vs. Grenada or Guyana (World Cup qualifying)
7/11: vs. Poland (somewhere in America)
and third things third:
New Hotness
http://picsrv.ussoccer.com/fif=/ussf...0,0,0&cvt=jpeg
http://picsrv.ussoccer.com/fif=/ussf...0,0,0&cvt=jpeg
OMG :orgasm: seriously... you can see all the combinations (short sleeve, long sleeve, home, away, shorts) here... just make sure you bring a towel or a sock or something...
WANT ONE NOW!
EDIT: Can't get the pics to work, so CLICK LINKS NOW!
Eh, those unis are a little too routine for my liking. I'm still partial to those crazy ass unis the MNT wore in their games in the 94 Cup, the blue ones with the giant stars on 'em
But anyway, that's not the reason I posted. In news that is sure to shock the soccer world to its very foundation, Heather Mitts, formerly of MY Philadelphia Freedom (not that I ever watched :$ ) beat out Anna K and Jennie finch for title of ESPN's Hottest Female Athlete. She does an interview afterwards with espn.com for those that are interested.
Click here
Personally, I voted for Jennie. But hey, all power to her. She is pretty cute.
I voted for Mitts... three times... cause she's hot and a half. I never really got on the Finch bandwagon. I voted for Anna last year.
If only Mitts wasn't all touchy-Feely...
Pele did a top 125 soccer players list for FIFA and the only two Americans on his list were Hamm and Ackers, two women. They were also the only two women on his list.
http://www.sportsline.com/soccer/story/7142379
Any of you guys support the Metro-Stars? I guy i used to play with and who was in my class at school has just spent a weeks trial with them in Spain with a view to a perminant move. His name is Gary Hamilton. Decent player, was on Blackburns books when he was younger then came back to play in Northern Ireland when that fell through. Hes a regular in the Northern Ireland full international squad although hes only made one appearance as a sub against Italy last year. Not bad for a part time player!
Hes a striker who will always get goals, but he'll create as well. He knows his stuff too because he has a job with the Northern Ireland FA as a development officier. I'd be interested in knowing who the strikers are at the Metro-Stars to see who he'd be up against.
I don't support any one team really in MLS. If I did it would be DC or San Jose. Not sure who all is on the Metro Stars. I can check though.
Here is a link to the active roster:
http://www.mlsnet.com/teams/rosters/...s.php?show=met
The Metro-Stars won some kind of tournament I see on the main page of the site.
You see, the problem with the MetroStars is that they're not so much "good" as they are "bad"... I don't know if I'd say "really bad" but "pretty bad"... waste of a wonderful market, if you ask me...
That just about sums up American sport for me:\Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan The Man
Safe to say i've never heard of one player at the Metro-Stars. He might be in with a chance of a game if he goes. He'd be mad to turn it down!
MLS dropped overtime. Now they will be like the rest of the world and no OT during the regular season.
About time. I hated the shootout shit they first did and I am not a fan of OT for soccer during the regular season. I guess because I am a traditional type guy. Kind of weird considering I love OT in hockey. :)
It just didn't make sense if the MLS wanted to be seen as a legitimate league... (as if overtime was that missing piece)
PS: /me has applied for an internship with the MLS over the summer. That would be :cool:
But the real reason to bump this thread...
http://www.mlsnet.com/contest/images...ft_475x530.jpg
:hyper::hyper::hyper:
:hyper:
I took off work so I am so watching this game. After I take my daughter to soccer of course. :hyper:
:mad:
I wanted to see SJ at DC so bad. But I've only got one pal who likes soccer, and he's going to school out by Pittsburgh, and doesn't come home until mid-May. And since MLS decided to kick the season off with this, I'll have to watch it on TV. Plus, since I wanted to see it for Landon, and he wanted to see it for Adu, we are fighting over whether to see NJ/SJ or DC/NE now. I'll probably give in though, just cause NJ is so shitty. I know Eddie Pope, and that's it.
Anyway, despite my disappointment at not being there live, it doesn't change the fact that Landon + Adu = :hyper:
Without a doubt the biggest regular season game in MLS history, methinks. It's just a shame they couldn't wait a week, and compete with the NHL play-offs instead of the damn Final Four.
That was a good game the other day. Convey had a decent game considering the jet lag he was feeling. It was obvious he was not playing up to his standards when he missed that wide open goal that could have put DC up 3-1.
Adu had some good touches. I laughed when he fell and tried to get the foul called and the ref told him to get up. He will score some goals and get some starts before the season is over.
Poor Donovan did not get that many touches. He almost put a goal in though.
I started writing this a joke in the Asylum, but it turned pretty serious (and long), so I figure I'll put it here as well.
Are DC United Obligated to Start Adu?
Freddy Adu has been billed as the future of American sport for years. He earns the largest total salary of any player in Major League Soccer. He had the draft order changed so he could play close to home. His face and name were plastered on advertisements for the opening game of the 2004 MLS season.
He came on in the 61st minute.
League officials, trainers, coaches, and many players insist that Adu needs to be brought in gradually. Starting him could be detrimental to his long-term development, they say.
At the same time, Adu presents the greatest opportunity yet to garner mainstream interest in the sport. Sports fans, though not soccer fans, tuned in to see what this highly-hyped phenom could do. And for a sport that is still widely seen as "boring" by the American public, asking the casual (or even more important, first-time) fan to watch 60 minutes of a game before they get a chance to see Adu is risky to say the least. In thirty minutes of playing time, Adu got few touches, and signs of brilliance. His one attempt at taking on a defender was met with contact and a failed attempt at drawing a foul.
So the question is: if the MLS is intent on using Freddy Adu to market their game, to reach new viewers, and to spread the sport of soccer in general, are they obligated to start him? Where is the line between what is good for Adu and what is good for the sport? Regardless of what he does on the field for his team, everyone knows that his most valuable contribution will be how many new fans he brings in, and as we have seen after each World Cup, there are a number of fans who are not averse to watching soccer, but still need that extra incentive. Even more telling from after each Cup, however, is that they need that incentive right away. The Women's World Cup win garned enough interest to start a women's league, but as time went by, that interest could not be sustained. The 2002 World Cup drew ESPN2's highest soccer ratings ever, yet the Men's National Team plays an increasing amount of non-televised friendlies. In short, the US public can't be strung along on stories of what Adu will do for very long. At some point, they will stop caring. Unless, that is, Adu can perform before then, performances that by his own account will come with more playing time. The question is which will come first: Adu's excellence or America's apathy?
Pele, Owen and Gascoigne were all playing regularly for club and country by the time they were seventeen.
Having said that, so was Norman Whiteside, and his career got fucked up with injuries.
Hold on a minute, so did Gascoigne's... and Owen's not unfamiliar with the odd pulled hamstring...
Anyway, in my opinion he needs to be eased gently into MLS over the next couple of years. It's pretty obvious that he's not fully developed yet, both technically and physically, and you can't expect too much of him too soon. When he's 17/18, I believe he will have become one of the best players in the world, and is going to get sold off to Europe. Until then, though, there's no reason why the MLS can't milk him for all he's worth in publicity. We've already seen he can pull in the big crowds. Play him in the big games and give him the odd run-out inbetween.
They should do what is best for Adu and play him off the bench for now. Sure they may lose some of the fan base they are drawing in after a while when he does not start every game but they will still gain some fans in the long run in my view.
And you never know he may not go to Europe later. They may be able to hold onto him for a while and build a fan base while he is starting on a regular basis when he is older.
Part of the problem though is the hype he is getting despite not being a starter. I think there has been a little too much hype.
Do any of you lot know owt about the Dallas Cup? Pools have entered the youth team and we've made the quarter finals with 3 successive wins in the group stage.
That name somewhat rings a bell but not sure.
edit: Link to the official site for the tournament
http://www.dallascup.com/
Pools are kicking arse. 3 games played, 3 wins, 9 scored, and only 2 conceded. Class. You're next, Club Dallas!
7-1 win in the quarter final. We're the greatest. Those American teams ain't got nothing on us!
I heard Hugh Robertson hit a freekick from England and hit the bar in Dallas
Whoever told you that was lying! It went in!
Youth team won the semis 2-0 from what I hear. Pools Vs. Metrostars in the final. COME ON POOLS!
ESPN can kiss my ass. They give us one MLS game a week, stick it on their B channel, and then decide to show a women's tennis match instead of the game. Assholes.
:wtf:
The SJ vs. Chicago game was on ESPN2. But if you missed it, no big loss. Poorly officiated- there should have been at least three PKs, but there were none.
Well, the beginning of the game wasn't shown, at any rate. I turned off the TV after 15 minutes cause I was pissed.
We won the Dallas Cup! Youth team's now won more trophies than the real team :$
"You need talent, you need to be good, but sometimes you just need to be lucky."
So says Eric Wynalda after Adu scores his first professional goal. Thourougly unexciting, Adu waits as the long cross option. Josh Gros decides to cross short. Forward misses it. Defender misses it. Ball trickles across the six where Adu just slots it in. Not the highlight many expected/hoped for, but a goal's a goal.
But the real story, I think, has been Fabien Taylor. Starts the second half and just raises the tempo of everyone on the MetroStars, then follows his beautifully saved header with a no-angle rebound, then sneaks another under the keeper's hand. He completely changed the feel of the game, and the outcome.
Maybe the Metros have more promise than we thought...
A what?Quote:
no-angle rebound
His header was saved, but he followed and put it in from very close to the end line, giving him little to no angle with which to score.
Our legs shall never tire
Our hearts will see us through
Goals! Goals! Goals!
For the Red, White, and Blue
Here we go... Sunday at 1pm, the United States of America takes the first step towards the World Cup, with a second-round CONCACAF qualifier vs. Grenada! Which US team will show up, the one that began 2004 absolutely horrendously, or the group that is 3-0 in the last three games with 291 shutout minutes and counting? Clearly there's not much to worry about facing Grenada, but it's not that long ago that we drew 1-1 with Haiti, so who knows...
Keller will be in net, with a work-in-progress defense in front of him that has been doing really well as of late. There are lots of guys fighting for bench spots on the final Cup roster and making the most of their opportunities while many of the "Europeans" take time off. The midfield, however, has been terrific and really has become the strength of this team. Run DMB is really coming into his own as a solid player on the left, Armas is consistently one of the toughest players on the field, Reyna is still Captain America, and LanDo has flourished after being moved back into the midfield. Add Eddie Lewis and the ageless Earnie Stewart coming off the bench and you can't help but smile at the fact that, for once, the US has a real strength, that you can take these guys and put them against anyone in the world and not feel like it's over before it begins. McBride continues to provide solid scoring up front, though it's clear he and Conor Casey still haven't developed the sort of chemistry he had with LanDo.
:hyper: USA! USA!
PS: Also, I've already cleared the schedule, begun saving loads of money and am on the mailing lists of numerous sports-centered travel agencies... Germany 2006, here I come baby. Cross #1 off my life's to-do list.
Some questions for you all.. Those of you who watch MLS which I imagine is all of you..
How good is Landon Donovan do you think? The same goes for DeMarcus Beasley.
I'm also intrigued to find out more about Bobby Convey, Eddie Gaven and Steve Cronin (I think thats his name.) I've heard good things about them, what are they realy like?
Also, apart from the obvious name, are there any other American players that are making a big impact?
How good is LanDo? I'm probably not the best to ask, since I would die for the man, but I think there's no question that at his age, he is the best talent America has. He's not a pure goal scorer (though he has proven in MLS that he can be) which is why his recent move back to midfield has been so successful. He is able to use his athleticism and passing in more space and it would not surprise me in the slightest to see him finish his career with the most assists in National Team history. I think that's what makes him so great. He came up through the youth ranks by being a forward and putting balls in the net, and now at the highest stage, his attacking skills are almost like a gift, the icing on his cake.
Beasley has made big strides in a short amount of time. He came into the MLS and blew everyone away, literally, with his speed and fitness. Playing on the left side doesn't hurt either. That's why it was so disappointing when he got injured during (or right before, I forget) qualifying for the 2002 Cup. It's a testament to his skills that someone so young and inexperienced still made the Cup team, despite that injury. Since then, he has become a workhorse for the National Team, logging lots of minutes and showing a lot of improvement since just a few years ago. He will be a fixture at left-midfield for years to come.
Convey's development has been hurt by the fact that he too plays on the left side, competing with DMB for years. In the MLS he plays left-mid, but has played everywhere from attack to his current defensive position for the National Team. It has heartbreaking to see him unable to go to England (even if it was Tottenham) because he could really use that experience. He is young and we've been spoiled by kids like LanDo and DMB coming in and starring at 20. He still needs time and experience to develop, but he has shown the potential to be a very good if not great player.
Eddie Gaven I don't know much about other than I believe he was the previous youngest MLS player, before Adu came in. There was a lot of talk about his youth experience because he played in the U-17 Championships, some U-20 matches, and the Olympic qualifiers with the U-23 team all in the same year. I guess that tells you something about his abilities, even if he hasn't been in MLS long enough for me to have seen them.
Steve Cronin, I've never heard of.
The American making the biggest waves, I think, is Brian Ching. I saw the game (vs. Wales, I think) where he came on as a substitute and became the first Hawaiian to earn a cap. Since then, he has been a goal-scoring machine opposite of Landon for San Jose. He wasn't a top youth player coming up, which has to be the reason he keeps getting passed over for National Team call-ups, but he is having an MLS season that will be hard to ignore.
The other name is the always overlooked Josh Wolff. He was good, if not great, in 2002 Cup Qualifying, assisted on the goal that beat Mexico in the World Cup, and is performing solidly in MLS yet again. His problem is that he has been injured so often that he's never been able to really play a full calendar year. And whether it's a good thing or not, they've all been different injuries, so it's hard to say he's prone to them, but it's also hard to overlook.
PS: 3 hours to kick-off. ESPN2.
ESPN2? :hyper: Problem is that I think I will be out of the house then. :(
Dan did you hear that Landon's German team is going to use the option to recall him after the MLS season. So another round of talks are in store to see what happens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTR
My team Pompey tried to sign Donovan in the transfer window in January. But it didn't go through because of the strange rulings in the MLS, not allowing players to be transfered in certain months.
Shame really, because I always thought he was a useful player whenever I saw him, and a move to the Premiership would have been a good career step for him. I think his German club is Wolfsberg.
Doesn't he play for Leverkusen?
Quote:
Originally Posted by aenima
Yeah, I think your right, although I think he had a spell at Wolfsberg, maybe on loan.
:mad: DAMNIT!
I always seem to come below Portsmouth (I'm a Leicester fan :D)
Anyway, I know very little about American soccer. But I felt I should warn you that this man is coming over to your side of the Atlantic next year;
http://www.vg.no/sport/fotball/engel...erton_lite.jpghttp://www16.brinkster.com/soccer2yo...r/anderton.jpghttp://www.mysouthampton.org/images/...nderton100.jpg
His name is Darren Anderton. If your team buys him, be prepared of being the butt of all jokes until he leaves the club. Though a pretty decent player, the man is the most injury prone player of all time. He is a joke.
...waits for the obligitory 'Leicester are a joke!!!!' reply...
:lol: You always finish below us, yet still always seem to beat us! I went to the Crisp Bowl a couple of months ago, good facilities. :yes: (Notice how I complement your ground, and not your team!)
But yeah, I heard Anderton's off to the US. But wherever he goes, he'll always be known as the 'sicknote'.
Or Shaggy from Scooby Do!
England has that too, just on different months. :wtf:Quote:
Originally Posted by UK Blue
Yeah, MLS was actually not limited by windows until recently, bringing them in line with the rest of the world. Except the windows don't match up, so it's increasingly difficult for transfers.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Brothers Grimm
And yeah, I did hear that Landon was going to leave, and really, it makes sense. He's won an MLS Cup, he's been an MVP, and he's become the top American in the league. There's nothing more for him to do here, and limitless competition in Europe. I do hope, however, that Leverkusen is only a stop-over and he gets onto an English club. I know fuck all about the Bundesliga (especially how to spell it, clearly) and would like to at least be able to follow him with what little coverage the EPL gets here.
And in the important news of the day, 3-0 to the champions. Could have been about 100-0 if not for Grenada's defense just standing in front of the net. It was like they had four keepers. Beasley with two goals to get Man of the Match honors, both of them coming on the ends of perfect passes, the first by Reyna and the second by Donovan. Up 3-0 going into Grenada, it will be interesting to see who gets rested and who gets called up. Next week, 4pm, ESPN2, live from Grenada.
Yeah FIFA set windows for MLS and that ruined that loan. Because if Donovan had been loaned out he could not have come back to MLS until August. See last year McBride was loaned out to a team over there and came back to start the MLS season. Of course now McBride is just over there. But that is all Donovan was going to do but thanks to FIFA he stayed over here.
I am kind of thinking that Donovan needs to head to Germany and play. He really needs to go to Europe at this point and time. He has more or less done what he can in MLS so time to move on and get better in Europe.
3-0. Good game. Taped it and watched it tonight. Could have easily been way more. Then again Grenada should have had two goals by their own right. I expect to see more MLS players taking a break next weekend and playing for their clubs.
I'll cry when Landon leaves. When you have a second rate league, it's inevitable, but still. MLS is all the soccer I get to watch cause I don't have a dish. i can't even watch the European Championships :( And Landon is my hero.
Anyway, I was happy to see Beasley do well yesterday. Considering he was the breakout star with Landon at the World Cup, he's really lagged off since then, including a pretty rough year thus far with Chicago. So it was good to see he hasn't dropped off the map completely.
Oh, and congrats to Reyna for his 100th cap.
MLS is coming along but unfortunately it is hard for them to hold onto stars which of course hinders the process. But at the same time US players know in order to really get better and help the national team out they need to go to Europe no matter how much they love MLS and playing at home.
Southampton had a substantial offer rejected by Chicago Fire for DaMarcus Beasley
Well, while I won't deny that MLS has made big strides since 1996, and had a large role in the success of the 2002 team, it's going to hit a plateau (if it hasn't already, then soon)) because it essentially is a farm system for Europe. At some point, several top stars are going to have to make a committment to MLS, or it's never going to grow past what it is now.Quote:
Originally Posted by MTR
Of course, finding the players willing to be that first guy to stay is the problem. Even your McBride's eventually yearn for better competition.
He is one of the players MLS really wants to hold onto like Donovan. MLS rejected the deal by the way. Teams can not reject deals because they don't own the players. MLS owns the players and makes the deals.Quote:
Originally Posted by JIJ
Well if you listen to the interviews they played during halftime, it seems we might start seeing the MLS used on the other end. Instead of (or in addition to, I should say) guys starting their careers here and then going to Europe, a lot of Americans seems to want to come back and end their careers here. Keller talked about how if they give Seattle a team, he wants to end his career there since he lives in Washington. Reyna talked about how he was already in Europe when it started and wants to have the experience before he retires. It doesn't necessarily help the competition level in the league, but I can imagine a "Claudio Reyna Farewell Tour" would get a fair amount of people to come see him for the last time. Not that either of them are planning on retirement in the near future, and I doubt they would only come back for one year, but we're talking about guys whose careers are closer to their ends than beginnings. And you know, we talk about young guys getting experience in Europe, but there's a lot you can learn from a Reyna or a Keller.
PS: So I finally found a place that does authentic customizing of the new US jerseys (number inside the circle, name in the right font over the shoulders, right colored numbers) as opposed to the thousands of places that offer generic customizing... and they want $85 for a DONOVAN-21. If I didn't get my current one off eBay for so cheap, I'd say fuck that, but... it's so awesome... and it's LanDo... and I don't really have the money (ok, I do but not to be spent on jerseys)... but I might... aaaaaaaaaaaah!
Wolff should regain his rightful place with the team at least for the duration of Casey's injury, I would think.Quote:
Originally Posted by US Soccer
Interesting that Stewart joins the 100 Cap Club so soon after Reyna. It's one of those "sounds better than it is" type of things that the United States has more players with 100 caps than any other team. It's almost sad that for so long we produced so little talent at the youth level that quality players just weren't coming in to replace the originals. And Stewart's place is so different that Reyna's. Reyna got his 100th cap as the captain of the team, while Stewart's will likely come much as his 99th did, in the closing minutes of a match whose outcome is not in doubt. They're both good signs, I think. Reyna will go down as one of the greats in US Soccer history, and holding rank as captain while gaining his 100th cap is a testament to how well he was played for so long. Stewart's shows our development as a nation, that a man who once was a fixture in the lineup has been forced down the depth chart by younger, better players.
Now we're getting into an interesting phase where the guys at the start of our youth movement, the first young guys who showed such tremendous talent for their ages, are picking up their 30th, 40th, even 50th caps, and one would think that they're going to shatter 100. But you look at all the guys going to Europe who miss out on most friendlies, and you have to think that's a number that's going to grow as more and more players do go to Europe. And you look at all the young talent that keep getting called up and you wonder when we're going to start seeing situation's like Stewart's, players with talent and experience being replaced by players with talent and youth. If a player like McBride never reaches 100 caps, it just might be for the best.
PS: Looking ahead (up 3 vs. Grenada, I think I'm allowed to look ahead), we're advancing to a group that will include Panama (up 4-0 vs. St. Lucia), probably El Salvador (up 2-1 vs. Bermuda), and I would guess Jamaica (1-1 vs. Haiti). As with really all CONCACAF games, we have to be considered the favorites while also not taking any of them lightly at all. It helps that the top two will advance, so our spot in the Final Round of six (with 3.5 advancing).
The crazy thing is some of the teams that are down to or tied with the tiny islands going into the second leg. Barbados is down 2-0 to St. Kitts. The Dominican Republic is down 2-0 to Trinidad and Tobago. Nicaragua is tied 2-2 with St. Vincent and the Grenadines (?!?).
And in perhaps the best news for all nations involved (well, except for one), Cuba goes into its second leg tied 2-2 with Costa Rica. Now, the second game is in Costa, but still... if the Cubans can knock out the traditionally third-best Costa Rica, it not only gives the US another cushion for the final group, but it opens up yet another spot for a team to get some real World Cup experience, something FIFA hoped for by granting the fourth team a play-in (against an Oceanic team, I believe?). Obviously, the rest of the world may not look at it as very nice that a team like Guatemala or Belize makes it instead of whichever top European nation invariably falters during qualifying, but fuck 'em. It helps out our region, and that's all that matters.
Man, this post ended up being way way longer than I expected...
Our fouth place teams plays an Asian team. Oceania has to play a South American team.
I would love to see Costa Rica get knocked out and give someone else a chance to sneak in there with us and Mexico. Granted more than likely it would be Jamaica who made the World Cup in France.
Its also partly to do with the fact that the US used to play far more internationals than just about any other team, before the MLS really got going. Mike Lapper came to Southend in about 1995 with 50 caps under his name at the age of 24, and he wasn't even a first choice player in the US side.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan The Man
Same with Mexico I believe, quite a few players with close to or over 100 caps there aswell.
3-2 to the champions, advancing 6-2 aggregate.
I only got to see the first half due to Father's Day festivities, but man, it was like they were playing in a lake. Didn't see, or even have a chance to read about, the second half goals by either team, but 2-1 at the half with the States' goals looking very good. Sharp passing in within the Grenada box on both, something that is nice to see. Once again, Landon on both an assist and a goal :heart:
So, America is through to the real start of qualifying... Panama is also through, and as of right now *checks Soccernet* both El Salvador/Bermuda and Jamaica/Haiti are tied, so those are still undecided.
In other news, Cuba again tied with Costa, this time 1-1, to make it a 3-3 series. Unfortunately, the first tie-breaker is away goals, and Costa Rica's 2 bests Cuba's 1. Unlucky :\
And all hail the tiny island chains! St. Vincent and the Grenadines followed up their 2-2 tie with Nicaragua with a 4-1 victory in the second leg. Meanwhile, St. Kitts and Nevis takes the second leg 3-2 to eliminate Barbados. Trinidad and Tobago also ousted the Dominican Republic.
And finally, Mexico 10-0 Dominica. Sounds about right.
18 August 2004: United States at Jamaica
4 September 2004: United States vs. El Salvador
8 September 2004: United States at Panama
10 October 2004: United States at El Salvador
13 October 2004: United States vs. Panama
17 November 2004: United States vs. Jamaica
Interesting group... not a walk-through, to be sure... unlike fucking Mexico, which will go through to a group consisting of Trinidad & Tobago, St. Kitts & Nevis, and St. Vincent & The Grenadines... :mad:
EDIT: Looking over the schedule, I have to say "what the fuck?" Games on September 4th and 8th, with travel between them... Games on October 10th and 13th with travel between them... what's the point in having such big gaps between the first two and last two games if it means having no time between the middle games?
PS: The US host Poland in between now and the semis, July 11th in Chicago.
Jamaica will the only slight challenge there, won't they. The rest will be easy. And Jamaica's star players mainly play in Division 1 (The Championship as it's now called) ove here in England, which in case you don't know, is the second league.
Nothing is ever easy in CONCACAF, especially when it involves playing away matches. You're playing on shit fields, in "stadiums" with the fans directly on top of you, which is great for them since it allows the opposing players to be within spit/urine/bottle/rock/battery etc. range. The style of play is harder (read: dirtier) than most anywhere in the world, which severly hampers any team built around skill.
I'm not saying we won't carry the group, but in CONCACAF games, you should never be surprised if your team loses, especially away.
I hate that away goals rule. I thought they got rid of it. :rant:
Mexico is going to breeze through to the final round while we have to deal with Jamaica a team that can easily be fighting for one of those 3.5 spots.
Come on, guys, you're playing Jamaica, El Salvador & Panama.
If the US are anywhere near their FIFA ranking place, they should take the best part of 18 points from a group like that. Jamaica are decent, but they're hardly world-class.
Like Dan said this is CONCACAF though. Hard to win on the road at times. We were breezing through the final round last time and then hit a skid and had to rally to make sure we got through. I am sure we will make the final round but this won't be a cake walk and neither will the final round.
Former US National Team coach Sampson got fired from his current coaching position of Costa Rica after they barely got past Cuba in qualifying. He said he saw it coming because people have been against him for a while and then not having great results against Cuba sealed the deal.
Is Memo Gonzalez any good?
He's supposed to be an excellent prospect. Why?
He's also the bollocks on Champo 4.
Spurs are supposed to be interested in him...let's hope he's a Saviola rather than an Okoronkwo :D
:)
He's not ready yet, but he looks like a good 'un.
Somebody good sign LanDo, please? Spurs? It's not like you don't want more attackers...
I have not heard of that person. Does he play MLS or something?
Yar, at LA I believe, or at least he was.Quote:
Originally Posted by MTR