The Soccer Thread

[Marco4]

Good day for my Champions League team (I'll keep it a secret if you don't already know) even if I was witness to a woeful 0-0 at the Galpharm Stadium. Down to 18th. :(

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Now 3-0.

[Jon]

Ridiculous goal by Ronaldinho to close the match. 5-0 the final.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Here's Tuesday's Champion's League Scores

 

Chelsea 2 Werder Bremen 0 :D

Barca 5 Levski Sofia 0

Bayern Munich 4 Spatka Moscow 0

Sporting Lisbon 1 Inter 0

Galatasaray 0 Bordeaux 0

Eindhoven 0 Liverpool 0

Olympiakos 2 Valencia 4

Roma 4 Shakhtar Donetsk 0

 

The only eyebrow raiser would be the Lisbon-Inter result. I thought Inter would be much improved this year with all the troubles with the rest of the big clubs in Italian football.

 

Here are today's matches:

 

Dynamo Kiev v Steaua Bucuresti

Lyon v Real Madrid

FC Copenhagen v Benfica

Man Utd v Celtic

FC Porto v CSKA Moscow

Hamburg SV v Arsenal

AC Milan v AEK Athens

Anderlecht v Lille

[soccer10k]

Man U-Celtic is on right now.

[soccer10k]

Celtic strikes first at Old Trafford, 1-0.

[soccer10k]

Bad call against the Celtic goalkeeper gives him a red card an a penalty kick for Man U. Saha converts and it's 1-1.

[soccer10k]

WOW. After Saha gives Man U a 2-1 lead, Nakamura answers just 3 minutes later on a great free kick. Van der Sar didn't even move as Nakamura curled it right over the wall. GREAT free kick.

[Mark Priors Calves]

I wish I could be watching.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Madrid is down 2-0 at half.

[soccer10k]

Madrid is down 2-0 at half.

 

That is most definately great news.

[soccer10k]

Man U strikes just 1 minute into the second half. Saha's attempt at a hat trick was denied but the goalie gave up a rebound and Solskjaer was in the right spot and put it in. 3-2 Man U.

[soccer10k]

That was a very entertaining game. Man U had way more shots (17-6) but only 2 more shots on goal (6-4) than Celtic. Even with that Celtic still had a very good shot to win that game. If the referee makes the correct call and doesn't award Man U a penalty kick it would be 2-2. Celtic also had a breakdown on one of Man U's goals and basically gave the ball away. Based on this performance I would have to give Celtic the edge on advancing out of this group behind Man U.

[davecubsfan]

I was listening to World Soccer Daily today on Sirius (best sports call in show ever IMO) and he mentioned they were going off the air a bit early today due to Sirius getting the rights to the Champions League. I listened to Real Madrid get beaten by Lyon on the way home from the doc today.

[Jon]

Ugh. I had to miss both matches today. Stupid interviews.

 

The Fire take on Colorado in 70 minutes. No TV, sadly.

[shnsajax]

Man U strikes just 1 minute into the second half. Saha's attempt at a hat trick was denied but the goalie gave up a rebound and Solskjaer was in the right spot and put it in. 3-2 Man U.

 

As much as I hate Manu, there is not a better name in sports than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. If he could have stayed healthy long enough I might have even been tempted to name my first son Ole Gunnar.

[Jon]

An own goal three minutes in is not a good way for the Fire's streak to come to an end...

 

Their lead over New England is down to three points.

[Jon]

You don't have to be a member of a team to cheat effectively (albeit poorly): http://www.theoffside.com/south-america/a-ball-boy-scores-a-goal-and-it-counts.html

[Mark Priors Calves]

Sven-Gorin Eriksson is being publicily linked to the US National Team Head Coaching vacancy.

[davecubsfan]

Sven-Gorin Eriksson is being publicily linked to the US National Team Head Coaching vacancy.

 

Dear God no !!!!! That's even worse than giving it an MLS coach as far as I'm concerned.

[USSoccer]

Sven-Gorin Eriksson is being publicily linked to the US National Team Head Coaching vacancy.

 

Dear God no !!!!! That's even worse than giving it an MLS coach as far as I'm concerned.

 

I'm with Dave. SGE is the Dusty Baker of soccer managers...his handling of England this WC cycle alone was a joke. He put an 18 yr old Theo Walcott on the team for no good reason, passed up Jermain Defoe, and it it weren't for terrible finishing against Portugal, that decision would have been exposed for the joke it was, as Owen and Rooney were already out for the tournament. They would have started a World Cup semi against France with Peter Crouch and an 18 yr old striker with like one half of pro experience. He allowed his crush on Beckham to affect the team's performance, especially when it was obvious that Aaron Lennon was the better player.

 

Add to that the unneccesary rushing of Rooney back on the WC roster, questionable subbing decisions and you have a nightmare. If he ever go ahold of the US roster it would be a giant step backwards,

[davecubsfan]

Sven-Gorin Eriksson is being publicily linked to the US National Team Head Coaching vacancy.

 

Dear God no !!!!! That's even worse than giving it an MLS coach as far as I'm concerned.

 

I'm with Dave. SGE is the Dusty Baker of soccer managers...his handling of England this WC cycle alone was a joke. He put an 18 yr old Theo Walcott on the team for no good reason, passed up Jermain Defoe, and it it weren't for terrible finishing against Portugal, that decision would have been exposed for the joke it was, as Owen and Rooney were already out for the tournament. They would have started a World Cup semi against France with Peter Crouch and an 18 yr old striker with like one half of pro experience. He allowed his crush on Beckham to affect the team's performance, especially when it was obvious that Aaron Lennon was the better player.

 

Add to that the unneccesary rushing of Rooney back on the WC roster, questionable subbing decisions and you have a nightmare. If he ever go ahold of the US roster it would be a giant step backwards,

 

Agreed completely. Here's what I think would help the USMNT

 

1. We get Klinsmann or another international type coach not named Erikkson and not involve the MLS in any of the decisions whether it be coaching, training, etc. I feel that MLS cost us a better finish in Germany because of the very lackluster competition that most of them faced here. We need someone who's been successful on the international front or someone who's been an assistant under someone who's been on the international level.

 

2. Get Spector, Convey, Beasley, and some of the other Americans playing in Europe right now more involved in the team and in a starting role. Convey has played great at Reading and Spector has done pretty well with Man U and now with West Ham.

 

3. Get some of these guys not named Landy Cakes over in any European League playing against the finest competition in the world. I wouldn't mind if some of our younger players played in the Coca Cola Championship League, the Scottish Prem, Serie B, Bundesliga 2, and some of the other lower level leagues in Europe. Let Landy Cakes keep playing in the MLS and then sit his worthless ass on the bench during the next World Cup and put someone else in his starting role and in the captain's role.

 

I think it's high time that the MLS quit over valuing it's players and let many of them go to Europe. Clint Dempsey and some others belong in Europe instead of rotting in a league that is only viewed as a great league by those who run it.

[USSoccer]

 

1. We get Klinsmann or another international type coach not named Erikkson and not involve the MLS in any of the decisions whether it be coaching, training, etc. I feel that MLS cost us a better finish in Germany because of the very lackluster competition that most of them faced here. We need someone who's been successful on the international front or someone who's been an assistant under someone who's been on the international level.

 

Dave,

 

I agree with everything you've written except this. If you look at 2006 compared to 2002, they performances aren't dissimilar. In 2002 we snuck up on Portugal but had to hang on to win 3-2, but then gave a game away against South Korea (and should have lost it, were it not for Friedel saving a PK) and then absolutely crapped the bed against Poland (and should have been out in the group stage, except Portgual got 2 guys kicked out, went down 1-0 to a host country and STILL missed advancing by about 1 cm when Pauleta's 90+m shot hit the wrong part of the post.

 

What happened after the group stage in 2002 was meaningless. We drew Mexico, a team we knew we could beat, and beat them, and choked a game away to Germany.

 

In 2006, we were much more talented overall, got dumped in a very difficult group, and crapped the bed in our 1st game as opposed to our 3rd like in 2002. The tie against Italy was 1 bad call and 1 atrocious red away from being a US win, and the Ghanian game was again, 1 bad call from being a completely different affair. Both times we went into the 3rd game with a chance to advance, but the breaks that went our way in 2002 (Friedel's PK save against Korea, Pauleta hitting the post, Portugal looking past us) went against us in 2006 (Pope's 2nd yellow, Beasley's goal that was called back, and the penalty on Gooch in the 18).

 

MLS is in large part responsible for the growth of talent in the US pool. Most of the US roster has seen time in MLS and in general it has been a positive thing for the USMNT. I don't think MLS is the reason for our failure in Germany. I think the breaks didn't go our way, and when you get no breaks, and half of your best players don't show up to play (#'s 21, 10 and 17 in particular) you're going to get bounced. Of the players that played terrible in Germany, only 1 was an MLS player (and we both know Mr "I-Can't-Handle-Being-In-Germany" was the worst offender)

 

Where I agree with you most is on what MLS is doing with their players. Eddie Johnson should have been sold to Benfica in 2005. That was a stupid decision trumped only by the inexplicable decision to turn down the Dempsey transfer to West Ham a few weeks ago. MLS made 2 decisions that were acceptable (barely) in the short term that will probably cost the in the long term.

 

However, it's not anything new. MLS probably wrecked Clint Mathis' career by not selling him to Bayern Munich (I think) in 2003 and ended up giving him away on a free transfer a year later. In the end, the league got nothing and Mathis wasted a year and by the time he got to Germany he was such a headcase about it that he has never since been the same player.

 

MLS needs to realize that selling players at their peak while unearthing new stars to develop should be their model for the next 5-10 years, instead of holding onto players for fear of alienating a fanbase. They will never market Dempsey, and New England is one of the best fanbases in the league-they would have understood Dempsey going to the EPL. Ditto for Johnson and the transfer to Benfica. EJ got the largest ever transfer offer for an American player, and given his importance to the USMNT, he should have been delivered with a bow and a thank you note, and MLS would have reaped the benefits of his development down the road. Instead, EJ got hurt playing for Dallas in meaningless games, developed an attitude and regressed. Sounds like Mathis all over again.

Edited September 15, 2006 by USSoccer

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Sven-Gorin Eriksson is being publicily linked to the US National Team Head Coaching vacancy.

 

Dear God no !!!!! That's even worse than giving it an MLS coach as far as I'm concerned.

 

I'm with Dave. SGE is the Dusty Baker of soccer managers...his handling of England this WC cycle alone was a joke. He put an 18 yr old Theo Walcott on the team for no good reason, passed up Jermain Defoe, and it it weren't for terrible finishing against Portugal, that decision would have been exposed for the joke it was, as Owen and Rooney were already out for the tournament. They would have started a World Cup semi against France with Peter Crouch and an 18 yr old striker with like one half of pro experience. He allowed his crush on Beckham to affect the team's performance, especially when it was obvious that Aaron Lennon was the better player.

 

Add to that the unneccesary rushing of Rooney back on the WC roster, questionable subbing decisions and you have a nightmare. If he ever go ahold of the US roster it would be a giant step backwards,

 

Agreed completely. Here's what I think would help the USMNT

 

1. We get Klinsmann or another international type coach not named Erikkson and not involve the MLS in any of the decisions whether it be coaching, training, etc. I feel that MLS cost us a better finish in Germany because of the very lackluster competition that most of them faced here. We need someone who's been successful on the international front or someone who's been an assistant under someone who's been on the international level.

 

2. Get Spector, Convey, Beasley, and some of the other Americans playing in Europe right now more involved in the team and in a starting role. Convey has played great at Reading and Spector has done pretty well with Man U and now with West Ham.

 

3. Get some of these guys not named Landy Cakes over in any European League playing against the finest competition in the world. I wouldn't mind if some of our younger players played in the Coca Cola Championship League, the Scottish Prem, Serie B, Bundesliga 2, and some of the other lower level leagues in Europe. Let Landy Cakes keep playing in the MLS and then sit his worthless ass on the bench during the next World Cup and put someone else in his starting role and in the captain's role.

 

I think it's high time that the MLS quit over valuing it's players and let many of them go to Europe. Clint Dempsey and some others belong in Europe instead of rotting in a league that is only viewed as a great league by those who run it.

 

I don't get the MLS vitriol. I agree with letting the best go play in the best leagues, but I can't say I'm on board with sending every player with a prayer of being on the USMNT to any Euro league that takes them.

 

I'd also dispute the idea that MLS players were behind our poor showing in the WC. Donovan was a disappointment for sure, but Pope played as expected(terribly), Dempsey was arguably our best player, and Conrad did a solid job in the back. Who was it that was our downfall because they played stateside?

[USSoccer]

 

I don't get the MLS vitriol. I agree with letting the best go play in the best leagues, but I can't say I'm on board with sending every player with a prayer of being on the USMNT to any Euro league that takes them.

 

I'd also dispute the idea that MLS players were behind our poor showing in the WC. Donovan was a disappointment for sure, but Pope played as expected(terribly), Dempsey was arguably our best player, and Conrad did a solid job in the back. Who was it that was our downfall because they played stateside?

 

Of the 18 players that saw time in the World Cup:

 

Cherundolo

Bocanegra

Onyewu

Pope

Mastroeni

Convey

Beasley

Dempsey

Reyna

McBride

Donovan

Wolff

Johnson

Conrad

Olson

Lewis

Keller

O'Brien

 

11 of them had/have signifigant MLS experience. Of those 11, Pope and Donovan absolutely deserve to be ripped for playing terrible. It was the European contingent, particularly Reyna, McBride, Beasley and Bocanegra that absolutely killed this team. Three of those four players were directly involved in plays that cost us goals and games, and the 4th (Beasley) was a shell of his former self apart from 2 brief moments. The only Europeans to actually play well were Gooch and Cherundolo.

 

Of the 11 MLS'rs, Dempsey, Convey and to a lesser extent Conrad and Olson played well. Dempsey was our best player and should have started all 3 games, Convey played well, and Conrad and Olson exceeded low expectations by holding their own in difficult circumstances.