The Soccer Thread

[UMFan83]

Any ideas on where Clint will go for loan? Swansea seems like a good fit as does Everton.

 

Isn't Landon rumored to go back on loan to Everton?

[USSoccer]

Spurs actually have right of first refusal...it's not at all impossible he'd end up there, although I'd rather see him elsewhere.

 

Everton isn't a very good fit for him; he needs to go somewhere where he's going to get time.

 

Also, FWIW, I hope it's a loan that runs through the end of the EPL season.

[wolf stansson]

Also, FWIW, I hope it's a loan that runs through the end of the EPL season.

It won't.

 

I'd like him to go back to Fulham.

[USSoccer]

Also, FWIW, I hope it's a loan that runs through the end of the EPL season.

It won't.

 

I'd like him to go back to Fulham.

 

After Jol got canned the odds of that went up.

 

You don't think SSFC would allow it?

[wolf stansson]

You don't think SSFC would allow it?

No way. They paid $8,000,000 to have him there every game he possibly can. The national team doesn't factor in their priorities outside of increased marketing exposure for Deuce, EJ and Evans.

 

I don't blame them. When Beckham did it with Milan, it made the Galaxy look bush league. They lost revenue when he wasn't there, not to mention when he blew out his achilles. They targeted Clint to be their face and when your face isn't there for the beginning of the season, you're not getting what you paid for.

[USSoccer]

You don't think SSFC would allow it?

No way. They paid $8,000,000 to have him there every game he possibly can. The national team doesn't factor in their priorities outside of increased marketing exposure for Deuce, EJ and Evans.

 

I don't blame them. When Beckham did it with Milan, it made the Galaxy look bush league. They lost revenue when he wasn't there, not to mention when he blew out his achilles. They targeted Clint to be their face and when your face isn't there for the beginning of the season, you're not getting what you paid for.

 

Excellent point. The only thing I wonder, though, is whether or not the loan thing Clint's team negotiated into the deal specified the loan term.

[wolf stansson]

I'm looking forward to January. The EPL hasn't been the same for me without an American to be proud of. Cameron has been good for Stoke, but it's obviously not the same. I also hope Landon goes to Everton for another spell.

[shnsajax]

Arena said yesterday he wasn't going to allow Landon or Omar leave on loan in January. Hoping this is not correct.

[CubInOK]

The official pots for the World Cup draw on Friday.

 

I guess any team from UEFA can go into Pot 2, so an Argentina-Italy-Netherlands-USA group is possible.

[bukie]

The official pots for the World Cup draw on Friday.

 

I guess any team from UEFA can go into Pot 2, so an Argentina-Italy-Netherlands-USA group is possible.

Oh, a Brazil-Italy-Netherlands-USA group would be fun.

[Guest]

It's bad enough that we can't be in a group with our CONCACAF counterparts, but pairing with the Asian teams to make up our pot is an extra gut punch to the odds of not being in a nightmare group.

[Guest]

We're definitely continuing the trend of alternating advancing out of the group and having a crap tournament where we don't win a game.

[Mark Priors Calves]

So the assumption that France would be moved to Pot 2 is wrong? It can be anybody from 4 moved to 2?

[bukie]

So the assumption that France would be moved to Pot 2 is wrong? It can be anybody from 4 moved to 2?

Correct, it'll be a separate draw.

[shnsajax]

In Pot 4 if we can avoid Italy, Holland and Portugal I will be happy. In Pot 2 if we can draw an African nation I will happy. In Pot 1 if we draw the Swiss I will be beyond happy.

[Guest]

In Pot 4 if we can avoid Italy, Holland and Portugal I will be happy. In Pot 2 if we can draw an African nation I will happy. In Pot 1 if we draw the Swiss I will be beyond happy.

 

Please no Ghana from Pot 2.

 

For Pot 1, if we can avoid Brazil, Spain, Germany and Argentina, I'll be really happy.

 

Ditto on Pot 4.

[Mark Priors Calves]

The Guardian has a better draw and tournament simulator than the one that's been posted before.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2013/dec/world-cup-draw-2014-create-your-own-draw-interactive

 

This World Cup field is stacked and its gonna be tough for the US in the group stage in most draws.

[Guest]

Gonna do that 5 times just to see how it goes:

 

Switzerland, Ecuador, Netherlands - I'll take it

Belgium, Cameroon, Bosnia - Not terrible

Brazil, Ivory Coast, Russia - NOPE

Columbia, Ivory Coast, Croatia - Not bad

Germany, Ecuador, Italy - Do not want

 

Well that restored a little bit of hope. Friday is going to be stressful.

[shnsajax]

Just did it once and got

 

Swiss

Nigeria

England

USA

 

I'm done. That's what I want.

 

And group A: Brazil, Holland, Mexico, Ghana.

[Mark Priors Calves]

Did 5 too

 

Spain, Chile, Italy-finished last in group

Argentina, Nigeria, Greece-lost to Germany in round of 16

Switzerland, Ecuador, Greece-beat Italy, Colombia, Portugal, and Brazil to win WC2014!

Holland, Switzerland, Algeria-lost to Spain in round of 16

Germany, Nigeria, Russia-lost to Colombia in quarterfinals.

[USSoccer]

-Columbia, Croatia and Cameroon: YES

-Germany, Ghana, England: OH GOD NO (but would be amazingly entertaining. the subplots would be everywhere; that's the lazy journalist's dream group)

-Germany, Chile, Holland: .....

-Belgium, Algeria, Croatia: I'd take it

-Uruguay, France, Greece: That too.

 

In only one of those 5 (1st one) did we advance, and in that one we lost to Belgium in the R16. FWIW, I actually ran it 5 more, and we only advanced one other time to lose in R16, and twice more drew Ghana and Germany.

[Guest]

Brazil-France-Croatia

Germany-Italy-Chile (Mexico got Algeria and Greece and made the semis)

Uruguay-England-Nigeria

Uruguay-England-Cameroon

Spain-Croatia-Ecuador

 

Took me 9 tries before I got a group we advanced out of.

[bukie]

I got the USMNT advancing 6 times in a row, one of them hilariously in a Brazil-Holland-Portugal group and then defeating Spain, Germany, Argentina, and Brazil on their way to win the World Cup.

[Exile on Waveland]

First one, nightmare: Germany-Chile-Portugal

Second one, dream: Croatia-Uruguay-Algeria

 

 

 

(Not saying nightmare/dream as the absolute worst/best possible outcomes.)

[Guest]

There are 8 teams ranked 30+ in the FIFA rankings in the field. 6 of those make up Pot 3 with the US and Mexico.