The Soccer Thread

[wolf stansson]

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan, Troy Perkins, Matt Pickens

 

DEFENDERS: Jonathan Bornstein, Sean Franklin, Cory Gibbs, Clarence Goodson, Drew Moor, Michael Parkhurst

 

MIDFIELDERS: Freddy Adu, Davy Arnaud, Ricardo Clark, Sacha Kljestan, Pablo Mastroeni, John Thorrington

 

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper, Chris Rolfe

Guzan

Franklin Parkhurst Gibbs Bornstein

Adu Mastro Arnaud Kljestan

Altidore Cooper

 

 

That could score some goals.

[wolf stansson]

http://theoriginalwinger.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/cooperusa.jpg

 

It's on now.

[Guest]

Your boy just put one in, wolf, off a feed from Altidore.

[Guest]

Down 1-0 late in the game, Mexico picked up red cards - one was two yellows in the 78 and 87 minutes and the other a straight red - within two minutes of each other against Honduras.

 

Stay classy Mexico!

 

Also, Freddy Adu's FK goal was sick.

[brinoch]

Cooper and Altidore looked good together. This fan approves, and I now believe they are -- by far -- the best choices for Bradley up top.

[brinoch]

Your boy just put one in, wolf, off a feed from Altidore.

 

That was awesome. He nutmegged the keeper. Haha.

[USSoccer]

If we can figure out a way to get Adu, Altidore, Donovan, and Dempsey all on the field at once, we're going to be a much better attacking team in 2010.

 

Nice to see Adu break his duck tonight, too. Me likely. And KC just gave a big fat crap sandwich to Hardworkin' Bob.

[wolf stansson]

Your boy just put one in, wolf, off a feed from Altidore.

Let's get one thing straight, I am a Kenny Cooper pimp for sure, but Jozy Altidore is my guy. He is the flat truth.

 

He pantsed his man to get off that gorgeous cross for Cooper's goal (who accounted well for himself with a clinical finish), drew the foul that set up Adu's gorgeous free kick and drew what should have been a pk early in the game. Not to mention two or three other chances that he might have finished. I think in 5-6 years, aka the 2014 World Cup era Jozy Altidore, could have had a hat trick, the assist and the pk foul. He is a beast.

 

With guys like Deuce, Donovan, Cooper, Davies, Jozy, Freddy, Sacha, Robbie Rogers, Torres and Bradley, we have got some offensive firepower for the next few cycles. Not to mention young studs coming up like Martinez, Renken and that other kid who I posted about a few pages back.

 

 

I definitely love the striking trio of Jozy, Cooper and Davies.

 

Edit - I sincerely hope Bradley took note that Cooper today not only tracked back like Brian Ching in a muscle suit but he got forward and made some dangerous chances for the team like Brian Ching in a good suit.

 

So basically he is better than Ching in every way which by default makes him better than any other forward we have who doesn't play for a champions league contender.

[sethuel1]

Holy crap is that Mexican ref terrible.

[shnsajax]

Your boy just put one in, wolf, off a feed from Altidore.

Let's get one thing straight, I am a Kenny Cooper pimp for sure, but Jozy Altidore is my guy. He is the flat truth.

 

He pantsed his man to get off that gorgeous cross for Cooper's goal (who accounted well for himself with a clinical finish), drew the foul that set up Adu's gorgeous free kick and drew what should have been a pk early in the game. Not to mention two or three other chances that he might have finished. I think in 5-6 years, aka the 2014 World Cup era Jozy Altidore, could have had a hat trick, the assist and the pk foul. He is a beast.

 

With guys like Deuce, Donovan, Cooper, Davies, Jozy, Freddy, Sacha, Robbie Rogers, Torres and Bradley, we have got some offensive firepower for the next few cycles. Not to mention young studs coming up like Martinez, Renken and that other kid who I posted about a few pages back.

 

 

I definitely love the striking trio of Jozy, Cooper and Davies.

 

Edit - I sincerely hope Bradley took note that Cooper today not only tracked back like Brian Ching in a muscle suit but he got forward and made some dangerous chances for the team like Brian Ching in a good suit.

 

So basically he is better than Ching in every way which by default makes him better than any other forward we have who doesn't play for a champions league contender.

 

Jozy is the future of US Soccer.

[wolf stansson]

Can Landon earn my love again? We're about to find out.

 

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/11/donovan-heading-to-bayern-munich-on-short-loan.html

With every passing day you watched Landon Donovan training with Bayern Munich, you just knew his trip to Germany would wind up being more than a training stint.

 

It has. According to multiple reports out of Germany, Donovan is set to join Bayern Munich on a short loan from the start of January through mid-March.

 

Donovan will join Los Angeles Galaxy teammate David Beckham as MLS players heading to Europe on these short loan deals during the MLS transfer window, which runs from January through mid-April. Donovan is expected to return to the team in time for the start of its MLS season. That is assuming Bayern Munich doesn't buy him outright.

 

The loan will mark Donovan's third foray into the German Bundesliga after two unsuccessful stints with Bayer Leverkusen, the last coming in 2004 before returning to MLS in 2005. He originally signed as a youth player for Bayer Leverkusen in 2001 before moving on loan to MLS.

 

What do you think of this news? Surprised? Excited? Think Donovan will flourish? Think he will flop? Think he will play? Think he will start?

 

Share your thoughts on Donovan's loan deal to Bayern Munich in the comments section below.

[shnsajax]

Can Landon earn my love again? We're about to find out.

 

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/11/donovan-heading-to-bayern-munich-on-short-loan.html

With every passing day you watched Landon Donovan training with Bayern Munich, you just knew his trip to Germany would wind up being more than a training stint.

 

It has. According to multiple reports out of Germany, Donovan is set to join Bayern Munich on a short loan from the start of January through mid-March.

 

Donovan will join Los Angeles Galaxy teammate David Beckham as MLS players heading to Europe on these short loan deals during the MLS transfer window, which runs from January through mid-April. Donovan is expected to return to the team in time for the start of its MLS season. That is assuming Bayern Munich doesn't buy him outright.

 

The loan will mark Donovan's third foray into the German Bundesliga after two unsuccessful stints with Bayer Leverkusen, the last coming in 2004 before returning to MLS in 2005. He originally signed as a youth player for Bayer Leverkusen in 2001 before moving on loan to MLS.

 

What do you think of this news? Surprised? Excited? Think Donovan will flourish? Think he will flop? Think he will play? Think he will start?

 

Share your thoughts on Donovan's loan deal to Bayern Munich in the comments section below.

 

He's got to play first. He should get some time though, hopefully some Champions League action.

[wolf stansson]

He'll get time. Podolski is a waste for Bayern and they'll sell him this January I suspect, Schweinsteiger wants a move to England (I don't see them letting him go though), Ze is for the off to MLS, Ribery is injury risk, Toni and Klose are old and Landon is good enough to play regardless of those factors. It's just a matter of him being more assertive and doing it for himself.

[USSoccer]

-If it's a short term loan, he's only going to be there for a few games before Bayern need to decide if they want to buy him from MLS. Camp for the Hex will be in January and we will have 2 qualifiers in Feb.

 

-Cooper showed he is a much better player than Ching is, by far. And honestly, despite the level of competition, there was a lot to like from both Jozy and Kenny. They both displayed quite a bit of poise and skill on the ball, their holding play was quite good, and they attacked the goal with conviction. Kenny tracked back well.

 

-Ching has a role on the team, especially on a WC roster. He's a good guy to have around as a backup, because, despite his complete inability to finish like a forward, he is very fast for a guy of his size, does track back well, and can function ok as a lone striker. That said, he should still be about 5th on the depth chart behind Jozy, Donovan (he's a 2nd forward at the international level), Cooper, Davies (I like his pace) and you could probably put Clint in there ahead of him as well as far as I'm concerned.

 

-We really need to see more defenders than we see on a regular basis. I'm not convinced that by 2010 Boca and 'Dolo won't be bad. Gooch will be fine, but we need to create some depth here. And while I'm at it, Bornstein is flipping terrible. I trust Hejduk more than him. Our left backs still suck, and I really wish we'd get on with converting DMB, because as overrated as I think he is at left mid, I think he could be very good at left back.

 

-Finally, I can't make up my mind about Rico Clark. There are things I like, and things I don't.

[USSoccer]

One of the most important things with Freddy is making sure that he understands that while it's really nice that a lot is said and written about him, none of it matters when he walks in the door to the national team. The understanding of how to earn the respect of his teammates, and how to do things on the field that will help us win, those things come first. I'm sure that's also much of what he is trying to piece together at Monaco. This is what happens when the level gets higher with top clubs. It's a growing process, we talk about it with him often, and we hope that he continues to move along."

 

Ugh

[wolf stansson]

Ives

U.S. national team fans weren't the only ones who caught a glimpse of Kenny Cooper's performance against Guatemala on Saturday. Scouts from several European clubs, including German club Eintracht Frankfurt, were also in attendance at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and the interest in Cooper should only continue to grow as it becomes increasingly unlikely that Cooper will be signing a new deal with FC Dallas.

Cooper is preparing to head into the final year of his current contract and negotations over a new deal with FC Dallas have stalled, sources with knowledge of the talks told SBI on Thursday. With Cooper seeking designated player money, and FC Dallas offering in the $325K to $375K range, look for MLS to do it's best to sell Cooper in January in order to avoid losing him for nothing after the 2009 season.

 

I love me some Bundesliga. I think Kenny's size, strength and technical ability would thrive there. Frankfurt are a solid club, no danger of relegation (or Champions League for that matter), and it'd be a great foothold into Europe for his future plans.

 

As a huge proponent of MNT players moving to Europe, I must say I am starting to be a little concerned with the MLS talent pool being so thin and constantly losing it's best Americans. The league won't take off if all the stars are Latin imports or aged veterans. Oh well.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

As a huge proponent of MNT players moving to Europe, I must say I am starting to be a little concerned with the MLS talent pool being so thin and constantly losing it's best Americans. The league won't take off if all the stars are Latin imports or aged veterans. Oh well.

 

I wonder if it's possible to cultivate something similar to a college athletics attitude towards it. People are still rabid about college sports even though the best players leave(sometimes before they needed to) to play at the best level.

[wolf stansson]

As a huge proponent of MNT players moving to Europe, I must say I am starting to be a little concerned with the MLS talent pool being so thin and constantly losing it's best Americans. The league won't take off if all the stars are Latin imports or aged veterans. Oh well.

 

I wonder if it's possible to cultivate something similar to a college athletics attitude towards it. People are still rabid about college sports even though the best players leave(sometimes before they needed to) to play at the best level.

There's not enough tradition behind it, imo. It works in places like Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico etc. There's no shame in being a feeder league. It's just that those countries are footballing nations.

[wolf stansson]

The Fire get $500,000 from Santos for the three month loan. Holy crap. That's awesome. I hope he leaves and Chicago uses his DP slot for a stud like Del Piero or someone else who has expressed interest in MLS.

 

 

I like this Cepero kid for NYRB. I think he could be a MNT prospect in goal.

 

According to Du Nord, the latest rumor for Gooch is Olympique Marseilles.

[USSoccer]

The Fire get $500,000 from Santos for the three month loan. Holy crap. That's awesome. I hope he leaves and Chicago uses his DP slot for a stud like Del Piero or someone else who has expressed interest in MLS.

 

 

I like this Cepero kid for NYRB. I think he could be a MNT prospect in goal.

 

According to Du Nord, the latest rumor for Gooch is Olympique Marseilles.

 

Isn't Gooch better than Ligue 1 though? Honestly?

[wolf stansson]

The Fire get $500,000 from Santos for the three month loan. Holy crap. That's awesome. I hope he leaves and Chicago uses his DP slot for a stud like Del Piero or someone else who has expressed interest in MLS.

 

 

I like this Cepero kid for NYRB. I think he could be a MNT prospect in goal.

 

According to Du Nord, the latest rumor for Gooch is Olympique Marseilles.

 

Isn't Gooch better than Ligue 1 though? Honestly?

I think so.

 

Here are the MLS rules changes. I approve of them all.

 

 

http://the-touchline.blogspot.com/

MLS announced several changes for the 2009 season. I haven't yet decided if I like all of them or not.

 

- The Reserve Division is no more. The funds will be diverted from the Reserve squad to help solidify the senior roster as well as the Generation Adidas program. Roster size will decrease to 24 and teams may have up to 20 senior roster players.

 

- Opening day will be March 21, 2009, a change that will help clear some space in the calendar so as not to conflict with United States World Cup qualifying matches.

 

- There will be eight Western Conference teams and seven Eastern teams, with expansion Seattle taking up the eighth spot in the West.

 

- Top two teams in each conference get into the playoffs and will be joined by the next four teams with the highest points, regardless of conference. In other words, it will revert back to the 2007 format.

 

- MLS teams will not be allowed to participate in both the CONCACAF Champions League and SuperLiga; it's one or the other... or neither for the mediocre to bad teams.

 

- 2009 CONCACAF Champions League participants: Columbus, New York, Houston, DC United.

 

- 2009 SuperLiga participants: Chicago, New England, Chivas USA, Kansas City.

 

There you go. My initial thoughts: I like the either/or for international competitions. This not only gives more clubs more international exposure, it alleviates the clogged schedule four MLS teams had in 2008.

 

The one change I was foolishly hoping would happen did not. The playoffs will remain with two legs in the first round and one-off games the rest of the way. Of course, that was not going to happen. But I am glad to see that Western teams will have to earn their way into the playoffs and not by beating up on the expansion Sounders.

[shnsajax]

The Fire get $500,000 from Santos for the three month loan. Holy crap. That's awesome. I hope he leaves and Chicago uses his DP slot for a stud like Del Piero or someone else who has expressed interest in MLS.

 

 

I like this Cepero kid for NYRB. I think he could be a MNT prospect in goal.

 

According to Du Nord, the latest rumor for Gooch is Olympique Marseilles.

 

Isn't Gooch better than Ligue 1 though? Honestly?

I think so.

 

Here are the MLS rules changes. I approve of them all.

 

 

http://the-touchline.blogspot.com/

MLS announced several changes for the 2009 season. I haven't yet decided if I like all of them or not.

 

- The Reserve Division is no more. The funds will be diverted from the Reserve squad to help solidify the senior roster as well as the Generation Adidas program. Roster size will decrease to 24 and teams may have up to 20 senior roster players.

 

- Opening day will be March 21, 2009, a change that will help clear some space in the calendar so as not to conflict with United States World Cup qualifying matches.

 

- There will be eight Western Conference teams and seven Eastern teams, with expansion Seattle taking up the eighth spot in the West.

 

- Top two teams in each conference get into the playoffs and will be joined by the next four teams with the highest points, regardless of conference. In other words, it will revert back to the 2007 format.

 

- MLS teams will not be allowed to participate in both the CONCACAF Champions League and SuperLiga; it's one or the other... or neither for the mediocre to bad teams.

 

- 2009 CONCACAF Champions League participants: Columbus, New York, Houston, DC United.

- 2009 SuperLiga participants: Chicago, New England, Chivas USA, Kansas City.

 

There you go. My initial thoughts: I like the either/or for international competitions. This not only gives more clubs more international exposure, it alleviates the clogged schedule four MLS teams had in 2008.

 

The one change I was foolishly hoping would happen did not. The playoffs will remain with two legs in the first round and one-off games the rest of the way. Of course, that was not going to happen. But I am glad to see that Western teams will have to earn their way into the playoffs and not by beating up on the expansion Sounders.

 

Nice job Dallas!

[USSoccer]

The Hex schedule was announced:

 

2009 CONCACAF WCQs

 

North, Central America and Caribbean Zone

Wednesday 11 February

Costa Rica-Honduras

El Salvador-Trinidad and Tobago

USA-Mexico

 

Saturday 28 March

Mexico-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-Honduras

El Salvador-USA

 

Wednesday 1 April

Costa Rica-El Salvador

USA-Trinidad and Tobago

Honduras-Mexico

 

Wednesday 3 June

Costa Rica-USA

 

Saturday 6 June

Trinidad and Tobago-Costa Rica

El Salvador-Mexico

USA-Honduras

 

Wednesday 10 June

Mexico-Trinidad and Tobago

Honduras-El Salvador

 

Wednesday 12 August

Honduras-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-El Salvador

Mexico-USA

 

Saturday 5 September

Costa Rica-Mexico

Honduras-Trinidad and Tobago

USA-El Salvador

 

Wednesday 9 September

El Salvador-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-USA

Mexico-Honduras

 

Saturday 10 October (*)

Costa Rica-Trinidad and Tobago

Mexico-El Salvador

Honduras-USA

 

Wednesday 14 October (*)

USA-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-Mexico

El Salvador-Honduras

 

(*) simultaneous kick-off

 

The top three finishers from the final 'hexagonal' round will qualify automatically for South Africa 2010 as the region's representatives, while the fourth-place team will contest an intercontinental play-off with the fifth-place finisher from the South American Zone over two legs. The winner will also go to South Africa.

[USSoccer]

Also, the Confed. Cup draw was today as well. Check out our group:

 

Group A

A1 - South Africa

A2 - Iraq

A3 - New Zealand

A4 - Spain

 

 

Group B

B1 - USA

B2 - Italy

B3 - Brazil

B4 - Egypt

 

That's going to be a fun tourney.

[shnsajax]

The Hex schedule was announced:

 

2009 CONCACAF WCQs

 

North, Central America and Caribbean Zone

Wednesday 11 February

Costa Rica-Honduras

El Salvador-Trinidad and Tobago

USA-Mexico

 

Saturday 28 March

Mexico-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-Honduras

El Salvador-USA

 

Wednesday 1 April

Costa Rica-El Salvador

USA-Trinidad and Tobago

Honduras-Mexico

 

Wednesday 3 June

Costa Rica-USA

 

Saturday 6 June

Trinidad and Tobago-Costa Rica

El Salvador-Mexico

USA-Honduras

 

Wednesday 10 June

Mexico-Trinidad and Tobago

Honduras-El Salvador

 

Wednesday 12 August

Honduras-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-El Salvador

Mexico-USA

 

Saturday 5 September

Costa Rica-Mexico

Honduras-Trinidad and Tobago

USA-El Salvador

 

Wednesday 9 September

El Salvador-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-USA

Mexico-Honduras

 

Saturday 10 October (*)

Costa Rica-Trinidad and Tobago

Mexico-El Salvador

Honduras-USA

 

Wednesday 14 October (*)

USA-Costa Rica

Trinidad and Tobago-Mexico

El Salvador-Honduras

 

(*) simultaneous kick-off

 

The top three finishers from the final 'hexagonal' round will qualify automatically for South Africa 2010 as the region's representatives, while the fourth-place team will contest an intercontinental play-off with the fifth-place finisher from the South American Zone over two legs. The winner will also go to South Africa.

 

Those listings are the home team first or second?