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USSoccer

By USSoccer,
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USSoccer Chicago Cubs

USSoccer

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FA Cup final today...Pompey was living a completely charmed life. Chelsea hit the post 5 times in the first half, and then Boateng missed a PK-badly-and Drogba converted like 2 minutes later.

 

Too bad for Portsmouth.

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Mark Priors Calves Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Mark Priors Calves

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FA Cup final today...Pompey was living a completely charmed life. Chelsea hit the post 5 times in the first half, and then Boateng missed a PK-badly-and Drogba converted like 2 minutes later.

 

Too bad for Portsmouth.

I'm obviously a Chelsea fan but I wouldn't have minded in the least if Pompey had won the cup today. Their supporters, players, staff, etc. don't deserve what has happened to them. Winning the cup would've at least given them some happiness during an otherwise horrendous season.

USSoccer Chicago Cubs

USSoccer

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FA Cup final today...Pompey was living a completely charmed life. Chelsea hit the post 5 times in the first half, and then Boateng missed a PK-badly-and Drogba converted like 2 minutes later.

 

Too bad for Portsmouth.

I'm obviously a Chelsea fan but I wouldn't have minded in the least if Pompey had won the cup today. Their supporters, players, staff, etc. don't deserve what has happened to them. Winning the cup would've at least given them some happiness during an otherwise horrendous season.

 

They really showed the best side of professional football today. The fans and players really gave it their all. It would have been incredibly special to see them lift the Cub after everything. Avram Grant, of all people, being the guy to hold that team together?

 

Unreal.

 

I'm looking forward to the end of Serie A as well. If Roma end up top, that would be unbelievable considering how dead that side was to start the season.

sethuel1 ACL Cubs

sethuel1

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FA Cup final today...Pompey was living a completely charmed life. Chelsea hit the post 5 times in the first half, and then Boateng missed a PK-badly-and Drogba converted like 2 minutes later.

 

Too bad for Portsmouth.

I'm obviously a Chelsea fan but I wouldn't have minded in the least if Pompey had won the cup today. Their supporters, players, staff, etc. don't deserve what has happened to them. Winning the cup would've at least given them some happiness during an otherwise horrendous season.

 

They really showed the best side of professional football today. The fans and players really gave it their all. It would have been incredibly special to see them lift the Cub after everything. Avram Grant, of all people, being the guy to hold that team together?

 

Unreal.

 

I'm looking forward to the end of Serie A as well. If Roma end up top, that would be unbelievable considering how dead that side was to start the season.

 

Almost.

USSoccer Chicago Cubs

USSoccer

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I'm looking forward to the end of Serie A as well. If Roma end up top, that would be unbelievable considering how dead that side was to start the season.

 

Almost.

 

Ranieri showed his quality. That was a fantastic run by Roma.

USSoccer Chicago Cubs

USSoccer

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Someone on BigSoccer uploaded a bunch of WC games from the past. I'm watching Germany US from 2002. Some thoughts:

 

-We started a 3 man backline of Sanneh-Pope-Berhalter, and they kept the ball on the deck and didn't just blast the ball forward and skip the midfield. Impressive.

 

-We played Hejduk and Mastro in the 5 man midfield. Unreal. Lewis and Hejduk were the wing mids, and Pablo backed up JOB and Reyna. JOB seemed to be floating all over the field, almost playing as a libero. He was so good. Reyna didn't look like Captain Backpass in this one, and our midfield overran theirs, especially early. We didnt sit back, either. We attacked them right away and it seemed to catch ze Germans off guard.

 

-LD was really abysmal in this game. His touch was off, and his finishing cost us a semifinal spot.

 

-I still don't know how we lost that game. We were better in every phase of the game.

wvcbxl ACL Cubs

wvcbxl

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Ballack out of the World Cup because of a ankle injury.

 

I've already heard German commentators saying this means the quarter finals is the best they can hope for now.

shnsajax Iowa Cubs

shnsajax

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Ballack out of the World Cup because of a ankle injury.

 

I've already heard German commentators saying this means the quarter finals is the best they can hope for now.

 

Was Ballack even starting for Germany?

wolf stansson Knoxville Smokies

wolf stansson

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Ballack out of the World Cup because of a ankle injury.

 

I've already heard German commentators saying this means the quarter finals is the best they can hope for now.

 

Was Ballack even starting for Germany?

Yeah man, he's their captain.

 

Gooch extends his AC Milan deal one season for $0.00:

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/05/morning-ticker-onyewu-extends-ac-milan-deal-ballack-ruled-out-and-more.html

Seems a little desperate, but I can't blame him. At the end of my career, I'd be more proud for having been an AC Milan player for 3 years (and maybe more if this gamble pays off) than I would an extra 2 million or so in the bank.

I don't think it'd be foolish to speculate about his contract probably including some performance incentives in that final year. At the very least he's taking a 33% pay cut for the next two seasons and probably getting it on the back end of the "free" year. So basically he added another year to the contract without adding to the contract's total value.

 

I’d like to see some follow up as the story so far has been American bloggers piggy backing off a gazzetto dello sporte or whatever that paper is called because I think there’s probably more to it.

 

Another thing that could be brewing is a potential transfer. A team like Ajax who showed a ton of interest would be more willing to throw 8 million or so at Milan to buy him if there was another year with a more affordable per annum on his base salary.

Gooch would then pocket 10% of the transfer fee (for the sake of argument lets say the price $8,000,000 in which case he’d pocket $800,000) which would be close enough to a year’s salary that he’d end up breaking even with another year tacked on of guaranteed salary as well as the potential for more playing time wherever he ends up.

Totally baseless speculation but I’m just trying to spitball things that would make this deal make sense from a business perspective for the big man.

Edited by wolf stansson
biittner77 South Bend Cubs

biittner77

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I am at best a casual soccer fan but I seem to remember during the European Championship that Belich's play was pretty disappointing. Maybe I'm imagining that or it could be that the couple times I saw Chelsea Belich made some stupid misstakes.

 

Are the Germans just fatallistic or is he really that important to them?

wvcbxl ACL Cubs

wvcbxl

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Are the Germans just fatallistic or is he really that important to them?

 

He is very important to them.

The most obvious replacement is Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), but he doesn't see eye to eye with the national coach. The smart money seems to be on young Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart) to get his big chance now.

wolf stansson Knoxville Smokies

wolf stansson

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Are the Germans just fatallistic or is he really that important to them?

 

He is very important to them.

The most obvious replacement is Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), but he doesn't see eye to eye with the national coach. The smart money seems to be on young Sami Khedira (VfB Stuttgart) to get his big chance now.

Schweinsteiger has been superb in the holding role for Bayern this year. They could move him back there.

USSoccer Chicago Cubs

USSoccer

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Germany will be fine without Ballack. Frings or Bastian could probably fill his role acceptably. They need to be more concerned about who's going to score for them. Low managed to take like 1 of the in form strikers available.

 

Some interesting interviews the past couple days from Deuce and LD...LD acting zen and talking about his divorce, and Deuce getting annoyed with the press asking about his NT form.

 

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2010/0517/soccer_commercial44_576.jpg

shnsajax Iowa Cubs

shnsajax

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Germany will be fine without Ballack. Frings or Bastian could probably fill his role acceptably. They need to be more concerned about who's going to score for them. Low managed to take like 1 of the in form strikers available.

 

Some interesting interviews the past couple days from Deuce and LD...LD acting zen and talking about his divorce, and Deuce getting annoyed with the press asking about his NT form.

 

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2010/0517/soccer_commercial44_576.jpg

 

I didn't know he was getting a divorce. He could land a better actress anyways.

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