The Soccer Thread

[USSoccer]

Best, most insightful article ever written about Jozy: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/26/armchair-analyst-altidore-rising-low-countries

 

All our attacking players should spend a season or two in the Erdevisie

[USSoccer]

Manchester City are going to steamroll the league. Their attack is unreal.

[shnsajax]

I wonder if Arsenal can even score today, i'm not expecting them to win.

[shnsajax]

Dzeko with 4 goals now today. Last one was pretty.

[shnsajax]

Arsenal suck, can't even make a PK. Very nice goal by Ashley Young though.

 

The League will be in Manchester for sure, not sure with which club yet though.

 

Edit: The backlash after this match should be interesting. Wonder if Wenger can make it through the entire season.

[CubInOK]

Arsenal suck, can't even make a PK. Very nice goal by Ashley Young though.

 

The League will be in Manchester for sure, not sure with which club yet though.

 

Edit: The backlash after this match should be interesting. Wonder if Wenger can make it through the entire season.

After giving up 8 today, I'm not sure Wenger will make it through the month.

[USSoccer]

The thing with Arsenal is more about their backline sucking and Wilshire being out than it is Cesc or Nasri.

 

Cesc was hurt/bad for most of last season. Nasri was great early and tailed off at the end. If they had any quality depth in the back or in midfield, they wouldn't be getting a train run on them today by United. If they had anyone with some fight in them in the midfield, they'd also be better off.

[Guest]

Holy hell are the Manchester teams good.

 

I recorded both games and am watching the City game right now and they're just tearing Tottenham apart. It's amazing that it was only 16 months ago that Tottenham won 1-0 at City to clinch a Champions League spot.

 

I really hope City goes the way of Chelsea last year (started out 5-0 with a 21-1 goal differential), but I'm not counting on it.

[wolf stansson]

George John to Blackburn was killed at the last minute after agreeing to terms. This is because they are going to fire their manager I assume.

 

The greatest thing about United and City (other than how fun their head to head games will be) is that Barcelona would play either of them off the park.

 

Also, Danny Wellbeck can play. He does more for me than Chicharito.

[wolf stansson]

Bradley to Chievo - http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/29/american-exports-bradley-set-move-italy

[wolf stansson]

Dempsey. Sevilla. Aston Villa. Roma. Napoli.

http://www.noshortcorners.com/2011/08/nnoying.html

Id be surprised if any of those happened, but who knows. I'd love to see him at Sevilla.

[shnsajax]

Holden will be playing in a reserve game tomorrow. Hope he is back in a couple of weeks or so.

[wolf stansson]

Deuce not coming for the CR game. Presumably he'll be available for Belgium (unless he makes a move). Fabian Johnson is not eligible to play in either friendlies because his one-time switch paper work hasn't been processed in time, but he is staying to train and get settled with the squad.

[shnsajax]

That sucks, wanted to watch Johnson.

[wolf stansson]

In non-conjecture Yanks Abroad news, Michael Bradley will be unveiled at Chievo Verona today. Great move, I believe Italy suits him to a t and we will see him getting plenty of playing time once he gets settled in with the squad and learns the language (which he has proven adept at in the past).

 

In total conjecture Yanks Abroad news, the Clint Dempsey saga continues. Everyone wants him because he's a god damn attacking third swiss army knife who works his ass off.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/30/american-exports-sevilla-pass-dempsey-others-pick-chase

Sevilla is out. Arsenal is in. Which makes a ton of sense. Watching that debacle on Sunday and the color guy kept talking about how disappointing Arshavin has been because they need his skills at being able to plug in as needed anywhere in the attack but he just doesn't work hard enough to justify his wages. Sounds like the anti-Clint. I'd really love him to go to Arsenal because I need to pick a team permanently. I liked Chelsea when they had Mourinho and the prime years of Lampard, Drogba and Essien, but I never totally bought in. If an American was playing a significant role on Arsenal, I'd buy in.

 

AMSTERDAM — La Liga powers Sevilla have pulled out of advanced discussions about acquiring Fulham ace Clint Dempsey, MLSsoccer.com has learned, leaving behind a continental crowd still clamoring for his services.

 

The Rojiblancos decided on Monday that the purse strings must be tightened after being knocked out of the Europa League by Steve Cherundolo's Hannover 96 on Thursday night.

 

"Our club is not in contact to Fulham for Dempsey," Sevilla press officer Miguel Ángel Gómez, speaking on behalf of club president José María del Nido, told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday afternoon. "[We] will not buy any player in this period."

 

With Sevilla having publicly admitted defeat, MLSsoccer.com has through multiple sources identified two distinct tiers of suitors that could move for Dempsey before the summer transfer window shuts on Wednesday night.

 

Aston Villa, Fiorentina and Napoli are all in the running, with the AS Roma still in the conversation now that Dempsey's US teammate Michael Bradley is no longer available. Plus, big spenders Paris Saint-Germain could become involved again if other transfer dominoes fall a certain way.

 

Also on Tuesday, Goal.com claimed that Fulham told Arsenal that Dempsey would cost $16 million and change.

 

"There have been a lot of incoming calls about Clint," Dempsey representative Lyle Yorks admitted to MLSsoccer.com. "We'll have to see what happens."

 

The agent confirmed that early summer callers AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund were no longer in the picture. Additionally, MLSsoccer.com has learned that Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen were scared off by Fulham's asking price and that Schalke would likely have gone straight after Dempsey had Jefferson Farfán been sold.

 

Thus far this term, Dempsey has bagged three goals in five games across all competitions. Since arriving to Craven Cottage from the New England Revolution in 2006, the 28-year-old Texan has notched 34 goals and 14 assists in 148 Premier League outings.

[shnsajax]

Damn $16 million for him too. Guessing it will come down a smidge should they get serious. I would love this move and it would rejuvenate me for this season if Arsenal picked him up. Wenger has to start spending some money at some point.

[wolf stansson]

I dont think it will happen because they won't have time to replace him and frankly, they're relegation candidates without him. Fringe candidates to be sure, but it's still risky.

[shnsajax]

I dont think it will happen because they won't have time to replace him and frankly, they're relegation candidates without him. Fringe candidates to be sure, but it's still risky.

 

Looks like they just added Park Chu-Young as well. He's listed at 6'0", though he doesn't look that big.

[wolf stansson]

Holy crap! Fulham just bought Bryan Ruiz for $16mil. Aka, Clint's asking price. Is he actually going?

[USSoccer]

OHPLEASELETTHISHAPPEN

 

I would be buying that jersey within 5 minutes of the medical going through.

[shnsajax]

OHPLEASELETTHISHAPPEN

 

I would be buying that jersey within 5 minutes of the medical going through.

 

This!

 

Chamakh could be heading out on loan too.

[wvcbxl]

Deadline day is here - let the fun begin. :D

 

it appears Modric and Tevez won't be part of it though - they are not moving.

 

Bryan Ruiz to Fulham is still being discussed but not final ... yet.

 

Joe Cole on loan from Liverpool to Lille for the rest of season.

[shnsajax]

Deadline day is here - let the fun begin. :D

 

it appears Modric and Tevez won't be part of it though - they are not moving.

 

Bryan Ruiz to Fulham is still being discussed but not final ... yet.

 

Joe Cole on loan from Liverpool to Lille for the rest of season.

 

Guessing Ruiz is contingent on Dempsey.

[wvcbxl]

Guessing Ruiz is contingent on Dempsey.

 

According to Voetbal International (in dutch), Ruiz will need to be convinced that Fulham's lucrative offer is worth the move - he's on record as only wanting to move to play in the CL.

 

Just to add spice to the discussion: Fulham and Twente play each other in the Europa League in two weeks.

[wolf stansson]

Updates: Uncapped German American Daniel Williams was purchased from Freiburg by Hoffenheim where he joines US youth internationals Gyau & Renken as well as future senior international Fabian Johnson. I like it.

Jermaine Jones has left Schalke, no one knows where yet, Greg Seltzer is speculating QPR.

The Dempsey situation is locked up tight, but Seltzer is reporting interest from "a Spanish league Champions League entrant." so Valencia or Villarreal? Not crazy about Velencia with their financial situation.

 

Edit -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/wednesday-kickaround-us-national-team-stuart-holden-gale-agbossoumonde-michael-bradley-us-open-cup-dc-united/2011/08/31/gIQA2YGorJ_blog.html

*Gale Agbossoumonde, a 19-year-old American defender who was with Djurgarden in Sweden earlier this year, is apparently headed for Eintracht Frankfurt in the German second tier, joining U.S. national team veteran Ricardo Clark.

There's also a youtube clip in that link of Mike Bradley saying hello to the picturesque city of Verona.