The Soccer Thread

[CubInOK]

They needed another attacking mid? Jose whipping it out on AVB? What's the point of that signing?

This + monkey wrenching the Bale sale.

[wolf stansson]

Sunderland's CM's are horrendous. Jozy's service, horrendous. This is why they bid $10,000,000 for Bradley. They were rebuffed but they'll raise their bid.

[wolf stansson]

The corpse of Shalrie Joseph is getting worked in Seattle. If Portland could finish, it could easily be 3-0 rather than scoreless.

 

Thoughts: Seattle too narrow. Valeri is a baller. Neagle is really fast and Nagbe makes him look like he's running in sand.

[USSoccer]

Shalrie Joseph was the worst player on the field for either side; had had to have had 10 giveaways in the first half, most of which killed attacks. The minute Rosales came on Seattle looked about a thousand percent better.

 

Portland played well; Nagbe is really, really good. It's too bad he's not a citizen. That CB Kah is a hack, though.

 

And Deuce looked decent for being not-quite-100%-fit; he had the heavy first touch in the 1st half and played very well in the 2nd.

 

Finally, EJ makes soccer look like the most difficult sport in the world sometimes, especially when he's settling the ball and/or deciding what to do with it. Once he decides, or if he just reacts, he's fine but the instant he has to think, it looks like a ton of effort.

[wolf stansson]

Rosales is one of the only players on that roster who can think at Clint's speed. EJ, his best bro, slows him down and can't combine with him fast enough. EJ can only play as a pure striker to be his best. Neagle is best at striekr. Martins can only play as the target or withdrawn striker and that's where Clint's going to play. They've got a log jam and desperately need some width. They can't build through the middle if Joseph and Alonso are in. If you move Evans centrally to partner with Alonso you solve a lot of problems, but they still need width on the left.

[shnsajax]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/27/hapa2umy.jpg

[shnsajax]

Jozy gets his first in a comeback vs MK Dons in a 4-2 win. They score 3 after the 87th minute too.

[wolf stansson]

Jozy goal -

[wolf stansson]

Landon Donovan's new multi-year deal will make him the highest paid player in the league if he hits incentives. Sounds about right.

[CubInOK]

Arsenal won't get out of a group with Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, and Napoli.

 

Discuss.

[CubInOK]

USA Roster for Costa Rica and Mexico

 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

 

DEFENDERS (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Michael Orozco (Puebla)

 

MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Roma), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

 

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

 

http://www.ussoccer.com/news/mens-national-team/2013/08/klinsmann-calls-23-players-world-cup-qualifiers-against-costa-rica-and-mexico.aspx#sthash.0fAfmOem.dpuf

 

Is this the best set of forwards the US has ever called up?

[bukie]

Might have preferred Gomez to Johnson, but it's not bad at all.

[USSoccer]

Not bad at all; It would have been nice to see Shea somewhere there to toss on if we need a goal late, but otherwise it's solid.

 

First time with LD and CD together since the A&B game last summer.

[shnsajax]

Might have preferred Gomez to Johnson, but it's not bad at all.

 

Neither one should see the field in that game.

[wolf stansson]

Pretty easy roster call.

 

------------------------------TH

BE-----------------OG----------------MB------------------DB

---------------------JJ----------------MB

Donovan--------------------------------------------------FJ

-----------------------------CD

------------------------------------JA

[wolf stansson]

MLS rejected $750,000 from Stoke to buy Agudelo (who has been GREAT when healthy this year) now rather than wait until January when he's already agreed to a contract with them. Hughes wants him to compete for the stating role, he wants to go but if NE sells him, they lose his rights. Thing is, by the time Juan Agudelo comes back to MLS, the allocation process will probably be gone. So dumb. He's stayed ballin during this whole process, which is commendable, but his development has been stalled by MLS. NYRB traded him to Chivas who sold him to NE for $75,000 worth of allocation funds and now an EPL team wants to buy him for almost a mil just to get him 4 months early.

 

He was ALWAYS going to Europe and he would have sold for a lot more a year or more ago if NY hadn't had a manager and GM who didn't understand the league managing its roster. The Chivas move was bad luck. Worst organization in sports. Vergara and his clown troop took over and traded him for nothing because he's not Mexican American without even telling their manager at the time. Chelis was pissed, got fired a month later and the Revs have been absolutely killing it with him leading the attack ever since. Chivas and NY both own a portion of his sell on rights so,now NE has no incentive to sell, he's unhappy, NY and Chivas want him sold and NE is holding him in case of a deep playoff run in their huge stadium in front of 10,000 fans (which is possible in the east the way they're playing) and because they want first dibs at him if he comes back to MLS as a non-DP salary.

 

So, to recap, NY traded him for Heath Pearce. Horrible trade. Chivas sold him for 75k of ML$BUCK$ within the league when they could have gotten more than $750,000 of actual moneyfor him last January from a European club (Celtic offered) but while he was on trial, the dumbest owner I've ever seen, Jorge Vergara, took over full control of the club and Juan came back with Celtic's offer rejected because their new manager wanted to build around him. New owner sold him. For 1/10th without telling said manager and then fired the manager.

 

WTF.

 

MLS is still MLS, I guess.

[wvcbxl]

Gooch is no longer a Sporting Lisbon player.

[Guest]

Totally called that Tottenham would get matched up with Anzhi in the Europa League.

[Guest]

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/transfers/startseite-km/transfers.html?from=top_navi

 

This website is pretty awesome for transfers and seeing which players left and came in and for how much money.

[wolf stansson]

Jozy out with a hamstring injury. Not good. Johannsson might have to start in CR.

[shnsajax]

Jozy out with a hamstring injury. Not good. Johannsson might have to start in CR.

 

Was coming here to ask this right now.

[shnsajax]

So pending the Arsenal/Tottenham match, Liverpool might be the last perfect team in the EPL. Didn't picture that one coming.

[shnsajax]

Beautiful buildup and goal for Giroud and Arsenal.

[USSoccer]

I hope Spurs finish 17th this year.

[wolf stansson]

Bale to Madrid done. Ozil to Arsenal in the works. Kaka to Milan done.