The Soccer Thread

[shnsajax]

As nice of a gig as Guzan has at Villa he could really be on a team playing for the big 6. De Gea and Cech could be gone soon.

[Guest]

I was a little disappointed with the Tottenham draw today until I saw that United lost at home and City on the road.

 

Would have preferred to win but a close road loss to Arsenal and a home tie against Chelsea aren't the end of the world when you're beating everyone below you (at least for four games).

[wolf stansson]

ArJo with the winner vs PSV.

Oh man it was a good one too. Deuceesque.

 

http://www.noshortcorners.com/2013/09/the-iceman-chippeth.html

[USSoccer]

I was a little disappointed with the Tottenham draw today until I saw that United lost at home and City on the road.

 

Would have preferred to win but a close road loss to Arsenal and a home tie against Chelsea aren't the end of the world when you're beating everyone below you (at least for four games).

 

 

Sorry, but I hope Tottenham lose every single game the rest of the season.

[USSoccer]

Okay, so lets talk about the Chicago Fire.

 

Here's a list of actually useful players on that roster:

 

Mike Magee

Sean Johnson

Austin Berry

Dilly Duka

Alex

 

That's it. That's five players out of like twenty-four. That's awful. Patrick Nyarko blows. I've seen him play enough to know that he's not really any good. He's good for like one nice move per game off the dribble, but then he tries the same said move ten more times. Gonzalo Segares and Logan Pause blow. Whatever fat forward of the week they decide to play sucks. Jeff Larentowicz is an affront to man and nature.

 

It's bad enough that this team had the misfortune to build a stadium at the worst possible time and end up with a nice enough facility at the ass end of Harlem Ave, meaning you basically have to drive through Mordor to get there, but they're boring as hell to watch, and it sucks having your hometown MLS team be as exciting as watching paint sit in paint cans.

[Guest]

For MLS players, Nyarko, Pause, Segares, Larentowicz, Rolfe and Soumare are at least okay, and since they've assembled that entire group they've actually been quite successful(12-6-6 in all competitions since adding Soumare and Magee, 1.65 PPG in MLS). Their problem is 1) they got off to a horrific start before they added those guys because they thought goons like Lindpere and MacDonald would be useful(they also didn't know Freidrich would play 0 minutes before his career was over), and 2) they play an incredibly bland and uninteresting brand of soccer. Since Klopas is responsible for both of those, you have to lay everything at his feet and wonder if they need to replace him. Not sure the ownership is active enough to fire him for falling into Glen Mason territory though.

 

At the very least, they close the year with the chance to make up those 2 points they trail in the standings, since they play 3 non-playoff teams and close with NYRB who may not have much to play for. If they're going to be boring, hopefully they can continue to be good boring and give a better showing than last year's horrorshow against Houston in the playoffs.

[wolf stansson]

When watching Everton, I like to squint at the TV and pretend Jozy signed with the Toffees instead of Lukaku.

[wvcbxl]

When watching Everton, I like to squint at the TV and pretend Jozy signed with the Toffees instead of Lukaku.

 

José Mourinho probably did the same yesterday. :wink:

 

[wolf stansson]

Not sure the ownership is active enough to fire him for falling into Glen Mason territory though.

Rumors are that they're lining up Jesse Marsch to replace Klopas. He's 100% a Bob Bradley disciple, so pragmatic, organized, defensive with inverted wingers and two strikers.

I don't know where Rolfe and Nyarko fit in that system because Magee is absolutely the best option as the withdrawn forward. They'll need a pure striker, hopefully one that can stretch back lines. Nyarko isn't strong enough. Rolfe and Magee are too similar to pair. Maicon Santos is too bad.

They need a CM who can pass, they need a winger to pair opposite Duka and they'll be in good shape.

 

They need to do better with their DP's. They have consistently been willing to spend, but they never seem to get it right.

[shnsajax]

So why the hell did AZ fire Verbeek?

[wolf stansson]

He's a dick, apparently.

[wolf stansson]

DC United won the US Open Cup which means RSL has lost another cup final they should win at home and also that DC, one of the worst MLS clubs in a while, will be in Champions League next year.

Plus:

@SoccerByIves: DCU will have top pick in '14 draft, allocation $$ for missing playoffs & being in CCL, & cap room from '13 busts coming off cap. #BigWinter

 

Should be interesting.

[shnsajax]

So WC seeds will be based on October Fifa Rankings now. So Belgium and Columbia will get a seed and someone will get Holland as well in a group if nothing changes in the top 8 between now and next week. Our shitty luck would mean we will get grouped with Brazil and Holland.

[bukie]

So WC seeds will be based on October Fifa Rankings now. So Belgium and Columbia will get a seed and someone will get Holland as well in a group if nothing changes in the top 8 between now and next week. Our [expletive] luck would mean we will get grouped with Brazil and Holland.

Probable top 10 next week based on predictable results (like Netherlands winning their simple but meaningless matches):

 

1 Spain

2 Argentina

3 Colombia

4 Germany

4 Italy

6 Croatia

7 Switzerland

8 Netherlands

9 Uruguay

10 Belgium

 

So...note that Brazil isn't in this list, so take Brazil and the top 7, and that's your seeds...if Croatia wins their playoff.

[bukie]

So...sign me up for something other than a Spain/Germany - Netherlands/Belgium - Uruguay pool, please.

 

EDIT: The USMNT had pretty good luck last cycle (not Mexico luck...) with England/Slovenia/Algeria, couldn't ask for much better than that, especially with nobody wanting any part of the host pool this cycle.

[Guest]

I'd love to know exactly how Columbia, Croatia and Switzerland are getting seeds but Holland and Uruguay won't.

 

Switzerland didn't qualify for the 2012 Euros and had a win and two losses in 2008. They beat Spain in the 2010 WC but finished third in their group. And while they're winning their qualification group, it's one of the easiest in Europe and they've still had home draws against Iceland and Norway with a road draw against Cyprus.

 

Croatia didn't qualify for the 2010 WC and failed to make it out of their group in 2006. They made it to the QF of the 2008 Euro and didn't advance out of their group in 2012.

 

Columbia hasn't made a WC since 1998. They made the QF of the 2011 Copa and didn't advance out of their group in 2007.

 

I know Holland laid an egg in the 2012 Euros but they were the runner up in the 2010 WC, advanced out of their group in 2006 and made the QF of the 2008 Euros.

 

Uruguay's only blemish is missing the 2006 WC. They were fourth in the 2010 WC, fourth in the 2007 Copa and won the 2011 Copa.

[wolf stansson]

Michael Bradley interview on BBC World Football Service - http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/wswf

[wolf stansson]

Jozy's body language is getting very testy. He's tired of bringing down long balls with no one to lay it off to. Gardner also screwed him out of a goal by panicking for no reason and freezing with the ball with Jozy in front of an open goal.

[wolf stansson]

This Janusay kid on United is the real deal. Another teenage Belgian star.

[wvcbxl]

This Janusay kid on United is the real deal. Another teenage Belgian star.

 

He is yet to commit - he's been called up a couple of times for Belgium's youth squads, but is also eligible to choose to play for Albania (where his parents are from).

 

I hope he follows the example set by Fellaini and - just this month - Bakkali (PSV) and opts to play for Belgium.

[wvcbxl]

Another teenage Belgian star.

 

... and since you are paying attention: last wednesday, Yoeri Tielemans became the youngest Belgian ever to start a CL game at 16yrs 4months and 25 days old. Vincent Kompany is the most frequent reference used to describe his style of play.

[Guest]

Roster for the October qualifiers:

 

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

DEFENDERS (6): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City) Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

 

No Dempsey, no Bradley, no Brooks

[wolf stansson]

Pretty much the best roster available considering injuries.

So now my trip to Washington that I planned when Deuce signed, centered around watching him vs the Whitecaps and camping in three national parks, is pretty much fucked on all levels.

[USSoccer]

Jozy's body language is getting very testy. He's tired of bringing down long balls with no one to lay it off to. Gardner also screwed him out of a goal by panicking for no reason and freezing with the ball with Jozy in front of an open goal.

 

The move to Sunderland was stupid then, and it's stupid now.

[wolf stansson]

'Bout god damn time.

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/10/08/american-exports-arsenal-interested-usmnt-goalkeeper-brad-guzan

AMSTERDAM – In-form Aston Villa netminder Brad Guzan has drawn the attention of English Premier League leaders Arsenal, MLSsoccer.com has learned.

 

Multiple sources indicated that the Gunners have recently been monitoring the US international, including FutbolMLS.com. It's unclear if Arsenal have made any contact with Villa or Guzan's management, but they did catch an eyeful of the American when he pulled off an opening-day win at the Emirates and have dispatched scouts to see him on at least two other occasions since.