The Soccer Thread

[wolf stansson]

Big Chad put Keane's in his back pocket. If they can win the battle in the central mf, seattle can beat them.

 

I agree that they probably won't.

[USSoccer]

Big Chad put Keane's in his back pocket. If they can win the battle in the central mf, seattle can beat them.

 

I agree that they probably won't.

 

That's what it comes down to, yeah. LA and RSL's mids are better than Seattle's are, but if those units aren't on point, Dempsey and Martins will just beat you.

[wolf stansson]

Still can't get over that Omar red card because it was so un-OG. First red in his MLS career. He's usually so well timed anytime he leaves his feet.

[Guest]

That was such an amazing, electric atmosphere. Great first MLS game for me.

 

I really want to go to Seattle Saturday. Heh.

[wolf stansson]

E trade just told me I can't short Manchester United right now for some dumb reason. So bummed.

[wolf stansson]

Nice profile on the US and Tottenham top prospect, Cameron Carter-Vickers: http://www.americansoccernow.com/articles/cameron-carter-vickers-i-am-leaning-to-the-usa

16 year old starting for the u-23's is no joke.

[KaiserCesar]

Portland choked away advancing in the CCL last night. Hopefully KC doesn't do the same against Saprissa tomorrow.

[Janelle-Alexis]

I know the opponent wasn't great, but between that Lamela goal

and Harry Kane's hattrick before stepping as keeper, that was a fun match for Spurs.

[Guest]

It's hilarious to watch the new ways Lamela can avoid using his right foot to actually kick the ball. Great goal though.

 

Not sure if anyone else watched but the Dr. Joe (I think that was his name) guy they had evaluating the referee calls was an idiot. He said Lloris was sent off for excessive force, which was ridiculous. If players got sent off for what Lloris did, there would be 10 red cards per match. It was a clear last man situation. He was also wrong about a couple offside calls as well (saying ref got it right when it was clearly wrong).

 

Highlights: http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/video?vid=346987075591

[KaiserCesar]

Saprissa up 2-0 on KC, set to advance without a goal by KC.

 

But hey, D.C. United got the 1 seed for the quarterfinals

[Guest]

Barcelona-Real should be good tomorrow. Barcelona haven't allowed a goal yet in the league while Real have scored 30 goals in 8 games.

[wolf stansson]

Kyle Martino is extremely handsome in person.

 

My seats are to the stage left of ECS. They're very good seats.

[USSoccer]

Glad SSFC won, but Mark Geiger killed that game by calling it like a La Liga game in the first half.

 

Seattle executed a great game plan to near perfection. 2 down, 1 more to go.

[Marco4]

For me, he lost his credibility when he used the "centuries old" hyperbole.

 

The English FA may have existed since 1863, but the differences between say Germany (1900), Spain (1909) and the USA (1913) are quite small.

 

The league systems in each - and particularly to anything approaching what is there now are far younger; England's Division 2 was around by 1891ish, but Spain's proper league didn't start until 1929, and Germany's later still.

 

I'd look at the J League as a model for what promotion and relegation offers; I've seen a lot of J2 games this season and they're exciting because they matter.

 

MLS is not yet big enough in terms of franchises, but if in 10-15 years it's up to 30ish, going to the way England used to do it (voting the worst performing teams in/out) might be worth thinking about. They can always come back.

 

*And yes, I rather dragged this out of the previous page, but figured it was worth doing.

[USSoccer]

FC Dallas won the play-in game against Vancouver courtesy of one of the worst PKs I've ever seen given in my entire life, literally. A ball at the corner of the 18 off a throw bounced up and hit the upper arm of a Whitecap's defender, whose arms were flush against his body in the most natural position you could put the in. That's ball-to-arm with the arm in a natural spot. That's a non-call in a 1-1 playoff tie in the 81st minute.

 

Mark Geiger had a good World Cup, but he has been abysmal in MLS since then. An absolute joke. He was crap last weekend in the Seattle/LA game, and that was a garbage call.

[Marco4]

That was a really harsh decision; I wonder if the referee was swayed by the somewhat unnatural movement, half going for the ball, half avoiding it.

[USSoccer]

Charlie Davies like its 2009 up in Columbus today.

 

4-2 with 4 away goals...I'm thinking NER are going through.

[Guest]

I'm watching right now so I don't know the final result but Chris Smalling is an idiot. Got his first yellow card about 25 minutes in because he decided to try to block Joe Hart from kicking the ball. There's basically no upside in doing something like that. Did he actually think one of the refs wouldn't see? Then of course he gets a second in the 39th minute to get sent off.

 

ManU was playing pretty well at the time also.

[USSoccer]

I'm watching right now so I don't know the final result but Chris Smalling is an idiot. Got his first yellow card about 25 minutes in because he decided to try to block Joe Hart from kicking the ball. There's basically no upside in doing something like that. Did he actually think one of the refs wouldn't see? Then of course he gets a second in the 39th minute to get sent off.

 

ManU was playing pretty well at the time also.

 

Those were two of the dumbest yellows a player can pick up. Remember when Thiago Silva did that same inexplicable crap against Columbia in the QF and got himself suspended?

 

This was somehow worse, since Smalling basically tried to guard Hart like he was playing basketball.

[Marco4]

Chris Smalling IS an idiot.

[wolf stansson]

Oh please, Jesus, yes.

@Gibney_A: Pieces are coming together linking Lille #LOSC with a January loan move for #SAFC and #USMNT striker Jozy Altidore. More to come on this

[USSoccer]

Oh please, Jesus, yes.

@Gibney_A: Pieces are coming together linking Lille #LOSC with a January loan move for #SAFC and #USMNT striker Jozy Altidore. More to come on this

 

Anything to get him out of that dumpster fire. Lille would be way beyond what I would have hoped.

[Guest]

City's melting down right now. Toure received a straight red for shoving a CSKA player down and Nasri should have received one for blatantly kicking a CSKA player in the corner.

[USSoccer]

Not that it matters in terms of the tie, but Ethan Finlay just got tossed via a bullcrap red.

 

RSL-LA tonight and SEA-DAL tomorrow are going to be great. Stupid ass international break.

[USSoccer]

Boy I'm glad we took Brad Davis to Brazil instead of Donovan. Klinsmann you [expletive].