USSoccer

That 2006 game should have never come close to OT. If Mushin Muhammed catches a ball put right in the numbers for a TD instead of letting it careen off him for an INT, the Bears win comfortably.

I agree with a lot of this, but look at the roster and look at the list of overpaid, underachieving players on it. Has Torres been any good in the last season and a half? Yeah, he was hurt, but he's allegedly been healthy for a bit now, and looks a shell of the guy who tore up the league two seasons ago. Jamie Carragher stopped being useful around 4 years ago. Glen Johnson is a nice attacking back but can't defend worth a damn. Gerrard has been hurty and poor. I don't think Dalglish is going to work miracles with this group, either. The fanbase need to adjust their expectations and be patient.

Liverpool fans are delusional idiots. Yeah, Hodgson was clearly doing a bang-up job this year. And LFC fans really expect to win the league this year. He didn't adjust well, but they were bitching about him after like 3 games! He came in after the World Cup, IIRC, and didn't have much of a chance to rework a completely overrated roster. The pressure from the Kop was over the top and unwarranted.

Love the FA Cup. Newcastle are barfing all over themselves at some pissant League 2 side, and Leeds nearly knocked off Arsenal at the Emirates today.

Liverpool fans are delusional idiots.

Yes, 69.5 is ridiculously narrow. 3 yards on either side makes a big difference.

Wrigley isn't remotely big enough for a match http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2011/1/3/1889286/manchester-united-in-my-wrigley-field-its-more-likely-than-you-think Remember how narrow Spartan Stadium was when SJ played there? That was 69 yards wide. Gooch to FC Twente loan is done. Good fit for him as they are still in 3 competitions, and he'll probably be 3rd choice there. He needs some PT ahead of next summer. Wolf, if you're Bradley, how excited are you at running out a 5-man midfield of Holden, Jones, Bradley, Dempsey and Donovan?

That blog post is pretty meh. Having a soccer field at the barest minimum width allowed by the LOTG (50 yards) would make for a crap exhibition. That's incredibly narrow for a soccer field. For reference, the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) played a few years in Spartan stadium, whose field dimensions were 106x69.5, and it was ridiculously narrow and made the game a congested mess. Furthermore, and this is something that cannot be stressed enough, why the hell would United want to play in a stadium that's only 40k capacity? They could probably come close to selling out Soldier Field if their opponent was another Euro team (Barca and United have a exhibition at FedEx in DC this summer). Given that United are going to want to make as much money with any exhibition as possible, why limit yourself?

Actually, the financial ins and outs are well known, and not really speculative at all. Do some research on SUM and you'll find everything you need there. This is a venture that been done time and time again, and the costs can vary but the structure of the deals are always the same. SUM control every aspect of the operation. We'd be renting the space. That's about it. Broadcast revenues wouldn't have anything to do with the Cubs, as SUM control that aspect of the tour as well. Finally, I'd argue that any benefits of "exposure" would be minimal in terms of real impact to the organization. The downside is that it's probably a waste of time for the Cubs, it would potentially impact the playing surface and simply add one more useless event to put more wear and tear on an already dilapidated structure.

I phrased it poorly. It's probably not the Cubs paying United's appearance fee, but likely SUM. When SUM contracts a Euro team to go on a tour, they agree to give the touring club a cut of the gate as well as other rights, etc. So the Cubs would just likely be renting out the field. They wouldn't likely see much of the gate. Not much of the merch either, and probably not concessions. So what's the incentive?

Did I miss where they would be paying United to appear? That blurb didn't mention it at all. Euro clubs go on these summer tours to make money and strengthen the brand. They get a nice appearance fee for every match they play stateside, plus a cut of the gate. The team they'd play would get a cut of the gate as well. So how much money would the organization make after the two teams get their cut of the gate? Not a hell of a lot, considering the size of the venue.

The Cubs would stand to make very little money after paying United to appear. This is a waste of time idea.

The Sting and NASL are bad examples to cite, as NASL jerked around with their fields and rules and generally ignored guidelines. FWIW, FIFA regs and the laws of the game do give fields some variance, but in this case it's not the length that would be an issue; it would be the width. A soccer field is usually 110-120 yards long, but international dimensions for width are supposed to be between 70 and 80 yards wide. The minimum width required for a non-international match (which is what this would be) is 50 yards, but that's at minimum. The average EPL field is 114x74. If they tried to use the NW/IL layout as a rough template, it still wouldn't work, because the corner of the pitch that would fall in RF wouldn't give enough room beyond the touchline for corners or throw ins down the right field line. If you tried to shift the layout more towards the center, you end up having to confront the curve of the CF wall. United and the other EPL teams sans Arsenal stress flank play. The point of a summer tour would be to strengthen the brand, maximize revenue and get ready for the season to start. Playing on a 115x50 or so field in a facility with a maximum capacity of slightly over 40,000 is a poor way to do two of those things. If they played here, they'd play in Soldier Field to maximize revenue and actually have a playable field. (FWIW, Soldier Field will likely have some open dates as the CONCACAF Gold Cup-our regions version of the European Championships-didn't select Chicago as either a SF or Final venue.) Finally, United were just here this past summer touring. Barca's going to be here this coming summer. United just signed some deal or another in Asia to market their brand there. I'd bet this is where they end up this coming summer.

Yeah, this isn't happening. Wrigley is way too small to fit a proper field onto. It barely fit the football field.

Wrigley isn't remotely big enough for a match

Christ, St Louis.

Were it not for being a detriment to Bradford, Kroenke would fire Spags. Stan Kroenke is one of the worst owners in professional sports. He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near personnel decisions.

That's too bad that ball sailed on Cutler. Hester was open, and that would have set up an epic finish.

Housewives all over WI are hoping the Bears drive stalls here.

Agreed. I thought West Brom more than held their own. They really should have gotten at least a point. Gary Neville is such a turd and should have been sent off for that challenge. SAF has such a strangehold over the referees, it's really amazing (I also realize the irony of this coming from a Chlesea fan). Ian Darke said that particular referee hadn't shown a red in 28 matches, or something close to that. When SAF admits post game that his own guy should have been sent off and a PK given, you know the ref's really blown the call. That said, this particular United vintage are odd to watch. I don't think they do anything particularly well, but they grind out results. Hernandez as instant offense off the bench is probably the best thing about them.

Landon not going on loan to Everton, and will spend 2011 with the LAG. Which is the best move for him and the USMNT, IMO.

Stone is the blurst.

-I honestly think Brek Shea would make a fantastic attacking left back, but FCD is too deep at that position to keep him there for any length of time. They need to pick a spot for him and let him alone to grow and develop. -The Gals got lethal today, but I'm not sure about the whole Hejduk move. That guy has been done done done for two years. -I'm glad MLS told Athletico to piss off on Agudelo. These are the guys we should hold on to for a couple years and then maximize value on. The instant we missed out on 2022 was the instant the development of MLS from its current state to a higher level league became the #1 priority for the long term outlook for the 'Nats.

I need to move to the Netherlands.

Seconded