2017-2018 GENERAL FOOTBALL (SOCCER) THREAD
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ChickenStu
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 10:16 pm    Post subject:

Looks like Neymar to PSG is happening, and I'm a little surprised that he wants to play in France. But maybe he really loves Paris, and France, who knows.

I agree with vanexelent, in that Guzan is not good enough to be playing. Poor reactions, and too slow. Howard has certainly lost a step or two, but he is the vastly superior option between the two, and it's obvious that he has a knack for reading plays well and being in the right place at the right time, although I've been critical of him in the past for over-aggressiveness in goal. I'd be lying if I said I was familiar with the games of the keepers that Gatekeeper listed as potential replacements, but anything sounds good to me at this point. Just no Guzan.

The USA will be favorites against Jamaica, but the American defense this tournament has looked very vulnerable, so I wouldn't rule out Jamaica scoring a goal or two on the counter-attack. Ultimately, I'll predict a 2-1 win for the USA.
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Aeneas Hunter
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:02 am    Post subject:

ChickenStu wrote:
I agree with vanexelent, in that Guzan is not good enough to be playing. Poor reactions, and too slow. Howard has certainly lost a step or two, but he is the vastly superior option between the two, and it's obvious that he has a knack for reading plays well and being in the right place at the right time, although I've been critical of him in the past for over-aggressiveness in goal. I'd be lying if I said I was familiar with the games of the keepers that Gatekeeper listed as potential replacements, but anything sounds good to me at this point. Just no Guzan.


It'll be Howard and Guzan for the WC. After that, Jesse Gonzalez (FCD) and Bill Hamid (DCU) are the frontrunners. Arena gave Hamid a game against Nicaragua, but I think Gonzalez is marginally better. Gonzalez just switched his registration from Mexico after playing for them in lower level competitions. Arena recruited him, so you have to figure that he'll be in the mix.
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ChickenStu
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:40 pm    Post subject:

Jordan Morris, who had done virtually nothing all game and all tournament, with a strike of magic late. Could be the Gold Cup winner.
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ChickenStu
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:41 pm    Post subject:

I was impressed with Nagbe all tournament and tonight. He's a sparkplug.
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Aeneas Hunter
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 8:22 pm    Post subject:

Yep. Nagbe and Morris were the MLSers who impressed me. Nagbe has that ability to control the ball in traffic that we usually don't have. He adds a new dimension to the team. Morris puts the ball on frame in pressure situations and is surprisingly fast for someone with that build. I won't be surprised if the mid-level Euro teams come shopping for him again. I could see him having a Euro career at about the level that McBride and Dempsey had with Fulham back in the day.

As for the other MLSers, eh. If Villafana (actually LigaMX, I believe) learns to cross effectively, he'll be good. It's good that we got Acosta a fair amount of playing time, but I'm not as high on him as a lot of the pundits seem to be. I've always liked Lichaj, but he didn't get any more time after the quarters. I thought Rowe was impressive, I guess Arena didn't. I thought Dwyer was overhyped, to be honest.

Anyway, the Gold Cup is more of a banana peel than an important tournament. El Tri slipped on the banana peel. We wobbled at times but didn't fall down. That's the bottom line.
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ChickenStu
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:27 am    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
Yep. Nagbe and Morris were the MLSers who impressed me. Nagbe has that ability to control the ball in traffic that we usually don't have. He adds a new dimension to the team. Morris puts the ball on frame in pressure situations and is surprisingly fast for someone with that build. I won't be surprised if the mid-level Euro teams come shopping for him again. I could see him having a Euro career at about the level that McBride and Dempsey had with Fulham back in the day.

As for the other MLSers, eh. If Villafana (actually LigaMX, I believe) learns to cross effectively, he'll be good. It's good that we got Acosta a fair amount of playing time, but I'm not as high on him as a lot of the pundits seem to be. I've always liked Lichaj, but he didn't get any more time after the quarters. I thought Rowe was impressive, I guess Arena didn't. I thought Dwyer was overhyped, to be honest.

Anyway, the Gold Cup is more of a banana peel than an important tournament. El Tri slipped on the banana peel. We wobbled at times but didn't fall down. That's the bottom line.


You worded that (that I bolded) really well, and I totally agree. I'd have him in the starting lineup at the World Cup, if he keeps up this level. I thought Arriola was a really impressive runner...and that's about it. I thought his quality with virtually all other aspects of the game was lacking.

Could we have Altidore, Wood, and Pulisic on the pitch at the same time? Bradley will obviously be out there, and I'd have Nagbe too. Brooks should be set as a central defender. I'm assuming Yedlin would be in there as the right back. As for the other defenders that could start, who do we like most out of guys like Besler, Cameron, Gonzalez, and Fabian Johnson? I'm guessing that the starting back 4 could be Brooks, Cameron, Yedlin, and perhaps Johnson? I'd have Bradley, Nagbe, and, of course, Pulisic in midfield. That leaves room for 1 starting midfielder. Who are the realistic options? Bedoya? Acosta? Beckerman? Could Jermaine Jones still be an option next year?

I'd have Dempsey make the squad as a potential guy who could come into a game late and provide some savvy and skill, kind of like what Landon Donovan should have been allowed to do a few years ago. (Yeah, I'm still not over that one lol.)

There are people on LG who follow soccer a bit closer than I do, so please feel free to chime in with your thoughts and knowledge about our potential 2018 World Cup squad. I feel like we could have an exciting mix of youth and vets and with the right draw, I could see a quarterfinal appearance, and maybe having a puncher's chance at even winning that round. I think this team is better than the 2010 edition that basically had a dream draw (absolutely would have had a chance against Uruguay had we gotten past Ghana), and if we have an in-form Altidore along with Pulisic, I think the team can make some noise. Am I crazy?
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Aeneas Hunter
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 6:01 am    Post subject:

I think the plan is to get Fabian off the back line. He plays midfield for his club team. There's a good chance that the left back going forward is Villafana. Yedlin is the first choice right back, with Cameron and Brooks in the middle. We have pretty decent depth, which is important because injuries always seem to be an issue.

I think Jermaine Jones is done. Bradley is still a fixture in the middle. Everyone else pretty much depends on the formation and the opponent. Everyone seems to be counting on Acosta as the future in the middle. I like Nagbe better, though he's also good as a winger.

Altidore and/or Wood are the target strikers, though I guess Dwyer could get into the mix for that. I'm just glad Altidore isn't our only option for that role anymore.

Dempsey, Morris, and maybe Corona or Agudelo are more versatile and can play on the wing or underneath. I wasn't impressed with the latter two, and apparently neither was Arena.

Fabian, Pulisic, Arriola, and Zardes are the winger options (along with Nagbe). I wasn't blown away by Arriola, but Arenas kept playing him. Zardes is frustrating. He seems to have gotten better with his first touch, and he is an impressive athlete. However, he is really better as a center forward, and we have much better options there. I liked Rowe, but apparently Arena was less impressed.

I am probably leaving out a number of players just because I don't have a roster in front of me. As for Russia next year, I don't expect anything dramatic. We should be good enough to get out of our group again. I'd say the quarterfinals are our target. Anything more than that would be a surprise. It would be nice to finally get past the round of 16.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 8:20 pm    Post subject:

Bradley appointed first manager of LAFC. Good luck Rob. Just don't bore us to death with your football.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 9:14 pm    Post subject:

Good riddance, racist POS.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 11:45 pm    Post subject:

The Galaxy finally offed Onalfo and brought back Sigi Schmid. Schmid was canned last season and then the Sounders went on to win the MLS Cup. Wouldn't it be ironic if Schmid comes on and helms the Galaxy to the MLS Cup in the following season? Probably unlikely, but you never know.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:18 am    Post subject:

That's the third time Onalfo has been fired at mid-season. Schmid seems like a reasonable, albeit unambitious, replacement. With the addition of Jonathan dos Santos, the Galaxy have an outside shot at the playoffs. I was a little surprised by that signing, though. I thought the Galaxy would save the space to chase Zlatan. They must think he's staying in Europe.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:41 am    Post subject:

galaxy just made a hell of a signing.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:20 am    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
That's the third time Onalfo has been fired at mid-season. Schmid seems like a reasonable, albeit unambitious, replacement. With the addition of Jonathan dos Santos, the Galaxy have an outside shot at the playoffs. I was a little surprised by that signing, though. I thought the Galaxy would save the space to chase Zlatan. They must think he's staying in Europe.


Mourinho said Zlatan is staying for the upcoming season (Rehabbing until the holidays and playing for a half-season), he might come to MLS the following year provided he stays fit/healthy.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:47 am    Post subject:

Gatekeeper wrote:
Aeneas Hunter wrote:
That's the third time Onalfo has been fired at mid-season. Schmid seems like a reasonable, albeit unambitious, replacement. With the addition of Jonathan dos Santos, the Galaxy have an outside shot at the playoffs. I was a little surprised by that signing, though. I thought the Galaxy would save the space to chase Zlatan. They must think he's staying in Europe.


Mourinho said Zlatan is staying for the upcoming season (Rehabbing until the holidays and playing for a half-season), he might come to MLS the following year provided he stays fit/healthy.


No, he did not say that.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:51 pm    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
Gatekeeper wrote:
Aeneas Hunter wrote:
That's the third time Onalfo has been fired at mid-season. Schmid seems like a reasonable, albeit unambitious, replacement. With the addition of Jonathan dos Santos, the Galaxy have an outside shot at the playoffs. I was a little surprised by that signing, though. I thought the Galaxy would save the space to chase Zlatan. They must think he's staying in Europe.


Mourinho said Zlatan is staying for the upcoming season (Rehabbing until the holidays and playing for a half-season), he might come to MLS the following year provided he stays fit/healthy.


No, he did not say that.


RE: Zlatan to MLS

Mourinho suggested he'll stay and train with the team this season, whether a contract extension is signed with the club is another matter.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:20 am    Post subject:

Neymar is leaving Barcelona.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 4:46 am    Post subject:

I'm not sure what's up with PSG. Neymar isn't worth that kind of money. I'm not sure anyone is. Now PSG is going to get put under the FFP microscope. Apparently Mbappe wants to go there, too.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:37 am    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
I'm not sure what's up with PSG. Neymar isn't worth that kind of money. I'm not sure anyone is. Now PSG is going to get put under the FFP microscope. Apparently Mbappe wants to go there, too.


In relative terms, he probably is worth that kind of money though. They will make that back in shirt sales, publicity, possibility of increased TV revenue, ticket sales, etc...

Clubs do make a lot of money off of players, and Neymar is arguably one of the top 5 biggest stars in football, on the way to becoming Brazil's all time leading scorer and hasn't even hit his prime yet.

The mad thing is, other than money, why the hell would Neymar want to go to PSG...
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:47 am    Post subject:

Supposedly, they are going to pay him $30M/year in salary, too. I don't see any way that PSG couid recoup that sort of investment, whether through shirt sales or otherwise. PSG is just not that big of a platform. But heck, I don't think that Man U or Real Madrid could recoup this.

This strikes me as a vanity move by the Qatari royal family. It might even tie into the political situation in some roundabout way. I suppose that Neymar may be one of the top five players in the world, though some might disagree. But this kind of deal requires him to be one of the top five players ever. If PSG does not win the UCL after this move, he's a failure.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:35 am    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
Supposedly, they are going to pay him $30M/year in salary, too. I don't see any way that PSG couid recoup that sort of investment, whether through shirt sales or otherwise. PSG is just not that big of a platform. But heck, I don't think that Man U or Real Madrid could recoup this.

This strikes me as a vanity move by the Qatari royal family. It might even tie into the political situation in some roundabout way. I suppose that Neymar may be one of the top five players in the world, though some might disagree. But this kind of deal requires him to be one of the top five players ever. If PSG does not win the UCL after this move, he's a failure.


Must admit though, I'm loving this a bit because of Barca crying like babies, getting a taste of their own medicine. The amount of times they've bullied clubs and pressured them into selling their players to them, definitely a bit of karma here.

Shame from a football perspective as he won't win the champions league, but he'll be the biggest fish in a small pond in France because the league is terrible.

Does make me laugh that we talk about financial fair play in football, when PSG aren't generating nearly enough revenue from football activities to cover the money they're spending. Maybe over 7 or 8 years they make that money back, but they don't have it to spend right now, that's outside money.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:15 pm    Post subject:

Moses wrote:
Does make me laugh that we talk about financial fair play in football, when PSG aren't generating nearly enough revenue from football activities to cover the money they're spending. Maybe over 7 or 8 years they make that money back, but they don't have it to spend right now, that's outside money.


I caught the end of Grumpy Pundits on SiriusXM this morning. Some caller predicted that the Qatari royal family would hire Neymar as a special ambassador for the 2022 World Cup, pay him a salary of 222M euros, let him pay off the buyout clause on his own, and then let him sign with PSG on a free transfer.

No, UEFA wouldn't let that happen, but I thought it was both creative and funny. What strange times we live in.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:18 pm    Post subject:

Don't really care much about the MLS, but adidas just extended their agreement with the league for six seasons, at about $117 million (!) per year! That is mind boggling, considering it's the freaking MLS.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 2:42 pm    Post subject:

The Adidas contract is bigger than the TV contracts. MLS is in a weird place right now. It's doing well by any reasonable standard. The quality of play has improved tremendously, and most games are played in actual soccer stadiums with no hash marks. MLS has gotten past the retirement league phase. But it's not as good as LigaMX and it will always get compared to the big Euro leagues. American fans are not patient.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 5:50 pm    Post subject:

I just find it puzzling and comical that Barca are crying foul over this transfer after all that 'Mes Que Un Club' BS they spew.

Neymar's transfer from Santos was very sketchy in the first place with a 10m€ "down payment" they reported as an anonymous future expenditure which was then wired to Neymar Sr.'s consulting company.

Speaking of state-backed football clubs, what about all the "real" estate development Madrid's city council paid for Madrid's Shopping Mall, Hotels, and stadium? La Liga officials are effing hypocrites for turning a blind eye to their own megaclubs and pointing out foul play committed by PSG.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:15 pm    Post subject:

Gatekeeper wrote:
I just find it puzzling and comical that Barca are crying foul over this transfer after all that 'Mes Que Un Club' BS they spew.

Neymar's transfer from Santos was very sketchy in the first place with a 10m€ "down paymentthey reported as an anonymous future expenditure which was then wired to Neymar Sr.'s consulting company.

Speaking of state-backed football clubs, what about all the "real" estate development Madrid's city council paid for Madrid's Shopping Mall, Hotels, and stadium? La Liga officials are effing hypocrites for turning a blind eye to their own megaclubs and pointing out foul play committed by PSG.


What actually happened is that Madrid's former training ground (formerly located on the outskirts) suddenly found itself in the middle of a thriving financial district due to the city's growth in the previous 90 years. So the club didn't sell its stadium, nor did it sell any hotels or shopping malls. The city council voted to re-zone the area and then the land was sold to various corporations, which erected some skyscrapers on the land. The club made a lot of money, yes. As far as I know, there was no wrong doing found. Was there some behind the scenes work by Florentino Perez to lobby for the re-zoning of the land? Probably.
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