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***The Soccer (The Real Football) Thread***


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It's really about time we had one. Especially as it's one of the few sports going at a high level. Champions/Europa League coming up.

@pdxgreen @British Jet @EM31 @southtown24th @Panzer Division Marduk

Seeing as we were so rudely chastised in the Marlins Covid thread, despite it being the high point of discussion in that dumpster fire, we may as well create a thread.

Re: Pulisic

I think he's somewhere between where BJ and Pdx were arguing. He's definitely an exceptional prospect. Chelsea's best player this season when fit. 9 goals and 4 assists in what amount to half a season is an incredible return at 21. That said he's definitely not the best prospect in football - I mean he's older than Mbappe, who's already among the best players in the world. The US NT is looking good for the future - You seem to have a bunch of great prospects all over the Bundesliga. Am not too familiar with MLS. 

Certainly more promising than Ireland. Our two best prospects in the last 10 years switched allegiance to England at senior level. Now we're ****ed lol.

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There is some good young American talent playing in Germany. Reyna, McKennie, Sargent, Tyler Adams, Zach Steffens. All have a lot of promise. 
 

If Chelsea are able to land Havertz, that might be a scary team next year. 
 

Feels like Bayern is the odds on favorite for the CL, but I’m wondering how this long lay-off will affect them. Didn’t seem to bother them too much coming back from the Covid break. Lewandowski is having the best season of his career, and I’ve never seen a player improve as quickly as Alphonso Davies. 
 

 

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2 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

Certainly more promising than Ireland. Our two best prospects in the last 10 years switched allegiance to England at senior level. Now we're ****ed lol.

Declan Rice was born in England. Move on ?

Pulisic is certainly a top prospect, but he isn't more than that yet. He's done well. He hasn't broken any records, he hasn't done more than anyone else. There a Premier League players performing as well as him, if not better, since the restart of the league. Let alone the rest of Europe. 

Chelsea have a good young team, the real test is if they can actually challenge for the title next year.

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5 hours ago, Irish Jet said:



Certainly more promising than Ireland. Our two best prospects in the last 10 years switched allegiance to England at senior level. Now we're ****ed lol.

Thing is though, your U21s seem to be showing a lot of promise for the first time in decades, and there's also a lot of senior players getting loads of playing time in the Premier League and Championship.

And Stephen Kenny has always had his teams playing football, even as far back as his time in charge at the Palais Du Birds**t. 

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19 hours ago, nyjunc said:

Real football is football, soccer is not football.  

One of them uses feet, the other uses hands.

For what it's worth, the name "soccer" actually comes from Association Football, because in England back in the 1800s we had Association Football and Association Rugby. Rugby became known as "ruggers", and Association Football became known as "assoccer", and later "soccer".

You guys just mashed up football and rugby and kept the name football in the 1890s.

 

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20 hours ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

Thing is though, your U21s seem to be showing a lot of promise for the first time in decades, and there's also a lot of senior players getting loads of playing time in the Premier League and Championship.

And Stephen Kenny has always had his teams playing football, even as far back as his time in charge at the Palais Du Birds**t. 

We have some good prospects but too many of them are either stuck in reserve at a PL side, in the lower leagues or in Jack Byrne's case still in Ireland. Ideally we'd have an XI of players either in or pushing to get in the PL. Idah and Parrot both need to get regular football next season, hopefully Norwich getting relegated gets him starting some games. Josh Cullen needs to get a move back to the Championship and so does Ronan Curtis.

There's a fair few in the PL but the only one playing at an extremely high level is Matt Doherty, who's among the league's best. The development of the Sheffield lads have been the best thing for Irish football in a while.  We've used to have players all over the top 6 sides but those days are long gone. That's why losing Rice and especially Grealish hurt so much, they'll end up being regulars for England. C*nts. At least Grealish let us know, that Rice f*cker was kitting out and all. Snake.

Am excited to see what Kenny can do though. He's worked with a lot of the younger lads and had them playing good stuff. Even in our best days the last 10-15 years have been pretty painful to watch. 

 

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On 7/28/2020 at 1:10 PM, British Jet said:

Declan Rice was born in England. Move on ?

Pulisic is certainly a top prospect, but he isn't more than that yet. He's done well. He hasn't broken any records, he hasn't done more than anyone else. There a Premier League players performing as well as him, if not better, since the restart of the league. Let alone the rest of Europe. 

Chelsea have a good young team, the real test is if they can actually challenge for the title next year.

Honestly as good as Rice is it was Grealish we needed more. Have missed that type of player for decades. He'd have been a perfect fit. England are more stacked than ever with attacking talent. 

Like I said I agree that he's not the best prospect going but he's a lot better than I thought he was heading to the PL. I'd seen him a few times with Dortmund and thought he was more of a US hype job than anything else but he's definitely legit. Becoming the key player for a top 4 side at 21 is no mean feat. Probably would have had a boat load more assists if not for pretty mediocre attackers around him. They'll be a different team next year with Havertz and Werner. That will be Pulisic's chance to go to another level. Those injuries would be the most concerning thing about him right now.

Doubt they'll challenge for the league with that defence though. They actually might sign Rice, been heavily linked with him. Would be a good move for both IMO.

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On 7/28/2020 at 4:17 PM, Thor99 said:

 

Feels like Bayern is the odds on favorite for the CL, but I’m wondering how this long lay-off will affect them. Didn’t seem to bother them too much coming back from the Covid break. Lewandowski is having the best season of his career, and I’ve never seen a player improve as quickly as Alphonso Davies. 
 

 

 

i'd have Manchester City and PSG ahead of Bayern. 

City might actually fluke it this year, i don't like them...but they're obsessed with the competition and have the best squad. If they knock Real Madrid out, they're not fearing anyone. 

 

Bold prediction: one of Napoli/Atalanta is advancing to the next round!

 

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20 hours ago, nyjunc said:

Real football is football, soccer is not football.  

Don't be silly.  American Football is a derivative of Rugby (or Rugby football) as it was once known.  The real football has a world cup every four years.

With that said I am fine watching any of the three of them.

To the Pulisic point.  I agree that he is still more prospect than finished product at this point but if he fulfills that promise then his mountaintop is going to be very high indeed.  I base this on my own eyes albeit with admittedly limited seat time watching him.   Almost every time he touches the ball he is creating immediately, attacking with pace, finding the right pass to open up a defense and/or making his opponents looks silly.  These are professional players in the top league in the world (yes I know about Spain but top to bottom the EPL is stronger IMO).  There is magic in there in Pulisic.  Other teams are going to try and slow him down the way they tried to slow down Eden Hazard and I am looking forward to where he takes this potential next year. 

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4 minutes ago, EM31 said:

 

To the Pulisic point.  I agree that he is still more prospect than finished product at this point but if he fulfills that promise then his mountaintop is going to be very high indeed.  I base this on my own eyes albeit with admittedly limited seat time watching him.   Almost every time he touches the ball he is creating immediately, attacking with pace, finding the right pass to open up a defense and/or making his opponents looks silly.  These are professional players in the top league in the world (yes I know about Spain but top to bottom the EPL is stronger IMO).  There is magic in there in Pulisic.  Other teams are going to try and slow him down the way they tried to slow down Eden Hazard and I am looking forward to where he takes this potential next year. 

 

He's the best American player ever. I know its not saying much, but its true. 

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On 7/29/2020 at 1:27 PM, Irish Jet said:

Honestly as good as Rice is it was Grealish we needed more.

What do you think about Grealish to United? Do they really need Ashley Young Mk II?

And poor old Newcastle. They just can't get rid of Mike Ashley, Wonder who'll he'll try to get to buy them next? The Myanmar Junta? One of the Mexican cartels?

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On 7/29/2020 at 8:36 AM, EM31 said:

Can I be on the record as strongly objecting to the idea that Chelsea might be getting ready to make a 120M offer (around $140M) for a 35 year old Christiano Ronaldo.

Please God no.

I don’t pay attention to soccer but I thought Ronaldo just signed a big contract with Juventus. I guess his contract is up after this year?

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1 hour ago, JustEndTheSuffering said:

I don’t pay attention to soccer but I thought Ronaldo just signed a big contract with Juventus. I guess his contract is up after this year?

Juventus may have financial problems as a result of the economy.  There are rumors that he may be on the market and Chelsea may be preparing a bid.

Who knows it could just be the European version of Manish Mehta

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On 7/31/2020 at 7:46 AM, EM31 said:

Juventus may have financial problems as a result of the economy.  There are rumors that he may be on the market and Chelsea may be preparing a bid.

Who knows it could just be the European version of Manish Mehta

 

Ronaldo and Messi are doped-up to the eyeballs. There's a huge gap between them and the next generation of potential 'superstars', so there's a need to keep these guys going for as long as possible.

I don't get how these guys play a 40 games a year at such a high level without getting injured.

Having said that, I'm not sure Ronaldo is leaving Italy, he's already making an absurd amount of money in annual salary - somewhere in the ballpark of $40 million - and he's the only globally recognised personality left in Italian football. I'm pretty sure all the other clubs would chip in a few pennies just to keep him in the league for the simple fact that his presence is crucial for securing a good TV deal. They can reduce their wage bill by selling other players.

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On 7/30/2020 at 4:20 PM, Panzer Division Marduk said:

What do you think about Grealish to United? Do they really need Ashley Young Mk II?

And poor old Newcastle. They just can't get rid of Mike Ashley, Wonder who'll he'll try to get to buy them next? The Myanmar Junta? One of the Mexican cartels?

I don't think we'll sign him. Sancho seems all but done and doubt we'll have another £60m+ signing. Ironically he might have cost himself the move with that goal at West Ham. Villa now can hold out for more.

I do really rate him though. I've a mate who's a Villa fan and often watch a lot of their games in when they're on TV. Grealish is so far and away their best player it's ridiculous. Could be a big fish, small pond type but have to see how he adapts. Think he's certainly a few levels above Young.

My favourite aspect of the whole Newcaste fiasco was that of course the PL's objection was purely commercial. Can't have the Saudi's streaming their games illegally. The literal genocide was fine though. Standard practice at this point.

It's a matter of time before football goes from a pissing contest for corporate billionaires to a pissing contest between nations looking to improve their image. 

 

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2 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

 

It's a matter of time before football goes from a pissing contest for corporate billionaires to a pissing contest between nations looking to improve their image. 

 

I look forward to the headline: "Mike Ashley sells to Kim Jong-Un, Newcastle to be renamed Newcastle Juche, ground to be named North Korea Is Best Korea Park." The Premier League will him and haw over it, and decide, having main battle tanks to do crowd control at games is a bit dodgy, but it's better than Ken Bates's electric fences from years ago. Deal approved.

And as bad as the PL are, they're a beacon of intelligence compared to the EFL. Fit and proper test for owners? Ha!

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On 8/5/2020 at 10:26 PM, Panzer Division Marduk said:

Ole just confirmed Sanchez will be signing a permanent deal with Inter tomorrow. What are the odds, if United get to the Europa League final, Inter win 2-1 with goals from Lukaku and Sanchez?

I doubt they get past Sevilla tbh. That PTSD.

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On 7/29/2020 at 8:36 AM, EM31 said:

Can I be on the record as strongly objecting to the idea that Chelsea might be getting ready to make a 120M offer (around $140M) for a 35 year old Christiano Ronaldo.

Please God no.

Not only is he still a great player but doesn’t he put asses in the seats?

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2 hours ago, Philc1 said:

Not only is he still a great player but doesn’t he put asses in the seats?

I don't think Chelsea have a problem filling the stadium.  Well, any more than any team does during COVID that is.  Yes, he is still a great player but all things being equal I prefer not to be team number 5 for a 35 year old player and paying $140 million for the privilege.  I vote to let this cup pass.

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11 hours ago, EM31 said:

I don't think Chelsea have a problem filling the stadium.  Well, any more than any team does during COVID that is.  Yes, he is still a great player but all things being equal I prefer not to be team number 5 for a 35 year old player and paying $140 million for the privilege.  I vote to let this cup pass.

He’s not the typical 35 year old he’s in excellent condition and has another 4-5 years 

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8 hours ago, Philc1 said:

He’s not the typical 35 year old he’s in excellent condition and has another 4-5 years 

The Premier league is the toughest in the world week in and week out and you can put that in spades for one of the top teams who expects to go deep into cup competitions in addition to the EPL schedule.  Sorry but  old guys are in great shape and defying father time until the day they are not.

No thanks on Ronaldo and doubly so if we have to pay $140M for the privilege

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[disclaimer I don't know jack about soccer]

To the people who know soccer, what happened with that German coach (I think Jurgen Klinsman) the Americans hired (after years of trying to) and then fired before the WC?  I got the feeling the players didn't care for him (including Landon Donovan, who was left off the team) but, in your estimation, was it his fault or is American soccer just F'd up beyond repair?  Who is our HC now btw?  Is it that guy Bradley (whose son was on the team) or someone new?  Not that I watch soccer but I do enjoy the WC.  I still can't believe the US didn't even qualify last time.

Btw, if I wanted to watch soccer, what time and what channel is it on these days?  NBCSN I think?  And is this a good time in the season to watch a good league (like EPL)?  Sorry for the novice questions but help out someone who is considering trying to get into it.

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8 hours ago, EM31 said:

The Premier league is the toughest in the world week in and week out and you can put that in spades for one of the top teams who expects to go deep into cup competitions in addition to the EPL schedule.  Sorry but  old guys are in great shape and defying father time until the day they are not.

No thanks on Ronaldo and doubly so if we have to pay $140M for the privilege

Have you seen Ronaldo play recently?  What sign of slowing down did you see?

 

I would compare Ronaldo to John Stockton/Karl Malone in the nba or Jerry Rice in the nfl.  In fact he is probably in better shape than those guys and plays a way less physical sport

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On 8/10/2020 at 8:47 PM, TuscanyTile2 said:

[disclaimer I don't know jack about soccer]

To the people who know soccer, what happened with that German coach (I think Jurgen Klinsman) the Americans hired (after years of trying to) and then fired before the WC?  I got the feeling the players didn't care for him (including Landon Donovan, who was left off the team) but, in your estimation, was it his fault or is American soccer just F'd up beyond repair?  Who is our HC now btw?  Is it that guy Bradley (whose son was on the team) or someone new?  Not that I watch soccer but I do enjoy the WC.  I still can't believe the US didn't even qualify last time.

Btw, if I wanted to watch soccer, what time and what channel is it on these days?  NBCSN I think?  And is this a good time in the season to watch a good league (like EPL)?  Sorry for the novice questions but help out someone who is considering trying to get into it.

 

Klinsmann got a long run, and ran out of excuses. He promised a lot, but delivered little. American soccer needs reform from within, we cannot count on a foreigner to fix things by imposing radically different ideas. The truth is, the US don't test themselves against good teams - the central American conference is extremely weak. The standard of competition is low, and it misleads everyone into thinking that the team is good when it really isn't. Beating honduras and jamaica counts for nothing. Mexico has the same issues; very good at home and in central america, but incapable of reaching the quarterfinals at the World Cup. 

Current HC is Greg berhalter, former player. 

 

You gotta wake up early in the morning, but there are some games you can watch at 10:00 AM: https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/premier-league

This season's league has ended. 

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On 8/11/2020 at 2:30 AM, Philc1 said:

Have you seen Ronaldo play recently?  What sign of slowing down did you see?

 

 

He lost his speed and all-round play. Now he's just a finisher, and he offers very little outside of shots on goal. To his credit, he knows how to score, because he's an exceptional finisher. But you have to build your team around him, and get him the ball...and this weakens your lineup in other areas. 

Notice how Juventus struggle to win games in the Champions league against good teams? They have no tactical flexibility because their attacking game - passing patterns and movement - is all about getting ronaldo the ball and letting him score. 

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On 8/4/2020 at 4:08 PM, Irish Jet said:

 

My favourite aspect of the whole Newcaste fiasco was that of course the PL's objection was purely commercial. Can't have the Saudi's streaming their games illegally. The literal genocide was fine though. Standard practice at this point.

It's a matter of time before football goes from a pissing contest for corporate billionaires to a pissing contest between nations looking to improve their image. 

 

And it took a request from the Qatari government - the guys who own PSG - for this issue to become highlighted. 

We're already at the stage where clubs are being bought by sovereign investment funds. 

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Most important goal ever scored by an American in Europe? 

Probably.

Quote

In fact, a pretty airtight case could be made that no goal ever scored by a U.S. international in club competition was as seismic as Adams’s deflected strike in the 88th minute of RB Leipzig’s 2-1 defeat of Atlético Madrid. The victory lifted RBL, which was founded just 11 years ago, into the UEFA Champions League semifinals for the first time. And it lifted Adams into the small pantheon of American men who’ve made their mark on the scoresheet at the club game’s highest level.

No U.S. player had ever scored in the Champions League quarterfinal or later. And Adams could become just the second to play in the semis when RB Leipzig meets Paris Saint-Germain at Benfica’s Estádio da Luz on Aug. 18. Recently retired winger DaMarcus Beasley appeared for PSV Eindhoven in the 2005 final four against AC Milan, losing on away goals. (Jovan Kirovski also played for Borussia Dortmund in the 1997 Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup final).

https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/08/13/tyler-adams-goal-rb-leipzig-americans-abroad-dempsey-demerit

 

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