Everything Soccer

[dublinirish]

Koeman sacked.

 

[ACamp1900]

Galaxy season ended... finally. That... was not fun.

Toronto FC had a record setting season... MLS Cup playoffs start Wednesday.

 

[Rogue219]

Liverpool's defense still has too many Brendan Rodgers fingerprints on it. I think they miss Clyne more than they realize too. He's not a flashy player but he's well beyond steady and reliable.

The center half situation wasn't addressed this summer and it likely can't be addressed this January. Maybe they can make a run at Van Dijk, but they never actually made a bid this past summer according to some reports.

Can't figure out why they bought Andrew Robertson from Hull only to never play him. He's looked good in the matches he's played.

Two best teams I think recall watching so far this year in League play are City and Napoli. I'm sure Juventus will win Serie A in the end.

 

[notredomer23]

Galaxy season ended... finally. That... was not fun.

Toronto FC had a record setting season... MLS Cup playoffs start Wednesday.

NYC limped into the 2 seed... really did everything they could to lose it but Atlanta and Chicago didn't capitalize.

Stadium news coming for NYC by end of 2017 per team prez... it's needed. fans are ready to jump ship after a debacle of a match getting moved to Connecticut and this past weekend to Citi Field (though they still drew over 20k for Citi Field)

 

[ACamp1900]

NYC limped into the 2 seed... really did everything they could to lose it but Atlanta and Chicago didn't capitalize.

Stadium news coming for NYC by end of 2017 per team prez... it's needed. fans are ready to jump ship after a debacle of a match getting moved to Connecticut and this past weekend to Citi Field (though they still drew over 20k for Citi Field)

They can play at Stub Hub center... would be nice to see an actual team exit the home team locker room for a change....

 

[notredomer23]

They can play at Stub Hub center... would be nice to see an actual team exit the home team locker room for a change....

We all know Garbs will be adding the LAG mechanism this off season so you guys return to dominance.

 

[ACamp1900]

We all know Garbs will be adding the LAG mechanism this off season so you guys return to dominance.

It was hard having to live in everyone else's reality this season...

 

[ACamp1900]

Sounds like FIFA awarded Celtic the 'Best Fans' award again... or some such...

 

[dublinirish]

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-cupini-roma-us-soccer-sensation-social-media

In the south of Kansas City on a corner of 43rd Avenue there is an Italian restaurant called Cupini’s. Eddie Cupini and his father, Franco, have dedicated nearly 15 years to serving up the best pasta in town (“just like my mom used to make,” says Franco), earning a few awards along the way. But soon they will be leaving behind the restaurant and the life they have built in America.

Eddie’s 10-year-old son, Alessandro, has signed up to Roma’s esteemed academy. Alessandro is something of a social media sensation with more than 40,000 followers on Instagram and a dedicated YouTube channel showcasing his prodigious talent, all managed by his father. He even has a nickname: The Wolf. “A lion and a tiger are mean but you can’t take a wolf to the circus,” Eddie explains.


Next Generation 2017: 60 of the best young talents in world football
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The news has raised a few eyebrows – it is almost unheard of for a player so young to move continents ever since Fifa’s crackdown on the international transfer of minors in 2014, which led to Barcelona being sanctioned. Fifa prohibits anyone under 16 moving across the world unless “the player’s parents move … for reasons not linked to football”. The rule was supposed to protect children from being shipped to academies only to be discarded later, but was liberally flouted for many years. Now it is implemented meticulously, forcing families who had previously moved their lives abroad into limbo.

Alessandro, however, will be able to get around the regulations by applying for dual-citizenship, courtesy of his Italian heritage, which puts him in a rare position. He will move with his grandparents, parents and three-year-old sister next summer, attend Rome International School where he can expect to learn fluent Italian within six months, and will balance his education with training five days a week at the academy.

“It’s going to be a culture change for us, a language change, it’s a pretty big move,” says Eddie. “But he wanted to pursue it. He said: ‘Dad, I want to live in Rome and play soccer in Europe, that’s where the best footballers come from and that’s where I want to be.’”

Early dedication is a necessary ingredient to reach the very top in sport and there are plenty of stars who made a big step at a young age to find the best environment to succeed: Lionel Messi swapped Rosario for Barcelona aged 13; Maria Sharapova’s Russian father famously worked odd jobs in Florida for years so she could receive the best coaching as a young child. But there are also far fewer heralded stories of rejection and devastation.

Eddie is under no illusions as to the scale of the challenge facing his son. “Even though we’re going [to Rome], it’s still a needle in a haystack to be a professional footballer,” he says. He has gone to huge lengths to give Alessandro the best possible chance. Alessandro trains with his local team and with a select group of youngsters at the MLS franchise Sporting Kansas City, and has a private coach as well as regular sessions with a friend of Eddie’s, Giorgio, who runs the Rockhurst University men’s team in the city.

Alessandro Cupini, left, told his father he wanted to move to Italy. ‘He said: “Dad, I want to live in Rome and play soccer in Europe, that’s where the best footballers come from,”’ Eddie Cupini says.
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Alessandro Cupini, left, told his father he wanted to move to Italy. ‘He said: “Dad, I want to live in Rome and play soccer in Europe, that’s where the best footballers come from,”’ Eddie Cupini says.
He even has his own training pitch. “We built him a stadium in our basement which is 15ft wide by 45ft long filled with turf. He’s usually either down there or outside in the front yard wanting me to take him to training. Every day the first thing he asks is: ‘Where are we going to train, who are we training with, Dad?’ If he says he wants to go to the field, I never say no. I figure out a way to get him there.”

Alessandro’s story bears a striking resemblance to that of Rhain Davis, a young Australian who signed for Manchester United in 2007. Davis joined United’s academy aged nine after his godfather sent in clips of his dribbling exploits which racked up five million hits on YouTube. Davis was released by the club aged 16 following a broken leg and now plays in the National League with Altrincham.

“It was a new adventure for me and my family and they supported me thoroughly,” Davis told an interview with Football Central last year. “Of course I felt pressure but in a way it seemed to drive me further. I can truthfully say I have no regrets in the journey I’ve taken. In my case my motivation comes from my family; the thought that I brought them here to England is enough to keep me motivated.”

If they stay focused, they make it. If they don’t, they’re just gonna be another kid on the street.
Eddie has considered the possibility of Alessandro not making it. “Our goal is for him to just enjoy the game. We would hope that he would make it to the top level of course. If not, maybe he’ll get a full-ride scholarship to college somewhere for soccer.”

What if Alessandro later swaps training for typical teenage pursuits like drinking and parties, or simply loses interest? “That’s one question we ask ourselves now. When he turns teenage that’s a turning point. If they stay focused, they make it. If they don’t, they’re just gonna be another kid on the street. They’re gonna go to college and do something else with their life so we can’t hold that back. Hopefully he’ll get over that hump and stay in the right direction that he wants to go to play football. I would just tell him it would be wasted talent for you to quit right now and you don’t want to be wasted talent, definitely.”

Eddie admits that the move was a difficult financial decision. The Cupinis will try to keep the restaurant going from afar while switching the imports side of their business to exports, and they will run culinary tours in Rome and Florence, something they have done before. “It is definitely a financial burden but we’re hoping for the best and, if anything [goes wrong], I’ll have to come home. Alessandro knows that maybe down the road when he’s 12 or 13 there are academies who can take him, he can stay over and go to school. He might have to think hard about if that’s what he wants – separation of the family at an early age.”

These, perhaps, are the sacrifices in grasping a unique opportunity. “I want to try and give him his best chance in life to live what his dreams are. You can’t wait too long. These kids get so good so fast and a soccer career is over quickly, almost when you’re 30 sometimes, so you don’t have much time to make that decision. You’ve gotta go for it.”

 

[connor_in]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Never, ever celebrate early. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCNotTop10?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SCNotTop10</a> <a href="https://t.co/f6Ej9uGucn">pic.twitter.com/f6Ej9uGucn</a></p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/922267703708192768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[ACamp1900]

Goodness Kieran Tierney... he's living every bhoy's dream...

 

[notredomer23]

Goodness Kieran Tierney... he's living every bhoy's dream...

He will look good in sky blue

 

[ACamp1900]

Pedro "We're the best team in Scotland and I'm returning Rangers to European relevance," Caixinha out at IBrox after just 7 months....

what a wonderful seven months it was though...

 

[Whiskeyjack]

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/s/vv5d2/ranruj" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[Rocket89]

Spurs beat Real Madrid and move on in the Champions League. So that's cool.

 

[GoldenDomer]

Premier League clubs are shredding the Champions League.

 

[NorthDakota]

Premier League clubs are shredding the Champions League.

Honestly, they should every year. Follow the money fam.

 

[Rogue219]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/sports/kyle-martino-us-soccer-president.html

He has my full support. If Martino doesn't win, he will at least force some of these other jackasses to answer some questions, and we as supporters will know if they're full of shit when they do.

 

[notredomer23]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/sports/kyle-martino-us-soccer-president.html

He has my full support. If Martino doesn't win, he will at least force some of these other jackasses to answer some questions, and we as supporters will know if they're full of shit when they do.

Unfortunately, him and Wynalda both have fairly significant bases, but not nearly significant enough to unseat Gulati. Need more folks to drop out and unite against Gulati.

 

[Emcee77]

I was reading about this and wondering how Kyle Martino, who has a young family, is going to be able to finance an unpaid leave from his job for several months. Then I googled him and learned that he is Susan Sarandon's son-in-law?! Shocker. Did not see that one coming.

 

[ACamp1900]

So yeah, as far as world cup failures go I'm surprised no one has mentioned Italy yet... we won't be the only national team that is expected to be there that will be watching on TV.

 

[GowerND11]

So yeah, as far as world cup failures go I'm surprised no one has mentioned Italy yet... we won't be the only national team that is expected to be there that will be watching on TV.

I felt bad watching Buffon leave the pitch last night...

 

[ACamp1900]

I was happy for Mikael Lustig, though he's getting a ton of heat in the media for his comments ans celebration and such...

 

[Old Man Mike]

I was disappointed to see the big three defensive wall in front of Buffon not able to continue to play together again. Italy's offense really sucks. As does their midfield.

 

[NDty9]

I was disappointed to see the big three defensive wall in front of Buffon not able to continue to play together again. Italy's offense really sucks. As does their midfield.

It is a truly sad day for Italian Soccer! Like you stated, seeing that wonderful back three's time come to an end is awful. Even worse to see the career of greatest goalie of all time, come to an end like THIS.

I agree, the Italian attack was lackluster for sure. Zero creativity and Zero finishing ability. I disagree quite a bit in regard to the midfield though. We have a very solid midfield when firing on all cylinders (aka coached properly). There are many countries who would kill for the likes of Veratti, Florenzi, Darmian (had a great first match, not so much the second), Jorginho (his first game with Italy and played pretty well), and most of all INSIGNE!!!!

ALL very skilled and tactical players, who once again were either not coached properly, put in a position to win, or worst of all, not even able to get on the field. The fact that Insigne did not touch the field in the second match is utterly disgraceful, and even the most veteran of players knew this. (Watch the video in this article Daniele De Rossi angrily told Giampiero Ventura to use Lorenzo Insigne vs Sweden | Metro News )

Ventura was a mess from beginning to end of his reign as Italian coach. There are rumors that he knew his firing was on the horizon, and attempted to punish the Italian Federation by holding Insigne out. Whether you believe that or not (I do).... I can only hope the worst for his future!!!

The Team, The Country, and Most of All, BUFFON, deserved better!

Salute to the GREATEST GOALIE, one of the GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME!

 

[dublinirish]

why they persisted with 3 at the back in the second half was beyond me.

 

[NDty9]

why they persisted with 3 at the back in the second half was beyond me.

As opposed to? Two in the back? with another attacker? NOT arguing, just wondering.

 

[dublinirish]

As opposed to? Two in the back? with another attacker? NOT arguing, just wondering.

sweden had a single slow striker up front, didn't take 3 dudes to mark him. even at the death they never threw one of them up to nick a goal.

 

[NDty9]

sweden had a single slow striker up front, didn't take 3 dudes to mark him. even at the death they never threw one of them up to nick a goal.

I hear ya... But, towards the end, Chiellini was attacking quite a bit, and even had some great service in from the flank. Barzagli is just OLD, and Bonucci has been a shell of himself since coming over to Milan (makes me twice as upset since i love Milan).

I agree with what you're getting at that. We should have found a way to have more attack in the second half if not more. I think part of that problem was that Darmian and even more so Candreva, PLAYED AWFUL! They are usually the best part of playing a back 3 , instead of 4. Their attack and distribution from the flank is usually what creates EVERYTHING!.... (oh, and PIRLO!... GOD did we miss him!) Not this time.

 

[Mihalko35]

Yup. The last three days have not been kind.
Will be a sad finals without Italy there.