Everything Soccer

[mgriff]

Bayern/Inter is a tremendous match. Inter takes a 3-2 lead with a goal in the 88th minute. Bayern should have put this to bed a long time ago. They are now tied on aggregate and lnter goes through on away goals.

Galaxy and Sounders are probably the two most exciting teams in the MLS, I'll admit that, but the quality of the league as a whole is poor, in my opinion. I watched a lot at the end of last season and I didn't enjoy it much.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!! I feel like i am a minority with my fandom of ManU lol.

 

[Ironman8]

Bayern/Inter is a tremendous match. Inter takes a 3-2 lead with a goal in the 88th minute. Bayern should have put this to bed a long time ago. They are now tied on aggregate and lnter goes through on away goals.

Galaxy and Sounders are probably the two most exciting teams in the MLS, I'll admit that, but the quality of the league as a whole is poor, in my opinion. I watched a lot at the end of last season and I didn't enjoy it much.

That's especially noticeable after spending the day watching great matches such and Bayern/Inter and ManU/Marseille. Hard to go from the majors to Single A with much enthusiasm.

I do enjoy seeing how enthusiastic the Sounders home crowd is, gives me some hope that soccer has a chance to really grow in the country's mind. They are tremendous.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

I'll watch it if there's nothing better on, but we desperately need to grow the sport in the U.S. so we can have a proper league with some quality. It's just so terrible to watch sometimes.

In other news, Bayern took back two goals after going down to an Inter goal from Eto'o in the 4th minute.

Those dirty, filthy Mancs scored one against Marseille, but an away goal and a tie will see them through.

MLS has grown so much over the past 15 years. By 2020 it should be a very strong league. Don Garber is a genius. I prefer to watch MLS soccer since it's on at acceptable times and I don't care too much about baseball so it's my summer sport.

 

[mgriff]

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!! I feel like i am a minority with my fandom of ManU lol.

There are a lot of United fans on here, judging just from icons under names. A lot of Americans follow United because they are one of the biggest clubs.

That's especially noticeable after spending the day watching great matches such and Bayern/Inter and ManU/Marseille. Hard to go from the majors to Single A with much enthusiasm.

I do enjoy seeing how enthusiastic the Sounders home crowd is, gives me some hope that soccer has a chance to really grow in the country's mind. They are tremendous.

That is absolutely how I view the Sounders supporters--as the potential for the sport in America.

MLS has grown so much over the past 15 years. By 2020 it should be a very strong league. Don Garber is a genius. I prefer to watch MLS soccer since it's on at acceptable times and I don't care too much about baseball so it's my summer sport.

I generally avoid the other major leagues with exception of the big clubs playing each other. I stick to the EPL. We also said that soccer would grow into a huge sport in America after the World Cup here, and that didn't materialize. The first league which came from that actually went bankrupt.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

We also said that soccer would grow into a huge sport in America after the World Cup here, and that didn't materialize. The first league which came from that actually went bankrupt.

First league which came from the World Cup? That was MLS. NASL went bankrupt in the 70s and 80s because it was poorly run.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

There are a lot of United fans on here, judging just from icons under names. A lot of Americans follow United because they are one of the biggest clubs.

Personally I was a huge fan of Paul Scholes about 11 years ago and that made me like United. I will always root for English teams in the Champions League unless the English team's name is "The Axis of Evil." AKA Chelsea.

 

[mgriff]

First league which came from the World Cup? That was MLS. NASL went bankrupt in the 70s and 80s because it was poorly run.

You're right, my mistake. Got mah facts mixed up. Still, the NASL was the one which had all the world greats playing it and didn't make it. The MLS has shown growth, but it's future is still up the air, long term. They employed a much better model this time around with the MLS.

 

[GreatGolson]

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!! I feel like i am a minority with my fandom of ManU lol.

RED DEVILS TILL WE DIE!

 

[IHateMarkMay]

I should start buying some icons lol

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!!! I feel like i am a minority with my fandom of ManU lol.

RED DEVILS TILL WE DIE!

Here Here! Don't let all these Reds and Gunners get to you boys, united we stand!

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

I feel zero attachment to EPL teams. I cheer for MLS and Yanks Abroad. I watch European soccer because of the good play. I have always had a soft spot for Celtic though. The SPL outside of the Old Firm is almost sub-MLS play though.

International soccer is still better though.

 

[NDinMich]

I like the international game a lot too but it's hard to only watch international Football because it's only played a few times throughout the year. With World Cups being every 4 years and Association Cups the 2nd year in between (CONCACAF, UEFA, Cup of Nations, etc), there's always a gap in between important matches. That's what probably drew me to club football years ago.

I do like the MLS more recently than a few years ago. I think Garber has done a lot of positive things to keep young American talent here (Generation Adidas mostly) and try to build the brand. Watching a game in Seattle, Columbus or Salt Lake is usually pretty fun. The downfall of the league would be the same thing that brought down the USFL and I think the NASL too, brining in "bigtime" players that are past their prime AND over paying for them (i.e. Beckham, Henry, Marquez).

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Designated Player rule keeps spending in line but it does give Los Angeles, New York, and other big market teams a slight advantage which is good. MLS has a pretty hard cap that will keep anything from getting out of control. Henry, Marquez, and Beckham were great investments for the league in terms of support and media attention.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

I had not watched an MLS match in a few years so I decided to give it another chance and watch some of the LA vs. SEA last night. It looked very familiar to me, it looked like me playing FIFA 11 on PS3. Every ball was a through ball going forward, and there just didn't seem to be as much touch on the passes. There wasn't that much strategic attacking, everything was press, press, press. Maybe it was because it was the first game of the season but they played like it was the last five minutes the entire game, blasting balls from outside the box consistently. It was exciting at times, but very sloppy.

 

[tankjeep]

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i love newcastle united, have for quite some time. i'm also a fan of inter too but very disappointed in their loss to bayern....although ribery and robben are fun to watch.

celtic is one of my all time favorites cuz back in the late 80's when i was playing high school, my team wore hoops just like celtic.

btw, my team lost to cox, 4-1. we played admirably, but cox is just that good, plus they were missing two starters that could've made it worse for us.

as far as the mls, i really think it's improving every year and more european greats are coming to play in it (henry, freddy luhwenberg sp?). hopefully more to come. it's alot better than when it first started and i truly feel that our players benefit from it at a very young age. they get the feel for the pro speed and how to deal with it. once they develop further, they can go abroad and ply their trade in better leagues.

 

[mgriff]

i love newcastle united, have for quite some time. i'm also a fan of inter too but very disappointed in their loss to bayern....although ribery and robben are fun to watch.

celtic is one of my all time favorites cuz back in the late 80's when i was playing high school, my team wore hoops just like celtic.

btw, my team lost to cox, 4-1. we played admirably, but cox is just that good, plus they were missing two starters that could've made it worse for us.

as far as the mls, i really think it's improving every year and more european greats are coming to play in it (henry, freddy luhwenberg sp?). hopefully more to come. it's alot better than when it first started and i truly feel that our players benefit from it at a very young age. they get the feel for the pro speed and how to deal with it. once they develop further, they can go abroad and ply their trade in better leagues.

Inter came back and won that match yesterday, 3-2, and got through to the next stage on away goals. It was a great match to watch.

 

[tankjeep]

Inter came back and won that match yesterday, 3-2, and got through to the next stage on away goals. It was a great match to watch.

my bad, i was not informed correctly. my high school team was playing during the match and one of my assistant coaches was updating me on the sidelines. so, now i'm back to being happy.

and i forgot to dvr the match. i'm such a dope.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

I had not watched an MLS match in a few years so I decided to give it another chance and watch some of the LA vs. SEA last night. It looked very familiar to me, it looked like me playing FIFA 11 on PS3. Every ball was a through ball going forward, and there just didn't seem to be as much touch on the passes. There wasn't that much strategic attacking, everything was press, press, press. Maybe it was because it was the first game of the season but they played like it was the last five minutes the entire game, blasting balls from outside the box consistently. It was exciting at times, but very sloppy.

Both teams played terrible. Hopefully RSL, Dallas, or New York will have quality soccer this weekend.

 

[NDinMich]

Both teams played terrible. Hopefully RSL, Dallas, or New York will have quality soccer this weekend.

Gotta love that atmosphere at Qwest though! USA vs Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup first round will be in Detroit and I'll be going (assuming certain personal events go according to plan) and I really hope the atmosphere will be as good as Seattle.

 

[tankjeep]

Gotta love that atmosphere at Qwest though! USA vs Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup first round will be in Detroit and I'll be going (assuming certain personal events go according to plan) and I really hope the atmosphere will be as good as Seattle.

why detroit? isn't that place a ghost town by now? the only thing that town has going for it is my wings.

 

[mgriff]

Liverpool/Braga in Europa, three hours!

 

[IHateMarkMay]

What happened against Braga mgriff? I didn't watch it, did they play poorly or did Braga look good?

 

[NDinMich]

why detroit? isn't that place a ghost town by now? the only thing that town has going for it is my wings.

Because Detroit is one of the burgeoning soccer areas according to MLS. Detroit hosted a club friendly over the summer and it was a success.

You claim the wings and yet you bash Detroit??? Interesting. Haven't been a hockey fan long eh?

 

[mgriff]

What happened against Braga mgriff? I didn't watch it, did they play poorly or did Braga look good?

When we don'tb have our est 11, the lack of depth shows. Carroll is going to be worth it, but Dirk's lack of skill really shows. Without Gerrard and Suarez, we don't look that formidable attacking. Liverpool needs some serious investment in the summer.

 

[mgriff]

Champions League draw for the quarterfinals is at 1030 GMT. That's 0230 for me, so I expect this thread to be updated when I wake up!

We have three from England (Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Chelsea), two from Spain (Barcelona and Real Madrid), one from Italy (Inter Milan), Germany (Shalke 04), and Ukraine (Shakhtar Donetsk).

Also, the semifinals will be drawn, meaning you can put the groups together--i.e. the winner of games 1+2 will meet in the semis as will 3+4. DE,on't let me down I this is where I log on when I wake up.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

You got it Mgriff, I should be able to put it on here as soon as they come out.

 

[tankjeep]

Because Detroit is one of the burgeoning soccer areas according to MLS. Detroit hosted a club friendly over the summer and it was a success.

You claim the wings and yet you bash Detroit??? Interesting. Haven't been a hockey fan long eh?

i've been to detroit for a wings game and it was dead (the city was, not the game), like i said in my post....a ghost town. and i've been a hockey fan since the 80's.

 

[tankjeep]

When we don'tb have our est 11, the lack of depth shows. Carroll is going to be worth it, but Dirk's lack of skill really shows. Without Gerrard and Suarez, we don't look that formidable attacking. Liverpool needs some serious investment in the summer.

dirk's lack of skill? really?

 

[IHateMarkMay]

Here are the draws boys (and girls too)

Manchester United vs. the Axis of Evi..... Chelsea
Barcelona vs. Shaktar Donetsk
Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Inter Milan vs. Shalke

Quarterfinals will take place on April 5, 6 and 12,13.
Semifinals will take place on April 26, 27 and May 3, 4.
Finals will be May 28 at Wembley.

As a ManU fan, I love the idea of knocking Chelsea out. However, I fear that they might know how to play Torres at that point and that could make them scary. If there are no injuries, I think United pull it off by 1-0 or 2-1.

Barcelona is obviously a great team, Shakhtar (and Shalke for that matter) is harder to read for me. It seems every year there are a couple of teams from "the other leagues." We'll call them the not big four (English, Spanish, Italian, Germen.) Looked them up to see who they've beaten and I am going to have to go with Barca.

Real Madrid is another team that is great and that could go all the way. However, any team that slayed one of the giants in AC Milan will be no slouch. Hopefully they can use that game plan again with the "hope we don't get scored on and have one of our great players in Lennon or Crouch or whoever put one in." I really think this one is a tossup. I am rooting for Spurs.

Inter Milan is a classic giant and they seemed to get one of the two easy draws. Shalke sits in the middle of the Bundesliga and they have a losing record. They have beaten Lyon twice, Benefica twice, Hapoel Tel Aviv once and tied the other. That was the easy road. They clobbered Valencia who is sitting in third in the La Liga. Maybe they are better than I think.

Personally I don't like the draw this year. The winner of the ManU/Chelsea game will play the winner of the Inter/Shalke game while the Barca/Shakhtar winner faces off with the Real Madrid/Spurs winner. I've always felt that you should keep teams from the same country away from each other as long as possible. I know they use the best and most fair way to do it though and I can appreciate that. I look for ManU to get past Chelsea and then past Inter, possibly because I am biased and partially unknown to how Shalke will play. Also with the two Spanish giants to meet in the Semis. I think it will be a ManU and Barca final. Don't ask me who will win because a lot of injuries can take place or be healed in that time.