Might as well start a general Footy/Soccer thread

[Woodsy]

Best week for an American Striker, ever?

[Long duc dong]

Wow....

Silva's penalty really sums up city. When a transcendent player like Modric fucks up it's really not the time to try something cute. If you are going to do that, you had better make sure it works. With Kovacic, not a great penalty but at least it wasn't ridiculous.

Man City certainly were the better team. They can add this one to the number of UCL occurrences where they have been the better team, and played better, and lost.

In a way, this generation of MC reminds me of the Mets from 84-90. They did get their World Series win, one that is still painful to me, and they were a truly great team when they won. But they probably should have at least played in one more WS, and certainly at least one more division title in that time. Last season, MC finally got their crown. But you have to say that if they don't win another this era is something of a disappointment. That being said, at least they have won.

I would love to see Bayern pull a rabbit out of the hat and beat RM next round.

[EWG]

Fucking Arsenal

[MarcusBrody]

Wow....

Silva's penalty really sums up city. When a transcendent player like Modric fucks up it's really not the time to try something cute. If you are going to do that, you had better make sure it works. With Kovacic, not a great penalty but at least it wasn't ridiculous.

Man City certainly were the better team. They can add this one to the number of UCL occurrences where they have been the better team, and played better, and lost.

In a way, this generation of MC reminds me of the Mets from 84-90. They did get their World Series win, one that is still painful to me, and they were a truly great team when they won. But they probably should have at least played in one more WS, and certainly at least one more division title in that time. Last season, MC finally got their crown. But you have to say that if they don't win another this era is something of a disappointment. That being said, at least they have won.

I would love to see Bayern pull a rabbit out of the hat and beat RM next round.

Statistically, it's shooting high down the middle has a good probability of success. From the Guardian:

A 2009 paper analysing 311 penalty kicks from various men’s professional leagues around the world found shots at the centre of the goals were less likely to be saved than shots to the side. Premier league stats from Opta Sports say shooting low left has a 77.2% success rate and low right 80%. But aiming to the centre and high has a 97.8% success rate, and there’s a success rate of 80.2% for a low shot to the centre.

You just look dumb when the goalie guesses it and doesn't move.

And not to say that Manchester City didn't look good today, but over the two legs, they led for a grand total of...18 minutes. While Madrid led for 116 minutes. I'm not sure one side was certainly the better team and played better if they were losing most of the time. I did think that Madrid looked oddly unable to keep the ball today and I credit Man City for that, but after they took the lead, Madrid decided to just absorb the pressure and counter. Doesn't really make them the worse for it and now they are on their way to their 12th semifinal in the last 14 years. Obviously football is mercurial and luck does play a factor, but when over time one team keeps winning and another doesn't, it can't always be luck.

[Dee Hubbs]

Fucking Arsenal

SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY

[Woodsy]

Fucking Arsenal

One fkn job....

Fk the CL, just don't bottle the title for once.

Hell who knows, may be another Ciity has to give back if their many FFP infractions are ever heard.

[subtle plague]

So how does the strongest League in the world Perform Internationally ?


Let's see... best 4:
France 1, spain 1 , Germany 2.

PL: 0.
Where did the sheikh billions go? [emoji3]

To add insult to injury: Bayern and Dortmund are really weak this season.

Leverkusen steam rolled the League. But West ham will surely give them the first defeat in 44 games.

[Woodsy]

Table looking pretty good now..

19 and life to go

[EWG]

SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY

Ummm

[dunfree]

Ummm

it’s great Chitty were so fucking dumb to sell off a v good player in cole Palmer, but it’s also bad.

[Woodsy]

So how does the strongest League in the world Perform Internationally ?


Let's see... best 4:
France 1, spain 1 , Germany 2.

PL: 0.
Where did the sheikh billions go? [emoji3]

.

Not great this season but at least one English club has reached the Champions League final in five of the past six seasons.
If you think France is a better top to bottom league you dont watch football.
Are you saying Italy is also no longer a top league based on one season?

[Foggy_Goggles]

Well fuckin' Forest is doing their best to go down

[subtle plague]

Not great this season but at least one English club has reached the Champions League final in five of the past six seasons.
If you think France is a better top to bottom league you dont watch football.
Are you saying Italy is also no longer a top league based on one season?

No I was just happily schadenfreuding about the fact that you apparenty can't buy total success as seen with psg, the PL or, a more specific German example, Munich vs. Leverkusen where alonso formed an amazing team out of good but not world class players bringing them from place 16 to, maybe, winning the small tripple in 18 months (two seasons) in a record breaking 45 games undefeated streak. The value of Leverkusens team, pre Alonso, was probably one 5th of the top 5 pl teams. Now they have players valued 150 Million because alonso made them all better as a team. Normally Munich just buys its success but it didn't work this year although the individual players are/ should be much better. ( last year Dortmund gave the title away but Munich Was already weak).

And the pl prides itself with being the strongest League in the world.

Nobody would try to make that Statement about the Bundesliga.

Everybody always jokes about the Bundesliga where all true talent is headed to the pl. Spain has about 2 and a half strong teams..... france one which doesn't have any team spirit so they all should be weaker internationally because they're not used to Real Opposition.

I have no idea about italy.

[Woodsy]

GOing to see my first MLS game tomorrow since Real Sandy was Real Salt Lake and played @ the U.

Messi is coming to Gillette and got tix so taking my boy who already has an Inter Miami Messi top.

should be cool to se the GOAT

looking forward to NYC having a soccer specific stadium easy to get to.

[The SnowShow]

Liverpool really shit the bed the last couple of weeks. Down to Arsenal and City.

[EWG]

Betcha Man City win out…

[subtle plague]

So those poor sheikhs lost money in their Paris investment, yet again? [emoji3] .

2013/2024? Wembley repeat? Im not sure Munich, in their current state, can beat Madrid though, but im happy for Dortmund.

[dunfree]

Bayern

[Woodsy]

Ugh, with RM limping & Barca still a mess, PSG bleeding stars, unless an Italian team hits a stride City is going to tiki taka their way to another CL trophy without much effort.

SO happy to be dead wrong here. Real still has some juice & think them v. Dortmund in the finals June 1 is going to be a good one.

If Gunners can not bottle the league and United can pull a miracle in the FA cup ( 2 HUDGE ifs) City could be as trophyless as they are financially shady.

[Woodsy]

GOing to see my first MLS game tomorrow since Real Sandy was Real Salt Lake and played @ the U.

Messi is coming to Gillette and got tix so taking my boy who already has an Inter Miami Messi top.

should be cool to se the GOAT

looking forward to NYC having a soccer specific stadium easy to get to.

10 year old and I went to Mass for the chance to see Messi brilliance.
We got Messi brilliance neither of us will forget.

[BmillsSkier]

10 year old and I went to Mass for the chance to see Messi brilliance.
We got Messi brilliance neither of us will forget.

Awesome!

I’m probably one of the more avid MLS fans here and I’m all for whatever it takes to grow the game here, especially Messi-led draws to matches like this. My son, wife and I get to about a match a month and are looking forward to seeing him here. Glad y’all had a good time!

[Woodsy]

Bayern

You beautiful man for giving me a reason to watch this again.


Cannot wait for the treble documentary May 17.

]

[Woodsy]

Awesome!

I’m probably one of the more avid MLS fans here and I’m all for whatever it takes to grow the game here, especially Messi-led draws to matches like this. My son, wife and I get to about a match a month and are looking forward to seeing him here. Glad y’all had a good time!

My MLS fandom summed up
SLC in the mid 00s, Real Salt Lake played at Rice - Eccles Stadium and it was fun, soccer fans of all stripes, languages, & nationalities coming to watch good matches in a fun environment. As a long time soccer fan, I was stoked.
good times.

Somehow they dont build the new stadium downtown but way out in the burbs where the crowd isnt quite as "vibrant" despite good options in town & suck the life out of the fan base even as team gets better.
Couldn't continue following Real Sandy & lost interest when I moved east in 06.

Once in NYC I was watching MUFC matches weekly in pubs and more often as they were then playing CL matches midweek and I would make most either ducking out of work or "entertaining" euro expat or visiting clients for 2 hours on Tues/Wed afternoons.

MLS was poor by comparison to 2006-2014 Champions League football. Glory years of THAT Pep with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta Barca team and Sir Alex's post treble monster (Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, Berbatov, etc.) teams, plus Galcticos & Invincibles and peak Bayern, plus Red Bull stadium was hard to get to.

My son spent his first 4 years watching Rooney score goals weekend mornings in CT so when we were in DC visiting in the late 2010s and our man Tipp suggested we go see DC United's home match while in town I jumped at the chance. The joy of watching my son see his favorite soccer play score 2 goals right in front of us in our seats behind the goal is a memory I will treasure.

So stars past their prime is my son's impressions of MLS. Maybe matches in the new soccer specific stadium in NYC will change that. We will see.

I do know at his travel soccer practices tues & Thurs I see jerseys from Inter, Liverpool, Arsenal, United, Bayern, Juve, Barca, Real, CHealsea, & various national team jerseys from across Europe & LATAM as wel as maybe 1 NYCFC shirt and a few Inter Miami Messi kits

[BmillsSkier]

My son spent his first 4 years watching Rooney score goals weekend mornings in CT so when we were in DC visiting in the late 2010s and our man Tipp suggested we go see DC United's home match while in town I jumped at the chance. The joy of watching my son see his favorite soccer play score 2 goals right in front of us in our seats behind the goal is a memory I will treasure.

So stars past their prime is my son's impressions of MLS. Maybe matches in the new soccer specific stadium in NYC will change that. We will see.

I do know at his travel soccer practices tues & Thurs I see jerseys from Inter, Liverpool, Arsenal, United, Bayern, Juve, Barca, Real, CHealsea, & various national team jerseys from across Europe & LATAM as wel as maybe 1 NYCFC shirt and a few Inter Miami Messi kits

That's so great. I'll say that any time I see my 9 y/o son's buddies weather from his club or school team, its all euro and ATL UTD kits all the time. I think every kid in school has at least 1 Messi jersey (my boy's are PSG and Inter Miami) which are followed in popularity by Haaland's City and ATL UTD (usually Josef Martinez or Thiego Almada). Its kind of funny to see so much soccer enthusiasm in a part of the country where baseball and football are traditionally so big - its easily the most popular sport at their school.

Our city is a touch different with its support for MLS though, winning the MLS Cup in 2018 and the then-brand spanking new and incredibly cool Mercedes-Benz Stadium certainly helped, but the supporters were there from the day Arthur Blank announced the club. United leads the league in attendance every year and its not even close, averaging just under 50k a game and sellouts topping 72k. A big part of that is the match day atmosphere with all the supporter's clubs marching into the stadium in parade (huge supporters parties at affiliated pubs/breweries for away matches), constant chants and cheers that everyone knows, and the stadium is so easy to get to being right on the MARTA line. Their UTD2 team down to their academy program (U6 and up) have produced lots of homegrown talent too which endears the city to them. Add all that up and you have the blueprint for success in American soccer.

I think relegation would be cool to add to our system, but we'll see. We've already seen promotion work in the form of FC Cincinnati going from a USL club to the MLS in short order due to massive fan support.

Is it top-flight European soccer? No, but it also isn't little sisters of the poor that some would have you believe (conveniently forgetting that lots of Yurp football isn't the EPL or even top of the table in other leagues). I'm happy its here and growing like gangbusters.

[Woodsy]

That's so great. I'll say that any time I see my 9 y/o son's buddies weather from his club or school team, its all euro and ATL UTD kits all the time. I think every kid in school has at least 1 Messi jersey (my boy's are PSG and Inter Miami) which are followed in popularity by Haaland's City and ATL UTD (usually Josef Martinez or Thiego Almada). Its kind of funny to see so much soccer enthusiasm in a part of the country where baseball and football are traditionally so big - its easily the most popular sport at their school.

Our city is a touch different with its support for MLS though, winning the MLS Cup in 2018 and the then-brand spanking new and incredibly cool Mercedes-Benz Stadium certainly helped, but the supporters were there from the day Arthur Blank announced the club. United leads the league in attendance every year and its not even close, averaging just under 50k a game and sellouts topping 72k. A big part of that is the match day atmosphere with all the supporter's clubs marching into the stadium in parade (huge supporters parties at affiliated pubs/breweries for away matches), constant chants and cheers that everyone knows, and the stadium is so easy to get to being right on the MARTA line. Their UTD2 team down to their academy program (U6 and up) have produced lots of homegrown talent too which endears the city to them. Add all that up and you have the blueprint for success in American soccer.

I think relegation would be cool to add to our system, but we'll see. We've already seen promotion work in the form of FC Cincinnati going from a USL club to the MLS in short order due to massive fan support.

Is it top-flight European soccer? No, but it also isn't little sisters of the poor that some would have you believe (conveniently forgetting that lots of Yurp football isn't the EPL or even top of the table in other leagues). I'm happy its here and growing like gangbusters.

With a big hotel nearby I have been lucky enough to be through the stadium for non match events and see some of the build up.
the closed franchise model isnt good for the sport and many 2nd and 3rd tier cities could benefit from their team coming up.
Downtown, easily reachable stadium is a no brainer so many cities miss.
The enthusiasm is there, especially from the younger generations.

Its been sad to se a soccer mad city like NYC have their team lay in a baseball stadium so glad that is being addressed here.