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American Soccer |OT| Life, liberty and the pursuit of the beautiful game

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xbhaskarx

Member
Cornballer said:
Today's strange news:
- ESPNFC: Tim Howard book claims Brad Friedel tried to block Manchester Utd move

Odd story, but sounds more like a difference of opinion than anything serious.
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Friedel's side here: Brad Friedel wants apology from Tim Howard over comments in new book

There doesn't seem to be any contradiction between the two accounts.

I have to side with Howard. It's hard to get a work permit, you can exaggerate in a letter of recommendation for a countryman, for the sake of your national team. I remember Klinsmann saying Ream was going to be a big part of the national team going forward. Who cares? Who is going to hold Friedel accountable for any such comments he makes in a letter? Making it about "principle" seems like a cop out here...
 
M

Meier

Member
Jozy came on for Steven Fletcher due to an injury. It looked somewhat innocuous but it was his back, so he may get a start this weekend in place of him if it's more serious than it seems.
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
2014 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalists

9ibog7g.png
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Tommy Thompson's brother Tanner made the list...
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
Galaxy's Robbie Keane named league MVP
Galaxy striker Robbie Keane, who finished third in the league with 19 goals and 14 assists this season, was named Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player on Wednesday.

Keane, also the captain of the Western Conference champions, set career MLS highs in goals and assists to help lead the league’s highest-scoring team into Sunday’s MLS Cup final against the New England Revolution.

Keane edged New England’s Lee Nguyen and Seattle’s Obafemi Martins in balloting for the award. Nguyen topped the Revolution with 18 goals -- a league record for a midfielder -- while Martins scored 17 times and had 13 assists.
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X

xbhaskarx

Member
Jeff-DSA said:
It's honestly the biggest joke. I can't believe how criminal this all is. In a year when Rimando was clearly the best keeper, in a year when he claimed the all-time shutout record, in a year when he did great work for his club and the USMNT, he loses to Bill Hamid.

Being a sports fan in Utah generally means you get to watch your players get ignored for recognition when it's very much deserved so that some bigger market person can get sucked off by the media despite deserving it less.
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Classy response from Rimando:

oxo603a.jpg
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X

xbhaskarx

Member
voting breakdown:

Player (Club) % of Club Votes % of Media Votes % of Player Votes Weighted Total
Robbie Keane (LA) 30.95 32.22 25.52 88.69
Obafemi Martins (SEA) 19.05 27.78 16.39 63.22
Lee Nguyen (NE) 21.43 18.89 17.22 57.54
Bradley Wright-Phillips (NY) 20.25 7.78 21.78 49.81
 
E

Esch

Banned
Osorio said:
Would Pirlo be a good replacement for Henry?
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that depends on what you want i think

i like pirlo's passing, playmaking and long range shots. i don't think he'd fit in the forward/winger role. you guys liked to shift henry around a bit from what i remember, he had a playmaker run too. he can do the latter for sure
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Osorio said:
Would Pirlo be a good replacement for Henry?
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Isn't LA already picking him up?

Esch said:
that depends on what you want i think

i like pirlo's passing, playmaking and long range shots. i don't think he'd fit in the forward/winger role. you guys liked to shift henry around a bit from what i remember, he had a playmaker run too. he can do the latter for sure
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Well we need a playmaker. We've got enough forwards at this point, Cahill and BWP have both proven they can score goals and get the job done.
 
O

Osorio

Member
Part of me is thinking our number one priority is CB.

I can imagine us starting slow because everyone will focus on bwp and the wingers won't take advantage of the space they're given.

Then Petke will be forced to switch back to a 2 forward system and that's where the new back line has to step up.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- Jeff Carlisle: Don Garber Q&A: the state of MLS, finances, Lampard and more
This is an awkward time for MLS Commissioner Don Garber. As the league's chief evangelist it's usually his job to talk up MLS's successes -- and goodness knows that there are plenty of positive stories for him to highlight. There is the newly signed television deal that more than tripled the league's yearly intake. Expansion continues apace with two more teams entering the league next season, another two joining in 2017 and cities seemingly lined up outside MLS headquarters trying to get in the door. The entry fee for each of those teams is now north of $100 million.

But the negotiations with the MLS Players Union over a new collective bargaining agreement loom over the league's future. And since Garber serves at the behest of the owners, he's now been thrust into the role of league designated Eeyore, waxing pessimistic about the league's difficult financial position.

As he does every year, Garber was kind enough to elaborate -- to a degree -- on various issues facing the league.
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O

Osorio

Member
Top 30 soccer clubs in the Americas

1. Corinthians/Brazil/$579.9m
2. Gremio/Brazil/$354.4 m
3. Palmerias/Brazil/$343 m
4. Guadalajara/Mexico/$279.3m
5. New York Red Bulls/USA/$250.5m
6. Internacional/Brazil/$241.7m
7. America/Mexico/$231.5m
8. Sporting Kansas City/USA/$229.1m
9. LA Galaxy/USA/$207.6m
10. Sao Paulo/Brazil/$188.4m
11. Atletico Paranaense/Brazil/$181.2m
12. Santos/Brazil/$170.3m
13. Santos Laguna/Mexico/$146.2m
14. Boca Juniors/Argentina/$119.8m
15. Deportivo Cali/Colombia/$119.3m
16. River Plate/Argentina/114.5 m
17.Flamengo/Brazil/91.3 m
18. Cruzeiro/Brazil/88 m
19.San Lorenzo/Argentina/82.7 m
20. Atlético Mineiro/Brazil/81 m
21. Seattle Sounders/USA/80.6 m
22. Fluminense/Brazil/79.9 m
23. Cruz Azul/Mexico/66.3 m
24. Tigres/Mexico/65 m
25. Montreal Impact/Canada/63.7 m
26. Independiente/Argentina/63.3 m
27. Tijuana Xolos/Mexico/$63.2 m
28. Emelec/Ecuador/$62.1 m
29 .Columbus Crew/USA/$60.3 m
30. Monterrey/Mexico/$56.3 m
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Uh, what? Guess the stadium and practice facilty brings us to the top in MLS?
 
X

xbhaskarx

Member
New England Revolution's local products see MLS Cup as chance to change history

It was the largest crowd in the history of MLS Cup, and somewhere among the more than 61,000 fans in the crowd were two young boys who hoped one day they would get their chance to play in the big game.

Chris Tierney and Scott Caldwell were both there when the New England Revolution hosted the 2002 MLS Cup final at Gillette Stadium against the LA Galaxy (above), and the game left undeniable impressions on each.

“There’s a picture in my house, I was there with some of my buddies,” said Caldwell, a native of Braintree, Massachusetts. “I remember the gist of it, but not the whole game itself. It was great crowd, awesome atmosphere.”

Tierney, a native of nearby Wellesley, remembers it too. Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz scored the game’s only goal in the 113th minute to give the Galaxy the win, and hand the Revs the first of their four losses in the MLS Cup final.

...

Caldwell and Tierney were wide-eyed kids from the Boston suburbs when the Revs made their first appearance in the final back in 2002. Current head coach Jay Heaps was starting at right back – making everyone proud back in the Western Massachusetts town of Longmeadow – and a 16-year old named Charlie Davies was watching on television and starring at a Massachusetts prep school with a career at Boston College on the horizon.

Now these New England natives, who have each played a major role in the success of the club this season, will get their chance to give the franchise its first MLS title.

“It means so much,” Davies said. “It’d be so special to be the first team to bring MLS Cup back to New England.”
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C

Cornballer

Member
- LAG Confidential:
Today on Soccer Morning, Eric Gomez the chief editor of Fox Deportes told the hosts that Erick Torres would only stay in Major League Soccer if he could sign with the Galaxy. Torres is currently back training with CD Guadalajara ahead of their Clausura campaign. Don Garber recently said in his State of the Media that Torres was a player they'd like to keep in MLS.

With Landon Donovan retiring at the end of the season there will be a designated player spot open on the club, but Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes have been pretty locked in at the forward spots this season. With how well Zardes has stepped up his game this season, there's a school of thought that his game reps need to be protected at all cost.

On the other hand, Torres is a legitimate talent, managing to stand out on a Chivas USA team that was literally falling apart around him. A story worth following in the coming weeks.
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A

ActStriker

Member
Felger eviscerating Dan Shaughnessy on air, with article

http://www.csnne.com/new-england-revolution/old-arguments-against-soccer-are-just-silly

I didn't realize it at the time, and my buddy Dan Shaughnessy will probably never realize it, but the conversation we had the other night -- see above -- is probably about to become a thing of the past.

In other words, the "soccer debate" is just about over.

You've heard it dozens of times. We do it every time the sport is registering a blip, as it is now in Boston with the Revolution in the MLS Cup. "Will soccer ever 'arrive'?" "Will it finally catch on in the U.S?" Etc.

It's actually kind of silly that we still have the argument, because by almost every measure, the sport, and even Major League Soccer, has already, in fact, "arrived."

It's not even really a debatable point at this juncture.
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A

Askani

Member
This seems shocking:

Grant Wahl ‏@GrantWahl 24 minutes ago
Hearing Portland has acquired Nat Borchers in a trade with Salt Lake for allocation money. Good veteran MLS defender.​

I don't like the guy for arbitrary reasons, but good move for Portland.
 
T

tbm24

Member
NYCFC has something against people who don't get out of work at 4pm. NYCFC players and official(or just Reyna idk) will be at Modells in Times Square tomorrow from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. That's another chance to meet Villa and get a kit signed potentially gone :(.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
- SI: USMNT adds Netherlands to high-profile June friendly slate
The U.S. men's national team is set to meet the Netherlands in a high-profile away friendly next June, SI.com has confirmed. The game is likely to take place on June 5, with another game at Germany expected to happen on June 10.
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The U.S. is also expected to meet archrival Mexico – which beat the Netherlands in a World Cup knockout round grudge match – in a friendly in the spring, probably in April.
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Also:

- Grant Wahl: Q&A: Bruce Arena on Donovan, Klinsmann and future of soccer in U.S.
SI.com: That’s the source of a bit of the back-and-forth between Don Garber and Jurgen Klinsmann recently. As you were observing that, what was your take on Don’s criticism of Jurgen and what he said about MLS?

Arena: I think you welcome saying anything you want. Whether you’re right or wrong is subject to debate. I have no problem with Jurgen saying whatever he wants to say. Now if you want to challenge it, it’s fine. I think Don’s reaction was a bit over-the-top early, but I think Jurgen has the right to say what he wants. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but he has the freedom to say that.

SI.com: Do you agree with Klinsmann? About one, whether [Michael] Bradley and [Clint] Dempsey coming back to MLS was good for their careers and their national team performance.

Arena: Well, one, how would you know that? In that short period of time, it’s been all solved that it wasn’t good for them? Because of the World Cup?

SI.com: Dempsey was O.K. during the World Cup, and …

Arena: Michael was O.K. too. Michael was playing out of position.

SI.com: And also concern in MLS that Klinsmann was steering promising young U.S. players to go to Europe.

Arena: I don’t agree with that. I understand some of the thinking, and the belief that if you go there [to Europe] everything is going to be better, and your development will be more accelerated. We know from experience that European clubs are more experienced and have more resources than us. I don’t think they necessarily know anything more about soccer. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that we can’t develop elite players here. And we should encourage our elite players to stay here, and we should have the resources to keep them here. We can develop players here.

SI.com: You’re pretty bullish on America these days.

Arena: This is the best environment in the world for coaching. And in the near future it’ll be an outstanding environment to develop young soccer players. I don’t have any question about that.

SI.com: What beyond excellent facilities are you talking about when you talk about this being a great country for coaches?

Arena: You have every sport in the world at every level, and all the resources and thinking of those people. And you can take from Mike Krzyzewski, from Joe Torre, from Bill Belichick. It goes on and on. We have hundreds if not thousands of elite coaches in this country. Coaching is coaching. No one in Europe knows anything more about soccer than we do. The drills we use are the same ones they use.

SI.com: When you mention competition from European clubs for young U.S. prospects, any specific examples you’re dealing with?

Arena: We’ve lost one of our elite players. He hasn’t signed with a club yet. He’s sitting in Germany. We had a young kid here, Haji Wright, who was our academy player who was strongly encouraged to go abroad. He’s arguably the top player in his age group in the country. He’s been sitting in Europe for six months now.

SI.com: Because he’s not old enough yet.

Arena: Right. We’ve lost players from our club to Tijuana [Paul Arriola]. There are Americans who go down and play in Mexico. Some will come back. It’s all part of it. But I understand Jurgen’s point of view. Jurgen only knows Europe. He doesn’t know the United States as well as he needs to.

SI.com: He’s been here since ’98.

Arena: He’s got to learn our culture and our system a little bit better. And help make it better. It’s part of his job.
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M

Mully

Member
Esch said:
This friedel/howard beef is something.

We made it, America.
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Friedel is an odd one.

The only reason why he's bringing this up now is because Howard is getting the recognition he deserves and Friedel isn't because he got usurped by Keller and had little to do with 94 USA's surprising success.

Let it go.
 
C

Cystm

Member
Mully said:
Friedel is an odd one.

The only reason why he's bringing this up now is because Howard is getting the recognition he deserves and Friedel isn't because he got usurped by Keller and had little to do with 94 USA's surprising success.

Let it go.
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Huh? Howard published it in a book that just came out. How is Friedel the one "bringing it up?" He was pretty amazing in the 2002 WC and had a lot to do with how far we got. Not to mention he was solid throughout international qualifying.

You are staning, bruh.
 
M

Mully

Member
Cystm said:
Huh? Howard published it in a book that just came out. How is Friedel the one "bringing it up?" He was pretty amazing in the 2002 WC and had a lot to do with how far we got. Not to mention he was solid throughout international qualifying.

You are staning, bruh.
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Kind of.

He was okay in 2002. It'd be insane of me to say he should have been better than Kahn considering how well he played throughout the tournament, but I feel like some of the disdain for Howard has to do with his jealousy for not getting the same recognition in '02.
 
C

Cystm

Member
Edit:

The Professional Footballers’ Association said in a release Thursday that veteran Premier League and former US national team goalkeeper Brad Friedel did not attempt to block Tim Howard’s move from MetroStars to Manchester United in 2003.
 
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