Rangerland Forum Information

[Kusand]

I wanted to post a link to discuss a post I found. I figure I'll just start a general futbol thread, seeing as sopcast makes it possible to watch EPL and the like now. Non-fans with nothing to contribute beyond "haha soccer is gay" can go ahead and skip posting in this thread.

Anyway, I was reading this post on Cristiano Ronaldo and the first video in it is totally awesome. That's an unbelievable free kick. Once I saw the camera view from inside the net I was blown away - how the goalie never even has a prayer of saving this because he barely even saw it coming and got faked out by its movement to boot. Just incredible. C. Ronaldo is obviously an arrogant piece of shit, but damn is that a kick.

Also, if you want to see some great passing, check out some of the highlights from Manchester United's 7-1 drubbing of Roma. The sequence on third goal is mind-boggling.




P.S.



This post has been edited by Rocha: Jun 10 2010, 04:37 PM

[Rocha]

I like soccer and want to follow it, I just don't have rooting interest anywhere besides the World Cup (USA & Portugal). The only team I really like in England is Millwall because I once saw a documentary on soccer hooligans and they had some of the best hooligans. Otherwise, eh. I need a rooting interest. Who are Man U's biggest rivals? I don't like them, they're like the Yankees of soccer.

[Kusand]

I like soccer and want to follow it, I just don't have rooting interest anywhere besides the World Cup (USA & Portugal). The only team I really like in England is Millwall because I once saw a documentary on soccer hooligans and they had some of the best hooligans. Otherwise, eh. I need a rooting interest. Who are Man U's biggest rivals? I don't like them, they're like the Yankees of soccer.

Well, there's Chelsea, but they're also the Yankees of the EPL as far as I can tell. Rooting for Arsenal would be like rooting for the Red Sox this year, I think. You could go with Bill Simmons' choice of Tottenham Hotspur (who had great jerseys in FIFA 2006, wish I could get one). I sorta kinda pull for Tottenham in so much as I played them in FIFA. He has something of a breakdown of the teams here. I guess you could always turn on an EPL game, and just decide to pull for the first team you see.


Edit: Oh. You want just a Man. U. rival? I guess that would be Arsenal or Chelsea. I think. Though they're already sort of upper-tier.

[GravesFan9]

Root for Newcastle. They're awful, but they have nice prison stripe jerseys and they have my favorite player, Irishman Damien Duff.

[Kusand]

Root for Newcastle. They're awful, but they have nice prison stripe jerseys and they have my favorite player, Irishman Damien Duff.

It's two, two, two beer themes in one!

[ideserveabeer]

I played soccer on a traveling team when I was about 9 to about 14. I was a goalie (I'm an American, kick a ball at my head and I'll catch it). I use to watch "Soccer Made in Germany" on ch. 13 every Saturday. Later on, when I was 22, I took a job for a British company in NYC. Most of the workers were from England. They were mostly college age girls working over here on some sort of internship. Those girls were fun. Anyway, a lot of them were British football fans and they'd go over to a bar and watch the games. I would go once in awhile and I hooked on to Aston Villa. At the time, they were an upstart and they were challenging Man. U. for the league title. They fell short but it was a good run for them and I liked their underdog status. I can't say I'm still a fan, but if I had a rooting interest, it would be them.

The Fox Soccer Channel is pretty good if you follow EPL, they have a highlite show that I'll catch now and then.

[SpanishJack]

The Fox Sports Channel shows league games from Germany, England, Brazil, and Argentina. ESPN2 has been showing the Champion League games. GolTV shows league games from Italy, Central America, & South American leagues. They also show all the Copa Libertadores (similar tournament like the Champion League) games.

Manchester United is the most valued team in the world. Its new owners are the owners from the NFL Tampa Bay Bucaneers. Chelsea is owned (or bank rolled) by Abramovitch, the same guy that owns the hockey club Jaromir Jagr played during the lockout.

I am very surprised at Manchester United this year. Because of their sometimes shaky defense, I thought that Chelsea would beat them in the standings and repeat again. I was extremetely surprised at this week's beaten to Roma in the Champions League. I mean, I don't think Sir Alex would have ever thought of a 7-1 beaten. United's best player right now is Christiano Ronaldo, who after the World Cup has taken his game to another level.

[Kusand]

A really good piece on why people don't care about MLS:
Why I can't be arsed to care about MLS

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about promotion and relegation in other soccer leagues? While every other country’s league sends its crappy teams down to a lower level, MLS operates like a closed-corporation league, just like all the other American sports leagues. Bad MLS teams this season will still be MLS teams next season.

This is a flying load of horse shit. Soccer fans in America care about the Prem because there’s just as much drama at the bottom of the standings as there is at the top. We want to see which teams qualify for Europe just as much as we want to see which teams get relegated to the Championship. Why doesn’t this exist in MLS?

Simply put, MLS owners are pussies. They don’t give an actual damn about winning. They just want to turn a profit with their soccer teams with as minimal an investment as possible — just like William Clay Ford with the Detroit Lions and Donald Sterling with the L.A. Clippers. They know there’s an audience in America for this form of football, so they just throw a league out there, get the TV networks to buy into it, and that’s that.

[SpanishJack]

Every futbol league plays for championship and to stay away from relegation. Teams like Flamengo and Fluminense, who are the most pupular in Brazil, have been one time ar another relegated to 2nd division.

[Kusand]

I'll have to look for it, but there was another blog I read saying the MLS is boring because the players, coaches and owners mainly don't seem to give a shit about winning or losing.

[Sed]

Is there a lower league to which MLS teams could theoretically be relegated? Would one have to be created? If so, could you imagine that sales pitch? I don't know if you've ever been to an MLS game, but they're pretty friggin' awful. I was excited when the league began, because I was really hoping to see some high-quality play. I guess I should've known better. At least at the Meadowlands there was still the human spectacle of the racetrack once the game got really bad.

[tangent]

I was glad that you posted that Simpsons clip in the thread starter. For so many reasons, The Cartridge Family ranks highly among my very favorite episodes. In fact, it contains what I consider to be my all-time favorite Simpsons moment:

Marge: Homer, I think you'll agree that I've put up with a lot in this marriage...

Homer inhales and raises index finger, as if to rebut - cuts eyes toward Bart and Lisa, who are both giving him angry looks and slowly shaking their heads "no." Homer gets hangdog look, whimpers and allows Marge to continue.

The expressions alone in that scene just kill me every time I watch. Sorry - just had to get that out there.

[/tangent]

[Kusand]

Is there a lower league to which MLS teams could theoretically be relegated? Would one have to be created? If so, could you imagine that sales pitch? I don't know if you've ever been to an MLS game, but they're pretty friggin' awful. I was excited when the league began, because I was really hoping to see some high-quality play. I guess I should've known better. At least at the Meadowlands there was still the human spectacle of the racetrack once the game got really bad.

There's the USL, which has a ton of tiers and apparently has teams which draw better in terms of attendance than the one or two MLS teams. As someone said on a blog somewhere, it's not the skill, it's the heart in the game. From what they said, the MSL guys just don't play hard and it really sucks the interest out of it. Of course, I haven't gotten to watch MLS or USL yet.

[Sed]

Heartless does seem like a pretty apt description of that league. I know that there are skilled players there, but they do seem awfully flat.

[Kusand]

EPL on Sopcast right now (Saturday schedule):

15:00 Manchester City - Liverpool

15:00 Arsenal - Bolton Wanderers

15:00 Middlesbrough - Aston Villa

15:00 Sheffield United - West Ham United (Good chance)

15:00 Leeds United - Burnley (Good chance)

I'm watching Arsenal-Bolton. Arsenal really just screwed up and gave up a goal in the 10th minute to go down 0-1. They really need this game - they have a game in hand on Bolton, but if Bolton wins Arsenal slips out of the top 4. Man, I want to pick a team to support but I don't know who!

[Hockey101]

I think it's a bit far fetched to say players don't care about winning in the MLS. I just think that the USA pro program for soccer needs more time and development. I thikn there is a new generation in youth soccer here in the US that will come around in a few years. And yeah, a lot of kids born in the US who come from South American descent will start showing up sooner or later. They also need to create a cult with soccer. It's the most played sport in schools in the US, but it's only seen as an activity more than an actualy sport to then turn pro.

As for Roma losing like pathetic losers, well deserved! Totti the asshole said before that game that it was more important than the World Cup. I am glad he got his ass kicked, sooooooooooooooo glad.

[Kusand]

I think it's a bit far fetched to say players don't care about winning in the MLS. I just think that the USA pro program for soccer needs more time and development. I thikn there is a new generation in youth soccer here in the US that will come around in a few years. And yeah, a lot of kids born in the US who come from South American descent will start showing up sooner or later. They also need to create a cult with soccer. It's the most played sport in schools in the US, but it's only seen as an activity more than an actualy sport to then turn pro.

I don't know, the speculation from the article I posted seems to indicate that (if you follow some of the other links) the style of ownership in the MLS really deters talent from coming and staying. Read this about how the Revolution (and Patriots) owner Kraft boned Shalrie Joesph over $20,000. I think because it's a closed league with ownership more interested in the financial return, it seems very possible to me that there's a lack of inspiration to win in the MLS. The low costs aspect probably keeps young talent out of the States, and the lack of pro-rel (it's feasibility aside) keeps the players from any sense of urgency to win on a crummy team. Every time I read about the MLS, the description is that it's boring - and that's from actuall football fans, not Joe Schlub for the Podunk Times who doesn't get it.

[RedHerring]

Good thread. I'm in the same boat as Rocha. I probably would watch more soccer, but the USA team isn't on TV that often and that's all I can watch. Those British primere leagues are high quality - maybe I should check it out. I just have no idea what's going on in terms of the teams.

During the World Cup, I watched every single game the Brazilians played. They make it watching soccer so fun it's unbelievable. The things they can do with that ball are ridiculous, and it's even better when they're playing an inferior opponent because they screw around more. Good show.

It's been weird that maybe in the past two months or so my interest in soccer has gone up. I haven't played soccer in years, yet for whatever reason I have this impulse to go play and watch. Ties still piss me off though. Especially 0-0 ties. I like how the game opens up once a team scores.

[Kusand]

Well, for anyone who's interested, Manchester United-Watford is about to start, in the FA Cup semis. Sopcast links Manchester United is the team featured in the first post in this thread, who killed Roma and has C. Ronaldo. This could be another entertaining drubbing.

Edit: Although Ronaldo seems to be sitting for now, perhaps to save his energy for a different game.
Double-edit: Never mind, there he is.

[Kusand]

American defender DeMerit shuts down a Cristiano Ronaldo run. I really doubt that the MLS' talent deficiency is just that American soccer isn't producing enough talent. It's also that the good players from the States just aren't here. It's like the Czech/Russian/etc. leagues and the NHL in some ways. Though a lot of the U.S. team players do play in the MLS, so who knows.

[ideserveabeer]

Every time I read about the MLS, the description is that it's boring - and that's from actuall football fans,

A former bartender at the bar I hang out in was from Scotland and I believe he played a bit of profesional soccer somewhere along the lines. Anyway, we were discussing MLS awhile ago and he was saying no real soccer fan respects the MLS and it's not considered a pro league around the world. He said it's unwatchable. I guess compared to EPL, Bundesliga, etc., it's not. But that's like going to England and watching pro hockey there and comparing it to the NHL.

[RedHerring]

Can anyone list some good teams for me to watch? I don't want to waste my time watching a game that's the equivalent of the Devil Rays vs. the Pirates.

[Kusand]

Can anyone list some good teams for me to watch? I don't want to waste my time watching a game that's the equivalent of the Devil Rays vs. the Pirates.

Arsenal and Manchester United both have sopcast games at 3 pm today. They're both well worth watching. Basically, look for teams in this year's Champions League. These are meant to be the cream of the European crop. In the EPL, the big 4 are Man. Utd., Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal.

[Kusand]

Bonus link: video of animals invading the pitch! No pelicans eating pigeons, though.

[Mike B.]

I tried to start following Serie A this season, but one of the things I find really discouraging about the European leagues is that it seems like you really need to root for and follow one of the top four or five teams in each league to get any enjoyment out of it.

The team that's closest to where my father's family is from, for example, is Messina. Made the jump to Serie A a few years ago, and one of their forwards (Rigano) was one of the top scorers in the league early this season. Apparently they have a new stadium, and a good fan base. They really have no chance to move up the ranks, however, and in fact, last time I checked they were almost certainly going to get relegated, despite the penalties handed out in Italy this year.

Not that I mind rooting for sucky teams, e.g. the Royals. But it's just hard to do that from oveseas. At least with the Royals, I can go on message boards, read the recaps, and find columnists and other commentaries pretty easily.

BTW, 101 - is it Serie A, or Seria A? I've seen it both ways.

[Kusand]

I tried to start following Serie A this season, but one of the things I find really discouraging about the European leagues is that it seems like you really need to root for and follow one of the top four or five teams in each league to get any enjoyment out of it.

Yeah. I was reading a piece recently how basically any team that isn't set in terms of finances and talent to pursue the Champions League can be hard to follow because there's no return on investment for them to upgrade their talent in any significant way. My biggest problem right now is that I want to follow a team in the EPL, but the only four teams shown regularly are all colossus teams with deep pockets, and it's not like I have history with them in any way. I think I may try to follow Tottenham Hotspur. Hmmm. Maybe I should do a front page series about following a team.

Also, I love most football jersies and I wish they weren't covered with ads, so I could buy them and wear them.

[Mike B.]

Same with the Italian leagues - the Milanese teams, Juventus (scandal notwithstanding), Roma, Lazio, and Florence are the only ones in it on a consistent basis, it seems, with another few teams that find their way into the top ranks every once in a while (as Palermo has for the last few years).

There's a lot of info out there, even on the crappy teams, I just don't understand any of it. Maybe I just need to re-learn some Italian.

[hoser]

I root for Arensal. Love their passing game. Kinda young this year but they have lots of promising talent. After them, Fulham since they have 3 Americans on their squad. But they're not doing so well this year.

I also watch out for the Americans in the Premiership (aka EPL).

Tim Howard - keeper for Everton ((#1 keeper there, also it's between him and Keller for the #1 keeper position on the national team)
Brad Friedel - keeper for Blackburn Rovers (#1 keeper there)
Marcus Hahnemann - keeper for Reading (#1 keeper there)
Jay Demerit - fullback for Watford (starter)
Oguchi Onyewu - fullback for Newcastle (starter i think)
Jonathan Spector - fullback for West Ham (substitute i believe but gets playing time)
Brian McBride - striker for Fulham (starter)
Carlos Bocanegra - fullback for Fulham (starter)
Clint Dempsey - midfield for Fulham (substitute)
DeMarcus Beasley - midfield for Manchester City (substitute I believe)

[Hockey101]

It's Serie A.

The scandal in serie A just got me too sick as you had other teams that had to be punished and somehow didn't. Inter played dirty too, yet nothing happened. Milan bribed its way out of the scandal. No one made a big deal a few years ago when AS Roma gave Rolexes as a "gift" to the officials before the season started.

European football is very corrupted in general, soccer is in general. FIFA is the most corrupted sports organization in the world. But, Italy won the World Cup so now i am good for a decade as far as soccer.

[Kusand]

Found the article I was talking about: Unbalanced.

I'm thinking if they're available to watch online often enough, I'll pull for Tottenham Hotspur.

[hoser]

Just saw this world-class goal by Messi (who plays for Barcelona). Totally Maradona-esque.

http://www.withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=2655

[Hockey101]

No way he would have scored that in England or in Italy. Someone would have taken him down and gotten a yellow card for it, but better that than breaking a defense like that.

[RedHerring]

I watched the Man Utd. - Milan game this afternoon. Great match all around. Kaka with 2 goals (and almost 3), and Rooney with 2 including the GWG about a minute into stoppage. The announcers were raving that the win for Manchester was really important for whatever reason, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

[Kusand]

I watched the Man Utd. - Milan game this afternoon. Great match all around. Kaka with 2 goals (and almost 3), and Rooney with 2 including the GWG about a minute into stoppage. The announcers were raving that the win for Manchester was really important for whatever reason, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Probably raved because it's only the first leg - they have to play another game. Highest total score wins. Any chance you recorded it? I was in class.

[RedHerring]

Probably raved because it's only the first leg - they have to play another game. Highest total score wins. Any chance you recorded it? I was in class.

No, but I can record the Arsenal-Liverpool match that's on today at 2:45 if you want. You know where to reach me.

This soccer stuff is getting interesting.

[Kusand]

No, but I can record the Arsenal-Liverpool match that's on today at 2:45 if you want. You know where to reach me.

This soccer stuff is getting interesting.

Er, it's Chelsea-Liverpool. Arsenal pooed the Champion's League bed a while ago. I'll be watching, but record it anyway? I can't seem to get that working right over here, and it might be nice to have an archive of this stuff for anyone else who wants to get into our futbol thread.

[RedHerring]

Er, it's Chelsea-Liverpool. Arsenal pooed the Champion's League bed a while ago. I'll be watching, but record it anyway? I can't seem to get that working right over here, and it might be nice to have an archive of this stuff for anyone else who wants to get into our futbol thread.

Yeah, my bad - I looked at the schedule yesterday. I knew it was 2 of the big 4 in the Premier League. I haven't followed anything to do with the Champions League until, maybe, 20 hours ago.

[Kusand]

Yeah, my bad - I looked at the schedule yesterday. I knew it was 2 of the big 4 in the Premier League. I haven't followed anything to do with the Champions League until, maybe, 20 hours ago.

Well that's hardly my fault! Of course, I only really started following two weeks ago when you showed me sopcast.

[Kusand]

Man, why does River Plate have to play their Copa match tonight? I'd like to follow them. Also, it would be nice if there was some MLS on here, if only so I could verify/repudiate it's reputation for inducing narcolepsy.

[Kusand]

If only this would happen for, say, Didier Drogba.

[Kusand]

Chelsea-Liverpool today at 2:45, so of course I'll be down on campus. Herring, if you see this, can you set it up to record for me?

[RedHerring]

Chelsea-Liverpool today at 2:45, so of course I'll be down on campus. Herring, if you see this, can you set it up to record for me?

I'll try. I won't be able to see it live, either.

[Kusand]

I'll try. I won't be able to see it live, either.

Alright. Thanks. At least I know I can catch the AC Milan - Man. U. match tomorrow. That ought to be good.

[Kusand]

An interesting piece on how European football's economics may cause the sports system over there to become more Americanized. That's a shame. (Article link found on The Sports Economist)

[RedHerring]

Fuckin a I can't get it to record. SopCast has the button blacked out. Maybe it has something to do with the fact I'm remoting in to my deskktop, because on my laptop I could record it, but I can't be on my laptop for the entire duration of that game.

[Hockey101]

Milan doesn't deserve to win it after the first game. Pathetic how they lost a 2-1 lead to lose 2-3 in injury time. I always cheer for the Italian teams, but i gotta say that this time, f'em. These bastards bribed their way out of the scandal. Go Man U!

[Kusand]

AC Milan - Manchester United is available for free on ESPN 360. You can still tune in for the final 60 minutes!

[Kusand]

Milan is just destroying Manchester United right now. United look awful.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Gilardino just put nail in Man U's coffin with a nice finish in the 78th minute. Aggregate is 5-3 for AC. Liverpool vs. Milan UCL Final rematch. Hopefully Milan will piss away another lead to lose another final to the Reds.

I was rooting for Man U but it isn't easy rooting for Rooney and Ronaldinho. such babies...

[Hockey101]

Good game by Milan....Liverpool looked pretty bad out there. Oddo was the better unnoticed defender and Inzaghi can only score by luck or with wide open nets. Still....Milan played better and felt confident. Liverpool did not feel confident, did not attack much, were not agressive enough.......Milan deserved the win. What sickened me was that Galliani was there, and that dirty scumbag should have been banned for at leas 2 years, not just months.

Good game, nice 2nd half, 1st half was dull...too much conservative play.

[Kusand]

Liverpool looked much better to me in the first half. I think that the semi-fluky goal late in the 45th just deflated them.