Soccer Thread 2015-16

[trwi7]

The Premier League season kicked off this week. Swansea is going to finish in the top 6. So underrated and so much fun to watch.

 

NBC also won the rights to broadcast the Premier League for the next 6 years, which is fantastic. They do a wonderful job in broadcasting every game.

[Funketown]

I've been loving NBC's coverage of the premier league. Fox also has coverage of the Bundesliga this season, looks like a few games each weekend on either FS1 or FS2. So, we can decide between watching Julian Green not play for Bayern or Deandre Yedlin not play for Tottenham.

 

I caught some of the Swansea-Chelsea game and was pretty impressed with how they looked. West Brom looked horrendous in the first half of their game which I caught yesterday, completely outclassed.

[Funketown]

Perhaps Mourinho wants to win in another league? He's already got his Premier League title, so might as well get relegated and win a Championship title.

[trwi7]

Fox's Bundesliga coverage is awful.

[Funketown]

Yeah, I really don't have time to follow more than one league + champions league, and it's hard to leave the quality of NBC's coverage.

[WV Brew]

Both Manchesters beaten yesterday. Today London's turn. Arsenal and Chelsea to go down. Juventus look like the early favorites. City were lucky to score 1 on them.

[trwi7]

Regardless of how bad Chelsea has been so far, I don't see them losing at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

[kalle8]

F.C. Internazonale: Top of the League!

after one full month of football (yes, FOOTBALL!) i see that italian sides are a bit closer to the big european powers.

 

Juventus is playing really bad but still won @Manchester City, we'll see what will happen but something is...brewing in Italy!

[rwa12]

Lewandowski was just unbelievable the other night for Bayern. Five goals in Nine Minutes? Sheesh.

[WV Brew]

Against Wolfsburg right? Probably another one of those Volkswagen deals. They only seem like they are playing eleven men.

[WV Brew]

Arsenal and Chelsea go down today. Saw the end of the Roma game. Gervinho was going through Bate like a cheetah through a herd of buffalo but they still lost somehow.

[Kelbysdaddy]

Lewa has straight up lost his mind. Dude is scoring at will. 3 more goals today. He is something special.

[Funketown]

8 points through 8 games for Chelsea.

 

Figure they'll need minimum of 70 points to qualify for UCL next season, or something like 18-8-4 over the rest of the season.

 

Yedlin got the start today for Sunderland, who blew a 2-0 lead.

[trwi7]

Rodgers out at Liverpool. Rumor is that Jurgen Klopp will take over.

[Funketown]

I was really hoping to find something like the following title to post to facebook:

 

"Rodgers out for season after sack"

[Funketown]

Bump.

 

I'm enjoying following the USMNT players like I'll be following the Brewers next season.

 

Christian Pulisic looks like he might become really, really special. He is clearly well respected at Dortmund, as he's gotten about 30 minutes in each of three Bundesliga matches since being called up to the senior squad. I finally had a chance to watch for the final ten minutes today, he made a few good runs and made a great cross that likely would have ended in the back of the net were it not for a sharp clearance. How many current USMNT players would get this kind of run with a team the quality of Dortmund? I can't imagine more than a handful.

 

I've not been impressed with Yedlin at Sunderland (is it possible to impress at Sunderland??) but he did a decent job handing right back for them today.

 

I fear Matt Miazga may be relegated to the back of the bench in Chelsea, but he is looking quite promising. Miazga and John Brooks could form the core of a really strong back-line in the future.

 

Cameron Carter-Vickers will be on Tottenham's Europa League roster, though he's probably still a few months from debuting.

 

Joshua Perez has joined Fiorentina; I don't know much about him but they seem to like him from what I'm reading.

 

Julian Green has been bench-ridden the entire season and honestly had a hugely disappointing 1.5 years post-Brazil. Zelalem is at least getting time for Rangers on his loan.

[trwi7]

Was hoping this thread would never be bumped so nobody could see my Swansea prediction. Instead of Swansea, I actually meant Leicester. Go Leicester!

[Funketown]

I vaguely remember somebody here making a very optimistic Swansea prediction, as I also remember feeling like they looked really dangerous early on. At least relegation battles are amusing.

 

I'm really curious to see what PSG does tomorrow; Ligue 1 seems to be pretty terrible and they've faced almost no competition domestically but they do look legitimately good.

[TooLiveBrew]

17-yo Christian Pulisic, a USA youth player, made his full Bundesliga debut today for Borrusia Dortmund. Regardless of how he develops, this is a big deal.

 

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/pulisic-makes-first-bundesliga-start-dortmund-take-down-leverkusen-022116

 

Pulisic’s debut lasted just 45 minutes in a clash that seemed to be about canceling out the strengths of the opposition rather than attacking football. The 17-year-old from Hershey, Pennsylvania was hard-working, determined and showed signs of brilliant acceleration. He still has 37 days to become the second youngest Bundesliga scorer ahead of Julian Draxler and behind Nuri Sahin.

[Funketown]

Sounds like Pulisic has been back down with the U-19's. Realistically this probably makes sense for him, he's clearly gotten to experience some important minutes but at this age he's got to keep his match fitness.

[yoshii8]

With 2 years to go before the next World Cup and soon to start qualifying, I really hope Klinsmann changes his strategy. So far he seems to be picking a different group of guys each call up, and including mediocre players at the end of their career like Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman, Beasley and Wondolowski.

 

I want to see a group that can win together, and grow together. We have enough young talent, to have a very solid squad. Just off the top of my head, John Anthony Brooks, Fabian Johnson, Yedlin, Jordan Morris, Pulisic, Gedion Zelalem, Matt Miazga, Darlington Nagbe, Bobby Wood, Zardes should all be called up together for qualifying. Then get a few vets who have a realistic chance of contributing in 2018 like Bradley, Bedoya, Nguyen and possibly Dempsey, and just roll with the same consistent squad. The Copa America this summer would be a great time to let the squad grow together against great competition.

[Funketown]

Big weekend for USMNT and the U-23 squad.

 

U-23's are currently tied 1-1 with Colombia in Barranquila. Colombia has dominated the possession but weren't able to break through until a ~70th minute penalty.

 

No word on where Christian Pulisic is at the moment, would have thought he'd be with the U-23's as a late attacking option but perhaps Dortmund wouldn't release him or they did not feel he was worth disrupting the chemistry for.

 

I have a bad feeling about Guatemala. Without Fabian Johnson, still without Aaron Johannsson (now for the rest of Werder's season)...John Brooks will need to be huge on the back line, as neither Howard nor Guzan instills much confidence right now. From what I hear, Ethan Horvath, who was knocked out of the game in Colombia with an injury, has looked good in Norway this season, but for now we've just got to hope that either Howard or Guzan can find their old form for a few games at a time.

[yoshii8]

Pulisic was called up for tonight's game vs Guatemala. Very cool, hopefully he will get in the game.

[Funketown]

Goals for this evening:

 

1. Win vs. Guatemala

2. Advance vs. Colombia

3. Cap-tie Pulisic (sounds like odds of him going to Croatia are low, but Neven Subotic says Hi!)

[trwi7]

South Americans really know how to flop and referees keep giving them the benefit of the doubt when it happens. Colombian player initiates contact with Gil, then flops without even being touched with the referee 15 feet away looking in the other direction. He sees the idiot fall to the ground, pulls out a second yellow without ever actually seeing the play and decides the game right there.