What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

MountieBoyOz said:
You still do need a few club friendlies to get the bugs worked out and to build chemistry, but your point about touring the world is correct.
Click to expand...

A few local friendlies, the way Wenger does with Arsenal, are far less taxing that the ever more popular tours of the U.S., Asia, etc. But, that's about money, not caring for your players, so there's pressure on even Arsenal to go those tours. But it's easier for Harry to moan about the national team friendly than his club's choice to go on a tour.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

Bob Gray said:
A few local friendlies, the way Wenger does with Arsenal, are far less taxing that the ever more popular tours of the U.S., Asia, etc. But, that's about money, not caring for your players, so there's pressure on even Arsenal to go those tours. But it's easier for Harry to moan about the national team friendly than his club's choice to go on a tour.
Click to expand...

That's why I don't have a distaste for Arsenal. They seem to have their heads on straight from the players to management (except for Gallas, but he was always a head case). However, they are missing out on some extra cash gained by going to the U.S. I think you'll get more of a gauge of who you'll play if you take on Sporting or an MLS team instead of playing Doncaster Rovers. However, a nice balance would be good.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

MountieBoyOz said:
That's why I don't have a distaste for Arsenal. They seem to have their heads on straight from the players to management (except for Gallas, but he was always a head case). However, they are missing out on some extra cash gained by going to the U.S. I think you'll get more of a gauge of who you'll play if you take on Sporting or an MLS team instead of playing Doncaster Rovers. However, a nice balance would be good.
Click to expand...

I think Arsenal has a nice balance. They start out with Barnett every year (I don't recall why), play a couple teams around Austria, where Wenger likes to take them. And now they have the Emirates Cup every year at their stadium, where they play a couple top notch friendlies, this season AC Milan and Celtic. Another match afterwards, this year Legia Warsaw, and they're ready.

I do think there will be increasing pressure on them to go abroad in the offseason, but Wenger can be really stubborn, and I just don't seem them forcing him to go abroad as long as he's in charge. Now if he'd just add a better keeper and at least a little central defense depth!
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

Bob Gray said:
I think Arsenal has a nice balance. They start out with Barnett every year (I don't recall why), play a couple teams around Austria, where Wenger likes to take them. And now they have the Emirates Cup every year at their stadium, where they play a couple top notch friendlies, this season AC Milan and Celtic. Another match afterwards, this year Legia Warsaw, and they're ready.

I do think there will be increasing pressure on them to go abroad in the offseason, but Wenger can be really stubborn, and I just don't seem them forcing him to go abroad as long as he's in charge. Now if he'd just add a better keeper and at least a little central defense depth!
Click to expand...

I totally forgot about the Emirates Cup. They usually bring in some good teams. I thought Almunia would be better, but he has these lapses of concentration.

I also have a healthy respect for the Pool. (I just bust on em to get Terrier going. :D) I just wish their owners would sell and get out of the way. They've really hamstrung the team.

I also wish the Glazers would sell, but I don't think the fan supported group would have enough cash to compete for transfers.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

Almunia is basically a stop-gap measure, who has been stop-gapping for awhile now. He's never been really impressive, but until last season he seemed to at least be servicable. But his high profile errors last season have shaken the limited confidence Arsenal fans had in him. Fans have wanted another seasoned keeper brought in since Mad Jens left. But it's hard to figure what Wenger's mind is on the keeper position these days. Last summer was similar, with talk, but no action. I think Arsenal really need a better keeper to make noise this season.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

MountieBoyOz said:
I think you'll get more of a gauge of who you'll play if you take on Sporting or an MLS team instead of playing Doncaster Rovers.
Click to expand...

I wonder how Doncaster would do in MLS. They'd definitely have the coolest uniforms. :)

I don't think the quality of opponent is relevant for most pre-season friendlies. Teams just want to get players some minutes together, see which new players play together well, and get into a little game shape. You can do that against either Doncaster or Manchester.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

Champion's League draw is complete. The winners of these ties go into the Group Stage.

Scandinavia will be back as Denmark plays Norway. Czechs play Slovaks, Spain plays Portugal, Austria plays Israel. This one has it all. ;)

Salzburg v Hapoel Tel Aviv

Rosenborg v FC Copenhagen

Basel v FC Sheriff

Sparta Prague v MSK Zilina

Partizan Belgrade v Anderlecht

Young Boys v Tottenham

Braga v Sevilla

Werder Bremen v Sampdoria

Zenit St v Petersburg v Auxerre

Dynamo Kyiv v Ajax


I like this quote by Bern's sporting director, Alain Baumann, "It's the hardest draw," he said. "Tottenham is more difficult than Fenerbahce for us. We are very happy to play in the Europa League, if we lose to Tottenham. If we win, we are in the group phase. That's what we hope, but the chance is very, very little. Can we win? At the moment no, I don't think so."
 
Last edited:
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

There's been some chatter about Detroit getting an MLS team to bring the league up to 20. Given that Portland and Vancouver will be coming online soon along with Montreal, there's only so many places that could support a team. While the Silverdome isn't exactly what one would call ideal, far too much seating right now, the owners pretty much got it for a song and probably got pretty close to earning their money back from buying it solely with the AC Milan vs. Panathinaikos friendly there friday night. If nothing worse, with all off the land there nearby, a team there could eventually build their own soccer friendly stadium thats seats say 20,000, with room to expand it to 32,000 later if need, along with putting up their own training facililies and whatnot there on site, with minimal infrastructure changes needed to accomidate the site.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

Apparently their grand plan is to renovate the Silverdome into a two-level facility, the lower-level hosting a 20,000 seat hockey/basketball facility, and the upper-level being home to a 30,000ish seat stadium suitable for soccer, football, lacrosse and what have you.

Sounds like it's gonna be one hell of a project if they pull it off.

From MLS's perspective I don't think Detroit offers much, unfortunately. Economically and demographically it's not the slam-dunk successful fit that Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal was.

Additionally, I have to think that Team #20 will be in either the Southeast or the Northeast. The Southeast, because there isn't a team yet (Atlanta comes to mind as a good place for one), or the Northeast, because MLS is seeing the value in creating big-time regional rivalries... and because "NYC2" is a very strong possibility.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

Villa are on the verge of completing the sale of James Milner to Manchester City, with the deal thought to be worth £27.5 million. Around £15m will be paid up front, another £5m in add-ons, and Stephen Ireland will move to Villa Park in exchange.

Ashley Young is also seeking transfer to Tottenham...Villa will make some money on these deals but if they keep guys like Heskey and give up milner and young they are going to be lucky to finish above 10th. Not that anyone wants Heskey.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

BCWH Superfan joe said:
Apparently their grand plan is to renovate the Silverdome into a two-level facility, the lower-level hosting a 20,000 seat hockey/basketball facility, and the upper-level being home to a 30,000ish seat stadium suitable for soccer, football, lacrosse and what have you.

Sounds like it's gonna be one hell of a project if they pull it off.

From MLS's perspective I don't think Detroit offers much, unfortunately. Economically and demographically it's not the slam-dunk successful fit that Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal was.

Additionally, I have to think that Team #20 will be in either the Southeast or the Northeast. The Southeast, because there isn't a team yet (Atlanta comes to mind as a good place for one), or the Northeast, because MLS is seeing the value in creating big-time regional rivalries... and because "NYC2" is a very strong possibility.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't know about that whole football/soccer pitch on the roof of a hockey arena. For the cost of the renovation, they might actually be better off building seperate buildings. Either way, little infrastructure would need to changed if they built something else on site.

The one thing that Detroit would have going for itself, other than their own stadium thats paid for and they're the main tenents in, would be their location. Detroit would be about 5 hours or less from Chicago, Columbus and Toronto. Throw in KC and you would have a nice 5 team division of mostly midwest teams if MLS wanted to split the conferences up a little more. Familitarty breeds contempt they say. Then you would have DC, Philly, NYC, New England, and Montreal in a Northeast divison.

The Western conference would be a little harder to break up neatly, They would want to keep Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver all together, the California teams together, and likely the two texans as well in the same divison.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

So, with the Community Shield over, the real EPL season begins in just 6 days. Anyone have any predictions?
I think my top 7 looks like:
Chelsea
Manchester United
Manchester City
Arsenal
--
Spurs
Liverpool
Aston Villa

Relegation:
Wolves
West Brom
Blackpool
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

I think Liverpool can finish 5th, and maybe 4th if the ownership crap is settled before the transfer window and they bring someone new to bolster the attack.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

BCWH Superfan joe said:
Additionally, I have to think that Team #20 will be in either the Southeast or the Northeast. The Southeast, because there isn't a team yet (Atlanta comes to mind as a good place for one), or the Northeast, because MLS is seeing the value in creating big-time regional rivalries... and because "NYC2" is a very strong possibility.
Click to expand...
The problem with the Southeast is that it seems nobody worthwhile wants to own a team there.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

1. I think Liverpool quietly squeezes into 4th this year, but it's definitely going to be tight (and fun to watch). I feel like things are much more stable than they were last year, and I think(/hope) Torres will be healthier.

2. If United gets Mesut Ozil, put their names on the trophy.

3. Huge MLS game tonight, Chicago vs. New York (9 PM on ESPN2). Possibly 5 DPs on the field at once. I'm really looking forward to it.
 
Re: World Cup Soccer XVII: There can only be ONE!!!11!!!

BCWH Superfan joe said:
1. I think Liverpool quietly squeezes into 4th this year, but it's definitely going to be tight (and fun to watch). I feel like things are much more stable than they were last year, and I think(/hope) Torres will be healthier.
Click to expand...

Who does Liverpool knock out though? Taking an honest look at the squads right now, I have a tough time seeing them as anything higher than the 6th most talented team.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top