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 Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

BadgerAlum@WMU said:
According to Ives Galarcep via Twitter, Eddie Johnson picked up a "serious hamstring injury" playing for Aris today. That makes the forwards situation for the USA more interesting.

And I'm surprised there isn't more kvetching about Freddy Adu (who, IMHO, has been pretty unimpressive in Europe, really) not being named to the 30. There's more regarding Charlie Davies, but no one can argue that if the doctors say he's not fit, then he's not fit.
Click to expand...

Ives now is backtracking a bit, Johnson's people are saying it's only a slight strain
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Terrierbyassociation said:
I don't think anyone is complaining about Adu not making the team. Either he's nowhere near as good as he was hyped to be, or he's simply not being given the opportunity to succeed overseas. IMO, he should be back in the States playing regularly.
Click to expand...

In DC we were really on the business end of Adumania, but the point was made back then that the United didn't even play him regularly, and (this is second-hand and certainly not canonical) that often the only reason they even subbed him in the second half was he was the centerpiece of their marketing.

I'm sure we'd all love to see him develop, though. A truly blue chip American player could have a Tiger Effect, and it would be nice to see MLS someday be a competitive international league.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Kepler said:
In DC we were really on the business end of Adumania, but the point was made back then that the United didn't even play him regularly, and (this is second-hand and certainly not canonical) that often the only reason they even subbed him in the second half was he was the centerpiece of their marketing.

I'm sure we'd all love to see him develop, though. A truly blue chip American player could have a Tiger Effect, and it would be nice to see MLS someday be a competitive international league.
Click to expand...

Adu is still 20 so I don't see the rush to add him to a squad just yet. I don't think he is or ever will be the American Leo Messi, but a decent career for club and country isn't out of the question.

And I agree that he never impressed me with DC United.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

So...what do the twin Goldilocks with fire shooting out of their ass represent?
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Naive question: why are the Elo and FIFA rankings significantly different? England, for example, is 4th in one and 8th in the other, while Portugal is 12th and 3rd, respectively.
 
Last edited:
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Europa League Final is underway. Quick question... is the winner assured of an automatic return next year to defend?
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

Terrierbyassociation said:
I don't think anyone is complaining about Adu not making the team. Either he's nowhere near as good as he was hyped to be, or he's simply not being given the opportunity to succeed overseas. IMO, he should be back in the States playing regularly.
Click to expand...

There was a very good recent article on ESPN or SI regarding his situation (can't search for it now)...several key people providing feedback that he has speed and individual skill but does not know how to play the game...weak tactically etc. They felt he lost so much by not spending the right amount of time learning the game.

My son's coach, who has played professionally and for his home country, says that the early years are for exposure to the game and are heavily dominated by the best athletes, age 13-17 you separate the more talented athletes to learn tactics and then those who are great athletes and learned to play the game well are the ones who play in college or above.

Freddy went from physical phenom at the youth level to playing with adults, I doubt they teach the stuff he needed to learn when he was 14 and everybody else was 26.

The only upside mentioned was that he is only 20 and still may learn...although he is learning in some pretty weak environs...
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

The article about Adu was in SI. It was a good article, and they made it seem like he is starting to turn the corner a little at Aris. There was an interesting letter in this week's SI that noted the juxtaposition between the article on Adu and a couple of other articles showering praise on young phenoms (Jason Heyward and, I think, Sam Bradford) that are just starting their pro careers, but are the same age or older than Adu.
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

MountieBoyOz said:
Europa League Final is underway. Quick question... is the winner assured of an automatic return next year to defend?
Click to expand...

Wiki:

From the 2009–10 season, the competition has been rebranded as the UEFA Europa League in a bid to increase the competition's profile.[2] As well as changing the competition's name, an extra 16 teams now qualify for the main stages of the competition, with the group stage now consisting of 12 groups of four teams (in a double round robin), with the top two placed teams in each group progressing. The competition then progresses in much the same way as the previous format, with 4 rounds of two-legged knockout rounds and a one-off final held at a neutral ground meeting UEFA's Elite stadium criteria.

Qualification has also changed significantly. Associations ranked 7–9 in the UEFA coefficients will send the Cup winner and three other teams to the UEFA Europa League qualification, all other nations send a Cup winner and two other teams, except Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino, who will only send a Cup winner. Usually, the other teams will be the next highest ranked clubs in each domestic league after those qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, however France and England will continue to use one spot for their League Cup winner. Additionally, three places in the first of four qualifying rounds are still reserved for Fair Play winners. For the inaugural 2009–10 season these places will go to Rosenborg of Norway, Randers of Denmark and Motherwell of Scotland. With the scrapping of the Intertoto Cup there will no longer be spaces reserved in the qualifying rounds for teams qualifying through that route. Generally, the higher an association is ranked in the UEFA coefficients, the later its clubs start in the qualification, however every team except the title holder has to play at least one qualification round.

Apart from the teams mentioned, an additional 15 losing teams from the Champions League qualification round three will enter in the fourth and last UEFA Europa League qualification round, formerly known as the first round, and the 10 losers of the Champions League qualification round 4 will directly enter the UEFA Europa League group stage. The 12 winners and the 12 runners-up in the group stage will advance to the first knock out round, together with eight 3rd placed teams from the Champions League group stage. The losing finalist for the domestic cup competition will still be entitled to be entered for the UEFA Europa League should the domestic cup winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League
Click to expand...
 
Re: World Soccer XII: South Africa Awaits

I am happy for Atletico, it is the favorite team of a good friend of mine, and while I don't consider myself a 'fan,' they are my favorite Spanish team. Today, however, I was kind of pulling for Fulham to win their first major trophy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top