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The Day...the Ra-ankings...Died.
by Jeff Bull
- 08 Jul 2008 02:36 PM
 Hate to do this, but, as part of a general shift in my approach to blogging, I will no longer produce rankings, either personal or collective. Just don't have time and, if I'm being honest, the inclination to keep current on those.
With that in mind, I hereby bequeath the collective rankings concept to anyone who wants them; at least one person out there thought they were a swell idea....dunno, maybe he and I were the only ones...
I'm still fine-tuning what I want to do to replace the rankings. Maybe I'll just be a match report geek, though I doubt it will come to that.
At any rate, the rankings are going bye-bye, unless they get reproduced by another intrepid blogger in another place. My apologies to anyone who put any value in them.... click here to read more...
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"The Times, They Ain't a Changin"
by Bill Archer
- 08 Jul 2008 02:00 PM
The highly recommended, always excellentCLIMBING THE LADDER BLOG has an in depth and very interesting "halfway through the MLS season offensive and defensive statistics review" deal that's worth your time.
(Halfway as in "106 0f 210 scheduled games - I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't noticed)
Another interesting observation comes from the legendary "Sirk" (rhymes with Dirk - I'm just saying) who discusses THE "MLS REGULAR SEASON DOESN'T MATTER theory and finds it wanting.
Many, if not most of us have observed from time to time that since most teams make the playoffs and thus have a shot at the Cup, that the regular season is relatively meaningless.
Sirk, however, observes that 22 of the 24 MLS Cup finalists have finished either first or second in... click here to read more...
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Let's do it again
by Dan Loney
- 08 Jul 2008 11:41 AM
It's hard to schedule a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Previous years, the games were dotted pretty much randomly on the schedule. The past couple of years, the USSF, the USL and MLS have done a remarkable job getting the games played on consistent dates. It's rough for USL teams budget-wise, and it's exasperating for MLS teams, but the theory is that teams that win have more money to burn.
Crystal Palace USA (or "Baltimore," and they're being a little bit thirteen-year-old girl about what they want to call themselves, if you ask me) may have had a home game against New York, and a comparatively brief stroll to Harrisburg in previous rounds, but I'm still not sure when they'll break even in this tournament, what with being forced to go to BEAUTIFUL GLENDORA, CALIFORNIA! in the first round. A few years ago FC Roma of Dallas got screwed out of their rightful prize money based on a technicality, after making two separate trips to California for the privilege.
At least mid-week flights... click here to read more...
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Why Fener?
by BuffloSoldier
- 08 Jul 2008 11:34 AM
Don't get me wrong--I'm not attacking Turkey, the state of its domestic game or the strength its larger clubs, like Fenerbache.
But I simply don't get why Dani Guiza moved to Fener from La Liga today.
If you're Guiza, a 27 year-old striker coming off a league-leading 27 goals for Mallorca (his one and only season there), the footballing world is your relative oyster. Even if you don't get a whiff of interest from Barca or Madrid (they perhaps feel they have bigger fish to fry), there's a lot of clubs both in Spain and elsewhere in Europe that can afford a 17.4 million Euro price tag for a goalscorer. It isn't cheap, but relatively affordable for a top-flight striker in today's markey.
But Guiza's off to Fener, Champions League play and Turkey. He really must have liked Luis Aragones' coaching, since the newly-appointed manager just had Guiza in his Spanish table for the past couple of months.
I wonder if... click here to read more...
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Tragedy in South Africa
by Bill Archer
- 08 Jul 2008 08:53 AM
With Euro 2008 behind us, the focus of world soccer is now shifting to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. And what people are seeing is not giving anyone a warm, comfortable glow.
A year ago, FIFA Chief Poobah Sepp Blatter famously declared that "only God can prevent South Africa from hosting" the finals in 2010. He didn't provide any particulars, but the assumption was that Blatter was referring to, say, an earthquake or a tsunami and not simply a fit of pique, where the Lord wakes up one morning in a bad mood and says "Screw it".
Be that as it may, whenever Blatter has been questioned on the subject of whether there is a "Plan B" in case SA can't pull it off, his standard reply has always been "South Africa is Plan A, Plan B and Plan C".
This response apparently became inoperative last week when Blatter finally admitted that FIFA does now have a real, actual, in place "Plan... click here to read more...
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Facebook + Soccer = Hilarity Ensues (aka 'If i pull dis off im on dis ting')
by Ryan Knapp
- 08 Jul 2008 07:00 AM
It simply became a matter of time until Facebook and Football became intertwined in a story that..well..simply shows the state of the internets these days.
Picture this. You are a professional footballer in England with a Championship (the league) side and you are looking to further your career in the Premiership. Well done lad.
And, to keep in touch with all of your friends, you have a Facebook account, like 1,000,000 people in the world including Big Bird and Beeker from the Muppet Babies.
So, you work your ass off to get a trial at a big club, but before telling anyone about said trial, what do you do?
a) Tell your family and friends via email
b) Call them on the phone
c) Don't say anything until you know for sure
d) Announce it via Facebook
If you chose (d), you are officially Crystal Palace left-winger Ashley-Paul Robinson. The 18 year old posted on his Facebook account..and... click here to read more...
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Dani Güiza to Fenerbahçe??
by Ryan Knapp
- 07 Jul 2008 09:44 PM
As if there aren't enough foreign players in the Turkish league, it appears as if Spaniards are becoming the new Brazilians in finding a home in the land split between two continents.
Latest news about the Dani Güiza saga has him signed, sealed and delivered to Fenerbahçe to join newly signed Luis Aragonés, who left his job at head of the Spanish national team after they won this little Euro 2008 tournament.
It's not as if Güiza is just some shmuck going to Turkey. Güiza netted 2 goals in the Euros and was the Pichichi (Spain's leading scorer) with 27 goals last season, going on a tear at the end to surpass Sevilla's Luis Fabiano.
Güiza's agent/girlfriend/personal sex goddess is none other than Nuria Bermudez, famous in Spain for..well..taking off her clothes at any opportunity. It's pretty sad that I had to search through 4 google images pages until I found one that she actually had enough clothes on to post here. (Here is [url="http://images.google.com/images?q=nuria+bermudez&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US  fficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title"]page... click here to read more...
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Major League Seldon
by Dan Loney
- 07 Jul 2008 04:57 PM
I feel for attendance geeks/box officers/gateophiles - or whatever the MLS attendance equivalent of "Trekker" is. This year above all others the attendance numbers can be misleading as all get out. All the previous years' problems are still around - the Rapids are monstrously popular once a year, the teams in the Home Depot Center lie and lie and lie about their gates - plus now we must factor in the fact that San Jose and Kansas City are in effect sleeping on their brother-in-law's couch (I would have called it "Section 8 housing" were it not for the Fire), the Red Bulls are so ineffective that fans are hiring voodoo artists to summon forth the Zombie Cosmos, and Toronto's overperforming to such a degree that there's even talk of building them a soccer-specific stadium.
The arguments go on even about current numbers, let alone guys like Bojendyk who try to predict the future, like the play that got burned by Hedda... click here to read more...
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Boro finds two, Crouch in talks with Portsmouth, Lampard with Inter - Epl Offseason Tracker
by Breton Bonnette
- 07 Jul 2008 08:45 AM
I'm sure I'm missing some - so put any additions into the comments section - with a link to the source - and I'll throw it up here. It's meant to be a running source of what your EPL club is up to in the offseason - an aggregator of sorts. Each move will be rated - for those of negative connotations from (-1 to -10) and for those of positive sorts (+1 to +10). The updated standings will be at the top of the post.
Biggest News 7/4/08-7/7/08
- Both Peter Crouch and Frank Lampard are in negotiations with suitors. Crouch with Pompey, Lampard with Mourinho's Inter Milan.
- Fulham is adding targets - Fredrik Stoor a big one of them.
- Middlesbrough gets two young foundation players. Marvin Emnes joins from Sparta Rotterdam, while Didier Digard finally completes his move from PSG.
- Manchester City gets a big extension from Richard Dunne, while Newcastle signs up their talismanic young defender Steven Taylor for 3 more years.
- Manchester United is hot on the trail of... click here to read more...
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The Law of Unintended Consequences
by Bill Archer
- 07 Jul 2008 07:35 AM
A few days ago, I talked about the bewildering tale ofof former Revolution hitter Pat Noonan and while I don't like repeating myself, there's been so much confusion and, well, just plain puzzlement about what's really going on here that I'm once again linking to The Columbus Dispatch and SHAWN MITCHELL WHO HAS BEEN WORKING ON UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY
The situation is difficult to untangle for several reasons, primary among them being that MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis simply refuses to answer questions about it, to which I can only comment that if MLS wants people to think of them as "Big Time" and "Major League" then their officials have to stop hiding under their desks when reporters have tough questions.
If this is how Gazidis chooses to exhibit the "transparency" he proudly boasts of, then Orwells' vision is alive and well at 420 Fifth Avenue.
Be... click here to read more...
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Week 15: The Rest, Inkblot-style[R]
by Jeff Bull
- 06 Jul 2008 01:14 PM
I already wrote-up all the games I caught - and intend to catch - this weekend ( RSL v. Houston; LA v. New England; Columbus v. Chicago), but still feel compelled to kick around the results I caught through the highlights. Obviously, these will be big-picture, even half-blind, opinions but some of those results really caught the eye.
On with it - and do feel free to fill in the ample blanks I'll leave in the comments.
FC Dallas 1-1 KC Wizards
Just when you think the Wizards had forced a flip to send Dallas tumbling to the basement, Abe Thompson makes a late, great run to the back-post, heads in a goal, and - pow! - tie game. Up to that point, the tale was a familiar one for Dallas: Kenny Cooper against the world. Even given that, KC is showing some signs of life...unlike Dallas' attendance.
[b][u]Chivas... click here to read more...
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Crew v. Fire [R]: Dueling Danger Men
by Jeff Bull
- 06 Jul 2008 12:58 PM
Again, it's a holiday and I'm entertaining, so this will be short.
A good, if slightly weird, game out Columbus way, wasn't it? The Chicago Fire, a team that really stunk up June, came out flying against the Columbus Crew, shutting them down inside their half, pressuring every ball and, yes, knocking in two well-taken goals before 20 minutes were gone (maybe....don't hold me to the time). Before the first half ended, however, Columbus scrapped one back and, when all was said and done with a couple absurdly close call thrown in, the Crew forced the draw. The most interesting angle in this one comes with which players showed up. Chicago's Justin Mapp played a wonderful first half, making the kinds of runs and passes we came to expect from the once-(now?) up-and-comer. Given Mapp's season, this seemed to come out of nowhere. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Crew's Robbie Rogers - e.g. this year's Golden Boy - remained something like invisible up to the game's final 15.... click here to read more...
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LA v. New England [R]: The Mulligan Half
by Jeff Bull
- 06 Jul 2008 12:19 PM
I'm entertaining this 4th of July weekend, like I lot of you I expect, so this and subsequent write-ups will have to be brief...probably a good thing given my capacity for blabbing.
What to say about this one, but Ho-ly CRAP, did the LA Galaxy suck every possible thing in every possible way in the first half. They didn't even look like professionals out there; one blond-shag-sporting player looked so out of place that it looked as if he walked out of the stands to join the team (OK, no, that's not technically a shag Abel Xavier is sporting, but what the hell do you call that...thing on his head?). Given that, you can almost forgive the New England Revolution for nodding off in the second half, thereby nearly allowing a draw.
Straight to the talking points:
LA Galaxy
1. Dude, Xavier freakin' sucks.
Yeah, this is about as novel as saying grass is green, but Xavier somehow slipped under his own lowly standards last night. He made New England's Adam Cristman look world-class...need... click here to read more...
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MLS rest of Week 15 - Born on the Fifteenth of July
by Dan Loney
- 05 Jul 2008 07:33 PM
From MLSnet:
Quote:
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"I can't wait for the 15th of July, when we can sign some players and make a very competitive team," said Osorio. "Because at the moment, I think all of our players have had the chance to shine and stake a claim and a lot of them refuse to do that."
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Okay, but, you did wait for the 15th of July.
I guess I don't want to say that teams shouldn't have a chance to improve, or correct mistakes during the season. But I blame DC United for doing too good a job of it in 1996, and then again in 2004. You can also blame DC United for turning Supporters Shields into first-round exits the past two years. People think they can write off the first three months of the season and contend for the championship, and that's the reason we get New England and Houston every year. The big moves Houston made last year were Nate Jaqua and Joseph Ngwenya. The big moves Los Angeles made last year were Much More Widely Covered. Which team didn't embarrass itself?
The teams... click here to read more...
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TNFtermath
by Dan Loney
- 04 Jul 2008 02:59 PM
You read something like this, and of course, you immediately think it's just Jason Kreis running off at the mouth again like there's money in it:
[quote]Chris Wingert was red carded and ejected following a scuffle with Corey Ashe in the 90th minute -- a decision that brought a shower of debris from the stands to the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Tempers became further inflamed when referee Mark Geiger brought the match to an end after four minutes of added time. RSL argued the allotted added time should have run 4-1/2 minutes instead of four.
The time added on and Wingert's red card pushed Kreis to his boiling point and the second-year RSL coach exchanged heated words with the referee before heading off the field. He was unhappy following the game with what he perceived as a lack of consistency from the referee and the linesmen.
"Every single week we play here, I feel like... click here to read more...
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| It's only Ray Parlour..... |
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Posted by antifan on Jul 08, 2008 - 8:45 PM in Arsenal
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I'd love to see Parlour get a testimonial. But since he gave up his rights to one by moving, i think they should do it entirely for charity. Besides most of the money would just go to his ex wife anyway.
read more ...
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| USOC: Revs - CP Baltimore (R) |
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Posted by Balerion on Jul 08, 2008 - 8:45 PM in New England Revolution
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It wasn't domination but the fact is that we played 1.5 starters -- depending on your definition of Mansally -- and came away with the win. It's valuable experience for our reserves who play a measly 12-game schedule. It sounded like Tyler and...
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| USOC:Dallas v. Charleston |
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Posted by AHF4FCD on Jul 08, 2008 - 8:45 PM in FC Dallas
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[quote=FC Zippy;15101156]With regards to Alvarez, I have:
1) Cursed God on his behalf
2) Questioned his lineage
3) Questioned his sexuality
4) Questioned his brain
5) Insisted he had his head in places it should...
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| Supah Frank Lampard Appreciation Thread |
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Posted by crismerz09 on Jul 08, 2008 - 8:37 PM in Chelsea
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Truth is, when a poster said, "Let's take the money..." It makes perfect business sense to do so. Now remember, my first passion is Dortmund, a club where nowadays - 8 million is a lot of cash and I would definetly take it over a free...
read more ...
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