Soccer thread (2014/15)

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Think I went to a Federals game or two.  Didn't they have tryouts for walk-up players?   

I've seen it before and thought it unwatchable but after enjoying so much of the world cup I wanted to give this a shot. I noticed Dempsey and Yedlin play for Seattle. But 15 minutes was more than enough to convince me I can't watch MLS. It reminded me of being a kid and being excited about the USFL and the Washington Federals. My brothers and I were playing ball on the street with all the neighborhood kids and when the game was about to start I remember my father and my neighbor's father calling us in to watch the Federals game against the Chicago Blitz (coached by George Allen). The quality of the football they put on the field was so poor that by halftime we were all back on the street and our street game had resumed. 

[houston-nat]

Is there a GIF of that one Argentine kid crying and shoving his dad away? The entire bar awwwd and then burst out laughing.

[Natsinpwc]

thought this was funny; and I'm part German so it's OK for me to post this! 

http://www.theonion.com/articles/germans-humiliated-after-winning-world-cup-638-sec,36450/

[spidernat]

Think I went to a Federals game or two.  Didn't they have tryouts for walk-up players?   

If they did it showed on the field.

[Dave B]

Most northern hemisphere leagues are off for a couple of months in the summer (MLS and the Irish league being two exceptions [Republic of Ireland, N. Ireland is a winter league])...but the World Cup and regional tournaments are in the summer, so if you are good, no rest.  And then there are friendlies, etc. 

Doesn't arsenal have to play a champions league qualifier in a couple weeks

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Speaking of Champions League, there was a battle of the titans a week and change ago (clubs from Gibraltar and Faeroe Islands). 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28138632

Sometimes such teams make it quite a ways...Apoel (from Cyprus) made the quarterfinals a few years ago when they shocked Olympique Lyonnais     

[spidernat]

Hell of a location for the stadium.

[mitlen]

Think I went to a Federals game or two.  Didn't they have tryouts for walk-up players?   

They did indeed.

[1995hoo]

I remember the time the Federals' owner compared them to a bunch of untrained gerbils. I also recall the game where they offered t-shirts to the first 10,000 fans through the gates and only around 6,000 fans bothered to show. That very first game at RFK drew a pretty good crowd, though, around 38,000 people (capacity at the time was 55,750), this just a few weeks after the Redskins had won Super Bowl XVII. But that might have been because the opponents were the Chicago Blitz and their coach was former Redskins coach George Allen.

[mitlen]

I remember the time the Federals' owner compared them to a bunch of untrained gerbils. I also recall the game where they offered t-shirts to the first 10,000 fans through the gates and only around 6,000 fans bothered to show. That very first game at RFK drew a pretty good crowd, though, around 38,000 people (capacity at the time was 55,750), this just a few weeks after the Redskins had won Super Bowl XVII. But that might have been because the opponents were the Chicago Blitz and their coach was former Redskins coach George Allen.

I was there for one game and ran into Senator Alan Cranston of California.     Saw Mike Rozier with the Maulers.     I swear Irving Fryar was in the stands and I saw him chatting with Rozier after the game.    I still have my Federals' hat and long sleeve t-shirt.

[imref]

http://onion.com/1mMkFEd

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Ha - that's about the sum of it.  Maybe they can flood an unsold stadium for the Olympic sailing events.   

[Slateman]

[OldChelsea]

[...]Apoel (from Cyprus) made the quarterfinals a few years ago when they shocked Olympique Lyonnais     

...drawing at Chelsea along the way that same season, if I recall aright...8th December 2009, I was there at the Bridge: http://int.soccerway.com/matches/2009/12/08/europe/uefa-champions-league/chelsea-football-club/apoel-nicosia/852385/

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Sounds like Drogba might be back there this season

...drawing at Chelsea along the way that same season, if I recall aright...8th December 2009, I was there at the Bridge: http://int.soccerway.com/matches/2009/12/08/europe/uefa-champions-league/chelsea-football-club/apoel-nicosia/852385/

[Slateman]

[Natsinpwc]

Funny. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Balotelli back to Britain 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28878088

[mitlen]

Balotelli back to Britain 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28878088

Wow, Liverpool   ...

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Too bad Balotelli and Suarez won't be team mates.  That would have been...interesting 

[mitlen]

Too bad Balotelli and Suarez won't be team mates.  That would have been...interesting 

City and Liverpool have the Monday night (3 PM Eastern) match.    Should be fun.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Too bad Balotelli and Suarez won't be team mates.  That would have been...interesting 

How did the finances work in the net between the sale of Suarez and the acquisition of Balotelli?

I used to love hearing Ian Darke shout "Balotelli!"

[Dave B]

Suarez is 60-70 million pounds. Balotelli is 16. So about 95 to 24. Those two transactions move me from kinda hating Liverpool to being cool with them.

Chelsea look like they could be a fun team to watch. Costa looks big, fast, and direct. Hazard dribbles well and Cesc distributes well.

I think the epl got much better this year. Chelseas upgrade is bigger than liverpools downgrade if they even downgrade

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Liverpool is really getting some use out of their kneepads today. 

[mitlen]

Everton vs Chelsea is a pretty damn good game.