Soccer 2023-24 (A/K/A Futbol)

[English Natsie]

A new 'Soccer '23 - '24' thread would make sense, and keep us in alignment with FIFA. Perhaps a truce can be agreed, between 'All Americans' and 'Stooges' whereby all terminology is accepted ? Alright...I was as guilty as the next WNFF'er of having some pot-stirring fun, during the WC (  ), but the reality is that it doesn't matter what terminology we prefer, as long as there is interest in, and enjoyment of, the sport.

JCA Edit - giving our Brit representative the honor of the first post of the thread

[Natsinpwc]

The only question I have is the timing of the women’s World Cup which I think is sometime this summer.  Or I guess that can get its own thread?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The only question I have is the timing of the women’s World Cup which I think is sometime this summer.  Or I guess that can get its own thread?

when is Women's World Cup?  Maybe 7/1 is a good break?  We are arguing some date in July, I think.

[Natsinpwc]

when is Women's World Cup?  Maybe 7/1 is a good break?  We are arguing some date in July, I think.

Starts July 20.

[1995hoo]

Starts July 20.

And runs through August 20.

US group stage games are July 22 versus Vietnam in Auckland, July 27 versus the Netherlands in Wellington, and August 1 versus Portugal in Auckland. Assuming they advance to the knockout rounds and make it to the semis, they would play the round-of-16 game on August 6 in either Sydney or Melbourne (the former if they win the group, the latter if they finish second), the quarterfinals on August 11 in Wellington or Auckland (same comment about which venue based on group stage finish), the semifinals on August 15 in Auckland, and then either the third-place game on August 19 in Brisbane or the championship game on August 20 in Sydney.

Watching this is gonna be interesting if you want to watch live due to a lot of very early morning kickoffs. New Zealand is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (New Zealand is UTC+12, EDT is UTC–4). It's easier to calculate the time difference using 24-hour time because, for example, it's easier to subtract 16 from 19 to figure out the time. The first two group stage games kick off at 13:00 New Zealand time, so that works out to 21:00 EDT the night before. That's not too bad. The third group stage game kicks off at 19:00 New Zealand time. That's 3:00 EDT, which is brutal. I remember getting up at 1:45 in 2002 to watch the US play Mexico in the round of 16. Not sure I can pull that off this time around.

Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane are all 14 hours ahead of EDT (they're UTC+10). If the US wins the group, the round of 16 game in Sydney would be at noon their time (22:00 the night before here); if they finish second, the game in Melbourne would be at 19:00 their time (5:00 the same day here). The quarterfinals back in New Zealand would be at either 13:00 or 19:30 PM their time (21:00 the night before or 3:30 the same day EDT, respectively). The US semifinal would be at 20:00 their time (4:00 the same day EDT). The third-place game is at 18:00 Australia time (again 4:00 the same day EDT) and the championship is at 20:00 their time (6:00 the same day EDT).

[Natsinpwc]

Good post Hoo. Just to add the games will be on the Fox sports networks. 

[English Natsie]

Lionesses become European Champions. So what do the networks do, to maintain the momentum...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65453756

Fortunately...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65901075

[welch]

English team ties Portugal in tune-up for WC.

[welch]

US injuries. Megan Rapinoe will be ready. Not certain about Rose Lavelle.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/27/megan-rapinoe-rose-lavelle-uswnt-injury-womens-world-cup/

[welch]

US roster:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/21/uswnt-roster-announced/

[Natsinpwc]

I will watch if Dennis Rodman is there.

[welch]

I will watch if Dennis Rodman is there.

Best I remember, Trinity Rodman and her mother are "estranged" from Dennis Rodman. Has anyone seen Dennis R. in the last year or two?

[Natsinpwc]

Best I remember, Trinity Rodman and her mother are "estranged" from Dennis Rodman. Has anyone seen Dennis R. in the last year or two?

He can still buy a ticket.

https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-67-dennis-rodman-surprises-his-estranged-daughter-trinity-rodman-attending-her-game-for-the-first-time-in-years/?amp

[Natsinpwc]

Well technically the new season has started. Where the days are long.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37944087/inside-uefa-champions-league-iceland-2023-24

[welch]

"English football finances in ‘precarious position’ as report finds most clubs ‘heavily reliant on owners’ funding"

UK commission finds that English football is in danger of collapse and bankruptcy. Teams average spending 102% if revenue, continuously borrowing to make up the difference. About 85% of all revenue goes to Premier League teams, and more than 40% goes to the Big Six teams. Many survive by direct spending of the owners, and often that direct spending is in the form of loans. Premier League teams aside from the Big Six, or seven counting Newcastle, plus all the Championship teams are on the edge -- the overspend to get promoted or to stay in the Premier League. This report suggests ways to protect football.

A report on club finances in English men’s football has provided a frank assessment of the state of play, finding that most clubs are “heavily reliant” on their owners to provide cash injections on a regular basis,

It adds that many sides owe other teams “significant amounts — resulting in a risk of a ‘house of cards’ systemic failure”.

The report comes from LCP, a leading business consultancy based in London which developed TransferLab, the player scouting tool used by clubs and agencies.

It found that the Premier League accounted for 85 per cent of the industry’s revenue and the ‘Big Six’ almost half.

The report details that 63 of the 92 clubs in the Premier League and EFL recording annual losses, which total £1.2billion ($1.56bn).

The report, using data from the 2021-22 season, also provides a ‘Football Sustainability Matrix’ for the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two. LCP says the matrix balances “sporting success with financial sustainability”, plotting a financial score against a sporting score.

“These findings show that the men’s club game in England is in a precarious condition and why improving financial sustainability and transparency really matters,” said John Parnis England, one of the report’s co-authors.

That is from The Athletic, https://theathletic.com/4686896/2023/07/12/football-financial-sustainability-premier-league/

A comment there points to the actual report, at: https://www.lcp.com/media/1150389/creating-a-sustainable-future-for-football-2023.pdf

[English Natsie]

The '23 - '24 European season officially got underway, yesterday, with the first round of qualifying for the Champions League - where teams you've never heard of, from countries you're not quite sure where they are, play off for places in the Group stage of the CL. It prevents meaningless one-sided contests once the serious players come in.

Anyone for DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda v Dila Gori ?     (for the uninitiated, that's the champions of Slovakia v the champions of Georgia)

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Shoot, I thought the champs of Georgia were the Braves?

As for Slovakia vs Slovenia, one features a recent 3 time world champion cyclist, and the other features arguably the best current cyclist, but people argue about which one is the best. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Slovenia is also a perennial contender in alpine skiing, has qualified twice for the FIFA World Cup, and made it to the quarterfinals in men's ice hockey in the 2014 Olympics (with Adze Kopitar is the only NHL player).  Not bad for a country of 2 million.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Slovenia is also a perennial contender in alpine skiing, has qualified twice for the FIFA World Cup, and made it to the quarterfinals in men's ice hockey in the 2014 Olympics (with Adze Kopitar is the only NHL player).  Not bad for a country of 2 million.

Yale's women's ice hockey goaltender is Slovenian and one of the tops in the NCAA. She used to play with the men's juniors because they did not have a women's team.  It's just so flipping wild that Pog, Roglic, Mahoric, Mezgec, plus Jan Tratnik and Jan Polanc are all from there.

[imref]

Via talknats:

After the #Nats game on Friday night, the  @WashSpirit  will host its first watch party of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup this Friday night at 9 p.m. EDT at The @bullpendc  in Navy Yard when the U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) takes on Vietnam in the team's opening match of this summer's international tournament. @NavyYardNats

[1995hoo]

I found myself wondering why the soccer snobs don't insist on calling tonight's event the "All-Star Match."

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I have chosen not to attend tonight's All-Star Fixture since the steep seating does not allow me to gaze freely upon the pitch through my handlebar moustache.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I have chosen not to attend tonight's All-Star Fixture since the steep seating does not allow me to gaze freely upon the pitch through my handlebar moustache.

the interval will not be the same without you.

[1995hoo]

We were falling asleep, so we turned the All-Star Game off at halftime. Sounds like we probably saw the more competitive part of the game.

[imref]

a sign of the times: I taught a communications skills class this week to a bunch of younger teenagers (ages 12-15 mostly). For one of the assignments they had to talk to the class about a life experience. One student shared his trip to the world series last year. He explained to the class that "the world series is kind of like the world cup, but for baseball."