The Association Football Thread

#576
#576
#577
#577
Panthro said:
See, I just don't understand that. I understand what it means to watch a "difficult-to-watch" match, but I don't get that from the MLS. I've even muscled through a Women's Professional Soccer game before. Yes, that was like watching paint dry, but the MLS has good players and is a solid product. The top half of the MLS can beat 50% of the teams in the EPL. That's good enough for me when supporting a local product that I can see quite a bit off on FSC and ESPN2.
It just sounds a little snobby to bash on the local product when it really isn't THAT inferior to the international alternative.
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:no:
 
#578
#578
Just look at the bottom half of the EPL. If you honestly think that level of soccer is above that of the MLS elite, then there's no way you truly are looking at this with an open mind.
 
#579
#579
Edson Buddle is the leading goal scorer and striker on the best team. Edson Buddle. Let me repeat it again. Edson Buddle. He is absolutely horrible.
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#580
#580
First of all, don't go bashing on Edson Buddle. I think he should have gotten the start over Robbie Findley in the WC.
Also, the MLS has a lot of great players.
Buddle, Findley, Donovan, Bornstein, Kasey Keller (jk), Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Roger Espinoza (Honduras), Andrew Boyens (New Zealand), etc.
You think players like these can't compete with West Ham, Sunderland, Stoke City, Newcastle, etc...?
 
#581
#581
Panthro said:
First of all, don't go bashing on Edson Buddle. I think he should have gotten the start over Robbie Findley in the WC.
Also, the MLS has a lot of great players.
Buddle, Findley, Donovan, Bornstein, Kasey Keller (jk), Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Roger Espinoza (Honduras), Andrew Boyens (New Zealand), etc.
You think players like these can't compete with West Ham, Sunderland, Stoke City, Newcastle, etc...?
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Edson Buddle sucks. He might have started for the US because we have a dearth of strikers. The only players I could see play in the EPL on that list are Donovan and Espinoza.
 
#584
#584
I don't know, I just know that it's not given the respect it deserves in it's own country. We complain that soccer isn't bigger here, but then we refuse to support a solid product when we're presented with one in our own backyard.
 
#585
#585
Panthro said:
First of all, don't go bashing on Edson Buddle. I think he should have gotten the start over Robbie Findley in the WC.
Also, the MLS has a lot of great players.
Buddle, Findley, Donovan, Bornstein, Kasey Keller (jk), Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Roger Espinoza (Honduras), Andrew Boyens (New Zealand), etc.
You think players like these can't compete with West Ham, Sunderland, Stoke City, Newcastle, etc...?
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If they could they would. The money for soccer players is overseas. I've never heard of many MLS players turning down spots on overseas teams.

Look at the US team, all of our top tier players all play overseas except Donovan. The MLS all-stars would be the only "team" that could actually compete.
 
#586
#586
volball625 said:
Where would you rank the MLS in terms of all the leagues in the world?
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I don't a whole lot about the all the various leagues around the world, especially in South America, but it's certainly behind the EPL, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga. Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie are also probably better. Those are the leagues that essentially every player on every competitive team in the WC plays for. MLS may very well be the highest quality league in the world outside of Europe.
 
#587
#587
bleedorange0037 said:
I don't a whole lot about the all the various leagues around the world, especially in South America, but it's certainly behind the EPL, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga. Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie are also probably better. Those are the leagues that essentially every player on every competitive team in the WC plays for. MLS may very well be the highest quality league in the world outside of Europe.
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Haven't the Mexican league teams won exhibitions against the MLS teams pretty consistently when they have been played?
 
#590
#590
Also, there is no probably to it. Ligue 1 and Eredivisie are better than MLS and it ain't even that close.
 
#591
#591
JOHANNESBURG -- Just because Landon Donovan could join Manchester City doesn't mean he should.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the English Premier League side is ready to table a bid in the neighborhood of $12 million for the U.S. international as it looks to launch a full-scale assault on qualifying for the lucrative UEFA Champions League.

But if Donovan's prior forays into European soccer have taught us anything, it's that his choice of club, and the country wherein he resides, play a huge role in his subsequent successes or failures.

Donovan never really warmed to life in Germany during his two stints with Bayer Leverkusen, as well as a loan spell with Bayern Munich. His stretch with the Bavarians ended on particularly poor terms as he found himself caught in the crossfire between Bayern executives Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness and then-manager Jurgen Klinsmann. Hoeness, in a bid to justify Klinsmann's eventual firing, said in 2009, "Klinsmann's only idea for strengthening the squad in January was Landon Donovan. [Bayern reserve team coach] Hermann Gerland told me the guy wasn't fit to play for his reserves."

This only reinforced the fact that, for Donovan to thrive, he needs to feel the support of club management, his coach, his teammates and fans.

Donovan found all of these things during his loan stint last winter with Everton. Toffees manager David Moyes showed confidence in Donovan by starting him against Arsenal shortly after he arrived, and deployed him in a supporting role that was well within the U.S. international's abilities. Donovan repaid that faith with interest. While he endured the occasional quiet game, he delivered a string of mostly solid performances, and Everton fans warmed to Donovan's work rate and ability.

Combined with his clutch performances for the U.S. at the World Cup, Donovan is now in demand. The fact that published reports have claimed that a British woman is carrying his child means he'll have to exercise even more caution in choosing his next club, despite whatever millions of dollars Manchester City might throw his way.

And boy does the club have millions to spend. Ever since Manchester City was purchased by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the club has embarked on a massive spending spree. Oftentimes it has looked as if the Blues were more interested in preventing other teams from acquiring players rather than actually having a plan to build the squad. In the last year, the club has spent nearly 110 million pounds in transfer fees.

....

If Donovan were to leave MLS, he might be better served returning to Everton, where he is clearly valued by Moyes and his path to playing time is free of obstacles. For that reason, the choice would appear to be easy, but money has a way of clouding the decision-making process. MLS, which holds Donovan's contract, is obligated to get the best deal it can for him. The chance for him to land a fat contract may be too good to pass up.

2010 World Cup: Donovan could go to Manchester City - ESPN Soccernet
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I'd love for him to go back to Everton. Hopefully they can make a move. On another note, it's crazy what Manchester City is doing.
 
#592
#592
Okay, two items here.


1) I have watched a fair amount of MLS, but have never been able to get into a particular team. Should I bother?

2) I need an EPL team. Give me one.
 
#593
#593
IPorange said:
Okay, two items here.


1) I have watched a fair amount of MLS, but have never been able to get into a particular team. Should I bother?

2) I need an EPL team. Give me one.
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Barcelona. Screw the EPL.

I would say Tottenham. Or Arsenal
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#594
#594
IPorange said:
Okay, two items here.


1) I have watched a fair amount of MLS, but have never been able to get into a particular team. Should I bother?

2) I need an EPL team. Give me one.
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What are you looking for in a team?

If Everton FC can get Landon Donovan back, and you like America - then you'll like Everton. They also have Tim Howard. Plus a good rivalry with Liverpool FC.

Another fan favorite with a relation to America is Man Utd, which is owned by Malcom Glazer, who also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They won the Champions League a couple of years ago, and they win the EPL often. Plus, they get a lot of exposure. I would've been a fan of them, but I have a connection to the city of Liverpool, that I don't have with Manchester.
 
#596
#596
I wish MLS (and soccer in general) had more exposure on local cable (Comcast). Every once in a while they'll televise a game on either CSS or FSN and that's usually a friendly between an MLS side and an EPL team like Chelsea.
 
#598
#598
XtennesseeX said:
How would you stack up the EPL against Serie A, and La Liga on a year to year basis?
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Serie A and La Liga have some of the best teams in the world with Barca, Real Madrid and Inter. However, I would say that top to bottom the EPL is the most competitive league in the world
 
#599
#599
I have vacation time coming up in september and October, I might try to take in an MLS game, Columbus is closest to Knoxville, but KC is also a possibility since I'm going to be in Western Missouri for some of that time.
 
#600
#600
IPorange said:
Okay, two items here.


1) I have watched a fair amount of MLS, but have never been able to get into a particular team. Should I bother?

2) I need an EPL team. Give me one.
Click to expand...

MLS - Yes, you should bother picking an MLS team. If you have a team to follow, you'll be much more likely to support the league, and the growth of soccer in this country.
EPL - Look in the Sports Forum for my thread about picking an EPL team. I wanted help picking one and got a lot of it. You should read the posts on there to help you choose. I think I'm going to go with Arsenal. Since picking them, I've enjoyed watching a bunch of their players in the WC, too. Fabregas (Spain) and van Persie Netherlands) are still alive.
 
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