The Soccer Thread 11/12

My Highschool Girls Soccer team started today. We will hope to improve on our 1-12-1 record last year. Do it Lady Lobos!!!!

New manager Alejandro Sabella has left Manchester City's unsettled striker Carlos Tevez out of the Argentina squad for a pair of friendlies in Asia next month. Tevez's club future is up in the air as his expected transfer from Eastlands has yet to transpire and his international prospects under Sabella are now in question.

Tevez was a favourite of Diego Maradona but enjoyed a more fractious relationship with the departed Sergio Batista and was only a late call-up to the Copa America squad. Martin Demichelis, Nicolas Otamendi, Jonas Gutierrez, Lucho Gonzalez, Ricky Alvarez, Eduardo Salvio, Ezequiel Garay, Fabian Rinaudo, and Lisandro Lopez are all back in the squad, which is captained by Barcelona ace Lionel Messi.

Left out of the squads are: Javier Zanetti, Fernando Gago, Esteban Cambiasso, Diego Milito, Walter Samuel,

^^^

Good. Tevez is talented but is cancerous. Very much like TO - he just can't be a team player. Argentina's problem is not up front - it's the defense and mid-field. Di Maria hasn't improved in last 3 years, Gago and Banega are inconsistent.

Argentina and Brazil have the most talent in the World (outside of Spain) - but their football board is failing them. They lack direction. Too much f**kin' politics.

From ESPN - Bill Simmons

Q: The mutual hate that Barcelona and Real Madrid have for each other transcends anything I've seen in American sports. Is there a rivalry in American sports anywhere near as impassioned as the one between these two teams?
— Scott, Park Ridge, IL


SG: Not right now. Our most recent example was probably the Red Wings and Avalanche during the Claude Lemieux era: That one had bench-clearing brawls, goalie fights, sucker punches, retribution fights and everything else you'd ever want from hockey. Baseball doesn't have anything like it; basketball doesn't allow teams to act on any bad blood; and in football, rivalries like Ravens-Steelers, Patriots-Jets and Giants-Eagles lack the intensity/hatred/meaning because they don't play each other enough. Here's how I would describe Barca-Madrid: Imagine if the Mets and Yankees were the two best baseball teams by far, if they measured themselves only by each other, if they played six to eight series every year, and if they had many of the best players in the world. Then imagine if baseball was the only sport that anyone cared about in America, imagine if they were throwing at each other almost every game, and imagine if the players hated each other as much as the fans did. That's Barca-Madrid. And on top of that, Barca plays soccer at a higher level than any American sports team does anything AND it has the best athlete in the world (Messi, who's the closest thing to a sports genius that we've had since Michael Jordan). Wednesday's Barca-Madrid bloodbath featured 90 minutes of high drama, an incredible winning give-and-go goal by Messi in the final minutes to win it for Barca, then a last-minute, scissor-kick cheap shot by Madrid's Marcelo on pricey Barca addition Fabregas that nearly started a full-scale brawl. You couldn't have asked for more from a two-hour sporting event. If you enjoy the World Cup every four years, you will really enjoy every Barca-Madrid game. It's just a fact.

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:
From ESPN - Bill Simmons

Q: The mutual hate that Barcelona and Real Madrid have for each other transcends anything I've seen in American sports. Is there a rivalry in American sports anywhere near as impassioned as the one between these two teams?
— Scott, Park Ridge, IL


SG: Not right now. Our most recent example was probably the Red Wings and Avalanche during the Claude Lemieux era: That one had bench-clearing brawls, goalie fights, sucker punches, retribution fights and everything else you'd ever want from hockey. Baseball doesn't have anything like it; basketball doesn't allow teams to act on any bad blood; and in football, rivalries like Ravens-Steelers, Patriots-Jets and Giants-Eagles lack the intensity/hatred/meaning because they don't play each other enough. Here's how I would describe Barca-Madrid: Imagine if the Mets and Yankees were the two best baseball teams by far, if they measured themselves only by each other, if they played six to eight series every year, and if they had many of the best players in the world. Then imagine if baseball was the only sport that anyone cared about in America, imagine if they were throwing at each other almost every game, and imagine if the players hated each other as much as the fans did. That's Barca-Madrid. And on top of that, Barca plays soccer at a higher level than any American sports team does anything AND it has the best athlete in the world (Messi, who's the closest thing to a sports genius that we've had since Michael Jordan). Wednesday's Barca-Madrid bloodbath featured 90 minutes of high drama, an incredible winning give-and-go goal by Messi in the final minutes to win it for Barca, then a last-minute, scissor-kick cheap shot by Madrid's Marcelo on pricey Barca addition Fabregas that nearly started a full-scale brawl. You couldn't have asked for more from a two-hour sporting event. If you enjoy the World Cup every four years, you will really enjoy every Barca-Madrid game. It's just a fact.

Yes without a doubt. You can taste the hate in the in air when these 2 play.

The clostet I have seen to Barca v Madrid is Benfica vs Porto.

s**t gets violent. Especially in the stands. Alot of the idiots in Porto throw golf balls, batteries and cigarette lighters at our goalies and players that go and take corners. Recently Some Porto supporters ambushed Benficas bus and pelted it with rocks.



Not to mention they did the same thing to our presidents car. Threw more rocks on it while he drove under a bridge.



My hatred for Porto knows no ends. Its bigger than the hate I have to the Cowboys and the NFC West combined.

^^^

That s**t is crazy. Yea, I heard about rivalry between Porto and Benfica when I was in Europe. It surprises me that rivalry gets so heated when 7-8 starters on Barca play for the national team. But yea...that kind of rivalry is so much fun to watch - just wished it didn't get violent like that. That's takin' it wayyyy too far.

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:

Originally posted by socalfan21:
As a Real fan I will have to agree with you sadly. Barca jus seems to have more energy in the meetings against Madrid.

You're a Real fan? Man, you should post more often. I don't have anyone to talk s**t to on the board... - and it's all in good fun, so yea! But, honestly - Real has really closed the gap. When was the last time Barca had only 52% of the possession in a match?

Busquets is a key in holding the mid-field for Barca, and he will def. play in the 2nd leg - so that will tell us more. Also, Barca gave Messi and company long breaks this summer - so I do believe that they were a little rusty - but Real looks in mid-season form and looks very lethal in attack. Good game for Real - Barca scored on their chances and Real missed a couple they should have converted.

I would bro but honestly I hate to admit that it is harder and harder to keep up with them simply because I work during the day when all of their games are played. I will come around eventually when La Liga and Champions League gets goin.

huh, I'm a Porto fan


































JUUUUUUUUUUUUUSTTTTTTTTT KIDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGG

Barca beat Napoli 5-0...in a game where they hit the woodwork 3 times in less than 60 seconds.

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:
Barca beat Napoli 5-0...in a game where they hit the woodwork 3 times in less than 60 seconds.

They have a team with a ridiculously unfair amount of talent lol

With that being said I hope they crush Porto this friday for the UEFA Super cup lol

http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2011/08/24/2624272/official-anzhi-makhachkala-sign-inters-samuel-etoo-in

Eto'o is gonna get PAID

Malouda might go to Juve.

Originally posted by 1251alex:
Malouda might go to Juve.

I heard about that. Moves are gonna be made like crazy this last week that the transfer window is open. Man City still want another player even though they just signed Nasari

Oh and the groups for the CL will be drawn tomorrow

Pot 1: Barcelona, Man United, Chelsea, Bayern, Arsenal. Real Madrid, FC Porto, Inter Milan
Pot 2: AC Milan, Lyon, Shakhtar, Valencia, Benfica, Villarreal, CSKA, Marseille
Pot 3: Zenit, Ajax, Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Man City, Lille, Basel, Bate
Pot 4: Dortmund, Napoli, Zagreb, Apoel, Trabzonspor, Genk, Plzen, Galati

Dream group for awesome watching would be

Barca, Ac Milan, Man City and Dortmund

Im hoping i get a Arsenal, Benfica, Bate and Galati

Where can I stream MLS games?

Originally posted by NickV:
I heard about that. Moves are gonna be made like crazy this last week that the transfer window is open. Man City still want another player even though they just signed Nasari

Oh and the groups for the CL will be drawn tomorrow

Pot 1: Barcelona, Man United, Chelsea, Bayern, Arsenal. Real Madrid, FC Porto, Inter Milan
Pot 2: AC Milan, Lyon, Shakhtar, Valencia, Benfica, Villarreal, CSKA, Marseille
Pot 3: Zenit, Ajax, Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Man City, Lille, Basel, Bate
Pot 4: Dortmund, Napoli, Zagreb, Apoel, Trabzonspor, Genk, Plzen, Galati

Dream group for awesome watching would be

Barca, Ac Milan, Man City and Dortmund

Im hoping i get a Arsenal, Benfica, Bate and Galati

lol...Barca will still beat up on those fools. I don't care who is in the group - if Barca can win their QFs - I want Real Madrid in SF again.