It's baaaaack!
United vs West Ham kicking off right now on NBCSN to wind up a wild Week 1 in the EPL.
Arsenal with a 4-3 comeback win v Leicester City...Chelsea losing 3-2 to Burnley while having both Cahill and Fabregas sent off...Rooney bagging the game winner with his return to Everton...
Who do you like, Lukaku or Chicarito?
What another amazing goal last night.
The most dominant NYC athlete right now. Yes, including Odell.
Sweet goal by Lewis, too.
Jon in NYC : 11:40 am : link : reply
Lukaku or Chicharito can hold a candle to David Villa right now.
If you are a fan of the MLS, you probably don't want Villa to perpetuate the idea that washed up Europeans can come over and dominate.
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Neither
Jon in NYC : 11:40 am : link : reply
Lukaku or Chicharito can hold a candle to David Villa right now.
If you are a fan of the MLS, you probably don't want Villa to perpetuate the idea that washed up Europeans can come over and dominate.
Villa is proving that he isn't washed. Not by any stretch.
Lampard, Pirlo? Washed up. Villa is on another level.
City is really really good and really deep. They have an unreal starting XI and a bench that would still make the top 4. Gabriel Jesus is special.
Lampard, Pirlo? Washed up. Villa is on another level.
Basically, the view will be that Lukaku can dominate the world's best while Villa can go to America and crush the Little Leagues. Not saying that's true, but it most certainly is the perception.
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Villa is proving that he isn't washed. Not by any stretch.
Lampard, Pirlo? Washed up. Villa is on another level.
Basically, the view will be that Lukaku can dominate the world's best while Villa can go to America and crush the Little Leagues. Not saying that's true, but it most certainly is the perception.
Agreed.
David Villa could play on any team in the world. He's still that good.
Go Terps : 1:10 pm : link : reply
Defoe couldn't hack it in MLS.
Jermain Defoe scored 11 goals in 19 matches in the MLS, so I think he probably could hack it.
Comparing the MLS to the top European leagues is like comparing the CFL to the NFL. Yes some players can make the transition, the the standards are vastly different though.
Man U put in a commanding show today.
Wouldn't sleep on Spurs. They are the most cohesive team of the top 6.
- The defending in England sucks right now and will continue to bite the top teams in the ass. Look at the top teams and tell me if there is an elite center back among them outside of a just past his prime Vincent Kompany. We'll see more scorelines like this all year.
- THAT was a Manchester United team that played today - attack, attack attack. I still think that Jose has his doubts about who plays in big games and still need some more depth, but we'll see.
- As for the David Villa debate, he is on fire and could play in Europe right now, particularly when you consider Fernando Torres is on the bench at Atletico. That being said, the Galaxy team he played last night was awful.
- Harry Kane is going to get himself and his teammates in deep shit with these slide tackles. He pulled the same thing against Roma in the ICC and it nearly started a fight. Today it knocked the Newcastle player out of the game and escalated tensions that later led to the Shelvy stomp (lest we forget Shelvy is a known idiot).
- The defending in England sucks right now and will continue to bite the top teams in the ass. Look at the top teams and tell me if there is an elite center back among them outside of a just past his prime Vincent Kompany. We'll see more scorelines like this all year.
I can name two...Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. Best GA in the league last season.
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Jermaine Defoe
Go Terps : 1:10 pm : link : reply
Defoe couldn't hack it in MLS.
Jermain Defoe scored 11 goals in 19 matches in the MLS, so I think he probably could hack it.
Comparing the MLS to the top European leagues is like comparing the CFL to the NFL. Yes some players can make the transition, the the standards are vastly different though.
Check mate!
What's that based on? I know it isn't the only metric we have: performance in Europe. In the last 10 years:
Champions League Winners: Spain 6, England 2
Europa League: Spain 5, England 2
In the last 5 years England's performance in the Champions League had been so poor there was talk of them losing that automatic fourth place qualifier. So UEFA is going to change the rules to make sure the English cash cows remain involved:
However, one new feature of the rule is that while the top three teams in each domestic league would earn a place in the group stage, the fourth would be decided on something described as ‘historical merit’, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
It’s not yet clear what the specifics of this will mean, but the aim is to keep in giants of the game such as Manchester United, Liverpool and AC Milan, all of whom have been in and out of the competition in recent years due to poor showings in the league.
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/08/09/champions-league-rule-changes-could-see-automatic-qualification-for-four-premier-league-clubs-every-season-6057734/#ixzz4pjzf1vjr
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The Premier League’s growing purchasing power has coincided with its waning influence at the highest levels of European soccer. United, City, and Chelsea can pay superstars just as much as they get anywhere else, and Liverpool and Arsenal aren’t far behind, but the money hasn’t been enough. With great power has not come a great Premier League team.
The Premier League is probably as unpredictable and exciting as it's ever been. The TV money has created some semblance of parity that likely will not be seen in any of the other top leagues. But as we've seen in the NFL and elsewhere, increased parity does not equal increased quality. It has likely hurt them in European competition as the player quality is now more spread out among PL teams than it was when Chelsea/Liverpool/United were champions league semi final fixtures.
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Consider me extremely concerned about Chelsea though
United seems better put together to my eye, but a lot depends on Pogba and I have a hard time trusting him.
And BBI's resident soccer doofus checks in.
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They have the most depth in the world.
And BBI's resident soccer doofus checks in.
the best part is watch when villa rejoins Spain he will also leave to play in a real league.
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In comment 13559454 Gmen1982 said:
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They have the most depth in the world.
And BBI's resident soccer doofus checks in.
the best part is watch when villa rejoins Spain he will also leave to play in a real league.
What a sad sad viewpoint.
Yeah. They assume because he's playing in MLS he isn't as good as guys like Morata or Costa who are playing in Europe. But as a fan of the Spanish national team I'd want Villa in over those guys in a heartbeat. Villa is the best striker Spain has ever produced, and at 34 he still isn't that far off his peak. He's one of the truly underrated and underappreciated players of this era.
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Yeah. They assume because he's playing in MLS he isn't as good as guys like Morata or Costa who are playing in Europe. But as a fan of the Spanish national team I'd want Villa in over those guys in a heartbeat. Villa is the best striker Spain has ever produced, and at 34 he still isn't that far off his peak. He's one of the truly underrated and underappreciated players of this era.
Come on. They would bring him in if they thought/think he's good enough. I agree they should at least give him a shot without a true striker on the team but they know more than anyone who to bring in. I doubt they wouldn't give him a shot solely based on playing in the MLS.
United seems better put together to my eye, but a lot depends on Pogba and I have a hard time trusting him.
Had a feeling Pogba wouldn't be your type of player. They do seem really well put together though and I think he'll have a much better season than last year. Figured they've got to win it this season before it all blows up for Mourinho in year three per usual.
City's attack is as good as it gets but I do agree, I don't trust any back line that's led by Otamendi and Stones.
I'm not a huge MLS fan myself but Villa is playing great.
Villa is a pure goal scorer with incredible instincts. He's a small guy and was never exceptionally quick, so any step that he's lost with age hasn't really affected his game. He just has an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time, and he has a great ability to strike the ball cleanly.
He isn't the only worthy player that is left off a national team because he plays in MLS. Giovinco is a better attacking player than anyone Italy took to Euro 2016, and he wasn't selected.
I'm not a huge MLS fan myself but Villa is playing great.
And he followed it up this week with an upper 90 strike with his off foot.
Villa is a beast. MLS or otherwise.
Either way, can't stand the fake eurosnob mouthbreathers like 1982 who dismiss the MLS without knowing good soccer if a ball hit them square in the forehead.
I do think there is a difference between 1982 who consistently sounds like an idiot on soccer threads and having a discussion on how the rest of the world views the MLS though.
It is still looked at as a league where guys can go for one last money grab against sub-par competition. I don't think that's accurate, but it is the perception.
The bigger question is how does that perception change? Because I don't think the league can take the next step until it does. Maybe the US making a run in the World Cup will?
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the one where he scored off the long dribbling run - was incredible in any league. It's not just skill, it's the mentality - he was determined to score there and he did, with degree of difficulty way up there.
I'm not a huge MLS fan myself but Villa is playing great.
And he followed it up this week with an upper 90 strike with his off foot.
Villa is a beast. MLS or otherwise.
Either way, can't stand the fake eurosnob mouthbreathers like 1982 who dismiss the MLS without knowing good soccer if a ball hit them square in the forehead.
Yes, I wouldn't. I didn't just play against two players entering the upcoming mls draft. I will tell you these players were awesome, compared to other college players and people like me. But I'm sure you see talent at your competitive games at the park correct? Yea I'm a euro snob because I prefer to watch better soccer. If you try to tell me that the MLS is better soccer than you do t know your asshole from your elbow.
It's splitting hairs somewhat. It's a side plenty capable of winning the league. But in the context of European success, I'd have concerns down the middle.
Should be interesting. Still a few weeks left to add players. Chelsea needs to get busy or they're going to screw up and alienate Conte, the best things that's happened to this team since '04 Mourinho.
And as to relegation - in Europe, you perform poorly and you're out of the league, which has huge monetary consequences. (And vice versa - there was a great article in the Times about what Hudderfield's promotion to EPL has meant for the city economically.) MLS teams don't face that pressure.
I'm not saying these affect the soccer itself in MLS - just the perception. The US winning the World Cup, or coming close, would certainly help with the perception.
We just don't have enough lower level leagues that could be competitive IMO.
I don't think too many people know about the Lamar Hunt Open Cup, even though it seems to me like the competition has been getting stronger every year.
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Either way, can't stand the fake eurosnob mouthbreathers like 1982 who dismiss the MLS without knowing good soccer if a ball hit them square in the forehead
I do think there is a difference between 1982 who consistently sounds like an idiot on soccer threads and having a discussion on how the rest of the world views the MLS though.
It is still looked at as a league where guys can go for one last money grab against sub-par competition. I don't think that's accurate, but it is the perception.
The bigger question is how does that perception change? Because I don't think the league can take the next step until it does. Maybe the US making a run in the World Cup will?
I certainly think that used to be the perception, but that's fading quickly. More old european stars are failing in the MLS than not. Gerrard, Lampard, Pirlo, Nesta, Defoe, Kaka the list goes on and on.
The league is also getting better and better. It's just a matter of time. And the perception is changing bit by bit. I don't have anything to back this up other than the eye test and anecdotal data, but you see plenty of instances of top European stars saying that they watch MLS in their spare time. I'm excited about the future of the league.
We just don't have enough lower level leagues that could be competitive IMO.
I don't think too many people know about the Lamar Hunt Open Cup, even though it seems to me like the competition has been getting stronger every year.
They just got offered oodles of money to adopt pro/rel and turned it down. It won't happen anytime soon.
This becomes a double-edged sword. There aren't any expectations for the fading players and the casual fan knows their names from glory days. Most don't know they fail. When they succeed it reinforces the idea old guys can come here and dominate.
And since so many fans are casual, they might hear about Lampard signing here or the like - they just know they came to the US to play and then they don't follow them.
And you still have a lot of fans who don't follow the MLS , but follow the Euro leagues. That won't help eliminate the perceptions.
I think he's under the impression it makes him look better, but I wonder why a guy who plays at such a high level sounds like a fucking idiot when discussing the sport.
What Jon said ... MLS is able to charge big, big bucks for a new franchise now, folks aren't going to pay that and risk being relegated. Even if it's a better system. And we're probably not ready for that system - the second tier clubs in the US have some very good players, but many of them play in venues that wouldn't be suitable for MLS.
I catch la liga games (mostly Real Madrid) and bundelsiga here and there. The problem is watching Real Madrid they usually are killing the other team. EPL games are usually more competitive.
I think he's under the impression it makes him look better, but I wonder why a guy who plays at such a high level sounds like a fucking idiot when discussing the sport.
Fatman, who the fuck are you? I really don't even want to get into conversation with you but you keep going at me. What is your background if you don't mind me asking?
Jon, if you use the "eye test" you would see that the pace of play, the accuracy of passes, complexity of movement is all superior in the EPL. And this doesn't mean I don't want the US to be successful in the World Cup. I just do t want to waste my time watching MLS when there's much better quality soccer on TV.
I'd love pro/rel and a single table format, but it's hard to imagine either when MLS is a franchise-based system and their stated goal is 28 teams.
If I were running MLS and pro/rel wasn't an option, I'd instead look to expand way past 28 teams and regionalize into smaller sub-leagues that operated on a single table. Say you eventually went to 80 teams divided into four quadrants of the US, you could then install tournaments involving the top teams in each quadrant, for example.
How are they coming along on getting a new stadium?
I'd love pro/rel and a single table format, but it's hard to imagine either when MLS is a franchise-based system and their stated goal is 28 teams.
If I were running MLS and pro/rel wasn't an option, I'd instead look to expand way past 28 teams and regionalize into smaller sub-leagues that operated on a single table. Say you eventually went to 80 teams divided into four quadrants of the US, you could then install tournaments involving the top teams in each quadrant, for example.
The NASL is definitely comparable to the MLS as the championship to the EPL. Teams that are relegated Lose their stars and teams promoted buy stars. As stated, the money just isn't there.
Jon, if you use the "eye test" you would see that the pace of play, the accuracy of passes, complexity of movement is all superior in the EPL. And this doesn't mean I don't want the US to be successful in the World Cup. I just do t want to waste my time watching MLS when there's much better quality soccer on TV.
They aren't even on at the same fucking time.
No one is arguing that the MLS is better than the EPL. I'm arguing that you dismissing the MLS is shitty and fucking stupid. It's a fun league. The atmosphere is awesome and they're getting better each year. Support your local team and don't be a dickhead.
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is a joke of a soccer field. It really is embarrassing.
How are they coming along on getting a new stadium?
Not very well. They were supposedly close to another location in the Bronx, but my first choice would be near Citi.
FWIW, I work with someone who used to work at NYCFC. He's adamant that Pep is coming in two years to replace Viera, who is going to go to City. We'll see, but it's an exciting time to follow the MLS.
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is a joke of a soccer field. It really is embarrassing.
How are they coming along on getting a new stadium?
I don't think it's going well, from what I hear. In fairness, it's NYC and a project like this is very difficult to bring to fruition.
MLS is huge here in the Pacific Northwest. I see more Timbers apparel than any other pro sport by a lot.
Things are also getting a little weird in Euro soccer...the money is just absurd and the clubs don't seem to know how to handle it well. Pep himself said this week that it isn't sustainable.
MLS is huge here in the Pacific Northwest. I see more Timbers apparel than any other pro sport by a lot.
Very cool. It's definitely on the bucket list for me. Portland plays a really fun game to watch with Nagbe and Valeri pulling the strings.
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I'm actually going to Portland v. Red Bulls on Friday. I'm pretty stoked to see the atmosphere there. I went to a Sounders v. Salt Lake match back in 2014...fucking spectacular.
MLS is huge here in the Pacific Northwest. I see more Timbers apparel than any other pro sport by a lot.
Very cool. It's definitely on the bucket list for me. Portland plays a really fun game to watch with Nagbe and Valeri pulling the strings.
Yeah but they are brutal at the back. Toronto just overran them this weekend. There's a chance I'm in for a 4-3 game Friday.
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do you think at some point the concept of relegation could happen here?
We just don't have enough lower level leagues that could be competitive IMO.
I don't think too many people know about the Lamar Hunt Open Cup, even though it seems to me like the competition has been getting stronger every year.
They just got offered oodles of money to adopt pro/rel and turned it down. It won't happen anytime soon.
When the commissioner bragged about expanding to 28 teams without relegation, I almost threw my remote at the TV.
Things are also getting a little weird in Euro soccer...the money is just absurd and the clubs don't seem to know how to handle it well. Pep himself said this week that it isn't sustainable.
This I agree. The system is destabilized, amd Financial Fair Play is a sham.
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In comment 13560048 FatMan in Charlotte said:
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do you think at some point the concept of relegation could happen here?
We just don't have enough lower level leagues that could be competitive IMO.
I don't think too many people know about the Lamar Hunt Open Cup, even though it seems to me like the competition has been getting stronger every year.
They just got offered oodles of money to adopt pro/rel and turned it down. It won't happen anytime soon.
When the commissioner bragged about expanding to 28 teams without relegation, I almost threw my remote at the TV.
Yeah it's a little nuts. I mean, there's 32 NFL teams FFS.
This is a country of 320 million people. That's more than the populations of Spain, UK, Italy, Germany, and France combined. Those countries support many more teams than 80, and do so with economies weaker than ours.
This is a country of 320 million people. That's more than the populations of Spain, UK, Italy, Germany, and France combined. Those countries support many more teams than 80, and do so with economies weaker than ours.
Cyprus has subdivisions for crying out loud!