Football (Soccer)

[Sundae]

I wonder if Mrs Beckham had anything to do with the choice between LA and Spurs.....?

[JayMcGee]

nah..... I'm sure she flipped a coin...


heads - LA Galaxy, sun,hollywood,half-million pounds per week..
tails - spurs, English summer, London ,congestion charge....

[Griff]

Sounds like a good match for all involved, but his impact on American soccer is being overblown. The American Soccer community is growing naturally through participation and immigration but I don't think the game translates for folks who weren't raised on it. Star power doesn't keep butts in the seats during a 1-0 match. Heck LA folks don't even watch their baseball team's full games even after the game was rui...altered for them. The NFL, which I love, is where its at for the American attention span.

[lookout123]

soccer isn't going to explode because beckham shows up, but he will have an impact. the truth is that even though his skills have deteriorated he is still better than 85-90% of MLS players. Fans of good soccer will show up for the curiosity factor. fans of celebrity will show up for the curiosity factor. kids will buy the beckham shirts. it all adds up to more attention for the game which is good.

i won't get really really excited unless Henry or Ronaldhino sign on with the MLS.. (holds breath)

[Griff]

Wouldn't that be something?

[King]

He's still a fantastic player in my opinion; as good as anyone in terms of passing and set pieces, and he has an amazing work rate. In terms of making an impact, I guess it's a start. If it gets more people going to MLS games, and watching on TV, then that's all good. You can't build a good football league without good support. It's a cycle; better players--->better attendences--->more money--->better players and so on.

[lookout123]

i think he'll put some butts in seats for the mls. if that works out hopefully it will result in some of our young talent choosing to stay in the states and some talent coming in from foreign clubs. i expect we'll see some south american and mexican names make their way into MLS over the next few years due to the "beckham rule" paving the way for marquee players.

[King]

Originally Posted by lookout123

i think he'll put some butts in seats for the mls. if that works out hopefully it will result in some of our young talent choosing to stay in the states and some talent coming in from foreign clubs. i expect we'll see some south american and mexican names make their way into MLS over the next few years due to the "beckham rule" paving the way for marquee players.

Having the best American players play in the MLS is obviously very important for building the league. If you look at the top three leagues in the world; England, Spain, and Italy, most of the best players from those countries play in their own league. One reason why leagues in France, Portugal, Holland etc. are a level below is because their best players often move to the big three. In this way, the top leagues stay top, and the lesser leagues stay lesser; it's very difficult to break this trend.

[deadbeater]

Problem is Beckham isn't that great anymore. True he is virtually indomitable in free kicks. However, the rest of his game has deteriorated. He can't defend anybody with a modicum of dribbling skill anymore without getting carded. His passing is mediocre at best, and his finishing skill in the penalty box is shockingly lacking for a striker. He may get enough goals to send the fans home happy, and sell Beckham shirts by the buttload. Alas, he is not the person he once was.

[firestar]

A Regina woman who alleges a former Canadian Football League linebacker knowingly exposed her to HIV testified Monday that she had no reason to doubt him when he told her he wasn’t infected before the two had unprotected sex.

[King]

Originally Posted by deadbeater

His passing is mediocre at best,

What makes you think that? He's one of the best passers in the world, especially over long distances; only a handful of other players can even come close to the quality of his passing. (Suchlike as Scholes, Fabregas, and Pirlo)

and his finishing skill in the penalty box is shockingly lacking for a striker.

Well that's because he's not a striker, he's a midfielder. His finishing isn't particularly great, but then it's not particularly bad either. He can shoot from outside the box as well as anyone. Sure, he's not perfect, but he is a great player, if you want to use that term. What seperates him from a player who is just a good passer, like Michael Carrick for example, is his work rate, which makes him as effective at defending as he is at attacking.

[King]

The transfer window closed in Europe yesterday. Here's a list of all the deals involving Premiership and Championship clubs.

http://www.football365.com/story/0,1...886466,00.html

There hasn't been that many players moving to the big clubs. Most of the money has been spent by Aston Villa and West Ham, who have both been bought by new owners this season, and West Ham need to spend the money in order to try and escape relegation.

[lookout123]

c'mon watford.

[lookout123]

I just got home from the USA vs Mexico match. Good game, ugly play. We Won. That event was a wonderful argument in favor of tighter border security.

64,000 tickets sold. 55,000 obscenely drunk, belligerent, and crude illegals. 5,000 embarrassed mexico fans. 4,000 timid US fans.

when the US scored their first goal two fights broke out within 20 feet of me. as i walked out two drunks started throwing beer at the concessionaire then a bunch of folks started throwing punches at each other. their friends quick to get involved didn't pull their friends apart - they pulled out their phones and cameras and taunted the cops to start abusing their 'innocent' friends. of course, it was good to hear that they could at least speak a little english

fucking stain on a good night of football.

[Griff]

Donovan is starting to look like the real deal isn't he? Conrads work was awesome as well. I thought Convey was a little off last night but he kept grinding it out, that guy has a future.

It was impressive how the US kept their composure when Mexico turned up the pressure in the 2nd half.

INS get any work done after the game?