General Soccer Thread

[thrill]

Why choose the USMNT over Germany? Better odds at making the team?

Higher endorsement ceiling, make multiple World Cup teams, culturally identify as American, patriotism, parental guidance or any number of reasons.

[lukethedrifter]

Why choose the USMNT over Germany? Better odds at making the team?

Higher endorsement ceiling, make multiple World Cup teams, culturally identify as American, patriotism, parental guidance or any number of reasons.

Well I guess each of their stories is different but... weren't nearly all of the German Americans raised in Germany? Isn't footsoccerball bigger in Germany thus endorsements larger their? Jones, I get. He was never going to get called up by the Germans.

[thrill]

Why choose the USMNT over Germany? Better odds at making the team?

Higher endorsement ceiling, make multiple World Cup teams, culturally identify as American, patriotism, parental guidance or any number of reasons.

Well I guess each of their stories is different but... weren't nearly all of the German Americans raised in Germany? Isn't footsoccerball bigger in Germany thus endorsements larger their? Jones, I get. He was never going to get called up by the Germans.

Jones was called up by the Germans. Three times. The ceiling for soccer endorsements in the US is huge. Dozens of millions watched the US. Nike would love to have an American they can shill on the level with the global names. LD, Dempsey and Howard have done well for themselves but a true global star like Zelalem or Green could turn out to be would be everywhere.

I'd guess that Landon Donovan has made more in endorsements in his career than Miroslav Klose or Michael Ballack.

[MrSaigon]

That goal from Nagbe came after he was clearly frustrated with Jacobsen (like every CM he faces) had been riding him all game--and I feel like these rides can be more physical and frequent with MLS refs. You cannot keep Nagbe in front of you, and now he's developed so you can't brute him off the ball either. That's why he's the most fouled player in MLS (or was last year). There was this awesome sequence against RSL two weeks ago when he totally de-pansed the same defender on the wing and forced a yellow card foul twice in 60 seconds to gain a man advantage. He's magic, but maybe he needs to go to Holland or something. But Nagbe still hasn't scored this year. GIF aside he needs to be more aggressive in and around the box. And honestly, though I hate to say it, I wonder if he shouldn't be whining like Dempsey or Donovan.

Nagbe's gooseegg on the year isn't much of one, really, but the Timbers definitely have some problems. Will Johnson has been mediocre to terrible, and he's turned up the assery (just barely, if tolerable when he and the team are performing) to 11--even his teammates are sick of him. How I'd love to trade him to Turkey for Jermaine Jones. I think our defense overachieved down the stretch last year, and have fallen back to earth, which isn't helped by WJ struggling and playing so GD far up the field. It took our offense forever to get going. Porter's having some growing pains. I like our new striker, but not convinced he's worth the DP slot, same for Ridgewell. Worst of all I haven't been to a game this year (season ticket holder), but that will change soon. It's definitely been a tough year so far. We could still make the playoffs, literally most teams do. And if Ridgewell can help make our defense organized and competent, no one will want to face us there.

[thrill]

Why can't A) Porter find a striker and B) let Nagbe play as an attacking winger in the 4-3-3 and just leave him there?
I know he's his best player and he can stick him anywhere, but this is the same thing that just happened to Bradley at the World Cup. Coach asks too much, doesn't define his role enough and the player suffers.

[thrill]

Yedlin to Roma. No details on the fee yet. From the Sounders academy to the World Cup & the Champions league in less than 2 years. Pretty good. He'll finish the season in Seattle and make the move in January.

[MrSaigon]

I know the league gets some of that money. Does Seattle get allocation money, or just cash? Homegrown he wouldn't count against their cap, so it would be kind of weird if they worked to develop this guy, sent him off, but then actually lost flexibility in roster construction.

Had Portland become MLS a year or two earlier we might of got our hooks into Rubio Rubin, the 18 year-old from Beaverton who is with Utrecht, and maybe a name to remember for Russia.

[thrill]

Sounders-Timbers Open Cup game last night was fiery. 1-1 in regulation after a filthy Nagbe goal in like the 85th minute. Red card on Portland and Seattle won 3-1.

What I'm saying is that Sunday night's game on ESPN is going to be amazing.

[MrSaigon]

Doubtful. No Chara, 3rd and 4th choice CBs (our 1st and 2nd choice aren't good themselves, so this is real bad), somewhat stilted offense playing with the new target forward, allowing opponents to get to our box to meet our pretty crappy defense at will, just general brokeness/dispirt/boneheadedness, and the Dempsey/Yedlin lovefest and a full-strength Seattle (last night's squad plus Dempsey, Pappa, Martins): 4-1 Sounders. Closeness of the game last night was a bit lucky.

I just hope we don't also see the introduction of Jermaine Jones as the newest Sounder and the introduction of the new rule MLS employed to get him there (which rule would be reversed shortly thereafter, when Seattle needs it to (Edu/Pappa)). Someday we'll get one of those ourselves. Really, I bet we do. We could use that day now.

Hmmm. Maybe I'm not helping you sell MLS. But I'm kind of mad.

[thrill]

Hahahaha

The Sounders don't need Jones. Maybe they can get a 4th dp slot for Tim Howard.