The new footy thread

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Here's my issue with Benzema's exclusion: he, Ribery, Govou and Ben Arfa were all charged with sex with a minor after getting it on with an underage prostitute and that case carried over for years while all 4 players continued to represent France, including at 2 World Cups and the last Euro and all related qualifying. While Benz has been charged with a serious (and dumb) offence here, for me it pales in comparison to the previous charges and yet here he is missing a tournament on his home soil. If he wasn't excluded for the prior charges without conviction, why is he being excluded here?

Debuchy isn't on the team, nobody else on the team seems to give much of a damn and most importantly France might be forced to start fucking Giroud as a striker because they're leaving Benz (and not to mention Ben Arfa and Lacazette) at home.

But, as with the Gerries, anything that weakens the frogs is fine by me.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

 

[dash]

Seems like a bit of a sideways move to me, although it sounds like Everton is opening up the bank to bring Koeman on board and might be too much money to resist.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Seems like a bit of a sideways move to me, although it sounds like Everton is opening up the bank to bring Koeman on board and might be too much money to resist.

Everton is more likely to spend on players, too. That's always attractive to a manager.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

That looks like regular MLS play to me...

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Real Madrid always competing with Barca ... for players to attend their SAWKER camps in Vancouver too lol

Real Madrid Foundation Clinics Canada

 

[jstewismybastardson]

on that note ... there was a great long article in the Guardian about youth soccer in the US ... and its really applicable in canada too

the gist of it was ... great youth players are going unnoticed in the US by "the governing bodies" ... and that only the kids with parents who have money end up advancing to national team setups ... that the rest of the world always finds the poor kids as soccer is the poor persons game but in north america we still have the pay to play mindset

When my son played U6 and Tony Waiters was the fc coach/technical director for that age grouping he said the same thing ... there are kids playing on gravel fields in east end vancouver or south burnaby who will never play organized soccer and could probably dribble circles around kids who play in associations

/

yes racial overtones of course

'It’s only working for the white kids': American soccer's diversity problem

 

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From SkySports:

Manchester United will complete the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and could conclude a deal before the start of Euro 2016, according to Sky sources.

It is understood United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and Ibrahimovic's representatives are finalising terms on a one-year contract, with Jose Mourinho determined to make the Sweden international his first marquee signing at Old Trafford.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

on that note ... there was a great long article in the Guardian about youth soccer in the US ... and its really applicable in canada too

the gist of it was ... great youth players are going unnoticed in the US by "the governing bodies" ... and that only the kids with parents who have money end up advancing to national team setups ... that the rest of the world always finds the poor kids as soccer is the poor persons game but in north america we still have the pay to play mindset

When my son played U6 and Tony Waiters was the fc coach/technical director for that age grouping he said the same thing ... there are kids playing on gravel fields in east end vancouver or south burnaby who will never play organized soccer and could probably dribble circles around kids who play in associations

/

yes racial overtones of course

'It’s only working for the white kids': American soccer's diversity problem

I've been pretty crystal in my belief that we are at least a century away from countries like ours competing with the Euro/SA giants in youth development but you make a very good point. Part of the reason the soccer powers find these incredibly-skilled superstars is because they have scouts, thousands of them, who scour the hoods looking for those kids with torn up shoes making sweet sweet love to the ball. It would accelerate soccer growth here tenfold if even a fraction of the effort was put forth here to find those kids.

 

[dash]

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I've been pretty crystal in my belief that we are at least a century away from countries like ours competing with the Euro/SA giants in youth development but you make a very good point. Part of the reason the soccer powers find these incredibly-skilled superstars is because they have scouts, thousands of them, who scour the hoods looking for those kids with torn up shoes making sweet sweet love to the ball. It would accelerate soccer growth here tenfold if even a fraction of the effort was put forth here to find those kids.

I hear u but its not just about the number of scouts. Its the " pay to play " system that is what soccer (and all youth sport for that matter) is built on in N/A

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I hear u but its not just about the number of scouts. Its the " pay to play " system that is what soccer (and all youth sport for that matter) is built on in N/A

Commie.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

They couldn't put the Copa America on a channel more than 100 people have?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Then again, the decision-making all-around for this tournament seems to have been suspect - 14,000 showed up for Costa Rica-Paraguay at the Citrus Bowl, capacity 65,000. Haiti-Peru failed to tap into NW Washington State's significant (read: non-existent) Peruvian and Haitian populations and only drew 20,000 12th mans to 12th man land.

One game that did sell was Uruguay-Mexico. Organizers did them proud by playing Chile's national anthem instead of Uruguay's. Mexican fans didn't forget who they were playing however, as they spent literally 90 minutes calling Uruguay homophobic slurs.

America, SEE WHAT YOU'RE MISSING?!

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

As an aside, the three biggest South American stars today, the MSN of Barcelona, are all yet to play a minute at the tournament. Neymar is missing out so he can win Olympic gold on home soil just like the senior team did at the World Cup two years ago, Suarez missed out last night due to injury and Messi is likely going to miss the replay of last year's Copa final due to injury.

 

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I think I saw on the ticker that Mexico is on something like a 20 game unbeaten streak which is currently the longest in the world.

/Of course, this was on Sportsnet. so it might not be true.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Yesterday instead of Uruguay's anthem they played Chile's.

Today's instead of Chile's they played Pitbull. Like no bullshit they just played Pitbull while the players sang the Chilean anthem.

They're just trolling now, right? Did Copa hire Jimmy Kimmel to handle the anthems?

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Fuck.

 

[dash]

Would be a nice move for Atiba, although his Turkish side is playing in the Champions League next season.

West Ham United in advanced negotiations to sign Atiba Hutchinson, claims agent