Soccer thread

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 3:38 pm

You are probably right.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:49 pm

ESPN going apeshit with its coverage of Beckham's debut:

David Beckham’s First Match in Major League Soccer
Live on ESPN Saturday, July 21

David Beckham: New Beginnings Documentary at 7:30 p.m.; Additional Coverage on ESPNSoccernet.com; ESPN360.com; SportsCenter and ESPNEWS

ESPN will use its multimedia assets to present unprecedented live coverage of David Beckham’s Major League Soccer (MLS) debut Saturday, July 21 at 9 p.m. ET, as the Los Angeles Galaxy host Chelsea F.C. of the English Premier League in an international club contest at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The planned coverage of Beckham’s arrival, which includes exclusive and access-driven programming content, represents ESPN’s most expansive initiative ever for a single U.S. domestic soccer event.

Game day coverage will begin with pre-match reports on SportsCenter at 6 p.m. The network’s flagship news and information program will also offer an expanded 30-minute edition at 7 p.m. with interviews, updates and pre-match festivities from The Home Depot Center.

“Beckham’s move to Major League Soccer is a landmark moment for the league and for soccer in America,” said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN’s vice president of programming and acquisitions. “Our coverage will appear across several ESPN platforms and will chronicle this historic moment well beyond the game telecast with the depth and context it deserves.”

ESPN and ABC’s lead soccer play-by-play commentator Dave O’Brien, analysts Eric Wynalda and Tommy Smyth, and sideline reporter Allen Hopkins will call the match. Rob Stone will host a 30-minute pre-match show with analyst Julie Foudy from The Home Depot Center, followed by the match at 9 p.m. Planned highlights of the match telecast:

• 19 cameras, including Skycam, super slo-mo cameras and robotic goal cams;
• Beckham Cam: A player-isolation camera focusing on Beckham’s every move throughout the match. “Beckham Cam” will be featured extensively on ESPN360.com;
• Celebrity Cam: An on-field and in-the-stands wireless steady-cam identifying celebrity fans and getting their reactions to Beckham’s play;
• Reggie Bush appearance: The New Orleans Saints’ all-purpose back – featured with Beckham in adidas’ new “Futbol vs. Football” campaign – will join O’Brien, Wynalda and Smyth in the booth to discuss the campaign;
• Hopkins will conduct in-match interviews with players and coaches.

Ancillary Programming on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and ESPN360.com

• SPORTSCENTER (6 – 7:30 p.m.) – On match-day, the 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter will feature extensive coverage of David Beckham’s move to Major League Soccer. The last 30 minutes of the expanded edition will focus on Beckham-related news, interviews and analysis and live reports from The Home Depot Center;
• ESPNEWS: Throughout the week leading up to Beckham’s debut, the nation’s only 24-hour sports news television network, will present news, interviews, opinion and analysis surrounding Beckham’s move to MLS;
• ESPN360.com: ESPN’s broadband coverage will feature a unique view of the Chelsea-Galaxy match via “Beckham Cam,” which will track his play on the field, provide look-ins to his family in the stands and offer a continuous stream of Beckham career stats, facts, bio info, as well as "live" in-game stats from the match;
• ESPN.com and ESPNSoccernet.com: A multimedia E-Ticket package will blend online video, photos and feature reporting to profile Beckham and examine his move to MLS and the potential impact he will have on soccer in the United States.

Beckham is joining the Los Angeles Galaxy after four years with Real Madrid – one of the most successful and prestigious soccer clubs in the world. He helped the Madrid side win the 2006-07 Spanish League title before leaving the club last month. He played for England’s national team in the last three FIFA World Cup tournaments and served as captain from 2000–06. Though initially left off national team call-ups, Beckham was recalled on May 26, and he assisted on three of the four England goals in the two matches he played.

David Beckham: New Beginnings, ESPN at 7:30 p.m., July 21

Leading into the match, ESPN will feature David Beckham: New Beginnings, a one-hour documentary chronicling the soccer megastar’s journey from ending his European club career to starting his new career across the Atlantic in Los Angeles in Major League Soccer. The documentary will include unprecedented access to Beckham as he and his family prepare for their new life in America. It will also feature Beckham’s recent comebacks – his recall to England’s national team and the improbable role he played Real Madrid’s 2007 La Liga title campaign. Click here for excerpts from Beckham's exclusive interview. Other highlights:

• A look at Beckham’s ambitious, lucrative and brave new adventure in America;
• Beckham speaks: Insights from the man himself about rejoining England’s national team, how his teammates reacted, reflections on playing for the national team for the first time at the new Wembley Stadium, and his thoughts on the future of his international career and Euro 2008 while playing for the Galaxy;
• Behind the scenes footage of the adidas “Futbol vs. Football” campaign spot with Beckham and New Orleans Saints all-purpose running back Reggie Bush
• Highlights of Beckham’s first week in Los Angeles – training with the Galaxy, his official introduction to fans at The Home Depot Center (July 13) and his trip to the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game (July 19)
• Comments from some of the LA Galaxy’s celebrity fans on Beckham’s arrival.

CONSUMER MARKETING CAMPAIGN
The ESPN marketing team behind the critically acclaimed 2006 FIFA World Cup “One Game Changes Everything” campaign will launch a new soccer-specific image campaign tied to David Beckham’s Major League Soccer debut. The multimedia campaign, entitled “Hello, Goodbye,” will debut Monday, July 9, during ESPN's telecast of the 2007 State Farm Home Run Derby Monday at 8 p.m. – traditionally the network's highest-rated and most-watched summer program. The campaign will run through Saturday, July 21.

The primary television spot captures the excitement – and sadness overseas – surrounding Beckham’s arrival in the U.S. Set to the Beatles’ hit song, “Hello, Goodbye,” the spot offers the juxtaposition of contrasting images and emotions – pensive European fans devastated by the loss of Beckham and American fans reveling in his arrival.

“Hello, Goodbye” will be featured across ESPN media platforms – ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN The Magazine, et al. Beyond exposures on ESPN, the campaign will include a print component in a national newspaper.

ESPN Zone
ESPN Zone Anaheim, the Southern California location of the sports-themed national restaurant chain, will host an all-day viewing party to commemorate Beckham’s first match in a Major League Soccer uniform Saturday, July 21.

- mls07 -

Take care,
PK

black_dynamite · Post by **black_dynamite** » Fri Jul 06, 2007 10:18 pm

2-1 USA OVER BRASIL!!!!!!!

I may not be American but I have to give credit where credit is due. The US look for real and they did it by beating a heavily favored Brasillian team.

Freddy Adu is looking better and better each game and hopefully he can continue this form throughout the tournament. Everyone on the team has been playing very well and they managed to top a difficult group. I only wish that Canada had a team that possessed good technical ability and good coaching like the Americans have (unfortunately Canada is severely lacking in both at the moment).

But once again, huge congratulations go to the Americans on a big win against Brasil.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 5:58 am

Pah - Beckham's old news.

FORWARD WITH SVEN !!

Of course, City fans being what they are, bets are being placed on the timing of the first boos to ring out across the City of Manchester stadium

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:24 am

Of course, City fans being what they are, bets are being placed on the timing of the first boos to ring out across the City of Manchester stadium

10 minuttes into the firdst friendly

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:24 am

That'll be at Doncaster then.

Of course, if a decent strike force shows up, then who knows.

On the even-more-plus side, it looks like Leeds Utd's administration has been overturned (Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes wasn't too happy at the offer of 1p in the pound on their outstanding bills, wonder why..), and they might not be able to start the season....quelle dommage.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 11:40 am

That U-20 game was awesome. All it really means is that we have a weaker opponent in the first knock-out game, and we may well meet Brazil again later on (I have no clue what all the 3rd place stuff is ending up like right now), but it was awesome to see. I wish I had rallied my ass to go up there. I saw a bunch of my RBNY idiot friends who were in Germany with me right at the head of the broadcast and I am so happy they were there. I can't imagine the emotion they were feeling when that 2nd goal went in.

What a great display of heart to earn the winner after the barrage from Brazil had evened the score! I've seen all manner of Brazil sides come from just such a situation against us to win (last time I guess was a Gold Cup game in the Orange Bowl a few years ago when their U-23 group came from behind to beat us and the crowd was going nuts for them and the Brazilian players celebrated like T.O. in Dallas when he was a 49er and man was I pissed off. . . ). But not this time!

Freddy was electric, just great. I wish the replays had shown the move he made in the corner on that 2nd goal. Jozy is a monster. No one wants to deal with that guy, he's too much of a load, and surprisingly skilled on the ball. Zizzo didn't play great but I thought was key. Rogers as well didn't play superbly but did some very good things, not least of which was that long shot early on that set the tone and let the Brazilians know what they were about to deal with. I felt like Bradley played poorly, which for him means he was still very good on the defensive side, but he was just invisible in the attack. When he can hold possession and spark the attack from the middle, this team is much more dangerous. Szettella was pretty invisible, but not a liability. Beltran was probably the weak link.

And of course if it wasn't for Seitz, Brazil wins easily. He made those two absurd saves, after he was hobbled from the 6-car pile-up that led to Brazil's goal. He commanded his box and then some, coming out at least three times I remember in the first half to head long balls away and snuff out some potentially dangerous attacks, and was just excellent today.

Rongen has these guys pointed in the right direction, that's for sure. I'm starting to love the 4-3-3! How much are tickets to Toronto?

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 12:04 pm

Doncaster, please slay them.

Post by **Jared** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 12:16 pm

Yeah, that performance against Brazil was fantastic. As for us, it's generally looking like we'll get the winner of Zambia/Jordan or the winner of Costa Rica/Scotland. Maaaaybe the loser of Spain/Uruguay; maaaaybe North Korea. Almost all of these are much better options than Argentina. Brazil shooould make it through (a Portugal victory over Gambia guarantees their passage through)..though they won't end up in our bracket regardless of if/where they qualify.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 12:50 pm

davet010 wrote:On the even-more-plus side, it looks like Leeds Utd's administration has been overturned (Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes wasn't too happy at the offer of 1p in the pound on their outstanding bills, wonder why..), and they might not be able to start the season....quelle dommage.

Oh, woe. We were so looking forward to welcoming Leeds and their delightful travelling army for a 1pm kick-off on Boxing Day.

Actually, given the away journeys my beloved HUFC have to make in League One, Elland Road would be one of the few stadia that I'd have the time, money and inclination to reach. It says something, I reckon, that in 10 minutes that's the only reason I've thought of for wanting them to start the season, and it says something else altogether when Leeds even have to contemplate playing us in the first place.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:38 pm

black_dynamite wrote:2-1 USA OVER BRASIL!!!!!!!

I may not be American but I have to give credit where credit is due. The US look for real and they did it by beating a heavily favored Brasillian team.

Freddy Adu is looking better and better each game and hopefully he can continue this form throughout the tournament. Everyone on the team has been playing very well and they managed to top a difficult group. I only wish that Canada had a team that possessed good technical ability and good coaching like the Americans have (unfortunately Canada is severely lacking in both at the moment).

But once again, huge congratulations go to the Americans on a big win against Brasil.

A great game for the USA, even if they played a bit more defensively than I expected. The game plan certainly seemed to defend, and bang it up to Jozy and see what he and Freddy can do.

The real challenge for the US is about to begin though with elimination games. I have high hopes for this squad, as it very well could be their best team for some time. I haven't seen many other teams in this tournament, but it strikes me that Seitz, Bradley, Freddy and Jozy are as good as it gets at this level in their respective positions. The scary part is that Freddy and Jozy are both young enough to be eligible for the 2009 U20 cup, but something tells me they won't be on that squad.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:40 pm

Brazil finally decided to show up in Copa America and had their best match yet advancing to the next round. They toyed with Chile tonight.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:34 pm

Did anyone catch the new renderings for a proposed stadium for DC United:

http://www.mlsnet.com/gen/photogallery/ ... 02333.html

Now, this being DC, I don't expect there's much of a chance of it happening in this century, but one can dream, right? The design is a little out there, but I like it!

Post by **Jared** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:47 pm

Hell yeah! They've changed the stadium plans a bit, but that looks great. I haven't been keeping up with the stadium news there, so I have no idea when this will happen...but that looks to be an awesome stadium.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:51 pm

Copa America semis: Brazil-Uruguay and Argentina-Mexico.

A potential Brazil-Argentina final is what I am hoping for.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:15 pm

That stadium looks sweet! Oh man what an upgrade from shitty RFK!

That being said, I am highly skeptical. I'll wait and see what Goff says on his blog. Usually he has a stadium news update every few weeks that consists of the following entry: 'Zzzzzzzzz.'

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:19 pm

10spro wrote:Copa America semis: Brazil-Uruguay and Argentina-Mexico.

A potential Brazil-Argentina final is what I am hoping for.

Those are good matchups. Mexico has been playing so well--can they upset Argentina's full team and get revenge for the WC2006 loss? I could see Mexico taking an early lead and making life VERY difficult for the Argies.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 6:16 pm

Naples39 wrote:
10spro wrote:Copa America semis: Brazil-Uruguay and Argentina-Mexico.

A potential Brazil-Argentina final is what I am hoping for.
Those are good matchups. Mexico has been playing so well--can they upset Argentina's full team and get revenge for the WC2006 loss? I could see Mexico taking an early lead and making life VERY difficult for the Argies.

Yeah, that 6-0 drilling of Paraguay looked unreal. They played a perfect match. And if I recall their WC match went OT, so it'll be a tough game for Argentina. But looking at their so called "B" bench, when you have guys like Tevez, in the end they should advance to the finals.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 6:31 pm

10spro wrote:Yeah, that 6-0 drilling of Paraguay looked unreal. They played a perfect match.

Not to talk away from a well-earned great start, but teams tend to look good when they play 88 minutes a man up and have a one goal lead.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:18 am

Entertaining semi between Brazil and Uruguay. I thought the Blues played well, especially being behind the score twice in the game. Forlan had a great game and if they pushed the Brazilians a bit more, the result could have been different. Brazil still hasn't shown the flashes of football that they are capable of in this tournament but here they are in the finals. Again.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:44 pm

U-20 headed to the Quarters after a gutsy effort. That WAllace kid is not good.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:01 pm

Messi's chip vs Mexico tonight....so sweeeeeeeeeet......

Argentina looks amazing....I like em beating Brazil in the Copa America final.

I know its early but Ive been so impressed and the key players are so young are so young a Im already picking them picking Argentina for the 2010 World Cup.

Great goal after great goal between ARG and BRA

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:07 pm

fsquid wrote:U-20 headed to the Quarters after a gutsy effort. That WAllace kid is not good.

Just a brutal game to watch, IMO. Uruguay was so well organized (and dirty) defensively that it sucked the life out of the US attack. The US defense was at 6's and 7's a few times, and allowing the opener on that long throw was awful. On the other hand, the fitness of the US really told during the extra time, and the nature of the game definitely allowed the kids to show their fortitude.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:59 pm

Very impressive win by Argentina. The 1st goal was a beautiful set play that caught the Mexicans by surprise when everyone thought it was a header play and the GOLAZO by Messi was pure genius. Mexico was not a walk in the park in this tournament, led by Guardado (what a player) they had a couple of chances and easily the second best team I witnessed so far.

I am hoping for Brazil to wake up and show us the 'Jogo Bonito' that they are all capable of, and we should be treated for a gem on Sunday. Right now Argentina has too many weapons and a bench that's an envy for any nation. In any case the final I was hoping for. Argentina is my pick.

Check the goal by L. Messi.

http://goaltube.org/modules.php?name=Vi ... 319b5f1b66

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:58 am

RobVarak wrote:
fsquid wrote:U-20 headed to the Quarters after a gutsy effort. That WAllace kid is not good.

Just a brutal game to watch, IMO. Uruguay was so well organized (and dirty) defensively that it sucked the life out of the US attack. The US defense was at 6's and 7's a few times, and allowing the opener on that long throw was awful. On the other hand, the fitness of the US really told during the extra time, and the nature of the game definitely allowed the kids to show their fortitude.

Agreed. A dreadful match, and I was actually flipping around and browsing the internet during extra time because my patience had run out. Dreadful game, and weak performance from the boys. In the end though, you have to give them a lot of credit for gutting out a come from behind win.

Freddy didn't see much of the ball in the first half, and I think he got a little frustrated in the 2nd. This team also needs Seitz and Jozy back, Jozy in particular. Gabe Ferrari was a disaster out there, and Akpan works hard, but has limited ability. At least they have another game to get their swagger back before taking on the big boys.