Soccer, Fútbol, It's just Football

K

Kdogg

Member
I thought it might be nice to have a place to discuss various non EPL Football comings and goings. A place to discuss the USWNT (World Cup 2023), the USMNT, the Euro 2022 qualifiers, the Champions League and anything else football related. So here we go.

It seems the US Soccer Federation is shopping for a new coach. Not sure if it's just fishing or something serious but it's not good news for Gregg Berhalter. I mentioned in the World Cup 2022 thread that's it nice to aim high but this was always unrealistic.

Report: Zindeine Zidane offered, rejected USMNT head coach job


In other news, many people have become familiar with Wrexham FC. It's the Cymry (Welish) football club owned by Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney and the subject of the on going show Welcome to Wrexham. Well they advanced in the FA Cup with a knockout of Coventry. It's not a historical upset but it is an solid upset. For those that don't know, the FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world. It includes teams from nine tiers of domestic football with teams from the 10th-tier filling in as needed. Wrexham play in the fifth-tier while Coventry play in the second-tier (one down from the Premier League). There where a total of 723 teams in the competition through the various stages. Wrexham moves to the round of 32.
 
I've never quite gotten the FA Cup. In theory, I guess it seems like a neat idea ... but has a club from any level other than the top level (Premier League) ever won it? Doesn't seem so, if I am interpreting the Wikipedia entry correctly. I guess it provides the lower-level EPL clubs with a chance to win a trophy if the top-level clubs are focusing more on the EPL and UEFA Champions League contests.

Maybe it might be a little more open this year, if fatigue starts to play a factor with the top teams (what with the World Cup being mixed in this year with everything else)?
 
75Crazie said:
I've never quite gotten the FA Cup. In theory, I guess it seems like a neat idea ... but has a club from any level other than the top level (Premier League) ever won it? Doesn't seem so, if I am interpreting the Wikipedia entry correctly. I guess it provides the lower-level EPL clubs with a chance to win a trophy if the top-level clubs are focusing more on the EPL and UEFA Champions League contests.

Maybe it might be a little more open this year, if fatigue starts to play a factor with the top teams (what with the World Cup being mixed in this year with everything else)?
Click to expand...

Non top flight(before 1990 or so it wasn't the Premiere League) have certainly won it. It doesn't happen often, but back in 1988, 2nd Division Wimbledon beat Liverpool for the FA Cup. Though in 2008 Cardiff, a championship side(the current name for the second division) made the final but lost to Portsmouth. Four years prior, Millwall another championship side reached the final but lost to Man United
 
75Crazie said:
I've never quite gotten the FA Cup. In theory, I guess it seems like a neat idea ... but has a club from any level other than the top level (Premier League) ever won it? Doesn't seem so, if I am interpreting the Wikipedia entry correctly. I guess it provides the lower-level EPL clubs with a chance to win a trophy if the top-level clubs are focusing more on the EPL and UEFA Champions League contests.

Maybe it might be a little more open this year, if fatigue starts to play a factor with the top teams (what with the World Cup being mixed in this year with everything else)?
Click to expand...

Over a hundred and forty? Yes. Over the last thirty? No. Cardiff City was in the finals a few years back. Wigan won on their way out of the EPL. Millwall would be the best example of a giant killer in the competition. These national cups (Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia, Coppa Italia) are a bit traditionalist and have lost some of the clout over the years. They started out at a time when clubs were more or less on equal footing. It hasn't been the case for a long time. Still there is a certain charm watching an EPL team play in a worn pitch with bleacher seating when the draw don't go there way. People in Europe usually don't understand why American's love their college teams. When you point out we don't have hundreds of local football clubs they are a bit more understanding.

It also has repercussions for European Football. The winner gets an automatic place in the UEFA league. The runner-up gets that bid if the winner has already qualified. There are some rare permutations where English teams can get eight, nine or ten places.
 
Kdogg said:
I thought it might be nice to have a place to discuss various non EPL Football comings and goings. A place to discuss the USWNT (World Cup 2023), the USMNT, the Euro 2022 qualifiers, the Champions League and anything else football related. So here we go.

It seems the US Soccer Federation is shopping for a new coach. Not sure if it's just fishing or something serious but it's not good news for Gregg Berhalter. I mentioned in the World Cup 2022 thread that's it nice to aim high but this was always unrealistic.

Report: Zindeine Zidane offered, rejected USMNT head coach job


In other news, many people have become familiar with Wrexham FC. It's the Cymry (Welish) football club owned by Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney and the subject of the on going show Welcome to Wrexham. Well they advanced in the FA Cup with a knockout of Coventry. It's not a historical upset but it is an solid upset. For those that don't know, the FA Cup is the oldest national football competition in the world. It includes teams from nine tiers of domestic football with teams from the 10th-tier filling in as needed. Wrexham play in the fifth-tier while Coventry play in the second-tier (one down from the Premier League). There where a total of 723 teams in the competition through the various stages. Wrexham moves to the round of 32.
Click to expand...
Great idea for a thread. However I enjoy watching Welcome to Wrexham and so this was a spoiler for me. Can we avoid Wrexham spoilers in the future? If yes, then thanks! If not - because it will come up naturally - then that is ok too. I will just avoid the thread.
 
Skydog said:
Great idea for a thread. However I enjoy watching Welcome to Wrexham and so this was a spoiler for me. Can we avoid Wrexham spoilers in the future? If yes, then thanks! If not - because it will come up naturally - then that is ok too. I will just avoid the thread.
Click to expand...

Will do. No spoilers for Welcome to Wrexham.
 
Skydog said:
Great idea for a thread. However I enjoy watching Welcome to Wrexham and so this was a spoiler for me. Can we avoid Wrexham spoilers in the future? If yes, then thanks! If not - because it will come up naturally - then that is ok too. I will just avoid the thread.
Click to expand...

I hear ya, but gonna be hard to avoid discussing any one particular team in an active competition.
 
Skydog said:
Great idea for a thread. However I enjoy watching Welcome to Wrexham and so this was a spoiler for me. Can we avoid Wrexham spoilers in the future? If yes, then thanks! If not - because it will come up naturally - then that is ok too. I will just avoid the thread.
Click to expand...

Second that. Just finished the first season and I am purposely avoiding all news about how they are doing this year. Lots to talk about without mentioning them.

But otherwise, this is a great thread - thanks so much.
 
New American owner Todd Boehly is not having a good time at Chelsea. They have one win in eight and got waxed by the Man City reserves in the FA Cup yesterday. That defense is just broken. There is growing talk of firing Graham Potter who they just hired after firing Thomas Tuchel in September. If Arsenal wins today that sets up a massive game against City in the next round.

The pool for potential US Soccer coaches got smaller with Roberto Martinez (formerly of Belgium) taking the Portugal job. Not sure how I feel about that. With Christian Ronaldo gone my dislike of Portugal will ebb.

From the Coupe de France yesterday. Kids, don't do this. The player on the receiving end was admitted to the ICU as a precaution after going to two hospitals.


And to prove the French like spectacle, even thou the National Team coach re-upped somehow they still have drama.

Kylian Mbappe slams French football president for 'disrespecting' Zinedine Zidane

Zidane is an all time French great. Mbappe has enough power that as part of his club contract he can essentially fire the manager. Also, as a note to the penalty decision from the Word Cup thread, it's in his contact that he takes the PKs.
 
Kdogg said:
New American owner Todd Boehly is not having a good time at Chelsea. They have one win in eight and got waxed by the Man City reserves in the FA Cup yesterday. That defense is just broken. There is growing talk of firing Graham Potter who they just hired after firing Thomas Tuchel in September. If Arsenal wins today that sets up a massive game against City in the next round.

The pool for potential US Soccer coaches got smaller with Roberto Martinez (formerly of Belgium) taking the Portugal job. Not sure how I feel about that. With Christian Ronaldo gone my dislike of Portugal will ebb.

From the Coupe de France yesterday. Kids, don't do this. The player on the receiving end was admitted to the ICU as a precaution after going to two hospitals.


And to prove the French like spectacle, even thou the National Team coach re-upped somehow they still have drama.

Kylian Mbappe slams French football president for 'disrespecting' Zinedine Zidane

Zidane is an all time French great. Mbappe has enough power that as part of his club contract he can essentially fire the manager. Also, as a note to the penalty decision from the Word Cup thread, it's in his contact that he takes the PKs.
Click to expand...

I watched a couple of the goals Chelsea gave up in that blowout and their defending was a joke. Tactically awful - losing shape as they get pulled to one side of the field & leaving the weak side wide open, marking space instead of players resulting in completely unmarked players in the box, not tracking late runners… sheesh!
 
Skydog said:
I watched a couple of the goals Chelsea gave up in that blowout and their defending was a joke. Tactically awful - losing shape as they get pulled to one side of the field & leaving the weak side wide open, marking space instead of players resulting in completely unmarked players in the box, not tracking late runners… sheesh!
Click to expand...

City can do that to a team. That said, it doesn't seem like the message Potter used to get Brighton to punch above its weight is carrying much weight with the Chelsea squad. It's easier to swap managers, but sometimes, the personnel is the problem. Good news for Chelsea is that Boehly seems to be buying anyone and everyone he can, so change is coming to that roster.
 
Chicago 1995 said:
City can do that to a team. That said, it doesn't seem like the message Potter used to get Brighton to punch above its weight is carrying much weight with the Chelsea squad. It's easier to swap managers, but sometimes, the personnel is the problem. Good news for Chelsea is that Boehly seems to be buying anyone and everyone he can, so change is coming to that roster.
Click to expand...
The bad defending tactics I saw had nothing to do with City. It was just bad defending 101. City of course took advantage of the gaffes, as it is wont to do.
 
Super League: The War For Football on Apple TV+

“Football is the most important of all the unimportant things in life.”

We binged this last night. It's a four part documentary about the rise and fall of the Super League (a breakaway league of the top clubs) over four days in 2021. It's a story filled with complexities, tension and backstabbing. It brings insight into the increasing conflict between the big business of football vs the heart, soul & history of football. While not completely balanced it does give the Super League folks amply chance to state their side. It's kind of long but very interesting doc about the top of European Football.
 
Unfortunately this doesn't affect the current version of Fox Corp. Fox gets away scot-free with below market rate World Cup TV rights. I remember that John Skipper at ESPN was extremely angry over Fox getting the rights for 2018/2022 and a no bid 2026. The worst part of this is FIFA will be reimbursed part of any settlement because they claim to be a victim. The same thing happened with the other FIFA bribery trail.

FIFA Trial Could Implicate Fox, a Major Player in Soccer

Two former executives are accused of paying bribes to obtain broadcast rights, including for the World Cup. Testimony could reveal what the company knew.
 
US Soccer seems to be cleaning house. Brain McBride (GM) has been fired with three years left on his contract.

Brian McBride dismissed as USMNT general manager

"Without giving a reason, Stewart [U.S. Soccer Sporting Director] told the USSF’s board of directors Thursday during its private executive session that McBride wouldn’t return, said one person, who, like others with knowledge of the situation, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment publicly."

For reference McBride, Berhalter, and Reyna where all teammates and are all US Soccer Hall of Famers.
 
Whatever you think of the recent goings on for US soccer, I'd say Gio had a pretty good response to it, netting two game winners in a week with the Bundesliga starting back up
 
Deslok said:
Whatever you think of the recent goings on for US soccer, I'd say Gio had a pretty good response to it, netting two game winners in a week with the Bundesliga starting back up
Click to expand...

Good start to getting out from his parents’ shadow.
 
Deslok said:
Whatever you think of the recent goings on for US soccer, I'd say Gio had a pretty good response to it, netting two game winners in a week with the Bundesliga starting back up
Click to expand...

Except for the part where he put his fingers over his lips and then in his ears suggesting his critics were all wrong. Nice play but I doubt he has learned anything from the WC debacle.

Not his fault though - apparently he was raised that way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top