General Soccer Thread

[mtcefc]

Women’s soccer is a great sport. And without most of the men’s bull [expletive]. But I think it’s gotten a little more BS-y over the years.

I’ll never be able to just accept the time manipulation and fake pain. I hate it. The MLS development league is experimenting with keeping any “injured” player down 15 seconds or more off the field for at least three minutes.

Stoppage time has improved a lot in the last 10 years. Used to be life flight could land and take a guy pretending to be hurt away and it would still be three minutes. Always three minutes.

You know that move where the goalkeeper dives and lies prostrate over the ball for 40 seconds to keep it safe? It’s weird that the risk is only present after 85’.

In England, it isn't an experiment; it's happening (cue the meme):

New laws to cause 'chaos' in EFL, say QPR and Charlton managers

The English Football League will use a more "accurate" way to calculate added-on time during matches. Meanwhile, injured players who leave the field for treatment will have to wait at least 30 seconds before being allowed back onto the pitch.

Football's law makers - the International Football Association Board (Ifab) - announced its wish to "create fairer conditions for both teams in terms of the amount of time available in a match" at the start of the year. Those guidelines have formed the basis for the EFL's initiative to add the exact time taken to deal with goals, substitutions, injuries, penalties and sendings-off, as well as implement a multi-ball system.

In line with Ifab guidance, after play is restarted while an injured player is being treated they will not be able to return to the pitch until at least 30 seconds has elapsed. That period could be extended if play is in the vicinity of the player looking to re-enter the pitch.​

Players and managers will also face tougher punishments for poor behaviour as part of a charter introduced by the Football Association. New measures stated players "must not confront, invade the personal space of, or make physical contact with the match officials". Should two or more players surround an official "in a confrontational manner" it will result in a yellow card and be reported to the FA.

Bosses and coaches, meanwhile, must adhere to new rules covering the technical area - and will not be permitted to enter the pitch at half-time or full-time to confront officials. During the match only one person can stand at the front of the technical area and, while a second person can stand, they "must remain very close to the technical area seating".

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66397352

Players "faking" an injury is always going to be a part of a game. Sometimes it can kill a teams momentum if done properly. The best way to spot it is if they are rolling around. If you are really injured, you don't roll around.

Football as I know (and loved) it is dead.

Without wanting to poke a hornets nest on here, it is all about which billionaire owner you have. Unfortunately my team (Everton) are owned by the accountant of a Russian oilgarch whose assets have been frozen.

What is going on at Chelsea is absolutely insane and I am not sure what the deal is with the Saudi league apart from pure sportswashing/money laundering, but what has always been a bit dodgy seems to be absolutely corrupt/illegal and people are turning a blind eye because their bunch of millionaires are making them feel better than my bunch are.

I used to feel a connection with the players years ago, a loss would ruin my weekend and I feel they felt the same.

Now I don't think they even know properly who they play for and retire to their mansions on a Saturday and don't care about the fans as long as that £100,000 keeps coming every week.

I missed two Everton home games as a season ticket holder between 1996 and 2014 and since 2014 I have actually been to more Cardinals games.

I still like them and last season at times I was staring at updates on some games as I couldn't watch it, I can't just shake that off, but I wish I could.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Seeing lots of kids in Miami jerseys around town. I actually think it’s good, as they probably never had a MLS jersey previously. The Timbers are extremely popular here (and newly coachless). But there are also lots of people (especially those that aren’t tapped into local culture so much—and I don’t mean that as any slight) that are just into the Barcas and Messis of the world when it comes to soccer.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Taylor Twellman, who has always been a bit annoying, has hit new levels since going to Apple. Their broadcasts leave a ton to be desired. Fox's too. CBS is the best soccer platform in the US by far, so at least I can watch a bunch of Americans in their Serie A coverage without getting mad every 5 minutes.

I don’t know. I got the Open Cup game on and these guys haven’t [expletive] their pants once. Hard to take them seriously. Also, the way they pronounce ‘Messi’, makes it sound exactly like the names of some of the other 21 players on the field who don’t matter. Who’s gonna [expletive] their pants for those guys?

[thrill]

Seeing how much Leo Messi cares about a US Open Cup semifinal in Cincinnati on an august Wednesday night has me realizing I’ve somehow underrated him as a competitor all these years. Not since Deuce tore that ref’s red card have I seen someone go this hard.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

I’m not sure Duece was there to compete so much as bristle at disrespect. Somehow, though he has way more license, Messi doesn’t seem to be coming at it from a sense of entitlement like Clint and Donovan and Wondo and the USMNT guys of that era.

I bet they’re regretting naming the MVP award already.

There was that one game where Messi committed a second yellow because he was mad (mad competitive, not mad ‘how dare you worthless ugly poor people’). He didn’t get it because obviously he’s capped at one. But it was illustrative.

I do wonder if he’s pouring it all out because it’s Messi being Messi. Or if there’s some other motivating factors at play as well. I don’t know him well enough.

[thrill]

I’m not sure Duece was there to compete so much as bristle at disrespect. Somehow, though he has way more license, Messi doesn’t seem to be coming at it from a sense of entitlement like Clint and Donovan and Wondo and the USMNT guys of that era.

This is what I've marveled at the most. He takes every match more seriously than "big" players, both domestic and from abroad, have when they come here from Europe. Going 120 every match, playing on turf, showing up for the Open Cup, etc. Its really, really special. Now we'll see what happens when actual league play starts back up. Maybe they're just going for broke in the tournaments and will take it easy in the league, but somehow I doubt it.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I’m not sure Duece was there to compete so much as bristle at disrespect. Somehow, though he has way more license, Messi doesn’t seem to be coming at it from a sense of entitlement like Clint and Donovan and Wondo and the USMNT guys of that era.

This is what I've marveled at the most. He takes every match more seriously than "big" players, both domestic and from abroad, have when they come here from Europe. Going 120 every match, playing on turf, showing up for the Open Cup, etc. Its really, really special. Now we'll see what happens when actual league play starts back up. Maybe they're just going for broke in the tournaments and will take it easy in the league, but somehow I doubt it.

I'm also curious how much that burst is due to him having an offseason break(plus PSG being on cruise control for months to end the previous season) while everyone else in MLS has been in-season since March. We'll probably find out soon with as many midweek games they'll have and some(like the Open Cup final) being games that their before/after MLS opponents don't have to plan around.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

On the one hand, in the US Rubiales would have been removed from any soccer appointment on a rail like that guy in O Brother. On the other, he’d be elected a Republican congressperson just as soon as calendars permitted afterward.

[thrill]

Now that kissing women without consent is a hot topic in Spain, I'm sure his future career opportunities as a men's rights activist will be very lucrative and successful. For many spanish men, this is like if America outlawed guns. They will build an entire movement around their right to touch women without consent.

[mikechamp]

Now that kissing women without consent is a hot topic in Spain, I'm sure his future career opportunities as a men's rights activist will be very lucrative and successful. For many spanish men, this is like if America outlawed guns. They will build an entire movement around their right to touch women without consent.

Do you think they'll call it the NRA (National Romance Association)?