2013 MLS Thread, now with 99% less Beckham talk

I'm terrible at picking the winners of soccer games, but I'm better than that guy.

 

Big match last night:

 

How in the blue hell did you not get a late winner last night?! Wave after wave of attacks. Type of game ol' Becks used to win for you.

 

Gyasi Zardes...he looks so amazing on the ball, but he just cannot find the net. He may be approaching the highest shots per goal for a G's player ever ever ever. Also... Without Donovan, everyone worked harder and got tired. It was amazing to see in real life how exhausted both teams were. Leonardo just quit on his last play. Sort of weird. They are off to Costa Rica again now...hopefully no one gets hurt.

 

how is NY is the lead for the supporters shield? If you asked me where they were off hand i would have said 3rd in the east probably

 

The east is terrible...that might be part of it.

 

Yes yes it is, which is good for us, as we try to find where Jack Mac has gone since the gold cup...:dismay:

 

You're right, Mac has gone AWOL. I think he lost his mojo by not getting played. Too bad. I hope he finds his form again.

 

This is going to be a ridiculous end to the season.. Going to my college soccer games,..not scratching my soccer itch my need to road trip back to Philadelphia for these final games

 

Have you had a look at the MLS standings lately?
http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

With 2 matches left, there are still 6 teams able to win the Supporters Shield....and 14 teams still fighting for a playoff spot.

What a finish! Every game matters to almost every other team.

 

You lot did the boys in orange a favor last night. I've been slowly pulling myself back into the MLS circle. Dynamo should make the post-season now, which should mean a bit more local coverage and hype. Then again, with Dwight Howard fever about to kick off, perhaps not.

 

Good timing! It is the American way. Skip the regular season, and tune in for playoffs. Not much of the season left to focus on at this point, so that makes it easier. MLS will be down to 4 teams in 3 weeks time... Plenty of time for Houston Dwightmanship.

 

2 years ago, they were only winning team in town, so got plenty of run time. Now with the Rockets back on the championship trail and the Texans having a couple of vaguely successful seasons, the local soccer club are down in the ratings again. Attendance has been pretty poor this season from what I can tell, with the new stadium glow already appearing to wear off. I've only made it to 3 or 4 games, though the baby has had a lot to do with that.

From my personal standpoint, my interest in Watford has naturally picked up a little with the exciting times we've been having, so I've not been following MLS quite as intently in my thirst for some success.

 

Well good luck to you gentlemen. I will be spending my time trying to come up with new jokes and chants, now that Red Bull has some silver ware :dismay:

 

Kind of disappointing, isn't it? It's been too good to be true for so long, it had to end sometime.

 

An Oh baby goal there to keep the Galaxy in it. Also how is Seattle this bad?

 

I don't know, but I love it!
They're hurting bad... Portland has them on the ropes. It will take a miracle for Seattle to punch their way through. It's going to be a great second leg.

These are all very interesting playoff series so far!

Houston sticking it to NY was unexpectedly awesome. NE fighting back to draw level. Now the home team higher seeds need to do their jobs and book their spots in the semi's.

RSL had Keane wrapped up pretty tightly and their midfield denied the Galaxy much service. Partially, it is because Arena insists on playing Robbie Rogers who is totally ineffective. He is supposed to get wide and lay in some crosses, but he was not able to be a threat at all, and so they doubled down elsewhere. Franklin's screamer came out of the blue and got through.

I'm hoping Arena gets his mind off the fixation he's got with Rogers and starts almost anyone else in Salt Lake City Thursday. RSL is unspectacular, but very competent and did a great job throttling the G's attack. Gotta break through to get the Ticket to the Championship...

 

Went to the Dynamo game on Sunday in typical glory hunting fashion. Decent game, though there were some truly mystical refereeing decisions, most notably the straight red for NY. Still, makes the game on Wednesday night a little more interesting.

 

Yeah, I don't care how or why, I'm just glad it happened! Go Houston!!!!

 

Classic Dynamo, sneaking the victory in extra time, having been dominated for almost the entire game. Love it. So long NYRB, maybe next year eh!

 

'19 years and all I got was this silly dinner plate"- NYRB

 

Well, at least somebody other than LA will beat Houston in the final this year.

Take out the Beckham factor and look what happens.

 

I think you're the only person I've seen bring up Beckham...
Donovan and Keane were no shows, and most of us see that as attributable to playing the ineffective Robbie Rogers all through playoffs.

There were other better options, but...it's all behind us now. I'm relieved, to be honest. This season has been awkward. There is loads of back office work to do!

 

Any team would suffer without its spiritual leader....

 

I heard a bit of an interview with Kofi Opare, a rookie center back for the galaxy, getting league minimum. He said everyone on the team is afraid to practice full speed with Beckham, Keane and Donovan because they are paid 100x the amount the other guys get. It's a weird caste system, and no one is very comfortable with it, even spiritually.

 

I read that same interview and it's not a surprise really. For me, that's part of why Houston has been pretty successful over the years. They don't really have any big stars in the squad, which has helped them develop a great team spirit between a bunch of hardworking professionals.

I think it's a necessary evil though - these DP players are definitely helping to raise the profile and standard of MLS. Long term I think it'll pay dividends. Hopefully the league will continue to grow over the next 20 years to the point where they don't need the salary caps etc to keep the league viable. It'd be great to see MLS become a league that is a genuine option for players around the world at the peak of their careers. I do think they'll have to adopt the European schedule eventually though if this to be the case. As we spoke about on Facebook, the more parents that fear their kids playing American Football, the greater percentage of top young athletes will turn to soccer - especially with the eventual lift of the salary cap.

MLS is definitely here to stay, which is a great thing. It'll only get stronger IMO.

 

New MLS game plan bring back all the internationals

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/26054220

Well done Beckham, the man who just keeps on giving back to MLS and soccer in this country. If the USA ever win a World Cup, they'll have no choice but to erect a statue of Beckham outside the USMNT headquarters.

 

Heh heh. You said erect

 

You might have to change the name of this thread Fitz, as I expect the 99% less Beckham talk is about to change

 

Miami GoldenBalls FC

 

You're right Jimbo...
Professional sports teams in Florida struggle mightily with the apathy of the people in the state.

We'll see if he can
buck the trend and be the saviour of all professional sporting in Florida and make the inveterate college football loving people of the wang of America love soccer
-or-
if we again get to laugh at the hubris of dimwitted Davey and dissect exactly how Svengali Simon Fuller has stolen the keys and driven the bus up an alley from which it can't be turned around easily.

I can't wait!!

 

New England just gets younger and more talented... I hate the East right now