The Swamp

degenerasian wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 8:01 am And by the way. Villareal play against ManU today. Win and they are in the Champions League, lose and they are in the Conference League. There's some motivation for you.

I don't really feel like looking it up... Why? What is this game? I saw it being promoted but couldn't be arsed to figure it out.

IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE SEASON!

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 1:17 pm IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE SEASON!

There are no other games. Just this one. For all the BBs.

I'd love to see United win this game, then sign Dani Parejo and Pau Torres.

Tom 1860 wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 7:54 am Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Blackpool take on Lincoln City in the league one playoff final this Sunday.

The possibility of a return to the 2nd tier of English football is the prize...

The hordes of Swamp Tangerine fans are on it!

How is that dude still on the pitch? His nose is a red sieve.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Wed May 26, 2021 2:17 pm How is that dude still on the pitch? His nose is a red sieve.

Nothing a head wrap can’t fix.

McTominay has been a beast these last 5 minutes.

He's been good. Pretty risky to have ALL of your reliable attackers in the starting lineup with no one to sub in later. Also pretty risky to not sub anyone until the 100th minute. Villarreal's finishing has been horrid though. Kind of a shit game from what I've seen.

a shootout!!!!

Champions League or Conference League!

sucks for De Gea. But he wouldn't have saved any of the next 30 either, so ...

Keeper on keeper crime!

Just turned on the Brentford-Swansea promotion playoff. Thought I would be cheering for Brentford but first two plays I saw are Brentford players embarrassingly overselling fouls, so now I'm hoping for a Swansea comeback.

travzilla wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 9:17 am Just turned on the Brentford-Swansea promotion playoff. Thought I would be cheering for Brentford but first two plays I saw are Brentford players embarrassingly overselling fouls, so now I'm hoping for a Swansea comeback.

I'm trying to figure if the Swansea kits all have hashtags before the player's names.

eta: The Brentwood kits have the same thing...not a hashtag, but no idea what it is.

travzilla wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 9:17 am Just turned on the Brentford-Swansea promotion playoff. Thought I would be cheering for Brentford but first two plays I saw are Brentford players embarrassingly overselling fouls, so now I'm hoping for a Swansea comeback.

My wife hates bees so she’s supporting Swansea today. I have yet to make up my mind. Not sure I like the idea of both bees and
hornets coming up to the premier league the same year. But as I type it became 2-0 to the Bees so I don’t think we can stop it.

Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager, has a glorious head of hair.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 9:26 am Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager, has a glorious head of hair.

It’s really not fair.

serrano wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 9:33 am

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 9:26 am Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager, has a glorious head of hair.

It’s really not fair.

Lots of good similarities in this thread:

It’s for sure Kyle MacLachlan.

Pretty sure I'll root for Brentford in the EPL next season. Now we had a chance to meet this young man, and boy that's just a straight shooter with upper management written all over him.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:13 pm

If I hadn't seen the corner being taken, I wouldn't have known which side were attacking.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:22 pm

If I hadn't seen the corner being taken, I wouldn't have known which side were attacking.

That’s hilarious

Important to clarify that he won't be leaving a successful EPL club to tend to the duties of a league-less 2nd division US team.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:45 am Important to clarify that he won't be leaving a successful EPL club to tend to the duties of a league-less 2nd division US team.

The Rhinos were a force back in the day. 1999 they won the US Open Cup versus the Rapids.
The Rhinos, Richmond Kickers, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds have been the stalwarts of minor league soccer (sounders and timbers were in that world too) for a long time. They survive on strong community engagement and youth club stuff.

I know who the Rhinos are. I was just chuckling at bullet 2.

Wrexham to play in Philadelphia is not something I ever thought I'd see

Me either. Mostly because I didn't know until just now Wrexham was a thing.

wlu_lax6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:58 am

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:45 am Important to clarify that he won't be leaving a successful EPL club to tend to the duties of a league-less 2nd division US team.

The Rhinos were a force back in the day. 1999 they won the US Open Cup versus the Rapids.
The Rhinos, Richmond Kickers, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds have been the stalwarts of minor league soccer (sounders and timbers were in that world too) for a long time. They survive on strong community engagement and youth club stuff.

Battery might also be in this crowd.

I read/heard that one of the cool outcomes of MLS and SUM splitting off is there will be a bigger push for the US Open. It really is time for that competition to get more run.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Fri Jun 18, 2021 9:57 am Me either. Mostly because I didn't know until just now Wrexham was a thing.

I'm legit excited to see what Reynolds and McElhanney do here. I heard an interview with Rob (smartless interview) and he seems genuinely excited and vested in turning things around there. Gotta wait a year for the first season of the doc... I guess I'll just bide my time watching the other US-->Brit soccer doc this summer. Go Lasso Go!

Apparently Landycakes and a $ guy from Arizona are getting in on Lincoln. Guess he did not get the memo that Blackpool pwnd the Imps.

Be interesting to see how this plays out

I think UEFA missed a trick here. I would apply the away goals rule only after extra time.
Meaning if tied after two matches (2-2 and 1-1 for example) the "trailing" team now has 30 minutes to win outright or they're out.

I'd do the opposite, only have away goals over the 90 minutes, the team at home in the 2nd game has the advantage of an extra 30 minutes of play at home, not fair.

Baloney wrote: ↑Thu Jun 24, 2021 9:06 am I'd do the opposite, only have away goals over the 90 minutes, the team at home in the 2nd game has the advantage of an extra 30 minutes of play at home, not fair.

Usually the team that plays at home 2nd is the higher seed, they should have a small advantage.
Also, I would have the Semifinals at a neutral ground like the FA Cup. Create a Final Four.

So was just looking up a soccer schedule and noticed
1.) Mexico v. Panama tonight in Memphis. Does Mexico (or really any of the Concacaf teams) play friendlies outside of the US anymore?
2.) There is a "non-FIFA Friendly" today between Croatia and Qatar. So who is suiting up for this one? This just sounds like one of those crazy games where fake national teams get promoted and play (look up Togo v. Bahrain in 2010). A bit of googling says this is Croatia B-team.
3.) Apparently Croatia has had the wrong coat of Arms on their Euro jerseys all tournament but nobody noticed until the Spain game.

The Asian draw. Top two in each group qualify for World Cup. The two third placed teams playoff.



Iran drawn with Korea and Japan drawn with Australia for the 4th consecutive campaign (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
Japan and Korea last played a World Cup qualifier against each other in 1997.

5 spots from those countries? World cup is the NCAA tournament. Might be more fun to let 64 teams in and do one and done.

HaulCitgo wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 6:10 pm 5 spots from those countries? World cup is the NCAA tournament. Might be more fun to let 64 teams in and do one and done.

Yup, 4.5. The two 3rds playoff and the winner goes to play someone else (like 4th Concacaf)
I think that's fair, as is CONCACAFs 3.5. I would give Asia half to CONCACAF.

Africa's 5 teams I think is the most egregious. African teams have been nowhere near as successful as Mexico or USA for example.