Soccer

[IdleBoast]

That's one of the two things that American soccer fans loathe the most: The fact that their looked down upon with haughty disdain by Brits and others in Europe...

As established, I am not a football fan (something that frankly astonishes many of those I work with), but one thing I am aware of is that a move to an American team by a UK/EU professional is usually seen as the last stage of their playing career.

After that, they will move on to managing or coaching a minor-league team, become a TV pundit, or buy a pub.

[MissBarbara]

That's one of the two things that American soccer fans loathe the most: The fact that their looked down upon with haughty disdain by Brits and others in Europe...

As established, I am not a football fan (something that frankly astonishes many of those I work with), but one thing I am aware of is that a move to an American team by a UK/EU professional is usually seen as the last stage of their playing career.

After that, they will move on to managing or coaching a minor-league team, become a TV pundit, or buy a pub.

Yes and no.

Yes, a move by a top flight player from Europe to an American MLS team almost always occurs at the twilight of their careers. David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimović et al. are clear examples of this.

But there are many professional football players from the U.K. (and elsewhere in Europe and Latin America) who are below the top flight level and have successful and lucrative careers playing in the U.S. Bradley Wright-Phillips, the star of the local team I follow (New York Red Bulls), played a couple of years for Man City and Southampton, and then came here at age 27, and has gone on to score 106 goals during his time in the MLS.

Don't get me wrong: The MLS is, by any measure, inferior to the top flight European leagues. That's why Christian Pulisic signed with a German and then an English team, and that's why former European superstars past their prime and unable to sign with a top flight European team come here to play.

[IdleBoast]

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't putting the US teams down against other continents, just describing a perception.

The only time I have watched a match all the way through was when, as a small child, my uncle was a director of the local 7^th-league team. He took me to a match, in a (failed) attempt at bonding, but I really just spent the time standing, shivering, and wondering why these grown men were doing PE, on purpose, in public.

[watcher1]

Big match this Sunday.  ManU vs Tottenham.  Both teams are 5-1 in their last six matches of this season.  Tottenham are two points behind ManU in the standings. The Red Army vs Spurs.

[MissBarbara]

Big match this Sunday.  ManU vs Tottenham.  Both teams are 5-1 in their last six matches of this season.  Tottenham are two points behind ManU in the standings. The Red Army vs Spurs.

Good vs. Evil.

And, for the record, the Spurs, currently in 3rd place on the table, are two points behind Man City, and 10 points clear of Man U, who sit in 6th place.

[MintJulie]

Big match this Sunday.  ManU vs Tottenham.  Both teams are 5-1 in their last six matches of this season.  Tottenham are two points behind ManU in the standings. The Red Army vs Spurs.

Good vs. Evil.

And, for the record, the Spurs, currently in 3rd place on the table, are two points behind Man City, and 10 points clear of Man U, who sit in 6th place.

So, I just googled it.  It doesn't list where it's televised.  Any help?
-update-
It's on NowTv, which I can't sign up for in the states.
I'll have to get VPN access somehow.  Mark is going to not be happy with my requests for getting me hooked-up come Sunday morning. 

[ObiDongKenobi]

Football (soccer) is like a lot of other things.  It’s there, if you look for it.  I have friends who are avid fans, and get up very early to drink beer for breakfast, while watching European league play on satellite.  I have other friends who don’t know it exists.

It is the game of the future, and the past.  Far fewer concussions and traumatic brain injury than the American football causes.

I'm not really a sports fan, other than following the Cubs and Bears in season. I only played soccer as a young girl, but at one point I became enchanted with the sport, and I've been avidly following it ever since. 

But it's not for everyone. While many American "sports guys" seem to hold the sport in complete disdain, I've no problem with those who don't like it. And, to Jed's point, I don't have a problem with people who find it "boring." Granted, I'd be happy to explain to Jed why soccer is not boring, and how it's more exciting than the other major U.S. sports, but that's a different discussion.

You're right: The growing body of evidence for a causal link between repetitive head trauma and CTE has, ironically, proven a huge boon for the sport. As more and more parents are not allowing their children to play football, especially at a younger age, those kids are finding an alternative in soccer. Soccer has been very popular with kids for decades, and it's seen a sharp increase in popularity in recent years. As a result, it's becoming more popular at the high school level. Soccer used to be one of those "other" sports (like wrestling, swimming, or gymnastics), while the "best athletes" played football, basketball, and baseball. In recent years, it's become more prominent in high schools, becoming more mainstream and acceptable. This bodes very well for the future.

The English call soccer "The Beautiful Game," and once you gain an appreciation for it, you'll quickly see why.

Even in England concussion from heading the ball is now of great concern.  Especially for those players active in the 60s and 70s when balls were much heavier.  The incidence of dementia affecting those payers is now much more widespread than was previously estimated.  I believe there is talk of banning children from heading the ball.

The beautiful game?  The Brazil team of 1970-74 was the nearest you will come to ballet on a football pitch.

[ObiDongKenobi]

Sorry, but no.

I don't find football boring, but I don't enjoy it.  I also find it extremely annoying that the "best" players get paid more in a week than I get paid in ten years, when most of them have the IQ of a walnut.

A transfer fee of something like $73 million was just paid for an American player in the English Premiere League, making him the highest paid American ever in football.

He's Christian Pulisic, probably the best American player at this moment. He's the star of the U.S. Men's National Team, with 9 goals in 23 appearances, and he's played for Borussia Dortmund, one of the top teams in the German Bundesliga, for the past three seasons. Earlier in the week he was signed by Chelsea, one of the top teams in the English Premier League.

He's a lot of fun to watch. He plays with both style and aggression, and he's an amazing ball-handler, equally adept with both feet. He's a natural center forward, but his skills lend themselves to either wing.

Chelsea's purchase of Pulisic is an attempt to open up the American market for them.  They have plenty of players emerging from their academy who are just as good.  Bayern Munich are offering £30 million for Callum Hudson-Odoi for instance and Bayern know a good player when they see one.

[ObiDongKenobi]

As a long term sports (but especially football) fan I thought I would interject with a few random thoughts on previous posts and will probably get shot down in flames.

a) Why are they called American FOOTball and Rugby FOOtball when kicking the ball is not the primary action.

b) We in the UK never call football 'soccer'

c) If it's boring you want; then go and watch basketball - bounce, bounce score - bounce, bounce, score - bounce, bounce, score - ad infinitum (and I like cricket).

[MissBarbara]

Big match this Sunday.  ManU vs Tottenham.  Both teams are 5-1 in their last six matches of this season.  Tottenham are two points behind ManU in the standings. The Red Army vs Spurs.

Good vs. Evil.

And, for the record, the Spurs, currently in 3rd place on the table, are two points behind Man City, and 10 points clear of Man U, who sit in 6th place.

So, I just googled it.  It doesn't list where it's televised.  Any help?
-update-

It's on NowTv, which I can't sign up for in the states.
I'll have to get VPN access somehow.  Mark is going to not be happy with my requests for getting me hooked-up come Sunday morning. 

Most EPL matches air in the U.S. on NBCSN.

The Tottenham vs. Man U match airs on NBCSN on Sunday at 11:30 am (EST).

[MissBarbara]

Sorry, but no.

I don't find football boring, but I don't enjoy it.  I also find it extremely annoying that the "best" players get paid more in a week than I get paid in ten years, when most of them have the IQ of a walnut.

A transfer fee of something like $73 million was just paid for an American player in the English Premiere League, making him the highest paid American ever in football.

He's Christian Pulisic, probably the best American player at this moment. He's the star of the U.S. Men's National Team, with 9 goals in 23 appearances, and he's played for Borussia Dortmund, one of the top teams in the German Bundesliga, for the past three seasons. Earlier in the week he was signed by Chelsea, one of the top teams in the English Premier League.

He's a lot of fun to watch. He plays with both style and aggression, and he's an amazing ball-handler, equally adept with both feet. He's a natural center forward, but his skills lend themselves to either wing.

Chelsea's purchase of Pulisic is an attempt to open up the American market for them.  They have plenty of players emerging from their academy who are just as good.  Bayern Munich are offering £30 million for Callum Hudson-Odoi for instance and Bayern know a good player when they see one.

It may well be an attempt to open up the American market for them (or, better put, further open up the American market for them).

But Chelsea hasn't signed Pulisic as the solution to their longer-term needs, nor as a savior. He's a great player, and he will make strong contributions to their side. But he likely will not start, at least not initially (assuming Hazard is still there in August 2019).

Regardless, I appreciate your adding your comments to this thread. It's great to have an actual Englishman comment on English football, and not just some Janey-Come-Lately Yank like me.

[MissBarbara]

As a long term sports (but especially football) fan I thought I would interject with a few random thoughts on previous posts and will probably get shot down in flames.

a) Why are they called American FOOTball and Rugby FOOtball when kicking the ball is not the primary action.

b) We in the UK never call football 'soccer'

c) If it's boring you want; then go and watch basketball - bounce, bounce score - bounce, bounce, score - bounce, bounce, score - ad infinitum (and I like cricket).

a) Historically, the word "football" had nothing to do with kicking the ball. Association Football and Rugby Football (and, from them, American Football), are called "football" because they are played on foot, and not on horseback. Similarly, calling Association Football simply "Football" is technically incorrect, since removing the modifier removes the distinction between it and several other similarly-named sports.

b) That's true. But the word "soccer" is of English origin, a shortening of the term "Association Football." So it's your fault we use this term.

c) Every sport is "boring" if you don't understand it, or can't appreciate it. When I was an undergrad I went to a Cubs game (baseball) with a friend from India, and she was bored out of her skull. (And when she asked why the fan in the bleachers who caught the home run ball hit by the opposing team instantly threw it back onto the field, I gave up trying to explain it to her.) And I had that exact discussion about soccer/football vs. basketball a couple of days ago. Currently, in an NBA game, an average of 227 points are scored. In a Premier League match, an average of 2.84 goals are scored. The average American sports fan would argue that that's proof that soccer/football is boring. I would argue that the relatively low number of goals shows that each goal has incomparably higher value than an NBA basket, where so many points are scored that basket become relatively meaningless.

[watcher1]

Big match this Sunday.  ManU vs Tottenham.  Both teams are 5-1 in their last six matches of this season.  Tottenham are two points behind ManU in the standings. The Red Army vs Spurs.

Good vs. Evil.

And, for the record, the Spurs, currently in 3rd place on the table, are two points behind Man City, and 10 points clear of Man U, who sit in 6th place.

I stand corrected. Got my Manchesters mixed up. But which team is good and which is evil? 

MissB in her playing days......

[MissBarbara]

Big match this Sunday.  ManU vs Tottenham.  Both teams are 5-1 in their last six matches of this season.  Tottenham are two points behind ManU in the standings. The Red Army vs Spurs.

Good vs. Evil.

And, for the record, the Spurs, currently in 3rd place on the table, are two points behind Man City, and 10 points clear of Man U, who sit in 6th place.

I stand corrected. Got my Manchesters mixed up. But which team is good and which is evil? 

MissB in her playing days......

Well, I was 6-10 years old in my playing days, and I don't recall ever wearing a thong under my shorts.

Man U is like the New York Yankees. They have a long and proud tradition of winning, but they spend gazillions of dollars every year buying the best players they can. As such, they're like the Evil Empire (and apologies to Chirp for the "Star Wars" reference).

The Spurs, on the other hand, didn't sign a single new player during last summer's transfer window. Yet there they sit toward the top of the table -- 10 points clear of Man U.

[insert scary gleeful laugh]

[watcher1]

Is ManU still owned by an American? 

I didn't even know she was wearing a thong. Shows you where my eyes were. 

[MissBarbara]

Is ManU still owned by an American? 

Yes. It was acquired, in stages, by Malcolm Glazer, and it is now wholly owned by the Glazer family and run by his son Avram Glazer.

I didn't even know she was wearing a thong. Shows you where my eyes were. 

I've long had a thing for athletic women, and a parallel and strong turn-off for models posing as athletes. Like the woman in question. So, the first thing I noticed was "fake boobs."

[watcher1]

Is ManU still owned by an American? 

Yes. It was acquired, in stages, by Malcolm Glazer, and it is now wholly owned by the Glazer family and run by his son Avram Glazer.

I didn't even know she was wearing a thong. Shows you where my eyes were. 

I've long had a thing for athletic women, and a parallel and strong turn-off for models posing as athletes. Like the woman in question. So, the first thing I noticed was "fake boobs."

My eagle eyes are failing me.  Missed those too.  But you are right on models posing as athletes. I just wanted to post a sexy pic, not a porn pic. Arghhh

[psiberzerker]

IDFK if she's a "Real" soccer player.



Do you care?

[MissBarbara]

IDFK if she's a "Real" soccer player.



Do you care?

On the one hand, she's not.

On the other hand, I don't.

[psiberzerker]