For all things Fútbol...

[ioana]

Man U is on a tear..and it will be interesting to see what happens in February/March when they take on El Triste and the rest of Real Madrid. Chelsea was pretty awful against QPR and it was pretty clear Marin and Oscar need more time before they're ready to replace Mata & Hazard on a regular basis. Eh well, they never really had any time to rest after the club WC in Japan, so it makes sense they couldn't play every single game in this stretch.

I second the for Grêmio's new stadium. All that blue makes me happy .

[ioana]

We signed Demba Ba . Not only does he have a cool name, he can score and provided his knee holds up, it would be great to have another pure striker besides Nando. All the and struggles alternated with flashes of brilliance get very frustrating after a while.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...astle-demba-ba

[Buzz]

A talented young man for sure but for me this whole transfer season so far has been a bit of a yawn.

[Buzz]

Hey! 60 minutes has a piece on Messi tonight! You could see it later on the CBS website later.

[NeilJLeonard]

Hey! 60 minutes has a piece on Messi tonight! You could see it later on the CBS website later.

It was a piece on FC Barcelona & it's academy & how it develops players, not just Messi. Very well done, as is the followup online. There should be more on Barca from 60 Minutes on Wednesday night. It should concentrate even more on the Barca Academy.

NJL

[Buzz]

Yeah well... I got a weeeee bit carried away. LOL In my own defence I was just sooo over the moon to see a major US network do a piece on footie that I got a bit carried away. unfortunately unless that 60 minutes sports piece is available online I won't be able to watch.

[ioana]

I agree, Buzz. Seeing that kind of football coverage on a major US network was a big deal -and I even got past the fact they completely ignored Iniesta during the report. I was scratching my head slightly about the fact they kept insisting their academy is so unique (hello, Ajax?), but it has been uniquely successful as of late.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50138328n (hopefully not geo-blocked).

[Buzz]

Thanks for the link but I need to download the App to watch it which is not available outside the US.

[NeilJLeonard]

I agree, Buzz. Seeing that kind of football coverage on a major US network was a big deal -and I even got past the fact they completely ignored Iniesta during the report. I was scratching my head slightly about the fact they kept insisting their academy is so unique (hello, Ajax?), but it has been uniquely successful as of late.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50138328n (hopefully not geo-blocked).

Does Andres Iniesta speak English? Note that the players interviewed, with the exception of Messi, did. That was probably a deciding factor. Messi's 91 goals in 2012 & 4 consecutive Balloon d'Or awards undoubtedly made his appearance required (he just got #4 after the broadcast......Abby Wambach of the USA got the woman's trophy...).

As far as I know, team academies like the ones at Barca & Ajax, and with many other clubs worldwide, do not exist here in any sport. There may be private ones available at a cost in some sports, tennis comes to mind & there are/were some for baseball. Consequently, a team stocking it's roster with homegrown product is quite a novelty.

NJL

[ioana]

Does Andres Iniesta speak English? Note that the players interviewed, with the exception of Messi, did.

That's a good point. He does speak some English, but not as fluently as Fabregas or Pique. I just love his playmaking ability so it was a little disappointing they never highlighted any of his passes, even though they were on the montages shown. It does makes sense they didn't want to clutter the report with player names normal viewers wouldn't find familiar.

As far as I know, team academies like the ones at Barca & Ajax, and with many other clubs worldwide, do not exist here in any sport. There may be private ones available at a cost in some sports , tennis comes to mind & there are/were some for baseball. Consequently, a team stocking it's roster with homegrown product is quite a novelty.

I keep thinking like a European, but you're right that type of training environment isn't common in the US. Maybe some of the bigger MLS teams can take notes during Wednesday night's broadcast .

[NeilJLeonard]

That's a good point. He does speak some English, but not as fluently as Fabregas or Pique. I just love his playmaking ability so it was a little disappointing they never highlighted any of his passes, even though they were on the montages shown. It does makes sense they didn't want to clutter the report with player names normal viewers wouldn't find familiar.



I keep thinking like a European, but you're right that type of training environment isn't common in the US. Maybe some of the bigger MLS teams can take notes during Wednesday night's broadcast .

MLS is a money losing proposition. Most MLS, and some NASL, teams would love an academy, but the money simply isn't there.

I just noticed that Wednesday nights 60 Minute Sports in not on the regular network. It's on SHOtime....

NJL (..poop!...)

[Buzz]

Yeah double poop.

[Buzz]

My condolences ioana on Chelsea's loss. LOL

[ioana]

why, thank you kindly . We really missed Cech in goal and that Turnbull-Ivanovic miscommunication leading to Swansea's goal was pretty bad. As were all the wasted chances. Courtesy of the Guardian mbm "7 min: First corner of the day, with Oscar deedle-dawdling down the right. Mata swings it in, with both David Luiz and Torres wafting their hair in the general direction of it. Torres picks up play, second phase, down the left, and swings one in for Cahill, who plants the nut on the ball but sends it well over."

[Buzz]

Still no word on the future of Landon Donovan or David Beckham.

[KHenry14]

Still no word on the future of Landon Donovan or David Beckham.

I'm still thinking that Landon will be back with the Galaxy in March. He will miss the first round of qualifying however for the USMNT.

I find the rumors around Becks to be fascinating. Shanghai??? Australia??? I don't see him going to some place exotic that has no real football credibility.

[Vagabond]

Peruvian U-20 goalkeeper pulls off amazing double save – video

Wow!

[DaiKozOda]

Now this is a goal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68pUixdeAfg

[Buzz]

Awesome vids guys! Thanks for posting!!!

[ioana]

That long-range volley was seriously awesome. And, Guardiola just signed for Bayern...Why do I think this makes it even more likely Chelsea gets Mourinho next season?

http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...on-3-year-deal