Ode to the beautiful game... (Soccer)

Buzz

Buzz

Socialist Canada
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Our last thread is over 1000 posts so I thought I would take the liberty of starting a new one. :) sorry about the cheesy title but I kinda like it. :shuffle: Anyway Chelsea, Newcastle and Spurs are both in action today in the Europa League. Good luck to them, but since I have a soft spot for Inter I wll not be too put out if Spurs lost. LOL Good luck to Chelsea today too and here are the other matches that are on.


Anji v Newcastle
Steaua v Chelsea
Stuttgart v Lazio
Plzeň v Fenerbahçe
Spurs v Inter Milan
Benfica v Bordeaux
Basel v Zenit
Levante v Rubin
 
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Hehehehe ITA. I didn't want to confuse non followers of the sport. :slinkaway

I cold still at least change the title of the post. :shuffle:
 
¡Fútbol es el mejor! Hurray for 1st grade Spanish. I'm actually happy Steaua beat Chelsea. If they keep not showing up for games, they deserve to lose. Plus it's been ages since a Romanian team has done well in a UEFA championship.
 
Meanwhile Germany beats Kazaksthan 3-0, Wales beats Scotland 2-1, England beat San Marino 8-0, N. Ireland's match was postponed, and while I am on the subject of England, Theo Walcott is out with injury and Michael Owen is retiring. Oh yeah and Spain drew 1-1 with Finland which must have made the Fins day! hehehehe
 
David Beckham is in China on a goodwill tour as "football embassador" which is very tightly managed. But most Chinese fans prefer watching foreign teams rather anything home grown and the Chinese NMT has already crashed out of Brazil qualifiers.
 
Buzz said:
WOW! Must have been quite the Match! Congratulations! :cheer2:
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Bolivia is never good away, but still. :lol: They are looking good. It was a great choice to pick Barranquilla for the qualifying; I doubt that any other host site is completely disgsutingly hot and humid. I'm from there; it KILLS you.
 
gerb said:
USA vs Costa Rica on ESPN right now. In Colorado. In a blizzard. Unreal!
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NOt a soccer fan, but those blizzard conditions made it interesting and I watched. They must have been crazy to schedule an outdoor game in Colorado in March.
 
Costa Rica has filed a complaint with FIFA about the playing conditions in this game. IMO they should have stopped the game. The field was unplayable.

ETA: Article on espn

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1...rotest-on-snowy-loss-to-united-states?cc=5901

I am with Costa Rica on this one. Even though playing conditions were bad for both teams, IMO game should have been suspended. These are not ideal conditions for a sport like soccer. American football can be played in any conditions, except for thunder & lightning (due to the obvious danger), but soccer is a completely different sport and the risk of a serious injury to a player is very high. I assume that the players from Costa Rica had never played in such conditions or anything close to it. My vote will be to replay the second half because the Costa Rican coach had made the request when half the game was over.

Anyone knows what rules FIFA has about field conditions? I know practically nothing about soccer.
 
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Tough noogies for Costa Rica! :lol: If both played in the same bad conditions, then it was a fair game in my opinion. hehehe :blocjudge And if they don't like this weather much, then they will LOVE Qatar's summer temperature of 100 °F + in 2022. :P
 
Vash01 said:
Costa Rica has filed a complaint with FIFA about the playing conditions in this game. IMO they should have stopped the game. The field was unplayable.

ETA: Article on espn

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1...rotest-on-snowy-loss-to-united-states?cc=5901

I am with Costa Rica on this one. Even though playing conditions were bad for both teams, IMO game should have been suspended. These are not ideal conditions for a sport like soccer. American football can be played in any conditions, except for thunder & lightning (due to the obvious danger), but soccer is a completely different sport and the risk of a serious injury to a player is very high. I assume that the players from Costa Rica had never played in such conditions or anything close to it. My vote will be to replay the second half because the Costa Rican coach had made the request when half the game was over.

Anyone knows what rules FIFA has about field conditions? I know practically nothing about soccer.
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The USSF scheduled the game several months ago. It is in Denver to help the team prep for the game in Mexico City tomorrow. Part of that venues advantage is it is over 6,000 ft above sea level. The thin air there affects the visiting teams greatly. Mexico has only lost 2 games there since Azteca Stadium opened. Denver is the mile high city. A reasonable place to try to get the team acclimated.

Each WCQ has a FIFA trained CONCACAF "Commisioner" assigned to it. He/she is the boss of the event until the game starts. The game had to start with that individuals OK. No one from the USSF was involved. Once the game starts it belongs 100% to the referee. It is his game from start to finish and he alone decides on anything involved with the game, including continuing play in inclement weather. His call. Not the USSF. Not any CONCACAF rep. Not a FIFA rep.

CONCACAF has a history of letting WCQ continue play in horrid weather conditions. The time element is such that a replay is not possible - the game would not restart at halftime, but it would restart with a full 90 minutes to play. With both teams playing on Tuesday in another country, starting a full 90 minute replay on Saturday would give the teams they will play next a decided advantage in rest & travel. Further, there is the cost involved with rescheduling travel, lodging and everything else involved with delaying a minimum of a day for the game to be played. And, what if it took 2 days to do it? Now we have a total mess. Consequently, CONCACAF wants the game to be played to completion if at all possible even if the playing conditions are degraded badly.

Please don't expect CONCACAF to do much about this. It would e a complete change of form if they do.

NJL (Posted even though I agree that the game should not have been played. FIFA and CONCACAF need a better plan B just for occasions like this...:)...)
 
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FTR, and to no ones surprise, FIFA declined Costa Rica's protest on a technicality. The game result stands.

NJL
 
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Mexico 0 v 0 USA. A point very well earned for the USA considering that Mexico's record in WCQs played in Azteca Stadium is now something like 86 wins, 1 loss, 7 draws & the USA is now 0-13-2 there in WCQ.

Panama now is 1st in the Hex with 5 points after 3 games played.

NJL
 
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Div II NASL begins play April 6th. The League is down to 7 teams for part of this year's league play because the recent elections in Puerto Rico have forced the Islanders to suspend operations for 2013 since the incoming government refuses to give them the stipend (?) that kept them afloat for the last decade. The team hopes to return in 2014. Most people are skeptical, but it is hoped they can return to join teams from Ottawa, Northern Virginia and Indianapolis that are scheduled to start play in the NASL next year.

The NASL has gone to a split season schedule for 2013 - and beyond that, from what I can gather - with a "Spring Championship" played from April to July 4th, the Month of July off, and continuing play in August with a "Fall Championship" played through October. The winners of the 2 championships will play at the home stadium of the Spring Champion for the NASL Championship a week or 2 after the Fall Championship ends.

Also, the league will have an extra team - back to 8 in the league - for the Fall Championship with the return of the NY Cosmos to the NASL in August.

With the Cosmos back in 2013 and the 4 teams mentioned above the NASL should be up to 12 teams by 2014. More are expected to join in the years after. Maybe.....:cool:

NJL
 
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