Random Soccer Chatter

• OSH

  

  gerb131;868011 wrote:Big game for the Crew tmrw night at home vs Philadelphia. Crew are up 3 points on them for the Eastern lead.

  
  I'll be there!
  
  I hope Freddy will be present!
• ohiobucks1

  

  I might be there... I think we pull out 3 points with a 2-0 win.
  
  I met Le Toux last year at the all star game and he is a great guy so I'm hoping for him to do everything wonderfully (except score).
  
  
  Go Crew
• hoops23

  

  It'd be nice to see the Crew get a win.
• Automatik

  

  Watching Arsenal/Liverpool right now.
  
  Liverpool just scored on an absolute garbage goal to go up 1-0 in the 77th. FUUUUUUU!!!!!!
• hoops23

  

  Crew did end up beating Philly, on a PK I believe.
• Mulva

  

  So Anzhi Makhachkala (Russian team) is apparently going to pay Samuel Eto'o a 3 year deal worth almost $30 million... per season. Basically double what Messi makes.
• Mulva

  

  Jozy had 2 more goals today for AZ.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Can't wait for the review show tonight...wanna see these 3 Villa goals as well as see gareth berrys goal again and hear the.announcers awesome call for the goal lol
• SportsAndLady

  

  Lol "ooooh damn didn't he just do that!"
• Laley23

  

  As if there was any doubt Leo Messi was the best player in the world...
  
  In a 5-0 win over Napoli in the Joan Gamper match (which also saw Cesc score his first goal), Leo Messi came on as a substitute for Fabregas and had a hat trick within 15 minutes. Ridiculous!!!
• DeyDurkie5

  

  Laley23;871073 wrote:As if there was any doubt Leo Messi was the best player in the world...
  
  In a 5-0 win over Napoli in the Joan Gamper match (which also saw Cesc score his first goal), Leo Messi came on as a substitute for Fabregas and had a hat trick within 15 minutes. Ridiculous!!!

  
  Unreal
• ohiobucks1

  

  I'm back!
  
  
  A day of turmoil in Madrid as rumors of Jose Mourinho being on his way out as Real Madrid manager hit the media early on.
  
  Apparently Mourinho's spokesman told a journalist that the manager doesn't feel supported by the board of directors and that he was considering the possibility of stepping down.
  
  Spanish newspaper Marca was quick to deny those rumors and quotes Mourinho's spokesman Eladio Parames who said: "Those comments attributed to me are absolutely false".
• ohiobucks1

  

  UPDATE: FC Dallas defender George John seems to be very close of moving to the English Premier League with Blackburn Rovers.
  
  The Lancashire Telegraph reports that John has flown to Greece in a bid to get his European passport which will facilitate his move.
  
  It sounds like when the passport issue is solved, George John will join Blackburn as there is an agreement in place.
  
  --
  
  Another American player has a chance to join an English Premier League team after Blackburn Rovers made an offer for FC Dallas defender George John.
  
  According to ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth writers Buzz Carrick and Todd Date it could take a while for this deal to happen.
  
  John holds a Greek passport which would facilitate things for him to find a place in a squad in England and be eligible to play right away.
• ohiobucks1

  

  Arsenal now with Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri both out of the club travels to Italy to face Udinese in the return leg of a UEFA Champions League qualifying match, but the bad news regarding unavailable players don't stop there.
  
  According to Wearethenorthbank.com on Twitter, promising midfielder Jack Wilshere suffered an injury in training today and it is believed he will miss up to two months.
  
  Journalist Henry Winter adds that several players like Bendtner, Koscielny, Squillaci, Landsbury and Diaby, apart from Wilshere and Nasri, are also unavailable.
• ohiobucks1

  

  Jose Pekerman, who was one of the candidates to take on a role with the youth teams with US Soccer, is set to return to his original role of U20 coach with Argentina.
  
  argentina welcome old coach back
  
  Pekerman won three FIFA Youth World Cups with Argentina (1995, 1997 and 2001) before going on to coach the full national team and reach the World Cup quarterfinals.
  
  His long-time assistant coach Hugo Tocalli, who also won a Youth World Cup with Argentina (2007), has hinted in an interview with newspaper Ole that he would love to be appointed back by Argentina together with Pekerman.
  
  La Nacion, one of the mainstream newspapers in Argentina, is running a poll asking readers if they would be happy to see Pekerman back at work with the youth teams and 99% said yes.
• ohiobucks1

  

  Inter was believed to be after Liverpool midfielder Dirk Kuyt, but the rumor didn't last long as his agent revealed the player wants to stay at Anfield despite losing his place in the starting lineup.
  
  According to the Daily Mail, Inter renewed their intentions of signing the Dutch international after it made an attempt last season.
  
  Kuyt's agent Rob Jansen told that newspaper that the Italian club made an attractive offer but both clubs are yet to discuss a potential deal.
• ohiobucks1

  

  It happened in Spain where the first week of La Liga was postponed and a solution is still far from being found and now it happens in Italy as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.
  
  The president of the Italian soccer players' union Damiano Tommasi has insisted that if a new collective bargaining agreement is not signed, the players will go on strike and there won't be any Serie A action this weekend.
  
  There will be a series of meetings on Wednesday, including one between the presidents of Serie A clubs. There will be a better picture after those and we will probably know by then whether the start of Serie A will happen this weekend or not.
• ohiobucks1

  

  HUGE NEWS
  
  Another rumor that has been making the rounds for a few good days already is the one which links Diego Forlan with Inter.
  
  Well, that's another soap opera that seems to be coming to an end. According to Cadena Cope the Uruguay striker will sign for Inter in the next few hours.
  
  Forlan is included in Atletico Madrid squad that will face Vitoria Guimaraes in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match on Thursday, but he could be dropped from that list if a deal is agreed.
  
  On that same article, Cadena Copa says Brazilian playmaker Diego will join Atletico Madrid and the deal could be announced even today.
• ohiobucks1

  

  Liverpool and Manchester City and at least five different teams are behind the same player: Sebastian Coates from Nacional de Montevideo and the national team of Uruguay.
  
  According to ESPN Soccernet Editor Dale Johnson, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez who plays with Coates for Uruguay has spoken to manager Kenny Dalglish to recommend the young defender.
  
  Uruguayan journalist Martin Charquero said on Twitter that the board of directors at Nacional accepted a $11.5 offer from Liverpool but they were told Manchester City will improve that offer and so they will wait for them.
  
  Charquero added that Peter Coates, the player's father is in Europe and will follow negotiations closely.
  
  There are questions marks over Coates' eligibility as it is believed he doesn't hold a European passport and could not be able to get a work permit to play in the United Kingdom, but the strongest rumor is that if no offer comes from Manchester City the deal to bring him to Liverpool will go through anyway and it could happen as soon as Wednesday.
• ohiobucks1

  

  UPDATE: As we have been saying here all along Samir Nasri will play for Manchester City.
  
  He was supposed to be getting ready to face Udinese in Italy as Arsenal look to secure its place in the Champions League after a 1-0 win in the first leg of a qualifying match.
  
  But Arsenal and Manchester City have agreed on a fee for a transfer. Now the French midfielder could join the Citizens and even make a debut on Saturday against Tottenham.
  
  --
  
  The plot thickens. When a deal for Manchester City to land Samir Nasri looked done and dusted, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said yesterday that the French midfielder is happy at the club.
  
  Daniel Taylor at The Guardian says now Roberto Mancini, Wenger's counterpart at City, warned that if Nasri were to play on Wednesday against Udinese in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match, he will not sign the player as he will become ineligible for Manchester City in that competition.
  
  There are so many questions around this, but not a lot of answers. What could happen next? There is a chance Manchester City confirms the deal before Wednesday and adds a great player to its Champions League squad. On the other hand, Wenger could try his best to keep Nasri at the club and use him on Wednesday to keep Manchester City away from his playmaker. But what does the player want? His relationship with Arsenal fans has turned a bit sour and he will earn a lot more at Manchester City. A move is still on the cards.
• killdeer

  

  It is clear to me that Arsenal is in rebuilding phase...no shame there...every professional sports club does it eventually...
  
  Nasri...Fabregas...jumping ship.
  
  Probably...if we are all to be honest here...Wenger has gotten by far too long on his reputation and his continental cool...
  
  I see Man City as the champ s this year...
  Man U
  Chelsea
  Liverpool
  Stoke would be my flyer in this field...
  
  GodBless RVP...the most talented and most fragile man in all of soccer...
• gorocks99

  

  Netherlands are the new world #1, and the USA are #28
• ohiobucks1

  

  he success of the Uruguayan national team is starting to see the results in this transfer market. To the possible transfers for Diego Forlan, Sebastian Coates and Diego Lugano, we have to add another potential deal after Chelsea placed an offer for FC Porto midfielder Alvaro Pereyra.
  
  The Guardian says Chelsea offered $27 million for Pereyra, who was one of the best players in Uruguay's Copa America winning campaign. The obstacle could be that if FC Porto is not willing to sell, Chelsea would have to improve the offer to match the release clause set at $43 million. A long way out.
  
  Pereyra plays on the left of midfield but can also be used as a defender or even play up front if needed, but most importantly, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas knows all about him as the Uruguayan was a key player for him at Porto.
• ohiobucks1

  

  UPDATE: Samuel Eto'o has finally become an Anzhi Makhachkala player but despite early reports suggesting he would be world soccer's top earner, he would still rank behind Cristiano Ronaldo in that regard says the BBC.
  
  Eto'o will earn $14.4 million per season over the next three years while Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly earning an annual salary of $17.3 at Real Madrid.
  
  But the most important aspect of this transfer is what kind of impact Eto'o will have on the development of the Russian league. Not among the most followed leagues in the world, the Russian Premier League is growing steadily and the arrival of such a high-profile player will certainly raise its profile and will probably attract other big names.
  
  At Inter, on the other hand, there is a void that it will be interesting how manager Gian Piero Gasperini will fill. He's got good options in Diego Milito and Gianpaolo Pazzini, but a new signing is expected and the rumors have been pointing at Carlos Tevez and Diego Forlan with the latter having the better chance to join.
  
  --
  
  Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala wants to become a new global player and is willing to make more high-profile signings.
  
  Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos has been with Anzhi for a while and Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o is set to be presented as a new player, but the club is after another star.
  
  According to Brazilian website Globo Esporte, Anzhi will go after FC Barcelona defender Dani Alves and is preparing a $58 million offer.
• ohiobucks1

  

  UPDATE: No official confirmation from Liverpool but sources in Uruguay say Sebastian Coates will play for the Anfield club as the deal to bring him from Nacional is done.
  
  Journalists from Uruguayan sports newspaper Ovacion insist the deal is done as Nacional accepted an $11.5 million offer from Liverpool.
  
  "It is a club with great tradition and Luis Suarezsaid Coates about his new club and his teammate at Uruguay.