Football (Soccer) Thread

[FunkMonk]

USA got schooled by Costa Rica in New York.

I maintain that Bruce Arena is Not A Good Coach.

[Valmy]

Yeah that was a big blow. Getting dangerously close to being in the same spot Mexico was in four years ago.

[Admiral Yi]

USA got schooled by Costa Rica in New York.

I maintain that Bruce Arena is Not A Good Coach.

Banner said he's 16-2 since his return.

[Duque de Bragança]

Upset of the night

France 0 Luxemburg 0

Luxemburg have been improving lately but this is disappointing to say the least after a such a triumph against the Netherlands.
Since Sweden won against Belarus (this is not hockey), and the Netherlands won against Bulgaria, France has only a one-point lead over Sweden (17 vs 16), with the Netherlands at 13 and Bulgaria at 12. Everything is still possible, France has to go to Bulgaria, a team responsible for a traumatic elimination in '93.

In Budapest, elbowing festival ending with a red and a minimum 1-0 victory for Portugal. Hungary was so much better in the EURO 2016...
Switzerland wins its 8th game in a row so Portugal its 7th, so the Selecção has hit play-off status, not qualified yet.

Hungary 0 Portugal 1

Game of the Night (yesterday)

Spain 3 Italy 0

At worst, Italy will hit the play-off, a team to avoid in play-offs.

[Josephus]

portugal v italy in the playoffs...that would be a good one to watch

[Liep]

4-1 against Armenia in Yerevan. Maybe that old Norwegian actually managed to put some spirit into the team.

[Liep]

After the successful EC the women's team decided to try and get a better deal with the football union. So far they've been getting 10 free tickets for practise games instead of actual money and for the tournament games they got €300 per game.

Union responds with a classic lock out cancelling the friendly against Holland and is now threatening on forfeiting the WC qualifications and consequently the Olympics.

Can't have those women getting uppity.

[HVC]

portugal v italy in the playoffs...that would be a good one to watch

Toronto shall burn.

[Duque de Bragança]

portugal v italy in the playoffs...that would be a good one to watch

Toronto shall burn.

Are you sure? Play-offs are in November.  Pretty cold up there.

Plus, there are two pots, it's more than likely than Portugal, Italy or France/Sweden will be seeded, should they not be first of their respective groups.

[Josquius]

I've been reading several articles about US football on 4-4-2 lately.

Apparently quite a lot brewing beneath MLS.
The old NASL  is demoted to division 3: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/nasls-winding-contentious-road-approaches-a-dark-end-whats-next

And some efforts underway to form a 'proper' league beneath all this:
https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/why-us-soccers-future-pro-rel-smaller-markets-and-muffins

Overall impression...MLS is teh ev0l.

[Josquius]

Well. So much for my early season optimism. Sunderland are doing a Leeds

I'm very worried that next season we might beat our worst ever league finish (in the 80s: relegated to the 3rd division, promoted right away as champions)

No idea whats up as on paper we still keep some good players. They just aren't playing.

[FunkMonk]

Jozy did a Panenka lol

[Maladict]

We now need a 7-0 win against Sweden to make it to the playoffs.
Even after the clusterfuck so far, some people are confident this can be done

[PDH]

I'm glad Christian Pulisic decided to be from America and not from Croatia.

[Duque de Bragança]

We now need a 7-0 win against Sweden to make it to the playoffs.
Even after the clusterfuck so far, some people are confident this can be done

What did you do to the Luxemburgers so they went down 8-0? 
Luxemburg had put up quite a fight till then in general (tie with France in Toulouse!).