Football (Soccer) Thread

[Jacob]

I'm getting into supporting Canada too. Nice to see us having a nice run at qualifying

Denmark lost against Scotland. It doesn't change anything, except the ridiculous (and rather nerve wracking) sheen of perfection has come off. I think it's for the best. Humility is important.

[Josephus]

It would be cool if Canada qualifies, and Italy and Portugal don't.

[Barrister]

So not sure how much in advance Team Mexico would get to Edmonton, but there's a heavy snowfall warning for tonight and into tomorrow.  Game is tomorrow night, and here's the forecast for tomorrow:

Tue, 16 Nov   Snow at times heavy ending in the afternoon then mainly cloudy with 30 percent chance of flurries. Blowing snow in outlying areas in the morning and early in the afternoon. Amount 2 to 4 cm. Wind northwest 40 km/h gusting to 70. Temperature falling to minus 5 in the afternoon. Wind chill near minus 14. UV index 1 or low.
Night   Clear. Low minus 11.



That wind in particular will be nasty...

The snow has indeed arrived, and continues to fall.  Forecast for kickoff is -8, with winds 20kph gusting to 40 kph, for a windchill of -15c.  Snow itself is forecast to stop before game time though.

Apparently Team Mexico only arrived in Edmonton yesterday.  The turf at Commonwealth is covered up due to the snow, so the first time the Mexicans get on the field will be for the game.

[FunkMonk]

Good to see the Canadians take home field advantage seriously

Mexico does similar of course. The elevation at Estadio Azteca can be quite a factor in away sides' performances. And whenever the US plays a competitive home game vs Mexico they try to schedule it in a place with as few Hispanics as possible

[Duque de Bragança]

It would be cool if Canada qualifies, and Italy and Portugal don't.

Torontonian inter-ethnic relations are really worse than I thought. 
FIFA corruption is as expected.

[The Larch]

Any of you guys following the drama/ruckus taking place in the female PSG team?

PSG Women
PSG player arrested after assault on teammate

Paris Saint-Germain women's player Aminata Diallo has been arrested in relation to an assault on her teammate Kheira Hamraoui.

Hamraoui was "violently assaulted" on November 4 on her way home from a team dinner, hence why she was absent from PSG's Champions League win over Real Madrid on Tuesday.

As per reports in L'Equipe, the player was allegedly set up and ambushed, being dragged from Diallo's car by two strangers when she was close to her home. She was then attacked with an iron bar, resulting in injuries which required hospital treatment.

Although there is currently no solid case against Diallo, police are said to be exploring a lead related to her. It has been noted that the two players are rivals for the same position for their club and the French national team.

PSG assault case: Police turn attention to Hamraoui's former partner

Police in France are continuing to investigate the assault on Paris Saint-Germain player Kheira Hamraoui on November 4 and a new line of inquiry is exploring whether a former partner may have been involved.

Initially, the Versailles police had detained teammate Aminata Diallo, who was in the car taking Hamraoui home when the vehicle was attacked, but she has since been released without charge and it seems they are no longer entertaining the idea that she may have been involved in an assault motivated by rivalry.

With the testimonies of Diallo and Hamraoui corroborating each other, the authorities now believe the motive for the attack was a private matter, according to L'Équipe. This is partly being considered after both players agreed that one of the aggressors used the words "married man".

Questioned about this, Hamraoui maintains she has "never had a romantic relationship" with someone who was already in a relationship.

Police have also linked this new development to calls received by other PSG players in the days leading up to the incident. Along with Diallo, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Grace Geyoro and Sakina Karchaoui received calls from a supposed former partner of Hamraoui from her days in Barcelona, where she played between 2018 and 2021.

The caller told them that their teammate had ruined his life and that he would get revenge by doing the same to her.

As for the night of the attack, police also believe that the car in which Hamraoui, Diallo and Karchaoui were travelling may have been bugged with a tracking device, a common tactic used by organised criminals.

PSG attack investigation: Eric Abidal to be questioned by French police

Former France and Barcelona defender Eric Abidal will be questioned by the police in the next few days over the alleged attack on Paris Saint-Germain's Kheira Hamraoui.

Prosecutor Maryvonne Caillibotte told the media on Monday that the 42-year-old will be "quizzed soon" as part of the investigation. Sources have told ESPN that Abidal's wife, Hayet, could also be questioned by the police.

According to sources, police have explored the links between Hamraoui and Abidal during the investigation. Abidal was Barcelona's sporting director when Hamraoui signed for the Spanish champions in 2018.

Abidal was sacked from his role at Camp Nou days after the men's team suffered a humiliating 8-2 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich last year.

Sources have told ESPN that while investigating the player's phone calls, police noticed Hamraoui had called Abidal on the morning of her attack.

The news comes after fellow PSG teammate Aminata Diallo was released from custody on Thursday without charge for her involvement in the alleged attack.

According to sources, Hamraoui was in Diallo's car with two other PSG teammates after leaving a club dinner in Paris last week. When the car pulled out in front of her home, two men wearing balaclavas armed with iron bars dragged Hamraoui out of the car and started hitting her on the legs.

Diallo and one other person were detained for questioning last week about the attack. The second person was not identified and although no charges have been filed, the investigation will continue.

Hamraoui, who needed stitches in both her legs and hands, is still recovering from her injuries after the attack, while sources have said Diallo is in shock over her arrest.

Speaking on Tuesday, Hamraoui's lawyer Said Harir said: "Ms Hamraoui is asking for her private life to be respected, like her choice to stay silent during this difficult ordeal.

"The attackers attacked Ms Hamraoui by surprise, hitting her with a rare violence, primarily in the area of the lower limb, clearly showing a desire to harm her professional career. She suffered an important fiscal and psychological damage.

"Ms Hamraoui has all faith in the investigators who should be able to lead their investigation serenely so they can catch the culprits in the best of time. This is not the time for Ms Hamraoui to comment or repeat the information published in the media, despite being supposedly covered by the secret [of the investigation]. She is determined, eventually, to regain her place to continue representing the colours of her team with pride."

Both players missed PSG's 6-1 defeat against title rivals Lyon on Sunday, and sources added that Diallo is a major doubt to feature in the Champions League clash at Real Madrid on Thursday.

[Admiral Yi]

Mexico does similar of course. The elevation at Estadio Azteca can be quite a factor in away sides' performances. And whenever the US plays a competitive home game vs Mexico they try to schedule it in a place with as few Hispanics as possible

Hawaii? 

I'm wondering where in the US there are few Hispanics.

[The Larch]

Mexico does similar of course. The elevation at Estadio Azteca can be quite a factor in away sides' performances. And whenever the US plays a competitive home game vs Mexico they try to schedule it in a place with as few Hispanics as possible

Hawaii? 

I'm wondering where in the US there are few Hispanics.

West Virginia seems to be the state with a lower % of latinos (1'9%), followed by Maine (2%) and Vermont (2.4%).

[Barrister]

Mexico does similar of course. The elevation at Estadio Azteca can be quite a factor in away sides' performances. And whenever the US plays a competitive home game vs Mexico they try to schedule it in a place with as few Hispanics as possible

Hawaii? 

I'm wondering where in the US there are few Hispanics.

Cincinnati apparently.

[FunkMonk]

Poor phrasing on my part.

There is a historical problem with US men's team home games where they would play Mexico in Dallas or Houston or LA or some big city with a large Mexican fan base and the Mexican fans would completely obliterate the few American supporters. It essentially turned US home games into away matches.

[Admiral Yi]

Poor phrasing on my part.

There is a historical problem with US men's team home games where they would play Mexico in Dallas or Houston or LA or some big city with a large Mexican fan base and the Mexican fans would completely obliterate the few American supporters. It essentially turned US home games into away matches.

I totally get that.  I was asking an honest question.  Most places in the US have *some* Hispanics.

But Larchie's data makes sense.  I figure the biggest concentrations are going to be 1) close to the border 2) urban or 3) meat packing, home construction, or fruit picking.  And West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine don't fit any of those.

[Josephus]

Be interesting to see if the Canada game gets played or postponed 24hrs.

It's not the cold that's the problem but field conditions at kick off. There will be a check, and game will be determined on the following conditions:

Pitch inspections for snow:
whether or not playing area is dangerous (ice/frost) KO time plays factor.
whether or not conditions are or could turn farcical.
existing playing condition in conjunction w/prevailing weather conditions.
Markings, ball can be seen at all times

[Barrister]

Be interesting to see if the Canada game gets played or postponed 24hrs.

It's not the cold that's the problem but field conditions at kick off. There will be a check, and game will be determined on the following conditions:

Pitch inspections for snow:
whether or not playing area is dangerous (ice/frost) KO time plays factor.
whether or not conditions are or could turn farcical.
existing playing condition in conjunction w/prevailing weather conditions.
Markings, ball can be seen at all times

I get that it all has to be approved by CONCACAF I guess, but Commonwealth Stadium is no stranger to live sports in November.  As I understand it the field has been tarped off this entire time.  It stopped snowing a couple of hours ago (I can literally see Commonwealth Stadium from my office right now) and I imagine they're already removing the tarp and snow.

It's going to be cold, but it'll be cold tomorrow.  The only difference would be that the wind should die down by tomorrow.

[The Larch]

But Larchie's data makes sense.  I figure the biggest concentrations are going to be 1) close to the border 2) urban or 3) meat packing, home construction, or fruit picking.  And West Virginia, Vermont, and Maine don't fit any of those.

The only factor nowadays seems to be closeness to the border, given which states are at the top (New Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona & Nevada).

[Barrister]

I know that Canada has often had that problem in the past with international games.  We don't have a huge hispanic population, but with the men's team being so bad few Canadians cared about the games so the stadium would be full of fans for Honduras, or Jamaica, or wherever.