Football (Soccer) Thread

[Sheilbh]

Cardiff v Swansea should be good.

As with the domestic TV, not enough Everton

[PDH]

Stuart Holden tore his ACL.  A damn shame.

[katmai]

Stuart Holden tore his ACL.  A damn shame.

Damn, poor sob his snakebit is snakebit!

[Admiral Yi]

Spaz.

[PDH]

In his sleep he probably sees Evans coming at him studs high to this day.

[Josquius]

Some riveting matches out there!

Aug. 31    12:30 p.m. ET    Crystal Palace vs. Sunderland    NBC
Sept. 21    7:45 a.m. ET    Norwich vs. Aston Villa    NBCSN
Sept. 29    8:30 a.m. ET    Stoke vs. Norwich    NBCSN
Oct. 21    3 p.m. ET    Crystal Palace vs. Fulham    NBCSN
Oct. 26    12:30 p.m. ET    Southampton vs. Fulham    NBCSN
Oct. 27    12 p.m. ET    Sunderland vs. Newcastle    NBCSN
Nov. 3    11 a.m. ET    Cardiff vs. Swansea    NBCSN
Nov. 9    12:30 p.m. ET    Norwich vs. West Ham    NBC
Nov. 25    3 p.m. ET    West Brom vs. Aston Villa    NBCSN

Sarcasm?
Odd mix, some like Southampton,-Fulham at  thoroughly meh but the derbies will be good

[katmai]

Twitter reports of Clint Dempsey to Seattle.

Seems kinda off when just last summer he moved from Fulham because he wanted chance to play in Champions league.

[PDH]

It seems to be done. 

[FunkMonk]

Dempsey's unveiling at Seattle: http://youtu.be/zFr5MM7EdGw

My favorite part is the Deuce rap 
So that leaves Bradley at Roma and now Jozy at Sunderland as our best players overseas, ignoring the few other Americans playing on smaller teams in smaller leagues.

[FunkMonk]

NBC, in anticipation of millions of new American soccer fans following their first season of English Premier League coverage, created this: Premier League Pick a Side

I eagerly await the newly formed legions of my fellow American plastics. 

[Viking]

NBC, in anticipation of millions of new American soccer fans following their first season of English Premier League coverage, created this: Premier League Pick a Side

I eagerly await the newly formed legions of my fellow American plastics. 

That questionnaire failed because it completely missed the class warfare and regional chauvinism which is vital for deciding which team to support.

[FunkMonk]

I don't think NBC means it to be a serious thing, but if people actually use it to decide who to follow that wouldn't surprise me. In conversations I've had with a few people IRL, when I'm asked what team they should follow, I just say they should just watch as many games as they can and form their own opinion. You don't need to follow one if you just enjoy the game for its own sake. I guess it appeals to people though because if you feel you have a personal stake in a team then that makes it more exciting. I've met someone who was simultaneously a Manchester City fan, a Bayern Munich fan, a Spurs fan, and a Chelsea fan. I know that would make some people keel over in absurdity.

[Josquius]

Surely tracing your family / local history to whichever region if England is the correct way to go.

[Viking]

Surely tracing your family / local history to whichever region if England is the correct way to go.

I'd rather go analogy to city and culture so you get the same emotional relationship you have towards your american sports team to your english soccer one.

Or, you could do it the scandinavian way. Every single scandinavian person has an english team, even if they are not soccer fans. It is either determined by some emotional connection to some city in england or some event in england or some person from england, or it is inherited from family (e.g. my dad loved coventry, so I love coventry, and if I ever go to england I will go to a coventry game!!!!!111111oneoneone) or it is the home team in the first full game you watched on tv. That last one is surprisingly arbitrary, but apparently completely binding.

BTW, referring to the first of the scandinavian reasons, when Newcastle Brown Ale started becoming popular in norway 20 years ago the amount of magpie fans increased massively.

[Liep]

or it is the home team in the first full game you watched on tv. That last one is surprisingly arbitrary, but apparently completely binding. 

Indeed, the legendary 'Tipslørdag' programme showed one game each Saturday, and is why I have a connection to Sheffield Wednesday. Not that I follow them intensely, but they are often my choice of team in Football Manager.