MLS and Sporting KC - Official Thread

[49r]

Live look at El Tri fans this afternoon:

 

[aphilso1]

Really wish Poland could have found a way to draw against Argentina.  Had they done so and won the group, we'd be looking at this path to the semis and a top 4 finish:

 

Netherlands

Australia or Poland

 

That's about as soft of a draw as you are going to see in a World Cup, but alas Argentina spoiled it.  And making that hypothetical even more compelling if Argentina and Poland had tied, that would have put Argentina in the same part of the bracket as France and England.  Hoooboy that would have been something to see.

[HuskerFever]

10 hours ago, 49r said:

Pulisic has a pelvic contusion.  Says he'll be ready to go for Saturday.  (but that sounds pretty painful)

 

Thought I read somewhere that injury is weeks-long recovery. Better pump him with something/adrenaline if he's suiting up on Saturday.

[HuskerFever]

 

No. No, they're out. Bye.

[hskr4life]

Canada— out.  El Tri— out.  Belgium— out.

 

Morocco wins the group with Canada, Belgium, and Croatia.  
 

Anything can happen in a WC.  As crappy as we have looked at times, we’ve done what we needed to do to advance and sometimes that’s all that matters.

[aphilso1]

1 hour ago, hskr4life said:

Canada— out.  El Tri— out.  Belgium— out.

 

Morocco wins the group with Canada, Belgium, and Croatia.  
 

Anything can happen in a WC.  As crappy as we have looked at times, we’ve done what we needed to do to advance and sometimes that’s all that matters.

 

I was trying to explain the significance of Belgium's failure to advance to my wife.  They are the #2 ranked team in the world, so that alone makes the result shocking.  But beyond that, this effectively closes the door on Belgium's golden generation and they were almost completely shut out on hardware.  Zero finals appearances in the World Cup in '14, '18, and '22.  Zero Euros and UEFA Nations Leagues finals.  Other than their bronze medal in '18, this dream team was shut out of podium finishes for their entire decade-long run.  Just incredible, but also heartbreaking for their fans.  I can't imagine having only one sport you care about, and seeing a golden generation rise up completely against the odds and soar to  #2 in the world.  And then, for an entire decade, that team fails to provide results in tournaments. 

 

You could see the enormity of that failure written all over the players' faces after the match.  Lukaku was absolutely balling his eyes out after the final whistle.  And that is the component of international soccer that I don't think the average American fan understands.  We get that a little bit with college football, particularly when a school has a once-in-a-lifetime run.  But even then, there's optimism among the fanbase that the success can be sustained in future years.  There's the hope that success will beget success, leading to better recruits and even higher heights reached.  The World Cup is different, as when the window closes on a golden generation it closes for good.  There is no hope of a quick rebound via recruiting or free agency.  The highs and lows just mean more, and for that reason I can't look away. The World Cup is the best entertainment possible for a sports fan, and I wish the average American understood that. 

[hskr4life]

8 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

 

I was trying to explain the significance of Belgium's failure to advance to my wife.  They are the #2 ranked team in the world, so that alone makes the result shocking.  But beyond that, this effectively closes the door on Belgium's golden generation and they were almost completely shut out on hardware.  Zero finals appearances in the World Cup in '14, '18, and '22.  Zero Euros and UEFA Nations Leagues finals.  Other than their bronze medal in '18, this dream team was shut out of podium finishes for their entire decade-long run.  Just incredible, but also heartbreaking for their fans.  I can't imagine having only one sport you care about, and seeing a golden generation rise up completely against the odds and soar to  #2 in the world.  And then, for an entire decade, that team fails to provide results in tournaments. 

 

You could see the enormity of that failure written all over the players' faces after the match.  Lukaku was absolutely balling his eyes out after the final whistle.  And that is the component of international soccer that I don't think the average American fan understands.  We get that a little bit with college football, particularly when a school has a once-in-a-lifetime run.  But even then, there's optimism among the fanbase that the success can be sustained in future years.  There's the hope that success will beget success, leading to better recruits and even higher heights reached.  The World Cup is different, as when the window closes on a golden generation it closes for good.  There is no hope of a quick rebound via recruiting or free agency.  The highs and lows just mean more, and for that reason I can't look away. The World Cup is the best entertainment possible for a sports fan, and I wish the average American understood that. 

 

And American's don't realize that we are in the first of 3-4 world cups of probably our Golden Generation.  2026 and 2030 will be real fun.... or as we saw today... COULD be real fun or real rough.

[cornfed24-7]

1 hour ago, hskr4life said:

 

And American's don't realize that we are in the first of 3-4 world cups of probably our Golden Generation.  2026 and 2030 will be real fun.... or as we saw today... COULD be real fun or real rough.

There's also the aspect that soccer is still a rapidly growing sport here. Haven't even scratched the surface yet of what it could be in this country. And while I agree we are possibly in a golden era as well we may be able to sustain success. 

 

I'm 41. As a child I played football. I played at recess, played organized starting in 4th grade, and played through high school. I also played soccer in the city rec league from about 6y to 12y. I was a much better soccer player than football. After 12y there was no other options to play. I would have rather played soccer. My brother who is 2y younger than me got to play soccer his Senior year. It was the 1st year the high school offered it.

 

I'm a parent now. I have a toddler 2y and one on the way. As soon as he could walk we started kickin a ball around. He runs around kickin a ball screaming "GOOOOOOOOAL!" On Saturdays we go to his soccer "practice"  with a dozen other toddlers. Its a blast and the cutest thing ever. Pure. Chaos. 

 

I'll steer him and his brother away from football. I know a lot of parents like me. My wife was a college tennis player. I hope my boy finds a passion for one of those two sports.

 

My point is we are still in the infancy of soccer in this country where kids are being brought up in the sport. Where as a place like Belgium it is established. The future for US Soccer is bright!

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by cornfed24-7

[hskr4life]

15 minutes ago, cornfed24-7 said:

There's also the aspect that soccer is still a rapidly growing sport here. Haven't even scratched the surface yet of what it could be in this country. And while I agree we are possibly in a golden era as well we may be able to sustain success. 

 

I'm 41. As a child I played football. I played at recess, played organized starting in 4th grade, and played through high school. I also played soccer in the city rec league from about 6y to 12y. I was a much better soccer player than football. After 12y there was no other options to play. I would have rather played soccer. My brother who is 2y younger than me got to play soccer his Senior year. It was the 1st year the high school offered it.

 

I'm a parent now. I have a toddler 2y and one on the way. As soon as he could walk we started kickin a ball around. He runs around kickin a ball screaming "GOOOOOOOOAL!" On Saturdays we go to his soccer "practice"  with a dozen other toddlers. Its a blast and the cutest thing ever. Pure. Chaos. 

 

I'll steer him and his brother away from football. I know a lot of parents like me. My wife was a college tennis player. I hope my boy finds a passion for one of those two sports.

 

My point is we are still in the infancy of soccer in this country where kids are being brought up in the sport. Where as a place like Belgium it is established. The future for US Soccer is bright!

 

This is a great point and your story sounds much like mine.  Ran out of options to play soccer.  My parents pushed me toward school sponsored football instead of club soccer.  Unfortunately, I didn’t push back.  

[aphilso1]

Echoing @cornfed24-7's thoughts, it's quite possible that the sleeping giant has awakened in American soccer.  While this might simply be a golden generation, I think it is just as likely that we are witnessing the birth of a new sustainable world power. 

 

With Belgium, there is no crop of young 20-somethings waiting in the wings to replace their golden generation.  But when our current stars are 8 years older, I do think there's a reasonable chance that equally talented players will be coming up through the ranks.  Only time will tell, but I think this is the beginning of something really big for America.

[hskr4life]

3 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

Echoing @cornfed24-7's thoughts, it's quite possible that the sleeping giant has awakened in American soccer.  While this might simply be a golden generation, I think it is just as likely that we are witnessing the birth of a new sustainable world power. 

 

With Belgium, there is no crop of young 20-somethings waiting in the wings to replace their golden generation.  But when our current stars are 8 years older, I do think there's a reasonable chance that equally talented players will be coming up through the ranks.  Only time will tell, but I think this is the beginning of something really big for America.

Brother Aaronson is pretty good.

[hskr4life]

Can Costa Rica find a second and pull one out for Concacaf while sending Spain and Germany home?

Edited December 1, 2022 by hskr4life

[aphilso1]

Today's four matches have all been incredible.  Despite the host country's buffoonery, the competition on the pitch has been excellent.  Although I am a bit torn when it comes to the Ticos.  Would love to see a pair of CONCACAF teams punch through to the knockouts, but I actually really like this year's Spanish side.  And Japan is easy to root for, too.  Wish there was a way for three of these teams to advance...just not Germany.  Never Germany haha

[aphilso1]

Dang it, I cursed them.  German goal.

[HuskerFever]

What. A. Wild. Slate. Of. Matches.

[49r]

Today was nuts!

[HuskerFever]

Both Spain and Germany were set to be eliminated from the World Cup, yet a come-from-behind victory from Germany put Spain back into advancing and yet Germany is still eliminated from the World Cup.

[hskr4life]

WORLD CUPS SHOULD HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN FOUR YEARS.

 

Change my mind.

[aphilso1]

4 minutes ago, hskr4life said:

WORLD CUPS SHOULD HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN FOUR YEARS.

 

Change my mind.

The infrequency of the WC makes it matter more.  Back to the Golden Generation discussion -- that really just means you get three chance at glory: once when your core group is young, once when in prime, and once when slightly past prime.  That makes each chance HUGE. 

[HuskerFever]

2 hours ago, hskr4life said:

WORLD CUPS SHOULD HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN FOUR YEARS.

 

Change my mind.

 

FIFA wouldn't get as premium of bribes if it occurred more frequently.

[49r]

2 hours ago, hskr4life said:

WORLD CUPS SHOULD HAPPEN MORE THAN ONCE IN FOUR YEARS.

 

Change my mind.

 

How about we just combine Copa Libertadores and Gold Cup and host a multi-continental tournament in the mid point between World Cups (so next one would be 2024, then 2028, etc.).  It would be insanely popular I am sure.

[HuskerFever]

5 minutes ago, 49r said:

 

How about we just combine Copa Libertadores and Gold Cup and host a multi-continental tournament in the mid point between World Cups (so next one would be 2024, then 2028, etc.).  It would be insanely popular I am sure.

 

And make it meaningful by being an automatic qualifier into the World Cup for the winners if they go through with expansion plans for qualification.

[49r]

I mean Copa América is kind of what I'm talking about but it could easily be expanded to 32 teams with maybe smaller qualifying tournaments in CONCACAF and CONMEBOL before.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Copa_América

[HuskerFever]

Confederation Advance to Knockout %:

62% UEFA (15-11-13), 8 of 13 advance; 16GD, 4.3 pts/team

50% AFC (7-1-10), 3 of 6; -11GD, 3.7pts/team

50% CONMEBOL (6-1-5), 2 of 4; 4GD, 4.8pts/team

40% CAF (7-4-4), 2 of 5; 4GD, 5.0pts/team

25% CONCACAF (3-3-6), 1 of 4; -13GD, 3.0pts/team

Edited December 2, 2022 by HuskerFever

[hskr4life]

Personally I’d say CONCACAF is the most disappointing.  With how Canada had looked, Mexico always being Mexico, and CR usually throwing a wrench in things… we should have at least had 2.

 

AFC has to be happy— Big upsets and 3/6 teams in.
 

As a US fan, you’ve gotta be happy though.  Making the R16 is never easy.  We have the 2nd youngest team and youngest starting 11.  We didn’t lose a single match yet.  Got a chance on Saturday!  Let’s go have some fun.