Any UNT English Premier League fans?

Cowtown · December 16, 2013

He played so damn big but had such soft touch.

Awesome goal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IicmCu47pMo

my favorite Bergkamp goal.

Green Mean · December 16, 2013

And I love MLS, just would like to see it compete with the European league and at the very least Liga MX in the future. I think pro/rel makes for an interesting season, I think MLS needs to also git rid of the salary cap system. I don't mind the playoffs though to determine the champion, I'm still an American and I enjoy my playoffs.

Frankly the MLS will never be able to compete with the top European leagues. There would have to be astronomical shift in uprising here to even think about competing but even then I just can't see it. The MLS doesn't have the money to offer top tier talent to fill the whole league. Not only that but the majority of top level players will prefer to stay in Europe. And I may be in the minority but I believe all the top US players should stay and play in Europe. It's better for American soccer. While the MLS today is a far better brand of soccer than many years ago I just cannot see the league ever sniffing the European leagues.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · December 16, 2013

Frankly the MLS will never be able to compete with the top European leagues. There would have to be astronomical shift in uprising here to even think about competing but even then I just can't see it. The MLS doesn't have the money to offer top tier talent to fill the whole league. Not only that but the majority of top level players will prefer to stay in Europe. And I may be in the minority but I believe all the top US players should stay and play in Europe. It's better for American soccer. While the MLS today is a far better brand of soccer than many years ago I just cannot see the league ever sniffing the European leagues.

Has anyone seen this soccer magazine list that puts MLS at the 7th best league in the world? Don't know their methodology, but I like it :thumbsu:

http://www.givemesport.com/342964-top-20-best-leagues-in-world-football

10. Argentina | Primera Division
9. France | Ligue 1
8. Netherlands | Eredivisie
7. USA | MLS
6. Mexico | Liga MX
5. Brazil | Serie A
4. Italy | Serie A
3. Spain | La Liga
2. England | Premier League
1. Germany | Bundesliga

Edited December 16, 2013 by ChristopherRyanWilkes

Green Mean · December 16, 2013

Has anyone seen this soccer magazine list that puts MLS at the 7th best league in the world? Don't know their methodology, but I like it

http://www.givemesport.com/342964-top-20-best-leagues-in-world-football

Interesting. I'm not a hardcore fan that follows the league to the tee but if the perception of the league is increasing and if it can ever get to a level where it's not far from a top Euro league then I think it will be nothing short of a miracle.

Censored by Laurie · December 16, 2013

Has anyone seen this soccer magazine list that puts MLS at the 7th best league in the world? Don't know their methodology, but I like it

http://www.givemesport.com/342964-top-20-best-leagues-in-world-football

Ridiculous list.

England, top to bottom, is unquestionably the the top league in the world. Right now, the likes of Barca, Real and Atletico in La Liga, Bayern and Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and maybe even PSG in Ligue 1 may well be a quarter step above the top in England, but the quality drops off precipitously from there. Bottom of the table English clubs would be middle of the table in any other league in Europe. There is also far more club financial stability in England having learned the lessons of the likes of Portsmouth and Leeds when it comes to compiling debt. The other European leagues will have clubs have strong 2-3 year runs at Champion's League, then drop off the face of the earth as they sell off talent to pay debtors.

1. England

2. Spain

3. Germany

4. France

5. Italy (maybe...even top clubs like Juve and both Milan sides are debt-ridden right now...Napoli is likely down that road in a few years...Roma is doing it right and will be top for a while)

6. Brazil

7 and below...MLS, Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, Netherlands, Belgium, Russia...it's all kinda a melange from there.

The MLS could really stand for one or two clubs to start standing out. Seattle has the support...and buying Dempsey, a still European quality player, off Spurs (how'd that work out for you AVB?) is a start. I'm curious to see what ends up happening with the new New York F.C. They'll have the financial backing of the Yankees and Manchester City, so I imagine they'll be trying to make some splash buys right off the bat...and we may start to see a shift in spending habits in MLS, which I think is a good thing. In spite of their awful allegiances, I'll certainly check out a few matches as the stadium will likely be in the Bronx...a much easier place for me to get to rather than Meadowlands, NJ where the Red Bulls play.

As far as MLS fandom...I kinda support Portland...I went to a match at Jen Weld and the atmosphere is fantastic.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · December 16, 2013

Ridiculous list.
England, top to bottom, is unquestionably the the top league in the world. Right now, the likes of Barca, Real and Atletico in La Liga, Bayern and Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and maybe even PSG in Ligue 1 may well be a quarter step above the top in England, but the quality drops off precipitously from there. Bottom of the table English clubs would be middle of the table in any other league in Europe. There is also far more club financial stability in England having learned the lessons of the likes of Portsmouth and Leeds when it comes to compiling debt. The other European leagues will have clubs have strong 2-3 year runs at Champion's League, then drop off the face of the earth as they sell off talent to pay debtors.
1. England

2. Spain

3. Germany
4. France

5. Italy (maybe...even top clubs like Juve and both Milan sides are debt-ridden right now...Napoli is likely down that road in a few years...Roma is doing it right and will be top for a while)

6. Brazil

7 and below...MLS, Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, Netherlands, Belgium, Russia...it's all kinda a melange from there.
The MLS could really stand for one or two clubs to start standing out. Seattle has the support...and buying Dempsey, a still European quality player, off Spurs (how'd that work out for you AVB?) is a start. I'm curious to see what ends up happening with the new New York F.C. They'll have the financial backing of the Yankees and Manchester City, so I imagine they'll be trying to make some splash buys right off the bat...and we may start to see a shift in spending habits in MLS, which I think is a good thing. In spite of their awful allegiances, I'll certainly check out a few matches as the stadium will likely be in the Bronx...a much easier place for me to get to rather than Meadowlands, NJ where the Red Bulls play.
As far as MLS fandom...I kinda support Portland...I went to a match at Jen Weld and the atmosphere is fantastic.

Yeah, AVB got sacked today. Now I can only hope and wait for the same result with Jason Garrett. Honestly I have mixed feelings about the AVB sacking, I think he has a lot of potential, but like Garrett, we can't wait around for him to learn on the job this year. Losing Dempsey and even worse Gareth Bale, has really hurt

TIgreen01 · December 16, 2013

Count me as a general soccer supporter. Regularly watch EPL games since Fox Soccer channel became viable a few ago and has now given way to even better NBC Sports coverage. Love the UEFA Champions league, but generally dislike the structure and lack of depth within almost all Euro leagues (with EPL being maybe the lone exception to the 2 team rule) that participate. As UNT has conditioned me, I generally root for the underdog in nearly every game...so I've usually rooted for the middle-buster EPL teams that have prominent US players on them (Everton, Fulham (with Dempsey), Tottenham (Dempsey again)), but can't really watch the likes of Sunderland (poor Altidore) or other bottom feeders. For me, I've never been to the UK so I don't have any emotional attachment to any teams....so it's really about entertainment and watching a quality matchup.

I've been going to FCD games for several years. I think the league quality was pretty much trash up until a few years ago and still the league is unwilling to punish the teams that play a beat-em-up style that uglies up the game (Colorado prior to Pareja was the biggest offender along with Houston). The league needs teams like the current Portland squad to do well. FCD under Hyndman and before we inexplicably gave up Dax McCarty and the Ferreira injury was another quality team. There are more and more decent teams every year. I have no clue who should be the next FCD coach. Had Hyndman not come from SMU I might not have boo'd him so hard at the stadium, though.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · December 16, 2013

Count me as a general soccer supporter. Regularly watch EPL games since Fox Soccer channel became viable a few ago and has now given way to even better NBC Sports coverage. Love the UEFA Champions league, but generally dislike the structure and lack of depth within almost all Euro leagues (with EPL being maybe the lone exception to the 2 team rule) that participate. As UNT has conditioned me, I generally root for the underdog in nearly every game...so I've usually rooted for the middle-buster EPL teams that have prominent US players on them (Everton, Fulham (with Dempsey), Tottenham (Dempsey again)), but can't really watch the likes of Sunderland (poor Altidore) or other bottom feeders. For me, I've never been to the UK so I don't have any emotional attachment to any teams....so it's really about entertainment and watching a quality matchup.

I've been going to FCD games for several years. I think the league quality was pretty much trash up until a few years ago and still the league is unwilling to punish the teams that play a beat-em-up style that uglies up the game (Colorado prior to Pareja was the biggest offender along with Houston). The league needs teams like the current Portland squad to do well. FCD under Hyndman and before we inexplicably gave up Dax McCarty and the Ferreira injury was another quality team. There are more and more decent teams every year. I have no clue who should be the next FCD coach. Had Hyndman not come from SMU I might not have boo'd him so hard at the stadium, though.

Portland and Seattle. I have to root for the hometown team, otherwise there is no question I'd be a Seattle Sounders fan. Great fan atmosphere that some say is the only thing that comes close to rivaling European league games.

Censored by Laurie · December 16, 2013

Yeah, AVB got sacked today. Now I can only hope and wait for the same result with Jason Garrett. Honestly I have mixed feelings about the AVB sacking, I think he has a lot of potential, but like Garrett, we can't wait around for him to learn on the job this year. Losing Dempsey and even worse Gareth Bale, has really hurt

The Bale sale had to happen...the numbers were just getting so astronomical for a player with a player who really only showed that elite, world-class level of play for about a 6 month period.

Neither Dempsey doesn't have the technical quality for the style AVB wanted to play...and to add, Defoe doesn't have the hold-up ability he wanted either and that's why he tried to sell him and when that failed he relegated him to the bench. but they both bang in goals. that was the part AVb didn't quite get.

There is a part of me that feels bad for him, though...injuries have hampered the squad...especially injuries to seemingly all of his new buys. That said, while he brought in quality with the Bale money, he didn't address areas of need. He bought 3 wingers in Chadli, Erikson and Lamela...adding them to a squad already with capable players like Lennon and Townsend. He added Paulinho and Capoue...both quality low-lying midfielders...and added them to 2 almost identical players in Dembele and Sandro...he wanted to deploy 3 of them in a central triangle, but while they're all physical and technically gifted, they all lack creativity and certainly pace. I've yet to see a Spurs game where they controlled the midfield. Soldado was a stretch to be a lead striker in the EPL...and AVB did so little to address a thin back-line that now Capoue is deputizing as a center-half...and something like that leads to a world-class striker having 2 goals and 2 assists in a 5-0 home route like Sunday.

On top of all that...I think Gylfi Sigurdsson has been your best player all season and across all competitions...yet he has only 7 premier league starts. He is that creative 10 that your squad lacks...instead AVB opted to try and deploy Paulinho in an advanced role...something he's not suited to.

oh...also...FOYS.

TIgreen01 · December 16, 2013

The Bale sale had to happen...the numbers were just getting so astronomical for a player with a player who really only showed that elite, world-class level of play for about a 6 month period.
Neither Dempsey doesn't have the technical quality for the style AVB wanted to play...and to add, Defoe doesn't have the hold-up ability he wanted either and that's why he tried to sell him and when that failed he relegated him to the bench. but they both bang in goals. that was the part AVb didn't quite get.
There is a part of me that feels bad for him, though...injuries have hampered the squad...especially injuries to seemingly all of his new buys. That said, while he brought in quality with the Bale money, he didn't address areas of need. He bought 3 wingers in Chadli, Erikson and Lamela...adding them to a squad already with capable players like Lennon and Townsend. He added Paulinho and Capoue...both quality low-lying midfielders...and added them to 2 almost identical players in Dembele and Sandro...he wanted to deploy 3 of them in a central triangle, but while they're all physical and technically gifted, they all lack creativity and certainly pace. I've yet to see a Spurs game where they controlled the midfield. Soldado was a stretch to be a lead striker in the EPL...and AVB did so little to address a thin back-line that now Capoue is deputizing as a center-half...and something like that leads to a world-class striker having 2 goals and 2 assists in a 5-0 home route like Sunday.
On top of all that...I think Gylfi Sigurdsson has been your best player all season and across all competitions...yet he has only 7 premier league starts. He is that creative 10 that your squad lacks...instead AVB opted to try and deploy Paulinho in an advanced role...something he's not suited to.

oh...also...FOYS.

I don't feel sorry for AVB. The guy is a young hot-shot who wants to play one style or be damned trying. He took over 2 great jobs with teams already pre-built for success and immediately made them worse. You might expect the teams to initially struggle to convert to his wanted style and at some point turn the corner, but in both instances he lost the players before that conversion could complete---not all that unlike our very own Benford.

Censored by Laurie · December 20, 2013

Clint Dempsey appears to be on his way back to Craven Cottage...just had a medical for Fulham ahead of a potential 2-month loan spell.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · January 16, 2014

FC Dallas drafts Tesho Akindele with the 6th pick in the Superdraft today. Any thoughts Coffee & TV?

Coffee and TV · January 17, 2014

FC Dallas drafts Tesho Akindele with the 6th pick in the Superdraft today. Any thoughts Coffee & TV?

Great pick and even better maneuvering on draft day.

This guy is from Colorado & wouldn't join the Rapids academy because he was staying loyal to his youth team. He went to Colorado School of Mines for the education and just tore it up. Speedy winger with good size, should work well opposite Castillo in a 4-3-3 formation. With Oscar Pareja coming from Colorado, he either had someone (or himself) with eyes on this kid down the road in Golden the last 2 years.

We originally traded the 5th pick to Montreal for their 10th, an international slot & allocation money. We then traded the allocation money to move back to pick 6th. So just by moving down a position in the draft we were able to obtain an international slot, which you will definitely see Pareja use in the next few weeks with a big signing, mark my words.

With so much parity it's tough to know how we'll do this year, but with the braintrust of Pareja/Ferruzzi/Clavijo, we're going to build a really good young team.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Coffee and TV

ChristopherRyanWilkes · January 17, 2014

Great pick and even better maneuvering on draft day.

This guy is from Colorado & wouldn't join the Rapids academy because he was staying loyal to his youth team. He went to Colorado School of Mines for the education and just tore it up. Speedy winger with good size, should work well opposite Castillo in a 4-3-3 formation. With Oscar Pareja coming from Colorado, he either had someone (or himself) with eyes on this kid down the road in Golden the last 2 years.

We originally traded the 5th pick to Montreal for their 10th, an international slot & allocation money. We then traded the allocation money to move back to pick 6th. So just by moving down a position in the draft we were able to obtain an international slot, which you will definitely see Pareja use in the next few weeks with a big signing, mark my words.

With so much parity it's tough to know how we'll do this year, but with the braintrust of Pareja/Ferruzzi/Clavijo, we're going to build a really good young team.

I agree, I think he's going to fill the international slot with a DP. We freed up a ton of salary space by letting Cooper and Pereira go. I liked his maneuvering I just wonder if we couldn't have gotten our same guy at #10 and kept some of that allocation money. I had never watched a MLS draft before yesterday and it was more entertaining and humorous than I anticipated. In other MLS news: I think the Dafoe and Bradley signing is going to be big for the league. Already rumbling about Maurice Edu coming back, I think MLS is gaining legitimacy every year.

Green Mean · January 17, 2014

I still think it's in the best interest for American soccer that the best American players stay and play in Europe. Not sure what Michael Bradley's whole situation was but I'd like to see American players playing against the best. Just my thought.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · January 17, 2014

I still think it's in the best interest for American soccer that the best American players stay and play in Europe. Not sure what Michael Bradley's whole situation was but I'd like to see American players playing against the best. Just my thought.

True, but I also kind of like when they play in MLS just for selfish reasons. Bradley is a DP so he's actually making more money being in the MLS, get to be closer to home, more playing time, etc. Americans are constantly having to prove themselves in Europe and a lot of times don't get a whole lot of playing time anyways against the best.

Censored by Laurie · January 17, 2014

True, but I also kind of like when they play in MLS just for selfish reasons. Bradley is a DP so he's actually making more money being in the MLS, get to be closer to home, more playing time, etc. Americans are constantly having to prove themselves in Europe and a lot of times don't get a whole lot of playing time anyways against the best.

Bradley's move is simply to get match time ahead of the World Cup. Bradley was a key cog in Roma's midfield last season, but has since lost his place in their regular XI after entering the season injured.

Coffee and TV · January 17, 2014

I agree, I think he's going to fill the international slot with a DP. We freed up a ton of salary space by letting Cooper and Pereira go. I liked his maneuvering I just wonder if we couldn't have gotten our same guy at #10 and kept some of that allocation money. I had never watched a MLS draft before yesterday and it was more entertaining and humorous than I anticipated. In other MLS news: I think the Dafoe and Bradley signing is going to be big for the league. Already rumbling about Maurice Edu coming back, I think MLS is gaining legitimacy every year.

Mauro Diaz is our new #10. Ferreira was great for FCD, but his time had passed. He might still land on the team but at a lower salary & a bench role.

Coffee and TV · January 17, 2014

Bradley's move is simply to get match time ahead of the World Cup. Bradley was a key cog in Roma's midfield last season, but has since lost his place in their regular XI after entering the season injured.

That's exactly it. And while MLS isn't the EPL or Serie A, it's made great strides in quality and is on par with quite a few European leagues. And look no further than Brek Shea to see that making the move doesn't always work out well for American players. He couldn't even make the gameday roster under Mark Hughes at Stoke & is now loaned to a team avoiding relegation in the Championship.