FIFA has announced it will distribute £142m to clubs as compensation for the release of players involved in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

 

A total of £47.5m was given to clubs with players involved in last year's World Cup in Brazil, with the compensation distributed to teams for the 2010 finals in South Africa £27.13m.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12...-2022-world-cup

 

It will be interesting to see how this all works out logistically and what the fallout will be.

 

From an English perspective, one of the reasons continually given for the lack of success in major tournaments has been that the players are burnt out by the end of the season due to not having a winter break. I guess the World Cup will be played roughly half way through the Premier League season, at which point the players should be at their peak in terms of physical fitness, so perhaps we will see a performance that is not an utter embarrassment (one can hope, anyway).

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12...-2022-world-cup

 

It will be interesting to see how this all works out logistically and what the fallout will be.

 

From an English perspective, one of the reasons continually given for the lack of success in major tournaments has been that the players are burnt out by the end of the season due to not having a winter break. I guess the World Cup will be played roughly half way through the Premier League season, at which point the players should be at their peak in terms of physical fitness, so perhaps we will see a performance that is not an utter embarrassment (one can hope, anyway).

 

Maybe Harry Kane will be the first of a group of players who will start not sucking at the WC for England.

Round of 8 draws are out for the Champions League.

 

Atletico is taking on Real Madrid and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Atletico whoop Real's ass like they did a month ago. Both sides have been struggling though.

Edited March 20, 201511 yr by chw42

Barcelona win El Classico. 4 points up on Real with 10 games to go.

They'll probably have a long hiatus. The issue is that it affects the next season. They might have to start the season earlier.

 

I can't imagine the English FA giving up their Boxing Day fixtures. I bet the turnaround is short across Europe.

I can't imagine the English FA giving up their Boxing Day fixtures. I bet the turnaround is short across Europe.

 

I believe the final was supposed to be closer to Christmas, but it was moved up to December 18 just so England could still have their Boxing Day games.

I can't imagine the English FA giving up their Boxing Day fixtures. I bet the turnaround is short across Europe.

 

I'm assuming a lot of the big name players will be taking a few weeks off at the start of the season.

 

 

Going to the U.S. women's game today. Should be fun.

holy hell check out the goal by stoke in the game today

holy hell check out the goal by stoke in the game today

 

And Adam did it to one of the best goalies in the world in Courtois.

 

I'm not sure how he kicked that ball so accurately.

Going to the U.S. women's game today. Should be fun.

 

I was there as well. Not really a soccer fan but it was fun.

Went to Fire game today. Wow, David Accam makes them a much more entertaining team. Altidore looked awful.

Went to Fire game today. Wow, David Accam makes them a much more entertaining team. Altidore looked awful.

 

Because Altidore's kinda bad...

 

The only times where Jozy's actually looked decent recently is with the USMNT. He was pretty bad for Sunderland. Otherwise, he'd still be playing in the BPL.

Because Altidore's kinda bad...

 

The only times where Jozy's actually looked decent recently is with the USMNT. He was pretty bad for Sunderland. Otherwise, he'd still be playing in the BPL.

 

Jozy is not a target forward who can create his own shots. The problem at Sunderland was they had no one to play up top with him and no one to give any sort of service. He also looked lost on the field a good amount of time but he's hardly awful. You don't score 50+ goals over two seasons in any league (even the high powered Dutch league) by being awful. He's a fine player but with distinct limitations.

Edited April 6, 201511 yr by ChiSox_Sonix

Went to Fire game today. Wow, David Accam makes them a much more entertaining team. Altidore looked awful.

His pace is absurd and his first touches were great.

 

The fire have been missing someone like him for awhile now. Hopefully this makes them watchable.

His pace is absurd and his first touches were great.

 

The fire have been missing someone like him for awhile now. Hopefully this makes them watchable.

 

There were games last year where they couldn't advance it out of their own end even with possession. Saturday they could just kick it out (not even accurately) and he would run it down and wreak havoc. Was awesome to watch. He also never tired down.

Jozy is not a target forward who can create his own shots. The problem at Sunderland was they had no one to play up top with him and no one to give any sort of service. He also looked lost on the field a good amount of time but he's hardly awful. You don't score 50+ goals over two seasons in any league (even the high powered Dutch league) by being awful. He's a fine player but with distinct limitations.

 

He's a bulldozer, but he's just not skilled enough like a Diego Costa or even Wilfried Bony to play as a lone striker. If you put him in a 2 striker formation or a formation with a high CF/CAM that can provide, you're right, he can succeed.

 

IMO, a good striker can play by himself. That way, he can succeed in almost any formation/function. I think a lot of USMNT fans expected him to take the next step forward when he moved to the BPL, but it just didn't happen.

Edited April 6, 201511 yr by chw42

He's a bulldozer, but he's just not skilled enough like a Diego Costa or even Wilfried Bony to play as a lone striker. If you put him in a 2 striker formation or a formation with a high CF/CAM that can provide, you're right, he can succeed.

 

IMO, a good striker can play by himself. That way, he can succeed in almost any formation/function. I think a lot of USMNT fans expected him to take the next step forward when he moved to the BPL, but it just didn't happen.

 

The funny thing is, I think he would have fit in perfectly in a spot like Tottenham. Getting service from Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli would have provided him a lot more chances.

The funny thing is, I think he would have fit in perfectly in a spot like Tottenham. Getting service from Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli would have provided him a lot more chances.

 

I think Emmanuel Adebayor a few season ago is what Jozy could have looked like if he figured it out and had a better cast around him. Similar size and skill-set as a striker.

I think Emmanuel Adebayor a few season ago is what Jozy could have looked like if he figured it out and had a better cast around him. Similar size and skill-set as a striker.

 

Good call. And there's nothing wrong with that. Just the USMNT can't rely on that if they want to progress. Jozy as what he is, is a complementary piece capable of playing on the big stage, but they can't put him in a position where he is the one they primarily look to and rely on. For better or worse, he's still our best option at the moment IMO.

After the game I started looking at "where are they nows', yedlin is hidden on the bench and apparently Green is throwing a hissy fit and is on the U23 for hamburg. Not the progress they hoped for I'm sure.

Good call. And there's nothing wrong with that. Just the USMNT can't rely on that if they want to progress. Jozy as what he is, is a complementary piece capable of playing on the big stage, but they can't put him in a position where he is the one they primarily look to and rely on. For better or worse, he's still our best option at the moment IMO.

 

If we're going to be decent at the 2018 WC, we're going to need to find a good forward to replace Dempsey. He'll be too old to be our best offensive player 3 years from now. If he is our best player up front by then, we're going to have some issues.

 

I do like what Zardes did for the Galaxy last year. Now that Keane and Donovan are gone, he's their best attacking player. It'll be interesting to see how he progresses.

 

Edit: apparently Keane's not leaving the Galaxy, I swear I read something that he was going to a few months back. He's a good mentor for Zardes.

Edited April 6, 201511 yr by chw42

After the game I started looking at "where are they nows', yedlin is hidden on the bench and apparently Green is throwing a hissy fit and is on the U23 for hamburg. Not the progress they hoped for I'm sure.

 

This year's been a mess for Green. Supposedly Pep really likes him though and Bayern aren't worried about him. He'll almost assuredly go out on loan somewhere again next season though. It wouldn't be bad for him to play a year in the Netherlands honestly. Yedlin picked up a knock right after the move to England and Spurs want to take it slow with him. He may not make his debut until the fall.

 

If we're going to be decent at the 2018 WC, we're going to need to find a good forward to replace Dempsey. He'll be too old to be our best offensive player 3 years from now. If he is our best player up front by then, we're going to have some issues.

 

I do like what Zardes did for the Galaxy last year. Now that Keane and Donovan are gone, he's their best attacking player. It'll be interesting to see how he progresses.

 

Edit: apparently Keane's not leaving the Galaxy, I swear I read something that he was going to a few months back. He's a good mentor for Zardes.

 

I like Zardes a lot too. He showed some nice flashes in their recent friendlies. I'm excited about Rubin. It'll be interesting how the U-20's look this summer in the World Cup. We need someone out of the Rubin, Agudelo, Green group to make a big stride in the next couple years. Maki Tall could be a dark horse for down the line as well if he commits to the US.

 

Edit: And as far as youth soccer goes, I do pay a lot of attention to the YNTs and we have a really strong group of 15-19 year olds right now. Rubin, CCV, EPB, Hyndman, Pfeffer, Canouse, Flores, Novakovich, Gall, Gooch, Haji Wright, Barbir, Gallardo, Josh Perez, Xuxuh, etc...and a bunch of dual nats that could potentially play for us down the road: Zelalem obviously, the Scott brothers (English), Parker brothers (Germany), Tall (France, Ivory Coast), Robert Kenedy Nunes (Brazil). It really is exciting to see how many Americans are drawing interest from prominent clubs in Europe right now.

Edited April 6, 201511 yr by ChiSox_Sonix

This year's been a mess for Green. Supposedly Pep really likes him though and Bayern aren't worried about him. He'll almost assuredly go out on loan somewhere again next season though. It wouldn't be bad for him to play a year in the Netherlands honestly. Yedlin picked up a knock right after the move to England and Spurs want to take it slow with him. He may not make his debut until the fall.

 

 

 

I like Zardes a lot too. He showed some nice flashes in their recent friendlies. I'm excited about Rubin. It'll be interesting how the U-20's look this summer in the World Cup. We need someone out of the Rubin, Agudelo, Green group to make a big stride in the next couple years. Maki Tall could be a dark horse for down the line as well if he commits to the US.

 

Edit: And as far as youth soccer goes, I do pay a lot of attention to the YNTs and we have a really strong group of 15-19 year olds right now. Rubin, CCV, EPB, Hyndman, Pfeffer, Canouse, Flores, Novakovich, Gall, Gooch, Haji Wright, Barbir, Gallardo, Josh Perez, Xuxuh, etc...and a bunch of dual nats that could potentially play for us down the road: Zelalem obviously, the Scott brothers (English), Parker brothers (Germany), Tall (France, Ivory Coast), Robert Kenedy Nunes (Brazil). It really is exciting to see how many Americans are drawing interest from prominent clubs in Europe right now.

 

We're probably the most athletic country in the world. We just don't have a good youth system to develop good players. I don't think I'm surprised European teams are looking at Americans for their youth clubs. You can't teach pace and physicality. But you can definitely teach dribbling, shooting, passing, etc.

City just lost to freakin' Crystal Palace. They've now sunk to 4th and are at risk of losing a guaranteed spot in the Champions League round of 32.