OT: Boneyard "Other Football" World Cup Thread

[Mots010]

This just in. Ghana is really good.

 

[UCFBfan]

Ghana not going to make this easy for the US should they hold on to win against Germany...however, if we beat Portugal tomorrow and Ghana wins today, we move on! Wow this World Cup has been crazy!

 

[Mots010]

Ghana not going to make this easy for the US should they hold on to win against Germany...however, if we beat Portugal tomorrow and Ghana wins today, we move on! Wow this World Cup has been crazy!

They may make it easier to win the group

 

[UCFBfan]

wow.....that was impressive from Germany to level this.

 

[UConnDan97]

Relegation would only work in soccer as it is the only sport in the world where it exists. So why not have it in MLS? The simple answer is that there aren't enough fans to support this. If the bottom three teams in MLS got relegated to USL or NASL or whatever the second tier would be, those teams would likely fold as no one would go. There's just not enough interest yet to support this. Also, lets say three teams from USL get promoted, do you really think their attendance is going to sky rocket? Probably not as there are no major superstars in MLS like in other leagues. Should attendance spike and rise as has been happening slowly, this could be an option. However, as someone said in an earlier post, probably not in our lifetimes....

I guess college football could institute this rule on second thought.....

You're absolutely right that MLS isn't strong enough yet to use relegation. It would be difficult for the league to survive if all of the sudden, teams like New York and LA were replaced by teams from Rochester and Bridgeport (even if the Rochester Rhinos are relatively well supported).

However, College Football and MLB could do it tomorrow and not lose a beat! In fact, I think that it would make BOTH leagues better if they did. College Football, using a relegation model for 1-A and 1-AA, or maybe even "P5" and "Non-P5", would really do well for itself and stop all of this realignment nonsense. MLB has ready-made divisions where they could do this, and then teams like Pawtucket and the Hartford...cough!...Rock Cats could advance up the ladder...

 

[DarthGrumpy]

You're absolutely right that MLS isn't strong enough yet to use relegation. It would be difficult for the league to survive if all of the sudden, teams like New York and LA were replaced by teams from Rochester and Bridgeport (even if the Rochester Rhinos are relatively well supported).

However, College Football and MLB could do it tomorrow and not lose a beat! In fact, I think that it would make BOTH leagues better if they did. College Football, using a relegation model for 1-A and 1-AA, or maybe even "P5" and "Non-P5", would really do well for itself and stop all of this realignment nonsense. MLB has ready-made divisions where they could do this, and then teams like Pawtucket and the Hartford...cough!...Rock Cats could advance up the ladder...

Their is risk with regulation, too. I believe in the last 10 years rich owners tried to money their way into the big leagues by buying Portsmouth (England) and Grenoble (France). Unfortunately, neither knew how to professional team and after several years of poor performance coupled with crazy salaries for moderate talent and heavy debt sent both teams crashing into bankruptcy and out of the top tier (both are now each country's 4th tier).

 

[UConnDan97]

Their is risk with regulation, too. I believe in the last 10 years rich owners tried to money their way into the big leagues by buying Portsmouth (England) and Grenoble (France). Unfortunately, neither knew how to professional team and after several years of poor performance coupled with crazy salaries for moderate talent and heavy debt sent both teams crashing into bankruptcy and out of the top tier (both are now each country's 4th tier).

They have to get used to the idea that you have to sell your expensive talent after relegation in order to buy up cheaper, younger prospects or players from leagues in the 3rd World. This happens all the time in world soccer. The problem happens when some of these new owners that don't understand that model and continue to chase dead money.

Unfortunately, this is going to happen to my favorite team in Italy (Catania), since they are being relegated. They will likely sell (or loan) their top 2 or 3 players, grab a couple of young prospects, and try to win the second division to get back up into the top league...

 

[junglehusky]

Obligatory link to SBNation's College Football Relegation series

 

[SubbaBub]

Already pumped for tonight. Waging a full on battle against that feeling in 2003 knowing if the yanks lost to Schilling, there was no way Kevin Brown was getting it done in game 7.

Let's hope Portugal wasn't hanging on to playing a bunch of guys past their prime and these bench guys really are the B team.

In short, we're doomed.

Btw, if the Dog Pound doesn't adopt the, "I believe that we will win!" chant, then they are beyond help.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/socce...rendiest-chant-in-sports-began-040228934.html

 

[progrocks]

You really think a AAA team can move to the majors? They are a farm team! There are only 39 franchises! That would mean that there would be 2 Yankee teams in the majors. In England each club is its own entity, all the way down to amateur leagues. They grew organically and the best associate with the best.

College could work like this, but not a single pro sport in the USA could ever relegate. EVER.

 

[whaler11]

The US was 4:1 to win and that has now dropped to about 3.5:1. Don't know if that's because now the draw is so much less useful to the Americans or if it's the slow trickle of information that has mostly been positive for the USA or that the underdogs have been killing it through the tourney.

Dan's buddy Nate Silver has it 35% chance USA and 36% Portugal wins.

I'm realtively confident in the US tonight, I'm a bit worried for two reasons:
1. Lot of people writing off Portugal. Dangerous. I hate that.
2. Altidore being out. I saw nothing from Johannson the other night.

I have an entire family of in laws who from the Azores.... so it would be sweet to put the nail in their coffin.

 

[UConnDan97]

The US was 4:1 to win and that has now dropped to about 3.5:1. Don't know if that's because now the draw is so much less useful to the Americans or if it's the slow trickle of information that has mostly been positive for the USA or that the underdogs have been killing it through the tourney.

Dan's buddy Nate Silver has it 35% chance USA and 36% Portugal wins.

I'm realtively confident in the US tonight, I'm a bit worried for two reasons:
1. Lot of people writing off Portugal. Dangerous. I hate that.
2. Altidore being out. I saw nothing from Johannson the other night.

I have an entire family of in laws who from the Azores.... so it would be sweet to put the nail in their coffin.

The irony is that I used to read Nate Silver's 538 blog during lunch breaks, but I haven't checked out his website in a long time. I'm a big fan of statistics and numerical analysis. I just questioned his methods and outcome for the last game. And today, he has the USA and the Portuguese at "even money". I have to say that today, I agree with him. It's hard for any team to lose four players and have their star player playing with injury. That should put us on equal ground, IMO...

 

[whaler11]

The irony is that I used to read Nate Silver's 538 blog during lunch breaks, but I haven't checked out his website in a long time. I'm a big fan of statistics and numerical analysis. I just questioned his methods and outcome for the last game. And today, he has the USA and the Portuguese at "even money". I have to say that today, I agree with him. It's hard for any team to lose four players and have their star player playing with injury. That should put us on equal ground, IMO...

The website is really disappointing. I had high hopes but it kind of sucks.

His model has been on fire in the World Cup though. It seems we all know how Europe does in SA - but for some reason everyone forgets on a game by game basis.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Frack me, big mistake and Nani made the US pay.

 

[ZooCougar]

Arghhhhhhhhhhh!

 

[ZooCougar]

The irony is that I used to read Nate Silver's 538 blog during lunch breaks, but I haven't checked out his website in a long time. I'm a big fan of statistics and numerical analysis. I just questioned his methods and outcome for the last game. And today, he has the USA and the Portuguese at "even money". I have to say that today, I agree with him. It's hard for any team to lose four players and have their star player playing with injury. That should put us on equal ground, IMO...

Unless we gift wrap them a goal!

 

[DarthGrumpy]

US has responded well. Getting pressure and possession plus Ronaldo has already begun to yap at his team and the ref. Just wish they did not give up that goal.

 

[Jimdish255]

Despite the early screw up Portugal letting us hang around. Must have win for them imo.

WoW huge saves late in half! Spectacular!

 

[SubbaBub]

Need to get some of these chances on goal before Johnson runs out of gas. Beckerman being left alone with the ball too often.

Can't tell if Portugal is getting tired or resting. I suspect resting.

 

[Jimdish255]

FROZEN!!!

 

[Jimdish255]

Anybody home? JONES!!!!

And Howard is just insane. This is a real cracker!

 

[whaler11]

I hate sports

 

[SubbaBub]

Well that was a real dump on the wedding cake.

 

[ZooCougar]

Bradley.....

 

[ZooCougar]

Soccer is awful.