Topic: Soccer Discussion: 1.67% Chance of Being the Best Thread on the NWR Forums

[NWR_insanolord]

The CONCACAF Champions League draw is out, and the Sounders got just about the most favorable path possible while Toronto got screwed. Seattle gets probably the weakest of any of the 16 teams to open, followed up by probably the weakest Mexican team in the tournament if we get by them. Toronto, on the other hand, plays fellow MLS team Colorado to start things off, so a two leg series where both teams are likely to be playing in snow, and then if they get by them they most likely face the reigning Mexican champion in Tigres.

[NWR_insanolord]

There's an event scheduled in Nashville on Wednesday that is almost certainly going to officially announce them as the 25th team in MLS. After that there's still one more to be announced shortly, with the other finalists being Sacramento, Cincinnati, and Detroit. Sacramento seemed like the frontrunner, but recent rumors about problems within their ownership group may be threatening that.

[NWR_insanolord]

The election for U.S. Soccer Federation President is tomorrow morning and things just keep getting crazier. Recent events, most notably the failure to qualify for the World Cup, but also the slow death of the NASL and the Jonathan Gonzalez choosing to play for Mexico over the United States, have gotten a lot more people than usual to pay attention to this.

Of the 8 candidates in the race, there are probably only 3 that stand a real chance of winning: the two establishment candidates, Kathy Carter and Carlos Cordeiro, and Kyle Martino. Martino is one of the 6 candidates pushing for radical change, and they seem to be allying themselves at the last minute to try and push one of them over the top.

A candidate needs 50% of the vote plus 1 to win, and at this rate it's almost certainly going to take multiple ballots to get a winner. Carter's probably the only one who stands a chance of winning on the first ballot, but if she doesn't all hell will break loose, with the candidates scrambling to win votes between rounds. This is going to get crazy.

[ShyGuy]

There are soccer elections? It's like it's own little world, isn't it? Is there soccer food and drink too?

[NWR_insanolord]

It's for control of the national governing body of the sport, which is kind of a big deal right now given the several crises we've run into recently. Our election might not even be the craziest one right now, though. Italy has to redo theirs after not being able to come to a consensus, and Argentina just had theirs finish in a 38-38 tie despite there only being 75 voters.

[NWR_insanolord]

The first week of the MLS season is in the books, and it was just as unpredictable as ever. The four teams most would pick to finish as the top two in each conference all lost, with Toronto matching their home loss total from all of last year in one game, Atlanta getting blown out by Houston, Portland losing to last-year's last place Galaxy, and Seattle losing to expansion team LAFC in their first ever game.

Seattle at least had the excuse of resting about half their starters for their midweek CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match against Mexican giants Chivas Guadalajara. CCL play will also include two other MLS-Liga MX matchups, with the New York Red Bulls, who had the week off in MLS play thanks to the current odd number of teams in the league, taking on Tijuana, and the much anticipated battle between the defending champions of both leagues, Toronto FC vs. Tigres. FC Dallas ruined the fun of rounding out the field with another battle between those two leagues with their embarrassing loss to Panamanian side Tauro FC, who will take on Club America.

No MLS team has ever won the CONCACAF Champions League, with only two even managing to reach the final in its nine years under this format. This seems like a year with potential for it, though, as Toronto is the strongest and deepest team in MLS history and Seattle and New York are on the easier side of the bracket, with Mexican teams that are struggling at the moment.

[NWR_insanolord]

Pretty good night for MLS, as the Red Bulls stomp Tijuana and Toronto holds on against Tigres to book their spots in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. Before tonight only two MLS teams had defeated Mexican teams in a knockout series, and if Seattle can take care of business against Chivas tomorrow that number could jump to five.

[NWR_insanolord]

And the CONCACAF Champions League final is set. It should have been an all-MLS matchup but the New York Red Bulls couldn't manage to score on Chivas despite dominating play for pretty much the full 180 minutes. But Toronto FC continued their incredible run with a 4-2 defeat of defending champion and most decorated team on the continent Club America.

TFC should be big favorites in this series given how shaky Chivas has looked all tournament and the fact that they're just better than they are. The U.S. may not have qualified for Russia this summer but Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore may be playing in a World Cup this year after all.

[Shaymin]

If TFC adds the CL to the Canadian Championship, the Supporter's Shield and the MLS Cup... would that be a quadruple?

[NWR_insanolord]

I guess it depends on how you're counting it. It could be argued that a true quad would require them to win the Shield, Cup, and Canadian Championship again this year so they'd have done it all in the same season.

[Khushrenada]

This thread reminds me of how my profile says I'm from Trinidad and Tobago. It was a quiet subtle joke that I don't think people have caught on to so screw the subtlety. It's time to let you know how I've been trolling Insanolord for months and it's been in front of your faces this whole time.

[NWR_insanolord]

The thing is, I have no ill will toward Trinidad and Tobago. Like most U.S. soccer fans I place the entirety of the blame on Bruce Arena and the U.S. players. It was an awful decision to play that lineup in a game on the road where we only needed a draw, but even still they should have been able to take care of what wasn't even the full strength version of a team we're way more talented than. If you really wanted to troll me you should have changed your name to Omar Gonzalez, whose generally awful play in that game, including and especially an own goal, makes me far more upset.

[NWR_insanolord]

I'm going to be watching soccer for like 6 straight hours this Saturday between the Championship Promotion Playoff, the UEFA Champions League Final, and the Sounders, not to mention the other MLS games I'll likely watch after that.


As I've mentioned in this thread before, I'm a Liverpool fan, so the UCL Final is especially interesting, with them trying to dethrone two-time defending champ Real Madrid. The Sounders game is pretty big too, after their very poor start due to tons and tons of injuries, they play at home against another bad team without its best player, so hopefully they can pick up a much needed 3 points.

[NWR_insanolord]

This morning the FIFA congress made it official: the United bid won, to the 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico (though 60 of the 80 games, including everything from the quarterfinals forward, are in the U.S.). I need to start saving money now to attend as much of this as possible.

[nickmitch]

I was just talking with my friends the other day about how the US could do it solo and how this is the really the one country who could do so easily.  Glad they won the bid, which I completely forgot about even during the conversation.

[NWR_insanolord]

The U.S. could absolutely do it alone. There are multiple U.S. states that would be capable of hosting the whole thing all on their own. Canada and Mexico are along for the ride because it made the bid easier to sell politically, and as I said in the last post they're barely doing anything, the vast majority of it's going to be in the U.S.

[RABicle]

Didn't you guys host the World Cup before? How'd that go?

[NWR_insanolord]

The World Cup in the United States in 1994 still holds the record for attendance. It'll be interesting to see what we cab do hosting one when the sport is actually somewhat popular here.

[RABicle]

Should smash that record since it'll be the new, 48 team team format that I called for long ago.

[NWR_insanolord]

It's really been a hell of a World Cup so far. A lot of great games, and some big upsets. Half the semifinals are set after today's games, with France beating Uruguay and Belgium's takedown of a Brazil team that had previously looked unstoppable. Tomorrow the weaker side of the bracket goes with Sweden playing England and Croatia taking on the hosts Russia.

[ShyGuy]

Who is the team to root for? England?

[NWR_insanolord]

I'm definitely not rooting for England, the English fans are unbearable enough as it is so I'd rather not let them have that to lord over everybody going forward. I'll be rooting for Sweden since Seattle Sounder Gustav Svensson is on the team, and barring that I'd probably pull for Belgium, who aren't really a traditional power but have been playing really good soccer. Their win over Brazil was really impressive and one of the most entertaining games of the tournament.

[Shaymin]

Congratulations to France for winning it all, and thanks to them and Croatia for a massively entertaining final. (Even if I was kind of hoping for England to make the finals and lose on penalties.)

[NWR_insanolord]

And by the transitive property, since the United States drew France right before the World Cup started, we are now co-world champions.

[nickmitch]

I believe the Geneva Convention also states that now that France has won the World Cup, we will stop calling them Freedom Fries for no less than one week.