Futbol Talk

[The Sultan]

What will be interesting too is if those teams are banned from European competitions next year.

[Pakuni]

I'm not sure UEFA can ban players from a FIFA competition, but if anything can be done to torpedo this ridiculousness, I'm all in favor. I believe they can, however, ban them from Champions League & from the Euros. What might be most interesting is WC Qualifying. If suddenly ESL players can't compete, it might impact the qualification of some of the mid-level qualifiers, though that might be a short term issue with the 48-team World Cup coming soon.

If these teams are in the Super League, they probably won't want to be in the Champions League anyhow.
I can't imagine many national teams are going to play along with UEFA trying to ban many of their best players from the World Cup.

[The Sultan]

If these teams are in the Super League, they probably won't want to be in the Champions League anyhow.
I can't imagine many national teams are going to play along with UEFA trying to ban many of their best players from the World Cup.

I think they mean ban them from next year's champions league.  Which sounds good until the TV partners say...."uh what?"  Ditto kicking them out of domestic leagues.

I kinda think the PL should demote all six to League 2 so they can generate revenue for the EFL.

[cheebs09]

As someone who follows soccer from a distance, what is the motivation for this? It sounds like it is pretty much the Champions League without some of the smaller teams. I'm guessing just more money for these clubs?

Would it replace the Euro Cup and Champions League? It wouldn't replace these teams normal league play right?

This kind of sounds like if the P5 schools would create their own Basketball tournament. Or the golfers that want to create their own tour.

[Pakuni]

As someone who follows soccer from a distance, what is the motivation for this? It sounds like it is pretty much the Champions League without some of the smaller teams. I'm guessing just more money for these clubs?

Would it replace the Euro Cup and Champions League? It wouldn't replace these teams normal league play right?

This kind of sounds like if the P5 schools would create their own Basketball tournament. Or the golfers that want to create their own tour.

It's all about the $$$$. Basically, the big clubs say "we're driving all the revenue, so we want a bigger share of it."
Not sure if it would eliminate the Champions League, but it's hard to imagine these clubs playing in both competitions. That would seem a lot of wear-and-tear on your star athletes.

And yeah, this is the equivalent of Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Michigan and Penn State telling the NCAA to f--- off, they're going to do their own football playoff at the end of every season.

[JWags85]

It's all about the $$$$. Basically, the big clubs say "we're driving all the revenue, so we want a bigger share of it."
Not sure if it would eliminate the Champions League, but it's hard to imagine these clubs playing in both competitions. That would seem a lot of wear-and-tear on your star athletes.

And yeah, this is the equivalent of Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Michigan and Penn State telling the NCAA to f--- off, they're going to do their own football playoff at the end of every season.

Bigger share and less "stress".  Especially for EPL teams.  Don't have to fight for CL berths in domestic play each year.  Don't need to worry as much about qualifying stages playing on the road against annoying teams in hostile stadiums like Red Star in Serbia or the Russian teams, etc...

As a Liverpool supporter, I absolutely hate it.  And its very telling that this has been widely panned by almost everyone.  Nobody except the owners are excited about it.

[The Sultan]

I think a more robust revenue sharing arrangement, with something akin to tourney credits, both within Europe and its various domestic leagues, would have done the sport some good.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I'd say that there is no way that this will actually work, except for the blatant bribery at FIFA and UEFA, so who knows.

I hate it.

[JWags85]

I'd say that there is no way that this will actually work, except for the blatant bribery at FIFA and UEFA, so who knows.

I hate it.

I can see the bribes at FIFA preventing any banning of players in the "Super League" from playing for national teams like have been bandied about.

However I don't know how anyone at UEFA is swayed.  Cause this chops out their legs and their greatest sources of revenue

[shoothoops]

Marquette Men's Soccer received its first NCAA Tourney bid since 2013. They play LMU in the Round of 32.

[ChuckyChip]

probably not. Which is why I've been rooting against them. Like Fulham, they're the classic yo yo team.

Ouch!  Big Norwich fan here.  I'm not sure how you can root against them - they play a very entertaining, open, free flowing style.  They are not owned by some mega-billionaire and have to do things the hard way by developing their own talent and making prudent acquisitions.  They tried to make it in the Premier League last year with the core of their Championship team and it didn't work.  Besides selling off Ben Godfrey (Everton) and Jamal Lewis (Newcastle) they were able to keep the club intact and earn another promotion.  They will probably have to sell off a few more pieces (Emi Buendia, Max Aarons, and possibly Todd Cantwell) during the summer, but hopefully they will invest that money in a stronger roster.

[JWags85]

Ouch!  Big Norwich fan here.  I'm not sure how you can root against them - they play a very entertaining, open, free flowing style.  They are not owned by some mega-billionaire and have to do things the hard way by developing their own talent and making prudent acquisitions.  They tried to make it in the Premier League last year with the core of their Championship team and it didn't work.  Besides selling off Ben Godfrey (Everton) and Jamal Lewis (Newcastle) they were able to keep the club intact and earn another promotion.  They will probably have to sell off a few more pieces (Emi Buendia, Max Aarons, and possibly Todd Cantwell) during the summer, but hopefully they will invest that money in a stronger roster.

Cause they never do anything.   Nobody is rooting against them, just not excited for them to come and finish in the bottom 5 at best, yet again. It's no offense to them.  Their owners are a cute story but they don't have the money to compete.  They've been up and down 3 different times in the last 8 seasons.  There are plenty of small market, non billionaire clubs that stay up. See the same clubs yo-yo up and make no noise is just not as entertaining.

[Warrior Code]

Marquette Men's Soccer received its first NCAA Tourney bid since 2013. They play LMU in the Round of 32.

Winner likely gets blue blood Indiana. Their soccer team is what Hoosier fans think the basketball team should be.

[JWags85]

My favorite narrative of this Super League thing is the angsty Brits large vocal refrain of "these greedy American corporate owners that have stolen these clubs from the working class fans that formed them".  Like the English Premier League was some plucky upstart local league before Americans bought clubs in the last 20 years.  Americans are the reason ticket prices are too high.

I'm not downplaying their input into this whole situation, but ignoring every other oligarch buying British toys in professional sports to act like its a distinctly American problem is hilarious.

[Pakuni]

Word is that Chelsea is pulling out of the Super League.
Edit: And now Man City as well.

These clubs fold easier than Southampton's back line.

[cheebs09]

Winner likely gets blue blood Indiana. Their soccer team is what Hoosier fans think the basketball team should be.

Hopefully we can knock them off and get Bates to reconsider.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Word is that Chelsea is pulling out of the Super League.
Edit: And now Man City as well.

These clubs fold easier than Southampton's back line.

As reported by the Sun.

I hope they do pull out, and deep six this thing right quick.

Edit:  wow, that broke quick. 

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Now Ed Woodward resigned from ManU over this disaster.

[shoothoops]

Winner likely gets blue blood Indiana. Their soccer team is what Hoosier fans think the basketball team should be.

Indiana is a strong program. But MU has to get past LMU first.

Marquette played EIGHT OT games, and went 6-1-1 in those games, finding ways to win. One of them the opposing team missed a PK and MU found the winner with 5 seconds left in OT. They had a nice season, and, needed it.

Seton Hall won the Big East Tourney Title for the first time in 30 years with an exciting win over Georgetown. (They had gone 0-1-1 vs Georgetown in two close regular season games) Georgetown is the class of the Big East, recent National Champions, and, a National Power these days. Creighton is often good, not a tourney team this year.

So is the Georgetown Women's team, a National Power. Xavier had some recent success, but one bid league this year for Big East Women. Butler wasn't bad.

IU Men's soccer has been good since the 1970's. They are second only to SLU in National Titles. (Interestingly enough they have actually had a lot of success over the years with Stl kids, Chris Klein, Will Bruin, Harry Weiss, Pat Noonan, Tommy Meyer, Jack Maher, Kevin Robson etc...) Jerry Yeagley built it for 30 years, Mike Freitag and now Jerry's son Todd. Very consistent program for several decades.

LMU will be tough. They played well in a good WCC, added a win over UCLA. Top 15 caliber team or so. (BYU and Sant Clara have strong Women's teams this year)

It's a unique season. Some leagues played Spring only. Some played fall and Spring. (Interestingly enough the proposed move is to play a split fall and Spring schedule permanently moving forward.) Some teams were able to have a good mix of league and non-conference, while others had to rely mostly upon league play for results this season.

UWM (Milwaukee) made the Women's NCAA's after winning the Horizon League. Hopefully Marquette can get back to an NCAA Tourney level more consistently for both the Men and Women.

[jesmu84]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/20/sports/soccer/super-league-collapse.html

[The Sultan]

Jesse Marsch will be the new manager at Leipzig.  That's a pretty big deal.

[JWags85]

Jesse Marsch will be the new manager at Leipzig.  That's a pretty big deal.

Officially announced.  MASSIVE deal.  Even understanding he was in a pretty dead end situation, I thought Bob Bradley's failure at Swansea was going to be another mark against US managers at the highest level in Europe.  But the Red Bull sports organization is clearly very forward thinking and has a fantastic eye for talent.

In a decade, Marsch went from a US based player with no Euro experience at any level (and scarce National team experience) to the manager of a Champions League level Bundesliga club.  What a story.

Also, pretty amazing story for Nagelsmann

[shoothoops]

For the 7th time this year. Marquette Men's Soccer has won a game in OT or later. (They have had 9 OT games)

0-0 Final vs LMU. 3-1 PK win, and an NCAA Sweet 16.

They will play the winner of Indiana and St. Francis Brooklyn.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Mourinho to Roma.

[The Sultan]

Chelsea and Man City make the Champions League Final in Istanbul.

Today, the UK instituted a travel ban to Turkey.