So, David Beckham in Los Angeles..

[Guest Vitamin X]

No, the best generally do play here. The World Baseball Classic was a meaningless spring training exhibition. The best international basketball players, like Nowitzki, Ginobili, et al., are here, not there. The best hockey talent from around the world is in the NHL (and for this we should shift gears from "American" to "North American" to include Canada, which, in spite of the influx of visor-wearing pansy-ass Finns, still supplies most of the players). Even if they're not Americans, they're playing in (North) America's leagues, and that just isn't and won't be the case for MLS. It's a complicated issue. It's never gonna work.

 

I understand what you're saying, but the point is our leagues are still made up of many international players that when the time comes for homebred talent, the rest of the world is more or less on par with us in competition. Freddy Adu is the closest thing to an American soccer star there is.

 

Also, we refuse to call soccer 'football' because our version is far superior. If there's one international sport Americans can and should adopt, it's rugby. Hell, we hold the last Olympic gold medal for it.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Would that be the formation of the wall during free or corner kicks?

 

No. It was one offensive player with the ball at the side covered by 1 defender. There were 3 other defenders in the camera range with no other offensive player in the camera vicinity (I presume there was a midfielder back and one attacker towards the goal line) but it seemed rather strange given that it limits the ability to attack on a turnover.

 

The defender managed to wrestle the ball away and as a result, there were only 2 players up ahead with the other 3 defenders, now on offense, right around the guy with the ball.

 

Thanks for the comment, Massito. Are there any MLS teams that favor that kind of strategy or are they more European style?

[Guest]

The only ones that plays anything near to a high paced style are DC United and New York Red Bulls.

[Broward83 0]

I'm not a huge Soccer nut, but I don't think most MLS teams even play something that could be considered European style football. Fans of the EPL (like my g/f's brother) constantly rag on the MLS for the shoddy mid-field play and how slow the game gets.

 

As far as Mexican football, I hate it. Watching Pachuca/Houston was all that more affirming.. or the Morellia/Houston game in which the majority of the last twenty minutes was any and every defender for Morellia deciding to hack at Ngwenye and knock him down to the ground. The constant dives.. the dirty play, I don't find it all that compelling.

 

Why America doesn't like soccer? No clue...

 

 

[razazteca 0]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Am%C3%A9rica what you talking about. America is a great futbol club! Everybody around here either loves America or Chivas.

[Broward83 0]

....okay, so maybe I left myself open for that one.

 

That also reminds me of JA's rant on ATH today, saying how the LA / DC game was only a crowd of 17k even though it's home to all this Mexican soccer fandom, and all I could think of was he might be right, but they aren't going to come up and see fucking LA / DC. If the pairing would've been different and you had LA / Pachuca, I could've seen a stronger crowd coming up.. or if Chivas showed up in the Superliga... it would've been a higher attendance figure.

 

 

 

...having to pick though, I'd choose Chivas over America, don't know why though.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

....okay, so maybe I left myself open for that one.

 

That also reminds me of JA's rant on ATH today, saying how the LA / DC game was only a crowd of 17k even though it's home to all this Mexican soccer fandom, and all I could think of was he might be right, but they aren't going to come up and see fucking LA / DC. If the pairing would've been different and you had LA / Pachuca, I could've seen a stronger crowd coming up.. or if Chivas showed up in the Superliga... it would've been a higher attendance figure.

 

 

 

...having to pick though, I'd choose Chivas over America, don't know why though.

 

Well the first Galaxy/Pachuca game had 19,000 and the Galaxy/Chivas game at the Coliseum has 35,000

 

J.A. doesn't understand that Mexicans in the US shit on the MLS like they do on the US National team. However if Beckham had signed with Chivas USA there would be 27,000 every night.

 

I think that last night's attendance was hurt by having only two weeks notice and that people now knew of Beckham's injury and Beckham didn't confirm he was playing until a day before the game.

[Guest]

Not only those reasons, but who wants to watch a team playing as shitty as the Galaxy have been?

 

I do, because I'm sick, but the average guy? Of course not.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

The WBC proved that the world's best baseball players don't necessarily play here.

 

The Olympics proved the world's best basketball players don't necessarily play here.

 

Several other teams internationally compete with and beat the USA's hockey team.

 

As was said earlier, the WBC was meaningless. The best players in baseball in the major leagues are routinely American, although lots of Hispanics dominate as well. The olympics was just a case of not playing well together, I don't think that proves America isn't the best country for producing talent. Are you willing to go so far as to say America is not the best country for producing talent in those two sports? If you are, that's an argument you will definitely end up on the losing side of.

[Mike wanna be 0]

....okay, so maybe I left myself open for that one.

 

That also reminds me of JA's rant on ATH today, saying how the LA / DC game was only a crowd of 17k even though it's home to all this Mexican soccer fandom, and all I could think of was he might be right, but they aren't going to come up and see fucking LA / DC. If the pairing would've been different and you had LA / Pachuca, I could've seen a stronger crowd coming up.. or if Chivas showed up in the Superliga... it would've been a higher attendance figure.

 

 

 

...having to pick though, I'd choose Chivas over America, don't know why though.

Didn't one of them also say that around 8k of those 17k in attendance were giveaways?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The WBC proved that the world's best baseball players don't necessarily play here.

 

The Olympics proved the world's best basketball players don't necessarily play here.

 

Several other teams internationally compete with and beat the USA's hockey team.

 

As was said earlier, the WBC was meaningless. The best players in baseball in the major leagues are routinely American, although lots of Hispanics dominate as well. The olympics was just a case of not playing well together, I don't think that proves America isn't the best country for producing talent. Are you willing to go so far as to say America is not the best country for producing talent in those two sports? If you are, that's an argument you will definitely end up on the losing side of.

It's not that the best players are American. The important factor is where the foreigners come to play professionally.

[Guest Vitamin X]

 

.....

[A Happy Medium 0]

uh-oh..

[razazteca 0]

Tell that isn't a LA home game.

[Guest]

It was, and as was previously mentioned, the game and date of game was only known two weeks in advance. And nobody knew Beckham was playing, and the Galaxy have been so shitty that I don't blame people for not showing up.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

It was, and as was previously mentioned, the game and date of game was only known two weeks in advance. And nobody knew Beckham was playing, and the Galaxy have been so shitty that I don't blame people for not showing up.

 

And the game was only on Spanish television, so the only people that probably heard about it were hispanics and most of them would only show up to the game if Galaxy were playing a Mexican team.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

Yeah, and other mitigating circumstances too!

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Yeah, and other mitigating circumstances too!

 

Just pointing out the situation. Another reason for the low attendance is that the game was not part of the season ticket holders package.

 

Galaxy haven't had an MLS home game since Beckham arrived, The Galaxy have had only one game under 20,000 for regular season games

[UZI Suicide 0]

I'm watching this Galaxy-New York game right now and it is fucking FUN. 4-4 tie as I'm typing this, back and forth action, both teams scored two unanswered goals. Speaking as someone who has no real interest in the sport, if all soccer games were like this I think a lot more Americans could get into it.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Damn Galaxy lose 5-4 to New York in front of 66,000 people

 

Great Game. Beckham with 2 assists

 

Galaxy won't be able to salvage this season unless their defense gets healthy soon. The fact that the goalie is really good keeps them from getting killed.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah and that one had a much larger crowd. I heard something in the realm of 65,000+?

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Los Angeles takes on Chivas USA at 9:30 ET tonight on ESPN 2. I'm currently watching the NY/LA game on ESPN Classic and damn, this is actually exciting! If only more soccer games were like this (Right now it's only 2-1 but there's been at least 4-5 shots on goal since I turned it on).

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

David Beckham injured his right knee last night and might be out for 6 weeks. Man needs to shut it down for the year.

 

Just a great final between Galaxy and Pachuca. Awesome saves by both goalies, and a bicycle kick to tie the game in stoppage time. too bad Donovan choked and miss the penalty that would have won the Galaxy the game.

 

It has been a shitty season for the Galaxy but if the rumors are true and this leads to the hiring of Juergen Klinsmann to run and coach the team, then it will be worth the suffering.

[razazteca 0]

So Lexi Lalas is out of a job then.