You'd have to add Callum Chambers and Luke Shaw, but perhaps the most deflating thing is that our only really nailed on defender right now is Cahill, who I definitely think is solid but represents a bit of a step down after the likes of Adams, Terry and (at his peak) Rio.

I've had a life-long fascination with LA but never with any other part of California.

Although I've never been I actually imagine Los Angeles almost to be a country unto itself and California more like a continent. I wonder if people from LA consider themselves Angelenos(sp?) first and Californians second and see themselves as quite different to people from, say, San Diego, or San Francisco.

I grew up in Southern California and have been living in Northern California for over 10 years now and its funny, when I was in "so-cal" I never heard of anything deragotory against "nor-cal" but after I moved up here all I heard was "fuck, so-cal". I think Northern Californians don't want to be associated with LA and I think people from LA don't care about anything but themselves (hahah, see my nor-cal side coming out!)

Also, fuck these international games! It seems like they are just good for getting key players injured at a critical time in the season

I hate friendlies being played mid season but I kind of tolerate qualifiers, although I'm not that into internationals generally.I take an interest in England and like them to do well but I don't have much passion for them. Although that sometimes changes during an actual game.

And thanks for the Nor-Cal - So-Cal stuff. Don't know why but that kind of stuff fascinates me.

When all of your wishes are granted..

...many of your dreams

Will be destroyed..

Nice one Marilyn

my problem with qualifiers is they drag on forever, would be much better to hold them tournament-style a year before the actual world cup. june/july, "international season", everyone plays who they have to, be done in a month, then everyone goes on vacation.

the confederations cup would probably have to be eliminated to make room for this, but that would be a boon.

I agree. It'df definitely work for the Euros and in terms of the WC I'm sure something could be worked out with the confederations that have different season times. Apart from anything else its more tournament style would help players get used to each other and prepare in a way that'll be relevant when the tournament actually arrives.

Problem is the big clubs in Europe make a fortune going on summer tours to places like the US and Asia (under the guise of 'pre-season training').

they could always go in august during pre-season training

and true about other confederations holding elimination matches according to their schedules.

as long as everybody is in place, say, 6 months before the world cup, then it's no problem.

Yeah, the big clubs want it all ways. They hate midseason internationals cos of the risk of injury and don't want down season games cos it interrupts their touring schedule.

"Finally ... a cup!"

Fantastic.

haaaa haaaa haaaa!!

You watching Italy-Bulgaria?

Yes, i like that cali really is like its own continent yo, and LA has larger population then over half the actual countries so..

As to our self identity: Angelinos > Southern Californians > Californians > West Coast > Americans..

And yes, we have rivalries with other cali cities but as was mentioned we ain't beefing wiyh them so much as they clearly beefing with us. We rarely even mention San Diego or San Francisco but if LA people visit those towns those folks get in our ear about it.. as a matter of fact whenever i visit ANY city anywhere outside of LA folks generally spot me right away and ask, "you from LA" so i guess we really are original out here enough to stand out

The older i get the more in love with LA I become, i really ain't got no business moving elsewhere and if i got to trod in Babylon might as well live in its heart

oh shit! 2-1 at halftime!

i don't have time/energy to go to the nearest satellite but i'm reading the comments-- immobile missing chances? noooooocanttttbeeeeee. dammit, that poor man. for capocannoniere to dortmund's curse in just one year.

i'll see if i can catch a very blurry stream for 2nd half. thanks!

Italy stole a draw but in balance probably should've won it. Immobile had a bad night, and Bulgaria defended pretty well, otherwise Italy could've had a good 3 or 4. Verratti looked decent filling in for Pirlo. I really like him and he looks the obvious replacement once the great man calls it a day.

Did you manage to catch Chiellini's dive in the first half? Absolutely world class!

immobile is having a bad--a terrible--year!


i found out too late! and i never caught a stream anyway. maybe if/when highlights surface.

Back to Pirlo, he picked his dream team a couple of months ago, made up of players that have played during the span of his career



You'd never guess he was Italian, ah?

i know--picking 5 albanians as teammates!

Don't mock Albania, they could be one of the shock qualifiers from this new expanded groups structure.

lol no mocking, i was just pointing at italian neighbors where his teammates could have come from-- i was gonna say croatia (some old italians were born in dalmatia) but picked albania out of a hat instead. illyrians, then! :D

England Italy was decent. A draw seems fair though either team could've won. Strange to be in a position where Kane not scoring now feels like a major disappointment, as though he's gonna do it every time he plays.

Thought Barkley was very good when he came on, and we definitely miss Carrick when he's not playing.

holy shit i missed switzerland-USA! COMPLETELY forgot. o well. big fucking deal.

1-1 though! very highly meritorious. switzerland is good--- they played real players not benchwarmers it looks like (lichsteiner, shaqiri)

to tie with them at home is not an easy feat. jozy recarded! ha ha ha. damn.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...ional-friendly

go klinsi go!

Never saw it but noticed you're still steadfastly holding on to your tradition of losing leads to late goals.

Dude i know i totally forgot about the USA Swizz game too! Though im not fond of low scoring draws in otherwise meaningless games so glad i didn't miss much.. big surprise USA had a 1-0 lead at the half, almost gave it all away in the second.. this trend has to stop yo



Also 12 shots on goal vs 5?? 8 corners to 1?? My only real beef with Klinsmann is that USA used to be REALLY good at getting and scoring from corners which has radically changed since Klinsmann took over..

under bradley the "tradition" used to be giving up the first goal.

I wasn't making points comparing managers and maybe it is progress. Although regularly losing leads late in games seems more like an issue of fitness related concentration or a lack of confidence, which does seem odd for a Klinsman team. Maybe he's using the wrong crystals.

I found this very very interesting because since bball is my primary sport whether playing or watching i always analyze futbol through a bball lens. Formations that are based on ball movement and spacing are what naturally attract my attention. Futbolers who sprint quickly to attack the gol remind me of the bball "attack the basket" and "driving to the lane..

I think it is amazing that an NBA player who because of his unique and singular talent at his position completely revolutionized basketball cites futbol as his muse.

tomorrow: bayern/dortmund!!

1-0 at halftime! amazing goal by lewandowski enabled by a great run from muller

i watching it on a splotchy slideshow that passes for a stream ha ha

(better than nothing!)

good game so far (from what i can see). started with abundant fouls which the ref tamped down with a couple of judicious yellow cards. dortmund's defense a bit "holy" on the flanks.

--

this is on btsport 2!

--

thiago alcántara coming in 1st time post-surgery

--

neuer amazing stopping a reus free kick at 88' (should have been a penalty but diff story)

--

aaand i think we can safely say dortmund is out of the champions league next year. maybe they have a chance at europa.

bielsa article on ZM

haven't finished reading yet but i'm posting for anyone interested

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2015/04/...and-negatives/

So it looks increasingly like West Ham are gonna get Moyes to replace Sam. From Shrek to Gollum. Fantasy football indeed.

Excellent article, thanks. Bielsa's system will always have its weaknesses but who wouldn't love to watch more football played the way he sets teams up?

Another great Bielsa article

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-ham-marseille

"Bielsa to West Ham remains an unlikely dream. But take a step back and there is a case to be made here. West Ham’s fans demand attacking, progressive football, which is pretty much all Bielsa is interested in. The current owners seem to want a long-term plan and Bielsa is all about plans. This is a club that has traditionally allowed its mangers to settle and which also isn’t afraid of a certain academic intensity, from Malcolm Allison and the Cafe Cassettari set, with their tactical arguments over the squeeze ketchup bottle; to Ron Greenwood – in his own way a kind of homespun proto-Bielsa, – the tracksuit obsessive with his Hungarian fixation, his endless hours on the training pitch before eventually being dragged off in a daze still muttering about plans and formulae."

What I've been saying all along. Hallelujah!

gladbach 2 dortmund 0 @ halftime

ayayay!

Yeah I can't see either happening to be honest. It seems like Moyes is getting into the swing of things at Sociedad.

I say Ian Holloway.

i never thought i'd be saying this but i think klopp needs to go.

his team permutations are the worst possible ones, as are his substitutions.

when his system works it's a beautiful thing, but when it doesn't he has no alternative.

gladbach 3 dortmund 1. gladbach is great though. but dortmund was dortmund for maybe 10 good minutes-- the rest was a fucking mess.

NOW FOR SALE - AT AUCTION
reus's new contract
aubameyang
gundogan
kagawa
hummels
sahin
schmelzer

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also offering
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immobile
ramos
sokratis
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buy one get one free!

and you are all invited to sebastian kehl's retirement party.

I know Man U really want Hummels.

As for Klopp, who would you want in to replace him?