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The 2013-2014 Football Thread
- Thread starter Jaffa Cake
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Penalties are definitely a worry for England. Gerrard has been deadly with them lately, but you just know that won't last if it comes down to the wire in Brazil.
I don't think any of the CONCACAF teams are going to get out of their group this time around, talk about brutal pairings all around. But then again the WC is where the magic happens and you have cameroon and the ticos in '90s coming out of nowhere... ahhh love futbol 
A lot will change between now and June. There will be new injuries, tactical shifts, changes in formation etc etc. One can't read too far into the latest friendlies.
With that being said things look grim for the USA. I don't see us scoring many goals or out-posessing opponents, so our defense will be sorely tested and we will have to maintain a high tempo. In our group I can easily see Germany going 3-0 and Portugal winning twice, and that will be that. Portugal won their friendly against Cameroon 5-1 on Wednesday...
With that being said things look grim for the USA. I don't see us scoring many goals or out-posessing opponents, so our defense will be sorely tested and we will have to maintain a high tempo. In our group I can easily see Germany going 3-0 and Portugal winning twice, and that will be that. Portugal won their friendly against Cameroon 5-1 on Wednesday...
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So I saw this headline today: "Bruce and Hull can smell the Wembley hot dogs".
Hot Dogs at Wembley? What is this, Fenway park or Yankee Stadium? Shouldn't Wembley be selling meat pies and Bovril? fish & chips? Not trying to stereotype here but why the Americanization of the food at Wembley? Please don't tell me they sell burgers and Buttwiper -erm, sorry, Budweiser as well.
The last thing I want to do if I end up at Wembley is have lousy overpriced burger with an American macro-lager. I can get plenty of that at the baseball game here (and they have "dollar dog nights" which almost make the food palatable. Almost.)
Hot Dogs at Wembley? What is this, Fenway park or Yankee Stadium? Shouldn't Wembley be selling meat pies and Bovril? fish & chips? Not trying to stereotype here but why the Americanization of the food at Wembley? Please don't tell me they sell burgers and Buttwiper -erm, sorry, Budweiser as well.
The last thing I want to do if I end up at Wembley is have lousy overpriced burger with an American macro-lager. I can get plenty of that at the baseball game here (and they have "dollar dog nights" which almost make the food palatable. Almost.)
Nah, hotdogs are common stadium fare here too. Mind, at Wembley you'd probably have to part with a kidney to afford one.
The beer at Wembley is Carlsberg, what with them being Official Weak As Piss Fizzy Lager Partner of the FA. I had to buy two pints of the stuff for my brother Cheese Cake at the 2008 play-off final, after I kicked over the first demonstrating the correct technique to taking a penalty.
Beer at football grounds is invariably bad. The smart supporter selects a nearby hostelry with a good selection and CAMRA accreditation.
The beer at Wembley is Carlsberg, what with them being Official Weak As Piss Fizzy Lager Partner of the FA. I had to buy two pints of the stuff for my brother Cheese Cake at the 2008 play-off final, after I kicked over the first demonstrating the correct technique to taking a penalty.
Beer at football grounds is invariably bad. The smart supporter selects a nearby hostelry with a good selection and CAMRA accreditation.
Nah, hotdogs are common stadium fare here too. Mind, at Wembley you'd probably have to part with a kidney to afford one.
The beer at Wembley is Carlsberg, what with them being Official Weak As Piss Fizzy Lager Partner™ of the FA. I had to buy two pints of the stuff for my brother Cheese Cake at the 2008 play-off final, after I kicked over the first demonstrating the correct technique to taking a penalty.
Beer at football grounds is invariably bad. The smart supporter selects a nearby hostelry with a good selection and CAMRA accreditation.
Some good German or Slovenian sausages on a bun - now that would be decent. Hot Dogs - not so much. The Sugardale brand hot dogs they sell at Cleveland Indians stadium are inedible unless one is drunk. I do admit I had three on Dollar Dog Night last summer.
Carlsberg isn't really an improvement on Budweiser, though I will admit I like a good microbrew lager or pilsner - when done right they are just the thing for a hot summer day (our flagship local brewery does a Dortmunder-style lager that I'd put up against anything). Crew Stadium pushes the usual Bud etc. garbage but they do also have microbrew on tap at a few of the vendors - worth it. They also do Dollar Beer Days - which don't make the bad beer better but do make it five times cheaper.
Of course, as you mentioned, the serious drinker never buys beer at the stadium, but swills their own in the parking lot or local pub beforehand.
Nottingham Forest do bottles of Greene King which is decent enough, a few clubs do their own beers which vary in quality. Brighton apparently have a different guest beer each match based on the origin of the visiting fans, such a move can only be applauded.
I like Brighton's approach. Too bad you don't see stadia doing that with their food too.
EDIT: Forgot to mention: If you thought the usual standard of refereeing in MLS was bad...a labor dispute between MLS and the refs' union means the season will begin with replacement referees.
EDIT: Forgot to mention: If you thought the usual standard of refereeing in MLS was bad...a labor dispute between MLS and the refs' union means the season will begin with replacement referees.
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Internationally thinking... Guest Japan = Sushi and Rice wine.
(yes, I know stereotypes...). I think there is actual Japanese beer, too. Someone ever tasted Japanese beer? I bet they would put great effort in doing it well.I wanted to try another polish beer everytime Poland played, during the last EuroCup-2012. I did not come far with this.
Internationally thinking... Guest Japan = Sushi and Rice wine.
Japanese beer is pretty ubiquitous in the US. The big brands are Sapporo and Kirin, but there are numerous others. I like a Sapporo with my sushi or my ramen noodles, but my favorite Japanese beer maker is Hitachino Nest. The labels on the bottles are incredible, and so is the beer.
Interesting. The only beer far from outside of the EU I see in Germany is Mexican Beer, which comes at a price of a good bottle of white wine. I should maybe go to Japanese Restaurants to try Japanese beers once.
Local beer enhances the football experience. Sapporo and Kirin are easy to find in the US - but usually overpriced and not especially fresh. Mexican beer is easy to get - in my opinion: Corona, Tecate are horrible, Dos Equis is passable, Modelo (Negro or Especial) and Pacifico are good.
It would be cool to see more local cuisine at stadia across the word...show off what makes each place unique!
...not sure I could do haggis in Scotland though. And I've made my own steak and kidney pie once - bought the meat fresh from a good butcher - and the kidney smelled and tasted like piss.
Good German beer is hard to get in the US. I've tried Bitberger -nasty. But I've had good beer by Spaten and Franziskaner. Microbrews in the US do just about every style nowadays.
Sapporo and Kirin are easy to find in the US - but usually overpriced and not especially fresh. Mexican beer is easy to get - in my opinion: Corona, Tecate are horrible, Dos Equis is passable, Modelo (Negro or Especial) and Pacifico are good.It would be cool to see more local cuisine at stadia across the word...show off what makes each place unique!
...not sure I could do haggis in Scotland though. And I've made my own steak and kidney pie once - bought the meat fresh from a good butcher - and the kidney smelled and tasted like piss.
Good German beer is hard to get in the US. I've tried Bitberger -nasty. But I've had good beer by Spaten and Franziskaner. Microbrews in the US do just about every style nowadays.
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Another Columbus Crew story I forgot to mention yesterday...
The Crew suits just announced that Crew games will now be televised on the TWC channel in HD. This means that only people who subscribe to Time Warner Cable will be able to watch games. It's multiyear deal as well, so we're stuck with it.
Moreover, both home and away matches will be subject to a blackout in a 75-mile radius around Columbus with regards to the MLS Direck kick and MLS services - so those are no longer an option for watching matches. This means that people who live within 75 miles of Columbus can only watch games by switching to America's largest and most hated cable company.
Worse still, the club released ab open letter in response to complaints, defending themselves by pointing out that it isn't for money (they lose money on the deal), and that they hope to expand coverage to other US markets to try and bring in new fans from elsewhere.
So in short, they are stabbing all the local fans in the back and losing money in order to maybe get a few new fans in other states? It's a mess, and a black eye for the new ownership.
The Crew suits just announced that Crew games will now be televised on the TWC channel in HD. This means that only people who subscribe to Time Warner Cable will be able to watch games. It's multiyear deal as well, so we're stuck with it.
Moreover, both home and away matches will be subject to a blackout in a 75-mile radius around Columbus with regards to the MLS Direck kick and MLS services - so those are no longer an option for watching matches. This means that people who live within 75 miles of Columbus can only watch games by switching to America's largest and most hated cable company.
Worse still, the club released ab open letter in response to complaints, defending themselves by pointing out that it isn't for money (they lose money on the deal), and that they hope to expand coverage to other US markets to try and bring in new fans from elsewhere.
So in short, they are stabbing all the local fans in the back and losing money in order to maybe get a few new fans in other states? It's a mess, and a black eye for the new ownership.
Perhaps being in a bigger city helps. I've been to quite a few places that have Hofbrau, Weihenstephaner, and/or Schneider on tap. Maybe you have to find a good German restaurant near you. Forget about Bitberger and Becks — yuck.
I do agree that most Mexican beer is not worth drinking. Modelo Negro and Pacifico are totally fine, though.
Crisis over at Man Utd? They played well, though the opposition was about as unskilled, demoralized and tactically vulnerable as any opposition in the Prem could be. Still, a win is a win.
Hopefully Spurs can do everyone a favor and take some points off Chelski today.
I've been to specialty stores that have good German beer, but I've never really seen it on tap in my area. If you live in a mega-city like NYC or Chicago I'm sure you can find it somewhere. Here in Cleveland we have some great microbrews, but the biggest news (for me) is that a local import house is setting up to brew Lasko, one of Slovenia's major beer brands. It will be made and sold here in town. Really cool. Cleveland has the biggest Slovenian expat population in the world.
Hopefully Spurs can do everyone a favor and take some points off Chelski today.
I've been to specialty stores that have good German beer, but I've never really seen it on tap in my area. If you live in a mega-city like NYC or Chicago I'm sure you can find it somewhere. Here in Cleveland we have some great microbrews, but the biggest news (for me) is that a local import house is setting up to brew Lasko, one of Slovenia's major beer brands. It will be made and sold here in town. Really cool. Cleveland has the biggest Slovenian expat population in the world.
The local core fanbase being overlooked in the vague hope of bringing a little extra money in from further afield? Sounds all too familiar.So in short, they are stabbing all the local fans in the back and losing money in order to maybe get a few new fans in other states? It's a mess, and a black eye for the new ownership.
Another Columbus Crew story I forgot to mention yesterday...
The Crew suits just announced that Crew games will now be televised on the TWC channel in HD. This means that only people who subscribe to Time Warner Cable will be able to watch games. It's multiyear deal as well, so we're stuck with it.
Moreover, both home and away matches will be subject to a blackout in a 75-mile radius around Columbus with regards to the MLS Direck kick and MLS services - so those are no longer an option for watching matches. This means that people who live within 75 miles of Columbus can only watch games by switching to America's largest and most hated cable company.
Worse still, the club released ab open letter in response to complaints, defending themselves by pointing out that it isn't for money (they lose money on the deal), and that they hope to expand coverage to other US markets to try and bring in new fans from elsewhere.
So in short, they are stabbing all the local fans in the back and losing money in order to maybe get a few new fans in other states? It's a mess, and a black eye for the new ownership.
yeah, i saw the letter... meh! doesn't affect me but i do feel your pain.
Chelsea continue to be Chelsea. Liverpool are going to have to have one hell of a good performance to beat them.
If Liverpool do lose, I hope it's 3-4 or 4-5 rather than a dismal 3-0.
It's early days yet with this ownership, I'm putting this down to mistakes by our business suits rather than megalomania by the ownership. But has eaten into the patience of supporters.
Maybe Columbus can pick up Koren when Hull are finished with him.
If Liverpool do lose, I hope it's 3-4 or 4-5 rather than a dismal 3-0.
The local core fanbase being overlooked in the vague hope of bringing a little extra money in from further afield? Sounds all too familiar.
It's early days yet with this ownership, I'm putting this down to mistakes by our business suits rather than megalomania by the ownership. But has eaten into the patience of supporters.
Maybe Columbus can pick up Koren when Hull are finished with him.
Haha, agreed on haggis.Local beer enhances the football experience.
It would be cool to see more local cuisine at stadia across the word...show off what makes each place unique!
...not sure I could do haggis in Scotland though. And I've made my own steak and kidney pie once - bought the meat fresh from a good butcher - and the kidney smelled and tasted like piss.
Good German beer is hard to get in the US. I've tried Bitberger -nasty. But I've had good beer by Spaten and Franziskaner. Microbrews in the US do just about every style nowadays.
Corona was the Mexican beer I found here. Good I resisted on buying it.
I am a bit surprised by your and Silencio's perception of Bitburger. It was actually my favourite for years. I was brought up more or less by that
It is also well sold in general in Germany:
The non-alcoholic version that the German national team advertises is awful, though (even for non-alcoholic beers). Before the design-change it tasted like vomit (not exaggerating), now with the "0,0%" blue design, it tastes more like something to drink, but still not good.
I agree on Beck's though. When I moved to Mainz for the University I was often offered Beck's, which I find tastes mostly just bitter with not much hops taste.
But it's actually a bit unfair to compare these. Since Bitburger is more one of the "sweeter" beers and Beck's is one of the "acerbic" (don't know if that is the correct English word) beers (just like "Jever").
(Parts and childhood stories deleted for readability's sake
)The last two years it has been said that American beer has become better than German beer, because there are more little breweries that try their own thing and don't rely on what has been proven to hit a wide margin. For those that understand german http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4mhuxXHD2M
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DC United 0-3 Columbus
A good performance and a big win for the Crew plus a clean sheet. Playing a 4-4-1-1 with Higuain sitting behind No. 9 Arrieta, Columbus scored two good team goals from open play and Higuain buried a penalty. Solid start to the season.
To be fair, a lot of imported canned/bottled beer simply isn't fresh anymore once it makes it to the consumer. If I had fresh Bitberger straight from the tap I'd probably have a better opinion of it. But Bitberger is also a very hoppy, bitter beer and I admit I'm not a fan of the more bitter beers.
I'd put the best American microbrews up against anything nowadays. We've come a long way from the 80s and 90s.
Come on Hull!! 45 mins to go.
A good performance and a big win for the Crew plus a clean sheet. Playing a 4-4-1-1 with Higuain sitting behind No. 9 Arrieta, Columbus scored two good team goals from open play and Higuain buried a penalty. Solid start to the season.
I am a bit surprised by your and Silencio's perception of Bitburger. It was actually my favourite for years. I was brought up more or less by that
To be fair, a lot of imported canned/bottled beer simply isn't fresh anymore once it makes it to the consumer. If I had fresh Bitberger straight from the tap I'd probably have a better opinion of it. But Bitberger is also a very hoppy, bitter beer and I admit I'm not a fan of the more bitter beers.
I'd put the best American microbrews up against anything nowadays. We've come a long way from the 80s and 90s.
Come on Hull!! 45 mins to go.
Spring really is in the air its 20℃ today.
Football from the Eredivisie.
PSV 1 - 0 FC Utrecht
PSV kept winning which is a big difference to before the winter stop.
AZ 4 - 0 Heracles Almelo
This was nothing more than training camp for AZ.
Heerenveen 3 - 0 PEC Zwolle
PEC are still mid table thanks to their flying start to the season. Heerenveen are a team in form at this moment.
Go Ahead Eagles 1 - 0 FC Twente
This is a major set back for Twente.
FC Groningen 0 - 1 Feyenoord
Good win to keep the pressure on the top of the table.
1.Ajax
2.Vitesse
3.Twente
4.Feyenoord
5.PSV
Football from the Eredivisie.
PSV 1 - 0 FC Utrecht
PSV kept winning which is a big difference to before the winter stop.
AZ 4 - 0 Heracles Almelo
This was nothing more than training camp for AZ.
Heerenveen 3 - 0 PEC Zwolle
PEC are still mid table thanks to their flying start to the season. Heerenveen are a team in form at this moment.
Go Ahead Eagles 1 - 0 FC Twente
This is a major set back for Twente.
FC Groningen 0 - 1 Feyenoord
Good win to keep the pressure on the top of the table.
1.Ajax
2.Vitesse
3.Twente
4.Feyenoord
5.PSV
Jaffa's off to Wembley.
EDIT: ...and it's a Yorkshire derby - we'll be playing Sheffield United.
EDIT: ...and it's a Yorkshire derby - we'll be playing Sheffield United.
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