Napoleon

Wondering if there has been any whining about dropping out of this preseason Top 25. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/40176119/college-football-top-25-rankings-post-spring They are thinking 9-3 to 10-2, with the possibility of more wins. ESPN doesn’t seem to see things the same way.

Interesting prediction list for someone rated so high.

Maybe not, but a war over pain au chocolat is understandable.

I don’t expect Jesse to gegenpress with Canada. Expect that Jesse will copy most of John Herdman’s successful tactics from the 2022 Qualifying campaign and tweaking them a bit. Think that he’s smart enough to understand that if he fucks up with Canada, he’s never working in Europe again. He may have a deep-seated belief about a club system, but he is many levels smarter than Gregg. (Most who post about soccer on Surly’s site are as well.) I think that Gregg really studies the game of soccer, but I also feel that his IQ is in the upper 110s. He is slow to adapt and almost never anticipates. He just seems to be a very slow learner. Think that Jesse has been stubborn, but he learns. He understands. He is just smarter. I think that he will do fine. I think that he would have been a better manager than Gregg if he had been hired in 2023, but he will definitely be better now after having to sit until mid 2024.

This is correct. Anyone who disagrees is a low IQ poster and should look to post on Texags’ soccer thread going forward.

Former USMNT pool player Matt Miazga showing all why Chelsea finally let him go.

We needed to lose to Jamaica’s B-team in the semifinals of the Nations League AND not make it out of the group in the Copa America. The last minute goal in the ~96th minute to tie it up fucked that. SUMMARY: There is no way that Gregg will get fired until after the 2026 World Cup.

Correct.

That was 100% a goal. If the game had been in Dallas, that was a goal. But in Colorado, they didn’t want to end the series admitting that they suck.

Jesse never adjusted his Red Bull Gegenpress all high pressing all the time method from the time he became a head coach at Salzburg through Leipzig and onto Leeds. It worked at Salzburg, it didn’t work at Leipzig, because the manager who came into Leipzig (when Jesse left being an assistant at Leipzig to take the Salzburg job) completely overhauled the team and dumped the high pressing Energizer bunny players and brought in slower, ball possession players. Leipzig had no business bringing in Jesse with the roster they had and Jesse recognized this after a month or two, but stuck around for four. Gegenpress kind of worked at Leeds, because they had a Bielsa-built team who could play at that pace, but when their strikers sucked and they had some injuries, he didn’t adjust. He also had McKennie in for a loan to join T. Adams & B. Aaronson just weeks before he was fired. The whole thing was a clusterfuck and the top players must have said “Fuck that!” There was no sign from Jesse that he would ever charge his style. If he had ever shown any flexibility, people wouldn’t have been so negative and he would be the USMNT manager right now.

In fairness to some of the LSU posters, it is true that Dakorien Moore is not worth it. His NIL guarantee would be a significantly larger portion of LSU’s budget than Texas’, and they need that money elsewhere. Also, they have a history of recruiting instate WRs and turning them into top picks. Moore is a bidding war that they needed to lose for the good of their team.

Just listened to a Scuffed podcast where the host talked with an America kid (graduated from college in 2023) who is traveling around Europe hitting tons of soccer matches in various countries. It was a good listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scuffed-soccer-podcast-usmnt-yanks-abroad-mls-futbol/id1352231546?i=1000655826131

Weston McKinnie apparently doing alright in Italy.🇮🇹 She seems sweet… …if you like oversized veneers, fake tits, inflated lips, and chest tattoos. I guess she’s okay. But you don’t want to cross her family. Especially the left side of the table. I think that mom in the middle is the most ruthless of all of them. Are they not allowed to smile for photos? Gesù Cristo !!

For those who may need to do some shopping before the Copa America and/or the Olympics. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7AelHttikH/?igsh=ZDlrNGRuZjFndzl1 I was told that that would auto load. American footwear!

Normally I'm not a big fan of typing lol / LOL, but I feel that typing... LOLE ...is needed in this case, because it was left out of the report.

I invite you to see if you can find footage of Cam Newton’s time in Carolina. Defenders would launch themselves and spear Cam in the chin with the tops of their helmets in ways that were illegal to do against any player in any position in the NFL and refs didn’t give a shit. I have never seen a better example of secret direction from the home office to allow opposing players to take down a player that the shit that was allowed to be done against Cam Newton. I recall a nationally televised game in the fall of 2016 or ‘17 where Newton probably received 6 or 7 headshots in a single game and not one was called. (He will absolutely develop CTE.)

I blame the patriarchy!

I would love to see him on the 40 Acres in 2025.

Iga would rather face Keys & Gauff over any of the 4 of Jelena, Aryna, Avila, or Dani. Keys is a hard hitter, but is as fragile as a Fabergé egg. We saw that when they played. And Gauff’s forehand is as reliable as a 1970s era FIAT. All 4 ladies on the other side of the bracket can hit Iga off the court. I would expect to see Iga in the final vs Collins or Aryna.

AA, A, & B = SPC schools One high school conference, three state titles out of 5 total divisions.

First Thought was: “What is that?!” Second thought was: “Young Pat: Origin Story” Thank you for seeing it too.

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They didn’t. It is now “The going rate” for a starting QB signing a new contract. If they can fit it under the cap, who cares? Penix has the golden arm of this draft. They got him with the 8th pick. Not too shabby.

I have hit: 1) FC Frisco 2) Austin FC (USMNT) 3) LA Galaxy 4) LAFC Missed out on Portland a decade ago because I missed my flight. Saw the outside of the new Columbus Crew stadium as it was being finished up in 2022. Saw the outside of Denver stadium when I attended a lacrosse tournament to visit with some parents of a player. May have seen the outside of Foxboro in 2002 when taking a bus from Logan Airport to Providence, RI. Definitely saw MLS games at the Cotton Bowl (Dallas Burn) & the Rose Bowl (Dallas Burn vs LA Galaxy playoffs ~1998). TOTAL: 6 MLS stadiums attended 4 current MLS stadiums attended 3 current MLS stadium exteriors viewed, but no games attended. ARGENTINA: Stadiums attended for soccer (club or national team)/ rugby/ rock concerts/ tour of stadium & Diego Maradona museum 7: Boca Jrs, River Plate, Velez-Sarsfield, Racing, Independiente, Argentina Jrs, & GEBA 2 exteriors: Nueva Chicago & Rosario Central (Di María’s boyhood club) BRAZIL: Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro Avai Futebol Stadium of Florianopolis MEXICO: Estadio Azteca THE NETHERLANDS: ArenA (Ajax Amsterdam) GERMANY: Olympic Stadium (Hertha Berlin in 2000, before the remodel for the 2006 World Cup) SPAIN: Camp Nou (just for a tour in 2017) Real Sociedad stadium exterior only (San Sebastián in 2019) IRELAND: Croke Park (Dublin- just the exterior after walking with fans before the England v Ireland 6 Nations match in 2007)