Futbol thread.

  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
DSP's Tax Lawyer said:
Weren't they on ESPN+ before that? So it wasn't like the games were visible either
Click to expand...
I honestly don't remember- I think it was a mix of ESPN (cable, maybe streaming on ESPN+ toward the end?), ABC, and regional sports networks, maybe at various points. It looks like Fox has had a bit of the action previous to AppleTV, and I guess they still do alongside AppleTV on the current contract. Oh, and there are games (en Espanol) on Univision too. So... it's not as bad as I thought, but still pretty grim.

I know ESPN+ has both levels of the USL. I don't know what will happen if the top level D1 USL proposed league is approved (a direct MLS competitor). I would think they would want more money than Disney could afford on its own.
 
Dixieland Buckaroo said:
I honestly don't remember- I think it was a mix of ESPN (cable, maybe streaming on ESPN+ toward the end?), ABC, and regional sports networks, maybe at various points. It looks like Fox has had a bit of the action previous to AppleTV, and I guess they still do alongside AppleTV on the current contract. Oh, and there are games (en Espanol) on Univision too. So... it's not as bad as I thought, but still pretty grim.

I know ESPN+ has both levels of the USL. I don't know what will happen if the top level D1 USL proposed league is approved (a direct MLS competitor). I would think they would want more money than Disney could afford on its own.
Click to expand...
It was never going to happen, but the MLS should have signed with NBC back in the day and played their games prime time on Tuesdays through Thursdays along with early mornings Saturday and Sunday. Lean into the missing European games that everyone watches but is in a void with the off season. And then you keep it this way until you switch to a normal schedule that matches the European schedule
 
I’m not so sure that strategy would have worked for MLS. The Mid American Conference (MAC) has ESPN and ESPN2 televise Tuesday and Wednesday night college football games during November that draw flies in the respective stadiums and aren’t ratings behemoths either. It’s programming for degenerate gamblers IMO.

These “MACtion” games don’t provide these lower tier schools sufficient enough exposure to justify doing this. It provides these schools so little money that Northern Illinois University decided to move to a different conference (Mountain West) in 2025 because they were getting so little money and exposure relative to what they’ve been able to accomplish on the field.

To bring this back to soccer instead of college football tv deal sperging, I’ve actually been impressed by the start of the Chicago Fire season. The hiring of Gregg Berhalter has been a blessing for this club, even if I personally hated his time with USMNT. Even with having to play second team players because of injuries and the back line playing very shakily, their style of play has been so much better than anything I ever saw from Frank Klopas’ reign of terror. Every match has been entertaining thus far. After getting killed at Columbus to start the season and an heartbreaking draw in the home opener due to an unbelievable bicycle kick from DC United at the death, they stole a win from FC Dallas on Saturday with an outstanding last 15 minute display.

Expect to hear a lot of hype surrounding Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady for USMNT and/or a potential move to Europe. He struggles a bit playing the ball with his feet, but has been a tremendous shot stopper who has earned a few Man of the Match awards in the young season. Bryan Gutierrez is playing with confidence worthy of hype. Hugo Cuypers as striker puts in a full days work for a striker, and isn’t afraid to defend and or set up his teammates for goal scoring opportunities. Newcomer Jonathan Bamba from Celta de Vigo has given this team an up tempo threat this team hasn’t had in a long time.
 
blahblahblah678 said:
I’m not so sure that strategy would have worked for MLS. The Mid American Conference (MAC) has ESPN and ESPN2 televise Tuesday and Wednesday night college football games during November that draw flies in the respective stadiums and aren’t ratings behemoths either. It’s programming for degenerate gamblers IMO.

These “MACtion” games don’t provide these lower tier schools sufficient enough exposure to justify doing this. It provides these schools so little money that Northern Illinois University decided to move to a different conference (Mountain West) in 2025 because they were getting so little money and exposure relative to what they’ve been able to accomplish on the field.
Click to expand...
The problem with MACtion is that they are competing with college football and the NFL. MLS is competing against baseball
 
Today CL matches are
Barcelona vs Benfica (1:0)
Leverkusen vs FC Bayern (0:3)
Inter vs Feyernoord (2:0)
Liverpool vs P$G (1:0)

Tomorrow's matches are
Lille vs Dortmund (1:1)
Villa vs Brugge (3:1)
Atletico vs Real (1:2)
Arsenal vs PSV (1 million :1)

Barcelona, Bayern and Inter will move on. Leverkusen will have to play without Florian Wirtz and he is the brain of their team so they are fucked. It will be close but Liverpool will move on too and if they don't I declare Blitzkrieg on Liverpool bc P$G cannot be allowed to win the CL ever.
Villa and Arsenal are safe. Dortmund and the Madrid match are the two matches were it's open but my bet is on Lille bc fuck Dortmund they suck and I won't stop believing in Atletico bc fuck VARdrid.
 
Onni Kalsarikännit said:
Barcelona, Bayern and Inter will move on. Leverkusen will have to play without Florian Wirtz and he is the brain of their team so they are fucked. It will be close but Liverpool will move on too
Click to expand...
3/4. Leverkusen absolute downfall, I knew it was close but I still thought Liverpool was going to win too.
 
Old toilet being torn down to build Manchester Butlins and liverpool fumbling hard at anfield, what a day

Just need Arsenal to go out but Madrid should take care of that
 
Onni Kalsarikännit said:
but my bet is on Lille bc fuck Dortmund they suck
Click to expand...

You have no idea how much I fucking hate this fuckers for always fucking up my bets. Bet on them, they lose. Bet against them, they win. Fuck fuck fuck.

Edit:

TO FUCKING HELL WITH THE VAR GOD FUCKING DAMIT I HOPE THIS FUCKING BASTARD GETS FUCKING AIDS WHAT THE FUCK??!!??*

*seriously, I'm pissed @ VARdrid vs Atletico
 
Last edited:
There is no definitive evidence Alvarez touched the ball twice. Why is it referees just ignore the clear and obvious part when it comes to VAR decisions? We see it time and time again. If you can't come to a definitive conclusion then the call on the field stands. Anybody who says they witnessed with their own two eyes Alvarez commit a double touch is a fucking bald-faced liar. Either the referees have cameras with 1000x zoom we don't get to see or they flipped a fucking coin. Such bullshit.
 
A reminder that Real Madrid had the gall to complain that the refereeing in La Liga was biased against them last month.

You think you hate them enough but you really don't.
 
It's pretty clear to me the whole thing has lost integrity. Real vs Atleti, Bayer vs Bayern and PSG vs Liverpool in the early rounds to get you hooked in and put Barcelona and Real on either side to make sure they don't meet until the final. The whole league phase is irrelevant unless you lose almost every game and get knocked out totally.
That along with the sham of VAR inspecting a penalty with no evidence of a double touch and you just laugh.

The extra games are killing the integrity of the national cups like EFL cup, Copa del Rey and they want to go even further. There will be Premier League games abroad, Champions League finals in Saudi Arabia. Ticket prices around the leagues rise from the affordable 20 dollars to a tourist only price of 150 dollars. This sport was made by the poor and stolen by the rich. The only way out is to kick the American owners to the curb and oust the foreign tourist fans that spend all the game on their phone.
 
Woke up and I'm still pissed about this stupid decision. It's not about if the decision is correct or not, it's about it been made. I honestly do not care if he actually touched the ball with his standing before he touched it with his shooting foot or not. It simply doesn't matter bc he was slipping away and didn't do it to get an advantage. This decision is not made in so called spirit in the game. This alone, the idea of the decision being made in the spirit of the game itself, should be the guideline by controversial decisions like is it a hand ball or not (if it's not an absolute clear as daylight decision). The VAR fucked up and I'm not buying into it the decision being made bc of the rules. This was the chance to get them Real an advantage. Because they want Real to advance over Atletico. They want P$G to advance. They want Man City to advance. Over and over and over again certain clubs profit from shady ref and var decisions. You will never see such a decision being made against any of these certain clubs. Never. I guarantee it. This stinks, I'm done with it and they can fuck off.

Edit: some Spanish sports journo reports that the decision was a pure VAR decision

1741868880962.png
 
Last edited:
I saw a lot of Bayern chatter across Europe today, especially out of England with the "Harry Kane no trophies storyline". If the fix is in, expect Bayern to scrape by Barca to at least make it to the final (dahoam) so they can run the Kane "can he or can't he?" angle, now that they finally figured out how to beat Aspirin Leverkusen.
Edit to add: for example, here was a bit on Talksport this afternoon:
(May be region locked, IDK, I'm not in Bongland.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom