wifes german...how good is KC soccer
 

Getting into a pissing contest....how good is KC vs world soccer stuff?

In terms of the soccer? Or atmosphere or???

Germany has an absolutely top flight league. Top 5 easy and I think Top 3.

Inside North America I'd say KC is pretty good. But against a top European team, KC and any other US team would easily be beaten.

KC would be smoked by Bundesliga teams.

Kansas City would best compare to a team in the EPL Championship league...under the EPL. And one small step below the elite Mexican Clubs.

like 9 times out of 10 the best players in the american league that KC is in will go play over seas in some Europe league as it is the more elite brand/name recognition/talent pool.

KC is good in terms of its respective american pool and the talent within that

Generally...absolutely.

They could give some solid games to the lower level ones.

Yeah they would be no match for the top German/English/Spanish teams, but I'm not so sure they're all that different from the lower tiered teams within those same leagues.

KC sent 2 players to the EPL from last year's team...one of them is doing really well though not the one I would have guessed.

During the most recent USMNT vs Mexico there were 5. FIVE players that were or at some point had played club ball in KC.

It's your wife. You're going to lose the argument whichever side you're on.

Speaking of which. When's Kei coming back to KC?

My guess? I would say he is not.

Basically KC loaned him to Norwich with the option to buy him out right and some point in May. I think they choose that option he has done pretty well for them and is good talent for the money they could sign him for.

Damn, I liked him.

I do as well...however...I think the team dynamic as a whole is better off without him. Though a number of people disagree.

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How so? I've only gotten to watch one game so far this season, so I wouldn't know.

It isn't really a knock on Kei per say.

He is an incredible athlete. Just a world class amazing athlete and he does so many things well but his finishing is not good enough and it cost us. He isn't selfish but his presence makes too much of the offense flow through him.

This year the team is gelling a lil better on offense and they are being more creative and making more combinations instead of relying on Kei to beat someone with his athleticism...we have also seen a decrease in chances not being converted.

I watch a lot of Bunseliga.

I would say that KC would fit in the lower middle there.

That's interesting. I'll look out for this. :thumb:

This is a funny question because Bundesliga is the only league I really like to follow really closely other than my hometown guys. It is ****ing incredible out there. Competitive attractive soccer...supporter owned teams with amazing atmosphere. Good shit.

I am really pulling for a FCB vs BVB UEFA final.

With Pep leading Bayern next season, I think FCB is going to be the next Barca for 3 or 4 years to come.

A BVB v FCB final would be incredible.

I attended a few games for Bayern.

I learned recently that German soccer leagues (all 3) have the highest attendance rate in Europe.

I know, there has been just way too much Barca bandwagoners that annoy the shit out of me.

I think Barca plays good football, but without Messi, they are not much, especially after Pep's departure.

Been a Bayern fan since 1990's, last year's loss against Chelsea was actually worse than the one vs MAN U in 1999.

Yeah I really like Messi, but as a whole Barcelona annoy me too. It'd be good to have a German team in the final, let alone two.

That come back for BvB against Malaga was incredible.

Oh, to be in the yellow wall of Borussia Dortmund that night.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...59609037_n.jpg

Gonna need to see some pics of your wife before I can weigh in.

whelp...I lost the pissing contest. We were looking at standings and size of stadiums. N. Korea has the largest stadium...150K ppl.

Then she discribed that in Germany...they have 20 clubs. They cherry pick the best players to be on the German team. England the same...et al.

Sporting KC (to which she asked me, what the heck name is that) is one of the "clubs" in the US. Similar to Germany/UK/Brazil etc.

I was under the assumtion that Sporting KC was a top flight soccer team. It is. In the US. A top flight "club" in the US.

Now I understand that all countries gather their best players from all clubs to come up with a "National" team. Kinda like coming up with an "All Star"/Pro Bowl team in the NFL. They go play against the OTHER countries Pro Bowl team for the Worlds Cup.

Thus the end result is that, Sporting KC is a good team in the US. But could it fight it out with UK Best Manester United? Nope.

I got confused with DC United.

I'm not a HUGE soccer fan, but appreciate that it IS a sport. And would like to take the family (or son) to a game and make a weekend (day) to enjoy the experience out of it.

Not sure but I heard to set in the south side you have to pay more than in the middle.
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Aren't Norwich and Wigan both in danger of being relegated? What ought to happen with Kamara and Espinoza if they do?

Wigan is in trouble. Norwich will probably be just fine unless they really just shit themselves.

Those teams still have those players and they probably still keep them because they are of decent value. The huge money guys are the ones who get thrown by the side.

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older version with more lines and graceful....

damn...took me 15 min to figure it out. Me=> old too

Yes it does create an interesting dynamic. How cool would it be if every single country at an NFL and the Chiefs could do battle with similar teams in other countries.

One interesting thing about KC though? They have not lost to an EPL team when they played them and they beat Man U when they came to KC right before the name change. Sure it was a friendly but it was no B squad Manchester United brought to KC. They also did it while being down a man for a while.

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Now she's pissed

Again she's german...understands soccer better then I do.

Haha. She is still right overall.

USA is a good ascending league. Germany has a *great* league.

But KC has had some surprising successes here and there. Not to make things more complicated or flood your mind with more stuff. But Kansas City is going to be in a tournament called the CONCACAF Champions League. It is a tournament where the top clubs from the US, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, carribean countries and a few I am forgetting. All thos teams in the region play eachother...

i think us soccor could beat any team as long as you play your game.

ROFL

Trust me usa soccor not as bad as it was 10 years ago.

Is "with more lines" the next "curvy"? :hmmm:
I kid!

Zach nails it, Sporting KC would be in the Championship League in the UK - and if they would be in the EPL they would be the team picked for regulation every year. Sporting's D wouldnt be able to handle the offense of the top tier English teams, nor would they be able to score as much (anemic in general).

German soccer is a Top 3 league (top to bottom) - La Liga (Spain) Is the best based on their players, but you only really have 2 teams their that have all those players (barsa, real)

EPL has a few top tier teams that have great players (Manchester United, Manchester City (recently as they were a middle of the table group until the purchase), Chelsea, and then teams that always fight for those 4 or 5 spots (Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal)

Serie A has Juventus, AC Milan, Inter are the top 3 there year in and year out.

Bundesliga - FC Bayern Munich, Borrusia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkussen and FC Shalke04

These leagues outfit most if not all of the national teams that are top 10 in Fifa Rankings -
Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, England, Italy, Netherlands

How many players that play in the United States League play on those national teams?

That is how you determine strength of the league... So your wife is right, but I HATE Germany. Im from Argentina.. so Im biased.

LMAO

Appalachian State could hypothetically beat the SF 49ers as well, but the chances of that are minute at best. Soccer in the US is getting better every year and as it grows in popularity, we will get better and better at the MLS and national team level. The fact we have homegrown player playing at and succeeding in the EPL is a sign that things are changing. Right now though the MLS and US Soccer are like AA baseball while the elite clubs and nations are the Major Leagues.

Not about the quality of leagues, but just an observation about popularity of leagues. Both my sons play soccer here in north Dallas. It's a pretty big league and a lot of soccer-first families. I like to look at jerseys the kids wear around the complex, or practices or in games. You almost never see FC Dallas gear even though FC Dallas is right here in Frisco. You see quite a few European jerseys though. Messi seems to be the clear favorite.
Maybe it's because there's a big international population here.

I'll say this though- you sometimes hear that kids play soccer here when they're young, but the best athletes go on to baseball or football. There's a lot of kids around here that I don't think are interested in other sports. They're soccer year round. Spring league, fall league and indoor leagues, plus specialized camps.
And some of these kids are really, really skilled. 9 year olds that can pick the top corner of the goal over the goalie, doing step overs, that scissors move, etc.
I'm no expert, I just see what I see at the games now, but I can't imagine the quality of youth soccer in the US was as good 20 years ago as it is now. So, I think it is on the rise as far as skilled players coming up.

I think the rate at which US soccer is improving is impressive.
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I'm hoping for both of those things too!

I'm no BVB fan, but I pull for them internationally. That picture is just nuts.

Dallas isn't doing all that great in their market. Just one of those Hunt owned teams that do a "meh" job of making a game day that people want to be a part of. They have a real up and down team who is absolutely on the up right now.

The youth observation is a correct one. They are working harder to not only get kids to stick with soccer but finding talent and creating a vertical path for them through their academies.

So it sounds like the MLS = AA or AAA in baseball?

I used to say that, but I don't think it's that accurate, because they're not in MLS as a means to an end of moving up and they care about winning.

I think it's closer to mid market NCAA teams compared to BCS schools.

Yes, better comparison.

Dallas is doing better with fans this year...part of the deal is it is just so ****ing hot out there...there is usually string of games where FCD people are like omg **** this.

One of those games was when KC came to town. Graham Zusi basically lost out on a decent Goal of the Year bid because the video of him scoring showed so many empty seats they didnt wanna promote it. Heh.

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heh, yea the heat is a problem with sports teams in Texas....but Houston does ok dont they??

Would it be possible to have an indoor MLS team? Would that be within the rules? Just curious...

Ill have to try and check out a Sporting KC game if im in KC this summer.

Toronto plays indoors at times. Turf for the most part is frowned upon.

Yeah if you go to an FC Dallas game don't sit on the east side of the stadium, because even with the late start the sun shines right on those seats. The seats on the west side, facing east, are obviously more money, but I'd rather pay the extra than sit in 95 degree heat in direct sunlight.

My Direct tv level only recently added Fox Soccer Channel, which does not have Bundesliga but has had every UEFA Champions League at least since Round of 16. The first time I saw Bayern, I could not believe how many players I recognized from the World Cup as the stars of their national teams. And then the Dutch player Robin(sp.?) came off the bench, and I started laughing because they must have too many great players. Should be great semifinals and final.

Nah, it is an outdoor game...and a huge field.

Houston does pretty well they have a brand new stadium and the club is really well supported. However the stadium is designed in a way that makes it look on TV like there are less people than there are. It is hard to explain.

This is a few pictures from when I went down that way for the Houston\KC playoff game.

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Barca plays good football without messi - Messi-dependency has been created in the last season or two, where he has taken over the attack. Not that this is a bad thing - but it doesnt let the other players fully show their skills either.

Think about this - their forwards are

David Villa (#13 on the all time top scorers for La Liga) and Alexis Sanchez (Chile NT)- two prolific goalscorers - that now have a lesser role (they have accepted it) because of Messi. A true 9 that never accepted his role and left Ibrahimovich.

Their Midfield consists of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquets - All part of the World Cup (2010) and Euro (2012) Champion Spain.

While Messi is the glue that holds them together - and yes a Messi less team is not as good - Barca is still an amazing team without him.