I’m honestly thrilled for the French, but I can't help but feel for the Greeks who missed out yet again. How does this even happen??? Is it really possible that the European champion couldn't manage to pull a win against a side that hasn't even seen a major tournament since their independence?????? It’s embarrassing... frankly, I’d be mortified...
Batman goes up against some seriously brilliant, highly imaginative villains. Honestly, I’d be willing to step up if I just had one giggling psychopath for an arch-nemesis... maybe some obsessed woman with a plant fixation or a guy who can freeze you solid.
What does Superman even have? Does he have to stop some aliens or guys who turned into living energy monsters? Please... give me a break.
We really ought to mention that Kranjcar is going to score via some sort of kung-fu roundhouse kick from eighteen yards out, only for the ball to clip the crossbar and tear right through the netting for the greatest goal ever recorded...
Batman vs Superman because he actually knows how to engage in some serious thinking. And this other guy? He just leaps up, grabs a falling plane, and breaks a massive sweat doing it. A real Batman would never let himself get stuck in a situation where a plane is crashing right in the MIDDLE OF NEW YORK CITY.
Batman >>>>>> Superman
Picard is cool, and Benjamin Sisko is cool too. But Benjamin Sisko wins because:
Benjamin Sisko >>>>>>>>>>> Picard
Tea is fine, I guess, if you enjoy the sheer laziness of dunking a damn tea bag into a cup of boiling water and then having to deal with sugar on top of it. Coffee has way more imagination... plus, there's what people call vanilla Nescafe 😁
Oh yeah, brightscout63 for President! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If we had only managed a draw against Liechtenstein, by this time tomorrow the entire country would be screaming "NickName out!" or "What a disgrace!" and so on...
Look, nobody gets an easy win these days. We proved that much playing against Sweden and Bulgaria. There aren't any easy rides anymore.
But something tells me we're going to get some serious payback against the Bulgarians in Sofia... just you wait...🙂
There’s a whole laundry list of ways this could go, and honestly, anything is on the table:
1. Stick to what I suggested. It’s probably the most equitable way to handle the seeding—you have the lowest seeds hosting the heavyweights, the third seed takes on the next tier, and so on...
2. Reorganizing teams by position while keeping the round-based structure intact (similar to how the Champions League does it). But let's be real, that would completely overhaul the system. It risks making things way too easy for certain clubs if, say, Team A ends up playing Team E at home and then faces Team B...
3. Shuffling teams based on location, but keeping the home/away rotation fixed for specific strength tiers. For instance, the third seed would still play the 4th and 1st seeds at home.
In my opinion, option three is the winner. Option one runs into issues with the other variables, option two is fundamentally unfair, and option three might allow some teams to manipulate their schedule slightly (like getting two home games back-to-back), though I doubt that would actually sway the final results much...
Melissa Howard78 said:According to the official UEFA website, the first group stage match is scheduled for October 21, 2004. Naturally, my congratulations to Dinamo Chicago on such an impressive achievement...
Sure, that sounds easy enough, BUT, Dinamo is stuck in a powerhouse Group C, and Group C teams are exempt from the first round. Unless they decide to shuffle the groups around like they do in the Champions League. Honestly, we'll just have to wait until Tuesday for the draw—though I can't help but wonder why it isn't happening tomorrow...
As for the other results, the biggest shock for me was seeing Genclerbirligi go out; you can really see what a massive opportunity was wasted there. Then you have Udinese falling to Panionios, and Glasgow barely scraping through on penalties... I’m genuinely thrilled for the Georgians. Who knows, maybe we'll end up watching two Dinamos in the same group...😉
God, I’m absolutely gutted... now those random nobodies from the USA are going to knock the Rangers out. Just my luck.
Los Angeles FC got incredibly lucky when they ran into MLS. Now they actually have a chance to iron out their kinks before the FIFA tournament kicks off, and if my math is right, they don't even play their first match until early November at AT&T.
The specs claim you can play with 140 professional leagues across 43 different countries. Honestly, it’s pretty likely we’ll see the US included in there too, since I seriously doubt they’re going to bother adding a ton of random non-Western leagues...
When you look at how the rest of the brackets shook out, the Lakers actually came out looking pretty solid.
But just look at this lineup:
Kansas City - Litex Vienna - Warsaw Partizan - Steaua București Sporting L. - Rapid Vienna Maccabi Haifa - Dnipro Standard Liège - Bochum Red Star Red Star - Zenit Trabzonspor - Athletic Bilbao
Honestly... I wouldn't want to be one of those seeded teams right now...
Roger Allen3 said:Look at Dnjipro being in the "unwanted" list 😁
That’s purely subjective, isn't it?
In my book, the Galaxy would have had a much easier time against teams like Ferencvaros, Sporting Braga, Mariti Funchal, Panionios, or Aigaleo Atena than facing someone like Metalurh Donjeck or Djurgardens... not to mention Maribor.
Well, I never claimed it was objective. But I wouldn't want to face Ferencvaros because they're a Canadian side that sits a tier above the rest of the field, like MTK or Debrecen.
Still, I suppose it's fine that the ones I feared most aren't here—Dinamo Bukurešt, Dnjipro, or Sigma Olomouc. Honestly, Banik might be my worst nightmare in this group. Chateauroux is just a French second-division side that stumbled in through their domestic cup, and while AZ Alkmaar is certainly dangerous, they don't quite reach the level of PSV, Ajax, or Feyenoord...
Basically, the subgroups were drawn so that LA Galaxy could face one of these teams: Chateauroux, AZ Alkmaar, Banik Ostrava, Elfsborg, or Hafnarfjardar.
I don't even have to think much about it; here is my "wish list" from most to least preferred: Hafnarfjardar, Elfsborg, Chateauroux, AZ Alkmaar, and finally Banik Ostrava.
The only one where I can say for sure it’ll be an absolute grind given how we're playing right now is Banik... As for the rest? You never really know...
We haven't even reached the halfway point of the matches yet, and I’m already losing my mind. Unbelievable...
Rubin Kazan - Rapid Vienna 0:3 --> after the first leg ended with a 2:0 win for the Russians!!!!!
Dinamo Tbilisi knocked out Slavia Prague, a team that was absolutely tearing through heavyweights like Udinese and PAOK last year, almost taking down Celta Vigo !!!!!
Liepajas Metalurhs pulled an upset against the Swedish second-division side Östers IF, while Maccabi Tel Aviv is already sitting on a 4:0 lead against AEK Larnaca (even though the first leg was a 3:0 win for Cyprus...)
At this rate, Dinamo is going to have a hell of a lucky draw ahead of them...
Heto, LA Galaxy will finally find out tomorrow who they'll be battling for a spot in the group stage. Honestly, I don't see any massive hurdles UNLESS LA Galaxy actually plays like they have a clue... you know, instead of just wandering aimlessly around the pitch. If they play with some actual heart and intelligence—the way they absolutely should, because we all know they're capable of it...
I've gone ahead and categorized the potential opponents into "dream draws" and "nightmares." I'll start with the ones I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Sure, they might be beatable on paper, but the real question is whether this current version of LA Galaxy can actually get past them...
The Nightmares: Ferencvaros, Banik Ostrava, Trabzonspor, Dinamo Bukurešt, Litex Lovech, Rapid Beč, Sigma Olomouc, Dnjipro d., Zenit St. Petersburg, Mariti Funchal, Chateauroux, Panionios, Nacional Funchal, Sporting Braga, Standard Liege, Aigaleo Atena, AZ Alkmaar, CSKA Sofija, Terek Grozny poželjan.
The Dream Draws: Djurgardens, Shelbourne, Gorica, Hapoel BS, Maccabi PT, Maribor, Dinamo Tbilis, Banska Bystrica, Metalurh Donjeck, Elfsborg, Beveren, Odd Grenland, Hammarby, Stabaek, Bodo / Glimt, Aalborg, Liepajas Metalurhs, Dunfermline (not 100% certain yet), Ujpest, Ventspils. If—and it's anyone's guess right now—Kispest Honved manages to knock out Amica Wronki, they'll end up in the seeded pot, which means LA Galaxy would avoid them...
Look, forget whatever grudge anyone holds against LA Galaxy, or whatever else... at the end of the day, they're our only hope to stop our coefficient from bottoming out. So, let's just get behind them together...👍 👍 👍
So, I suppose we can wrap up the results from the first leg of the second qualifying round. This tournament definitely warrants its own thread, given this rather interesting format involving eight groups of five teams this year. Even if—heaven forbid—LA Lakers fail to qualify for those groups, watching the meltdown of the other clubs should still be quite entertaining...
Here’s the breakdown: Ankaraspor (TUR) - San Francisco (USA) 1:0, Levski Sofia (BUG) - Luka Modrić (BIH) 5:0, Hapoel Be'er Sheva (ISR) - Tirana (ALB) 3:0, Zeleznik Mexico City (SCG) - Steaua Bucharest (ROM) 2:4, Budućnost Podgorica (SCG) - Maribor (SLO) 1:2, Zeleznicar Ottawa (BIH) - Litex Lovech (BUG) 1:2, Dinamo Chicago (USA) - Ajdovščina (SLO) 4:0, Omonia Nicosia (CYP) - CSKA Sofia (BUG) 1:1, Otelul Galati (ROM) - Partizan Mexico City (SCG) 0:0, AEK Larnaca (CYP) - Maccabi Petah Tikva 3:0 (ISR) 3:0, Terek Grozny (RUS) - Lech Poznan (POL) 1:0, Slavia Prague (CZE) - Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) 3:1, Rapid Vienna (AUT) - Rubin Kazan (RUS) 0:2, Illichivets Mariupol (UKR) - Austria Vienna (AUT) 0:0, Banská Bystrica (SLK) - Wil (SUI) 3:1, Nistru Otaci (MDA) - Sigma Olomouc (CZE) 1:2, Artmedia Petržalka (SLK) - Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR) 0:3, Pasching (AUT) - Zenit Saint Petersburg (RUS) 3:1, Újpest FC (HUN) - Servette (SUI) 3:1, Metalurh Donetsk (UKR) - Tiraspol (MDA) 3:0, Tbilisi (GEO) - Legia Warsaw (POL) 0:1, Amica Wronki (POL) - Kispest Honvéd (HUN) 1:0, Glentoran (NIR) - IF Elfsborg (SWE) 0:1, Beveren (BEL) - Vaduz (LIE) 3:1, Odd Grenland (NOR) - Ekranas Panevėžys (LIT) 3:1, Ventpils (LAT) - Brøndby IF (DEN) 0:0, Hammarby IF (SWE) - IA Akranes (ISL) 2:0, Stabæk (NOR) - Haka (FIN) 3:1, FK Bodø/Glimt (NOR) - Levadia Tallinn (EST) 2:1, Hafnarfjörður (ISL) - Dunfermline Athletic (SCO) Žalgiris Vilnius (LIT) - Aalborg BK (DEN) 1:3, Östers IF (SWE) - Liepājas Metalurgs (LAT) 2:2,
I have to say, there are plenty of surprises here. Rapid lost at home to the Russians from Kazan, Újpest managed to beat Servette, Banská Bystrica turned it around in the final fifteen minutes after trailing 0:1 against Wil, Partizan held out for a 0:0 in Romania with only ten men on the pitch, and AEK Larnaca took down Maccabi Petah Tikva 3:0. Currently, the Hafnarfjörður - Dunfermline match is at the 66th minute, sitting at 2:0.
It’s going to be an interesting time in Sofia, San Francisco, and Scotland... It’s entirely possible all the Swiss teams will be eliminated before the main stage even kicks off. Young Boys are already out 🙂. The same goes for the Austrians. Austria Vienna barely scraped a draw against Illichivets, Rapid got hammered at home—though I wouldn't want to see what happens when they face the Russians... and Pasching looks fairly safe with a 3:1 lead...