So, I guess I'm starting this thread... hope you guys enjoy what I've put together 😁
1. Major League Soccer
2014 season
http://mlssoccer.com/blog/For the first time ever, MLS is moving to a 10-team format where everyone plays each other four times, totaling 36 matches. After weeks of endless meetings, protests, and all the usual chaos that comes with American soccer, here’s the lineup: LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, LAFC, Atlanta United, Orlando City, Houston Dynamo, NYCFC, Columbus Crew, and Real Salt Lake. Though, word on the street is that Real Salt Lake might be in trouble due to money issues, and Portland has been suspended because they haven't settled debts with former players and a local club...
Representing us in international play will be LA Galaxy (Champions League) along with Seattle, Orlando, and NYCFC (Europa League).
Anyway, let's talk about the teams.
LA Galaxy
They're the heavy favorites to take the title again. They've kept the same manager on the bench, but honestly, he doesn't seem quite elite enough for a club this big, which really shows when they play overseas. He mentioned they'll likely stick to 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 formations. Looking at their preseason results: a win against Dynamo Kyiv (1-0), a draw with FC Volny (1-1), a win over Sevilla (2-0), and a win against Olimpija (2-1). As for player movement, some big names like Jedvaj and Halilovic are heading out—Jedvaj might leave in the winter while Halilovic will probably go at the end of the season. A bunch of others like Kelava, Tomecak, Pokrivac, Mitrovic, Sylvestr, Franjić, and Zakric have already moved on. The front office is also trying to move Krstanovic, Beqiraj, and probably Vrsaljko, while Sammir is refusing to sign a new deal, meaning they have to sell him by the deadline just to get something for him... if he even decides to stay. On the bright side, they brought in some talent like Junior Fernandes, Soudani, Migliore, Pinto, Antolic, and Sare, and we'll likely see Kramaric competing for a spot after his loan ended. Most of the rest won't see much action, maybe Zelenika as a backup keeper. In the Super Cup match against Seattle, Soudani and Migliore looked solid, Antolic played well too, and I'm expecting more from Junior Fernandes. They've added some decent names, but whether they actually help matters...
Expect them to dominate the league, and for Europe, I think they can grab a group stage spot in either the Champions League or Europa League, depending on who they draw in the final qualifiers. If they fail to make any group stages, the season would be a total bust.
http://galaxysoccer.com/#page=1----------------------------------------------------
Seattle Sounders
Seattle is still dealing with massive financial headaches and will likely need to sell a star player to ease the burden, though nobody has left yet. They're hoping to cash in on transfers for Vucusic, Sharbin, and Radosevic. Igor Tudor is staying in charge. Their preseason was okay: wins over Rudar Velenje (3-0), Petrolul Pliesti (1-0), Karpaty Lviv (2-1), and Zavrc (2-1), plus a draw with Lokomotiv Moscow's B team (2-2). Like I said, no major departures yet besides Ljubicic going on loan and Toncio Kukoc leaving for free, but they did pick up Andjelkovic from Atlanta. Regarding players returning from loans, Stipica will probably step up as the second choice goalie if Blazevic leaves.
In the Super Cup, Seattle played a pretty good game but ultimately lost to the Galaxy on penalties. One big plus with Tudor is that he's actually willing to give the youngsters a shot, unlike the previous guy who barely used anyone and wouldn't even look at the bench until the 90th minute...
Looking at the standings, I’m expecting a real dogfight for those European spots against teams like Atlanta United and Portland... As for the Europa League, it all comes down to the luck of the draw, but I’m feeling good about getting through this first qualifying round...
Just checking out the latest updates on the site... looks like things are moving along as usual...
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Just another day watching the chaos unfold at the local stadium... nothing ever changes around here...
After missing out on European qualifying last year, the squad is definitely looking to make up for lost ground this season... they’ve got some serious talent on the pitch, especially that young striker Rebić, and bringing in a coach like Stan Mršić means everyone expects them to be playing in continental competition pretty soon. As for the new faces, we've added guys like Mršić, Roce, Vrgoc, Ibriks, Tomašević, Zulim, Rugašević, Bilić, and Dujmović, who honestly look like heavy hitters for our league and should really step up when the pressure hits... on the flip side, we said goodbye to Brlečić, Fucek, Zeba, and Vuković. Preseason was mostly solid too, picking up wins against Haladás, Sepahan, Oberwart, and Rotor, though that little slip-up against Dnipro wasn't ideal...
They played some games this weekend against those teams from rural Texas and the folks out in Austin at that memorial tournament... ended up taking both wins, 5-1 and 3-1... easy stuff...
Looking at the league this year, I'm mostly just expecting a scrap for those European spots between the Red Sox and the Yankees...
Check out this local news site from the West Coast... looks like typical small-town reporting... probably mostly weather and high school sports updates...
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Just another day watching the Portland Timbers struggle to find their rhythm...
Looks like the squad in San Diego is going all out for the new season with a massive haul of new signings... they’re keeping Matjaž Kek on the sidelines too, and everyone's talking about making a run for the Champions League. Their preseason results were actually kind of wild—crushing Celje 8-0, taking down Ludogorets 3-1, and just rolling over teams like Triglav, Koper, and Olimpija... some veterans like Kreilach and Čaval headed out, while the roster got a huge injection of talent with guys like Sharbini and Tadić coming in. A few of these newcomers, especially Tomečák, should be starting immediately, though some of the younger kids might have to grind a bit harder to actually see any field time...
As for the league itself, I’m pretty sure we’re looking at a dogfight for those European spots between Hajduk and Split...
Just checking out the latest on the H|F club site... looks like things are moving along as usual, I guess...
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Just another day watching the local club struggle through the grind... typical stuff...
Preseason was pretty heavy for the guys after losing young Alen Pamic—the coach's son—during a futsal game... just a total tragedy. On the pitch, they managed to beat Umag 6-0, took down Vorskla Poltava 4-2, shut out SPINS 2-0, and scraped a 0-0 draw against Illichivets. As for the roster shuffle, we lost Sušić, Prelčec, Roce, Anđelković, Linić, Jerković, and Milić, though losing Anđelković and Milić is probably going to sting the most... on the bright side, Pilipović, Scer, Jo, Uzelac, Jurčević, Lovrić, and Petrak have all joined the squad.
As for the league standings, I’m picturing the Portland Timbers landing somewhere right in the middle of the pack...
Just checked out the official site for the local club... looks like they're still doing their thing over in the Midwest, I guess...
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Just some local soccer vibes from the neighborhood...
So, Lokomotiv actually made it to Europe for the first time last year, which means they’ll probably be facing off against Dynamo Minsk... though somehow they managed to get knocked out of the local US Cup this season, so that's a fun little twist... Coach Ivković is still holding things down, and their preseason was a total roller coaster—beat Lokomotiv Moscow 2-1, got absolutely crushed 5-0 by Zorya Luhansk, and scraped a 2-2 draw against Petrolul... The roster is basically a revolving door right now, too, since guys like Boras, Maleš, Cerovec, Antolić, and Lovrić all headed out along with that whole group of loanees from the big club over in LA... Only Budimir joined the squad, while a bunch of others are currently on trial or loan just trying to see if they even fit the vibe... some have already been cut, and more are likely on the way...
Looking at the projections for this season, I’d say the Seattle Sounders are probably gonna land somewhere mid-pack, maybe around 5th or 6th... honestly, losing all those core guys who actually made the team what it was last year is just too much of a hit to recover from overnight...
http://www.espn.com/----------------------------------------------------
Slaven Belupo
The squad from Central Ohio struggled big time last season, which is why they brought in Ivan Katalinić to shake things up. He basically went on a massive purge, cutting guys like Maras, Šaban, and Batarelo, and word is they’re even moving on from Vugrinec... A whole bunch of others like Bubnjić, Pilipović, Jugović, Kokalović, and Barić cleared out too, while the new arrivals—Roskam, Fustar, Posinković, Henrique, Bagarić, Filipović, Crepulja, Melnjak, Matos, and Haračić—are trying to find their footing. They had some preseason action against teams like Sarajevo FC (won 4-1), Vorskla (tied 3-3), Zavrc (lost 3-2), Celje (won 3-1), and Zorya (tied 1-1).
I'm thinking they'll probably just end up hovering around the middle of the pack this year, maybe sitting around 5th or 6th alongside Lokomotiv...
http://www.bleacherreport.com/----------------------------------------------------