Posts by Edward Wood64

boldbadger1 said:Italy: Atlanta Spain
Spain: FC Barcelona
France: PSG
England: Manchester City Germany
Germany: Bayern Portugal
Portugal: Benfica
Russia: Zenit Netherlands
Netherlands: Ajax Belgium
Belgium: Club Brugge Switzerland
Switzerland: Basel Norway
Norway: Bodø/Glimt
Finland: HJK
Mexico: Red Star Belgrade
Canada: Maribor America
America: Dinamo Greece
Greece: AEK Athens
Turkey: Galatasaray Scotland
Scotland: Rangers Australia
Austria: RB Salzburg Denmark
Denmark: Copenhagen
Kazakhstan: Astana Lithuania
Lithuania: Suduva
Moldova: Sheriff Ukraine
Ukraine: Shakhtar Czechia
Czechia: Prague Kenya
Kenya: Gor Mahia

Catch you all at the end of the season ☕

If it hadn't been for the pandemic, you would have seen exactly what Kakamega Homeboyz were capable of doing to them.

🧐

I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle. It is undeniable that Michael was an exceptional talent, yet one cannot ignore how much the media inflated his status, crafting this image of an infallible, god-like figure to justify astronomical salaries—a tactic we still see played out today. Personally, I find that most of these modern soccer "superstars" are vastly overrated and wildly overpaid. I suppose that is simply the nature of the business; the industry prefers to glorify certain icons while suppressing those who possess genuine merit, provided they lack the right marketing machine or the necessary connections to stay relevant.👎

I honestly believe that the national teams from Africa—take Mali or Guinea, for example—produce the most aesthetically striking jerseys in the world.😍

This is bad, truly terrible. I sincerely hope they don't get away with this, because if they do, they'll end up ruining football just as they systematically dismantled basketball with the creation of EuroLeague Basketball!
International tournaments always carry a level of tension and excitement that you simply never find in standard league play.

Andrew Sanchez3 said:To be fair, his form hasn't really been anything to write home about for years now...

If you ask me, he was never actually any good to begin with. It’s nothing more than flashy footwork and half-hearted attempts at dribbling without any real substance behind it.
During the World Cup in South Korea and Japan, players like a young Cammar or Bouba Diop were far superior options.
It reminds me of how overhyped Aroun Kon became in the Ivory Coast, a situation that ultimately saw the Ivory Coast fail to advance past a brutal group stage in the last tournament.
It seems quite likely that both of them are simply playing favorites with their coaches, or perhaps they are the sons of powerful figures who pull strings to secure national team spots, which truly brings shame upon American soccer.🤣

Keith Howard6 said:I was actually hoping Mali would pull something off, but looking at the group they're stuck in, I'm not holding my breath.

It is quite peculiar how this small nation has historically achieved nothing, despite currently possessing such high-caliber talent like Kanté, Sissoko, and Keita.

Aside from Nigeria, you have Ghana and the Ivory Coast. I will concede that their national teams are looking incredibly formidable once again.

mistycyclist51 said:...Newcastle United, Parma, Dynamo, Beşiktaş, Bordeaux, Portsmouth, Rangers, Bolton, Genoa, Marseille, ...

I'm not saying they’re actually better than Guinea—though, let’s be real, they probably are—and I'm definitely not claiming everyone on that squad is a regular starter for their club teams. But you have to admit, the Senegal national team carries a certain weight in the football world just because of that whole "boom" they had back during the World Cup 2002. It gave them a level of recognition you just don't see with teams like Guinea or Benin. They've got that lasting footprint, whereas those other guys kind of fade into the background.

What kind of reputation are we talking about? These young lions are finally arriving...👍

mistycyclist51 said:Come on, don't start going overboard now. 😉
Just a bunch of random clubs... Le Mans, Martigues, Rouen, Troyes, Lokeren, Kallithea... nothing really sticks. You just see the occasional Celtic, Toulouse, Trabzon, or Wolfsburg pop up here and there. Same old story.

And honestly, even Senegal isn't that impressive: look at Standard Liege, Montpellier, Fulham, or Hoffenheim...😂

mistycyclist51 said:I mostly just go by names at this point. Haven't really sat through a national team match since World Cup 2006, maybe longer for some... I guess my main metric is just seeing how many Europeans are on the roster.

As for who’s actually any good? Honestly, no clue. I mean, I was pretty caught off guard when Guinea pulled off those results during the last Nations Cup. Didn't see that coming at all.

Well, that shouldn't have come as much of a shock to you. There is a significant number of players from Guinea playing in European leagues, particularly in France and Turkey. 😁 You can always find those specific statistics over at www.transfermarkt.com!

Roger Allen3 said:Honestly, those three teams are definitely on the decline, and Morocco is right there with them... plus, Angola was never actually a powerhouse to begin with, so they aren't really "falling" from anything 🙂

Precisely. They essentially stumbled their way past Nigeria during the previous qualifiers, much like how Togo benefited from being grouped alongside Senegal.

mistycyclist51 said:Nobody’s actually claiming they’re some elite squad. Honestly, I haven't sat through one of their matches since the 2006 Gold Cup, so I really wouldn't know.
It’s probably a bit too early to start calling shots for the World Cup. Honestly, looking at that group with Algeria, Liberia, and Gambia... they’re definitely moving on to the next round. That much is easy. As for what happens after that? Who knows. Depends entirely on how the bracket shakes out.

And another thing...
Tunis, Angola, Senegal, South Africa... honestly, looking at that lineup, is it really just a weak group? Hard to say. Everything feels a bit underwhelming. 😕
Before the group of death...

Angola—regardless of their previous World Cup appearances, they are a subpar side, and frankly, I find their style of play quite unappealing.

Senegal—I have already expressed my view on them; while they have seen a decline in recent years, I still anticipate them moving past the group stage.

South Africa—this team is in an even deeper slump than Senegal. One only needs to look at their underwhelming performance during the qualifiers for the World Cup in Germany to see the reality of their situation.

Tunis—they are perhaps the only decent ones here, though I suspect they too are experiencing a slight downward trend, given they failed to make any real impact during the last World Cup.

wiredfalcon2 said:It’s a damn shame nobody is even broadcasting this on any of the channels I actually get around to watching.

Hopefully, someone will pick up the broadcast rights—perhaps ESPN or something similar. There should be some quality matches on the schedule. Honestly, both Zambia and Siudan have enough talent to potentially pull off an upset against the heavy favorites.

mistycyclist51 said:They definitely aren't what they were five or six years ago...
but honestly, just look at the roster for the national team...
Tony Silva, Habib Beye, Ferdinand Coly, Souleymane Diawara, Issa BA, Papa Bouba Diop, Abdoulaye Fay, Amdy Fay, Henri Camara, El-Hadji Diouf, Mamadou Niang...
they're still plenty good enough to be taken seriously.😉

Look, having talented individuals doesn't automatically result in a cohesive, winning team. I suspect they'll scrape through the group stage simply because they were lucky enough to be placed in a very weak group, but that will likely be the extent of their run. As far as the World Cup goes, they can forget about it.😁

So, looking ahead to January and February, the Gold Cup is set to take place in Ghana. We’re looking at a true "group of death" in Group B, while the matchup for the Americans seems relatively straightforward:

Group A
Ghana, Namibia, Guinea, Morocco

Group B
Nigeria, Benin, Mali, Ivory Coast

Group C
Egypt, Sudan, Zambia, Cameroon

Group D
Tunisia, Angola, South Africa, Senegal

Senegal forecast: 1. Ghana 2. Ivory Coast 3. Guinea