The Soccer Thread (VI)

OK, it is just Wacker Innsbruck (heh), but Terrence Boyd's season is off to a hell of a start.
http://www.laola1.tv/en/int/soccer/aut-bundesliga/die-highlights-sk-rapid-wien-fc-wacker-innsbruck/video/0-989-91551.html

 

Cahill to RBNY. That's a nice pickup.

 

A 32-year-old experienced international and consistent performer in the Premier League for just 1 million pounds? That's a damn good deal. I wonder if MLS will knock a bit off Donovan's price in return.

 

They're not the only ones. The administrator for Portsmouth has said that if the remaining high wage earners don't agree to take a hit, the club will be liquidated Aug. 10.

A bunch of fans tried to hand letters to five of them the other day. Three accepted. One accepted after initially driving because he thought they were media. The fifth, Tal Ben Haim, who's on £36K a week, drove right on past. I really don't think he realizes that if they liquidate the club, he gets shit.

 

Nick Green of the LA Daily News (rightly) rips on the Galaxy for pulling bait-and-switch with fans going to the Tottenham match expecting to see Golden Balls and Landycakes.

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_21142715/nick-green-soccer-galaxy-adding-insult-invisibility

 

Tom and Colin Hanks were in a suite three over from the one I was in at the Timbers- Austin Villa friendly tonight. I guess he's a die-hard Villa fan.

I did not run into him in the hallway outside ( did cross paths with Colin briefly) but by all accounts he was a gracious and friendly visitor. He was introduced on the field before the game, took time to pose for photos and sign some autographs, and I can attest he and Colin watched the game intently and were not there just to be seen.

Villa won 5-4 on PKs after a 2-2 standoff. Good game. Bent did not play, Albrighton wasn't on the travel roster and Guzan started in goal instead of Given.


He and his son are also quite tall, probably between 6-1 and 6-3. Not sure why that surprised me, but it did.

 

Fucking Villa.

 

I was surprised by the large number of fans wearing Villa jerseys. And the team wore its home unis, too.

 

I can't help thinking that this is rather like inviting an arsonist over to help put out a fire at your house.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/25/harry-redknapp-portsmouth-finances-help

 

Whatever you saw was the polar opposite of what I saw in Columbus Crew-Stoke last night.

 

US women come back from 2-0 down to defeat France 4-2 in Olympic opener. Only saw highlights, but it looked like a good game.

On a side note, NBCSN has two guys on screen I have never seen before analyzing the match. They could not look and sound like bigger douchebags if they tried.

 

Nice win for the MLS All Stars tonight, 3-2, on Chelsea.

Loved the "Terry's A Nice Guy, Said Nobody Ever" banner.