Welcome (?) to Cowtown, AKA Columbus. I moved here in 1996 to study, the year The Crew started (MLS, too). I played rugby, but I love soccer (my team is Milan; sadly they and Italian soccer in general seem to have fallen on lean times) and I think you will find a knowledgeable base of fans around here.
There are a bunch of fans’ Clubs, and several bars near Mapfre Stadium (formerly Columbus Crew Stadium), you can go to to watch international and MLS games and have some good football conversation. In fact, I own one of them. If you PM me I can let you know about the scene; I can occasionally find tickets.
So in twenty years I’ve gone from bright-eyed graduate OSU student to jaded bar-owning businessman. And through it all, one common thread has been The Crew. I have not always been the best fan, but I have always believed in Crew. To be fair, The Crew has not always been the best partner; they have disappointed me both on and off the pitch, personally and professionally. But I will always stand by My Crew. And 2008 was truly a magical year for which I’m grateful. Bury me in a canary kit.
It’s not the best league in the world, but MLS produces a good product. For instance, I hope knorf looks up Will Hesmer’s 2010 goal against Toronto FC. Watch those bitches collapse in disappointment. I cackle with glee.
I also decided that I was going to support my local team this year. So, I guess I am supporting Philadelphia Union. The fan base seems fun at least. I don’t love them like I love Tottenham, but at least I can go to a game. Also it seems like they are maybe starting to build something. It will be interesting to follow them for a while.
candide, I’m actually not in Columbus (which is why I added “ish” to local); I’m actually down in Cincinnati. IF I were still in Columbus (I was there last year, but left because reasons), I’d probably be trying to find my way into one of those supporters’ clubs and that mad corner of the stadium where the hardcore fans live, just as I’d be joining the 1894 Group if I were in Manchester. I do plan on coming up for at least one home game sometime this summer, though.
It’s not easy down here–there’s not any basic cable coverage of it, so there’s either shelling out or finding a suitable bar. There’s a bar in OTR that’s great for the Prem, but turns into just another Over-the-Rhine bar on weekend evenings. So there winds up being like 5 of us crammed into one corner watching the game on one screen with no sound, but that’s how it goes.
Incidentally, Sir T-Cups, if you can find video of Chelsea’s second goal against Stoke from today, you’ll get a good illustration of why GKs bomb it down the pitch.
The Stoke keeper, for reasons known only to himself, elected to pick up the ball and roll it to one of his teammates. A Chelsea player intercepted, passed it off, and boom–Chelsea win 2-1.
I was thinking the same thing (about this thread) when I saw it. Incidentally, the Stoke goal from today is another good example of the crazy stuff that can happen if you’re not watching every little thing.
I’d question the wisdom of ever playing it short when the other team are playing as high up the pitch as Chelsea, though that was a particularly bad mistake by the keeper as there were plenty of Chelsea players around with enough time to react to intercept that ball. More generally though a goal kick should not be just an aimless punt down the field, but should target a team-mate, most likely someone who will knock the ball down to another team-mate to retain possession. Of course expecting the goalkeeper to deliver perfect 60 yard passes to order isn’t realistic and, though some goalkeepers are better at goal kicks than others, there’s always fair risk of losing possession. But as you’ve noted losing possession on a long goal kick is far less riskier than losing possession when trying to pass it out the back and also there’s usually a better chance of it turning into an attacking move
That’s true–two very different keeper errors in that match, with the same result. Thats the thing with being a GK–when you make a mistake, it goes straight to the scoreline.
CCSC are off this weekend, so I’ve not got much that’s properly on-topic to contribute here. Probably won’t get to see the midweek game–it’s quite late for me to be going out to the pub on a work night. And on the weekend I’m heading up to Chicago to watch the derby with the MCFC supporters club there…
Stellar keeping by Bill Hamid in the Orlando-DC United match. It was fun to see the Orlando fans so participative, but in the end they were sadly disappointed.
Slight hijack: the reason for the rule is to prevent teams from just having their strikers hang around in front of the goal the whole game. I wonder, is there an analogous rule in basketball (like, do all five players HAVE to cross the midcourt line when they have possession?) or do teams just not do it because then they would always have to play defense 4-on-5?
If your European friends are anything like my European friends, they presumably react by going into life-threatening spasms of hysterical laughter at hearing MLS described as “top-flight club football”. Snobs.
The Fire scored three goals in one game last night…not just in one month, which would usually be impressive for them, but in ONE GAME!! And a two game winning streak to boot. Be still my heart…
The three-second rule - an offensive player can stay in the lane, the painted area in front of the basket, for only that long while his team has the ball and the clock is running.
No, I’m talking about a player standing just below the basket while his team is on* defense* at the other end of the court, so that if his teammate gets the ball, he can pass it down the court for an uncontested dunk?
No. It’s perfectly legal in basketball to park a player near the offensive goal. Just not in the lane. Back in the day, we called if “snow birding”. It’s just a bad idea because it leaves only four players on defense and even a mediocre team can exploit that. It think the difference in soccer is that you can drop one player back and still have a full compliment on defense.
I missed the FC Dallas game this weekend. My granddaughter had a double header. But I see FC Dallas lost to Portland.
He can even be in the lane while his team is on defense, and an outlet pass / layup doesn’t take the three seconds after that he’d be allowed. But there’s a high probability that the team would have just allowed a basket playing four on five before that.
Not that that ever made the late-career Kareem Abdul-Jabbar get back on defense. All that running tires a man out.
All that running tires a man out.