USA Friendly 11/18/14

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

The term "American" is silly if you think about it. I mean its "of" America, not of all Americas. I mean Skstu is "American" since Canada is in North America. But he doesnt go around to Cow tipping contests calling himself American. Giselle Bundchen is American from being from Brazil but could ony call herself American once she married Tom Brady. Those on the farest reaches of South America are also "American." Mexicans even are American though we prefer if they don't come in. US citizens and the people as a whole should be refered to as "Staters" or something. Help me out here Stutts. By the way do you chaps know Churchill was half American and lived in NYC? PM me if you come here, I will show you where he lived. Your dander will rise.

Miguel swims through shark infested waters, climbs a 12 foot high fence topped with barbed wire and is then smuggled past border patrol guards with nothing but the clothes on his back to enter America and leave behind a life of poverty where there is no work and people live in fear of cartels.

Paddy goes to America on holiday, doesn't come back to Ireland, even after his visa expires, and remains in America to escape his well paying job and the boring nightlife in Cavan. All he has is his Nike shoes, Jack and Jones jeans, Armani shirt, Rayban sunglasses, latest Iphone, 20 grand of his savings, two full suitcases full of expensive clothes and a Playstation 4.

[peadar1987]

The term "American" is silly if you think about it. I mean its "of" America, not of all Americas. I mean Skstu is "American" since Canada is in North America. But he doesnt go around to Cow tipping contests calling himself American. Giselle Bundchen is American from being from Brazil but could ony call herself American once she married Tom Brady. Those on the farest reaches of South America are also "American." Mexicans even are American though we prefer if they don't come in. US citizens and the people as a whole should be refered to as "Staters" or something. Help me out here Stutts. By the way do you chaps know Churchill was half American and lived in NYC? PM me if you come here, I will show you where he lived. Your dander will rise.

So is the term "South African". Botswanians, Mozambiquans, Angolans, and Namibians are all "South Africans", being from the south of Africa.

Someone is getting a strongly worded letter about this. Who is Governor General of Rhodesia these days?

[Metrostars]

Ireland could take a few lessons from the US on improving the game especially with how MLS has gradually grown since it's inception in 1996. Yes, it was a joke to begin with they stuck with it and now it's a good league producing good results. Except for the German-born players like Jones, Green and Johnson, the rest all started out in MLS not to mention a bunch of other countries with MLS players at the WC, e.g. Costa Rica, Honduras, even an Aussie, an Iranian and a Brazilian.

And it's no fluke the US got to the second round either, that's happened in 3 of the last 4 World Cups. Before long, they'll start to make the quarters with regularity as well.

[pineapple stu]

What lessons could the LoI learn from the MLS?

Throw millions at the clubs, sign players like Beckham, Henry et al, and your league's profile will improve?

That sort of funding isn't available here. The two leagues aren't comparable that easily.

[Metrostars]

What lessons could the LoI learn from the MLS?

Throw millions at the clubs, sign players like Beckham, Henry et al, and your league's profile will improve?

That sort of funding isn't available here. The two leagues aren't comparable that easily.

No I mean to look at how MLS got to where it is today where now they can attract Beckham, Henry etc. That wasn't there in the beginning. They started off small using the single-entity model where the league own the players contracts, instituted the salary cap, player allocations and other rules. I think the salary cap was around $1mil/team when they started. Gradually, they increased the salary cap as the league gained more popularity, added more teams, added Designated Players(Beckhams/Henrys/etc), more money came in and new stadiums were built, reserve league was started. Controlled but sound growth. Now all MLS teams had youth academies where they did not have a few years ago. It wasn't built in a day or 10 years even. It still has a ways to go. You hear about the Beckhams and Henrys but don't hear about the other guys in the squad who earn $50K a year.

[Charlie Darwin]

But what lessons can they learn?

[Metrostars]

Go the Single-Entity route with similar rules MLS used
Have a small number of teams in the new league e.g. 8
Entice players to join a team in Ireland instead of LA Galaxy or some team in Australia to increase popularity
Get better coaching to keep good young players in Ireland instead of wasting away in England

[pineapple stu]

The LoI can never attract the players the MLS can. There's more people in the US and consequently more money. The two leagues are incomparable.

How could the LoI possibly attract players away from LA Galaxy? There's millions in the MLS, even if the standard is poor and most of the country is still apathetic. The LoI can never compete with that. And most small leagues can't.

[Crosby87]

HAHA, love it.

No you wont i pm'd you loads and you never met me that time Crobsy, don't fill the poor guys with hope only to break their hearts. Although you might have split up from your lady by the time we were finished that time in NYC...

No, it was b/c of the flood from that storm! Truly sorry.

[tricky_colour]

Tricky its pretty simple, the teams figure us out and then capitalise on our one route approach, we revert to "our plan" without the ball.

Looking back im happy we didnt qualify for SA as I would have probably come back with Aids. I think we had all the old failings in that campaign that Trap said was one of the first things he would put right, the same frailties that we never got rid of under Traps 6 years, two wins and 4 more points, going into that italy game, a win and we topped the group. Ah well hindsight and all that, history is looked back more fondly depending on whose doing the looking back.

I think the USAs biggest problem is that a world cup is every 4 years and they dont have much to play for in between. So its interest will pique but i doubt will sustain. Interesting to see how the Confederations goes in a couple of years.

Sprinting for 300 mtrs after running 500 is pretty impressive if yer not athletic. I'd say you mean running fast, i always find it funny when middle distance runners or long distance say sprint to the end. They cant sprint they run fast. Sprinting is completely different.

Well yea I pretty much lazily jogged round for 500 metres the I decided to see if I could catch the stragglers which
I did entering the final bend, that boosted my coincidence so I tried to catch some more whcih I did round the final
bend, there were only a few more left some distance a head of me, that is when I really went for it and put in a proper sprint,
my legs were pretty fresh but theirs were burnt out after sprinting the first 100 meters, it actually seemed pretty easy.
No way would I have won if I bolted off with the rest of them.

I think I had also gained some running ability as I had just switched to playing in midfield a bit at football rather than lolling
around at right back, that involved much more hard work ie several desperate and usually futile pitch length sprints back
towards my own goal trying to catch the opposition on the break.