SOCCER SPORT !

[Chicolabronse]

Good win and performance by rangers today, marc warburtons first game as manager, 6-2 against hibernian, just glad the focus is back on the football and not all that boardroom sh*t!!

Sent from samsung galaxy

[93EXCivic]

Good win and performance by rangers today, marc warburtons first game as manager, 6-2 against hibernian, just glad the focus is back on the football and not all that boardroom sh*t!!

Sent from samsung galaxy

It is sad Rangers have to Cashley as well. I wouldn't wish him on my worse enemy.

[93EXCivic]

I'm sure there's some talk of karma in Birmingham after Delph pulls a hammy just 20 minutes into his tenure at City.

I can't help but see Aston Villa going down this year. They lost Vlaar, Delph and Benteke who were probably their best players.

[Chicolabronse]

It is sad Rangers have to Cashley as well. I wouldn't wish him on my worse enemy.

Thats the thing, there has been so many suits trying to bleed us dry that it's hard to trust anyone, Ashley has billions but his reputation is piss poor, Hopefully King will stabilize us short to mid term and we can get back to where we belong!

[shameless]

i was reading today that espn did a survey in the US that showed the most popular sport there amongst kids from 8yrs to 24yrs after American football is Soccer

[OTGabe]

i was reading today that espn did a survey in the US that showed the most popular sport there amongst kids from 8yrs to 24yrs after American football is Soccer

No doubt it is very popular right now, and most kids play it also. The numbers I have seen show soccer and basketball neck and neck for overall youth participation, mainly because as many girls as boys play them. American Football is hugely popular as a spectator sport, but it's been in serious decline in recent years due to concerns about head injuries. I have 4 kids aged 7 through 12, and among all their friends, neighbors, and classmates, I can only think of a handful who play tackle football. Almost all of them play soccer or have played it in the past. Where I live we have one of the largest youth soccer leagues in the country (over 20K players), and they turn away hundreds of kids every season due to lack of coaches. Baseball is still popular as well, but I see it as more of a traditional thing where the parents grew up as fans so they get their kids playing. At least among my kids, it's not thought of as a 'cool' sport that everybody wants to be a part of. A Barca jersey will get you much more street cred than a St. Louis Cardinals.

The big problem we have here is that almost everyone plays soccer as a kid, but when they grow up, they lose touch with the game and watch other sports. Mainly due to the fact that we have other well-established college and pro sports, and professional soccer here has long been a joke. For the same reason, anyone with elite athletic skill is going to be steered towards one of the big 3 sports where you can make multimillions without having to go overseas.

[shameless]

No doubt it is very popular right now, and most kids play it also. The numbers I have seen show soccer and basketball neck and neck for overall youth participation, mainly because as many girls as boys play them. American Football is hugely popular as a spectator sport, but it's been in serious decline in recent years due to concerns about head injuries. I have 4 kids aged 7 through 12, and among all their friends, neighbors, and classmates, I can only think of a handful who play tackle football. Almost all of them play soccer or have played it in the past. Where I live we have one of the largest youth soccer leagues in the country (over 20K players), and they turn away hundreds of kids every season due to lack of coaches. Baseball is still popular as well, but I see it as more of a traditional thing where the parents grew up as fans so they get their kids playing. At least among my kids, it's not thought of as a 'cool' sport that everybody wants to be a part of. A Barca jersey will get you much more street cred than a St. Louis Cardinals.

The big problem we have here is that almost everyone plays soccer as a kid, but when they grow up, they lose touch with the game and watch other sports. Mainly due to the fact that we have other well-established college and pro sports, and professional soccer here has long been a joke. For the same reason, anyone with elite athletic skill is going to be steered towards one of the big 3 sports where you can make multimillions without having to go overseas.

the general feeling is that with the introduction of world superstar players , albeit many of them in there declining years -and the intention of the clubs bringing in top super players at a younger stage in their careers - that there is no reason and indeed the intention of the American MLS to rival any league in the world -not in my time but one day maybe !!

[93EXCivic]

No doubt it is very popular right now, and most kids play it also. The numbers I have seen show soccer and basketball neck and neck for overall youth participation, mainly because as many girls as boys play them. American Football is hugely popular as a spectator sport, but it's been in serious decline in recent years due to concerns about head injuries. I have 4 kids aged 7 through 12, and among all their friends, neighbors, and classmates, I can only think of a handful who play tackle football. Almost all of them play soccer or have played it in the past. Where I live we have one of the largest youth soccer leagues in the country (over 20K players), and they turn away hundreds of kids every season due to lack of coaches. Baseball is still popular as well, but I see it as more of a traditional thing where the parents grew up as fans so they get their kids playing. At least among my kids, it's not thought of as a 'cool' sport that everybody wants to be a part of. A Barca jersey will get you much more street cred than a St. Louis Cardinals.

The big problem we have here is that almost everyone plays soccer as a kid, but when they grow up, they lose touch with the game and watch other sports. Mainly due to the fact that we have other well-established college and pro sports, and professional soccer here has long been a joke. For the same reason, anyone with elite athletic skill is going to be steered towards one of the big 3 sports where you can make multimillions without having to go overseas.

I do have to say I see America football declining somewhat in the next 15 years or so due to parents not wanting their kids to suffer the injuries that are seen recently. When you have players that are in the prime of their careers retiring due to not wanting long term effects of injuries and hall of fame players saying they wouldn't let their kids play, it is a worrying sign for a sport. Now who knows what the future brings possible improvements to helmets, medical procedures and changes to the game may make some of the worries go away but I can see a major talent drain in the NFL once kids right now hit the NFL age. It also seems that baseball is on a decline.

So I could easily see soccer being one of the three biggest sports in the US in my lifetime.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OTGabe]

Last Saturday I took the family a couple of hours west to Charlotte, NC for the Chelsea v. PSG preseason friendly. This is the closest that they've come to home in all the years of doing preseason tours, so we could not miss the opportunity given that the cost and logistics of taking a family of 6 to Stamford Bridge is beyond what I can handle! It was blazing hot (94/34 degrees) and very humid, but we are southerners who can handle the heat, and it did not keep the crowds away. Attendance was 62K, and I'd say a good 50K of those were Chelsea supporters. The Blues have huge support already in the US, and up until last year, our very large local youth football club was a partner of the Chelsea development system. So there have been at least a couple hundred thousand families over the last decade who were given a default PL team to support as the logo adorned their children's jerseys and local fields.

The game was a good one, with more edge than the usual friendly given the recent rivalry between these two teams. Chelsea started sluggishly and went down 1-0 at the half, but dominated for long stretches of the second half and could have easily won it in regulation time. It went to a tension-filled penalty shootout, with Courtois playing the hero by saving two PSG PKs and then burying the winner himself in the top corner. Fantastic finish for the throngs of Chelsea faithful on hand, as well as a great memory for my kids. It was after 1am by the time we finally made it home after a very long day, but it was well worth the expense and exhaustion. We sat in the upper deck of the stadium so I didn't take many pics, but here are a few:

Even from great distance, Luiz's hair was visible like a torch. He was lustily booed with every touch for the entire game.

[shameless]

Never saw Ricky Lambert as a top player - £3M to West Brom is about right for him