CL, EL, Cups and non-EPL League discussion

Real Madrid fans since about 2 years of age.

So about 40+ years. No “plastic” fans here. :slight_smile:

I must have missed the transfer fees for the fans and contributions to mopping floor. I would also yield to skills of picking a team at 2. You were certainly ahead of your time. Attraction to white or a fan because someone told you to cheer for white?

I only ask since I only had one team in common with my dad and don’t remember picking any time until 5-6.

Nope.

I grew up in Madrid.

My uncle has been a member of RM for over 60 years (very wealthy CEO now retired).

Its in my blood :slight_smile:

Its just one of those things in Spain. In Madrid, you either supported RM or Atletico. We’ve been RM for a very long time.

Not sure what the nope was to. Sounds like wealthy family chose a team for you and 40 years later they spend more on a team than anybody (possible exception Man City but not if they sign Mbappe) and that brings pride. Ok. Think I understand now. Didn’t have anything to do with a player or a style of play. Like a kid born in the Bronx in 1950. Now I get it.

Part of the culture that he reveres.
The rich part, mostly.

This struck home for me. I was born in 1950 (not in the Bronx but in Ontario.) However every Yankees game was broadcast on our tv and the Yankees were good every year. So they were my team from about age 9 until Montreal got the Expos.

City Group need to work out Girona issues in order for both to get into UCL

Or, just let Girona play in UEL for the season.

Also in this article: MUN and Nice, both controlled by Ratcliffe, might both make the UEL (MUN need to beat MCI in FA Cup), so there might need to be some divestment there, too.

This guy is trying to find ways to cheat in soccer now:

Oh, and FIFA looking at allowing non-USA leagues matches to be played in the USA.

Not sure why team would be OK with giving up a home match. Logistically, it would probably be better to schedule two teams’ home-and-home matches back-to-back. For EPL, that would mean over Christmas break, since that is when the unofficial apertura/clausura border approximately is. And Miami would likely be a lot better than anywhere in England to be at that time of year.

However, lost in all the USA talk is Saudi Arabia and other oil countries’ wanting to get their bloody/oily hands in on all this. Sure, bettering a market is a good long-term business idea, but millions of dollars straight into a team (and probably some individuals’ pockets) is a lot easier.

Toronto sports magnate trying to buy the “Maple Leafs” of French soccer. He lost out on Chelsea bid but appears to have inside track on Saint-Etienne.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7203867

Just think of all the suitcases of cash Fifa execs can pick up by allowing this.

They are probably taking suitcase inventory as we speak!

Ah, this explains Kane’s substitution:

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I may break down and take out a month’s subscription to a streaming service to catch the European and the Americas competitions in June.

Leverkusen lost 3-0 in the EL Final vs Atalanta.

The streak has now ended.

What a run though. An astonishing 51 games unbeaten in a row.

Also, its nice to see the lack of chaos in a final when you have no English hooligans running around.

Or Spanish racists!!

Bologna fans are excited about qualifying for CL

https://x.com/MenInBlazers/status/1793414969259962736?t=B4IsWYuxsEmhG_M_CbGRbA&s=19

MUN knock NEW out of UECL and CHE out of UEL and down to the UECL play-off/in round!

EtH:
“If they don’t want me, then I go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I do.”

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FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 in the USA might have a problem: players not showing up.

Not sure what the international schedule for 2024/25/26 is like. Gonna check out the big ones:

  1. This tournament will be similar to the World Cup taking place the following year.
  2. CONMEBOL has international matches in June 2025, as well as every other break in the club season year, plus one more in September 2025.
  3. UEFA starts FIFA 2026 qualification in March 2025, two matches per break until November 2025.
  4. Add in additional eight matches for UEFA Champions and Europa and Euro Conference Leagues.
  5. Add two more matches if a team needs to play in the Knockout Play-offs for ending up in 9th-24th. Losers of Champions League playoffs go to Europa knockouts. Losers or Europa League Play-offs go to Europa Conference knockouts. All this is worse if your team has to play pre-group play-offs.
  6. Add in all the Domestic Cup rounds.

Clearly, players need to work with their clubs to plan to take some matches off, else they are more likely to get injured.

So, the very worst-off players are those on a pre-Euro-Group Play-off team, then is transferred to a top team that advances to a Final.

What this new tourney structure does is creates two seasons of World-Cup-level workload instead of one season. And they will be back-to-back. Another summer is the Confederation Championships. So, essentially only one summer (two months) off instead of two.
Top teams are deep enough. This will affect that next tier down a lot more.
And I’m not sure what SEA (plus one other, TBD) of The MLS will do, playing this tournament while The MLS is playing its schedule. So, push up their opener, squeeze in a bunch of midweek matches the rest of the way? Will need to make up at least two or three matches. What I’d do:

  1. Schedule SEA matches away from Pool Play (two weeks or so).
  2. Schedule opener a week ahead of other openers (subject to CONCACAF Champions League possible entry).
  3. Schedule matches during the knockout phase and have backup dates for each if they advance (meaning, also schedule around their postponed opponent).