Eurotrash II [R]

From what little I have seen, what bothers me most about the WPS is the impression that it is being set up internationally as the league to end all leagues. Not a US league that's on the same level as other national leagues but a sort of global league that wants to position itself as the ultimate temptation to all players of this world. Nor do I like the fact (again, my impression) that it's being created based on an artificial green field scenario, with players' names being pushed around like figures on a chessboard irrespective of their regional roots or affinities, instead of having had a chance to grow out of an evolutionary process like, I'm sure, other national leagues must have done.

All of which, of course, has got nothing to do with this thread at all, except perhaps to say that I'll gladly stick around here for the time being as well...

I wouldn't have noticed.

So, we've been moved along again. I don't like change.

Goldschlager and hot wings? I think I'll pass.

Good point. And while I think WPS will be the best league if it works out, it will not be the dominating one league to rule them all as WUSA was. It will most probably only end up the best of the top three (the other two of course being Damallsvenskan and Frauen Bundesliga ).

Is there anyone around who knows how the Belgium/Netherlands Euro qualifier went tonight? It should be over by now but I don't know where to look for the result...

edit - Ah, found it... 3:0 for NL, I think this means that Switzerland has to win against Germany next week to qualify. Hm. I don't think so. Or, rather, I hope not!!!

another edit - talking to myself here - it looks like a draw might be enough for Switzerland to take 2nd place and qualify directly, but still... I want Germany to win. Or at the very least draw at 0:0. Hrmph.

And you think that's a good thing?

Redcard, don't say I never do anything for you:

http://mittagsmagazin.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/12/0,1872,1021100,00.html?dr=1

There's a link on the right hand side for video "Fußball-Weltmeisterin mit großem Herz".

What you get is 5 minutes of Sonja Fuss. Including her in an Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt .

Only the group winners qualify direct. All 2nd placed teams and the 4 best 3rd placed teams go to play-off. Switzerland will be one of the 4 best 3rd placed team (unless the unlikely event that they take points against Germany and is one of the 2nd placed). Either way Switzerland is among the 10 teams in the play off for the final 5 places.

Ah - I'd missed that. Thanks.

Even better - so I won't have to feel bad for deserting my adopted Swissies if (when...?!) Germany wins, and I can cheer for you-know-who without restrain.

Just ignoring all the mysteries of WPS player allocation for a while:

Norway coach Bjarne Berntsen seemed slightly offended that no Norwegian players were drafted (actually, the entire Norwegian press seemed offended that none of their girls were picked while two Swedish ones were). Not that he wants the Norwegian league to be tapped of all their big names, "but a couple of players [in the WPS] would have been very good for Norwegian football". He adds "Ingvild Stensland, who has been nominated for the FIFA Player of the Year award, would have been a natural draft".

Berntsen also speculates over the reasons for not drafting Norwegians. He thinks that it could be that the Norwegian league is so well established and the WPS might be unsure as to the availability of the Norwegian players. Or, he adds, "it might be that the Norwegians simply aren't good enough", although he doubts that.

So, the "discovery" of the previously unknown Stensland should make Berntsen happy. Not so much Torbjörn Nilsson, I presume.

The WPS draft seems btw to be pretty much a non-event in other Europeans countries than Norway and Sweden, with the exception of Vic Akers' outburst (unfortunately unavailable to everyone that doesn't subscribe to Arsenal TV). Absolutely not a single word from Lyon, a club that is under pretty heavy attack (4 players?), nothing from Neulengbach (Rosana) or Odense (Renata Costa), no German comments whatsoever.

Wonders will never cease:

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15862376&postcount=84

On Wednesday afternoon little Smi will play her last match for Germany. Sandra Smisek is retiring from the national team.

http://www.womensoccer.de/2008/09/29/sandra-smisek-erklaert-ruecktritt-aus-nationalmannschaft/



She is 31. Surely, that's no age...

I do see her point that she wants to make room for the youngsters in time for WWC 2011, but this is really early.

It's also true that she wasn't at her best in the Olympics or in the matches leading up to them, but hell...

I like Sandra Smisek, and the German team won't be the same without her.

I will be cheering extra loud for her on Wednesday, even if it means taking my eyes off you-know-who every once in a while. So you can see what a sacrifice I'm willing to make for Smi's sake.

*sniff*

On the bright side, the team coming together for this first international match after the Olympics was the ideal opportunity to make that kind of announcement - and only Smi took the opportunity. So Stege will be with us for a little while longer.

But I just also read that neither Prinz nor Rech will be playing on Wednesday because they are injured. They'll be replaced on the squad by Sonja Fuss and Nicole Banecki (who?). And it's REALLY a shame that Prinz, of all people, won't be there for Smi's last match.

Go on, bring on more news, but some good ones this time, please...

Bloody bloody bloody... I'm starting to wonder if Bianca Rech might not be a figment of my imagination . (Can FOIs score goals?) Anyway, I was sure she'd be playing this time. *sigh*

Prinz will probably not be missed. Nor would Fuss be if she didn't bother going on and left them one woman short . Banecki is a promising young lass. Another one of the German twin sets. (What do you put in the water over there?)

Smisek going... well, I'm a little ambivalent to that.

I'm not. She was an ok player (in the NT), not much more.

Speak for yerself, wench! You know I live for that woman.

Silly me. I was thinking in football terms. Besides, you don't have ZDF so you won't be able to see the match anyway.

Oh yeah? And what about THE HIGHLIGHTS on dfb.de?

Well, Prinz won't be in them now, will she?
I feel for you though.
I hope to be in the stadium on Wednesday, and if you-know-who wasn't there I'd be p.o.'d big time.


But she will be. Prinz won't.

Ah. You like saying that, don't you? To just rub it in. Pour salt on the wounds. Stab me in the heart ... and so on.

Who's "you-know-who"? Cause I don't. Know.