Parks and recreation in Lisbon: Keaton at NYCFC (on loan from Benfica)

being a racist isn't defined as doing racist things to every single person of that race, it’s saying it to even one.

 

I said fascist, not racist.

 

True enough, but that's true of so many Italian supporter groups these days. And it's also possible that their fascist identifications have a lot to do with them - the club as much as the fans - taking an outsider, anti-establishment pose to the point of stupidity and then beyond.

A little-know fact about the history of Italian football is that back in the primordial soup 1920s, district as well as regional competitions with the last men standing (sometimes literally) competing for the national title left "too many" small teams spreading resources too thin. That was compounded by the Northern teams winning all the championships, which didn't sit well with fascism's centralizing mindset: a strong Roman side that would compete and preferably dominate the league was a must, so they pressurized the dominant sides in the Roman regional leagues to merge into what is now A.S. Roma in 1927. Lazio held out because their fans kicked up more of a stink than most, and because a fascist "general" and sports administrator named Giorgio Vaccaro was was a die-hard Lazio fan.

Despite, or maybe because of Vaccaro's support, Lazio became something of an oppositional side, at least in Rome, which was hardly surprising with Roma playing at the Stadio del Partito Nazionale Fascista. Then they stayed oppositional long after, when the Italian communists becoming almost Social Democratic left fascism as the ultimate oppositional pose. Stupid being what stupid does, Lazio's post-war history isn't too littered with silverware but they've been pretty dominant in the points deducted and administrative relegation sweepstakes.

The, ahem, high point was the truly bizarre death of midfielder Luciano Re Cecconi in 1977. Re Cecconi and teammate Pietro Ghedin decided to play a practical joke on a mutual friend. Borrowing replica guns and donning masks the pair, along with a friend, ran into the guy's jewellery shop pretending to be armed robbers. Their faces being covered, he didn’t recognise them and pulled a Walther 7.65 caliber, hitting Re Cecconi in the chest. He died in hospital that night.

Devin Nunes would be a good fit there. So would Tulsi Gabbard.

 

That post was a wild ride. Thank you for that.

 

Calling Fascism "anti-establishment" in Italy right now is a misnomer.

Since Berlusconi, "soft Fascism" is pretty much in power.

 

Umm, at this point, you'd have to actively be avoiding it to miss it.

If this was sarcastic, forgive me. It's tough to read over the internet.

 

I just watch the games. Unless somebody is talking about it during the games I wouldn't know that kind of thing was going on.

 

There have been a number of incidents of open abuse. Unlike a league like a Premier League, which comes down on the offending fans, a number of Italian clubs are taking the "It's just banter" and "It's harmless" approach publicly, which makes you realize that the mindset is ingrained across the country and not as isolated as people would have you believe.

 

MLS 2019 individual player xG +/- per 90 is largely influenced by team, but two outliers caught my eye:

1) Isinho at 1.08, next #DOOP player at 0.40
2) Brandon Servania at 0.86, next #DTID player at 0.41

Data from @fbref, players with 700+ min pic.twitter.com/m0TzbkNoT7

— Charles Wilson (@andthenthehex) December 3, 2019

Charles Wilson posted this analysis and focused on Ilsinho and Servania, but if you go to tableau and look at the chart, Keaton Parks is the lead player for NYCFC last season.

The metric is a +/- for xG while on the pitch, which you could argue us limited utility, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

 

Keaton is home for the holidays:

We've got a very special guest, @keaton_parks, coming to our #TexasDerby game against @MesquiteOutlaws for our first kick!!

Sidekicks legend, Kevin Smith, will also be attending!

Catch them both signing autographs at halftime on 12/26!

📰 | https://t.co/aFdjfPERga#BuiltGreen pic.twitter.com/wmD7aIIayo

— Dallas Sidekicks (@gosidekicks) December 23, 2019

 

Keaton Parks apresenta-se no Seixal no dia 2 de Janeiro. O Médio Americano volta dos Estados Unidos onde esteve emprestado ao New York City pic.twitter.com/PaIvfJToXp

— Benfica Transfer (@BenficaTransfer) December 29, 2019

Keaton Parks performs at Seixal on January 2nd. Middle American returns from the United States where he was loaned to New York City

 

So now the question is, back to Benfica B or with their U23?

 

Might he not be with the A team right now?

 

Absolutely not with the u23s, which is effectively a u23 B-team due to the roster rules for LigaPro (and, honestly, most of the players on the Benfica u23 team are under 20). Keaton already showed he is too good for Benfica B, but the general consensus among Benfica fans on reddit and twitter is that Benfica's midfield is overflowing without him. My guess is that they assess him for a hot second and then look to loan him somewhere else... maybe another MLS teams tries to buy him? IDK, he seems dead-set on Europe.

 

He wasn’t called up to January camp, which hopefully means he’s going to get a shot with the A side or a loan to a European side.

If he wasn’t considered at all for the roster it’s a joke. He’s better than every midfielder called up.

 

just laying this here, Dortmund's Weigl is heavily linked to Benfica for supposed sum of $20M. I don't think he should go there but not up to me.

 

He would fit nicely in Weigle's spot. With their newly acquired striker, they need some service from deep. Perfect fit IMHO.

 

wouold be an amazing move for parks

 

lol

 

This kid is a good soccer player but I’m not super confident he won’t get churned slowly in the Euro wheel to nowhere.

 

"saying it to even one" is "being a racist". Is it? You sure? Since when?

Ask the black/mixed-race players who played under Ron Atkinson at West Brom back in the 70s. To a man, they denied - vehemently, passionately - that he was.

What he said about Marcel Dessaily was racist, and nastily so. Dos that outweigh the real career risks he took putting the famous "Three Degrees" on the pitch, and in the key central positions at that? Making a black player (Brendon Batson) club captain?

Words - careless or intentional - are easy. Actions are hard.

 

You guys are soo sweet

 

Parks is 10X more likely to get loaned again to some MLS club than to get into Dortmund.

 

FYP

 

Do you think?
I would be very surprised if he comes back. I think he will remain in Europe, I'm hoping he goes to Spain's second division.