Beineke, I'd be happy to discuss them and ways to improve them, but I'm not sure where the thread should go. Any suggestions?
now that archer has answered the aliens & roswell question i must move on... was there really a 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll in dallas, texas on that fateful day back in 1963? i've been there, i've seen the cigarette butts behind the fence...what do you think?
Boca and DMB will be prepping with their respective Premiership Teams during the start of all this...I wouldn't worry BTW did you catch Julie Foudy on ESPN2's Cold Pizza this morning. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find something to keep the sky off of me when it falls.
Requested. That's the key word. I'm guessing the USSF didn't make any such request. It's already been shown that Mexico played 6 games in MUCH less time, during their season, in WC'98 qualifying. Furthermore, there has yet to be a clear case of any MLS coach denying Bruce a player. (Razov is iffy at best - he did miss a MLS match a couple days before Bruce announced his roster.)
If I understand this thread correctly, next year, I'll get to watch six World Cup qualifiers, the Olympics, end of regular season MLS, and playoffs, all in a three month period??!!?? THAT'S AWESOME!!!!
Elninho, Mexico played the 6 games early in the Apertura when it was easy to get players released. Obviously Lavolpe and the MFA were concerned about scheduling conflicts or they would not have asked this time. Two years ago people said Beasley would be in Italy and one year ago people said Bocanegra would be in Holland. Funny, both of them were playing when I went to the Fire game on Saturday night. Bobby Convey could provide some perpective on this. Don't count your Hungarian mothers before your visa application hatches. Even if the players are released (a big if in light of the subpar lineup we field in RFK and Saprissa), will they be any good after playing 20-23 games in 93 days?
I think that you're looking at this wrong. You can't take the 2004 WCQ schedule and overlay it on top of the 2003 club schedules. The 2004/2005 WCQ schedule is out now, but nothing is set for the MLS and USOC schedules for next year. First off, USSF would never have scheduled the USOC final this week given that the USNT would be playing qualifiers. Second, if MLS is smart, and I for one think they're doing pretty well, they'll adjust the schedule to take the international calendar into account. For example, we generally have 4 to 6 mid-week games. In the semifinals, there are 4 mid-week games and 2 weekend games. It's pretty simple for MLS to avoid any mid-week games when there are WCQ dates mid-week. In that way, the MLS players will only miss at most 2 club games during the semifinal round. Further, I can't find it to be sure, but I'm guessing that those weekend dates are FIFA international dates -- so we won't have any problems getting Euro players for those Sep 4-5 & 8 games and the Oct 9-10 & 13 games. So, all in all, I think we'll be ok with this schedule.
Good analysis, kevbrunton, but I doubt the MLS will give up so many weekend dates for all its teams for this. The Mexican League could have done this too. Instead, they called Switzerland. They lose too much money that way. We don't know the exact schedule but it will be something like this year. It has to be unless MLS shortens the season, which is highly unlikely. MLS had a regular calendar the weekend of September 1, 2001. There was no accomodation there at all. Look what happened. It was one of the factors. Not the major factor, but one of them. Recall we had a one week camp with no friendly and we were playing a team that had played together all summer. I don't think ALL of these dates are FIFA dates. I think 2 of them are. The USOC final will probably be moved as you say but it is already an orphan child and they have to play it sometime-sometime right on the heels of a critical WCQ. When can we have prep friendlies with a FIFA calendar like this? On Monday morning? All of this does not account for the fatigue factor in cramming so much into such a short time. If Fifa moved the August 18, 2004 WCQ up before the Olympics, it would remove some of the pressure. Now we have maximum pressure on the core of our team. I have followed FIFA for a long time and never really had a problem with the scheduling and space between games. This is different.
Seems to me the Statistics and Analysis forum would be ideal for the topic. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=806
Beineke and Voros are among the most perceptive posters here. Don't bury such wisdom in an obscure forum!
First thing first ....MLS must be in full coordination with Bruce Arena to get him whatever he want for the world cup qualification, we do not need to give Bruce any excuses in case he F#p up....
Now the bastards have gone and given us a first-round bye in World Cup Qualifying. Another blatant attempt to screw the US by making us play fewer games than we were originally planning on, thus confusing us.
Much credit should be given to TF. FIFA/CONCACAF would not have this change in mind had they not read about TF's complaints here. Please don't ask me for sources about this. I just know.
why blame FIFA or Concacaf , blame the US Federation or MLS, maybe some people will realize why its important to realign the league with the rest of the majority in the World. Can/would MLS alter its schedule knowing they will miss a lot of players ?
Donovan played every game. The only game Beaz missed was last night when he wasn't needed. McBride played every game. Keller played five games. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Looking back through this thread proves how incredibly prescient Tom's hysteria is. Mistakes #1 & #2: Boca and DMB no longer play for Chicago. Mistake #3: We all know what happened to these games. Mistake #4: Boca and DMB both played the full 90 in Jamaica. October 9/10, 2004 World Cup Qualifier Oct. 10, 2004 Chicago Fire v. Columbus Oct. 13, 2004 World Cup Qualifier Oct. 15, 2004 US Open Cup Final in NY Oct. 18, 2004 Chicago Fire hosts Colorado Oct. 26, 2004 Chicago Fire at Columbus [/quote] OK, I'm just going to lump all of this as Mistake #5, because there are just too many here. Suffice it to say that the closest Tom got to the actual schedule is that the Open Cup game was on Sept. 22nd, and that their was a game against Columbus on Oct. 6th. Nah, I won't go there out of respect for my friends that root for the Fire. Mistake #5: There were none, unless you count the Poland game three weeks after the Grenada series and five weeks before the start of the semis. And it turned out to not being nearly that many. And there's Mistake #6.
Well, I would just like to say that whatever you think of Flannigan, he has started among the more interesting conversations I've read on BS. I really don't have the time or even knowledge to add something here that wouldn't be redundant, so let me just cast a vote for Nutmeg's outstanding posts on this thread, and a vote against the weak mental midgets who write off any unusual opinion with facile, unclever, unoriginal phrases they hear in the mass media such as "Roswell" and "conspiracy theory". I feel sad for the mind that can't think for itself. And monster, I'm not so concerned that you've been thoroughly beaten in your debate. It just aggravates me that moderators are so biased in their enforcement of the TOS. Quit the personal attacks, will you? You lost. Don't attack, just admit it and move on, no big deal.
I lost? Wow. I really don't see how I "lost" anything, especially since I was in no competition to begin with. I wasn't the one saying the schedule was rigged and we wouldn't make the Hex. Besides, I'm not concerned with winning and losing beyond on the field. I just think that when people make outlandish statements, they should be held accountable. Exhibit A: I thought DC United getting Mike Petke was stupid. What an idiot I am.
Then I apologize. The way you were lashing out with personal attacks made it seem like you lost something. So I change my opinion. You didn't "lose". You just offered seriously inferior arguments to Nutmeg's.
1. I really don't care. b. The only thing I argued is that the qualifying system shouldn't discount minnows before its all said and done. I still believe that, but opinion is a wonderful thing. iii. We're in the Hex. Tis all that matters.