2009 Dynamo & USMNT Soccer Thread

[papabear]

Originally Posted by Joel

not at all to pick on SBB, but your use of the word "pitch" here is emblematic of my biggest pet peeves when americans write/talk about soccer.

why do we (americans) feel the need to adopt british lingo when talking about soccer? "pitch" isn't a "soccer" word (whatever that means) it's a british word. when we played the sport as kids, we called it a "field," so why the change in recent years?

other examples: "pace" (not "speed" or "quickness"), "kit" (not "uniform"), "extratime" (not "overtime"), "table" (not "standings"), "sent off" (not "thrown out"), and so on.

we use the other words to talk about the same things in other sports - why switch for soccer? the "soccer words" don't convey any special or soccer-specific meaning - they're just the ones that the english use. and i bet the english use these same words in other sports, yet we haven't adopted them there (for example, i bet they talk of a cricket "kit," but have you ever heard of a baseball "kit?"). this is especially evident during TV broadcasts and in internet coverage such as that at soccer.com, etc., but it has crept into casual usage as well.

sorry to vent, but i figured if anyone would be sympathetic, it would be this primarily (american) football crowd. thoughts?

I try not to do it too much, but I work with a lot of Europeans and I probably spend more time talking about soccer with them as anyone else...they get just as upset when someone uses "american" terms to talk about soccer as you do when an American uses "English" terms. I would correct them if they called a football field a "pitch" just like they correct me when I refer to the "pitch" as a field.

For years the only way for soccer fans in the US to enjoy the game was to piggy back on teams from around the world. Even now most of the announcers are either from the UK, or are x-players who spent their entire career in Europe using the English terms. It's just natural that you pick some of it up from listening to them.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by papabear

I would correct them if they called a football field a "pitch" just like they correct me when I refer to the "pitch" as a field.

This.

As the saying goes, when in Rome...

I think within a strictly U.S. context, sawker is player on a field, wearing a uniform, etc... but beyond our borders (and maybe those of a couple other countries), everyone else from a global context seems to use the other terms. Just easier to communicate. I'm no euro-snob by any stretch, but having watched enough EPL "matches" on the "telly" , some of the lingo just starts to become second nature sometimes.

[Keith]

Adios Julius. Don't let the door hit you in the kit on the way out. I'm guessing Pat Onstad has probably already packed your bags for you.

The Dynamo shook up their back line Friday, sending young center back Julius James to D.C. United and reacquiring Ryan Cochrane from the San Jose Earthquakes in separate trades, coach Dominic Kinnear confirmed.

The Western Conference-leading Dynamo received a third-round pick in the 2012 MLS draft in exchange for the 25-year-old James, a second-year MLS player in his first season with the Dynamo.

The team then traded at least one international slot to San Jose to secure the services of Cochrane, 26, an original Dynamo who went to San Jose – a move he had requested – via the 2007 expansion draft.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...c/6573013.html

In addition to James sucking, this trade is even more about team chemistry I think. Dale Dynamo!

[Keith]

Wow, been a long time since this thread was active.

...but now it's dream-scream-believe time!!

I'm glad we drew the Sounders in the first round. I've been wanting to paste these guys all year. Hopefully we take it to them tonight.

Game is on at 9pm on ESPN2 in case any casual observers want to peek in tonight.

[papabear]

I think it could be a good thing that we've had such a hard time against Seatlle all year. It will keep the team focused, and I think the law of averages will catch up. We're due for a win against them.

I can't say I was thrilled with the Kamara move....especially since Landin wasn't eligible to play in the champions league. They haven't quite had the Golden touch in acquiring players this year like they have in the past, but I will be disappointed with anything less than winning the MLS cup. Really looking forward to tonight's game.

[Keith]

Yeah, they could have really used Kamara tonight. Oduro's speed is nice, but he was constantly pushed off the ball. Kamara isn't pushed off like that.

...and neither is Landin, but c'mon Dom, your guy just does not look ready to play. Ching also seemed too willing to draw a foul tonight, which ain't happening at Qwest.

So yeah, I was pretty disappointed in the forward play. Still, taking a draw back home works. Time to bury 2008 for good.

[papabear]

They came out of the road leg tied up so you can't complain. I thought Mullan and Davis we're both sub par outside....Mullan especially had some silly turnovers. Oduro's best used as a sub late in the game when the defense's back line is tired. My first thought when I saw Landin is that he looks a little thick in the middle and not in a good way. You can see he's definitely got some skills, but he needs to get in shape. I was reall excited when they signed him because they made such a big deal about it....then I went to Mexico on business the next week, and most of the people didn't know he was. The one's who did didn't give very glowing reviews.

Both keepers were wonderful last night. I do wonder what kind of exrta curricular activity was going on before the Onstad/Montero scuffle. I saw Montero grabbing him, but I expect something had to have had happened for Onstad to lose his cool like that. Onstad should know better, but Montero acted as if he had been shot from what was strong, but not a ridiculously hard bump. Of course Motero does that every time he's touched. Ljungberg is now on my list as well. He annoyed me last time we played them as well, but the only person who whines to the ref more the Ljungberg is Blanco. On one play late in the game he pushed/bodied up on a dynamo player from behind and knocked them down (not a foul in my book). When the same thing happened to him moments later he went straight to the ref and was still complaining when he should have been going to set up for a corner.

It was a very physical game, and for the most part I didn't have a problem with the calls the ref made...although he was a little inconsistent with the way some things were called. I do think he screwed us over out of couple of dangerous free kicks from just outside the box.

We get a chance to win it at home, and put 08 to rest. The biggest thing is we get to rest. That will probably do this team more good than anything.