The Soccer Thread (Version 8)

I was making a bit of a joke.

 

I’m guessing the Middle East.

 

One final bit of Fergie Time for Wenger, for old times sake.

 

Who will advance farther in next year's Europa League? Arsenal (after they gack it to Atletico), Chelsea, or... Burnley!*

*Burnley is the correct answer.

 

Fox buying the World Cup is the equivalent of the National Enquirer buying Stormy's story.

Buh-bye story.

 

That LAFC anthem tonight was pretty damn good.

 

A massive howler by the Bayern keeper to start the second half. Like something out of my son’s u-10 team.

 

I'm at Roma v. Liverpool. I've been in some loud stadiums, but holy balls, this place is fucking nuts.

 

Forza, etc!

 

Well that was a little nervy.

 

I have some Roma gear because when we visited the city about 15 years ago, we stayed right near a Roma merchandise store and they were thrilled to talk to an American about soccer. I wore my baseball hat today and there were a lot of hostile Liverpool fans

 

I haven't seen a divide between fans like last night in a while. There were 5,000 Liverpool fans, brought in on their own busses, and then put into a fenced-off section of the stadium. I haven't seen fences in ages. Then they had to stay put till one o'clock. (Game was over at 10:30 or so.) Bussed out en masse. Lots of talk of 1984 and the stabbings that happened. Liverpool, the club, were offering seats on their team bus to stranded journos, which I'd never seen before.

The Curva Sud, in full throttle, is something to see.