The Soccer Thread (Version 9)

Passive aggressive move to get the government to cut off money on soccer completely.

How much money does the government spend on soccer (either gender) right now?

 

It doesn't make it more inclusive, and I doubt that was ever the goal. In the Guardian article I linked above, the CONCACAF president said, “Something needs to change because you can’t have 85% of your members who are on the outside looking in two years before the World Cup”, and the Suriname FA president said, “Caribbean countries have problems climbing the Fifa rankings, just because we are not able to play as many international games as you want to”.

It sounds an awful lot like CONCACAF wanted to find a way to protect its cash cows while also getting smaller teams more games, which in turn means more exposure, sponsorship dollars, and ranking points. The playoff for the inter-confederation playoff is just the carrot being dangled to keep more teams (and sponsors) interested for longer. If that's the case, then CONCACAF clearly succeeded -- albeit in doing so it also further drove home the gulf between the haves and have-nots. Anyone not in the top six come next June will have to get through a group stage and five two-legged ties to make the World Cup. Like I said on Twitter, those bubble teams should be calling up the Missouri Valley Conference and college basketball programs that have a knack for gaming the RPI if they want to make the Hex. (There's also an argument that it's better to be the biggest of the minnows and take your chances in knockout ties instead playing with the big boys in the Hex, but that's a different discussion.)

 

Seems like the 7th best team has a better (small) shot of making the WC than the 6th best one does. 6th best isn't going to finish ahead of Mex/US/CR, and it has to beat the other two better teams in a 10-game Hex just to get to the same playoff that the 7th-place team can get to by beating the other minnows. On the other hand, for long-term program development, it seems like playing 10 Hex games might be better than playing only other minnows.

Also, as you say, FIFA rankings are hinky, and this will put a lot of importance on scheduling. I assume there's really not that much difference in quality between some of the teams ranked in the 60s and some of those ranked in the 70s, so gaming the scheduling will be important. I expect the Gold Cup results are important in these rankings, maybe more important than teams realized at the time.

 

Yeah, that was the quote I was thinking of, and I guess I misremembered it. I see his point and this new system works to reach said point. Thanks.

 

Vigorous jacking-off motion.

 

Am I the only one watching AFCON?

 

#SalahOut

 

Good. More rest. Too bad Senegal won today.

 

The clarity of the picture sucks for AFCON compared to the other tournaments this summer.

 

Do you not have BeIN HD?

 

As it relates to Rapinoe? Yes, it’s really that stupid. I don’t read her as ungrateful in the least. I think the national media has glommed onto her comments more than she has. They want the fight with Trump. I think she just wants what she sees as progress in the areas she cares about and has a voice to change things.

 

How else would I hear Ray Hudson orgasm over a Messi thru ball in crisp contrast? The games simply don’t look as clear as the Gold Cup, WWC or the Copa.