Atletico vs MLS All-Stars

[mike412]

If you needed a match to illustrate the gulf which separates the MLS from top soccer, this was it. MLS teams have been playing competitively for some time. Atletico is still in preseason, getting into shape. La Liga begins on August 17.

Yet, this match never was really competitive. Yes, it was raining, but that didn’t create the disparity. The difference in quality was stark.

Meanwhile, I was worried that Atletico had made the best signing of the transfer season in Felix, and four matches in, it looks like I was correct. He has fit right in, plays with incredible calm, and passes as well as he shoots. His vision reminds me of Messi; he always seems to find the open man, and the weight on his passes usually is perfect. I thought Atletico would drop off this year losing Griezmann, Godin, Luis and Rodrigo, among others, but with Simeone behind the bench, they don’t seem to be missing a beat. Their depth now will be the real question: can they simultaneously compete in three competitions.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

If you needed a match to illustrate the gulf which separates the MLS from top soccer, this was it. MLS teams have been playing competitively for some time. Atletico is still in preseason, getting into shape. La Liga begins on August 17.

Yet, this match never was really competitive. Yes, it was raining, but that didn’t create the disparity. The difference in quality was stark.

Meanwhile, I was worried that Atletico had made the best signing of the transfer season in Felix, and four matches in, it looks like I was correct. He has fit right in, plays with incredible calm, and passes as well as he shoots. His vision reminds me of Messi; he always seems to find the open man, and the weight on his passes usually is perfect. I thought Atletico would drop off this year losing Griezmann, Godin, Luis and Rodrigo, among others, but with Simeone behind the bench, they don’t seem to be missing a beat. Their depth now will be the real question: can they simultaneously compete in three competitions.

Well at least MLS didn’t lose 7-3 to them like Real Madrid!! I know you enjoyed that one.

Gotta be honest. I could be way off base here, but of the Spanish teams in UCL this year, Atletico is the team I fear the most. Maybe it’s better to draw real Madrid in group play...as they could be more dangerous in the knock out stages.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

To be fair, if you are going to use the argument that Athleti is in their preseason and the MLS is at mid-season it should also be noted that many of the Athleti players have been playing and practicing together for years and the MLS guys had been playing and practicing together since, well, Monday.

It also doesn't help when the starting team that was picked had so many attacking players on it that Wayne Rooney was playing as a six. If MLS wants a game like that to be competitive they need to pick the team based on the way a real team might actually play, rather than picking a goalie, four defenders and six attackers.

Not that a "real" MLS team would have faired much better anyway, but if you want a competitive game you have to pick a roster that's going to allow you to play the way a real team plays.

 

[mike412]

Atletico started 2 new CBs, a new Left Back, 2 new MFs and a new Striker. Felix and Llorente, who each scored a goal have been with them since July 1. Koke, Saul and Costa were the only starters to have been there “for years” and Costa was at Chelsea until 1 1/2 years ago. It’s Simeone and the system!

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Atletico started

That's disingenuous. They started the game with their second team on the field. Then in the second half they made a mass substitution of all 11 players at once. That was (for the most part) the first team. I believe that with the exceptions of Felix and Trippier the rest of those guys have all been with Athletic for at least one year, and in most cases for a lot longer than that.

I didn't watch the whole game, but in the first half when Athleti had their second team on the field the MLS guys actually had the better of play for a pretty long stretch. In the second half, when Athleti put all their starters on the field the game was completely different.

But of course it's Simeone and the system too. He's one of the best managers on the planet. They are one of the best teams on the planet. You aren't a great team simply because you have a great coach with a great system. It takes great players too. And they have them in spades.

 

[Pitt79]

Then again, the MLS team is just an all star team, they don't play together typically, There is no chemistry, players don't know what to expect from their teammates, on the other side Atletico Madrid has been training together for a long time, the MLS All Stars, probably had one or two practices and probably played out of position and with different systems than they are used to.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If you needed a match to illustrate the gulf which separates the MLS from top soccer, this was it. MLS teams have been playing competitively for some time. Atletico is still in preseason, getting into shape. La Liga begins on August 17.

Yet, this match never was really competitive. Yes, it was raining, but that didn’t create the disparity. The difference in quality was stark.

Meanwhile, I was worried that Atletico had made the best signing of the transfer season in Felix, and four matches in, it looks like I was correct. He has fit right in, plays with incredible calm, and passes as well as he shoots. His vision reminds me of Messi; he always seems to find the open man, and the weight on his passes usually is perfect. I thought Atletico would drop off this year losing Griezmann, Godin, Luis and Rodrigo, among others, but with Simeone behind the bench, they don’t seem to be missing a beat. Their depth now will be the real question: can they simultaneously compete in three competitions.

You picked the wrong game to prove your point. My guess is a real MLS team would have given them a better game than a collection of all-stars having only practiced together 1 time.

Here's an interesting question: if you take that MLS All-Star team and put them in the EPL or La Liga for a full season, where do they finish?

 

[Fk_Pitt]

You picked the wrong game to prove your point. My guess is a real MLS team would have given them a better game than a collection of all-stars having only practiced together 1 time.

Here's an interesting question: if you take that MLS All-Star team and put them in the EPL or La Liga for a full season, where do they finish?

That’s a really good question. I can’t say because I don’t have any clue about MLS. But they’d be better than an average English Championship side I would think.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

That’s a really good question. I can’t say because I don’t have any clue about MLS. But they’d be better than an average English Championship side I would think.

FW Zlatan
FW Wayne Rooney
FW Carlos Vela

MF Jonathan Dos Santos
MF Pity Martinez
MF Nani

FB Bastian Schweinsteiger
CB Walker Zimmerman
CB Matt Hedges
FB Kemar Lawrence

To me, that team wouldn't finish in the Relegation Zone in the EPL

 

[Fk_Pitt]

FW Zlatan
FW Wayne Rooney
FW Carlos Vela

MF Jonathan Dos Santos
MF Pity Martinez
MF Nani

FB Bastian Schweinsteiger
CB Walker Zimmerman
CB Matt Hedges
FB Kemar Lawrence

To me, that team wouldn't finish in the Relegation Zone in the EPL

Yeah. That’s what I was thinking. Potentially competing for promotion out of the championship. There’s not a lot of separation between the bottom 3-4 in the EPL and the top 4 of the Championship.

I don’t see Zlatan hanging around and I hear Rooney is headed to Derby county as a player/Manager.

 

[Pitt79]

Yup, sadly Rooney is heading back to England to be Player/ Manager of Derby, after the end of the 2019 MLS season, I was enjoying watching him play with DC, it's a big loss for them, they will drop like a rock unless they sign some other decent player. He was old and slow, but he still had game, great accuracy on his kicks, passes and shots etc.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Player/ Manager of Derby

Not manager, assistant coach.

 

[Pitt79]

Not manager, assistant coach.

The article I read just said "player/coach". Didn't specify "head" or "assistant''

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

The article I read just said "player/coach". Didn't specify "head" or "assistant''

It's soccer. If it said "coach" it typically means assistant. If it says "manager" it means the head coach. Just like in baseball. Clint Hurdle isn't the Pirates' coach, he's the Pirates' manager. Tom Prince is a Pirates' coach. He's not in charge.

Derby's manager is Philip Cocu. They just hired him a couple months ago. He's been in charge for a grand total of one game. They aren't firing him to replace him with a guy who has never been a coach at any level after one game (that they won).

 

[Pitt79]

It's soccer. If it said "coach" it typically means assistant. If it says "manager" it means the head coach. Just like in baseball. Clint Hurdle isn't the Pirates' coach, he's the Pirates' manager. Tom Prince is a Pirates' coach. He's not in charge.

Derby's manager is Philip Cocu. They just hired him a couple months ago. He's been in charge for a grand total of one game. They aren't firing him to replace him with a guy who has never been a coach at any level after one game (that they won).

I'm glad you are staying informed on English minor leagues!

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I'm glad you are staying informed on English minor leagues!

It’s not minor leagues. The English Championship is a big deal. There are some who say that the day that the English Playoff Final is settled at Wembley Stadium is the biggest day annually in English Football, and Derby happened to play in that match a couple of months ago in front of 85K fans. Unfortunately they lost and Aston Villa was promoted to the Premier League.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I'm glad you are staying informed on English minor leagues!

It’s really cool actually,79. I’m operating under the assumption that you’re not real familiar with it. But essentially the Championship is the Division just below the Premier League. The top 2 finishers automatically get promoted to the EPL , but the 3rd-6th finishers play a mini tournament after the season, which the winner becomes the 3rd team to win promotion to the EPL. The playoff final is played at Wembley and is what I referred to above. Derby County was a win away from the Premier League but lost.

 

[Pitt79]

It’s really cool actually,79. I’m operating under the assumption that you’re not real familiar with it. But essentially the Championship is the Division just below the Premier League. The top 2 finishers automatically get promoted to the EPL , but the 3rd-6th finishers play a mini tournament after the season, which the winner becomes the 3rd team to win promotion to the EPL. The playoff final is played at Wembley and is what I referred to above. Derby County was a win away from the Premier League but lost.

I get it, it's a level below their major league and I know about promotion and relegation, but it's still their 2nd division, so I would think it's a minor league compared to EPL.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I get it, it's a level below their major league and I know about promotion and relegation, but it's still their 2nd division, so I would think it's a minor league compared to EPL.

I don’t think so. I know what you’re saying, but It’s still a league consisting of team #21-40 of a country that has 40,000 resgistered clubs that draws 85K fans for a match that decides their 3rd place team.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I don’t think so. I know what you’re saying, but It’s still a league consisting of team #21-40 of a country that has 40,000 resgistered clubs that draws 85K fans for a match that decides their 3rd place team.

A better way of explaining it would be if the EPL is the ACC. The Championship is the American or CUSA.....still a big deal to a lot of people but obviously nowhere near the popularity.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I don’t think so. I know what you’re saying, but It’s still a league consisting of team #21-40 of a country that has 40,000 resgistered clubs that draws 85K fans for a match that decides their 3rd place team.

I think the Championship has the 5th or 6th largest average attendance in the world and is probably one of the Top 10 leagues in the world.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I'm glad you are staying informed on English minor leagues!

You don't have to pay any attention to the English Championship to know that the guy in charge in soccer is called the "manager" and the assistants are called "coaches". Most people would think that was pretty basic stuff, but I guess not for everyone.

 

[Pitt79]

You don't have to pay any attention to the English Championship to know that the guy in charge in soccer is called the "manager" and the assistants are called "coaches". Most people would think that was pretty basic stuff, but I guess not for everyone.

You're right, in the USA they seem to call them COACHES, the soccer league I watch most is MLS, not anything in Europe, they call them coaches there.