Rabsahl Soccer Tribune

02/07/2023

Kick off July with us. 😏

03/10/2022

Seattle Sounders FC misses playoffs for 1st time

Final.

15/06/2022

Ecuador

The surprise team?

Ecuador qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014 and is my prediction for an under the radar team.

The mix of experience and young talent is good and Ecuador enjoys one of their best generations of soccer players.

Besides more unknown names who play in South America, you also have two Champions League class players and a veteran in striker Enner Valencia.

Players like Xavier Arreaga, Diego Palacios, José Cifuentes, Leonardo Campana, Michael Estrada or Jhegson Méndez even play in MLS.

The mix of the team, the teamwork and the individual talent could bring Ecuador into the knockouts in a not too hard group with beatable opponents.

Ecuador showed some good games and managed draws against Argentina and Brazil. Recently they drew against Mexico and defeated Nigeria.

If things work out and if they show their strengths, Ecuador might reach the knockouts and could even surprise.

I don't think they go for the title or the Semis, but I could imagine that they might reach the quarter finals or at least give us a good game against a big team.

15/06/2022

Qatar

The National Team of Qatar will play their first FIFA World Cup and the nation will host the event.

Qatar is a national team with very recent success and a questionable plan to compensate the lack of quality.

One fact about the Qatari National Team is that a huge percentage of players are of foreign descent and were born in other countries, mostly African countries.

This practice isn't uncommon and also usual in Europe and other countries.

In comparison to other countries, Qatar is still underdeveloped in terms of soccer culture and is subject to criticism.

Currently, all Qatari players play in the Qatar Stars League. They don't have any star players in the European leagues like Iran or Japan.

The gap of quality to other nations is huge and the overall team quality isn't strong compared to other nations.

They have a handful of quality players which can be seen in the pictures.

But could they win the title? I don't think so. They don't have a group of death but Senegal and the Netherlands have way more quality.

It would be an achievement if they're able to get a draw or maybe even a victory. They could potentially reach the knockouts but their chances against a big European or COMMEBOL team are very low.

14/06/2022

I'll create a post about each team, their key players, weaknesses, strengths and chances to win the title

19/01/2022

AJ Auxerre finished last place in Ligue 1 Uber Eats and get relegated back to Ligue 2 BKT

I remain as coach for the third season and have the goal to return to Ligue 1.

Paul Joly will leave the club on a free transfer and join Lechia Gdańsk in Poland.

19/01/2022

I started the second season with the signings of the following three players

Bandiougou Fadiga (Free Transfer)

Mathieu Cafaro (Free Transfer)

Jean-Charles Castelletto (6.2 Million Euros)

18/01/2022

AJ Auxerre won the Promotion Playoffs against Clermont Foot 63 and get promoted to Ligue 1 Uber Eats !

18/01/2022

AJ Auxerre finished 3rd in Ligue 2 BKT with 66 points and is qualified for the Promotion Playoffs.

Gaëtan Charbonnier scored 15 goals in Ligue 2 and won the golden boot.

17/01/2022

No new players came in the winter transfer window.

Gautier Lloris and Jubal will leave Auxerre after the season and signed pre contacts with new clubs.

16/01/2022

My first transfer window with Auxerre wasn't that spectacular.

Not much money to work with. But I still managed to sign three new players.

Axel Guessand - A 16 year old center back from the ASNL- AS Nancy Lorraine youth academy (450k Euros)

Thomas Monconduit - Midfielder from FC Lorient . Monconduit played for Auxerre when he was younger.

Mbia Stéphane - A veteran center back with European experience. Signed him from Club de Fútbol Fuenlabrada in Spain.

Birama Touré left the club and moved to Basaksehir in Turkey.

16/01/2022

My next team to play on Fifa career mode will be from France and played a big role in the history of the French game.

AJ Auxerre

Auxerre is a team from Burgundy, sitting close to the middle of France. The city of Auxerre got a population of around 35 000 people.

The club was founded in 1905 but the era of success started in the 1980 when Auxerre got promoted to the Division 1, today the Ligue 1 and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in 1984.

Golden years came in the 1990s when AJ Auxerre had several great players like Laurent Blanc, Enzo Scifo, Alain Roche, Sabri Lamouchi and others. They also produced talent or became a breakthrough club for players like Basile Boli or Eric Cantona.

Auxerre won it's first trophy, the Coupe de France in 1994. Two years later came the greatest year in club history with the Ligue 1 title and another Coupe de France. After the 1995/96 season, AJ Auxerre should win two more Coupe de France in 2003 and 2005.

The father of the success was coach Guy Roux who coached Auxerre for more than 40 years. His longest period with Auxerre was between 1964 and 2000. Longer than any other coach in soccer history, for example Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger.

The club was in decline since the 2000s, the last highlight in the history of Auxerre was their 2010/11 Season where they played in the UEFA Champions League for the last time.

Auxerre had been relegated to Ligue 2 in 2012 and play in second division ever since.

In this season, Auxerre sit in fourth place and is in the promotion race.

The photo shows Guy Roux together with Eric Cantona who should become a legend for Manchester United in the 1990s.

My goal is to bring back Auxerre to Ligue 1 and to restore the glory of the 90s.

15/09/2021

03/04/2021

From Japanese star to Neftchi Baku - Keisuke Honda

Keisuke Honda will be well known as Japanese international and one of their star players. Together with players like Kagawa, Uchida, Nagatomo and others, Honda formed the era after Hidetoshi Nakata who was Japan's first real soccer star.

Well known as player in Europe, Honda made a huge decline which is probably unique for a player of his class. His decline is not that dramatic like the decline of Alexandre Song and his new club in Djibouti, bit it's still surprising where he ended.

Azerbaijan is not famous in global soccer and the clubs are relatively unknown except they manage it to qualify for Champions or Europa League.

Neftchi Baku is the new side which signed Keisuke Honda on a free deal after he played a awful season with Botafogo in Brazil.

But how became Keisuke Honda a star player?

His breakout was at Dutch side Venlo. Honda played so well that CSKA Moscow was ready to pay six million euros for Honda in 2010. He was the big deal for Japan besides Dortmund star Kagawa and Schalke defender Uchida.

Honda became Japan's player of the year and won the Asian Cup in 2011.

With CSKA Moscow, Honda played in the UEFA Champions League, won the Russian League and Russian Cup twice. He was known for strong dribbling skills, free kicks and qualities as playmaker.

The next exciting move came in 2014 when he signed for AC Milan in Italy.

Like we all know, AC Milan was one huge decline of a worldclass club, and had many dumpster fires around the club.

Honda haven't met the expectations even if he played good. His statistics are good but AC Milan was a mess at the time and his downhill race begun after AC Milan.

CF Pachuca in Mexico signed him in 2017, to the same time, he was rumored to sign for Seattle Sounders in MLS. But he stayed only one year in Mexico. Then came Melbourne Victory in Australia, Vitesse in Netherlands and then Botafogo in Brazil.

A transfer to Portimonense in Portugal failed, so he joined Neftchi Baku in March of this year.

Now, Keisuke Honda is 34, a former Japanese national player with 37 goals in 98 appearances and probably the Japanese player with the most obscure transfer history ever.

03/04/2021

Real Salt Lake signed forgotten USMNT player.

Former US player Bobby Wood will join MLS side Real Salt Lake on a pre contract in July of this year.

Wood is still at second division side Hamburger SV, which fight for promotion to the Bundesliga.

Despite 13 goals in 43 matches for the United States, Wood never really performed well since he left Union Berlin and joined Hamburger SV in 2016.

The Club was in deep crisis and was relegated in 2018. The loan to Hannover 96 ended in the same result and Hannover joined Hamburg to the second division.

Wood was mostly not important at all for HSV or is a sub player who comes in occasionally.

Wood appeared in 15 matches this season and scored once. In comparison: defender Tim Leibold scored three goals and Simon Terodde lead the scoring charts with 20 goals.

08/03/2021

Who is Samuel Grandsir and how might he help the Galaxy?

French media is reporting that LA Galaxy want to sign french winger Samuel Grandsir from AS Monaco.

Me, someone who know the french game and Ligue 1 will analyze Grandsir and how he could help the Galaxy.

Samuel Grandsir comes from the youth of French side Troyes where he made his debut as professional.

AS Monaco showed interest and signed Grandsir for three million euros in 2018.

In 2018, Grandsir was a talented winger and U21 international for French.

But his move to AS Monaco turned out to be a mistake.

Monaco was in crisis between 2018 and 2020 and fought against relegation. Grandsir never really settled into the first team and left Monaco on two loan moves to Racing Strasbourg and Stade Brest, returned to Monaco in summer 2020.

His strengths are pace and dribbling. Grandsir is a decent winger with playmaker abilities. LA Galaxy definitely need a creative player and he could be available for a affordable fee.

It all depends now on the wage and price but he got potential and could help in MLS and is 24 years, still many years to go for him.

28/02/2021

25 matches... Not a single goal or assist.

Adama Traore is the David Odonkor of the 2020s 😁😅

02/02/2021

Former Worldclass talent scored first professional goal.

You remember Hachim Mastour? No? OK. Mastour was one of the most exciting wonder kids in global soccer when he signed his first professional contract with 16.

He should be the next worldclass playmaker for AC Milan but he never played a single game for the senior team. After loans in Spain and Netherlands and a short time in Greece, Mastour ended up as free agent.

Italian Serie B side Reggina signed him in 2019 and now he is loaned out to Serie C side Carpi.

Mastour scored his first goal against Sambenedettese in January of this year. He is 22 years old.

The result might be still disappointing because Carpi lost this match 1:5

13/01/2021

German second division side Holstein Kiel defeated Bayern Munich in the DFB Pokal after a 6:5 in penalties.

Holstein Kiel actually never played in the German Bundesliga and is the only professional team from Schleswig Holstein in German soccer besides third division side Vfb Lübeck.

09/01/2021

You remember Matthew Hoppe?

The young American wrote Bundesliga history and helped Schalke to their first victory in this season.

It's not just his first Bundesliga goal... He scored his first Bundesliga hat trick and saved Schalke from breaking the record of 31 matches without a win.

Former Bundesliga side Tasmania Berlin managed it to play 31 Bundesliga matches without a single win in a row. Schalke got 30 matches but now came Captain America to save the Knappen.

08/01/2021

Greg Vanney and Dan Calichman, two former LA Galaxy players who return as coaches to start a new era with the G's

22/12/2020

Last of a Generation

Kyle Beckerman is not just one of the best midfielders in MLS history, he's also the last active player who played for defunct MLS team Miami Fusion in 2000/2001.

He is the last who played against players like Valderrama, Etcheverry and others and became aclub icon for Real Salt Lake.

02/12/2020

Palm Beach Stars: The unknown newcomer from Florida

In terms of soccer, Florida is a hyped place. Especially since David Beckham started his project in Miami.

Inter Miami is supposed to ride on the hype wave in the next years and signed big names with Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi.

Orlando City SC exist in MLS since 2015 and gained attention with the signing of former AC Milan star Kaká. However, Orlando needed five years to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

We could go back even further and talk about Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny. Both of them won the Supporters Shield and Tampa Bay was one of the top teams in Eastern Conference.

Now comes a new team which is far away from hype but they have a interesting concept and signed already a bunch of known players.

Palm Beach Stars is the first ever professional soccer team in Palm Beach County and was founded in August 2020.

The concept is to establish a professional soccer team in Palm Beach and to produce young players for college and professional teams. They also offer a soccer academy experience in Italy.

To realize this goal, Palm Beach signed some former stars which can help the younger players with their experience.

We talk about players which played for European elite teams and they decided to play for Palm Beach Stars in the semi professional UPSL Division 1

Here are some names you might know:

Edson Braafheid

Braafheid is former international for the Netherlands and played as full back for Utrecht and Twente. He made his most famous move in 2009 and joined Bayern Munich.

He was one of the players which Louis van Gaal wanted for his Bayern squad. He won the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal but was a awful player for Bayern and is a flop for Bayern just like Breno or Landon Donovan.

Palm Beach signed Braafheid after he was on free agent. His last team was Austin Bold in USL.

Taye Taiwo

Taiwo played as international for Nigeria and was a good full back for Olympique Marseille in the late 2000s where he won two times Coupe de Ligue and Ligue 1. Later he played for AC Milan together with players like Seedorf, Gattuso, Ibrahimovic and others.

Taiwo played for Rovaniemen Palloseura in Finland before his contract expired this year. Palm Beach signed him on a free transfer.

Juan David Cabezas

Midfielder from Colombia who played for Deportivo Cali

Justin Hoyte

Full back and former international for Trinidad. Played for Arsenal where he won FA Cup and Premier League, and for Middlesbrough. His last team was FC Cincinnati before his contract expired.

Palm Beach is already equipped like a USL team and this might be a message for the future. When Palm Beach performs well and build up a strong community, they might be a candidate for a professional team in USL.

I'll keep an eye on Palm Beach Stars in future and want to see how it works out for them.

Maybe they're thankful for the recognition I try to give them.

01/12/2020

Man with future? Schalke talent Matthew Hoppe

The 2020s could be one of the best decades for American soccer. We have never had so many bright talents in Europe like now and Schalke might bring another interesting American talent.

Matthew Hoppe is the latest player from the famous Knappenschmiede, the FC Schalke 04 youth academy to make his debut for the senior team.

Hoppe was born in Yorba Linda, California and joined the Academy program of FC Barcelona in 2017.

The second team of Schalke signed Hoppe in 2019 and he appeared in 15 Regionalliga West matches (German fourth tier) where he scored once.

Due to the lack of attacking players in the senior team, Matthew Hoppe made his Bundesliga debut against Gladbach. He started the match and Schalke had a good first half but due to their current form, Gladbach defeated Schalke 4:1.

The 19 years old forward might get the chance to play regularly in future, especially if Schalke should get relegated. He might be not the brightest talent of all but maybe Hoppe can establish himself as a decent striker in Bundesliga like Josh Sargent at Werder Bremen and fight for a USMNT roster spot.

01/12/2020

Vanney leaves Toronto

Six years, 246 matches, one MLS Cup, one Supporters Shield and three Canadian Cups. These are the stats of Toronto FC headcoach Greg Vanney.

Now he will leave Toronto FC and steps down as manager.

Vanney can be called the most successful manager in Toronto FC history and led the team to three MLS Cup finals, all against Seattle Sounders. It will be hard to replace a manager of his quality.

01/12/2020

AS Arta Solar 7 is a team from Djibouti, a nation in East Africa and home of US Naval base Camp Lemonnier.

Djibouti is ranked as one of the lowest nations in international soccer and probably you try to figure out why I talk about a random team from a small nation somewhere in Africa.

You might not believe it but former FC Barcelona and Arsenal player Alexandre Song signed a permanent deal with AS Arta and is truly the only "superstar" in Djibouti.

Alexandre Song won LaLiga with Barcelona, was international for Cameroon and played for FC Sion in Switzerland before they terminated his contract in March 2020. He signed for his new Club in November.

28/11/2020

In 2011, FC Schalke 04 defeated Inter Milan at Giuseppe Meazza 5:2 and reached the UEFA Champions League Semi Final.

Inter Milan won the treble in the season before.

Schalke had enormous talented players like Neuer, Farfan, Uchida and veteran Raúl

Now.

Schalke is dead last in Bundesliga and in serious danger of relegation.

25/11/2020

Nashville with a surprising victory over Toronto FC. Many people predicted Nashville to be the next Cincinnati but this team proof all of us wrong this season.

At least not Sounders vs. Toronto part IV 😅

21/11/2020

Western Conference playoff participants

Sporting Kansas City

SKC goes in with a strong and experienced side. Coach Peter Vermes is one of the best coaches in MLS and experienced.

Unlike other teams, SKC has no big superstars but a well balanced team with a good depth.

Their balance might be their biggest weakness. No player is truly outstanding and SKC is not one of the teams which scores many goals.

Gadi Kinda is top scorer with six goals as midfielder. Russell, Pulido and Hurtado have five goals each.

For now I don't see them in the finals because their style to play is too mediocre and they don't have that one player who makes the difference.

San Jose Earthquakes

The Quakes are one of the underdogs in this race. Mediocre team and they ended up in the playoffs with luck and fighting spirit.

Their defense is awful and it's fact. They conceded 51 goals and this is the worst defensive record in the western conference (even worse than Los Angeles Galaxy).

Even with a veteran like Chris Wondolowski, SJ is not going to win this cup. They just need to face Seattle or Portland and concede four or more goals.

Colorado Rapids

One point. This is the difference between the Rapids and the Whitecaps. No constancy and the lack of a top player give the Rapids not the best chances for the Cup.

They might be even weaker since their best player Kei Kamara left the team. They have some good players with potential but Bassett and Lewis can't compensate a general lack of quality.

Minnesota United

There are good chances that the loons survive the first round but I wouldn't consider them as a finalist.

The defense is strong and players like Molino and Lod bring quality but just like SKC, Minnesota shows often mediocre performances. Maybe they find their way to the conference finals.

Portland Timbers

Timbers have a good chance to make the conference final and maybe more with their experience and quality.

Especially the midfield and the attackers are high level quality in MLS. Savarese can choose between three strikers which have the same quality and similar stats and Valeri will manage the midfield together with Timbers legend Diego Chará

The weakness of Portland is the defense. Teams like SKC and Seattle have more quality in the defense and the Timbers struggled in some matches this season.

Can they win the Cup? Maybe. Would I call them a favorite now? Depends on their performance against Dallas.

FC Dallas

Not bad but also not exciting. Dallas is known as youth academy of MLS and they have a bunch of young, talented players and team veterans like Hedges.

They deserve their place in the playoffs but I doubt that they could make the final. Maybe Dallas can surprise in the playoffs and kicks out Portland.

Seattle Sounders

Currently, Seattle is the team with the best overall depth and they never missed the playoffs in their team history.

They won it last year and didn't change much. Still the same quality players and a good defense which they improved with Yeimar Gomez Andrade who replaced Kim Kee Hee.

Sounders get their favorite opponent LAFC and I doubt that they can handle Morris, Lodeiro and Ruidiaz in top form. Seattle might be able to win Cup number three. If they make the Conference final depends on their opponent. It would be definitely a hard and exciting match if they should face Portland Timbers in the Conference Semi final.

LAFC

To make it short: Outlook is not good.

Why?

To face Seattle Sounders without best player Diego Rossi and a Carlos Vela in poor form after injuries is not what you wish for the playoffs.

Why does Diego Rossi miss? He, Brian Rodriguez, Cifuentes and Palacios are infected with Covid-19 and will miss the training due to quarantine.

I don't think LAFC will win the Cup. They performed poorly compared to the last season and the lack of consistency is no big help against the best team in Western Conference.

To find a finalist is not easy but I would go for Seattle or Portland. Minnesota, SKC and Dallas could surprise.

21/11/2020

Like last season, I will analyze all teams in the MLS Cup Playoffs and talk about their pros and cons. I was pretty good last year and predicted the Sounders as one of the potential winners but I underestimated Toronto.