mshnd06

Won't dispute that Puli is even more brittle than Robben, but his G/90 with Chelsea is better than Robben's was - .356 vs .309. That said, Robben was a superior playmaker

Some may find this hyperbolic, but I truly believe that Kante is the best and most influential player not named Messi or Ronaldo in world football over the past decade. And I am no supporter of Leicester, Chelsea, or France

In my opinion, rivalries are healthy for fandom and the sport. I look forward to the matches with you as well. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if some of your number are conflicted. I can't say for certain that if the roles were reversed and you or a certain red side went down, I wouldn't revel for at least a little while

I certainly thought so, but I might have a bit of bias

Leeds supporter here. I would gladly take Gallagher. Seems a player with whom Bielsa could do some damage

Kid is talented and us desperate US national team fans really want him to succeed, but...injury issues have plagued his career to this point. It's not just this season. I think he's going to be one of those immense talents whose career ultimately disappoints because of injuries. Some players are just made of glass

10-15m seems reasonable. I'd heard 40m quoted which seems ridiculous to me. I'm hoping we don't have to pay for Augustin but I think the ruling will likely favor RB Leipzig and we will have less cash to spend on transfers, especially up top

Someone on the Leeds board posted a rumour that Leeds might be interested. I don't know if it has any legs but I think he did play under Bielsa in France and Bielsa does like players with his work rate. He's an upgrade for us over Bamford but I really can't stomach the asking price, much less the wages. Thought I might give you folks some unfounded hope.

I was referring to 2022, sorry I was unclear

I really hope both teams qualify. Davies and David are exciting

No doubt, the move was shrewd from a marketing standpoint. I don't think the enthusiasm for A. Football is waning at all. It is far too popular and lucrative for safety to get in the way. That said I think the concerns about concussions are real and are manifesting in changing protocols at all levels of the sport. Still a lot of kids playing A. Football. Football/Soccer participation has been on a steady rise for the last 20 or so years. The MLS is getting more attention domestically, the women's NT has drawn a number of fans and turning out a player of Pulisic's caliber should register at some point. We'll never be a football power as long as the current sports hierarchy exists, but many folks who have grown up in the last two decades are excited about the sport. And I honestly think we'll have what passes for a golden generation here peaking in time for the 2026 world cup. Pulisic and Reyna are, for us, transformative talents. Adams, Dest and McKennie are top end talents by American standards. I'm optimistic for the US national team and Leeds. It's a good time to be a football fan

Unfortunately, no. Football/soccer is still very niche in the U.S. and rarely makes the headlines. Hopefully the 2026 World Cup will help with that. Our top flight is still relatively young (25 years). Hopefully, the sport will level up in the eyes of the American public in my lifetime. There is no question, Pulisic is the most talented player we've ever had, but the casual sports fan in the United States probably still won't know who he is. The football/soccer fanbase though is excited and many are flocking to Chelsea.

Full disclosure, I'm a Leeds supporter and an American. As the latter, I browse these forums because of Pulisic. I can't speak for all Americans, but I know I'm not alone in being a tad touchy on the topic of Pulisic. Some of us are very insecure in our football fandom, we've never had nice things before and still fear this might be a mirage. Pulisic has had trouble with consistency and appears to be made of glass. Our fears could still prove warranted. I think that's why some of us complain about Lampard's personnel decisions and conjure things like his anti-yank bias. This run has been fun, though, and I wish you well as long as you aren't playing Leeds. Thanks for tolerating tag-a-long spectators like myself.