Asian Champions League

[Big Al]

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1169067/Evergrande-reaches-first-ACL-final

Spanked us but they spanked Kashiwa Reysol even worse than us in the semi final.

I think Kashiwa won our group & beat us on the last night at home but we still qualified for the knockout phase.

Could have been very different if we didn't draw them in the knockout phase

 

[eenfish]

Indeed, Evergrande is a pretty intense team. Richest side in Asia if I'm not mistaken, plus Lippi is the highest paid coach in the world if memory serves correct. If we had drawn anyone else I would've thought we'd have a half decent chance at making it a bit further.

 

[scoober]

Any idea when the draw for the 2014 edition is? i think its usually november but cant find anytrhing on the net. I'm keen for another asian adventure!

 

[dibo]

I thought it was a December thing. They're reviewing the structure of the league for 2014.

 

[true believer]

when is the final ? I heard Williams is the referee. any tv coverage or clever net links ?

 

[sydmariner]

I think it's on fox sports

 

[greenlionii]

[ACL Final] first leg FC Seoul 2-2 Guangzhou Evergrande

Attendance 55,501 with 15,000 Chinese fans, 6,600 of them travels from China, that breaks a record of travelling fans and the largest away fans groups in Asian club football.

Highlights
http://sports.cntv.cn/2013/10/26/VIDE1382790599495243.shtml

 

[yellowcake]

You'd have to back Evergrande at home tonight, with a win, 0-0 or 1-1 giving them the title. Certainly no shame in our loss to them in the round of 16.
(Considering also they won the CSL by 17 points; 30 rounds, 1 loss, 5 draws - including one that Macca consigned then to in the last game!)

As Big Al said Kashiwa Reysol from our group also made the semis. Bigger and better things in 2014.

 

[SFL]

I think Guangzhou have shown that they'r eons above any team in Asia, smashing my Reysol something like 8-1 in aggregate in a semifinal. We did give Evergrande a good show, especially at home, but we have a mile to go and a mountain of cash to be up to that standard, even to match Reysol's.

Though I think Guangzhou have found their match in this final with perhaps a better team that could prove money doesn't buy heart.

From watching the last game, I wouldn't count Seoul out of this at all. Completely different sets of teams, playing style and an unmatched passion shown by Seoul that Guangzhou struggled to deal with (last twenty minutes Seoul should have had two more). Conca, Muriqui, Elkeson (the spine of Guangzhou) all went missing during the final thirty while Seoul's stars sparked their comeback surge. Not sure if it was home ground efforts, but I feel tonights game will be very much the same, very open and refreshing to watch.

 

[eenfish]

Re: money, pretty sure they're paying Lippi more than all the money we have spent on wages in all of our seasons for date. For us to get on the same level as them, financially, A-League would have to seriously start matching the AFL and NRL in terms of attendance and TV viewers respectively with a increase/destruction of the cap and no increase in teams to halt the massive spread of quality and wealth. Basically, we'll never be able to compete when it comes to dollars and cents.

I think it says a lot about Australian football, as a breeding ground of future talent, that teams like the Mariners are able to get past the group stage and not get embarrassed by teams like Evergrande. They're paying over the odds for players while we are signing fifteen and sixteen year olds and giving them a shot at the first team. Evergrande is everything wrong with modern football, and the Mariners is everything right (but I be a little biased )

 

[FFC Mariner]

I'd happily swallow my pride and ditch my principles if we were bought by a genuine sugar daddy prepared to fund us to match it in Asia

 

[eenfish]

I'd happily swallow my pride and ditch my principles if we were bought by a genuine sugar daddy prepared to fund us to match it in Asia

Totally agree. I hate teams like Chelsea, but I was all keen for the Russians to buy us up way back.

 

[yellowcake]

Ultimately it was an honour to six months ago have hosted the ACL champions at our Bluetongue

 

[eenfish]

Ultimately it was an honour to six months ago have hosted the ACL champions at our Bluetongue

And to only go down 2-1 against such a strong side says zounds about the quality of the team Arnie built.

 

[sydmariner]

And to only go down 2-1 against such a strong side says zounds about the quality of the team Arnie built.

Yes considering we were leading 1-0 after 20 mins