Well ****

Wow

Good lord. Messi just went ****ing Messi on us....beautiful free kick.

Still fighting, which is something.

If they can sneak in an away goal......

Had to turn it off after the second goal. Very frustrating to dominate long periods of the game and not score.

Well, that's that. Thought we actually played well considering the absence of Bobby and Keita going down so early. We obviously finished poorly and missed open meta on at least two occasions. Ending the game at 2-0 or 2-1 would have been huge, but I think 3-0 is relatively insurmountable. Can't see us pressing for four goals and also keeping Messi and Co. off the board. Sorry to see our CL campaign basically come crashing down in such cruel fashion, but we ran into a Barca team playing really well and got beaten. Messi's FK was hit about as perfectly as humanly possible - maybe even more so.

I guess I need to prepare my soul to crash out in the semis to a different Spanish club and lose a PL title by a single point.

Barca had two special moments (Suarez's goal and Messi's freekick) and a scrappy counter-attack goal. That game was a perfect example of what a couple of superstar players can do for an otherwise above-average team.

I also second the earlier post about not being able to stomach Spanish football. There is plenty of diving in the EPL and MLS, but ffs every time contact occurs a player hits the deck. I don't care how great Messi and Suarez are, I am not entertained by 89 minutes of embellishment and 1 minute of supreme skill.

Barca is unstoppable

This may come off as a reverse jink attempt but it honestly isn't. I mean, I hope you all lose and nothing but bad things happen to your team but that's not the intent of this post...

It's going to be hugely difficult to go through but it's far from impossible. If Liverpool can dominate large stretches like that away, they can do that and more at home. You're hope is pinned on Liverpool playing well, which I think will happen, and Messi having an average at best night...which isn't likely but it's happened before. He wasn't great at OT. No reason why he can't be not great at Anfield.

Keita out for the remainder of the season with a groin pull. Was really starting to come into his own too.

I agree with your comments. Anfield is a fortress and the fans will be 100% behind the team next week. The most frustrating part of that game was seeing the ending score line and knowing that we had more dominant minutes in that game but couldn't put the damn ball in the net.

There's also recent history of a team being down 3 goals to Barca in the knockout rounds and overcoming that: Roma did it last year. Liverpool were also down 3-0 at halftime during the 05 final against AC Milan and ended up winning on PKs. That AC Milan team is comparable in talent to this Barca team.

Not saying it's going to happen but dammit anything can happen in the knockout stages of Champions League and we definitely have a squad that can pour in goals.

So out of curiosity.. I'm surprised there is so many Liverpool fans on TexAgs. I can understand if you grew up there or if your parents were Liverpool fans and passed that on to you, but for those of you grew up as a normal American (like me) and never heard of the Premiere league until you were an adult, what made you pick Liverpool?

I never played soccer, but my kids do. My oldest was really small, a good dribbler, and was a scrapper, and her coach told her that her style reminded him of Messi. So I started looking at Messi highlights and realized that he's freaking amazing so I have been a Barca fan ever since. So that's my story, at least.

Liverpool was on tv a lot during 04/05 and they were the first team I followed.

powerbelly said:

---

Liverpool was on tv a lot during 04/05 and they were the first team I followed.

---

You talking about NBC or whatever? Weren't a lot of teams on? Why did you pick liverpool out of all those teams?

When I was a kid, my dad and I started watching a lot of premier league games. Coincidentally we started watching during Robbie Fowler's first season with Liverpool's first team (around 93-94). He's my favorite player ever and I wore 23 in high school because that was his first number with Liverpool.

I've followed them ever since. I grew up in the Dallas area so I don't have a family tie to the team but they've been my favorite since I was 13-14 years old.

It was during the champions league and the games were on during the afternoon after school. There weren't near the number of Premier league games on. Liverpool was one of the 4 or 5 teams that got decent tv time and I knew I couldn't be a man u fan.

Michael Owen and Steven Gerard were my favorite players when I was younger. Seemed natural to progress into a reds fan.

OregonAggie said:

---

When I was a kid, my dad and I started watching a lot of premier league games. Coincidentally we started watching during Robbie Fowler's first season with Liverpool's first team (around 93-94). He's my favorite player ever and I wore 23 in high school because that was his first number with Liverpool.

I've followed them ever since. I grew up in the Dallas area so I don't have a family tie to the team but they've been my favorite since I was 13-14 years old.

---

When you say you wore 23, I assume you mean you playing soccer?

jeffk said:

---

Michael Owen and Steven Gerard were my favorite players when I was younger. Seemed natural to progress into a reds fan.

---

Were you already watching a bunch of soccer with your parents or something? If not, then how would you as an American know who Michael Owen and Steven Gerard were to seek them out and then become a Liverpool fan?

Or were you watching premiere league soccer one day and see one of them and decide, "I like that guy" and then follow Liverpool because of that?

aTmAg said:

---

So out of curiosity.. I'm surprised there is so many Liverpool fans on TexAgs. I can understand if you grew up there or if your parents were Liverpool fans and passed that on to you, but for those of you grew up as a normal American (like me) and never heard of the Premiere league until you were an adult, what made you pick Liverpool?

---

In the early 2000s I was playing club soccer for a club that hired a lot of English coaches.

Our club coach encouraged us to start watching the premier league to get a better idea of the general "style" they wanted us to play.

I watched any game we managed to see early on, with zero preference. But as a center midfielder, one player started standing out the more I watched. Steven Gerrard. Started watching more Liverpool games to see how he played the position. Then started to like other players on the team, the team in general. Then I saw the Istanbul final against AC Milan. Any club with fans like that and a team like that....I was sold.

I'm not surprised lots of Ags like Liverpool. I see a lot of similarities between us....a past history of success, craving new championships, devoted fans. But another sad similarity is Bonfire and Hillsborough. Both tragedies that deeply affected the fans of both teams, both are mocked/misrepresented by people who aren't fans, both still weigh heavily on the collective memory of the fanbases.

BenderRodriguez said:

---

aTmAg said:

---

So out of curiosity.. I'm surprised there is so many Liverpool fans on TexAgs. I can understand if you grew up there or if your parents were Liverpool fans and passed that on to you, but for those of you grew up as a normal American (like me) and never heard of the Premiere league until you were an adult, what made you pick Liverpool?

---

In the early 2000s I was playing club soccer for a club that hired a lot of English coaches.

Our club coach encouraged us to start watching the premier league to get a better idea of the general "style" they wanted us to play.

I watched any game we managed to see early on, with zero preference. But as a center midfielder, one player started standing out the more I watched. Steven Gerrard. Started watching more Liverpool games to see how he played the position. Then started to like other players on the team, the team in general. Then I saw the Istanbul final against AC Milan. Any club with fans like that and a team like that....I was sold.

I'm not surprised lots of Ags like Liverpool. I see a lot of similarities between us....a past history of success, craving new championships, devoted fans. But another sad similarity is Bonfire and Hillsborough. Both tragedies that deeply affected the fans of both teams, both are mocked/misrepresented by people who aren't fans, both still weigh heavily on the collective memory of the fanbases.

---

Somewhere on TexAgs, somebody posted a video of a couple A&M fans going to a European soccer game saying there was a lot of similarities. Was that Liverpool?

I think that was Bayern.

Or at least, I've seen a video about Bayern/A&M sometime this year.

Was looking for a team to follow, and knew I couldn't follow united (english sips).

Yes playing soccer. My club number was 6 but my high school number was 23. 23 was taken on my club team but 6 was 2x3...hahaha yeah that really impacted my decision.

My oldest daughter wears 23 as well because that was my number and I've made her watch every Robbie Fowler video we could find. She's a huge Liverpool fan too.

aTmAg said:

---

jeffk said:

---

Michael Owen and Steven Gerard were my favorite players when I was younger. Seemed natural to progress into a reds fan.

---

Were you already watching a bunch of soccer with your parents or something? If not, then how would you as an American know who Michael Owen and Steven Gerard were to seek them out and then become a Liverpool fan?

Or were you watching premiere league soccer one day and see one of them and decide, "I like that guy" and then follow Liverpool because of that?

---

I was playing youth soccer competitively and all my teammates had favorite teams (a lot of United and Juve and Real fans really) so I watched games with them at their houses and then watched on my own once we got actual cable tv at ours when I was in HS. Started following the leagues more closely after that and liked how Owen and Gerard played so naturally watched more LFC games than other teams. Also, I couldn't just pick a team to support that was the same as my friends or teammates so Liverpool made sense in that way too. My parents supported my playing soccer, but I wouldn't say they're fans of any club or players.

jeffk said:

---

aTmAg said:

---

jeffk said:

---

Michael Owen and Steven Gerard were my favorite players when I was younger. Seemed natural to progress into a reds fan.

---

Were you already watching a bunch of soccer with your parents or something? If not, then how would you as an American know who Michael Owen and Steven Gerard were to seek them out and then become a Liverpool fan?

Or were you watching premiere league soccer one day and see one of them and decide, "I like that guy" and then follow Liverpool because of that?

---

I was playing youth soccer competitively and all my teammates had favorite teams (a lot of United and Juve and Real fans really) so I watched games with them at their houses and then watched on my own once we got actual cable tv at ours when I was in HS. Started following the leagues more closely after that and liked how Owen and Gerard played so naturally watched more LFC games than other teams. Also, I couldn't just pick a team to support that was the same as my friends or teammates so Liverpool made sense in that way too. My parents supported my playing soccer, but I wouldn't say they're fans of any club or players.

---

In a way I'm similar, even though it wasn't me who played, but my kids.

I had no interest in soccer until my kids played. I thought it was personified foosball. I started coaching it (because I was told the team would fall apart if I didn't step up.. and naively believed it) and then started looking for videos online to watch for strategy and coaching pointers. Back then Ronaldino was big. Then my daughter's coach said that thing about Messi and I started watching him and decided after a while that he was pretty much the ideal player that everybody should try to emulate. So of course, I watch a lot of Barcelona after that. Then became a fan of Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol along the way. Likewise, I have grown to hate Pepe, Ramos, etc. as every self respecting person should.

Naturally! No one in their right mind should like Ramos or Pepe or Rafa Marquez for that matter. Puyol may be one of my favorite players of all time actually (right up there with Beckerman).

jeffk said:

---

Naturally! No one in their right mind should like Ramos or Pepe or Rafa Marquez for that matter. Puyol may be one of my favorite players of all time actually (right up there with Beckerman).

---

Interesting, why do you like Puyol so much as a Liverpool fan?

My wife's dad is from Birkenhead (across the Mersey from Liverpool) and the whole family are Liverpool fans through and through with the exception of two of his younger brothers who somehow ended up as Everton fans (their boys all ignored their turncoat fathers and continued the family fandom).

And my wife's cousin is Jamie Carragher. Not that Jamie Carragher but a different Jamie Carragher.

aTmAg said:

---

jeffk said:

---

Naturally! No one in their right mind should like Ramos or Pepe or Rafa Marquez for that matter. Puyol may be one of my favorite players of all time actually (right up there with Beckerman).

---

Interesting, why do you like Puyol so much as a Liverpool fan?

---

I won't answer this question for Jeff but I'll just say there's a ton of players but I love to watch, including Messi (for the reasons you've mentioned), Luis Suarez, Vidal, Eden Hazard, Modric, and Diego Costa are all guys I love to watch play. I've never been a Barcalona fan but I do like their players. I also root for them above Real because I love watching those guys.

Vidal is amazing to me. Plays with heart, has incredible work rate, and tackles the hell outta people. Who wouldn't want to watch a guy like that.

OregonAggie said:

---

aTmAg said:

---

jeffk said:

---

Naturally! No one in their right mind should like Ramos or Pepe or Rafa Marquez for that matter. Puyol may be one of my favorite players of all time actually (right up there with Beckerman).

---

Interesting, why do you like Puyol so much as a Liverpool fan?

---

I won't answer this question for Jeff but I'll just say there's a ton of players but I love to watch, including Messi (for the reasons you've mentioned), Luis Suarez, Vidal, Eden Hazard, Modric, and Diego Costa are all guys I love to watch play. I've never been a Barcalona fan but I do like their players. I also root for them above Real because I love watching those guys.

Vidal is amazing to me. Plays with heart, has incredible work rate, and tackles the hell outta people. Who wouldn't want to watch a guy like that.

---

Ironically, I wasn't a Suarez fan because of the famous handball and all the biting. But after a while of watching him on Barca for a while he has grown on me. He busts his ass.

I played marking back growing up and I loved how Puyol played the position.

jeffk said:

---

I played marking back growing up and I loved how Puyol played the position.

---

He seems to also be a class act too. There is a video somewhere of him getting punched in the face or something, and when his teammates come to retaliate, he jumps in and stops them.

After law school, I started following the EPL because it was something to watch on Saturday and Sunday morning. The first team I started following was Liverpool because of Fernando Torres and Stephen Gerrard. I also really enjoyed the fact that their fans sang so many different and distinct songs. I'm sure, as an Aggie, there was something attractive about pulling for a team that had been very good but had fallen on hard times. My childhood was filled by the 1990s SWC dominating wrecking crew, but in college I suffered through the end of RC and Fran. I can very much relate to the pain Liverpool fans feel, knowing the glory of your team dominating but constantly watching them fail to rekindle that success.

At this point, following Liverpool is my primary sports entertainment after Aggie football. Honestly, I think I enjoy watching Liverpool more than the Aggies most of the time these days.

Somebody else mentioned Luis Suarez already. He is by far my favorite player. The sheer effort and determination he played with at Liverpool is something I have yet to see matched. I don't care too much about the biting and other things, I think it adds to his persona.