2025-26 Season - Discussion Thread - Page 3

yiguiri2002 · 09-22-2025, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YayNJ

Dembele Balloon d'Orange winner.
Bonmati for the ladies.

Bonmati (of which I'm a big fan) didn't deserve it at all.

Who do you think should have won?

YayNJ · 09-22-2025, 08:34 PM

Putellas, Russo and Caldentey all had better seasons.

Putellas had a goal contribution every 60 minutes!

yiguiri2002 · 09-22-2025, 08:41 PM

I think they were the top 4 and could have gone either way. Russo and Caldentey had a better UCL, Putellas had a better Liga F and Aitana was selected the best player in the Euros.

It would have been nice to see someone different but this wasn't a robbery or anything like it.

YayNJ · 09-23-2025, 01:26 AM

Liga F is awful. Akin to the Scottish Men’s league.

Russo won the Euros and the Champions League.

May as well just call it the Barcelona trophy. It’s more laughable than the men’s award, already.

YayNJ · 09-24-2025, 06:22 AM

Gavi out for five months. Barca have managed to break another one.

When he comes back from this one, he will have missed over two whole years of his career already (remember he's only 21) through injury, which equates to roughly 140 games.. give or take.

YayNJ · 09-28-2025, 12:33 PM

Well, after six games we (Leeds) are currently above Manchester United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Everton, West Ham and on equal points with Chelsea.

Pleasantly surprised with how resilient we have been so far, and I'm not being biased in suggesting we should have won against Fulham and Bournemouth.

Whisper it quietly, but Brendan Aaronson had a good game yesterday.

YayNJ · 10-01-2025, 03:40 AM

mfw13 · 10-01-2025, 01:54 PM

Well....no products are being released, so not much to discuss.....

And with Trump enforcing tarriffs on packages worth <$800, the shipping of soccer cards from Europe/Asia to the US has become nonexistent.

BiggNuttz · 10-02-2025, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfw13

Well....no products are being released, so not much to discuss.....

And with Trump enforcing tarriffs on packages worth <$800, the shipping of soccer cards from Europe/Asia to the US has become nonexistent.

This has absolutely killed any possibility for cards to be sent to the U.S. It's not so much the tariffs, but the fact that they cannot be prepaid, only paid by the receiving party in the U.S. I have hundreds of cards that I was slowly feeding to both the PSA/Ebay Vault and PWCC/Fanatics, but I have no way to get them the cards, even if I am willing to pay the import tariffs when I go to ship them as both parties have stated that they will not accept packages with tariffs due, and they will just mark them "Return to Sender". The last thing you want is thousands of dollars in cards floating around in transit indefinitely.

It is like a COVID redux: back then I had cards that were raw but could not be sent to the U.S. to be graded and sold in a hot market, now it is another hot market and I am stuck with graded cards that cannot be shipped to the U.S. to be sold.

Ianhatcher · 10-03-2025, 09:59 AM

Welcome to the US sellers world where global markets are essentially cut off from US sellers because of tarriffs and VAT in many cases which has been going on for decades.

The amount of sales I have missed out over the years because people wanted me to A. lie about the value or B. reduce my price to offset the tarriff and VAT is unreal.

In what universe is it fair that Canada puts a tarriff on all packages from the US over $40 yet the US allows a threshold of up to $800? Ridiculous.

mfw13 · 10-03-2025, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiggNuttz

This has absolutely killed any possibility for cards to be sent to the U.S. It's not so much the tariffs, but the fact that they cannot be prepaid, only paid by the receiving party in the U.S. I have hundreds of cards that I was slowly feeding to both the PSA/Ebay Vault and PWCC/Fanatics, but I have no way to get them the cards, even if I am willing to pay the import tariffs when I go to ship them as both parties have stated that they will not accept packages with tariffs due, and they will just mark them "Return to Sender". The last thing you want is thousands of dollars in cards floating around in transit indefinitely.

It is like a COVID redux: back then I had cards that were raw but could not be sent to the U.S. to be graded and sold in a hot market, now it is another hot market and I am stuck with graded cards that cannot be shipped to the U.S. to be sold.

It's also the fact that probably 80% of all soccer boxes/cases get ripped outside of the US, while a significant portion of singles buyers are in the US.

And since many international shippers have simply stopped shipping ANYTHING to the US, that aspect of the hobby is effectively dead.

I used to buy several cards a year from breakers in China/HK/Singapore. They've pretty much disappeared off EBay, since they have no way to ship cards to the US.

netmasters · 10-06-2025, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfw13

It's also the fact that probably 80% of all soccer boxes/cases get ripped outside of the US, while a significant portion of singles buyers are in the US.

80% is a wild number not based in any sort of reality.

mfw13 · 10-06-2025, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netmasters

80% is a wild number not based in any sort of reality.

It's a guesstimate....have no idea how accurate it actually is.

But it's based on my observation that a huge amount of soccer is ripped in Asia, especially high-end. And a lot more is ripped in Europe, especially since the single-league products are released on European platforms, not US ones.

And given that wax is very expensive to ship (never mind the Trump tariffs), my impression is that very little is actually getting opened in the US.

YayNJ · 10-07-2025, 05:39 AM

Collectors in Asia have been opening up more boxes and stockpiling high-end cards for years and years and years.

The Covid 'boom' saw a lot more in the US, and it went wild for sure at one point, but I think people show a little naivety when it comes to the sheer volume that's getting stockpiled in the likes of Thailand, Malaysia, China, South Korea and Japan. Take Eminence 2018 for example. At one point, one collector in Thailand (I think it was) owned nearly every 1 of 1.

YayNJ · 10-14-2025, 09:56 AM

Looks like Jobe Bellingham's time at Dortmund might be up already

Pigo · 10-15-2025, 10:36 AM

If you put your email address instead of the recipient's email, you'll get an email quite soon after dispatch asking you to pay the tariff fee. I did this by mistake on a package that I shipped from the UK to COMC via Evri and unwittingly saved myself a lot of hassle by just paying it before it had left the country.

bjho852 · 10-19-2025, 05:16 PM

Man U winning at Anfield in a long time feels like a miracle to me, no matter how bad Liverpool play as of late.

Tones · 10-20-2025, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjho852

Man U winning at Anfield in a long time feels like a miracle to me, no matter how bad Liverpool play as of late.

It was due, and I am honestly not surprised. Liverpool have not been impressive at all this season, people were just blind to see the flaws even when they won their first five games.

They only squeezed wins over Burnley and Arsenal due to a poor defensive Burnley error that led to a penalty and a ridiculous worldy free kick goal. Both games realistically should have been dropped points.

VVD has been poor, Salah has been a ghost. As for their new signings Wirtz looks allergic to Premier league ball, Frimpong never plays and Isak looks like an absolute waste of money especially when they signed him after Ekitike had already started the season looking like their best player, who has now been dropped to the bench.

At this ratre Manchester City look like they will be winning the league, with Halaand quickly becoming an absolute goal machine.

Arsenal's defense looks solid, but i can see a lot of results quickly out of our favor if we cannot score goals that don't rely on set pieces. Need to start seeing more of a return from Gyokeres

Ra3 · 10-20-2025, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tones

It was due, and I am honestly not surprised. Liverpool have not been impressive at all this season, people were just blind to see the flaws even when they won their first five games.

They only squeezed wins over Burnley and Arsenal due to a poor defensive Burnley error that led to a penalty and a ridiculous worldy free kick goal. Both games realistically should have been dropped points.

VVD has been poor, Salah has been a ghost. As for their new signings Wirtz looks allergic to Premier league ball, Frimpong never plays and Isak looks like an absolute waste of money especially when they signed him after Ekitike had already started the season looking like their best player, who has now been dropped to the bench.

At this ratre Manchester City look like they will be winning the league, with Halaand quickly becoming an absolute goal machine.

Arsenal's defense looks solid, but i can see a lot of results quickly out of our favor if we cannot score goals that don't rely on set pieces. Need to start seeing more of a return from Gyokeres

As a liverpool supporter much of this pains me greatly. Because it’s true, and you could have even been much harsher (yet still fair) and mentioned players like kerkez, Konate and macallister

mfw13 · 10-20-2025, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tones

It was due, and I am honestly not surprised. Liverpool have not been impressive at all this season, people were just blind to see the flaws even when they won their first five games.

The biggest issue for Liverpool is their lack of depth, especially in defense. VVD and Konate CANNOT play every 3-4 days from September to January (nobody can) without either getting injured and/or suffering a severe loss of form.

They needed Guehi A LOT more than they needed Isak.

Man City also have a smallish squad that is going to cause them problems down the road.

Arsenal are the only one of the big three that has enough depth to rotate their players regularly and keep them from wearing down.

mfw13 · 10-22-2025, 04:11 PM

If anybody wants an idea how much stronger the EPL is than all their other leagues, consider that they just finished MD3 with a 19-2 goal differential from 5 wins and a draw, none of them against minnows!

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid
Villareal 0-2 Man City
Newcastle 3-0 Benfica
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Liverpool
Chelsea 5-1 Ajax
Monaco 0-0 Tottenham

YayNJ · 10-23-2025, 04:48 AM

Ajax are dog dirt, and not even in the top two clubs in a super poor Dutch league these days. They got smashed 4-0 by Marseille of the farmers league previously.

Eintracht Frankfurt have had their squad gutted and have bought terribly - they bought Rasmus Kristiansen from us, and he is one of the worst defenders I have ever seen in my life. Benfica aren't up to much either, only in the CL after getting through preliminary rounds.

While it's obvious that the Premier League clubs have loads of money, while UEFA continues to mess around with the Champions League and water it down, tonkings like this will get more and more common. There's clubs that simply shouldn't be in the Champions League competing in it.

mfw13 · 10-23-2025, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YayNJ

While it's obvious that the Premier League clubs have loads of money, while UEFA continues to mess around with the Champions League and water it down, tonkings like this will get more and more common. There's clubs that simply shouldn't be in the Champions League competing in it.

Well, that's largely due to the financial disparity created by the fact that the EPL have intelligently signed lucrative overseas TV rights deals while other leagues have not.

And you're going to have a hard time convincing anybody that historically important clubs like Ajax, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Monaco (all former winners or finalists) are less worthy than the like of Tottenham, Chelsea, and Newcastle.

YayNJ · 10-23-2025, 10:47 AM

Being 'historically important' isn't a bye into the Champions League. If you're not performing, you don't deserve to be in the competition, and UEFA widening the pool each year not only cheapens the competition, but it opens up these clubs to get smashed. You don't believe that either, as I don't see you yearning for Red Star Belgrade or Reims... just the glamour clubs, eh?

Ajax have been poor on and off the pitch for the last 3-4 years (since ten Hag departed) but even before then, they were a shadow of what they used to be in the mid 1990's. Their once great academy is now a shadow of itself and has next to no identity. Overmars looked like he was bringing it back, but he turned out to be a sex deviant and was kicked out.

Ianhatcher · 10-26-2025, 12:50 PM

Entertaining El Classico but should have really been 4-5 goals scored from Real Madrid. Looking forward to watching TAA against this high line of Barca dropping balls in for Mbappe later in the season. That was there for them all game.

Lamine getting absolutely shut down by Carreras after running his yap was pure joy. He was a ghost today.

09-22-2025, 08:34 PM	#52
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Putellas, Russo and Caldentey all had better seasons. Putellas had a goal contribution every 60 minutes! Last edited by YayNJ; 09-22-2025 at 08:42 PM.

09-22-2025, 08:41 PM	#53
yiguiri2002 Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 12,639 afigueroaquevedo2002 yiguiri2002	I think they were the top 4 and could have gone either way. Russo and Caldentey had a better UCL, Putellas had a better Liga F and Aitana was selected the best player in the Euros. It would have been nice to see someone different but this wasn't a robbery or anything like it. __________________ Basketball Sets: Threads Century Greats Jerseys - Innovation Stat Line Jerseys Soccer Sets: 2018 World Cup Prizm Peru Parallels - 2015 Select Soccer Peru Parallels Players: Red Bulls Parallels, 17-18 Thibs Prizms, Soccer Legends Autos

09-23-2025, 01:26 AM	#54
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Liga F is awful. Akin to the Scottish Men’s league. Russo won the Euros and the Champions League. May as well just call it the Barcelona trophy. It’s more laughable than the men’s award, already. Last edited by YayNJ; 09-23-2025 at 01:29 AM.

09-24-2025, 06:22 AM	#55
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Gavi out for five months. Barca have managed to break another one. When he comes back from this one, he will have missed over two whole years of his career already (remember he's only 21) through injury, which equates to roughly 140 games.. give or take. Last edited by YayNJ; 09-24-2025 at 06:59 AM.

10-15-2025, 10:36 AM	#66
Pigo Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 326 demonheadmonster demonheadmonster	If you put your email address instead of the recipient's email, you'll get an email quite soon after dispatch asking you to pay the tariff fee. I did this by mistake on a package that I shipped from the UK to COMC via Evri and unwittingly saved myself a lot of hassle by just paying it before it had left the country. __________________ Always looking for 2021 EPL Prizm Pink Mosaics

09-28-2025, 12:33 PM	#56
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Well, after six games we (Leeds) are currently above Manchester United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Everton, West Ham and on equal points with Chelsea. Pleasantly surprised with how resilient we have been so far, and I'm not being biased in suggesting we should have won against Fulham and Bournemouth. Whisper it quietly, but Brendan Aaronson had a good game yesterday.

10-01-2025, 03:40 AM	#57
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards

10-01-2025, 01:54 PM	#58
mfw13 Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 17,743	Well....no products are being released, so not much to discuss..... And with Trump enforcing tarriffs on packages worth <$800, the shipping of soccer cards from Europe/Asia to the US has become nonexistent.

10-03-2025, 09:59 AM	#60
Ianhatcher Member Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 1,984 ian5555	Welcome to the US sellers world where global markets are essentially cut off from US sellers because of tarriffs and VAT in many cases which has been going on for decades. The amount of sales I have missed out over the years because people wanted me to A. lie about the value or B. reduce my price to offset the tarriff and VAT is unreal. In what universe is it fair that Canada puts a tarriff on all packages from the US over $40 yet the US allows a threshold of up to $800? Ridiculous.

10-07-2025, 05:39 AM	#64
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Collectors in Asia have been opening up more boxes and stockpiling high-end cards for years and years and years. The Covid 'boom' saw a lot more in the US, and it went wild for sure at one point, but I think people show a little naivety when it comes to the sheer volume that's getting stockpiled in the likes of Thailand, Malaysia, China, South Korea and Japan. Take Eminence 2018 for example. At one point, one collector in Thailand (I think it was) owned nearly every 1 of 1.

10-14-2025, 09:56 AM	#65
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Looks like Jobe Bellingham's time at Dortmund might be up already

10-19-2025, 05:16 PM	#67
bjho852 Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,234	Man U winning at Anfield in a long time feels like a miracle to me, no matter how bad Liverpool play as of late. __________________ Instagram (IG): bjho852

10-22-2025, 04:11 PM	#71
mfw13 Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 17,743	If anybody wants an idea how much stronger the EPL is than all their other leagues, consider that they just finished MD3 with a 19-2 goal differential from 5 wins and a draw, none of them against minnows! Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid Villareal 0-2 Man City Newcastle 3-0 Benfica Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Liverpool Chelsea 5-1 Ajax Monaco 0-0 Tottenham

10-23-2025, 04:48 AM	#72
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Ajax are dog dirt, and not even in the top two clubs in a super poor Dutch league these days. They got smashed 4-0 by Marseille of the farmers league previously. Eintracht Frankfurt have had their squad gutted and have bought terribly - they bought Rasmus Kristiansen from us, and he is one of the worst defenders I have ever seen in my life. Benfica aren't up to much either, only in the CL after getting through preliminary rounds. While it's obvious that the Premier League clubs have loads of money, while UEFA continues to mess around with the Champions League and water it down, tonkings like this will get more and more common. There's clubs that simply shouldn't be in the Champions League competing in it. Last edited by YayNJ; 10-23-2025 at 05:39 AM.

10-23-2025, 10:47 AM	#74
YayNJ Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: London / Oahu Posts: 8,491 hanelcocards	Being 'historically important' isn't a bye into the Champions League. If you're not performing, you don't deserve to be in the competition, and UEFA widening the pool each year not only cheapens the competition, but it opens up these clubs to get smashed. You don't believe that either, as I don't see you yearning for Red Star Belgrade or Reims... just the glamour clubs, eh? Ajax have been poor on and off the pitch for the last 3-4 years (since ten Hag departed) but even before then, they were a shadow of what they used to be in the mid 1990's. Their once great academy is now a shadow of itself and has next to no identity. Overmars looked like he was bringing it back, but he turned out to be a sex deviant and was kicked out. Last edited by YayNJ; 10-23-2025 at 11:03 AM.

10-26-2025, 12:50 PM	#75
Ianhatcher Member Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 1,984 ian5555	Entertaining El Classico but should have really been 4-5 goals scored from Real Madrid. Looking forward to watching TAA against this high line of Barca dropping balls in for Mbappe later in the season. That was there for them all game. Lamine getting absolutely shut down by Carreras after running his yap was pure joy. He was a ghost today.