Monthly Archives: January 1999

U.S. midfielder Michelle Akers joined one of soccer’s most exclusive clubs today at Lockhart Stadium, scoring her 100th career goal as the USA defeated Portugal, 6-0, in its second match of 1999 on the road to the Women’s World Cup this summer. Akers joins three other players in the Century Club and is the fourth […]

The fourth annual Umbro Select College All-Star Classic will take place Feb. 5-6 at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., as 96 of the nation’s top seniors join 33 all-stars from the USL. Two games will be played each night, with the women competing on Feb.. 5 and the men on Feb. 6. Here are […]

Adam Miller Davison, Mich. I was curious if MLS has merchandise sales figures for each club? Just wondering who’s on top and so on — I know the other sports always release their sales lists each year and wondered where soccer is at in terms of sales. Ridge Mahoney: A good question, Adam. There are […]

The fourth annual Umbro Select College All-Star Classic will take place Feb. 5-6 at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., as 96 of the nation’s top seniors join 33 all-stars from the USL. Two games will be played each night, with the women competing on Feb.. 5 and the men on Feb. 6. Here are […]

The U.S. men’s U-20s fell 3-0 to Portugal in each team’s final match of the 25th Copa de Atlantico tournament in Spain’s Canary Islands. The USA concluded the tournament with a 1-2 record after defeating Denamark, 1-0, and losing by the same margin to Spain. The U.S. team will return to the States Jan. 30, […]

The Milwaukee Rampage has signed former Columbus Crew defender Ricardo Iribarren for the 1999 season. “I think a lot of credit has to go to this organization,” said Milwaukee coach Carlos “Cacho” Cordoba. “It takes a great effort to bring that type of player here from MLS. It shows what kind of commitment the owners […]

U.S. women’s national team coach Tony DiCicco has announced the 20-player roster for the Jan. 30 match against Portugal in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The game kicks off at 2:00 p.m. (ET) and will be shown live on ESPN. The USA defeated Portugal, 7-0, on Jan. 27 in a closed-door match at the U.S. team’s training […]

Two of American soccer’s most recognizable players will play for a new team in 1999, as World Cup veterans and three-time MLS All-Stars Alexi Lalas and Tony Meola of the MetroStars have been traded to the Kansas City Wizards for midfielder Mark Chung and goalkeeper Mike Ammann. In another MLS trade, D.C. United acquired Argentine […]

Everyone who reads Soccer America on a regular basis has probably heard of the Bosman ruling, the case involving the obscure Belgian player who won free agency for players within the European Community. Less well known is the case of Ousmane Dabo and Mickael Silvestre, two young French players who challenged a French law that […]

Here is the schedule for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, to be held July 24-Aug. 4 in Mexico. First Round Group A July 25 — Bolivia vs. Egypt, Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia in Mexico City. July 27 — Saudi Arabia vs. Bolivia, Mexico vs. Egypt in Mexico City. July 29 — Egypt vs. Saudi Arabia, […]

A 39th-minute goal by Pablo Counego lifted Spain to a 1-0 win over the U.S. U-20 national team on Jan. 26 in the Copa de Atlantico tournament being held in Spain’s Canary Islands. The USA, with a 1-1 record, will face Portugal on Jan. 28 in the third-place match. The U.S. returns home on Jan. […]

D.C. United announced today that it will select former University of Virginia midfielder Jason Moore with the first overall pick in the 1999 MLS college draft. Moore, 20, declared himself eligible for the MLS draft in December after playing 46 games in his two-year career at UVa. He helped the Cavaliers to the NCAA final […]

U.S. coach Bruce Arena has named his 20-man roster for the Feb. 6 friendly against Germany. For the first time in U.S. Soccer history, the USA’s top two men’s teams — the men’s national team and U-23 national team — will play a marquee doubleheader against their counterparts from Germany. The USA-Germany senior national team […]

The Tampa Bay Mutiny solidified their goalkeeper position with the acquisition of United States U-23 national team goalkeeper Andy Kirk, who arrived from the San Jose Clash in exchange for a second round draft pick in the 2000 MLS college draft. Kirk, who made five spectacular saves against the Mutiny in a 2-1 Clash loss […]

Midfielder Michelle Akers scored the 99th goal of her international career and forward Kristine Lilly scored the first hat-trick of her career as the U.S. women’s national team opened its 1999 season with a bang, dominating Portugal in a 7-0 closed-door victory at the Seminole County Training Center, home of the USA’s residency camp. The […]

U.S. U-23 national team coach Clive Charles has announced the 20-man roster for the squad’s friendly against their German counterparts on Feb. 6. For the first time in U.S. Soccer history, the USA’s top two men’s teams — the men’s national team and U-23 national team — will play a marquee doubleheader against their counterparts […]

FEATURES U.S. Is Hooked On Bad Habit: Not Scoring By Jerry Trecker in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Brian McBride: ‘A Chance For Redemption’ Interview by Ridge Mahoney A Crucial Friendly For Germany By Mike Woitalla MLS Draft Preview By Ridge Mahoney American Soccer Is Still A Long Way Away By Paul Kennedy MLS: Front Offices Tackle […]

CONCACAF (the governing body for soccer in North and Central America) has announced that the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup will be played August, 1999, and in August of succeeding years, as part of the effort to establish a regular calendar of CONCACAF events within the complex international calendar. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup will […]

FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, has announced the team of World Stars that will face the U.S. women’s national team in the first-ever FIFA Women’s World All-Star Game to be held Feb. 14 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif. The Women’s World Cup Final Draw will be conducted at halftime on a […]

Joe Cannon, a San Francisco Bay Area product and former Santa Clara University all-America who was one of the top goalkeepers in the A-League in 1998, will join the San Jose Clash after agreeing to a contract with MLS. Cannon, 24, was named Most Valuable Player for the A-League’s San Diego Flash last season, as […]

The U.S. men’s U-17 national team departs for Buenos Aires on Jan. 28 to play their first and only scheduled 1999 friendlies before beginning CONCACAF qualifying for the 1999 U-17 World Cup in February. The squad, led by head coach John Ellinger, will play the Boca Juniors youth team on Feb. 1 before squaring off […]

The U.S. men’s U-20s downed Denmark 1-0 on Jan. 24 in their first international match of 1999. The game was each team’s first in the Copa de Atlantico tournament being held in the Canary Islands. New England Revolution forward Jamar Beasley scored the contest’s lone goal in the 24th minute off an assist from Nick […]

The U.S. men’s national team played an entertaining, attacking brand of soccer, yet failed to crack the Bolivian goal as the teams played to a scoreless draw in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The match, which was the second for the U.S. under new head coach Bruce Arena, was the culmination of two weeks of training and […]

Justin Lovich Pittsburgh FIFA President Sepp Blatter is considering a change in the World Cup format which would make the World Cup a biennial event. I understand that UEFA is not happy with the proposal, so much so that they are considering seceding from FIFA. Is UEFA’s stance a true possibility, or just a threat? […]

Bolivia vs. USA (International Friendly) Jan. 24 at Stadio de Tahuichi in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. (No U.S. Television.) HISTORY Bolivia has traditionally been one of the weakest countries in South America. It has qualified for only three World Cups (1930, ’50 and ’94). Its greatest feats came in 1963 when it hosted and won the […]