Monthly Archives: January 2001

National champion Connecticut could not have gone the distance without the trio of defender Chris Gbandi, midfielder Brent Rahim and striker Darin Lewis. They join eight others as the 2000 Soccer America MVPs. G Henry Ring (South Carolina ò senior) Kept Gamecocks in the tight games D Chris Gbandi (Connecticut ò junior) SA Player of […]

North Carolina won its 16th NCAA championship thanks to a collection of fine players, two of whom grace the MVP list. UCLA was the runner-up in large part because of Stephanie Rigamat, who wowed us and U.S. coach April Heinrichs in San Jose. G Hope Solo (Washington ò sophomore) Best player for Pac-10 champions D […]

CHICAGO FIRE Forward Hristo Stoitchkov underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee (Jan. 9) in a procedure the team’s physician, Dr. Preston Wolin, described as “extremely successful.” Stoitchkov, who turns 35 next month, is expected to be out three to four weeks and is scheduled to participate in the Fire’s first training session of 2001 […]

MLS Spring Training 2001 will again be highlighted by an 18-game preseason tournament at Lockhart Stadium, where D.C. United will look to defend the crown it won last year. Each club will play three games during the tournament, and the team amassing the highest point total (three points for a win, one point for a […]

Despite D.C. UnitedÆs decline in 2000, it remains MLSÆs most glorious club, with three of the leagueÆs five crowns and two international titles. Built by Bruce Arena, then passed on to Thomas Rongen, the club entertained and dominated until last seasonÆs fall. As D.C. United sits at a crossroads in its young history, a question […]

Jan. 16 in Fullerton, Calif. Pachuca (Mexico) 1 Joe Public (Trin. & Tobago) 0. Goal: Caballero (pen.) 73. Pachuca — Calero, Rodriguez, Morales (Chitiva, 31), De Anda, Sosa, Valdez, Caballero, Pineda (Ferreira, 46), Gomez, Victorino, Vidrio. Joe Public — D.Thomas, John (Julien, 46), Sancho, Mason, Gray, Saunders (Jemmott, 79), Dublin, A.Thomas (Narine, 62), Pierre, Eve, […]

Jan. 16 in Fullerton, Calif. Olimpia (Honduras) 1 Toluca (Mexico) 0. Goal: Lima 85. Olimpia — Gonzalez, Vazquez, Caballero, Lima, Membreno, Santamaria, Cruz, Tosello, J.L. Pineda (Paes, 89), A.Pineda, Costa. Toluca — Albarran, Garcia Arias, Blanco, Salazar, Garcia (Nelson, 70), Rangel, Ruiz, Alfaro, Lozano (Morales, 63), Cardozo, Ferreira. Att.: 7,000.

D.C. UNITED (USA) vs. ALAJUELA (Costa Rica) D.C. United finished out of the MLS playoffs for the first time in their short five-year history in 2000, ending second from last in the MLS standings after winning three titles and losing in the final of the fourth. But the Black-and-Red come in having a Champions Cup […]

Bobby Clark will leave Stanford to take on the head coaching position at Notre Dame. The former Scotland international goalkeeper, who has become one of the college gameÆs most respected coaches first at Dartmouth (1985-94) and then Stanford, listed the high cost of living in the Bay Area as a major factor in his decision […]

The Los Angeles Galaxy signed defender Alexi Lalas as a Discovery Player for the upcoming Football Confederation Champions Cup and 2001 MLS regular season. ôAnytime you can add a player who has played in two World Cups and has overseas experience, it is a huge plus for your team,ö said Sigi Schmid, Galaxy head coach […]

The under-20 men’s national team closed out its first camp of 2001 with a scoreless tie against the A-LeagueÆs San Diego Flash Jan. 14 at the ARCO Olympic Training Center. The U.S. outshot its A-League opponent 12-4, but was unable to find the back of the net. The U.S. took their first win of the […]

Setbacks Sour the Holiday Spirit; Quakes deal is less than ideal Horowitz has reportedly paid up the money he owes – it is estimated at between $2 million and $2.5 million – but the future of the Fusion is anything but secure. A league that a few weeks ago was reportedly ready to thin its […]

McDermott tabs former Tar Heel teammate Carolina head coach Marcia McDermott hired Susan Ellis and Zac Shaw as assistant coaches. Ellis played with McDermott on championship teams at North Carolina in 1983 and 1984. Ellis currently serves as head coach of the Ursuline Academy girls’ soccer team in Dallas. She was also an assistant coach […]

TOLUCA (Mexico) vs. OLIMPIA (Honduras) Toluca has been the most successful club in Mexico over the past three years, winning three short-season titles (in 1998, 1999 and 2000), and just falling short in the recently completed 2000 Invierno championship, losing in the playoff finals to Morelia on penalties. The Red Devils have struggled in the […]

A summary of MLS transactions for January 2001: Jan. 16 L.A. Galaxy — Signed defender Alexi Lalas as a Discovery Player. New England Revolution — Re-signed midfielder Leonel Alvarez (Colombia). Jan. 14 D.C. United — Signed defender Mark Watson (Canada) as a Discovery Player. Jan. 12 D.C. United — Re-signed forward Raul Diaz Arce (El […]

Kelly Smith returns with her first column of the New Year. The England and Philadelphia forward discusses rankings and playing on artificial turf at Villanova University, the home of the Charge. BY KELLY SMITH I’ve spent the past months working out on my own to get ready for the beginning of preseason training which starts […]

Kim Patrick, who starred in North Carolina’s 1999 Women’s College Cup championship, transferred to Tennessee, where she will play for UNC alumna Angela Kelly. Kelly, a Pleasanton, Calif., native who played two seasons in Chapel Hill, arrived in Knoxville for the spring semester and began classes on Jan. 10. “We are extremely excited about the […]

Matt Perez Mascoutah, Ill. What does the tattoo on David Beckham’s back say? Scott French: Hi, Matt. David Beckham’s tattoo is of his son’s name, Brooklyn. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)

A summary of MLS transactions for January 2001: Jan. 14 D.C. United — Signed defender Mark Watson (Canada) as a Discovery Player. Jan. 12 D.C. United — Re-signed forward Raul Diaz Arce. Jan. 11 MLS — Signed forward Devin Barclay (Annapolis, Md., McDonough HS), forward Chris Carrieri (University of North Carolina), forward Isaias Bardales (San […]

American Frankie Hejduk played the whole 90 minutes for Bayer Leverkusen in its 2-1 win over Turkish club Galatasary in the final of the Maspalomas tournament in the Canary Islands Jan. 14. Hejduk, who joined Leverkusen from the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1998, recently renewed his contract with the German club through June 30, 2003. […]

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel posted his fifth shutout of the season for Blackburn but was rarely tested by Sheffield Wednesday. Defender David Regis started at left midfield for Metz — his sixth appearance for the club this season. Croatia Erik Kuster, Cakonec (D1) winter break. Denmark Will Orben, Viborg (SL) winter break. England Ian Feuer, Wimbledon […]

The United States national team beat D.C. United, 2-0, at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Jan. 13. Kansas City Wizards midfielder Chris Klein opened the scoring for the U.S. in the 26th minute when the MetroStarsÆ Clint Mathis collected an errant United pass at the top of the box and slipped […]

Tired of punditry prognostication over periphery issues like the new president, interest-rate impact and electricity? YouÆve come to the right place for a glimpse into what really matters: Soccer in 2001. Jan. 21. The Galaxy and D.C. United defeat Toluca and Pachuca at the CONCACAF Champions Cup, prompting a bidding war between Telemundo and Univision […]

In biting cold temperatures in the high 30s against a Chinese team backed by 30,000 vocal fans, the U.S. womenÆs national team battled to a 1-1 draw at the Dragon Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou. Tiffeny Milbrett set up New York Power teammate Jennifer Lalor for the U.S. goal in the 17th minute. China defender […]

USA Moves To Hangzhou For Second And Final Match Of Tour After losing 1-0 to China in the final minute on Thursday, Jan. 11, the USA spent Friday on the move, leaving the cramped and bustling city of Panyu via bus for a first stop at small market displaying a vast array of local vegetables, […]