Shannon MacMillan and Chinese forward Zhang Ouying each had a pair of goals and an assist as the San Diego Spirit eclipsed WUSA scoring records in a 6-1 rout of visiting New York on Saturday before 5,216 at Torero Stadium. The Boston Breakers captured their first WUSA victory of 2002, beating visiting Atlanta, 3-1, in […]
Monthly Archives: April 2002
U.S. U-19 Women: Leone names roster for qualifying
Coach Tracey Leone has named an 18-woman roster for the CONCACAF qualifying tournament (May 7-11 in Trinidad & Tobago) that will determine the region’s entries into the first U-19 Women’s World Championship (Aug. 17-Sept. 1, 2002 in Canada). The USA is in Group B with Suriname, Haiti and Costa Rica. Group A consists of Trinidad […]
WUSA Game Previews (Saturday-Sunday, April 20-21)
Saturday, April 20 (4:00 pm ET) NEW YORK (1-0-0, 3 pts) at SAN DIEGO (0-1-0, 0 pts) TV — PAX TV Key players out: New York — GK Gao Hong (R wrist surgery); D Jenn O’Sullivan (L knee ACL/PCL tear); D/M Sara Whalen (Broken ribs). San Diego — none. Referee: Sandra Hunt. Saturday, April 20 […]
MLS Game Previews (Saturday, April 20)
Saturday, April 20 (4:00 pm ET) NEW ENGLAND (0-2-0, 0 points) at COLUMBUS (1-2-0, 3 points) (TV-ESPN2) Key Players Out: New England: none; Columbus: D Daniel Torres (red card suspension), D Mike Clark (separated shoulder-R). Referee: Gerry Corrie. Saturday, April 20 (7:30 pm ET). CHICAGO (1-2-0, 3 points) at METROSTARS (3-1-0, 9 points) (TV – […]
World Cup: Moment of truth nears for U.S. hopefuls
By Will Kuhns In three days, Coach Bruce Arena will name the 23 players who will represent the United States at the 2002 World Cup. The announcement will occur during the 6 p.m. ET edition of ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday. It culminates the six-month stretch, since the team clinched qualification, that Arena used to make […]
The World Cup-bound Americans
BY RIDGE MAHONEY, Senior Editor According to sources, here’s the bulk of the MLS contingent on the 23-man World Cup 2002 squad, to be announced by U.S. coach Bruce Arena Monday: Jeff Agoos, Landon Donovan (San Jose); Eddie Pope (D.C. United); Cobi Jones (Los Angeles); Chris Armas, DaMarcus Beasley, Josh Wolff (Chicago); Clint Mathis (MetroStars); […]
Poland loses at home again; Portugal ties Brazil
Two the USA’s Group D World Cup opponents were in action yesterday. Portugal tied Brazil, 1-1, in Lisbon in a performance that eases concerns raised after its 4-1 loss to Finland in March. Poland experienced no such rebound. It lost its second straight game at home, 2-1, to non-qualifier Romania on the heels of its […]
Analysis: A friendly in the mud
BY RIDGE MAHONEY, senior editor Fighting spirit, tenacity, and whether a player’s astrological chart included strong influences of the water signs were the only characteristics that could be gleaned from what passes for “a lovely night of football” in Dublin. Skill, pace, first touch, positioning — all were drowned, literally, by a marshy field on […]
FC Champions Cup: Pachuca thumps San Jose, 3-0
In a clash of champions from two sides of the border, Mexico+s Pachuca downed MLS+s San Jose Earthquakes, 3-0, in their first-leg, CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal clash April 17 in Pachuca. San Jose hosts the return leg, in which it needs a four-goal win, April 24. Pachuca scored on a 18-yard free kick by Marco […]
FC Champions Cup: San Jose faces Pachuca in Mexico
2001 MLS champion San Jose faces Mexican League defending champ Pachuca tonight in a first-leg CONCACAF Championships Cup quarterfinal clash in Mexico. The Quakes will be without Landon Donovan and Jeff Agoos, who are in Dublin for the U.S. friendly. San Jose advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 aggregate win over Honduras’ Olimpia. Pachuca […]
Game Summary: Ireland 2 USA 1
The USA, looking for its first win on European soil under Coach Bruce Arena, fell, 2-1, to Ireland in a downpour in Dublin April 27. The Americans had lost in Italy (1-0) and in Germany (4-2) earlier this year, and in Russia (2-0) in April 2000. The loss to Ireland comes five days before Arena […]
U.S. Soccer: MacMillan on the Threshold
Shannon MacMillan, who has posted Akers-like numbers to start off 2002, may be on the verge of something special. Shannon MacMillan has had the hot foot before, so to speak, but never like this. Everything she touches, or nearly everything, is finding net. Don’t ask her to explain it. “I don’t know – maybe it’s […]
From the Locker Room: Americans react to defeat in Dublin
Coach Bruce Arena, goalkeeper Brad Friedel and forward Brian McBride met the press after the USA+s 2-1 loss to Ireland in Dublin April 17. U.S coach BRUCE ARENA: -I am disappointed that we didn’t walk away with a point tonight, because we were in a position to manage the game in the last 10 minutes […]
PORTUGAL: Warmup results and schedule
PORTUGAL WARMUP RESULTS Feb. 13 in Barcelona Spain 1 Portugal 1. Goals: Morientes 41; Jorge Costa 28. Portugal — Ricardo (Quim, 46), Frechault, Jorge Costa (Bento, 90), Fernando Couto, Rui Jorge (Dimas, 46), Vidigal, Viana (Andrade, 62), Figo (Capucho, 80), Conceicao (Simao, 46), Joao Pinto (Barbosa, 46), Pauleta (Nuno Gomes, 46). March 27 in Oporto […]
POLAND: Warmup results and schedule
POLAND WARMUP RESULTS Feb. 10 in Limassol Poland 2 Faeroe Islands 1. Goals: Zurawski 12, pen. 43; R. Jakobsen 26. Poland — Wierzchowski (Kowalewski, 77), Ciesielski (Bosacki, 46), Glowacki, Zielinski, Stolarczyk (Kielbowicz, 65), Kaczorowski (Sibik, 46), Lewandowski (Murawski, 46), Piekarski (Drumlak, 46), Kosowski, Moskala (Rasiak, 46), Zurawski. Feb. 13 in Limassol Poland 4 Northern Ireland […]
Q&A with the SA Editors: April 16, 2002
Matt Cardillo asks: I’m looking for the names of the 11 players who started for the USA vs. Germany in their opening match of France ’98. I do know from reading SA back in 1998 that SA usually has player ratings with the lineups. Executive Editor Mike Woitalla: Here’s the report card we ran in […]
U.S. Soccer: The Case for the Ankle-Biter
Fans might debate his talents, but they can’t argue his record. Richie Williams is the most decorated American player in modern history with 13 national and international titles. Everybody has an opinion about Richie Williams. Among fans of the U.S. national team and MLS teams who play against him, those opinions are rarely positive. Among […]
On the Record with Carlos Ruiz, L.A.+s lone scorer
Carlos Ruiz, the 22-year-old Guatemalan who joined the Los Angeles Galaxy this season, has scored all five of his team’s goals in its first three games. On Wednesday, he discussed his stellar start. Ruiz’s opening Comments: “We have played three games as the home team where it is our priority to win those games. Unfortunately, […]
Ireland: McCarthy shuffles lineup for U.S. encounter
Only four players from the Ireland team that beat Denmark, 3-0, last month will start against the United States tomorrow at Lansdowne Road: Leeds United’s Ian Harte and Robbie Keane, Charlton midfielder Mark Kinsella and Blackburn striker Damian Duff. Tomorrow’s Ireland starting lineup: Shay Given, Gary Kelly, Gary Breen, Andy O’Brien, Ian Harte, Rory Delap, […]
A-League: Wynalda likely to miss season
Eric Wynalda, the U.S. national team’s all-time leading scorer and a 6-year MLS veteran before signing with the A-League’s Charleston Battery, is doubtful for the season. Wynalda, 32, suffered a probable ACL tear and will have surgery if tests confirm the injury’s severity. He hurt his right knee during an exhibition match against MLS’s New […]
USA faces Ireland today in Dublin
Today, the USA plays its final away match before this summer’s World Cup and before Coach Bruce Arena will announce his 23-man World Cup roster on Monday. It faces fellow World Cup qualifier Ireland in Dublin (ESPN2, 2:30 pm ET/11:30 am PT live; Telemundo, Thursday 11:30 pm ET/11:30 PT). HEAD TO HEAD: Neither team has […]
PAUL KENNEDY: Show us the passion
Sports’ great builders have all been men of the game. The pioneers of baseball and football were first and foremost sportsmen. Baseball had the Dodgers’ Walter O’Malley and Giants’ Horace Stoneham, who led the move to California in the late ’50s. When you think of pro football, you think of coaches like Chicago’s George Halas […]
MLS WEEK 4 WRAP: More from the +Fish+
By RIDGE MAHONEY BEST GOAL: There aren’t a lot of choices, as only three games were played and seven goals scored. Top of the charts is the Metros’ second goal against Colorado, which was tucked away by Brad Davis with a classy finish. Rodrigo Faria controlled a long kick from keeper Tim Howard and pushed […]
WUSA WEEK 1 WRAP: Milbrett starts where she left off
BY SCOTT FRENCH, Senior Editor MVP! MVP! Tiffeny Milbrett, the WUSA’s MVP and scoring champion in the inaugural season, scored twice from Linda Ormen feeds as New York romped past host Washington, 4-1, on Saturday. The striker, who scored 16 goals with three assists in 2001, finished breakaways in the 33rd and 54th minutes as […]
U.S. Abroad (April 13-14): Rising tension
As the European seasons wind down, games take on magnified importance. In France, David Regis and Greg Vanney both helped their clubs to crucial victories in the fight against relegation with two games left. In England, Claudio Reyna was red-carded late in Sunderland’s loss to Liverpool which left Reyna’s club two points above the drop […]
