Monthly Archives: September 2006

Mid-Continent of Kentucky was the only NAIA Top 10 men's team that remained unbeaten from the Sept. 20 rankings after Embry-Riddle's pair of losses. Joe Zakowicz's Cougars, ranked No. 9 this week, are 4-0-2. The only other unbeaten NAIA teams in this week's Top 25 are Oklahoma's Science & Arts at No. 7 and Fresno […]

TV PREVIEW: ACC match showcases sophomore stars

No. 3 Maryland hosts No. 7 Duke Friday night in the NSCAA Match of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel (live, 8 pm ET). The match features two of the country's top sophomore strikers. Maryland's Graham Zusi, last week's Soccer America Player of the Week, has tallied a point in each of the Terps' last […]

WOMEN: Carolina captures 11th win in a row

No. 2 North Carolina won its 11th game in a row with a 2-0 win at Clemson thanks to first-half goals by freshman defender Ali Hawkins and sophomore midfielder Yael Averbuch. Sophomore Anna Rodenbough picked up her eighth solo shutout of the season in the Tar Heels' 12 games. No. 3 Florida State's troubles with […]

YOUTH: U-17s off to Uruguay and Argentina for 30 days

The U.S. U-17 boys national team will train in Uruguay and Argentina for the entire month of October. The U-17s will begin their month-long tour by spending five days in Montevideo, Uruguay, before traveling to Argentina, where they will split time training in Buenos Aires, San Luis and Rosario. U-17 coach John Hackworth named a […]

SURVEY: Canadians play big roles at women's powers

Longtime North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance has called it the biggest change in women's soccer in the last decade. Canadian players have played a growing role in the success of nationally ranked teams. In 2002 and 2005, Canada national team star Christine Sinclair led Portland to NCAA Division I titles. In 2004, Canadian Katie Thorlakson […]

All Eyes on the Madrid Derby

If there’s a headlining fixture in Europe this weekend, it’s certainly the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico at the Bernabeu on Sunday. These are two teams with a lot to prove, but the pressure will be on the hosts, who weren’t really tested in their first four games. The Atletico Madrid players know this, […]

In Praise of Arsene Wenger

Just about everybody, with the notable exception of Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson and Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho, has been heaping praise on Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s talented manager, who this week celebrated 10 years in charge of the Gunners. As ever, the tactician received effusive praise from his players on the eve of the anniversary, his […]

MLS Inflates Attendance Totals

This will come as a surprise to no one: MLS is inflating the number of fans who attend matches. Mark Ziegler of the San Diego Union-Tribune wades through MLS documents that show that not only are game attendances inflated, but roughly one in four tickets for regular season matches are given away. The average paid […]

MLS to Sell Jersey Sponsorships

Major League Soccer will become the first major sports league in the U.S. to allow teams to sell sponsorships on their jerseys when the 2007 season starts next spring. Perhaps, as many hope, this is a sign that MLS is becoming more like Europe’s soccer leagues and less like America’s sports leagues. Or perhaps not. […]

Mourinho Tells Us Why He’s So Special

He is the self-described, self-styled “special one,” the man who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2004 fresh from having sewn up both the Portuguese league and far more prestigious European Champions League to take control of an English club that had suddenly found itself with an endless supply of funds to spend on the world’s […]

MLS: Weekend action to shape postseason

With three games left in the regular season, three teams have clinched playoff berths – D.C. United, FC Dallas and the Chicago Fire. Nine are vying for the remaining five playoff berths. Here's how this weekend's six games can shape the postseason. SATURDAY, Sept. 30 NEW ENGLAND-COLORADO 7:30 pm ET. TV: Direct Kick, FSN-NE. New […]

USL-1: Rochester faces Vancouver for title

Three-time champ Rochester Rhinos host final debutant Vancouver in the USL-1 championship game on Saturday (live at 7 pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel). If the Rhinos win the title of the nation's second-tier league they'll set the title record at four; defending champion Seattle Sounders having also lifted the crown three times.

YOUTH: New U-17 national championship

Energy drink Red Bull, which owns the New York MLS franchise of the same name, is launching a U-17 national championship that comprises 16 teams and consists of four weekend-long tournaments, the first of which takes place Nov. 17-19, 2006, in Raleigh, N.C., in conjunction with the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) Shootout. ''Red Bull […]

6. YOUTH: New U-17 national championship

TV PREVIEW: Madrid derby features hot clubs

The Madrid derby between second-place Real and fifth-place Atletico (TV: Gol TV, Sunday, live, 12 pm ET) takes on new significance this year as both teams are off to strong starts. This weekend's headline match at Real's Bernabeu Stadium pits Real coach Fabio Capello and against Atletico's Javier Aguirre, the former NASL player. Both clubs […]

GERMANY: Klinsmann's pick finally gets post

Field hockey coach Bernhard Peters, who became the symbol of Juergen Klinsmann's efforts to remake German soccer, was finally hired by the German federation (DFB) to work as an ''external advisor'' two weeks after he led Germany to a second straight field hockey World Cup title. Peters, 46, was Klinsman's choice for the job of […]

5. USL-1: Rochester faces Vancouver for title

Three-time champ Rochester Rhinos host final debutant Vancouver in the USL-1 championship game on Saturday (live at 7 pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel). If the Rhinos win the title of the nation’s second-tier league they’ll set the title record at four; defending champion Seattle Sounders having also lifted the crown three times.

2. MLS: Weekend action to shape postseason

With three games left in the regular season, three teams have clinched playoff berths – D.C. United, FC Dallas and the Chicago Fire. Nine are vying for the remaining five playoff berths. Here’s how this weekend’s six games can shape the postseason. SATURDAY, Sept. 30 NEW ENGLAND-COLORADO 7:30 pm ET. TV: Direct Kick, FSN-NE. New […]

1. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“I think it quite possibly could be the worst to play in, as far as fans, bar none. It’s to the point now that you don’t even want to tell your friends that you have a game, it’s so embarrassing.” — Colorado keeper Joe Cannonon the 76,125-seat Invesco Field, where the Rapids recently faced Chicago […]

3. WOMEN: Carolina captures 11th win in a row

No. 2 North Carolina won its 11th game in a row with a 2-0 win at Clemson thanks to first-half goals by freshman defender Ali Hawkins and sophomore midfielder Yael Averbuch. Sophomore Anna Rodenbough picked up her eighth solo shutout of the season in the Tar Heels’ 12 games. No. 3 Florida State‘s troubles with […]

5. CORRECTION: Unbeaten NAIA teams

Mid-Continent of Kentucky was the only NAIA Top 10 men’s team that remained unbeaten from the Sept. 20 rankings after Embry-Riddle’s pair of losses. Joe Zakowicz’s Cougars, ranked No. 9 this week, are 4-0-2. The only other unbeaten NAIA teams in this week’s Top 25 are Oklahoma’s Science & Arts at No. 7 and Fresno […]

4. TV PREVIEW: ACC match showcases sophomore stars

No. 3 Maryland hosts No. 7 Duke Friday night in the NSCAA Match of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel (live, 8 pm ET). The match features two of the country’s top sophomore strikers. Maryland’s Graham Zusi, last week’s Soccer America Player of the Week, has tallied a point in each of the Terps’ last […]

2. SURVEY: Canadians play big roles at women’s powers

Longtime North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance has called it the biggest change in women’s soccer in the last decade. Canadian players have played a growing role in the success of nationally ranked teams. In 2002 and 2005, Canada national team star Christine Sinclair led Portland to NCAA Division I titles. In 2004, Canadian Katie Thorlakson […]

1. Wisconsin hands UIC first loss of season

No. 9 UIC, the sensation of the men’s college season, fell from the unbeaten ranks when it lost at Wisconsin, 1-0, on Thursday night. Eric Conklin scored the game’s only goal for the Badgers on a header off a free kick taken by Zack Lambo in the 19th minute. “Teams are up for us,” said […]

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