Monthly Archives: September 2006

Gunmen kidnapped Iraqi soccer star Ghanim Khudheyir just days before he was due to sign a transfer to a Syrian club to escape the raging violence in his homeland. The 22-year-old Khudheyir, a striker who helped Al Quwa Al Jawiya, the Iraqi Air Force club, win the first post-war championship in 2005, was taken from […]

YOUTH: U.S. teams suffer crushing defeats

Both the U.S. U-20 and U-17 national teams suffered embarrassing losses to their hosts at international tournaments. Thomas Rongen's U-20s fell to South Korea, 5-0, in the opening game of theáBusan Four Nations International Tournament. The U-20s, who were clearly affected by the late summer humidity in steamy port city of Busan, then lost to […]

6. SOCCER AMERICA WOMEN’S TOP 25: New Rankings

RANK/TEAM (RECORD) LAST WEEK 1. Florida State (3-0-0) 1 2. Notre Dame (4-0-0) 3 3. Santa Clara (3-1-0) 2 4. Texas A&M (3-0-1) 4 5. UCLA (3-1-0) 7 6. Portland (2-1-1) 8 7. North Carolina (4-1-0) 9 8. Penn State (2-1-1) 5 9. West Virginia (4-0-0) 12 10. Auburn (4-0-0) 16 11. Missouri (4-0-0) 17 […]

5. WOMEN’S ACTION: Irish three-goal blitz drops SCU

The big showdown of the weekend took place in South Bend, Ind., where Notre Dame beat Santa Clara, 3-1. Jill Krivacek’s left-footed strike tied the game in the 64th minute and Amanda Cinalli added a pair of goals to cap Notre Dame’s three-goal spurt over a nine-minute stretch in the final game of the Inn […]

4. RECORD: UNC’s Averbuch scores fastest goal ever

North Carolina midfielder Yael Averbuch set an NCAA record for the fastest goal scored in NCAA women’s history Sunday afternoon when she scored in the Tar Heels’ 4-0 victory over Yale after only four seconds. Averbuch stunned the New Haven crowd of 2,189 when she took the opening kickoff and shot the ball off the ground […]

3. FOCUS: UNCG loses after five players are sent off

Never in recent memory has a nationally ranked team lost because it could field six or fewer players. But that’s what happened to then-No. 7 UNC Greensboro Saturday night when the Spartans’ game against VCU was awarded to VCU in the 77th minute with the Rams leading, 3-1, after UNCG had its fifth player red carded. […]

2. SOCCER AMERICA MEN’S TOP 25: New Rankings

RANK/TEAM (RECORD) LAST WEEK 1. North Carolina (4-0-0) 1 2. SMU (4-0-0) 2 3. Virginia (3-0-0) 3 4. Maryland (3-0-0) 4 5. Clemson (4-0-0) 5 6. Duke (4-0-0) 9 7. Wake Forest (4-0-0) 11 8. Virginia Tech (3-0-0) 12 9. San Francisco (3-0-0) 10 10. UCLA (0-1-1) 6 11. Notre Dame (2-1-1) 18 12. UC […]

1. ACC teams are almost perfect

The ACC’s dominance has reached new heights. Long considered men’s soccer’s best conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference boasts seven teams among the top eight teams in this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 (see below). The seven ranked teams are all unbeaten: No. 1 North Carolina (4-0-0), No. 3 Virginia (3-0-0), No. 4 Maryland (3-0-0), […]

2. MLS WRAP: D.C. clinches; Christian Gomez shines; L.A. back in hunt

Christian Gomez scored the gamewinner in D.C. United’s 2-1 win over Chivas USA after taking the ball at the halfway line, evading three Chivas players and stroking the ball past keeper Troy Perkins. He also scored D.C. United’s first goal with a high-powered swerving free kick from sharp angle. … D.C. United became the first […]

5. USL-1: Four teams clinch playoff berths

Montreal followed up clinching a spot last week by ensuring a bye to the semis this week, while Rochester, Charleston and Vancouver joined the Impact in the postseason. The Battery did so in impressive fashion, earning seven points of nine on a West Coast swing with a draw in Vancouver and wins at Seattle and […]

SOCCER AMERICA COLLEGE WOMEN'S TOP 25: Rankings (Week 2)

SOCCER AMERICA COLLEGE MEN'S TOP 25: Rankings (Week 2)

ACC teams are almost perfect

The ACC's dominance has reached new heights. Long considered men's soccer's best conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference boasts seven teams among the top eight teams in this week's Soccer America Men's Top 25 (see below). The seven ranked teams are all unbeaten: No. 1 North Carolina (4-0-0), No. 3 Virginia (3-0-0), No. 4 Maryland (3-0-0), […]

1. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“Of course, we expected to perform well. But not like this. … This match is not going to define everything. But it’s always good to beat Argentina.” — Brazil coach Dunga, who took over after its quarterfinal World Cup exit, on a 3-0 friendly win Sunday over Argentina before a crowd of 59,028 in London. […]

USL-1: Four teams clinch playoff berths

MLS: Game Summaries (Sept. 2)

Sept. 2 in Columbus Columbus 3 New England 0. Goals: Garey 3, Gaven 39, Hendrickson 82. Columbus – Gaudette, Pierce, Gonzalez, Hendrickson, Leitch, Gaven, Oughton (Marshall, 85), Retiz, Rozental (Grabavoy, 74), Virtuoso (Kamara, 67), Garey. New England – Reis, Heaps, Parkhurst, Riley, Dorman, Cancela (Smith, 65), Franchino, Larentowicz, Ralston, Dempsey, Twellman. Yellow Cards: Columbus – […]

4. RUSSIA ’06: U.S. women fail to medal for first time

For the first time ever, the USA didn’t finish among the top three teams at a women’s world championship. For the second straight game, Tim Schulz‘s Americans fell in a shootout, losing to Brazil, 6-5, after the third-place game at the Under-20 Women’s World Championship ended in a 0-0 tie. The shootout went eight rounds […]

RUSSIA '06: USA fails to medal for first time

For the first time ever, the USA didn't finish among the top three teams at a women's world championship. For the second straight game, Tim Schulz's Americans fell in a shootout, losing to Brazil, 6-5, after the third-place game ended in a 0-0 tie. The shootout went eight rounds but not before Swedish referee Jenny Palmqvist, […]

COLLEGE WOMEN: Irish three-goal blitz drops SCU

The big showdown of the weekend took place in South Bend, Ind., where Notre Dame beat Santa Clara, 3-1. Jill Krivacek's left-footed strike tied the game in the 64th minute and Amanda Cinalli added a pair of goals to cap Notre Dame's three-goal spurt over a nine-minute stretch in the final game of the Inn […]

UNDER-20 WOMENÆS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: Awards

MVPs: Golden Ball: Ma Xiaoxu (China) Silver Ball: Zhang Yanru (China) Bronze Ball: Danesha Adams (USA) Top Scorers: Golden Shoe: Ma Xiaoxu (China) Silver Shoe: Kim Song Hui (North Korea) Bronze Shoe: Anna Blaesse (Germany) ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Goalkeepers CHN #1 ZHANG Yanru USA #1 Val HENDERSON Defenders BRA #2 DAIANE FRA #5 Coralie DUCHER GER #5 Babett PETER PRK #16 HONG […]

EURO QUALIFYING: Italy tied by Lithuania

Lithuania, which has never played in a major championship, held World Cup champion Italy to a 1-1 tie in Naples on Saturday, the first full day of Euro 2008 qualifying. New Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said he was disappointed with the tie but added he had told his players they played well under the circumstances. […]

COLLEGE MEN: VCU-UNCG game called after No. 7 Spartans handed fifth red card

The match between No. 7 UNC Greensboro and VCU awarded to VCU with the Rams leading, 3-1, Saturday in Richmond when UNCG had its fifth player red carded. The Spartans (2-1-0) started the second half a man down as Henning Jonasson was issued a red card in the 44th minute. Thomas Campbell was given a […]

3. EURO QUALIFYING: Italy tied by Lithuania

Lithuania, which has never played in a major championship, held World Cup champion Italy to a 1-1 tie in Naples on Saturday, the first full day of Euro 2008 qualifying. (Click here for complete Euro 2008 qualifying scores and goalscorers.) New Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said he was disappointed with the tie but added he […]

COLLEGE MEN: Top teams remain perfect

The top five teams in the Soccer America Men's Top 25 — four ACC teams, plus SMU — all remained perfect through Saturday action. Freshman midfielder Zach Loyd drove home the game’s only goal in the 68th minute to lift No. 1 North Carolina (3-0-0) to a 1-0 shutout of No. 20 Ohio State Friday […]

RECORD: UNC's Averbuch scores fastest goal ever