After the five luckless months Javier Mascherano endured at West Ham United, it’s little wonder the Argentine says. “I find it unbelievable to be involved in this final.” Indeed, nothing could have been more unlikely. Toiling away in the Hammers reserves as a club takeover and two different management regimes passed him by, Mascherano in […]
Monthly Archives: May 2007
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Clarence Seedorf Has Something to Say
Simon Kuper of the Financial Times gives writes entertaining portrait of AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf, the man who after Kaka, perhaps, is most responsible for the Rossoneri reaching Wednesday’s Champions League final against Liverpool. “Well-meaning,” “intelligent,” self-righteous and supremely confident, Seedorf has one problem, according to his teammates: He won’t shut up. Former England […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Statistics (through May 20 games)
The New York Red Bulls drew another meager crowd (10,321) last weekend and has the second lowest attendance average. Bottom is Kansas City, which like New York is averaging fewer than 10,000 per game. New England’s Taylor Twellman didn’t connect in a 1-0 win over Houston, but remains atop the leading scorers’ list with six strikes. Trailing him are four players with four goals, Ken Cooper (FC Dallas), Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA), Clint Mathis (New York) and Chris Rolfe (Chicago). Mathis, who scored in the 4-0 tout of Columbus, has already scored twice as much as he did all last season for Colorado. In 2005, he scored three times for Real Salt Lake. For up-to-date MLS standings, schedules, leading scorers, attendance and goal-scoring averages …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Subotic becomes youngest American to appear in Bundesliga
[MAKING A LIST] Neven Subotic, an 18-year-old defender who represented the USA at the 2005 U-17 World Cup, became the youngest American to play in the German Bundesliga when he debuted for Mainz last weekend in a 5-2 loss to Bayern Munich. Subotic, a native of Bosnia, was discovered by the U.S. U-17 coaching staff playing pickup soccer in Bradenton, Fla. The youngest previous Bundesliga debut by an American came from Jovan Kirovski (age 20 in 1996 for Borussia Dortmund). Subotic’s appearance against Bayern came with Mainz already doomed to relegation to the Second Division for the 2007-08 season. He was one of six Americans to see German First Division action this season.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
D.C. United gets back to basics
Despite posting a 31-17-16 regular-season record in 2005 and 2006 while playing the most skillful soccer in MLS, United hasn’t returned to MLS Cup. United 2007 again features a glittering array of attackers – Christian Gomez, Jaime Moreno, Fred, Luciano Emilio – yet last Saturday it beat Toronto, 2-1, with the bedrock basics it had drifted away from: hard tackles, tenacious defending, fierce marking.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“The paintball guns will be one of the weapons the riot police will use in case of fan clashes. They have the double aim of stopping trouble because they are quite painful as well as marking violent fans.”
— Athens police spokesman Panagiotis Stathis reveals security’s secret weapon against hooligans at Wednesday’s European Champions League final clash between Liverpool and AC Milan. About 50,000 Italian and English fans are expected. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Whitecaps rally to down Seattle in W-League opener
[W-LEAGUE RESULTS] The Vancouver Whitecaps needed goals from Canadian internationals Jodi-Ann Robinson and Sophie Schmidt to overcome Seattle, 2-1, before 1,819 fans in their 2007 W-League opener. Erin Redwine had given Seattle the lead in the 25th minute.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Defending PDL champion Michigan opens with two wins
[PDL RESULTS] The defending PDL champion Michigan Bucks opened their 2007 season with a pair of shutout wins. Khelli Dube scored twice and Nate Jafta scored a goal and added an assist in the 4-0 win over West Michigan. Doug DeMartin and Dube scored in the 2-0 win over Cleveland. St. Louis, Long Island and Carolina are the only teams that are 3-0-0.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Foreigners dominate German scoring charts
[MAKING A LIST] Foreign nationals and foreign-born players dominated the German Bundesliga scoring charts. Of the players who ranked in the top 10 in First Division scoring, all but one was born abroad, including Germany national team strikers Kevin Kuranyi (born in Brazil) and Miroslav Klose (born in Poland). The only German-born player was 22-year-old Stuttgart sensation Mario Gomez, born in Riedlingen to a Spanish father and German mother.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Ireland calls in Fighting Irish star Lapira for training camp
[IRELAND ROSTER] Notre Dame’s Joseph Lapira, Soccer America’s College Player of the Year and the Hermann Trophy winner in 2006, joined the Ireland national team at Montclair State University in New Jersey, where it is preparing for the first of its two games on its U.S. tour against Ecuador on Wednesday at Giants Stadium. The Irish face Bolivia Saturday in Foxboro, Mass. Lapira led all Division I scorers with 22 goals during the 2006 season. Nicknamed the “Ragin’ Cajun,” the Louisiana product debuted with the PDL’s Baton Rouge Capitals on May 12 and is expected to train at Scottish club Aberdeen later in the summer before the start of his senior season at Notre Dame. Lapira, 20, qualifies to represent Ireland through his mother Kate.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Sheva’s American Dream
During a press conference in which he reflected on his first season at Chelsea, Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko told reporters he’d like to play in Major League Soccer one day. “Soccer is growing in the US and I would like to be a part of that,” he said. “I played there last summer against the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Hargreaves Departure Caps Bad Year for Bayern
To the surprise of no one, Owen Hargreaves will be moving to Old Trafford this summer from Bayern Munich. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been chasing the player for nearly a year now, and Hargreaves himself stated his desire to join the club. Bayern President Franz Beckenbauer said Hargreaves would move to the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Falling Debris Forces Emergency Repairs at BMO Field
Three MLS games into BMO Field’s much-lauded existence, and Toronto FC owner Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment already had to make emergency repairs. Before TFC’s 2-1 loss at home to D.C. United, several bolts and fasteners snapped, though MLSE removed the debris and Saturday’s match ended up going off without a hitch. It was the club’s […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Red Bull Reserves Down Columbus
Following a series of decidedly poor performances, an undermanned New York Red Bulls side put together a comprehensive team effort to blow by the Columbus Crew at home on Saturday. Regulars Claudio Reyna, Ronald Waterreus and Hunter Freeman were all injured, while 17-year old Jozy Altidore was at his high school prom, but in the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Tevez Future Uncertain
Where or where will Carlos Tevez be next season? Chelsea is interested, so is Real Madrid, and there isn’t a thing West Ham United, his current, uh, employer, can do about it. Tevez representative (and part-owner, incidentally) Kia Joorabchian is set to meet this week with West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson to discuss the player’s […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
AC Milan faces Liverpool in the European Champions final on Wednesday (ESPN2, 2:25 pm ET). Fox Sports en Espanol provides the Libertadores Cup second-leg quarterfinal action. Thursday Night MLS action pits New York against Chicago. Club America faces Pachuca in the two-leg Mexican league final, but television coverage is yet to be finalized.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Revs and Dallas are first to five wins
[VIDEO] Defending champion Houston suffered through another shutout defeat as the Revs prevailed on a Shalrie Joseph goal. Juan Pablo Angel got his first MLS points in a Red Bull rout. FC Dallas extended its Western Conference lead by downing Real Salt Lake, for which Freddy Adu got his first goal. The clasico in Southern California featured a Landon Donovan goal. Jaime Moreno scored a milestone goal for D.C. United in Toronto. Colorado’s not doing it in its new home. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney recaps the weekend’s action
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
AMERICANS ABROAD: Hannover misses chance for UEFA Cup
In Germany, Hannover 96 (Steve Cherundolo, 90 min.) missed a chance to clinch a spot in the Intertoto Cup, a path to the UEFA Cup, when it lost, 3-0, to FC Nuremberg. Kamani Hill was a 75th sub for Wolfsburg in its 2-0 loss to Werder Bremen. Wolfsburg finished three points above the releagtion zone. In the Second Division, Munich 1860 finished the season with a 2-2 tie with Erzgebirge Aue and in eighth place. Munich’s Gregg Berhlater went the full 90 while Josh Wolff was out injured. Wolff joined the team in midseason and played 10 games, scoring twice and assisting twice.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Porto’s Dragons extend Portuguese dominance of big three
[MAKING A LIST] Porto won repeated as Portuguese league champion when it beat Desportivo Aves, 4-1, at home on Sunday to edge Sporting by one point and extend the domination of Portugal’s big three. Porto, Sporting and Benfica have won all but two Portuguese league titles since 1946. Belenenses (1946) and Boavista (2001) are the only other teams to win a league championship. Only nine teams have a team other than Porto, Sporting or Benfica even in finished in the top two
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Vancouver remains unbeaten in USL-1 with 3-1 wins over Victory and Rhinos
[USL RESULTS] The defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps remained unbeaten in the USL First Division with 3-1 victories at California on Saturday and at home against Rochester in a rematch of last year’s playoff final on Sunday. Cuban Eduardo Sebrango scored two goals against the Victory and once against the Rhinos. Vancouver (5-0-2) leads Montreal (3-0-2) and Atlanta (3-2-2) by six points.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Real Madrid wins another squeaker thanks to Roberto Carlos goal
For the third straight league game, Real Madrid pulled out a last-gasp victory, beating Recreativo Huelva, 3-2, on Sunday to maintain its edge over Barcelona in the race for Spain’s La Liga title. With Barcelona cruising to a shocking 6-0 win at Atletico Madrid — the worst defeat at home in Atletico history — Real Madrid looked to be in trouble when it blew a 2-0 lead at Recre. With three games left, Real and Barcelona are tied with 69 points, but Real Madrid has won the tiebreaker (better head-to-head). UEFA Cup champion Sevilla remained just two points further back with a 2-1 comeback win at Deportivo Coruna.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Stuttgart claims Bundesliga title with late-season surge
VfB Stuttgart completed a late-season surge with a 2-1 victory over Energie Cottbus on Saturday that extended its winning streak to eight games and secured the young team the 2007 German Bundesliga title. The title was the fifth for Stuttgart, which moved ahead of long-suffering Schalke 04 on the second-to-last week of the season. For a few brief moments, it looked like Schalke might get the miracle it needed to capture its first Bundesliga title. Stuttgart trailed Cottbus after Sergiu Radu‘s deflected shot beat Timo Hildebrand in the 19th minute, but goals from Thomas Hitzlsperger on a brilliant long-range shot in the 28th minute and Sami Khedira‘s goal in the second half took Stuttgart its first Bundesliga title in 15 years.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
Article 21979
“I found out late in the week [that I was starting] and I just tried to make the best of the opportunity.”
— John Wolyniec, who started at forward for the New York Red Bulls against Columbus, because Jozy Altidore was attending his high school senior prom, and scored the first goal to set off a 4-0 rout in which he also notched an assist. (Herald News)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Romario finally gets his 1,000th goal
Former Brazil striker Romario finally scored what he said was the 1,000th goal of his career by converting a penalty in Vasco da Gama’s 3-1 over Sport Recife in the Campeonato Brasileiro on Sunday. Celebrations and interviews held up the match for 16 minutes after the 41-year-old Brazilian great sent Sport goalkeeper Magrao he wrong way, Romario’s tally includes goals scored in youth team, friendly and testimonial games, but doubts about his milestone failed to dampen the celebrations.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Cruz Azul kicked out of Mexican playoffs
Pachuca reached the final of the Mexican First Division’s Torneo Clausura playoffs by forfeit when semifinal rival Cruz Azul was expelled from the competition for using Salvador Carmona in the first leg of the semifinals on Thursday after being informed Carmona had been handed a lifetime ban for doping Wednesday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. Pachuca, which won the first leg, 3-1, away faces Club America in the final. With a second-half goal by Ismael Rodriguez, America beat archrival Guadalajara for its second 1-0 victory and advance to the Mexican First Division finals, 2-0, on aggregate.