Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story

Chicago hones in on new coach

The list of candidates to take over the head coaching position in Chicago – interim coach Denis Hamlett, former U.S. international Frank Klopas, ex-MetroStar assistant coach Juan Carlos Osorio, and Revs’ assistant Paul Mariner – does have a favorite. President and GM John Guppy, a native of England, has stated the coach will speak Spanish.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Two Americans on Gold Cup All-Tournament Team

Before the most important game of the Gold Cup – that would be the final – the CONCACAF Technical Study Group named its 2007 Gold Cup All-Tournament Team, which includes two members of the championship U.S. team. They are defender Frankie Hejduk, who missed the final with a yellow-card suspension, and Pablo Mastroeni, who was subbed at halftime in the final. Americans Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley were selected as “Honorable Mentions” by the Technical Study Group.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Gold Cup attendance average up by 11,000

The attendance average for the 2007 Gold Cup’s 13 game days was 37,598, an increase of more than 11,000 from the previous championship tournament of North and Central America and the Caribbean. The 2007 attendance average was the highest since 1993, when the USA co-hosted the tournament with Mexico. The 2005 was also co-hosted; the USA was lone host for the other seven Gold Cups. For Gold Cup attendance history:

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

U.S. SOCCER ACADEMY: The venerable Nomads

[CLUB PROFILE]. Nomads SC of Southern California, a pioneer in American youth soccer, was one of the first clubs accepted by the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. In the first of a Soccer America series profiling the clubs that will field teams, we look at Nomads, which were founded in 1976 and by the mid-1980s became of the one of the first fully staffed, multi-team elite youth clubs that soon proliferated throughout the nation.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

U.S. Soccer youth academy moves full speed ahead

With more than a month to go before the deadline to apply to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, 21 clubs have already been accepted to field boys U-16 and U-18 teams in the program that launches next fall. The Academy, an extension of the U.S. national team program, was unveiled June 4. On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer named 10 clubs that are joining the 11 clubs that were accepted June 15. So far, clubs from 12 states are represented. The 10 newest clubs are Chicago Magic & Chicago Sockers (Ill.), IMG Soccer Academy, Kendall Soccer Coalition (Florida) & Clearwater Chargers (Fla.), Crossfire Premier (Wash.), Greensboro Youth SC (N.C.), Mustang FC (Calif.), Oakwood (Conn.) and Vardar (Michigan). U.S. Soccer coaches will select qualified applicants on a rolling basis until Aug. 1.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Rochester survives upset bid by Western Mass in U.S. Open Cup

[U.S. OPEN CUP RESULTS] The Rochester Rhinos needed an overtime goal from Aaran Lines to beat the West Mass Pioneers of the USL Second Division, 2-1, and avoid an upset in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Richmond Strikers, the 1995 Open Cup champions, and Harrisburg City Islanders are the lowest-ranked teams left in the final 16 of the competition. Both represent the USL-2. The USL-1 expansion California Victory got an overtime goal from Ricardo Sanchez to win, 1-0, at the Minnesota Thunder. Sanchez was ejected in the celebration that followed the goal for one of four red cards handed out in the game. For complete results and goalscorers …

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Former Germany coach Derwall dies at the age of 80

[OBITUARY] Jupp Derwall, who coached Germany to the 1980 European Championship title and 1982 World Cup final, died Tuesday at the age of 80 after a short illness. When Derwall was named West German national team coach in 1978, he was only its third full-time head coach, following the legendary Sepp Herberger, who led West Germany to the 1954 World Cup title, and Helmut Schoen, who led West Germany to the 1974 World Cup title and whom Derwall replaced.

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2007 Copa America TV Schedule

The 2007 Copa America continues Wednesday with two games, including the showdown between defending champion Brazil and 2007 Gold Cup runner-up Mexico, which will be shown in prime time on Univision, reflecting the huge interest in the tournament in Latino communities across the country. For the complete Copa America TV schedule …

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Zimmerman replaces injured Smith on U-20s

Forward Preston Zimmerman has replaced Johann Smith on the U.S. U-20 national team roster for the Under-20 World Cup that starts Saturday in Canada. Smith suffered a third-degree strain of his right ankle in the U-20s’ 4-0 scrimmage win against New Zealand on Monday in Somerset, N.J. In January, Smith was a part of the U.S. team that qualified for the Under-20 World Cup, scoring a goal and an assist in one appearance in Panama. The 20-year-old forward plays professionally in England for Bolton Wanderers, for which he made his Premier League debut in 2006.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Only four defending champions left in Region II youth championships

[REGION II SEMIFINAL RESULTS] Only four defending champions advanced to Wednesday’s finals at the US Youth Soccer Region II Championships, and they are all on the boys’ side: U-15 Michigan Wolves, U-16 and U-18 Chicago Magic and U-17 FC Milwaukee. Eclipse Select of Illinois sent four teams to last year’s US Youth Soccer National Championships and looked to do the same this year, all four teams advancing to the semifinals lost. Michigan’s Bloomfield Force picked up the biggest win with a 4-0 victory over FC Milwaukee on a pair of goals each by Laura Heyboer and Amanda Bowery. For complete Region II semifinal results …

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Bayern Munich goes on spending spree

[TRANSFER TALK] No team has been as aggressive on the transfer market as Bayern Munich, which was dethroned as German champion and failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Its signing of Germany striker Miroslav Klose from Bundesliga rival Werder Bremen took its spending on players during the offseason to more than $94 million. Here’s a look at the Bayern signees …

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Mexico’s Sanchez is under the gun at Copa America

[PREVIEW] Gold Cup runner-up Mexico will be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire when it opens Group B play on Wednesday in Puerto Ordaz. After losing yet again to the United States, Mexico must face defending champion Brazil to open the Copa America (TV: Univision, Gol TV-English, live, 8:30 pm ET). Mexico will be without five starters from the Gold Cup final. To make matters worse, Coach Hugo Sanchez is under intense criticism from the press in both Mexico and the United States.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“Young players are a little bit like melons. Only when you open and taste the melon are you 100 percent sure that the melon is good. Sometimes you have beautiful melons but they don’t taste very good and some other melons are a bit ugly and when you open them, the taste is fantastic.”

— Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho chimes in on youth development (Sky Sports)

Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story

Sven off to City as English Officials Probe Foreign Ownership

Former England coach Sven Goran-Eriksson looks set to take the managerial reigns at Manchester City, though the deal can’t officially go through until prospective new owner Thaksin Shinawatra has completed his proposed purchase of 75 percent of the club’s shares, which is expected to happen now that City’s board has recommended that shareholders accept the […]

Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story

Copa Field is Surprisingly Strong

Tim Vickory of BBC Sport with another Copa America preview, noting that this year’s championship boasts “the strongest lineup that the Copa America has had for some time.” Notwithstanding the absence of Brazil’s Ronaldinho and Kaka, just about every other South American player has made himself available for selection, in stark contrast to the 2004 […]

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Boca Juniors president becomes mayor

Mauricio Macri, the president of Boca Juniors, won the Buenos Aires mayoral election by a landslide against Daniel Filmus, who was supported by Argentina President Nestor Kirchner. Macri, a center-right politician who belongs to one of Argentina’s richest family, has been president of Boca Juniors, the 2007 Libertadores Cup winner, president for 12 years.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Magazine pays for reporting Victoria Beckham is “picky, demanding and rude.”

London’s High Court awarded undisclosed damages to Victoria Beckham, the wife of Los Angeles-bound David Beckham, over Britain’s Star Magazine’s report that a crew member on her American reality TV show called her “picky, demanding and rude.” The Star article said a crew member of the show documenting her move to the USA described the former Spice Girl as “full of herself and not very nice” and said “she waltzes round with her icy attitude.” The High Court was told by Beckham’s lawyer, Gerrard Tyrrell, that filming on the program had not commenced when the allegations were published, so they could not have been made.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Building on the Gold Cup victory

Capturing the Gold Cup may not mean much beyond the far-flung boundaries of CONCACAF. Of the regional titles first comes the European Championship, then the Copa America, with the Gold Cup, Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations trailing in their wake. But for a team and program in transition, and a head coach unbeaten yet still unproven in the minds of many, parading a golden garden planter around Soldier Field to a largely Mexican audience will more than suffice. More than three weeks of training and competitive play, of sharing rooms and meals and bus trips, lays a foundation for the future.

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