In an exclusive interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, MLS Commissioner Don Garber casts a calm figure, discussing everything from David Beckham to the improvement of the product on the field to the ultimate direction of the league. So far, he says, the formula is working: broadcast deals are coming the league’s way, so are […]
Monthly Archives: June 2007
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Lalas as the Anti-Beckham
David Beckham and L.A. Galaxy President Alexi Lalas make quite a pair: on the one hand you have a PR-friendly global superstar who just might be the king of understatement, and on the other, you have a loose-lipped, loudmouth of a soccer executive (in a convivial sort of way) who oozes exaggeration with every word. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“There’s this delusion that if it’s English then it’s great. But a whole world exists outside of England. … You know, there’s no accounting for bad taste. The fact that a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business.”
— Los Angeles Galaxy president Alexi Lalas lashes out at Brits who say David Beckham is “going into semi-retirement” by coming to MLS. Lalas added that “the Premiership has become so skilled in presentation. They took a page out of American football and now have Saturday Showdowns and Super Sundays. I love it. This is high-caliber marketing: taking an inferior product and improving it through packaging.” (The Guardian)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Jeremiah White helps AGF Aarhus to Danish top tier
Jeremiah White, a 25-year-old Pennsylvania product who played college ball at Wake Forest, helped AGF Aarhus clinch promotion to the top Danish league tier, the SAS Ligaen, with a 2-0 win over Kolding IF last weekend.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS STATS: Attendance hits 1 million mark
MLS’s Week 11 games drew crowds of more than 20,000 in Columbus, D.C., and Toronto as the season’s attendance surpassed the 1 million mark. The 72 games so far have drawn 1,107,199 fans for a 15,378 per game average. The three games that drew the 20,000-plus crowds all featured at least four goals, while the 19,225 at the Home Depot Center for Los Angeles’ clash with Real Salt Lake enjoyed a 3-2 home-team win. For complete MLS statistics …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS finally delivers goalfests
[VIDEO] Concerns about goalscoring in MLS were allayed somewhat in a high-scoring weekend (27 goals in six games), as excellent finishes punished errors, some large, some small. All goals, many say, stem from errors, but mistakes this season seem to be more costly, and forwards last weekend were especially efficient on breakaways. Are teams punishing defensive errors more ruthlessly?
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Real Madrid and Barcelona, what’s next?
After a thrilling La Liga campaign in which Real Madrid edged Barcelona for the title, presidents of both clubs were quickly forced to turn to the future. Madrid president Ramon Calderon must decide what to do with Coach Fabio Capello. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said his club will undergo an overhaul during the offseason. For all the details on the possible moves Real and Barca will make …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
W-League’s Lightning strikes twice against Ft. Wayne
[W-LEAGUE RESULTS] The Minnesota Lightning improved to 5-0-0 with two wins over Ft. Wayne (2-0 and 4-0) in 48 hours. Former Kansas University star Caroline Smith and Sarah Oligney, the former Horizon League Player of the Year at Wisconsin-Green Bay, scored in the 2-0 win over the Fever. Rising Northwestern senior Kelsey Hans and Smith both scored twice in the 4-0 win, which was played as part of a doubleheader with the USL-1 Thunder. For complete W-League results and goalscorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Piranhas remain unbeaten in inaugural PDL season
[PDL RESULTS] One of the surprises of the 2007 PDL season has been the Hampton Roads Piranhas (7-0-1), who shut out the Richmond Kickers Future, 1-0, on Sunday at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex for eighth shutout in eight games. York College junior Andrew Wheeler scored in the 75th minute for his team-high eighth goal of the season. Former U.S. U-17 residency camper Evan Newton, who now plays for Old Dominion, earned the shutout for Hampton Roads, which leads the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference by four points over the Virginia Legacy. For complete PDL results and goalscorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Arsenal FC opens with big win at Region IV championships
[REGION IV SCORES] Arsenal FC of Southern California continued its quest for a fourth straight national title in its age group with an 8-0 win over Utah’s Impact Black in the U-18 boys division on the opening day of play at the US Youth Soccer Region IV (West) Championships at the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex and the Kellogg Zaher Sport Complex in Las Vegas, Nev. In one of the first upsets of the competition, local club LV Premier beat Cal South’s Valley United Blast, 2-0, in the U-15 boys division. The Blast has won the Region IV championships the past three years and won the national championship last year. For Region IV scores from Day 1 games .
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Univision’s broadcast of Thursday’s Mexico-Panama game delivers
Univision has been showing Mexico’s Gold Cup games for a reason. Rather than diverting the Tri’s first four matches to Galavision or TeleFutura, Univision aired them live. In the case of last Thursday’s primetime showing of Mexico-Panama, the game did a 20.1 household rating in the NHTI (Hispanic homes), delivering 2,343,000 Hispanic homes and 4,374,000 Hispanic persons 2+ for each average minute. Most impressive was the Gold Cup group match’s appeal to men 18-49. In that all-important demographic, the game drew 1,959,000 viewers, more than any other television program that evening on any U.S. TV network.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Argentine Season Ends with San Lorenzo on Top
Oh, yeah, the Argentine Clausura championship ended this weekend, too, as San Lorenzo celebrated the title — the 10th title in its history — it wrapped up a week earlier. San Lorenzo extended its lead over second-place Boca Juniors with a 2-1 win at last-place Quilmes. After falling behind in the first half, Osmar Ferreyra […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Red Bulls Defense Turns From Best to Worst
The New York Red Bulls have quickly gone from being the league’s best defense to its worst, conceding 11 goals in its last four games after starting the regular season with just four conceded in eight. Injuries have a lot to do with that, says Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer, as evidenced by the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Galaxy Emerges from Battle at the Bottom
It was crazy weekend in MLS, too: great games, dramatic finishes, and tons of goals, many of which were very, very high quality. Perhaps the biggest battle of them all came from league’s bottom two teams who were both desperately in need of a win. In the end, the Los Angeles Galaxy was able to […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
End it Like Beckham, Indeed
The Times’ George Caulkin waxes poetic about David Beckham’s last day at the Santiago Bernabeu, a place he’s called home for the last four years and where he had the rare opportunity of walking away as a champion in his final appearance. But Real Madrid, as ever, made tough work of their pre-ordained conclusion, beginning […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
End of an Era at Real, Barcelona
Those who don’t believe need only be strapped in front of a TV and forcibly subjected to the 6,840 minutes that made up the 2006-07 season for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Indeed, forget about luck, something far stronger-call it Fate-drove the Merengues’ to their first La Liga title in four years. Just ask Zinedine Zidane: […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Boca Juniors takes a 3-0 lead into the second leg of the Libertadores Cup semifinal on Wednesday (Fox Sports en Espanol). On Thursday, the USA faces Canada in the Gold Cup semifinals (Fox Soccer Channel & Telefutura) while Mexico clashes with Guadeloupe (Telefutura). ESPN2’s Thursday night MLS clash is Houston-Chivas USA.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
David Beckham and Roberto Carlos leave Real Madrid with league title
David Beckham and Roberto Carlos departed Real Madrid as champions on Sunday when the Merengues won Spain’s La Liga title for the 30th time with a 3-1 victory over Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu Stadium. Real Madrid finished tied with Barcelona, a 5-1 winner over Gimnastic Tarragona, but captured the tie by virtue of its advantage in the tiebreaker (head-to-head play).
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“It’s been an incredible experience but all I remember now is the great things. Winning this tonight now puts to bed everything else.”
— Los Angeles-bound David Beckham after winning the Spanish La Liga title with Real Madrid, which he joined in 2003. The 2007 league title was Real Madrid’s first major trophy since Beckham arrived. The team went through six different coaches while Beckham was with the club. (Associated Press)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Wambach powers the USA past China in Sendoff Series opener
Abby Wambach scored two goals with headers off set plays in the second half to lead the USA to a 2-0 victory over China before 8,888 fans Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium as the countdown to the 2007 Women’s World Cup began with the opening game of U.S. Soccer’s Sendoff Series. Wambach’s double upped her international goal total to 73 in 91 international games. The win over China was the USA’s third of the year and upped the team’s record in 2007 to 8-0-2.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
High scores and high drama in MLS
Eastern Conference teams scored 20 goals in their four games as D.C. United belted Chicago, Toronto derailed Dallas in a battle of the FCs, and six-goal deadlocks resulted from the New York-Kansas City and New England-Columbus tussles. In the West, Chivas USA extended Colorado’s losing streak to three matches, and the Galaxy knocked off RSL in the battle of the basement. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney reports on last weekend’s MLS action.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA REPORT CARD: Donovan, Mastroeni shine against Panama
Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 2-1 Gold Cup quarterfinal win over Panama.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA wastes chances but reaches Gold Cup semis
This game could have been over by halftime, or at the very least put away with eight minutes left; instead the USA sweated out several minutes of stoppage time before the referee’s whistle extinguished the flickering hopes of Panama, 2-1, in the Gold Cup quarterfinals at Gillette Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bradley, Adu and Altidore head U.S. U-20 World Cup team
United States U-20 national team coach Thomas Rongen named the 21-player roster that will represent the U.S. at the Under-20 World Cup in Canada June 30-July 22. Rongen’s squad features 14 pro players, the most ever for a U.S. Under-20 World Cup team. It includes Michael Bradley, who is playing for the senior national team at the Gold Cup, Freddy Adu, who has already played in two U-20 world championships, and Josmer Altidore, the youngest player on the team at age 17. For the complete U-20 roster …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Cameroon, Angola, Morocco and Tunisia clinch berths in African Nations Cup finals
Cameroon headed a group of four countries that qualified this weekend for next January’s African Nations Cup in Ghana. The Indomitable Lion beat Rwanda, 2-1, on Sunday for their fifth win in five games. Also through to the finals are Angola, the easy winner in Group 6, and Morocco and Tunisia, which made sure of their place with wins on Saturday. For complete African Nations Cup qualifying results and goalscorers …