[WEDNESDAY ACTION] No. 11 Penn State shut out Colgate, 5-0, in the Nittany Lions’ final tuneup before beginning Big Ten women’s action against No. 21 Illinois on Sunday at Jeffrey Field (TV: Big Ten Network, live, 3 pm ET).
Monthly Archives: September 2007
Unbeaten Michigan rolls on; BC settles for tie
[WEDNESDAY ACTION] Nine games into the 2007 men’s season, No. 12 Michigan has already eclipsed last year’s win total. The Wolverines’ 2-0 win over Oakland on Wednesday gave them an 8-0-1 record. They finished the 2006 season at 7-10-4. Despite a 34-17 advantage in shots and 13-3 edge in corner kicks, No. 6 Boston College had to settle for a scoreless draw with Yale.
Northwestern christens new field with victory
[WEDNESDAY ACTION] No. 5 Northwestern opened its new Lakeside Field with a 1-0 victory over Chicago area rival Loyola (Ill.), the fifth straight shutout win for the Wildcats (7-0-1), setting a new school record.
Armstrong steps down as UCSD coach for health reasons
[RETIREMENT] After nearly 26 full years at the helm of the UC San Diego men’s program, pioneering coach Derek Armstrong announced his retirement on Monday afternoon for health reasons as he readies for surgery later on this week.
Hustling Hoosiers end skid
After losing three straight games, Indiana coach Mike Freitag lit a fire under his Hoosiers, who beat Butler, 2-0, on Wednesday night in front of 1,054 fans at Armstrong Stadium. “I think the message has gotten through,” said Freitag. “The guys who get on the field are the guys who are going to hustle and get things done.”
Strong starts prime SEC teams for conference openers
[CONFERENCE FOCUS] No. 10 Tennessee hosts No. 15 South Carolina Thursday in the Southeastern Conference women’s opener, which will be televised live as Fox Soccer Channel’s NSCAA Game of the Week at 8 pm ET. Both teams were unranked at the beginning of the season, but they have climbed into the Top 25 with strong starts. Across the SEC, optimism is high. Indeed, the SEC may be deeper than it has ever been. For a look at the SEC field going into conference play …
Adu scores for Benfica in Portuguese Cup
Freddy Adu came on at halftime for Benfica in its third-round Portuguese Cup game against fellow First Division club Estrela Amadora and scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time to tie the game, 1-1. Adu also took and converted Benfica’s first penalty kick in the shootout, which Benfica won, 5-4.
Fulham, with three Americans, fall in League Cup
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Kasey Kelley, in his second appearance since joining the club on Aug. 23, Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey played the full 90 for Fulham in its 2-1 loss to Bolton in the third round of the English League Cup. Goalkeeper Brad Freidel had an easy day in Blackburn’s 3-0 win over Birmingham. Frank Simek started for second-tier Sheffield Wednesday in its 3-0 loss to Everton. In midweek German First Division action Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 celebrated a 2-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld.
MLS Playoff Race
D.C. United, Houston, New England and Chivas USA have clinched playoff spots. More can join them this week.
Juan Pablo Angel: Un hombre ‘sexy’
The New York Red Bulls’ Colombian forward Juan Pablo Angel is featured in the October 2007 issue of People En Espanol as one of the "10 Sexiest Men in the United States for 2007." Angel, 31, is in the midst of his first year with the Red Bulls and has already matched the team goal scoring record of 16, set in 2000 by Adolfo Valencia. Angel is the only athlete on the list.
Wizards need points against Galaxy
The Galaxy‘s playoff hopes are ephemeral at best, but the problems facing the Wizards are all too real. Kansas City rallied to tie Chivas USA last weekend only to succumb in stoppage time to Ante Razov’s second goal of the game to lose, 2-1. A week after a dramatic stoppage-time rally netted two goals and a 3-2 victory over Columbus, the Wizards threw away two points in the waning seconds. They have lost three of their last five and are good but not great at home (7-4-2).
Short-handed D.C. United downs Guadalajara
Losing Marc Burch near the end of the first half probably cost D.C. United a goal, but will his absence in the second leg end up costing his team the series? In front of 21,022 fans at RFK Stadium, United pulled out 2-1 win Wednesday night in the first leg of its Copa Sudamericana showdown with Guadalajara, which peppered the D.C. goal before and after Burch’s ejection in the 44th minute. Guadalajara ended up with a 21-5 edge in shots, but just one goal by Sergio Santana, as compared with one each for midfielders Ben Olsen and Clyde Simms
What They’re Saying
“I’m flabbergasted by our performance. It is a big shock for us all. These are young players that we have shown great hope for and trumpeted them in a loud way.”
— Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson, who fielded a team of young reserves for an English League Cup game against second-tier Conventry, which won, 2-0. It marked the first win at Old Trafford by a minor league team since a loss to York City in 1995. (AFP)
MIDWEEK WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
Maltese Michael Mifsud led Coventry City past Manchester United in an English League Cup upset that left Sir Alex Ferguson “flabbergasted.” Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez still wasn’t convinced that Fernando Torres should be an automatic choice in the Reds’ lineup even after Torres’ hat trick against Reading. Argentine Lionel Messi scored two goals in the first 11 minutes to lead Barcelona past Real Zaragoza. AC Milan’s troubles in Serie A continued when it fell at Palermo.
Record-setting Germans cruise into Women’s World Cup final
[WOMEN’S WORLD CUP] Germany returned to the Women’s World Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Norway Wednesday in the semifinals. The shutout was the the fifth in five games at the 2007 Women’s World Cup and extended Germany’s scoreless streak to 529 minutes dating back to the 2003 final against Sweden. The streak broke China’s shutout record of 442 minutes in the 1999 and 2003 events.
How To Measure MLS Success
How can you compare MLS to other pro sports leagues?
Bilardo Blasts Disgraceful State of Argentine Soccer
Carlos Bilardo, who coached Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title and second place at the 1990 finals, launched an outspoken attack on the state of soccer in Argentina and its soccer leadership. Bilardo said it was time for Argentina soccer federation (AFA) president Julio Grondona to go. “I feel shame when I see the […]
More Bad Luck for Michael Owen
Once again, Michael Owen is sidelined — and it couldn’t come at a worse time for England. Owen, whose goals helped England defeat Israel and Russia at Wembley this month in critical Euro ’08 qualifying games, will miss next month’s Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia. Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce said on Wednesday that […]
Cobi Jones Rethinks Retirement Plans
Will Los Angeles Galaxy star Cobi Jones go ahead with his plans of retiring at the end of the 2007 season? Jones, the only player since with the same MLS team for all 12 years of league play, never figured he’d being going out on team that’s won five league games in five months. Jones […]
United Aims for Revenge Against Chivas
D.C. United faces a familiar foe Wednesday night when it opens play in the Copa Sudamericana, South America’s fall international club competition. The MLS club hosts Guadalajara, a team it played — and lost to — in last spring’s CONCACAF Champions Cup. United continued its recent pattern of just falling short in international play when […]
Tournaments: Who To Blame When It Rains?
What can a host club do when rain pours on its tournament?
Who missed the point-after attempt?
[SMALL COLLEGE] Division II Florida men’s schools Saint Leo and Rollins produced one of the highest-scoring games in recent memory when Saint Leo prevailed, 7-6, in overtime on Friday night.
Giusfredi, the long-range bomber
[VIDEO] One of the longest goals of the season came last Monday night when Seton Hall’s Eliseo Giusfredi scored off the kickoff from 60 yards to give Seton Hall a 4-3 win over New Jersey rival Princeton.
NCAA Women’s Division I Scoring Leaders
With four more goals this past week, Japanese international Mami Yamaguchi has scored 13 goals in eight games for Florida State and leads all NCAA Division I women’s goalscorers. For the Top 10 goal scorers …
NCAA Men’s Division I Scoring Leaders
Aaron Volanski‘s hat trick in Centenary’s 4-3 loss to IUPUI on Sunday catapulted him into first place on the NCAA Division I men’s scoring charts. For the Top 10 goal scorers …
