Colombian First Division club America’s financial woes were compounded when a security van carrying its gate receipts from Sunday’s game in Cali against Once Caldas was held up. Four cars with 15 men armed with machine guns escaped with about $40,000 from the day’s ticket sales. “We’re asking the authorities to help us recover the money because it is what we live off,” said America’s marketing manager Gregorio Ruiz. “We’re struggling as it is and now they rob us.”
Monthly Archives: September 2007
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Praise for China’s Thornless Roses
[WOMEN’S WORLD CUP] Host China’s quest for its first Women’s World Cup title ended in defeat against Norway in the quarterfinals, reducing the Steel Roses to tears, but they earned new respect for their efforts.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS attendance average breaks 16,000 mark
[MLS STATISTICS] Last weekend, announced attendances at games hosted by Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles exceeded 20,000 and the league-wide average inched past the 16,000 mark with four weeks left in the season. The last regular season in which MLS attendance averaged more than 16,000 was the inaugural 1996 season (17,406).
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. girls national teams go undefeated at Nike Friendlies
The U.S. U-15 and U-14 girls national teams went undefeated against older competititon at the Women’s Nike Friendlies at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I don’t know the ins and outs. … If it is true, it is distasteful, for sure.”
— Reading coach Steve Coppel on reports that striker Leroy Lita used his cell phone to film himself having sex and circulated the video to teammates, who forwarded the 53-second footage to players around the English league. (Telegraph)
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
D.C. United faces Chivas Guadalajara in the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday. There’s midweek league action from Germany, Spain, Italy and MLS. The USA faces Brazil in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup on Thursday.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Hahnemann, the Car Mechanic
Marcus Hahnemann is a jack of all trades. In his second season in the English Premier League with Reading, it’s the 35-year-old American whose job it is to protect the Royals’ goal and help keep them in the elite. But his popularity in the English media is based in part on his off-the-field interests. He […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Formiga, the Brazilian Maestra
One of the unsung players on the Brazil tea that has won all four games at the Women’s World Cup is 29-year-old Formiga, a veteran of the W-League (Jersey Sky Blue and New Jersey Wildcats). On a team with such attacking stars as Marta and Cristiane, it’s easy to get lost, but Formiga has been […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Glance of MLS Things to Come
Frank Dell’Apa reports on the New England Revolution’s 2-2 tie with the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium, where the conditions were hardly conducive to high-level soccer (artificial turf making possession difficult and the football lines adding to the confusion). The game could have been a preview of the playoffs to come, and Dell’Apa […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Grant’s Rocky Start At Chelsea
Chelsea to Manchester United, 2-0, on Sunday in Israeli Avram Grant’s first game as Blues’ manager in place of Jose Mourinho. The game was not without controversy, notably referee Mike Dean controversially sending off John Obi Mikel and awarding a dubious penalty late in the game to United. The British papers were full of stories […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Notre Dame is the beast of the East
Notre Dame was the big winner on a weekend that saw three Big East teams fall from the unbeaten and untied ranks. The Irish downed Rutgers, 2-0, getting a goal and an assist from senior Ryan Miller in a nationally televised match that drew a crowd of 6,309 fans at Yurcak Field on Friday night. Two days later, Jeb Brovsky scored his first goal of the season to give the Irish a 1-0 win at Villanova.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Tulsa stuns Creighton before big Omaha crowd
One of the best drawing men’s programs in the country is Creighton, which is averaging more than 4,000 fans a game in 2007. Tulsa stunned a crowd of 4,023 at Morrison Stadium Saturday night when it scored three second-half goals to beat the previously unbeaten Bluejays, 3-1.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
NCAA Division I Women’s Unbeaten Teams
[MAKING A LIST] After play on the fourth weekend of the NCAA Division I women’s season, only nine teams remain unbeaten. Ten other teams that were undefeated going into the weekend lost for the first time.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Women’s Top 25 Women’s Results
Rising U.S. stars Lauren Cheney (UCLA) and Casey Nogueira (North Carolina) broke out for four and three goals, respectively, in big wins. Hermann Trophy winner Kerri Hanks (Notre Dame) also had a hat trick against DePaul. Stanford lost for the first time when it fell to Denver, 1-0. For complete Top 25 weekend results and goalscorers …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Women’s Top 25
Portland and Texas A&M leapfrog Stanford and Texas, respectively. Penn State climbs eight spots thanks to its 2-1 win at Notre Dame. For the complete Top 25 …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
NCAA Division I Men’s Unbeaten Teams
[MAKING A LIST] Of the six NCAA Division I men’s teams that were unbeaten and untied going into the weekend, only No. 1 Wake Forest and idle Quinnipiac (alumni game on Saturday) emerged unscathed. Three of the six unbeaten and untied teams are from the Big Ten: Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Men’s Top 25 Results
Weekend upsets included No. 2 Connecticut’s 1-0 loss at DePaul, No. 8 Creighton’s 3-1 defeat to Tulsa at home. Besides UConn and Creighton, Harvard, South Florida and UC Irvine all fell from the unbeaten ranks. For complete Top 25 weekend results and goalscorers …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Men’s Top 25
Notre Dame moves up to No. 2, behind top-ranked Wake Forest, after a pair of Big East wins on the road. Big movers include Northwestern, Boston College, Santa Clara, SMU and Duke. For the complete Top 25 …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Naeher saves the day for Penn State
Sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher confirmed why she is one of the country’s top young women’s keepers, making eight saves in Penn State’s 2-1 win at Notre Dame on Sunday.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Both Rapinoe twins now lost for season with ACL tears
The No. 2-ranked Portland women’s team suffered another huge blow when U.S. international Megan Rapinoe was lost for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee for the second time in less than a year. Megan’s twin sister, Rachael Rapinoe, was diagnosed with the same season-ending injury last week, leaving the Pilots without two of their top offensive threats.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. women down England, earn Brazil semifinal showdown
The stars came through with the goals but the real story of a 3-0 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal defeat of England stems is that just about every U.S. player shone. Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and Kristine Lilly scored, yet defender Cat Whitehill earned two assists and her back-line counterparts, led by Stephanie Lopez and Kate Markgraf, smothered nearly everything the English threw at them.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bradley scores again; Dempsey’s streak ends
[AMERICANS ABROAD/VIDEO] A week after getting his first Dutch Eredivisie goal, Michael Bradley pounced on a rebound to score his second in Heereveen’s 3-2 loss to Utrecht. On-fire Bradley had scored twice on Thursday in a 5-2 UEFA Cup win over Swedish club Helsingborg. Clint Dempsey, who scored a goal in each of Fulham’s last three games, came up empty in a 3-3 tie with Manchester City.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USL First Division Semifinal Results
The Seattle Sounders and Atlanta Silverbacks needed penalty kicks to win their USL First Division semifinal series and move into Saturday’s championship game in Seattle (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 10 pm ET). The Sounders, the 2007 regular-season champions, have won three USL-1 titles. Before this season, Atlanta had never won a postseason game in its eight years of existence.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“For the most part, it was ‘Really?’ and then ‘Why?’ I walked them through my decision-making process … They definitely bought into it.”
— Andrew Hauptman on the reaction of friends and family to his purchase of the Chicago Fire from AEG for a reported $30 million. (Chicago Tribune)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
The Galaxy shows some life; Razov shines for Chivas USA
[MLS WEEKEND WRAP] Chivas USA stung Kansas City with a stoppage-time goal to move into the Western Conference lead; Chicago’s tie with D.C. United keeps it a point ahead of ninth-place Columbus, which rallied for a win in Toronto; New York needed a rally at home to tie New England; Real Salt Lake dinged Colorado’s playoff hopes with a 1-0 win; and THE GALAXY BEATS DALLAS!!!