Could it be that the face of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is that of Cameroonian player Samuel Eto’o? That’s what FIFA President Sepp Blatter implied at the unveiling of the tournament’s official poster, stating that the profile imposed onto an African map was that of a very popular European-based player from Cameroon.
Monthly Archives: November 2007
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA to open against Dominica or Barbados
The USA will have to play at least 18 games to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. It begins CONCACAF qualifying in June 2008 with a two-game series against Dominica or Barbados.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bob Bradley: ‘World Cup qualifying is always challenging’
Mike Woitalla reporting from South Africa
Coach Bob Bradley‘s challenge of guiding the USA to the 2010 World Cup finals came into focus on Sunday at the World Cup Preliminary Draw in Durban, South Africa. For Bradley’s take on the USA’s likely opponents in its first stages of qualifying, his look back on his first year at the helm, and his preparation strategy …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Europe
Old foes will meet again in Europe’s World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. England must face Croatia, which knocked it out of Euro 2008 last Wednesday, in Group 6. Scandinavian rivals Sweden and Denmark, involved in a match in Copenhagen in June that was abandoned when a Danish fan came on the field and attacked the referee, will meet in Group 1, where Portugal will be favored.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Asia
Asia’s first group stage includes the most hotly contested group to emerge from Sunday’s World Cup 2010 qualifying draw in Durban. Group 1 consists of Australia, which reached the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup, Iraq, the 2007 Asian champion, China, which played in the 2002 World Cup, and Qatar, arguably the most ambitious nation in the Middle East.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Africa
The novelty of the World Cup 2010 qualifying draw in Africa is that World Cup 2010 host South Africa will take part in qualifying since the competition also serves as qualifying for the 2010 African Nations Cup. The Bafana Bafana were drawn with powerhouse Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone in the first group stage.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-CONCACAF
The USA was drawn potentially the most difficult of the three semifinal groups, where if form holds it will face 2006 World Cup finalist Trinidad & Tobago, fourth in 2006 CONCACAF qualifying, Guatemala, fifth in 2006 CONCACAF qualifying, and Cuba. Canada could meet Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica, making it once again a longshot to advance to the Hexagonal. Costa Rica might have to play Panama, Haiti and Guyana in Group 3, which looks like the easiest of the three groups.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I’ll still be available. Hopefully, I’ll still be playing, and playing well enough to be in the England squad in 2010. But who knows? Everything can change, and I have seen that in the last 12 months.”
— David Beckham, whose hopes of playing in Euro 2008 ended Wednesday when England was eliminated but who hopes to play in the 2010 World Cup. Beckham was at first discarded from the England team for Euro 2008, then recalled late in the campaign. With his appearance in England’s 3-2 loss to Croatia, Beckham has 99 caps.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
NCAA Division I Men’s Schedule
Play begins in the 48-team NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament with 16 games Friday and Saturday. For the first- and second-round matchups …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
NCAA Division I Women’s Schedule
Six of the eight top seeds are still alive in the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament, which moves into the round of 16, beginning Friday. For all the post-Thanksgiving schedules …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Euro 2008 Scoreboard
Besides Russia, Portugal, Turkey and Sweden clinched berths at Euro ’08 on the final day of qualifying.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Euro 2008 Final Draw
Pots for the 2008 European Championship draw Dec. 2 in Lucerne, Switzerland, are set. How does a Netherlands-Italy-Germany-France group sound? Or Austria-Sweden-Romania-Poland? Both are possible.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
England-Croatia: The Reaction
England’s national team and English soccer came under attack following England’s 3-2 loss to Croatia that knocked it out of Euro ’08. Overrated. Arrogant. Egotistical. Those were some the charges leveled.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Why England slipped
Steve McClaren pulled a Greg Ryan Wednesday night. But unlike the Ryan, who lasted 25 days as U.S. women’s coach after his team’s 4-0 loss to Brazil following his decision to switch goalies, McClaren lasted all of about 12 hours after England’s shocking 3-2 loss to Croatia at Wembley before the FA dumped him as coach. Like Ryan, McClaren switched goalies with disastrous effect. But similarities between Ryan’s U.S. women and McClaren’s England don’t end there.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Paraguay takes the lead in South America
[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] Paraguay is the surprise leader after four games in South America’s World Cup 2010 qualifying competition ahead of Argentina, which lost for the first time on Tuesday, and Brazil, which was lucky to beat Uruguay at home.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2007 Super Y-League North American Champions
The Chicago Magic won a Super Y-League title for the fifth straight year. Arsenal FC captured two boys titles. On the girls’ side, the Cleveland Internationals set a record with three titles.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Russians mocked after narrow win over Andorra
Russia, the beneficiary of England’s collapse on the final day of qualifying for the 2008 European Championship, returned home to a muted reception. Indeed, the small group of fans who greeted Dick Advocaat‘s players at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport expressed their displeasure with their performance in a 1-0 win at tiny Andorra that was enough to see Russia through to the Euro ’08 finals.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Into Africa: World Cup 2010 kicks off
Mike Woitalla reporting from South Africa
As U.S. Senator John Kerry leaves the lobby of his Cape Town hotel three days before the World Cup Preliminary Draw in Durban, he shakes a few hands and says he’s in South Africa on “some business.” The former presidential candidate adds, “I’ll be back for the World Cup.” If all goes as World Cup 2010 organizers plan, the former presidential candidate will be just one of very many Americans arriving when the finals begin in 631 days.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Quakes get out of the gate quickly
Ridge Mahoney analyzes the expansion draft
San Jose head coach Frank Yallop has assembled the first 10 pieces of the Earthquakes expansion puzzle, and he has some history with most of the players selected.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Is FIFA Losing its Influence?
The tenets of capitalism dictate that money and power go hand-in-hand, resulting in the worldwide trend known as globalization. As the business of soccer follows that same inexorable progression, FIFA, the nonprofit international organization that governs the game, is losing its influence. Soccer guru Paul Gardner sheds light on the topic in a New York […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Robinson’s England Career Over?
According to various media reports, Steve McClaren has dropped both David Beckham and Paul Robinson for Wednesday’s crucial Euro 2008 qualifier between England and Croatia. The England coach revealed his starting lineup to the players Tuesday night but wouldn’t formally tell the media ahead of today’s game. Plenty has been said about the significance of […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Red Bull Searches for Coach with MLS Experience
Soccer columnist Ives Galarcep updates us on the New York Red Bulls’ hunt for a new coach, saying that early signs show that club owner Red Bull is not looking to bring in a high-profile foreign coach, as many expected. Unnamed sources tell him the team is instead scouring the pool of top MLS assistant […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
CONCACAF Unveils Champions League
There’s been no official announcement yet, but word on the street is that CONCACAF, the North and Central American soccer federation, is planning to overhaul its existing club champions’ competition to make it look (and sound) more like UEFA’s Champions League. According to the Washington Post’s Stephen Goff, the new tournament will in fact be […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ibra to Become World’s Richest
Kaka may be the favorite to win this year’s Golden Ball and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, but he certainly won’t be soccer’s highest- paid player. It looks like that title will be going to Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Football Italia says the Swede is now lining up a deal worth $16 million […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Martin Methodist take second NAIA women’s title
[CHAMPIONSHIP] Fifth-seeded Martin Methodist captured the program’s second NAIA national title in three seasons with a 2-1 win over No. 3 Azusa Pacific Tuesday night at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium in Daytona, Beach, Fla.