If Honolulu loses the NFL Pro Bowl (which it may once the state’s contract with the league expires next year), then soccer’s Pan-Pacific Championship might come to fill the economic void — or at least part of it, says the Honolulu Advertiser’s Michael Tsai. Why? For one thing, an international field featuring the L.A. Galaxy, […]
Monthly Archives: February 2008
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Last Shot for Women’s Pro Game?
Women’s Professional Soccer, set to kick off in a year, will be a far more modest operation than the Women’s United Soccer Association, which collapsed in 2003, says Yahoo Sports Martin Rogers. WUSA tried to piggyback on the success of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, promising packed stadiums and big TV deals, but it all […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Inter or Bust for Benitez
The Daily Mail says Rafael Benitez’s job is on the line after Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup on Saturday, losing 2-1 at home to second-tier club Barnsley. With a third of the season still to go, the Champions League is now the only competition the Reds could still win. Tomorrow night Liverpool hosts […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Real Cedes Ground to Barca
ESPN’s Phil Ball looks back on a weekend in Spain where neither of the league’s two best teams played very well. In the end, Real Madrid ended up ceding ground to second-place Barcelona for the second time in three weeks, losing 2-1 at Real Betis despite scoring in the first six minutes and having more […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The knockout stage of the European Champions League begins this week. There’s also Libertadores Cup action in the midweek and the Pan-Pacific Championship, the Hawaii-hosted tournament at which MLS clubs Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy face Sydney FC and Gamba Osaka.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Castillo selected for Mexico’s Olympic qualifying squad
[VIDEO] New Mexico product Edgar Castillo has been selected by Coach Hugo Sanchez to Mexico’s U-23 team for its qualifying campaign for next summer’s Olympics. Mexico’s first-round play against Canada, Haiti and Guatemala kicks off March 12 in Carson, Calif. Last week, Castillo scored for Santos Laguna against Chivas Guadalajara on an 18-yard shot after dribbling from near the halfway line.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Adu injured; Jaqua scores in Austria
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Freddy Adu entered for Benfica in the 78th minute against Naval but was subbed in the 90th minute with an injury. Benfica won, 2-0, on goals in the 23rd and 90th minutes. Nate Jaqua scored in his Austrian First Division debut for Altach in a 1-1 tie at Austria Vienna.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Inter Milan extends Italian lead
[EUROPEAN RACES] Inter Milan stretched its lead in Italy’s Serie A to 11 points when it beat Livorno, 2-0, and second-place Roma fell at Juventus, 1-0. In Spain, Real Madrid’s lead over Barcelona fell to five points, while Lyon’s margin over second-place Bordeaux in France is only one point.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Barnsley’s nerves of Steele
[ENGLAND WATCH] Luke Steele, once considered Manchester United’s next-great goalkeeping prospect, had not played in two months and had only made two appearances in the last year, so he jumped at the chance to join Barnsley on loan from League Championship (second division) rival West Bromwich and start against mighty Liverpool in Saturday’s FA Cup match.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
DiCicco’s U.S. U-20 women complete Chile sweep
[YOUTH] The U.S. under-20 women’s national team won its first tournament under new head coach Tony DiCicco Saturday when it clinched the Four Nations Tournament with a 5-1 win over host Chile.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“A very important result of this game is to reopen the bridge which connects the neighborhood. The bridge, if opened again, will bring back life as it used to be before.”
— Amer Abdullah Sa’di, director of Iraqi club Kadhimiya, a predominantly Shi’ite team that played Sunni club Adhamiya to a 1-1 tie in a clash between Baghdad rivals on Saturday. The two clubs are located on opposite sides of the Tigris river. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Who’s hot in MLS preseason play
The new San Jose Earthquakes played a pair of games against defending champ Houston, the team created out of the old Quakes. Toronto is getting goals from its young star of 2007, while the Red Bulls’ new Colombian saw action against Swedish club Hammarby. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney examines MLS preseason developments and looks at more possible foreign siginings.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Big win for Onyewu; Michael Bradley’s streak ends
[AMERICANS IN EUROPE] Standard Liege, with Oguchi Onyewu patrolling the central defense, beat Belgian Jupiler League leader Club Brugge away, 2-1, to go even on points with at the head of the standings. In the Netherlands, Michael Bradley‘s scoring streak ended in Heerenveen’s 2-2 tie with lowly Heracles. Steve Cherundolo faced Bayern Munich in Germany.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Blatter: International Plan Would Hurt England WC Bid
The English Premier League’s proposal to add a 39th round of international games to its schedule received a massive body blow on Friday when FIFA President Sepp Blatter told BBC Sport that the plan would “never happen.” Blatter added that if the league decided to pursue the idea anyway, it would harm England’s chances of […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
CONCACAF Teams Need to Play Better Opposition
CONCACAF teams need to play against tougher opposition if the region is ever going to effectively compete in a World Cup, says the Houston Chronicle’s Bernardo Fallas. The USA, at least, has the idea, having lined up friendlies against 20th-ranked Poland, 4th-ranked Spain, 11th-ranked England (perhaps), and looking to set up one more against other […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Altidore on the Up and Up
Associated Press reporter Brian Trusdell asks U.S. soccer players and officials to weigh in on U.S. phenom Josmer Altidore, who recently collected his first international goal for the U.S. senior national team in a 2-2 draw with Mexico. Everyone agrees that the 6-foot-2, 190 pound 18-year-old has loads of potential, but many feel Altidore has […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
L.A. Trades for Vanney as Harden Retires
The Los Angeles Galaxy looks set to bolster its defense by adding D.C. United veteran Greg Vanney, blogger Ives Galarcep reports. Washington Post writer Steven Goff confirms the rumor, adding that Quavas Kirk will be involved in the trade. Vanney would become the second former Galaxy player to return to the team this off-season, striker […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Galaxy’s Gullit Cracks the Whip
Camp Gullit has begun, and it’s considerably different to what the L.A. Galaxy players were used to under Frank Yallop, says Yahoo Sports’ Martin Rogers. Dutch coach Ruud Gullit has implemented strict guidelines on the players’ eating habits in addition to a new twice-a-day training regimen. David Beckham, for one, approves of the new measures, […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
EPL leaders Arsenal and Manchester United face off in the FA Cup. Juventus and Roma clash in Italian Serie A play. Gol TV serves up Barcelona and Real Madrid games on Saturday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
RSL ups the ante to snag Borchers
Former Rapids defender Nat Borchers is coming back, if not home, to a part of the country not far from home. Real Salt Lake exercised an allocation to acquire Borchers, 26, who left MLS two seasons ago in a $365,000 transfer to Norwegian club Odd Grenland, which was relegated last fall.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
It’s all ‘great’ for Freddy Adu
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Freddy Adu was a late sub, as has been the norm since he joined Benfica last summer, on Thursday in UEFA Cup play. But the 18-year-old, who saw much more playing time in MLS, says he’s perfectly happy in Portugal. Soccer America’s Mike Woitalla spoke with Adu while he was on U.S. national team duty …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
UEFA Cup Results
Tottenham, Fiorentina and Hamburg all won on the road in the first leg of the their UEFA Cup round-of-32 series on Thursday. Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich had to settle for a 2-2 tie at Scotland’s Aberdeen. For all the results and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“This is abuse. The rich Premier League is trying to get richer and wants to expand the importance of that league. This does not take into consideration the fans of the clubs and it gives the impression that they just want to go on tour to make some money.”
— FIFA President Sepp Blatter, stating his disapproval for an English Premier League proposal to hold a round of games on foreign soil. Blatter said the scheme, which would bring EPL games to U.S. cities, would be nixed by FIFA’s executive committee. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Quakes originals boost new San Jose
[MLS TEAM PREVIEWS] Officially, San Jose added its 13th player yesterday with the announcement of Houston trading Ramiro Corrales to San Jose for allocation money. MLS had purchased Corrales’ rights from Norwegian club SK Brann for a fee of “approximately $150,000,” according to a source, and the Quakes paid about half of that in allocation money to bring him back to one of his former MLS teams.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
‘Text-mad’ Cristiano Ronaldo fined $4,000 a message
[OFF THE POST] Ask many big-time soccer players what is their most precious possession, and they will say their cell phone. Ask their coach what is their prime pet peeve, and he will say players using their cell phone. Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was fined $16,000 for using his cell phone during training — which works out to $4,000 for each of four text messages he sent during a recent training session.