It’s one thing to spend a hoard of cash and a designated player slot on a player like David Beckham or Cuauhtemoc Blanco, but the majority of MLS clubs searching for (cheap) international talent are simply trying to fill their rosters, says Nick Firchau of the Southtown Star. As such, men like Frank Klopas, technical […]
Monthly Archives: March 2008
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Will Fulham’s Americans Stay or Go?
“Team America,” or Fulham FC, lost again this weekend, and with just seven games left to play in the English Premier League season, relegation is looking more and more like an inevitability. As USSoccerPlayers’ Graig Carbino says, “barring a mini-miracle,” Fulham will be playing second division soccer next season, which means that most of its […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The USA’s clash with Poland is one of many international friendlies on tap in the midweek. MLS’s 13th season kicks off this weekend; the Direct Kick package offers a free preview.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
REPORT CARD: Gaven shines in loss
[USA-HONDURAS GRADES] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. U-23 players in their 1-0 loss to Honduras in Olympic qualifying on Sunday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Nowak’s boys slip in final
As soon as the euphoria of qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games began to subside late Thursday began the speculation of which over-age players head coach Peter Nowak and U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley might select. A 1-0 overtime loss to Honduras in the final on Sunday offered opportunities.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
New-ish arrivals pace Chivas USA win
[MLS] Four different players scored for Chivas USA in their preseason finale, a 4-1 triumph over Honduran club Real Espana at Cal State Fullerton Saturday, and all four, in a way, were newcomers.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA gathers troops for Euro test
[ROSTER] Coach Bob Bradley has named an 18-man roster for Wednesday’s friendly at Poland that is comprised of 15 European-based players and three MLS players.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Four Americans see action in Fulham loss
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Fulham fell, 2-0, to Newcastle, which hadn’t won in its last 13 EPL games. For Fulham, in second-to-last place and four points in the relegation zone, Kasey Keller started in goal, forward Brian McBride played the first 66 minutes before being replaced by Clint Dempsey, and Eddie Johnson went the full 90 upfront. There was better news for Reading.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Michael Bradley scores twice
[AMERICANS ABROAD/VIDEO] Michael Bradley struck twice for Dutch Eredivisie club Heerenveen in its 4-3 win over Roda JC. The 20-year-old now has 15 league goals this season, putting him in a tie for fourth among the Eredivisie’s leading scorers.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Manchester United breaks open EPL race
[WINNERS & LOSERS] Manchester United extended its lead in the English Premier League to four points with 3-0 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford while Arsenal’s title hopes are fading after it fell to Chelsea, 2-1, in the second half of the Easter Sunday Grand Slam in the English Premier League. Spanish teenager Bojan Krkic was instrumental in keeping Barcelona very much alive in Spain’s La Liga race, while AC Milan’s 18-year-old Brazilian Alexandre Pato kept up his torrid pace.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hicks watches Liverpool win first Super Group
[DALLAS CUP] In the hometown of its controversial co-owner Tom Hicks, Liverpool won the Super Group at the 2008 Dallas Cup with a 3-0 win over Tigres of Monterrey, Mexico, in the final. Hicks drove directly to the final at Pizza Hut Park Sunday after returning from a family trip. Liverpool became only the third English team to win the Super Group after West Ham United and Nottingham Forest. Tigres (U-17) and Guadalajara (U-14) were the other foreign teams to take home championships at the Dallas Cup. American champions were the Houston Dynamo (U-19), Houston Texans Red (U-16), Sockers FC (U-15) and FC Barcelona USA (U-13). For all the semifinal and final results …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I don’t interfere in politics because I know nothing about it. … It is one thing to talk about a bullfight but another thing to be in the arena facing the bull.”
— South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira tells the nation’s politicians to stop interferring with his attempts to get the struggling team on track as it prepares for the 2010 World Cup, which South Africa is hosting. (AFP)
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Time for Beckham to Show Respect
What a bore! What a tedious, brainless megabore Beckham and his 100th cap have become. Who cares any more if Beckham gets 100 or 1,000 caps?
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Cristiano Ronaldo Surpasses Best as United’s Best
Without a doubt, Manchester United has become The Cristiano Ronaldo Show. So prolific is the Red Devils winger these days that a Ronaldo goal seems to come with the price of admission to a United game. The Portuguese superstar added two more to his season haul of 33 on Wednesday as United rolled over Bolton […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Canada’s Olympic Coach Praises ‘Remarkable’ U.S.
The U.S. U-23s may not have looked like world-beaters in qualifying for the 2008 Olympics, but the campaign run by U-23 coach Peter Nowak was at least effective enough to get them there. While pundits in the U.S. complained about the manner of team USA’s qualification, Canada’s coach Nick Dasovic was full of praise for […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Beckham, Fuller Given Option to Buy Galaxy in 2011
The CBS program “60 Minutes” is set to reveal that David Beckham and his manager Simon Fuller have the option to buy the Los Angeles Galaxy when the midfielder’s contract expires after the 2011 season, according to the Associated Press. Beckham will be the subject of one of the news show’s profiles, scheduled to air […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
A Rome Derby to Remember for the Right Reasons
Wednesday night’s Rome derby could go down in history as one of the friendliest ever between bitter rivals Roma and Lazio, says the Guardian’s Paolo Bandini — and it was another great game, to boot. With Roma still chasing after league leader Inter Milan and Lazio inching closer toward a spot in Europe, this was […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The U.S. men, who already clinched a spot in next summer’s Olympic Games with their 3-0 semifinal win over Canada, aim for the U-23 Concacaf title when they meet Honduras in the final on Sunday. Games of various European league leaders are on slate this weekend: Inter Milan, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid. Among the EPL televised action is the clash between second-place Arsenal and third-place Chelsea on Sunday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS offers Direct Kick Package again
[TV] The MLS Direct Kick Television Package, available on DIRECTV and DISH Network and digital cable provider iN DEMAND Networks, will offer up to 115 games for $79.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Crossing the line – or not
[REF WATCH] Two weeks after FIFA scrapped further experimentation with goal-line technology — President Sepp Blatter claiming it couldn’t find an accurate method of checking whether a ball crosses the goal line — Eintracht Frankfurt beat Energie Cottbus with a goal that TV replays appeared to show shouldn’t have been awarded.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
REPORT CARD: Adu is head of class
[USA-CANADA GRADES] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. U-23 players in their 3-0 win over Canada in Olympic qualifying on Thursday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA hits right notes in Nashville for Beijing Ticket
Duly, but certainly not dully, did the U.S. under-23 team qualify for the 2008 Olympics Thursday night in Nashville, the City of Music, by composing and playing a tune its rivals appreciated but never matched in tempo or timbre. Every member joined in to play melodic passages, and with a pair of Freddy Adu free kicks and a stirring, sweeping movement that Sasha Kljestan ended with a sharp, stinging arpeggio did the USA beat Canada, 3-0, to confirm its August reservation in China.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I think Freddy is starting to realize not only his potential, but starting to see the things that we’ve been talking about for the last three or four years. … I did understand from the beginning that for a young man like Freddy at that time it was a little difficult for him to understand the bigger picture. I think he’s started to believe not only what I’ve been saying; he’s started to believe in his ability to change the game.”
— U.S. U-23 coach Peter Nowak on Freddy Adu, who scored twice in the USA’s 3-0 win over Canada that qualifed the USA for the 2008 Olympic Games. Nowak was Adu’s coach at D.C. United during Adu’s first three seasons of pro ball.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
International Soccer Weekend TV Schedule
Easter Sunday features two big matches in England: Chelsea-Arsenal and Manchester United-Liverpool. In Italy, leader Inter Milan hosts Juventus on Saturday. For televised weekend international action …
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
MLS Clubs March into Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinals
MLS champion Houston joined D.C. United in the semifinals of the 2008 Concacaf Champions Cup thanks to a 3-1 win over Guatemala’s Municipal on Wednesday. Like United against Harbour View on Tuesday, Houston only put its rival away with a strong second half at home. Both the Dynamo and D.C. showed with their second-half performances […]