Are you sick yet of swooning commentators at Euro 2008 grandly pronouncing that Cristiano Ronaldo is The Best Player In The World? Bored with all the media speculation about his possible multi-zillion dollar transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid? At least Czech coach Karel Brueckner offered a more sensible perspective after Ronaldo helped to […]
Monthly Archives: June 2008
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The Pros And Cons Of Scolari
It seems there’s no getting away from the big rich clubs of the Premier League, even during an international tournament without England’s participation. Just hours after Portugal had impressively beaten the Czech Republic and become the first team to qualify for the Euro 2008 quarterfinals, Chelsea announced that it had lured the team’s coach, Luiz […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS TV Schedule
Houston hosts New England in MLS’s Thursday night game. For all the week’s MLS TV action. …
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Euro 2008: Host Failure No Big Deal
Yesterday the Swiss joined Belgium in a select category of soccer failures: host nations of a major tournament that failed to get past the first round. Belgium screwed up in the 2000 Euro tournament, and it is possible that the “failed host” category will expand to three today – with the co-host of Euro 2008, Austria, sharing the unenviable honor if it fails to beat Poland.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
CORRECTION: U.S. Open Cup Results
The USL-1 Atlanta Silberbacks beat the Austin Aztex on penalty kicks in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. The Portland Timbers were the only USL-1 team to lose, falling to Hollywood United, 3-2. Former Timber Matt Taylor scored two penalty kicks for Hollywood United. Its president is Anthony LaPaglia, the star of the television series Without a Trace. For the first-round results and second-round schedule …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Beckham’s rough week: banged by basketball & frightened by fan
[VIDEO] David Beckham, who has become an L.A. Lakers fan and hangs out with Kobe Bryant, hasn’t fared so well actually playing basketball. The Galaxy midfielder suffered a cut on his nose playing with his 9-year-old son, Brooklyn. While appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Beckham explained, “I was playing basketball with my eldest son [and he] threw the ball at the net and it bounced off the ring and smacked me in the face.” Beckham also recounted his fears when a fan charged toward him on the field during last weekend’s MLS game.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Concacaf Champions League Draw
[DATEBOOK] Four teams from MLS and the USL-1 will compete in the preliminary round of the new Concacaf Champions League. Eight teams will qualify for the group stage, where they will join eight seeds, including the MLS champion Houston Dynamo and D.C. United.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
EURO ’08: Portugal books quarterfinal spot
[PORTUGAL-CZECH REP. REPORT CARD] Portugal broke open a tight game just after the hour mark with a superb Cristiano Ronaldo finish and added a clinching goal by Ricardo Quaresma in stoppage time to beat Czech Republic, 3-1, Wednesday and earn a spot in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals. A powerful Libor Sionko header tied the game nine minutes after Deco scored during a scramble in the eighth minute. Petr Cech punched away a Ronaldo drive and both Milan Baros and Sionko were a yard shy of turning a Tomas Ujfalusi flick into the net before Deco played a square ball that Ronaldo lashed into the net from just inside the box. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
EURO ’08: Turks eliminate the Swiss
[SWITZERLAND-TURKEY REPORT CARD] Turkey rallied on a rain-sodden field to eliminate one of the hosts, 2-1, with second-half goals by Arda Turan and substitute Semin Senturk after Hakan Yakin had pushed home a puddle-slowed service from Eren Derdiyok for a 1-0 halftime lead. The Swiss succumbed to the roars of their fans to push forward despite a tie being enough to keep alive their hopes of advancing. Those hopes died when right back Hamit Atintop‘s long ball led to Arda’s deflected shot beating keeper Diego Benaglio. Switzerland is out because it has lost to both of the teams, Czech Republic and Turkey, that it could tie for second place with three points. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Fans not convening so much in Geneva
[OFF THE POST/EURO 2008] While Dutch and Italians fans swarmed to Bern to the delight of businesses in the Swiss capital, it hasn’t been so festive in Geneva, where food stall operators who paid $35,000 for restaurant spots near the Fan Village have threatened to strike because promises of 20,000 visitors per day have gone unrealized. Moreover, heavy rains flooded much of the Bout-du-Monde camp site, which lost electricity after a couple of Polish fans short-circuited the power supply while trying to recharge a camera.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Youth Soccer State Champions
State championship play is winding down as the U.S. Youth Soccer’s regionals are set to begin next week. Beadling Soccer Club, whose roots date back to 1898, won nine of 12 titles in the Pennsylvania West upper-age divisions. For all the state champions …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“This is not the opera, this a soccer game. I know we’re in Austria but please don’t ask me these questions. This is for kids magazines or metalheads, not for the day before a match and plus I already answered it yesterday from one of your Bulgarian colleagues.”
— Croatia coach Slaven Bilic gets testy after a reporter, because Bilic plays in a band and writes music, asked him to make a comparison between the German team, which Croatia plays Thursday, and a style of music. (AFP)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S under-20 women’s national team roster
The U.S. under-20 women’s national team is in Park City, Utah, for the final training camp before it heads to Puebla, Mexico, for the Concacaf qualifying tournament for this fall’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile. For the 24-player roster …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Euro ’08 TV Schedule
Euro ’08 continues on the ESPN family of networks with coverage beginning at 11:50 am and 2:30 pm ET. In addition to game coverage, ESPN2 also offers extensive studio analysis, featuring its ESPN axis to break down key plays.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Quick Word Better Than Red Cards
There were seven red cards in three Major League Soccer games last Saturday, but were they all necessary? Andrew Hush picks up on the “innocuous” spat between D.C. United’s Marcelo Gallardo and Chicago’s Brandon Prideaux as an example of at least two cards that could have been avoided with a little common sense. “Television […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Struggling Rochester Sneaks Through In Open Cup
Remember when people were talking about Rochester as a viable location for a Major League Soccer franchise? This year has seen the United Soccer Leagues Division One team experience insolvency, the loss of its stadium to the city and a rebirth with a shortened name. On Tuesday, the Rhinos barely edged past an amateur team […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
How Deep Is The Dutch Promise?
It’s not the first time in soccer history that the world has been seduced by a wonderful Dutch team. Monday’s 3-0 victory over Italy has prompted many to recall the Dutch team featuring its current coach, Marco van Basten, and LA coach Ruud Gullit, that won the European Nations’ Cup 20 years ago. Or, on […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
EPL Chairman’s ‘Foreigner’ Comments Should Prompt Debate
English Premier League Chairman Sir David Richards’ position may be in some doubt after he admitted in Dubai that England’s failure to qualify for the current European Championship was because “we’ve been a bit lazy in the Premier League over the years. We created a system of academies and every club spends about £3 million […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
U.S. Opponent Barbados Downed By Lowly Bermuda (Twice)
The United States already had little to fear from its World Cup 2010 qualifying round games against Barbados over the coming two weekends. Now that its opponent has lost twice to lowly Bermuda these past few days, it should have even fewer concerns about progressing to the semi-final group phase. In the first game […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Open Cup Results
First-round play began Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup. For all the results and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Ruud’s goal: A rotten decision
I’d better begin this one with a disclaimer: I think the Italians played poorly against the Netherlands on Monday, and were soundly beaten by a better team. But … Ruud van Nistelrooy’s obviously offside goal for the Netherlands should not have been allowed.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
EURO ’08: Swedes down defensive Greeks
[SWEDEN-GREECE REPORT CARD] Defending champion Greece and Sweden appeared to be headed to a 0-0 tie when Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first international goal for more than two and a half years with a brilliant individual effort and minutes later Petter Hansson added a second goal on a scramble on the Greek goal line to give the Swedes a 2-0 win. Soccer America’s Paul Kennedy grades the players.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I never thought I would be at the Euro. My first concerns were my health and return to playing soccer. Playing at the Euro is just a bonus.”
— Croatian Ivan Klasnic, who is set to become the first player to see action in a European Championship after a kidney transplant. The striker, who hopes to play in Croatia’s game against Germany on Thursday, suffered kidney failure in January 2007 and received a new kidney, which his body rejected. A second transplant, donated by his mother, proved successful and he saw action for Werder Bremen nine months later. (AP)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
The best and worst of Euro ’08
With the end of Matchday 1, we take a look at the best and worst of Euro ’08, on the field and off. The best and worst games, teams, players, newcomers and TV moments.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Expect goals from Austria!
[OFF THE POST] After European Championship host Austria opened with a 1-0 loss to Croatia, Vienna brewery Ottakringer offered a life-time supply of beer to any Austria player who scores in its next two group games, against Poland and Germany.