“Yet another cameo of utterly bewitching football” from Spanish substitute Cesc Fabregas was the key to Spain’s 3-0 European Championship semifinal win over Russia, writes James Lawton. After all the pre-game talk of Russia’s canny Dutch coach Guus Hiddink and his midfield conjurer Andrei Arshavin, “Spain struck out for the destiny that they always believed […]
Monthly Archives: June 2008
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
English FA Bans Competitive U-8 Soccer
The English Football Association announced Friday that it will ban competitive soccer leagues for under-8s from next season in order to help improve skills and technique among young English players. FA officials said “the pressure to win leagues was more often for the satisfaction of parents and coaches than the children,” writes Anil Dawar. The […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Santino Speaks, Part II
This is the second installment of excerpts from a conversation with D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta on June 3, about five months after he completed a 90-day stay at a drug treatment facility in Southern California. Part I appeared in Monday’s edition of MLS Confidential, A feature on Quaranta’s addiction to pain pills and recovery appears in the July 2008 issue of Soccer America magazine.
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
ABC airs a doubleheader on Sunday: D.C. United vs. Los Angeles and the Euro 2008 Spain vs. Germany final.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Germany aims for fourth Euro crown
[EURO 2008 HISTORY] On Sunday, Germany makes its record sixth European Championship final appearance with the aim of lifting the title a fourth time. Germany faces Spain, which has reached its third final after one title and one runner-up finish. For European Championship final history …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
EPL picks youngster to man the middle
[REF WATCH] The English Premier League will feature a collection of new faces when the 2008/2009 season begins in August. At age 25, Stuart Attwell is set to be the youngest referee in the history of the league.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Soccer fans shun Vienna’s high culture
[OFF THE POST] Before Euro 2008 started, Viennese government officials saw the tournament as a chance to showcase the city’s high culture. Soccer fans could wander amongst the famous artwork hanging in the Albertina or maybe catch a performance at the Vienna Opera House before watching the evening’s games. But museum officials are lamenting low crowds and a ballet scheduled on the day of the final was canceled.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Arsenal wants $46 million from Milan for Togo striker
[TRANSFER TALK] Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor appears to have more than one foot in Italy, as his agent, Vincenzo Morabito, has claimed that his proposed move to AC Milan is “70-80 percent done.”
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS TV Schedule
ABC, prior to airing the Euro 2008 final on Sunday, features the league’s highest scoring teams with the D.C. United-Los Angeles clash. .. Colorado looks for its second road win of the season in Columbus. … Toronto FC and New England meet for the first time in 2008. … Real Salt Lake takes a five game unbeaten streak to struggling Kansas City. … Chicago hopes to end a three-game losing streak win it hosts San Jose. … The Red Bulls travel to Chivas USA, whose midfielder Sacha Kljestan has already matched his five goals of 2007. … For all the MLS action and the television schedule …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
One more tie in Texas
These are the ties that try men’s souls, especially Houston coach Dominic Kinnear
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“Germany is Germany and they seem to win against whoever they play. Let’s see if they let us play, but it is very difficult for any team against us, especially when we add pace to our game.”
— Spain coach Luis Aragones, whose team beat Russia, 3-0, on Thursday to send it into the Euro 2008 final against Germany, which will be broadcast live on Sunday by ABC at 2:30 pm ET. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Lippi returns as coach of World Cup champions
[ITALY] Marcello Lippi has said he at times regretted quitting as Italy national team coach after leading the Azzurri to the 2006 World Cup title. He’ll now get the chance to lead Italy again after being reappointed as national team coach following the dismissal of Roberto Donadoni.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Spain cruises past Russia
[SPAIN-RUSSIA REPORT CARD] Despite losing top tournament scorer David Villa to a muscle strain in the first half and a poor showing by forward partner Fernando Torres, Spain pumped in three goals while smothering Russia to win, 3-0, in Vienna to book a final date with Germany on Sunday (2:30 pm ET on ESPN). Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
D.C.-L.A. Showdown Promises Goal Feast
Let’s be honest, it’s not every weekend that you look at Major League Soccer’s schedule and are struck by the prospect of a can’t-miss game. But this Sunday’s clash between the league’s top two scorers, the L.A. Galaxy and D.C. United, promises to be something more than your average MLS fare. With over 32,000 tickets […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Adu Out Of The Spotlight, But In The Team
He no longer attracts a fraction of the media attention of four years ago, but that’s fine with Freddy Adu as he continues to slowly establish himself as a regular on the U.S. national team roster. Looking back on his early days in MLS, he concedes it was “hard” to be young and creative in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Platini Moots August Date For Euros
UEFA President Michel Platini has mooted the idea of playing the European Championships in August, so that players taking part are less exhausted after a 10-month season. “I’ve already proposed the idea of playing in August when the players have had a holiday,” he told the French daily. “But it would need the agreement […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
UEFA Could Face Compensation Claims Over Lost TV Coverage
Most soccer fans will remember the Germany-Turkey game not just for its high entertainment, but also because the international TV audience lost pictures of the game three times for a total of 18 minutes during the second half, missing two goals in the process. For older U.S. viewers it must have been like watching in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Turkey Downed By Lahm And Luck
The media consensus is that brave Turkey outplayed Germany in Wednesday’s European Championships semifinal, and that the Germans were lucky to come away with the 3-2 win. Paul Doyle writes effusively that Turkey eschewed the tactics of sitting deep and playing long, as they did against the Czech Republic, and instead “sought to dominate every […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Spain vs. Russia Part II
[EURO 2008] The second semifinal in Euro 2008 (ESPN2, 2:30 pm ET) offers an intriguing rematch between two teams that met in group play 16 days ago. In that clash, David Villa scored the tournament’s only hat trick as Spain defeated the Russians, 4-1. But Russia bounced back in a big way, thanks much to the return of its star playmaker.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
TV viewers robbed of semifinal drama
[EURO 2008] Only Swiss TV and Qatar-based Al-Jazeera broadcast the entire Germany win over Turkey from Switzerland while TV viewers around the world missed as much as 25 minutes of action, including the crucial second-half goals.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Guzan may yet land in England
[MLS] Aston Villa could sign Brad Guzan during the European transfer period this summer, even though it failed to acquire him via appeal last winter and must wait 12 months before utilizing that process again. How so?
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. World Cup vets headed to MLS?
[MLS] After Brian McBride, the list of American national team players who might leave Europe for MLS this summer is a rather short one but includes a pair of his fellow World Cup vets.