[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions. This week’s positions include U.S. Soccer’s Director of Coaching Education. They also include college coaching and youth soccer opportunities.
Monthly Archives: June 2008
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Germany-Turkey semi highlights nations’ links
[EURO 2008] More than 2.5 million people with Turkish heritage live in Germany, prompting German leaders to turn Wednesday’s semifinal (ESPN, 2:30 pm ET) into a German-Turkish Friendship Day. Two of Turkey’s stars were born and raised in Germany. And Germany coach Joachim Loew had two stints in Turkey early in his career.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
All Quiet On The Korean Front
North played South Korea in Seoul in a World Cup qualifier at the weekend, but with both teams already qualified for the next round, there was nothing at stake and the game ended 0-0. Perhaps more importantly, there were no diplomatic incidents. North Korea’s striker Jong Tae-Se, christened the ‘North Korean Wayne Rooney’ by […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘Brave Changes’ Helped T&T Past Bermuda
Trinidad & Tobago’s Colombian coach, Francisco Maturana, might have been advised to head straight back to South America if he hadn’t steered the Caribbean nation past Bermuda in Sunday’s second leg of their World Cup qualifying second-round series. As it turned out, his team overturned the shock first-leg 2-1 deficit with a comfortable 2-0 road […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
European Agents Using MLS As A Bargaining Chip
Did anyone pay too much heed to last week’s story that Ronaldinho may, at some point, have been negotiating a multi-million dollar deal with the LA Galaxy? As Greg Lalas writes, “the whole episode smacked of agent-team gamesmanship.” The reported possible $50 million a year deal for the 28-year-old Brazilian was “simply too symmetrical” […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Turkey’s Englishman Pinpoints Lack Of Home Technique
With England having failed to qualify for Euro 2008, its press has been eager to pick up on any stories with an English connection. One has been Big Phil’s move from Portugal to Chelsea, announced mid-tournament. Another has been the progress of Turkey’s adopted Englishman, Colin Kazim-Richards, whose roster selection was aided by a Turkish-Cypriot […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Don’t Call Me ‘Big Phil’
Nicknames have been a part of sports for as long as balls have been thrown, hit or kicked. In Philip Roth’s Great American Novel, about a traveling baseball team, one novice player begs to have a nickname so that he can feel truly accepted among the senior players. Much to his fury, they oblige by […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
‘Since you beat us, join us’
[REF WATCH/EURO 2008] After English referee Howard Webb‘s stoppage time penalty-kick call against Poland yielded death threats blamed on a provocative statement from Poland’s Prime Minister, some Polish fans responded more civilly. They’ve started a drive to grant Webb Polish citizenship, which would disqualify him from ever reffing a Poland game again.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Is nothing sacred in Sao Paulo?
[OFF THE POST] Gun-point robberies are no rarity in Sao Paulo, whose crime situation is deemed “critical” by the Overseas Security Advisory and a majority of residents say they don’t feel safe when walking the streets. Even O Rei Pele – three-time world champion and an officially declared national treasure of Brazil – has fallen victim. In an incident made public on Sunday, Pele waited at a congested traffic light in the passenger seat of his car as 10 masked youths, armed with guns and pocket-knives, demanded he turn over his possessions.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Scoring, not staff changes, concern Clavijo
Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo isn’t concerned with the departure from his staff of assistant coach John Murphy, who had worked with him together not only in Colorado but during Clavijo’s prior tenure with the New England Revolution. He is worried, however, about his team squandering scoring chances.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bocanegra landing in France
[AMERICANS ABROAD] U.S. national team captain Carlos Bocanegra has signed with French First Division club Rennes. The defender underwent a physical Tuesday and inked a three-year contract. Bocanegra, whose pro career started with the Chicago Fire in 2000, leaves English Premier League club Fulham, for which he played 116 EPL games since January 2004.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Scurry absent from Olympic roster
Goalkeeping didn’t cost the USA the championship at last year’s Women’s World Cup, but it sure caused quite a storm, one that head coach Pia Sundhage has already addressed in naming her 18-player squad for the Olympic Games women’s soccer tournament this summer. The absence of Briana Scurry will briefly roil the waters of controversy once again yet down the road, the other tough decisions Sundhage had to make will have much greater effect. She’s had to replace veteran Kristine Lilly, who is taking time off to have a baby, and midfielder Leslie Osbourne and defender Cat Whitehill, who both suffered ACL tears in their left knees in the past month.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Championships
Action continued Monday at the US Youth Soccer Region III Championships in Raleigh and Wilson, N.C., where quarterfinals took place in 10 divisions. Three boys teams and two girls teams from the local CASL program moved into the semifinals. Three boys teams and two girls teams from Dallas Texans Red also are still alive. For all the quarterfinal results …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships
Tuesday’s semifinal pairings at the US Youth Soccer Region II Championships in Rockford, Ill., include an U-19 showdown between youth teams representing MLS clubs Chicago and Kansas City. Scott Gallagher leads all boys clubs with five teams in the semifinals. On the girls side, Eclipse Select, the No. 1 team in the Soccer America Girls Top 25, has six teams still alive. FC Milwaukee Blue has six teams — two boys and four girls — in the semifinals. For all the semifinal pairings …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Nasri, ‘Next Zidane,’ headed to Arsenal?
[TRANSFER TALK] According to his own website, Samir Nasri, often called the next Zidane, completed the switch from French team Marseille to Arsenal of the English Premier League. The young French international, who made two substitute appearances during France’s Euro 2008 campaign, announced the move Monday, claiming he signed a four-year deal with the London club. Reports on the transfer fee range from $24 million-$32 million.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I am empty and tired. I need some time off, must recharge the batteries. Chapter closed, mission accomplished.”
— Austria coach Josef Hickersberger quit as Austria coach with six months left on his contract after accomplishing a first-round exit as host of Euro 2008. (BBC)
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Santino Speaks: Return from ‘Dark Place’
On June 3, about a week before he spoke publicly about his drug addiction to the Washington Post, D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta and I sat in the dugout at RFK Stadium. After being asked a few times to shed light on what he’d gone through — chronic abuse of opiates and the start of long road back — he agreed.
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Euro 2008 moves into the semifinal phase in the midweek and concludes with the final on Sunday. The first leg of the Copa Libertadores final is on Wednesday. In MLS’s Thursday night game, Houston hosts FC Dallas.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
South Africa Out Of Next African Nations Cup
Euro 2008 co-hosts Switzerland and Austria were ill-equipped to compete with Europe’s best teams and were deservedly dumped out in the first round. It’s continuing to look as though 2010 World Cup host South Africa will suffer the same fate. South Africa will not participate in the next African Nations’ Cup, due to take […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Galaxy Still The Entertainers
There were mainly low-scoring games in Major League Soccer this past week (only three out of nine games produced more than two goals), but the L.A. Galaxy, the league’s top scorers with 31 goals, continued to buck the trend by putting three past the Columbus Crew. It also conceded three to share the points, with […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
UEFA Wants Complete Control
The financial turnover of the European Championships is almost $2 billion, a 50 per cent increase over the previous tournament. And because the finals have become a “cash cow” for UEFA, European soccer’s governing body maintains strict control over all off-field aspects of the tournament by dictating events, rules and information, writes Peter Birrer in […]