[WPS] With the end of the Olympic women’s soccer competition, plans for the 2009 launch of Women’s Professional Soccer begin in earnest. Within a month, U.S. national team and international stars will have been allocated. Among the players WPS is reported to be targeting is Brazilian superstar Marta of Swedish club Umea.
Monthly Archives: August 2008
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Supporting cast achieves gold
[ANALYSIS] With Mia Hamm and the other golden girls in retirement and Abby Wambach injured, the U.S. women’s national team didn’t have any big-name stars at the 2008 Olympics, but Coach Pia Sundhage put together a winning team with a collection of players who previously played supporting roles. Most notably, Angela Hucles, a reserve for much of her national team career, played every minute at the Olympics and finished as the top scorer on the tournament’s highest-scoring team. For complete player analysis …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“The sun and the weather year-round, I don’t really like. I prefer the East Coast, where it’s 100 degrees and humid right now. And in the winter I love the snow and the blizzards and all that. I’m crazy to be here. I don’t really understand why I’ve come here.”
— Bruce Arena, with only a tad of sarcasm, before his first game as coach of MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy. (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
What They’re Saying
“Vindicated? I feel great, I feel amazing. I just won a gold medal.”
— U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, who was dropped for last year’s semifinal game against Brazil at the Women’s World Cup — a 4-0 loss — after the 1-0 win over Brazil in the women’s soccer gold-medal game at the Olympics. (AP)
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Olympic Women’s Soccer History
For the second straight time, the USA, Brazil and Germany were 1-2-3 in Olympic women’s soccer. For all the medalists …
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Postgame from the Worker’s Stadium
[REACTION] The American players always believed in themselves, battling back from an opening game loss to Norway to run off five straight wins and win its third Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer.
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Olympic Women’s Soccer Scoreboard
Once again Germany came up short in Olympic women’s soccer. The two-time world champions had to settle for bronze for the third straight time. Germany beat Japan, 2-0, in Thursday’s bronze-medal game. For all the tournament results and goal scorers …
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Great effort from Lloyd and defense
[USA-BRAZIL REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performances in their 1-0 win over Brazil in Thursday’s gold-medal game …
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Women’s Gold-Medal Game Coverage
Americans good as gold, again
Whether the U.S. women are better, weaker or about the same without Abby Wambach is no longer relevant. By squelching Brazil, 1-0, in the Olympic gold-medal match Thursday to complete a run of five straight victories, they took a giant step away from the legacy of past U.S. teams and up to their own place in history.
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Olympic Soccer TV Schedule
Soccer action concludes with the men’s bronze-medal and gold-medal games. Complete soccer coverage is available on the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and online at nbcolympics.com. Check with your television provider for the availability of the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Getting ‘match fit’ the fun way
“Are you match fit?” The definition being, you are fit enough to play at a high pace for a full match.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Beckham Still Confident, Despite England’s Lame Performance
England struggled to snatch a tie in a friendly at home to the Czech Republic, but the eternally optimistic David Beckham believes his country is building up well to the start of World Cup qualifying. “You’ve got to believe it,” he said. Indeed you do.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Georgia Beat Weakened Wales
Georgia may be embroiled in a violent geo-political conflict with Russia, but at least its soccer side managed a win, albeit against a struggling Wales team in an exhibition game.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Johnson Set For Year’s Loan To Cardiff
Benched Fulham striker Eddie Johnson is to go on loan to Championship side Cardiff City for a year.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Dynamo On A Roll
“They are hot. They are healthy. They are rolling. They’re all that and then some,” writes Bernardo Fallas after watching the Houston Dynamo crush injury-hit Chivas USA with four first-half goals. Recent signing Kei Kamara scored twice “in what turned out to be a 4-0 rout of a Chivas USA team so depleted it could […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Warren’s Wait For A Win Finally Over
New England Revolution goalkeeper Doug Warren has been waiting a long time. Not just to get some Major League Soccer playing time ahead of first choice keeper Matt Reis, but to record an MLS win too. Keeping sticks for the Revs Wednesday in a 2-1 win over D.C. United, he finally managed both. Former United […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Bolt Not The Only Jamaican Achiever
While Jamaicans were celebrating Usain Bolt’s sprint gold medals at the Olympics, its soccer players embarked upon the semifinal stage of the country’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-1 tie in Canada. “We proved that [Jamaicans] are not only good at the 100 and 200 meters but at [soccer] as well,” joked Jamaican coach […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
USA Win All About The Fight And The Result
The USA’s World Cup semifinal qualifying round victory Wednesday will take no awards for beauty, but the result and the three points will more than compensate for the beautiful game’s absence in Guatemala City. All the talk post-game was about hard work and cohesiveness. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy one way or […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Refreshing The Rapids
There was a spring in the step of the Colorado Rapids’ players at training Wednesday following the “mutually amicable agreement” that lead to the departure of coach Fernando Clavijo, reports Brian Forbes. With interim coach Gary Smith in charge, the players “were physical, competitive and vocal.” “I’ve been in the situation three or four times, […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Young Seminoles regroup without Yamaguchi
[PRESEASON NO. 5] Losing players to the pros before their eligibility expires is common for major men’s programs. But Hermann Trophy winner Mami Yamaguchi’s decision to leave Florida State to play for Sweden’s Umea was a surprise. Even without the Japan international, the Seminoles have the talent to return to the College Cup for a fourth straight year.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Depth in numbers
[PRESEASON NOS. 6-25] After the big five is a quintet of women’s programs — Stanford, Virginia, Portland, Penn State and West Virginia — that have their sights set on reaching the 2008 Women’s College Cup in Cary, N.C.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Trio leads Notre Dame attack
[PRESEASON NO. 4] With the trio of Kerri Hanks, Brittany Bock and Michele Weissenhofer, Notre Dame again has the most dangerous threesome in women’s college soccer.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
UCLA becomes a College Cup regular
[PRESEASON NO. 3] UCLA’s 2007 postseason brought the disappointment of another Women’s College Cup collapse, but the Bruins, led by Olympians Lauren Cheney (USA) and Kara Lang (Canada), should return to the final four for a sixth straight year.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Carolina is loaded with national team talent
[PRESEASON NO. 2] It’s easy to forget just how young North Carolina’s 2006 national championship team was. Eight starters from that championship team return in 2008, including Olympian Tobin Heath and Casey Nogueira, one of four Tar Heels who represented the USA this summer in U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
USC has the players to repeat
[PRESEASON NO. 1] Amy Rodriguez parlayed a standout junior season for USC into a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. A-Rod leads a group of seniors who make the Women of Troy the favorites to repeat as national champions.