Mike Woitalla reports from Havana
Walking down one of Havana’s longest streets, the Calle Infanta, I’m approached by man in a worn-out striped polo shirt who asks where I’m from. After I answer he says, in a friendly way, “You must come with me.” We walk past one of the street vendors who refills disposable lighters, then take a right turn toward the University of Havana and enter a stylish cafe. “This is where Fidel Castro and Che Guevara discussed many important things,” says my new tour guide, Victor. While now ailing, Fidel still has strong views, in particular on the state of Cuban sports.
Monthly Archives: September 2008
USA is motivated by Saturday’s historic Cuba clash in Havana
On Thursday evening, the U.S. national team arrived at the Hotel Melia Cohiba, two blocks from Havana’s charming Malecon, the four-mile waterfront walkway. Before heading for the team dinner, Coach Bob Bradley discussed the significance of Saturday’s Cuba-USA game (TV: ESPN Classic & Galavision, 8 pm ET). “I don’t think there’s extra pressure,” he said, “but we do understand the fact that this game will bring extra attention.”
MAKING A LIST: MLS international callups
There are 32 MLS players representing 12 clubs (all but Kansas City and San Jose) and playing for 15 national teams in World Cup 2010 qualifying during the double FIFA international fixture dates. Toronto FC will lose the most players for weekend league play — nine players!
What They’re Saying
“It’s win or win.”
— Cuba forward Jaime Colome on what his team must do Saturday when it faces the USA in World Cup 2010 qualifying. A second loss in two games at home would all but knock the Cubans out of contention. (AP)
Rocha Still Upset At Substitutions
FC Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha and his coach Schellas Hyndman had supposedly ironed out their differences last week after the Brazilian-born playmaker had shown he was upset at being so frequently substituted. Yet Rocha told Diego Aparicio Wednesday that he wonders whether or not he will get to play a full game this season. […]
South African Current Account Deficit Weakens Rand
South African imports rose “as the government stepped up spending on stadiums, roads and power plants as the country prepares to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.” The consequences include a current account deficit exceeding seven per cent for the fourth consecutive quarter, and a weakened rand. One analysts says the rand is “in big […]
The Man Behind The Message Board
Interview with Big Soccer founder Jesse Hertzberg.
Gray: MLS Is The Friendly League
San Jose midfielder and columnist Kelly Gray says that one of the great things about MLS is the camaraderie among players of different teams. Although he doesn’t mention if he’s yet spotted Dema Kovalenko and Ronnie O’Brien sharing a beer.
The Answer To MLS’s Crowded Schedule
“The league has fallen into the same trap as the Galaxy — trying to run before it can walk, trying to be global before it is even local.” Grahame L. Jones proposes easy solutions to Major League Soccer’s clogged schedule.
Tough Childhood Leaves Howard Fearing No Challenge
“Basketball is so awesome because you can influence the game, you get so many touches on the ball, and I miss that.” Michelle Kaufman interviews U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Turning Manchester City Into Its Own Reality Show
Dr. Sulaiman Al Fahim is the front man of Manchester City’s likely new owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group, and he has already mentioned the possibility of paying in the region of $250 million for Cristiano Ronaldo because City “is going to be the biggest club in the world.” Splashing out cash like that, writes […]
Open Cup Pits Minor Versus Major
That “great little competition,” the U.S. Open Cup, produced a dandy final Wednesday night when D.C. United topped the USL’s Charleston Battery 2-1 at RFK Stadium, writes Steve Davis. “The home team prevailed in a classic clash of a splashy MLS side against a smaller but impressive USL outfit, one that gave Tom Soehn’s home […]
Portland Launches MLS Bid
Merritt Paulson launched his plan Wednesday for bringing MLS to Portland, Ore. It involves a $75 million project to take the Portland Beavers baseball team out of PGE Park and into a new stadium, while converting PGE Park into a soccer facility. Where would the cash come from? Paulson, who owns both the minor […]
Schmid: MLS Rosters Need More Depth
The top two teams in MLS will meet at Crew Stadium this weekend when Columbus hosts the New England Revolution. Shawn Mitchell generously labels it “the most anticipated Major League Soccer game of the week, perhaps even the season,” although New England, who will head to Ohio trying to forget the 4-0 home spanking by […]
What They’re Saying
“We’re not asking for anything for free, [but] the kids we serve aren’t exactly upper-middle-class kids.”
— Irene Chavez, treasurer of the the Anaheim (Calif.) Soccer Club, after the local school district said that it would cost the club $60,000 to use fields for a whole season under a new fee schedule. Before this year, leagues paid $20 permit fees to use the fields. Both parties hoped to reach a compromise. (Orange County Register)
Top-ranked boys prep team slumps
Raleigh (N.C.) Broughton High School, the top-ranked boys team in the 2007 NSCAA/adidas High School National Rankings, had its 54-game unbeaten ended when it lost to Roberson, 1-0, on Saturday in a battle of North Carolina prep powers at the Mellow Mushroom Tournament in Boone.
Cal South star signs with Mexico’s Tigres
Oscar Lopez, who played for Cal South at the 2008 U.S. Youth Soccer ODP National Championships, has left his home in West Covina, Calif., to join Tigres of the Mexican First Division.
RISING STAR: Chivas USA’s Omar Becerra
Omar Becerra joined the Chivas USA U-18 team through Sueno MLS, a program that offers a series of open tryouts for professional soccer hopefuls. Becerra traveled three times a week from his home in San Diego, where he has a young daughter and attended an alternative high school, to Bell Gardens, a community about five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, where Chivas practiced.
Meet the new U.S. U-17 residents
The U.S. under-17 national team staff has recruited one of the largest incoming classes in the history of the residency program, which was launched in 1999. Here’s a look at the new players …
U.S. U-17 boys residency program adds 17 new players
In a shakeup of the U.S. under-17 national team residency program, Coach Wilmer Cabrera and his staff have brought in 17 new players for the 2008 fall semester of the 40-player program in Bradenton, Fla. For the complete roster …
MORNING BRIEFING: UConn gets scare
No. 2 Connecticut’s high-powered attack went silent on Wednesday night. It needed an own goal in the 75th minute to beat Stony Brook, 1-0, in Storrs.
UPDATE: LSU forced to cancel tournament
LSU, No. 17 in the Soccer America Top 25, has had to cancel its Tiger Classic because the LSU Soccer Complex suffered considerable damage from Hurricane Gustav.
MORNING BRIEFING: Stanford freshmen are sensational
No. 6 Stanford is getting big play out of its freshmen. Teresa Noyola, considered one of the best playmakers to enter college in the last decade, is just one of three first-year players to have a big impact on the Farm.
SCOREBOARD: Soccer America Men’s Top 25
This weekend’s Men’s Top 25 action includes a pair of games involving top 10 teams — Indiana-South Florida at Notre Dame’s Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament Friday and California-SMU at the Cal Legacy Classic Sunday. For this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 results and schedules …
IN HER OWN WORDS: South Carolina’s Blakely Mattern
Blakely Mattern is the star of the South Carolina women’s defense that has yet to give up a goal in three games — marking the first time the Gamecocks have opened with three straight shutouts. Mattern, one of only four players to have played every minute of every game, was the 2007 SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. She recaps USC’s pre-season preparations and the excitement of opening the season and being introduced at halftime of the South Carolina-N.C. State football game before more than 80,000 fans.
