Al-Ahly of Egypt won the African Champions League Sunday, beating Coton Sport of Cameroon 4-2 on aggregate. It was a record-breaking sixth triumph for the club in the competition, and followed the Egyptian national team’s victory in the African Nations Cup at the start of the year. After winning the first leg 2-0 in Cairo […]
Monthly Archives: November 2008
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
When Busch Comes To Shove
It all went sour when the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year bumped into the MLS Coach of the Year following Thursday’s Eastern Conference playoff final. But then Chicago Fire stopper Jon Busch and his former coach, the Columbus Crew’s Sigi Schmid, have been at odds ever since Busch complained about the way Schmid traded him […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ugly Win Down To Luck And Passion
However you want to analyze the reasons why RB New York has made it to the MLS Cup final, there's no discounting a certain amount of good fortune. Even coach Juan Carlos Osorio acknowledged the role of divine intervention after its opponents, Real Salt Lake, hit the woodwork three times during Saturday's game. "We have […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Kreis Regrets Not Punishing ‘Negative’ NY
Salt Lake Coach Jason Kreis was a mixture of frustration and stoicism after his team’s 1-0 weekend defeat to New York in the Western Conference Final. On the one hand he’s been in the game long enough to know “that’s just how the game goes.” Referring to his team’s failure to convert pressure and chances […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Rough end to RSL dream
I have to say, right now I am most envious of Salt Lake City’s fans.
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
On Wednesday, the U.S. men (already assured of passage to the final-round phase of qualification play for the 2010 World Cup) hosts Guatemala . Also on Wednesday, the USA kicks off its Women’s U-20 World Cup campaign. Midweek international friendlies include Germany vs. England. On Sunday, Columbus battles New York for the MLS crown. The Mexican playoff schedule will appear in Friday’s Soccer on TV e-letter.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
SCOREBOARD: NCAA Division 2 & 3 Women
Unbeaten and untied Grand Valley State advanced in the NCAA Division II Women’s Tournament. Unbeaten Williams, Lynchburg, Messiah and Johns Hopkins moved into the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Women’s Tournament. For all the weekend results …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
SCOREBOARD: NCAA Division I Women
The four No. 1 and No. 2 regional seeds all moved into the third round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament. Top-ranked Notre Dame needed a late goal to beat Michigan State, 1-0, in the second round. Two other No. 1 seeds, North Carolina and Stanford, won their second-round games in convincing fashion. UCLA’s game against San Diego was postponed until Monday night because of the poor air quality in the Los Angeles area. For all the results and schedules …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MORNING BRIEFING: Unseeded teams make round of 16
Four unseeded teams remain alive after the first two rounds of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament. Minnesota, James Madison, Rutgers and Illinois all moved into next weekend’s round of 16 with upsets.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
SCOREBOARD: NCAA Division 2 & 3 Men
Top-ranked Lynn fell to Tampa, 3-2, in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Tournament on Sunday. Three unbeaten teams — Montclair State, Hobart and Trinity (Texas) — are still alive in the NCAA Division III Men’s Tournament. For all the weekend results …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
POLLS: Soccer America Men’s Top 25
Wake Forest is No. 1 in the final Soccer America Men’s Top 25 of the 2008 season. Creighton, Maryland, Akron and South Florida round out the top five. For this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 and last week’s results …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Men’s Conferences
Regular-season champions took it on the chin in men’s conference tournament action over the weekend. Unbeaten Wake Forest (3-2 loser in overtime to Virginia, which fell to Maryland, 1-0, in the ACC final) and Loyola (Md.) (1-0 loser to Fairfield in the MAAC final) were upset. Campbell had its 12-game winning streak snapped when it fell to Jacksonville, 4-3, in the Atlantic Sun final. The biggest surprise was UNC Greensboro’s victory in the Southern Conference. The No. 7 seed Spartans, who began the tournament with a 6-11-1 record, beat College of Charleston, 2-1, in the final. For all the results and all-tournament teams …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MORNING BRIEFING: Evaluating the men’s bubble teams
We don’t envy the NCAA Division I men’s soccer committee with its task of picking the at-large teams for the 2008 NCAA Division I Tournament — the 26 teams that will join the 22 conference champions. The rash of weekend upsets and number of low-ranked conference champions ate into the number of places available for at-large teams.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. products to face off in playoffs
[AMERICANS IN MEXICO] The quarterfinals of the Apertura 2008 include a faceoff between young American defenders Edgar Castillo (Santos) and Michael Orozco (San Luis). And on the last day of regular season play, Daniel Hernandez received his third red card of the season.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bocanegra vs. Adu
[AMERICANS IN FRANCE] Defender Carlos Bocanegra went the full 90 for Rennes as it won at home, 2-1, against Monaco, for which Freddy Adu was a a 69th minute sub.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Adu, Altidore called in for USA-Guatemala game
[USA ROSTER] U.S. coach Bob Bradley has called in Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore, two young Americans who are struggling for playing time with their European clubs, for the USA’s World Cup qualifier on Wednesday against Guatemala (ESPN Classic & Galavision, 8 pm ET) in Commerce City, Colo. The semifinal round qualifier has no implications for the USA, which has clinched passage to the final qualifying round. The Guatemalans, however, need a win.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
REPORT CARD: Real Salt Lake-New York Red Bulls
[MLS] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players’ performance in the New York Red Bulls’ 1-0 semifinal win at Real Salt Lake. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Red Bulls earn ticket to MLS Cup 2008
Maybe the gods of this game really are contrarians, as so often seems the case when one team plays the soccer and the other team gets the luck, when a fourth-year franchise playing just its fourth game in a new stadium packs the place yet sends a sellout crowd home unhappy. Reducing the Real Salt Lake-New York semifinal — won by the Red Bulls, 1-0, Saturday in a pulsating Rio Tinto Stadium — to that simple formula does an injustice to the resilient Red Bulls, scorers of an opportunistic goal in the 28th minute and stout fighters through numerous furious assaults.
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The Merlin of the Meadowlands
So the Amazins did it again. Don’t ask me how, their last two games have been played as though the players are enchanted, as though they’ve created a magic spell around their goalmouth, a spell with the power to repel the ball, to make sure it just will not go into the goal.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Colorado’s Jose Burciaga named Humanitarian of the Year
[MLS AWARDS] Colorado Rapids defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. is the is the recipient of the 2008 U.S. Soccer Foundation-MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“We have to congratulate all the guys and the posts. I have been disappointed sometimes with our luck. I think we got it today.”
— New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio, whose team reached MLS Cup 2008 with a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake, which hit the post three times. (New York Daily News)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
On-fire Ibrahimovic keeps Inter top
[ITALY] Inter stayed top thanks to a brace of cracking goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Kaka gave Milan a narrow win, and a single goal also decided the Rome derby.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Madrid loses, Barca opens up gap at top
[SPAIN] Barcelona opened up a three-point lead at the top of La Liga as Real Madrid fell to Real Valladolid and Valencia lost at home.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bradley blunts Bayern, Subotic sinks Frankfurt
[GERMANY] Michael Bradley scored his first Bundesliga goal as Borussia Moenchengladbach came back to hold Bayern Munich. Defender Neven Subotic scored a brace as Dortmund downed Frankfurt 4-0.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Villa upsets Arsenal, Redknapp’s run snapped
[ENGLAND] Brad Friedel and Aston Villa sprung the weekend’s big surprise with a 2-0 win at Arsenal, while Clint Dempsey helped Fulham break Harry Redknapp‘s unbeaten streak as Tottenham manager.