Monthly Archives: November 2008

The draws for the NCAA Division II and III Women’s Tournaments were held on Monday. Both tournaments begin with first- and second-round play this week. For the complete schedules …

AWARDS: Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week

Sophie Schmidt, the Canadian Olympian who led Portland to a 4-1 victory in a winner-take-all WCC match at San Diego, is the Soccer America Women’s Player of the Week. For all the Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week selections for games played Nov. 3-9 …

College Soccer Reporter, Story

MORNING BRIEFING: Powerhouses claim top seeds

by Paul KennedyNovember 11, 2008

Top-ranked Notre Dame (21-0-0) heads the 64-team NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament field. UCLA, Stanford and North Carolina, ranked 2-3-5 in the final Soccer America Women’s Top 25, are the other No. 1 seeds in one of the most competitive fields in women’s history. For all the tournament entrants and first-round schedule …

Scorer fined for handcuff celebration

[ENGLAND] Ipswich Town midfielder David Norris was fined by his club for celebrating a goal with a handcuff gesture that was interpreted as a dedication to his former teammate Luke McCormick, who is serving a prison sentence for killing two boys in a drunk-driving car accident on the way home from Norris’ wedding in June of 2007.

Players vs. Police

[OFF THE POST] A Bolivian Libertadores Cup qualifying game between Aurora and Wilstermann featured a players vs. police brawl that ignited after a dozen officers took to the field to remove red-carded Aurora defender Eduardo Zenteno. His teammates’ battle against the cops, summoned after Zenteno delayed his departure, included karate kicks and corner-flag swinging.

Jair Marrufo named MLS Ref of the Year

[MLS AWARDS] Jair Marrufo, one of the U.S. Soccer’s four full-time referees in the program launched last year, has been named 2008 MLS Referee of the Year. Kermit Quisenberry was named the MLS Assistant Referee of the Year.

Rapids to name Smith head coach

[MLS] The Colorado Rapids scheduled a press conference Tuesday to name their new head coach, which to the surprise of no one is interim head coach Gary Smith, who moved up from his position as assistant coach when Fernando Clavijo resigned in late August.

Poise, not just luck, carried Bulls to victory

by Ridge MahoneyNovember 11, 2008

[MLS] Houston coach Dominic Kinnear and his players are correct in saying they conjured up enough scoring chances to win most games in a stunning 3-0 playoff loss to New York at home Sunday, but left unsaid was the fact their finishing and/or the decisive touch just didn’t measure up that of a much more clinical opponent.

Charlie Davies finishes with 14 goals in Sweden

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Massachusetts product Charlie Davies, 22, scored both of Hammerby’s goals in a 5-2 loss at Norrkoping on the final day of the Swedish 2008 First Division season, giving him 14 goals to tie him with Helsingborgs IF’s Henrik Larsson for fourth place among the Allsvenskan’s leading scorers.

Soccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“How can it not make a difference? Now when you think of America, you don’t think George W. Bush or war. You think of this man, Obama, who has made history and given hope to millions. The men who vote on World Cup hosts are not immune to those same feelings. If the U.S. bid stacks up in terms of infrastructure and organization, then Obama could be a huge factor.”

— “A high-placed FIFA source” indicates that the election of Barack Obama increases the chances of the USA winning the bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. (Yahoo!Sports)

REPORT CARDS: Quarterfinal Leaders

[MLS] Dane Richards (New York Red Bulls) and Yura Movsisyan (Real Salt Lake) were the highest-rated players based on the grades of Soccer America editors during the MLS quarterfinals that concluded Sunday.

River claws a draw, Boca steals a win

by Ian PlenderleithNovember 11, 2008

[ARGENTINA] River Plate battled back from a three-goal deficit to claim a draw in Diego Simeone‘s final game as coach.

Soccer on TV., Story

Soccer on TV

MLS semifinal play kicks off Thursday as Columbus hosts Chicago with a trip to MLS Cup on the line. The other MLS Cup finalist will be determined on Saturday when Real Salt Lake hosts New York. The Mexican league’s weekend matches and the Fox Sports en Espanol weekend schedule will be updated in Friday’s Soccer on TV e-letter.

Hughes Gets City Vote Of Confidence

“We are calm and under control and we on the board have the highest regard for Mark. I am personally committed to him as I am committed to the partnership between executive chairman Garry Cook, Mark and myself. This is a winning team that is going through a learning curve right now.” Manchester City Chairman […]

Schmid: Let’s Fill This Stadium

“I’d like to see us fill this place on Thursday night. I’d really like to see it packed. As far as I know, there are not a lot of pro sports in Columbus. It has been a long time since there has been a [Columbus] professional sports team on the verge of winning a title. […]

Kinnear: Ref’s Angel Handshake Was Embarrassing

“I think he set the tone for the game when I saw how he approached our player before the game, their player before the game. I thought it was embarrassing. He’s having an argument with Kei [Kamara] before the game, then goes and practically hugs Juan Pablo Angel, almost sprints across the field to shake […]

The Sisyphean Struggle Of Chivas USA

“It’s pretty painful. We felt like we were always going uphill this year. You get the goal you need tonight [Saturday] and you just give it right back and you’re pushing that boulder up the hill again. It is a microcosm of our year.” Chivas USA striker Ante Razov reflects upon the his team’s season […]

Time To Seriously Improve MLS Officiating

“Every weekend… brings a frustrating, sometimes maddening level of sub par refereeing. The increasingly swell and swank grounds of MLS are fraught with lenient refereeing. When parlayed with routinely ineffective game management, it all serves to drag down the overall quality of the product.” Steve Davis calls for MLS to seriously address the standard of […]

Tycoon Behind Miami Bid Has Knack For Success

The businessman behind the bold bid to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Miami in collaboration with Spanish giant Barcelona “has an uncanny knack for pouncing on opportunities at just the right time and the ingenuity to carry out his ideas,” writes Michelle Kaufman, citing “those who know him best.” Bolivian native and South […]

Unbelievable Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake playmaker Javier Morales has done everything for his team this year, writes Michael Lewis: “Spearheaded the attack. Led the team in assists. Set up some of the biggest goals in franchise history.” On Saturday at Chivas USA it was logical that he would deliver the goal that sealed the team’s berth in […]

Wizards Concede That The Best Team Won

The Kansas City Wizards were gracious in defeat after falling 2-0 to the Columbus Crew Saturday and 3-1 overall in the Eastern Conference semifinal. “They’re a good team,” admitted Wizards’ goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. “There’s no bones about it. Maybe if we were able to come in with the goal advantage that we coughed up at […]

Of All The Lousy Luck

“The home-field edge, regular-season stats and vast playoff experience were rendered meaningless,” for the Houston Dynamo Sunday, writes Bernardo Fallas. All that was left for them to do was rue their bad luck. “I feel sick to my stomach,” said Dynamo Coach Dominic Kinnear. “I think it’s the most lopsided 3-0 loss I’ve ever seen […]

Team Play, Toughness And Scoring Goals