"The inquiries from other clubs make me a little proud, but next season I’m definitely staying at Hoffenheim." Former St. Louis striking sensation Vedad Ibisevic, 24, who has scored 17 goals in 15 games for Bundesliga leader TSG Hoffenheim this season, pledges his immediate future to the team. The interest has reportedly come from Arsenal, […]
Monthly Archives: December 2008
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Man City Offered $189 Million For Casillas, Agent Says
The agent of Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, 27, has told Spanish radio that Manchester City, owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, has made a $189 million bid for the player, offering him an annual salary of $16.4 million.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Bulgaria Sacks Coach Markov
The Bulgarian FA (BFU) announced Tuesday it has fired national team coach Plamen Markov, 51, after a poor start to the country’s World Cup qualifying campaign. Markov had taken the team over in January. "Plamen Markov was dismissed unanimously," BFU President Borislav Mihailov told journalists. He did not announce a successor, but said that the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
An American Idol In Chile
One of the emerging stars of the U.S. women's team at the U-20 World Cup in Chile is Alex Morgan, 19, who has scored three goals so far to help her country into Thursday's semifinal against Germany. "Whenever the USA goal-getter takes possession, Chile's stadiums erupt with anticipation," according to the world governing body's official […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Osorio Planning For 2009
RB New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio plans to coach the team next season, writes Frank Giase, and is already working on the shape of his 2009 roster. Reaching MLS Cup last month is allowing him no room for complacency. "When you achieve something good, you cannot just rest on your laurels and think the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Gazidis Leaves A Gap
The departure of Deputy MLS Commissioner Ivan Gazidis will leave a huge gap in the organization, writes Andrea Canales. Gazidis, unlike many of the league's functionaries, is an out-and-out soccer man who can crunch numbers but also knows the game and the league inside out. While Commissioner Don Garber was a good appointment for the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
More Doubts About The $40 Million Expansion Fee
The global recession could be causing the Vancouver Whitecaps and five other ownership groups bidding for two Major League Soccer franchises to re-consider the $40 million franchise fee that MLS is demanding, writes Bruce Constantineau. He quotes a Sports Business Journal report this week as saying that the Vancouver group won't fully commit to the […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The USA’s semifinal match against Germany at the U-20 Women’s World Cup airs live on Thursday online at ESPN360.com and same-day-delayed on Galavision. Mexican league semifinals, first-leg games air Wednesday and Thursday.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
SCOREBOARD: NAIA Women’s National Championship
Trinity Christian of Illinois pulled the biggest upset of the day at the NAIA Women’s National Championships with a 1-0 win over No. 7 seed Cal Baptist in Daytona Beach, Fla. Freshman Allison Doyle scored less than two minutes into the contest for the Trolls, who are making their first ever appearance in the nationals. They are the only lower seed in this year’s tournament to defeat a higher seed. For all the results and goal scorers …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
SCOREBOARD: NAIA Men’s National Championship
Unseeded Bethel (Tenn.) defeated No. 12 seed Southern Nazarene, 2-0, on goals by Dawyne Smith and Felix Obilo and moved into the quarterfinals of the NAIA Men’s National Championships. No. 7 seed Notre Dame (Ohio) lost to No. 10 Maine-Fort Kent in a shootout after their game ended in a 2-2 tie. For all the first-round results and quarterfinal schedule …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
TOURNAMENT WATCH: Westmont story continues
The feel-good story of the 2008 postseason continued Tuesday as Westmont advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Men’s National Championships with a 1-0 win over Baker. While the Warriors were competing in Fresno, Calif., school resumed Monday for the first time since last month’s Tea Fire burned parts of the Montecito campus, destroying eight buildings and 15 faculty homes and leaving more than 60 students, faculty and staff without homes.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
UPDATE: Zips’ backers are steaming
Akron, Ohio, is best known as the home of NBA star LeBron James, but they also take their soccer seriously in the Rubber City. The University of Akron’s elimination from the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament following the decision of the NCAA to move its third-round game from Akron’s Lee Jackson Field to Northwestern has the Zips’ faithful steaming.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MORNING BRIEFING: Injury jinx hits
A rash of injuries to star players has impacted the men’s soccer season like none other in recent memory. The most notable injury was a knee injury 2007 Hermann Trophy winner O’Brian White is reported to have suffered playing for Connecticut — an injury that could impact his value in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. But other college stars have also been affected.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“This needs to be investigated. We don’t know if the product was past its sell-by date of if somebody put something intentionally in the juice.”
— Pedro Nelson Fleitas, coach of relegation-threatened Paraguyan club 3 de Febrero after seven of his players were struck with food poisoning that was blamed on a juice drink mixed with vitamins before a 4-1 loss to Guarani. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
What’s a good keeper worth?
[MLS] About an hour before MLS Cup 2008 kicked off at Home Depot Center, San Jose keeper Joe Cannon confirmed he’d been informed by Quakes management the option on his contract wasn’t being picked up for 2009.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MVP Schelotto stays with the Crew as new DP
[MLS] 2008 MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the key to Columbus’ MLS title win, will be returning to Columbus, which has elevated the Argentine to Designated Player status. That enables it to pay him a reported salary of $650,000, nearly twice as much as his 2008 earnings. For a history of MLS’s DPs …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Burnley knocks young Arsenal out the League Cup
[ENGLAND] Burnley knocked Arsenal’s teenage team out of the English League Cup at the quarterfinal stage. Derby County also reached the semifinal.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS starts earlier in 2009 & juggles international conflicts
[MLS] March 19 isn’t the earliest starting date for an MLS season. It’s not even in the top two. Still, it’s 10 days earlier than the 2008 season, and the third earliest in league history. Only the 1998 (March 15) and 2000 (March 18) seasons got underway prior to the 2009 campaign, which will be the first that league officials make significant concessions to the FIFA international match calendar, though details of those arrangements have yet to be confirmed.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Lilly set for international return
[U.S. WOMEN] Kristine Lilly, the world’s all-time cap leader with 340 international appearances, is set to make her first appearance for the USA in 2008 when the USA faces China in a pair of games, Dec. 13 at the Home Dept Center in Carson, Calif., and Dec. 17 at Ford Field in Detroit.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Soccer Job Openings
[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions. They include college coaching opportunities, as well as jobs in pro soccer, youth soccer, the soccer industry and television.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Politician Demands Cheaper Beer For Soccer Fans
"When will Premier League football clubs learn to stop taking the loyalty of their fans for granted?" Don Foster, the Culture, Media and Sports spokesman for the UK's Liberal Democrat Party, complains that soccer clubs over-charge for beer in stadiums compared with pub prices.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Riquelme In Trouble Over Goal Celebration
"In principle he has violated two rules. One which concerns affecting the progress of the match and another which concerns inciting disorder. We have to verify the motive and the gestures." Argentine Public Prosecutor Luis Cevasco is studying the goal celebration of Boca Juniors' Juan Roman Riquelme, who after scoring the winning goal against Racing […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Cristiano Ronaldo: Why I Handled
“[Wayne] Rooney knocked in a corner, I jumped and that was when I heard a shout from [City defender Micah] Richards and simultaneously the sound of a whistle. At that moment I was convinced that the referee had whistled for a foul. I stopped trying to head the ball and score a goal, and I […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ferguson: ‘Big Four’ Will Take It To The Wire
"In the past, it's always come down to two teams, but I don't think that'll be the case this season — I expect the 'big four' to take it right to the wire." Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson predicts an exciting finish to the Premier League.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Nothing To Robinho Comments, Says Hughes
"Some of the comments were taken in isolation and sound a little bit damning. But when you see the full interview and the tone in which it was given, I don't think people should place much emphasis on it." Manchester City manager Mark Hughes excuses his Brazilian striker Robinho for saying that when it comes […]