“I was just so angry at myself. For a little while, it was like I had no more hope. I worked so hard to get there, and then that happened. I learned the hard way that one dumb move can ruin everything. Something like that won’t happen again.”
— U.S. under-17 national team standout Carlos Martinez, who was dismissed from U.S. Soccer’s U-17 residency program in October for violating a team rule but invited back to the program in mid-January. (ESPN Soccernet)
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Landon Donovan scored on a header in Bayern Munich’s 2-0 friendly win over Second Division leader Kaiserslautern in front of 42,604 fans at Fritz Walter Stadium on Monday. It was his second goal in four exhibition appearances for Bayern, to which Donovan is on loan until March 15.
Catch the U-20 South American Championship all week long. Cup action continues with the English FA Cup. The U.S. men’s national team is back in action with a friendly against Sweden.
The SuperDraft annually reveals games within the game, moves that may interlock or interfere with others, perhaps logically, perhaps not.
Chivas USA coach Preki, to cite just one example, perplexed many of the “experts” attending the 2009 SuperDraft at the St. Louis Convention Center Thursday by passing on California goalkeeper Stefan Frei, whose Generation adidas status and exceptional college career triggered comparisons to 2005 Chivas USA rookie keeper Brad Guzan, now a U.S. national team player employed by English Premier League club Aston Villa.
[AMERICANS IN MEXICO] New Mexico product Edgar Castillo went the full 90 for Club America in a 2-1 win over his former club, Santos, in the first weekend of the Clausura 2009 championship.
[AMERICANS IN EUROPE] Title hopes for Rennes (Carlos Bocanegra) took a blow as its long undefeated streak ended. Brad Friedel helped keep Aston Villa near the top of the English Premier league. Landon Donovan made his third straight friendly game appearance for Bayern Munich. Oguchi Onyewu struck the wrong goal in Belgium. For a wrapup of Americans in Europe. …
The Scottish Premier League race tightened as Rangers moved to within one point of Celtic, which fell at Aberdeen, 4-2. In France, Lyon and Bordeaux remained 1-2, while Monaco suffered another embarrassing collapse, this time without Freddy Adu on the field. It was winning, 2-0, at Caen when it gave up two late goals and had to settle for a 2-2 tie. For all the results of the major European leagues and the first day of play in Mexico …
[ENGLAND] Chelsea remained in the Premier League race with a 2-1 win over Stoke City on goals by Juliano Belletti and Frank Lampard scored in the final four minutes, but the win was overshadowed by Didier Drogba‘s continuing absence from the lineup and the news that England midfielder Joe Cole will miss the remainder of the season after injuring his knee in Wednesday’s FA Cup replay against Southend United.
[ITALY] David Beckham‘s first home game for AC Milan could have been Brazilian star Kaka‘s last. With San Siro fans chanting for Kaka to stay, AC Milan beat Fiorentina, 1-0, on a goal by Alexandre Pato
[SPAIN] Barcelona became the first team to reach 50 points at the halfway point of La Liga season when it beat Deportivo Coruna, 5-0, on Saturday. Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi combined for all five goals to give them 41 of Barcelona’s 59 goals through 19 games.
“If Kaka is worth $150 million then [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Lionel Messi must be worth that, too. And as Cristiano has just been named World Player of the Year ahead of those two, you could say he is worth more – $180 million. There would be no chance of a deal, and that is the attitude of the owners even more than me. Cristiano is fully settled down here now.”
— Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson reiterates that his club won’t sell Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer ignores the global economic crisis. (goal.com)
How ironic that the David Beckham fiasco should have cost Alexi Lalas his job as the Galaxy GM. Ironic because these two guys have so much in common. Both of them players hyped way beyond what their talents merit. Both of them guys with charisma and sex appeal and marketability to spare. Both of them guys carefully put into prominent positions where they could help spread the gospel of American soccer and the MLS. And both of them making a dreadful hash of things.
[AWARDS] Roy Gordon, who just completed his 32nd season as the head coach of the University of Mary Washington men’s program he founded, received the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Honor Award, the association’s highest award. Jim Lennox, Bob Barry, Charlotte Moran and Peter Broadley were honored for their long-term contributions to soccer. Mike Pantalione of Yavapai College was recognized as Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his JC coaching career, For more on them and all the 2008 NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year awards …
[WPS] There were few surprises in Women’s Professional Soccer’s draft of college stars Friday in St. Louis. Amy Rodriguez and Megan Rapinoe, the only college seniors invited to the U.S. women’s national team camp that begins Tuesday at the Home Depot Center, were taken by Boston and Chicago, respectively, with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks. The two big names from previous U.S. national teams, Briana Scurry and Brandi Chastain, went to Washington in the fifth round and FC Gold Pride in the seventh round, respectively. For all the selections …
Various European leagues are in action during the weekend and the Mexican Clausura 2009 season opens.
(All times Eastern unless noted. TV programming is always subject to change. Check your local listings.)
EPL newcomer Hull City has signed Manchester United's Angolan striker Manucho, 25, on loan until the end of the season. It is hoping to secure a work permit for him in time to play against Arsenal Saturday.
“The owners feel that the manager’s decisions need to be subject to the chief executive. But I know that I am subject to results and to our fans and they are the best judges I will ever have.” Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez explains that having to be accountable to Chief Executive Rick Parry on playing […]
Liverpool has accepted a bid from Portsmouth for winger Jermaine Pennant, 26, the player surprisingly linked in recent weeks with both Real Madrid and AC Milan. He will discuss personal terms with the FA Cup holders "over the next few days," the Portsmouth website said.
“Today I have no desire to do any kind of fitness, like stand up on a line, race out and be timed. I still go out and run to stay healthy, but I also know when it really hurts, I can stop.” Mia Hamm tells LZ Granderson she has no plans to come out of […]
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is so confident that his team will sign Brazilian playmaker Kaka from AC Milan that he has already worked out a 4-1-4-1 formation incorporating all the team’s expected signings during this month’s transfer window, report Daniel Taylor and Graham Chase. Hughes and his staff “have devised an adventurous system that […]
Ramon Calderon resigned as president of Spanish champion Real Madrid Friday after an emergency board meeting at the Bernabeu, Reuters reports, quoting Spanish media. It said that Calderon, in office since 2006, had been under pressure to quit since the newspaper Marca published allegations earlier this week of irregularities at the club’s general assembly last […]
A lack of commercial and local government partners, as well as the moribund economy, mean that Atlanta won’t be fielding an MLS team in 2011, writes Dan Chapman. But Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who submitted the city’s application last October, hasn’t ruled out trying for a possible franchise for the city in 2013. Kim Shreckengost, […]
St. Louis’ chances of landing a Major League Soccer franchise in 2011 hinge on the city strengthening its investor base, according to MLS Commissioner Don Garber . “It’s a great soccer market and we hope to be here at some point,” Garber said Thursday, in town for the NSCAA convention. “It’s got most of what […]
For MLS SuperDraft coverage from Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney and Paul Kennedy in St. Louis.
An MLS SuperDraft record six Wake Forest players were taken in the 2008 draft held Thursday in St. Louis. They included Hermann Trophy winner Marcus Tracy, taken by Houston in the fourth round. Tracy bypassed the adidas Combine and will place instead for Danish club Aalborg. For the round-by-round SuperDraft picks …
