“Guys who want to please you compared to guys who want to make a living” is how Mike Matkovich describes the general difference between youth and pro players.
Monthly Archives: February 2009
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
College Women: Recruiting Success Is All The Rage
It is a Thursday evening in early February, and the Pleasanton Marriott in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Pleasanton is a study in contrasts. The parking lot is full, but the hotel restaurant is empty and only a handful of folks are sitting at the lobby bar. It's only when you stroll down […]
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
College Men: Zips Head Men’s Elite Eight
Recruiting in men’s college soccer is a fluid process. Players can change their plans on whether to enter college or go pro. Foreign players are often signed at the last minute. With that in mind, here’s how the top men’s recruiting classes ranked in mid-February:
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Get in the game
Fans in Toronto, Washington, D.C., San Jose, Chicago and Columbus and a few other MLS cities are proving one tenet of the league that too many critics ignore; as good as soccer on TV can be, it is a sport that is best experienced live with a team to root and cheer and live and die for.
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
U.S. Soccer: World Cup Chief Bidder Interview
Former television executive David Downs is spearheading the U.S. efforts to land either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
USA-Mexico Game: New Year, Same Story
The frigid conditions of eight years past didn’t materialize this time at Crew Stadium, yet the Americans still beat Mexico, 2-0. Opening the Hexagonal with a valuable three points provided a few glimpses as to how the team may develop as it prepares for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
Youth Beat: The Camp Economy’s Wide Reach
Soccer camps are a big part of the nation’s multi-billion dollar summer camp business and impact several levels of the American game.
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
MLS: Expansion Benchmarks Are High
MLS’s remarkable run of success with its expansion teams will be put to a test when two new teams join.
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
MLS: Sounders Mania – Back To The Northwest
In picking Seattle to be its 15th team, MLS hopes to repeat its fabulous luck with a 13th team in Toronto. Both are major international cities with diverse populations, a downtown stadium well serviced by public transport, strong ownership groups steeped in professional sports and robust season-ticket sales.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
USL’s Miami FC Makes Its Pitch to City For MLS Bid
“This is not a turf war. We live and breathe soccer. We will go out and try to generate unprecedented interest and support in Miami soccer, whether that team is in USL-1 or MLS.” USL First Division team Miami FC president Aaron Davidson, on recent efforts to solidify its own future in the face of […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Real Salt Lake Rock Solid in Defense, Remains Unbeaten
“Really we’re way ahead of where we were last year. We have that main core coming back this year. We don’t need to get to know each other. We already know each other.” Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman, counting consistency as one of the keys to the team’s current undefeated preseason record of 3-0-1 […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Abramovich Using Advocaat in Chelsea Chess Match
According to the Daily Mail, “Chelsea is closer to naming Guus Hiddink as their permanent manager after it emerged Dick Advocaat is being lined up to succeed him as coach of Russia.” While Hiddink has only been at the helm for a handful of matches, two big victories and an outpouring of positive responses from […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Italian-American Bernardo Wants ‘Something Big’ For U.S.
In the increasingly multi-national world that we live in, dual citizenship is intended to allow an individual the opportunity to embrace both countries that have played a part in both birth and life. But in the soccer world, the issue has recently become considered a double-edged sword, writes ESPN Soccernet’s Ravi Uhba. Take for example […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Two Legs Is One Too Many?
Frustrated with how tournaments from the Champions League to the UEFA Cup force teams to play what he disparagingly deems “two-legged football,” SI.com’s Gabriele Marcotti puts the home-and-away series method under the microscope following first leg results from both competitions. “The basic principle that you can lose and be happy (especially when you lose 3-2, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Sweden, Norway Announce Joint Bid to Host Euro 2016
In what has become an increasingly popular – and necessary, for some smaller soccer nations that alone lack the proper stadium infrastructure – phenomenon, Sweden and Norway announced a joint bid to host the 2016 European Championship on Thursday, according to the AP. Pointing out that the two Scandinavian neighbors have organized championships together in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Re-tooled Toronto FC Ready For Prime Time?
In the first of a series heading toward the kickoff of the 2009 MLS season on March 22, Goal.com takes a long hard look at the state of third-year team Toronto FC and gives a preview of what me might expect from a re-tooled team that has more “Canadian feel” with the off-season additions of […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Galaxy Confirms: Beckham Will Be Back
According to goal.com, the L.A. Galaxy stated Thursday that marquee midfielder and marketing commodity David Beckham is “due to return from AC Milan as originally planned, despite rampant transfer speculation.” While Beckham has said over in over in the media that he prefers to stay playing in Italy in order to increase his chances of […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Clint Dempsey and Fulham visit Arsenal on Saturday. Landon Donovan will be hoping for playing time when Bayern Munich takes on Werder Bremen on Sunday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Donovan’s Bayern dream nears end
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Bayern Munich will aim to pull itself out of its Bundesliga slump when it clashes with Werder Bremen on Sunday (GolTV, 11 am ET), one of three games before Landon Donovan is scheduled to return to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
‘Way to get those yellows!’
[REF WATCH] Vanderlei Luxemburgo, coach of Brazilian club Palmeiras, praised three of his players for intentionally getting yellow cards so they would serve an accumulated-caution suspension against a modest opponent.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“You’re better off asking someone else about that because it doesn’t change me wanting to play at this club [AC Milan] and I’m sure it doesn’t change other people’s desire for me to stay and play for this club either, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
— David Beckham on being asked whether he’ll return from AC Milan to the Galaxy when the loan deal ends March 9 once again reminds us how much enthusiasm he has for MLS. (AFP)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Puerto Rico keeps USL perfect in quarters
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] USL club Puerto Rico followed in the path of league compatriot Montreal to capture the first leg of its Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal at home. But unlike the Impact, which scored early and late to beat Santos Laguna, 2-0, the Islanders needed to rally, and did.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Red Bulls win second game in Argentina
[MLS] Among the more anticipated meetings of the 2008 MLS season were matches between New York and D.C. United that matched former River Plate players Juan Pablo Angel and Marcelo Gallardo. Their 2009 teams met on Thursday. Angel is starting his third season with the Red Bulls, but didn’t play in this preseason match; Gallardo lined up for the River Plate reserves, who were beaten, 2-1 at Mapuche Country Club in Pilar, Argentina.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
UEFA Cup Results
Four Americans were eliminated from the UEFA Cup on Thursday. With Brad Friedel one of several starters left home, Brad Guzan was in goal for Aston Villa in its 2-0 loss at CSKA Moscow. (Eric Lichaj, 20, was one of several Villa reserves to dress for the game.) The European campaign of Oguchi Onyewu‘s Standard Liege ended with a 1-1 tie against Sporting Braga that resulted in the Belgian champion going out, 4-1, on aggregate. (Recent signing Marcus Tracy did not dress for AaB in its 3-1 win at Deportivo Coruna that sent the Danish club through to the round of 16.) For all the results and goalscorers, as well as the round-of-16 draw …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Milan crashes out of Europe
[UEFA CUP] If David Beckham is to stay at AC Milan through the end of the 2008-09 season, he’ll only need to worry about Serie A. Milan’s European season came to a shocking end when it blew an early 2-0 lead at home against Werder Bremen, giving up two late goals, both on headers by Claudio Pizarro and exited on away goals.