Wins by Columbus and New England created a four-way tie with Kansas City and Toronto FC for third place in the Eastern Conference. With only its second win (in 12 games), Los Angeles moved to within two points of third place in the Western Conference. For all the game summaries, standings, leading scorers and this week’s schedule …
Monthly Archives: June 2009
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Phony Hysteria over U.S. World Cup Quest
It would seem that, with the USA’s 2-1 victory over Honduras on Saturday, sanity and justice and decency and common sense have returned to the soccer world.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Can Conor Casey boost U.S. strike force?
Conor Casey had nothing to say on the subject when asked a few weeks ago if he'd heard from U.S. coach Bob Bradley about a recall. "To be honest, I'm not thinking about that," said the bald, burly, bad-ass forward who ended a six-year stint in Germany last summer to sign with MLS. "I'm just […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Enticing matchups in South America
South America's marathon qualifying tournament reaches game-day 13 (out of 18) this weekend and is highlighted by Brazil's trip to Uruguay on Saturday. The two nations have seven World Cup and 22 South American titles between them and their every meeting recalls the famous Uruguay upset of Brazil, the Maracanazo, in which the Uruguayans snatched […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
England looks for sixth straight win
England aims for its sixth straight in Group 6 World Cup qualifying when it faces Kazakhstan in Almaty on Saturday. And England coach Fabio Capello has brushed off suggestions that fatigue could affect his players, who flew over 3,500 miles to the far eastern end of Europe for the game after a tough domestic season […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
U.S. loss recalls ‘bad old days’
New York Times columnist George Vecsey calls the USA 3-1 loss to Costa Rica on Wednesday “a throwback to the bad old days of two decades ago, when the national team often looked pitiful on the road in the Americas, to say nothing of Europe.” Now the Americans need to bounce back against Honduras on […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Red Bull Pacheco eyes win over Mexico
The New York Red Bulls defender Alfredo Pacheco, 26, is on national team duty for El Salvador and believes his team can beat Mexico on Saturday even though El Salvador has picked up only two points from its first three games in the final round of World Cup qualifying. "I'm not satisfied," Pacheco. "We've not […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
England fan shot for singing
An England fan was shot in a bar in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, where he had stopped en route to neighboring Kazakhstan, where England plays a World Cup qualifier on Saturday. As he and friends sang England fan songs in the bar, a local told them to shut up. When they ignored him, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Netherlands can book World Cup spot
The Netherlands can become the first European team to clinch a place at the 2010 World Cup if it beats Iceland in Reykjavik in one of the 14 qualifiers in Europe on Saturday. The Netherlands has a near full-strength team for the game. Only midfielders Wesley Sneijder and Ibrahim Afellay are missing for the Group […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Jay Heaps to hit 300
New England defender Jay Heaps, a 32-year-old, 11-year veteran, will play in his 300th MLS game when he takes the field against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday. Heaps will become the ninth player to reach that milestone. He recently became the first the first Revs player to log more than 20,000 minutes (20,349 […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
OBITUARY: Randy Smith (1948-2009)
Former NBA star Randy Smith, one of the most famous athletes to excel at college soccer, died of a heart attack Thursday at his home in Norwich, Conn. College soccer did not have much of a following in 1970 when Smith earned All-Americans honors at Buffalo State, but he was so good that fans came just to see him.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Women’s Division I Coaching Changes
The number of women’s programs changing coaches has been less than usual. Spring hirings include Cal assistant Brian Zwaschka at Fresno State and veteran coach Dave Poggi at Nichols State. For all the Division I women’s coaching moves …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Geckos swell Arizona JC ranks
GateWay Community College is the latest team to join the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference men’s soccer ranks.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Men’s Recruiting Classes
Big East champion St. John’s has signed two-time NSCAA/adidas High School All-American Rafael Diaz, one of the nation’s top goal prospects. Central Florida has signed three New Zealand under-20 national team players. For all the Red Storm and Knight signings, along with those at Campbell, Charlotte, Columbia, Holy Cross, Iona, Mt. St. Mary’s, Towson and Western Michigan …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Taylor leaves Oregon State for D2 Stanislaus
Dana Taylor, Oregon State men’s head coach for the last 10 years, has resigned his post to take the same position at Division II Cal State Stanislaus. Under Taylor, the Beavers reached the NCAA Tournament for the first times (2002-03) in school history and featured several future MLS standouts.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Resignation at Virginia Tech is shocker
A year and a half after he led Virginia Tech to the Men’s College Cup, Oliver Weiss has unexpectedly quit as the Hokies’ head coach. Their 2007 campaign was not without controversy as Weiss imported a number of foreign exchange students who spent one season in Blacksburg. It was followed by a 2008 season that saw Tech go winless in the ACC.
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The USA hosts Honduras Saturday in World Cup qualifying, which dominates the weekend’s soccer broadcasts. MLS action starts on Friday with Chicago vs. Houston. Also on Friday is the USL’s Charleston-Austin clash.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
National team duty shakes up MLS clashes
[MLS PREDICTIONS] National team call-ups will stretch the depth of many MLS teams this weekend. Chivas USA will be missing two starters when it hosts Seattle, as will Houston for its match against the Fire, and the Rapids for their visit to Salt Lake City. The Galaxy is only four ties away from tying the league record (13) as it heads north of the border to Toronto, and D.C.’s 2-0 win over New York Thursday keeps the Red Bulls four points back of sixth-place Columbus with both teams facing tough road games against Eastern Conference rivals. For all of Soccer America’s predictions, as well as TV viewing information, and to see how we fared last week. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
D.C. United shuts out the Red Bulls
[MLS] One could check the result of Thursday night’s match at RFK Stadium and assume the 2-0 win registered by surging United against the reeling Red Bulls had unfolded in a straightforward manner, and one would be wrong.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA must reshuffle for Honduras
[HEXAGONAL] About a decade ago, U.S. keeper Kasey Keller succinctly stated the plight of American soccer players when he said, “We hate playing away games, at home.” Just such a scenario is likely Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago, where tens of thousands of Honduran fans – bolstered by their team’s 3-1 thumping of Mexico in its last qualifier – are expected to fill much, if not most, of the renovated stadium that can seat 60,000 fans if full. (TV: 8 pm ET, ESPN & Galavision).
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“[We’re] Disappointed with the result. I think the team played well against a very good team. We limited them to only a few chances and we created our own. I think that we created enough chances and entries into the attacking third but we couldn’t finish them up.”
— New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio, whose job security took another hit when his team fell, 2-0, at D.C. United. The Red Bulls, with only 9 points after 13 games, are last in the East and have a league-high eight losses. (MLSnet.com)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Dutch look to book first tickets
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] The Netherlands will become the first European country to reach next year’s World Cup finals if it beats Iceland in Reykjavik on Saturday. For a look at the key European games and all the World Cup qualifying action on television …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Aguirre motivates Mexico
[HEXAGONAL] Javier Aguirre begins his second stint as Mexico’s national team coach when the Tri visits El Salvador’s Cuscatlan Stadium on Saturday (TV: Telemundo, live, 9 pm ET). Eight years ago, he turned the Tri’s foundering World Cup 2002 campaign around and led it to the finals. In its first three games of the 2009 Hexagonal, Mexico lost two of its three games, so it needs at least a point in San Salvador to reverse course.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hottest teams meet again at the HDC
[WPS] The first-place Los Angeles Sol hosts the second-place Washington Freedom in a battle of Women’s Professional Soccer’s two hottest teams. Both head into the Sunday game (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 6 pm ET/3pm PT) with five-game unbeaten streaks. For all the weekend action …
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Denilson to play in Vietnam
2002 World Cup winner Denilson, who had a short stint in MLS in 2007 (eight games for FC Dallas) is set to debut for mid-standings Vietnamese league club Hai Phong Cement FC on Saturday. “He is the most famous international player recruited until now by a Vietnamese soccer club,” said Hai Phong coach Vuong Tien […]