Monthly Archives: August 2009

[USA-MEXICO] U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley named the 20 players — 13 based abroad and seven in MLS — whom he will take to Mexico City for Wednesday’s much-anticipated showdown with Mexico in World Cup 2010 qualifying.

[AWARDS] Swede Angelika Johansson (Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues) won the W-League MVP award, while teammate Brittany Taylor was named the league’s top defender. For all the W-League awards and all-league team …

[AWARDS] The Reading Rage’s Aaron Wheeler, who led the PDL in scoring, was named the league’s MVP. Former U.S. U-17 resident Christian Ibeagha (Cary Clarets) swept Defender of the Year and U-19 Player of the Year honors. For all the PDL awards and all-league team …

[MLS] There’s nothing about a lackluster season that a four-game winning streak won’t cure, or at least alleviate. About a month ago, the Galaxy went on a four-game blitz that lifted it into the playoff picture, and now the same can be said for FC Dallas. As it bid adieu to Kenny Cooper, striker Jeff Cunningham got red hot. He struck once again on Thursday evening to take Dallas past Texas rival Houston.

[MLS PREDICTIONS] Eastern Conference leader and defending champ Columbus travels to the Pacific Coast to play San Jose, and second-place Chicago takes on the Western leader in Houston. The Revs and Galaxy put their unbeaten streaks on the line head-to-head at Gillette Stadium, and Seattle gets a chance to improve its dismal record on grass at Rio Tinto Stadium. FSC offers up a tripleheader of two MLS games followed by the Barcelona-Guadalajara friendly (11 p.m. ET). For all of Soccer America’s predictions, as well as TV viewing information, and to see how Ridge Mahoney fared so far this season …

One young American arrived in France, and another departed. Charlie Davies should be a better fit at Sochaux, in need of help up front, than Freddy Adu was at Monaco, where he was just one of a dozen or so prospects in the first team. For all the French league player moves …

[TRANSFER WATCH] The 2009-10 French season begins Saturday. The big winner on the French transfer market was Portuguese champion Porto, which earned more than $85 million in transfer fees from four separate deals. In an effort to regain the title it lost after seven seasons as champion, Lyon spent more than $100 million on players.

[OFF THE POST] When Tranmere Rovers hired Dornoch Capital to find a buyer for the club, this is not what it had mind: The U.S. firm put the third division club up for sale on eBay, with bidding starting at $10 million. “We were appalled,” said Tranmere chairman Peter Johnson, who ordered the listing removed. “This is not a second-hand bike we’re selling.”

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Kenny Cooper‘s first practice with 1860 Munich attracted more than 400 fans, a crowd far higher than usual at a training session by the German second division club, according to newspaper Bild, which reported that “Super Cooper managed to perform despite the jetlag.”

[OFF THE POST] Sparta Rotterdam’s Tim Bakens came up with a solution to the corner stalling tactic. …

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Striker Jozy Altidore, who earlier appeared headed to Greece on loan from his Spanish club Villarreal, will spend the next season in England with EPL club Hull. “First match is against Chelsea subject to a work permit *wink* *wink*,” announced the 19-year-old on his Twitter page.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Leave it to the worst team in Major League Soccer to blow the league’s best chance of advancing to the group phase of the Concacaf Champions’ League. New York took two away goals and a 2-2 aggregate into its home leg at Giants Stadium on Wednesday, and in the first half increased its edge by scoring the first goal. Rather salvaging some semblance of accomplishment in a dismal season, the Red Bulls reverted to the ineptitude that has defined their performance in 2009, which includes MLS’s worst record and preliminary-round U.S. Open Cup elimination.

[BARCELONA TOUR] Argentine Lionel Messi showed a record Seattle soccer crowd of 66,848 at Qwest Field why he is the best player in the world at the moment, scoring two first goals to lead Barcelona to a 4-0 win over MLS’s Sounders.