Monthly Archives: September 2009

Colorado helped its playoff cause and Toronto FC hurt its with the Rapids’ 1-0 win over MLS’s Canadian entry Saturday night. D.C. United’s 2-2 tie at FC Dallas and New England’s 4-2 loss to Kansas City left the Revs among four teams with 33 points — tied for seventh place in the overall standings. For all the weekend summaries and current standings …

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Ghana became the eighth team to clinch a berth in the World Cup when it beat Sudan, 2-0, on Sunday. Elsewhere, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Tunisia won to remain in first place, while Cameroon’s 2-0 win at leader Gabon left Group A up for grabs.

[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] For once, not all of the U.S. troubles against a supposedly overmatched Concacaf foe were of its own doing. Still, it fouled up on enough occasions to mar stretches of crisp, confident play while beating El Salvador, 2-1, in Sandy, Utah, Saturday. Goals by Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore late in the first half brought the USA back from a 1-0 deficit inflicted when Christian Castillo headed home a Rodolfo Zelaya cross in the 32nd minute.

Brazil and Ghana became the seventh and eighth teams — and the first from South America and Africa qualifying — to clinch berths in the World Cup over the weekend. For all weekend results …

[USA-EL SALVADOR REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players in their 2-1 win over El Salvador in World Cup qualifying on Saturday in Sandy, Utah.

[COLLEGE] Freshman Alyssa Rich was the unlikely hero with the lone goal in No 1 North Carolina’s 1-0 win over Marquette 1-0. Senior reserve Kristin Stannard hat a hat trick in a 27-minute span of the second half to lead No. 2 Stanford to a 5-0 victory over Virginia Tech. Canadian Sophie Schmidt scored four goals for No. 3 Portland in its 5-1 win over Columbia. No. 8 UCLA won, 3-0, at No. 7 Florida. Other Top 25 teams to fall on Sunday were No. 10 Penn State, No. 18 St. John’s, No. 19 Utah, No. 21 Missouri, No. 22 Colorado. For all the Labor Day weekend’s Top 25 action …

[COLLEGE] In Top 25 action, No. 3 John’s beat No. 10 Notre Dame, 2-0, and No. 5 Wake Forest edged No. 4 Indiana, 2-1, at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic, while No. 8 Maryland defeated No. 7 California, 2-1, on Jason Herrick‘s golden goal. For all the Labor Day weekend action …

[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] Highlights of Mexico’s 3-0 win over Costa Rica. …

[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] Highlights of the USA’s 2-1 win over El Salvador. …

[MLS] The Kansas City Wizards, which had gone four games without scoring and seven games without a win, beat New England, 4-2. D.C. United escaped from FC Dallas with a 2-2 tie. Conor Casey scored his 12th goal of the season to give Colorado a 1-0 home win over Toronto FC.

[ARGENTINA-BRAZIL] Sixteen years to the day after its infamous 5-0 loss to Colombia in Buenos Aires, Argentina suffered another humiliating defeat at home. Brazil’s 3-1 win in Rosario kept its record intact of qualifying for every World Cup tournament and put Argentina’s hopes of qualifying in jeopardy. It also produced the unlikely sound of fans at the Estadio Gigante de Arroyito chanting the name of Brazil coach Dunga in protest to Argentina coach Diego Maradona.

[HEXAGONAL] With young Giovani dos Santos in brilliant form for Mexico (one goal set up by Cuauhtemoc Blanco and two assists), the Tri beat Costa Rica, 3-0, in San Jose and dropped the Ticos, the first of the top four Hexagonal contenders to concede even one point at home, from first to fourth place in the Concacaf World Cup 2010 qualifying group.

[HEXAGONAL] With its 2-1 win over El Salvador, the USA’s path to the 2010 World Cup became clearer. It continues on to Port of Spain, where the need for a result against Trinidad & Tobago Wednesday became even more critical because of Mexico’s 3-0 win at Costa Rica on Saturday.

[USA-EL SALVADOR] For the second straight home qualifier, the USA made it hard on itself, falling behind in the half, but goals by Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore at the end of the first 45 minutes gave the Americans the goals they needed to beat El Salvador, 2-1, Saturday in Sandy, Utah.

Brazil beat Argentina, 3-1, in Rosario to become the seventh team to qualify for the World Cup. In Europe, there were big wins for Italy and Spain, while France and Portugal had to settle for ties. For all Saturday’s results and updates …

[COLLEGE] No. 24 Boston University won the battle of New England Top 25 teams, handing No. 13 Connecticut its worst loss in three seasons with a 3-0 victory in Storrs. No. 19 George Mason also fell at home, losing to American, 2-1, on a pair of Daniel Shannon in the deciding game of the D.C. College Cup. For all the Labor Day weekend’s Top 25 matches …

[COLLEGE] In Saturday’s only game involving a Top 25 team, No. 12 Purdue improved to 4-0-0 with a 1-0 win over Valparaiso at the Boilermaker Challenge Cup. For all the Labor Day weekend’s Top 25 matches …

[TELEVISION WATCH] From 10 a.m. to midnight ET, it will be possible to watch non-stop World Cup 2010 qualifying action on cable or online. For the weekend’s complete World Cup 2010 qualifying schedule and viewing options …

[TRIVIA] When was the last time the USA failed to beat El Salvador at home? Hint: It set up the most famous World Cup qualifier in U.S. history.

[USA-EL SALVADOR] The game plan for the USA in its Hexagonal qualifier against El Salvador Saturday (TV: ESPN Classic, TeleFutura, live, 8 p.m. ET) seems simple enough: go at ’em from the word “go.” That’s what El Salvador did five months ago in San Salvador when it raced out to a 2-0 lead it eventually blew. The USA left it late before rallying for a 2-2 tie that was disappointing, but another draw would this time be disastrous.

Saturday’s World Cup qualifying scores

[EUROPEAN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP] Two goals from Saint Louis Athletica forward Eniola Aluko — the second after she beat three defenders — helped England defeat host Finland, 3-2, before a sellout crowd in Turku and move into the semifinals of the 2009 European Women’s Championship.

[WPS] The expansion Philadelphia Independence has hired English native Paul Riley, who has had a distinguished career as a player and coach at the college and professional level, as its head coach for the 2010 season.