Author Archives: Paul Kennedy

[MLS] Seven first-time all-stars joined runaway vote leader Guillermo Barros Schelotto and perennial stars London Donovan, Dwayne De Rosario and Shalrie Joseph on the MLS All-Star First XI for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game, which will be played on July 29 at Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium when the MLS All-Stars play England’s Everton (TV: ESPN2 and Galavision, live, 9:30 p.m. ET).

[MLS] The struggling New York Red Bulls signed 29-year-old American defender Leo Krupnik from Maccabi Haifa, champion of the Israeli Premier League, in a move that will take effect after the international transfer window opens on July 15.

[MLS] On Saturday, David Beckham called Landon Donovan “unprofessional” for attacking his professionalism in the new book The Beckham Experiment. On Monday, the Los Angeles teammates said they had made peace at a meeting with Coach Bruce Arena, allowing them to move forward in their bid to end the Galaxy’s skid of three straight seasons without making the MLS playoffs.

[WPS] Brazilian Cristiane became the first player in Women’s Professional Soccer to score a hat trick when she scored all three goals for the Chicago Red Stars in a 3-1 win over FC Gold Pride that kept them in the hunt for a playoff berth.

[USL-1] Despite playing to a pair of 0-0 ties at Rochester and Cleveland, the Puerto Rico Islanders remained in first place in the USL First Division. Portland (three games in hand) and Charleston (one game in hand) trail Puerto Rico by two points.

[GOLD CUP] One of the most bizarre sideline incidents in recent history landed Mexico coach Javier Aguirre a three-game suspension. “El Vasco” sat in the stands Sunday and watched Mexico beat Guadeloupe, 2-0, to clinch the Group C title at the Gold Cup.

[GOLD CUP] Haiti came within a minute of handing the USA its first loss ever in group play at the Gold Cup, but a 24-yard blast from Stuart Holden in the second minute of stoppage time earned the Americans a 2-2 draw that clinched first place in Group B.

[GOLD CUP] Chaos reigned Thursday night at Houston’s Reliant Stadium, where Mexico’s reputation suffered another blow. In a match Panama coach Gary Stempel called a “disgrace,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre and three players — one Mexico and two Panamanian — were ejected. Police needed to be called in to quell trouble in the stands late in the game, and one of the worst-behaved crowds ever seen at a major match in the United States pelted objects at injured Panamanian Blas Perez. The Canaleros needed police protection after their 1-1 tie with favored Mexico qualified Guadeloupe, Canada and, yes, the USA for the quarterfinals.

[SOCCER & POLITICS] President Barack Obama has shown to be a keen observer of all sports. Wednesday’s meeting with Brazil President Lula da Silva provided the opportunity for Obama to show off his soccer banter and both men to relive the recent Confederations Cup final between Brazil and the USA in South Africa.

[MOVIE WATCH] Soccer has a rich tradition in film, so it’s only natural that a film festival has been dedicated to the Beautiful Game. Organized by Rachel Markus and Greg Lalas, the Kicking & Screening International Soccer Film Festival will take place at five locations in New York over five days, beginning Tuesday. It opens with perhaps with one of the best documentaries ever made about soccer, French filmmaker Stephane Meunier‘s behind-the-scenes look at the 1998 World Cup championship team, “Les Yeux dans les Bleus.”

[GOLD CUP] Former Florida prep star Fabrice Noel and Puerto Rico Islander teammate James Marcelin scored for Haiti in its 2-0 win over Caribbean rival Grenada in Wednesday’s other Group B game at the Gold Cup.

[WPS] A rare midday afternoon game saw the Los Angeles Sol lose for the first time in 12 games when the second-place Saint Louis Athletica defeated the runaway Women’s Professional Soccer leaders, 1-0, at the Home Depot Center.

[WORLD CUP 2018 BID] Robert Kraft, a founding investor of Major League Soccer, is the latest addition to the board of directors of the USA Bid Committee seeking the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. Best known as the owner of the NFL powerhouse New England Patriots, Kraft was influential in bringing the 1994 World Cup to Foxboro Stadium and has owned MLS’s New England Revolution since its launch in 1996.

[TELEVISION] It’s time to say goodbye to ESPN America in Britain and say hello to ESPN. In the wake of its acquisition of rights to broadcast 46 Premier League matches in the 2009-10 season, ESPN will launch the new network on Aug. 3.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Oguchi Onyewu‘s signing with AC Milan is an example of being in the right place at the right time. For the last year and a half, Onyewu has been linked with dozens of clubs big and small. But instead of lowly English Premier League club Birmingham City, rumored as recently as last month to have wrapped up a deal with the U.S. national team defender, it’s AC Milan that won the Gooch sweepstakes, signing the free agent to a three-year contract.

[GOLD CUP] Canada has played miserably in World Cup qualifying in recent competitions but the Gold Cup is another matter. The 2007 semifinalists rolled to their second straight win in arguably the toughest group at the 2009 Gold Cup, beating El Salvador, 1-0. Hexagonal leader Costa Rica rebounded from its 2-1 loss to El Salvador with a 1-0 win over Jamaica in Tuesday’s other Group A game in Columbus, Ohio.

[U.S. WOMEN] U.S. women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage named 18 WPS players and three collegians for matches against Canada July 19 at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester, N.Y., and July 22 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. For the U.S. roster …

[TRANSFER WATCH] A crowd of 80,000 fans turned out at the Bernabeu Stadium on Monday to welcome Cristiano Ronaldo, signed for a record $130 million.

[GOLD CUP] Mexico’s problems continued as it struggled to put away Nicaragua, playing for the first time at the Gold Cup, and lost young star Carlos Vela with an injury 10 minutes into the game in Oakland, Calif.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Charlie Davies appears to headed to French club Sochaux if it can reach an agreement with the young U.S. striker’s Swedish club, Hammarby.

[WPS] There’s no stopping Los Angeles. Marta‘s goal in stoppage time, her league-leading ninth of the season, gave the Sol a 1-0 win at Washington. Los Angeles maintained its 17-point lead over St. Louis, a 1-0 winner at last-place FC Gold Pride. The third holiday weekend game also ended 1-0. Sky Blue FC’s win over visiting Boston drew the lowest crowd of the season: 1,878.

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] The visiting Chicago Fire moved into a tie with D.C. United thanks to a 2-1 win at the Colorado Rapids before a record crowd of 19,680 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Robert Louis-Dreyfus, one of the most influential businessmen in European soccer over the last 20 years, died Saturday of leukemia at the age of 63. The French-born Swiss billionaire, cousin of American actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and a graduate of Harvard’s business school, was president of French club Marseille.

[GOLD CUP] The USA cruised to a 4-0 win over Grenada in their opening game at the Gold Cup. The win in Seattle marked the 10th win in 10 Gold Cup opening games for the Americans, who are 23-0-1 in group play in the Gold Cup.