Author Archives: Paul Kennedy

[WORLD CUP 2018/2022] The USA Bid Committee’s short list of stadiums associated with host cities it has requested submit proposals to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup consists of 45 stadiums representing 37 metropolitan markets. Underscoring the size advantage the USA will have in the bid process, the short list includes four stadiums with capacities of 100,000 or more, seven with 90,000 or more, 10 with 80,000 or more and a whopping 26 with 70,000 or more.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] Rejecting Egypt’s complaint, FIFA cleared up the matter of the awarding of Brazil’s winning penalty in its 4-3 win over Egypt on Monday in Bloemfontein, saying that referee Howard Webb awarded the penalty after consulting with his assistant referee, not the fourth referee and that the refereeing team did not consult video to make the decision.

[U.S. OPEN CUP] The Premier Development League’s Ocean City Barons are the only amateur team still alive in the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after they knocked off the Real Maryland Monarchs, 1-0, in overtime in Tuesday’s second round. For their efforts, the Barons have a third-round date with defending champion D.C. United. For all Tuesday’s Open Cup action …

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] The knock on Dunga‘s Brazil has been its defense-first approach, so its display in its opening game at the Confederations Cup Monday was certainly a surprise. The defending Confederations Cup champion opened up a 3-1 lead in Bloemfontein, blew that lead early in the second half and then needed a controversial decision on the awarding of a penalty kick Kaka converted to beat Egypt, 4-3.

[TV WATCH] How do you sugarcoat another in a series of games marked by some dreadful soccer? The USA’s performance in its 3-1 loss to Italy on Monday at the Confederations Cup left its commentators grasping at straws.

[USL-1] The USL First Division’s bottom three teams all won over the weekend, putting them within striking distance of the pack.

[WPS] The inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer has seen some high-quality play, in part due to success teams has had with their foreign imports, but there has been one problem: a paucity of goals. England international Eniola Aluko‘s goal for the Saint Louis Athletica in its 1-0 win at Boston on Sunday was the only goal in three games, reducing the league’s goal-per-game average to 2.09.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] Fernando Torres needed only 17 minutes to score a hat trick, connecting with his right foot, left foot and his head, to lead favorite Spain to a 5-0 win over hapless New Zealand in the opening game of the Confederations Cup.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] Host South Africa, which needs a strong Confederations Cup to build momentum for next year’s World Cup, could only manage a 0-0 tie with Iraq, coached by former U.S. national team coach Bora Milutinovic. The Bafana Bafana were stymied by a combination of Milutinovic’s ultradefensive tactics and bad luck.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] The 2009 Confederations Cup is a dress rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup, allowing television viewers to get into next summer’s routine. Get ready for long lunches and weekend doubleheaders by following the Confederations Cup action from South Africa on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com, as well as on Spanish-language  Univision’s family of network. For the complete schedule …

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] The Confederations Cup, which begins Sunday in South Africa, is a sneak preview of how the 2010 World Cup shapes up. Spain, which opens play on Sunday against New Zealand, is the early favorite to win the World Cup, having won Euro 2008 and boasting an embarrassment of riches, most notably a nucleus of players from the great Barcelona team that won the 2009 UEFA Champions Cup.

[WPS] The first-place Los Angeles Sol looks to complete a sweep of its three-game series with struggling Sky Blue FC when it travels to New Jersey on Saturday. For a look at all the weekend action …

[HEXAGONAL] Qualifying for the World Cup is a relatively straightforward process: win all your home games and take the odd point on the road and you should go through. It’s been a winning formula for the USA in the last three Hexagonals, where three of the six teams advance to the finals. With that in mind, the USA’s entirely forgettable performance at Costa Rica is irrelevant. Winning its three home games and earning a point with a late comeback in El Salvador put the USA in reasonably good shape at the halfway point of Concacaf’s final round of 2010 World Cup qualifying.

[HEXAGONAL] Mexico avoided the unthinkable but just barely. It got goals early in both halves from Argentine-born Guillermo Franco and Oscar Rojas and edged Trinidad & Tobago, 2-1, at Azteca Stadium to move into fourth place at the halfway point of World Cup 2010 qualifying in the Concacaf zone. Honduras remained third, behind Costa Rica and the USA, with a 1-0 win over visiting El Salvador.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Argentina doesn’t like to play at altitude. After falling to Bolivia, 6-1, at 12,000 feet above sea level in La Paz in April, it traveled to Quito and lost to Ecuador, 2-0, at 9,300 feet above sea level. Coach Diego Maradona remained confident Argentina would qualify for the 2010 World Cup, but its lead over Ecuador for the fourth and final automatic berth in the World Cup 2010 finals was reduced to two points with four games to play. In Europe, former U.S. U-17 international Neven Subotic scored an insurance goal for Group 7 leader Serbia in the its 2-0 win at the Faeroe Islands.

[HEXAGONAL] Mexico returns to the friendly confines of Azteca Stadium, where it faces Trinidad & Tobago Wednesday in Mexico City in a battle of the last two teams in Concacaf’s World Cup 2010 qualifying group. Big changes are expected after the Tri lost its fourth straight qualifier on the road Saturday. Of perhaps more importance to the USA’s hopes of qualifying for South Africa is Wednesday’s other Hexagonal match between Honduras and El Salvador. A tie or El Salvador win would very much be the USA’s interest.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Before Brazil heads to the Confederations Cup, where it will face the USA, it hosts Paraguay Wednesday in a clash of the South American qualifying group leaders. For more on the Brazil-Paraguay showdown in Recife and a listing of all of Wednesday’s qualifiers on television …

[U.S. OPEN CUP] The Sonoma County Sol of the NPSL and El Paso Patriots and Chicago Fire Premier of the PDL were the lowest ranked teams to win games on Tuesday in the first round of the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

[JAMAICA] Less than a month before the start of the Gold Cup, former England star John Barnes quit as Jamaica’s national team coach. Minutes after the Reggae Boyz’s 3-2 win over Panama on Sunday night in Kingston, Barnes announced that he was leaving to become manager of English third division club Tranmere Rovers.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] Italy arrived in South Africa and immediately got down to work preparing for Monday’s opener against USA at the Confederations Cup in Pretoria. The defending World Cup champion’s squad is a mixture of veterans — including 12 2006 World Cup champions — and young players — notably American-born Giuseppe Rossi and 18-year-old defender Davide Santon.

[USL-1] Rarer than a first-minute goal is a first-minute red card, but the Austin Aztex recovered from the rapid dismissal of Michael Callahan for a late tackle on a Charleston player and earned a 1-1 tie with the undefeated Battery on Sunday.

[WPS] The inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer race is a runaway. The first-place Los Angeles Sol has double the point total of its closest rival after its 3-1 win over Washington left it with a 12-point lead over the second-place Freedom. The Sol, which got two goals from the league’s top scorer, Frenchwoman Camille Abily, is the only team in the league with a winning record (7-1-3) and positive goal difference (plus-11).