Yousef Samy walked at San Jose State in 2006 and was voted the Spartans’ “Newcomer of the Year” by his teammates. A year later, he is off to represent Afghanistan, beginning Monday, in World Cup 2010 qualifying.
Author Archives: Paul Kennedy
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Chelsea rises to occasion, Liverpool sinks at home
[CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REACTION/VIDEO] The results for English powerhouses Chelsea and Liverpool were exactly the opposite what you would have predicted when they took to the field Wednesday on Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea, which has yet to win an EPL game under new manager Avram Grant and was coming off a 1-1 tie at home to Rosenborg in its Champions League opener, won, 2-1, at Valencia, which took a seven-game winning streak into the game. Unbeaten in its first 11 games of the season, Liverpool lost, 1-0, at home to Marseille, which had won just one of its first nine French league game.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Magical night for Beasley in Lyons
American DaMarcus Beasley scored one goal and set up another to lead Scottish club Rangers to a 3-0 win at six-time French champion Lyon in one of the biggest upsets this season in the UEFA Champions League.
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United’s Ferguson happy with 1-0 win over Roma
[CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REACTION] It was not the 7-1 rout of last spring, but Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will take three points that came from Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Roma in their Old Trafford rematch. Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the Champions League game with his first goal of the season after missing more than a month with a broken bone in his foot.
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Chelsea’s captain courageous wants to play
[MARQUEE MATCHUP] Chelsea captain John Terry hopes to play against Valencia Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League with a protective face mask just three days after undergoing surgery for an elbow he suffered Saturday when he took an forearm from American Clint Dempsey in Chelsea’s 0-0 tie with Fulham.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
No. 1 Wake Forest held by surging Elon
Elon held unbeaten and untied Wake Forest, the No. 1 team in the Soccer America Top 25 men’s rankings since the second week of the season, to a 1-1 tie in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday night.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Who’s the best in the West?
[ANALYSIS] Cal State Northridge’s 3-0 victory over UCLA on Saturday summed up the state of affairs this fall in the Far West men’s soccer. Northridge’s convincing victory kept the Big West unbeaten in meetings with Pac-10 schools. Indeed, the Big West’s overall record in non-conference games is the best of the four Far West Division I men’s conferences.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Supreme Court refuses to hear Dorrance case
Nine years after she was cut from the University of North Carolina women’s team, Melissa Jennings may finally get her day in court. The U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for a jury trial, denying a petition Monday to hear arguments in the sexual harassment case against legendary UNC coach Anson Dorrance.
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Will Roma again beg for mercy from Man. United?
[MARQUEE MATCHUP] Manchester United hosts Roma at Old Trafford Tuesday in a repeat of their memorable UEFA Champions League encounter last spring. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson doesn’t expect a repeat of the match that ended with a 7-1 victory for United in one of the most spectacular displays of attacking soccer in recent history
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
European Market Frenzy
Spending on the European summer transfer market reached $2 billion in 2007. What's behind the spending boom? And who spent wisely and who spent foolishly? Spending on the European summer transfer market – the two-month window during which European teams stock up on players for the new season – reached $2 billion in 2007. […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
UConn’s Reid earns 300th win with emphatic victory
[MILESTONE] Ray Reid became the fourth Division I men’s coach to pick up his 300th win since the start of the 2007 season when Connecticut beat St. John’s, 3-0, Friday in a Big East match that drew a crowd of 5,116 fans at Morrone Stadium.
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Chivas dumps coach after D.C. United loss
Less than 48 hours after it lost to D.C. United, 2-1, in the Copa Sudamericana, Mexico’s Guadalajara fired Coach Jose Manuel de la Torre and replaced him with Efrain Flores, who worked in Chivas’ development program. Chivas owner Jorge Vergara, who is also co-owner of Chivas USA, complained about the team’s defensive style. Management was also concerned with Chivas’ drop in attendance for league games.
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WEEKEND WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
More trouble for Chelsea, which failed to score for the fourth straight game and lost England captain John Terry, who suffered a depressed fracture of his cheekbone after being elbowed by American Clint Dempsey. Sven-Goran Eriksson, meanwhile, is leading a revival at Manchester City. In Italy, Inter Milan regained the league in Serie A, while Thierry Henry broke out with a hat trick for Barcelona.
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Sounders claim record fourth USL First Division title
Amid reports that an MLS expansion team including their ownership group may be awarded to Seattle for the 2009 season, the Seattle Sounders won their record fourth USL First Division title Saturday with a 4-0 win over the Atlanta Silverbacks before a standing-room-only crowd of 4,893 at the Starfire Sports & Entertainment Complex. Seattle’s USL-1 MVP hails from the French Second Division, but its nucleus consists of college products, five of whom have spent time with MLS clubs.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
No. 1 Wake Forest isn’t concerned with ranking
[PREVIEW] No. 1 Wake Forest looks to extend its best start in more than 20 years when it hosts No. 24 Maryland on Saturday night at Spry Stadium. The Demon Deacons have been without U.S. U-20 defender Julian Valentin, who was injured in preseason practice and has yet to play this season, but the Wake has been solid with fill-in Justin Lichtfuss playing centerback alongside senior Pat Phelan, another former U.S. U-20. Freshman Corben Bone has lived up to his billing as one of the nation’s top freshman, and sophomore Cody Arnoux has prospered with increased playing time in recent weeks.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
TV PREVIEW: International weekend headliners
Roma hosts Inter Milan in a battle of Serie A leaders. It’s a 1-2 clash of Bayern Munich at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. Bernd Schuster returns to Getafe for the first time since taking over as Real Madrid coach. Newcastle travels to Manchester City with Obafemi Martins taking on a key role in the absence of Michael Owen.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Hustling Hoosiers end skid
After losing three straight games, Indiana coach Mike Freitag lit a fire under his Hoosiers, who beat Butler, 2-0, on Wednesday night in front of 1,054 fans at Armstrong Stadium. “I think the message has gotten through,” said Freitag. “The guys who get on the field are the guys who are going to hustle and get things done.”
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Record-setting Germans cruise into Women’s World Cup final
[WOMEN’S WORLD CUP] Germany returned to the Women’s World Cup final with a 3-0 victory over Norway Wednesday in the semifinals. The shutout was the the fifth in five games at the 2007 Women’s World Cup and extended Germany’s scoreless streak to 529 minutes dating back to the 2003 final against Sweden. The streak broke China’s shutout record of 442 minutes in the 1999 and 2003 events.
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MIDWEEK WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
Maltese Michael Mifsud led Coventry City past Manchester United in an English League Cup upset that left Sir Alex Ferguson “flabbergasted.” Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez still wasn’t convinced that Fernando Torres should be an automatic choice in the Reds’ lineup even after Torres’ hat trick against Reading. Argentine Lionel Messi scored two goals in the first 11 minutes to lead Barcelona past Real Zaragoza. AC Milan’s troubles in Serie A continued when it fell at Palermo.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
ACC powers sweep non-conference foes
[TUESDAY ACTION] Three ranked ACC men’s teams — No. 4 Virginia, No. 9 Duke and No. 16 Virginia Tech — were victorious in non-conference action. Virginia and Duke both broke open close games with Mount St. Mary’s and UNC Wilmington, respectively, in the second half, while a goal after intermission was the difference in Virginia Tech’s game at Richmond.
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MIDWEEK PREVIEW: International Soccer Headliners
There’s midweek league action in Germany, Italy and Spain and League Cup action in England and France. Roma and Real Madrid look to hold on to their leads in Italy and Spain, respectively, while Bundesliga leader Bayern faces Energie Cottbus, which has made a coaching change. In France, the derby du Nord between Lens and Lille highlights League Cup play.
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The Goleadoras: Marta, Prinz, Wambach and co.
[WOMEN’S WORLD CUP] While the level of play at the Women’s World Cup has not been great, several individuals have stood out. The great goal scorers of the women’s game — Marta, Birgit Prinz, Abby Wambach and company — have waged a fierce battle for the scoring title. Here’s a look at the leading scorers at the 2007 Women’s World Cup …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
St. John’s Masur picks up 300th career win as head coach
[MILESTONE] St. John’s 4-1 win over Pitt on Sunday gave Coach Dave Masur his 300th career victory. Masur became the third Division I men’s coach to record his 300th win at a four-year institution this season.
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Praise for China’s Thornless Roses
[WOMEN’S WORLD CUP] Host China’s quest for its first Women’s World Cup title ended in defeat against Norway in the quarterfinals, reducing the Steel Roses to tears, but they earned new respect for their efforts.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Notre Dame is the beast of the East
Notre Dame was the big winner on a weekend that saw three Big East teams fall from the unbeaten and untied ranks. The Irish downed Rutgers, 2-0, getting a goal and an assist from senior Ryan Miller in a nationally televised match that drew a crowd of 6,309 fans at Yurcak Field on Friday night. Two days later, Jeb Brovsky scored his first goal of the season to give the Irish a 1-0 win at Villanova.