Author Archives: Soccer America

FEATURES Draw Favors USA, But The Game Doesn’t By Dean Caparaz U.S. Women Inspire, Awe Rest Of The World By Scott French Sepp Blatter: “The bar Has Been Set Very High” Interview by Ridge Mahoney Jonathan Kraft Sees Bright Days Ahead By Frank Dell’Apa Project 2010: Shooting For The Moon By Paul Kennedy Special U.S. […]

All-Star defender Mike Burns, one of the original members of the New England Revolution, has re-signed with MLS and will join New England Feb. 23 at the Revolution’s preseason training camp in Italy. “I am glad to be back with the Revolution and look forward to joining my teammates,” Burns said. Burns had tried out […]

Lynne Meterparel, whose work with the New England Revolution was instrumental in helping establish Major League Soccer as one of America’s five major sports, has been named General Manager of the San Jose Clash. Meterparel, 30, becomes the youngest general manager in MLS and joins only a handful of women running major professional sports teams […]

U.S. U-17 national team coach John Ellinger has announced the 18-man roster for the 1999 CONCACAF U-17 qualifying tournament to be held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, February 21-28. “The core group of this team has worked hard over the past year and is ready to show the world that they can play,” said Ellinger. “This […]

Ronald Cerritos, the San Jose Clash’s leading scorer for the past two seasons, has reported to preseason training camp after reaching agreement on his contract with Major League Soccer. Cerritos, who has 25 goals and 22 assists in his two-year MLS career, reached agreement Sunday in San Jose. The 24-year-old standout on El Salvador’s national […]

The U.S. U-18 girls’ national team, coached by Shannon Cirovski, beat the USYSA Under-17 All-Star Team, 2-0, in their opening match of the United States Youth Soccer Association Cup held at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. The U.S. U-18s struck early, with 1998 SA Women’s College Freshman of the Year […]

Mexico played a superb tactical game before a capacity crowd of 42,000 at San Salvador’s Estadio Cuscatlan to defeat the hosts, 3-0, earning first place in Group B of the CONCACAF U-17 tournament. Consequently, Mexico earns one of the three berths assigned to CONCACAF to the finals of the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship in […]

U.S. star midfielder Michelle Akers suffered an orbital fracture under her left eye after colliding heads with Norway’s Linda Medalen in the Feb. 14 exhibition match between the FIFA World Stars and the U.S. women’s national team. Akers cracked heads with Medalen while both challenged for a corner kick in the 16th minute. After laying […]

Kyle Beckerman scored in the 65th minute as the U.S. U-17 national team drew 1-1 with the Columbus Crew of MLS on Feb. 13 at Seminole County Park in Florida. The U-17s will play another MLS club, Tampa Bay, on Feb. 19 in Bradenton, Fla. in their final tuneup match before departing for CONCACAF qualifying […]

Colorado Rapids 1999 first-round college draft pick Andrew Mittendorf underwent successful surgery to repair a torn posterior medial meniscus in his left knee on Feb. 12 in Denver. The forward out of Lehigh University will miss two to three weeks of training while rehabilitating the injury with the team’s medical staff in Denver. Mittendorf picked […]

The FIFA World Stars shocked the U.S. women’s national team with a 2-1 victory in front of a highly-entertained crowd of 15,367 at Spartan Stadium in the first-ever World All-Star Match for women. The night was highlighted by the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final Draw, which took place at halftime of the match, as […]

Here are the results of the draw for the 1999 Women’s World Cup: Group A — USA, North Korea, Nigeria, Denmark. Group B — Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Italy. Group C — Norway, Japan, Canada, Russia. Group D — China, Australia, Ghana, Sweden.

WWC ’99 Draw Group A — USA, North Korea, Nigeria and Denmark. Group B — Germany, Brazil, Mexico and Italy. Group C — Norway, Japan, Canada and Russia. Group D — China, Australia, Ghana and Sweden. WWC ’99 Schedule First Round GROUP A June 19 in East Rutherford, N.J. USA vs. Denmark June 20 in […]

Women’s World Cup ’99: Television schedule Here is a look at the television schedule for WWC ’99. Please note that all times are eastern. FIRST ROUND Date Matchup Kickoff (ET) Venue Network (live/tape) June 19 USA vs. Denmark 3:00 p.m. Giants Stadium ABC (live) June 19 Brazil vs. Mexico 5:30 p.m. Giants Stadium ESPN (live) […]

Jimmy Conrad, widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in the A-League, is joining the San Jose Clash as a Major League Soccer “discovery player,” Director of Soccer Renato Capobianco announced Feb. 12. Capobianco also announced that Stanford University midfielder Simon Elliott, who in 1998 helped the Cardinal to its first appearance in […]

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Steve Jolley has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out for three to four weeks. The 23-year-old suffered the injury during practice on Feb. 9, when he went up for a ball and landed awkwardly, damaging the meniscus in his left knee. Jolley had previously undergone surgery to repair a […]

Striker Roberto Gaucho, one of Brazil’s most consistent goalscorers for more than 10 seasons, has signed with Major League Soccer and will play for the Miami Fusion. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound striker is expected to join training camp by Feb. 20. He will be introduced to the media at a news conference after his arrival. Roberto […]

Bryan Jackson, Landon Donovan and Adolfo Gregorio all scored as the U.S. U-17 national team defeated the University of South Florida 3-1 in a friendly match Feb. 11. The U-17s are in Florida wrapping up preparations for CONCACAF qualifying, which begins Feb. 24 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The U.S. faces Costa Rica on Feb. 24, […]

Lisa Harwood Potomac, Md. How do foreign Project-40 players not count toward the foreign player limit per MLS team? Pete Bailey & Mike Woitalla: Both Dema Kovalenko and Maurizio Rocha came to the United States — from Ukraine and Bolivia, respectively — while still in high school. When they reached MLS age, the league decided […]

On the heels of an historic 3-0 win over Germany on Feb. 6 in Jacksonville, U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena has selected the 22 players that will join the national team in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on Feb. 15 to begin preparations for the USA’s full-international match against Chile on Feb. 21 at Lockhart Stadium. […]

FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, has given final approval on the schedule for the 1999 Women’s World Cup, determining the first-round and knockout round match-ups of the third world championship for women’s soccer. The 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final draw, to be held at halftime of the FIFA World Stars vs. the […]

It’s always easy to stretch a point, but the fact is that the U.S. win over Germany may have saved American soccer. The 1999 season shaped up as a very difficult year for American soccer. Any prestige soccer had developed over the last decade in the American sporting community was lost by the dismal display, […]

The U.S. women’s national team will play nine matches on the “Nike Road to Pasadena” during its final preparations for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The nine games are the final matches in an unprecedented 19-game 1999 schedule, which will take the USA across the country and into four Women’s World Cup venues. It […]

Swedish midfielder Anders Limpar, a veteran of two World Cups and several seasons in the English Premier League, has been allocated to the Colorado Rapids. Limpar, 33, has made 58 appearances for Sweden’s national team, including two of three matches at Italia ’90. He was also a member of the Swedish team at Euro ’92 […]

Greg Ryan, who guided SMU to a WAC championship and an NCAA berth in 1997, has been named head women’s soccer coach at Colorado College. Ryan succeeds Nicole Crepeau, who resigned last fall after five seasons with the Tigers. Ryan returns to Colorado Springs after serving as an assistant coach for the CC men’s program […]