Play over the holiday weekend was limited to England, the Netherlands and Scotland. At the halfway mark, AZ is first in the Netherlands after its 1-0 win over NEC. In Scotland, Celtic moved seven points ahead of archrival Rangers with a 1-0 win at Ibrox. (Neither of Rangers’ Americans, DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu, dressed for the Old Firm derby.)
Author Archives: Soccer America
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Boca wins by losing
[ARGENTINA] Boca Juniors won Argentina’s Torneo Apertura despite losing to upstart Tigre, 1-0, in the final game of a three-team playoff.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Liverpool claims lead into New Year
[ENGLAND] Liverpool was the big winner during the English Premier League’s abbreviated holiday program, defeating Bolton Wanderers, 3-0, and Newcastle, 5-1, to open up a three-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the standings.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Wizards rookie Espinoza picked by Catrachos
[HONDURAS] Kansas City Wizards rookie Roger Espinoza has been called up for the Honduran national team’s training camp that begins Thursday in Miami.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“The funny thing is Rick and Griff get on very well. They even had a party over Christmas at which they exchanged shirts. But Rick is a very volatile person and I can’t condone what he did.”
— Stoke City manager Tony Pulis, on teammates Ricardo Fuller and Andy Griffin. Fuller slapped Griffin, the Stoke captain, after the latter failed to stop West Ham’s Carlton Cole for the equalizer in their EPL game on Sunday, Fuller was sent off by referee Michael Jones, and West Ham went on to win, 2-1. (Guardian)
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Disney’s Soccer Showcase Special Edition
Day 1 Wrapup/by Paul Kennedy
The YOUTH SOCCER REPORTER begins daily coverage of the Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
U.S. Youth Soccer Boys ODP Inter-Regional Scoreboard
Region III opened play at the U.S. Youth Soccer Boys ODP Inter-Regional with 4-0 wins in the 1992 and 1993 age groups. For all the Day 1 results …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Chelsea gets off to strong start
Last year, English club Chelsea finished second in the U-16 Showcase boys division at the Disney’s Soccer Showcase. This year, the Blues have their sights set on the title in the U-17 Showcase, arguably the most competitive division, and they got off to a strong start Saturday afternoon when they beat D.C. United‘s academy team, 4-2.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
MLS teams excel on Day 1
There’s no offseason for MLS’s youth teams and affiliated youth teams. The Chicago Fire Juniors Reds, Kansas City Wizards Juniors, Mississippi Fire Juniors and RSL Florida joined D.C. United in sending teams to Disney’s Soccer Showcase.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Disney’s Soccer Showcase Under-19 Boys Scoreboard
Big winners on the first day of play in the under-19 boys divisions included Minnesota boarding school Shattuck St. Mary’s and Miami Strike Force Cagliari, a winner in last fall’s qualifying tournament, in the Showcase division. For all the results and schedules in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Disney’s Soccer Showcase Under-17 Boys Scoreboard
The Dallas Texans Academy and fellow Texas club Lonestar Red recorded convincing wins on Day 1 of the under-17 Showcase. For all the results and schedules in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Disney’s Soccer Showcase Under-16 Boys Scoreboard
The Alpharetta Ambush SC Red opened with an impressive 5-0 win in the U-16 Showcase. The biggest winner in the U-16 age group was the Gainesville Soccer Alliance Rampage, which earned a 6-0 victory in the Copa division. For all the results and schedules in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Disney’s Soccer Showcase Under-15 Boys Scoreboard
Among the big winners on Day 1 in the under-15 Showcase division were the Baltimore Casa Mia Bays, Concorde Fire Elite and Solar. For all the results and schedules in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Disney’s Soccer Showcase players and fans on FACEBOOK
Those players and fans attending the 2008 Disney’s Soccer Showcase should connect by joining the “I’m spending the holidays at Disney’s Soccer Showcase” on Facebook.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
YOUTH SOCCER REPORTER to feature Disney’s Soccer Showcase coverage beginning on Sunday
The Youth Soccer Reporter will be providing daily coverage of the Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club, beginning with coverage of boys play on Dec. 28 and continuing through to Jan. 4 with coverage of the girls competition.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Disney’s Soccer Showcase kicks off Saturday
The annual Disney’s Soccer Showcase kicks off Saturday at the Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., with boys action in four age groups as well as the U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Super Group featuring regional teams in the 1992 and 1993 age groups.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
U-18 boys mega-camp roster
Mike Matkovic, recently hired as U.S. under-18 men’s national team coach, will hold a 72-player mega-camp beginning Sunday at The Home Depot Center. The players were all born 1991, making them eligible for the 2009 and 2011 Under-20 World Cups. They range rang from high school sophomores to college freshmen, including Zac MacMath, the starting goalie for NCAA Division I champion Maryland. Two foreign-based players — Patrick Otte of English club Middlesbrough’s youth academy and Andrew Lubahn of Belgian club Club Brugge — were also invited. For the complete roster …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
ON THE WEB: Arizona youth soccer over the top
Phoenix New Times reporter John Dickerson provides a long expose on the state of youth soccer in Arizona. The warm weather provides year-round opportunities for youth soccer, and the state’s recent growth has fueled a cottage industry that feeds off the youth soccer boom. At the heart of the problem are over-the-top coaches and an obsession with college scholarships, particularly on the girls side. For Dickerson’s report and what organizers, parents, coaches and players have to say …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Youth All-American teams announced
The 2008 NSCAA/adidas Youth All-Americans include five boys honorees who have made verbal commitments to attend Akron. On the girls side, four players have made verbal commitments to play for national champion North Carolina. For all the boys and girls selections and their college plans …
Posted inYouth Soccer Reporter, Youth What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“The [youth soccer] system is broken in the U.S. Not least because you actually have to pay to play. Some kids are paying as much as $5,000 a year just to play for a decent club team.”
— Aston Villa goalie Brad Friedel, whose Premier Soccer Academies located in Lorain, Ohio, offers a residency program free of charge to top youth players. (si.com
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Leeds Appoints Grayson New Manager
Leeds United has appointed Simon Grayson as its new manager following the firing of Gary McAllister. Grayson comes to the team from Championship (second tier) club Blackpool, whom he led to promotion last season. Leeds was a Champions League semifinalist as recently as 2001, but is now mid-table in League One (third tier) and has […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Spain Would Prefer World Cup With Portugal
"We need to present a strong, consistent and winning bid for the 2018 World Cup. Personally, I think it should be with Portugal." Spanish soccer federation President Angel Maria Villar's reported comments on a potential Spain bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
England Team ‘No Longer A Funfair’
"Fabio [Capello] has been absolutely brilliant. His seriousness is so transparent. He does everything in a meticulous way and the distractions are not there. There is a sense that the players are being treated as serious athletes. It isn't all a funfair. They react really well to that." English Football Association Chairman Lord Triesman praises […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Adebayor: Referee Webb Failed To Protect Me
"If you try to protect strikers I would not have had a red card. I don't think I deserved a red card, but at least one of the Liverpool players did. [Jamie] Carragher was always fouling, so was [Leiva] Lucas in the middle. I made two fouls and got two yellow cards, which is not […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Warzycha Is Crew’s Worthy Consolation Prize
It doesn't matter how hard Columbus Crew GM Mark McCullers tries to spin it, the team "dropped the ball" by not getting former coach Sigi Schmid under contract before the Crew won the MLS Cup, writes Bob Hunter. But they have been saved by the fact that his assistant Robert Warzycha was available. Hunter believes […]