U.S. women's national team midfielder Shannon Boxx, 31, was close to quitting last year because she was emotionally drained, writes Corinna Knoll. But the Olympic gold medallist was re-energized by the appointment of Pia Sundhage as coach in November 2007. "I was close to being done," Boxx said. "It started to become a job. I […]
Author Archives: Soccer America
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The NCAA Division I men’s champion will be crowned this weekend; semifinals take place on Friday. Club World Cup games air Friday and Sunday. On Saturday, there’s the clasico of clasicos when Barcelona hosts Real Madrid. The second leg of the Mexican league final between Toluca and Cruz Azul takes place on Sunday, 1 pm ET (check local listings)
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
AWARDS: 2008 Men’s Conferences (Mid-American to WCC)
The rest of the the 2008 men’s all-conference teams and individual conference awards from the Mid-American to WCC …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
AWARDS: 2008 Men’s Conferences (ACC to MAAC)
All the 2008 men’s all-conference teams and individual conference awards have been released. The Men’s College Cup will feature ACC Defensive Player of the Year Ike Opara (Wake Forest), Big East Defensive Player of the Year Joel Gustafsson (St. John’s) and Big East Midfielder of the Year Nelson Becerra (St. John’s). For all the conference awards (ACC to MAAC) …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
UPDATE: Akron’s Porter awarded new deal
Akron’s Caleb Porter, one of the most-sought after coaches in college soccer, has been awarded his second new contract in less than a year. The new contract for the 2007 and 2008 Mid-American Coach of the Year is a five-year deal.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Fined, but Lyon players laugh last
[REF WATCH] Two players from French club Lyon, knowing their club was assured passage into the knockout stage of the Champions League with one group game left, intentionally got yellow cards in Lyon’s penultimate group game so they’d serve their accumulated yellow-card suspension in a meaningless game and enter the round of 16 with clean slates. The scheme, despite yielding fines, achieved what they wanted.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Blanco’s caps go missing
[MEXICO] Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who plays for MLS’s Chicago Fire, retired from his national team on Sept. 7 after making a cameo against Canada and celebrating his 100th cap – but now FIFA says he falls short of the century mark.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Red Devils take step toward title
[MEXICO] Toluca, the Diablos Rojos, beat host Cruz Azul, 2-0, on Thursday in the first leg of the Apertura 2008 final with first-half goals by Paulo Da Silva and Sergio Amaury Ponce.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“Without being derogatory, West Ham are a second-rate club. Let’s not kid ourselves … Once I have proved myself in a team such this, I can hope to make the step up to another club.”
— West Ham United defender Herita Ilunga, on loan from French Ligue 1 club Toulouse, endears himself at the London club. The Congo DR international later said he meant “second level” club. (TeamTalk.com)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Reggae Boyz vs. Spice Boyz in final
[DIGICEL CARIBBEAN CHAMPIONSHIP] Grenada, the surprise of this year’s Digicel Caribbean Championship, moved into Sunday’s final against host Jamaica when it beat Cuba, 6-5, on penalties after a late goal by Kithson Bain earned it a 2-2 tie. Jamaica clinched the other berth in the final with a 2-0 win over Guadeloupe.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
’11+’ The Best Warm-up Program, FIFA Says
"Although specifically developed for football [soccer], the '11+' study has already attracted the attention of other sports. In his editorial in the British Medical Journal, John Brooks, an injury expert for the Rugby Football Union, states that this warm-up program should be adopted at all levels in all sports." Soccer's world governing body FIFA reports […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ex-England Keeper ‘Linked To MLS’
Former England goalkeeper Ian Walker, 37, has canceled his contract with Premier League club Bolton Wanderers by mutual consent. Walker, capped four times by England, has "been linked with a move to Major League Soccer." A league that so desperately needs has-been Europeans. Do we hear Toronto calling?
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Tea And Biscuits At The Bernabeu
"That would be a nice party wouldn't it? I look forward to tea and biscuits with Ramon Calderon." Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson anticipates a possible meeting with Real Madrid and its president in the Champions League knockout phase. The two clubs are not on the best of terms after Real's dogged pursuit of Cristiano […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘Repulsive’ Dad Apologizes After Assaulting Ref
"I wish to make a public apology … for my repulsive behavior at the soccer game December 6. There is no excuse or explanation that could justify my heinous display of crudeness. I'm terribly, terribly sorry that this happened. Please forgive and forget." Soccer pop Jim Gulley says sorry for assaulting a referee after his […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Will Portland Take The Plunge?
"We can do what we do with these issues: study the hell out of them, consult the neighborhoods, worry about parking and park space, and make sure the stadiums and offices are green and no birds or worms will be harmed in the name of athletic progress. And when we're done, we still won't know […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Adelaide Kicks Off Club World Cup With A Win
Pay attention, folks, the Club World Cup in Tokyo has kicked off. Australia's Adelaide United won a preliminary round clash against New Zealand's Waitakere United 2-1 on Thursday, and will now face Japan's Gamba Osaka in the quarterfinal. Travis Dodd scored the gamewinner in the 82nd minute as Adelaide dominated, but found the New Zealand […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Houston’s Must-Do List
Following Wednesday's draw for the quarterfinal stage of the Concacaf Champions League starting late February, Houston has a shorter than usual offseason in which to plan for its home-and-away game against Atalante of Mexico. Bernardo Fallas lists several things the club must get done over the winter. Re-signing defenders Wade Barrett and Bobby Boswell and […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Take the Gameboy, Leave The World Cup
Burglars broke into a U.K. residence in the small English town of Chineham, Hampshire, earlier this month and took a television, a games console, a cash box, a handbag and a wallet. But they left behind the World Cup. Satyam Computer Services Marketing Director Sandeep Thawani was looking after one of a handful of gold-plated […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Time To Scrap The Champions League Group Phase
The Champions League group stage "has become such a tiresome, irrelevant farce that it is threatening to bring this once-great competition to its knees," writes Scott Murray. He compares the lack of surprises in this year's group stage with the 1979 European Cup, when it was a straight knockout competition featuring only actual league champions, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Sigi And Crew’s Reasons For Divorce Still Unclear
Michael Arace ponders Sigi Schmid's departure form the Columbus Crew and, after listening to both Schmid and Crew GM Mark McCullers, is still not clear on "how the first major professional team title in Columbus history was followed, in short order, by uncomely divorce." "I wish it hadn't come to this, but it was unavoidable," […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
JUNIOR COLLEGE: Cerritos sweeps CCCAA championships
Cerritos College, best known as Marcelo Balboa‘s alma mater, became the first team in more than a decade to sweep the California Community College Athletic Association men’s and women’s soccer championships with wins at the final fours held in Santa Clarita.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MAKING A LIST: ACC rules at the final four
For the first time, three teams from the same conference are playing in the Men’s College Cup. Defending national champion Wake Forest is joined by ACC champion Maryland and North Carolina — tied for seventh place in the regular season — at this year’s final four in Frisco, Texas. At least two ACC teams have been in the final four since 2004, and you have to go back to 2000 when there was no ACC team in the final four.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
REGIONAL TEAMS: NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division I Men
Top-ranked Wake Forest led all teams with five players named first-team all-regional selections. California, Loyola (Md.), Monmouth, Oakland, Tulsa and Winthrop all had three first-team picks. For all the NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division I men’s regional teams …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MLS: Wake Forest stars headed to adidas combine
Five seniors on defending national champion Wake Forest — Lyle Adams, Evan Brown, Sam Cronin, Michael Lahoud and Marcus Tracy — head the initial list of 65 college seniors from 45 Division I schools who have been invited to participate in the 2009 adidas MLS Player Combine. The annual player combine will be held at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 9-13, 2009. The 2009 MLS SuperDraft will take place Jan. 15 at the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Cruz Azul vs. Toluca in Apertura 08 final
[MEXICO] Cruz Azul, which finished runner-up to Santos last season, hosts the first leg of the Mexican Apertura 2008 final against Toluca on Thursday (TV: Azteca America, 9 pm ET).