Author Archives: Soccer America

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. France coach Raymond Domenech has been assured yet again by the French Football Federation that his job is safe. This is Part 27 in an ongoing series of FFF statements designed to entertain fans abroad who love to see the French national team fail. Although Paul Doyle […]

“Unless you are one of the ultra-rich clubs, this, surely, is the way forward and Leeds [United], a club I greatly respect, have to be applauded for its efforts in this regard.” FIFA President Sepp Blatter says that Leeds United’s professional and financial demise since being Champions League semifinalists in 2001 has been arrested by […]

“For us to catch up as much as we did and then fall away at the end was disappointing. We just went out of pocket at the wrong time. We were so close.” Quakes’ coach Frank Yallop on his side’s disappointing end to the season.

"When the losses started to pile up, Gullit cut and ran, citing unspecified personal reasons. Now he is blaming the system and inventing an anti-soccer conspiracy. There is no need to listen to him any longer." Grahame L. Jones responds to former L.A. Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit's comments, reported Tuesday, that soccer will not be […]

In Kansas City, another pro took a completely different path to first team action, writes Randy Covitz. Former Graceland University midfielder Kevin Souter, 24, showed up at the Wizards’ open tryout at the start of the year with 200 other players, and ended up landing a developmental contract. After suffering an early injury in reserve […]

Colorado Rapids’ midfielder Greg Dalby, 22, has no illusions that the awards he received as a college player mean anything in the professional game. “Accolades from previous years are great,” Dalby told Mark Zeigler, “but it doesn’t add up to a whole lot once you make that leap to a professional.” Zeigler’s piece on Dalby […]

Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said that the English Football Association was wrong to ask its Spanish counterparts to move England’s exhibition game in Madrid next February to another venue. When England last played at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium in 2004, its black players were subject to racist abuse from the home spectators. “I […]

Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis makes no secret of the team he admires most in Major League Soccer. “From the moment he took over as head coach last season,” writes James Edward, “there’s been a method to Kreis’ madness, a vision shared by General Manager Garth Lagerwey — call it the Houston Dynamo model.” […]

“The quality of the lighting is our biggest fear.” ESPN soccer producer Tom McNeely tells Jack Bell about the logistics of covering U.S. national team games abroad.

“Let’s be honest, was there ever really any doubt that the U.S. wasn’t going to get to the next [World Cup qualifying] round? And, aside from the required platitudes, is there really any doubt in anyone’s mind that the U.S. will qualify for 2010?” Greg Lalas can’t get too excited about the U.S. World Cup […]

“Now practically everyone expects the CSA [Canadian Soccer Association] to fire national team coach Dale Mitchell, who wasn’t everyone’s first choice but a convenient replacement for Frank Yallop.” Columnist Kent Gilchrist exhorts the CSA to get Canada’s national team program back on track in time for the 2014 World Cup qualifying cycle.

“We feel like we owe them [San Jose] one. I think there is a little chip on our shoulder with the way we feel disrespected with not getting to keep our accomplishments from San Jose. We’re really looking forward to showing them who won the two championships there and who won the two here.” The […]

“David Beckham is not ready to leave the stage,” writes an admiring Kevin McCarra of the midfielder’s England international career. “No critic of his attention-seeking behavior runs short of material. Still, Beckham does show a surprising tenacity and has had to suppress some self-regard merely to cling to the national team.” Beckham is now content […]