There will be plenty of pressure on players and coaches when Real Salt Lake plays its first game Thursday at the team’s new soccer specific stadium in the suburb of Sandy, writes Michael Lewis. But this will be nothing compared with the pressure on what team owner-operator Dave Checketts calls the “heroes” who used their […]
Author Archives: Soccer America
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
New York Lacking Drive
New York is another Eastern Conference team failing to produce at a crucial point in the season. For the second week running, writes Frank Giase, it “played host to a desperate team fighting for its playoff life, and for the second game in a row they failed to match their opponent’s intensity and drive for […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Dismal D.C. Utterly Lost
The generous playoff format of Major League Soccer can keep the worst of teams hanging in there until the season's very end, but surely not even the most optimistic D.C. United fans can think their team still has a chance this season after Saturday's dismal 3-0 home defeat by Chivas USA. Step forward United coach […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
CROWD COUNT: Illinois draws large audience
Illinois drew a crowd of 2,036 fans, the second largest crowd in history at the Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium, for its 1-0 win over Michigan on Sunday. Other crowds of note included 3,376 for Texas A&M-Oklahoma State, which gives the Aggies four of the top eight women’s crowds of the season, and 2,316, Notre Dame’s largest crowd of the season, for the top-ranked Irish’s 3-0 win over South Florida on Friday. For the top 10 women’s crowds of 2008 …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
POLLS: Soccer America Women’s Top 25
There was no change among the top six teams in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25 with unbeaten and untied Notre Dame still No. 1. Virginia climbed four places to No. 7 thanks to 6-0 and 7-1 wins in ACC play. For this week’s complete Soccer America Women’s Top 25 …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
CROWD COUNT: UConn sells out for Big East clash
Connecticut drew a sellout crowd of 4,407 for its Big East match with West Virginia. Fans donated more than 1,000 new and used soccer balls on a night when the visiting Mountaineers upset the Huskies, 1-0. UConn partnered with the Kick for Nick organization, which was started in memory of Connecticut native Nick Madaras and collected soccer balls to send to children in Iraq. For the top 10 men’s crowds of 2008 …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
POLLS: Soccer America Men’s Top 25
Besides No. 1 Wake Forest, Akron was the only other team in last week’s Top 10 to go unscathed. The Zips climbed five spots to No. 3. Creighton also jumped five places to No. 2. For this week’s complete Soccer America Men’s Top 25 …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Results
For all the weekend results, standings, leading goalscorers and schedules. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Dynamo books playoff spot
[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] Two-time defending champ Houston became the second team after the Columbus Crew to clinch a playoff by downing Colorado. For the weekend’s MLS high- and low-lights. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA eliminated
[FUTSAL WORLD CUP] The USA fell, 5-3, to Thailand for its third straight loss at the championship in Brazil and has been eliminated from second-round contention.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Taylor hits hat trick in Germany
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Matt Taylor, a former UCLA star who scored six goals in four MLS seasons (2004-2007), scored a hat trick for German Second Division TuS Koblenz in a 5-0 win over Kaiserslautern on Sunday. In England, Clint Dempsey got his first EPL start of the season on a weekend in which few Americans saw action but Carlos Bocanegra helped Rennes to an impressive win in France.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bradley calls in ‘Mosquito’ Torres
[WORLD CUP 2010] U.S. coach Bob Bradley has included 20-year-old Texan Jose Francisco Torres, who has also been courted by the Mexican national team, into his 23-man roster for the Oct. 11 qualifier against Cuba in Washington, D.C. Other young players called in by Bradley who weren’t part of the last squad are Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela and Jozy Altidore
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“In the Olympic Games, it was a hard decision. I was born in the U.S., and I have lived in Mexico for five years now. My career, I made it in Mexico, but I talked it over with my family, and they told me whatever decision I make, they have my back.”
— Jose Francisco Torres, a 20-year-old Texas native whose father is a Mexican immigrant, on accepting a call-up from the U.S. national team after declining an invitation from the U.S. U-23 team while being courted by Mexico, where he plays for Pachuca. (Dallas Morning News)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USL-1 Results
Puerto Rico and Vancouver advanced to the USL First Division championship game with comeback wins in their semifinal series. The Islanders beat Rochester, the last U.S. entrant alive in the USL-1 playoffs, 3-2 on aggregate, winning thanks to Cristian Arrieta’s overtime goal in the second leg. Vancouver erased Montreal’s 1-0 advantage with two first-half goals in the second leg and held on for a 2-1 win. Vancouver will host the final at Swangard Stadium on Thanksgiving Sunday, Oct. 12.
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The MLS playoff race heats up with a full slate of matches this weekend.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
On Immortality And Relegation
There’s a famous Kurt Vonnegut short story where nobody dies any more thanks to a medicine that’s been invented to ensure immortality. Needless to say, without the threat of death, life turns out to be something of an existential washout.” Pretentious hack muses on a soccer future without relegation.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Burpo Holding On To Number One
As far as the competition for No. 1, that’s kind of irrelevant at this point. . . . I think Gary [Smith] made a decision that he’s going to go with me, and up to this point the ball has bounced a little our way since I’ve been in.” Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Preston Burpo talks […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Kinnear Vents At Reporter
“It’s going to my ****ing lawyers.” Audio of Newcastle United interim manager Joe Kinnear’s full and frank exchange with a Daily Mirror reporter. Warning: contains enough foul language to make Ray Hudson blush.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Portsmouth To Report Spurs For Campbell Chants
Meanwhile, Portsmouth is to report Tottenham Hotspur to the FA for the racist and homophobic chants its fans aimed at Sol Campbell (now of Portsmouth, formerly of Tottenham) during last Saturday’s EPL game between the two sides.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
FIFA Must get Tough On Racism
“Fines don’t hurt people. It has to be suspension. FIFA can deduct [qualifying] points and ban them from games.” Former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott is putting pressure on the English Football Association to lobby FIFA for more stringent punishments for racist crowd chants.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
FIFA To Invite Journalists On South Africa Tour
World soccer governing body FIFA is inviting the world’s journalists to South Africa to show them how safe the country will be when it hosts the World Cup in 2010. FIFA spokesperson Hans Klaus told reporters in Cape Town it will take the hacks on “FIFA-sponsored tours” of the 10 host from next month. “Europe […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Impact In Winter Wonder Land
The unexpected success of the United Soccer Leagues’ Montreal Impact in Concacaf Champions League group play has raised a logistical issue the team hadn’t previously worried about. If the team continues its good form and qualifies for the competition’s home-and-away quarterfinal, where would it play the home game in the middle of winter? “We’ve started […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
San Jose ‘Robbed’ By Late PK
“There was a time the Earthquakes would have been happy to score a point on the road,” writes Tobias Xavier Lopez. “But not after a 1-1 draw Thursday against FC Dallas.” He tells of the “anger and frustration” in the post-game San Jose locker room after a controversial penalty kick allowed Dallas to tie the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Mo Must Go’
The honeymoon is finally over for Toronto FC’s general manager and former coach Mo Johnston, reports Gareth Wheeler. “TFC has only two wins since the end of May and Johnston’s resources to bring in new players seemingly start and end with one man,” he writes. Fan banners have started to appear proclaiming that ‘Mo Must […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Noorzai Agent: Crew Will Not Move To Vegas
Columnist Michael Arace is tentatively assured to find that the potential new part-owners of the Columbus Crew are apparently not interested in moving the franchise to Las Vegas. Arace and Dispatch beat reporter Shawn Mitchell talked to agent Dave Whinham, representative of Mark Noorzai, who is the man with plans to build a $500 million […]