Author Archives: Soccer America

“The league has fallen into the same trap as the Galaxy — trying to run before it can walk, trying to be global before it is even local.” Grahame L. Jones proposes easy solutions to Major League Soccer’s clogged schedule.

Tough Childhood Leaves Howard Fearing No Challenge

“Basketball is so awesome because you can influence the game, you get so many touches on the ball, and I miss that.” Michelle Kaufman interviews U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Turning Manchester City Into Its Own Reality Show

Dr. Sulaiman Al Fahim is the front man of Manchester City’s likely new owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group, and he has already mentioned the possibility of paying in the region of $250 million for Cristiano Ronaldo because City “is going to be the biggest club in the world.” Splashing out cash like that, writes […]

Open Cup Pits Minor Versus Major

That “great little competition,” the U.S. Open Cup, produced a dandy final Wednesday night when D.C. United topped the USL’s Charleston Battery 2-1 at RFK Stadium, writes Steve Davis. “The home team prevailed in a classic clash of a splashy MLS side against a smaller but impressive USL outfit, one that gave Tom Soehn’s home […]

Portland Launches MLS Bid

Merritt Paulson launched his plan Wednesday for bringing MLS to Portland, Ore. It involves a $75 million project to take the Portland Beavers baseball team out of PGE Park and into a new stadium, while converting PGE Park into a soccer facility. Where would the cash come from? Paulson, who owns both the minor […]

Schmid: MLS Rosters Need More Depth

The top two teams in MLS will meet at Crew Stadium this weekend when Columbus hosts the New England Revolution. Shawn Mitchell generously labels it “the most anticipated Major League Soccer game of the week, perhaps even the season,” although New England, who will head to Ohio trying to forget the 4-0 home spanking by […]

Youth Soccer Reporter, Youth What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“We’re not asking for anything for free, [but] the kids we serve aren’t exactly upper-middle-class kids.”

— Irene Chavez, treasurer of the the Anaheim (Calif.) Soccer Club, after the local school district said that it would cost the club $60,000 to use fields for a whole season under a new fee schedule. Before this year, leagues paid $20 permit fees to use the fields. Both parties hoped to reach a compromise. (Orange County Register)

Story, Youth Soccer Reporter

Top-ranked boys prep team slumps

Raleigh (N.C.) Broughton High School, the top-ranked boys team in the 2007 NSCAA/adidas High School National Rankings, had its 54-game unbeaten ended when it lost to Roberson, 1-0, on Saturday in a battle of North Carolina prep powers at the Mellow Mushroom Tournament in Boone.

Story, Youth Soccer Reporter

Cal South star signs with Mexico’s Tigres

Oscar Lopez, who played for Cal South at the 2008 U.S. Youth Soccer ODP National Championships, has left his home in West Covina, Calif., to join Tigres of the Mexican First Division.

Story, Youth Soccer Reporter

Meet the new U.S. U-17 residents

The U.S. under-17 national team staff has recruited one of the largest incoming classes in the history of the residency program, which was launched in 1999. Here’s a look at the new players …

College Soccer Reporter, Story

UPDATE: LSU forced to cancel tournament

LSU, No. 17 in the Soccer America Top 25, has had to cancel its Tiger Classic because the LSU Soccer Complex suffered considerable damage from Hurricane Gustav.

College Soccer Reporter, Story

SCOREBOARD: Soccer America Men’s Top 25

This weekend’s Men’s Top 25 action includes a pair of games involving top 10 teams — Indiana-South Florida at Notre Dame’s Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament Friday and California-SMU at the Cal Legacy Classic Sunday. For this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 results and schedules …

College Soccer Reporter, Story

IN HER OWN WORDS: South Carolina’s Blakely Mattern

Blakely Mattern is the star of the South Carolina women’s defense that has yet to give up a goal in three games — marking the first time the Gamecocks have opened with three straight shutouts. Mattern, one of only four players to have played every minute of every game, was the 2007 SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. She recaps USC’s pre-season preparations and the excitement of opening the season and being introduced at halftime of the South Carolina-N.C. State football game before more than 80,000 fans.

Bay Area in, Dallas out (until 2010)

[WPS] Weeks before its first player moves will be made, Women’s Professional Soccer, the new women’s league, announced Wednesday that it will add a team in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009 and its Dallas team will start in 2010, not 2009 as planned.

German clubs cut back on spending

[TRANSFER TALK] In contrast to the wild dealing in England, German clubs spent cautiously on the summer transfer market, which closed at midnight on Monday. Bundesliga spending reached 150 million euros ($217 million) — less than a quarter of the money spent in England.

Islanders pull upset with miracle comeback

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The Puerto Rico Islanders rallied for two goals in the last three minutes to beat former champion Alajuelense, 2-1, and give the USL First Division two teams in the group stage of the Concacaf Champions League — the same as MLS will have.

Special Editions for Saturday’s Cuba-USA match

Soccer America Executive Editor Mike Woitalla is in Havana to cover Saturday’s Cuba-USA World Cup qualifier (kickoff: 8 pm ET). Special editions of Soccer America Daily will appear on Saturday and Sunday with coverage before and after the game.

Soccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“We offered 10,000-1 as he [Barack Obama] is probably more concerned with winning a slightly higher-profile job for himself at the moment. But if he loses out on that one and the position is still up for grabs, you never know.”

— Spokesperson Graham Sharpe on the 10,000-1 odds British bookmaker William Hill gave after a London-based businessman bet 10 pounds ($17.80) that Obama will replace Alan Curbishley as West Ham United manager. Obama has been a fan of the Hammers since visiting Britain five years ago. (AP)

U.S. Climbs To 29th In FIFA World Rankings

The U.S. national team climbed three places to 29th in the September world rankings. England, meanwhile, is just one spot ahead of Scotland, in 15th place.

Soccer Agent Arrested On Fraud Charges

Yes, we know it sounds like a ‘dog bites man’ story. Ian Elliott, the former agent of England international Stewart Downing, has been arrested on charges of fraud and money-laundering. The Middlesbrough player made a formal complaint to police about the handling of his financial affairs.

Curbishley Resigns At West Ham

Jonathan Spector’s manager at West Ham United, Alan Curbishley, has resigned, reportedly unhappy at the amount of cash he had available for new players during the transfer window. He may hook up with Kevin Keegan for a beer and a mutual shoulder to cry on.

Why Keegan Fell Out With Newcastle Again

Although Kevin Keegan has not yet officially left his post as manager of Newcastle United, it seems likely that his second spell at the club is all but over. Louise Taylor chronicles the breakdown between ‘King Kev’ and the Newcastle owner Mike Ashley during Keegan’s third spell (and his second as manager) at the team. […]

‘Imperial’ FIFA Angers Cape Town Councilors

South Africa is discovering one of the joys of hosting the 2010 World Cup — dealing with soccer’s world governing body, FIFA. City councilors in Cape Town have condemned as “absolutely ridiculous” a draft of the temporary bylaw that FIFA imposes on host cities during the tournament to regulate street trading, traffic, advertising and public […]

U.S. Team Steps Into The Unknown

There’s an air of curiosity rather than tension in the U.S. national team camp as it prepares for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Cuba, its first visit to the island for 61 years. Eddie Lewis and Landon Donovan sound more like schoolboys about to go on their first student exchange. “Being in England for so […]

Richardson Routs the Revs