ABC airs a doubleheader on Sunday: D.C. United vs. Los Angeles and the Euro 2008 Spain vs. Germany final.
Author Archives: Soccer America
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Germany aims for fourth Euro crown
[EURO 2008 HISTORY] On Sunday, Germany makes its record sixth European Championship final appearance with the aim of lifting the title a fourth time. Germany faces Spain, which has reached its third final after one title and one runner-up finish. For European Championship final history …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Soccer fans shun Vienna’s high culture
[OFF THE POST] Before Euro 2008 started, Viennese government officials saw the tournament as a chance to showcase the city’s high culture. Soccer fans could wander amongst the famous artwork hanging in the Albertina or maybe catch a performance at the Vienna Opera House before watching the evening’s games. But museum officials are lamenting low crowds and a ballet scheduled on the day of the final was canceled.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS TV Schedule
ABC, prior to airing the Euro 2008 final on Sunday, features the league’s highest scoring teams with the D.C. United-Los Angeles clash. .. Colorado looks for its second road win of the season in Columbus. … Toronto FC and New England meet for the first time in 2008. … Real Salt Lake takes a five game unbeaten streak to struggling Kansas City. … Chicago hopes to end a three-game losing streak win it hosts San Jose. … The Red Bulls travel to Chivas USA, whose midfielder Sacha Kljestan has already matched his five goals of 2007. … For all the MLS action and the television schedule …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“Germany is Germany and they seem to win against whoever they play. Let’s see if they let us play, but it is very difficult for any team against us, especially when we add pace to our game.”
— Spain coach Luis Aragones, whose team beat Russia, 3-0, on Thursday to send it into the Euro 2008 final against Germany, which will be broadcast live on Sunday by ABC at 2:30 pm ET. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Lippi returns as coach of World Cup champions
[ITALY] Marcello Lippi has said he at times regretted quitting as Italy national team coach after leading the Azzurri to the 2006 World Cup title. He’ll now get the chance to lead Italy again after being reappointed as national team coach following the dismissal of Roberto Donadoni.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
D.C.-L.A. Showdown Promises Goal Feast
Let’s be honest, it’s not every weekend that you look at Major League Soccer’s schedule and are struck by the prospect of a can’t-miss game. But this Sunday’s clash between the league’s top two scorers, the L.A. Galaxy and D.C. United, promises to be something more than your average MLS fare. With over 32,000 tickets […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Adu Out Of The Spotlight, But In The Team
He no longer attracts a fraction of the media attention of four years ago, but that’s fine with Freddy Adu as he continues to slowly establish himself as a regular on the U.S. national team roster. Looking back on his early days in MLS, he concedes it was “hard” to be young and creative in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Platini Moots August Date For Euros
UEFA President Michel Platini has mooted the idea of playing the European Championships in August, so that players taking part are less exhausted after a 10-month season. “I’ve already proposed the idea of playing in August when the players have had a holiday,” he told the French daily. “But it would need the agreement […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
UEFA Could Face Compensation Claims Over Lost TV Coverage
Most soccer fans will remember the Germany-Turkey game not just for its high entertainment, but also because the international TV audience lost pictures of the game three times for a total of 18 minutes during the second half, missing two goals in the process. For older U.S. viewers it must have been like watching in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Turkey Downed By Lahm And Luck
The media consensus is that brave Turkey outplayed Germany in Wednesday’s European Championships semifinal, and that the Germans were lucky to come away with the 3-2 win. Paul Doyle writes effusively that Turkey eschewed the tactics of sitting deep and playing long, as they did against the Czech Republic, and instead “sought to dominate every […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
TV viewers robbed of semifinal drama
[EURO 2008] Only Swiss TV and Qatar-based Al-Jazeera broadcast the entire Germany win over Turkey from Switzerland while TV viewers around the world missed as much as 25 minutes of action, including the crucial second-half goals.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Ecuador club moves closer to history-making
[SOUTH AMERICA] LDU Quito moved a step closer to becoming the first Ecuadorian club to win the Copa Libertadores when it downed Brazil’s Fluminense, 4-2, in first leg final on Wednesday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA books ticket to Under-20 Women’s World Cup
[YOUTH] The USA earned a berth to the 2008 Under-20 Women’s World Cup thanks to a 4-0 win over Costa Rica in the semifinal of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament at Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla, Mexico.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships
MLS’s Kansas City Wizards (U-19 boys), Chicago Fire (U-15 boys) and Columbus Crew (its Grand Rapids affiliate in U-14 boys) became the first MLS teams to send teams to the US Youth Soccer National Championships thanks to victories at Wednesday’s Region II Championships in Rockford, Ill. Minnesota boarding school Shattuck-St. Mary won the U-18 boys title. On the girls side, Eclipse Select, the No. 1 team in the 2008 Soccer America Girls Top 25, won the U-16, U-17 and U-18 girls championships. Toro Bravo (U-14 girls) is the first girls team from Nebraska to advance to the national finals. For all the Region III results …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Championships
Dallas area clubs Andromeda, Texans Red and Sting each won two titles at the US Youth Soccer Region III Championships in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday. The Andromeda U-18 boys and Texans Red U-17 girls are both defending national champions. North Texas won eight titles, while South Texas and North Carolina captured two apiece. For all the Region III results …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I, a hardcore fan all my life, do hereby solemnly promise, before Marca, the country’s fans and the team, to shave every last hair off my Spanish head if the team wins Euro 2008.”
— A pledge sponsored by Spanish sports daily Marca that has been signed by more than 10,000 Spanish fans. Spain faces Russia on Thursday for a spot in the Euro 2008 final.(AP)
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
FIFA Rejects Iraq Call To Expel Qatar
Soccer’s world governing body FIFA has rejected a request by Iraq to expel Qatar from World Cup qualifying after it fielded an ineligible player. Although the player in question, Brazilian-born Emerson, has since been banned by FIFA, the Zurich bureaucrats say that Iraq’s complaint was filed too late to allow it to replace Qatar in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Onalfo The Survivor
Kansas City Wizards coach Curt Onalfo is regarded by many as a possible future national team coach. After surviving a battle with Hodgkin’s disease in his 20s, writes Kristian Dyer, Onalfo certainly has the tenacity needed for the job. “My initial reaction was that I was scared,” said Onalfo of the time when he […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Understanding Arshavin
The other main Russian name in European transfer talk this week has been midfielder Andrei Arshavin. But why, asks Luke Harding, has it taken the rest of Europe so long to notice the qualities of the midfielder behind both Russian progress at Euro 2008, and the UEFA Cup and Russian title wins for his club […]