Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson has announced his intention to retire in 2010, and has also been looking back at the players he missed out on signing for the club. One was former England striker Alan Shearer, but his biggest regret was failing to land Paul Gascoigne, the most charismatic and skillful English player […]
Author Archives: Soccer America
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Long Live the MISL!
Last week, Major Indoor Soccer League’s commissioner Steve Ryan resigned after eight years in office. This week the league suspended operations. But officials at the Baltimore Blast, the reigning champion, insist the move is merely procedural, and that next winter will once again witness the glory that is professional indoor U.S. soccer. “We’re going […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Easing McBride Towards The Fire
Chicago Fire officials should have spent the team’s free weekend “holed up in some smoke-filled back room” figuring out the best way to secure the signature of Brian McBride. That’s the view of Steve Davis, who says the Fire has “a big, fat golden opportunity” to make themselves the hottest team in Major League Soccer. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Major Indoor Soccer League folds
The Major Indoor Soccer League has folded after seven seasons while announcing it is considering restructuring.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Spector out for months; Donovan to miss Spain
[U.S. SOCCER] Jonathan Spector, the 22-year-old defender who plays for the English Premier League’s West Ham, will undergo hip surgery and will be sidelined for three to six months. He is thus dropped from the USA’s roster for its friendly Wednesday against Spain and will miss this summer’s Olympic tournament with the U.S. U-23s. Also unavailable for the Spain friendly is Landon Donovan, who has yet to recover from the groin injury that forced him to miss last week’s 2-0 loss at England. For the latest U.S. roster for its game against Spain. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Dynamo defender fined, suspended
[MLS/VIDEO] MLS has suspended Houston Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson one game and fined him $500 for retaliatory actions against FC Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha May 29. That’s on top of the automatic one-game suspension and $250 fine for the red card Robinson received in the game.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“Soccer players are not bandits and are not to be kicked and punched. This has to stop. The player was wrong, he will be punished and suspended. What is not acceptable is for him to have pepper [spray] in his face or be prodded in the back with a truncheon.”
— Botafogo president Bebeto de Freitas, saying riot police overreacted after defender Andre Luis responded angrily to being red-carded. It was the latest incident of Brazilian police being criticized for their eagerness to intervene in incidents on the field. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
High-scoring Uzbekistan and Bahrain remain perfect
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Uzbekistan and Bahrain are the only teams unbeaten and untied after three games in the second round of World Cup 2010 qualifying in Asia. Uzbekistan went on the rampage and scored five goals in the first half en route to a 7-3 win. Bahrain won, 3-2, at Thailand. On the other hand, Iran’s scoring troubles continued as it was held to a 0-0 tie by the United Arab Emirates — its third straight tie. For all the Asian results and goalscorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Italy loses captain Cannavaro
[EURO ’08 COUNTDOWN] Fabio Cannavaro, who two years ago lifted the World Cup trophy as Italy captain, will miss the 2008 European Championship after after injuring his left ankle Monday during Italy’s first training session after its arrival at its Austrian headquarters, the Schloss Weikersdorf Residenz, near Vienna.
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Midweek matches include a Spain-USA friendly, Copa Libertadores semifinals and a pair of MLS games. Euro 2008 kicks off this weekend. The USA plays a second friendly on Sunday when it hosts Argentina.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Journalist Claims Assault By Samuel Eto’o
One of Jose Mourinho’s rumored first transfer targets for Inter is Barcelona’s Cameroon striker, Samuel Eto’o, who scored a penalty for his country in Saturday’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Cape Verde. The day before, however, he allegedly attacked a Cameroonian radio journalist. Philippe Bonney of Radio Siantou told Reuters that Eto’o assaulted […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘From Wurst To Bad’
Coach Sigi Schmid took his Columbus Crew team to a South Bay German restaurant before Saturday’s game against Chivas USA, but that just meant things went from “wurst to bad to worst,” writes Grahame L Jones. After losing 2-0 to Chivas with 10 men on the field for most of the game, the Crew’s promising […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
U.S. Team Should Open Itself To The Latin Game
Our own Paul Gardner has said often enough that U.S. soccer must better exploit the potential of the country’s huge Latin American population. Now, writes Rob Hughes, the U.S. Soccer Federation has a president in Sunil Gulati who has realized that if soccer in the United States wants to reach a higher level, “it must […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Warner Wants To Feel England’s Warmth
CONCACAF President Jack Warner believes that the English Football Association must show more “warmth” if it wants to succeed in its bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Although England “has consistently had the best bid for hosting the World Cup,” Warner says that in his time as a FIFA vice president he has also […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Inter Job Will Test Mourinho’s ‘Special’ Status
In an open letter to new Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, Gabriele Marcotti warns him of the task ahead at a club well known for being a “dysfunctional basketcase,” and says that “the special one” will really need to live up to his self-given moniker to succeed at the San Siro. After all, departing coach […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Colorado moves up; Toronto rewards fans
[NAMES & NUMBERS] The Colorado Rapids moved into first place of the West with a win over FC Dallas while the Los Angeles Galaxy fell in Toronto, where its enthusiastic fan support is enjoying a six-game home unbeaten streak. Chivas USA’s win over Columbus included a bloody red-card foul by Crew midfielder Danny O’Rourke while Crew coach Sigi Schmid complained about how his top striker has been beaten on. For the weekend’s MLS highlights. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bradley names the men for Spain
[U.S. SOCCER] Coach Bob Bradley, in the wake of his team’s 2-0 loss to England, has named a 24-man roster for the June 4 friendly in Spain that includes all 17 European-based players who were on the roster for the England game.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Results
Last season’s worst team, Tornoto FC, inched up the East standings thanks to a win over Los Angeles. For the up-to-date MLS standings and leading scorers, all the weekend summaries and this week’s schedule. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Edgar Castillo celebrates Mexican title
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Edgar Castillo, a 21-year-old New Mexico product, helped Santos win the Mexican league championship. The left back, whom the Mexican press is lauding as one of the league’s top young players for his attacking contributions, initiated the foray that led to Daniel Luduena‘s goal in the 1-1 second-leg tie with Cruz Azul on Sunday that gave Santos a 3-2 aggregate win.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers. They’d sit a player in the stands, I’m telling you, absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point. Not to give in to these people.”
— Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson, confident that the team’s U.S. owner Malcolm Glazer will not sell star Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid despite the club’s debts. Ronaldo scored 42 goals last season as United lifted the EPL and Champions League titles. (AP)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USL-1 Results
The Vancouver Whitecaps took over first place in the USL First Division with a pair of shutout wins on the road: 2-0 at previous leader Charleston and 1-0 at fifth place Minnesota. In Montreal, a crowd of 12,034 fans watched the Impact fall to Portland, 1-0, and go scoreless for the third straight game at the new Stade Saputo. For all the USL-1 results and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
England, USA (or Mexico) or both?
[WORLD CUP 2018 BID] Last week in London, where England hosted the United States in a friendly, the talk was of a U.S. bid for the 2018 World Cup. In Port of Spain, Trinidad, where England beat T&T, 3-0, on Sunday, the talk was of Concacaf’s Trinidadian president, Jack Warner, and his view on the English bid in 2018. And at the FIFA Congress in Sydney, Australia, there was a twist to the 2018 campaign — a proposal to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at the same time. A recap of the news on the 2018 bidding front …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Canada gives Brazil scare in Seattle
[BRAZIL-CANADA] The first two times Brazil and Canada met in friendly matches, the games ended in ties. This time, Brazil won, but it was close.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Fans killed at Liberia-Gambia qualifier
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Tragedy struck on the opening weekend of play in the second round of World Cup 2010 qualifying in Africa when at least eight fans died of suffocation in a rush to enter an overcrowded Samuel K. Doe Stadium in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, where the Lone Star hosted Gambia on Sunday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Unhappy Aragones to hold double closed-door practice session
[SPAIN] A spectacular volley from Joan Capdevila gave Spain a 2-1 win over Peru in a warm-up for Euro 2008 on Saturday. Spain, which faces the USA Wednesday in Santander (TV, espn360.com, live, ESPN2, 5:30 pm ET, Galavision, 7, delay, 7 pm ET/PT), extended its unbeaten streak to 15 games, but Coach Luis Aragones said he was unhappy with his team’s play.