Author Archives: Soccer America

“Ajax is my club and it hurts me when the club is doing badly, when it is not competing in the Champions League. I am going to help it get better.”

— Legendary Johan Cruyff, who will be given the task of reviving Amsterdam club Ajax, where he began his career as a youth in the early 1960s. Cruyff, who played at Ajax on two different occasions in his career and later coached the club, said he would take an unofficial role at the club. He is expected to hire Marco van Basten, another former Ajax great, to run the club after he steps down for his position as Dutch national team coach after Euro 2008.

FC Dallas falls in Rio Grande Plate

[MLS] FC Dallas fell to Tigres of Mexico, 2-1, in the first leg of the third annual Rio Grande Plate on Wednesday night at the Estadio Universitario in Monterrey.

Baby Scorpion Mansally strikes again for Revs

[MLS] Gambian Kenny Mansally only turned 19 three weeks ago, but he made quite an impression for the New England Revolution on its trip to Bermuda. Three days after he scored a hat trick in a 6-1 win over the Bermuda national team, Mansally added another goal in the Revs’ 2-0 victory over the Bermudan nationals on Wednesday in Hamilton.

Sundhage rings in the new for Algarve Cup

[U.S. WOMEN] Following a 17-day training camp at The Home Depot Center, U.S. women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage named her 20-player roster for the 2008 Algarve Cup March 5-12 in Portugal. Sundhage selected four players who have never traveled to the prestigious Portuguese tournament — uncapped Rachel Buehler and fellow ’07 collegiate stars Tobin Heath, Lauren Cheney and Angie Woznuk.

Chelsea Coach Receives Death Threats

Police in London revealed that Chelsea coach Avram Grant received anti-Semitic death threats in a package containing a mysterious powder at the club’s training ground in Surrey. A member of the club’s staff opened the package to find the powder and a note containing ethnic slurs and threats on both Grant’s life and that of […]

European Commission Nixes Foreigner Quotas

FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s foreigner restriction rule proposal, which would reduce the maximum number of foreigners in a club’s starting lineup to five, was dealt a near death blow on Monday when the European Commission ruled that the change goes against European Union law. “The Commission is not considering any change to allow Fifa to […]

Italy Reacts to Inter’s Loss

The Guardian translates the headlines in Italy following Inter Milan's 2-0 Champions League defeat against Liverpool at Anfield. Notwithstanding the harsh sending off of Marco Materazzi after 30 minutes, the assessments of Inter's play were rather damning. "Bitter but fair," said Alberto Cerruti of the Gazzetta dello Sport. "Clinging to the alibi of the numerical […]

Fire Rejects Richards Package for Conde

Sources tell Soccer By Ives that the New York Red Bulls included 2007 Rookie of the Year runner-up Dane Richards in a proposed trade for Chicago Fire defender Wilman Conde, a move that the Fire subsequently turned down. The package included Richards, a first round draft pick, cash and either Jeff Parke or Carlos Mendes […]

Galaxy must tackle salary math problems

The Los Angeles Galaxy and other MLS teams have until March 3 to be salary cap-compliant, but thanks in large part to the designated player salaries (which count $400,000 against the cap) of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz, the Galaxy is long way away. Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas has publicly admitted as much, […]

Winter Transfer Moves

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Robert Adam, a 6-2 central defender from Northern California youth powerhouse De Anza Force, signed with Scottish club Hearts’ youth academy. “Robert is a big, strong, fast, skillful center defender and it comes as no surprise that Hearts would sign him as a professional for their U-19 team.” said Jeff Baicher, president of the De Anza Force. The Canadian-born Adam signed a contract with the Edinburgh club through the 2009-10 season. Other Americans on the move in Europe include goalie Colin Burns, who signed with Sweden’s Ljungskile SK, while former Creighton University player Tony Odorisio joined Finnish Premier League club FC KooTeePee. For all the winter overseas transfers involving Americans …

UEFA Champions League TV Schedule

The knockout stage of the European Champions League continues Wednesday with four games in the round of 16 matches. For all the TV coverage …

Liverpool leaves it late against Inter

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Patience has been in short supply this season at Anfield, but it was decisive in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Italian champion Inter Milan Tuesday in the first leg of their round-of-16 series in the Champions League.

Soccer Job Openings

[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions: college coaching opportunities, positions in the pros, youth soccer, the soccer industry.

Soccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“If you have anything worth burning, bring it down!”

— A plea from English club Rochdale, whose fans worked desperately to thaw its frozen field in time for Tuesday’s game against Notts County by placing 40 oil drums on it and fueling fires in them throughout the night. The effort, however, suffered from a lack of coal and wood and the game was postponed. Fans of the English League Two (fourth division) club are now trying to keep the flames burning to make the field playable for this weekend’s game against Wycombe Wanderers. (Rochdale AFC)

Sinking Benitez Defends Record

Rafael Benitez was forced to defend his record to reporters amid suggestions that his team’s Champions League round of 16 series with Inter Milan could represent his last stand as Liverpool manager. “I am surprised I am being asked a question about winning the Champions League to save my job,” said Benitez, who guided Liverpool […]

Kaka: Champions League All That’s Left for Milan

AC Milan striker Kaka, FIFA’s reigning World Player of the Year, believes his team will be extra motivated for Wednesday’s first-leg, second round game against Arsenal in the Champions League, because the prestigious European trophy is the last competition Milan has a chance of winning this season. “We are too far behind in Serie A, […]

L.A. Places Faith in Untested Cronin

Given the Los Angeles Galaxy’s lofty goals for next season, “it seems a huge risk” to make a starter out of a goalkeeper who’s played only six Major League Soccer games in three total seasons, says the L.A. Times’ Grahame L. Jones. But that’s exactly what Ruud Gullit and Co., intend to do with 24-year-old […]

Houston’s Ching Returns Home

For the first time in his professional career, 29-year-old Brian Ching will get the opportunity to play in front of his hometown friends and family, when the Houston Dynamo plays Sydney FC in the Pan Pacific Championship semifinal in Honolulu tomorrow night. "I'm extremely excited," Ching told the Honolulu Star Bulletin. "It's always been a […]

MLS Facing a Talent Drain?

Major League Soccer would tell you that the traffic in and out of the league is flowing healthily in both directions, with as many or more players coming in than are going out. “That might be true in quantity,” says ESPN’s Andrew Hush, “but the quality certainly leaves something to be desired.” The MLS plan […]

Soccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

"It is a fresh start with a new manager, a new regime and a new togetherness. Many things have already changed, definitely for the good, and we want to build momentum and start winning things."
— David Beckham, whose second season with the Los Angeles Galaxy kicks off when new coach Ruud Gullit leads the team at the Pan-Pacific Championship in Hawaii. The Galaxy faces Japanese club Gamba Osaka on Wednesday. (Reuters)

U.S. Soccer Development Academy Results

The U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s Winter Showcase featured 44 clubs competing the U-17/18 and U-15/16 divisions. For all the results …

UEFA Champions League TV Schedule

The knockout stage of the European Champions League begins this week. Five of the eight round-of-16 matches will be shown live, and two of the other games will be available on delay.

Hawaii’s Pan-Pacific Tourney Aims for Pro Bowl Luster

by Soccer AmericaFebruary 18, 2008

If Honolulu loses the NFL Pro Bowl (which it may once the state’s contract with the league expires next year), then soccer’s Pan-Pacific Championship might come to fill the economic void — or at least part of it, says the Honolulu Advertiser’s Michael Tsai. Why? For one thing, an international field featuring the L.A. Galaxy, […]

Last Shot for Women’s Pro Game?

by Soccer AmericaFebruary 18, 2008

Women’s Professional Soccer, set to kick off in a year, will be a far more modest operation than the Women’s United Soccer Association, which collapsed in 2003, says Yahoo Sports Martin Rogers. WUSA tried to piggyback on the success of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, promising packed stadiums and big TV deals, but it all […]