“It’s going to be a circus, but it is fun when the circus comes to town.”
— Los Angeles Galaxy president Alexi Lalas on the arrival of David Beckham, whom the Galaxy will present at a press conference at the Home Depot Center on Friday. (TIME)
Author Archives: Soccer America
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Will Becks Save Soccer? Don’t Count on It …
Associated Press columnist Tim Dahlberg serves up a humorous (if short-sighted) denigration of David Beckham’s Great American Adventure. Here’s the gist: Beckham is more celebrity than soccer star, and while the American public will no doubt be transfixed by the arrival of Becks and his celebrity wife to the Hollywood Hills, but they will not […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Italian Powerhouses Fight for American Rossi
The pending arrival of Carlos Tevez at Old Trafford looks to have sparked a bidding war across Italy for Manchester United’s young Italian-American striker Giuseppe Rossi. The 19-year-old, loaned out to Serie A’s Parma in January, played integral part in the Italian club’s campaign to stave off relegation, scoring nine goals in 19 appearances. Parma […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Freddy Adu May Not Stick Around for Long in MLS
The Salt Lake Tribune fears that Freddy Adu’s spectacular performances at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup could hasten his departure from Real Salt Lake. Freddy has been one of the tournament’s best performers, recording three goals and an assist in three games. And while he did not score in the Americans’ 2-1 victory against Brazil, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Missed Copa Opportunity Not Bradley’s Fault
ESPN Soccernet’s Jeff Carlisle offers his take on the U.S. in Venezuela, expressing his disappointment that the 2007 Copa America turned into an experiment. In an interview with the Associated Press, CONMEBOL (the South American soccer federation) general secretary Eduardo Deluca also said he was displeased with the weak roster (although he said nothing about […]
Posted inGrassroots Soccer Biz, Story
Getting more out of your brand
When people start talking about “brand,” the talk immediately turns to logo design. While a good logo is part of your brand, it is not “THE BRAND.” The brand is how people feel about and view your soccer organization (league, club or tournament). Your brand is what you can leverage to sponsors, advertisers, guest teams, potential players, potential coaches and the media.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
FC Dallas reaches Open Cup quarterfinals
FC Dallas prevailed in a penalty-kick tiebreaker after a 1-1 tie against Atlanta Silverbacks of USL-1 in U.S. Open Cup third round play on Monday. Carlos Ruiz opened the scoring for Dallas in the second half, but Daniel Antoniuk equalized four minutes later. Dallas played with a man advantage for the final eight minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime after Antoniuk was ejected. In the quarterfinals, Dallas faces the winner of Tuesday’s Houston Dynamo-Charleston Battery clash. Ruiz’s strike was his first since an MLS regular-season game April 12.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
OFF THE POST: That’ll get investors interested
Fans of Greek team Iraklis attacked the club’s headquarters with gasoline bombs, setting a fire, then stormed the building and vandalized several offices. There were no injuries and no arrests of the fans, who were protesting the club’s inability to attract new investors to pay off debts. Iraklis finished 13th last season in the 16-team league.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Dalby awaits word on work permit to play for Preston
Former U.S. U-20 captain Greg Dalby is awaiting word on the issuance of a British work permit that would allow him to join Preston North End of England’s League Championship (second level).
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Young Brazilian striker Alemao killed in car crash
[OBITUARY] Brazilian Alemao of Palmeiras was killed in a car accident on Sunday. The 23-year-old striker was on his way home from his father’s birthday party on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro when he lost control of his four-wheel drive vehicle on a bend and catapulted into a tree, according to reports.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Swiss star Dickenmann tops W-League scoring charts
[W-LEAGUE RESULTS] Swiss international Lara Dickenmann, who plays for Ohio State, scored in the Jersey Sky Blue’s 2-0 win over the New Jersey Wildcats and had both goals in the Sky Blue’s 3-2 loss to Washington and took over the W-League scoring lead with 11 goals. U.S. international Danesha Adams, who plays for UCLA, has 10 goals for the Cleveland Internationals in five games to share second place with Ali Andrzejeski of the Washington Freedom. For U.S. star Tiffeny Milbrett has nine goals for the Vancouver Whitecaps to tie Jennifer Parsons of the Richmond Kickers Destiny. For complete W-League results and goalscorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hampton Roads is only unbeaten team left in the PDL
[PDL RESULTS] At 11-0-2, the Hampton Roads Piranhas are the only unbeaten team left in the Premier Development League. Michigan lost for the first time this season when it fell to Cleveland, 2-1. The only PDL teams with one loss are Michigan, Cape Cod, Ocean City and BYU. For complete PDL results and goalscorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS international TV rights go for $2 million
Soccer United Marketing (SUM) has secured $2 million in international TV rights fees for this rest of this season’s MLS and SuperLiga games. The arrival of David Beckham and Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco to MLS drove deals with Mexican broadcasters Cadena Tres and TeleVisa, and ESPN International and ART, a North African and Middle Eastern distribution company. According to Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, SUM also hopes to finalize deals with broadcasters in South Korea and Japan in the next 45 days.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“Certain teams complain about not having facilities, not having a stadium. We have everything here. These fans, they want this team to win. They want a championship team. We could do it, and we’re not doing it.”
— Colorado Rapids forward Herculez Gomez, whose team has scored once in its last six games. The Rapids’ 1-0 home loss to New York on Sunday extended their winless streak to eight games and they’ve won just twice in their new stadium, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. (Denver Post)
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
This week’s Copa America action kicks off Tuesday with Brazil’s semifinal clash against Uruguay (Univision & Gol TV). At the U-20 World Cup, the red-hot USA faces Uruguay in the round of 16 on Wednesday (ESPNU & Galavision).
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
World-Class Argentina Still Copa Favorite
Each of the Copa America semi-finalists won their quarterfinal with ease, and while Argentina may not won by the greatest margin, its 4-0 second half flattening of Peru solidified the Albiocelestes’ standing as tournament favorites. The scary thing, as Peru coach Julio Cesar Uribe said after the match, is that Peru didn’t play badly, unlike […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Mexico Transformed
Hugo Sanchez’s men on Sunday showed that Mexico’s 2-0 victory over defending Copa America champ Brazil in its opening game was no fluke with a 6-0 demolition of Paraguay — a team regarded by many as the third-best in South America. Indeed, a comprehensive series of performances at this year’s championship has left sportswriters across […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Real Names Schuster as Coach
As expected, Spanish champion Real Madrid on Monday named former Getafe coach Bernd Schuster as the club’s new head coach. Schuster’s appointment paves the way for an influx of new signings at the Bernabeu, which will likely be headed by the arrival of Chelsea’s Arjen Robben and, maybe, AC Milan’s Kaka. Schuster’s succession of former […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Adu, Altidore Brilliance Beats Brazil
When the United States beat Brazil 2-1 in the Under-20 World Cup on Friday, the most encouraging takeaway was that this win was no miracle. Brazil might have had more possession and created more chances, but its defense had absolutely no answer for the one-two punch of New York Red Bulls striker Josmer Altidore and […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
National Team Future is Bright, Despite Copa
Ken Pendleton of USSoccerPlayers offers up a frank assessment of the Americans’ performance at the Copa America, and the overall national team effort over the last month, which he rates as “a huge success.” There can be no question that the Venezuela experiment turned out to be an “anticlimactic conclusion to a rather busy month,” […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“We all knew that Freddy was a talented kid and I felt that he was ready to wear the captain’s armband and take on a leadership role with this team. I couldn’t be happier with the way he has dealt with these circumstances. He had a superb performance against Poland and today, beyond his skill he always showed his desire, his heart. Great players succeed at the highest level and today was a great game for him, and he took the rest of the team with him today.”
— U.S. U-20 coach Thomas Rongen after Freddy Adu played on his second straight phenomenal game for the USA at the U-20 World Cup, leading it past Brazil, 2-1.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Matt Jordan fractures jaw in collision with Montreal teammate
[USL RESULTS] Former MLS goalie Matt Jordan suffered a fractured jaw in a collision with teammate Simon Gatti in the first half of the Montreal Impact’s USL First Division game against Carolina. In a physical game that saw Impact defender Andres Arango and Carolina forward Anthony Maher red carded in the 9th minute, Montreal came back from a two-goal deficit to tie the RailHawks, 2-2, on a pair of Charles Gbeke goals two minutes apart in the second half. The game drew more than 8,000 fans in Sherbrooke. Another Ivory Coast product, Hamed Diallo, scored two goals to lead Rochester past Carolina, 2-1, on Friday night and earn a share of the First Division lead with Vancouver, which lost at Atlanta, 2-0, on goals by Warren Ukah. For complete USL results and goalscorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2007 Copa America TV Schedule
The Copa America moves into its final week with semifinals on Tuesday (Brazil-Uruguay) and Wednesday (Mexico-Argentina). For the complete Copa America TV schedule …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2007 Under-20 World Cup TV Schedule
Play at the Under-20 World Cup resumes on Wednesday when the USA faces Uruguay in Toronto in a game televised on ESPNU and Galavision. Eight second-round games will be played Wednesday and Thursday. For the complete Under-20 World Cup schedule …
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Red Bulls Routed in Houston
“Houston, We Have a Problem,” came the post-game headline from Big Apple Soccer after the New York Red Bulls were thrashed, 4-0, by resurgent MLS champ Houston Dynamo. Once again, the Bulls were all over the place at the back, as the Dynamo repeatedly carved its way through midfield, playing balls in behind the Bulls’ […]