This month, U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu used a rare tactic to seek redress for racial remarks uttered at him by another player in a playoff last month to decide the Belgian league championship. Onyewu, who has grown tired of monkey noises and racial remarks made by fans toward black players, filed a legal complaint in […]
Author Archives: Soccer America
German-American Jermaine Jones Eyes U.S. Duty
By this time next year, Jermaine Jones could be a starter for the United States at the World Cup in South Africa. Jones, a midfielder for Schalke 04 of the Bundesliga, is a citizen of Germany and the United States, a son of an African-American serviceman and a German woman. Jones has spent his entire […]
Soccer on TV
The FIFA Confederations Cup rolls on. The USA has a tough week of competition with matches against Italy (Monday), Brazil (Thursday) and Egypt (Sunday) this week. For more international action, catch the UEFA U-21 Championship. In the MLS Game of the Week, Seattle hosts D.C. United. Look for updates in Wednesday’s and Friday’s Soccer on TV.
Bundesliga midfielder chooses to play for USA
[U.S. SOCCER] Jermaine Jones, a 27-year-old midfielder who has played in 96 German First Division games, has stated his desire to represent the USA and should eligible despite having played for Germany, thanks to a change in FIFA’s national team eligibility rules. If Jones plays for the USA, he will follow the footsteps of Tom Dooley, who was also the son of an American serviceman and a German mother. Dooley played for the USA at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.
South Africa ’09 on television
[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] A big week of international action from the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa begins Monday with USA-Italy and Brazil-Egypt. For the complete television schedule …
What They’re Saying
“That was one of the most memorable games in my career. It gives me goose bumps just talking about it.”
— Landon Donovan recalls the USA’s 1-1 tie against Italy at the 2006 World Cup, which the Italians went on to win. Donovan and Co., face the Italians Monday in their Confederations Cup opener in South Africa. (USsoccer.com)
MLS Results
There was a shakeup at the top of both conferences on a weekend that produced no ties — hurray! For all the game summaries, standings, leading scorers and this week’s schedule …
U.S. Billionaire Makes Offer for Setanta
U.S. billionaire Len Blavatnik is offering $33 million in return for a 51% stake in the troubled Irish pay-tv channel Setanta. Access Industries, a private company owned by Blavatnik, said it had submitted a proposal to Setanta but gave no further details. In a statement, Access Industries said: “The Access proposal is subject to a […]
German Clubs Grabbing New Coaches
Three German soccer clubs have announced a changing of the guard this week with the appointment of new coaches in Leverkusen, Hamburg and Frankfurt less than a month before training begins for next season. Brunno Labbadia is leaving Bayer Leverkusen for Hamburg, while Leverkusen signed 64-year-old coach Jupp Heynckes to a deal good until 2011. […]
Manchester United Looks to Fill Void Left By Ronaldo
Sir Alex Ferguson has put together a list of potential summer transfer targets as he tries to fill the void created by the imminent $130 million transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and the prospect of Carlos Tevez following Ronaldo out of Old Trafford. Manchester United’s first response will be to follow up its […]
D.C. United’s Fred Content On and Off Field
Over the past year, D.C. United midfielder Fred has faced lots of adversity off the field. In December, Fred was in New Zealand on loan to Australian league club Wellington Phoenix when he heard his father had been killed in a car accident in his hometown of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In late April, his daughter, […]
Seattle’s Schmid Wants More Heart, Not More Chemistry
When asked about possible issues with team chemistry, Seattle Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid shot down those rumors. If anything, Schmid said, players are being too nice to one another. “I think our locker room is good. I think the guys get along with each other, and everybody has a good healthy respect for each […]
Red Bulls’ Osorio Still Has Support Within Team
Speculation hovers silently over Coach Juan Carlos Osorio and the Red Bulls amidst the worst start in franchise history. Coaching positions at the club are historically volatile. In its 14-year history the club has had 11 coaches. This doesn’t bode well for Osorio. After a 4-0 defeat to the New England Revolution, the Red Bulls […]
What They’re Saying
“You know what we eat for dinner and lunch? Professional players – what kind of food do you think? We eat from McDonald’s. Everyone eats from McDonald’s. No good food.”
— United Arab Emirates defender Saleh Obaid says UAE players’ fondness for fast food contributed to its failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. (The National)
Largest transfer fees
[MAKING A LIST] Real Madrid has been the buyer in all four of the world’s most expensive transfer deals, the most recent being its purchases of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka for a combined $222.5 million.
MLS teams drawn into regional groups
[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls will open play in the 2009-10 Concacaf Champions League when they face Chalatenango of El Salvador and W Connection of Trinidad, respectively, in the preliminary round.
Numerical Rosters
[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] Americans fans will be familiar with many of the players at the Confederations Cup. Kaka of Brazil and Fabio Cannavaro of Italy are two former European and World Players of the Year competing at the Confederations Cup. New Zealand boasts six players who attended U.S. colleges and four of them are playing in MLS. For the complete numerical rosters of the eight entrants …
PDL Guest Player Scores for FC Dallas in Friendly
FC Dallas got goals from Andre Rocha in the 21st minute and another from guest player Alex Fichera in the 60th minute to take a 2-0 victory against Costa Rican Primera Division club CS Herediano on Wednesday night at Pizza Hut Park in a "friendly" game that saw the visitors finish with just eight men. […]
Leonardo: ‘Pato and Pirlo Will Stay’
Brazil forward Alexandre Pato and Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo will not leave AC Milan to join their former boss Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, the Serie A club’s new coach Leonardo said on Thursday. “They are not moving from Milan,” Leonardo was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport’s website. “They are both very important […]
U.S. Setting Up Friendly with Iran
The U.S. soccer team might go to Iran in November for the first match between the nations in almost a decade. USSF president Sunil Gulati said Wednesday the game could be held in Tehran on Nov. 14 or 18. The United States was upset 2-1 by Iran at the 1998 World Cup in France, then […]
Man United Accepts Real Offer For Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United confirmed that it has accepted a world-record bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo after he once again asked to leave the club. An official Manchester United statement read, "Manchester United has received a world-record, unconditional offer of £80 million ($132 million) for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. At Cristiano's request – who […]
Adidas Expects World Cup Sales Boost
Adidas AG, the world's second-largest sporting-goods maker, expects soccer sales to exceed 1.3 billion euros ($1.8 billion) next year as fans purchase jerseys, balls and footwear tied to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Adidas aims to use the World Cup to raise its leading share of the global soccer market to more than […]
Italy’s New Jersey Boy Set to Face USA
Giuseppe Rossi left Clifton N.J., just before his 13th birthday to join the Parma youth system in Italy and pursue his dream of playing for the Italian national team. The United States invited him to training camp before the 2006 World Cup, but Rossi demurred, ignoring criticism that he was dismissive of American soccer and […]
Houston clubs merge academy program
Two major Houston youth clubs — the Dallas Texans-Houston Division and Texas Soccer Club — are joining forces to field USSF Academy teams.
Fisher named WSYSA executive director
Terry Fisher, whose soccer roots go back to the North American Soccer League, has been named the Washington State Youth Soccer Association’s executive director.
