Category: Soccer America Daily

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] The Los Angeles Galaxy reunited with David Beckham in Kansas City after his week away on England national team duty only to suffer yet another disappointment. D.C. United’s Jamie Moreno added to his goalscoring record. For the weekend’s highs and lows in MLS. …

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Maurice Edu made his Scottish Premier League debut for Glasgow Rangers after practicing just twice with his new club. In England, where Americans are seeing little action this season, Tim Howard celebrated a win with Everton. For more on Americans in Britain, France and Belgium. …

[AMERICAN IN SPAIN] Jozy Altidore, the 18-year-old forward who joined Villarreal in the summer, made his Spanish La Liga debut as a halftime sub in a 1-0 win over Deportivo Coruna. Altidore’s play drew praise from Spanish sports daily Marca, which said he was “a force off the bench who created much danger.”

[AMERICANS IN GERMANY] Hannover 96 scored its first goal of the season and routed newly promoted Borussia Moenchengladbach, 5-1. But Steven Cherundolo didn’t suit up for Hannover while Michael Bradley stayed on the Gladbach bench. Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic, with a header off a free kick, scored his third goal in four games this season.

Columbus kept its first-place lead in the East while West leader Houston settled for a tie on the road. For all the weekend results, standings, leading goal scorers and schedules …

[U.S. WOMEN] The U.S. women’s national team opened its post-Olympic tour with a 2-0 defeat of Ireland in front of 13,176 fans at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

David Beckham said he doesn’t expect to play every game for England and that he’s comfortable with that. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder was an 84th minute sub in England’s 4-1 win over Croatia in World Cup qualifying while his replacement, 19-year-old Theo Walcott, scored a hat trick.

[MLS] Three of the goals came very late in the match, yet in dispatching Chivas USA, 4-0, Thursday night at Gillette Stadium the Revs reminded everyone that potential MVP Shalrie Joseph isn’t their only player worthy of seasonal honors and terrible results last week were probably an aberration. Steve Ralston, playing as a second forward in tandem with Taylor Twellman, scored one goal and assisted on two others. Twellman, Khano Smith and Jeff Larentowicz each notched a goal apiece as New England rang up its biggest win of the season after losing by the same score to Joe Public FC in the CONCACAF Champions’ League and Columbus in MLS play.

The USA’s 3-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday gave it a perfect start in the first half of Concacaf’s semifinal round of qualifying and broke national team records for shutouts and consecutive World Cup qualifying wins.

The Columbus Crew takes a four-game win streak and the league’s best record to Toronto. … Coach Bruce Arena, still looking for his first win with Los Angeles, faces off with his former apprentice Curt Onalfo in Kansas City. … FC Dallas, which has lost three of its last four matches, plays at D.C. United. … Real Salt Lake and the New York Red Bulls meet for the first time this season. … San Jose, on an eight-game unbeaten streak, hosts defending champ Houston. … On Sunday, Colorado welcomes Chicago. … For the weekend’s MLS action on TV, standings, and leading scorers. …

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Rene Simoes won’t be leading Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz to the World Cup finals for a second time. Only three games into the semifinal round of qualifying for South Africa 2010, the Brazilian has been fired.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Wednesday produced a series of stunning results in World Cup qualifying in Europe. The day wound up with Brazil’s 0-0 tie against Bolivia that put more pressure on its beleaguered coach Dunga.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Five of the six berths in next year’s Hexagonal could be decided as early as the next game of World Cup 2010 qualifying in the Concacaf zone. On Day 3 of the semifinal round, MLS players dominated the headlines.

Only six European teams — Greece, Spain, England, Ukraine, Lithuania and Italy — won both games on the opening week of World Cup 2010 qualifying. For all the results and goal scorers in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania …

The New England Revolution, in midst of a slump that has seen it win just once in its last six games after a strong start, faces Chivas USA on Thursday night. Chivas USA is on a two-game win streak, with both victories coming against Toronto. New England lost, 4-0, to Columbus last weekend. For the week’s MLS action on TV, standings, and leading scorers. …

[OFF THE POST] When Italian Fabio Capello took over at England, he banned junk food from the players’ diet. No burgers, potato chips or pastry. Fellow Italian Giovanni Trapattoni was less strict when he became Ireland’s coach – “I gave them carte blanche when it came to their diets” – but then he witnessed an eating habit that got his goat. “However, I saw the players eating mushrooms before a friendly, and I was stunned into silence for several seconds,” he said. “I then told them that mushrooms are banned on matchdays – both for breakfast and for dinner.”

[USA-TRINIDAD & TOBAGO REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 3-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday. …

When the USA takes on Trinidad & Tobago Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2, Galavision) at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., all eyes will be on Eddie Johnson whether or not he takes the field. If there’s one Concacaf team against which Johnson seems most capable of clearing out his funk, it’s T&T. In two of the last three meetings between the nations – the Gold Cup last year and in a World Cup qualifier three years ago – Johnson has scored.

[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions. They include college coaching opportunities, as well as opportunities in pro soccer, youth soccer, the soccer industry and television.

World Cup 2010 qualifying continues with 41 games on Wednesday. Besides USA-Trinidad & Tobago, the televised games include Serbia-France and Portugal-Denmark. For all the qualifying schedule …

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Paraguay beat Venezuela, 2-0, on first-half goals by Cristian Riveros and Nelson Haedo Valdez to assure itself of staying on top in the South American World Cup 2010 qualifying zone when the eighth round of games ends on Wednesday.