Category: Soccer America Daily

[OFF THE POST] Having heard that England coach Fabio Capello has banned his players from eating junk food, Croatian fans are delivering fast-food and sweets to England’s camp ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier in Zagreb. Boxes of cakes, burgers and pizza have been sent to the team’s five-star hotel. Croatian Internet sites are offering tips on how to get junk food to the English and a local pop hit has been recorded by Croatian supporters with the lyrics, “I’ll eat all the cookies, I’ll become a fat boy.”

World Cup 2010 qualifying continues with 42 midweek games. Besides USA-Trinidad & Tobago, the televised games include Serbia-France and Portugal-Denmark. For all the qualifying schedule …

[MLS] To the list of young players signed recently by MLS to new contracts can be added FC Dallas defender Drew Moor, but not Kenny Cooper. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney reveals who else got new deals with the league.

[OFF THE POST] Antonio Mohamed, coach of Argentine club Colon, would rather pay fines than stop smoking on the bench. He has spent $750 for breaking the no-smoking rule instituted August 2005. But the Argentine federation has announced it won’t allow him to purchase his smoking time anymore and will suspend him the next time he lights up.

[MLS] Bakary Soumare‘s solid play has helped Chicago yield a league-low 18 goals this year. Get to know Soumare in this profile by Soccer America’s Bryan Alvarez that covers on- and off-field experiences. …

[BY THE NUMBERS] As the USA prepares for its World Cup qualifying clash with Trinidad & Tobago on Wednesday in Bridgeview, Ill., we look at the stats that standout. …

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto made a case for 2008 Most Valuable Player with one goal and two assists in the Columbus Crew’s 4-0 win over the New England Revolution in the battle of MLS’s two best teams.

Hall of Famer Ray Bernabei, Executive Director of the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) for the last 33 years, died on Friday in Orlando, Fla., from complications of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

The expansion San Jose Earthquakes moved to within two points of third place in the Western Conference with a 2-1 win over D.C. United. For all the weekend results, standings, leading goal scorers and schedules …

Puerto Rico remained in first place in the USL First Division with a 1-0 win over Vancouver just a day after it had beaten Alajuelense of Costa Rica to reach the group stage of the Concacaf Champions League. For all the USL-1 results, goal scorers and standings …

Striker Razak Omotoyossi scored twice on Sunday give Benin a 3-2 win over 2006 World Cup finalist Angola that earned the West African nation a place in the final round of the African qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals. Nigeria and Cameroon are the only other teams to clinch berths in the final round. For all of Sunday’s African results …

[CUBA-USA] The most impressive performance from the USA at Saturday’s 1-0 win over Cuba came after the game when Landon Donovan kept a straight face as he said, “I thought we played very well.” In fact, the unconvincing effort against a soccer minnow was a stark reminder that the U.S. national team isn’t making progress.

[USA-TRINIDAD & TOBAGO] Trinidad & Tobago’s Soca Warriors will be without captain Dwight Yorke, who returned to English club Sunderland under pressure, when they face the USA Wednesday in their World Cup 2010 qualifier.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Brazil beat Chile, 3-0, in Santiago on Sunday in the only South American World Cup 2010 qualifier to climb from sixth to second place and ease the pressure on beleaguered coach Dunga.

Mike Woitalla reports from Havana
In what was surely the least intimidating atmosphere the USA will face in their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, it eked out a 1-0 over Cuba in Havana. The Cuban fans filled only half the Pedro Marrero Stadium and were more than 30 yards from the field because of the running track. They applauded as the American players were introduced, giving their loudest welcome to Landon Donovan. And they cheered when the Americans waved goodbye.

[CUBA-USA REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Mike Woitalla grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 1-0 win over Cuba on Saturday. …

Against Cuba, Clint Dempsey was moved from the frontline into the midfield and scored his third goal of the qualifying campaign after striking twice in the preliminary round against Barbados. After the game, he spoke about the Cuban fans’ warm reception …

Books and artwork are among the few items the U.S. Department of the Treasury allows Americans to bring back from Cuba, so I take a walk down the Paseo de Prado where Havana artists sell their paintings. But on Saturday the pedestrian-only path is overrun by about a hundred young volunteers passing out condoms and educational material on the prevention of STDs. The Plaza de Armas in Old Havana is as usual, with scores for vendors selling used books. It’s of little surprise what books dominate the vendors’ displays.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Canada’s World Cup 2010 hopes appear to be over after it fell to Honduras, 2-1, in Montreal on Saturday, leaving it with one point after two games at home and a date at Mexico on Wednesday in Group B in front of it.

The surprise of the opening day of play in Europe was France’s 3-1 loss to Austria that will put new pressure on Coach Raymond Domenech to resign. Italy needed a stoppage time goal to beat Cyprus, 2-1. It wasn’t until after halftime that England scored against Andorra. Two Joe Cole goals were all the scoring in a 2-0 England win. in South America, Argentina had to settle for a 1-1 tie against Paraguay. New Zealand, starting five players who attended U.S. colleges and also played in MLS, clinched  the Oceania title with a 3-1 victory at New Caledonia. For all results and goal scorers …

Cuba has two sets of currency. That’s why I accidentally paid 24 times more for a newspaper than the asking price. And why when I tried to buy a postcard with the peso bill that features Jose Marti‘s face I was told to use the one on which the 19th century Cuban hero is riding a horse. The CUC, or convertible peso, is what foreigners use. The CUP, or Cuban peso, is for locals and is the equivalent of four U.S. pennies – which is what the admission price is for Cuba’s World Cup against the USA on Saturday.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Since qualifying for the 1986 World Cup, Canada has had no luck in World Cup qualifying. Once again, the Canadians find themselves in trouble thanks to a 1-1 tie against Jamaica in Toronto last month in the opening game of the semifinal round of World Cup 2010 qualifying. If it doesn’t beat Honduras Saturday in Montreal, Canada is in danger letting another World Cup slip away.