Category: Soccer America Daily

The first double date in World Cup 2010 qualifying begins Friday with the first three of 62 matches to be played over the weekend. Saturday’s Cuba-USA game is one of 13 games to be televised on cable or pay-per-view. The weekend schedule includes Day 2 of the Concacaf semifinal round and Day 1 of European group play. For all the matches …

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] In contrast to MLS failures by New England and Chivas USA, the USL-1’s Montreal Impact reached the group stage of the Concacaf Champions League Tuesday night thanks to a 0-0 tie with Nicaraguan club Real Esteli in a game played in Comayagua, Honduras.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Euro ’08 hero Fernando Torres is out of the Spain squad for its upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia and Armenia due to a hamstring injury, opening the door for Coach Vicente Del Bosque to select teen sensation Bojan Krkic.

With the close of the summer transfer market, it’s time to take account of Americans playing in Europe. There are 73 Americans — U.S. citizens who were raised in the United States or have played for U.S. national teams — listed on the first teams of first or second division clubs. There are 23 players who arrived from the USA for the new season, whether the spring-fall season in Scandinavia or the fall-spring season that just began in most of Europe. Nine came from MLS teams — including U.S. Olympians Jozy Altidore, Brad Guzan and Maurice Edu, who were sold in multi-million dollar deals — and seven played college soccer in 2007. For all the Americans in Europe …

For New England and Chivas USA, their tasks in the second legs of the CONCACAF Champions’ League preliminary round on Tuesday couldn’t be more clear: win, or be embarrassed. New England hosts Joe Public FC at Gillette Stadium (8 pm ET, Fox Soccer Channel) and Chivas USA plays Tauro FC at Home Depot Center (10 p.m. ET, Galavision, FSC). Both teams face opposition from leagues rated well below MLS and neither was able to pull out a tie in the away legs last week.

[AMERICANS IN MEXICO] Northern California product Jesus Padilla, 21, who debuted for Chivas Guadalajara in August of 2006 but has played mainly for the reserve team, scored his first goal in the First Division – a stoppage-time strike that earned Chivas a 1-1 tie with Morelia. For more on U.S. players in Mexico. …

[AMERICANS IN DENMARK] Danny Califf, whose own goal last week led to Danish club Midtjylland’s elimination from the UEFA Cup, was red-carded in the 39th minute of a 1-1 tie with Vejle on Monday in Danish league play.

[TRANSFER TALK] The transfer sagas of Dimitar Berbatov and Robinho went done to the wire. Berbatov, the most sought-after striker on the summer transfer market, and Robinho, who has been very unhappy at Real Madrid, are headed to Manchester — Berbatov to United and Robinho to City — in moves concluded in the final four of the the final day of the transfer window.

Twelve former European champions are entered in the group phase of the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League, which begins Sept. 16-17.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Texan Jose Francisco Torres scored the first goal for Pachuca in its 2-0 victory over Puebla, its first win in six games in the Mexican First Division’s Torneo Apertura.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] An own goal by Dan Califf shattered Danish club Midtjylland’s dream of a monumental upset of Manchester City in the UEFA Cup. Three other Americans, Carlos Bocanegra, Ryan Guy and Brad Friedel, all started for teams that advanced to the first round, which takes place Sept. 18 and Oct. 2.

[ITALY] AC Milan’s signing of Brazilian star Ronaldinho was the big signing of the summer in Italy, but each of the five Serie A title favorites spent big on a Brazilian. Here’s a look at the players who could play key roles in the race for the Scudetto that begins this weekend …

[WORLD CUP 2010] U.S. coach Bob Bradley has named a 20-man roster for qualifying games against Cuba Sept. 6 in Havana and Trinidad & Tobago Sept. 10 in Bridgeview, Ill. Included is 22-year-old Mexico-based defender Michael Orozco, now famous for his 3rd-minute red card in the USA’s loss to Nigeria at the Olympics. Absent again is Kenny Cooper while fellow striker Eddie Johnson returns.

[OFF THE POST] The International Herald Tribune reports that China’s Propaganda Department has ordered Chinese media to stop bashing China’s men’s soccer team, which exited in the first round in the Olympics. It also had two players ejected: one for kicking an opponent in the groin and the other for throwing an elbow. While even China’s captain mocked the team — “We play soccer like the Brazilians play Ping-Pong” – the Chinese press has criticized it to such an extent that the Central Propaganda Department reportedly “demanded that the press not overly quip or sneer at the Chinese men’s soccer team.”

[TV] Action starts on Friday, when Colorado – in Coach Gary Smith‘s second game — hosts Real Salt Lake. Smith, like Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, lost in his debut. … Arena’s Los Angeles travels to New England on Saturday. … New York vs. D.C. United is crucial to both teams’ playoff hopes. … Nigerian Emmanuel Ekpo, the first MLS player to win an Olympic medal, rejoins the Columbus Crew, which travels to Dallas. … Kansas City and San Jose meet for the first time this season. … Chivas USA hosts Toronto FC … and on Sunday Chicago, which has the league’s best road record, is guest to two-time defending champ Houston. For TV info on this weekend’s MLS action …

[SPAIN] With three key attacking players — including Italian-American Giuseppe Rossi — injured, Villarreal’s offseason signings — notably Jozy Altidore — will play an important role in its attack when La Liga opens this week.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The USL-1’s Puerto Rico Islanders accomplished what MLS teams failed to do on three occasions — get a result at Costa Rican club Alajuelense. Their 1-1 tie in Alajuela on Wednesday night and the Montreal Impact’s 1-0 win over Nicaragua’s Real Esteli before a sellout crowd of 13,034 fans left the two USL First Division sides unbeaten in Concacaf Champions League qualifying a night after both MLS teams, Chivas USA and New England, lost.

Jorge Barcellos, who coached Brazil to second place at the 2007 Women’s World Cup and the silver medal in the 2008 Olympic women’s soccer competition, is headed to Women’s Professional Soccer, where he will serve as the St. Louis head coach. Dallas and Los Angeles have yet to hire coaches with only weeks to go before the first player selections take place for the WPS’s 2009 launch.

[MLS] Dutch midfielder Victor Sikora, whom FC Dallas signed earlier this month, will be sidelined for four to six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. He suffered the injury during his second start for Dallas, a 1-1 tie with Kansas City on Saturday.

[GERMANY] According to a study by the StageUp sport business research firm, the Germany Bundesliga is likely to over take the Italian Serie A as the world’s second richest league. First is the English Premier League, whose revenues for the 2008-09 are estimated to be $3.5 billion.

[WORLD CUP 2010] Midfielder Steven Gerrard, who played in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Standard Liege on Wednesday to earn Liverpool a spot in UEFA Champions League group play, is scheduled for groin surgery that will likely force him out of England’s two World Cup qualifiers next month.