Category: Soccer America Daily

[EURO ’08] Following France’s elimination from Euro ’08, veterans Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele confirmed their international retirement.

Group play at Euro ’08 wraps up with the final first-round games on Wednesday. The quarterfinals begin on Thursday and continue through Sunday with one game each day.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] A regional confederation that often conducts its competitions and draws in Byzantine fashion on Monday completed its “draw” for the the inaugural Concacaf Champions League by releasing the makeup of the four groups that commence play in September.

[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.

[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] In a rematch of their 2007 Women’s World Cup semifinal, the USA got revenge with a 1-0 win over Brazil on Tuesday at the 2008 Peace Queen Cup in Suwon, South Korea.

[OFF THE POST] Austria’s Euro ’08 ended not with a first-round exit but with a stunnng victory — at least that’s the outcome of mock documentary by filmmaker David Schalko.

[NETHERLANDS-ROMANIA REPORT CARD] Italy’s win over France rendered the result moot in any case, yet while Romania’s hopes of advancement were still flickering, it seldom raised its game enough to trouble an under-strength yet confident Netherlands and went down, 2-0. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players.

[ITALY-FRANCE REPORT CARD] Few would have thought that the Group of Death tag given Group C would mean the loser of the Italy-France finale would finish last. But that’s what the French did after falling, 2-0, on Wednesday. Soccer America’s Paul Kennedy grades the players.

FC Dallas announced longtime SMU coach Schellas Hyndman as its new head coach on Monday,  but he isn’t the only significant addition to join the MLS club’s organization.

[AUSTRIA-GERMANY REPORT CARD] Needing just a tie against co-host Austria, which required a victory to advance, to reach the quarterfinals, Germany prevailed, 1-0, in the scrappy affair thanks to Michael Ballack‘s 25-yard free kick early in the second half. Soccer America’s Mike Woitalla grades the players.

[CROATIA-POLAND REPORT CARD] Already through to the quarterfinals, Croatia rested most of its starters but still beat Poland, 1-0, to finish with three wins in three games in Group B. Poland needed to win by at least two goals to have any chance of advancing to the knockout stage.

Group play at Euro ’08 wraps up with the final first-round games on Tuesday and Wednesday. The quarterfinals begin on Thursday and continue through Sunday with one game each day. For the complete television schedule …

[YOUTH] U.S. under-20 women’s national team head coach Tony DiCicco named 20 players who will take part in qualifying for the 2008 Under-20 Women’s World Cup.

[YOUTH] U.S. under-15 boys national team coach Jim Barlow called in 35 players to a week-long training camp in St. Louis. More than half of the players play for Development Academy clubs. For the complete roster …

[GROUP A REPORT CARDS] Turkey came back from two goals down with three goals in the last 15 minutes to beat the Czech Republic and move into the quarterfinals at Euro ’08 along with Portugal, which had already clinched a berth in the final eight and fielded a weakened team in its 2-0 loss to Switzerland. Soccer America’s Mike Woitalla and Paul Kennedy grade the players.

Montreal won for the first time — and scored its first goal — since moving into its new Saputo Stadium, beating Charleston, 1-0, Friday on Rocco Placentino‘s goal. The game drew more than 13,000 fans. For all the results and goal scorers …

[OFF THE POST/EURO 2008] Spain’s coach Luis Aragones dismissed questions about his players’ off-field behavior after a journalist showed him a photo of his right back in a disco two days before Spain’s 2-1 win over Sweden: "It’s Sergio Ramos on his day off. What’s wrong with that? It was a miracle you didn’t catch me in a disco that night.” The 69-year-old Aragones explained that he expects players to take a break during training camp. …

[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] For the third time this year, the U.S. women’s national team edged Australia by one goal, winning, 2-1, in their opening match of the Peace Queen Cup in Suwon, South Korea.

Paraguay extended its lead in the South American zone of 2010 World Cup qualifying when it beat Brazil, 2-0, on Sunday and second-place Argentina had to settle for a 1-1 tie at home to Ecuador. China was eliminated from contention in Asia, while upsets abounded in Africa. For all the results and goal scorers …

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Long-time indoor star John Barry Nusum scored two goals to lead Bermuda to a 2-1 win at Trinidad & Tobago in the biggest upset of the first leg of second-round qualifying in the Concacaf zone. Coached by American Ian Mork, Belize held Mexico scoreless for more than an hour before the Tri won, 2-0, before more than 50,000 fans in Houston.