Category: Soccer America Daily

[MLS] Toronto reversed its second loss of the season and plunged D.C. deeper into the depths by beating United, 1-0, at BMO Field Wednesday night on a rain-slickened surface perfect for slide tackles but not so conducive to sharp soccer.

San Jose looks for its first win at home when the first-year Earthquakes host the two-time defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo on Thursday. A win for Houston will jump the Dynamo into first place in the Western Conference. For all of this week’s MLS action on television …

[MAN. UTD.-CHELSEA HIGHLIGHT REEL] For a 1-1 game, decided in a shootout, Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League final was jammed pack with excitement. Manchester United looked to run away with the game in the first half, but Chelsea came back and had the momentum in the second half. The overtime produced chances for both teams, leading up to the dramatic turn of events in the shootout that made a hero out of long-serving United winger Ryan Giggs and a goat out of Chelsea captain John Terry and earned Manchester United its second Champions League trophy under Sir Alex Ferguson.

[USA-ENGLAND ROSTER] Landon Donovan, who looks set to earn his 100th cap, headlines the 22-player roster named for the U.S. national team’s game against England next Wednesday at Wembley Stadium. For the complete roster …

[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.

[EURO ’08 COUNTDOWN] The last provisional rosters for Euro ’08 were announced on Tuesday when Italy and Greece released their squads. Italy’s 24-player team included Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero, who has not played for the world champions in eight months but was expected to be included after finishing as Serie A’s top scorer for the first time with 21 goals. Greece’s only surprise was Coach Otto Rehhagel‘s decision not to take 18-year-old Sotiris Ninis, who scored Monday against Cyprus. For all the provisional rosters …

Brentwood, the top-ranked boys team in the NSCAA/adidas High School Spring Rankings, beat LaVergne, 3-0, for its eighth straight shutout and advanced in the Tennessee Class AAA tournament. Roberson, No. 1 in the latest girls national rankings, will put its perfect record on the line Wednesday at Lake Norman in the North Carolina Class AAA semifinals. For all the boys and girls rankings …

Three slices of advice to MLS coaches wishing to keep employment: (1) don’t lose at home; (2) don’t lose at home in front of a buzzing, capacity-plus crowd never before seen in your facility that includes incredulous management execs, and; (3) don’t get blown out 5-1 by a team incapable of shutting out 11 tykes on tricycles. That’s what happened to FC Dallas on Sunday when it fell to the Los Angeles Galaxy, and less than 48 hours later Coach Steve Morrow was fired.

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Manchester United and Chelsea meet Wednesday in Moscow in the first all-English final of the UEFA Champions League. Clarence Seedorf, the only player who has won the Champions League title with three different clubs (Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan), will be part of the broadcast team on both ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes during the game (kickoff: 2:30 pm ET). For a look at some of the key storylines …

[OFF THE POST] James McPike, a 20-year-old apprentice at Birmingham City whose duties included polishing the cleats of star midfielder Olivier Kapo, is the proud owner of a $59,000 Mercedes. Kapo, after McPike asked him for his old cleats as a souvenir, instead threw him the keys to his car as a season-end gift.

[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage called in 27 players to a two-week training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., starting Monday to prepare for the 2008 Peace Queen Cup June 15-21 in Suwon, South Korea.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] After more than 30 years of involvement in American soccer, as a player, coach, referee and most recently as an influential figure in U.S. Soccer and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Jerome de Bontin, the new president of French club AS Monaco, promises to bring an American touch to one of the most prestigious names in European soccer, a club that has struggled in recent years.

[USL] The Montreal Impact opened its new Stade Saputo on Monday, and the game drew a sellout crowd of more than 8,000 despite pouring rain. The Impact tied the Vancouver Whitecaps, 0-0, in a battle of the league’s two Canadian franchises.

[CHAMPIONS] Lyon added to its legend when it won its seventh straight French league title, beating Auxerre, 3-1, on Saturday to finish four points ahead of Bordeaux, which tied, 2-2, at Lens. No other team from a big five European league has won six straight titles, let alone seven.

[CHAMPIONS] Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to action for the first time since March 29 and scored both goals to give Inter Milan a 2-0 win at Parma on the final day of the Italian season that clinched its third straight Serie A title and 16th overall.

[EUROPEAN LEAGUES] League play has concluded in Europe’s big five leagues. On the final day of play, Fiorentina claimed the final UEFA Champions League spot in Italy ahead of AC Milan thanks to a 1-0 win on a spectacular volley by Pablo Osvaldo. In France, a tense relegation battle ended with Lens going down on the final day of the season and its fans rioting. In Germany, tiny 1899 Hoffenheim, whose stadium holds 5,000 fans, gained promotion after its first season ever in the Second Division. For season-end wrapups of Europe’s “Big Five” leagues …

[ENGLISH FA CUP] Embattled manager Harry Redknapp received the biggest cheer Sunday when Portsmouth paraded the English FA Cup trophy in an open-top bus through the southern English city a day after it won the FA Cup for the first time since 1939 with a 1-0 win over Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. The trophy was the first of Redknapp’s career and qualified Pompey for Europe for the first time.

Charleston moved into first place in the USL First Division with 1-0 wins over Montreal and Rochester. Former UNC Greensboro star Randi Patterson, who played briefly for the U.S. U-20 national team and now plays for Trinidad & Tobago, had the goals in both games. For all the weekend results and goalscorers …