Category: Soccer America Daily

[COLLEGE] Akron and North Carolina remained 1-2 in the Soccer America Men’s Top 25. Pac-10 teams UCLA and California moved up to third and fourth in the rankings, and South Florida rounded out the top five. For the complete Top 25 rankings …

[COLLEGE] Stanford took over as No. 1 in the Soccer America Top 25 rankings following North Carolina’s 0-0 tie with Auburn. The Tar Heels dropped to second. Boston College and Portland changed places at No. 3 and No. 4. Besides Stanford (9-0-0) and Boston College (8-0-0), the only unbeaten and untied teams in the Soccer America Top 25 are No. 9 Maryland (8-0-0) and No. 12 South Carolina (8-0-0). For the complete Women’s Top 25 rankings …

[MLS] David Beckham‘s second goal of the season powered the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 2-0 win over Toronto FC on Saturday night and kept it within two points of the Houston Dynamo in the battle for the lead in the Western Conference. On Sunday, the Columbus Crew tied Chicago Fire, 2-2, in the Eastern Conference’s top-of-the-table clash and held on to its three-point lead with a game in hand.

SUNDAY COLLEGE ACTION …
Men’s Scoreboard
Women’s Scoreboard

[MLS PREDICTIONS] Two playoff hopefuls have a chance to move up on Friday when they face league doormats. Colorado, on ESPN2, aims to stay near the top of the playoff wild-card race in San Jose (last in the West). New England, under pressure after two straight losses, hopes to get back in the postseason qualifiers’ pack with a win against overall last-place New York. For all of Soccer America’s predictions, as well as TV viewing information …

COLLEGE: FRIDAY NIGHT …
Men’s Scoreboard
Women’s Scoreboard

[COLLEGE] Auburn held No. 1 North Carolina to a 0-0 tie Sunday at the Duke Nike Classic, snapping Carolina’s seven-game winning streak to start the season. The Tar Heels outshot Auburn, 40-4, but were stymied by Tiger keeper Amy Howard, who made 12 saves. For the weekend action …

[COLLEGE] No. 1 Akron remained perfect with a 4-0 win over Saint Louis on Sunday. No. 18 Loyola Marymount knocked No. 5 Dartmouth from the unbeaten ranks with a 3-2 win. Jamaican youth international Yannick Salmon scored twice in the second half to lead Rutgers past No. 21 Connecticut, 2-1. Marshall ended Kentucky’s 15-game unbeaten streak with a 1-0 overtime win. Michigan State goalie Avery Steinlage‘s NCAA record shutout streak was snapped at 1,319 minutes when the Spartans fell at San Diego. For weekend action …

[WORLD COP 2010 QIUALIFYING] Brazilian Rene Simoes is confident he can turn around Costa Rica, which is in danger of missing out on the 2010 World Cup after leading the Hexagonal at the halfway point, but he is facing obstacles in preparing the Ticos for the final two games against Trinidad & Tobago and the USA.

[EUROPA LEAGUE] The Europa League, the successor to the UEFA Cup, began its group stage with 24 matches on Thursday. The only American to play was goalie Tim Howard, who recorded a shutout in Everton’s 4-0 win over AEK Athens. Clint Dempsey was one of several starters held out of Fulham’s 1-1 tie at CSKA Sofia. For more on Day 1 …

[ENGLAND] Manchester City, in its bid to become a Premier League power, spent more than $150 million on players in the offseason, including $41.6 million to buy Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal. But he’ll miss this weekend’s game against archrival Manchester United because of the three-game suspension handed to him by the English FA for stamping on the face of Arsenal’s Robin van Persie in last Saturday’s 4-2 win over the Gunners. The FA will decide later whether he’ll be punished for taunting Arsenal fans after his goal, while Arsenal playmaker Cesc Fabregas said he was also an Adebayor victim.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Toluca, Mexico’s hottest team, is also the only team with nine points at the halfway point of the Concacaf Champions League group stage. The Red Devils remained perfect with a 7-0 win over Honduran club Marathon on Thursday. In Thursday’s only other game, Comunicaciones of Guatemala took over second place, one point behind UNAM of Mexico, in Group C with a 2-0 win over Real Espana.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The defending MLS champion Columbus Crew accomplished what the U.S. national team has never been able to do and win at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in Costa Rica. The Crew moved into second place in Group C of the Concacaf Champions League with a 1-0 win over Deportivo Saprissa.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The Houston Dynamo, the only MLS team to get so much as a tie on the road against a Mexican team in competitive play, came up two goals and a man short Wednesday night.

[MLS] As it did this year during certain FIFA international dates, MLS will lighten its schedule next year during the World Cup. But rather than reduce the number of games, MLS will take a complete break during the group phase. MLS president Mark Abbott spoke exclusively to Soccer America on the league’s decision to halt play June 11-25 and to institute a balanced schedule.

[MLS] In the most high-profile signing to date of a home-grown player, FC Dallas has signed 17-year-old Bryan Leyva to a professional contract.

[WPS] The Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence, who will debut in Women’s Professional Soccer in 2010, began the process of stocking their rosters by selecting players available in the expansion draft. The 13 players taken — seven by Philadelphia and six by Atlanta — included Independence pick Jen Buczkowski, a starting defender on champion Sky Blue FC.

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The first big game of the UEFA Champions League campaign between defending champion Barcelona and Inter Milan ended in a scoreless draw, but there were fireworks elsewhere on Day 1. Here’s four things we learned on Wednesday …

The four English teams all won their first games in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, but they were all by one-goal margins. For all the midweek results …

[COLLEGE] No. 22 Indiana dominated play against state rival Butler, but all the Hoosiers could muster was a goal by Orianica Velasquez Herrera in the 79th minute for a 1-0 victory that improved IU’s record to 7-1-0. For all Wednesday’s results …

[COLLEGE] Freshman midfielder Matt Lodge, the former English prison guard, scored his fourth goal in five games to lead No. 25 Kentucky to a 1-0 win over Alabama A&M, equaling the best start to a season in the 19-year history of the program. For all Wednesday’s results …

[MLS] In his rookie year, Sam Cronin has become a significant contributor in the midfield for Toronto FC. His efforts were rewarded this summer as Cronin joined the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup. Now, he turns his attention to helping Toronto FC reach the playoffs for the first time in team history. Get to know the 22-year-old in this profile by Soccer America’s Bryan Alvarez that covers on and off-field experiences.

[COLLEGE] Defending national champion Maryland’s offense broke out on Tuesday, and the Terrapins rolled over Duquesne, 7-0. Sophomore Casey Townsend led Maryland with a hat trick. Other ACC winners included No. 22 N.C. State and No. 25 Virginia. For all Tuesday’s results …

[COLLEGE] Lauren Hill‘s eighth goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie just before halftime, and No. 11 Michigan State pulled away to defeat Detroit, 3-1. For all Tuesday’s results …

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] It was a rough night for home teams on the first day of play in the group stage of the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League. Only two teams won at home, putting several big clubs in early pressure. Here’s four things we learned on Tuesday …