Category: Soccer America Daily

[BUSINESS] After almost 40 years, the French national team will be leaving adidas for Nike. The value of the deal to supply French soccer federation teams with Nike apparel is more than four times the current adidas deal and is believed to be more than three times the value of the most lucrative deal in international soccer, Nike’s agreement with Brazil.

[OBITUARY] Like fellow Haitian Joseph Gaetjens, Emmanuel Sanon scored a legendary goal in World Cup history. But unlike Gaetjens, whose goal gave the USA a 1-0 victory over England at the 1950 World Cup, the goal by Sanon, who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 56 Thursday at his home in Florida, did not hold up.

[EUROPEAN RACES] Last year it was Barcelona that blew a big lead, allowing to Real Madrid to overtake it and capture La Liga title. This year it’s Real Madrid that’s in danger of collapsing. On Sunday, Real Madrid lost to Madrid club Getafe, 1-0, at home, reducing its lead over Barcelona, a 5-1 winner over Levante, to two points from eight just a week ago. Spanish manager Juande Ramos, who won five cups at Sevilla, needed only five months to win his first cup title at Tottenham. Spurs edged defending champion Chelsea, 2-1, to win the English League Cup title on Sunday.

[ROUND OF 16] The top four teams in the current German Bundesliga standings advanced to the UEFA Cup final 16. England’s Bolton upset Atletico Madrid of Spain, whose only round of 16 representative is Getafe.

Tottenham faces Chelsea in the English League Cup final on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Barcelona hopes to continue shrinking the gap between it and leader Real Madrid when it faces Levante. In Germany, first-place Bayern Munich hosts third-place Hamburg SV. For televised weekend international action …

[U.S. WOMEN] Following a 17-day training camp at The Home Depot Center, U.S. women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage named her 20-player roster for the 2008 Algarve Cup March 5-12 in Portugal. Sundhage selected four players who have never traveled to the prestigious Portuguese tournament — uncapped Rachel Buehler and fellow ’07 collegiate stars Tobin Heath, Lauren Cheney and Angie Woznuk.

[PAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP] There wasn’t much “sexy soccer” so dear to Ruud Gullit to be found on display from his Los Angeles Galaxy for a small crowd on hand on Day 1 of the Pan-Pacific Championship in Honolulu. Indeed, the new collection of Galaxy players supporting David Beckham — who went the entire 90 minutes — looked quite dreadful in a 1-0 loss to undermanned Japanese club Gamba Osaka. By comparison, the MLS champion Houston Dynamo was in mid-season form, coasting to a 3-0 victory over Australia’s Sydney FC.

[MLS] Toronto FC wrapped up its match schedule in Florida by tying the Chicago Fire, 1-1, with a Jarrod Smith equalizer in the 78th minute, yet more intriguing to the TFC tale is a potential trialist who is apparently not on trial.

[MLS] Gambian Kenny Mansally only turned 19 three weeks ago, but he made quite an impression for the New England Revolution on its trip to Bermuda. Three days after he scored a hat trick in a 6-1 win over the Bermuda national team, Mansally added another goal in the Revs’ 2-0 victory over the Bermudan nationals on Wednesday in Hamilton.

[MLS] FC Dallas fell to Tigres of Mexico, 2-1, in the first leg of the third annual Rio Grande Plate on Wednesday night at the Estadio Universitario in Monterrey.

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Of Barcelona’s 100 wins in European Cup play, few were as quite as exciting as its 3-2 win at Celtic on Wednesday. In a game that featured sensational goals by both teams, Barca twice rallied from one goal down to beat the Scottish champion.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Californian Jesus Padilla came on as a substitute for Mexican club Guadalajara in its 2-0 win over San Jose of Bolivia in Libertadores Cup action on Wednesday.