It wasn’t that the USA failed to win the Women’s World Cup last month in China, it was how it failed. An unnecessary goalkeeper controversy and an uninspiring brand of soccer is why U.S. Soccer needed to close the chapter on Coach Greg Ryan‘s two-and-a-half year tenure.
Category: Soccer America Daily
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Beasley gets Old Firm taste
[AMERICANS ABROAD] DaMarcus Beasley, who limped off the field during the USA’s 1-0 win over Switzerland last Wednesday with a sore ankle, was a 75th minute sub for Glasgow Rangers in its 3-0 win over Glasgow Celtic. It was Beasley’s first Old Firm game. The win kept Rangers within three points of defending champ and first-place Celtic.
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Santos Laguna bounces back
[AMERICANS IN MEXICO] Santos Laguna, whose 11-game undefeated streak ended Oct. 12 while U.S. product Edgar Castillo was on Mexican national team duty, got back to winning ways with a 3-2 win over Morelia. Left back Castillo started and went the full 90 as Santos improved its record to 9-1-3 (win-loss-tie) in the Apertura 2007.
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WEEKEND WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
Liverpool edged Everton in their Merseyside derby marred by questionable refereeing. Alessandro Del Piero kept Juventus near the top of Italy’s Serie A, while AC Milan’s troubles at home continued. Defending Bundesliga champion Stuttgart hit a new low when it fell at Hamburg, 4-1.
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Fire & Blanco oust Beckham and Galaxy
The MLS playoff field is set after the Galaxy’s gallant quest falls short in Chicago; Kansas City finally gets it done in Dallas; Chivas thwarts Houston to win the Western Conference; and Colorado surrenders the Rocky Mountain Cup at home. Columbus and Toronto finish with encouraging results against D.C. United and New England, respectively. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney looks at how the 2007 regular season wrapped up. …
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What They’re Saying
“Being the coach of a national team is not the same as being coach of a club. It’s a job for someone who doesn’t like working much.”
— Former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, the British bookmakers favorite to become England coach if its fails to qualify for Euro 2008, says his next job will be coaching another club team. In the future, he said, he would consider coaching his native Portugal. (AFP)
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Greg Ryan, in or out?
U.S. Soccer has called a media conference call for Monday at 4 p.m. ET at which time President Sunil Gulati and Secretary General Dan Flynn will address the status of U.S. women’s national team coach Greg Ryan. Ryan’s absence from the conference call raises speculation that his contract will be not be renewed for 2008. The conference call comes two days after the USA tied Mexico, 1-1, in its final game of 2007.
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MLS Playoffs 2007
[TV SCHEDULE] The MLS 2007 playoffs begin this Thursday when Chicago hosts D.C. United …
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Freddy Adu scores second goal for Benfica
[VIDEO] In the Portuguese League Cup on Saturday, Freddy Adu scored his second goal since joining Benfica. He struck from 18 yards after running on to a long pass from Benfica’s goalkeeper that was deflected into his path. The 18-year-old’s goal tied the game against Vitoria Setubal in the 71st minute and Benfica won the penalty-kick shootout to reach the third round.
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Fulham winless streak hits eight
[AMERICANS IN ENGLAND] Fulham settled for a scoreless tie with lowly Derby County to extend its winless streak to eight games. For Fulham, Kasey Keller was replaced in goal Antii Niemi, Clint Dempsey, who came close to scoring with a header, started and played 90 minutes; defender Carlos Bocanegra was a halftime sub. Eddie Lewis played the full 90 for Debry, but Benny Feilhaber did not suit up. Two American keepers met as Blackburn (Brad Friedel) thumped Reading (Marcus Hahnemann) 4-2. Hahnemann has conceded 22 goals in 10 games this season. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard was beaten twice from the penalty spot by Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt in the 2-1 derby loss
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Subotic scores for Mainz
[AMERICANS IN GERMANY] All four goals came within 13 minutes as Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 tied, 2-2, with VfL Wolfsburg. Hannover remains in sixth place. In the Second Division, former U.S. U-17 international Neven Subotic, 18, scored his first pro goal in Mainz’s 3-1 win over Wehen Wiesbaden.
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FC Indiana leaves WPSL for W-League
FC Indiana is leaving the WPSL, where it has won two league titles in the last year years, for the W-League, its rival women’s league.
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TV PREVIEW: International Weekend Headliners
Two of the world’s most famous derbies — Rangers-Celtic and Everton-Liverpool — take place on Saturday. Lionel Messi hopes to continue his scoring streak for Barcelona, which travels to Villarreal. Bolton has given Arsenal all kinds of trouble in recent years, but it was hit this week by a managerial crisis.
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What They’re Saying
“It is a necessary luxury for the soccer and basketball teams and we will be saving a lot of money.”
— Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon on the club acquiring its very own 135-seater MD-83 jet plane. But the team won’t be able to use it on Match Day 5 of the Champions League when it plays at Werder Bremen because the MD-83 is banned in Germany under noise regulations. (UEFA.com)
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Samba Time
[VIDEO] After a dismal performance in tying Colombia to open its 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, Brazil provided some dazzling moments in a 5-0 win on Wednesday over Ecuador in its first game at Rio’s famed Maracana Stadium since 2000. The goals included a sublime long-range strike by Kaka and a finish by Elano that Robinho set up after tricking his way past Ecuador defenders with his trademark stepover moves.
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David Beckham returns in Galaxy tie
The introduction of David Beckham midway through the second half sent a jolt of excitement through the crowd at Home Depot Center, but while he bent a few corners and sprayed some nice balls, still the Galaxy and Red Bull New York remained tied, 1-1. Goals less than a minute apart from Troy Roberts and Jozy Altidore early in the match stood up for the remaining 75 minutes. The tie left the Galaxy needing a win Sunday against Chicago and a few breaks to reach the playoffs.
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Four aim for two playoff spots
[TV PREVIEWs] Colorado, Kansas City, Chicago and Los Angeles are vying for the two remaining playoff spots, and the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, D.C. United and New England, finish the regular season on the road. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney previews this weekend’s action …
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Mexico’s Tri stunned at L.A. Coliseum
It was supposed to be Los Angeles fans’ first glimpse of the great Mexico team of the future with the Spanish-based trio of Andres Guardado, Carlos Vela and Barcelona starlet Giovani Dos Santos in the starting lineup and New Mexican Edgar Castillo coming off the bench. But what the 42,350 fans saw on Wednesday night was one of the most stunning defeats in the history of the Mexican national team program. Guatemala beat the Tri for the first time in 40 years, winning, 3-2, in an incident-filled game that featured six red cards and seven yellow cards.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I always say that one day I can play over there. I would love to. But it’s still early. Don’t get me wrong, I just love the U.S. I don’t know why. I love the way you live. I love American sports. For me, it’s a dream to go to training and then see a game of football, basketball, whatever game. For me, New York is the best city in the world.”
— Thierry Henry, who broke the French all-time scoring record on Wednesday, on his love of the United States and New York. Henry’s best friend is NBA star Tony Parker. (The New York Times)
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Euro ’08 Qualifying Results & Standings
All of Wednesday’s results, the current standings and remaining schedules in Euro ’08 qualifying, where eight berths in the finals remain up for grabs.
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Henry dedicates record goals to ill father
[MAKING A LIST] Thierry Henry broke the French record of 41 goals he shared with Michel Platini when he scored twice in two minutes to lead the Bleus to a 2-0 win over Lithuania in Euro 2008 qualifying on Wednesday.
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England and Scotland crack on the road
[EURO 2008 QUALIFYING] England was 21 minutes away from clinching a berth in the 2008 European Championship when it collapsed in “five minutes of madness” and lost to Russia, 2-1, in Moscow. The loss took England’s chances of qualifying out of its hands. Scotland was rolling after wins over France and Ukraine, but it lost at Georgia, 2-0, and will probably need to beat Italy on Nov. 17 to have any chance of qualifying.
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Greece, Czech Republic and Romania qualify for finals
[EURO 2008 QUALIFYING] Defending champion Greece, Czech Republic and Romania joined Germany and co-hosts Austria and Switzerland in the Euro 2008 finals next year after qualifying on Wednesday.
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Three stars injured in Dutch win
[EURO 2008 QUALIFYING] The Netherlands’ 2-0 win over Slovenia in Euro 2008 qualifying was marred by injuries to stars Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart.
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Brazil makes triumphant return to Maracana
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Brazil broke open a close game with four goals in 10 minutes late in the second half and buried Ecuador, 5-0, in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.