Category: Soccer America Daily

[MLS PREDICTIONS] The international schedule shrinks the MLS menu to just three games, all with crucial playoff consequences for at least one of the participating teams. The national telecast is on Fox Soccer Channel, and showcases the first of back-to-back meetings matching Colorado and Toronto, which are separated by just two points in the overall standings. For all of Soccer America’s predictions, as well as TV viewing information, and to see how Ridge Mahoney fared so far this season …

[MLS] D.C. United announced, without details, that it will discipline its goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who set the team on the course to its U.S. Open Cup final loss to Seattle on Wednesday by getting red-carded for stomping on Fredy Montero after he scored in the 2-1 Sounders’ win. In United’s MLS game four days earlier, Wicks attacked teammate Marc Burch.

[USA] While Brazil remained No. 1 in FIFA World Rankings for the third straight month, the U.S. national team moved up a spot, to No. 11, sandwiched by No. 10 France and No. 12 Greece. Mexico, thanks to its home win in World Cup qualifying over the USA last month, moved up six places to No. 24. The USA’s next two World Cup qualifying opponents, El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago, were ranked 85th and 63rd, respectively.

[TELEVISION WATCH] It’s time to make your viewing plans for Saturday’s full day of World Cup 2010 qualifying. From 10 a.m. to midnight ET, it will be possible to watch non-stop qualifying action on cable or online. For the weekend’s complete World Cup 2010 qualifying schedule and viewing options …

The National Soccer Hall of Fame will be laying off employees, according to The Daily Star, which also reported that Hall of Fame’s board of directors had considered closing because of continuing financial problems.

Check out the Soccer America Classifieds for latest Premium Classified posted on Wednesday.

[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] Being from Mexico, where many cities are parked more than a mile in the sky, Carlos de los Cobos, El Salvador’s national team coach, knows the effects of altitude. Since the team arrived earlier this week in Salt Lake City to prepare for the Hexagonal match Saturday against the USA, the coach has trained his team for the effects of altitude, though the 4,200-foot elevation much is less than what is encountered in places like Mexico City and Toluca. One player familiar with the conditions is San Jose midfielder Arturo Alvarez, who represented the U.S. at youth levels but has successfully petitioned to change allegiances to El Salvador, the birthplace of his parents.

[MLS] D.C. United promoted 18-year-old goalkeeper Bill Hamid from its youth academy to its first team, making the Virginia native the club’s first player to come up through its youth system.

[LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP] In a spirited game filled with chances for both teams, the Seattle Sounders defeated D.C. United, 2-1, to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and become the second MLS expansion team to win the oldest cup trophy in American sports. For the second time this week, D.C. goalie Josh Wicks lost his cool, this time stomping on Sounders forward Fredy Montero after the Colombian opened the scoring in the 67th minute, and was red-carded.

[COLLEGE] No. 19 Utah lost for the first time this season when it fell at home to state rival Weber State. No. 8 Boston College won its Beantown clash with Boston University, 2-0. For other Wednesday’s results and goalscorers and this week’s Top 25 schedule …

[COLLEGE] No. 13 Connecticut opened its 2009 season with a 2-0 win Wednesday over St. Peter’s before 3,744 in Storrs. No. 19 George Mason edged Howard, 2-1, in the D.C. College Cup. For all of Wednesday’s results and goalscorers and this week’s Top 25 schedule …

[USL-1 TEAM OF THE WEEK] Joseph Kabwe, who scored three goals and added an assist in Carolina’s 9-0 rout of Miami FC, is the USL First Division Player of the Week. For the USL-1 Team of the Week …

[LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP] Wednesday’s D.C. United-Seattle clash in the 96th U.S. Open Cup final marks the 11th all-MLS final since the league’s entry in 1996 into the competition that dates back to 1914. Only once since 1996 has a non-MLS team lifted the trophy. For championship game results, with goalscorers and attendance, since 1996. …

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Eight U.S. internationals moved during the summer transfer market abroad, but only two commanded a transfer fee — forwards Charlie Davies (moving from Sweden’s Hammarby to France’s Sochaux and Kenny Cooper (from FC Dallas to German second division club 1860 Munich). The other players with national team experience either moved in loan deals or as free agents. For all the moves involving top-flight clubs …

[TRANSFER WATCH] Europe’s summer transfer market ended with a whimper, not a bang. There were few major transfers on the final day of activity because the market closed Tuesday afternoon. Most of the activity was in England, where several moves were of interest to several Americans.

[TRINIDAD & TOBAGO]  Coach Russell Latapy called up a pair of former England U-21s — Fulham striker Bobby Zamora and Bolton defender Jlloyd Samuel — for Trinidad & Tobago’s crucial World Cup 2010 qualifiers against Honduras Saturday in San Pedro Sula and the United States next Wednesday in Port of Spain, though Zamora’s availability was in doubt because of an injury. In Honduras but not in the team is T&T great Dwight Yorke, who was expected to announce his international retirement shortly.

[LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP] Now that executives of the two teams are done sniping at each other about hosting the game, first-year club Seattle and defending champ D.C. United are set to contest the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final Wednesday at RFK Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel). In launching an unsuccessful bid to host the game at Qwest Field, Seattle has followed through with the emphasis it is putting on this competition, the winner of which probably earns a ticket to the Concacaf Champions Cup, as D.C. did by beating Charleston (USL-1) in the 2008 final.

[USA] The top scorer in Major League Soccer wasn’t on hand when the U.S. national team began preparations Monday for its seventh game of the Hexagonal, to be played Saturday against El Salvador in Sandy, Utah.

[COLLEGE] The NCAA Division I men’s season kicked off Tuesday. In the night’s only matchup of Top 25 teams, No. 10 Notre Dame crushed No. 21 Michigan, 5-0, in the opening game at Alumni Stadium. Two Top 25 teams fell at home to unranked teams — Loyola (Md.) to Villanova and Cal Poly to UNLV, both by 1-0 scores. For all of Tuesday’s Division I results and goal scorers and this week’s Top 25 schedule …

[COLLEGE] No. 10 Penn State twice rallied from one goal down to beat Connecticut, 3-2, on Monday. In the other game at the Penn State Invitational, No. 25 BYU defeated No. 9 West Virginia, 1-0, on freshman Carlee Payne‘s golden goal. For this week’s schedule …

[MLS] Geoff Cameron is a second-year player with the Houston Dynamo and was finalist for last year’s MLS Rookie of the Year Award. This year, he’s established himself as a starter and made the MLS All-Star team. Get to know the 24-year-old in this profile by Soccer America’s Bryan Alvarez that covers on and off-field experiences.

[COLLEGE] Danielle Foxhoven, who scored the first two goals in No. 3 Portland’s 4-0 win over ranked California and both goals in 2-0 victory over Washington, is the Soccer America Women’s Player of the Week for games played Aug. 28-30. For the Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week …