Category: Soccer America Daily

U.S. U-17 boys national team coach John Hackworth named  his 20-player roster for the CONCACAF Under-17 Group B Qualifying Tournament April 28-May 6 in Kingston, Jamaica. All but one of the players selected are currently in in U.S. Soccer’s Under-17 Residency Program based in Bradenton, Fla. Defender Tommy Meyer, who was formerly in Residency for […]

Efforts to launch a women’s pro league in the spring of 2008 received a boost when ownership groups from Boston and New York/New Jersey announced their intentions to join investor groups from six other cities. “The signing of these two new markets is an important milestone,” said Tonya Antonucci, the CEO of the Women’s Soccer […]

WEDNESDAY: UEFA Champions League Semifinal, 1st Leg CHELSEA-LIVERPOOL (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, 2:30 pm ET, live) Liverpool and Chelsea meet Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinals series, a repeat of their 2005 series Liverpool won en route to its fifth title. Unlike Tuesday’s wild-open game between Manchester United and AC Milan, […]

Three weeks into the 2007 MLS season … 3 teams are undefeated: New York (2-0-1), Chicago (2-0-1), Columbus (0-0-3). 5 teams are winless: Columbus, D.C. United, Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles. New England’s Taylor Twellman is the leading scorer with 3 goals. New York’s Jozy Altidore has two gamewinning goals in three games. […]

In Mexico, left back Edgar Castillo started again for Santos Laguna, which fell, 1-0, to Pachuca. There’s one game left in the Clausura 2007 and Santos will be relegated if Queretaro wins its final game. Santos, for which Castillo has appeared in 13 of 16 games, is 11th in the overall standings in the 18-team […]

"I didn’t know it was against the rules," said defender Cleberson of Brazilian club Cabofriense after being shown a yellow card for kissing referee Ubiraci Damasio. Damasio had called a foul on Cleberson and the two seemed to be interacting amiably until Cleberson planted a peck on the Damasio cheek. The ref pulled the card […]

“The only reason to publish this so close to a big match is to serve an agenda that is intended to undermine our team." — A statement from Chelsea in response to reports in The Daily Mail and The Times of London that Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, while serving a two-game Champions League ban two […]

The USA will continue its preparations for the upcoming U-20 World Cup this summer with a match against reigning world champion Argentina on May 15, at PAETEC Park in Rochester, N.Y. U.S. U-20 coach Thomas Rongen named a 16-player roster for the match, inviting in 13 pro players — 11 in Major League Soccer and […]

TUESDAY: UEFA Champions League Semifinal, 1st Leg MAN. UNITED-AC MILAN (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, 2:30 pm ET, live) It’s Manchester United’s youth against AC Milan’s experience in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal series on Thursday United is led by the Professional Footballer’s Association Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, 22, and Wayne […]

Defending champion Internacional of Brazil and Argentine powerhouse River Plate have already been knocked out of the Libertadores Cup, the South American club championship, and two former champions — Gremio of Brazil and Boca Juniors of Argentina — must win their last matches this week to avoid early exits. Internacional, which also won the 2006 […]

“Besides my brother [Janak] nobody beats me up like that. I can’t let that happen. I had to get him [Eddie Robinson] back. I told him I was going to get him, and I got him.” — Jozy Altidore, the 17-year-old New York striker who eluded Houston defender Eddie Robinson to score the winning goal […]

Watford’s stay in the English Premier League will end after one season. The club that won promotion last season with help from American defender Jay DeMerit‘s playoff goal, tied Manchester City, 1-1, on Saturday to ruin any chances the last-place team had of avoiding relegation. DeMerit, in his 32nd EPL appearance, went the full 90. […]

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor The New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas posted impressive home wins to set up a Thursday night showdown on ESPN2, Chicago topped Kansas City to keep pace with New York atop the Eastern Conference, and Chivas USA tuned up for the first SuperClasico of the season against the Galaxy […]

The expansion Carolina RailHawks drew a crowd of 6,327 for their first game, a 1-1 tie with Minnesota on Saturday at SAS Soccer Park. Kupono Low‘s goal in the eighth minute gave Carolina a 1-0 lead, but the Thunder earned its second tie in two nights on a penalty kick by Liberian Ansu Toure. Cuban […]

David Beckham celebrated his return to action after suffering a knee injury last month by setting up a crucial goal as Real Madrid kept its La Liga title hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over Valencia. The 31-year-old Englishman came on as a substitute in the second half and almost immediately made the move pay […]

Champions were crowned in four major European leagues as Inter Milan, Lyon, Celtic and Olympiakos all won their national league titles over the weekend. Italian World Cup champion Marco Materazzi, who was on the receiving end of Zinedine Zidane‘s head butt in the World Cup final, scored both goals to give Inter Milan a 2-1 […]

The Women’s World Cup draw is becoming quite predictable. The United States, the top seed in Group B at the 2007 Women’s World Cup, will face North Korea, Sweden and Nigeria — the same three opponents it faced in the first round of the 2003 World Cup. In addition, it marked the third straight time […]

By Ridge Mahoney NEW YORK-HOUSTON (Fox Soccer Channel & Fox en Espanol, Saturday, 7 pm ET , kickoff 7:30 pm ET) A 3-0 roasting of FC Dallas last weekend and the signing of Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel has the Red Bulls (1-0-1) brimming with, uh, well cautious optimism as it hosts the defending champion. […]

By Ridge Mahoney The Crew is still winless, but no longer is it goalless, and while tying New England, 2-2, Thursday night at Crew Stadium it exposed a few weak spots in a depleted Revs’ lineup. James Riley, stepping in for the injured Michael Parkhurst in central defense, let a Frankie Hejduk cross skip under […]

The incredible goal scored by 19-year-old Argentine Lionel Messi for Barcelona on Wednesday has even the pro-Real Madrid press expressing the highest praise. "I feel like crying. Holy Christ! Long Live Soccer! Long Live Leo!" exclaimed one reporter. The Guardian’s Sid Lowe, who tracked Spanish reaction to the goal that mirrored Diego Mardona‘s effort against […]

"This wasn’t just one theft. This was theft after theft after theft, lie after lie after lie.” — Bucks County (Pa.) District Attorney Diane Gibbons after charges were filed against the club treasurer of the Southampton Soccer Association for allegedly stealing $237,000 from the youth league from 1998 to 2006. John Fox, 51, the treasurer, […]

U.S. Under-17 boys national team assistant head coach Brian Maisonneuve named the 18-player roster for the U.S. U-16 national team (players born in 1991) that will compete at the 2007 Ballymena International Tournament April 22-27 in Northern Ireland. The USA is in Group B of the eight-team tournament along with the Czech Republic, Ireland and […]

The Carolina RailHawks, one of two expansion teams, make their USL-1 debut Saturday when they host the Minnesota Thunder. RailHawks play at SAS Soccer Park, are coached by veteran USL-1 player Scott Schweitzer, who played his college ball at nearby N.C. State. The RailHawks have signed a number of MLS veterans with UNC connections, including […]

Photographer George Tiedemann has been named the 2007 Colin Jose Media Award recipient and will be honored at the 2007 National Soccer Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Aug. 26. Tiedemann’s images graced many magazines during the 1970s and early 1980s, when soccer was not as well received as it is today. He took the […]

The USA will find out its three first-round opponents at the 2007 Women’s World Cup, to be held Sept. 10-30 in China, when the draw is held on Sunday (6:45 am ET) at the Guanggu Science & Technology Exhibition Centre in Wuhan. Greg Ryan‘s Americans, unbeaten in their last 40 games, are one of four […]