Category: Soccer America Daily

The U.S. U-20 national team’s game on Wednesday against Haiti will be broadcast live on U.S. Soccer’s Web site at 6:15 p.m. ET at http://www.ussoccer.com/sights/liveStream.jsp.html. Coach Thomas Rongen‘s U-20 squad includes young pros Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Chris Seitz and Danny Szetela. On Monday, the U-20s beat SMU, 3-2, on two goals by Sampdoria (Italian […]

By Mike Woitalla Chelsea has banned three fans, including two who were arrested during an FA Cup game with Tottenham Hotspur, for throwing celery stalks onto the field. The culprits had ignored a warning from the club to keep their celery at home. “Anyone who attempts to bring celery into Stamford Bridge could be refused […]

By Ridge Mahoney Will this be the final, last, drop-dead chance that Eddie Johnson gets to get back on the beam for the national team? He has a good track record against Guatemala, against which he scored last year in a 4-0 rout as well as in a World Cup qualifier in 2005. The match […]

“I went through a lot last year. The last thing I [needed was] getting e-mails from a coach that ‘you’re not starting anymore.’” — Veteran goalkeeper Tony Meola, who is not on an MLS roster but hasn’t announced his retirement yet, reveals his disappointment in how (via e-mail) New York Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena […]

Brazil swept a pair of friendly games played in Sweden, defeating Chile, 4-0, on Saturday in Gothenburg and Ghana, 1-0, on Tuesday in Stockholm. Ronaldinho scored twice against Chile, converting a controversial penalty and scoring direct from a free kick, for his first goals for Brazil in almost two years. Kaka and Juan scored the […]

By Paul Kennedy A match against tiny Andorra Wednesday in Euro 2008 qualifying should put an end to England’s scoring drought, but a big win will hardly lessen the pressure on embattled England coach Steve McClaren. The Football Association offered its support Tuesday to McClaren, who has taken the brunt of the criticism for England’s […]

By Ridge Mahoney The worst team in the league last year has a lot of ground to make up if it is to reach the playoffs after missing them in 2005 as well as 2006. In its first year with head coach Sigi Schmid, Columbus (8-15-9) had last place in the Eastern Conference all but […]

By Ridge Mahoney Revs rookie forward Adam Cristman, a fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Virginia, is proving to be the scoring terror of MLS Preseason 2007. The 22-year-old played a role in all three New England Revolution goals as it downed Honduran club CD Olimpia, 3-1, Sunday at Tad Gormley Stadium in […]

“We are not going to start thinking ‘we are not going to qualify.’ That’s no way to start thinking, no way to have the atmosphere in and around the squad, and I won’t let that happen. … But we are where we are in the table and if we don’t start winning, we are not […]

Sampdoria forward Gabriel Ferrari scored two goals and Freddy Adu buried the game-winner in the 90th minute as the U.S. U-20 national team beat SMU, 3-2, on Monday afternoon in Dallas. Ferrari, 19, scored in both halves in his U.S. debut, but the Mustangs twice pulled even on goals by Dane Saintus and Scott Corbin. […]

World Cup champion Italy faces a must-win situation when it hosts Scotland Wednesday in Euro 2008 qualifying at Bari’s San Nicola Stadium. With the Azzurri fourth in Group B — five points behind Scotland and France and two behind Ukraine — the pressure is on beleaguered coach Roberto Donadini. Donadoni lashed out at media critics, […]

None of the USA’s three Gold Cup opponents in Group B won in friendly games played over the weekend. Guatemala played to a 0-0 tie at Barbados on Sunday before heading to Frsico, Texas, where it faces the USA in a friendly on Wednesday night. FC Dallas star Carlos Ruiz was with his MLS club […]

By Mike Woitalla Freddy Adu mastered his skills playing barefoot soccer on gravelly sandlots in the Ghanaian harbor city of Tema. Then he moved to the USA at age 8 and five years later started getting paid $1 million to wear Nike cleats. At age 14, he signed with MLS and became the league’s highest […]

By Ridge Mahoney South Carolina and Puerto Rico were the venues for competitions over the weekend mixing teams from MLS and USL. Dema Kovalenko scored in the final minute and Richard Mulrooney debuted for Toronto FC against several of his former San Jose teammates on Saturday in the Carolina Challenge Cup. Kovalenko’s goal scraped out […]

“We’re certainly pleased with the outcome. I thought it was an exciting game, highlighted of course by a great performance by Landon. Throughout this camp, you could tell that he had really stepped things up in terms of his role on the team. He was our captain today; more than that, he really came through […]

By Ridge Mahoney SOCCER AMERICA REPORT CARD (1=low; 5=average; 10-high) RATING PLAYER (CLUB CAPS/GOALS) STARTERS: 6 Tim Howard (Everton ENG 18/0) 6 Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96 GER 39/1) 5 Oguchi Onyewu (Newcastle ENG 18/1) 5 Jim Conrad (Kansas City 20/1) 4 Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham ENG 44/6) 5 Clint Dempsey (Fulham/ENG 25/6) 7 Benny Feilhaber (Hamburg […]

By Ridge Mahoney He’s asked the question a lot, especially after he shreds a defense as he did Sunday in a 3-1 thumping of Ecuador that featured the skills and speed and guile at which mere mortals can only marvel, and a killer instinct Landon Donovan sometimes lacks. “It’s not like other sports, especially basketball, […]

By Mike Woitalla The New York Red Bulls (nee MetroStars) are hands down the most disappointing MLS club over the league’s first 11 seasons. Their 157 regular-season losses are a league record in futility and to have trophy-less team in its biggest market must be especially frustrating for MLS. Big-name coaches and an array of […]

Alan I. Rothenberg, former President of the U.S. Soccer Federation and chairman and chief executive officer of the 1994 World Cup organizing committee, will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Rothenberg’s induction will take place on Aug. 26 in ceremonies at the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Rothenberg will be […]

Turkey remained unbeaten and untied in Euro ’08 qualifying with a stunning 4-1 victory over archrival Greece, the defending European champion, in Athens on Saturday. The Turks, who went into the game with 12 players injured or suspended, recovered from an early deficit to crush Greece thanks to goals by Tuncay Sanli, Gokhan Unal, Metin […]

By Ridge Mahoney Coach Bob Bradley has 24 players available for a friendly against Ecuador Sunday in Tampa (noon ET on ESPN2 & Galavision). He won’t have all of them at hand for next Wednesday’s match against Guatemala in Dallas, and so will have to weigh the importance of sending out the strongest teams he […]

Phil Wright has been re-elected to a new two-year term as chairman of the U.S. Club Soccer board of directors. In addition, Duke University men’s coach John Rennie has been elected as Vice-Chairman. Rounding out the executive committee are Mike Sweeney and Derek Armstrong, who will also serve two-year terms. Wright, the former president and […]

Qualifying for the 2008 European Championship in Austria and Switzerland continues with games Saturday and next Wednesday, the first of five double dates in 2007. Here’s a look at Groups 6 and 7: GROUP 6. Spain faces must-win games against Denmark on Saturday and Iceland next Wednesday after falling into fifth place, nine points behind […]

“I think they are very, very good technically. They are very quick. So, the ability to deal with those factors, defensively make sure that we’re on the same page, yet still do a good job when we have the ball. I think we’re looking for balance.” — U.S. coach Bob Bradley on Ecuador, the USA’s […]

The New York Red Bulls have signed a multi-year television rights extension with MSG Network, which has held the television rights to the Red Bulls/MetroStars for the past 12 years. MSG will telecast approximately 20 select Red Bulls games per season as part of this new deal. Color commentator Shep Messing and play-by-play man JP […]