Category: Soccer America Daily

Hope dimmed Wednesday night for Brian Hall, a University of Connecticut and Dallas Rockets goalie, and another climber missing on Oregon’s Mount Hood for 10 days. The body of a third hiker, Kelly James, was found. The ground search for the 37-year-old Hall and Jerry “Nikko” Cooke was reportedly scaled back because of dangerous conditions. […]

Andy McLaren of Scottish Second Division (third level) club Dundee received an eight-game ban after he was handed three red cards on Saturday in his team’s 2-1 loss at Clyde. The veteran forward was handed a yellow card for scuffling with Clyde’s David Hutton after teammate Gavin Swankie scored from the penalty spot with three […]

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor Drawbacks there are to the selection of Bob Bradley as interim head coach of the USA national team, but unfamiliarity with the domestic player pool isn’t one of them. Of the 29 players he’s named for a training camp that starts Jan. 3, only Heath Pearce of Danish club Norjsaelland […]

“I want to apologize to the fans, to all the young people and children for my behavior. They [Barcelona players] kicked me, they treated me badly throughout the game, they kicked my injured leg, and they know I have problems in this leg, that’s why I reacted like that.” — Striker Agustin Delgado, who has […]

Italian Fabio Cannavaro and Brazilian Marta were crowned 2006 FIFA World Player and 2006 FIFA Women’s World Player, respectively, Monday at the 16th FIFA World Player Gala at the Zurich Opera House. Men’s & Women’s Voting Cannavaro’s selection comes three weeks after he was named the European Player of the Year. Cannavaro edged three-time World […]

Voting closes Wednesday for the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year Awards. The U.S. Soccer Male and Female Athletes of the Year Awards date back to 1984 for the men and 1985 for the women, while the Young Male and Young Female awards were added in 1998. ONLINE VOTING: U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year […]

Cam Weaver, who went from being the last player to make the USL1 Seattle Sounders’ 2006 roster to sharing the league scoring title with Brazilian great Romario, has been transferred to FK Haugesund of the Norwegian First Division (second level). “We will certainly miss Cam and his goal-scoring abilities, but this is another great example […]

American Brian McBride scored his fifth goal of the season to help Fulham beat struggling Middlesbrough, 2-1, in the English Premier League on Monday night. After Icelandic Heidar Helguson converted a penalty kick in the 12th minute, McBride scored in the 35th with a shot that deflected off Middlesbrough defender Chris Riggott. Middlesbrough pulled within […]

“I do not preclude the possibility that the Vatican could in the future put together a soccer team of great value that could play on the same level as Roma, Inter Milan, Genoa or Sampdoria. Just think of all the Brazilian or African students who attend seminaries or pontifical universities. We could put together a […]

Manchester United’s lead in the English Premier League was cut from eight points to two in five days following its 1-0 loss at West Ham United on Sunday. Second-place Chelsea, which beat Newcastle in a makeup game on Wednesday, closed the gap to two points after winning, 3-2, at Everton. The West Ham won on […]

The following is the draw for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League: Porto vs. Chelsea Celtic vs. AC Milan PSV vs. Arsenal Lille vs. Manchester United Roma vs. Lyon Barcelona vs. Liverpool Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich Inter Milan vs. Valencia First legs to be played on Feb. 20-21. Second legs to […]

Steve Cherundolo got an early start to the holidays when he was sent off late in Hannover’s 3-1 loss at Nuremberg for a handball in the box. The loss snapped a four-game unbeaten streak for Hannover, which entered the Bundesliga’s winter break in 11th place — a respectable placement after a terrible start. Things don’t […]

Internacional of Brazil stunned Barcelona, 1-0, to win the Club World Cup before 67,128 fans in Yokohama on Sunday. Barca, the European champion, had the big edge in play, but substitute Adriano scored on a breakaway in the 82nd minute to give Internacional, the Copa Libertadores champion, the victory. Barca was the heavy favorite after […]

“Without words being spoken directly about it, I think moves have been made. It’s not like [Manchester United manager Sir Alex] Ferguson stuck his foot up my backside and kicked me out the door. But without question, if it doesn’t happen for me at United, it can happen somewhere else.” — American Tim Howard, who […]

Ahmet Ertegun, who along with his brother Nesuhi, was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003, died on Thursday at age 83. The Erteguns founded the New York Cosmos, the USA’s most famous soccer club, which, by bringing Pele and Franz Beckenbauer to the NASL popularized the sport in America. Ahmet was […]

“There is no doubt that MLS and the sport of soccer in America would not be where it is today without Lamar Hunt’s passion, commitment and unrelenting love of the game. He dreamed more than 30 years ago that America could someday be a Soccer Nation. And he lived to see that dream come true." […]

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor, Soccer America The accolades and tributes you are reading in the aftermath of Lamar Hunt‘s death are incredible, staggering, almost incomprehensible. They suggest an entrepreneurial colossus, a gargantuan driven by ambition, burning with fervor, consumed by conquest. Not so, not in the sense that a Jerry Jones or George Steinbrenner […]

W Connection of Trinidad & Tobago defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders, 1-0, in the deciding match of Group C to advance to the next round of the Caribbean qualifiers of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. In the sixth minute, W Connection took the lead thanks to a goal by Andre Toussaint. The Islanders had several close […]

With first-place Barcelona set to play Internacional of Brazil Sunday in the final of the Club World Cup in Yokohama (TV: Fox Soccer Channel & Fox en Espanol, 5 am ET), second-place Sevilla will have a chance to move into Spain’s La Liga on Sunday when it travels to Andalucian rival Recreativo Huelva (TV: Gol […]

Lamar Hunt, the man who may have done more to advance soccer’s cause in the USA than any other individual, died on Wednesday at age 74 from complications of cancer. Hunt was a leading investor in the NASL from its founding. He returned to the pro soccer scene when MLS launched in 1996 as investor-operator […]

By Ridge Mahoney NATE DOWN TO ONE. Agent Pat McCabe says by the weekend Nate Jaqua will know if he has found a club in Europe. There supposedly had been interest from several clubs but apparently the choices have been boiled down to one, which McCabe would not specify. “There is no resolution yet on […]

American Brad Friedel was in goal as Blackburn Rovers shut out French club Nancy, 1-0, on Wednesday to win its UEFA Cup group. The win in Europe was a welcome relief for Blackburn, which has struggled in the English Premier League with one win, one tie and six losses in its last eight games. Nancy […]

Pachuca, Mexico’s oldest club, came from behind to beat Colo Colo, 2-1, in Santiago and capture the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday. Pachuca won, 3-2, on aggregate to become the first Mexican team to win a South American club competition. CONMEBOL began inviting Mexican teams to the Libertadores Cup and other South Americans competitions in the […]

Last week, Boca Juniors coach Ricardo La Volpe said he would be hanged if his team didn’t win Argentina’s Torneo Apertura. After Estudiantes stunned Boca, 2-1, in a playoff on Wednesday, La Volpe did something less dramatic. He said he was quitting. The playoff ended a stunning reversal late in the Argentine season and a […]

Bob DiGrazia, who coached the University of California’s men’s team for 28 years (1953-80) and remains the Bears’ all-time winningest coach with a 202-133-39 record, died Dec. 11. A San Francisco native, DiGrazia played for Cal in 1948-50 and became the Bears’ first All-American in 1950. As coach, he guided the Bears to their first […]