Category: Soccer America Daily

England star Wayne Rooney used a three-day break granted by Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson for a New York visit and nearly got injured at a basketball game. Rooney and fiancee Coleen McLoughlin had courtside seats for Monday’s New York Knicks game against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Early in the game, the […]

Last week, Boca Juniors coach Ricardo Lavolpe joked that he’ll be hanged if Boca finishes second. His team had already blown one chance to clinch the title, losing 1-0, to Belgrano Dec. 3. In its last game of the season on Sunday, Boca fell to Lanus, 2-1, a result that would still have delivered the […]

Lamar Hunt, a great patron of American soccer, is fighting for his life in a Dallas hospital. The 74-year-old, who has battled cancer for several years, was hospitalized a day before Thanksgiving with a partially collapsed lung. Doctors then discovered that the cancer had spread. Hunt, an original investor in MLS with the Columbus Crew […]

"I just want to say, I cannot be happier. I cannot be happier to be here. It is something I wanted. They’ve worked so hard to get me here and I appreciate that. I really do. This sort of has the same feeling as when I first came into the league. I feel reborn." — […]

In the continuing fallout from the U.S. District Court ruling that overturned FIFA’s planned eight-year sponsorship deal with Visa following a federal lawsuit brought by long-time financial services sponsor MasterCard, FIFA dismissed marketing director Jerome Valcke and three other employees. In a statement on Tuesday, FIFA acknowledged its World Cup sponsorship negotiations with rival credit […]

Just 10 days after West Ham United was sold and its new owner, Icelandic Eggert Magnusson, gave Manager Alan Pardew his full confidence, the English Premier League club fired Pardew. Pardew was said to be in Magnusson’s camp as the Icelandic tussled with Kia Joorabchian in the fight for control over the Hammers that ended […]

FC Dallas, which fired Colin Clarke after he failed for the second straight year to guide Dallas to the MLS Cup it hosted, has named Clarke’s assistant, Steve Morrow, head coach. Morrow, a Northern Irishman like Clarke, was assistant coach the past two seasons. Morrow, 36, played two seasons for Dallas (2002-03) after a career […]

Freddy Adu, 17, will don Real Salt Lake’s jersey when he starts his fourth season in MLS. D.C. United, which signed the Ghana-born star when he was 14, traded Adu, along with keeper Nick Rimando, for reserve goalie Jay Nolly, a major player allocation and significant future considerations. Adu, who moved to the USA at […]

"Freddy desired to play a different role than the one we offered here at D.C., so we hope this move can aid that wish." — A statement from D.C. United coach Peter Nowak on trading Freddy Adu to Real Salt Lake. (Washington Post)

American players took it on the chin in the English Premier League. Fulham, for which Brian McBride played 71 minutes while Carlos Bocanegra sat out injured, fell, 4-0, to Liverpool. Claudio Reyna played the first half before suffering from hamstring problems while DaMarcus Beasley came on in the 76th minute as Manchester City lost its […]

“We continue to see the appeal of soccer in America growing, and particularly when comes in a time of the day that’s unique and not up against U.S. sports prime time. This is a real nice product for us and our networks. We saw that with the World Cup and we see that in our […]

For the second time in three days, the U.S. under-17 boys national team came from behind to earn a 2-2 tie against Brazil’s U-17 national team at the Nike Friendlies in Bradenton, Fla. Nike Friendlies (Day 2-4 Results) On Thursday, Jesse Paredes scored the game-tying goal, while it was Ellis McLoughlin with the tying goal […]

Guadalajara, Mexico’s most popular club, won its first title in nine years when it came from behind to beat Toluca, 2-1, away in the second leg of the Torneo Apertura final. Second-half goals from defender Francisco Rodriguez and striker Adolfo Bautista gave Chivas a record 11th title and its first since flamboyant businessman Jorge Vergara […]

The USL1’s Puerto Rico Islanders opened action in Group C of the 2006 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship with a 3-1 victory over Hoppers FC of Antigua at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon on Saturday. CFU Club Championship Results U.S. beach soccer international Yuri Morales scored twice, while Chilean Alejandro Gonzalez added another. […]

Argentine striker Bruno Marioni scored his 13th goal of the season to earn Toluca a 1-1 tie with Chivas of Guadalajara in the first leg of the Mexican league final in Guadalajara. Omar Bravo had given Guadalajara, which hasn’t won the league in nearly a decade, the lead with a header off a Roman Morales […]

“He’s [Juergen Klinsmann] an extraordinarily gifted coach. I think it would have been great situation if we could have made it happened. In the conversation yesterday, after we’d all concluded that this wasn’t going to happen, we had a terrific conversation about the future. Not about what might happen in four or five months, but […]

By Mike Woitalla Executive Editor, Soccer America We may never know exactly why negotiations between U.S. Soccer and Juergen Klinsmann broke down. Federation president Sunil Gulati made it clear he would not reveal the details and Klinsmann is a famously private man. Judging from Klinsmann’s past contract negotiations, as a player with clubs in four […]

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor, Soccer America By his own admission, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati went a lot further than he probably would have gone with any other candidate to secure Juergen Klinsmann‘s services as the next U.S. national team coach. But the search stretched over five months. Gulati interviewed 13 serious candidates and […]

U.S. under-20 national team coach Thomas Rongen called in 26 players for the team’s training camp Dec. 12-23 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to prepare for the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, which will take place Jan. 17-21 in Panama City, Panama. Of the 26 players named to camp, 14 are in college, eight are professional […]

Sunday’s London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 11 am ET) is a critical game for both clubs. If Manchester United beats Manchester City on Saturday, Chelsea and Arsenal will go into Sunday’s game trailing EPL leader United by nine and 19 points, respectively, with each having a […]

The USL1’s Puerto Rico Islanders will look to qualify for the final round qualifying for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup when they host Fruta Conquerors (Guyana), W Connection (Trinidad & Tobago) and Hoppers FC (Antigua) Group C Dec. 8-14 at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon. Among the new players the Islanders have signed for […]

Four U.S. boys national teams were in action on the opening day of the Nike Friendlies at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., and they went unbeaten, compiling a 2-0-2 record. In the marquee matchup, the U-17 ’90s tied the Brazil U-17 national team, 2-2, getting the equalizer five minutes from the final whistle when […]

In early 1995, Steve Sampson, an assistant to head coach Bora Milutinovic at the 1994 World Cup, was named interim coach when U.S. Soccer did not keep on Milutinovic. Sampson led the USA to the 1995 U.S. Cup title and third place at the 1995 Copa America, keeping the job he would hold through the […]

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor, Soccer America Whether or not Bob Bradley was U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati‘s first choice as U.S. national team coach is no longer relevant. Bradley, whether he remains for two games, two years, or two decades, is a good choice. An official announcement Friday will confirm Bradley as the next […]

German Juergen Klinsmann, who has for months been tipped to succeed Bruce Arena as U.S. men’s national team coach, won’t be taking the job. In a statement, Klinsmann said he had withdrawn his name from consideration but would not go into details of his conversations with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati. Gulati has scheduled a […]