Category: Soccer America Daily

By Ridge Mahoney GALAXY GUT CHECK. The defending champions preserved their playoff hopes Saturday by knocking off tenants Chivas USA, 3-0. Still, they are two games under .500 (they finished 13-13-6 last year, by the way) heading into a tough away-and-home duet with Dallas. The Texas leg is Saturday, where LA lost, 1-0, May 10 […]

“I am starting a new life. I will continue to enjoy myself … but without soccer.” — French goalkeeping great Fabien Barthez, announcing his retirement three months after helping France reach the World Cup final. Barthez, 35, was a free agent but unable to find a club willing to sign him.

The Mexican national team, which wore Nike for the last four years, has signed an eight-year deal to be clothed by adidas. The Associated Press reported that adidas did not disclose the price of the contract, but Mexican newspapers estimated that El Tri will receive between $70 million and $88 million.

By Ridge Mahoney When Davy Arnaud brushed past him to set up a goal for Josh Wolff in the fifth minute of Real Salt Lake’s game against Kansas City last weekend, Carey Talley again felt a dreaded sense of déjà vu. For the third straight game, Salt Lake had fallen behind early. For a team […]

A German judge struck down a lawsuit by a homeowner who complained about the noise emanating from First Division club Alemannia Aachen’s stadium. The judge acknowledged evidence that the cheering exceeded the legal decibel limit when the newly promoted team scores, but because that happens rarely during its biweekly home games, it cannot be considered […]

“Any manager will tell you they’d rather win one and lose two than draw three because you get more points.” — Former England forward Les Ferdinand, who is on the brink of a coaching career, displays his math skills. (BBC)

Last year, Bayern Munich started the German season with six straight wins and cruised to the Bundesliga title. This year, Bayern added German striker Lukas Podolski, named the top young player at the 2006 World Cup, and was expected to again dominate. Unfortunately, it finds itself in a five-way tie for first place with only […]

By Ridge Mahoney A World Cup year. His MLS club up for sale. A hamstring injury. A collapsed deal with an English club. A wife and two young sons living in the family home a thousand miles away from his Kansas City apartment. It’s been a tumultuous season for Josh Wolff, who in the Wizards’ […]

“I am putting up with it as best I can but have decided not to make any comments on what happened the other day. I just want it all to blow over as soon as possible so I can concentrate on my next game.” — Linesman Manuel Rodriguez Vallejo, who flagged a penalty kick for […]

Midfielder Clint Dempsey, the only American to score at last summer’s World Cup and a member of the 2005 MLS runner-up New England Revolution, has won the 2006 Honda Player of the Year award, which is voted on by American media. Dempsey received 237 points and was followed by Kasey Keller (184 points), Brian McBride […]

For months, the elephant in the living room has been USA ’10 — the possibility that South Africa won’t be able to organize the 2010 World Cup and that the tournament will then be moved to a country like the United States that is capable of organizing the event on short notice. The general consensus […]

“Someone who is successful at a high level coaching, someone who has been a player is a plus but not a prerequisite, and someone that knows something about the American game. If we don’t have a national team coach who is very familiar with the American setup, then we will have an assistant coach who […]

American Brian McBride scored on a volley from close range to ignite a Fulham comeback in an English Premier League game at Watford Monday that ended in a 3-3 tie. McBride came on a substitute with the Cottagers trailing, 2-0, and scored their first goal. Fulham eventually went ahead on a shot Watford’s Damien Francis […]

The U.S. U-17 boys national team will train in Uruguay and Argentina for the entire month of October. The U-17s will begin their month-long tour by spending five days in Montevideo, Uruguay, before traveling to Argentina, where they will split time training in Buenos Aires, San Luis and Rosario. U-17 coach John Hackworth named a […]

The outcome of qualifying for the 2007 Women’s World Cup went down to the final day in four of Europe’s five groups. Norway, the 1995 world champion, qualified with a game to spare, but the other four qualifiers — defending champion Germany, England, Sweden and Denmark — all clinched with victories in their final games. […]

By Ridge Mahoney Mexican striker Jose Manuel Abundis celebrated his Revs’ debut by heading in the second goal as New England clinched a playoff spot with a 3-1 thumping of Colorado Saturday. The absence of Pat Noonan (only one goal and three assists in 14 games) has weakened the Revs’ attack and try as they […]

American goalkeeper Brad Friedel, the U.S. iron man in English Premier League play with nearly 200 starts, was replaced at halftime because of a groin injury in Blackburn’s 2-1 win over Wigan. It was Blackburn’s fourth straight win. Reading celebrated a 1-0 at West Ham. The newly promoted Royals, with Marcus Hahnmenn and Bobby Convey, […]

For his first goal in more than two months, Brian Ching struck one of the shots of the season to highlight a Saturday during which every team with a reasonable chance of reaching the MLS postseason kept those hopes alive. Ching’s 11th goal of the season downed D.C. United, 1-0, and clinched a playoff spot […]

"I am sure the timing of our goal had a lot to do with any over-celebration.” — Manchester City coach Stuart Pearce on Joey Barton mooning Everton fans after his team earned a 1-1 tie with a stoppage-time goal. Police and the English FA are investigating the exposure. (Reuters)

Spanish star Raul broke a 11-month drought in La Liga to score in Real Madrid’s 1-1 tie with crosstown rival Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Raul’s goal against the team started out with as a youth came two days after Spain coach Luis Aragones left him out of Spain’s squad for next week’s Euro 2008 qualifier […]

The USA scored the most goals in a women’s international match in more than six years with a 10-0 blowout of Chinese Taipei at The Home Depot Center. Abby Wambach recorded her fifth career hat trick and picked up three assists to lead the U.S. effort that saw a three players — Megan Rapinoe, Leslie […]

The Vancouver Whitecaps captured their first USL First Division championship in their 14th season in the league with a 3-0 victory over Rochester on Saturday night. It was the first win by the visiting team in a single-game USL-1 final in 16 occasions. The Caps opened the scoring just before halftime when a Joey Gjertsen […]

Energy drink Red Bull, which owns the New York MLS franchise of the same name, is launching a U-17 national championship that comprises 16 teams and consists of four weekend-long tournaments, the first of which takes place Nov. 17-19, 2006, in Raleigh, N.C., in conjunction with the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) Shootout. "Red Bull […]

Three-time champ Rochester Rhinos host final debutant Vancouver in the USL-1 championship game on Saturday (live at 7 pm ET on Fox Soccer Channel). If the Rhinos win the title of the nation’s second-tier league they’ll set the title record at four; defending champion Seattle Sounders having also lifted the crown three times.

With three games left in the regular season, three teams have clinched playoff berths – D.C. United, FC Dallas and the Chicago Fire. Nine are vying for the remaining five playoff berths. Here’s how this weekend’s six games can shape the postseason. SATURDAY, Sept. 30 NEW ENGLAND-COLORADO 7:30 pm ET. TV: Direct Kick, FSN-NE. New […]