Category: Soccer America Daily

A dire financial state has forced Romanian First Division club Politehnica Iasi to do away with the win bonuses that are part of players’ compensation in foreign leagues. Instead, Coach Ionut Popa has promised his players Mondays off after a weekend win.

For $5,000 you can attend practice with the New York Red Bulls the day before a game, participate in the pregame warmup with the squad, and get team gear, an autographed ball and four tickets for the game. (The "Adult Soccer Fantasy Experience" price for the Red Bulls game against Barcelona on Saturday was $15,000.) […]

Jeremiah White became the second American to notch a hat trick for a professional European club when he scored all the goals in Gueugnon’s 3-0 win at Montpellier in the French Second Division. White, a Washington, D.C., native who played his youth soccer in Pennsylvania and starred at FC Delco, played college ball at Wake […]

Former U.S. coach Bruce Arena took charge of the New York Red Bulls on Monday, handling his first practice since being named head coach on July 18. The practice took place at New Jersey City University on a field, the New York Times pointed out, that was strewn with goose droppings. "It amazes me that […]

“Not to be part of a celebration of Chicago as the top sports city is extremely disappointing for the Fire and for the MLS. No question we should have been part of something like that.” — Chicago Fire President John Guppy after officials from the Fire were left off the guest list for a ceremony […]

For this week’s nationally televised games: https://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562137466

The Vancouver Whitecaps became the fourth team to win a second W-League championship, downing Ottawa 3-0 in the final Sunday for their second title in three years. It was the second straight year the Fury fell 3-0 in the final, finishing second to New Jersey a year ago. Vancouver advanced to the championship with a […]

The National Premier Soccer League’s Sonoma County Sol defeated the Chicago Lightning, 1-0, to win the USASA’s Men’s Open Cup. Striker David Briceno scored the game’s only goal in the 80th minute. Dallas Roma FC won the Women’s Open Cup with a 1-0 over Sockers FC.  For complete USASA National Cup results: https://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562137464

Winners The Houston Dynamo’s Dwayne DeRosario struck from 17 yards to give the MLS-All-Stars a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the 2006 MLS All-Star Game played before 21,210 fans at the Chicago Fire’s Toyota Park on Saturday. It marked the third time the MLS All-Stars faced a foreign club in their annual All-Star Game after […]

“This is a training session where not much will happen.” — Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho prior to his team’s pre-MLS All-Star Game practice that 3,000 fans paid $25 to attend in Bridgeview, Ill. (Sunday Times of London)

For this weekend’s nationally televised games, including the Barcelona friendly in L.A., the German League Cup final and the start the Mexican league season: https://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562137445

The favorite to win the French League would be the team that has won the last five titles: Lyon. Lyon coach Gerard Houllier was the only one of the league’s 20 coaches who did not pick Lyon to win the 2006-07 title in a survey by sports daily L’Equipe. He did not take part. If […]

Costa Rican Paulo Wanchope, whose career has taken him to England, Spain and Qatar, is among the new foreigners who will hit the field when the Argentine league kicks off this weekend with Apertura tournament. Wanchope, who scored twice in the Ticos’ 4-2 World Cup opening loss to host Germany, joined Rosario Central. Paraguay’s World […]

Chivas Guadalajara has two games scheduled for this Sunday. There’s the friendly in Los Angeles against Barcelona and its first game of the Mexican league Apertura 2006 season. Guadalajara, which lost in the Libertadores Cup semifinals on Wednesday, will likely field reserves against Toluca, which won the Apertura 2005 title. The Mexican season is split […]

By Mike Woitalla The 10 previous MLS All-Star Games have taken many forms. Some worked, some didn’t. The first-ever All-Star Game was East vs. West, and a doubleheader with a FIFA World All-Star Game that drew 78,416 to Giants Stadium. The event, orchestrated by then MLS deputy commissioner Sunil Gulati, raised $2 million for the […]

"Chelsea is very competitive. They’ll put out their best 11. Their coach is all about winning. So am I. It will be an attractive game for all fans." — Peter Nowak, coach of the MLS All-Stars, who face Chelsea on Saturday. (Associated Press)

For this week’s nationally televised games: https://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562137445

Scottish champion Glasgow Celtic, which fell, 4-0, to D.C. United July 12 in Washington, suffered another embarrassing defeat, falling 3-0 Japanese club Yokohama F-Marinos, which sits in the lower half of the J-League standings. Celtic had also lost, 3-0, to Manchester United in a preseason match.

Argentine referee Horatio Elizondo has given the red card he showed Zinedine Zidane for a head-butt during the 2006 World Cup final to Argentina president Nestor Kirchner. “We spoke about the World Cup and he congratulated me,” said Elizondo, who autographed the red card. Kirchner held the card up to cameramen after receiving the gift, […]

Sportswear company Nike will continue to sponsor Juventus despite the club’s relegation to Serie B as part of its punishment for its role in the Italian match-fixing scandal. "We sponsor and we will continue to sponsor Juventus," a Nike spokesman told Reuters, which reported Nike has a $15.36 million a year, 12-year sponsorship contract with […]

Defending Libertadores Cup champ Sao Paulo of Brazil beat Chivas Guadalajara, 3-0, to advance (4-0 on aggregate) to the final, where it will face the winner of Thursday’s semifinal between Paraguay’s Libertad and Brazil’s Internacional (live on Fox Sports en Espanol, 8:30 pm ET). Guadalajara, falling in the semis for the second straight year, had […]

The news agency AFP reports that Spanish champion Barcelona will net about $4.8 million from its U.S. and Mexico tour. Barcelona faces Tigres in Monterrey, Mexico before arriving in the USA for games against Chivas Guadalajara in Los Angeles (Sunday), Club America in Houston (Aug. 9) and the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey […]

In U.S. Open Cup round-of-16 action, the Houston Dynamo (MLS) downed the Carolina Dynamo (PDL), 4-2. Alejandro Moreno notched two first-half goals for Houston. … Kenny Cooper struck twice for FC Dallas (MLS), which prevailed on penalty kicks after a 3-3 tie with Charleston Battery (USL). … New England (MLS) beat Rochester (USL) on penalties […]

Eddie Pope, the USA’s top defender over the last decade, has followed veterans Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna into national team retirement. All three played for the USA at the last three World Cups. Pope, 32, made 82 appearances and scored eight goals since debuting for the USA in 1996. He played in nine World […]

"It will be totally different from Sven [Goran Eriksson] and his five years. I will look to make a few changes and freshen a few things up. The aim is to try to bring the whole nation closer together, to bring the England team closer to the clubs and the fans." — England head coach […]