Category: Soccer America Daily

[USA-SPAIN] Beating the world’s top team drew stunned the international press. For a collection of headlines from around the world …

[USA-SPAIN REPORT CARD] As befits a stunning upset win over the European champion and top-ranked team in the world, high marks abounded for the Americans who shocked Spain, 2-0, on Wednesday. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players and comments on their performance …

[MEXICO] Having lost three of its first five games in the final round of World Cup qualifying, Mexico will be trying to find its form in the USA. First with a pair of friendlies, including a Wednesday clash in Atlanta with Venezuela (7 pm ET, Telemundo), and then the Gold Cup. Coach Javier Aguirre, who split his first two games, losing at Costa Rica and beating Trinidad & Tobago, has named a 23-man roster that includes only two foreign-based players.

[OFF THE POST] With Gimnasia La Plata fighting against relegation from the Argentine First Division, its fans have taken most peculiar measures: praying at the tombs of former Argentina presidents Juan Domingo Peron and Raul Alfonsin, and former club president, Saturnino Perdriel, and leaving gifts and flowers.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] The USA faces Spain in the semifinals of the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa on Wednesday. Brazil meets South Africa on Thursday. The third-place game and final are on Sunday. For the tournament’s complete television schedule and results…

[USL TEAMS OF THE WEEK] Puerto Rico’s Bill Gaudette, the 2008 USL-1 Goalkeeper of the Year who posted back-to-back shutouts over league-leading Charleston, and Harrisburg’s Tiyi Shipalane, who had two goals and an assist in 4-0 win over Real Maryland, earned the USL First Division and Second Division Player of the Week honors, respectively. For the USL-1 and USL-2 Teams of the Week …

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] As a reward for stunning Egypt, 3-0, in its final group game and squeaking into the semifinals, the USA gets a date with European champion Spain, whose run of 15 straight wins includes a 1-0 victory over the Americans just over a year ago. And, apparently, Spain coach Vincente del Bosque has a higher opinion of the U.S. team than do many American fans.

[SUPERLIGA] Chicago won its second straight SuperLiga game by a 1-0 score Tuesday night at Toyota Park to take command of Group A, and San Luis scored goals in rapid succession as it kept alive hopes of advancing by beating Mexican rival UNL (Tigres), 3-1. The Fire (2-0-0) downed MLS foe Chivas USA (0-2-0) on a goal in the 35th minute by Justin Mapp, who started in a reserve-laden team. Chicago needs only a tie in its final group game Saturday against UNL (1-1-0) to reach the semifinals. Tigres (1-1-0) may need to beat Chivas USA, which holds out a slim hope of advancing if it can win and UNL loses.

[MLS PREDICTIONS] Of the six games scheduled for Week 15, the two played in midweek feature intraconference matchups of teams in the middle with those nearer the bottom.

[MLS] David Beckham, who makes his reluctant return to the Los Angeles Galaxy in July, was paid “substantial undisclosed damages” by The Daily Star because it falsely claimed that he “made a play” for Hungarian model Mariann Fogarasy. In April, the UK tabloid headlined a front-page story with “Becks & The Blonde Beauty” and “Topless model claims she was chatted up by footie star.” The Daily Star retracted the allegations and promised not to repeat them.

[MLS PROFILE] Justin Braun is a second-year forward with Chivas USA who bolstered the injury-plagued frontline of the West’s second-place team. Braun’s unusual route to MLS took him from an amateur men’s team in Utah to a chance discovery by Chivas USA coach Preki at a USASA tournament at the Home Depot Center. Get to know the 22-year-old in this profile by Soccer America’s Bryan Alvarez that covers on and off-field experiences.

[GOLD CUP] The USA has named a preliminary 30-man roster for the Gold Cup from which Coach Bob Bradley will pick 23 players for the July 3-26 tournament.

[OFF THE POST] Peruvian club Universitario was robbed of 90 pairs of cleats and 50 shorts, which were stolen from its locker room at the Lima’s Monumental stadium.

[MLS] “After a week off to complete its obligations in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, Toronto FC resumes its MLS schedule Wednesday against New York at BMO Field.” That bland, generic followup to last week’s match at Stade Saputo in Montreal would have sufficed, except that TFC didn’t go gentle into the good night of heroic yet futile performance. It blasted the Impact, 6-1, overturning a hefty advantage held by Vancouver in goal difference to nudge past the Whitecaps into the 2009-10 Concacaf Champions’ League as the Canadian representative.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] When the USA faces Spain in the semifinals (Wednesday, 2:30 pm ET, Univision & ESPN) it will try to end the European champion’s international record of 15-consecutive wins. Spain will aim to surpass Brazil’s record 35-game unbeaten streak.

[MLS WINNERS & LOSERS] The Red Bulls finally got a point and FC Dallas notched a rare home win. The Los Angeles Galaxy lost a second straight as it was once again let down by its backline leader.

[SUPERLIGA] MLS teams managed two wins and a tie in the four SuperLiga matches played last weekend to kick off the third annual matchup of American and Mexican club teams. Defending champion New England rallied to down Santos Laguna, 4-2, and a goal by Mexican international Brian McBride enabled Chicago to beat San Luis, 1-0. Kansas City played out a scoreless tie with Atlas, and UNL (Tigres) beat Chivas USA, 2-1, thanks to a spectacular bicycle-kick goal by Armando Pulido.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] The USA didn’t just need to beat Egypt by three goals. It needed a three-goal Brazil victory over Italy in the other Group B game on Sunday — which it got, thanks to three Brazilian goals scored in the last eight minutes of the first half. Italy’s early exit immediately put Coach Marcello Lippi on the defensive.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] South Africa’s Brazilian coach, Joel Santana, could breathe a sigh of relief. Even though the Bafana Bafana fell to Spain, 2-0, in Saturday’s Group A finale, they advanced to the semifinals when Iraq could only tie New Zealand, 0-0.

[WPS] It took 11 games, but Amy Rodriguez, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 WPS Draft, finally got her first goal, scoring in the Boston Breakers’ 2-0 win over the struggling Chicago Red Stars. Frenchwoman Camille Abily added to her leading-league tally, scoring in the leader Los Angeles Sol’s 2-0 win over FC Gold Pride.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] Unlike its depressing defeats against Italy and Brazil, in beating Egypt, 3-0, the USA. exploited flaws and characteristics it had detected, but only because its execution and spirit matched the occasion.

[USL-1] The Puerto Rico Islanders, last year’s USL First Division regular-season champions, are back on top in the USL-1 following a pair of 1-0 wins over the Charleston Battery.