Category: Soccer America Daily

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] The Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea became the first teams to join host South Africa at next year’s World Cup finals when they clinched berths on Saturday. South Korea returns to the seventh straight time, the Netherlands qualified for the finals for the sixth straight time, and Japan made it four in a row. Australia was playing in Asian qualifying for the first time. For a look at all the qualifying action in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa …

[HEXAGONAL] Javier Aguirre tried to reassure Mexico’s nervous supporters after his second stint as the Tri’s national team coach began with a 2-1 loss at El Salvador. Only Trinidad & Tobago’s 3-2 loss at home to leader Costa Rica kept Mexico from sinking to last place in Concacaf’s World Cup 2010 qualifying competition. It should be noted, though, the Tri was in worse shape eight years when Aguirre revived Mexico’s struggling national team and led it to the World Cup finals.

[MLS WINNERS & LOSERS] After being sidelined for all but 65 minutes of the 2009 season, Taylor Twellman hit the field on Sunday and made some history. Last year’s MVP indicated he’s even hotter this year. It was a bad week for the coach most likely to get the sack. And the red cards flew again around the league, including an ejection for a knee to the groin.

[WPS] The inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer race is a runaway. The first-place Los Angeles Sol has double the point total of its closest rival after its 3-1 win over Washington left it with a 12-point lead over the second-place Freedom. The Sol, which got two goals from the league’s top scorer, Frenchwoman Camille Abily, is the only team in the league with a winning record (7-1-3) and positive goal difference (plus-11).

[USL-1] Rarer than a first-minute goal is a first-minute red card, but the Austin Aztex recovered from the rapid dismissal of Michael Callahan for a late tackle on a Charleston player and earned a 1-1 tie with the undefeated Battery on Sunday.

[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] The margin of victory might have been more, or there could have been no margin at all, as both the USA and Honduras came within whiskers of making plays that would have changed the result. Three days after their 3-1 loss at Costa Rica, the Americans proved that they could come back from an early goal.

[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] For his 23-man roster to face Italy, Brazil and Egypt at the World Cup rehearsal in South Africa next week, Coach Bob Bradley has selected five MLS players, 17 European-based men, and Jose Francisco Torres of the Mexican league. The roster includes players who ply their trade in 11 different nations.

[USA-HONDURAS REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players and comments on their performance in Saturday’s 2-1 win over  Honduras in Chicago.

[HEXAGONAL] About a decade ago, U.S. keeper Kasey Keller succinctly stated the plight of American soccer players when he said, “We hate playing away games, at home.” Just such a scenario is likely Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago, where tens of thousands of Honduran fans – bolstered by their team’s 3-1 thumping of Mexico in its last qualifier – are expected to fill much, if not most, of the renovated stadium that can seat 60,000 fans if full. (TV: 8 pm ET, ESPN & Galavision).

[MLS] One could check the result of Thursday night’s match at RFK Stadium and assume the 2-0 win registered by surging United against the reeling Red Bulls had unfolded in a straightforward manner, and one would be wrong.

[MLS PREDICTIONS] National team call-ups will stretch the depth of many MLS teams this weekend. Chivas USA will be missing two starters when it hosts Seattle, as will Houston for its match against the Fire, and the Rapids for their visit to Salt Lake City. The Galaxy is only four ties away from tying the league record (13) as it heads north of the border to Toronto, and D.C.’s 2-0 win over New York Thursday keeps the Red Bulls four points back of sixth-place Columbus with both teams facing tough road games against Eastern Conference rivals. For all of Soccer America’s predictions, as well as TV viewing information, and to see how we fared last week. …

[WPS] The first-place Los Angeles Sol hosts the second-place Washington Freedom in a battle of Women’s Professional Soccer’s two hottest teams. Both head into the Sunday game (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 6 pm ET/3pm PT) with five-game unbeaten streaks. For all the weekend action …

[HEXAGONAL] Javier Aguirre begins his second stint as Mexico’s national team coach when the Tri visits El Salvador’s Cuscatlan Stadium on Saturday (TV: Telemundo, live, 9 pm ET). Eight years ago, he turned the Tri’s foundering World Cup 2002 campaign around and led it to the finals. In its first three games of the 2009 Hexagonal, Mexico lost two of its three games, so it needs at least a point in San Salvador to reverse course.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] The Netherlands will become the first European country to reach next year’s World Cup finals if it beats Iceland in Reykjavik on Saturday. For a look at the key European games and all the World Cup qualifying action on television …

[TV WATCH] If you believe ESPN2’s commentators, Costa Rica didn’t beat the USA by playing good soccer. The Ticos were simply fortunate that the Americans made a lot of mistakes. If you thought for a second that Costa Rica scored some brilliant goals, the ESPN2 experts quickly set you straight.

[WPS] The Los Angeles Sol came from behind to tie the Chicago Red Stars, 1-1, and extend its lead at the top of Women’s Professional Soccer to nine points. The first midweek game in WPS history drew an announced crowd of only 3,832 on a cold and cloudy evening at the Home Depot Center.

[COSTA RICA-USA REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players and comments on their performance in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss at Costa Rica.

[MAKING A LIST] The 3-1 loss to Costa Rica marked the fourth straight time the USA has fallen to Ticos on the road in the Hexagonal. It was arguably the worst performance by the Americans in San Jose with their participation in the World Cup not yet decided. Indeed, it was the worst performance ever by the Americans against any foe in the first half of the Hexagonal.

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] A crushing defeat in Costa Rica adds even greater importance to the next U.S. match in the Hexagonal, against Honduras Saturday in Chicago. At Ricardo Saprissa Stadium in San Jose on Wednesday, Americans were second-best for most of the match in all areas of the field and could have lost by a greater margin.

[MLS PREDICTION] MLS has scheduled another nine-match slate of games despite this being a FIFA international double-fixture week, with the action kicking off Thursday at RFK Stadium, where D.C. United welcomes longtime rival (but seldom equal) New York.

[SA WEEK 11 TEAM OF THE WEEK] Rare wins for FC Dallas and San Jose earned players on those teams mention in Week 11, and the scoring form of Colorado forward Conor Casey got him another nod as well as Player of the Month honors from MLS.

[CANADA] USL club Vancouver assumed control of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship by beating MLS’s Toronto, 2-0, Tuesday at Swangard Stadium to all but clinch a spot in the 2009-10 Concacaf Champions League.

[OFF THE POST] French players had the names on their jerseys written in Braille for Wednesday’s friendly in Saint-Etienne against Nigeria, which won, 1-0, to mark its first ever win over France.