“This was the prefect scenario. Two home games, two soldout crowds and we have two shutout wins. You can’t ask for anything better. That’s what the Sounders were hoping for and that’s what they’ve gotten so far.”
— Seattle Sounders FC defender Tyrone Marshall after his team beat Real Salt Lake, 2-0, last weekend after opening with a 3-0 win over the the New York Red Bulls. (seattlepi.com)
[HEXAGONAL] The contrast at Estadio Cuscatalan couldn’t have been more stark; fans in near-delirium raining noise and passion on two sets of intense yet focused players. On the faces of one set of players shone the dreams and hopes of a nation, of which just 31,000 had been admitted to the stadium as countless radios and televisions sufficed for the rest. In the other set of players could be detected a firm resolve to get the job done, to take care of business.
Chivas USA and Seattle are only one MLS teams to win their first two games. For all the MLS results, lineups and standings from Week 2 …
[WPS] The Women’s Professional Soccer inaugural game was supposed to spotlight the Los Angeles Sol’s Brazilian star, Marta, but teammates Alison Falk and Camille Abily stole the show with goals to give the Sol a 2-0 victory over the Washington Freedom in front of 14,832 fans Sunday at The Home Depot Center.
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING-EUROPE] Spain, Germany and the Netherlands all won to maintain comfortable leads in their World Cup 2010 qualifying groups. Portugal’s troubles continued, though, when it could only tie Sweden, 0-0, in Oporto. Elsewhere, American Neven Subotic debuted for Group 7 leader Serbia in a 3-2 win at Romania.
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING-SOUTH AMERICA] Argentina was outstanding in Diego Maradona‘s home debut as national team coach. He said the welcome he received from fans at the Monumental Stadium was better than he expected, and he watched Argentines go out and crush Venezuela, 4-0, to move into a tie for second place with Chile in the South American qualifying group ahead of Brazil, which was lucky to tie Ecuador, 1-1.
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING-AFRICA] At least 22 fans were killed and 132 injured in a stampede before Ivory Coast’s World Cup qualifier against Malawi Sunday at Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium.
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING-ASIA] Fans in the crowd of 100,000 at Tehran’s Azadi Football Stadium demanded Coach Ali Daei‘s resignation after Iran blew a 1-0 lead and fell to visiting Saudi Arabia, 2-1, in World Cup 2010 qualifying in the Asian zone.
[HEXAGONAL] With Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson‘s job on the line, Mexico snapped its four-game winless streak in World Cup qualifying with a 2-0 win over Costa Rica Saturday before 105,000 fans at Azteca Stadium. Trinidad & Tobago, which will face the USA Wednesday in Nashville, was lucky to escape with a 1-1 tie against Honduras in a battle of teams coached by Colombians.
“What do I think about soccer in America? It takes more than an important player to make a competition equally important. They need people who are not thinking of coming here to take money and then leaving, but people who want to work in this country to insert themselves into American soccer.”
— Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho perhaps referring to David Beckham and his desire to spend time with Inter rival AC Milan instead of the Los Angeles Galaxy. (Goal.com)
[EL SALVADOR-USA REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players and comments on their performance in Saturday’s 2-2 tie with El Salvador. …
[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] The Seattle Sounders drew another big crowd and its young Colombian star struck again. For highlights from Week 2 …
[HEXAGONAL] Last year, the USA began the semifinal round of Concacaf 2010 World Cup qualifying by winning in Guatemala for the first time.
Its first away test in the Hexagonal comes Saturday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2, TeleFutura) in San Salvador, a city in which it has won and tied in two previous qualifying visits, so a victory won’t be as historic. But it will be no less important, especially should Mexico, which lost 2-0 to the USA in Columbus last month, fail to beat Costa Rica in Azteca Stadium.
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Portugal and France, two of Europe’s strongest teams for the last decade, could see their chances of qualifying for South Africa 2010 compromised if they don’t get favorable results against Sweden and Lithuania, respectively, on Saturday. European champion Spain, on the other hand, could move closer to booking a ticket with a win over Turkey. For a look at all the top matches in Europe on Saturday and predictions …
[HEXAGONAL] U.S. eyes will be on Port of Spain, where Trinidad & Tobago, which will face the USA on Wednesday in Nashville, hosts Honduras Saturday in a critical World Cup 2010 qualifier in the Concacaf zone.
[PREDICTIONS] Seattle gets to host another game after its thrilling start and the next victim is Real Salt Lake. D.C. United’s clash with Chicago promises the most goals. For all the predictions, as well as TV viewing information, and to see how we fared last week …
“There is no nightlife in Sivas. There are only a few shops where my players can buys drinks but I’m in contact with the shop owners, so I am informed as soon as one of my players buy drinks and I warn him.”
— Bulent Uygun, the coach of Sivasspor, explains his team’s unexpected climb to the top of the Turkish league. If the club from the central Turkish city of Sivas in the icy Anatolian heartland remains on top it will end a 24-year run of titles by Istanbul clubs. (Reuters)
The year’s first double-fixture week of World Cup 2010 qualifying begins Saturday and Sunday with 42 games, of which almost half are available on cable or pay-per-view online. For the complete schedules …
[WPS OPENER] Brazilian Marta won’t be the only star on display when the Los Angeles Sol hosts the Washington Freedom Sunday in the Women’s Professional Soccer opening game (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 6 pm ET). Both teams are loaded with international and collegiate stars who were once teammates but will be on the opposing side of the field Sunday at the Home Depot Center.
[USL] Fans will be able to watch all USL-1 matches that are not available on Fox Soccer Channel for free online at USL Live.
“What were you doing punching the corner flag? You’re a crazy man, a crazy man.”
— England coach Fabio Capello to striker Wayne Rooney, who was red-carded for throwing the ball toward the referee and punched the corner flag on the way to the locker room in an English Premier League game last weekend. The Manchester United striker is in the England camp preparing for a friendly against Slovakia on Saturday and a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine four days later. (The Times)
[BY THE NUMBERS] The University of North Carolina and Brazil have supplied the most talent to Women’s Professionel Soccer teams. Five holdovers from the 1999 U.S. World Cup championship team are among the former WUSA players on opening day rosters.
[WPS] Wednesday was the final day for Women’s Professionel Soccer teams to make cuts to get their rosters down to the maximum of 18 players plus four developmental players. For all the rosters …
[MLS] When the Red Bulls lined up at Home Depot Center last fall to play Columbus in MLS Cup 2008, rookie midfielder Luke Sassano took a spot in central midfield to start his fourth straight playoff game despite a sore ankle to which had been festooned a big bag of ice during the week. Last weekend, as the Red Bulls opened their 2009 season in a rowdy, boisterous Qwest Field against the expansion Sounders, he watched from the bench as everything New York accomplished in October and November seemed to vanish in a 3-0 defeat. Sassano looks set to return to the Red Bulls lineup for this weekend’s home opener.
The schedule for the World Football Challenge that will feature four international club teams in six U.S. cities this summer is one piece of a busy calendar. Returning for 2009 is SuperLiga, the annual exhibition tournament contested by that MLS Commissioner Don Garber says is important because it gives MLS teams a chance prove themselves against their Mexican counterparts.
