Category: Soccer America Daily

[UEFA CUP] In the first round of the UEFA Cup group phase there were defeats for English clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth, and Spanish clubs Racing Santander and Deportivo Coruna. With American Brad Friedel in goal, however, Aston Villa opened group play with a 2-1 win over Ajax.

[MLS] Real Salt Lake’s clash with Colorado will determine a playoff spot, with Salt Lake needing a tie or a win to pip the Rapids, who need a win to advance. … D.C. United will reach the playoffs if it beats Columbus on Sunday. If United ties or loses, New York gets the final wild-card slot. … The Los Angeles-Dallas game will determine the season’s leading scorer as the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan (19 goals) faces Kenny Cooper (18 goals). For this weekend’s MLS TV schedule, standings and leading scorers. …

[MLS] To reach the playoffs when it faces Colorado Saturday, Real Salt Lake must perform a feat it’s done only twice all season: win a road game. Whether it succeeds or not, the club has made great strides on and off the field. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney profiles two key characters in Real’s 2008 season.

[MLS] After squandering a scenario of “win and we’re in,” the Red Bulls must now “pray for another day.” Fire forward Chris Rolfe scored three goals, all in the first half, and earned two assists as well in a 5-2 romp at Toyota Park that guaranteed Chicago second place in the Eastern Conference and yanked New York’s destiny out of its hands.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] A 1-0 home loss to Guatemala’s Municipal means USL-1’s Puerto Rico Islanders’ qualification for the second round depends on its final group game, Oct. 29 at Panama’s Tauro FC.

[2009 UNDER-17 WORLD CUP] Compared to most countries, Nigeria has been largely shielded from the credit crunch affecting markets around the world, but that has not stopped the Nigerian government pulling the plug on the organization of the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Barcelona traveled to Basel and knocked in five goals, while there were narrow wins for Inter and Chelsea in Wednesday night’s Champions League action.

[MLS] Aside from a stout defense, a healthy squad, and some luck, what every MLS coach wants more than anything else in the playoffs is a hot scorer.

[OFF THE POST] Last week, we reported on a Pennsylvania woman who was allowed to keep her concealed handgun permit despite carrying a Glock 26 to her 5-year-old daughter’s soccer games. Now there’s news from Texas that a soccer dad might lose his permit after pulling a gun on the husband of his son’s female coach during a U-9 game.

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League group play produced a hatful of goals, with a net-busting average 4.5 per game. Arsenal, Lyon and Villarreal were the big scorers.

[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions. They include college coaching opportunities, as well as jobs in pro soccer, youth soccer, the soccer industry and television.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Montreal (USL-1) advanced to the quarterfinals by playing out a 1-1 draw with Honduran club Olimpia Tuesday night at Saputo Stadium.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Strange scenes are nothing new to Concacaf competitions, yet the truly bizarre befell D.C. United in its 2-0 loss to Mexican club Cruz Azul.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Houston, with a game in hand, plays Group B leader UNAM (1-0-3, 6 points) at Robertson Stadium Wednesday (10 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel, Galavision).

[MLS] D.C. United’s Jaime Moreno will play with the Bolivian national team for the 74th and last time Wednesday night in a friendly against El Salvador at RFK Stadium.

[FUTSAL] Brazil won the 6th FIFA Futsal World Cup last weekend, beating two-time defending champ Spain in the final in a penalty-kick tiebreaker after a 2-2 draw. Brazil’s title win marked its fourth since the tournament was inaugurated in 1989.

[ARGENTINA] River Plate has slumped to the depths of the Argentine first division after its latest humiliation — losing at home to shorthanded rival Boca Juniors.

The UEFA Champions League resumes with Day 3 of the group stage on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday’s action includes two Manchester United-Celtic, a battle of English and Scottish champions, and Juventus-Real Madrid, a matchup of teams that have won 11 European Cup titles between them.

[ENGLAND] The Big Four all won, but Hull City is still refusing to accept that Champions League qualifying spots are the domain of the established regulars.