Category: Story

I always look forward to World Cup qualifying play in this region of North and Central America and the Caribbean ù also known as CONCACAF, and lately, TFC. At this year’s draw, all 35 nations in the region entered. Believe me, it will be exciting. We’ve got Latin-style soccer, the swift and skillful Caribbeans, and […]

Shawn Percell’s golden goal in the 139th minute gave Santa Clara a 2-1 win over Connecticut in sudden-death overtime of the first semifinal of the men’s College Cup in Charlotte, N.C. Percell also scored the Broncos’ first goal way back in the 20th minute. Darin Lewis scored for Connecticut in the 57th minute. The NCAA […]

U.S. coach Bruce Arena has named 34 players to his training camp roster for the team’s first session of 2000, which begins Jan. 5 in Claremont, Calif. The camp will last nine days in preparation of the team’s Jan. 14 arrival into Los Angeles for its showdown with Iran on Jan. 16 at the Rose […]

Casey Nagle Waldorf, Md. How do I get a copy of the Camp Directory? I am interested in attending college in Colorado. My first choice is Northern Colorado in Greeley. I have also contacted coaches, but would like any information on recommended camp programs in that region. Thank you. Mike Woitalla: Casey, give us a […]

Group A Dec. 8 in Barcelona Barcelona (Spain) 5 Sparta Prague (Czech Rep.) 0. Goals: Kluivert 44, 63, Luis Enrique 45, 76, Guardiola 59. Att.: 65,000. Dec. 8 in Oporto Porto 1 (Portugal) Hertha Berlin 0 (Germany). Goal: Drulovic 78. Att.: 30,000. CLUB GP W T L GF GA P Porto 2 2 0 0 […]

Assem Abdalla Fort Wayne, Ind. Would you please give me the score for the USA vs. Egypt friendly game in Mexico on July 20, 1999. Mike Woitalla: That was a closed-door scrimmage on the eve of both teams’ participation in the Confederations Cup. It does not count as a full international. Nevertheless, the USA won, […]

Clavijo and Zambrano win the coaching races No two MLS teams have a worse track record in picking coaches than the Metros and the Revs. Not surprisingly, they have the worst all-time records in league play. The Metros have used Eddie Firmani, Carlos Queiroz, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Alfonso Mondelo and Bora Milutinovic. Playoff appearances: two. […]

Santa Clara’s Mandy Clemens and UCLA’s Sasha Victorine gave the West Coast a sweep of the Missouri Athletic Club Players of the Year awards, which were announced on Dec. 8. The awards also are the official Division I Player of the Year selections by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and adidas. Clemens, […]

Santa Clara’s Mandy Clemens and UCLA’s Sasha Victorine gave the West Coast a sweep of the Missouri Athletic Club Players of the Year awards, which were announced on Dec. 8. The awards also are the official Division I Player of the Year selections by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and adidas. Clemens, […]

As the coaches and general managers of MLS grapple with patching holes, they must in some ways work blind. Changes in the classification and distribution of players are under discussion. The league has made no official announcements, but teams are working under an assumption that the roster limit will drop from 20 to 19 players. […]

Matthew Blanton Chicago, Ill. Is it just me or is anybody shocked at what is happening to the Project-40 graduating class? Some of these guys who were cut by their MLS clubs (definitely not all) were in my opinion quality players who were far from reaching their potential. Guys like Buka [Ubusuku Abukusumo] at Columbus […]

CONCACAF FIELD 35 members 35 entrants 3 finalists PRELIMINARY ROUND Central America (League System) Group A El Salvador Belize Guatemala Group B Honduras Nicaragua Panama ò The two group winners qualify for the semifinals. The two runners-up play off against the runners-up in Caribbean Groups 2 and 3 for places in the semifinals. Caribbean (Cup […]

Derek J. McCracken Pittsburgh, Pa. I have read, in several articles, that for the past few years, the U.S. has been trying to entice more of the Hispanic-American population to become MLS fans. If that is the case, don’t you find it strange that the MLS has only has one Mexican player under contract? Are […]

Sunil Gulati is Director of Project 2010, U.S. Soccer’s effort to improve player development, aiming to make the United States a contender for the 2010 World Cup. Gulati attended the U-17 World Cup in New Zealand, where the U.S. U-17s finished fourth. It was the best finish for a U.S. team in eight U-17 world […]

The 50 European teams — defending champion France qualifies automatically for the finals — will be divided into nine groups, five groups of six teams and four of five. The nine winners will qualify for the finals. The nine runners-up will be joined by the No. 3 Asian team in a playoff. The first eight […]

World Cup 2002 qualifying will be conducted in a fashion similar to the one used for the 1998 World Cup. System 1. Twelve semifinalists will be divided into three groups of four. After each team plays the other three teams in its group in home-and-home series, the top two in each group will move into […]

The Tampa Bay Mutiny has traded midfielder Mauricio Ramos and a 2001 draft pick to the New England Revolution for a 2000 season allocation The Mutiny says it will use the 2000 allocation to acquire either a top-flight foreign or American attacking player. “The league has assured us that, via the allocation, a substantial amount […]

The NCAA womenÆs Division I final: Dec. 5 in San Jose North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 0. Goals: Florance (Patrick, Bush) 55:11, Sheppard (McDonald, Bush) 79:06. North Carolina — Branam, Fair, Stoecker, Borgman, McDowell, Kluegel, Sheppard, McDonald, Mitchell, Florance, Remy. Subs: Patrick, Bush, Gaston, Ball. Notre Dame — Beene, Pruzinsky, Grubb, Lindsey, Brown, Sarkesian, Dryer, […]

Scores from quarterfinal NCAA menÆs Division I playoff action: Santa Clara 3, UAB 2 (OT) UConn 3, Furman 2 Virginia 0, UCLA 2 Indiana 3, Penn State 0 Final four in Charlotte, N.C. Semifinals: Friday, Dec. 10 Santa Clara vs. UConn 4 p.m. Indiana vs. UCLA 6:30 p.m. Final: Sunday, Dec. 12, 1 p.m. All […]

Duncan Richter Lexington, Va. Can you explain the Roy Lassiter trade? I don’t see what D.C. gets out of this. I know it’s supposed to complete a previous trade, but what each team has already got from that looks fair. Is this another example of MLS interfering to produce parity? Ridge Mahoney: D.C. thought so […]

The Battery’s home stadium, designed to resemble an English ground, has been likened to a cathedral The inaugural game at Blackbaud Stadium earlier this year wasn’t as enjoyable for the man who footed the $4.5 million bill for the facility as it could have been. Instead of relishing a dream come true, Tony Bakker, who […]

The Nike U.S. Cup 2000 will take place June 3-11. U.S. Soccer has yet to announce the venues and exact tournament schedule, which it expects to release in the coming weeks. The field, however, has been set. Joining host USA in the four-team, six-game tournament are Ireland, Mexico and South Africa. “With today’s hectic worldwide […]

Eduardo Hurtado, waived by the MetroStars Dec. 1, has been claimed by the New England Revolution. Hurtado, 30, has scored 47 goals and recorded 28 assists in four years — the fifth-best all-time in league history — while playing for the L.A. Galaxy and the MetroStars. “Eduardo is one of the most difficult players in […]

Here are the responses from the November poll in which 916 fans picked the top TFC player in 1999. TFC, The Football Confederation, formerly known as CONCACAF, is the region covering North and Central America and the Caribbean. (A 3-2-1 point system was used for first, second and third place): 1. Kasey Keller (USA) 1,404 […]

Scores from NCAA womenÆs Division I semifinal action: North Carolina 2, Penn State 0. Goals: Remy (Bush, Patrick) 32:35, Patrick (Branam) 88:54. Santa Clara 0, Notre Dame 1. Goal: Lovelace (Mikacenic) 74:20. Final Sunday, Dec. 5 (Noon PT)