Lacking perhaps a true standout yet well-stocked with promising talents, the pool of 60 players available in the 2009 SuperDraft were distributed among the 15 MLS teams Thursday. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney reports from St. Louis
Category: Story
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
Wake and Maryland top the charts
The trend in MLS is clear: teams are much more aggressive and confident in drafting players from the top college programs. Three players from Division I champion Maryland were taken in the first round and ACC rival Wake Forest landed two selections.
Posted inSpecial Edition, Story
MLS SuperDraft selections
An MLS SuperDraft record six Wake Forest players were taken in the 2008 draft held Thursday in St. Louis. They included Hermann Trophy winner Marcus Tracy, taken by Houston in the fourth round. Tracy bypassed the adidas Combine and will play instead for Danish club Aalborg. For the round-by-round SuperDraft picks …
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Beasley Should Look At LA Options
As DaMarcus Beasley is unhappy with his lack of playing time at Glasgow Rangers, he could do worse than revive his club career in Los Angeles, writes Grahame L Jones. Either at the Galaxy or at Chivas USA. A move to the Galaxy would reunite him with former national team coach Bruce Arena , who […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
City Must Learn Success Comes From Patience, Not Cash
Daniel Burnham was the 19th century urban architect who helped shape cities like Chicago and San Francisco, but Lawrence Donegan believes he had a handle on the motivations of those owning English football clubs in 2009. “Make no little plans,” Burnham said. “They have no magic to stir men’s blood.” The same applies to Manchester […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Kaka’s Style Spoiled By Lazy Ronaldinho
The idea that AC Milan would part with Kaka is not so outrageous, writes Frank Dunne. Not just because of the $133 million porice tag, but for actual soccer reasons. Dunne posits four of them for discussion. First, Kaka and fellow Brazilian Ronaldinho have not gelled as twin forward/midfielders behind the striker in Coach Carlo […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Palestinian Soccer Players Killed
Two prominent Palestinian soccer players were killed by Israeli forces this week in the Gaza Strip, the Palestine Football Association said Wednesday. It said on its Web site that national team member, Ayman al-Kurd, a 28-year-old with three children, was killed earlier this week by Israeli shelling. It also reported that Wajih Mushtahi, a member […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Brechin A Nut With A Rock
The granite-faced Scottish Football Association is threatening to ruin one of Scotland’s smallest but best-run clubs, Brechin City, all because the club’s field width doesn’t conform to UEFA specifications. Third-tier Brechin, needless to say, has never played in European competition, and likely never will. The team faces “crippling fines or huge reconstruction costs” if it […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Huckerby: No Way Back To Norwich
“I love the club as much as the next man, but I am under contract with another club and they went out of their way to get me, they flew me halfway around the world to join them and I have always been a person who believed in loyalty.” San Jose Quakes’ forward Darren Huckerby […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
YouTube Clip Helps Defender Land Scottish Job
“It’s been a strange series of events, an incredible week or so and I still can’t quite believe what’s happened.” Former Atlanta Silverbacks defender Martyn Lancaster, 28, who landed a contract with second-tier Scottish side Queen of the South after his wife posted a 10-minute highlights video of him on YouTube.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
MLS Youth In Catch 22
“It’s kind of a Catch 22. The league wants to get more younger players signed, but once they get in, there’s no place for them to develop.” Columbus Crew Technical Director Brian Bliss on the landscape for youth development in Major League Soccer.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Touchline Fracas Was Nothing, Says Kinnear
“I don’t know whether my reputation precedes me, but if you look at the video, what I did do was stand my ground, I didn’t do anything else.” Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear says a touchline encounter with his Hull City counterpart Phil Brown was blown out of all proportion by the press. Newcastle lost […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Getting Kids To Play On Their Own
No one denies that children who want to excel at soccer should play the game in addition to their team’s practices and games, but today’s children have less unscheduled time than previous generations and more diversions. Getting them to choose soccer over other options — whether it be Guitar Hero or Webkinz – can require prodding from the parents.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Winningest coach lands Navy job
[WOMEN’S COACHING MOVES] N.C. State tapped Fresno State head coach Steve Springthorpe as the new head coach of the Wolfpack women’s program, while Erin Aubry, who led Morehead State to its first conference title in 2008, has been named the new head coach at Arkansas. Both coaches took their teams to the NCAA Tournament in the fall.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
N.C. State hires Fresno State’s Springthorpe
For the second year in a row, a Florida State star is headed to Sweden’s Damallsvenskan. Finnish international Sanna Talonen joined KIF Orebro, marking her return to Sweden. She had played for Balinge in the first half of the 2007 Swedish league season. Also back in Sweden: Oklahoma State’s Yolanda Odenyo.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Florida State star Talonen heads for Sweden
[RECRUITING] LSU, which finished the 2008 season with the top defensive unit in the SEC, will look to be even stronger on the back line in 2009 as sophomore transfer Allysha Chapman has elected to join the program for the start of the spring season.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
LSU adds top Canadian transfer
Creighton’s Bob Warming and Notre Dame’s Randy Waldrum were among the winners of the 2008 FieldTurf Coach and Team of the Year awards for the 2008 season. For all the winners whose awards will be presented at the NSCAA Convention on Friday in St. Louis …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Warming and Waldrum take FieldTurf awards
[U.S. SOCCER] Tickets for the USA’s World Cup 2010 qualifying game against Mexico Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio go on sale Jan. 28 at noon ET.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Messiah players sweep small college awards
Cerritos College’s Corina Villegas, a two-time NSCAA/adidas All-America, heads this year’s winners of NSCAA/adidas Junior College Player of the Year. Villegas led her team to its second consecutive California state title and earned tournament MVP honors this year, concluding her career with 53 goals. For all the winners …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Villegas takes top JC honor
Regional Coaches of the Year are finalists for the NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award at their respective levels. In NCAA play, any coach who is not selected a Regional Coach of the Year but advances to the national tournament semifinals is added to the ballot for National Coach of the Year. The national awards will be announced at the annual NSCAA Awards Banquet, which will be held Friday evening in St. Louis as part of the 2009 NSCAA Convention. For all the regional winners …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
NSCAA/adidas Regional Coaches of the Year
[MEN’S COACHING MOVES] Dave Brandt, who led Messiah to six NCAA Division I men’s titles in 12 years, has been named the new Navy head men’s coach. In other East Coast coaching moves, former MLS player Kevin Anderson returns to Columbia as head coach, and former U.S. international Elvis Comrie has left Holy Cross.
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Visiting the Coaches – Virtually
I shan’t be getting to St. Louis, so I’m afraid the coaches’ convention will have to muddle through without me. Quite possibly the organizers prefer it that way, but I have some regrets, regrets that I’ve managed to somewhat appease by visiting the convention online.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Donovan is ‘Klinsi’s New Darling’
[AMERICANS ABROAD] He’s only played in two friendlies, against modest opposition, but by creating two goals and scoring a fine one on his own, Landon Donovan has the German press raving and is drawing praise from Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann. Bild newspaper dubbed the loaned L.A. player “Klinsi’s Liebling” and speculated he could even challenge veteran striker Miroslav Klose for playing time.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Flurry of activity intensifies
The clock is ticking, the laptops are clicking, and coaches have only a few hours left to nail down their picking for the 2009 MLS SuperDraft (TV: ESPN2, live, 2 pm ET). Questions abound. Will Seattle keep or trade the No. 1 pick. If the Sounders keep the top choice, will they take Akron’s Steve Zakuani, making him the first non-U.S. resident to go as the No. 1 MLS pick. How early will highly regarded keeper Stefan Frei go? How much are teams with holes at key positions willing to give up to move up in the draft order? For a look at all the major pre-draft questions …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Special Edition: MLS SuperDraft
MEMBERSHIP ALERT: Soccer America editors Ridge Mahoney and Paul Kennedy are in St. Louis covering the MLS SuperDraft. A special edition of SoccerAmericaDaily will appear later today with coverage of Thursday’s SuperDraft.