[MLS] Much of the playoff schedule is yet to be determined but MLS and ESPN2 have already anointed the Chicago-New England Eastern Conference semifinal series for coverage on its two Thursday night postseason windows.
Category: Story
Garber sticks to his guns
I, too, am astonished at the 10-game suspensions handed down by MLS upon positive tests coming back for androstatriendione on samples provided by Red Bull players Jon Conway and Jeff Parke.
NY’s Parke Apologizes To Team
RB New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio has called the ingestion of banned substances by goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke a “genuine mistake,” and said that he and the team have accepted the apologies offered and the remorse that both players have shown. Parke, who like Conway has been suspended for 10 games, […]
Tottenham’s Bad Decisions
Tottenham Hotspur’s disastrous start to the English Premier League campaign, with just two points from its first eight games, can be traced back to poor decision-making, writes Paul Doyle. The weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Stoke City left the team, which had seriously talked preseason about challenging for a Champions League spot, three points adrift at […]
Miami’s Barca-Backed Bid Too Good To Turn Down
Michelle Kaufman writes an open letter to Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber saying that she too would be skeptical about a franchise bid from Miami given the city’s history with soccer franchises. “We saw the Fusion — and teams before it — flop like a well-trained Italian forward,” she writes. “We know this is […]
Miami Bid A Long Way From Perfect
Not everyone, however, agrees with the generally positive media response to the Barca bid. “If Barcelona wasn’t involved in this deal, then there would be a lot more naysayers regarding Miami’s chance of seeing a MLS team come to South Florida again,” writes “The Gaffer.” He lists a number of problematical stadium issues surrounding the […]
Arena: We Were Outfought
“There were segments in the first half where we were just physically manhandled. It wasn’t as much about the soccer as it was about running harder, competing better. They were more alert, more physical, more aggressive.” L.A. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena explains his side’s 3-0 loss at Houston that finally ended the team’s lingering playoff […]
Preki: Rapids Wanted It More
“I kind of had a feeling it was going to be tough for us. From the first moment, I didn’t think we were sharp, we were losing the ball too easily. But give them the credit. They came here, they wanted it more and they got it.” Chivas USA coach Preki concedes that Colorado deserved […]
Yallop: Quakes Are Heartbroken
“In the last two games, we’ve given up game-winning goals to the opposition, which you can’t do at any level. We’re trying to win the match, obviously, but set plays with everybody back you shouldn’t be conceding goals like that. It’s heartbreaking for us to turn full circle from what we did five weeks ago.” […]
Ronaldo Ready For Another Comeback
“I want to stop playing when I decide, not because I have been forced to by an injury.” Brazilian striker Ronaldo, 32, currently a free agent, says he is almost ready to play again after a knee injury that many thought had ended his career.
The Galaxy Needs A New Owner
Grahame L. Jones calls for a change of ownership at the Los Angeles Galaxy after another miserable regular season, with the wannabe Superclub missing the playoffs for the third successive season. Owner AEG’s head man, Galaxy President Tim Leiweke, has “tinkered with [the team] to the point where it now bears not the slightest resemblance […]
Toronto Needs A Leader
“It was endearing to watch the entire Toronto FC team and front office staff congratulating one another on the field after Saturday’s win over Chicago,” writes Ryan Johnston. “But amid the festivities I held a silent vigil for a season lost.” Johnston says it was “excruciating” to think back on the points that Toronto squandered […]
Soccer on TV
&artEuropean and CONCACAF Champions League action is back during the midweek. In the MLS Thursday night game, Chicago hosts New York. MLS rounds out the regular season this weekend. The Mexican league’s weekend matches and Gol TV’s weekend schedule will appear in Friday’s Soccer on TV e-letter.
CROWD COUNT: Big West match draws 11,075 fans
The crowd of 11,075 at Spanos Stadium for the Cal Poly-UC Santa Barbara match on Friday was third largest on record to witness a regular-season soccer game. The Gauchos won the Big West match, 1-0, on Chris Pontius‘ overtime goal shortly after two bottles were thrown in the direction of UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Kristopher Minton , forcing a delay in the action. For the top crowds of 2008 …
POLLS: Soccer America Men’s Top 25
The top six teams kept their places in the Soccer America Men’s Top 25. North Carolina and Loyola (Md.) were the big climbers, both rising eight spots to No. 7 and No. 9, respectively. For this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 and last week’s results …
MORNING BRIEFING: Bad weekend for Top 25 teams
Top-ranked Wake Forest had its 18-game winning streak snapped when it had to settle for a 0-0 tie with Duke in ACC play on Saturday. Eight Top 25 teams, including top 10 teams UC Davis and Louisville, lost to unranked teams. For the major developments of the weekend …
POLLS: Soccer America Women’s Top 25
There was no change in the top five spots in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25. Florida, Virginia and Florida State each moved up two spots to claim 6-7-8. For this week’s Soccer America Women’s Top 25 and last week’s results …
MORNING BRIEFING: Hanks sets Notre Dame record
Kerri Hanks scored twice in top-ranked Notre Dame’s 2-0 win at Connecticut on Sunday to extend her goal-scoring streak to 10 games and give her 81 career goals, topping Jenny Heft‘s old school record of 80 tallies. Other top performers over the weekend included Stanford’s Kelly O’Hara and North Carolina’s Casey Nogueira.
Hull keeps on winning, Tottenham is rock bottom (VIDEO)
[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.
More Bremen, Hoffenheim goal orgies in the Bundesliga (VIDEO)
[GERMANY] It’s hard not to love the Bundesliga this season after another weekend of high-scoring drama involving Werder Bremen and 1899 Hoffenheim.
Mercurial Milanese (VIDEO)
[ITALY] Champion Inter began to look ominously good in a 4-0 win at Roma, while its city rival Milan is also stepping up a gear, beating Sampdoria 3-0.
Madrid’s dirty derby (VIDEO)
[SPAIN] Barcelona and Real Madrid continue to creep up the standings, both teams posting narrow away victories at the weekend. Rampant Valencia is still top.
Five vie for final three playoff spots
[MLS] Three playoff spots remain up for grabs as MLS enters its final week of play. Five teams — Kansas City, New York, D.C. United, Real Salt Lake and Colorado – vie to join Columbus, Chicago, New England, Houston and Chivas USA in postseason play. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains the scenario.
Danny Cepero: Red Bulls’ goalscoring goalkeeper (VIDEO)
[MLS] The limitations of the MLS Reserve Division have prompted some teams to send players out on season-long loans, and in the case of Red Bull goalkeeper Danny Cepero, that small investment paid off boxcars. He scored the first goalkeeper’s goal in league history and played a solid all-around game in a 3-1 defeat of Columbus Saturday that preserved New York’s playoff hopes with one round of games to go.
Angel and Ching hit 13-goal mark
[MLS] Juan Pablo Angel struck twice for New York to keep the Red Bulls in playoff contention. Like Angel, Brian Ching hit the 13-goal mark, as Houston eliminated Los Angeles with a 3-0 win. Yura Movsisyan, Will Johnson and Robbie Findley scored Real Salt Lake’s 3-1 win over FC Dallas, which will miss the playoffs. For MLS game summaries, standings, leading scorers and TV schedule.
