Category: Story

[ENGLAND] This weekend’s big game in the English Premier League ended, predictably enough, in a stalemate. But Manchester United’s visit to Chelsea was never less than absorbing.

Kaiser offers Klinsi some advice on Oktoberfest

[GERMANY] It was a wild weekend in the Bundesliga. Not only were there goals aplenty, but champion Bayern Munich was hammered 5-2 on its own turf by longtime rival Werder Bremen.

Sumptuous Kaka goal highlights first Milan win

[ITALY] Relief for AC Milan as it finally won its first game of the season on the back of a sumptuous goal from Kaka. Ronaldinho only came off the bench once the game was effectively won.

Barcelona quits showing mercy

[SPAIN] All those chances that Barcelona missed in its first two games of the season were just warm-up shots. On Sunday the Catalans quit showing mercy and hit Sporting Gijon for six, with Lionel Messi scoring twice.

Markgraf scores (finally) with a little help from her teammates

[U.S. WOMEN] The U.S. women’s national team swept its three-game series against Ireland with a 2-0 win on Saturday at Toyota Park to set a record for wins in a calendar year with its 29th victory of the year. Perhaps even more remarkable was defender Kate Markgraf scoring her first-ever international goal — in her 193rd cap! as she pounded home a penalty kick in the 31st minute.

USL-1 Results

The Puerto Rico Islanders won their USL First Division regular-season title thanks to a 0-0 tie with the Montreal Impact — their fellow participant in the Concacaf Champions League — on the final day of the season. Minnesota’s 3-1 win over Montreal had clinched the Thunder the final playoff spot. For all the USL-1 results, the final standings and leading scores …

Donovan revives Galaxy with hat trick

[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS/VIDEO] Coach Bruce Arena finally celebrated a win with the Los Angeles Galaxy thanks to an explosive performance by Landon Donovan. Real Salt Lake finally fell at home, and Jeff Cunningham added to his plus-100 career scoring tally. For the weekend’s MLS highlights. …

MLS Results

For all the weekend results, standings, leading goal scorers and schedules …

Bradley debuts in Bundesliga

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Michael Bradley made his German Bundesliga debut. For more on how Americans fared in foreign leagues last weekend. …

Crew Shows How To Start The Second Half

There’s an old soccer cliché that there’s no worse time to concede a goal than just before half-time. RB New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio would beg to differ. Conceding a goal just after halftime is much worse, just as his side did 19 seconds after the interval to go 2-1 down to the Columbus […]

MLS Looms Over Seattle’s Season

As the Seattle Sounders shape up to play their final regular season game in the United Soccer Leagues this weekend, its players have one eye on the move to Major League Soccer in 2009, reports Matt Massey. And they can’t help but notice that so far only two of their players — Sebastien Le Toux […]

DSG Park No Fortress For The Rapids

The Colorado Rapids’ home record has deteriorated since it moved to its soccer specific stadium in Commerce City from Invesco Field at Mile High two seasons ago. Whisper it quietly so you’re not heard above the murmur of the home fans, but it might be down to a lack of atmosphere. The Rapids’ English […]

Toronto Looking South For Next Year’s Talent

Toronto FC’s GM Mo Johnston recently went to South America and liked what he saw, and is planning to sign some fresh young talent from the continent to bolster the side’s roster for next season. What, no more aging Brits? “I’m not looking at guys who are 33 or 34,” Johnston said, no doubt […]

Ronaldo Ready To Play Again By Year’s End

Brazilian striker and three-time World Player of the Year Ronaldo, 31, will be ready to play again by the end of this year, he told the French sports daily. He is recovering from a ruptured knee ligament suffered in February. Ronaldo has been linked with English Premier League side Manchester City, but the club […]

Arsenal’s Profit And Debt Both Up

EPL side Arsenal announced a rise in profits last season to $64.4 million, but also a 12 percent rise in its debt level to $580 million. The club also confirmed the appointment of Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rapids owner Stan Kroenke as a non-executive director.

We’ve Enough Hotel Rooms, South Africa Says

The South African tourist industry has refuted claims by FIFA President Sepp Blatter that the country has insufficient tourist accommodation for the 2010 World Cup.

Australia’s World Cup Boost

Australia’s chances of hosting the 2018 World Cup have been given a boost by the appointment of Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy to the World Cup Organizing Committee. The committee will decide where the 2018 event is held. Not that anyone’s suggesting Mr. Lowy will be anything but objective.

Soaring Prices At QPR

English second-tier club Queens Park Rangers, recently taken over by a consortium of wealthy businessmen, has shocked fans by increasing ticket prices to as high as $91 for games against teams like last year’s Premier League failures Derby County.

Soccer on TV., Story

Soccer on TV

>Weekend action starts Friday with USL and men’s college games on Fox Soccer Channel. There are four MLS games on Saturday — including a Los Angeles-D.C. United clash — and one on Sunday. European league action includes the EPL’s Chelsea-Man U clash.

Soccer America Confidential, Story

Ottawa? Not for my money

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 19, 2008

Pardon me if I can’t get excited over Ottawa’s bid to join MLS. And it’s nothing against Canada, for if I had the power and all the pieces fell into place, I’d go with Vancouver along with Portland in the next round.

MORNING BRIEFING: Howard plummets

by Paul KennedySeptember 19, 2008

Howard, one of the great names in college soccer, is a program in big trouble. Its head coach was replaced after being arrested earlier in the year in a youth sex sting. And it is off to an 0-6-1 start with losses as bad as 9-1 and 8-0. ALSO: UC Santa Barbara-Evansville goalfest.

CONFERENCE WATCH: WCC teams slump

The West Coast Conference includes two former national champions — San Francisco (1966, 1975, 1976, 1980) and Santa Clara (co-champion in 1989) — and two other teams that have played in the final four — San Diego and Portland — but this season has been a non-starter for WCC teams. Entering the weekend, no WCC team has a winning record. For a look at the WCC seven …

SCOREBOARD: Soccer America Men’s Top 25

[WEEKEND UPDATE] No. 2 SMU suffered its first loss of the season when it fell to Northern Illinois, 1-0. In Top 25 matchups, Maryland beat Duke, 1-0, Boston College defeated North Carolina, 4-1, thanks to Alejandro Bedoya‘s hat trick, and Cal prevailed over Drake, 2-0, to hand the Bulldogs’ their first loss. For this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 results and schedules …

MORNING BRIEFING: Upset that was not an upset

by Paul KennedySeptember 19, 2008

James Madison beat No. 16 Penn State 1-0 before a school-record crowd of 1,829 fans — more than double the previous high — and a national television audience Thursday evening at the JMU Soccer Complex. ALSO: N.C. State, the only unbeaten and untied ACC team, makes a comeback … West Virginia freshman Erica Henderson stole the show in the Mountaineers’ Big East opener.

SCOREBOARD: Soccer America Women’s Top 25