Category: Story

U.S. Club Soccer has announced a sanctioning agreement with the Northern Illinois Soccer League, which currently serves over 12,000 players in 86 Chicago-area communities.

Development Academy kicks off

by Paul KennedySeptember 11, 2008

Schulz Academy, which finished third in the 2007-08 U.S. Soccer Academy’s U-16 Age Group, opened the 2008-09 season with a 2-0 win over Birmingham United and 0-0 tie with Atlanta Fire United.

Final selections for U.S. U-17 girls national team loom

U.S. U-17 girls national team coach Kazbek Tambi will welcome 24 players on Friday as he works on cutting down his squad to 21 players for the inaugural Under-17 Girls World Cup being held Oct. 28-Nov. 16 in New Zealand. For the complete roster …

South American teams call up U.S.-based U-17 girls

Surprise South American champion Colombia has called up three U.S.-based players and runner-up Brazil has brought in one player for training camps that begin this week to prepare for the Under-17 Girls World Cup being held later this fall in New Zealand.

RISING STAR: Red Bulls’ Dylan Mencia

Dylan Mencia drives two and a half hours each way from his home in Pennsylvania to practice with the New York Red Bulls academy team. The high school junior capped his his 2007-08 season with the Red Bulls by scoring in their 3-1 win over Inter Milan’s Serie A U-17 championship team.

POLLS: NSCAA/adidas High School Boys Rankings

Rockhurst is ranked No. 1 in the first NSCAA/adidas high school boys national rankings of the fall. The Missouri school got two goals from all-state midfielder Alex Sweetin in a 3-0 victory over Shawnee Mission West to open the 2008 season. For the complete Top 25 …

POLLS: NSCAA/adidas High School Girls Rankings

The Pennington School, the top-ranked team in the first NSCAA/adidas high school girls national rankings of the fall, traveled to Maryland, where it beat St. John’s (D.C.), 6-2, and Bishop O’Connell (Va.), 4-1, at the McDonogh (Md.) Invitational. For the complete Top 25 …

TELEVISION: Women’s action begins on Fox Soccer Channel

The first of eight NSCAA Women’s College Games of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel will air Thursday when West Virginia hosts Kentucky. All eight games will air on Thursdays. For the complete schedule …

MORNING BRIEFING: Major Georgetown turnaround

by Paul KennedySeptember 11, 2008

In 2007, Georgetown opened 1-5-0. This year, the Hoyas are 5-0-0 for the first time in a decade after picking up their fifth straight shutout victory of the season with a 1-0 win over Stony Brook on Wednesday.

SCOREBOARD: Soccer America Men’s Top 25

Top-ranked Wake Forest opens ACC play Saturday against Clemson. In other ACC play, No. 8 Maryland hosts No. 12 Boston College. No. 4 Connecticut travels to No. 9 Saint Louis. For this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 results and schedules …

SCOREBOARD: Soccer America Women’s Top 25

This week’s top clash takes place Friday at Stanford, where the No. 3 Cardinal hosts No. 7 North Carolina at the Stanford/Nike Invitational. For this week’s Soccer America Women’s Top 25 results and schedules …

MORNING BRIEFING: UCLA back at full strength

by Paul KennedySeptember 11, 2008

With its Olympians Lauren Cheney (USA) and Kara Lang (Canada) back in the starting lineup up front and Erin Hardy having returned to the backline, No. 1 UCLA looks tough to beat.

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Results

Only six European teams — Greece, Spain, England, Ukraine, Lithuania and Italy — won both games on the opening week of World Cup 2010 qualifying. For all the results and goal scorers in Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania …

MLS SCHEDULE: Revs look to rebound

The New England Revolution, in midst of a slump that has seen it win just once in its last six games after a strong start, faces Chivas USA on Thursday night. Chivas USA is on a two-game win streak, with both victories coming against Toronto. New England lost, 4-0, to Columbus last weekend. For the week’s MLS action on TV, standings, and leading scorers. …

USA sparks up against T&T

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 11, 2008

As several U.S. players mobbed Michael Bradley after he flicked in Landon Donovan‘s free kick to provide a 1-0 lead against Trinidad & Tobago Wednesday, longtime Donovan pal DaMarcus Beasley ran over to Donovan instead. Donovan barely grinned while acknowledging his friend and colleague of nearly a decade at all age levels of competitive play. Beasley wanted to frolic, but Donovan stayed focused, as did most of the Americans for most of this match.

What’s so bad about mushrooms?

[OFF THE POST] When Italian Fabio Capello took over at England, he banned junk food from the players’ diet. No burgers, potato chips or pastry. Fellow Italian Giovanni Trapattoni was less strict when he became Ireland’s coach – “I gave them carte blanche when it came to their diets” – but then he witnessed an eating habit that got his goat. “However, I saw the players eating mushrooms before a friendly, and I was stunned into silence for several seconds,” he said. “I then told them that mushrooms are banned on matchdays – both for breakfast and for dinner.”

An above average performance

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 11, 2008

[USA-TRINIDAD & TOBAGO REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 3-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday. …

A day for stunning results

by Paul KennedySeptember 11, 2008

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Wednesday produced a series of stunning results in World Cup qualifying in Europe. The day wound up with Brazil’s 0-0 tie against Bolivia that put more pressure on its beleaguered coach Dunga.

Mexico and Costa Rica also remain perfect

by Paul KennedySeptember 11, 2008

[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Five of the six berths in next year’s Hexagonal could be decided as early as the next game of World Cup 2010 qualifying in the Concacaf zone. On Day 3 of the semifinal round, MLS players dominated the headlines.

Jack Warner’s Love Letter To Roy Keane

FIFA Vice President Jack Warner has written a forthright letter, on FIFA-headed paper, to Sunderland manager Roy Keane following the withdrawal of the English club’s striker, Dwight Yorke, from World Cup qualifying action for Trinidad & Tobago against the USA. Warner, the Concacaf president who also acts as “special adviser” to the Trinidad & […]

How To Grab The Soccer Headlines

Soccer in America fails to make the headlines not just because it’s still a minority sport at the top level, but because its main figures rarely say anything interesting about the game, writes Grahame L. Jones. Compare that with the rest of the soccer world, where positions of power are occupied by colorful characters […]

Wizards Bring Thompson Quickly Into The Fold

FC Dallas has made a number of surprising trades since Schellas Hyndman took over as coach mid-season, and many of the team’s fans think that striker Abe Thompson’s move to the Kansas City Wizards last week was more of a gift than a trade, writes Bob Luder. The Wizards, though, hope to cash in on […]

MLS Keeps Mining African Talent

After largely ignoring the continent for years, Major League Soccer teams have finally cottoned on that Africa offers a rich mine of soccer talent. Last week the franchise-in-waiting Seattle Sounders signed Gambian Sanna Nyassi, twin brother of New England’s Sainey, as its third player following Kasey Keller and Sebastien le Toux. Now D.C. United has […]

In The Stables With Michelle Akers

Dan Raley sought out former U.S. women’s national team star Michelle Akers in Florida, and found her busy being a mother to her three-year-old son, as well as rescuing abused horses and nursing them back to health. But she still has plenty to say about soccer eight years after leaving the game due to a […]

New Offer For Gazidis?