[OLYMPICS/VIDEO] Cristiane might just do it better than Ronaldinho. The Brazilian forward scored all three goals in her country’s 3-1 victory over Nigeria Tuesday to win their group in the Olympic women’s soccer competition.
Category: Story
Joe Cole could ride merry-go-round
[TRANSFER TALK] Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has a plethora of options available to him in the midfield. At his disposal are Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Deco, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Florent Malouda and John Obi Mikel. That embarrassment of riches is leaving Joe Cole feeling a little nervous about his role in the team.
L.A. Keeps Us Laughing
“The Los Angeles Galaxy looks more and more like a Saturday Night Live sketch every day,” writes Steve Davis in the aftermath of the sacking of GM Alexi Lalas, and the departure “for personal reasons” of coach Ruud Gullit. The new vacancies will create “ample room for the next round of material that will keep […]
Shinawatra Skips Bail, Flees To Britain
The owner of Manchester City, the former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has skipped bail with his wife and fled from Thailand to Britain, claiming that he could not expect a fair trial on corruption charges in his native country. His wife, Pojaman, was already sentenced to three years in prison two weeks ago for […]
Bayern’s Defense ‘As Soft As Quark Cream’
Bayern Munich coach Juergen Klinsmann made it clear after his appointment that he viewed the team as a long-term project, and that it could take years for his new policies to take effect. But neither fans nor team officials have that kind of patience, and already questions are being asked after Bayern’s first competitive game […]
Capello Unconcerned By Smokin’ Rooney
England coach Fabio Capello is not concerned about Wayne Rooney’s famous on-field temper, last aired against the United States in May at Wembley. Since Rooney married over the summer, he’s apparently going to be a much more settled man. Neither does Capello care if the Manchester United striker enjoys the odd cigarette. “I don’t […]
Young Player Wins Record Sum For Lost Career
A young Manchester United player whose career was ended by a leg-breaking tackle was awarded a record $8.6 million in damages by the U.K. High Court Monday. Ben Collett, now 23, had joined United’s youth academy aged nine, and at 18 was a member of the club’s 2003 FA Youth Cup-winning team. United manager […]
Torres A Target For New York
New York is targeting striker and “Panamanian prodigy” Gabriel Torres, reports Brian Lewis.
Feilhaber to Denmark?
Danish club Aarhus is “very serious” about signing Derby County’s U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber, writes Steven Goff.
Olympic Women’s Soccer Scoreboard
Trailing at halftime, Japan stormed back for five second-half goals and stunned Norway, 5-1, The result left the USA, Norway and Japan 1-2-3 in Group G and reshuffled the projected quarterfinal pairings. For all the results and goal scorers …
Olympic Soccer TV Schedule
Group play in men’s soccer concludes Wednesday when the USA faces Nigeria. Women’s action continues Friday with four quarterfinal games: USA-Canada in Shanghai at 6 am ET, China-Japan, Germany-Sweden and Brazil-Norway. Complete soccer coverage is available on the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and online at nbcolympics.com. Check with your television provider for the availability of the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel.
USA-New Zealand Women’s Coverage
Rout of Kiwis give USA Group G crown
By thrashing New Zealand, 4-0, to win Group G the U.S. women have not only avoided Brazil and Germany in the quarterfinal round and given themselves one more opportunity to sharpen their game, they’ve also ducked the possibility of playing both of their major obstacles to the gold medal.
O’Reilly stands out on wing
[USA-NEW ZEALAND REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 4-0 win over New Zealand on Tuesday …
Postgame from Shenyang
[REACTION] U.S. coach Pia Sundhage said her team has come a long way from the disastrous first 15 minutes of the opening game against Norway. After struggling to beat Japan, the 4-0 win over New Zealand boosted the Americans’ confidence heading into the knockout round.
What They’re Saying
“The USA will be a very dangerous opponent for us because they are one of the top teams at this competition and also because they will be playing for their lives.”
— Nigeria striker Victor Obinna on Wednesday’s showdown with the USA in men’s soccer. The Americans could need a tie or win to advance despite their position in first place after two games. (FIFA.com)
What next for LA follies?
Make no mistake, Anschutz Entertainment Group czar Tim Leiweke knows success from failure, how to turn loss into profit, and how to move product and sell tickets. But pick a coach for the Galaxy? The naming of Cobi Jones as interim coach following Ruud Gullit‘s resignation makes it five Galaxy coaches in five years.
MLS mid-season coaching casualties
[MAKING A LIST] Ruud Gullit is the fifth Los Angeles Galaxy coach to be fired or resign in mid-season. Only two other MLS teams (New York and Columbus) have had as many as three coaches leave in mid-season.
Ruiz to face Americans in World Cup qualifier
[USA-GUATEMALA] Guatemala national team coach Ramon Maradiaga will welcome three foreign-based players — the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Carlos Ruiz, Jose Contreras of Argentina’s Arsenal and Gustavo Cabrera of Danish club Aarhus — who will join 16 player currently in training for the Aug. 20 World Cup 2010 qualifier against the USA at Guatemala City’s Mateo Flores Stadium. Recent Chicago Fire signing Marco Pappa could also get a call-up.
Will Thierry Henry turn traitor?
[TRANSFER TALK] Desperately thin up front with just days to go before the start of the EPL, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is turning his attention to an unlikely target — former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry. Ferguson is rumored to be preparing a $40 million bid for the French international, who has spent just one season at Barcelona since moving from the Gunners. Throughout his career, Henry has been vocal about his love for Arsenal, but it’s hard to think of a more traitorous act than moving to Manchester United.
Special Edition: U.S. Olympic soccer
MEMBERSHIP ALERT: A special edition will appear later Wednesday with coverage of the USA- Nigeria men’s match, so look for this e-newsletter from Soccer America’s editors. For fans not wishing to read our coverage until after they have watched the game, the subject line of these e-letters will begin “Special Olympic Edition.”
Women’s league adds second ’10 expansion team
[WPS] Women’s pro soccer will be returning to Atlanta in 2010 when an Women’s Professional Soccer expansion team will begin play.
Soccer on TV
2008 Olympic soccer closes out the first round and moves into the knockout phase. For detailed information on Olympic soccer viewing, go to www.nbcolympics.com, where games are also broadcast online. In the MLS Thursday night game, Chivas USA hosts Los Angeles. The English Premier League season kicks off this weekend.
Is D.C. losing its winning identity?
For more than a decade, D.C. United has prided itself on being the flagship of not only Major League Soccer, but of Latin-style soccer.
Backbone At Last From Red Bulls
After being outclassed by Barcelona in midweek, and finding his team 1-0 down at home to perennially dominant rivals D.C. United Sunday, New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio might have been forgiven for a more pessimistic thought than, “We’ll see what we are made of.” For once, though, his team delivered, showing what Osorio called […]
The Revs And The Refs, Part 423
It’s reassuring that when the New England Revolution returns to Major League Soccer action after a month’s break, nothing has changed. All it takes is defeat to prompt Coach Steve Nicol into expressing a forthright opinion on the referee, and now the habit is spreading to the rest of the team. The Revs lost […]
