The San Jose Quakes have joined Toronto FC in the quest to sign former Norwich City, Leeds United and Manchester City forward Darren Huckerby in an attempt to solve its striking woes. Coach Frank Yallop doesn’t want to panic (which is good, because panic doesn’t tend to win games), but said: “We want to get […]
Category: Story
Bostock Transfer Fee Highlights Need For Reform
The English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur has signed Crystal Palace prodigy John Bostock, aged 16, for $1.5 million, with a further $1.1 million to be paid depending on the number of times he plays for his new team. The price was the ruling of a Football League tribunal, and it has left Palace infuriated at […]
FIFA To Give More Tickets To The Fans
Soccer’s world governing body FIFA announced that it is to allocate more tickets to the supporters of individual countries in World Cup first-round games. The amount will increase from the current eight per cent of total stadium capacity to 12 per cent. “We have always been criticized for too many tickets going to the […]
Hard-Working Soehn Of An Immigrant
Bob Cohn profiles and interviews D.C. United’s industrious coach Tom Soehn.
Of Heaps And Hoops
Maria Burns Ortiz recalls Jay Heaps’ college career — as a basketball player.
Belarus Suspends Drunken Ref
Top Belarusian referee Sergei Shmolik has been suspended after he was helped from the field at the end of a weekend game, apparently in a state of inebriation.
Snack Food for Thought
Since when did the postgame (or, in some cases, pregame and halftime, too) snack become the focal point of youth recreational soccer games? And when did it become the latest installment of “Keeping up with the Joneses”?
USA Part of Instant World Cup Mix
Sepp Blatter, smiling blithely in all directions, as is his wont, is beginning to feel the pressure. Criticism of South Africa as the venue for the next World Cup is mounting.
Lampard wants $270,000 a week for five years
[TRANSFER TALK] England national team player Frank Lampard is stuck in a tug-of-war between Inter Milan and Chelsea. The 30-year-old midfielder has one year left on his Chelsea contract, but Chelsea rejected a $16 million bid from Inter Milan for Lampard. New boss Jose Mourinho, who left Chelsea by mutual consent in September of last year, is hoping to be reunited with Lampard, whom he once called “the best player in the world.”
Toronto tie sets up must-win finale
The first Nutrilite Championship, a three-team playoff that will decide Canada’s representative in the CONCACAF Champions League, is going down to the final game.
Salt Lake lands All-Star game
Real Salt Lake’s new stadium will still be a work-in-progress when it opens in early October, but all the bells and whistles are sure to be in place next year when it hosts the 2009 MLS All-Star Game.
Rooney’s agent banned for 18 months
[ENGLAND] Paul Stretford, the agent of England star Wayne Rooney, has been banned for 18 months and fined $600,650 by England’s FA for how he became Rooney’s representative.
If The USA Were Blatter’s World Cup Plan B
FIFA President Sepp Blatter insisted up until last week that there was no alternative to staging the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Then he conceded that he would not be doing his job properly if he didn’t have a Plan B at the back of his drawer. Mark Zeigler has worked out that only […]
ECA Rejects FIFA’s Proposed ‘6+5 Rule’
The 103-member European Club Association used its first meeting to tell FIFA that it opposes the soccer world governing body’s goal of restricting the number of foreign-born players in a club team’s line-up. The organization sees no need for FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s proposed “6+5 rule” that would stipulate at least six home-grown players and […]
Dallas Players Struggling To Stay on Hyndman’s Bus
New FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman is taking a while to adjust from college to men’s pro soccer. At the weekend he told his players that no one’s place was guaranteed. After Tuesday’s Open Cup quarterfinal 3-1 loss at home to second-tier Charleston Battery, he vented again about his shattered game plan and why he […]
Seattle To The Semis
Next year’s big thing in Major League Soccer, the Seattle Sounders, served notice on what’s in store by dumping an MLS team out of the U.S. Open Cup for the second successive week. They beat Kansas City on penalty kicks after what Matthew Gaschk describes as “an action-packed, competitive game” at Qwest Field Tuesday. […]
‘Physical’ Palace Edged by Revs
New England coach Steve Nicol sent out a team largely made up of reserves to face USL-2’s Crystal Palace Baltimore, and though his team won on penalty kicks after a 1-1tie, some of his players found it tough going. “Their center backs made it difficult,” said the Revs midfield rookie Chris Tierney. “It’s tough […]
U.S. Soccer In Crisis?
Dan Leo takes aim at the mediocre standards of the U.S. national team, its coach Bob Bradley and above all, the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Salt Lake To Host 2009 All-Star Game
Michael Lewis reveals that Salt Lake will host next year’s All-Star junket (sorry, “showcase”) at the city’s new soccer stadium, due to open in October.
China Suspends Brawling Youths
The Chinese Football Association suspended eight players from its U-18 women’s league who were involved in a 40-player melee.
Swedish club GAIS signs college stars Ayarna and Campos
[TRANSFER TALK] Ghanaian Reuben Ayarna, who helped Boston College win the 2007 ACC title, and Brazilian Pablo Campos, a star for NAIA power Fresno Pacific and the PDL’s Fresno Fuego, have signed to play for GAIS Gothenburg of Sweden’s top-level Allsvenskan.
Guiza reunites with Aragones at Fenerbahce
[TRANSFER TALK] Spanish forward Daniel Guiza has joined Turkish club Fenerbahce in a move that reunites him with Coach Luis Aragones, who guided Spain to its Euro 2008 victory. Fenerbahce has not disclosed the transfer fee but Spanish press estimated the move to be worth $27 million.
Soccer Job Openings
[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions. They include college coaching opportunities, as well as opportunities in pro soccer, youth soccer, the soccer industry and television.
USL assured spot in Open Cup final
[U.S. OPEN CUP] If New England’s reserves are barely good enough to beat a USL-2 team on penalty kicks, and a nearly-full strength FC Dallas squad gets worked by USL-1 Charleston, what does that say about the relative strengths of the first, second, and third tiers of American soccer?
Rising Star Profile: Maurice Edu
[MLS] Maurice Edu won the 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year award after scoring four goals in 25 starts with Toronto FC. The first-year performance earned him U.S. national team duty. The Californian, who has 11 starts in 2008 and leads Toronto FC in assists with three, is aiming for a spot on the U.S. U-23 squad in next month’s Olympic Games. Get to know Edu in this profile by Soccer America’s Bryan Alvarez that covers on- and off-field experiences …
