Category: Story

UEFA, European soccer's governing body, approved UEFA president Michel Platini's plan for "financial fair play" on Tuesday. The plan aims to force clubs to live within their means, to ban clubs from spending more than their revenue. "That (living within your means) is the basis of accounting but it hasn't been the basis of soccer […]

Burley to Remain Manager of Scotland

The Scottish FA has decided to keep George Burley as Scotland manager. "We have today given our full backing to George as Scotland national coach," SFA chief executive Gordon Smith said in a statement. The 53-year-old Burley's position had been in doubt since Scotland's 1-0 loss to Netherlands last Wednesday, a result that ended Scotland's […]

Forlan Blames Wrong Studs for Man U Departure

Uruguyan striker Diego Forlan never achieved the form at Manchester United predicted for him. He took 27 games to score his first goal for the club. But Forlan says one incident in particular enraged manager Alex Ferguson enough to end his time with the club. "Ferguson wanted me to play with high studs, the interchangeable […]

College Soccer Reporter, Story

UC Santa Barbara readies Harder Stadium for 2010 finals

COLLEGE CUP NEWS … UC Santa Barbara will host the Men’s College Cup for the first time in 2010, and the school has begun or is seeking support for several stadium projects. Phase I includes a facelift to Harder Stadium, the former football stadium. Phase II includes a new scoreboard and new plaza and entrance off Stadium Road, projects for which fundraising is underway. (Click here for photos of the work.)

College Soccer Reporter, Story

Loyola Marymount highlights WCC turnaround

by Paul KennedySeptember 15, 2009

MEN’S NEWS … What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time, no WCC men’s team had a record above .500. This year, every WCC team has a record above .500 except Santa Clara, which is 2-2-0.

The biggest win to date came Sunday night when Loyola Marymount upset unbeaten UC Santa Barbara, 2-1, on the road for Coach Paul Krumpe‘s 100 career win. Rafael Baca and Phil Da Silva spotted LMU to a 2-0 lead and redshirt freshman Max Young shut out the Gauchos for the first 86 minutes.

WCC RECORDS
Loyola Marymount (3-1-0)
San Diego (3-1-0)
St. Mary’s (2-0-2)
Gonzaga (3-1-2)
San Francisco (2-1-0)
Portland (2-1-1)
Santa Clara (2-2-0)

* DEMON EXPLOSION. DePaul scored 13 goals in 20 games last season but had eight in two games over the weekend. The Blue Demons upset previously unbeaten UC Irvine, 3-2, on Friday and cruised to a 5-1 victory over Buffalo two days later to claim the championship of the Marquette Invitational.

The wins gave DePaul three in a row for the week, and in all three games Soccer America Player of the Week Steffen Vroom opened the scoring. “It’s great when he scores because it relaxes everybody,” said teammate Mark Plotkin. “It gives us the confidence to score even more goals.”

* TUESDAY TOP 25 ACTION:
No. 7 Maryland vs. Duquesne
No. 22 N.C. State vs. Campbell
No. 25 Virginia vs. Mount St. Mary’s

This week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25

College Soccer Reporter, Story

Upstarts are off to perfect starts

WOMEN’S NEWS … Of the nine NCAA Division I women’s teams who are still unbeaten and untied after Week 4, three have never made the NCAA Tournament:

— Louisiana Tech (7-0-0) set a school record for goals and shots (52) in its 12-0 win over Delta State on Sunday. It was 6-0 at the half, and even after Kevin Sherry pulled his starters, it was all Lady Techsters. Sub Brittany Coffinbargar needed only 17 minutes to record her first three goals of the season. Sherry has turned things around in three seasons at the WAC school. The Lady Techsters were 2-14-1 in 2007 and improved to 10-5-5 in 2008, tying Minnesota, Texas State and Washington for the biggest improvement.

— Mississippi State (6-0-0) is off to its best start ever. The Bulldogs defeated East Tennessee State, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon thanks to a pair of goals by Kat Walsh. “She has really been playing excellent soccer the last two weekends,” Coach Neil Macdonald said. One of the top freshmen for MSU is Monica Alvarado, who played for MLS club FC Dallas’ girls program and has played at the U-17, U-20 and now senior levels for Mexico.

— Marshall (6-0-0) has been a model of efficiency, parlaying nine goals into six wins, the most recent being a 1-0 victory over Ohio on Sunday. Then again, the Herd hasn’t needed much offense. It has yet to allow a goal. Erika Duncan‘s goal in the 87th minute ended Ohio dominance in the series (seven wins and a tie in eight previous games). “We really wanted this win,” Marshall coach Kevin Long said. “We wanted to break the spell that Ohio had over us.”

* TUESDAY TOP 25 ACTION:
No. 11 Michigan State vs. Detroit

This week’s Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week
This week’s Soccer America Women’s Top 25

Beefing up the attack

[OFF THE POST] When 36-year-old journeyman forward Julian Alsop was signed by Cheltenham on a free transfer in August, Martin Allen, coach of the fourth-tier English club, explained the acquisition to the Irish Times: “I approached loads of players in the summer to play that role, but I couldn’t afford them. If you go shopping at Sainsbury’s and ask for some fillet steak and you don’t have the money, you can’t buy it. We have ended up with a gristly, old, fatty lump of lard up front, but at the moment he is tasting OK.”

Celebration of the Week [VIDEO]

[OFF THE POST] Stoke City lost, 2-1, to Chelsea but produced the best goal celebration of the weekend after it took a 1-0 lead.

U.S. U-20 matches to be aired live

[TELEVISION WATCH] The USA’s three group games at the 2009 Under-20 World Cup in Egypt will all be shown live on cable television, beginning with the Group C opener against Germany on Sept. 26. For the television schedule of U.S. group games …

Mayen replaces Wallace on U.S. roster

by Paul KennedySeptember 15, 2009

[UNDER-20 WORLD CUP] After the University of Denver’s Sam Garza, Anthony Wallace of FC Dallas has also been scratched from the U.S. roster for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt because of a knee injury. Wallace has been replaced on the U.S. roster by Gerson Mayen. Jorge Flores, Mayen’s Chivas USA teammate, will probably move into Wallace’s left back spot. Garza had been replaced by Hertha Berlin’s Bryan Arguez.

Seattle leads crowded wild-card race

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 15, 2009

[MLS] Kansas City and FC Dallas crept into playoff contention, barely, by posting vital victories last week. Since they meet this weekend, only by winning can either team realistically stay in the hunt. Counting those two outsiders, there are nine teams vying for the four wild-card spots, allotted by overall points, with the top two finishers in each conference earning guaranteed places. (The top two currently being Columbus and Chicago in the East, and Houston and Los Angeles in the West.) Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains which teams are poised to reach the playoffs.

UEFA lifts Eduardo suspension

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] UEFA has overturned its two-game ban on Arsenal striker Eduardo for diving in a game against Glasgow Celtic after an appeal by the English club. “We were able to show there was contact between the keeper and Eduardo and that the decision should be annulled,” said a statement from Arsenal.

Costa Rica fires coach

[WORLD CUP QUALIFYING] Despite its strong start, which included a 3-1 home win over the USA, in the final round of World Cup qualifying, Costa Rica fired Coach Rodrigo Kenton after the Ticos lost their last three Hexagonal games, dropping them to fourth place. Thanks to four wins in their first five games, Costa Rica remains in position to qualify, but the Costa Rican federation showed its traditional impatience and will put a new man in charge for its final two games, at home against Trinidad & Tobago and at the USA.

Soccer America Men’s Team of the Week

[COLLEGE] DePaul’s Steffen Vroom, who scored the first goal in three victories, two of them against ranked teams, is Soccer America Men’s Player of the Week for games played Sept. 7-13. For the Soccer America Men’s Team of the Week …

Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week

[COLLEGE] Sixth-year senior Jordan Angeli, whose goal on a 35-yard rocket was instrumental in Santa Clara’s 2-0 victory over Notre Dame, is Soccer America Women’s Player of the Week for games played Sept. 7-13. For the Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week …

Inter Milan-Barcelona highlights Day 1

by Paul KennedySeptember 15, 2009

[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The 2009-10 UEFA Champions League, available for the first time on the Fox networks, kicks off this week with Day 1 of the group stage. Several exciting matches are on tap, mostly notably a clash between Barcelona and Inter Milan. For a look at Day 1’s top matches and the complete television schedule …

Soccer on TV., Story

Soccer on TV

Don’t miss European Champions League and Europa League (previously known as the UEFA Cup) in the midweek. MLS teams look to make their mark in the Concacaf Champions League. Houston takes on Pachuca on Wednesday. Look for updates in Wednesday’s and Friday’s Soccer on TV.

Montero the Difference for Seattle

"The Seattle Sounders employ a forward who can change an MLS match in an instant. D.C. United does not," writes Steven Goff of the Washington Post after Seattle won its second consecutive 2-1 decision against D.C. United in RFK Stadium on Saturday. Goff points to the sparkling play and opportunism of the Sounders' Colombian striker […]

U.S. Hopeful Jermaine Jones Faces Injury Delay

U.S. fans itching for Jermaine Jones' debut with the national team may have to wait longer than expected. The midfielder "may need another surgery to address the shin fracture he had surgery for this summer," reports Ives Galarcep. Jones attempted to train with Schalke 04 in recent weeks, but nagging pain in his leg has […]

Estudiantes Beats Independiente as Boca Falls

Estudiantedes snatched a 2-1 win over Independiente in the Argentine league. Mauro Boselli notched his third goal in four games and Juan Manuel Diaz grabbed a late winner in the 88th minute. The victory lifted Copa Libertadores champion Estudiantes to second in the Primera Division table. Meanwhile, River Plate continued its uninspired play with a […]

Texas Entrepreneur Embraces Italian Serie A Club

Texas-based entrepreneur Tim Barton, who bought Italian Serie A club Bari in August for $35.8 million, has already experienced the passionate relationship between Italian fans and club. Landing in Bari last month to finalize the deal, Barton witnessed 1,500 fans surge past security to greet him on the tarmac outside the airport. The melee temporarily […]

Adebayor’s Skill Overshadowed By Menacing Behavior

Emmanuel Adebayor, who transferred from Arsenal to Manchester City over the summer for $41.6 million, let his emotions get the better of him a few times during a clash with his former team. First, Adebayor lashed out at his former teammate Robin Van Persie after a rash challenge from the Dutchman. Adebayor's studs slashed Van […]

Crew Stakes Claim to League Best

The Columbus Crew have grabbed the edge in the race for this season’s Supporter’s Shield, which goes to the MLS team with the best regular-season record. The Crew’s Eddie Gaven scored a stoppage-time penalty kick to give the Crew a dramatic victory over the West-leading Houston Dynamo. Veteran Frankie Hejduk opened the scoring for the […]

Rookies Give Toronto Crucial Win