Category: Story

Two years ago began a changing of the guard for the U.S. men’s national team, with the retirement of several veterans following a disappointing showing at the 2006 World Cup. On the eve of qualifying play for the 2010 tournament, not all of the questions that faced the national team at that time have been answered. A promising crop of midfielders has emerged to supplant Claudio Reyna, a solid group of central defenders has taken over for Eddie Pope, and the search continues for a rugged targetman in the mold of Brian McBride. The campaign begins Sunday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2, Galavision) at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., against Barbados in a two-game series, with the second leg set for June 22 in Bridgetown.

[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] In perhaps the last major test before U.S. women’s national team coach Pia Sundhage picks her squad for the 2008 Olympics. the U.S. women open play Sunday at the 2008 Peace Queen Cup in Suwon, South Korea.

The Revs have depth up front and in goal, and the Dynamo doesn’t. New England extended its unbeaten regular-season run against the two-time defending champs to six games by winning, 2-0, at Robertson Stadium Thursday with goals by veteran Steve Ralston and rookie Kheli Dube, and a penalty-kick save by Matt Reis

Toronto FC, undefeated at home this season, hosts Colorado. …D.C. United, on a three-game undefeated streak that came after a four-game losing run, hosts New York. … In its first home game in two months, Kansas City hosts Columbus. … San Jose plays in Oakland to accommodate for the large crowd expected for David Beckham and Los Angeles. … Real Salt Lake aims for its first road win when it visits Chivas USA. … FC Dallas, which is expected to name a new coach soon, hosts Chicago. For all the weekend’s MLS TV action. …

The USL-1 Atlanta Silberbacks beat the Austin Aztex on penalty kicks in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. The Portland Timbers were the only USL-1 team to lose, falling to Hollywood United, 3-2. Former Timber Matt Taylor scored two penalty kicks for Hollywood United. Its president is Anthony LaPaglia, the star of the television series Without a Trace. For the first-round results and second-round schedule …

Houston hosts New England in MLS’s Thursday night game. For all the week’s MLS TV action. …

Euro ’08 continues on the ESPN family of networks with coverage beginning at 11:50 am and 2:30 pm ET. In addition to game coverage, ESPN2 also offers extensive studio analysis, featuring its ESPN axis to break down key plays.

The U.S. under-20 women’s national team is in Park City, Utah, for the final training camp before it heads to Puebla, Mexico, for the Concacaf qualifying tournament for this fall’s Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile. For the 24-player roster …

State championship play is winding down as the U.S. Youth Soccer’s regionals are set to begin next week. Beadling Soccer Club, whose roots date back to 1898, won nine of 12 titles in the Pennsylvania West upper-age divisions. For all the state champions …

[OFF THE POST/EURO 2008] While Dutch and Italians fans swarmed to Bern to the delight of businesses in the Swiss capital, it hasn’t been so festive in Geneva, where food stall operators who paid $35,000 for restaurant spots near the Fan Village have threatened to strike because promises of 20,000 visitors per day have gone unrealized. Moreover, heavy rains flooded much of the Bout-du-Monde camp site, which lost electricity after a couple of Polish fans short-circuited the power supply while trying to recharge a camera.

[SWITZERLAND-TURKEY REPORT CARD] Turkey rallied on a rain-sodden field to eliminate one of the hosts, 2-1, with second-half goals by Arda Turan and substitute Semin Senturk after Hakan Yakin had pushed home a puddle-slowed service from Eren Derdiyok for a 1-0 halftime lead. The Swiss succumbed to the roars of their fans to push forward despite a tie being enough to keep alive their hopes of advancing. Those hopes died when right back Hamit Atintop‘s long ball led to Arda’s deflected shot beating keeper Diego Benaglio. Switzerland is out because it has lost to both of the teams, Czech Republic and Turkey, that it could tie for second place with three points. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players.

[PORTUGAL-CZECH REP. REPORT CARD] Portugal broke open a tight game just after the hour mark with a superb Cristiano Ronaldo finish and added a clinching goal by Ricardo Quaresma in stoppage time to beat Czech Republic, 3-1, Wednesday and earn a spot in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals. A powerful Libor Sionko header tied the game nine minutes after Deco scored during a scramble in the eighth minute. Petr Cech punched away a Ronaldo drive and both Milan Baros and Sionko were a yard shy of turning a Tomas Ujfalusi flick into the net before Deco played a square ball that Ronaldo lashed into the net from just inside the box. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players.

[DATEBOOK] Four teams from MLS and the USL-1 will compete in the preliminary round of the new Concacaf Champions League. Eight teams will qualify for the group stage, where they will join eight seeds, including the MLS champion Houston Dynamo and D.C. United.