May was a busy month for MLS teams, with all of them playing at least four matches, and it concluded with the 13th MLS season one-third completed. This facilitated the selection of several players, such as Revs forward Kheli Dube, who barely registered on the radar screen in the first month of play. For Ridge Mahoney‘s picks of MLS’s top performers. …
Category: Story
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Rain, lighting halts play at RFK
A head-to-head matchup of how well D.C. United and Houston have recovered from their early-season struggles will have to wait. They managed to play just 15 minutes Wednesday at RFK Stadium before heavy rain and lightning forced referee Ricardo Salazar to wave the teams off the field, which had been saturated in the past 24 hours by a series of thunderstorms. By the time play was suspended at 8:02 p.m. ET, large puddles had formed on many parts of the field and every kick of the ball sent water spraying as players slipped and slid.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The New Breed Of MLS Bad Boys
Major League Soccer has seen an influx of talent from around the world over the past couple of years, with most of the media attention focused on the signing of established names. Less celebrated than the Designated Players, but no less important, is the “new breed of Bad Boys,” argues Pat Walsh. “Looking at […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Subotic Headed For Dortmund?
Mainz 05’s highly rated American, Neven Subotic, 19, could be headed for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, reports the German sports weekly Kicker. Subotic’s coach at Mainz this past season, Juergen Klopp, has just made the same move, and wants the central defender to follow him north. Last season Mainz’s second division campaign ended with […]
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Ribery Steps Into Zidane’s Shoes
Uncapped before the 2006 World Cup, Franck Ribery has stepped up in just two years to become the heir to Zinedine Zidane, writes David Hytner. After an “explosive” debut season at Bayern Munich, and after winning the German Player of the Year award, the midfielder is carrying the hopes of his country as its “leader […]
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Rooney’s Costly Book
Noted soccer author Wayne Rooney has discovered the perils of publishing after being ordered by a UK court to pay £500,000 to his former manager at Everton, David Moyes, over libelous comments made in the England and Manchester United striker’s autobiography ‘My Story So Far.’ Rooney signed a five-book deal with Harper & Collins […]
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German Amateur Team Racks Up ‘Suspicious’ 54-1 Victory
A regional lower league game in the Cologne area of Germany has attracted some attention after Rheinkassel-Langel Reserves beat their final day opponents DJK Loewe Reserves 54-1, and were consequently promoted on goal difference. Before the final round of games, the team was in third place behind rival Germania Nippes Reserves, but with the […]
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MLS TV Schedule
Houston was last year’s champion. D.C. United, had the best regular-season record in 2007. But going into their Wednesday evening clash, each has only three wins from its first 11 games. For all of this week’s MLS action on television, standings and leading scorers. …
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U.S. under-17 girls national team roster
The U.S. under-17 girls national team continues preparations for next month’s Concacaf Championship with a training camp that begins Friday in Jersey City, N.J. U.S. head coach Kazbek Tambi has called in 26 players for the camp, including three 1993s. For the complete roster …
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Henry celebrates 100th cap with win
[EURO ’08 COUNTDOWN] In its final tuneup before its Euro ’08 opener against Romania on Monday, France defeated Colombia, 1-0, on Franck Ribery‘s penalty kick in the 24th minute. Thierry Henry, who was taken down in the penalty area for the deciding penalty, celebrated his 100th cap for France.
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Sven-Goran Eriksson is new Mexico coach
[MEXICO] Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson, whose last stint as a national team coach was at the England helm in 2001-06, has been named Mexico coach. Eriksson, who replaces Hugo Sanchez, coached Manchester City during the 2007-08 season.
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Austria’s Mr. Manners chimes in
[OFF THE POST] Thomas Schaefer-Elmayer, known as the etiquette guru of Austria, which is co-hosting the European Championship, has offered “rules” of how to behave during Euro 08. Schaefer-Elmayer, the director of the Elmayer dance school that prepares debutantes for the annual Viennese Opera Ball, says:
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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.
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More pain for the USA in Spain?
The USA begins its quest to qualify for the 2010 World Cup June 15 against a team ranked 117th in the FIFA World Rankings. Today, the USA faces No. 4-ranked Spain. A poor showing in Santander won’t set off any alarm bells regarding the USA’s qualifying chances, but an impressive performance is what it needs to repair its reputation after its poor effort last week in England. A Guardian reporter, for example, belittled the 2-0 England win by claiming “a set of traffic cones would have put up more resistance” than the American players.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Easing McBride Towards The Fire
Chicago Fire officials should have spent the team’s free weekend “holed up in some smoke-filled back room” figuring out the best way to secure the signature of Brian McBride. That’s the view of Steve Davis, who says the Fire has “a big, fat golden opportunity” to make themselves the hottest team in Major League Soccer. […]
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Long Live the MISL!
Last week, Major Indoor Soccer League’s commissioner Steve Ryan resigned after eight years in office. This week the league suspended operations. But officials at the Baltimore Blast, the reigning champion, insist the move is merely procedural, and that next winter will once again witness the glory that is professional indoor U.S. soccer. “We’re going […]
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Ferguson: I Should Have Signed Gascoigne
Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson has announced his intention to retire in 2010, and has also been looking back at the players he missed out on signing for the club. One was former England striker Alan Shearer, but his biggest regret was failing to land Paul Gascoigne, the most charismatic and skillful English player […]
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Feilhaber Aims For The Olympics
Derby County and U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber underwent successful knee surgery on a torn meniscus in LA Monday, and is still hopeful of playing for his country at the Beijing Olympics in August. “I had the surgery done yesterday and it was successful,” Feilhaber told Kevin Leyland. “I’m not sure yet how […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Je Ne Regretna Rien
The story of Scottish side Gretna FC’s remarkably quick rise and fall looks like ending in liquidation amid estimated debts of $16 million. It’s a cautionary tale for small clubs embracing rich benefactors with grandiose ambitions. Six years ago, Gretna (a village close to the English border with a population of 2,705) moved from […]
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Italy loses captain Cannavaro
[EURO ’08 COUNTDOWN] Fabio Cannavaro, who two years ago lifted the World Cup trophy as Italy captain, will miss the 2008 European Championship after after injuring his left ankle Monday during Italy’s first training session after its arrival at its Austrian headquarters, the Schloss Weikersdorf Residenz, near Vienna.
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High-scoring Uzbekistan and Bahrain remain perfect
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Uzbekistan and Bahrain are the only teams unbeaten and untied after three games in the second round of World Cup 2010 qualifying in Asia. Uzbekistan went on the rampage and scored five goals in the first half en route to a 7-3 win. Bahrain won, 3-2, at Thailand. On the other hand, Iran’s scoring troubles continued as it was held to a 0-0 tie by the United Arab Emirates — its third straight tie. For all the Asian results and goalscorers …
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Dynamo defender fined, suspended
[MLS/VIDEO] MLS has suspended Houston Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson one game and fined him $500 for retaliatory actions against FC Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha May 29. That’s on top of the automatic one-game suspension and $250 fine for the red card Robinson received in the game.
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Spector out for months; Donovan to miss Spain
[U.S. SOCCER] Jonathan Spector, the 22-year-old defender who plays for the English Premier League’s West Ham, will undergo hip surgery and will be sidelined for three to six months. He is thus dropped from the USA’s roster for its friendly Wednesday against Spain and will miss this summer’s Olympic tournament with the U.S. U-23s. Also unavailable for the Spain friendly is Landon Donovan, who has yet to recover from the groin injury that forced him to miss last week’s 2-0 loss at England. For the latest U.S. roster for its game against Spain. …
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Major Indoor Soccer League folds
The Major Indoor Soccer League has folded after seven seasons while announcing it is considering restructuring.
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Spanish riches will test USA
[SPAIN] After a lackluster 2-1 win over Peru, Coach Luis Aragones is likely to make several changes when Spain faces the USA Wednesday in Santander. Young Raul Albiol will likely replace Carlos Marchena in the middle of the backline, while Daniel Guiza, La Liga’s top score with Mallorca last season, could get his first start in place of Fernando Torres. But it’s in midfield where Aragones has an abundance of riches — one of the reasons Spain is a favorite to win Euro ’08, which begins Saturday.