Midweek matches include a Spain-USA friendly, Copa Libertadores semifinals and a pair of MLS games. Euro 2008 kicks off this weekend. The USA plays a second friendly on Sunday when it hosts Argentina.
Category: Story
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Journalist Claims Assault By Samuel Eto’o
One of Jose Mourinho’s rumored first transfer targets for Inter is Barcelona’s Cameroon striker, Samuel Eto’o, who scored a penalty for his country in Saturday’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Cape Verde. The day before, however, he allegedly attacked a Cameroonian radio journalist. Philippe Bonney of Radio Siantou told Reuters that Eto’o assaulted […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Inter Job Will Test Mourinho’s ‘Special’ Status
In an open letter to new Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho, Gabriele Marcotti warns him of the task ahead at a club well known for being a “dysfunctional basketcase,” and says that “the special one” will really need to live up to his self-given moniker to succeed at the San Siro. After all, departing coach […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Warner Wants To Feel England’s Warmth
CONCACAF President Jack Warner believes that the English Football Association must show more “warmth” if it wants to succeed in its bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Although England “has consistently had the best bid for hosting the World Cup,” Warner says that in his time as a FIFA vice president he has also […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
U.S. Team Should Open Itself To The Latin Game
Our own Paul Gardner has said often enough that U.S. soccer must better exploit the potential of the country’s huge Latin American population. Now, writes Rob Hughes, the U.S. Soccer Federation has a president in Sunil Gulati who has realized that if soccer in the United States wants to reach a higher level, “it must […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘From Wurst To Bad’
Coach Sigi Schmid took his Columbus Crew team to a South Bay German restaurant before Saturday’s game against Chivas USA, but that just meant things went from “wurst to bad to worst,” writes Grahame L Jones. After losing 2-0 to Chivas with 10 men on the field for most of the game, the Crew’s promising […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
RSL exposes bleak San Jose future
Frank Yallop seldom names names when his players disappoint him yet as the Quakes lost, 3-1, to Real Salt Lake Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium he didn’t need to utter a word: the look of resignation on his face as he sat on the bench said it all.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Unhappy Aragones to hold double closed-door practice session
[SPAIN] A spectacular volley from Joan Capdevila gave Spain a 2-1 win over Peru in a warm-up for Euro 2008 on Saturday. Spain, which faces the USA Wednesday in Santander (TV, espn360.com, live, ESPN2, 5:30 pm ET, Galavision, 7, delay, 7 pm ET/PT), extended its unbeaten streak to 15 games, but Coach Luis Aragones said he was unhappy with his team’s play.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Italy impresses; France injury concerns
[EURO ’08 COUNTDOWN] Antonio Di Natale is certainly making it hard for Italian star Alessandro Del Piero to regain his spot in the Azzurri’s starting lineup. The Udinese forward scored twice to pace an impressive Italian effort in a 3-1 win over Belgium … France’s injury concerns mounted as captain Patrick Vieira could be sidelined for next Monday’s opener against Romania with a thigh injury … Young Liverpool star Ryan Babel will probably have to settle for a spot on the Netherlands’ Olympic team after an ankle injury forced him to withdraw from the Oranje’s Euro ’08 squad. For all the latest Euro ’08 news …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Fans killed at Liberia-Gambia qualifier
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Tragedy struck on the opening weekend of play in the second round of World Cup 2010 qualifying in Africa when at least eight fans died of suffocation in a rush to enter an overcrowded Samuel K. Doe Stadium in the Liberian capital of Monrovia, where the Lone Star hosted Gambia on Sunday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Canada gives Brazil scare in Seattle
[BRAZIL-CANADA] The first two times Brazil and Canada met in friendly matches, the games ended in ties. This time, Brazil won, but it was close.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
England, USA (or Mexico) or both?
[WORLD CUP 2018 BID] Last week in London, where England hosted the United States in a friendly, the talk was of a U.S. bid for the 2018 World Cup. In Port of Spain, Trinidad, where England beat T&T, 3-0, on Sunday, the talk was of Concacaf’s Trinidadian president, Jack Warner, and his view on the English bid in 2018. And at the FIFA Congress in Sydney, Australia, there was a twist to the 2018 campaign — a proposal to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at the same time. A recap of the news on the 2018 bidding front …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USL-1 Results
The Vancouver Whitecaps took over first place in the USL First Division with a pair of shutout wins on the road: 2-0 at previous leader Charleston and 1-0 at fifth place Minnesota. In Montreal, a crowd of 12,034 fans watched the Impact fall to Portland, 1-0, and go scoreless for the third straight game at the new Stade Saputo. For all the USL-1 results and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
MLS Suffers when National Duty Calls
For the second time in two tries, David Beckham has failed to materialize at Toronto’s BMO Field. The first no-show, last August, was down to his not being fit. This past weekend, he was on international duty. As an irate fan e-mailed me: “England didn’t make Euro 08, so what effing international duty?” Good question.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Edgar Castillo celebrates Mexican title
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Edgar Castillo, a 21-year-old New Mexico product, helped Santos win the Mexican league championship. The left back, whom the Mexican press is lauding as one of the league’s top young players for his attacking contributions, initiated the foray that led to Daniel Luduena‘s goal in the 1-1 second-leg tie with Cruz Azul on Sunday that gave Santos a 3-2 aggregate win.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Results
Last season’s worst team, Tornoto FC, inched up the East standings thanks to a win over Los Angeles. For the up-to-date MLS standings and leading scorers, all the weekend summaries and this week’s schedule. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bradley names the men for Spain
[U.S. SOCCER] Coach Bob Bradley, in the wake of his team’s 2-0 loss to England, has named a 24-man roster for the June 4 friendly in Spain that includes all 17 European-based players who were on the roster for the England game.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Colorado moves up; Toronto rewards fans
[NAMES & NUMBERS] The Colorado Rapids moved into first place of the West with a win over FC Dallas while the Los Angeles Galaxy fell in Toronto, where its enthusiastic fan support is enjoying a six-game home unbeaten streak. Chivas USA’s win over Columbus included a bloody red-card foul by Crew midfielder Danny O’Rourke while Crew coach Sigi Schmid complained about how his top striker has been beaten on. For the weekend’s MLS highlights. …
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Among MLS action is the Los Angeles Galaxy’s trip to Toronto. Beckham and Co., have lost just once in their last five games while Toronto FC has only one defeat in its last seven games. World champion Italy, Germany, France and Portugal are among the teams warming up for the European Championship with friendlies this weekend. The Mexican Clausura 2008 title will be decided on Sunday.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
EPL’s Silly Salaries
It was announced this week that annual wages paid to English Premier League players now tops $2 billion, but as the usual off-season transfer speculation heats up, “some clubs are leaving themselves open to being financially crippled for years to come by over-spending,” according to the daily editorial at When Saturday Comes. The manager […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
FIFA Set To Clash With EU Over ‘6+5’ Rule
Soccer’s global governing body, FIFA, has set itself up for a clash with the European Union after its annual congress in Sydney Friday voted overwhelmingly to further explore a proposal to limit the number of foreign players in a club’s starting XI. FIFA President Sepp Blatter hopes to introduce the scheme incrementally from 2010, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
FIFA Posts Profit Despite MasterCard Payout
FIFA announced a profit of $49 million for 2007 at its annual congress, despite having to pay former sponsor MasterCard an astronomical $90 million as part of a legal settlement. As an existing sponsor, MasterCard had had first refusal on the sponsorship rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. When FIFA went ahead […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Nicol: We Were Outplayed
Coaches will more often than not complain about the injustice of a defeat, or heap exaggerated praise upon their team when things go right. It was refreshing, then, to hear New England coach Steve Nicol admit that his team was fortunate to take a point in Thursday’s 2-2 tie with D.C. United. “As a […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Bob Bradley Must Re-Build The Midfield
J Hutcherson looks at the bigger picture around the U.S. national team in the aftermath of Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to England, and the problems that Coach Bob Bradley has yet to solve. “National team soccer isn’t about picking an all-star team from whoever might be available and hoping they gel,” he writes, “but that’s looking […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Ref Watch: Hot times in Texas redux
In the two 2008 meetings of state rivals Houston and FC Dallas there have been 10 goals scored (including two stoppage-time equalizers), 49 fouls committed, and two players ejected.