The Kansas City Star’s Bob Luder points out that the Wizards may have added a new dimension to their attack, as two of the team’s three goals against Colorado on Saturday came from set pieces, which had been a glaring hole on the team stat sheet in 2007. Perhaps even rarer was the fact that […]
Category: Story
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Cameron Cracker on MLS Debut
After being blasted by New England in their MLS opener, drawing 0-0 at home to Costa Rican club Saprissa in the Champions Cup semifinals, and staring at a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas in their home opener, the Houston Dynamo fans, reminded of last year’s slow start, must have been thinking: “here we go again.” […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Billionaire Soros Eyes AS Roma
Italian paper La Gazzetta dello Sport has been reporting for several weeks now that American billionaire George Soros is inching closer to a takeover of Serie A giant AS Roma. Regardless, the paper points out that the club’s parent company, Italpetroli, has accumulated debts in the region of $555 million and looks likely to sell. […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Henry-Seattle Rumors Heat Up
For the past several days, speculation has been mounting that France World Cup winner Thierry Henry will join MLS expansion club Seattle for its inaugural 2009 season.
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Midweek action includes European Champions League action and the quests of two MLS teams to reach the Concacaf Champions Cup final.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
A brilliant beginning to season 13
I know we’re only two weeks into the 13th MLS season, and declaring detections of trends at this stage is a fool’s game, but I do see glimmers of a subtle yet critical phase in the maturation of America’s soccer league.
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The Partisan Truth of Coaches: Laudable or Laughable?
Deplorable as it is, the traditional coaching habit of coming up with silly post-game comments must be respected. We are, after all, under no obligation to listen to the hogwash, and need pay attention only to those occasional moments when something worthwhile is said. The hogwash is plentiful, and can at least provide a laugh or a snicker or two.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Joy in Wales; woes in Barcelona
[WINNERS & LOSERS] “I cannot overestimate how much Cardiff City’s appearance at the FA Cup final on 17 May is going to mean to Wales and Cardiff’s profile all over the world,” said Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister of Wales after the finalists in the world’s oldest soccer competition were set last weekend.
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Scoring spree continues in Week 2
[MLS NAMES & NUMBERS] A six-goal Texas shootout, a winning start for the Red Bulls, and D.C. United’s emphatic rebound from its season-opening loss highlighted MLS Week 2 action.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Fulham slips closer to relegation
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Three of Fulham’s five Americans saw action as the Cottagers fell, 3-1, at home to Sunderland. Fulham is six points deep in the drop zone and will likely join Derby, which has two Americans — Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber – among EPL relegation teams this season.
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U.S. women down Mexico in front of 22,280
[OLYMPIC QUALIFYING] The U.S. women’s national team beat host Mexico, 3-1, in front of a record crowd of 22,280, to come within a game of qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games. The victory in Ciudad Juarez came two days after the USA’s 6-0 win over Jamaica and puts the Americans in a semifinal against Costa Rica – the winner of which earns a ticket to China.
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MLS Game Summaries, Standings, Stats, Schedule
With the season barely underway, only the Kansas City Wizards, which won their second straight game, and New York, which opened play last weekend, are MLS’s only perfect teams.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ronaldinho Ruled Out for the Season
It’s a sad day for Barcelona fans, as Ronaldinho has more than likely played his last match for the club, a 2-1 loss to Villarreal at the Camp Nou. According to a statement on the club’s Web site, the Brazilian World Cup winner tore muscle in training on Thursday and will now miss the rest […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Underdogs Prepare for ‘Greatest’ Semifinal
Some are already calling it the greatest FA Cup competition in history. Why, because Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea — which comprise half of this year’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal list — have failed to reach the semifinals for the first time in what seems like all of FA Cup history. And for those […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Parkhurst Takes Blame for Chicago Rout
Reigning MLS Defender of the Year Michael Parkhurst was the first to hold up his hands and say “my bad” after the Chicago Fire took the New England Revolution defense apart on Thursday night, winning 4-0 at Toyota Park. “I was awful, I let the team down on the first two goals,” Parkhurst told the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Marcelo Gallardo and D.C. United’s High-Paid Foreigners
The MLS Player’s Union on Thursday once again released information about how much money each of its players make. To no one’s surprise, David Beckham tops that list, earning a guaranteed $6.5 million per year. Behind him is the Chicago Fire’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco, $2.67 million, while D.C. United newcomer Marcelo Gallardo is third, earning $1.87 […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
The New York Red Bulls finally start their season on Saturday when they face Columbus. There’s FA Cup action in England, and GolTV provides the action from Barcelona’s chase of Real Madrid in Spain.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
The warm weather league – for now
As poor crowds in Chicago, New England and Columbus for their opening games indicated, MLS isn’t anywhere near ready to move toward a schedule modeled along European lines.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
UEFA Cup Results
German leader Bayern Munich’s European campaign hit a snag when a late Cosmin Contra goal earned Spanish club Getafe a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena on Thursday in the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarterfinal series. Germany’s other quarterfinalist, Bayer Leverkusen, fared even worse, falling to Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg, 4-1, at home. For all the results and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
International Weekend TV Schedule
The English FA Cup moves into the semifinals with West Bromwich-Portsmouth on Saturday and Barnsley-Cardiff City on Sunday, both at Wembley Stadium. In Spain, second-place Villarreal and third-place Barcelona will face key tests on Sunday in their bids to remain within striking distance of leader Real Madrid, which is at Mallorca on Saturday. For all the weekend TV action …
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MLS TV SCHEDULE
The New York Red Bulls play their first game of the season — and their first league match under Coach Juan Carlos Osorio — when they host Columbus on Saturday. FC Dallas aims for its first-ever win at Texas rival Houston. D.C. United , which lost its MLS opener last weekend and a Concacaf Champions Cup game in the midweek, hosts FC Toronto, which won only six games in its inaugural 2007 season and fell last week to Columbus. Chivas USA’s home opener is against Real Salt Lake, which like Chivas started the season with a tie. Kansas City and Colorado, which both opened with shutout wins, clash in K.C.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Croatian dies of head injuries after hitting sideline wall
[OBITUARY] Croatian Hrvoje Custic died on Thursday from injuries suffered on Saturday when he hit his head on a concrete wall during a First Division match.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Beckham, Donovan & Co. bounce back
Tales of the Galaxy’s demise may yet prove to be apropos, not premature, but for the time being it must be said they are exaggerated. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney reports from Carson, Calif., on how Beckham, Donovan & Co., bounced back from their season-opening debacle against Colorado when they met San Jose on Thursday.
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Home teams rule, so far
[BY THE NUMBERS] With Chicago’s 4-0 win over New England and Los Angeles’ 2-0 victory over San Jose, home teams remain undefeated in the MLS season’s first eight games. The Los Angeles Galaxy’s attendance of 27,000 was the highest of the season so far.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Salaries Revealed: Millionaires and Paupers
2008 MLS players salaries made available by the MLS Players Union reveal that Los Angeles’ David Beckham ($6.5 million guaranteed), Chicago’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco ($2.67 million) and D.C. United’s Marcelo Gallardo ($1.87 million) are the league’s top earners, while the highest earning Americans are New York midfielder Claudio Reyna ($1.26 million) and Los Angeles attacker Landon Donovan ($900,000). MLS’s minimum senior salary is $33,000 while players on developmental contracts earn between $12,900 and $17,700.