Category: Story

The Daily Mail says Rafael Benitez’s job is on the line after Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup on Saturday, losing 2-1 at home to second-tier club Barnsley. With a third of the season still to go, the Champions League is now the only competition the Reds could still win. Tomorrow night Liverpool hosts […]

Last Shot for Women’s Pro Game?

Women’s Professional Soccer, set to kick off in a year, will be a far more modest operation than the Women’s United Soccer Association, which collapsed in 2003, says Yahoo Sports Martin Rogers. WUSA tried to piggyback on the success of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, promising packed stadiums and big TV deals, but it all […]

Hawaii’s Pan-Pacific Tourney Aims for Pro Bowl Luster

If Honolulu loses the NFL Pro Bowl (which it may once the state’s contract with the league expires next year), then soccer’s Pan-Pacific Championship might come to fill the economic void — or at least part of it, says the Honolulu Advertiser’s Michael Tsai. Why? For one thing, an international field featuring the L.A. Galaxy, […]

Soccer on TV., Story

Soccer on TV

The knockout stage of the European Champions League begins this week. There’s also Libertadores Cup action in the midweek and the Pan-Pacific Championship, the Hawaii-hosted tournament at which MLS clubs Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy face Sydney FC and Gamba Osaka.

Castillo selected for Mexico’s Olympic qualifying squad

[VIDEO] New Mexico product Edgar Castillo has been selected by Coach Hugo Sanchez to Mexico’s U-23 team for its qualifying campaign for next summer’s Olympics. Mexico’s first-round play against Canada, Haiti and Guatemala kicks off March 12 in Carson, Calif. Last week, Castillo scored for Santos Laguna against Chivas Guadalajara on an 18-yard shot after dribbling from near the halfway line.

Big win for Onyewu; Michael Bradley’s streak ends

[AMERICANS IN EUROPE] Standard Liege, with Oguchi Onyewu patrolling the central defense, beat Belgian Jupiler League leader Club Brugge away, 2-1, to go even on points with at the head of the standings. In the Netherlands, Michael Bradley‘s scoring streak ended in Heerenveen’s 2-2 tie with lowly Heracles. Steve Cherundolo faced Bayern Munich in Germany.

Who’s hot in MLS preseason play

by Ridge MahoneyFebruary 18, 2008

The new San Jose Earthquakes played a pair of games against defending champ Houston, the team created out of the old Quakes. Toronto is getting goals from its young star of 2007, while the Red Bulls’ new Colombian saw action against Swedish club Hammarby. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney examines MLS preseason developments and looks at more possible foreign siginings.

DiCicco’s U.S. U-20 women complete Chile sweep

[YOUTH] The U.S. under-20 women’s national team won its first tournament under new head coach Tony DiCicco Saturday when it clinched the Four Nations Tournament with a 5-1 win over host Chile.

Barnsley’s nerves of Steele

by Paul KennedyFebruary 18, 2008

[ENGLAND WATCH] Luke Steele, once considered Manchester United’s next-great goalkeeping prospect, had not played in two months and had only made two appearances in the last year, so he jumped at the chance to join Barnsley on loan from League Championship (second division) rival West Bromwich and start against mighty Liverpool in Saturday’s FA Cup match.

Inter Milan extends Italian lead

[EUROPEAN RACES] Inter Milan stretched its lead in Italy’s Serie A to 11 points when it beat Livorno, 2-0, and second-place Roma fell at Juventus, 1-0. In Spain, Real Madrid’s lead over Barcelona fell to five points, while Lyon’s margin over second-place Bordeaux in France is only one point.

Adu injured; Jaqua scores in Austria

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Freddy Adu entered for Benfica in the 78th minute against Naval but was subbed in the 90th minute with an injury. Benfica won, 2-0, on goals in the 23rd and 90th minutes. Nate Jaqua scored in his Austrian First Division debut for Altach in a 1-1 tie at Austria Vienna.

Galaxy’s Gullit Cracks the Whip

Camp Gullit has begun, and it’s considerably different to what the L.A. Galaxy players were used to under Frank Yallop, says Yahoo Sports’ Martin Rogers. Dutch coach Ruud Gullit has implemented strict guidelines on the players’ eating habits in addition to a new twice-a-day training regimen. David Beckham, for one, approves of the new measures, […]

L.A. Trades for Vanney as Harden Retires

The Los Angeles Galaxy looks set to bolster its defense by adding D.C. United veteran Greg Vanney, blogger Ives Galarcep reports. Washington Post writer Steven Goff confirms the rumor, adding that Quavas Kirk will be involved in the trade. Vanney would become the second former Galaxy player to return to the team this off-season, striker […]

Altidore on the Up and Up

Associated Press reporter Brian Trusdell asks U.S. soccer players and officials to weigh in on U.S. phenom Josmer Altidore, who recently collected his first international goal for the U.S. senior national team in a 2-2 draw with Mexico. Everyone agrees that the 6-foot-2, 190 pound 18-year-old has loads of potential, but many feel Altidore has […]

CONCACAF Teams Need to Play Better Opposition

CONCACAF teams need to play against tougher opposition if the region is ever going to effectively compete in a World Cup, says the Houston Chronicle’s Bernardo Fallas. The USA, at least, has the idea, having lined up friendlies against 20th-ranked Poland, 4th-ranked Spain, 11th-ranked England (perhaps), and looking to set up one more against other […]

Blatter: International Plan Would Hurt England WC Bid

The English Premier League’s proposal to add a 39th round of international games to its schedule received a massive body blow on Friday when FIFA President Sepp Blatter told BBC Sport that the plan would “never happen.” Blatter added that if the league decided to pursue the idea anyway, it would harm England’s chances of […]

Soccer on TV., Story

Soccer on TV

EPL leaders Arsenal and Manchester United face off in the FA Cup. Juventus and Roma clash in Italian Serie A play. Gol TV serves up Barcelona and Real Madrid games on Saturday.

Quakes originals boost new San Jose

[MLS TEAM PREVIEWS] Officially, San Jose added its 13th player yesterday with the announcement of Houston trading Ramiro Corrales to San Jose for allocation money. MLS had purchased Corrales’ rights from Norwegian club SK Brann for a fee of “approximately $150,000,” according to a source, and the Quakes paid about half of that in allocation money to bring him back to one of his former MLS teams.

UEFA Cup Results

Tottenham, Fiorentina and Hamburg all won on the road in the first leg of the their UEFA Cup round-of-32 series on Thursday. Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich had to settle for a 2-2 tie at Scotland’s Aberdeen. For all the results and goal scorers …

It’s all ‘great’ for Freddy Adu

by Mike WoitallaFebruary 15, 2008

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Freddy Adu was a late sub, as has been the norm since he joined Benfica last summer, on Thursday in UEFA Cup play. But the 18-year-old, who saw much more playing time in MLS, says he’s perfectly happy in Portugal. Soccer America’s Mike Woitalla spoke with Adu while he was on U.S. national team duty …

RSL ups the ante to snag Borchers

by Ridge MahoneyFebruary 15, 2008

Former Rapids defender Nat Borchers is coming back, if not home, to a part of the country not far from home. Real Salt Lake exercised an allocation to acquire Borchers, 26, who left MLS two seasons ago in a $365,000 transfer to Norwegian club Odd Grenland, which was relegated last fall.

U.S. U-20 women win second game in Chile

[YOUTH] The U.S. Under-20 women’s national team won its second straight game at the Four Nations Tournament in La Serena, Chile, with a 2-1 win over Norway thanks to goals from the University of Portland’s Keelin Winters and high school sensation Teresa Noyola.

International Weekend TV Schedule

International Weekend TV Schedule

This weekend’s marquee match is the Manchester United-Arsenal clash, a battle of EPL leaders in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The other big match pits Juventus against Roma in a battle of Italian giants. For all the weekend international action …

‘Text-mad’ Cristiano Ronaldo fined $4,000 a message

[OFF THE POST] Ask many big-time soccer players what is their most precious possession, and they will say their cell phone. Ask their coach what is their prime pet peeve, and he will say players using their cell phone. Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was fined $16,000 for using his cell phone during training — which works out to $4,000 for each of four text messages he sent during a recent training session.