The first weekend of play in the new US Youth Soccer National League took place at the WRAL Soccer Center in Raleigh, N.C. Teams are competing in boys and girls under-15 and under-16 divisions. For all the results and standings …
Category: Story
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Thanksgiving Interregionals Rosters
The following are the players selected to compete on regional teams in the ’92, ’93 and ’94 age groups at the US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Thanksgiving Interregionals …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Can ‘Mzansi’ host a safe World Cup?
Mike Woitalla reporting from South Africa
A picture of Nelson Mandela adorned one side of the fan’s large sign and on the other side was the message, “Tell the world that Mzansi for sho is the safe place on Earth.” The fan was among the 45,000 spectators at the Soweto Derby, the Orlando Pirates vs. Kaizer Chiefs game that took place in Durban in conjunction with the World Cup Preliminary Draw. Convincing fans that “Mzansi,” a nickname for South Africa, will be a safe destination is the critical challenge for World Cup organizers.
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MAKING A LIST: EPL Managerial Casualties
Billy Davies became the sixth English Premier League manager to leave in the last nine weeks. Davies left Derby County, which he helped win promotion last spring. Early in the 2007-08 season, Davies brought Americans Benny Feilhaber (Hamburg) and Eddie Lewis (Leeds) to Derby.
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Venezuela’s Paez quits in response to fan attacks
Venezuela coach Richard Paez, the longest-serving national team coach in South America, quit on Monday, six days after a 5-3 come-from-behind win over Bolivia left Venezuela in good shape to challenge for its first berth in the World Cup finals.
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Colombians Cabrera and Pareja reunited with U.S. U-17s
Assistant coach Oscar Pareja, a member of the FC Dallas coaching staff since retiring as a player two seasons ago, is leaving to work with the U.S. under-17 national team. Head coach Wilmer Cabrera, who was hired by U.S. Soccer last month, offered Pareja the position two weeks ago.
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Soccer on TV
The group stage of the UEFA Champions League continues with games on cable and pay-per-view on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Security Still a Concern for South Africa 2010
The glitzy World Cup draw in Durban went off without a hitch — at least, that’s what organizers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa would tell you. However, the weekend was blighted by the murder of a former Austrian soccer player at a golf course outside the city, underscoring the safety concerns hanging […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ailing L.A. Galaxy Enters Australia
The Los Angeles Galaxy’s tour of Australia and New Zealand isn’t just another bunch of friendlies, writes Andrea Canales of ESPN Soccernet. The two-game tour happens to be the debut of new coach Ruud Gullit, which adds intrigue to the team’s performances against Sydney FC on Wednesday and Wellington three days later. Gullit, who returned […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Platini Against the Grain
UEFA President Michel Platini, “the highest ranking critic of the game,” lives in an entirely different world from the reality of European soccer, says USSoccerPlayers’ J. Hutcherson. Long gone are the days when soccer teams were small businesses that barely made money. Soccer today is a global business, which makes many of Platini’s proposals to […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Unhappy Times at Newcastle, Liverpool
It was an interesting study in contrasts as Liverpool visited Newcastle on Saturday. On the one hand, Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is loathed by fans but enjoys the support of the team’s management. On the other, Liverpool’s Rafael Benitez is nearly at war with the team’s American owners, but is loved by the Reds faithful. […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The Importance of Being Landon
Goal.com’s Kyle McCarthy ponders the implications of Major League Soccer’s decision to allow Landon Donovan and other so-called “grandfathered” players to remain with their clubs. Because their high-paying contracts were drafted before the Designated Player Rule, MLS enabled Donovan, Eddie Johnson and Carlos Ruiz to play the 2007 season without commanding a DP slot. Now, […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Middlebury wins first national crown with defense
[NCAA DIVISION III MEN] Middlebury won the NCAA Division III men’s title without scoring a goal in the final four played Friday and Saturday at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Wheaton women are perfect in repeat championship
[NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN] Wheaton (Ill.) completed a perfect season with a 1-0 win over Messiah Saturday to clinch its second straight NCAA Division III women’s championship.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Sweet 16 leaves bitter taste for top seeds
NCAA Division I Women’s Game Reports
Three of the four No. 1 regional seeds fell in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament. Besides defending champion North Carolina, which lost to Notre Dame, Penn State fell to West Virginia, and Stanford was upset by Connecticut. Top-ranked UCLA is the only No. 1 seed still alive. The Bruins will face Portland, winner of 11 straight games, in the quarterfinals. For reports on all the Sweet 16 games …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MAKING A LIST: North Carolina’s seven losses
North Carolina’s 3-2 defeat to Notre Dame was only its seventh loss in the 26 years of the NCAA Women’s Tournament but it marked the third time in the last four years that the Tar Heels had lost at home in the third round or quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament. The Tar Heels, winners of 18 championships, had never previously lost before the semifinals.
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Quick-firing Notre Dame knocks off North Carolina
In consecutive games on the first weekend of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament, Notre Dame scored back-to-back goals in 38 seconds and 75 seconds, but the Irish outdid themselves against North Carolina in Saturday’s third round. Notre Dame set an NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament record with goals 14 seconds apart in the 13th minute of its game at Chapel Hill and knocked off the defending champion Tar Heels, 3-2, to gain revenge for its loss in last year’s Women’s College Cup final.
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NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament Results
Only four teams won on the road in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament: UIC (shootout win at Saint Louis), Vermont (shootout win at Dartmouth), Central Connecticut State (3-2 over Harvard) and Oakland (2-1 at Michigan State). For all the first-round results and goal scorers and second-round matchups …
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Duke’s Rennie goes out like one of the seniors
After 29 years as men’s head coach at Duke, John Rennie‘s career came to an end Friday night when the Blue Devils fell, 1-0, at Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Tournament.
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World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-CONCACAF
The USA was drawn potentially the most difficult of the three semifinal groups, where if form holds it will face 2006 World Cup finalist Trinidad & Tobago, fourth in 2006 CONCACAF qualifying, Guatemala, fifth in 2006 CONCACAF qualifying, and Cuba. Canada could meet Mexico, Honduras and Jamaica, making it once again a longshot to advance to the Hexagonal. Costa Rica might have to play Panama, Haiti and Guyana in Group 3, which looks like the easiest of the three groups.
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World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Africa
The novelty of the World Cup 2010 qualifying draw in Africa is that World Cup 2010 host South Africa will take part in qualifying since the competition also serves as qualifying for the 2010 African Nations Cup. The Bafana Bafana were drawn with powerhouse Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone in the first group stage.
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World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Asia
Asia’s first group stage includes the most hotly contested group to emerge from Sunday’s World Cup 2010 qualifying draw in Durban. Group 1 consists of Australia, which reached the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup, Iraq, the 2007 Asian champion, China, which played in the 2002 World Cup, and Qatar, arguably the most ambitious nation in the Middle East.
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World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw-Europe
Old foes will meet again in Europe’s World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. England must face Croatia, which knocked it out of Euro 2008 last Wednesday, in Group 6. Scandinavian rivals Sweden and Denmark, involved in a match in Copenhagen in June that was abandoned when a Danish fan came on the field and attacked the referee, will meet in Group 1, where Portugal will be favored.
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Bob Bradley: ‘World Cup qualifying is always challenging’
Mike Woitalla reporting from South Africa
Coach Bob Bradley‘s challenge of guiding the USA to the 2010 World Cup finals came into focus on Sunday at the World Cup Preliminary Draw in Durban, South Africa. For Bradley’s take on the USA’s likely opponents in its first stages of qualifying, his look back on his first year at the helm, and his preparation strategy …
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USA to open against Dominica or Barbados
The USA will have to play at least 18 games to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. It begins CONCACAF qualifying in June 2008 with a two-game series against Dominica or Barbados.