[THE SUNDHAGE FILE] Swede Pia Sundhage, 47, has been named U.S. women’s national team coach, becoming the first foreign coach to head the team in the 22-year history of the U.S. women’s national team program. Sundhage is charged with qualifying the USA for the 2008 Olympics and winning the gold medal a year after the Americans, under Coach Greg Ryan, finished a disappointing third-place at the 2007 Women’s World Cup. For facts and figures on Pia Sundhage. …
Category: Story
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
‘It’s about dictating the tempo’
[AUDIO/TRANSCRIPTS] At Tuesday’s press conference announcing the hiring of Pia Sundhage, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati explained why he believes the Swede is the right choice to get the USA back on track. Sundhage discussed how the USA can prevail in an increasingly competitive international arena: “The team is capable of keeping possession and finding the right moment to penetrate. The U.S. can be very successful this way, even playing against tough teams and organized teams. It’s about dictating the tempo; sometimes high tempo and sometimes low tempo. You have to expect that they want to keep the ball and to be comfortable with the ball.”
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA men to host Mexico in February
The USA will host Mexico on Feb. 6 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, in a friendly. The game will be shown live on ESPN2 and Univision.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
TFC Already Sold Out for 2008
Need a yardstick to measure the success of first-year MLS club Toronto FC? How about this: the 2007 season isn’t even over and yet the expansion franchise on Monday announced that it had sold out of season seats for the 2008 MLS season. Sales were capped at 16,000, surpassing last season’s 14,000. More seats were […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
MyFootballClub Buys First Club
Staying on the theme of democratic soccer ownership, MyFootballClub, the community Web site that aimed to take over a soccer club and let fans decide on everything (we’ll explain), on Monday announced that it had successfully taken over its first team, Ebbsfleet United of the Blue Square League. The project’s 20,000 members have each paid […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Success of Dynamo and Revs All About Stability
Other Major League Soccer coaches and GMs shuffle race around the country looking for the next big thing, but New England coach Steve Nicol and Houston’s Dominic Kinnear prefer a steadier course. Obviously, it’s working, says ESPN’s Steve Davis. Over the past three or four MLS seasons, Nicol and Kinnear’s teams have been a model […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Kaka Fed Up with Italian Violence, Corruption
Kaka dropped his strongest hint yet that he may be set to leave AC Milan and Serie A after talking with reporters about the latest round of fan violence in Italy. The Brazilian said Serie A was “losing its credibility” in the world of soccer, and warned that the game’s best players would opt to […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Comedian Carey Invests in Seattle Franchise
Comedian and game show host Drew Carey has invested in Seattle’s MLS expansion franchise, making him part of an ownership group consisting of Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen, Seattle Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer and Hollywood producer Joe Roth, who is the majority owner. Carey, like Allen and Hanauer, will be a minority owner. The yet-to-be-named […]
Posted inGrassroots Soccer Biz, Story
Vendor Village can enhance tournament profits
A centrally located vendor area enhances the tournament experience and can help grow profits
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Richland repeats as NJCAA Division III men’s champion
Richland College of Texas won its second straight NJCAA Division III Men’s title and fifth in the last six years with a 1-0 win over Ulster County (N.Y.) Community College on Sunday at the national finals in Herkimer, N.Y.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Broome women claim first national crown in any sport
Two second-half goals by Emily Dixon gave Broome (N.Y.) Community College a 2-1 victory over Gloucester County (N.J.) College in the NJCAA Division III Women’s final on Sunday in Herkimer, N.Y.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament Schedule
Play begins this weekend with first- and second-round games in the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament. All games are Friday-Saturday except in the Texas A&M regional, which will play Thursday-Saturday. BYU, one of four teams in the regional, doesn’t play on Sundays. For all the matchups …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Surprises in NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament draw
There were only a few surprises in the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament draw announced by the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee on Monday night.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Men’s Team of the Week
Santa Clara’s Peter Lowry and Ohio State keeper Casey Latchem, who helped their teams nail down conference championships, are among the players named to this week’s Soccer America Men’s Team of the Week. For the complete Team of the Week for games played Nov. 5-11 …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Men’s Player of the Week
Trinidadian Sherron Manswell, who scored two goals and assisted on a third in Boston College’s 3-1 win over Virginia Tech, is the Soccer America Men’s Player of the Week for games played Nov. 5-11.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Women’s Player of the Week
Sophomore Nikki Washington, who scored in all three games for North Carolina en route to its 18th ACC tournament title in 20 years, is the Soccer America Women’s Player of the Week for games played Nov. 5-11.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week
Among the members of the Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week are Chelsea Deptula (Hawaii), Ashley Berra (Memphis) and Katie McCoy (Sacramento State), whose play helped their teams earn their first NCAA Tournament bids. For the complete Team of the Week for games played Nov. 5-11 …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Boston College and Wake Forest claim top honors
[ACC MEN’S AWARDS] Boston College transfer Alejandro Bedoya, who was instrumental in leading the Eagles to the 2007 ACC men’s regular-season title, was tabbed the Offensive Player of the Year, and BC coach Ed Kelly was named Coach of the Year. Four players on top-ranked Wake Forest were first-team all-ACC picks, and Demon Deacon midfielder Corben Bone captured Freshman of the Year honors. For all the ACC award winners …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Florida woman arrested for stealing from youth league
Central Florida media outlets have reported that a board member of the Big Sun Soccer League has been arrested for engaging in a scheme to defraud the youth organization of more than $79,000. Police say Priscilla Bellcase, 40, allegedly wrote checks to cash, then endorsed them herself or forged the name of another board member to access the funds. The arrest came after a three-month-long investigation by the Ocala Police Dept. Economic Crimes Unit.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Fan power and marching band for new MLS team
Comedian Drew Carey, a member of the ownership group of the Seattle franchise that will field an MLS team in 2009, promised that the team will have a marching band and that he wants to allow fans to buy memberships giving them a vote on club policy, such as the fate of the general manager. “If you don’t like the job he’s doing, if he doesn’t have a winning team, if you don’t like the product, if you don’t think the hot dogs taste good when you go to the stadium, you can just vote him out,” Carey told the Seattle Post Intelligencer .
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Farewell to Armas
Today’s the day Chris Armas officially hangs it up. At age 35, sent to the sidelines by a troublesome hip and the wear and tear of a dozen pro seasons, the MLS prototypical holding midfielder played 264 regular season games and 37 more in the playoffs with a zeal and hunger seemingly unaffected by fatigue, weather or circumstance. He’ll walk away reluctantly, happy and sad, as well he should. Nobody ever wore the colors of his club and country more humbly yet as proudly as did Armas. He played in four MLS Cups and helped the Fire, which he joined after two seasons in Los Angeles, win a league title and four U.S. Open
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Brazil takes Beach World Cup, again
Brazil claimed its second consecutive Beach World Cup on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, with an 8-2 win over Mexico 8-2 in the final. Uruguay finished third by edging France 1-0 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Arsenal puts three past Hahnemann
[AMERICANS IN ENGLAND] Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahneman was beaten by Mathieu Flamini, Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexander Hleb as the Royals fell, 3-1, to Arsenal, which moved ahead of Manchester United atop the EPL standings on goals scored is now unbeaten in 27 straight games. Hahnemann has conceded 29 goals in 13 games. Only last-place Derby has given up more goals (31) than Reading. Midfielder Bobby Convey started for Reading and played the first 70 minutes.
Arsenal has 30 points from 12 games while Man U has 30 points from 13 games. Each have a goal difference of plus-17, but Arsenal has scored 27 goals to United’s 23.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Italian soccer descends into ‘pure madness’
Italy has canceled all pro soccer games next week in the aftermath of the shooting death of a Lazio fan on Sunday. Italy national team coach Roberto Donadoni said the rioting that followed across Italy was “pure madness.”
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Soccer to announce new women’s coach Tuesday
The U.S. Soccer Federation is holding a press conference at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday to announce the new coach of the U.S. women’s national team. The Washington Post’s Steven Goff wrote on his Soccer Insider blog on Monday that a source told him Pia Sundhage would be the pick. The 47-year-old Swede, her country’s all-time leading scorer, was most recently assistant coach of the Chinese women’s national team.