[MAKING A LIST] Twenty-two MLS players were called up for the 2007 Gold Cup. Expansion Toronto FC led all teams with four players (including Chris Pozniak whom Canada is listing as a “reserve.”). New York (which shares the overall MLS lead with New England), D.C. United (last year’s regular-season champion, D.C. United) and Real Salt Lake were the only MLS teams not to have anyone called up for the Gold Cup. The list of 22 players includes Amado Guevara, who is persona non grata at Chivas USA, but not Mexican Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who will later join Chicago from Club America. In addition, six Gold Cup players play in the USL-1.
Category: Story
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
CONCACAF releases Gold Cup rosters
[GOLD CUP ROSTERS] CONCACAF released the final rosters for all 12 teams that will compete in the 2007 Gold Cup June 6-24 at six U.S. venues. The roster for each team consists of 23 players. A player may only be substituted in the event of a serious injury up until 24 hours before the team’s first match. For complete rosters …
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U.S. Open Cup first-round draw released
[DRAW] The 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins June 12-16 with 16 first-round matches involving teams from the USL-1, USL-2, PDL and USASA. The winners face off in the second round on June 26. The eight survivors meet the eight MLS entrants in the third round. For first-round matchups …
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Four newcomers included in U.S. roster for China game
[ROSTER] U.S. coach Bob Bradley‘s 19-man roster for Saturday’s friendly against China includes 11 European-based players who are also on the USA’s Gold Cup roster and four national team newcomers: Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands), Kamani Hill (Wolfsburg/Germany), Charlie Davies (Hammarby/Sweden), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA). The contingent of MLS players for the China game is limited to Chivas USA players because Chivas does not have a game this weekend. The squad’s most experienced players are Kasey Keller, DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Oguchi Onyewu and Ante Razov
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OFF THE POST: Worst free kick ever?
[VIDEO] The British Web site “Who ate all the pies” hailed this free kick by New England’s Khano Smith against Kansas City as the worst ever taken by a pro – and Revs coach Steve Nicol seemed to agree.
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MLS STATISTICS: Who’s to blame for the goal dearth?
Kansas City’s 4-3 win over New England last Saturday was the highest scoring game of the 2007 season, but MLS goalscoring so far this year remains just barely over 2.5 goals per game. In fact, five teams have scored fewer than one goal per game. The lowest-scoring team in the league is none other than defending champ Houston, which has mustered just five goals in eight games. Just slightly worse in futility in front of the net are Columbus, Toronto, Real Salt Lake and Chicago. New England and Kansas City are tops, scoring at a rate of two goals per game. For up-to-date MLS standings, schedules, leading scorers, attendance and goalscoring averages …
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Tremors in San Jose; Fire eyes Chilean star
Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney provides the latest on efforts to bring back the Earthquakes and the Chicago Fire’s courtship with Chilean legend Marcelo Salas …
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The Return of England’s Prodigal Son
Sam Wallace of the Independent says David Beckham’s recall to Steve McClaren’s England, “a momentous occasion in English football history,” which comes nearly a year after he “gave up the captaincy in front of the world’s press for the most dramatic public abdication since Edward VIII,” was almost eerily low-key. And why is that? Maybe, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Beckham and MLS: What Publicity Stunt?
Becks is being brought to America’s shores to ensure that those soccer-lovers who’ve turned up their noses at Major League Soccer, stop and smell the roses over here. On-field, the product is getting better and better, and given his recent form, it will be much better once David Beckham arrives. Indeed, “the best thing about […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The End of Affair in Italy, or is It?
The title decided long ago, Serie A ended quietly on Sunday, as the Flying Donkeys from Chievo Verona answered the last of this season’s (on-field) questions with a relegation-worthy 2-0 defeat to Catania Calcio on Sunday. The three other clubs also facing the drop rose to the occasion, too: Claudio Ranieri’s Parma beat Empoli, 3-1, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Toni to Swap Viola for Bayern Munich
Luca Toni is set to become one of the more high-profile players to move this summer, as Fiorentina, his employer for the last two seasons, told the striker he was free to leave. The release is understood to be the wish of the player. Toni, 30, is already being linked with a move to Bayern […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Nearly a Third of MLS Players Scrape By
Peter Grathoff of the Kansas City Star takes another close look at the great divide in MLS player salaries. He tells the story of Kansas City Wizards midfielder Jack Jewsbury-he’s having a great season by the way-who used to take home $380 every two weeks as a so-called developmental player. As Grathoff points out, “they […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer On TV
Libertadores Cup semifinal play (Fox Sports en Espanol) highlights the midweek television action. England takes on Brazil in a friendly on Friday (Fox Soccer Channel). On Saturday, Coach Bob Bradley, in his first game without the interim label, guides the USA in a friendly against China. Setanta USA and Fox Soccer Channel provide broadcasts of European Championship qualifying on Saturday.
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Cacho leads Pachuca to Mexican league title
Juan Carlos Cacho, whose two goals gave Pachuca a 2-1 victory over Club America on Friday in the first leg of Mexico’s Torneo Clausura finals, scored in the 82nd minute of the second leg to give the Tuzos a 1-1 tie and their second straight Clausura title. Playing his last game for America before joining MLS’s Chicago Fire, Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored in the 68th minute to pull America even on aggregate, but Cacho, called up for Mexico’s team for the Gold Cup and Copa America, once again came to the rescue and tallied his third goal in two games.
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Ronnie’s red potential blow to Barca’s title chances
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla all won to remain in contention for the 2007 La Liga title. Real beat Deportivo Coruna, 3-1, to remain in control of the race with two games to play. It is tied with Barcelona, 1-0 winner over Getafe, but has won the tie-breaker (head-to-head record). Barcelona’s title chances took a blow when star Ronaldinho was sent off late in the first half against Getafe and faces the prospect of missing the last two games of the season if Barcelona’s appeal isn’t upheld
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Chievo’s Flying Donkeys crash in Serie A finale
Chievo Verona, one of the best small clubs in recent European history, was relegated from Italy’s Serie A on Sunday, the final day of the season, after a 2-0 loss to Catania and Siena’s 2-1 win over Lazio. Five sides were battling to avoid the final relegation spot on the last day, but Chievo was the only team that failed to win and was thus condemned to the drop. Siena was five minutes from going down when Paolo Negro tapped in their winner. Parma (3-1 winner over Empoli) and Reggina (2-0 winner over a depleted AC Milan) also survived.
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Carolina snaps Vancouver’s 16-game USL unbeaten streak
[USL RESULTS] The expansion Carolina RailHawks handed the defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps their first loss of the season with a 1-0 win on Friday night. Carolina won on a Connally Edozien goal in the 57th minute. The loss snapped a 16-game unbeaten streak for the 4-1-2 Whitecaps. The Montreal Impact improved to 4-0-2 with a 1-0 win over Miami FC on Friday in front of 11,873 fans. Ivorian Charles Gbeke score the game’s only goal to beat Miami for the second time this season.
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China names team for friendly against USA
[CHINA ROSTER] China is headed to the United States to face the U.S. national team and two MLS clubs with a squad that will be without players from Shandong Luneng and Shanghai Shenhua. China play the USA in an international friendly on Saturday and will meet the Los Angeles Galaxy on June 5 and Colorado Rapids five days later.
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Nomads claim first Red Bull National League under-17 boys title
The Nomads of La Jolla, Calif., downed Southern California rival Arsenal FC, 3-2, Monday to win the first-ever Red Bull National League under-17 boys title. Jose Torres‘ half-volley opened the scoring in the 16th minute of the final and added a second in the 63rd minute. Jeo Sandez also scored for the Nomads. Rafa Baca and Norberto Ochoa scored for Arsenal in the second half, but a penalty-kick save by Nomads goalkeeper Chris Blais in the 75th minute sealed the victory.
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Eddie Johnson hat trick highlights MLS Week 8
Eddie Johnson led the Wizards back from a 2-0 deficit with a hat trick to beat the Revs, 4-3. Toronto FC earned its first road goals and initial road point of the season by tying the Crew, 2-2. Reigning league MVP Christian Gomez awoke to lead D.C. United past Houston, 2-1, with a goal and an assist. Chivas USA strikers Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov each netted once to down FC Dallas, 2-0. Colorado took advantage of a Kyle Martino ejection to edge the Galaxy, 1-0. The Fire halted its four-game losing streak but did little else by lurching to a 0-0 home tie against Real Salt Lake. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney recaps all the Memorial Day weekend MLS action …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Notre Dame’s Lapira debuts for Ireland national team
Notre Dame’s Joseph Lapira, Soccer America’s College Player of the Year and the Hermann Trophy winner in 2006, debuted for Ireland’s national team in a 1-1 tie with Ecuador on Wednesday night at Giants Stadium. Lapira, who hails from Lake Charles, La,, and qualified to represent Ireland through his mother, Kate , became the first amateur player to play for Ireland in 43 years. Lapira replaced Sunderland’s Daryl Murphy four minutes from the end of the game, the first of two on Ireland’s U.S. tour.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Eketebi promoted to men’s head coach at FIU
As expected, Munga Eketebi was hired as Florida International’s new men’s head coach. Eketebi, who becomes the fourth head coach in the 35-year history of the program, replaces Karl Kremser under whom he worked as an assistant for almost two decades. Eketebi took a short hiatus from FIU in 1996 when he served a one-year stint as the men’s head coach at Nova Southeastern, leading the NAIA Knights to an undefeated regular-season record in the Sun Conference.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
NCAA D1 Men & Women Coaching Changes
[MAKING A LIST] Vacancies still exist for the men’s soccer head coaching positions at Air Force and Howard, though the Washington Post has reported that Nigerian Joseph Okoh, the head coach at Shepherd in West Virginia will be the Howard coach, placing Keith Tucker. For complete coaching moves …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Duke assistant Serpone lands Amherst job
Amherst named Duke men’s assistant Justin Serpone as its new men’s head coach, replacing co-coaches Peter Gooding, who is retiring, and his son, Milton, who was recently named the men’s coach at MIT. Prior to Duke, Serpone, a product of Division III Drew University, served as the assistant men’s coach at Northwestern from 2003 to 2006 and at Lafayette from 2001 to 2003.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Collegians star for U-21 women in Germany
The U.S. U-21 women’s national team opened a three-game tour of Germany on Tuesday with a 4-1 win over FC Gutersloh of the German Second Division. Bill Irwin‘s Americans broke open the close game with three goals in the last 20 minutes by Natalie Capuano (Penn), Ali Krieger (Penn State) and Angie Woznuk (Portland). Natalie Budge (Portland) evened the score in the 19th minute after Gutersloh went ahead with a penalty three minutes earlier.