In the wake of what's been an awful season for Italian soccer since the national team lifted the World Cup last July, AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday that a win in Wednesday's Champions League semifinal against Manchester United would complete the club and the nation's comeback. Indeed, a place in the Champions League […]
Category: Story
U.S. U-21 women finish second in Alabama
The U.S. U-21 women’s national team finished second at the six-team Futbol Internacional Tournament in Alabama, where it fell on penalty kicks to the Canadian Olympic development team in the final after playing to a 0-0 draw in regulation.
USA crushes Israel for third in Ballymena
The U.S. under-16 boys national team captured third place at the Ballymena International Tournament in Northern Ireland with a 5-1 win over Israel on Friday. The Americans scored in bunches — three in five minutes in the first half and the other two in four minutes in the second half.
Salt Lake no better on a Monday
A rare Monday night MLS game was the same old story for host Real Salt Lake, which lost to its Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado, 2-0. Moved out of Rice-Eccles Stadium for the weekend by the NCAA gymnastic championships being staged by the University of Utah, RSL (0-2-2) labored through a scoreless first half before Roberto Brown and Kyle Beckerman scored four minutes apart to give Colorado (2-1-1) the victory and a share of the Western Conference lead.
OFF THE POST: Ref ejects giant lion from EPL match
Referee M.A. Riley ejected Reading’s mascot, Kingsley the Giant Lion, minutes before halftime of the Royals’ game against Newcastle United on Monday. Kingsley, who wears a Reading jersey over his fur, roared the team on from the sideline, which apparently confused Riley. “I can see where the referee was getting confused, you know he does look like so many of my players,” joked Reading coach Steve Coppell, whose team managed a 1-0 despite lacking their lion. Mascot expulsions in Britain are not without precedent.
Reds must attack in Champions League showdown
[TV PREVIEW] Liverpool will have to do something on Tuesday it didn’t have to do in the second legs of the previous two rounds of the UEFA Champions League: attack. The Reds’ chances of earning a place in the Champions League final will depend on its ability to take the initiative against depleted Chelsea in Tuesday’s second leg. Chelsea leads, 1-0, going into the second leg.
Finding Nimo, the new U-17 star
The meteoric rise of former Liberian refugee Alex Nimo continued as he scored twice on Monday night to lead the United States to a 3-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago in its opening game at CONCACAF’s Under-17 World Cup qualifying tournament in Kingston, Jamaica.
U.S. Included in FIFA’s 2010 Backup Plan
In light of media speculation surrounding the poor state of World Cup preparations in South Africa, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who has repeatedly backed the African country to host the finals for the first time in the continent’s history, admitted that FIFA has a backup plan. The United States is included in the organization’s contingency […]
Africa Spreads its Influence Across Europe’s Big Leagues
In his roundup of results across Europe, Reuters’ Timothy Collings says that this past weekend in particular underscores Africa’s spreading influence across the continent’s biggest leagues. The biggest goal of them all came from Barcelona’s Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o, whose goal against Levante, a team featuring several African players, carried La Liga’s laboring champions to […]
Photo Finish a Sad One for AZ
As close as the title races in England’s Premiership and Spain’s La Liga have been, there’s no way the final day of the season in either league will be cut as close as the finale in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday. Heading into the final day, AZ Alkmaar, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven were level on […]
Benitez: With One Less to Play for, Pressure’s on Mourinho
It’s no more than he deserves: now that Chelsea’s Premiership hopes have been almost completely derailed, Liverpool’s Rafael Benitez has turned up the pressure on Jose Mourinho, whose team travels to Anfield Tuesday to play Rafa’s Reds in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals. “It’s clear they will be under pressure because they […]
Keane and Bruce Join Fergie in EPL
Former Manchester United center half Gary Pallister says it’s no coincidence that former teammates Roy Keane and Steve Bruce will be rejoining their legendary boss as managers in the Premiership next season. Both Bruce’s Birmingham City and Keane’s Sunderland won automatic promotion to the English Premier League by finishing first and second, respectively, before this […]
1. GAMES: Live and same-day delay on national TV
On the menu for midweek televised soccer action are the second-leg clashes of the European Champions League semifinals.
2. HIGHLIGHT & MAGAZINE SHOWS: A Sampling
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHT/NEWS SHOWS FOX SOCCER SHOW Fox Soccer Channel Monday-Sunday, 10 pm ETFOX SPORTS NOTICIAS Fox Sports en Espanol Monday-Friday, 2 pm ET SKY SPORTS NEWS Fox Soccer Channel Monday-Sunday, 7 pm ET GOL TV NEWS Gol TV Monday-Friday, 7 pm ET A TODO GOAL (Goals from around the world) Gol TV Sunday, 11:30 pm […]
HIGHLIGHT & MAGAZINE SHOWS: A Sampling
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHT/NEWS SHOWS FOX SOCCER SHOW Fox Soccer Channel Monday-Sunday, 10 pm ETFOX SPORTS NOTICIAS Fox Sports en Espanol Monday-Friday, 2 pm ET SKY SPORTS NEWS Fox Soccer Channel Monday-Sunday, 7 pm ET GOL TV NEWS Gol TV Monday-Friday, 7 pm ET A TODO GOAL (Goals from around the world) Gol TV Sunday, 11:30 pm […]
GAMES: Live and same-day delay on national TV
(All times Eastern unless noted. TV programming is always subject to change. Check your local listings and soccerTV.com) MONDAY, April 30 MLS DIRECT KICK MLS REAL SALT LAKE-COLORADO (live), 9 pm. TUESDAY, May 1 ESPN2 European Champions League AC MILAN-MANCHESTER UTD., Semifinals, 2nd Leg (live), 2:30 pm. ESPN DEPORTES European Champions League AC MILAN-MANCHESTER UTD., […]
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Soccer is a cruel, cruel game.”
— Forward Alecko Eskandarian of Toronto. The MLS expansion club’s 1-0 loss to Kansas City in its home opener leaves it looking for its first goal after getting outscored, 10-0, in its first four games, all losses. (The Hamilton Spectator)
MLS WEEKEND WRAPUP: Twellman strikes again; L.A. wins 'Clasico'
By Ridge Mahoney The Crew is still unbeaten, D.C. United is still pointless, and Toronto FC is still goalless after the fourth weekend of MLS play. (Colorado and Real Salt Lake play a rare Monday night match.) Taylor Twellman scored again and defending champion Houston again was shut out. Chris Rolfe scored on the hour […]
CHAMPIONS: Goal difference gives PSV Dutch title
PSV won the Dutch Eredivisie title for the 20th time when it beat Vitesse, 5-1, on Sunday and edged Ajax for the championship on goal difference. Peruvian Jefferson Farfan led PSV with two goals against Vitesse. Brazilian Alex and young Dutch international Ibrahim Afellay also scored. Veteran Phillip Cocu struck the fifth goal that proved […]
FABIEN BARTHEZ: French great bolts after assault
French goalkeeping great Fabien Barthez left relegation-threatened Nantes a day after a group of drunken supporters cornered him in his car and he fought with one of them. The incident took place as Barthez was leaving Beaujoire Stadium Saturday night after a 2-0 loss to Rennes all but doomed the Canaries to relegation after 44 […]
MLS WEEKEND WRAPUP: Twellman strikes again; L.A. wins ‘Clasico’
The Crew is still unbeaten, D.C. United is still pointless, and Toronto FC is still goalless after the fourth weekend of MLS play. (Colorado and Real Salt Lake play a rare Monday night match.) Taylor Twellman scored again and defending champion Houston again was shut out.
MLS PREVIEW: Monday Night 'Rocky Mountain Cup'
By Ridge Mahoney REAL SALT LAKE (0-1-2) vs. COLORADO (1-1-1) (Monday, 9 pm ET, Direct Kick) Real Salt Lake can't be as bad as it looked while being thumped, 4-0, by Chivas USA, yet it was also blanked in its last home game by Columbus (0-0) and needed a couple of goalmouth saves by Eddie […]
MEXICO: Pachuca leads six into quarterfinals
Pachuca, which has won championships on two continents in the last six months, defeated Atlante, 4-1, to finish Mexico's Torneo Clausura as the overall leader of the first stage with 39 points, eight more than Guadalajara and nine more than Club America. Pachuca, which won last year's Torneo Clausura, captured the Copa Sudamericana in December […]
AMERICANS ABROAD: Keller's Gladbach relegated; Fulham on shaky ground; Santos
Goalkeeper Kasey Keller's club has been relegated to the German Second Division and English Premier League club Fulham, which has three Americans in its ranks, is threatened with a similar fate. But in Mexico, Santos Laguna, for which Edgar Castillo is a regular, survived a relegation scare. A 1-0 home loss to VfB Stuttgart means […]
EUROPEAN RACES: United breaks into clear
Manchester United broke into the clear in the English Premier League race Saturday when it rallied from two goals down to beat Everton, 4-2, while second-place Chelsea could only tie Bolton Wanderers, 2-2, at home. The results left United five points ahead with three games to play for both teams, including a makeup game May […]
