Soccer America Archives

U.S. coach April Heinrichs picked just two Women’s World Cup ’99 veterans for the U.S. women’s national team’s friendly with Italy on July 7 in Islip, N.Y. Sara Whalen and Christie Pearce, who are from the New York-New Jersey area, lead an 18-player roster for the match at EAB Park. U.S. under-21 coach Jillian Ellis […]

After arthroscopic surgery on both knees during the offseason, Tampa Bay’s Caleb Porter retired to pursue a future in coaching at his alma mater, Indiana University. “It was a tough decision but, I’ve been struggling with injuries and I feel it is time to pursue a career in coaching,” said Porter, who ends a two-year […]

As much as anywhere on the Internet, soccer chat rooms, message boards and fan sites demonstrate why the World Wide Web is sometimes referred to as the misinformation highway. But despite all the speculating, pontificating and quibbling that goes on in the newest medium, MLS clubs are paying attention. No further proof of the impact […]

Miami won the rights to U.S. youth national team midfielder Kyle Beckerman in a weighted lottery conducted today by MLS. Beckerman, a Project-40 player, was the only player available in the June 29 draft. The draft held true to form as the Fusion held the highest probability for selection. The MetroStars, New England Revolution and […]

Issues addressed at the June 27 MLS conference call include: EtcheverryÆs complaints, accusations against Hernandez, Beckerman goes P-40, all-star game coaches and MLS minimum wage. The participants are: MLS executive vice president Ivan Gazidis, D.C. United defender Eddie Pope and Colorado Rapids GM Dan Counce. Ivan Gazidis’ Opening Comments “A few points I wanted to […]

Paul Caligiuri retraces his steps from Southern California youth soccer to a career that included an NCAA title, two World Cup appearances and six seasons in Germany. SOCCER AMERICA: Let’s start at the beginning … PAUL CALIGIURI: I started in the early ’70s. Soccer was new in the area I grew up in ù the […]

The United States won Group A of the Women’s Gold Cup on a coin flip after tying Brazil, 0-0, in Foxboro, Mass., on June 27. Brazil captain Sissi called tails, and the coin came up heads. U.S. midfielder Kristine Lilly missed a late penalty kick that would have given the world champions the group title […]

Coaches cite weather as only one of the reasons for the Golden State’s bevy of talent California leads the nation when it comes to producing fruits, vegetables, dairy products, wine, movies and semiconductors. Add soccer players to the list. Of the MLS’s 189 American players, 49 hail from the Golden State. New York is a […]

Nikki Serlenga’s first career hat trick powered the U.S. women to its second straight rout, 8-0 over Costa Rica, in the first Women’s Gold Cup. The match at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky., featured five different starters from the June 23 thrashing of Trinidad & Tobago. The USA victory, combined with Brazil’s 11-0 […]

Watching the premier of MLS Extra Time, a weekly highlight show on ESPN2, the reflex is to critique. We soccer fans are fickle, always appalled by any variance from the way we think the game should be covered. In this case, we should quell those impulses. The show left room for improvement in its debut, […]

Cindy Parlow’s fourth hat trick of the year powered the world champion U.S. women to an 11-0 rout of Trinidad & Tobago in the inaugural Women’s Gold Cup. The match, played in Hershey, Pa., also featured two goals each by Mia Hamm, Sara Whalen and Lorrie Fair. Women’s Gold Cup June 23 in Hershey, Pa. […]

Bruce Arena nearly sent Earnie Stewart home because of a mouth injury. Yet Stewart set up the equalizer against Ireland, then started against Mexico. SOCCER AMERICA: Tell us about your injury. EARNIE STEWART: Against South Africa, I took an elbow in the mouth, so I had to go to the dentist and have oral surgery […]

Tony Sanneh, the new U.S. right back, returns to Hertha Berlin, where he’s had mixed results since joining the club in February 1999. SOCCER AMERICA: How often have you played right back? TONY SANNEH: One or two games at D.C. United when we needed help. One or two games at Hertha Berlin when they needed […]

U.S. coach April Heinrichs and U.S. midfielder Julie Foudy spoke on a June 22 conference call previewing the inaugural tournament Heinrichs’ thoughts on her job as national team coach so far I haven’t felt nervous on the bench, I haven’t felt pressure. These girls play so hard that as a coach you don’t have to […]

Coping with an avalanche of injuries has been Coach Myernick’s biggest challenge The vast number of new faces on the Rapids’ preseason roster suggested that adjusting to personnel turnover would be Colorado’s greatest challenge for the 2000 season. Instead, an onslaught of injuries – plus absences due to national team duty – presented Coach Glenn […]

Here is the United StatesÆ schedule for the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying. (The USA is in Group E. The top two teams in the three four-team groups will advance to the final round of qualifying, which will also be a home-and-away round robin.) Sat., July 15 Guatemala vs. USA in Guatemala City, Guat. […]

Soccer America Magazine’s MLS Team of the Week from games played June 17 GOALKEEPER Matt Jordan (1) Dallas DEFENDERS Danny Califf (1) Los Angeles Jorge Rodriguez (2) Dallas Richard Mulrooney (2) Sam Jose MIDFIELDERS Simon Elliott (1) Los Angeles Peter Nowak (2) Chicago Ian Russell (1) San Jose Bill Walsh (1) MetroStars FORWARDS Ariel Graziani […]

The world champion U.S. women will play Italy in a July 7 friendly in Central Islip, N.Y. The 7 p.m. ET game will be part of a doubleheader with the A-League match between Long Island Rough Riders and Montreal Impact, who play at 9:15 p.m. Midfielder Sara Whalen, a member of the 1999 Women’s World […]

Reyna speaks softly at the hub and lets others make noise East Rutherford, N.J. – The question underlying the entire U.S. Cup – Is this team ready for qualifying? – broke down primarily into discussions of the United States’ strengths and weaknesses on the field. But because of the off-field dissension that detonated the United […]

The following are quotes from MLSÆs June 20 conference call featuring Los Angeles forward Luis Hernandez and Kansas City goalkeeper Tony Meola. Luis Hernandez’s Opening Comments “I have adapted well. This is a new stage in my career. Everything is going well in the city. I am getting to know my teammates, they are getting […]

For the incumbent U.S. players, U.S. Cup 2000 was a fine prelude to World Cup qualifying. For Coach Bruce Arena, it was a mixed bag of encouraging results and disruptive variables. For U.S. Soccer, it was a disappointing year in the tournament’s otherwise estimable history. The United States’ victory in the event was overshadowed by […]

Tony Sanneh enters Bruce Arena’s defense puzzle The last time Bruce Arena found a new position for Tony Sanneh, it worked gloriously. It was 1996, MLS’s first year, and Arena’s D.C. United had lost five games and won one. It called up Sanneh from the Milwaukee Rampage in the A-League, where he had scored 18 […]

Goalkeeper Jenni Branam has replaced Briana Scurry for the second straight tournament, the inaugural Women’s Gold Cup, because Scurry continues to suffer from shin splints. The 19-year-old Branam also replaced Scurry, the World Cup ’99 starter, at the recent Pacific Cup in Australia.

The United States has long provided Mexico a place where its national team can play in front of a home-crowd atmosphere while filling Mexico’s coffers with U.S. dollars. Mexican League clubs play scores of games in the north and even hold their pre-Libertadores Cup playoffs in the United States. The Mexican federation showed just how […]

U.S. Soccer President Bob Contiguglia picked an insider in naming a new Secretary General. Dan Flynn has spent recent years at World Cup 1994 (Chicago venue chief), the U.S. Soccer Federation (deputy general secretary) and the U.S. Soccer Foundation (executive director). He also brings a strong business background, including both sports marketing and management positions […]