Two faces stared out at the media following MLS matches at The Home Depot Center this weekend, each encompassing the state of his team early in the long 30-game season, but their expressions and words (and fortunes?) were as “different as night and day,” points out LA Times’ Grahame Jones of Bruce Arena‘s troubled scowl […]
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Steaua president jailed on kidnapping charges
[OFF THE POST] It’s been a tough year for European club bosses. Joaquin Bilbao, president of Spanish club Xerez, was arrested last month following a shootout at a brothel and resigned from his position. Now, Gigi Becali, owner of Romanian powerhouse Steaua Bucharest, has been jailed on kidnapping charges.
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Iran replaces coach after shock loss
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] With its bid to return to the World Cup finals in jeopardy, Iran has fired Coach Ali Daei and brought back former coach Mohammad Mayelikohan.
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United’s drive for five continues
[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Manchester United’s bid for an unprecedented five championships in a season continues Tuesday when it hosts Porto in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal series. Red-hot Arsenal travels to Villarreal in Tuesday’s other match.
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Sueno finalists head to Los Angeles
[MLS] A field of more than 2,000 players from more than 36 different states has been narrowed to 12 in Sueno MLS 2009. The 12 finalists who participated in regional tryouts organized by the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire and D.C. United are headed to the “Final Event,” where the Sueno champion will be crowned Sunday on Univision’s “Republica Deportiva.”
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Coping with ejections tests coaches and players
[REF WATCH] Not often does an MLS team incur an early red card and still go on to win, but by doing so last weekend, the Chicago Fire added another entry to the on-going debate of whether red-card procedures should be changed.
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Houston’s slow start is all too familiar
The Houston Dynamo could have believed its lousy fortune had run out. But instead of getting the breaks, the Dynamo is getting beat early in 2009, adding to a recent history of poor starts in MLS.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“We show up in different cities and countries, and people wonder, who are these guys with the orange shirts? After we beat them, they say, ‘I didn’t know Puerto Ricans could play soccer.'”
— Andres Guillemard, president of the USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders, who take a 2-0 lead into Tuesday’s second leg of their Concacaf Champions League series against Cruz Azul in Mexico City (TV: Fox Soccer Channel, live, 10 pm ET). (New York Times)
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘All the Money in the World’ Can’t Rid Bayern of Ribery
“Franck’s current deal expires June 30, 2011, and he’s going nowhere until then. Not even for all the money in the world.” Bayern technical director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, echoing the sentiments of coach Juergen Klinsmann regarding the team’s recent decision to hold on to French striker Franck Ribery for the next two years rather than collect […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Sir Alex’s ‘Gamble’ Pays Off
“In those situations, I gamble. Winning is the name of the game at this club. Risks are part of football and this club has been that way for a long time. I love to see that kind of adventure. Yes, there are times when we don’t defend properly – and we didn’t defend well today […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ljungberg Owed It to Self to ‘Still Be a Great’ For MLS Years
“I got a bit of stick in Europe that I came too early. They still have the view that I should’ve come in a couple of years, that I should have kept on playing at the top and then come here. For me at least, my decision was if I should come I should still […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
North Korea Accuses South of Food Poisoning
I’ve heard of gamesmanship surrounding World Cup qualifiers, from hotel fire alarms being pulled, to the team bus’ route to the stadium being blocked, to late-night phone calls meant to keep opposing players from getting any sleep. But mass food poisoning? That’s a new one, and that’s what North Korea officials are accusing their neighbors […]
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Ex-Arsenal Star Pires Ready to Face Arsene In Champions League
While he admits to have had six great years while playing for fellow Frenchman Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, midfielder Robert Pires is looking to erase a bitter Champions League memory with a better one, this time for Spanish side Villarreal, which hosts the Gunners on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the 2008-09 competition. Stung by […]
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AWOL Adriano Found in Brazil, Dealing With ‘Difficult Time’
Missing Brazilian striker Adriano has apparently been found, with his agent assuring worried parties that he’s safe in the care of family in Rio de Janeiro, but a statement from the Brazilian soccer federation referred to the 27-year-old going through a “difficult time” that most likely means he won’t be returning to Inter Milan and […]
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SUM Solving
Reaching into Hispanic homes hasn’t been easy for MLS, but through marketing arm Soccer United Marketing, that has changed dramatically over the past few years. In order to capture the attention and loyalty of first-generation Latinos living in the U.S., SUM sponsorship guru Kathy Carter focused on traditional things like food, family, religion and music […]
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Defense Doing It For Seattle
Coming out of Toronto and the fortress that is BMO Field with a 2-0 win and another three points illustrates more than the team’s two previous victories that the Seattle Sounders FC are “for real,” writes Goal.com’s Kyle McCarthy. Sure, Toronto FC might not have played all that well in its home opener, but Seattle […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Catch the battle for Los Angeles on Saturday as the Galaxy hosts Chivas USA. The WPS game of the week features the Washington Freedom and the Chicago Red Stars. In international soccer, Mexico has a full slate of matches and several European leagues are in action.
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International Weekend Results
The French race remained tight with five teams separated by only four points at the top of the standings. Celtic’s lead in Scotland was still three points, and Porto held on to its four-point advantage in Portugal. For all the results in Europe’s major leagues and Mexico …
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MLS Results
Chicago and New England are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference after registering wins over the weekend, while Chivas USA and Seattle won their third game in a row to remain in the lead in the Eastern Conference. For all the summaries …
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Unknown saves Manchester United
[EUROPE] Italian teen Federico Macheda was such an unknown before Sunday’s game against Aston Villa that Manchester United captain Gary Neville admitted he had never seen him. All Macheda did was come off the bench and lead United to a 3-2 win over Villa with a stoppage-time goal that kept it in the lead in the English Premier League. For who’s up, who’s down, who’s in and who’s out in Europe …
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Aguirre returns to Tri hot seat
[MEXICO] Changing coaches in the middle of qualifying or before the World Cup is nothing new for Mexico. But having four coaches in less than a year — Hugo Sanchez, Jesus Ramirez, Sven Goran Eriksson and now Javier Aguirre — is extreme. Aguirre returns to take over the Tri in remarkably similar circumstances to those that existed eight years.
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USA will face tough foes in Egypt
[SCOUTING REPORT] The USA will aim to win its group for the fourth straight time when it faces European champion Germany, African runner-up Cameroon and Asian semifinalist South Korea in Group C at the 2009 Under-20 World Cup, which will be played Sept. 24-Oct. 16 in Egypt.
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Good day at the office for Milbrett
[WPS] A last-minute goal by Tiffeny Milbrett gave FC Gold Pride a 2-1 win over the Boston Breakers and marked a storybook ending to the first full weekend of play in Women’s Professional Soccer. Milbrett, the former national team star with 100 goals for the USA, had been overlooked in each of the WPS drafts and allocations and only made the Pride after asking for a tryout. She came off the bench in the opener and scored in the 89th minute to cap an exciting game at Buck Shaw Stadium.
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More bad luck for Spector
[AMERICANS ABROAD] U.S. defender Jonathan Spector suffered another setback when he suffered a concussion in West Ham United’s 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday. He was treated for six minutes on the field after being hit going up for a header. “He couldn’t remember much of it but he was fine,” said Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola. “He doesn’t remember me — which is a good thing!”
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History puts ‘expansion’ label in perspective
[MLS] By beating Colorado, 2-1, Sunday at Home Depot Center, Chivas USA matched expansion Seattle atop the overall MLS standings at 3-0. The Sounders won their first away test Saturday, beating Toronto FC, 2-0, at BMO Field. They return home next week to play Kansas City and so perhaps only a road game on the grass – at Home Depot Center against Chivas USA April 18 as luck would have it – can expose the upstart.