[USA ROSTER] U.S. coach Bob Bradley has called in Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore, two young Americans who are struggling for playing time with their European clubs, for the USA’s World Cup qualifier on Wednesday against Guatemala (ESPN Classic & Galavision, 8 pm ET) in Commerce City, Colo. The semifinal round qualifier has no implications for the USA, which has clinched passage to the final qualifying round. The Guatemalans, however, need a win.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
REPORT CARD: Real Salt Lake-New York Red Bulls
[MLS] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the players’ performance in the New York Red Bulls’ 1-0 semifinal win at Real Salt Lake. …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Red Bulls earn ticket to MLS Cup 2008
Maybe the gods of this game really are contrarians, as so often seems the case when one team plays the soccer and the other team gets the luck, when a fourth-year franchise playing just its fourth game in a new stadium packs the place yet sends a sellout crowd home unhappy. Reducing the Real Salt Lake-New York semifinal — won by the Red Bulls, 1-0, Saturday in a pulsating Rio Tinto Stadium — to that simple formula does an injustice to the resilient Red Bulls, scorers of an opportunistic goal in the 28th minute and stout fighters through numerous furious assaults.
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The Merlin of the Meadowlands
So the Amazins did it again. Don’t ask me how, their last two games have been played as though the players are enchanted, as though they’ve created a magic spell around their goalmouth, a spell with the power to repel the ball, to make sure it just will not go into the goal.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Colorado’s Jose Burciaga named Humanitarian of the Year
[MLS AWARDS] Colorado Rapids defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. is the is the recipient of the 2008 U.S. Soccer Foundation-MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“We have to congratulate all the guys and the posts. I have been disappointed sometimes with our luck. I think we got it today.”
— New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio, whose team reached MLS Cup 2008 with a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake, which hit the post three times. (New York Daily News)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
On-fire Ibrahimovic keeps Inter top
[ITALY] Inter stayed top thanks to a brace of cracking goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Kaka gave Milan a narrow win, and a single goal also decided the Rome derby.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Madrid loses, Barca opens up gap at top
[SPAIN] Barcelona opened up a three-point lead at the top of La Liga as Real Madrid fell to Real Valladolid and Valencia lost at home.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bradley blunts Bayern, Subotic sinks Frankfurt
[GERMANY] Michael Bradley scored his first Bundesliga goal as Borussia Moenchengladbach came back to hold Bayern Munich. Defender Neven Subotic scored a brace as Dortmund downed Frankfurt 4-0.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Villa upsets Arsenal, Redknapp’s run snapped
[ENGLAND] Brad Friedel and Aston Villa sprung the weekend’s big surprise with a 2-0 win at Arsenal, while Clint Dempsey helped Fulham break Harry Redknapp‘s unbeaten streak as Tottenham manager.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA falls to North Korea in final
[UNDER-17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP] North Korea confirmed its status as the dominant power of women’s soccer at the youth level, beating the USA, 2-1, in overtime in the final of the inaugural U-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. North Korea’s championship comes on the heels of its Under-20 Women’s World Cup title two years ago in Russia.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Youngsters can shape playoff destinies
Like many leagues around the world, MLS teams largely depend on foreign players to provide that touch of magic, that gift of craft, that moment of flair by which the game, or in some cases the season, is decided.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Fred ‘Does A Beckham’
In keeping with the David Beckham trend of heading abroad to stay in shape during the MLS offseason, D.C. United’s Brazilian midfielder Fred is off on loan to … Wellington Phoenix of Australia’s A-League, where he will be eligible to play six games. Fans of Fred’s former team, the Melbourne Victory, are reportedly miffed at […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Philly’s Ready For Don And His Shovel
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber will grab a shovel December 1 and, together with team, local and state officials, officially break ground on the Philadelphia team’s new stadium in Chester.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Hard Times Could Benefit Soccer
“If you’re a die-hard Yankee fan and that’s your sport, I don’t expect that person to be coming to the [New York] Red Bulls, necessarily. But if you’re a sports fan looking for an affordable ticket and quality product in a state-of-the-art facility, that’s going to be us.” RB New York Managing Director Erik Stover […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Drogba Charged With Violent Conduct
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been charged with violent conduct by the English FA after throwing a coin into the crowd during Wednesday’s League Cup game against Burnley.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Nicol: No Prima Donna DPs
“Half the teams in the league are different than they were two years ago. Things evolve. We are always interested in a designated player, or finding someone with real quality, a world-class player, but we need to get the right person coming into our team and not jeopardize the whole way we do things as […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Man. City ‘Won’t Pay Inflated Transfer Fees’
Manchester City and its manager Mark Hughes have a long shopping list of players ready for the upcoming January transfer window, but Hughes has said that just because the club is rich does not mean he will pay over the odds. “Still,” writes James Ducker, “it is difficult to see the Sheikh [owner Sheikh Mansour] […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Casillas Backs Schuster
The Spanish press has been speculating that Real Madrid’s German coach Bernd Schuster will be fired if his side fails to beat Real Valladolid this weekend. Despite having led the team to the Spanish league title last season, and despite not having lost a league game since the opening day of the season, Madrid has […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Jilted Dema Still Mad At New York
Another player still reportedly resentful at being traded is Real Salt Lake’s Dema Kovalenko, who accused RB New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio of dishonesty and being “two-faced” when he sent the midfielder to Utah earlier this year. As narrative luck would have it, the two teams meet this Saturday in the Western Conference playoff […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
McBride Laments Missed Opportunity
Fire and former Crew striker Brian McBride, 36, again found himself on the familiar side of defeat. After scoring nine playoff goals for Columbus in his eight seasons with the team, but without picking up a Conference title, he scored for the defeated Fire Thursday to cries of “Traitor!” from a section of his former […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Crew’s Long Wait Makes Title Sweeter Still
There’s nothing like the long term deferral of success to make triumph a sweeter experience. The Chicago Fire won the MLS Cup in the team’s first season of existence, and has since been unable to recapture the standard it established perhaps a little too quickly. But the Columbus Crew has kept its public waiting long […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Real Salt Lake hosts New York on Saturday to determine which plays the Columbus Crew in MLS Cup. The Mexican Apertura 2008 regular season wraps up this weekend. American midfielder Michael Bradley with Borussia M’Gladbach could see action against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
U.S. Soccer Development Academy Results
Chivas USA’s U-17/18 team saw its seven-game winning streak snapped with a 3-0 loss to Los Angeles Galaxy but it remained in first place in the SoCal Division of the Development Academy’s Western Conference with a 7-2-0 record. The team started the season with a loss and then rattled off seven consecutive wins before Saturday. Polo Morales remains the team’s leading scorer, with 11 goals in nine games on the year. For all the Development Academy results …
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
OBITUARY: Gale Heubach
Gale Heubach, U.S. Youth Soccer’s events manager, died Wednesday at the age of 51, two days after suffering an aneurysm at her home.