Grahame L. Jones calls for a change of ownership at the Los Angeles Galaxy after another miserable regular season, with the wannabe Superclub missing the playoffs for the third successive season. Owner AEG’s head man, Galaxy President Tim Leiweke, has “tinkered with [the team] to the point where it now bears not the slightest resemblance […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
&artEuropean and CONCACAF Champions League action is back during the midweek. In the MLS Thursday night game, Chicago hosts New York. MLS rounds out the regular season this weekend. The Mexican league’s weekend matches and Gol TV’s weekend schedule will appear in Friday’s Soccer on TV e-letter.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MORNING BRIEFING: Hanks sets Notre Dame record
Kerri Hanks scored twice in top-ranked Notre Dame’s 2-0 win at Connecticut on Sunday to extend her goal-scoring streak to 10 games and give her 81 career goals, topping Jenny Heft‘s old school record of 80 tallies. Other top performers over the weekend included Stanford’s Kelly O’Hara and North Carolina’s Casey Nogueira.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
POLLS: Soccer America Women’s Top 25
There was no change in the top five spots in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25. Florida, Virginia and Florida State each moved up two spots to claim 6-7-8. For this week’s Soccer America Women’s Top 25 and last week’s results …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
MORNING BRIEFING: Bad weekend for Top 25 teams
Top-ranked Wake Forest had its 18-game winning streak snapped when it had to settle for a 0-0 tie with Duke in ACC play on Saturday. Eight Top 25 teams, including top 10 teams UC Davis and Louisville, lost to unranked teams. For the major developments of the weekend …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
POLLS: Soccer America Men’s Top 25
The top six teams kept their places in the Soccer America Men’s Top 25. North Carolina and Loyola (Md.) were the big climbers, both rising eight spots to No. 7 and No. 9, respectively. For this week’s Soccer America Men’s Top 25 and last week’s results …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
CROWD COUNT: Big West match draws 11,075 fans
The crowd of 11,075 at Spanos Stadium for the Cal Poly-UC Santa Barbara match on Friday was third largest on record to witness a regular-season soccer game. The Gauchos won the Big West match, 1-0, on Chris Pontius‘ overtime goal shortly after two bottles were thrown in the direction of UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper Kristopher Minton , forcing a delay in the action. For the top crowds of 2008 …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Michael Bradley starts for Gladbach
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Midfielder Michael Bradley returned to Borussia Moenchengladbach’s lineup as the Bundesliga’s second-to-last place team earned its first point in five games. Other young Americans, Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore, saw a small taste of action for their clubs.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“Some fans were probably coming out for the first time tonight, and we put on a good show in the first half and taught them a little bit about soccer in the second half and how to manage a game.”
— Houston defender Craig Waibel after a crowd of 30,361 watched the Dynamo defeat a David Beckham-less Los Angeles Galaxy with three first-half goals to clinch first place in the West and eliminate the Galaxy from playoff contention. (Houston Chronicle)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Angel and Ching hit 13-goal mark
[MLS] Juan Pablo Angel struck twice for New York to keep the Red Bulls in playoff contention. Like Angel, Brian Ching hit the 13-goal mark, as Houston eliminated Los Angeles with a 3-0 win. Yura Movsisyan, Will Johnson and Robbie Findley scored Real Salt Lake’s 3-1 win over FC Dallas, which will miss the playoffs. For MLS game summaries, standings, leading scorers and TV schedule.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Danny Cepero: Red Bulls’ goalscoring goalkeeper (VIDEO)
[MLS] The limitations of the MLS Reserve Division have prompted some teams to send players out on season-long loans, and in the case of Red Bull goalkeeper Danny Cepero, that small investment paid off boxcars. He scored the first goalkeeper’s goal in league history and played a solid all-around game in a 3-1 defeat of Columbus Saturday that preserved New York’s playoff hopes with one round of games to go.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Five vie for final three playoff spots
[MLS] Three playoff spots remain up for grabs as MLS enters its final week of play. Five teams — Kansas City, New York, D.C. United, Real Salt Lake and Colorado – vie to join Columbus, Chicago, New England, Houston and Chivas USA in postseason play. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains the scenario.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Madrid’s dirty derby (VIDEO)
[SPAIN] Barcelona and Real Madrid continue to creep up the standings, both teams posting narrow away victories at the weekend. Rampant Valencia is still top.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Mercurial Milanese (VIDEO)
[ITALY] Champion Inter began to look ominously good in a 4-0 win at Roma, while its city rival Milan is also stepping up a gear, beating Sampdoria 3-0.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
More Bremen, Hoffenheim goal orgies in the Bundesliga (VIDEO)
[GERMANY] It’s hard not to love the Bundesliga this season after another weekend of high-scoring drama involving Werder Bremen and 1899 Hoffenheim.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hull keeps on winning, Tottenham is rock bottom (VIDEO)
[ENGLAND] The Big Four all won, but Hull City is still refusing to accept that Champions League qualifying spots are the domain of the established regulars.
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
MLS Goes Over The Top on Conway and Parke
Well, well, there was I thinking that Jon Conway and Jeff Parke were just two average guys putting in average performances for the Red Bulls every week. Heavens, was I wrong! Turns out these guys are dangerous types, real desperados. Just listen to what they’ve been up to: they’re guilty of buying, and then ingesting, a dietary supplement. Gulp. As if that isn’t bad enough, they might even be in cahoots, so there may even have been a conspiracy to feast on dietary supplements. Gulp, gulp.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Carver: I Want To Keep Dichio
“He’s done himself a huge favor the way he’s played the last few games. If players are good enough, I’m not bothered about their age.” Toronto FC coach John Carver talks about the prospects of retaining striker Danny Dichio, 34, for another season. Dichio, who suffered a concussion this season, sounds less sure.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Roeder: Norwich Is Innocent
“I don’t know exact details of the accusations being made about that game. But I’ll be 100 percent certain that there’s no-one at Norwich City involved.” Norwich City manager Glenn Roeder is extremely confident that none of his players were involved in game-fixing skullduggery hanging over his side’s game with Derby County earlier this month, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Come And Watch Bolton For Free Beer
Surely the self-described Best League In The World doesn’t need to resort to such base measures! But it’s true — in a bid to boost attendance Bolton Wanderers is offering the first 1,000 fans who show up for Saturday’s game against Blackburn Rovers a free beer and cut-price food. Though to be fair to the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Wolyniec ‘Shocked’ By Teammates’ Drug Ban
“I’m sure most of the team is shocked. We’re seeing how it works itself out. I hope there’s some kind of misunderstanding.” RB New York forward John Wolyniec says he too is “shocked” by the revelation that teammates Jon Conway and Jeff Parke have been banned for 10 games and fined 10 percent of their […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Beckham Should Focus On The Team That Pays His Salary
“If [David] Beckham’s U.S. legacy is to be anything more than that of a glorified jersey salesman, then he had better start paying as much attention to the Galaxy and to MLS as he does to winning caps for England. At least the Galaxy will give him some real playing time.” Grahame L. Jones has […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Bundesliga’s Better Than Serie A, Says Wolfsburg’s Italian
Italian defender Andrea Barzagli of Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg has praised the German league as more exciting than the Serie A he left in summer, reflecting what many observers of both leagues have long maintained. “The style of play is more spectacular here than it is in Italy,” Barzagli said. “There’s more goals than in […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
L.A. Soccer Fields Provide Base For Political Clout
There are several paths to fame or notoriety, but few are as unusual as the path unwittingly chosen by Raul Macias, 55. “Don Raul,” as he is known, has become a major player in Los Angeles politics after building a reputation for lobbying for soccer fields in the city’s northeast, writes Hector Becerra. In the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
South Africa Bullish On Transport Progress
South African Transport Minister Jeff Radebe has said the country is “on track” and within budget to complete all planned transport infrastructure projects in time for the 2010 World Cup, and dismissed fears the country would not be ready to host the tournament. On a tour of Cape Town construction sites Thursday, Radebe said, “We […]