Was it confidence or desperation that drove Wizards coach Curt Onalfo to steadfastly maintain his team’s playoff chances remain tangible despite it sitting six points adrift of the nearest postseason slot with eight games to play?
Keegan Set To Leave Newcastle Again
Newcastle United’s Kevin Keegan, 57, is set to leave the club as manager for the second time, reports Tom Bryant. Keegan reportedly met club owner Mike Ashley for talks Tuesday and did not take training. “After making his unhappiness with the club’s failure to sign three or four major targets this summer known,” Bryant writes, […]
Gooch On The Rise
Oguchi Onyewu of Standard Liege is back on top form, according to Greg Lalas.
Liverpool Stadium Could Be Delayed By Credit Crunch
Liverpool’s American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have been forced to delay plans for a new stadium because they do not have the required funds, reports Neil Johnston.
City Strike It Rich
“Now [Manchester] City can point across the city and say they are at last on a level playing field: their Middle Eastern money is surely as good as the American dollars and borrowed euros of United.” James Lawton analyzes the latest takeover of Manchester’s second team.
Soccer Fields For Hire, Cash Payment Only Please
Space to play soccer is so scarce in some parts of southern California that a black market has been operating for years that involves the sub-letting of public fields, with thousands of dollars in cash changing hands. Now cities such as Santa Ana plan to clamp down on the abuses after having turned a long-term […]
Hill: Brazil-Ghana World Cup Game ‘Fixed
Canadian author Declan Hill has just published a book called The Fix, an investigative account of sports events across the world that are manipulated by Asian betting syndicates. He talked to two reporters from the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel about his claim that the 2006 World Cup round of 16 match between Ghana […]
Where Are The Kids?
There’s a conspicuous lack of youth on Bob Bradley’s roster to face Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, writes Ives Galarcep. “The omissions of Kenny Cooper, Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu have left the U.S. team with a roster that proponents will call experienced and battle-tested,” he writes. “But opponents […]
Time Is Ripe To Scrap Single Entity
There’s little doubt that the issue of single entity will be one of the main debating points when the MLS Players’ Union’s CBA with the league comes up for renewal in 2010. No one’s making any bets on how much power the league will be prepared to cede to individual teams, but Ben Knight thinks […]
TELEVISION: Fullerton doubleheaders kick off BigWest.TV soccer
Fans can watch free internet broadcasts of Big West sports this week — including a pair of Cal State Fullerton men’s and women’s soccer.
AWARDS: Soccer America Women’s Team of the Week
LSU freshman Mo Isom, who scored on a 90-yard free kick, is the Soccer America Women’s Player of the Week. For all the Women’s Team of the Week selections for games played Aug. 25-31 …
MORNING BRIEFING: Top-ranked USC falls at Portland
Top-ranked USC fell to Portland, 1-0, on Monday when Canadian Olympian Sophie Schmidt scored on an golden goal in the 97th minute. ALSO: Rachael Rapinoe injury scare and big UCLA win.
AWARDS: Soccer America Men’s Team of the Week
California’s Andrew Wiedeman is the Soccer America Men’s Player of the Week after leading the Bears to wins over UC Riverside and Maryland on the opening weekend of the season. For all the Men’s Team of the Week selections for games played Aug. 29-31 …
MORNING BRIEFING: UIC beats Santa Clara, BC loses
Santa Clara, projected to be the top men’s team on the West Coast, left Chicago Monday with its second straight loss of the 2008 season. After its 2-1 loss to Loyola (Ill.) on Saturday, the Broncos fell to UIC, 4-3, in front of a packed house at Flames Field on Monday night. ALSO: Boston College lost to Providence again.
More woes for Califf; Feilhaber debuts
[AMERICANS IN DENMARK] Danny Califf, whose own goal last week led to Danish club Midtjylland’s elimination from the UEFA Cup, was red-carded in the 39th minute of a 1-1 tie with Vejle on Monday in Danish league play.
Jesus Padilla gets first goal
[AMERICANS IN MEXICO] Northern California product Jesus Padilla, 21, who debuted for Chivas Guadalajara in August of 2006 but has played mainly for the reserve team, scored his first goal in the First Division – a stoppage-time strike that earned Chivas a 1-1 tie with Morelia. For more on U.S. players in Mexico. …
What They’re Saying
“It’s awesome. I don’t know the full implications of what it means to be in Cuba, what it means to play in Cuba, and I think I underestimate maybe how strange it’s going to be to be there. The more I talk to people, the more I hear stuff like we can’t use credit cards there, we can’t use American cash. It’s like, ‘Where the hell are we going? Mars?'”
— U.S. striker Landon Donovan on traveling to Havana for Saturday’s World Cup qualifying game against Cuba. (SI.com)
MLS teams face tricky home legs
For New England and Chivas USA, their tasks in the second legs of the CONCACAF Champions’ League preliminary round on Tuesday couldn’t be more clear: win, or be embarrassed. New England hosts Joe Public FC at Gillette Stadium (8 pm ET, Fox Soccer Channel) and Chivas USA plays Tauro FC at Home Depot Center (10 p.m. ET, Galavision, FSC). Both teams face opposition from leagues rated well below MLS and neither was able to pull out a tie in the away legs last week.
Berbatov to Man. United, Robinho to Man. City
[TRANSFER TALK] The transfer sagas of Dimitar Berbatov and Robinho went done to the wire. Berbatov, the most sought-after striker on the summer transfer market, and Robinho, who has been very unhappy at Real Madrid, are headed to Manchester — Berbatov to United and Robinho to City — in moves concluded in the final four of the the final day of the transfer window.
Zimmerman Set For Move
Hamburg’s U.S. striker Preston Zimmerman will move before the transfer deadline Sept. 1 to either another German team, or “one in another country,” according to his agent.
UEFA Cup First Round Draw
Oguchi Onyewu’s Standard Liege head back to Merseyside to face Liverpool’s city rivals Everton. Neven Subotic and Borussia Dortmund will play Udinese of Serie A.
Celtic vs Rangers Preview
A look ahead to Sunday’s Scottish Premier League derby, in which both DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu could feature for Glasgow Rangers.
Champions League Draw Could Prove Too Much For Liverpool And Arsenal
Even England’s top-four elite has its upper and lower classes,” writes Kevin McCarra, noting that in the Champions League group phase draw both Arsenal and Liverpool “were assigned uncomfortable quarters.” One or possibly both of the teams could be eliminated before the knockout stage. Liverpool struggled to squeeze past Standard Liege in the qualifying round, […]
Ruiz Raring To Go For Toronto
Rumors that Carlos Ruiz was unhappy about his trade from the L.A. Galaxy to Toronto FC have been greatly exaggerated. The Guatemalan striker told Dean McNulty that he is fine with the move, and has long wanted to work in tandem with TFC’s Honduran playmaker, Amado Guevara. “Toronto is a fantastic city,” he insisted. “I […]
MLS and New York Deny League Blocked USL Player Bid
Both Major League Soccer and the New York Red Bulls have denied an internet story that the league blocked the team’s bid for the Atlanta Silverbacks’ Macoumba Kandji because MLS felt the $200,000 asking price was too high for a player from the United Soccer Leagues. “I have no idea who the source is for […]
