“They asked me to do a spread with [swimmer] Amanda Beard, and I just decided it wasn’t for me. It’s got to be something my dad’s OK looking at.”
— U.S. Olympic team defender Heather Mitts on why she passed on a chance to pose nude in Playboy. (SI.com)
[TRANSFER TALK] American keepers Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan aren’t the only players headed to Aston Villa, owned by American Randy Lerner. According to his right-hand man, former U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Charles Krulak, Lerner is set to hand Villa manager Martin O’Neill $60 million for summer transfers in hopes of improving on Villa’s sixth-place finish last season and challenge the Premiership big four for a place in next year’s Champions League.
[UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] DaMarcus Beasley won’t be returning to the UEFA Champions League for a fourth time. Playing without the injured American, Scottish club Rangers fell to Lithuania’s Kaunas, 2-1, and was knocked out in the second qualifying stage on aggregate by the same score.
[OLYMPIC MEN] While all teams didn’t use their allotment of three overage (over-23) players for the Olympic men’s soccer tournament, the favorites are all counting on veterans to play key roles in attack. For profiles of Ronaldinho (Brazil), Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina), Peter Odemwingie (Nigeria), Roy Makaay (Netherlands) and Tomasso Rocchi (Italy) …
The USA opens play in the Olympic men’s soccer tournament on Thursday against Japan. With the Netherlands, which won the European U-21 title, and Nigeria, the 1996 gold-medal winner, still to come, both teams regard Thursday’s game as one they can’t afford to lose.
[MLS/OLYMPICS] His second-year in MLS has seen Robbie Rogers score five goals in 17 starts for the Columbus Crew while earning MLS All-Star team selection and a spot of the U.S. Olympic team, which opens against Japan on Thursday. Get to know Rogers in this profile by Soccer America’s Bryan Alvarez that covers on- and off-field experiences …
Olympic soccer will continue on Thursday morning with live coverage of the USA-Japan men’s game on MSNBC and delayed coverage on Universal HD. Soccer coverage will also be available on various NBC networks, including USA, CNBC and Telemundo. Complete soccer coverage will be available on the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and online at nbcolympics.com. Check with your television provider for the availability of the NBC Olympic Soccer Channel.
[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions. They include college coaching opportunities, as well as opportunities in pro soccer, youth soccer, the soccer industry and television.
MEMBERSHIP ALERT: Soccer America will kick off its Olympic coverage with a special edition of SoccerAmericaDaily later today with coverage of Wednesday’s women’s action, including the USA-Norway game in Qinhuangdao. A special edition with U.S. Olympic soccer coverage will appear each day during the Olympics that a U.S. team is playing. Fans not wishing to read our coverage until after they have watched the game should note that the subject line of these e-letters will be “Special Edition: U.S. Olympic soccer.”
The L.A. Galaxy’s Guatemalan striker on the forthcoming World Cup qualifying campaign, and why it will be his last.
A dispute over pay for match officials threatens the start to the Scottish Premier League this weekend.
Reflecting journalism’s current obsession with creating lists, CNN’s blog tells us five good and five bad things about soccer at the Olympics. On the plus side are the history of the game at the Olympics, the healthy crowds, the fact that players like to take part in such a ‘big feel’ event, and the […]
Jonathan Wilson catches up with Yugoslav goalkeeping legend Vladimir Beara, who turns 80 this year. Such was Beara’s reputation that when Russian keeper Lev Yashin won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1963, he said that it was Beara who was in fact the best shot-stopper in the world. Beara told Wilson […]
The English Football Association Tuesday launched an initiative aimed at improving the behavior of players, fans and coaches across all levels of the game. Starting this season, only captains will be allowed to approach the referee, and players will have to adhere to a basic code of conduct. Referees will deal more firmly with […]
L.A. Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas wasn’t fired Monday, writes Nick Green, but there’s a long week ahead. In the midst of a form slump, reports of locker room tension, and with Lalas reportedly not exactly bonding with Coach Ruud Gullit, it is surely just a matter of time before the team’s owner, AEG head Phil […]
The debate over the Superliga prize money seems to be rolling on like a European summer transfer saga. Now Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber has spoken out about what he sees as the misconception regarding the much-publicized $1 million prize money, and the fact that the players on the winning team will only take […]
According to MLS Players’ Union executive director Bob Foose, the decision by New England and Houston players to share their portion of the prize money for contesting the SuperLiga final Tuesday night is a direct response to MLS blocking an attempt by team ownership to pay separate bonuses.
Marshall has named Kevin Long as interim head coach of the Thundering Herd women’s program following the resignation of Chris Kane, who resigned to accept a position at a private academy in Georgia. For all the coaching moves …
In her first three seasons as Oregon’s starting goalkeeper, Jessie Chatfield broke just about every school goalkeeping record. She also suffered a broken right hand, broken left arm and two concussions. After suffering a major knee injury on July 2, she announced her retirement.
California’s Kevin Grimes and UIC’s John Trask, two of the most sought-after men’s head coaches, have both been granted long-term contract extensions.
[PRESEASON WOMEN’S POLLS] Defending champions Charlotte (Atlantic-10) and Hawaii (WCC) have been tabbed to repeat as their women’s conference champions, while Marist, last year’s MAAC women’s regular-season champion, has been picked to win the 2008 MAAC title.
North Carolina, winner of three straight and 19 of 21 ACC women’s championships, has been selected first in the 2008 ACC poll of the league’s 11 head coaches.
Returning one of the most experienced teams in recent history, Saint Louis has been selected to win the 2008 Atlantic 10 men’s championship, ahead of Massachusetts, a 2007 NCAA Tournament semifinalist, and Charlotte.
Two and half years ago, Tim McClements lost his job as head coach of the Vanderbilt men’s team when the Commodores’ program was disbanded. Now he has landed the job of men’s head coach at one of the highest-profile programs in the country.
[OFF THE POST] Foreigners are no longer welcome in Malaysia’s pro leagues. In an effort to improve the national team’s standard of play and reduce clubs’ burgeoning debt, the Football Association of Malaysia has decided to make its Super League a strictly domestic organization. FA Deputy President Khairy Jamaluddin explained the decision:
