According to Spanish daily La Marca, Barcelona has given up hope of retaining Ronaldinho past this summer. At a Tuesday night board meeting, the Brazilian’s future was top of the agenda, and it was agreed that the player would leave the club at the end of the season. According to the Spanish paper, Barca’s directors […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Montreal MLS Bid Includes Liverpool’s Gillett
An Associated Press report confirms Liverpool co-owner George Gillett as the member of an investment group that would bring Major League Soccer to Montreal. Joey Saputo, the president and owner of USL first division club Montreal Impact, tells the AP: “I can confirm that we are in discussions with Gillett Entertainment Group as well as […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Dynamo Should Sign Bravo as DP
The Houston Chronicle’s Bernardo Fallas thinks the time is right for the Dynamo to add a designated player. With Joseph Ngwenya and Nate Jaqua now gone, the team is still missing a forward. And since the Dynamo’s new owners want to reach the city’s Hispanic community, Fallas thinks they should aim for a player with […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
D.C. the Model for Latin American Expansion
In the past, it often happened that MLS clubs would sign big-name stars in the twilight of their careers who would come to the States looking for a golden retirement. Lothar Matthaeus and Youri Djorkaeff come to mind. L.A. Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas, who signed David Beckham last year, says he knows the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Becks’ Century Overshadows England Loss
France might have won the match, but it was all about David Beckham at the Stade de France last night, as the England legend became just the fifth player in his country’s history to reach 100 caps. Beckham started the match and played 63 minutes before leaving to a standing ovation in front of 78,500 […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Who will be the best in the West?
[MLS COUNTDOWN] Only three Western Conference teams qualified for the playoffs last year and only one made it through the first round, but again it was Houston that went all the way and repeated as MLS Cup champion. Counting Kansas City’s triumph in 2000 before it changed conferences, seven of the last eight titles have been won by western teams. The Dynamo has lost a few players from last year’s squad, yet faced the same situation in 2007 and still prevailed.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
REPORT CARD: Solid performance by U.S. midfield
[POLAND-USA GRADES] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 3-0 win on Wednesday.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Americans beat Poles at their own game
There are times when the Beautiful Game is anything but beautiful, when conditions are treacherous and play is choppy and gritty efficiency is preferred to golazos and glitter. Teams such as Poland take pride in the toughness and determination and exploitation of set plays required in such situations, yet it came a distant second to a competent, cohesive U.S. squad Wednesday in Krakow.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“He is in the style of Ronaldo at that age. They both like to get involved and try to do what you tell them. You have to give players like that room to be creative. I don’t think he is a normal talent. There are some people that can make a big difference and he is one of those players.”
— Brazil coach Dunga on 18-year-old Pato, who scored the winner against Sweden on Wednesday with a curling shot from near the sideline. (AFP)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
International Friendly Results
Late goals from strikers Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Klaas Jan Huntelaar gave the Netherlands a 4-3 win over Euro ’08 co-host Austria, which had led, 3-0, after 35 minutes. A David Villa goal in the 78th minute gave Spain a 1-0 win over world champion Italy. Greece, which beat Euro 2004 host Portugal twice en route to the title, again got the better of the Portuguese when it won, 2-1, thanks to a pair of goals by Georgos Karagounis. AC Milan teenager Alexandre Pato scored on his debut for Brazil in a 1-0 win over Sweden. For all Wednesday’s results and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Beckham joins England century club
[MAKING A LIST] David Beckham became only the fifth England player to earn 100 caps when he started in England’s 1-0 loss at France on Wednesday. The next player in line to reach 100 caps is Michael Owen, who played his 89th game for England on Wednesday. By contrast, 10 Americans have 100 or more caps, and Landon Donovan will join the century club when he plays his next game for the USA.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Barbados advances to set up date with USA
[WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING] Dwayne Stanford‘s goal in the 69th minute gave Barbados a 1-0 win over Dominica and set up a date with the USA in June in a home-and-home series in 2010 World Cup qualifying.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2008 MLS National TV Schedule
Major League Soccer’s national networks — ABC, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Espanol, HDNet and TeleFutura — will combine to broadcast 113 games in 2008. The 2008 season kicks off Saturday, and regular season ends on Oct. 26.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Western Conference in Brief
Here are numerical rosters by position with each players’ career MLS statistics and schedules for all seven MLS Western Conference teams.
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
English refs get it wrong – yet again
The image of Graham Poll handing out three yellow cards to the same player at the 2006 World Cup sticks in the mind as emblematic of English referees. Totally confused.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Morrow: Top MLS Clubs Could Play in EPL
Few would contest that the quality of play in MLS has improved markedly since the league’s inception 13 years ago, but FC Dallas coach Steve Morrow thinks the league has improved so much that, “I genuinely believe we are at the stage now where the top sides could survive in the English Premiership.” And while […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Carver in Toronto ‘to Build Something’
Three days after pronouncing his team’s loss to the USL’s Charleston Battery as “the worst performance I’ve ever seen,” Toronto FC coach John Carver reassured fans that he wouldn’t be heading for the exit anytime soon. “I’m not here for the short term. I’m here to build something,” Carver tells the Toronto Sun. The former […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘Sounders’ Isn’t Dead Yet
It may be a long shot, but the Seattle Post Intelligencer’s Matthew Gaschk reports that “Seattle Sounders” isn’t dead yet as one of the possibilities for naming Major League Soccer’s new expansion team. On Tuesday, the names Seattle FC, Seattle Alliance and Seattle Republic were announced as the options for the online ballot that will […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Defending MLS Champ Braces for Hectic 2008
All eyes will be on the MLS Cup 2007 rematch between the Houston Dynamo and New England Revolution when league play opens this weekend, but the Houston Chronicle’s Bernardo Fallas says that Houston could be forgiven for looking beyond Saturday’s match-up toward next Wednesday’s Champions Cup semifinal first leg against Saprissa of Costa Rica. Indeed, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Benched U.S. Stars Face Different Fortunes
In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley discusses how to manage the plight of regular national team players not getting sufficient playing time with their respective club teams. In the case of Fulham’s Carlos Bocanegra, the U.S. captain, and Benny Feilhaber of Derby County, Carlisle says the situation “is […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA’s Olympic wild-card dilemma
The Olympic men’s soccer tournament is one of the most peculiar competitions in sports: an under-23 tournament that allows each team to field three overage players, although these so-called wild-cards don’t take part in the qualifying play. It means U.S. coach Peter Nowak can make significant changes to the team that qualified for the 2008 Games in China with a second-place finish in Concacaf. So what are his options?
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Can Wizards, or anyone, challenge top two?
[MLS COUNTDOWN] Parity may reign in MLS, at least theoretically, but in the past three seasons D.C. and New England have finished one-two atop the Eastern Conference, in either order. The Revs have reached MLS Cup in each of those seasons, only to lose each time. D.C. – which finished second to the Crew in 2004 yet prevailed in the playoffs to win its fourth championship – hasn’t returned to the final despite posting the best regular-season record in two of those three seasons. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney offers a team-by-team preview of the Eastern Conference
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
International Friendlies TV Schedule
The USA’s clash with Poland is one of nine international friendlies available live or delayed on cable or pay-per-view on Wednesday. Other matches of note include France-England, featuring David Beckham, who is expected to earn his 100th England cap in the game. For all the international friendlies on TV …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. Soccer Development Academy Results
LAFC moved into first place in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s Under-15/16 So Cal Division with a 4-0 win over the Nomads on Saturday. LAFC’s U-15/16 team remained unbeaten with a 2-0 victory over the Nomads. For all the weekend U.S. Soccer Development Academy scores and goal scorers …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Soccer Job Openings
[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.