“Beckham is a nice man and I’m sure he will reach 100 appearances for England. But he is just a good player, nothing more. He has a good long-range shot, but he’s not a great player – he doesn’t belong to the superior group of players. There are hundreds of Beckhams playing soccer all over the world.”
— Diego Maradona, who in the same interview apologized for his “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup. (The Sun)
Teams from Southern California powers Irvine Strikers and Pateadores both went 3-0-1 against visiting teams from Washington Premier and the Colorado Rush in the U-17/18 and U-15/16 age groups in U.S. Soccer Development Academy play. Teams from the U.S. U-17 residency program swept a pair of games against the AFC Lightning. For all Development Academy results and goal scorers …
For the second year in a row, Eclipse Select and the Dallas Texans are 1-2 in Soccer America’s rankings of the Best Girls Clubs. Southern California’s Slammers moved up two spots to No. 3. For Soccer America’s Top 25 Girls Clubs …
For the first time since Soccer America began its annual rankings of the Best Boys Clubs, the Dallas Texans are No. 1. They edged the Chicago Magic, first the last three years. Arsenal FC of Southern California again completed the podium. For Soccer America’s Top 25 Boys Clubs …
Emmanuel Adebayor was on target once again as Arsenal defeated Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United, 3-0, for the second time in four days at the Emirates Stadium. The lanky striker scored twice in the FA Cup fourth-round victory on Saturday and opened the scoring once again in the Premier League victory on Tuesday, taking his recent […]
ESPN writer Frank Dell’Apa tells us that Major League Soccer has earned more than $30 million in transfer fees since 1996. To be sure, $30 million is a negligible percentage of the worldwide soccer market over the last 11 years, but if recent trends are anything to go by, the league’s transfer revenue looks set […]
The Columbus Crew is on the hunt for a designated player, and according to the Columbus Dispatch, that player might be Poland captain Maciej Zurawski, who has fallen out of favor at Celtic, his current club. The 31-year-old has made precious few appearances for the Hoops this season and reportedly wants to sign for the […]
For years, the African Cup of Nations has been a feeding ground for Europe’s top clubs in search of cheap foreign talent. Andrew Dixon of USSoccerPlayers wonders whether MLS scouts, fixated on bolstering their squads with Latin American talent, have even bothered to make the trek to Ghana this year, because if they are, “they’re […]
As the Liverpool backroom continues to lick the wounds from its recent civil war, American business mogul Robert Kraft has publicly declared his interest in the English Premier League club. As Dubai International Capital hovers above the unsettled atmosphere at Anfield, waiting to buy out Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Kraft tells Sky […]
From fan to photographer to investor, entertainer Drew Carey has steadily increased his emotional – and financial – commitment to soccer. He’s a minority partner in the Seattle MLS franchise, intends to attend as many matches as his schedule allows, and vows not to thumped again by Landon Donovan when they tangle on the video screen. Carey took time from his work on the “Power of 10” and “The Price is Right” television programs to answer some questions by e-mail.
“If it had been one or two balloons then it would not have been a problem. But the point is that there were 20 or 30 balloons, all more or less in the same place, and the referee should have stopped the game to sort it out.”
— Manchester City coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is protesting his team’s 2-1 FA Cup loss to Sheffield United because its first goal came after the ball evaded defender Michael Ball when it deflected off a balloon. (The Guardian/VIDEO)
[MLS WATCH] Twas a time San Antonio occasionally popped up on the radar screen of possible MLS expansion sites, as an ambitious mayor tried to broker a partnership with Mexican club Monterrey.
[MLS TEAM PREVIEWS] In the past three seasons, the Revs have played in three MLS Cups and lost all three. As preseason training opens Wednesday, they have at least three players to replace. In his series examining MLS clubs’ preseason maneuvers and preparations, Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney reports on how Chris Albright reacted to the Galaxy’s trading methods.
Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains the process.
U.S. keeper Brad Guzan has again left the U.S. training camp in Southern California and this time, it’s not to train and talk, but to take the next step in his career.
[AMERICANS ABROAD] German Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin’s acquisition of 19-year-old Bryan Arguez from D.C. United is an indication of the growing interest of foreign clubs in American players. Arguez never played an MLS game in his one season at D.C. United, but Hertha agreed to pay a fee of approximately $300,000 for Arguez in a deal finalized on Tuesday.
Ivory Coast and Nigeria clinched berths in the quarterfinals of the African Nations Cup with wins on Tuesday. Ivory Coast won its third straight game with a 3-0 win over Mali. Nigeria’s 2-0 win over Benin gave the Eagles second place behind Ivory Coast and set up a date with host Ghana on Sunday. For all the African Nations Cup results …
[EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES] Soccer America provides the latest on employment opportunities for soccer-related positions: college coaching opportunities, positions in the pros, youth soccer, the soccer industry, even television.
[OLYMPIC WATCH] Argentina barely qualified for the 2008 Olympics when it beat Uruguay, 1-0, on a 92nd-minute goal dubbed a “miracle” on the final day of qualifying at the Sudamericano 2007, but it heads into 2008 favored to defend its gold medal in men’s soccer. Los Angeles soccer fans will get a chance to watch Argentina’s Olympic hopefuls when they face Guatemala next Wednesday at the Coliseum. Among the players in the squad arriving on Friday is national team star Juan Roman Riquelme, whose presence in the squad for the Guatemala is an indication that he should be one of Argentina’s three overage players at this summer’s finals.
Claudio Reyna has had a rough go of it since joining the New York Red Bulls early last year as the team’s first designated player. A high price tag ($2.5 million for two years) was followed by an understated, if disappointing first season in MLS, in which the Red Bulls made it as far as […]
A month after failing to sign Argentine playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron, D.C. United has now infused its squad with five new South American players: Peruvian goalkeeper Jose Carvallo, Colombian defender Gonzalo Martinez and three Argentines, forward Franco Neill, defender Gonzalo Peralta and midfielder Marcelo Gallardo. Some would say that in retrospect the club has done […]
Major League soccer for years has tried to emulate the National Football League and the National Basketball Association by turning its annual college draft into a major media event. However, Paul Gardner of the New York Sun points out that the “SuperDraft,” as it’s known, is unique to the United States in the worldwide game […]
As reported last November, the CONCACAF Champions Cup has been rebranded as the CONCACAF Champions League. As such, it will adopt a format similar to UEFA’s Champions League, although instead of 32 teams, the CONCACAF tournament will have 24. “This is a project we’ve been working on for more than a year,” CONCACAF general secretary […]
A Rob Hughes report from the International Herald Tribune focuses on the match-fixing attempts that recently threatened to undermine the African Nations Cup. A man representing a Singaporean betting syndicate asked players and officials from two teams, Benin and Namibia, to throw their first-round games against Mali and Guinea, respectively. Thankfully, on both occasions the […]
Hugo Perez, perhaps the most accomplished U.S. soccer player who is not in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, is among 15 players in the Hall’s 2008 Veteran Ballot. Perez, who starred in the NASL and MISL, represented the USA at the 1984 Olympics and 1994 World Cup, and played a key role in successful qualifying campaigns for the 1988 Olympics and 1990 World Cup. The Hall also announced its 2008 Builders Ballot.
Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan is in back in the U.S. training camp, but for how long?
