Soccer America Archives

Santa Clara, which crushed former No. 2 Notre Dame, 7-1, at its annual adidas Classic, took over as the new top-ranked team in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25. Stanford, the winner of the Santa Clara tournament, jumped seven spots to No. 3, behind North Carolina.

Five reasons why the USA will win the Women’s World Cup

by Paul KennedySeptember 10, 2007

[THE FAVORITES] Soccer America continues its examination of the favorites with a look at the USA, which heads into the 2007 Women’s World Cup as the odds-on favorite. After all, they are undefeated in their last 47 games and have yet to lose under their rigorous coach, Greg Ryan. The U.S. women believe they may be the best women’s team ever assembled. They are surely “The Greatest Team You’ve Never Heard Of,” as they have been billed by team sponsor Nike. They take to the field for the first time on Tuesday when they face North Korea in Chengdu (TV: ESPN2, live, 4:55 am ET). Here are five reasons why the USA will win the Womens World Cup.

U.S. REPORT CARD: Dempsey gets his ninth U.S. goal

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 10, 2007

Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 4-2 loss to Brazil on Sunday.

Ronaldinho touch dooms USA

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 10, 2007

Rarely does a losing team believe the scoreline did it justice, but after the U.S. fell to Brazil, 4-2, at Soldier Field in Chicago, a case could be made that the Americans deserved better.

Soccer America Daily, What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

“We were pleased with our performance but not satisfied with the result. We are continuing to make progress as a team, and I felt like over 90 minutes we did a much more solid job tonight.”
— U.S. coach Bob Bradley after a 4-2 friendly loss to Brazil extended his team’s losing streak to five games.

Fire boosts playoff cause; D.C. United rules East

[MLS WRAP] Chicago boosted its playoff chances with a win in Columbus. Denilson scored his first MLS goal in FC Dallas’ 2-0 win over woeful Toronto, whose league record scoreless run hit the 732-minute mark. Nate Jaqua hit a hat trick for Houston in its 4-3 win over Real Salt Lake. And in another barn-burner, D.C. United downed New England, 4-2, to add to its first-place lead over the Revs in the East as Luciano Emilio upped his league-leading scoring tally to 18 goals. Los Angeles ended an eight-game winless streak with a 3-1 win over Colorado. Chivas USA remains unbeaten at home after a 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls.

WINNERS & LOSERS: Euro 2008 Qualifying

by Paul KennedySeptember 10, 2007

Steve McClaren‘s patch-work England squad captured its must-win showdown with Israel. Strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Miroslav Klose came up big for the Netherlands and Germany, respectively. Keeper Ricardo‘s blunder cost Portugal two points. The Italy-France game in Milan was marred by an ugly display by San Siro fans.

Euro 2008 Qualifying Results

Germany, Croatia and Romania were the only group leaders to win their Euro 2008 qualifiers on Saturday. France and Poland stayed on top in their groups thanks to ties on the road. Sweden’s 0-0 tie at home with Denmark was enough to keep it in first place in Group F. Idle Greece stayed on top in Group B

Nigeria wins third U-17 World Cup

[AWARDS] Nigeria won its third U-17 World Cup title by prevailing on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie with Spain. The Nigerians also lifted the title in 1985 and 1999, matching Brazil’s three titles. Germany, which had eliminated the USA in the round of 16, took third place with a 2-1 win over Ghana.

Castillo & Santos roll on in Mexico

[AMERICANS ABROAD]. Santos Laguna thumped Club America, 4-0, to remain the only unbeaten team after seven game days in the Apertura 07. Santos’ U.S. product Edgar Castillo went the full 90 for the seventh straight game.

U.S. Women: All In A Day’s Work

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 7, 2007

They don’t want to talk about it, but the U.S. women’s national team has been unbeaten since Coach Greg Ryan took charge in early 2005. The secret? Practice and more practice. Ryan has insisted the player do hundreds of repetitions, and the work has paid off at both the ends of the field. Sixteen years […]

Youth Beat: U.S. Soccer Development Academy

by Mike WoitallaSeptember 7, 2007

The U.S. Soccer Federation has integrated the country’s top youth clubs into the national team program. This fall marks the launch of a youth league in which every game will be an audition for the national team program. By creating the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, for U-16 and U-18 boys, the Federation is in effect […]

MLS’s Latin American Connection

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 7, 2007

A splash of millionaire-salaried players under the Designated Player rule may not be the most important factor in the efforts of MLS teams to upgrade their quality. A stream of South Americans has changed the talent level and flavor this season. League officials are adamantly repeating that the 2007 season is about far more than […]

Julie Foudy Finds Another Forum

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 7, 2007

Hall of Famer has taken to new roles as ESPN sports reporter and first-time mother. She’s co-hosting MLS games, she’s working on ESPN programs such as “Outside the Lines” and during the Women’s World Cup in September she’ll be in the Bristol studios as well as China. She’s on the air, everywhere. It’s Julie Foudy, […]

Wambach Seeks Redemption

by Ridge MahoneySeptember 7, 2007

Abby Wambach blames herself for the loss to Germany in the semifinals of the 2003 Women's World Cup. She's also quick to point out she missed her penalty kick in the only U.S. setback of the last two and a half years, a shootout loss to Germany at the 2006 Algarve Cup. No player has […]

The Soccer Life: Soccer Smoothes the Path

by Mike WoitallaSeptember 7, 2007

Soccer helped cure homesickness and eased the challenge of adjusting to a new land for a group of young stars we met at this summer’s adidas ESP scouting and development camp for the nation’s top teen players. Enzo Martinez (Rock Hill, S.C.)‘HOW LUCKY I AM’ When Uruguay played Australia for a spot in the 2006 […]

Hooliganism Plagues Argentine Game

Hooliganism, once a rampant problem in England, is threatening to undermine soccer in Argentina, says SI.com’s Gregory Saha, who says that Argentine gangs have never had so much influence over the sport. “Futbol,” he says, “has taken a back seat to violence and corruption” — which is a shame, because the Argentine league has the […]

Israel Smells Blood; Heskey Recalled for England

It’s no secret that England is taking a depleted squad into Saturday’s crucial Euro 2008 qualifier at Wembley, and Israel knows it. The complete list of unavailable England players is as follows: David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Ben Foster, Ledley King, Gary Neville, Sol Campbell, Jonathan Woodgate, Wayne Bridge, Kieron Dyer, Aaron […]

How Long Before Bradley Calls Up Altidore?

Jozy Altidore’s name was conspicuous by its absence when U.S. coach Bob Bradley announced his squad list for tomorrow’s friendly against Brazil. Maybe it was the calf injury the 17-year-old Altidore picked up playing against the New England Revolution two weeks ago. But ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle says that had Altidore been healthy, he probably wouldn’t […]

How Come Nobody Supports Chivas?

Another conspicuous absence was on exhibit last night at the Home Depot Center, says Ian Plenderleith of USSoccerPlayers, as Chivas USA battled D.C. United to a 2-2 draw. Granted, it was a weeknight game, but 9,306 pales badly in comparison with the crowds drawn by the Galaxy, L.A.’s other team — and even without David […]

Soccer on TV., Story

Soccer on TV

In addition to the USA’s friendly with Brazil on Sunday, this weekend’s action includes Euro 2008 qualifiers, six MLS clashes, the U-17 World Cup final — and the Women’s World Cup kicks off Monday.

Soccer America Men’s Top 25 Results & Schedules

[FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE] No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Virginia. No. 4 Maryland and No. 5 Santa Clara all fell. Maryland’s 1-0 loss to No. 21 West Virginia was the only loss to a ranked team.

Goal Patrol, UConn’s secret weapon

by Paul KennedySeptember 7, 2007

Who has the best fans in men’s college soccer? In recent years, Maryland’s Ludwig Field has been a happening place. UC Santa Barbara’s supporters are the best on the West Coast. But for a quarter century, the atmosphere at UConn games has been unsurpassed. The No. 6 Huskies’ Goal Patrol will be at work this weekend for their matches against South Carolina and FIU at the UConn/adidas Classic.

Resurgent Akron takes aim at No. 1 Wake Forest

Akron is back in the national picture and looks to knock off No. 1 Wake Forest when the experience-laden Zips travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., Friday for the Wake Forest University Tournament. Akron, ranked No. 1 in the final Soccer America Top 25 of the 2005 regular season but univited to the 2006 NCAA Division I Tournament, opened with a 2-0 win over ranked New Mexico and a 1-0 victory over tough UAB to move into the Soccer America Top 25 this week at No. 16.

Penn State’s mastery of UConn continues