[AMERICANS ABROAD] Santos Laguna remains perfect in the Mexican Apertura 2007 season with a 2-1 win over Chivas Guadalajara on Wednesday. U.S. product Edgar Castillo went the full 90 for the fifth time this season. Texan Sonny Guadarrama made his first appearance of the season for Santos as a 68th minute sub. Californian Michael Orozco made his fifth appearance of the season for San Luis in its 2-1 win over Veracruz.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Chivas USA’s Zotinca gets three-game suspension
[VIDEO] MLS fined Chivas USA defender Alex Zotinca $1,250 and suspended him for three games for delivering a head-butt during a melee sparked after his teammate, Jesse Marsch, kicked David Beckham in the ribs during a Aug. 23 game against the Galaxy.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
New Argentines send Salt Lake past Kansas City
A month or so ago, Kansas City had its sights set on the Eastern Conference lead. Now its playoff chances are by no means secure. Real Salt Lake (3-11-6) sent the Wizards (9-9-5) tumbling to the .500 level with goals by two of its recently signed Argentines and its resident Jamaican, yet relied a team effort to frustrate KC with hustle and pressure, plus some tidy possession play, for much of the game.
Matias Mantilla, Fabian Espindola and Andy Williams (from 50 yards!) delivered the knockout punches in the 3-1 win that dealt KC its fourth loss in the last five games. Eddie Johnson scored with 21 minutes remaining for his 13th of the season but by then his team trailed by two.
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Ghana ousts Brazil in U-17 World Cup
[U-17 WORLD CUP RESULTS/VIDEO] Despite playing the entire second half with a man-advantage, Brazil fell, 1-0, to Ghana in the round of 16 of the U-17 World Cup in South Korea. Francis Boadi was red-carded for two rash tackles within 10 minutes late in the first half, but Issac Donkor converted a rebound for the winning goal in the 51st minute. In the quarterfinals, Ghana faces Peru, which beat Tajikistan on PKs after a 1-1 tie. In Wednesday’s other round of 16 games, Bojan, who is on the brink of breaking into Barcelona’s first team, scored twice in Spain’s 3-0 win over North Korea. Damien Le Tallec also notched two, as France downed Tunisa, 3-1.
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Adu’s Benfica advances in the UEFA Champions League
Benfica qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at FC Copenhagen on Wednesday to advance, 3-1, on aggregate in their third qualifying round series. American teenager Freddy Adu, whose made his European debut in the first leg, did not play in Copenhagen. Greek international Kostas Katsouranis scored in the 17th minute after a free kick from Rui Costa was headed down, silencing the nearly 40,000 fans at Parken Stadium.
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UEFA Champions League Results
Both teams from England (Arsenal and Liverpool), Scotland (Celtic and Rangers), Turkey (Fenerbahce and Besiktas) and Ukraine (Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk) earned passage to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League by winning their third qualifying round series. The draw for the group stage will take place Thursday in Monaco despite the death of Sevilla player Antonio Puerta that forced the AEK Athens-Sevilla second leg to be postponed.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“We got a goal. That’s big progress for us.”
— American Samoa coach David Brand, whose team is ranked last (199th) in the world by FIFA, after a 12-1 loss to the Solomon Islands in their 2010 World Cup qualifying opener. America Samoa made history in 2002 World Cup qualifying with a 31-0 loss to Australia. (Reuters)
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Riquelme Moves to Madrid; Ronaldinho Chased by Chelsea
Rumors are heating up across Europe as the transfer window comes to a close on Friday. First, reports in Spain claim that Argentine playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme finally found a home after Villarreal agreed to him to Atletico Madrid. The 29-year-old’s asking price was a hefty $20 million, although no fee was reported. Riquelme rejoins […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Various Reports
If you’re a GolTV subscriber, you may have noticed that the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico Madrid was blacked out this weekend. The only explanation that was offered was a vague reference to contract disputes in Spain. What actually happened is that the La Liga rights owners cut off services to many of its […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Klinsmann Would Be Right for L.A.
The Times of London earlier this week speculated that the L.A. Galaxy might be lining up Juergen Klinsmann to replace Frank Yallop as head coach. The Boston Globe’s Frank Dell’Apa and others believe Klinsmann would not be enough to help save the beleaguered MLS outfit’s 2007 season — although adding him as coach would be […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Beckham, Donovan Probable for SuperLiga Final
David Beckham and Landon Donovan are still recovering from injuries, although reports say that both players will play some part in tonight’s SuperLiga final against Pachuca at the Home Depot Center (Wednesday, 11 pm ET, live on TeleFutura). L.A. played the Mexican giant at the Home Depot Center in the first round of the SuperLiga, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
MLS Should Heavily Target Mexican, Latino Fans
The David Beckham hype has generated wonderful returns for MLS thus far, but marketing executives would tell you it’s a no-brainer that the league needs to better appeal to the country’s millions of Latino fans to instill a longer-lasting, loyal fan base. It’s no secret that Mexican teams draw higher TV audiences and larger crowds […]
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Attention: Sports Information Departments-Soccer Contacts
Soccer America’s College Soccer Reporter today resumes its daily (Monday-Friday) frequency during the college season. Soccer contacts are requested to e-mail releases to Managing Editor Paul Kennedy at: paul@socceramerica.com Soccer America’s Top 25s will appear in each Monday’s College Soccer Reporter and at the College Soccer Reporter section at socceramerica.com Soccer America’s Players of the […]
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Canada selects five collegians for 2007 Women’s World Cup
Five players with remaining college eligibility are headed to China to represent Canada at the 2007 Women’s World Cup, which will take place Sept. 10-30. Selected were Melanie Booth (Florida), Robyn Gayle (North Carolina), Diana Matheson (Princeton), Kara Lang (UCLA) and Sophie Schmidt (Portland).
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Heavy losses shouldn’t deter deep North Carolina squad
[MEN’S TOP 25 PREVIEWS: 21-25] North Carolina lost seven starters — including MLS Rookie of the Year candidate Michael Harrington — and then red-shirt freshman Eric Lichaj signed with Aston Villa of the English Premier League late in the summer. Those losses would sidetrack most programs, but UNC has one of the deepest squads in the country.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Former champions UConn and Indiana return to title hunt
[MEN’S TOP 25 PREVIEWS: 11-20] Connecticut (winner of two national titles) and Indiana (which captured the last of its seven national championships in 2004) are both looking to return to the Men’s College Cup after exiting prematurely during the 2006 postseason.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
UCLA has depth to withstand Zizzo exit and Estrada injury
[MEN’S TOP 25 PREVIEWS: 1-10] Top-ranked UCLA lost U.S. U-20 Sal Zizzo, who signed with German club Hannover, and won’t have Soccer America Freshman of the Year David Estrada for perhaps the first three weeks of the season, but the Bruins still have plenty of firepower.
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Soccer America Preseason Men’s Top 25
UCLA, last year’s NCAA Division I runner-up, is No. 1 in Soccer America’s preseason men’s rankings. ACC teams Wake Forest and Duke are No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, followed by defending national champion UC Santa Barbara. Today’s College Soccer Reporter also features previews of the Top 25 teams, along with the latest news from preseason camps.
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San Francisco loses Valentino with knee injury
San Francisco senior defender Rob Valentino, the 2006 West Coast Conference Player of the Year, will miss the 2007 season after having successful knee surgery. Valentino, who has led the Dons to the NCAA playoffs in all three of his seasons, was injured working out prior to the start of official practice and underwent surgery Saturday on his left knee. He is expected to have a complete recovery.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Rennie to step down after 29 years at Duke
Duke head men’s coach John Rennie has announced that the 2007 season will be his last. Rennie built Duke into one of the elite programs in the country, earning the school’s first national championship in any sport in 1986 and leading his squad to five Men’s College Cups (1982, 1986, 1992, 1995 and 2004). Rennie’s Blue Devils have won five ACC titles, including back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Soccer America Preseason Women’s Top 25
Defending champion North Carolina is No. 1 in Soccer America’s preseason women’s rankings, edging out Notre Dame and UCLA, which the Tar Heels beat in the final and semifinals, respectively, at the 2006 Women’s College Cup. WCC powers Portland and Santa Clara round out the Top 25. Read Thursday’s College Soccer Reporter for previews of all the teams in the Soccer America Top 25.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Wizards aim to reboot against Salt Lake
[TV PREVIEW] The Wizards have been slowly losing ground to a chasing pack of teams close behind them, and far more than a formality against the league’s worst team, this match is vital to their playoff hopes. After hosting Kansas City, Real Salt Lake sets out on a four-game road swing; if wants to take any momentum into the final month of the season with University of Utah football in full swing, it needs a strong showing.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I want to excuse myself with everyone – Parma fans included – but not to him. He provoked me.”
— Silvio Baldini, coach of Italian club Catania, after being suspended for one month for literally kicking Parma coach Domenico Di Carlo‘s butt. The two coaches squabbled during a 2-2 tie and Baldini struck once Di Carlo turned his back to walk away. Click HERE for video.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bobby Convey gets a start for Reading
[AMERICANS IN ENGLAND] American midfielder Bobby Convey played 100 minutes in Reading’s 1-0 overtime win over third-tier Swansea City in the second round of the English League Cup. Convey, who was injured most of last season, has come off the bench in two of four EPL games this season. His last start for Reading before knee-injury treatment came in an FA Cup last February.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA faces Germany at U-17 World Cup
The USA has appeared in the U-17 world championship a record 12 times but has won a second-round game only once. At this summer’s U-17 World Cup, the Americans started meekly but managed second-round passage and face Germany on Thursday (6:45 am ET, live on ESPNU). In the previous five U.S. second-round appearances, the USA won only in 1999 with a team included Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey and Oguchi Onyewu.