[U-17 WORLD CUP RESULTS] Germany and Colombia, who tied 3-3 in their Group F opener, moved close to second-round passage on Thursday. Germany downed Ghana, 3-2, while the Colombians swept past Trinidad & Tobago, 5-0.
Beckham: Travel Didn’t Affect My Play
David Beckham’s performance last night, while somewhat sub-standard considering his form for club and country over the past six months, was still one of the brighter spots in England’s 2-1 loss to Germany at Wembley stadium. The L.A. Galaxy midfielder was adamant that the flight from the USA to the British capital had not adversely […]
Are Beckham and MLS Another Flash-in-the-Pan?
The San Jose Mercury News’ Ann Killion, who professes to be a "true believer" in both the beautiful game and "the dazzling star power of David Beckham," isn’t so convinced about MLS’ future. Killion happily admits that soccer, as evidenced by the bigness of the World Cup, is the only truly global game. David Beckham […]
After Transfer Flurry, Alves Remains in Seville
Expensive Sevilla right-back Daniel Alves may have seen his transfer dreams go up in smoke, after Chelsea signed fellow Brazilian Juliano Belletti for the far more reasonable price of $7.5 million from Barcelona. Meanwhile, Chelsea finally sold off Dutch winger Arjen Robben to Real Madrid for an estimated $49 million. Club chairman Bruce Buck described […]
Serie A: Juve is Back, but Inter Still Favorite
The Guardian’s James Richardson serves up a colorful preview of the return of Serie A this weekend. There may have been few big-name signings in Italy’s top flight this summer, as the likes off Thierry Henry, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Torres and Franck Ribéry opted to go elsewhere, but Richardson points out that Italian giants Inter […]
Riquelme to Boca: I’ll Play for Free
How desperate is Juan Riquelme to leave Villarreal? So desperate that the Argentine international has promised to play free of charge for one year if his beloved club Boca Juniors buys out his current contract with the Valencia club. The 29-year-old spent most of last season on loan with the Argentine giant, which he guided […]
Stars zoom home for Los Angeles clasico
[TV PREVIEW] U.S. coach Bob Bradley did his MLS counterparts Frank Yallop and Preki a favor. England coach Steve McLaren wasn’t so accommodating. Bradley pulled off Landon Donovan and Jonathan Bornstein during the USA’s 1-0 loss to Sweden, but McLaren played David Beckham the full 90 minutes of England’s 2-1 home defeat against Germany. All three are expected to be back at Home Depot Center for this edition of the Los Angeles-Chivas USA derby; yet to be determined is how much, if at all, they can play.
What They’re Saying
“I have dual citizenship. I am a Mexican-American. And I decided to play for Mexico because the other side never called me.”
— Edgar Castillo, who debuted for the Mexican national team on Wednesday in a 1-0 loss to Colombia. The 20-year-old, who was born and raised in the USA, starts in the Mexican First Division for Santos Laguna, which he joined after finishing high school in New Mexico. (Notimex)
Kansas City overcomes Cuauhtemoc
The Wizards scrambled to contain Cuauhtemoc Blanco, whose passes led to a pair of goals, but produced three goals of their own thanks to Jose Burciaga Jr. to beat Chicago, 3-2.
Historic Night for Jaime
Jaime Moreno set a league goalscoring record as D.C. United won a crucial conference match over New York. Many of his goals (33) the past few years have been penalties, yet on the historic night of his 109th MLS goal, Moreno did much more than just convert from the spot. His flicks and touches and dummies unhinged the Red Bull New York backline as D.C. (11-6-3) rolled to a 3-1 victory at RFK Stadium.
Ronaldinho saves Brazil
Brazil coach Dunga waited until halftime until bringing on stars Ronaldinho and Kaka – punished for having sat out the Copa America – and it was Ronaldino who led the Brazilians to a 2-0 friendly win over Algeria. Ronaldinho served the cross that Maicon headed home, then finished a rebound off a shot from Diego.
Germany wins fifth straight at Wembley
Germany extended its winning streak in England to five games with a 2-1 friendly victory. The Germans’ Wembley victory streak dates back to 1982 and includes a 1-0 win in 2000 that marked England’s last game at the “old Wembley.” The Germans’ win on Wednesday was England’s first loss at the new $1.49 billion Wembley stadium. The Los Angeles Galaxy’s David Beckham played 90 minutes and earned his 97th cap for England.
U.S. product Edgar Castillo debuts for Mexico
Mexico, fielding a team filled with candidates for its U-23 team preparing for Olympic qualifying, fell 1-0 to Colombia in Commerce City, Colo., on a goal 53rd minute goal by Jaime Castrillón in front of 17,737 fans. U.S. product Edgar Castillo entered the game in the 65th minute.
U.S. REPORT CARD: Average or worse for most Bradley boys
Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players’ performance in their 1-0 loss to Sweden …
USA lacks guile in Gothenburg
For all the weight placed on team cohesion and collective performance in evaluating a soccer game, many matches are decided by which individuals step up. So it proved to be Wednesday night when Sweden beat the USA, 1-0. No U.S forward could match the guile and threat of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, midfielders Kim Kim Källstrom and Kennedy Bakircioglü outplayed their U .S. counterparts, and the Swedish defense far more effectively blunted the opposition.
No Rifts at TFC, Despite Form
Is there a mutiny on hand in Toronto? Winless in six, scoreless in six, Toronto FC is just seven minutes away from Major League Soccer’s most dubious record: most minutes without a goal. Injuries have certainly played their part, but there’s no denying TFC’s massive slump. Even so, the Toronto Sun says the players insist […]
Sweden a Tough Test for the U.S.
International friendlies aren’t often important, but today’s USA-Sweden match carries significance for both sides, says Goal.com’s Ben Brackett. Sweden will use the home match as a tune-up for its next round of Euro 2008 qualifiers in two weeks. The Scandinavians understand that the U.S. is a much tougher opponent than it used to be, but […]
Ramos Stays in Seville, Alves Wants Out; Spurs Linked with Roman
England’s Tottenham Hotspur and Spain’s FC Sevilla are very much in the news today, after it was revealed that Spurs tried to replace coach Martin Jol with Sevilla’s Juande Ramos. It was an offer the UEFA Cup winner described as “dizzying,” though in the end, Ramos said, “There was not the slightest possibility that I […]
Newcastle for Sale Again?
Barely two months after he bought the club, British billionaire Mike Ashley is discussing the sale of Newcastle United. The London Times says Icelandic retail mogul Palmi Haraldsson has already entered into talks with Ashley about acquiring the club’s assets for more than $270 million. Newcastle denied the rumors. The development comes amid unsettling times […]
School Rules: Galaxy Cuts Crowd for SuperLiga
The L.A. Galaxy, set to host Mexican giant Pachuca in next week’s SuperLiga final, has agreed to limit ticket sales for the midweek clash to 12,500 (less than half the stadium’s capacity), in order to appease a local college. Cal State-Dominguez Hills shares its campus with the Home Depot Center and the SuperLiga final presents […]
Smart U.S. Marketing Advice For Foreign Clubs
The U.S. soccer market is a primary target for many foreign soccer clubs. Their objectives include match competition, revenue generation, player identification, plus fan, player and business development. To these clubs we offer the following advice:
Costa Rica beats host; Brazil romps again
[U-17 WORLD CUP RESULTS] Costa Rica became the first Concacaf team to notch a win at the U-17 World Cup when it downed host South Korea, 2-0. It was the host’s second straight loss. Also in Group A, Peru and Togo played to a scoreless tie. In Group B, Brazil followed up on its 7-0 win over New Zealand with a 6-1 rout of North Korea, while England downed New Zealand, 5-0. Brazil’s Fabio and England’s Victor Moses lead the tournament in scoring with three goals a piece.
Copa America champ Brazil face Algeria
In its first action since lifting this summer’s Copa America, Brazil faces Algeria in a friendly in Montpellier, France on Wednesday. (TV live: 12:30 pm ET Fox Soccer Channel & Fox Sports en Espanol). Brazil stars Ronaldinho and Kaka, who chose to skip the Copa, are expected to be used as subs. Coach Dunga is expected to start players who played in the Copa America, where Brazil downed Argentina in the final, 3-0.
U.S. U-17s hope to bounce back
[PREVIEW] The USA hopes to bounce back from its disappointing 4-3 loss to Tajikistan in its U-17 World Cup opener when it faces Tunisia on Thursday. The game airs live at 4 am ET on ESPN, ESPNU and Galavision, and online at ESPN360.com. ESPNU rebroadcasts the game at noon ET on Thursday. Galavision is rebroadcasting the game at 7 pm ET/PT on Thursday. The USA is aiming to reach the second round for the sixth time in its record 12th appearance. Tunisia beat Belgium, 4-2, in its opener.
MLS midweek doubleheader kicks off stretch run
[TV PREVIEWS] Two months remain in the regular season and only Real Salt Lake is without a real chance to make the playoffs. A nine-game slate of league action this week gets underway with Big Wednesday: a pair of crucial Eastern Conference matchups. D.C. United-New York and Kansas City-Chicago.
