Argentina the defending champion, and Brazil, the South American champion, are the favorites, along with European champion Spain, at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup, which begins Saturday in Canada. They have combined to win the last seven U-20 world championships. Argentina’s 2005 victory in the Netherlands gave it five titles, one more than Brazil. Other teams to watch include Mexico and Nigeria. Here’s a look at the favorites.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Soccer fever hits Canada in a big way
The Under-20 World Cup begins Saturday as 24 teams, including the USA, compete in six Canadian cities, and ticket sales have stunned organizers. More than 750,000 tickets have been sold, and final attendance figures could surpass 1 million, double original estimates. Canada’s opening game on Sunday and the final on June 22, both in Toronto, are already sold out. The USA opener on Saturday against South Korea could sell out the 55,000 Olympic Stadium in Montreal — the main venue for the 1976 Olympic Games. Five of the six opening doubleheaders could be sellouts.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“We did not despair when we went behind and continued to look for goals until we secured the victory. We must not get carried away, though, as we have only won one game. They made things difficult for us. We had the ball, but we could not create chances. In the second half, we knew they would be tired.”
— Argentina coach Alfio Basile, whose team recovered from a one-goal deficit to defeat the USA, 4-1, the teams’ Copa America opener. (Ticker)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
D.C. United rides out weather and Rapids
Of the two 4-1 games played Thursday night, only one was closer than the score would indicate and it wasn’t the U.S. loss to Argentina in the Copa America. Rain, lightning, and two late strikes by D.C. United swept Colorado to its fifth straight defeat, 4-1, after Colorado wasted chances to stay in the game.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Next up for USA at Copa America: Paraguay, a 5-0 winner over Colombia
Paraguay, the next U.S. opponent the Copa America, crushed Colombia, 5-0, in their opening Group C game on Thursday in Maracaibo. Striker Roque Santa Cruz scored a hat trick, and substitute Salvador Cabanas added two more in the last 10 minutes as Colombia collapsed.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2007 Under-20 World Cup TV Schedule
The USA-South Korea Under-20 World Cup opener Saturday in Montreal will be broadcast live on ESPNU, with coverage beginning at 4:45 pm ET, and delayed on Fox Sports en Espanol at 7 pm ET. The Under-20 World Cup will be shown in English on ESPNU and ESPN360.com (broadband) and in Spanish on Fox Sports en Espanol, Galavision and TeleFutura. For the Under-20 World Cup schedule …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2007 Copa America TV Schedule
Action at the 2007 Copa America continues this weekend with two games each on Saturday and Sunday. Brazil will look to rebound from its 2-0 loss to Mexico when it faces Chile on Sunday, while the Tri will go for two wins in a row when it faces Ecuador in the second game of the doubleheader in Maturin. Both games will be broadcast live in Spanish on Univision. For the complete Copa America TV schedule …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
FIFA to reconsider La Paz altitude ban
Bolivian President Evo Morales looks to have won the day in his fight to get FIFA to relent on its ban on World Cup qualifiers taking place at high altitude.
A day after FIFA’s executive committee modified the ban — raised from 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) — FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he will reconsider a ban on high altitude matches, noting that it was “not a scientific or medical decision, it is a sports political decision.” Blatter’s remarks followed a meeting on Thursday with Morales, who has objected to the ban on qualifiers in La Paz, situated at 3,600 meters (11,800) above sea level.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
FIFA names Americans Bennett and Seitz to referee at Women’s World Cup
American referees Jennifer Bennett and Kari Seitz have been named to the final list of 12 referees for the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup Sept. 10-30 in China. Bennett and Seitz officiated at the 1999 and 2003 Women’s World Cups. while Bennett has been a FIFA referee since 2002. The U.S. is the only country to be represented by two referees.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Castillo Shocks Brazil
Nery Castillo was absolutely everywhere on Wednesday night as Mexico upstaged Brazil 2-0 in Venezuela, catapulting El Tri to first place in Group B and within touching distance of the Copa America second round. Castillo scored perhaps the best goal of the tournament so far receiving a great chipped pass from Juan Carlos Chaco, which […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Liverpool-Torres Deal Comes into Focus
A Liverpool-Fernando Torres deal may be closer than you think: The Times reports that Coach Rafael Benitez has stepped up his pursuit of the Atletico Madrid striker and is considering throwing Luis Garcia in as a makeweight to patch up the difference between the clubs’ valuation. No official bid has been lodged, but one is […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Robben Set to Go as Chelsea Bids for Malouda
Chelsea, quiet by its standards in the transfer market so far, on Wednesday lodged a $24 million bid for Lyon winger Florent Malouda, according to reports in France, casting the future of the injury- plagued Arjen Robben into doubt. Malouda is a former teammate of Chelsea talisman Didier Drogba, who said he would “walk to […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Keller the Big Veteran in Venezuela
As headlines like “Be Very Afraid” (SI.com) float around the Internet describing Argentina’s expected trouncing of the United States’ inexperienced American Copa America squad, one man will be carrying nearly all the weight of experience on his big shoulders tonight: goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who talks with the L.A. Times’ Grahame L. Jones. “If anyone can […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Capello Kicked Out at Real Madrid
Shades of 2003: less than two weeks after driving Real Madrid to its first major trophy in four years, head coach Fabio Capello was unanimously cast aside by the Spanish champion’s management. Four years earlier, former coach Vicente Del Bosque met the same fate after his team of galacticos lifted the La Liga title. “We’ve […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
The Coed Question
Prior to puberty, there is no gender-based physiological reason to separate males and females in sports competition. However, sex-separate programs may be appropriate because of non-gender differences in skill or experience.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Once-discredited Valcke resurfaces as FIFA’s new general secretary
FIFA named Frenchman Jerome Valcke as its new general secretary on Wednesday — less than eight months after it had “parted company” with Valcke and three other employees in its Marketing & TV Division he headed after being discredited in a multi-million dollar lawsuit with long-time sponsor MasterCard.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
FIFA’s high-altitude tweak doesn’t help Bolivia
FIFA eased up on its ban on high-altitude games, raising the limit to 3,000 meters from 2,500 while applying the ban only to World Cup qualifiers. But Bolivia, whose president Evo Morales [photos] led the campaign against the ban, won’t be able to play in its capital, La Paz (3,600 meters above sea level). Brazil suffered its first ever World Cup qualifying loss in La Paz 14 years ago. Further defeats in the Andean highlands by Argentina and Brazil, which have seats on FIFA’s executive committee, prompted the ban.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Michigan Hawks-Wolves pounce at Region II youth finals
[REGION II YOUTH CHAMPIONS] Teams from the Michigan Hawks-Wolves club won four titles on Wednesday on the final day of the US Youth Soccer Region II Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Two boys (Wolves) and two girls (Hawks) teams won championship matches. In the U-15 boys final, Sonny Saad scored four goals to lead the Wolves past the archrival Vardarstars. Another team from Michigan, the Bloomfield Force, will send its U-18 girls team to US Youth Soccer National Championships to be played July 24-29 in Frisco, Texas. Carmel United of Indiana won two girls titles. The NFC Bluejays defeated Ohio’s Internationals, 3-0, in the U-18 boys final to become only the second team from Nebraska to advance to the national championships.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Underdog USA brings some bite to Copa
The much-maligned roster taken by Coach Bob Bradley to the Copa America is designed for long-term benefit, not short-term results. With 15 of the 22 players chosen based in MLS, and many eligible to compete as U-23 players in the Olympic soccer tournament next year, getting out of the group is a realistic, if difficult, task. It is not the main objective. Yet failure to do so, with two of the three third-place teams advancing, would be a disappointment. They need a win and a tie, plain and simple. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney rates the U.S. squad, position by position …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Mexico stuns Brazil with spectacular goals from Castillo and Morales
After losing to the USA at the Gold Cup, Brazil looked downright easy. Mexico got spectacular goals from striker Nery Castillo and midfielder Ramon Morales midway through the first half and held off a second-half onslaught to earn a 2-0 win over the defending champion in their opening Group B game Tuesday. In the other Group B opener, Chile twice came from one-goal deficits on goals by Humberto Suazo, then got a goal from substitute Carlos Villanueva on an 87th-minute free kick to beat Ecuador, 3-2.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. SOCCER ACADEMY: ‘No. 1’ Chicago Magic takes new challenge
[CLUB PROFILE SERIES] The Chicago Magic, which for the last three years has occupied the No. 1 spot in Soccer America Magazine’s Top 20 Best Boys Youth Clubs, is among the first clubs accepted for the inaugural season of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy this fall. The Magic rose to national prominence under Mike “Matko” Matkovich, who remains Director of Coaching while serving as assistant coach of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC. Famous Magic alumni include Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan, a member the USA’s Copa America squad, who joined the Magic at age 10. For more on the Magic story …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA has world’s most registered youth players
The USA leads the world in registered youth soccer players, according to a FIFA’s Big Count survey. The USA has 3.9 million registered youth players (2.34 million boys and 1.56 million girls). Brazil (2.1 million) and Germany (1.3 million) rank second and third, followed by South Africa (1.3 million), France (1 million) and England (820,000).
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Argentina leads with Messi and the Monsters
Alfio Basile knows something about winning at the Copa America. He coached Argentina at the South American championship twice, and it won both times, in 1991 and 1993. He is downplaying, however, any comparisons between those teams and his current team that opens play in Group C against the USA on Thursday in Maracaibo, saying it will be difficult to play at the level of those teams. But with a team that includes Lionel Messi and Hernan Crespo in attack, Juan Roman Riquelme in midfield and Carlos Tevez probably on the bench, Argentina will be formidable.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2007 Copa America TV Schedule
The USA opens play at the 2007 Copa America on Thursday at 8:30 pm ET against Argentina. The game will be broadcast live in Spanish on Univision and English on GolTV. For the complete Copa America TV schedule …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I’m a little small, but I’m fast, I like to get a touch of the ball, I like my left foot and I like to make things exciting. I’ll make runs and hopefully my style of soccer will suit the fans, and I can repay them for all the good things they’ve been saying about me so far.”
— DaMarcus Beasley, the 5-foot-8, 145-pound U.S. midfielder, upon signing with Scottish power Glasgow Rangers. (Ticker)