Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times reports on the importance of the national team for a country like Haiti, which began its Gold Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Guadeloupe Wednesday in Miami. The story of soccer in Haiti, like so many other impoverished nations, is one of community. “For the Haitian people, […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Becks in Real Race to be Fit for Saturday
The world press is in accord that it was David Beckham’s brave performance that made the difference for England Wednesday against Estonia. Becks carried on after twisting his ankle minutes into the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier and went on to supply Peter Crouch and Michael Owen with a pair of sublime crosses for England’s second […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Bayern Strengthens Lineup with Ribery
Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich, which had a poor season by its standards in finishing fourth, has made its second significant capture of a busy offseason in acquiring France midfielder Franck Ribery from Olympique Marseille, the France club confirmed on Thursday. “We have helped Franck to get where he is today and we are not really […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘World-Class’ Angel Buries TFC
Juan Pablo Angel had been quiet for most of the game, coming to life on only a few set pieces as the New York Red Bulls took on Toronto FC at BMO Field Wednesday night. But as soon as the Bulls were awarded a free kick (from the kind of distance now known internationally as […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Gold Cup is a Must-Win for the U.S.
With the 2006 World Cup receding into a distant (and bad) memory, the U.S. national team now has to successfully defend its 2005 Gold Cup title in order to reassert itself on the international stage, says Luis Bueno of L.A. Soccer News. The Gold Cup is perhaps the only tournament in which the U.S. should […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Insider
Clubs Face Major Transformation
Youth clubs try to generate revenue to support their ambitions by appealing to players whose families are willing to pay higher fees. The competition for players and in some cases, “warm bodies,” is exposing a major chink in youth soccer armor.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Red Bulls’ rally shows they’re for real
On the list of things to do for a team making its move in MLS: Coming from behind on the road to win against a conference foe? Check. The rabid fans at BMO Field can be intimidating, but they were stunned – as were their heroes – when Juan Pablo Angel scored twice in less than three minutes to overturn a 1-0 Toronto FC lead and take Red Bull New York (6-2-2) back atop the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 victory.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USA strikers hot going into Gold Cup opener
[GOLD CUP PREVIEW] The first competitive match of the Bob Bradley Era – the Gold Cup opener against Guatemala Thursday (9 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel) – give him and his team a chance to redeem a goalless draw the teams played March 28. As Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney reports, odds look good for the USA if Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson bring their MLS hot streaks to tonight’s game …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Guadeloupe earns tie in Gold Cup debut; De Guzman leads Canada past Costa Rica
Playing its first game ever in the Gold Cup, Guadeloupe earned a 1-1 tie against reigning Caribbean champion Haiti on the opening day of play in Group A. In the first game at Miami’s Orange Bowl, Julian De Guzman of Spanish club Deportivo Corun scored twice in the second half to give Canada a 2-1 win over Costa Rica.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Guatemala hopes to end long winless streak
[GOLD CUP PREVIEW] Guatemala has a long record of futility in the Gold Cup. It’s played in the last six Gold Cups yet has won only one game in that span — a 3-0 win over St. Vincent & the Grenadines in 1996. The Chapines take a 12-game winless streak into their opener against the United States on Thursday night.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
El Salvador looks for small successes
[GOLD CUP PREVIEW] Mexican Carlos de los Cobos is looking for small successes for El Salvador at the Gold Cup. The El Salvador coach hopes his team, which has struggled badly in recent years, earns some respect and develop a solid nucleus for World Cup qualifying, which starts next year. He also hopes some players use to the Gold Cup to get seen and sign with clubs abroad.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Trinidad & Tobago falls into chaos
[GOLD CUP PREVIEW] Call Trinidad & Tobago “Team Chaos.” If the Soca Warriors didn’t have enough troubles because of a dispute between members of their 2006 World Cup team and the T&T federation over World Cup bonuses, they ran into more trouble when they tried to fly to the United States from Honduras on Monday after their 3-1 loss to the Catrachos on Saturday. Eight players were delayed in Honduras on Monday due to visa problems, while another player, Andre Toussaint, was detained at George Bush Airport in Houston for having a visa that only allowed him to enter the United States from Trinidad & Tobago. The Soca Warriors have been seriously depleted. Sixteen 2006 World Cup veterans were ruled out because of their threatened lawsuit, and five others are boycotting the national team in solidarity. That left only one World Cup veteran — midfielder Densil Theobold — in the team for the Gold Cup.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Depleted Houston faces Rapids in MLS Thursday clash
[TV PREVIEW] Without Dwayne DeRosario and Pat Onstad representing Canada at the Gold Cup, defending champion Houston continues its quest to shed its losing record when it hosts Colorado, which has the services of U.S. international Pablo Mastroeni, who’s serving an international suspension for the red card he received at the 2006 World Cup. Ridge Mahoney previews MLS’s Thursday Night Game …
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
OFF THE POST: Owl checks out crossbars in Finland
[VIDEO] Finland’s European Championship qualifying game against Belgium in Helsinki was delayed for six minutes because of a field invasion – by an owl. Referee Mike Riley stopped play in 19th minute as fans cheered on the owl that soared past ducking players, perched for a while on one crossbar, then traversed the field to check the view from the opposite goal’s crossbar. The owl eventually wrapped its talons around a railing behind one of the goals and watched the Finns win, 2-0.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I will take out the song … ‘We will rock you’. Why play that song? So the players kill each other? Whoever wants [to hear] devil’s music should not come to my stadium.”
— Gigi Becali, owner of Romanian club Steaua Bucharest, announces that only religious songs will be played through the loudspeakers at Steaua’s stadium, a ploy he says will combat on-field violence and hooliganism. Becali also announced he’ll fine players $3,000 to $20,000 if they make sad faces after being substituted. (Reuters)
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Beckham is happy to be with the lads
David Beckham set up two goals in his first competitive game for England since the 2006 World Cup and his 96th international appearance. Beckham’s promising comeback set the stage for more England appearances late in the summer and into the fall — just as the Galaxy moves into the stretch drive of the MLS regular season. With England still fourth in Group E, Coach Steve McClaren will be counting upon Beckham to play for England in its five remaining qualifiers.
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
What the Future Holds for Youth Soccer
Let's look into the future of American soccer, shall we? The year is 2012. Major League Soccer had been going strong until the coaching shortage, the top guys having moved to youth soccer, because that's where the real money is. The Dallas Diaper Demons won the first Under-2 U.S. National Championship in a hard-fought victory […]
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
Youth Beat: The Perils of Profit-Driven Coaching
Convincing parents to pay for professional coaching is like picking low-hanging fruit. So what does that mean for the children and how this country is developing players? The next time you attend a youth soccer practice or game, pay close attention to how much time passes without hearing at least one adult telling the children […]
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
Tim Howard Lands on His Feet
Three years after losing the starting job at Manchester United, U.S. keeper Tim Howard is back in the nets for Premier League rival Everton. There isn't much down time for Tim Howard these days. The demanding pressures of club and country commitments fill up his datebook, so the narrow window between the end of the […]
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
Bradley Plunges Into New Job
Before he had the tag of interim national team coach removed in May, U.S. coach Bob Bradley plunged into his latest job as he does everything else: meticulously and relentlessly, even a bit zealously. Bradley’s appointment as men’s national team coach set the stage for the busiest summer for the men’s programs in more than […]
Posted inSoccer America Magazine, Story
Hope Returns North of the Border
As MLS savors the rabid reaction to Toronto FC, Canadian Soccer Association officials are planning to use BMO Field and the FIFA U-20 World Cup as catalysts for a revival of their national team programs. Through the window of his condominium, Toronto FC captain Jim Brennan can see the home of Major League Soccer’s newest […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Chelsea and the Anti-Abramovich Era
Lo and behold, the ethos at Chelsea Football club has finally changed, says Norman Hubbard of ESPN Soccernet. Gone are the heady spending days of old when Manager Jose Mourinho could simply buy whatever the player at whatever the price. After three years of massive losses and sky-high wage bills, the Blues board, like any […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Now, Can Becks Save the Galaxy?
As the David Beckham gravy train in Spain continues on to what many believe is its inexorable conclusion — if Real Madrid manages to beat Zaragoza this weekend, the La Liga will surely head to the Bernabeu — the former England captain’s future employer, the L.A. Galaxy, appears to be moving at the same rate […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Angel the Excellent
As far as individual performances go, Eddie Johnson of Kansas City has been (and rightly so) grabbing all the headlines with his back-to- back hat tricks, but the New York Red Bulls’ Juan Pablo Angel has been equally as important to his club, notching four goals and two assists in just four games in the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
For Bradley, Dress Rehearsal is Over
Now the dress rehearsal really is over for the Bob Bradley administration, as the U.S. national team Thursday begins its title defense of the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Guatemala, a team it tied 0-0 three months ago. As Steve Goff of the Washington Post points out, Bradley still has a lot to prove despite recently […]