Real Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla all won to remain in contention for the 2007 La Liga title. Real beat Deportivo Coruna, 3-1, to remain in control of the race with two games to play. It is tied with Barcelona, 1-0 winner over Getafe, but has won the tie-breaker (head-to-head record). Barcelona’s title chances took a blow when star Ronaldinho was sent off late in the first half against Getafe and faces the prospect of missing the last two games of the season if Barcelona’s appeal isn’t upheld
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Cacho leads Pachuca to Mexican league title
Juan Carlos Cacho, whose two goals gave Pachuca a 2-1 victory over Club America on Friday in the first leg of Mexico’s Torneo Clausura finals, scored in the 82nd minute of the second leg to give the Tuzos a 1-1 tie and their second straight Clausura title. Playing his last game for America before joining MLS’s Chicago Fire, Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored in the 68th minute to pull America even on aggregate, but Cacho, called up for Mexico’s team for the Gold Cup and Copa America, once again came to the rescue and tallied his third goal in two games.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Collegians star for U-21 women in Germany
The U.S. U-21 women’s national team opened a three-game tour of Germany on Tuesday with a 4-1 win over FC Gutersloh of the German Second Division. Bill Irwin‘s Americans broke open the close game with three goals in the last 20 minutes by Natalie Capuano (Penn), Ali Krieger (Penn State) and Angie Woznuk (Portland). Natalie Budge (Portland) evened the score in the 19th minute after Gutersloh went ahead with a penalty three minutes earlier.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Duke assistant Serpone lands Amherst job
Amherst named Duke men’s assistant Justin Serpone as its new men’s head coach, replacing co-coaches Peter Gooding, who is retiring, and his son, Milton, who was recently named the men’s coach at MIT. Prior to Duke, Serpone, a product of Division III Drew University, served as the assistant men’s coach at Northwestern from 2003 to 2006 and at Lafayette from 2001 to 2003.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
NCAA D1 Men & Women Coaching Changes
[MAKING A LIST] Vacancies still exist for the men’s soccer head coaching positions at Air Force and Howard, though the Washington Post has reported that Nigerian Joseph Okoh, the head coach at Shepherd in West Virginia will be the Howard coach, placing Keith Tucker. For complete coaching moves …
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Eketebi promoted to men’s head coach at FIU
As expected, Munga Eketebi was hired as Florida International’s new men’s head coach. Eketebi, who becomes the fourth head coach in the 35-year history of the program, replaces Karl Kremser under whom he worked as an assistant for almost two decades. Eketebi took a short hiatus from FIU in 1996 when he served a one-year stint as the men’s head coach at Nova Southeastern, leading the NAIA Knights to an undefeated regular-season record in the Sun Conference.
Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story
Notre Dame’s Lapira debuts for Ireland national team
Notre Dame’s Joseph Lapira, Soccer America’s College Player of the Year and the Hermann Trophy winner in 2006, debuted for Ireland’s national team in a 1-1 tie with Ecuador on Wednesday night at Giants Stadium. Lapira, who hails from Lake Charles, La,, and qualified to represent Ireland through his mother, Kate , became the first amateur player to play for Ireland in 43 years. Lapira replaced Sunderland’s Daryl Murphy four minutes from the end of the game, the first of two on Ireland’s U.S. tour.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Owen, Becks Set for England Recalls
The press is swarming over former England internationals Michael Owen and David Beckham before the upcoming international period, during which the Lions face mighty Brazil in their first international at the new Wembley stadium before traveling to Estonia for a must-win Euro 2008 qualifying match. After being out of action for nearly 10 months, Owen […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Angry Benitez Threatens Liverpool Board
Looks like there’s going to be a summer clear out at Anfield, after all. An angry-sounding Rafael Benitez, still smarting perhaps from Liverpool’s 2-1 loss in the Champions League final on Wednesday, called on Liverpool’s board to release the necessary funds to attract the world’s top talent or the club would risk losing him. Benitez […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Undermanned Red Bulls Strike Again
The New York Post summed it up nicely: “The Red Bulls keep losing players and winning games.” Missing Ronald Waterreus, right back Hunter Freeman, left back Todd Dunivant and captain Claudio Reyna for the fourth straight game (and looking admittedly shaky at times in defense), the Bulls still blanked the Chicago Fire, 3-0, thanks to […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
CSF: Venezuela Not Ready for Copa America 2007
With barely a month to go before the tournament’s opening, the South American soccer confederation (CSF) warned that Copa America host Venezuela might not have its stadiums ready in time. To Venezuela’s credit, the plan to build five new stadiums and host the 12-team tournament at nine different venues was always ambitious, CSF VP Eugenio […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
A’s Owner to Bring San Jose Quakes Back with No Stadium
Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff is still on the case for bringing the San Jose Earthquakes back to Major League Soccer. In an interview with USA Today, Wolff said he would like to have the team registered for the 2008 season-with or without a new stadium. Wolff and John Fisher, heir to the Gap, Inc. […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer On TV
Weekend soccer kicks off Friday with a Montreal-Miami USL clash (Fox Soccer Channel) and the first leg of the Mexican League final (Telefutura). A slate of six MLS games includes Saturday’s clash between New England and Kansas City, who are battling atop the Eastern Conference. Newly crowned Bundesliga champ VfB Stuttgart goes for the double against Nuremberg in the German Cup final on Saturday (Setanta Sports USA). Follow the red hot Spanish La Liga race on Saturday when both Barcelona and Real Madrid, for him David Beckham returns from yellow-card suspension, are in action (Gol TV).
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Colorado downs Real Salt Lake for U.S. Open Cup spot
A stoppage time goal by Jacob Peterson gave the Colorado Rapids a 2-1 home win over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday to qualify the Rapids for the round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Peterson also scored the Rapids’ first goal of the play-in, which completed the octet of Open Cup MLS teams. Last year, Colorado eliminated Salt Lake in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup on a Peterson.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Wizards-Revs clash highlights MLS Week 8 action
[TV PREVIEW]. One game this weekend features a clash between to teams with winning records: New England vs. Kansas City. Columbus hopes to recover from a rout when it hosts Toronto, which now has high-scoring Jeff Cunningham. Slow-starting D.C. United and Houston, preseason favorites to MLS Cup, meet in D.C., each with losing records so far. Los Angeles, still in its pre-Beckham phase of the season, looks for its second win in Colorado. Chivas USA hosts FC Dallas. Winless Real Salt Lake meets a Chicago team that has lost four straight. Ridge Mahoney previews all of this weekend’s MLS action:
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Angel soars and Red Bulls romp
Fire fans who believed their team had already hit rock-bottom were proved wrong Thursday night. Chicago conceded two goals in the first three minutes to the New York Red Bulls (5-1-2) in a 3-0 defeat. After opening the season with a four-game unbeaten streak, Chicago (3-4-1) has dropped four straight.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Bob Bradley tackles the big summer challenge
Only a few prominent names are missing from the 23-man U.S. squad named by Coach Bob Bradley for the Gold Cup, and it’s another team nearly evenly divided between players based overseas and those in MLS. It’s at least two deep at every position (assuming a 4-4-2 alignment or something similar) and good enough to win the Gold Cup. At least a few players will also be on hand for the Copa America, which kicks off for the U.S. against Argentina just a few days after the Gold Cup final June 24, but those details aren’t yet known except that Gold Cup keepers Kasey Keller and Tim Howard probably won’t be heading to South America.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They’re Saying
“I feel comfortable saying that it’s more than a handful of players – about 8 to 12 – that includes both MLS and European-based players, knowing that there are factors that can change that number. Whether those factors are injuries, or having to return to a club team earlier than expected.”
— U.S. coach Bob Bradley on how many players will represent the USA at the Gold Cup and the Copa America this summer.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Real Madrid says no to foreign tours
Real Madrid, which became famous for its long preseason tours abroad, will not be doing a high-profile pre-season promotional tour to allow the team to focus on its preparations for next season. Under former president Florentino Perez, Real embarked on extensive pre-season tours of the Far East and the United States as part of the club’s policy to develop and expand its image across the globe. Real Madrid played in the United States in 2005 and 2006. David Beckham, who will leave Real Madrid for MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy in July, was the central figure in Real’s promotion of its Galacticos in recent years.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Riquelme rescues Boca in Libertadores Cup quarterfinals
Argentine star Juan Roman Riquelme scored a goal that began when he collected the ball in his own half to lead Boca Juniors to a 2-0 win over Paraguay’s Libertad and a place in the Libertadores Cup semifinals on Thursday. After being held to a 1-1 tie at home, Boca was in danger of falling to the Paraguayan champions, but Riquelme, who is on loan from Spain’s Villarreal rescued Boca with the deciding goal in the 62nd minute. He picked up the ball with his back to goal just inside his own half, turned inside Victor Caceres, cut inside a defender, worked an opening and scored with a low shot from the edge of the area.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
CSA names basketball exec Nykamp CEO
The Canadian Soccer Association hired Fred Nykamp as its new chief executive officer. Nykamp left Canada Basketball, where he spent three years, to accept the role.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Barcelona aims to get revenge against Getafe in key La Liga match
[TV PREVIEW] Which Barcelona team will show at the Camp Nou on Saturday against Getafe? The team that won at Atletico Madrid, 6-0, in La Liga last weekend? Or the team that fell to Getafe, 4-0, in the Copa del Rey a week and a half earlier?
Barcelona needs to win if it is to have any hope of keeping the Spanish league title. It is tied with Real Madrid with three games to play, but Madrid has already clinched the tiebreaker (head-to-head play).
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Copa Draw an Opportunity for Revenge for D.C. United
It may be a little earlier than he wanted, but D.C. United coach Tommy Soehn says his team’s Copa Sudamericana draw against Chivas de Guadalajara gives D.C. the chance to attend to some unfinished business. United played Chivas less than two months ago in a closely contested tie in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, drawing […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Liverpool’s American Owners Praise Fans
Following Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to AC Milan in Wednesday’s Champions League final, the club’s new American owners said they’ve never seen anything like the passion exuded by Liverpool’s fans since buying the club in March. “There’s no way either of my two teams’ fans have the level of intense passion that Liverpool has,” co-owner Tom […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
British Billionaire in Line for Newcastle Takeover
Newcastle United looks set to be the next English Premier League club to be bought out after Mike Ashley, “one of Britain’s wealthiest and most secretive businessmen” according to the Independent, purchased a 41.6 percent stake in the club for approximately $110 million. The stake was purchased from the club’s biggest shareholder and life president […]