Soccer America Archives

By Mike Woitalla Chelsea has banned three fans, including two who were arrested during an FA Cup game with Tottenham Hotspur, for throwing celery stalks onto the field. The culprits had ignored a warning from the club to keep their celery at home. “Anyone who attempts to bring celery into Stamford Bridge could be refused […]

By Ridge Mahoney Will this be the final, last, drop-dead chance that Eddie Johnson gets to get back on the beam for the national team? He has a good track record against Guatemala, against which he scored last year in a 4-0 rout as well as in a World Cup qualifier in 2005. The match […]

“I went through a lot last year. The last thing I [needed was] getting e-mails from a coach that ‘you’re not starting anymore.’” — Veteran goalkeeper Tony Meola, who is not on an MLS roster but hasn’t announced his retirement yet, reveals his disappointment in how (via e-mail) New York Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena […]

Brazil swept a pair of friendly games played in Sweden, defeating Chile, 4-0, on Saturday in Gothenburg and Ghana, 1-0, on Tuesday in Stockholm. Ronaldinho scored twice against Chile, converting a controversial penalty and scoring direct from a free kick, for his first goals for Brazil in almost two years. Kaka and Juan scored the […]

By Paul Kennedy A match against tiny Andorra Wednesday in Euro 2008 qualifying should put an end to England’s scoring drought, but a big win will hardly lessen the pressure on embattled England coach Steve McClaren. The Football Association offered its support Tuesday to McClaren, who has taken the brunt of the criticism for England’s […]

By Ridge Mahoney The worst team in the league last year has a lot of ground to make up if it is to reach the playoffs after missing them in 2005 as well as 2006. In its first year with head coach Sigi Schmid, Columbus (8-15-9) had last place in the Eastern Conference all but […]

By Ridge Mahoney Revs rookie forward Adam Cristman, a fourth-round draft pick out of the University of Virginia, is proving to be the scoring terror of MLS Preseason 2007. The 22-year-old played a role in all three New England Revolution goals as it downed Honduran club CD Olimpia, 3-1, Sunday at Tad Gormley Stadium in […]

“We are not going to start thinking ‘we are not going to qualify.’ That’s no way to start thinking, no way to have the atmosphere in and around the squad, and I won’t let that happen. … But we are where we are in the table and if we don’t start winning, we are not […]

Sampdoria forward Gabriel Ferrari scored two goals and Freddy Adu buried the game-winner in the 90th minute as the U.S. U-20 national team beat SMU, 3-2, on Monday afternoon in Dallas. Ferrari, 19, scored in both halves in his U.S. debut, but the Mustangs twice pulled even on goals by Dane Saintus and Scott Corbin. […]

World Cup champion Italy faces a must-win situation when it hosts Scotland Wednesday in Euro 2008 qualifying at Bari’s San Nicola Stadium. With the Azzurri fourth in Group B — five points behind Scotland and France and two behind Ukraine — the pressure is on beleaguered coach Roberto Donadini. Donadoni lashed out at media critics, […]

None of the USA’s three Gold Cup opponents in Group B won in friendly games played over the weekend. Guatemala played to a 0-0 tie at Barbados on Sunday before heading to Frsico, Texas, where it faces the USA in a friendly on Wednesday night. FC Dallas star Carlos Ruiz was with his MLS club […]

By Mike Woitalla Freddy Adu mastered his skills playing barefoot soccer on gravelly sandlots in the Ghanaian harbor city of Tema. Then he moved to the USA at age 8 and five years later started getting paid $1 million to wear Nike cleats. At age 14, he signed with MLS and became the league’s highest […]