Soccer America Archives

U.S. women’s national team head coach Greg Ryan named 20 players to the roster for the 2007 Algarve Cup, being held March 7-14 in the Algarve region of Portugal. Shannon Boxx, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist, will return to international competition for the first time in 10 months. She had major knee surgery last July. […]

Soccer on TV., Story

1. GAMES: Live and same-day delay on national TV

(All times Eastern unless noted. TV programming is always subject to change. Check your local listings and soccerTV.com) FRIDAY, March 2 GOL TV Germany SCHALKE-HAMBURG (live), 2:25 pm. SATURDAY, March 3 FOX SOCCER CHANNEL England NEWCASTLE-MIDDLESBROUGH (live), 10 am. England PORTSMOUTH-CHELSEA (live), noon. England MANCHESTER CITY-WIGAN (delay), 2:15 pm. FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL England NEWCASTLE-MIDDLESBROUGH […]

Soccer on TV., Story

1. COMING SOON: USL partners with Turner for online game broadcasting

USL and Turner Broadcasting have entered a partnership to provide online video streaming of USL First Division matches featuring all 13 clubs beginning April 2007 through the 2009 season. The matches will be available on the new broadband channel USL Live at www.USLLive.com, launching early April 2007. “We are extremely excited to announce the launch […]

BBC’s Hargreaves Sings Beckham’s Praises

In his weekly column for BBC Sport, Bayern Munich and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves says Real Madrid would not have won Tuesday’s thrilling Champions League encounter if David Beckham had not been on the field. “Without him in the team…our job at Bayern would have been much easier,” Hargreaves writes, adding that the response Beckham […]

Anfield Job too Tough for Barcelona?

Avenging a 2-1 Champions League home loss at Anfield might not have been an impossible task for the FC Barcelona team of 2005-06, but it certainly looks a tall order for this year’s team, which still contains most of the same players despite its slumping form. All credit should go to Liverpool, which responded positively […]

Arena: Red Bulls to Add Second DP

Contrary to claims made earlier this week by New York Red Bulls owner Dietrich Mateschitz, Coach Bruce Arena says the Bulls on course to make another high-profile signing “either this week or next week.” Arena indicated the player would likely occupy the second of New York’s two designated player slots. Former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna […]

Ashton Returns to Ailing West Ham

Some light was shed on a bleak situation earlier this week as striker Dean Ashton, considered one of the best young talents in England today, looks set to resume training with West Ham next week. Indeed, Ashton’s broken leg, which he suffered while training with England in September, is near the top of West Ham’s […]

Czech Berger Mulls MLS Summer Move

Aston Villa’s Patrik Berger, a former Czech Republic international, has revealed that he’s negotiating with Major League Soccer over a possible move to the United States this summer. “There is a possibility of me going to America; I know there is an interest but I can’t say anything at the moment because nothing is finalized,” […]

EUROPE: Liverpool's Bellamy back in swing of things

After a week dominated by news of an altercation that rekindled the image of English soccer stars as out-of-control boozers, Liverpool stunned defending champion Barcelona, 2-1, Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 series. Liverpool's goalscorers were Craig Bellamy and John-Arne Riise, who were at the center of the controversy surrounding […]

UNDER-23 FRIENDLY: USA earns 0-0 tie in Japan

The U.S. U-23 men's national team played to a 0-0 tie with Japan's under-23 national team in the Kirin Challenge Cup, its first international match under new head coach Bob Bradley. The Japanese were twice denied on shots by Sota Hirayama and Koki Mizuno off the woodwork. Chris Seitz, signed by Real Salt Lake out […]

MLS: D.C. United romps, Houston rocked in Champions Cup

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor, Soccer America Facing Central American opposition on the road, be it World Cup qualifying or club competition, is pocked with pitfalls, as both D.C. United and Houston found out in the first legs of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals Wednesday. D.C. won and Houston lost as both teams showed considerable […]

REFEREES: U.S. Soccer launches full-time pro ref program

There will still be school teachers, accountants and truck drivers refereeing MLS and international games in the USA, but now there will also be full-time professional referees in the middle. U.S. Soccer has launched a program to employ refs full-time, which exists in only a few nations, including England, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. […]

COPA AMERICA: The USA's balancing act

By Ridge Mahoney U.S. Soccer will send a team comprised mostly of MLS players to the Copa America, according to federation president Sunil Gulati, partially because European teams will not be obligated to release their players for that tournament. For invited teams Mexico and the United States, the Copa America is not a regional championship. […]

2. MLS: D.C. United romps, Houston rocked in Champions Cup

By Ridge Mahoney Facing Central American opposition on the road, be it World Cup qualifying or club competition, is pocked with pitfalls, as both D.C. United and Houston found out in the first legs of the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals Wednesday. D.C. won and Houston lost as both teams showed considerable grit and spirit despite […]

5. REFEREES: U.S. Soccer launches full-time pro ref program

1. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

"If I give you a good wine, you will see how it tastes and after you ask where it comes from." — Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger on the English Premier League club’s predilection for foreign players. The Gunners frequently field no Englishmen. (BBC)

4. UNDER-23 FRIENDLY: USA earns 0-0 tie in Japan

The U.S. U-23 men’s national team played to a 0-0 tie with Japan’s under-23 national team in the Kirin Challenge Cup, its first international match under new head coach Bob Bradley. The Japanese were twice denied on shots by Sota Hirayama and Koki Mizuno off the woodwork. Chris Seitz, signed by Real Salt Lake out […]

3. EUROPE: Liverpool’s Bellamy back in swing of things

After a week dominated by news of an altercation that rekindled the image of English soccer stars as out-of-control boozers, Liverpool stunned defending champion Barcelona, 2-1, Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 series. Liverpool’s goalscorers were Craig Bellamy and John-Arne Riise, who were at the center of the controversy surrounding […]

6. COPA AMERICA: The USA’s balancing act

TV PREVIEWS: Houston, D.C. United hit road for Champions League

The Houston Dynamo and D.C. United on Wednesday begin their campaign to claim the CONCACAF Champions Cup for the USA for the third time. D.C. United, under then-coach Bruce Arena, won the 1998 crown. The Los Angeles Galaxy, then guided by Coach Sigi Schmid, took the crown in 2000. Club America is the defending champ […]

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP: History

Winners by Country Mexico 22 Club America (5), Cruz Azul (5), UNAM. (3), Toluca (2), Guadalajara (1), Puebla (1), Pachuca (1), Necaxa (1), UdeG (1), Atlante (1), Espanol (1). Costa Rica 6 Saprissa (3), Alajuelense (2), Cartagines (1). El Salvador 3 Alianza (1), Fas (1), Aguila (1). Suriname 2 Transvaal (2). Honduras 2 Olimpia (2). […]

YOUTH: Renken heads U-15 camp squad

The U.S. U-15 national team coach Jim Barlow brought 24 players to the Home Depot Center, where they are spending a week training. Among those present at the camp, which runs through Saturday, are Charles Renken, the 13-year-old striker who entered the U.S. U-17 Residency Program in January, and Sebastian Ibeagha, whose older brother Christian […]

OFF THE POST: Shadow biting?

French defender Sebastien Sansoni of Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem claims it wasn't his intention to dine on NEC's Roy Beerens, he just wanted to ''scare him off.'' Still, the biting motion earned Sansoni a five-game ban. ''Although it was never my intention to hurt Beerens, it does look offensive,'' admitted Sansoni, who didn't break flesh.

LIVERPOOL: Reds go wild in Algarve

Liverpool's new American owners, George Gillett Jr. and Tom Hicks, were welcomed to the wild side of English soccer with front-page headlines of out-of-control partying during the Reds' stay in Portugal, where Manager Rafael Benitez brought the team to prepare for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League showdown at defending champion Barcelona. With a free weekend — […]

3. TV PREVIEWS: UEFA Champions League