California resident Juergen Klinsmann, who led host Germany to a surprisingly strong third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, won’t stay on national team coach, according to reports in the German press. Klinsmann, whose contract expired on Sunday, came in for heavy criticism for long periods of his tenure as national team coach because of […]
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1. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“In a way, I think every new World Cup can be the ‘best World Cup ever’ because the tournament has this potential to bring even more people together, with nations and cultures setting aside their differences in their shared appreciation of soccer.” — Former U.S. President Bill Clinton on the World Cup. Clinton, who attended […]
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WORLD CUP: Italian pragmatism reigns supreme
By Ridge Mahoney in Berlin On a night of finely balanced tensions, set under darkening skies and poised between two teams replete with heroic storylines and marvelous players, a great career ended in disgrace and a grand tradition prevailed once again. Italy, purveyor of defensive efficiency, rode out numerous French attacks to end regular play […]
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World Cup Final Delivers Impressive Ratings
Nearly 12 million Americans watched on ABC as France beat Italy in the World Cup final on Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research, making the 2006 final the third most-watched final in U.S. soccer-viewing history. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision and its sister network Telefutura also received “monster ratings” for this year’s final, said the Hollywood Reporter. […]
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Even Odds on Beckham Crossing
“That’s going to be something that you’re going to see more in MLS, is some people bringing in some outside, international players…And I don’t think it’s just because they’re international, it’s because they’re bringing some unique skill.” So said David Alioto, the new executive vice president of what will be the second incarnation of the […]
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Zidane’s Actions Worthy of ‘Fight Night’
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News says there was something thoroughly American about Zinedine Zidane’s head-butt against Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final on Sunday afternoon. “With poetic timing, Zidane summoned his inner Mike Tyson, providing us all with a brutally and beautifully American moment at the climax of the galaxy’s most-watched […]
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Scandal Verdict Imminent as Italy Celebrates World Cup Victory
The Circus Maximus, ancient Rome’s vast stadium for chariot races, was the scene where hundreds of thousands of Italians gathered to greet an open-topped bus carrying their World Cup heroes. The mayor’s office estimated the crowd topped 600,000, with another hundred thousand or so accompanying the bus on its slow march from prime minister Romano […]
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Materazzi Admits to Insulting Zidane
Marco Materazzi has admitted to insulting Zinedine Zidane prior to the head-butt that led to his sending off in Sunday’s World Cup final. Media speculation about what Materazzi said have ranged from steroid allegations to racism, but until now neither one of the pair has spoken publicly about the matter. Materazzi told Gazetto dello Sport, […]
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WORLD CUP: Italy shrugs off the jeers
By Mike Woitalla in Berlin The fans who watched the World Cup final in Berlin's Olympic Stadium probably enjoyed the final more than the estimated 1 billion who watched on TV. The festive atmosphere began an hour before kickoff. Fans belted out competing chants. They danced and sang along to the piped-in tunes, from ''I […]
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SOCCER ON TV: Your Viewing Guide
0707tv (All times ET unless noted. Consult your regular television listings guides for availability in your area. Schedules are subject to change.) MONDAY, July 10 No live games. TUESDAY, July 11 No live games. WEDNESDAY, July 12 GOL TV Ecuador OLMEDO-EMELEC (live), 5 pm. THURSDAY, July 13 No live games. FRIDAY, July 14 MLS DIRECT […]
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5. USL: Toronto ends skid with two wins in a row
After opening winless through 11 games, the Toronto Lynx recorded two stunning wins in a row, downing first-place Vancouver 2-1 and Charleston 1-0. Only seven points separates first from 10th and last-place Toronto, surprisingly, is only 13 points back from the playoff zone in a draw-filled USL First Division table. Teams are beginning to clinch […]
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6. SOCCER ON TV: Your Viewing Guide
All the week’s MLS and international action: https://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562137397
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4. MLS: D.C. winning streak extended to five games
D.C. extended its winning streak to five games and its unbeaten streak to 12 games with a 1-0 win at Columbus. Alecko Eskandarian scored on a long free kick in the 43rd minute, then was red carded in the second half after colliding with Marcos Gonzalez. — Houston’s unbeaten streak is eight games after beating […]
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3. TELEVISION: Final on ABC earns 7.0 rating
The Italy-France World Cup final earned a 7.0 rating on ABC, nearly three times the 2.5 rating for the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany. This year’s telecast averaged nearly 12 million viewers (people 2+) and 7,750,000 homes. The rating was ABC’s third-highest rated men’s soccer game and also the third most-viewed since the […]
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2. BY THE NUMBERS: World Cup Titles
Italy won its fourth World Cup with its shootout victory over France on Sunday. All four World Cup titles have come on European soil. COUNTRY TITLES (YEARS) Brazil 5 (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) Italy 4 (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) Germany 3 (1954, 1974, 1990) Uruguay 2 (1930, 1950) Argentina 2 (1978, 1986) England 1 […]
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1. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“When he is calmer, he will speak. When I saw him at 2 a.m., he was very sad. He didn’t want to end his career like this. He was simply very sad. He was very sad for everything that happened, but this is life. He is a human being, not a god.” — Zinedine Zidane‘s […]
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Puma Wins First Sponsor’s World Cup
As France returns home disgraced and Italy prepares to find out how many of its clubs will be found guilty of a match-fixing scandal, Puma may turn out to the biggest winner of all after yesterday’s World Cup final. The German sports goods firm sponsored a World Cup winner for the first time as its […]
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Zidane Wins Golden Ball
France captain Zinedine Zidane won the adidas Golden Ball award as the best player of the World Cup despite being sent off for headbutting Marc Materazzi during yesterday’s final. The results were released today by FIFA. Zidane edged Italy’s captain, Fabio Cannavaro, for the award, earning 2,012 points compared to Cannavaro’s 1,977. Italian midfielder Andrea […]
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France’s Empty Return Home
The French team returned home to Paris Monday to a considerably muted response from what some might have expected. Only about 100 fans, most of them children, awaited the teams’ landing at Charles de Gaulle. Following the sending off of their hero Zinedine Zidane, French spirits were understandably low. The scheduled parade down the Champs […]
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World in Shock After Zidane’s Shameful Exit
Bemused is the best word to describe the media’s reaction to yesterday’s World Cup final. Zidane is in the headlines again, but for all the wrong reasons this time. And oh yeah, Italy won the World Cup. But everywhere that seems to be an afterthought as pundits across the globe search for reasons why Zidane […]
Posted inStory, World Cup Watch
Section 1: What provoked Zidane?
By Paul Kennedy Managing Editor Soccer America Just what did Marco Materazzi say or do, if anything, to provide France captain Zinedine Zidane to viciously head-butt the Italy defender and get sent off in Sunday’s World Cup final? “According to several very well informed sources from the world of football,” the anti-racism group SOS Racism […]
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USL: Results (July 3-9)
USL First Division Monday, July 3 Rochester 2 (Steele 67, Delicate 71) Vancouver 0. Tuesday, July 4 Atlanta 2 (Millwood 63, 83) Minnesota 0. Miami 0 Charleston 1 (Hollingsworth 79). Wednesday, July 5 Toronto 2 (Dodds 20, Pottinger 31) Vancouver 1 (Matondo 29). Friday, July 7 Montreal 1 (Vincello 90) Vancouver 1 (Kindel 21). Virginia […]
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WOITALLA: Italy shrugs off the jeers
By Mike Woitalla in Berlin The fans who watched the World Cup final in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium probably enjoyed the final more than the estimated 1 billion who watched on TV. The festive atmosphere began an hour before kickoff. Fans belted out competing chants. They danced and sang along to the piped-in tunes, from “I […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Australia, the Brand
The Age says the Socceroos have now leapt in front of Australia’s world champion cricket team as the country’s top sporting brand. After a fantastic run at the finals that ended in controversial last-minute penalty agony to Champions Italy, experts across Australia are hailing a new era for soccer in the land Down Under, predicting […]
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Italy’s Soccer Scandal Made by TV
Throughout this tournament, the Italian soccer scandal has loomed over every match played by the national team. Even as they hoist the World Cup trophy today, this could be the last good moment for Italian soccer for a very long time indeed, especially if a court finds four of its top clubs guilty of match-fixing […]