Topics

61

Football / U.S. defender Onyewu sues over alleged racist slur

« on: June 02, 2009, 01:14:46 PM »

Onyewu sues over alleged slur in Belgium

U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu is suing an Anderlecht player over an alleged racial insult, hoping the case will help eradicate on-field racist abuse in European soccer.

Onyewu, who plays for Standard Liege, says Anderlecht's Jelle Van Damme called him a "dirty monkey" during the Belgian league playoffs. Van Damme has denied the allegations and said he is not a racist.

Onyewu's lawyer, Jean-Louis Dupont, lodged a complaint with a Brussels court Tuesday.

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62

Football / Rooney: Iniesta is the world's best

« on: May 28, 2009, 07:36:48 AM »

Rooney masks pain to hail Iniesta as world's best

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney did not let the disappointment of Wednesday's 2-0 defeat in the Champions League final stop him hailing Barcelona's Andres Iniesta as the world's best player.

Iniesta was instrumental as the Catalans controlled midfield to claim their third European Cup with relative ease. He laid on Samuel Eto'o's 10th-minute opener before Lionel Messi sealed victory with a rare header in the second half.

"They are a brilliant team and I think Iniesta is the best player in the world at the moment," the forward, among the English champions' biggest disappointments on the night, told reporters.

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63

Football / Nigerian bus driver kills four Barca supporters

« on: May 28, 2009, 07:28:24 AM »

Nigerian bus driver kills four Barca supporters

A Manchester United fan in Nigeria killed four people when he drove his minibus into a crowd of Barcelona supporters after his team lost the Champions League final, police said on Thursday.

The crowd in the town of Ogbo were celebrating Barcelona's victory after Wednesday night's match when the bus drove into them. A police spokeswoman said 10 people were injured and the driver was arrested.

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64

Football / American completes takeover of Sunderland

« on: May 28, 2009, 02:17:47 AM »

Tycoon secures Sunderland buyout

United States businessman Ellis Short has taken total control of Sunderland.

Short has increased his 30% majority stake to 100% and bought out the Niall Quinn consortium which had taken over the Black Cats in 2006.

Quinn, who will continue as chairman, told the Sunderland website: "This is fantastic news for the club."

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65

Football / Uefa charges Drogba and Bosingwa

« on: May 22, 2009, 07:57:08 AM »

Uefa charges Drogba and Bosingwa

Uefa has charged Chelsea players Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa for insulting the referee after their Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona.

Uefa has also initiated disciplinary proceedings against Chelsea for the improper conduct of their players and the throwing of missiles by their fans. 

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66

Football / Can Ronaldo make a return to the Brazilian national team?

« on: May 14, 2009, 06:08:16 AM »

Still something like a phenomenon

Ronaldo is coming home. It might be this Sunday when his Corinthians travels to face Botafogo in the Brazilian Championship. Or we might have to wait until the following Wednesday and the second leg of the Brazilian Cup quarterfinals away to Fluminense. Either way, the great striker will be returning to his home city of Rio de Janeiro.

Ronaldo has never played at senior level for one of the Rio clubs. At the age of 14, he first caught the eye in the junior team of tiny São Cristóvão, whose pokey little stadium now has signs outside stating, "The Phenomenon was born here." But he didn't stay long, and never played on the first team. Good performances in the 1993 South American Under-17 Championships boosted his value, but when his agents negotiated with the big Rio clubs, none would accept their terms -- that they would continue to own part of his registration.

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67

Football / RSL's Findley keeping up with his family

« on: May 13, 2009, 06:26:50 AM »

Real Salt Lake's Findley keeping up with his family

Robbie Findley lives in good company in the world of sports.

At Real Salt Lake, Findley shares the field with MLS veterans Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman and Andy Williams, not to mention 2002 World Cup goal-scorer Clint Mathis.

In his family, Findley has a cousin in the NBA, (Atlanta's Mike Bibby) and one in the NFL (Shaun McDonald, who signed this week with Pittsburgh). 

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68

Football / Kamani Hill signs with Vitoria in Portuguese 1st division

« on: May 12, 2009, 06:00:00 AM »

Hill signs in Portugal for three years

American national team forward Kamani Hill has has signed with Portuguese team Vitoria SC of Guimaraes, for a three year period beginning next season, the team has confirmed to YA.

"Kamani Hill will play for Vitoria for the next three years," team representative Carla Freitas said. "He is only twenty three years old, and he plays outside midfield."

Hill was in Portugal for the last two weeks, on trial with the mid-table team in the northern city of Guimaraes. Earlier in the trial, he told YA that he felt very comfortable in his new surroundings.

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69

Football / Mark Hughes: Free-kick technique could injure Cristiano Ronaldo

« on: May 11, 2009, 04:14:14 AM »

Free-Kick Technique Could Injure Cristiano Ronaldo – Mark Hughes

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has warned Cristiano Ronaldo that he could face long-term damage from the unique way he takes free-kicks.

The Portuguese international has become renowned for his set-pieces, scoring a number of stunning goals throughout his career.

Yet according to the City boss, the way he strikes the ball could have implications for the future.

“The way Ronaldo strikes the ball from free-kicks is a completely different technique to anyone else I have ever seen,” he told skysports.com.

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70

Football / Player from U.S. 4th division to sign with Everton

« on: May 02, 2009, 06:31:31 AM »

Toffees land US starlet

Everton have completed a deal for American midfielder Anton Peterlin.

The 22-year-old has been on trial at Goodison Park and has done enough to earn a permanent deal with The Toffees.

Peterlin currently plies his trade for Californian-based Ventura County Fusion - who play in the fourth tier of American football.

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71

Football / Big four ease through in CONCACAF U-17 WC qualifying

« on: April 29, 2009, 02:37:43 PM »

Big four ease through

The CONCACAF Zone's big four of Mexico, USA, Honduras and Costa Rica safely negotiated the qualifying competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009, which has just taken place in the Mexican city of Tijuana.

The final phase of the tournament was cancelled as a result of the swine flu epidemic that has hit the country. Despite that, there was still plenty for local fans to enjoy as the region's stars of tomorrow laid on some entertaining, high-quality football. FIFA.com rounds up all the news from a truncated competition that still generated plenty of excitement and incident. 

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72

Football / USA U-17s qualify in style

« on: April 27, 2009, 11:53:41 AM »

U.S. U-17 Men's National Team Clinches Top Spot in Group A with 3-0 Victory Against Honduras   

The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team defeated Honduras 3-0 to take the top place in Group A of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. The win gave Wilmer Cabrera’s team a perfect three wins from three games. Nicholas Palodichuck, who had not played in either of the first two games, scored the first and third goals for the U.S. Jack McInerney added a goal in the 28th minute, bringing his total to a tournament-high five goals in three games.

With a berth to the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria locked up on Thursday, Cabrera was able to change his lineup and six new starters took the field against Honduras. With Dustin Corea and Emilio Orozco both entering the game at the start of the second half, all 20 players on the U.S. roster saw action during the group phase.

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73

Football / ProZone Match Analysis from USA vs. T&T game

« on: April 14, 2009, 04:36:21 PM »

A very interesting statistical breakdown of the the last qualifier, provided by the U.S. Soccer website:

http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_13762563.html

74

Football / MLS keeps 'Showing Up'

« on: March 14, 2009, 08:01:15 AM »

MLS Keeps 'Showing Up'

I don't wish ill will on anyone in MLS, though I may disagree with the tactics of a coach, the attitude of a player, or the sanity of a marketing campaign. If that means I'm someone who sees the glass more than half-full, well so be it.

Its importance to the game in this country and its slow but steady improvement, as well its limitations and flaws, might seem obvious, and much easier covering MLS would be if the former routinely trumped the latter, but such is not the case. Yet stridently bashing MLS for every inconsistency or that glitch impairs one's ability to evaluate the big picture, and the big picture is this: in what is about to be Year 14, MLS is still around. What a competitor!

Woody Allen once said, "Eighty percent of life is showing up" - you'll see other percentages referred to but he's quoted to that effect --- and a corollary can be added that nearly, if not all, of the remaining 20 percent is sticking around, through good and bad, ups and downs. Baseball may lack the crash and bash of football, or the slams and jams of basketball, or the grit and spit of hockey, but it's been there forever. In most countries, soccer sustains the populace as baseball does here, and it does so by survival as much as spectacle.

Plummeting downward right now are many aspects of life and if MLS can weather this greed-driven storm of gloom and doom, perhaps nothing can kill it off except that same greed applied to reckless overspending on players and other rampant madness, a la NASL.

Rather than trumpet the ticket frenzy in Seattle (again), though, I prefer at this juncture to point out a few of dozens, if not hundreds, of smaller tales to watch and savor as they unfold in this year of MLS, game by game, week by week.

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75

Football / USA U-20s headed to Egypt with 2-0 win over El Salvador

« on: March 11, 2009, 04:16:27 AM »

U.S. Clinches Berth to the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup with 2-0 Victory Against El Salvador

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team secured a place at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup with a 2-0 win against El Salvador on Tuesday evening in their final Group A match of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Bacolet, Tobago. The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup will be held from Sept. 24-Oct.16 in Egypt.

The trip to Egypt marks the CONCACAF-record 12th appearance for the U.S. at the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the seventh straight.

First-half goals from Brek Shea and Tony Taylor combined with Brian Perk’s third shutout in as many games provided the U.S. with a 2-0-1 record in group play and the top spot in Group A. The U.S. advances to the semifinals where they will face the second-place finisher from Group B, which rounds out play on Wednesday night in Trinidad. The kickoff time for the semifinal will be determined after the conclusion of the Group B matches.

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76

Football / Goalkeeping: Whose Hands are Safest?

« on: March 09, 2009, 03:17:09 PM »

Whose Hands are Safest?

There is one topic that has always been, and always will be debated with no factual empirical answer: “Who is the best keeper in the world?”  Opinion will always be the final source of any individual involved in the debate.  Of course, it is easy to rate and differentiate top goalkeepers from the rest of the pack, but to say one is the best simply comes down to what one perceives a goalkeeper should be.  To borrow the proverb concerning the assessment of the most beautiful woman, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

While I will not answer this question for you, I will give a brief synopsis of the top five in the world today and rate them as I see it:

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77

Football / USA U-20s draw 0-0 with Honduras

« on: March 09, 2009, 03:48:38 AM »

U-20 Men Tie Honduras 0-0 in Second Match of CONCACAF Qualifying 

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team played to a scoreless draw against Honduras in Group A action on Sunday night at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago.

The draw keeps the U.S. atop of the group with four points. Jamaica, after a 2-1 win against El Salvador, has three points, Honduras has two points and El Salvador has one. All four teams are still in the running to advance to both the semifinals of the tournament and the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.

The U.S. controls its own fate and can secure advancement as one of the top two teams in the group with a win or tie against El Salvador on Tuesday, March 10. Kickoff for the USA's final group match is 7 p.m. local time (7 p.m. ET). Before the U.S. kicks off, Jamaica and Honduras will play their final group game and the match could have major implications for the Americans. If those two teams tie, the U.S. would also be able to advance with a loss to El Salvador.

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78

Football / Son of Ghana superstar 'Pele' feels pressure

« on: March 07, 2009, 03:30:51 PM »

Son of Ghana superstar 'Pele' feels pressure

Ghana midfielder Ibrahim Ayew admitted on the eve of the African Nations Championship final against the Democratic Republic of Congo that he feels the pressure of belonging to a famous family.

Father Abedi 'Pele' Ayew was voted African Footballer of the Year three times, collected an African Nations Cup winners medal at 17 and helped Marseille become the first French holders of the European Champions League.

Uncle Kwame Ayew was a member of the first Ghana football squad to compete in the Olympics when he appeared at the 1992 Barcelona Games and younger brothers Andre and Jordan are on the books of Marseille.

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79

Football / USA U-20s beat Jamaica 3-0 to open qualifying

« on: March 07, 2009, 04:33:35 AM »

U.S. U-20’s Cruz To Victory In Opener

The United States Under-20 Men’s National Team got off to a bright start in its campaign to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup with a 3-0 thrashing of Jamaica on Friday night.

The U.S. opened the scoring in just the eighth minute when Dilly Duka and Danny Cruz set the table for Peri Marosevic. Duka did well to beat two defenders and slip a cross to Cruz, who headed the ball down for Marosevic. Marosevic made no mistake with the side volley and the U.S. had an early lead.

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80

Football / U.S. college player Grella signs with Leeds Utd

« on: February 09, 2009, 06:45:12 AM »

Grella joins promotion hopefuls Leeds

Ex-Duke University front man Mike Grella has signed on with Leeds United in the English League One.

"[Grella] joined the club on a trial basis and made an immediate impact," Leeds head of media Paul Dews, told YA.

Grella, who hails from Glen Cove, New York was on trial with the team last month and did enough to impress with a memorable reserve game against Barnsley where he bagged a hat-trick.

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81

Football / Altidore goes to Xerez on loan

« on: January 30, 2009, 04:01:08 PM »

Altidore excited by loan

Villarreal strike prodigy Josmer Altidore says he is ready for some action after being loaned out to Spanish second flight leaders Xerez on Friday.

The U.S. international has one goal in six appearances for the Yellow Submarines, who had earlier rejected a loan overture from Everton.

For his part, Altidore is happy to have a chance to get in the game, while at the same time continuing to adapt to life in Spain.

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82

Football / Spurs to dump Giovani dos Santos?

« on: January 28, 2009, 05:09:01 PM »

Spurs to dump Mexican phenom dos Santos

83

Football / Robbie Findley on trial in Denmark with Brondby

« on: January 21, 2009, 08:48:48 AM »

From this blog:

Real Salt Lake striker Robbie Findley is on trial with Danish power Brøndby - even though they don't appear to need anyone up front.

84

Football / U.S. college star Tracy to sign in Denmark

« on: January 12, 2009, 04:16:36 AM »

Report: Tracy set to sign with Aalborg

According to the Danish daily newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Wake Forest's Marcus Tracy is set to spurn Major League Soccer for the chance to play in Denmark's SuperLigaen.

Tracy, projected to be one of the top choices in the upcoming MLS SuperDraft, is expected to fly to Denmark this weekend to sign a three-year contract with reigning Danish champions Aalborg BK.

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85

Football / Trinidad Express: Americans have head start

« on: January 03, 2009, 06:24:59 AM »

Americans have head start

THE United States national men's team will be first out of the blocks in their preparation for the final round of qualifying for the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

The USA will take a head start on their CONCACAF rivals-including Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors-by beginning their preparations on January 4.

Trinidad and Tobago will kick off two weeks after the Americans, when a still-to-be-named squad go to Argentina for a training camp, after which they travel directly to Central America for the important opening match on February 11 against El Salvador. 

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86

Football / Fulham deny Chelsea thanks to last-gasp Dempsey

« on: December 29, 2008, 08:30:26 AM »

Fulham 2-2 Chelsea

Clint Dempsey grabbed a last-minute equaliser as Fulham denied Chelsea victory in a pulsating London derby.

Dempsey rose high to powerfully head past Petr Cech after it looked as though Frank Lampard's brace would be enough to earn Chelsea three points.

The American had flicked Fulham into an early lead before Lampard levelled with a cool finish following a mix-up.

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87

Football / Arsenal hires MLS exec Gazidis as its new CEO

« on: November 26, 2008, 11:13:57 AM »

Arsenal hires MLS exec Gazidis as its new CEO

Major League Soccer’s deputy commissioner is leaving to become the chief executive of Arsenal, one of the top teams in the English Premier League.

Arsenal announced Wednesday that outgoing deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis has been hired to help oversee team operations, handling such duties as transfer and contract negotiations. Gazidis, 44, begins in January in filling a gap left when David Dein quit as vice chairman last year.

“I have been privileged in my 14 years with MLS to have worked with and for some of the best sports executives and owners in the world, whose vision, commitment and expertise have taken the league from strength to strength and provided a solid platform for its future growth,” Gazidis said.

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88

Football / Landon Donovan to train with Bayern Munich

« on: November 11, 2008, 03:41:08 PM »

Donovan to practice with Bayern Munich

American soccer star Landon Donovan joined Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich for a 10-day practice stint to stay in shape, and says he wouldn’t mind staying longer.

Donovan, the career scoring leader for the U.S. national team, plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Major League Soccer team missed the playoffs.

Donovan acknowledged this could lead to a more permanent arrangement.

"If January rolls around and there’s interest, and the league is willing to discuss it, I would be excited to talk about it,” Donovan said on his Web site.

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89

Football / Jorge Valdano on Maradona, Mascherano and philosophy

« on: November 04, 2008, 09:22:21 AM »

Maradona, Mascherano and philosophy

Sometimes nicknamed the Philosopher of Football, Argentine legend Jorge Valdano is probably best known for scoring the South American nation's second goal in their 3-2 win over West Germany in the 1986 World Cup final in Mexico.

His career started in 1971 with Newell's Old Boys before he moved to Spanish side Deportivo Alaves four years later.

[...]

Here Valdano gives BBC Sport his views on Diego Maradona, who is set to take over as Argentina coach, and his two compatriots Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano. He also discusses his future and that of football before answering questions posed by website users on the 606 forum.

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90

Football / Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett: Soccer Fan

« on: November 03, 2008, 10:12:19 AM »

Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett

Steve Nash became one of the first NBA stars to popularize playing soccer in the offseason. The Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett has taken Nash's idea a step further by setting up a soccer field in the backyard of his suburban Minneapolis home.

"I put in two goals there," Garnett said. "When it's time to get back in shape I get my friends and go in the backyard and start messing around. It's just for conditioning."

But Garnett is not ready to bend free kicks like Beckham, or even like Nash.

"Steve Nash is a lot more for real about it," Garnett said. "Mine is more recreation, having fun, and messing around. He actually knows how to bend the ball and that type of stuff. I'm just a fan and enjoy watching it, more than a true competitor."

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