Soccer archive

Imagine being one of the best soccer players at your high school and being told you can’t play, but that this decision, as harsh as it was, is in your best interests.

That’s exactly what’s happened to a number of top players in San Diego.

And it’s happening to players all over the country.

Boys who join U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams to gain additional exposure to college coaches as well as coaching from the U.S. Soccer program have been banned for the first time from competing with any outside teams.

That includes their high school squads.

The ban is not popular among high school coaches, who are making due without their star players.

“I’ve got two players who can’t play this year with us and they’re heartbroken,” Poway coach Gene Morris said. “The kids just want to play in college and they think this is the best way, but we had five players playing in college this year as true freshmen and none of them played on an academy team.”

The losses struck a few San Diego Section programs harder than others.

Poway, with only two, is one of the luckier teams.

Torrey Pines lost five players to academy competition this season.

St. Augustine, which won the Southern California Regional Division II title last year, lost six players.

“I don’t question that the kids will see a good brand of soccer,” St. Augustine coach Brendan Johnston said. “They will. I just wish kids and parents weren’t being put in a position of having to choose one over the other.”

Cathedral Catholic’s playoff hopes took a big hit. The Dons are playing the season without 11 of their players.

“I’ve heard this is in the players’ best interests, which I don’t believe,” Cathedral Catholic coach Bryan Wood said. “It stinks for the kids. They should have at least allowed seniors to still play high school.” In San Diego, playing for an academy team means you’re with either the Surf or the Nomads, two of the founding programs in 2007 when the academies first surfaced.

Both offer 16-under as well as 18-under teams. Next year the Surf plans to add a 14-under team as efforts continue to find the next generation of international players at an earlier age.

Rosters contain 20-24 players each.

There are numerous scholarships and fundraising efforts available to players to pay the initial cost. For the Surf, that cost is about $1,800.

The 10-month academy season runs from September through June. Teams will play an average of 20 games in addition to three or four Showcase events around the country.

The instruction-rich practices are held three times a week.

“The training-to-game ratio is very different because it emphasizes more training than games,” said Brenda Sampiere, vice president of operations for the Surf. “It was hard this year because U.S. Soccer pushed hard to have the players be academy players only.

“Before this, players would come back to us from high school soccer and they’d be slow or injured or out of shape for our level of competition. It was like they took three months off from playing.

“Two years from now, no one will even notice they’re not playing high school.”

Players who opted to drop out of the academy and play with their high school teams this year will not be allowed back, at least by the Surf, according to Sampiere.

Kostas Kotselas, a former Surf player who helped lead St. Augustine last year, cannot play for the Saints because he decided to cast his lot with the academy.

Kotselas now attends Mission Heights Prep School in Casa Grande, Ariz., for his senior year and plays for the Real Salt Lake academy team.

Kotselas, faced with the prospect of watching his former Saints teammates playing without him, moved on to a different state to continue his playing career.

“If you want to get seen, the academy is where the most people will see you,” Kotselas said. “I’m playing with big-time players who are committed to big-time colleges and that has helped pick up my game. More people are seeing me play.

“That being said, I miss playing with my friends at Saints. When you win a championship for your high school, you’re playing for your own little village.

“Winning the state title last year was quite a journey. Even the bus ride home was crazy.”

Pausing for a second, he added: “This is worth the sacrifice for my career opportunity, but I’d rather be home playing at Saints.”

There are no immediate plans to include girls in the soccer academy program.




Difficult choice facing top soccer players | U-T San Diego Preps

After failing to fire in Wellington, the Phoenix came to Auckland today to grind out a 1-0 win over Perth and begin the road back to playoff contention.

Jeremy Brockie's first half header at Eden Park proved enough for the Phoenix to win their first match of 2013, leaping off the bottom and above Perth on the A-League ladder to sit just one point outside the top six.

It seems incredible that, without a win in five matches, the Phoenix haven't fallen out of reach of finals football but such in the nature of A-League's playoff system.

The hard work has only just begun for the Phoenix, with a trip to leaders Central Coast on Thursday, but they will be pleased to have broken their barren run.

And the result wasn't the only thing improved at the Phoenix's home away from home _ 11,500 fans, almost twice their season average, turned out to watch a match which at times looked like a scrap between the league's two bottom teams.

But the attractiveness of football on display - a real hot button issue for much of the season - matters far less than three points and the Phoenix's first clean sheet in 10 games.

The Phoenix had the better of a flowing first half and may have felt unfortunate to head to the break with only one goal to their name. They were finding success from both flanks and, had the front three been more clinical, the hosts could have had a been further in front.

Ifill, in particular, was exploiting space out wide and delivered a number of dangerous balls into the box but, for all of Wellington's early enterprise, Perth could have taken the lead midway through the half when Chris Harold failed to capitalise on Nick Ward's through ball.

Isaka Cernak was impressing in his first start for the Phoenix, bursting forward from midfield to support the front three, and decent chances he created for Brockie and Ifill were both squandered.

Brockie made no mistake just before the break, though, nodding in a brilliant cross from Ifill after some sparkling dribbling from Cernak started the attack.

Perth started the second spell brighter, though they struggled to truly test Mark Paston in goal. The Phoenix, on the other hand, appeared less adventurous after the break and seemed content to scrap their way to the vital three points.

Louis Fenton, who looked lively after replacing Stein Huysegems, almost made the points safe after fashioning himself a chance but could only blaze wide.

With Leo Bertos forced from the field, Manny Muscat went to right back and Perth almost exploited the change but Scott Jamieson, who leapt high above Muscat at the far post, headed wide across the face of goal.

The Glory had their tails up and the Phoenix seemed set for a nervy final 10 minutes, with all 11 of Perth's players pouring forward searching for the equaliser.

But it never came, leaving the Phoenix to soak up the plaudits from the travelling Yellow Fever.

Phoenix: 1 (Brockie 43)
Perth: 0
HT: 1-0




Soccer: Phoenix take Glory - Sport - NZ Herald News

The taut drama of the World Cup can be enjoyed only by teams that emerge from the more rugged slog of regional qualifying, and though the United States is a tournament regular now, having participated in the previous six editions, regarding qualification as a formality still feels like a taboo. This mind-set seems rooted in the idea that advancing through this part of the world is more an endurance trial and psychological crucible than an assessment of pure soccer talent. And so, as the American team begins the final round of qualifiers with a match Wednesday afternoon in Honduras, its wariness toward these types of games has remained.

“Those games in Concacaf qualifying are physical battles, full of emotion, social tension,” Coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a recent interview. He described the approach of the smaller regions as, “We want to show the big team, if it’s Mexico or the U.S., we can compete with them, and we’ll find anything to make their experience as ugly as possible.”

Ask players, staff members or journalists who have experienced these qualifying games, and familiar stories emerge: of soul-sapping heat and operatic downpours, of failures of electricity and plumbing, of pocked fields and questionable officiating, of partisan fans hurling insults and objects, and of partisan foreign reporters subverting press box norms. Featuring all this and more, the final Concacaf round will unfold over a period of more than eight months, from Wednesday until Oct. 16. After the six teams play one another, home and away, the top three will earn automatic entry into the World Cup. The region’s fourth-place team will advance to a two-game intercontinental playoff against the winner of the Oceania region.

From the individual qualification tournaments around the world, 31 teams will emerge to join the host, Brazil, in the final field. The World Cup will begin June 12, 2014, in São Paulo.

Inside Concacaf, the competition on paper appears light. The United States (ranked 28th in the world by FIFA) will face Mexico (15th), Panama (46th), Jamaica (58th), Honduras (59th) and Costa Rica (66th). And for all the talk of unseen dangers and potential missteps, it would be a shock if the United States did not qualify from the group to reach its seventh consecutive World Cup.

Understanding the task, Klinsmann has toggled his stance quickly between confidence and caution.

He asserted, for instance, that the United States, man for man, was superior to Mexico, its greatest rival. He said his team should approach its game March 26 in Mexico City as one to win, not simply draw. That match, at the uninviting Estadio Azteca, represents the marquee date of the region’s qualifying round. The United States will host Mexico on Sept. 10 at a location to be determined.

But Klinsmann spoke, too, about the risk that his players would not have the proper attitude — “a giving approach, a fighting approach,” he called it — entering these games. “It’s more a mental topic,” Klinsmann said of Concacaf qualifying.

Klinsmann, not quite a year and a half into his tenure, is still forming impressions of the American player pool. He said some countries had a sense of the core of their squad from the start of a World Cup cycle. Such a characterization, he said, does not apply to the United States. Particularly, he has been looking for players who can step into leadership roles.

“Even if you say we will undoubtedly have starters like Michael Bradley or Jermaine Jones or Clint Dempsey or Tim Howard, are those our leaders?” Klinsmann said of what his team would look like next year. “It doesn’t really mean that he will also fulfill that role, he will set the tone, he will give direction or he will lead the group. There might be somebody else that is not on the page yet.”

Whether the exclusion of Landon Donovan from the list of stalwarts Klinsmann rattled off the top of his head was intentional or not, Donovan’s involvement with the national team will be one of the more intriguing story lines.

Donovan, 30, who has represented the United States at three World Cups, has largely disappeared this winter after saying that he needed an extended break from the game. He was not present last month when the Los Angeles Galaxy opened its training camp.

Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena said he was certain Donovan would play for the team this year, but Donovan has made no assurances to the national team, and Klinsmann has not yet been able to integrate him into his plans.

For the United States, it will be another factor complicating what appears to be a simple task.

Police will scan CCTV footage to track down and prosecute unruly soccer fans who destroyed 170 stadium seats and launched flares at an A-League match in Melbourne on the weekend. Saturday night's game between cross-town rivals Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart at Etihad Stadium left a damage bill of thousands of dollars, with five people arrested so far for launching flares, police say.

Inspector Paul Ross said about 120 seats were destroyed in the Heart fans' area and about 50 among Victory fans.

"It (damage) has occurred before, probably not to this level, but we're quite disappointed by it," he told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.

"Obviously these major public events aren't the place for this sort of thing to occur."

Police are working with the clubs' management using the stadium's CCTV footage to identify those responsible, and offenders would face criminal damage charges, Insp Ross said.

About 10 flares were illegally launched in and around the stadium, Insp Ross said, leading to five arrests, while several other fans among the crowd of 41,000 were arrested for disorderly behaviour.

He said police met with stadium and soccer clubs' management before each Melbourne derby, and regularly reviewed the numbers of officers deployed at such games, where there is a fierce rivalry between the two teams.

"We do put more police at the soccer game than we do at AFL games, but it's the nature of the event in a lot of ways," Insp Ross said.

"I wouldn't say (soccer crowd behaviour) is a problem, but there's obviously incidents that do occur at the soccer that don't occur at other major sporting events."

Insp Ross said he was satisfied with soccer clubs' disciplinary action towards unruly fans, saying once they were identified, they were fined $4500 and banned from attending games for up to five years.

Soccer is known throughout much of the world as the beautiful game. But the sport’s ugliest side — the scourge of match-fixing — will not soon go away. With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil drawing closer, a European police intelligence agency said Monday that its 19-month investigation, code-named Operation Veto, revealed widespread occurrences of match-fixing in recent years, with 680 games globally deemed suspicious. The extent was staggering: some 150 international matches, mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America; roughly 380 games in Europe, covering World Cup and European championship qualifiers as well as two Champions League games; and games that run the gamut from lower-division semiprofessional matches to contests in top domestic leagues.

But officials at the news conference at The Hague repeatedly sidestepped questions from reporters on how many of the actual 680 matches cited had been previously reported, and, in some instances, previously prosecuted, and how many of them represented new information.

Nor would the officials identify any of the teams and individuals newly linked to match-fixing, citing the need to guard the confidentiality of police procedures.

Still, one new tantalizing detail did emerge: the revelation that one of the suspicious matches uncovered involving the Champions League — the most prestigious annual soccer tournament in the world — was played in England in the last three or four years.

Even as the news conference continued, fans immediately took to social media to speculate on the match in question and, indeed, on which English team might have been involved. Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are the only English teams that have participated in the Champions League during the time frame cited by officials.

All six are iconic teams in England’s Premier League, which is by far the world’s most popular soccer league and has an unparalleled global following.

And while the absence of details left it unclear as to whether investigators believed an English team was culpable in fixing a Champions League game, or whether it was an opposing team from another country that had come to England for the match, the fact that match-fixing was now being linked to the country that represents the biggest international stage in soccer left many in the sport apprehensive.

“It would be naïve and complacent of those in the U.K. to think such a criminal conspiracy does not involve the English game and all the football in Europe,” Rob Wainwright, the director of the police intelligence agency, known as Europol, told reporters.

Most of the investigation’s focus, however, was elsewhere. Europol described a wide-ranging network of fixing that struck at the sport’s core. Nearly $11 million in profits and nearly $3 million in bribes were discovered during the investigation, which uncovered “match-fixing activity on a scale we have not seen before,” Wainwright said.

“This is a sad day for European football,” he added.

Fixers typically seek to dictate a game’s result by corrupting the players or the on-field officials, and the Europol officials said Monday that roughly 425 people were under suspicion because of the investigation, with 50 people having been arrested. The scope of the investigation covered games from roughly 2008 to 2011.

An organized crime syndicate based in Asia is believed to be the driving force behind the fixing activity, which stretches across at least 15 countries, Europol officials said. Individual bribes were, in some instances, higher than $136,000, and fixers would place bets on the tainted matches through bookmakers in Asia.

Various matches in Africa, Asia and South and Central America were identified as suspicious, and Declan Hill, a Canadian journalist and the author of “The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime,” said his reporting on the subject — which was included in Europol’s investigation — had not previously indicated such widespread fixing among national teams.

Read More: www-nytimes-com/2013/02/05/sports/soccer/investigation-finds-suspected-fixing-in-680-soccer-matches-html

One day before the United States national team plays at Honduras in its opening match of the final round of regional World Cup qualifying, U.S. Soccer released some digital goodies for fans — apps for smartphones and tablets, and a Facebook app.

A new digital magazine, Anthem, an app initially for the iPhone and iPad with an Android version in the works, will be “published” before each men’s and women’s national team game, with a special issue planned for the Gold Cup this summer. The first issue is free, while future issues will carry a nominal fee, according to the sport’s U.S. governing body.

The Facebook app will enable fans to noodle around by selecting their starting lineup for the match in San Pedro Sula against Honduras (4 p.m. Eastern; TV, beIN Sport). Selections can be made from among the 24 players on Coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster in up to 10 formations.

And finally, fans can engage other fans on Twitter by using #USAvHON.

All the new digital offerings are in addition to the written and video content at the fed’s Web site, ussoccer.com.

After you get on board with the Facebook app and enter your lineup, come back to the Goal blog and leave your lineups in the comments. Goal will also provide commentary and live analysis during Wednesday’s game, and player ratings afterward.

A major investigation involving police forces from 13 European countries has found an extensive criminal network involved in Football match fixing. The investigation has led to suspicion that 425 match officials, club officials, players and serious criminals from 15 countries were involved in attempts to fix over 380 professional football matches.

Most worrying is the suspicion that games in the World Cup and European Championship qualifiers as well as Champions League matches were fixed.

The betting syndicate behind the match fixing is believed to have mainly been betting on the Asian market, however, links were found with many other European crime organisations.

It is thought that over €2 million in payments were made to those involved in fixing the games with one individual receiving €140,000. It is thought that up to €700,000 profit was made from match fixing.

Another popular strategy is for crime syndicates to use companies to arrange international friendlies for national football associations. As many of these friendlies would take place without FIFA sanctioning, the company in charge could pick their own referee, allowing them to appoint a corrupt official.

Rob Wainwright, Europol director, believes that these finding are “just the tip of the iceberg”.









Europol Uncovers Large Scale Football Match Fixing - Online Casino Archives

As fans, we sit down to watch a game and expect the result to be achieved fairly. We know the referee can make a dreadful call that costs our team a goal. A defender can lunge in reckless fashion giving away a penalty kick. We berate them as dolts when we lose.

On Monday, Europol, the pan-European police agency, announced findings from its global investigation into the fixing of soccer games. Apparently, not all results are the product of fairness and dolts.

Criminals involved in illegal gambling syndicates allegedly bought off administrators, game officials and players. Over 300 games are under suspicion, including games between nations. Asia, Latin America and Africa seem to be the new focus stemming from evidence of previous game fixing in Europe. The corruption is sourced in Asia. You can bet on almost any game, 24/7. Globalization has done wonders for gambling.

There are many motivations for cheating. One may be the wealth gap. Soccer exposes economic divisions between wealthy owners and players, between wealthy nations and those with GDPs less than the earnings of a Google executive.

If a goalkeeper can match his annual salary with one intended blunder, then why not? Soccer administrators in poor nations may be able to build that new facility if they manufacture a result. Or a ref can blow the whistle for a phony penalty kick considering he earns chump change. If only integrity could be paid in dollars.

We like to imagine soccer players as apostles living for the greater good of the game. Figure those at the bottom of the wage scale as employees worrying about their futures. Retirement in soccer comes in your 30s; a career ending injury at a young age can leave you struggling financially; how do you provide for your family?

Many games in soccer's calendar are meaningless. Both teams may have nothing at stake via the result. Look at the "friendly" game between nations; in essence, training meets but still available to bettors.

Then there is FIFA. The sport's governing body does not own a reputation as a crucible of propriety. Allegations abound of payments and gifts being offered between its members when voting begins on the location of the World Cup finals. Money makes the ball go around.

Never too early to panic: The U.S. failed to open its World Cup qualifying account in Honduras, Wednesday, losing 2-1 to Los Catrachos. High humidity and heat bore down on the field. Players looked lethargic. Perhaps the pregame orange slices were spiked with NyQuil? Whatever the reason, the U.S. has to wake up fast.

The pressure is on for a win in the next game against Costa Rica in March. U.S. soccer satellites will be scouring the Earth to find Landon Donovan, the savior on so many previous occasions. Currently, the man is not available to play. He is out of sight, on a quest of personal discovery. Does he have the desire to play the game again?

The nation's greatest player - Landon, your country needs you. Help!

Read more: Roots of soccer match-fixing - SFGate

The Wellington Phoenix have signed young Fulham striker Corey Gameiro on loan till the end of the A-League season.

Gameiro, 20, had an outstanding under-19 AFC championship for Australia, scoring all six of Australia's goals at the tournament to help them qualify for the this year's under-20 World Cup.

A hard-working speedy striker, Gameiro has recently been on loan with Dutch club FC Eindhoven where he made eight appearances.

Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert was delighted to secure Gameiro's services till the end of the season as his arrival will add pace and depth to the squad. The coach also said the youngster's signing was another step in the further development of the club.

"It is important to establish relationships with clubs around the world and it is exciting that we are now forming one with an English Premier League side,'' Herbert said. "Having players coming this way is good for the future of the club.''

The Phoenix will be seeking an international clearance for Gameiro on Monday and he should be available for the trip to Brisbane Roar next week.

Under heavy security, a Muslim soccer player whose signing with a Jerusalem club sparked a violent uprising by a hardcore group of racist fans made his much anticipated debut Sunday to a rousing ovation.

Hundreds of police deployed around Beitar Jerusalem's stadium, two days after a suspicious fire believed to be set by angry fans destroyed the team's main offices.

Tensions remained high as the team faced off against Bnei Sakhnin, an Arab team whose fans have clashed before with Beitar's. But the thousands of fans and foes who flooded to Teddy Stadium presented a show of strength against a rising tide of racism among Israeli soccer fans.

"I came today to show that not all Beitar fans are punks and racists," said Yair Sina, a 49-year-old lifelong Beitar fan. "I won't let them take away my love for the team."

The fire, which destroyed historic trophies and mementos, marked the height of a violent campaign by fans upset with the team for signing two Muslim players from Chechnya.

But in contrast to the previous taunts and jeers directed at the players, the crowd of thousands erupted into a rousing standing ovation when Gabriel Kadiev, a 19-year-old defender recently brought over from FC Terek Grozny, entered the game in the 80th minute. Every time he touched the ball the crowd cheered wildly, mostly drowning out a smattering of boos. The trend continued when a few minutes later Beiter scored a late goal to secure a 2-2 tie. Kadiev's Chechen teammate, 23-year-old Zaur Sadayev, was injured and not included in the team lineup.

The goodwill was felt throughout the stadium with banners reading "Violence and racism? Not on our field" and fliers explaining the sensitivity of the game and beseeching the fans to behave.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said more than 500 policemen were deployed inside and outside the stadium to prevent disturbances. Officers were on horseback and others escorted the Sakhnin players into the field to make sure they were safe.

"It is now clear to any reasonable person in the country where racism can lead. I came here to strengthen Beitar in their battle against racism," said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, one of several dignitaries at the game. "This is a historic process and it is clear that what was once cannot be again." Beitar has long tried to contain a tightly knit fan group called "La Familia" whose behavior has had the team docked points and forced it to play before empty stadiums. The group is routinely abusive toward opposing players, taunting them with racist and anti-Arab chants.

But only after the signing of the Chechens did a full-fledged confrontation erupt between the Beitar fans and team management. At the first game after the move, fans unfurled large banners with racist undertones, such as one that read "Beitar pure forever."

When the team refused to back down, the fans turned abusive and began cursing and spitting at players and management.

Most of the ire has been directed toward general manager Itzik Kornfein, a former Beitar goalkeeping great who has spoken out forcefully against racism. "La Familia" members often curse at him outside team practices and some have even attempted to attack him physically.

Following Friday's firebombing attack, Kornfein said he feared for his life.

Four members of the group were charged with anti-Muslim chanting and most were prevented from entering the game.

Their typical stronghold in the eastern wing was empty — punishment the team received for one of the wayward fans' previous outbursts.

Still, not all those at the stadium were pleased with the new arrivals.

Tal Moyal, a hardcore 22-year-old fan who insists he is not a "La Familia" member, said the current battle was a "war over the principles of the team."

"As far as most of the fans are concerned, a Muslim is a terrorist," he said. "We are the capital of Israel. This team is a symbol. Muslims can't wear our uniforms." "La Familia" was created in 2005, and it quickly became the team's loudest and most visible supporters. The fans routinely wave huge flags of the outlawed racist Kach party and chant racist slogans toward Arab players.

Their behavior has drawn a cascade of condemnations from Israel's president on down.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday with a call for fans to reject racism.

"The last thing we want, and which we absolutely reject is violence, racism and boycotts. These are unacceptable to us. I say this in regards to a team that I have supported for years, Beitar Jerusalem," Netanyahu said. "Lately, we have seen displays of extremism that we find unacceptable. These must be uprooted from the public sphere and, of course, from the world of sports."

Beitar Jerusalem, which has won six league championships and seven cup titles in its 77-year history, is a powerhouse in Israeli soccer and has a legendary following that includes several Israeli prime ministers.

The team has historically been strongly aligned with Israel's nationalist right wing and its name, Beitar, comes from the Zionist youth movement that is linked to the ruling Likud Party.

The team and its fans have since been a steady source of support for Likud politics and a string of politicians have served as team chairman. Prime ministers with Likud roots — from Ariel Sharon to Ehud Olmert to Netanyahu — have called themselves fans and made pilgrimages to the club's Teddy Stadium.

Olmert recently said he would stop attending games because of the fans' racism. On Sunday, he joined other top Israeli officials, former players and notable fans of Beitar in signing a petition against racism that was published in Israel's main newspapers.








Muslim soccer player gets standing ovation in debut with Jerusalem team

Great news for me. Let them play with know bombs!!

For decades fans of football have been accustomed to seeing corporate sponsors on team jersey. Many of these sponsors are household names that are known worldwide such as Adidas, Nike, Ford, and others. However, in recent years there has been a growing trend by football clubs to sign sponsorship deals with casinos and online gambling companies. Today we take a quick look at this growing trend.

The largest online gaming site that currently sponsors football squads is bwin.Party. Prior to their merger with Partypoker, bwin was a long term sponsor of Real Madrid and served as shirt sponsor for the squad from 2007 through the 2012. Bwin then ended their association with Real Madrid and moved their attention to the Premier League when they signed as Manchester United's shirt sponsor.

Speaking of the English Premier League sponsorships, there are a total of five clubs with casino or online gaming company Jersey sponsors. Three others have smaller "betting partner" deals that do not include jersey sponsorship. Aston Villa is currently under contract with Genting Casinos as a shirt sponsor. Genting is one of the largest brick and mortar casino companies in the world. West Ham United, Stoke city, and Wigan Athletic all have shirt sponsorship deals with smaller online gaming companies. Arsenal, Everton, and Liverpool all have deals with online gaming companies that provide betting services to their fans.

The Premier League does not have a monopoly on online gaming sponsorships. Both the English and Scottish FA's have signed a deal with UK bookmaker William Hill that will see the site act as English and Scottish National Team's betting partner through the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Netherlands Eredivisie football league is officially sponsored by the Vriendenloterij lottery, but the company cannot legally attach the name to the league.

Even smaller clubs have tapped online gaming sites as sponsors. Bodog signed a deal last year with Ayr United of the Scottish Football League. The company's founder, Calvin Ayre actually has ancestors from the Ayr region. Any of you that follow the League of Ireland likely know that St. Patrick's Athletic in the Premier Division signed a deal with Paddy Power to serve as shirt sponsor.

Sponsorship deals between gaming companies and football squads make perfect sense due to the fact that many fans of football either wager or are willing to wager on their favorite teams. These deals give the gaming companies excellent exposure and at the same time give the clubs extra capital with which they can improve the quality of their team.

The Carroll College women’s soccer team announced the signing Tuesday of two players. Ylena Gazdik of Boise, Idaho, and Natalie Johnston of Snohomish, Wash., will join the Saints next fall.

As a member of the Bishop Kelly High team, Gazdik won three high school state championships from 2010 to 2012. Her team was ranked in the top 10 nationally in 2011, and last fall Bishop Kelly surpassed Billings Central Catholic for most consecutive wins with its 51st in a row to move into the top spot in the U.S. In 2010, Gazdik received all-conference honorable mention, and in 2011 and 2012 was an all-conference first-team selection. She was captain her senior year. Gazdik also has been a member of FC Nova for the last eight years. In 2011, her team won the Performance Cup, and were Presidents Cup national champions, US Club national champions and 2012 State Cup champions. She plans to study nursing at Carroll.

“The coaching staff is very excited to get a player like Ylena,” Carroll coach David Thorvilson said. “We have been evaluating and watching her play for the last two years. Her strength and athleticism along with a strong work ethic should give her the ability to transition into the college game easily. She has a good understanding of our style of play which allows her to play multiple positions for us.”

Johnston, who played her high school soccer for Glacier Peak, was the only freshman to make the varsity squad in 2009. That year she helped the team make it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. In 2010, the team went 14-0-0 in conference play and finished 18-2-1 overall, which included qualifying for the state tournament. Johnston did not play the 2011 season because of injury, but returned for her senior year as team captain and was voted MVP by her team. She was also an All-Wesco second-team selection. Prior to last year Natalie played her club soccer for Northwest Nationals in the Division 1 Premier league. She served as team captain in 2011 and 2012 and qualified for state five of the last six years. Natalie is currently playing for Snohomish United. She plans to study nursing at Carroll.

“Natalie is a very versatile player,” Thorvilson said. “I have watched her play in many different positions for her club team and excel at each of them over the last few years. She is a very strong midfielder that can also play in the back line and I am excited to see her play this fall.”

The Saints finished the 2012 campaign 12-2-3 and will graduate five players this spring.

Glen Moss must be about ready to burst.

The effervescent Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper hasn't started an A-League fixture since December 16, 2011 when he tore a muscle in his groin while taking a goal kick for Gold Coast United against Adelaide.

Since then he has spent time recovering from surgery on the adductor muscle, suffered a sports hernia and had to sit behind Mark Paston in the pecking order at the Phoenix after rejoining the Wellington-based side at the start of the season.

But after a string of losses and inconsistent team performances, Paston is a victim of circumstance and despite not being notably out of touch this year he will make way for Moss for the Phoenix's trip to meet the Brisbane Roar across the Tasman on Sunday.

Moss' shot-stopping ability will be helpful to a Phoenix side who could also do with an injection of the hustle he will bring from the back.

"I've obviously been out for a while and it sucks been on the sidelines watching," the 30-year-old said.

"So I'm pretty excited and missed it to be honest.

"The injuries are things you can't really do much about when they happen.

So [there's been] a lot of lonely gym sessions and it gives you more time to reflect and make the most of it when you do get back out there." Moss has played for the Phoenix's reserve side recently and Wellington coach Ricki Herbert said the All White deserved his chance.

"I think Glen will play. He's good, he's fit, he's come back and he just needs an A-League game really."

Paston's benching adds another chapter to the Moss and Paston battle to claim the starting custodian's role for club and country, which has rumbled on at international level for the better part of the past eight years and is on it's second screening at the Phoenix.

Despite being rivals who fight for only one spot, the pair remain great mates.

"Look, it has been [like this] for the past eight or nine years. We are friends first and team-mates as well," Moss said.

"So it's a pleasure to work with Mark and we train really well together and I suppose, like any job, you don't want to rock up and work with someone you don't like, so it's pretty easy to be fair."

Herbert is also likely to reinstate experienced heads Leo Bertos, Tony Lochhead and Ben Sigmund for this weekend's match after they missed the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of the Central Coast Mariners last Thursday through injury and suspension.

That means Ian Hogg and Michael Boxall will drop out this week, while new signing Corey Gameiro, who has joined Wellington on loan from English Premier League outfit Fulham, will also start against Brisbane in a game that looms as a must-win for the Phoenix.

It has been a busy day for the Wellingtonians, who also unveiled the signing of former A-League MVP Carlos Hernandez on a two-year deal this morning (Thurs).

The Costa Rican international will link with Wellington next season and will add some much-needed creativity to their midfield.

"I'm really pleased. We've been working hard on that for a while," Herbert said.

"It was probably out there a long time ago what we thought of Carlos and I think a player like that, that stature, A-League player of the year voted by his peers and I think 40 goals in the 138 games and he's decided to play for the Phoenix, so personally I'm delighted. I think he'll be a huge acquisition to the club and I look forward to seeing him on his arrival.

"He has such a good profile in the league, it's great to have that signing here. There'll be a lot of interest here."







Soccer: Moss ready to finally play - Sport - NZ Herald News

For some players on the football field the ball just falls their way.

Most followers of the game wouldn't be able to tell you what it is about these players but for some reason they just seem to have an uncanny knack at producing the goods when their team needs it most.

Corey Gameiro, who has joined the Wellington Phoenix on loan from Fulham for the rest of the A-League season, gives you the impression he is one of those types.

With his confident disposition, Australian twang and a stud in each ear, he seems like he could be a savvy pick up for a struggling Phoenix side who are in desperate need of a spark.

Gameiro spoke to the media for the first time this week following his arrival in Wellington and offered this on what he brings to the pitch.

"Probably my speed,'' he said. "And, in and around the box, I'm just one of those lucky ones that if it's going to fall to someone it's going to be my foot. So hopefully I can get a couple of chances and see if I can put them away.''

There's some numbers to back up the moxy, too.

The Wollongong-born frontman, who recently turned 20, bagged all six of Australia's goals at last year's under-19 AFC Championship tournament as he helped his side qualify for the upcoming under-20 World Cup that will be contested in Turkey through June and July.

Gameiro first agreed to professional terms with Fulham as a 17-year-old after also trialling at Liverpool and he recently went out on loan to Dutch first division side FC Eindhoven where he logged eight appearances.

He travels on a Portuguese passport courtesy of his father and will likely make his starting debut for the Phoenix in Sunday's clash with the Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.

Gameiro has been with the side for less than a week but as the Phoenix languish in ninth place on the A-League ladder with seven rounds to go, coach Ricki Herbert knows he needs to do something to inject some life in to their floundering campaign.

Phoenix goalkeeper Glen Moss, who has also been given a starting berth for Sunday's game as Herbert has rung the changes, was full of praise for Gameiro after his first few training sessions with the club.

"I'm pretty impressed with Corey,'' Moss said. "He brings a lot of speed and energy and enthusiasm as well and it's probably what we are lacking a bit at the moment. So to have someone like that come straight in with his confidence is a blessing really.''

Moss and Gameiro should also be joined in the starting XI by returning defenders Tony Lochhead, Leo Bertos and Ben Sigmund who all missed the club's most recent outing when they were hammered 5-0 eight days ago (thurs, feb 7) by the Central Coast Mariners through injury or suspension.

Wellington will be without leading-scorer Jeremy Brockie for Sunday's outing due to one-match suspension but Gameiro seems ready to fill the gap and said he was happy with the style of play that Herbert had imparted on the side during his first week with the club.

"We want to try and play football. We don't want to try and kick it long, there's seven weeks left and at the moment they've been in a bit of a long-ball situation. If it's at the back we want to try and play out. We've got good footballers here so I want to play football, I don't want to be having a sore neck with the ball going up and over my head.''

Gameiro is a free agent after this season, having not re-signed with Fulham but will go to the under-20 World Cup in Turkey, when his commitments with the Phoenix end, in search of putting his name out there.

U.S. Soccer player Robbie Rogers stunned his fans and followers today by coming out as gay and announcing he was walking away from soccer at just 25 years old.

Rogers, who had played 18 games with the U.S. National team, and recently transferred to England’s Leeds United, made the announcement in an emotional blog post.

“Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay,” wrote Rogers. “Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.”

Rogers included a link to the blog post on his twitter page with the message, “Just getting some sh*t off my chest.” Before that, he had tweeted, “Beautiful out right now. Too bad I’m feeling blue ;(”

Rogers did not indicate in the post whether coming out as gay would make it difficult to continue playing professional soccer. There are no current Major League Soccer players who are openly gay.

“It shows how difficult it is in sports to be openly gay,” Jim Buzinski, co-founder of Outsports-com, told ABC News. “It really takes a toll on you, you have to live with this lie 24/7, it takes a lot of emotional energy to stay closeted and keep your story straight. It sounded like it was a real strain on him.”

Ultimately, Rogers said that he had to choose between being himself and being a soccer player.

“I always thought I could hide this secret,” he wrote. “Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined,” said Rogers. ”Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football”.

According to Buzinski, successful gay athletes have been able to compartmentalize their emotions.

“They can put their sexuality on the shelf and deal with it later so their sole focus is on their sport. Other people can’t do that and it sounds like Robbie is one of those,” said Buzinski. ”It was obviously tormenting him,” he said.

Rogers has experienced an outpouring of support on social media, with at least two members of the U.S. National Team offering their support.

“Much love and respect to my boy @robbierogers! Proud to be your friend bro,” tweeted teammate Stuart Holden. “100 percent love and support for one of my best friends Robbie Rogers. You will be missed on the pitch. Amazing talent, amazing person,” added Sacha Kljestan. Openly gay U.S. Women’s National Team player Lori Linsey tweeted simply, “Welcome to the family.”

U.S. Soccer also issued the following statement in support of Rogers.

“As a Federation we support all our athletes who have had the courage to address this deeply personal topic. We are proud of Robbie. He has been an outstanding representative of our National Team program for many years. We support him and wish him great success in the future.”

In 2011, David Testo, who played for Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact, became the first former MLS player to come out, telling the CBC, “I really regret not having said publicly earlier. I fought with it all my life, my whole career. Living the life of a professional athlete and being gay is incredibly difficult.”

Frank Klopas, head coach of Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire, said after Rogers’ coming out that he would welcome him to his team. ”Yesterday I thought he was a very good player and I still think that today, should Robbie want to return to the game, we would still be open to him being part of the Fire,” he said in a statement.

Rogers concluded his post by saying he is looking forward to living life unburdened by his secret.

“I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest. Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear. My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended,” he wrote.

Though he enjoyed a successful spell with the Columbus of Crew of Major League Soccer from 2007-2011, Rogers had seen his playing career deteriorate in recent years, suffering a series of injuries and struggling for playing time at second and third-tier English clubs.

For his part, Buzinski is hopeful Rogers doesn’t walk away permanently from the sport he loves. “He’s only 25 and he may get another shot. Ironically it might be the best thing that happens to him. Maybe he will be so liberated and free now that he will play better soccer.”


US Soccer Player Robbie Rogers Comes Out As Gay, Retires - ABC News

There is nothing wrong with that.

Fifa Soccer champion Adam Winster is set to take part in a tournament in Preston.

Adam, 19, of Dukes Meadow, Ingol, scooped $167,000 when he won an EA Sports Challenge competition in Las Vegas last year.

The event at Revolution, Preston on February 27 is being hosted by the 1-500 Club, a new free membership club exclusively for students.

It provides its members with a platform to connect, create, share and save, while building their University-Life Network on network facility ‘The Vibe’.

The contest is sponsored by Game UK and Richer Sounds, who are providing consoles and TVs for the competition.

The club is on the hunt for competitors to represent businesses and communities within the Preston area.

Email [email]sam@the1-500club-com[/email] or visit The 1-500 Club to find out more.

United States winger Landon Donovan is expected to miss the first two months of the Major League Soccer season, leaving national team coach Juergen Klinsmann without a key player for two vital World Cup qualifiers.

The L.A. Galaxy player announced in December he was taking a break from the game but it was unclear whether he would be back in time for the start of the team's 2013 campaign on March 3.

The Galaxy announced that Donovan would return to the club at the end of March and head coach Bruce Arena said on Monday it would take another month to get the player match fit.

"Sure, it could be earlier but it is what it is. It will just set him behind the group by a couple of months," Arena told the league's website (mlssoccer-com).

"Am I unhappy about it? No, I'm not unhappy," he said. "Whether I think it's unnecessary or not is probably not important.

"That's the player, how he feels and what he thinks he needs. It'll set him back. He comes back at the end of March, he'll probably be playing somewhere close to the end of April."

That would mean Donovan misses the two World Cup qualifiers for the U.S. against Costa Rica in Denver on March 22 and the highly anticipated clash with Olympic champions Mexico in Mexico City four days later.

The U.S. then have three qualifying games in June which Donovan should be ready for - if Klinsmann chooses to pick him.

Former Germany international Klinsmann and his team are under pressure after losing their opening CONCACAF qualifying final round game at Honduras earlier this month and the absence of the country's record scorer hardly helps.

Donovan has featured in the past three World Cup finals and, at 30 years of age, was expected to play a key role in his country's qualifying campaign and then in Brazil.

But the winger, who has spent two spells on loan with Everton in England, said in interviews last season that he had lost motivation and was not sure he would even be playing in 2014.

Three teams out of the six left in CONCACAF qualifying will book automatic places in the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with the fourth placed team forced into a two-legged playoff against the champion of the Oceania region.



Y! SPORTS

After months of talks with the administration, the Amherst College club soccer team officially became recognized as an official club sports team during an Association of Amherst Students (AAS) meeting two weeks ago. The Senate voted to overturn a policy that does not permit a club team to exist if it has a corresponding varsity team and allotted club soccer AAS money. However, more work still needs to be done. The team still needs to address issues including transportation, scheduling of home games, medical agreements and allotment of finances. However, these issues are being dealt with, as policies for club teams will be revisited during a meeting between club sports representatives and administrators from the Athletics Department.

“It’s time to rethink the policy for the needs of today: students want to experience a level of play not unlike what they had in high school,” Director of Athletics Suzanne Coffey said.

While the future of Amherst club soccer appears bright, the journey that led to this current state has been long and at times difficult. President of the Amherst club soccer team Eli Harris ’15 came up with the idea for a club soccer team towards the end of last school year, and has been ceaselessly trying, along with partners Eric Steinbrook ’15 and Griff Freeman ’15, to make soccer an officially recognized club sport since. After facing difficulties cooperating directly with the Athletics Administration, Harris decided to try a different approach to getting recognized by the school. At the beginning of this semester, Harris got in contact with Senator member John Yarchoan ’13 to try to get the AAS to provide funding for club soccer. Yarchoan had first heard about the attempts to create an official club soccer team over the summer through Steinbrook and was “sympathetic to their problem.” Yarchoan, who also is a captain of the Amherst Ultimate Frisbee team, knows firsthand the difficulties club teams can face when dealing with the athletic administration.

“Club sports face the dual problem of a lack of resources and a hierarchy in which varsity sports are at will to do pretty much whatever they want in regard to field space,” Yarchoan said. “I don’t think that the athletic department wanted to have another club program under their wing that would vie for already minimal resources.”

Yarchoan helped set up a Senate meeting to discuss the possibility of the College recognizing Amherst club soccer as an official club sport as well as giving funding to the club through the AAS. Present at the meeting were Harris, Steinbrook, Freeman, Coffey and Assistant Athletic Director Billy McBride, who is the head of club sports. In addition to these people some members from the varsity soccer team were present to support club soccer. At the meeting McBride and Coffey presented several arguments against official recognition of a club sport. The main argument was that a club team cannot exist if there is a varsity team of the same sport. According to Coffey this rule is in place because of space constraints, partially due to the existence of both varsity and IM soccer. However, the administrators could not “produce this rule,” according to Yarchoan.

“Tierney [Werner] ’16 tried for an hour to find it on the website and couldn’t do it,” said AAS Vice President George Tepe ’14.

Another argument brought up against club soccer was the lack of resources the athletics department has, namely money and field space. However, club soccer would be receiving the majority of its funding from the AAS, not the Athletics Department. In terms of playing space, once construction on Pratt Field is finished there will be two new turf fields that club soccer can use. Given these responses to the arguments brought up against club soccer, the Senate voted to overturn the Athletic Department’s decision to not allow official recognition of club soccer.

“They kept on saying there were many ‘layers’ to their argument against it, but when each of these ‘layers’ were picked apart and disproven there wasn’t really a coherent argument for why club soccer cannot be an AAS-recognized group that can apply for and receive funding,” Yarchoan said.

While by no means a finished project, it was a victory for Harris, Steinbrook, and Freeman, who had been trying for many months to get club soccer officially recognized. The seedlings for the team were planted during last school year’s varsity soccer tryouts.

“I tried out for varsity soccer at the beginning of my freshman year. I was the captain of my team in high school, so I expected to just walk on. I didn’t realize how competitive it was on the D3 level though,” Harris said. “I was pretty bummed. Soccer had been a big part of my identity.”

Harris participated in other club sports during his first year but was left unsatisfied. Towards the end of the year he had the idea to create a club soccer team.

“I talked about it to Eric Steinbrook, a friend of mine who was also cut from the varsity team, and he liked the idea too,” Harris said.

Harris also contacted Freeman about his idea and found more interest.

Harris, Steinbrook and Freeman started the process of trying to make the club team a reality in May. They first contacted Justin Serpone, coach of the men’s varsity soccer program. They sent him a proposal for a club soccer program and Serpone “gave his full support,” according to Harris. Serpone, however, was unfamiliar with the procedure of creating a club team and put Harris in contact with McBride. McBride, however, said that there was a policy in place that could not be circumvented, namely that a club team cannot exist if there is a corresponding varsity team. Repeated attempts to get around the policy throughout the summer were unfruitful.

In the fall Harris, Steinbrook and Freeman “made a collective decision to move forward formulating a soccer team entirely independent of the College, with no affiliation whatsoever.” They organized tr