David Beckham, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez are targeting next Wednesday to hold a news conference in Miami to rally support for a privately funded stadium and bring South Florida up to date on the status of the plan to bring MLS to Miami in 2017.
Gimenez confirmed the date of the news conference after meeting for more than three hours Tuesday with Beckham’s group, Miami Beckham United. He said there also could be another related event next Tuesday night.
The two sides set a timeline to complete any negotiations — stadium or no — by the end of the summer, according to the mayor.
Of the up to 30 sites scouted by Beckham’s group, five are “viable,” Gimenez said. Ten fell off the list entirely because they aren’t available for construction, he added.
Favored among the locations for a 25,000-seat stadium is a county-owned waterfront lot on the southwest corner of PortMiami. Also under consideration is another county-owned parcel near Marlins Park in Little Havana and the Miami River, Gimenez said, and three other sites with public and private owners.
“We didn’t narrow it down,” he said. Instead, both sides set a framework and a timeline for the negotiations.
“We’re just getting started,” said John Alschuler, the New York-based developer hired by Beckham’s group to scout locations.
A Miami MLS expansion franchise is contingent on a viable stadium plan approved by the league’s Board of Governors. Still, when asked about a potential league commitment to a Miami team, Gimenez said: “Hopefully we’ll see that on Wednesday.”
With negotiations still ongoing, next week’s news briefing will serve more as an “If you build it, we will come” message. Garber and MLS officials held similar news conferences in New York and Orlando before those cites were awarded teams.
Beckham will be in the New York area over the weekend, appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Friday night, attending the Super Bowl on Sunday and then heading to Miami on Monday.
Garber said two weeks ago that he expected an announcement on the status of the discussions with Beckham “in early February.”
“There’s a lot of work that needs to happen,” Garber said. “We can’t go to Miami without the right stadium solution. David understands that. The city understands that. That’s an indisputable fact. We can’t have different rules in Miami than we have in any other city.
“We want to do as much as we can to work with David and [Beckham’s manager/business partner] Simon Fuller to get something done as quickly as we can.”
Read more here: David Beckham, Miami-Dade County to rally support for MLS stadium - Soccer | Fútbol - MiamiHerald-com
Ron Rowden, a Collinsville High School teacher and former soccer coach, was found dead Tuesday in his Maryville home of an apparent suicide.
Collinsville Maj. Tom Coppotelli confirmed that police had been investigating Rowden, 49, after the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services reported a complaint of possible inappropriate conduct with a female student.
Coppotelli said the alleged incident did not occur at Collinsville High School.
"He knew he was under investigation," Coppotelli said, adding the investigation was in the "very early stages." He said a search warrant was executed Friday at Rowden's house at 901 Andra Drive.
Sgt. Brandon Ponce of the Maryville Police Department said Rowden appeared to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His body was discovered at 4:11 p.m. Tuesday in the bathroom of his home.
"At this point, it's being investigated as a suicide," Ponce said.
Collinsville Schools Superintendent Robert Green said that Rowden was employed by the district. He declined further comment.
"The Unit 10 school district expresses condolences to his family," Green said.
Green said the Unit 10 counseling team was on hand at the high school on Wednesday for students who might be impacted by Rowden's death.
Rowden led the Kahoks to back-to-back Class AA state championships in boys soccer in 1991 and 1992. Collinsville also placed third in 1993 and second in 1996.
A 1982 graduate of Granite City North, Rowden took over the Kahoks' boys soccer program in 1989, replacing Jim Stranz. Rowden was 182-82-21 in 12 seasons.
Rowden became head coach of the girls team in 2007, replacing Deana Wallace. He was 40-33-6 in four years, resigning prior to the 2011 season.
Rowden was a physical education teacher at Collinsville. He also had been an industrial arts instructor.
In 1998, Rowden suffered a hairline fracture in his neck and nerve damage to his left arm after a motorcycle accident. The arm never recovered, and Rowden had been unable to use it since the accident.
Despite his arm injury, Rowden continued to play soccer in as many as three leagues a week, according to friends.
Read more here: COLLINSVILLE: Collinsville teacher, former soccer coach dead at age 49 | High School Sports | News Democrat
Canadian women's head coach John Herdmann says he's tired of seeing his team lose to the United States.
Winless against its arch rival since 2001, Canada dropped its latest contest — a friendly between the two nations on Friday night — 1-0 on a goal by Canadian-born Sydney Leroux.
"We're disappointed because we're sick of saying 'good try,' 'well done,' and 'we battled hard,"' Herdmann said. "At some point we've got to beat this team and if it's not now, then when? And hopefully it's (at the Women's World Cup) in 2015."
Leroux, who is a U.S. citizen, scored in the 78th minute to break a scoreless tie against Canada and give the U.S. the victory in both teams' 2014 opener.
It was Leroux's fourth goal in the past three games, with two of them coming against the country of her birth.
"I love to watch her," Herdmann said. "She's a phenomenal player and she's great to watch ... and she scores against us. I've just told her (after the game) to stop doing that, man. You do it against anyone else but not us."
The game looked as if it was going to be a scoreless draw before Leroux's late offence, largely thanks to strong play by Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod and no clear goal chances for the U.S.
"I always hope that we're going to get one," said Leroux, who was stopped several times in the first half.
"That's kind of how we play, and we push to the very last second. I'm just happy that we came out on top of the game 1-0. It was a good game. It was physical and I'm glad we came out on top."
The Americans sent plenty of chances into the zone, but McLeod calmly caught and parried several crosses. But in the 78th minute, a bit of nifty footwork gave the U.S. the lead.
Becky Sauerbrunn started a run with the ball outside the 18-yard box, fed the ball to substitute Christen Press and then immediately got it back, going toward the right post. Press then weaved a pass through McLeod and defenders Kadeisha Buchanan and Sura Yekka to find Leroux waiting all alone 3 yards.
Leroux one-timed the ball with the inside of her left foot for the game-winner.
Home sweet home
The Americans extended their home unbeaten streak to 78 games (68-0-10).
The U.S., ranked No. 1 in the world, also remains undefeated under second-year coach Tom Sermanni (14-0-3), and is a perfect 11-0 all time when playing in Texas.
The win marks a strong start to a World Cup qualifying year for the Americans. CONCACAF qualifying is at the end of the year, and the U.S. should be favourites to emerge out of the region.
Canada, the hosts the 2015 Women's World Cup, automatically qualifies for the tournament.
The 20,862 fans at FC Dallas' home stadium were the largest crowd since 2003.
"I was a bit anxious about this game because we haven't played a game for a long time," said Sermanni, whose team hadn't played since a 4-1 victory against Brazil.
"The players have had time off. Canada has played some international recently."
The Americans thought they took the lead in the 38th minute when defender Whitney Engen popped in a headed pass, but she was called offside by about 6 yards.
Canadian midfielder Josee Belanger took possession at the top of the U.S. zone moments after Engen's offside and dinked the ball through two American defenders to Diana Matheson. U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo cut down the angle and Matheson's cross-body chip from about 6 yards trickled past the far post to preserve the scoreless half.
It was Solo's only test of the first half, and she didn't have to make a save until diving to her right in the 87th minute to stop Jonelle Filigno and preserve the shutout.
"You know they're going to score," Herdmann said. "I've never known a game where the U.S. doesn't score."
Canada falls to U.S. in women's soccer friendly - CBC Sports - Soccer
Two popular British soccer clubs could be coming to Bank of America Stadium in August, according to media reports in the United States and London.
Manchester City will take on Liverpool at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 2, according to the Daily Mirror newspaper and the blog World Soccer Talk.
According to the news organizations’ websites, 12 European teams will play in eight American cities, including Charlotte, as part of the International Champions Cup. The tournament runs from July 26 to Aug. 4.
Manchester City, one of the wealthiest soccer clubs in the world, is second in the Premier League. Liverpool is fourth. Manchester City won the Premier League in 2012 and was runner-up in 2013. Liverpool’s 18 championships are second only to Manchester United’s 20.
Charlotte City leaders have long said they were trying to land an international soccer tournament for Bank of America Stadium. Charlie Dayton, a spokesman for the Carolina Panthers, didn’t return an e-mail seeking comment. Assistant City Manager Ron Kimble, reached Sunday at his home, said the city is “working hard and feverishly to land one international football game” but wouldn’t confirm media reports about the match or say whether the city was close to landing a particular game.
As part of last year’s $87.5 million agreement between the city and the Carolina Panthers for stadium renovations, the NFL team agreed to provide the city and CRVA with four rent-free dates for six years. Each rent-free date is worth $250,000.
Is Manchester City vs. Liverpool soccer match coming to Bank of America Stadium? | Charlotte Region | Lake Wylie Pilot
When Carol Bartlett learned her niece would be travelling to the African country of Kenya for a school internship and was looking for items to donate to children there, she immediately took action.
Now, 175 soccer uniforms, that were at one point worn by St. John’s Youth Soccer players and were collected by the Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s resident, are now getting dirty in soccer games being played 10,000 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland.
“To think that a club here could have that kind of an impact on 175 children in a little village in Kenya is pretty awesome,” said Bartlett.
Bartlett’s niece, Lydia MacKay, was an education student at the University of Prince Edward Island. One of the internship options available to her was to work with the Farmers Helping Farmers program in Kenya. Aside from gaining valuable teaching experience in Kenya, MacKay wanted to give something back to the country.
“She mentioned soccer balls,” said Bartlett of her niece, who is from P.E.I. “Well, I had a close association with the soccer association here in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, so I said I would approach them.”
In the end, that did not work out. However, Bartlett eventually got in touch with St. John’s Youth Soccer and Carla Squires.
“I told her about my plight, and she was really keen to help.”
Bartlett met Squires at the H.G.R. Mews Community Centre and was amazed by how many uniforms she received.
“I was overwhelmed. I thought I might get 50.
“It was perfect because they were all sizes, right from something a four-year-old would wear right up to an extra large in men’s.”
The journey to Kenya was a somewhat delayed one for the uniforms, which were originally sponsored by Bell Aliant.
While MacKay travelled to Kenya in 2012, it was not until last fall that the jerseys finally made it there, by which time Bartlett’s niece had already graduated from university. An arrangement was already in place with Air Canada to cover the cost of transporting the uniforms to Kenya.
“I don’t know if you know how much 175 uniforms weigh, but it was quite a big package, and Air Canada was good enough to cover that,” said Bartlett.
One of MacKay’s former teachers accompanied the uniforms to Kenya, and photos of children playing in them were passed along to Bartlett.
N.L. soccer uniforms get second life in Kenya - Local - The Telegram
And David Beckham, more clothed than in his Super Bowl Sunday underwear commercial, is one.
The retired soccer icon spent more than an hour Tuesday night schmoozing with politicians, jetsetters and ordinary people at the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall as he tried to gain momentum for a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami.
“There's going to be a few bumps along the way, but we're going to make the team in Miami not just the best team in America,” he said in brief remarks to the crowd, “we're going to take the team global.”
About 200 people, including more than a handful of Miami-Dade County and city of Miami commissioners, milled at the lobby of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts venue, most of them remarkably punctual – presumably not to miss a chance to pose for a selfie with Becks.
Beckham, nattily clad in a dark charcoal suit and narrow black tie with white polka dots, moved about 20 feet all evening, stuck in a slow-moving throng of photo-snappers and glad-handers. He made a point of chatting with politicians and devoted MLS fans sporting black, white and blue “MLS in Miami” scarves.
Bill Talbert, president of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, brought a soccer ball for the superstar to sign.
“I bought this today at the Midtown Sports Authority,” Talbert said. “No one else brought a prop. I think he'll remember this. And I’ll ask him to sign it again after his team's first game here.”
After Beckham signed it, in red, Talbert raised the ball in the air in triumph. Then, he handed it to Miami-Dade Commissioner Lynda Bell.
Bravo TV's Real Housewives of Miami star Alexia Echevarria and her husband, Herman, also attended Tuesday's event, which served as a warm-up for Wednesday's joint news conference with County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, both of whom attended Tuesday’s soirée. So did Beckham's manager and business partner, Simon Fuller.
“Herman was like, ‘Don't ask for a picture with him,’” Echevarria said. “But everyone and their mother was getting a picture with him so I was like, ‘I'm going in.’”
Garber is expected to formally announce Wednesday at the Pérez Art Museum Miami that Beckham has exercised his contract option to buy an expansion franchise. Beckham hopes to establish the team in Miami, if he can get a new soccer stadium.
When asked why he wanted to bring an MLS team to Miami, Beckham countered, “Why not?”
“It's a great city; it's a vibrant city,” he added. “I can't think of anywhere better.”
The location he and his investors have honed in on: the southwest corner of PortMiami. Other sites near downtown also are being considered.
Beckham's investment group, Miami Beckham United, has begun negotiations with the county over the publicly owned seaport site. Miami-Dade officials say any deal involving public land would have to clear several political hurdles.
Beckham's group intends to use private funds to build the stadium, though it has hired a Tallahassee lobbyist to seek a state subsidy other professional sports teams have received.
On his way out the door, Beckham told a scrum of TV crews that he has faith in Miami fans backing an MLS team.
“I've seen the atmosphere in the city, being here for the [NBA] playoffs last year, I saw the passion of the people, the passion the public had for the sport in general,” he said. “I'm really looking forward to the announcement [Wednesday]. It's an exciting time for the MLS and myself as well. Being welcomed into Miami is unbelievable.”
Then he hopped into the back of a black Cadillac Escalade and was whisked away.
Read more here: David Beckham schmoozes with Miami over prospect of soccer franchise - Soccer | Fútbol - MiamiHerald-com
The soccer star David Beckham delivered a long-awaited but in many ways provisional commitment to Miami on Wednesday when he confirmed it as the future home of a Major League Soccer expansion team that he will own — alongside partners not yet named — and run.
Beckham made the announcement during a somewhat giddy news conference overlooking a sunny Biscayne Bay, an event punctuated by vigorous chants from fans who have been without a top-flight team since 2001, when M.L.S. folded the Miami Fusion.
“This is an exciting time for myself, for my family and friends,” Beckham told the crowd while perched on a stool between the M.L.S. commissioner, Don Garber, and the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Carlos A. Gimenez, who is on record as opposing the use of public money for privately owned sports facilities.
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As if to assure Gimenez of his access to deep pockets elsewhere, Beckham made a point of saying that “a lot of great people want to invest in this team and this club,” a remark greeted with cheers.
“We don’t want public funding,” he said. “We will fund the stadium ourselves.” But the news conference raised more questions than it answered. There is no deal in place for the financing to build a stadium, or to buy or lease the land on which to put it. The team has no name, and there seems to be only a vague notion of when the team might start playing in M.L.S. — perhaps in 2016, more likely 2017. Nor was it clear where the team might play, temporarily, until its own stadium is completed.
The Miami team would be the 22nd in M.L.S. The league currently has 19 clubs, but it will add two more — in New York City and Orlando — next year.
Beckham had inserted the right to buy a team for $25 million into his original playing contract when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, but he had to exercise that option before Dec. 31, 2013. Wednesday’s announcement was merely confirmation that he had done so by the deadline.
In an interview after the news briefing, Garber said that in the last month or so he had personally looked at three properties in downtown Miami that might be suitable stadium sites for Beckham’s team. “We want that stadium to be downtown,” Garber said, mentioning in particular a site in Miami’s seaport near the arena where the N.B.A.’s Miami Heat play.
Asked why he had chosen Miami for his new venture, Beckham replied, “I mean, why not?”
More concretely, he said Miami had become a truly international city that was especially appealing to visitors and immigrants from Latin America and Europe. Those audiences, he said, flock to soccer games, as evidenced by huge turnouts to matches in recent years featuring teams like Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, Chelsea and national teams from Brazil and Honduras. Those games were played in the Sun Life football stadium in Miami Gardens, a suburb northwest of downtown. “In this market, if you put a soccer team together, you have a lot of sophisticated soccer fans who will go,” said Norb Ecksl, who was general manager of the Miami Freedom soccer team in the early 1990s and is now the editor of Sunshine Soccer News. “If you put a good product on the field and promote it properly, it’s going to work. And you have to have a state-of-the-art stadium that people will be willing to come to. It’s all about entertainment.”
Beckham, he said, “has got to have the money, and cooperation from the government” to make the venture succeed. “We’ll see,” Ecksl added, the failure of previous teams in South Florida fresh in his mind.
During the news briefing, Beckham and Garber insisted that things had changed since the Fusion folded, and that it was time for Miami to take its place in the booming business of soccer.
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FingersCrossed
18 hours ago
As long as they have a solid ownership structure in place and they put a good team out on the field, Miami can certainly be a good city to...
wosm
20 hours ago
I certainly wish them well, but Miami has always been a lukewarm sports town. The Dolphins and Marlins routinely play before tens of...
anguspodgorny
20 hours ago
Soccer - the real Football - will never amount to anything in the US. One cannot play ninety minutes in the hot and humid conditions of the...
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“Miami is a vibrant city, a city with a lot of passion,” Beckham said. “It’s ready for football, for soccer. And I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time here.”
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Asked whether he had any players in mind as potential hires, Beckham demurred, although he acknowledged that some prominent players had already contacted him.
Beckham, 38, is a former captain of England’s national team. He began playing for Manchester United when he was 17 and went on to become one of soccer’s most prominent players.
He said he was “living the dream” by starting his own team.
“For me, I wanted to create a team that we can start from scratch,” he said. “I wanted to create a team that’s very personal.”
Beckham mentioned two potential partners in the venture: the Bolivian billionaire Marcelo Claure, founder of the Miami-based wireless distributor Brightstar Corporation, and the “American Idol” producer Simon Fuller, both of whom, he said, were “very excited” about the project.
For the soccer fans who attended Wednesday’s announcement, the possibility of a return to regular local play by a first division professional team was more than welcome. Jonathan Urbaez, a 20-year-old student at Miami-Dade College and one of about 150 members of the Southern Legion, a soccer supporters’ group formed expressly to push for a new M.L.S. team in Miami, said that when he heard that Beckham might start a team here, it “sounded too good to b
The Merritt Island High School’s girls soccer team (17-2-3) defeated Matanzas 2-0 to advance to the FHSAA state championship game on Friday against the American Heritage Patriots (27-0-1).
Ally Wheble scored the first goal for the Mustangs. Wheble was assisted by Anna Gunning. Kayli Jacobs scored the second goal.
With the win, the Lady Mustangs will have a chance to win its second state championship since 2010. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne.
(The Merritt Island High School’s Girls Soccer Team celebrates its 2-0 win over Matanzas in the state semifinal. MIHS will play American Heritage on Friday night for the Florida State Class 3A Championship.)
Carli Lloyd and Christen Press each scored twice to help the U.S. women's soccer team beat Russia 7-0 on Saturday in an exhibition game that extended the Americans' unbeaten streak to 41 games.
Abby Wambach entered 14 minutes into the second half and scored the seventh goal in the 67th minute. She has a record 164 international goals.
Heather O'Reilly and Sydney Leroux also scored for the Americans, who are 35-0-6 since March 2012 and unbeaten in 79 home games (69-0-10).
The United States had a 32-3 shots advantage and Russia only had one shot on goal.
''It wasn't just so much about getting the result,'' U.S. coach Tom Sermanni said. ''I thought the performance, I thought some of the habits and the things we've been training really came into the game today.''
The teams will play again Wednesday night at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The U.S. attacked from the opening minutes FAU Stadium, and took the lead on Lloyd's first goal in the 29th minute. O'Reilly scored in the 32nd, and Lloyd struck again 5 minutes later.
''They were defending well for that first 20-25 minutes and made life difficult for us,'' Sermanni said. ''I thought how we approached the game things were going to open up.''
A pall has been cast over Ukrainian and Brazilian soccer Saturday after FC Shakhtar forward Maicon Pereira de Oliveira died in a car accident early Saturday morning.
The accident which claimed Maicon’s life happened in Donetsk, Ukraine, according to a statement on Shakhtar’s website.
“He was a talented footballer, open and friendly guy. Maicon loved life and knew how to make it positive and bright, the statement said. “Tragic, untimely and absurd death took away a wonderful person from our ranks. Maicon was only 25 years old.
“It is a terrible bereavement for each of us. FC Shakhtar expresses condolences and sympathy to Maicon’s family and friends. May he rest in peace…”
The club didn’t reveal any further details about the accident.
Maicon was spending the 2013-14 season on loan at Ukrainian club Illichivets Mariupol. The Brazilian had scored three goals in 10 games (in all competitions) this season.
Maicon joined Shakhtar in 2012, following three impressive seasons at Ukrainian club Volyn Lutsk.
The Rio de Janeiro native spent time in the youth academies of Brazilian soccer giants Fluminese and Flamengo before moving to Ukraine in 2009.
Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho played with Maicon at Shakhtar before moving to the Premier League last summer. Fernadinho posted a photo of Maicon (and his son) on his Instagram account with a message to his fallen friend.
“When I woke up today and got the news I was completely stunned, in shock, not believing and not knowing what to say. You left us in an unexpected way, so soon! I ask God to comfort his family and all who love you really. Will always remain in our memory his joy, his smile and all the good you have done here.
Brazilian Soccer Player Maicon Dies In Car Accident In Ukraine Age 25 | Soccer | NESN-com
If there’s ever a right way to get a red card, this is it. An Italian soccer player was sent off during a game between amateur clubs Pontilcelli and Riolo Terme. One team’s No. 9 pounced on a goalkeeper error and tapped his shot in for the easiest of goals. The excited scorer made a bee-line for the dugout and embarked on one of the greatest goal celebrations this observer has ever seen. The No. 9 headbutted his entire body through the (plexi)glass pane. Everybody seemed to love it … except for the referee, who sent off the exuberant goal scorer. Referees gonna ref, apparently. While we don’t condone red cards or random acts of property damage, we just can’t find anything to dislike about this irrational goal celebration — even after watching it about a dozen times. Watch the awesomeness in the video below
Read more at: Italian Soccer Player Celebrates Goal By Headbutting Through Glass (Video) | Soccer | NESN-com
In this Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 photo, Abu Hammad family members pose with the Yasser Arafat Cup at their club's trophy room in the West Bank village of Wadi al-Nees. Palestinian farmer Yousef Abu Hammad sired enough boys for a soccer team and the current roster of the Wadi al-Nees team includes six of Abu Hammad's sons, three grandsons and five other close relatives. Wadi al-Nees heads the West Bank's 12-team “premier league,'' consistently defeating richer clubs and believe their strong family bonds are a secret to their success.
One family behind West Bank's best soccer team - SFGate
With the 2014 World Cup just four months away, all U.S. national team fans can think about is which players will make up the team that heads to Brazil and tries to help the U.S. survive the Group of Death.
This year also signifies another important point in the development of the U.S. in that it marks the halfway point between the next Olympic games, with the 2016 competition also being played in Brazil. It might not seem like it, but two years have already passed since the infamous failed U.S. Olympic qualifying bid. The ‘Nightmare in Nashville’ was seen as a low point for American soccer, and at the time, it was expected to ruin head coach Caleb Porter’s career and stunt the development of an entire generation.
Neither of those things happened. Porter recovered and went on to be a successful coach with the Portland Timbers, winning MLS Coach of the Year last year. Meanwhile, many of that team’s players saw their careers blossom in the coming years, with players like Terrence Boyd, Mix Diskerud and Joe Corona eventually transitioning to the senior national team, while players like Amobi Okugo, Juan Agudelo, Kofi Sarkodie, Perry Kitchen, Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid continued to progress in their careers. As we sit two years away from the next Olympic Qualifying cycle, there is a growing conversation being had about what is widely considered one of the bigger problems for American player development. The void between ages 18 and 22 where not enough players have a sufficient development structure to help them maximize their growth as players.
College soccer continues to fill the void, but there is no denying that the limitations of the college game makes it far from the ideal system to develop elite prospects. As much as it has its flaws, blaming college soccer for the woes of American player development is akin to blaming your bike for you not having a car. It isn’t the bike’s fault, and if you didn’t have the bike you would be in even worse shape.
Strides are being made with the growth of MLS player academies, and changes in MLS guidelines are giving young players more opportunities to play. Time will tell just how much of a difference those new opportunities will make on the development of top prospects.
In 2016, we should really get a sense of how much progress is being made when we start looking at the player pool that will make up the U.S. Olympic qualifying team, and eventually the Olympic team (assuming, of course, that the Americans qualify). An early look at the projected 2016 U.S. Olympic team reveals a pretty impressive group of players, though it should be cautioned that the 2012 Olympic player pool was widely regarded as the most talented the program's history.
Here is a sneak peak at what the 18-man U.S. Olympic team could look like in 2016 (keep in mind three overage players would be added):
With no age-eligible American goalkeepers currently starting professionally, the advantage goes to two members of the 2013 U.S. Under-20 World Cup team. Cropper is on the books at English Premier League side Southampton, while Steffen is currently at the Unversity of Maryland and widely regarded as a future national team star.
Other Prospects to Watch- Jon Kempin, Ethan Horvath,
Four of these six defenders have already established themselves as pro starters, while a fifth (Acosta) earned a dozen starts as an 18-year-old with FC Dallas. The sixth, Miller, is set to begin his pro career after being drafted by the Montreal Impact, where he is projecting to start in year one.
Brooks has yet to be formally cap-tied to the U.S., but with all signs pointing to him choosing the U.S. over his native Germany, he would be penciled in as an Olympic starter alongside Packwood, who has overcome a gruesome broken leg to reestablish himself as a starter for English League Championship side Birmingham City.
O’Neill and Yedlin enjoyed outstanding 2013 seasons, their first as pro starters, and were rewarded with call-ups to the U.S. national team in January. There is still some question about whether O’Neill will ultimately wind up a central defender or defensive midfielder, but it is a safe bet he will be on this team one way or another.
Other Prospects to Watch- Oscar Sorto, Walker Zimmerman, Jordan Allen, Michael Amick, Christian Dean, Matt Miazga
MIDFIELDERS- (Luis Gil, Paul Arriola, Wil Trapp, Caleb Stanko, Benji Joya, Marc Pelosi)
Gil, Joya and Trapp all showed well at the Under-20 World Cup, and all three will have plenty of experience when the Olympics roll around in 2016. Gil earned his first senior national team call-up in January and could have a move to Europe in his future now after two years as a solid starter for Real Salt Lake.
Arriola is a very exciting attacking prospect at Club Tijuana who could slot in as a winger or forward. One of the top rookies in Mexico in the fall, Arriola has drawn comparisons to a young Landon Donovan.
Stanko is still working his way up the ranks at Bundesliga side Freiburg, but has the quality to make this group. Pelosi is a quality prospect at Liverpool, though he has yet to break through and play first-team soccer.
One player sure to attract some attention is Arsenal propect Gedion Zelalem, but at present he is not a U.S. citizen and has been training with German youth national teams. In other words, don't hold your breath on him ever representing the Unied States.
Other Prospects to Watch- Cristian Roldan, Tommy Thompson, Dillon Serna, Joel Sonora, Danny Garcia, Rubio Rubin, Victor Pineda
FORWARDS- (Omar Salgado, Mario Rodriguez, Jack McBean, Daniel Cuevas)
If there is a position lacking established pro veterans, and one primed to field one or two overage players at the Olympics, it’s forward.
One name not listed here who could wind up being part of the squad is Julian Green. The Bayern Munich prospect has yet to make a decision on which national team he will play for, USA or Germany, b
Political violence in Ukraine continued to imperil the United States national team’s friendly against Ukraine, which is scheduled to be played in the eastern city of Kharkiv in March but seems increasingly likely to be played elsewhere — if at all.
Deadly fighting between protestors and riot police on Thursday in Kiev raised the prospect that Ukraine’s president, Viktor F. Yanukovych, would declare a state of emergency, bringing the armed forces to bear in protests that have killed dozens. The violence this week forced the relocation of Dynamo Kiev’s Europa League game against Spain’s Valencia to Cyprus, where Valencia won, 2-0. But another Ukrainian club, Dnipro, beat visiting Tottenham, 1-0, in Dnepropetrovsk, about 240 miles southeast of Kiev, on Thursday. A moment of silence was held before that game.
A U.S. Soccer spokesman said the federation was communicating with its counterparts in Ukraine and would consider “all available options,” including moving the game or even canceling it. “The safety of the players and coaches is always our first priority,” he said.
But calling off the game seems unlikely. The March 5 match date, an international friendly day designated by FIFA, is the only one before May when the United States can field a team of its European-based regulars, most of whom have not been in national team camp since November. The United States has scheduled an April 2 game against Mexico in Glendale, Ariz., but since it does not fall on an official FIFA matchday Coach Jurgen Klinsmann cannot demand that European clubs release their American players.
And U.S. Soccer’s first choice remains preserving the matchup against Ukraine, since it would be difficult to find a new opponent on short notice. One option would be moving the game elsewhere in Europe, perhaps Germany, where Klinsmann had long planned to hold a two-day camp in Frankfurt before traveling to Ukraine. A decision on the fate of the game is expected before the end of the week.
Bank of America Stadium’s first major event following stadium enhancements will feature two of the world’s most recognizable European soccer clubs.
Liverpool FC will play AC Milan on Saturday, August 2 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Guinness International Champions Cup.
Tickets go on sale on February 22 at 10 a.m. and are available through Ticketmaster and the Bank of America Stadium ticket office.
"We’re excited about being the hosts for this tremendous international soccer event," Panthers president Danny Morrison said. "It’s going to be a great match.
"This stadium in a park will come alive when we host this soccer event. We’re delighted to be in that role."
Mayor Patrick Cannon was thrilled to announce that two famous soccer clubs littered with world-class talent will be on display in Charlotte.
"Hosting a match of this caliber, that will be televised internationally, is yet another way to showcase Charlotte to the world," Cannon said. "Sports tourism is a proven economic driver and an ongoing priority for the Queen City. With a region full of soccer fans, this is a game people will travel for, and we look forward to hosting them."
When it comes to European Cup titles, Liverpool and AC Milan are behind only Spanish giant Real Madrid, who has claimed nine titles. AC Milan has won the competition seven times and Liverpool has won five times.
In fact, Liverpool’s most recent European Cup came against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final, a contest that is regarded as one of the great, dramatic matches in history.
"It brings great memories of our win in the Champions League final," said Billy Hogan, Liverpool’s chief commercial officer. "It’s going to be terrific. We are really looking forward to coming to Charlotte."
International soccer coming to Bank of America Stadium
DIEGO FAGUNDEZ’S BASEMENT bedroom looks just like what you’d expect from a soccer-crazy 19-year-old. Along the staircase, framed team and player photos line the walls, and a New England Revolution jersey hangs in a corner. In the room itself, soccer balls litter the carpet, sneakers and cleats sit in rows, and there are even more photos, from both on the field and off. Facing Fagundez’s neatly made bed, there’s a flat-screen TV hooked up to an Xbox that he and his buddies use to play FIFA soccer video games. The only difference between this room and that of your average teenager is that almost all of Fagundez’s stuff — the photos, the news clippings, even one of the video games — features him.
Fagundez lives a kind of double life. At work, he is a star midfielder for the New England Revolution, the team that put him in his first pro game at just 16 (he promptly scored). His 13 goals last season weren’t just the most of anyone on the Revs, they were the most by a teenager in a single season in the history of Major League Soccer. The slim kid with the mohawk and an easy smile has quickly become a fan favorite and the face of a resurgent team.
But at home in Leominister, where he’s lived for more than a decade, Fagundez is pretty much like any other teenager. He hangs out with the same friends he met when he was 5 and has been dating the same girl, now a high school senior, for years. Although he recently earned his diploma from Goodrich Academy in Fitchburg, which let him study around his playing schedule, he still helped his girlfriend with her science fair project. He loves fishing on nearby Shirley Pond and eating bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch soaked in chocolate milk. Although he reportedly made around $127,000 last season, he has very little interest in moving out of his parents’ basement.
“I’ve thought about it a bunch of times, but I’m so close to my family,” says Fagundez, who has an older sister and a younger brother. “Why move when I can be with them every day? My mom makes good food, and I don’t have to do everything.” A moment later, he adds, “I’m going to move out someday.”
Spend a day with Fagundez and it’s easy to see why people love him. Despite the records, the write-ups in Sports Illustrated, and the NBC Sports documentary on 36 hours in his life, he remains remarkably quiet and humble. Consider the 2014 edition of the FIFA soccer video game, which features a digital Fagundez. When it was released, the developer worked up a promotional version with his picture. “So imagine being a teenager,” the Revs wrote on their website. “Imagine the latest version of your favorite video game comes out. Now imagine you’re on the cover. This, folks, is Diego Fagundez’s reality.”
And yet none of this seems to go to Fagundez’s head. About the video game, he simply tweeted, “Never thought i’d see this.” He’s not a partyer, and he’s careful with his money. His splurges have been a small boat and a big black Ford pickup to tow it (though, at 5 feet 8 and 140 pounds, Fagundez also likes that the truck makes him seem bigger).
“It is pretty special to have a kid that is the same age as the guys and the girls that come out to the game and to not get caught up in it and be Bieber-esque, I guess you could say,” says Matt Reis, the now retired Revs goalkeeper whom Fagundez credits with helping make him feel at home on the team. This down-to-earth quality — this impression he gives that he’s the luckiest guy in the world — is perhaps why Fagundez’s room doesn’t come across as an egotistic shrine to himself. Rather than a declaration of his greatness, it’s an expression of his hope he’ll be able to live up to his dreams.
Now entering his fourth regular season with the Revs, starting with a game March 8 in Houston, Fagundez is preparing for his toughest challenge yet. He and his teammates know that after last season’s breakout, opponents will be coming after him. There have been plenty of soccer phenoms before, after all, but few have managed to stand up to the attention it brings on and off the field. But if the team is to continue its upward trajectory and fight for a playoff spot again this year, Fagundez will have to.
Diego Fagundez: The life of a teen soccer phenom - Magazine - The Boston Globe
Former Aston Villa and Swansea striker joins the Red-and-White for 2014
On Monday, February 24, Chivas USA announced the signing of English Premier League (EPL) veteran Luke Moore. The striker joins the Red-and-White from Turkey’s Super League side Sanica Boru Elazığspor. The 28-year-old will be eligible to play in the Goats’ 2014 Major League Soccer (MLS) Regular Season upon receipt of his International Transfer Certificate. Per club and League policy, terms of the agreement will not be disclosed.
A product of the Aston Villa F.C.’s Youth Academy, where he played alongside his older brother and former Queens Park Rangers forward, Stefan, the younger Moore spent the bulk of his young professional career with Villa in the EPL. He also enjoyed stays as a member of West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City A.F.C.
“Moore is a very talented player who has proven his scoring ability at the international level by playing in one of the biggest leagues in the world,” described Chivas USA Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera. “He’s going to be a very important addition to our team in terms of competition, depth, and possibilities up front to create scoring opportunities and goals.”
Making his pro debut with the Villans in 2005, the striker notched his first tally in a 2-0 win over Middleborough on March 5. Moore went on to record 27 goals while competing in England’s top division league.
In January 2011, Moore took his talents to Wales to join Swansea City, and immediately became instrumental to Brendan Rodgers’ squad by guiding them to a third-place finish and qualification for the Playoffs. Playing under the current Liverpool F.C. Head Coach, the Swans went on to beat Reading 4-2 in an unforgettable final at Wembley Stadium. The victory also earned Moore and his team a heralded promotion to the EPL, as they became the first Welsh team to play in the Premier League in 20 years.
On Feb. 24, 2013, Moore and the Swans’ celebrated run continued, as they won their first major English trophy by defeating Bradford City, 5-0, for the Football League Cup and with it, a qualification to the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League.
After his sensational run with Swansea, Moore served a brief stint in Turkey prior to making the jump to MLS with Chivas USA. The English striker will look to make his league debut for the Rojiblancos in their season opener on March 9 when they host the Chicago Fire at the StubHub Center beginning at noon (PT).
Transaction: Chivas USA sign English forward Luke Moore via discovery.
Luke Moore
Full Name: Luke Moore
Number: TBD
Position: Forward
Born: 2-13-1986
Birthplace: Birmingham, England
Citizenship: England
Height: 5’ 9”
Weight: 167
Last Team: Sanica Boru Elazığspor (Turkey’s Super League)
Acquired: Via discovery, international roster
Related Articles: Chivas USA on SoccerNation
- See more at: Chivas USA Sign Luke Moore on SoccerNation News Soccer News
Bayern Munich has taken team of the week honors in The Associated Press global soccer poll for the fifth time this season. The team followed up its 2-0 win at Arsenal in the Champions League with a 4-0 rout at Hannover.
After scoring five times in two games this week, Zlatan Ibrahimovic tops the player vote for the first time this season. Ibrahimovic's Paris Saint-Germain polled second in the team vote after winning 4-0 at Bayer Leverkusen and 4-2 at Toulouse.
"In this moment, Ibrahimovic is the best player in the world," Paolo Condo of Gazetta dello Sport said. "It's a pity he will not run for this title next summer in Brazil, because this is the best Zlatan ever."
Munich has two players in the top 10 after its two formidable displays. Attacker Thomas Mueller was third, after scoring once against Arsenal and twice at Hannover, while Toni Kroos, who opened the scoring in London, was ninth.
"Toni Kroos completed more passes than the entire Arsenal midfield in the Champions League and his goal in that match once again proved that he is one of the sweetest strikers of a ball in world football," Mark Rodden of Eurosport in France said.
Striker Daniel Sturridge was the runner-up to Ibrahimovic, after his two goals helped Liverpool to a 4-3 win over Swansea on Sunday. Sturridge, who scored for the eighth successive English Premier League game, was joined in the top 10 by Liverpool and England teammate Jordan Henderson, who also scored twice while his club polled ninth.
"Daniel Sturridge is in elite company after joining Ruud van Nistelrooy as the only player to score in eight successive Premier League games," Richard Jolly of ESPN said. "He is a guarantee of goals, most of them crucial."
Juventus was fourth after a 2-0 Europa League victory against Turkish club Trabzonspor was followed by winning the Turin derby against Torino 1-0. Carlos Tevez, who scored the winner, was also fourth in the player vote.
Real Sociedad and Antoine Greizmann were both fifth, after pulling off a surprise victory by beating Barcelona 3-1 in La Liga over the weekend. Osasuna's 3-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid ranked sixth. "Real Sociedad ripped Barcelona apart in shocking fashion this weekend, making them look as ordinary as Bayern Munich did in the Champions League last season," Sam Tighe of Bleacher Report said. "Some blame Gerardo Martino's rotation policy, but this sort of beating has been looming for a while."
The combined results helped Real Madrid step three points ahead at the top of La Liga after beating Elche 3-0. Gareth Bale scored Madrid's second, a swerving strike from long range, and he was seventh this week.
Elsewhere, Olivier Giroud was a point ahead of Bale in sixth after scoring twice in Arsenal's 4-1 Premier League win over Sunderland. Chelsea was sixth after it beat Everton 1-0 to remain Premier League leader thanks to a late goal by John Terry, who made a rare appearance in 10th. Hamburg, threatened with relegation from the Bundesliga, was eighth after beating Borussia Dortmund 3-0 away.
-----------------------------------AP Global Soccer 10 rankings (week ending Feb. 25)
Players:
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 167 points.
2. Daniel Sturridge, 101.
3. Thomas Mueller, 92.
4. Carlos Tevez, 73.
5. Antoine Griezmann, 63.
6. Olivier Giroud, 48.
7. Gareth Bale, 47.
8. Jordan Henderson, 38.
9. Toni Kroos, 33.
10. John Terry, 28.
Teams:
1. Bayern Munich, 167.
2. Paris Saint-Germain, 143.
3. Real Madrid, 104.
4. Juventus, 90.
5. Real Sociedad, 81.
6. Osasuna, 68.
7. Chelsea, 60.
8. Hamburg, 56.
9. Liverpool, 52.
10. Arsenal, 33.
Ibrahimovic & Bayern Munich Top AP Soccer Poll - ABC News
Soccer Republic, a new series focusing on all aspects of soccer, will begin on Monday 10 March at 11.05pm on RTÉ Two.
The series will cover all the action from the SSE Airtricity League, as well as the latest Republic of Ireland and Champions League fare.
Interviews with Ireland’s Premier League stars will also be a regular feature of the show.
Presented by Peter Collins, the show will feature top pundits, special guests and goals every Monday night.
Paul McGrath, Ray Houghton, Ronnie Whelan, Kenny Cunningham and Keith Gillespie will be among a host of special guests joining the regular panellists Richie Sadlier, Pat Fenlon, Brian Kerr and Tony McDonnell.
The first show on Monday week will hear from both Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane ahead of Ireland’s friendly with Serbia on 5 March.
Soccer Republic programme kicks off in March - RTÉ Sport
If there's a quicker goal in the history of soccer, we don't know about it. On the opening kick, a Georgia high school player received the ball in his own end – and the ball didn't touch the ground again until it crashed into the back of the net, 67 yards away.
Coming within seconds of the referee's whistle to start play, the epic score drew surprised yells from the crowd. A video of the moon-shot is rapidly picking up viewers on YouTube; it was first posted last week by Bill Phelps. wrote about the long score this morning.
It's fairly easy to calculate the yardage in this case, because the game at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., about 30 minutes northwest of Atlanta, was being played on a football field.
That's where the right foot of Andrew Deltac met the ball on the 43 yard-line and blasted it over the goalie's head for the game's first score.
The goal was set up at the rear of the end zone, which is 10 yards deep. The ball soared through the night air and over the head of the goalie, who had been caught out near the top of the penalty area.
Here's how Phelps describes the video: "67 yard goal scored by Harrison High School's Andrew Deltac off the opening kick off! Recorded by Michelle Daley."
Phelps says the score is the farthest and quickest ever recorded at Harrison. It came at the start of the team's Feb. 18 game against Walton High School of nearby Marietta, he says.
Deltac is a junior on the team at Harrison. A look at suggests Harrison is a perennial playoff team. Both its boys and girls teams have won state championships.
We don't have many more details than that, including who won the game.
"It's like Deltac here Keyser Sozed the entire Internet," writes , "coming in for one flash of brilliance and then disappearing into anonymity once again perhaps to one day return and embarrass any would-be foolish goalkeepers."
Boom: Amazing Soccer Goal Comes On Game's First Play : The Two-Way : NPR
Gimenez confirmed the date of the news conference after meeting for more than three hours Tuesday with Beckham’s group, Miami Beckham United. He said there also could be another related event next Tuesday night.
The two sides set a timeline to complete any negotiations — stadium or no — by the end of the summer, according to the mayor.
Of the up to 30 sites scouted by Beckham’s group, five are “viable,” Gimenez said. Ten fell off the list entirely because they aren’t available for construction, he added.
Favored among the locations for a 25,000-seat stadium is a county-owned waterfront lot on the southwest corner of PortMiami. Also under consideration is another county-owned parcel near Marlins Park in Little Havana and the Miami River, Gimenez said, and three other sites with public and private owners.
“We didn’t narrow it down,” he said. Instead, both sides set a framework and a timeline for the negotiations.
“We’re just getting started,” said John Alschuler, the New York-based developer hired by Beckham’s group to scout locations.
A Miami MLS expansion franchise is contingent on a viable stadium plan approved by the league’s Board of Governors. Still, when asked about a potential league commitment to a Miami team, Gimenez said: “Hopefully we’ll see that on Wednesday.”
With negotiations still ongoing, next week’s news briefing will serve more as an “If you build it, we will come” message. Garber and MLS officials held similar news conferences in New York and Orlando before those cites were awarded teams.
Beckham will be in the New York area over the weekend, appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Friday night, attending the Super Bowl on Sunday and then heading to Miami on Monday.
Garber said two weeks ago that he expected an announcement on the status of the discussions with Beckham “in early February.”
“There’s a lot of work that needs to happen,” Garber said. “We can’t go to Miami without the right stadium solution. David understands that. The city understands that. That’s an indisputable fact. We can’t have different rules in Miami than we have in any other city.
“We want to do as much as we can to work with David and [Beckham’s manager/business partner] Simon Fuller to get something done as quickly as we can.”
Read more here: David Beckham, Miami-Dade County to rally support for MLS stadium - Soccer | Fútbol - MiamiHerald-com