Sunday, June 29, 2008

EURO 2008: SPAIN DEFEATS GERMANY FOR FIRST MAJOR TITLE IN 44 YEARS

At Vienna:

Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute (pictured here) as Spain defeated Germany 1-0 Sunday night in the final of the 2
008 European Championship, giving the Spaniards their first major title since winning the European Championship final in 1964. Here also are images of El Nino celebrating after scoring what would be the game winner and of goalkeeper Iker Casillas lifting the European Championship trophy.


All Photos © Getty Images

EURO 2008 Final: Spain Leads Germany At Halftime 1-0

At Vienna:

At halftime, Spain leads Germany in the title match of the 2008 European Championships 1-0 as Fernando Torres scored in the 33rd minute.

2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup: First Round Concludes

The first round of the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup concluded Sunday as three first-round two-match sets ended:

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Soligorsk, Belarus:

Shakhtyor Soligorsk belted visiting Polish club Cracovia in game two 3-0 to take their two game set on aggregate 5-1.

Next for the club from Belarus: A second-round two-match set with FK Sturm Graz from Austria.

NORTHERN REGION:

The winners of these two series will meet each other in the second round.

At Turku, Finland:

Homestanding TPS Turku took care of matters in game two, beating Northern Ireland's Lisburn Distillery 3-1 to take their two-match set 6-3 on aggregate.

At Reykjavik, Iceland:

Despite losing game one at home, Riga bounced back with a 2-0 road win to capture their two-game set with Icelandic club Fylkir 3-2 on aggregate.

The second round of action will take place with the opening matches next Saturday and Sunday, with the return legs on July 12 and 13.






Saturday, June 28, 2008

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 11 Teams Advance

Eleven of the fourteen first-round two-game series in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup concluded Saturday:

SOUTHERN-MEDITERRANEAN REGION:

At Achna, Cyprus:

Besa Kavaje advanced to the second round by gaining a 1-1 road draw with Ethnikos Achnas, enabling them to win the series 1-1 because of the away goals rule.

Next up for the Albanian club is Grasshoppers of Switzerland.

At Niksic, Montenegro:

In the home contest of their two-game set, FK Grbalj Radanovici picked up a 2-1 win over Celik Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina), enabling the Montenegrin club to win the series 4-4 on aggregate, thanks to the away goals rule.

Up next in store for FK Grbalj is Turkish club Sivasspor.

At Skopje, Macedonia:

After a scoreless first game, Macedonian club Renova Dzepciste won the home leg defeating Croatian club Rijeka 2-0, enabling them to take the series on aggregate 2-0.

Next on the Intertoto Cup agenda for the Gypsum Boys is Bnei Sakhnin from Israel.

At Nova Gorica, Slovenia:

Despite being held to a 0-0 home draw by Hibernians of Malta, ND Gorica still advanced to the second round as they took the two-game set 3-0 on aggregate.

Next up for the Slovenian club, a two-game set versus Chernomorets Burgas of Bulgaria.

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Budapest:

In a match that doubled the scoring from game one, Budapest Honved doubled up on Zhetyzu (Khazakhstan) 4-2 at home to take the series on aggregate 6-3.

Next up for Honved is FK Teplice from the Czech Republic.

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

Homestanding FC Tiraspol was held to a 0-0 draw by Armenian club MIKA. However, the Moldovan club advance because of the away goals rules even though the score was tied on aggregate at 2-2.

Next for FC Tiraspol: SC Tavriya Simferopol from Ukraine.

At Nitra, Slovakia:

Despite dropping game two of their series with Nitra, Neftchi Baku from Azerbaijan still advanced to the second round because of the away goals rule. The series ended 3-3 on aggregate but Neftchi wound up the only away goal of the two-match set.

Next up for the Oil Workers: Belgian club Germinal Beerschot.

At Tbilisi, Georgia:

After a scoreless first match in Luxembourg, Etzella Ettelbruck and hosts Lokomotivi Tbilisi battled to a 2-2 draw, enabling the Luxembourgian club to advance 2-2 on aggregate for the series because of the away goals rule.

Next on the docket for Etzella Ettelbruck: Russian club Saturn Ramenskoe.

NORTHERN REGION:

At Tallinn, Estonia:

Ekranas followed their 1-0 home win with a 3-0 road beatdown of Narva Trans to win their series 4-0 on aggregate.

Next up for the Lithuanian club: Norwegian club (and Champions League group stager from last season) Rosenborg.

At Elfsborg, Sweden:

Despite being held to a 0-0 at home in game two, Elfsborg IF still advanced to the second round 4-1 on aggregate at the expense of Faroese club HB Torshavn.

Next up for Elfsborg: Scottish club Hibernian

At Rhyl, Wales:

Bohemian FC of Ireland followed up their 5-1 home win with a 4-2 road triumph over Rhyl to overpower their Welsh opponents 9-3 on aggregate.

Next for the Gypsies: The winner of the Riga (Latvia) vs. Fylkir (Iceland) series, in which the Icelandic club took last week's opener 2-1 on the road.





Thursday, June 26, 2008

US Open Cup Third Round

Here are your matchups for the third round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup:

Richmond Kickers (USL-2) vs. New England Revolution (MLS)
at New Britain, Connecticut

Houston Dynamo (MLS) vs. Charleston Battery (USL-1)
at Charleston, South Carolina

New York Red Bulls (MLS) vs. Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2)
at Annapolis, Maryland

Kansas City Wizards (MLS) vs. Carolina Railhawks (USL-1)
at Cary, North Carolina

Rochester Rhinos (USL-1) vs. DC United (MLS)
at Boyds, Maryland

Cleveland City Stars (USL-2) vs. Chicago Fire (MLS)
at Bridgeview, Illinois

Miami FC (USL-1) vs. FC Dallas (MLS)
at Frisco, Texas

Chivas USA (MLS) vs. Seattle Sounders (USL-1)
at Tukwila, Washington

The winners of these eight contests-all to be held next Tuesday-will advance to the quarterfinals on July 8.

Italy Cans Coach

Rome:

Four days after losing their EURO 2008 quarterfinal-round match with Spain, Italy fired head coach Roberto Donadoni and is expected to name the man he replaced, Marcello Lippi (who coached the Azzurri's 2006 World Cup championship team) as HIS replacement.

EURO 2008: Second Half Barage Sets Up Spanish Final With Germany

At Vienna:

Goals from Xavi Hernandez (50', seen here congratulated by teammates), Daniel Guiza (73') and David Silva (82') resulted in a second-half scoring onslaught that enabled Spain to defeat Russia 3-0 Thursday in semifinal round action in
EURO 2008 and sent the Spaniards into this coming Sunday's title match at Vienna against three-time champions Germany. This is Spain's first final in a major tournament since losing the 1984 European final. They are gunning for their first Euro title since 1964.

Photo © Getty Images

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

CONCACAF Champions League Qualification: Impact Blank Caps Again To Put Vancouver On Ropes

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Goals from Roberto Brown (30') and David Testo (66') propelled the Montreal Impact to a second straight 2-0 blanking of the Vancouver Whitecaps in a battle of USL-1 clubs to take over first place in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship tournament, with the winner of the three-team competition (the other club being Toronto FC of MLS) moving on to the qualifying round for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

STANDINGS:

1. Montreal (GP: 3; GD+ 3; PTS: 6)
2. Toronto (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Vancouver (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

LDU Quito Takes Copa Finals Opener

At Quito, Ecuador:

LDU Quito, thanks to first-half goals through the courtesy of Claudio Bieler (2'), Joffre Guerron (29'), Jairo Campos (34'), and Patricio Urrutia (45'), took the opening match of the two-game Copa Libertadores final 4-2 over visiting Brazilian club Fluminense on Wednesday night. The series concludes at Rio De Janeiro at Maracana Stadium next Wednesday. The winner would qualify for this December's FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

EURO 2008: Germans End Turkey's Miracle Run 3-2

At Basel, Switzerland:

Philipp Lahm's game winning goal in the 90th minute lifted Germany to a 3-2 semifinal victory over Turkey. The Germans will play the winner of Thursday's Spain-Russia contest in Sunday's EURO 2008 final at Vienna.
Teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski are pictured here celebrating.
Photo © Getty Images

Sunday, June 22, 2008

EURO 2008: Cesc And Iker Send Spain To Semis

Quarterfinal round action in EURO 2008 came to an exciting climax on Sunday:

At Vienna:

Cesc Fabregas scored the game winning successful penalty kick and Iker Casillas (pictured here) saved two Italian PK
s as Spain won their contest with Italy by winning the penalty kick shootout 4-2, after 120 scoreless minutes. Next up for the Spaniards, a semifinal encounter with Russia this coming Thursday in Vienna.

Getty Images Photo

More Intertoto Cup Action

The last three first-round two-game sets in the opening round of the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup commenced Sunday:

CENTRAL-EAST REGION:

At Taldykorgan, Kazakhstan:

Zhetysu (Kazakhstan) 1-2 Budapest Honved (Hungary)

NORTHERN REGION:

At Torshavn, Faroe Islands:

HB (Faroe Islands) 1-4 Elfsborg (Sweden)

At Panevezys, Lithuania:

Ekranas (Lithuania) 1-0 FC Narva Trans (Estonia)

Team USA Advanced To Third Stage Of World Cup Qualifying

At Bridgetown, Barbados:

Eddie Lewis scored the only goal of the match at 21 minutes to lift the United States to a 1-0 road win over Barbados on Sunday to win the two countries' two-game series 9-0 on aggregate.

The Americans now move on to the third round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They will be placed in Group 1 with Guatemala, Cuba, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The other teams in the third round of qualifying:

Group 2:

Mexico
Jamaica
Honduras
Canada

Group 3:

Costa Rica
Suriname
El Salvador
Haiti

The twelve remaining countries still in contention out of the CONCACAF region for qualifying for the 2010 World Cup are divided into three groups of four teams each with each team playing two games (one home, one away) against each of the other three teams in its group. The two teams in each group with the best records would advance to the final round of qualifying.

Action in the third qualifying round starts on August 20.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Final Intertoto Cup Starts

The final edition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup started on Saturday with the opening matches of eleven two-game total goals series.

Host team listed first.

SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION

At Tirana, Albania:

Besa Kavaje (Albania) 0-0 Ethnikos Achnas (Cyprus)

At Zeneca, Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Celik Zeneca (B&H) 3-2 Grbalj (Montenegro)

At Rijeka, Croatia:

Rijeka (Croatia) 0-0 Renova (Macedonia)

At Corradino, Malta:

Hibernians (Malta) 0-3 Gorica (Slovenia)

CENTRAL-EAST REGION

At Yerevan, Armenia:

MIKA (Armenia) 2-2 Tiraspol (Moldova)

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Neftchi Baku (Azerbaijan) 2-0 Nitra (Slovakia)

At Krakow, Poland:

Cracovia (Poland) 1-2 Shakhtyor Soligorsk (Belarus)

At Ettelbruck, Luxembourg:

Etzella Ettelbruck (Luxembourg) 0-0 Lokomotiv Tblisi (Georgia)

NORTHERN REGION:

At Dublin, Ireland:

Bohemians FC (Ireland) 5-1 Rhyl (Wales)

At Ballymena, Northern Ireland:

Lisburn Distillery (Northern Ireland) 2-3 TPS Turku (Finland)

At Riga, Latvia:

Riga (Latvia) 1-2 Fylkir (Iceland)




EURO 2008: Overtime Goals Lift Russia Into Semis

At Basel, Switzerland:

Goals in overtime from Dimitri Torbinski (112') and Andrei Arshavin (116') enabled Russia to defeat the Netherlands 3-1 in quarterfinal round action in EURO 2008. Next for the Russians is a semifinal date with
the winner or Sunday's Spain-Italy match this coming Thursday in Vienna. Pictured here are happy Russian players celebrating.

Getty Images Photo

Friday, June 20, 2008

EURO 2008: ANOTHER TURKISH COMBACK; Turkey Win Quarterfinal Battle with Croatia In Shootout

Quarterfinal round action in EURO 2008 continued on Friday:

At Vienna:

Turkey forced a penalty-kick shootout in their match with Croatia
after Semih Senturk's equalizer at 120 minutes +2 as the second overtime period ended. This after the Croats' Ivan Klasnic put his team in front in the 119th minute. Turkey then proceded to win the penalty kick shootout 3-1, to set up a semifinal match this coming Wednesday against Germany. Pictured here is Turkish goalkeeper Rustu Recber making the game winning save in the shootout. Turkey became the first team in European Championships history to register three come-from-behind wins.

Getty Images Photo

Thursday, June 19, 2008

EURO 2008:Germany Too Much For Portugal

At Basel, Switzerland:

Goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger (22', he's seen here, celebrating with teammate Lukas Podolski after the game), Miroslav Klose (26'), and Michael Ballack (61') enabled Germany to hold off Portugal 3-2 to win their quarterfinal round action Thursday in EURO 2008 play. The Germans will play the winner of Friday's Croatia-Turkey match in next Wednesday's semifinal contest at Basel.

Getty Images Photo

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

EURO 2008 GROUP D ACTION: Russia Ousts Sweden; Spanish Comback Against Greece

Wednesday marked the end of group stage play in EURO 2008 as Group D play concluded:

At Innsbruck, Austria:

Goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko (24') and Andrei Arshavin (50', he's
seen here mobbed by teammates) lifted Russia to a 2-0 win over Sweden to reach the quarterfinal round.

At Salzburg, Austria:

Ruben de la Red (61') and Daniel Guiza (88', pictured here, with---no, NOT George Clooney---but dejected Greek goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis, playing his final international match with his back turned to) provided the scoring that allowed Spain to come back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat Greece 2-1
. The defending champions were the only team in the group stage field to lose all three of their games.

Both Photos © Getty Images








FINAL GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Spain (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. Russia (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. Sweden (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Greece (GP: 3; GD: -4: PTS: 0)

Spain and Russia advanced to the quarterfinal round

QUARTERFINAL ROUND MATCHES:

Thursday, at Basel, Switzerland:

Portugal vs. Germany

Friday, at Vienna:

Croatia vs. Turkey

Saturday, at Basel, Switzerland:

Netherlands vs. Russia

Sunday, at Vienna:

Spain vs. Italy

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Nutrilite Canadian Championship: Impact Down Whitecaps

At Montreal:

First-half goals from Severino Jefferson and Joey Gjertson propelled the Montreal Impact to a 2-0 home win over fellow United Soccer Leagues First Divisionites Vancouver Whitecaps in play in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The winner of this tournament (which includes Major League Soccer's Toronto FC) would advance to the qualifying round of the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

CURRENT STANDINGS:
1. Toronto FC (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS:3)
2. Montreal (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Vancouver (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

EURO 2008 GROUP C PLAY: Netherlands and Italy Win; Italians Advance; France and Romania Eliminated

Group C play in EURO 2008 concluded Tuesday:

At Berne, Switzerland:

Goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (54', seen here celebrating with Arjen Robben) and Robin van Persie (87') lifted the Netherlands to a 2-0 win over Romania. The Dutch swept all three of their group stage encounters while the loss eliminated the Romanians from the tournament.

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Italy, thanks to goals from Andrea Pirlo (PK-25', seen here celebrating)
and Daniele De Rossi (62'), defeated France 2-0, and, coupled with Romania's loss to the Netherlands, advanced to the quarterfinal round, where they will play Spain this coming Sunday in Vienna.

Both Photos © Getty Images



FINAL GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Netherlands (GP: 3; GD: +8; PTS: 9)
2. Italy (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
3. Romania (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. France: (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

The Netherlands and Italy advanced to the quarterfinal round

Monday, June 16, 2008

Dragons Back In Champions League

FC Porto has been readmitted to the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League.

The UEFA Appeals Body decided last week to revoke Porto's one-year suspension from its competitions after hearing the appeal lodged by the Portuguese champions.

According to UEFA, it decided to refer the matter back to the Control and Disciplinary Body for reassessment, whose final decision on Porto's situation was due to be announced by August 1st in time for the Champions League draw.

The Dragons, along with Sporting, will be in the CL's Group Stage, while Vitoria de Guimaraes, a club that won promotion to the top flight just over one year ago, will compete in the third qualifying round.

EURO 2008 GROUP B PLAY: Germany Advances; Austria and Poland Eliminated

Group B play in EURO 2008 concluded Monday:

At Vienna:

Michael Ballack's free kick at 49
minutes provided the only goal of the match as Germany defeated Austria 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinal round, where they will next play Portugal. That's the Chelsea star pictured here celebrating with Arne Friedrich.

I will say this, though, the Austrians certainly did NOT embarrass themselves in the tournament.

At Klagenfurt, Austria:

Ivan Klasnic (pictured here mobbed by teammates) provided the only goal of the match (53') as Croatia completed a perfect sweep of their group play opponents with a 1-0 victory over Poland. The group winners will next take on Turkey in
the quarterfinals.

Both Photos © Getty Images

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Croatia (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. Germany (GP: 3: GD+2; PTS: 6)
3. Austria (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)
4. Poland (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

Croatia and Germany advanced to the quarterfinal round.



Sunday, June 15, 2008

2010 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING: Team USA Delivers Posterior-Section Kicking To Barbados

At Carson, California:

Brian Ching's hat trick (20', 86', 89') and Clint Dempsey's double (1', 63') helped the United States open qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in style as the host nation ripped apart Barbados 8-0 in the opening match of a two-game total-goals series on Sunday.

The winner of this series will advance to the third round of qualifying.

EURO 2008 GROUP A PLAY: Nihat Kahveci Double Helps Turks Stun Czechs; Swiss Get Consolation Win Over Undermanned Portugal

Group A play in EURO 2008 concluded Sunday:

At Geneva, Switzerland:

A late second-half double from Nihat Kahveci (87', 89', he's seen here ce
lebrating with Arda Turan, who had scored at 75 minutes) allowed Turkey to bounce back from a two-goal second-half deficit to stun the Czech Republic 3-2 and earn a quarterfinal round berth. They will play Croatia this coming Friday.

This game ranks as one of the craziest, most bizarre matches I've ever watched.

At Basel, Switzerland:

Hakan Yakin (pictured here celebrating) scored both goals (71', PK-83') as already-eliminated Switzerland avoided going through their EURO 2008 campaign pointless and winless with a 2-0 win over quarterfinal round-bound Portugal, who rested several of their front-line players.

Both Images © Getty Images

FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS

1. Portugal (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. Turkey (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. Czech Republic (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS 3)
4. Switzerland (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS 3)

Portugal and Turkey advanced to the quarterfinal round

Saturday, June 14, 2008

EURO 2008 GROUP D PLAY: David Villa Sinks Sweden And Sends Spain Into Quarterfinals As Group Winners; Konstantin Zyryanov Eliminates Titleholders

Group D play in EURO 2008 continued Saturday:

At Innsbruck, Austria:

David Villa (pictured here) scored the game winning goal (90'+2) to lift Spain to a 2-1 Group C winning and quarterfinal round berth clinching win over Sweden.

At Salzburg, Austria:

Konstantin Zyryanov (pictured here) provided the only goal of the match (33') to lift Russia to a 1-0 win over Greece, eliminating the defending
champions from the tournament.


Both Photos © Getty Images



GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Spain** (GP: 2; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
2. Sweden (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Russia (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 3
4. Greece- (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

** Won Group D and clinched quarterfinal berth
- Eliminated from tournament

Talk About Taking This Game Too Seriously

Doesn't the Prime Minister of Poland have better things to worry about than seeing his national team drop points because of a penalty kick call?

'As the prime minister I have to be balanced and collected,' keen soccer fan Donald Tusk told reporters. 'But last night I was speaking very differently about the whole thing, I wanted to kill.

'Referees make mistakes and this was an obvious error that harmed us all. I thought it would have been better if we had lost in the first half when Austria had their chances and not after 93 minutes due to an obvious mistake.'

Dragons' Ban Overturned---Pending New Hearing

UEFA announced on Friday that, pending a hearing, FC Porto's ban from the 2008-09 Champions League would be overturned.

The case will now return to the UEFA's disciplinary committee - who took the original decision to exclude Porto - to hear additional evidence from Benfica and Guimaraes, two clubs who would seemingly stand to benefit from Porto's non-participation.

I wonder if these developments would have any effect on Steaua Bucharest's status.

Friday, June 13, 2008

EURO 2008 GROUP C PLAY: Dutch Win Group By Throttling France; Azzurri And Romania Draw And Stay Alive

Friday marked the second match for all four teams in Group C in EURO 2008:

At Zurich, Switzerland:

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (pictured here) stopped Adrian Mutu's penalty kick with nine minutes remaining to enable Italy to gain a 1-1 draw with Romania, allowing both teams to remain in contention for a quarterfinal round berth, heading into next Tuesday's concluding contests. Adrian Mutu scored in the 55th minute to put Romania ahead, only to see Christian Panucci equalize for the Azzurri one minute later.

At Berne, Switzerland:

Goals from Dirk Kuyt (9'), Robin van Persie (59', pictured here), Arjen
Robben (72') , and Wesley Sneijder (90'+2) lifted the Netherlands to a 4-1 game two fistbeating of France. The Dutch assured themselves of winning Group C and, after next Tuesday's match with Romania, will play the second place team from Group D in the quarterfinals on June 21.

Photos © Getty Images

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Netherlands ** (GP: 2; GD: +6; PTS: 6)
2. Romania (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
3. France (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 1)
3. Italy (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

** Won Group C and clinched quarterfinal berth

World Cup Qualifying: Expectations For Team USA

Seems as if the United States should not have much trouble in their forthcoming 2010 World Cup two-game qualifying series against Barbados.

Of course, the fact that the U.S. failed to score during their recent run of killer friendlies should be enough to temper any overconfidence. The Americans did show significantly more attacking verve in last Sunday's 0-0 draw with Argentina, yet the goals didn't come. According to midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, who was among the more impressive performers against the Albiceleste, there is little worry in the U.S. camp.

"We're not panicking," Beasley said. "Obviously in the games it's been a little frustrating because we haven't been scoring goals. We know it will come ... We just need to be more patient in the final third. We know that if we compose ourselves around the goal then we'll be fine."

Bradley indicated that he expects Barbados to play a typical Caribbean style, with the Bajans combining physical play with a smattering of individual flair, especially through captain Norman Forde.


The series begins this coming Sunday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California and will be televised on ESPN 2.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

EURO 2008 GROUP B PLAY: Croatia Stuns Germany And Advances; Austria And Poland Draw And Remain Alive

Matchday #2 for EURO 2008 Group B play on Thursday:

At Klagenfurt, Austria:

Goals from Darijo Srna (24') and Ivica Olic (62', seen here celebrating) guided Croatia to a 2-1 victory over Germany to clinch a berth in the quarterfinal round.

At Vienna:

Ivaca Vastic's successful stoppage-time penalty kick (90'+3, he's seen here celebrating with teammates) enabled Austria to gain a 1-1 draw with Poland as both teams remained alive for a berth in the quarterfinals. Roger Guerreiro provided Poland with their one score at 30 minutes.

Both Photos © Getty Images

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Croatia* (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. Germany (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Austria (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. Poland (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

* Won Group B and clinched berth in quarterfinal round

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

CONCACAF Champions League Schedule Revealed

The draw for the 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League was held Wednesday in New York City.

The New England Revolution have been drawn against Joe Public FC of Trinidad & Tobago, one of three qualifiers from the Caribbean region. Two-time Trinidad & Tobago Pro League champions, last in 2006, Joe Public FC are currently fifth in their domestic league, at the midway point of the campaign. They faced MLS competition once in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup -- an 8-0 quarterfinal thrashing by D.C. United in 1998, as United were on their way to becoming the first U.S. team to ever win the continental club championship.

Chivas USA have been drawn against Panamanian side Tauro FC, winners of Panama's Torneo ANAPROF Apertura last year, and runners-up in the Apertura in May. Tauro have won seven ANAPROF championship since the development of the professional league in 1988, most of any club.

In addition, Toronto FC could win advancement to the preliminary stage by winning the Canadian Championship, a round-robin that also includes the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL First Division. Toronto FC started their trek with a 1-0 victory in Montreal last month.

The other two MLS participants, D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo, have been seeded directly into the group stage, which will consist of four groups of four teams each and begin play in September. The groups will be announced on Mon., June 16.



This new tournament replaces the old CONCACAF Champions Cup, won recently by Mexican club Pachuca.



Blues Find Their Manager

Chelsea confirmed on Wednesday, that Luis Pelipe Scolari, currently the head coach of Portugal's national team, has selected as the Blues' new manager, replacing the deposed and maligned Avram Grant.

Chelsea said in a statement: 'Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm that Luiz Felipe Scolari will be the club's new manager from July 1, 2008.

'Felipe has great qualities. He is one of the world's top coaches with a record of success at country and club level, he gets the best out of a talented squad of players and his ambitions and expectations match ours.

'He was the outstanding choice.

'Out of respect for his current role as head coach of the Portuguese national team, and to ensure minimum disruption to this work, there will be no further comment from Chelsea FC nor from Felipe about his new role until his employment with us commences.'

Will Pelipe become the new "Special One," as Jose Mourhino had been?

EURO 2008 GROUP A PLAY: Cristiano Ronaldo Seals Portuguese Berth In Quarterfinals; Turkey Stays Alive, Swiss Eliminated

Group A play in EURO 2008 resumed Wednesday:

At Geneva, Switzerland:

Goals from Deco (8'), Cristiano Ronaldo (63', seen here celebrating),
and Ricardo Quaresma (90'+2') lifted Portugal to a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic, thus clinching a berth in the quarterfinal round.

At Basel, Switzerland:

Turkey, thanks to tallies courtesy of Semih Senturk (57', pictured here)
a
nd Arda Turan (90'+2), came from behind to defeat Switzerland 2-1 to stay alive in the tournament-----and in the process, eliminated the co-hosts.

Both Photos © Getty Images




GROUP A STANDINGS
1. Portugal* (GP: 2; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
2. Czech Republic (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
2. Turkey (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Switzerland- (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

* Advanced to the quarterfinal round
- Eliminated

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

EURO 2008 GROUP D PLAY: David Villa Hat Trick Propels Spain; Greek Title Defense Starts On Wrong Foot

Tuesday marked the opening of Group D play in EURO 2008:

At Innsbruck, Austria:

David Villa's natural hat trick (20', 44', 75') powered Spain to a 4-1 clubbing of Russia in the opening match for both national teams. Here's the Hat Trick man celebrating one of his tallies.

At Salzburg,
Austria:

Goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic (67', pictured here celebrating) and Peter Hansson (72') helped Sweden spoil the start of Greece's title defense 2-0.

Both photos © Getty Images

GROUP D STANDINGS:
1. Spain (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. Sweden (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
3. Greece (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)
4. Russia (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Monday, June 09, 2008

Not Another?!

First CSKA Sofia, then FC Porto, now, as reported late last week, it could be Steaua Bucharest may next be on the chopping block as far as the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League is concerned.

Steaua were docked points in their domestic league and finished second in the table - and UEFA are considering expelling them from next season's European campaigns.

Porto have already been excluded for the 2008/09 tournament after being found guilty of trying to bribe referees during the during the 2004 campaign. The Portuguese club have appealed the decision.

UEFA president Michel Platini said: 'UEFA has to combat cheating. There has been the attempt to corrupt referees and we have very strict rules to allow us to exclude teams that have been involved in any attempts of corruption.

If this trend continues, there may be a shortage of teams taking part in Europe's biggest soccer club competition next season.


EURO 2008 GROUP C PLAY: No Dutch Treat For Azzurri; Goose Eggs For France and Romania

Group C play in EURO 2008 commenced on Monday:

At Zurich, Switzerland:

France and Romania played to a 0-0 deadlock. Pictured here are the
Romanians' Gabriel Tamas and France's Florent Malouda battling for the ball.

At Berne, Switzerland:

Fueled by goals courtesy of Ruud van Nistelrooy (26'), Wesley Sneijder
(31', pictured here celebrating), and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (79'), the Netherlands handed Italy their worst-ever European Championships defeat 3-0.

Both photos © Getty Images

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Netherlands (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. France (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
2. Romania (GP: 1; GD 0; PTS: 1)
4. Italy (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Hooliganism: Alive And Well In Austria

And what would be major soccer tournament without hooligans and rioting?

Sunday, June 08, 2008

EURO 2008: Croatia Holds Off Austria; Lukas Podolski Double Sinks Poland


Sunday play in Group B in EURO 2008:

At Vienna:

A successful penalty kick in the fourth minute from Luka Modric
(pictured here) provided the game's only score as Croatia held off co-host Austria 1-0.


At Klagenfurt, Austria:

Lukas Podolski's double (20', 72') provided all the scoring as Germany blanked Poland 2-0. That's Cool Hand Luk pictured here.

Both Photos © Getty Images






GROUP B STANDINGS W L T GF GA GD PTS

Germany 1 0 0 2 0 +2 3
Croatia 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
Austria 0 1 0 0 1 -1 0
Poland 0 1 0 0 2 -2 0

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Czechs And Portuguese Capture Euro 2008 Openers

The European 2008 Championships commenced Saturday.


At Basel, Switzerland:

Substitute Vaclav Sverkos (seen here
celebrating) scored the lone goal of the match (71') as the Czech Republic defeated co-host Switzerland 1-0 in the opening match of the Euro 2008 finals on Saturday.

At Geneva, Switzerland:

Portugal, with g
oals from Pepe (61', seen here celebrating) and Raul Meireles (90'+3), defeated Turkey 2-0 in their Group A opener.


There are four groups of four teams each, with the top two finishing teams advancing to the quarterfinal round.



Both photos © Getty Images

GROUP A STANDINGS

W L T GF GA GD PTS
Portugal 1 0 0 2 0 +2 3
Czech Republic 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3
Switzerland 0 1 0 0 1 -1 0
Turkey 0 1 0 0 2 -2 0

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Fluminense or LDU? One Of 'Em Will Win First Copa Crown

At Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Fluminense scored three goals in the final hour of their second semifinal round match on Wednesday with defending champions Boca Juniors to win game two at home 3-1 and the two-game set with the Argentinian club 5-3 on aggregate.

The Rio club will make their first appearance in the finals of the Copa Libertadores. They will face LDU, who will become the first Ecuadorian club to reach the Copa final in 10 years. For the club from Quito, this, too will be their first finals appearance.


Levski Sofia Get Invite For Champions League Qualifying

UEFA has invited Levski Sofia to participate in the third round of qualifying for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League, replacing CSKA Sofia, who had been banned from the competition because of financial problems.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Ticked Off CSKA Sofia Fans

Here is an example of cheerful CSKA Sofia fans in motion.

Wanna Go For A Third Straight Relegation?

Luton Town, recently relegated for a second consecutive season, has been docked 10 points by England's Football Association for misconduct relating to the payment of agents:

The League Two club has been sanctioned for paying agents via a third party instead of through the Football League, but it was cleared of paying kickbacks.

The punishment imposed by a Football Association regulatory commission will see the club start next season with minus-15 points. It was also fined 50,000 pounds (C$29,000).

A five-year ban from football was imposed on former chairman Bill Tomlins, who was also fined along with three former directors. Six agents have been sanctioned and warned about their future conduct.

"There can be no doubt that Luton Town Football Club, between July 2004 and February 2007, was run with a flagrant disregard for the regulations laid down to protect the game," said commission chairman Peter Griffiths.



This means that this club, which just over a year ago was still playing in the League Championship, may find themselves down in the Blue Square (formerly National) Conference by this time next year.

Dragons Banned

Because of a match fixing scandal during the 2003-04 season, FC Porto has been banished for one year from European competition, pending appeal.

According to Article 1 of the Champions League regulations, a club "must not be or have been involved in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level."

News sources in Portugal claim that FC Porto have already informed the Portuguese Stock Exchange of UEFA's decision and that the Dragons will appeal against the ban.


That means, unless their appeal is successful, the Dragons will not be able to participate in the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League.

Are Ya Nuckin' Futs? Could Milan Get A Champions League Spot?

Financial problems may force Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia out of UEFA Champions League play.

Guess who could replace them?


However the Diavoli could now be on the verge of being granted a sensational back-door entry back into the Champions League. Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia could be expelled from the competition due to financial problems,

CSKA have been denied a license to play in the Bulgarian league, and the Bulgarian FA (BFU) has now demanded that they be expelled from Europe too.

The normal procedure is that the BFU send the runner-up Levski Sofia to the CL instead, however it is reported that instead of this, the highest UEFA ranked team not already in the competition will be the replacement, and this is Milan.

Are CSKA Sofia trying to become the Gretna FC of Bulgaria?

Looks Like Jozy's Bound For Villarreal

It looks like Major League Soccer and Villarreal of Spain's top division (and bound for the group stage of next season's UEFA Champions League) have agreed on terms for the transfer of New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore to the Yellow Submarine:

According to the source, Altidore's representatives are right now in the process of finalizing his personal contract with Villarreal. As reported by Spanish sports daily Marca, Villarreal have plans to loan the 18-year-old Altidore to Recreativo next season.

New York technical director Jeff Agoos refused to give an immediate comment when contacted by Goal.com.

Altidore's $10 million transfer fee is a record for an American player, surpassing the rumored roughly $5 million paid by Fulham for Eddie Johnson. Fulham reportedly paid roughly $4 million for Clint Dempsey.

The Red Bulls are set to host Chivas USA in a nationally-televised MLS contest tomorrow night.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Kewell and the Gang: Harry's Goal Lifts Socceroos By Iraq In FIFA-Threatened WC Qualifier

At Brisbane, Queensland, Australia:

Harry Kewell scored the lone goal of the match Sunday which saw Australia defeat Iraq 1-0 in a qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The win increased Australia's lead atop Group One, with seven points from three games. Iraq has just one point from three games, with the top two from the four-team group to progress to the next round. Qatar hosts China on Monday.

Iraq's preparations were hampered when it was suspended from international competition on Tuesday night and only reinstated on Thursday, three days ahead of the Brisbane match.

Football's world governing body conditionally and provisionally lifted the ban after the Iraqi government reinstated the national football federation that had been disbanded the previous week.








If you remember, Iraq's soccer federation had last week been suspended by FIFA after the Baghdad government had disbanded their Olympic federation. The Iraqis' were conditionally re-instated later last week after soccer's world governing body received assurances that the soccer federation had not been disbanded.

Monday, June 02, 2008

MISL Goes Belly-UP

It was revealed Monday that the Major Indoor Soccer League ceased operations this past Saturday and is planning on restructuring. This past season, this version of the MISL had teams in nine cities in the US and Mexico.

This current MISL emerged in 2001 out of the wreckage of the old National Pro Soccer League (which began life in 1984 as the American Indoor Soccer Association).

This MISL should not be confused with the original MISL, which began play in 1978, and had at one time as many as 14 teams. The league changed its name to the Major Soccer League in 1990 and folded in 1992.

Inter Milan: It's Jose's Club Now

It was announced Monday that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was appointed the new head coach at reigning Italian Serie A champion Inter Milan, replacing Roberto Mancini, who was given the boot last week despite Inter's third successive league title.

The Serie A champions finally parted company with Mancini last week after months of speculation and the Portuguese boss, a Champions League winner with Porto in 2004, has signed a three-year deal at the San Siro.

Mourinho will be unveiled tomorrow at a press conference at 11.30am local time.

A statement on Inter's website, www.inter.it, confirmed: 'Internazionale announce the arrival of Jose Mourinho.

'The Portuguese coach has signed a three-year contract and will work alongside Rui Farias, Silvino and Andrei Villas Boas.

'The assistant coach will be Giuseppe Baresi.'

It continued: 'Thanking Roberto Mancini and his staff for the success obtained in four seasons as the leader of the team, all of Internazionale has the great pleasure to welcome Jose Mourinho and his coaches.'

Good luck to Jose. Three straight Scudettos turned out not to be good enough for Robert Mancini. The Nerozurri have had problems in the knockout stages of Europe's Champions League.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

News From Down Under

I looks as if the A-League has plans for a system of promotion and relegation:

With the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA putting pressure on the league to introduce a multi-tier system, Buckley confirmed FFA had informed the AFC it would have plans in place within the next five months.
"We said to the AFC we would get back to them by October this year as to what our plan is via promotion-relegation," Buckley said.
"They understand our situation and they've accepted that we will have a plan in place by October this year and that will be for an implementation for a promotion-relegation system, not at this point in time but for some years to come.

They are also considering expansion of the league, to possibly add a club representing the Pacific islands:

Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy publicly encouraged the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to investigate an A-League franchise, saying they would be welcomed into the competition.
Lowy met with OFC representatives on Saturday to discuss the prospect.
"I think it would be very good for the A-League," Lowy said.
"There are 11 million people in Oceania and if we can attract a team from the islands to play in the A-League we can attract another 10 or 11 million viewers.
"I invited the Oceania Confederation to create a team of all the islands and if they do that, we will be able to accommodate them in the A-League and they certainly seemed very interested in that."

These developments are taking place as Australia is putting on a bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup.