Ramos names 22-player U.S. Under-20 roster for Toulon Tournament

U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team coach Tab Ramos has selected a 22-player roster for the upcoming Toulon Tournament, the final tune-up before this summer’s Under-20 World Cup.

Brooks won’t play for U.S. at Under-20 World Cup

U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Tab Ramos revealed on Monday that John Anthony Brooks will not be a part of the U.S. team at the Under-20 World Cup after failing to make a decision on playing for the United States in time to be included in the preliminary U.S. World Cup roster.

The SBI Show: Episode 35 (Talking MLS week 12, Americans Abroad, and more)

Episode 35 of The SBI Show features co-hosts Ives and Garrett discussing the results from MLS Week 12, the final weekend in Europe’s top leagues for Americans Abroad, and much more.

NWSL Week 6: A Look Ahead

PORTLAND, OR - MAY 16: Portland Thorns FC forward Alex Morgan (13) fights for the ball against the Sky Blue FC at JELD-WEN Field on May 16, 2013. (David Blair/Portland Thorns)

By MIKE McCALL

After a few weeks of largely unsurprising results, the National Women’s Soccer League got a little dose of unpredictability on Thursday night, setting things up for an interesting weekend.

The biggest shock came in Portland, where the first-place and previously-unbeaten Thorns lost, 1-0, to Sky Blue FC, locking the two into a tie atop the league standings. A few hours north, the Washington Spirit unleashed an impressive performance of their own in a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Reign — their first victory and an offensive explosion from a club that had scored just five goals in its previous five games.

And so the league will head into this weekend with two teams tied for first, followed by a cluster of four teams and the two stragglers in Chicago and Seattle.

For a look at what to expect this weekend, here are the matchups (all times local):

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Posted in NWSL, Women's Soccer | 4 Comments

NASL Week 7: A Look Ahead

NASLLogo

By MIKE GRAMAJO

With his five goals on the season, forward Brian Shriver looks to lead the Carolina RailHawks when they visit the Atlanta Silverbacks at Atlanta Silverbacks Park on Saturday in North American Soccer League action.

The RailHawks, who sit three points clear atop the NASL table, are entering this weekend’s play after mauling the San Antonio Scorpions, 5-2, last week.

Both Minnesota United FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who are both winless in their last two games, are eying to snap their respective skids. The Rowdies sit second in the table, while United are right behind them in third.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers picked up their first win of the season last Saturday, defeating United, 2-1, at Lockhart Stadium, but it’s the Scorpions who are in the hot seat. The Texas club have yet to win this season and to make things even worse, they have yet to taste victory in their new stadium, Toyota Park.

Here’s a closer look at Week Seven’s NASL matches:

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Posted in NASL | 3 Comments

Cherundolo inks one-year extension with Hannover

SteveCherundoloHannover2 (DPA)

By DAN KARELL

The Mayor of Hannover isn’t going anywhere.

A day before Hannover 96′s final game of the season against Fortuna Dusseldorf, right back Steve Cherundolo signed a one-year extension with the club through 2014. The American international, who holds 87 caps, broke the record this season for all-time appearances in the Bundesliga with the club, now sitting at 299 matches.

“For nearly 15 years, only for one club. Steven Cherundolo is a perfect example of loyalty reliability and performance, I am pleased that he will remain in the coming season with us,” Hannover manager Mirko Slomka said in a statement on the club’s website.

The 34-year-old Rockford, Illinois native first joined Hannover in January of 1999 after two seasons of college soccer at the University of Portland. Though 12 managers have come and gone since then, Cherundolo was one of the few constants, earning him the nickname the “Mayor of Hannover” and earning him club captaincy in 2010.

What do you make of the move? Do you see Cherundolo retiring at the club?

Share your thoughts below.

Posted in Americans Abroad, Featured, U.S. Men's National Team, U.S. Soccer | 25 Comments

MLS Week 12: A Look Ahead

DonovanMcCarty (Getty)

By THOMAS FLOYD

Come Sunday afternoon, Red Bull Arena certainly won’t be short of star power.

Fresh off a 4-1 win midweek over Philadelphia, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and the Los Angeles Galaxy will try to make it 2-for-2 on their East Coast swing with a win over Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill and the New York Red Bulls. Barring an MLS Cup clash, it will be the only meeting this year between the high-profile clubs.

Elsewhere around the league, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers will meet in a Cascadia Cup tilt; the Seattle Sounders will try to continue their surge against first-place FC Dallas; and Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew will renew their Trillium Cup feud.

Here is a rundown of the Week 12 slate:

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Posted in Featured, Major League Soccer | 5 Comments

Report: Johannsson could accept Iceland call over USMNT

AronJohannssonAGF1 (O-posts.net)

By DAN KARELL

In Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster press release on Thursday, the U.S. Men’s National Team head coach alluded to the possibility of bringing in 22-year-old Icelandic forward Aron Johannsson in for a look for this summer’s Gold Cup.

Unfortunately for Klinsmann, he may be too late.

According to ESPN, the Alabama-born player would accept a call up from Iceland for their upcoming World Cup qualifier on June 7 against Slovenia rather than wait for a chance to represent the U.S. at the 2013 Gold Cup or in other matches.

Johannsson, a teammate of U.S. National Team forward Jozy Altidore at AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie, moved to Iceland with his parents at the age of three and has represented the island nation at the U-21 level, playing eight matches in qualification for the U-21 European Championships.

This season Johannsson has split time with AGF Aarhus in the Danish Superliga and AZ, making a combined 23 appearances and scoring an impressive 17 goals.

What do you make of this news? Do you feel that the U.S. is missing out on a great player? Would you rather see other players given a chance at the Gold Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

Posted in European Soccer, Featured, International Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team | 119 Comments

MLS Ticker: SKC to lose Kamara, Saad to WCQ’s; Dynamo president hosts second Soccer Night in Newtown; and more

Kai Kamara

By DAN KARELL

A day after hearing that defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi would be joining the U.S. Men’s National Team, Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes found out he’d be without two additional players for a three week stretch in the middle of the season.

Having just returned to the club, forward Kei Kamara has been called up by Sierra Leone and reserve winger Soony Saad has accepted a call-up to represent Lebanon, after filing a one-time switch with FIFA following a career representing the U.S. at the youth level.

The call-ups will leave Vermes without Besler, Zusi, and Kamara for a three week stretch between May 27 and June 18, though Saad will only be gone from May 25-31. The foursome will each miss at least two matches, May 28 in the U.S. Open Cup and June 1 at Montreal.

Here are some more stories to get you caught up around the league:

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Posted in Featured, Major League Soccer, MLS- Houston Dynamo, MLS- New England Revolution, MLS- Sporting Kansas City, MLS- Toronto FC | 17 Comments

MLS Spotlight: Wallace emerges for Timbers with breakout campaign

RodneyWallace (GettyImages)

By THOMAS FLOYD

Two moments stick out to Caleb Porter regarding Rodney Wallace’s rapid ascent from useful utility player to emerging MLS standout.

The first was in late January, at Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica. With the host nation locked in a scoreless Copa Centroamericana semifinal against Honduras, Wallace not only secured passage to the title game by converting a late back-post header — he also gave Porter a glimpse of his underestimated class in the final third.

The second was in mid-March, under the bright lights of a Cascadia Cup clash between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders. Given 10 minutes off the bench by Porter, Wallace again showcased that uncanny awareness close to goal, looping a 90th-minute header into the back of the net to give the Timbers a hard-earned road point.

At that point, Porter was sold.

“You want the players on the field that you trust, players you can count on,” Porter said. “When he pulled that header out to give us a result in the final minutes against Seattle on the road, I thought to myself, ‘This guy’s got it. He’s got game-changing ability. He’s got mental toughness.’ When you want more out of a player and you get more with the game on the line, you feel like you can trust him.”

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Posted in Featured, Major League Soccer, MLS Spotlight, MLS- Portland Timbers | Leave a comment

Friday Kickoff: PSG makes massive offer for Ronaldo; Cruz Azul dominate Santos Laguna in Torreon; and more

RonaldoCelebratesGoal1-Malaga (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

Real Madrid might end up with Carlo Ancelotti managing their club next season, but it could come at a high price.

According to a report out of France, Ancelotti’s current club, Paris Saint-Germain, have said that they will entertain offers for the Italian manager if Real Madrid allow PSG to submit an offer for Cristiano Ronaldo. The report says that the PSG Qatari ownership would be willing to give Madrid a $128.8 million transfer fee along with a contract to Ronaldo for just over $23 million per season.

The 28-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu due to his issues with the club last fall when he wouldn’t celebrate, and also his resistance to sign an extension to his current contract, which goes through 2015.

The Portuguese international has continued his stellar form since moving to the Spanish capital, scoring 34 goals in 34 matches in La Liga this season. In all competitions Ronaldo has scored 55 goals. He has a chance to win his second Copa Del Rey on Friday, in a one-off match against city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Here are some more stories to get your Friday started:

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Posted in European Soccer, Featured, Mexican Soccer, South American Soccer | 20 Comments

Americans Abroad: Weekend Preview

ClintDempseyBasel (Getty)

By FRANCO PANIZO

Clint Dempsey joined Tottenham last summer with the idea and hopes that the club would eventually give him the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in his career.

Well, that idea and those hopes hinge on this dramatic final weekend of action.

Dempsey and Spurs face a must-win situation against Sunderland on Sunday if they are to have any shot of partaking in next season’s Champions League, but picking up a victory at home is not all they need. On top of needing the three points, Tottenham need Newcastle United to hold Arsenal to at least a draw in order for Spurs to finish the campaign in fourth place and claim the Premiership’s only Champions League qualifiers spot.

Fabian Johnson and Hoffenheim are also shooting for a win and some help, but they are doing so under a different kind of pressure. Hoffenheim are staring relegation right in the face and the only way they have a shot at avoiding the drop is by picking up what would be a shocking win vs. second-place Borussia Dortmund and either an FC Augsburg loss to cellar-dwellers SpVgg Greuther Furth or Fortuna Dusseldorf defeat to Hannover. Even then, Hoffenheim might still need to play in the relegation play-offs to determine their Bundesliga future.

A similar uphill battle is what Herculez Gomez and Santos Laguna will need to climb in order to keep their season alive. Santos suffered a 3-0 loss at home in the first leg of their Liga MX semifinals series against Cruz Azul and a big victory will be needed in order to prevent their playoff hopes from ending.

Here is who the Americans Abroad take on this weekend:

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Posted in Americans Abroad, Featured | 12 Comments

European Weekend Preview: UCL spots up for grabs on the final matchdays in England, Germany and Italy

TottenhamArsenal (Getty)

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

Even though the titles in Europe’s top leagues have already been clinched, that does not mean there will not be any drama on the final days of the season.

The race for Champions League spots in England, Germany and Italy will end this weekend as three of the world’s elite leagues close their seasons with one final matchday.

On Sunday, London rivals Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur finish their fight for the last two Premier League spots in next season’s edition of the UCL.

Arsenal, who are coming off a strong finish to their midweek win against FA Cup champions Wigan Athletic, head to Newcastle with a one-point advantage over fifth-place North London neighbor Tottenham. The Gunners will remember their seven-goal bonanza against Newcastle to finish off the 2012 calendar, and they will certainly go after as many goals as they can at St. James Park on Sunday.

If Arsenal win, they are guaranteed a Champions League spot. If newly crowned Europa League champions and top four locks Chelsea draw with sixth-place Everton and Arsenal win by one goal, a playoff will be held at a later date to decide who gets third place in the final league table. If Chelsea draw and Arsenal win by two or more goals, Arsenal will finish in third place. While both teams will be involved UCL action next year, third place goes automatically to the group stage of the tournament, and fourth place must go through an extra round of qualifying.

If Arsenal drop points against Newcastle, who ended their awful slump with a 2-1 win at QPR last weekend, Chelsea grab third place and the Gunners could be in danger of missing out on the Champions League. A Tottenham win over Sunderland would put Spurs into the UCL, a competition they missed last season because of sixth-place Chelsea’s win in the 2012 Final. Although Sunderland are now safe, manager Paolo Di Canio says he wants his side to give it all in their final match of the season and shake up the top four.

Here is a closer look at the rest of the weekend’s action from the top leagues in Europe:

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Posted in European Soccer, Featured | 1 Comment