Soccer

June 23, 2011, 6:00 am

Player Ratings: U.S. vs. Panama, Gold Cup Semifinals

By JOHN GODFREY

As far as the United States national team is concerned, Wednesday night’s Gold Cup rematch against Panama was full of surprises.

For starters, Landon Donovan began the game on the sidelines for the second game in a row — and this time nobody could point to jetlag or wedding obligations as the reason for the benching.

Equally shocking, the United States defense didn’t give up any easy chances in the first few minutes — a significant departure from recent trends.

And then something truly shocking happened: Freddy Adu entered the action in the 66th minute. Yes, that Freddy Adu. What’s more, Adu’s creativity and composure turned the tide of the game, helping the U.S. to a 1-0 semifinal victory and earning them the right to face off against Mexico in Saturday’s Gold Cup Final in Pasadena, Calif.

Here’s a look at how individual players performed on a night when the embattled U.S. coach, Bob Bradley, made all of the right moves.

The Ratings (on a scale of 1, diabolical; to 10, world class):
Read more…

  • Print
June 23, 2011, 12:40 am

News and Notes: Santos Success, Spain’s Future and Beasley’s Move

By ANDREW DAS
Neymar, left, celebrates after scoring Santos's first goal in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final.Rodolfo Buhrer/ReutersNeymar, left, celebrates after scoring Santos’s first goal in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final. The first leg, in Montevideo, had ended in a scoreless tie.

Brazil’s Santos beat Peñarol of Uruguay, 2-1, on Wednesday night in Sao Paulo to win the Copa Libertadores for the first time since Pelé was in the team, but its celebration was marred by a postgame brawl between the teams.

With Pelé watching from the stands, Neymar scored in the 47th minute and Danilo doubled lead in the 69th before an 80th-minute own goal gave Peñarol a lifeline.

He also saw what happened after the game.

From the Associated Press report:

Neymar put his feet to work in a less positive way during a postgame brawl between the teams.Silvia Izquierdo/Associated PressNeymar put his feet to work in a less positive way during a postgame brawl between the teams.

A brawl started after the match while Santos celebrated, with Penarol players going after the Brazilians and both sides exchanging punches and kicks until police came in to intervene.

“A (Santos) fan entered the field and provoked us,” Penarol forward Alejandro Martinuccio said. “They have to learn how to celebrate, we had accepted the loss.”

A couple of Santos players were hit and stayed on the ground after the fight, but none were seriously injured. Penarol players later calmed down and came back to receive their runner-up medals.

“They were a worthy opponent, but they don’t know how to lose,” Santos defender Leo said.

Neymar, the 19-year-old considered the future of Brazil’s national team and a target of almost every top club in Europe, cried tears of joy on the field after the game, as did Pelé.

Santos had not won the tournament, Latin America’s top club competition, since winning back-to-back titles in 1962 and ‘63.

Read more…

  • Print
June 22, 2011, 11:41 pm

Chelsea Gets Its Man

By ANDREW DAS
Andre Villas-Boas joins Chelsea with the same mandate as his former boss there, Jose Mourinho: win the Champions League.Darren Staples/ReutersAndre Villas-Boas joins Chelsea with the same mandate as his former boss there, José Mourinho: win the Champions League.

Chelsea made the biggest non-secret of the summer official on Wednesday, announcing that Andre Villas-Boas would be its new manager. Villas-Boas, a  José Mourinho protégé and former Chelsea scout, won the Europa Cup with Porto this season.

Despite his age (33), Villas-Boas was seen as the best coach on the market, even though he wasn’t technically on it. Chelsea paid €15 million (more than $21 million) to buy out his Porto contract. For comparison, that’s only a couple million less than it paid for Nicolas Anelka’s services three years ago, and uncomfortably close to the €25 million the club paid for Benfica’s David Luiz, one of the best players on the market, in January.

Villas-Boas spent three successful seasons at Chelsea under Mourinho from 2004 to 2007, then followed his boss to Inter Milan before setting out on his own. Since he and Mourinho left Chelsea, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti have all failed to deliver the Champions League title coveted by the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich.

That task now falls to Villas-Boas.

Among the many obstacles he will face in London:
Read more…

  • Print
June 22, 2011, 1:14 pm

U.S. Is ‘Peaking at the Right Time’

By JACK BELL

The United States men’s national team will have another crack at Panama in a semifinal match of the Concacaf Gold Cup in Houston’s Reliant Stadium Wednesday night (7 p.m. Eastern, Fox Soccer).

Panama defeated a turgid American team, 2-1, in a first-round group match. (Mexico faced Honduras in the other game Wednesday.) The winners advance to Saturday’s final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

By some accounts, the United States players believe they finally have gotten their act together after losing to Panama, 2-1, and squeaking past Guadeloupe, 1-0.

Read more…

  • Print
June 21, 2011, 4:53 pm

Hamm Joining espnW for Women’s World Cup

By JACK BELL
Mia Hamm, the retired soccer star, said the United States women's team is played well at the right time.David Ramos/Getty ImagesMia Hamm, the retired soccer star, said the United States women’s team is playing well at the right time.

Perhaps Mia Hamm’s only regret about attending the Women’s World Cup in Germany on assignment is that her 4-year-old twin girls are not quite ready “to sit through a whole game.”

Hamm, one of the most recognizable and accomplished female athletes of the last two decades, leaves for Germany on Friday for the three-week tournament, where she will file blog postings and video vignettes for ESPN’s dedicated Web site for women, espnW. She will also appear on the network’s telecasts of all 32 games on ESPN and ESPN2 (and its Internet streaming on ESPN3.com).

The sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup begins with two games Sunday, including the host nation’s match against a strong team from Canada. The United States, which last won the championship in 1999 and is currently preparing for the tournament outside Salzburg, Austria, starts play in Group C against North Korea in Dresden on Tuesday.
Read more…

  • Print
June 21, 2011, 6:00 am

My Job and My Hobby

By YAEL AVERBUCH
Brazil's Marta, left, and Christine Sinclair of Canada are two of the players on sabbatical from the W.P.S. Western New York Flash to play in the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.David Duprey/Associated PressBrazil’s Marta, left, and Christine Sinclair of Canada are two of the players on sabbatical from the W.P.S. Western New York Flash to play in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.

How can this game make us feel so terrible one moment, and so wonderful the next?

This question often arises for me, and as I drove home with my boyfriend after his men’s league game, we talked about it yet again. The Western New York Flash got a week off, and I went back to Chapel Hill, N.C., my “home away from home.” During the week, I played pickup, and although it’s “just for fun,” I found myself characteristically depressed one day after I had not played well. On the other hand, even in that casual atmosphere, there are so many days I finish playing as if I had won a crucial game, thrilled because of how capable I felt.

As much as I love to play myself, watching my boyfriend’s team play helps me to appreciate yet another nuance of the beautiful game. The relaxed atmosphere elicits nostalgia for the days of youth soccer, when personal pride was the main thing riding on results and performance.

Even though the guys show up only 15 minutes before kickoff, and sub themselves in and out, their games are strewn with intense tackles, tricky combinations and skillful finishes. There are an array of body types, playing backgrounds and fitness levels, but that makes it even more entertaining.

My week of pickup futbol and taking Gatorade to the sideline of the guys’ games is over.

We are back in western New York, preparing to face the Philadelphia Independence again on July 9. We suffered our first defeat of the season to them, 1-0, right before our break, so we are motivated to get back to work to prepare to play them again.

The team that has returned to Orchard Park, however, is slightly different than the one that left. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve slowly said goodbyes and good lucks to our teammates playing in the World Cup. We are missing Alex Morgan (U.S.), Christine Sinclair and Candace Chapman (Canada), Caroline Seger (Sweden), Ali Riley (New Zealand), and Marta and Maurine (Brazil). Those are seven important players, and as they battle it out in Germany, those of us playing for the Flash will be doing so with the same dedication and intensity.

While a few names on the back of the jerseys on the field for W.P.S. teams will be different, many high-caliber players have been training hard and waiting for this chance to step into the starting lineup, or get some time as a sub that they may not have seen before. So while we will miss our World Cuppers dearly, W.P.S. competition is still at a high.

Here’s to everyone who has invested him/herself in this sport enough to give it that power to make or break your day — whether it’s playing on the world stage or kicking around for fun!

Midfielder Yael Averbuch, a Montclair, N.J., native by way of the University of North Carolina, will be contributing to the Goal blog during the current W.P.S. season playing for the Western New York Flash and as the United States women’s national team participates in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.

  • Print
June 20, 2011, 9:32 pm
Warner Resigns, Cutting Short Ethics Inquiry | 

Jack Warner, who for nearly three decades was a powerful but polarizing figure in regional and international soccer, resigned his positions as the vice president of FIFA and as the president of Concacaf on Monday. In response, FIFA closed an ethics inquiry that had accused him of bribery and said “the presumption of innocence is maintained.” Read the article here, and come back to comment.

June 20, 2011, 2:56 pm

Thorny Night in the Rose City

By JACK BELL

The Red Bulls’ 3-3 tie late Sunday night (New York time) in their first visit to Portland, Ore., for a game in Major League Soccer had a little bit of everything as the club reclaimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference with its eighth draw of the season.

In a nutshell, the Red Bulls took a 1-0 lead against the Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field early in the game on Austin da Luz’s first career M.L.S. goal. (The Red Bulls lead the league with seven goals in the first 15 minutes of games.)

But the second half was a different story. The Timbers got even, then took a 2-1 lead on goals one minute apart by Jack Jewsbury and the former Red Bull Kevin Goldthwaite. An own goal by Red Bulls defender Stephen Keel gave Portland a 3-1 advantage, which seemed insurmountable amid the din of more than 18,000 energized Timbers fans; not to mention Timber Joey’s busy chainsaw.

Read more…

  • Print
June 20, 2011, 6:00 am

At R.F.K., Fans Are High on Win but Not on Future

By BEN STRAUSS
Ben StraussU.S. fans may have been in the minority at R.F.K. Stadium, but those there to cheer El Salvador lent their support in the first game.

WASHINGTON — One year and two days ago the United States spotted Slovenia a two-goal lead in its second game at the World Cup. The Americans then charged back and earned the tie that set up the most dramatic moment in U.S. soccer history five days later.

A summer removed from capturing the heart and imagination of mainstream America, the national team has sputtered with a loss to Panama and a public humbling at the hands of Spain. But on Sunday afternoon at a Robert F. Kennedy Stadium that was more white and blue (El Salvador was playing in the nightcap of the doubleheader) than red, white, and blue, the Americans’ fans showed the spark is alive and well.

Before and after the United States earned a 2-0 victory over Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup, American soccer fans mused about what many called their team’s best effort since South Africa. There was a mix of excitement and relief about the performance, intrigue in a possible championship clash with Mexico (El Tri advanced to the semifinals Saturday), and thanks to the Salvadoran crowd for lending its support.

And, of course, there was plenty said about Coach Bob Bradley.

Here are the thoughts of some in the crowd of 45,423. Drop yours in the comments below.
Read more…

  • Print
June 19, 2011, 5:08 pm

Players Ratings: U.S. vs. Jamaica

By JACK BELL

Time for a change.

Face it, the United States has been underwhelming for the past two years since its upset of Spain at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Go ahead, name a big game in which the United States has played well (please, do not mention Algeria because the Americans were minutes away from coming home from the World Cup after the first round; Argentina? Maybe).

In a region where the United States is expected to dominate, along with Mexico, the Concacaf Gold Cup’s first round brought a win against hopeless Canada, a loss to Panama and a narrow victory against a team from Guadeloupe that is not even a member of FIFA. Go figure.

On Sunday, Coach Bob Bradley sat the national team’s career leading scorer and assist man Landon Donovan (or was it a “hangover” from a long trip back to Washington after a wedding in California?), pushed Clint Dempsey up top (or drifting that way in a 4-5-1), and gave starts to Alejandro Bedoya and Sacha Kljestan. The pressure was on the team and Coach Bradley and the result would go a long way to showing whether Bradley’s team is Bradley’s team, or whether the coach has lost his players.

After a mostly indifferent start to the Gold Cup, the United States played with spark, purpose and determination in advancing to Wednesday’s semifinal in Houston against either El Salvador or Panama (which beat El Salvador on penalties in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader). The U.S. took on a dangerous Jamaica team that strolled through first round and promptly outplayed them in all aspects: tactically, physically and most important, on the scoreboard.

Final Score: United States 2, Jamaica 0

The Ratings (on a scale of 1, diabolical; to 10, world class): Read more…

  • Print
June 19, 2011, 2:38 pm

U.S. Lineup vs. Jamaica

By JACK BELL

The biggest news on Sunday was that Landon Donovan, to many people the face of the U.S. national team and the career leader in goals and assists, has been benched by Coach Bob Bradley for the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal against Jamaica in Washington.

In two other surprises, Bradley has handed starts to Alejandro Bedoya and Sacha Kljestan, and pushed Clint Dempsey up top. Chris Wondolowski, who missed several golden opportunities against Guadeloupe, did not dress for the match.

Spillover from attending a wedding on Saturday? Dissatisfaction with L.D.’s play against Guadeloupe?

Today’s lineup for the U.S. 1-Tim Howard; 6-Steve Cherundolo, 21-Clarence Goodson, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 14-Eric Lichaj; 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones; 22-Alejandro Bedoya, 16-Sacha Kljestan, 8-Clint Dempsey; 17-Jozy Altidore

Subs: 7-Maurice Edu, 9-Juan Agudelo, 10-Landon Donovan, 12-Jonathan Bornstein, 14-Tim Ream, 20-Freddy Adu, 23-Marcus Hahnemann

Game time is approaching. Thoughts?

Check back after the game for our ratings of the performance of U.S. players.

  • Print
June 19, 2011, 6:02 am

Get Me to the Game on Time

By ANDREW DAS

Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, the heart of the United States national team attack, were scheduled to rejoin the team in Washington late Saturday after leaving the team in midweek to attend their sisters’ weddings.

The decision to allow Donovan and Dempsey to leave the team was made before the tournament, and certainly before a string of disappointing efforts left the Americans facing elimination against Jamaica on Sunday in the quarterfinals. The players were scheduled to fly to Washington on Saturday night — Donovan from California, Dempsey from Texas — after missing training Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (Donovan reportedly trained with the Galaxy on Friday.)

Since the United States failed to win its first-round group, it will play the early game at R.F.K. Stadium on Sunday, at 3 p.m., rather than the nightcap that starts at 6 p.m.

“We’re not concerned,” Coach Bob Bradley said. “When you are into a tournament like this, the days after a hard game are also regeneration days. Much of our preparation work has been done,” though he did say he would review that preparation with Donovan and Dempsey on Sunday morning before the game.

Steve Goff, who revealed the arrangement on Wednesday in the Washington Post, notes that this was not just a whim for either player:

Dempsey is from a tight-knit family, a bond strengthened after another sister, Jennifer, died of a brain aneurysm in 1995. Donovan and his sister, Tristan, are twins.

While a spokesman said neither player would have skipped a Saturday game to attend a wedding, their decision to leave camp for a few days in the middle of an important tournament to attend a family celebration has been critiqued as either the right call, mildly worrisome or a potential disaster.

So which is it? A quick poll:

a.) No big deal. What, Donovan and Dempsey are going to forget how to play because they went to see their sisters get married? They’re going to show up at the team hotel with a tooth missing, or a Mike Tyson tattoo on their face?

b.) Minor deal. The break will probably do them good, especially Dempsey, who could probably afford to think about something else for a day or two after his nightmare game against Guadeloupe. I’m more worried about all the unnecessary travel in the days before an important game.

c.) Kind of a big deal. Everybody in the U.S. camp has said the Gold Cup is the priority this summer, and you’re either on the roster or off. Besides, the message it sends to the younger players — that the big stars can come and go as they please — is a horrible one, and sets up a double standard.

d.) Huge deal. With the way the U.S. has played so far, the team’s two biggest stars be focused solely on the next game. Isn’t that what they always say in news conferences? You can’t say the Gold Cup is the summer’s big prize and then walk out for a few days, especially if you’re a veteran player. If the Americans lose on Sunday, it will be impossible to argue that they had done their best to prepare when they weren’t even in town.

Share your votes, and your thoughts, in the comments.

  • Print
June 18, 2011, 11:22 pm

Honduras and Mexico Advance to Gold Cup Semifinals

By JORGE CASTILLO
Javier Hernandez's back-heeled shot produced the winning goal in Mexico's 2-1 victory over Guatemala.Mike Segar/ReutersJavier Hernandez’s back-heeled shot produced the winning goal in Mexico’s 2-1 victory over Guatemala.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Almost 79,000 fans were in attendance at New Meadowlands Stadium on Saturday for a quarterfinal doubleheader in the Concacaf Gold Cup. And for almost 44 minutes of the nightcap, the pro-Mexico crowd was on pins and needles as Guatemala looked poised to upset its neighbor.

Five minutes into the game, Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz, who plays for Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, broke free behind the Mexican defense and ran down a pass from Elias Vasquez to score on Guatemala’s first attempt on goal.

The early goal allowed Guatemala to drop back into defensive mode and forced Mexico to go into halftime facing what would have been one of the most disappointing losses in its history. But it took only three minutes for Mexico to turn things around.

Shortly after the second half began, Guatemala goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez blocked Hector Moreno’s header and a point-blank attempt off the rebound. But Jerez could not save a third shot, by the second-half substitute Aldo De Nigris, and suddenly the game was tired.

Seventeen minutes later, the Manchester United star Javier Hernandez beat Jerez with a back-heeled shot off a cross to give Mexico, the defending Gold Cup champion, a 2-1 lead it would not relinquish. It was Hernandez’s sixth goal of the tournament; Mexico has outscored its four opponents by 16-2.
Read more…

  • Print
June 18, 2011, 8:15 am

U.S. vs. Jamaica: Roster Musings

By JOHN GODFREY
Landon Donovan, left, look less-than thrilled as Guadeloupe's Stephane Zubar congratulated him after a U.S. 1-0 win last Tuesday.Ed Zurga/European Pressphoto AgencyLandon Donovan, left, looked less-than thrilled as Guadeloupe’s Stephane Zubar congratulated him after the United States’s 1-0 win on Tuesday.

The United States had hoped to cruise through the group stage of the Concacaf Gold Cup and arrive in the quarterfinals bursting with confidence. Ideally, key players could have rested during the group stage, and reserves could have been given a chance to play once or twice.

But a 2-1 loss to Panama and a narrow 1-0 win over Guadeloupe left the United States with no room — or time — for experimenting.

The veterans Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan have played every minute of every match. Conversely, role players such as Jonathan Spector, Jonathan Bornstein, Robbie Rogers and Freddy Adu haven’t seen a second of action. Attackers have missed easy scoring opportunities, and the team’s confidence seems shaken.

It’s hardly an optimal situation as the Americans prepare to face Jamaica in a quarterfinal match on Sunday in Washington (3 p.m. Eastern time, Fox Soccer Channel).

Here are some of the issues Coach Bob Bradley will have to resolve:

Should Dempsey stay on the wing or play up top?

Despite missing multiple easy chances against Guadeloupe on Tuesday, Dempsey has been his team’s most dangerous player. Playing his usual role on the wing (at least to start), he has consistently joined the attack, creating chances for himself and others. In a perfect world, he would stay in this outside role and continue to pounce as he sees fit.

Read more…

  • Print
June 17, 2011, 3:02 pm

Canada’s Loss, Red Bulls’ Gain

By JACK BELL
Dwayne De Rosario and Canada were eliminated from the Concacaf Gold Cup after the first round.Stan Honda/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDwayne De Rosario and Canada were eliminated from the Gold Cup after the first round.

LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — Red Bulls Coach Hans Backe spoke with his inimitable candor when he was asked how he felt about Dwayne De Rosario’s return to the club after Canada was eliminated on Tuesday from the Concacaf Gold Cup.

“I was pretty happy, we’re paying the guy’s salary and we need him,” Backe said after the team’s training session on Thursday. The Red Bulls (5-2-7, 22 points) have embarked on one of the longest road trips in team history — an 11-day, 3-game jaunt to play the Portland Timbers (Sunday), the Seattle Sounders (Thursday) and the Chicago Fire (next Sunday). They will return home from Chicago on June 27 for a third-round Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match, then head straight back to the West Coast to face San Jose on July 2.

“It’s not something I haven’t done before,” Thierry Henry said. “Especially for big tournaments when you’re away for months. Sometimes you get to stay at a tournament for a long time, sometimes not. For us, it is of course better to stay on the road. It’s not one of these one-game trips, which make no sense. With two games, at least you have a chance to adapt. We went to L.A. for one game and when we came home we just were not as fresh. Going for 10 days makes more sense.”

De Rosario, right, and his Red Bulls teammate Tim Ream during the a 2-0 victory by the U.S. on June 7. De Rosario is back with the club; Ream (and Juan Agudelo or Dane Richards of Jamaica) could soon join him.Paul Sancya/Associated PressDe Rosario, right, and his Red Bulls teammate Tim Ream during the 2-0 victory by the United States on June 7. De Rosario is back with the club; Ream (and Juan Agudelo or Dane Richards of Jamaica) could soon join him.

De Rosario returns to the Red Bulls after what he called Canada’s devastating elimination in the first round of the Gold Cup after allowing a late goal to Panama in its final first-round game.

“Definitely bittersweet,” De Rosario said. “A tournament like that, you want to see how far you can get.”

Read more…

  • Print

More Soccer

In African Women’s Soccer, Homophobia Remains an Obstacle
By JERÉ LONGMAN

As Nigeria progressed toward the Women’s World Cup, which begins Sunday in Germany, its coach said that she has used religion in an attempt to rid her team of homosexual behavior.

Porto's Andre Villas-Boas Heading to Chelsea
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Andre Villas-Boas is set to become Chelsea's seventh manager in eight years after resigning as coach of Portuguese champion Porto.

FIFA Report Reveals 'Compelling' Bribery Evidence
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FIFA had "compelling" evidence that Mohamed bin Hammam and Jack Warner conspired to bribe voters in the organization's presidential election before it suspended them from world soccer's governing body.

About Goal

Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and leagues, provide analysis of games and interview players, coaches and notable soccer fans. Readers can discuss the World Cup, Major League Soccer, the UEFA Champions League and other foreign leagues and competitions. Fans will discuss the issues dominating international soccer.

Archive

From the Sports Blogs

The Fifth Down
Top 10 Outside Linebackers in N.F.L.

James Harrison is the most feared player in the game, but he's so much more than an intimidator.

Bats
After a Victory, Rodriguez Lets Out His Frustration

In the postgame celebration in the Mets' clubhouse early Thursday morning, only one player was distinctly unhappy.

Straight Sets
Wimbledon Chief Voices His Disapproval at Shrieks

The chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club has called for an end to excessive grunting by players in the 125th Wimbledon Championship.

Off the Dribble
Knicks See Brooks and Four Others Again

Marshon Brooks, a high-scoring guard from Providence, and the 7-foot Nikola Vucevic of U.S.C. are projected as mid-first-round picks.

Follow The New York Times »