Galaxy´s Arena named MLS manager of year

November 12, 2009

Los Angeles Galaxy’s Bruce Arena was named the 2008 Major League Soccer coach of the year Wednesday, after guiding the club to its first playoff berth since 2005.

Arena, now in his second season as Galaxy head coach, led Los Angeles to one of the most dramatic single season turnarounds in MLS history.

In 2008, the Galaxy finished at the bottom of the Western Conference, surrendering a league-high 62 goals.

One of Arena’s biggest priorities during the 2009 off season was to solidify the club’s defense.

Arena drafted University of Maryland star defender Omar Gonzalez with the third overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and brought in US national team veteran Gregg Berhalter at centreback.

Arena also handed the netminding duties to first-year MLS goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, a 32-year-old Jamaican international who spent most of his career in Europe. Berhalter, Gonzalez and Ricketts were a big reason the Galaxy cut their goals-against average in half from 2008 allowing just 31 goals this season.

In addition to shoring up the defense, Arena also brought in a host of new players, meshed them together, and helped reconcile the highly-publicized differences between star players Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

Los Angeles opened 2009 slowly, but after Beckham returned in midseason from a loan spell with AC Milan the Galaxy began piling up victories. On Friday, the Galaxy host the Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference Championship match.

NEW YORK (AFP)

Tags: ac milan, bruce arena, David Beckham, donovan ricketts, Europe, Goalkeeper, goals against average, gregg berhalter, head coach, Houston, houston dynamo, landon donovan, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, Maryland, midseason, Milan, New York, omar gonzalez, playoff berth, second season, soccer coach, star defender, star players, turnarounds, U.S., Western Conference

US forward Davies stable after crash

October 14, 2009

Three days after experiencing the joy of qualifying for the World Cup, the US football squad was stunned and saddened Tuesday after starting forward Charlie Davies was hurt in a fatal crash.

Davies, a 23-year-old striker who plays for the French club Sochaux, was in stable condition after undergoing extensive surgery Tuesday for injuries suffered in a one-vehicle accident, US Soccer Federation officials said.

The injuries were described as not life-threatening by team officials but it was not certain exactly what injuries Davies had suffered or whether or not they might jeopardize his career.

Police were investigating the circumstances around the 3:15 a.m. crash, in which there was a fatality, US Soccer officials said.

US Park Police identified the person killed as Ashley Roberta, 22, of Phoenix, Maryland, a Washington suburb. An officer who arrived on the scene of the crash said the vehicle had been ripped in half.

Officials said Davies was a passenger in the vehicle involved in the accident on a major highway in suburban Virginia.

Davies started and played the first 78 minutes in the American team’s 3-2 victory last Saturday at Costa Rica, assisting on the first US goal in a win that secured the US squad a berth in next year’s World Cup at South Africa.

The US squad will face Costa Rica on Wednesday at RFK Stadium in the US capital in the final North American regional World Cup qualifying match, with Costa Rica seeking a victory to secure a World Cup berth.

Davies was not missed immediately because a morning team breakfast was optional but US coach Bob Bradley gathered playrs in a small meeting room at their hotel to deliver the shocking news early Tuesday afternoon.

“Obviously as a team we’re saddened to learn this news,” Bradley said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Charlie and Charlie’s family and the other person in the car and the others involved.

“The team has asked that any other thoughts we have, to keep them with the guys. As a team, we are relying on each other in a moment that has for sure hit us all hard.”

Players were told in a team-only meeting but their reaction was the shock and sadness that might be expected, US Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe said.

“Obviously the players are very saddened by the situation and hope the Charlie has a quick recovery,” he said.

US teen forward Jozy Altidore, who replaced Davies in Saturday’s match, typed a series of frowning faces on his twitter page Tuesday afternoon and said, ‘I’m not tweeting anymore y’all. Just not feeling well.”

The US team’s resiliency faces a major off-field test after a qualifying year in which American fortitude has been impressive in the wake of challenges on the field.

Americans have three triumphs and a draw in the final-round qualifying matches where they have surrendered the first goal.

Speaking purely of on-field events, US all-time scoring leader Landon Donovan praised the attitude players have shown in handling setbacks from bad passes and missed tackles to surrendered goals and stinging defeats.

“You can’t always control what happens in the game but you can control how you react and that has been one of the big situations for us,” Donovan said. “That has been a big plus for us this qualifying cycle.”

Davies, a 2008 Olympian, has scored four goals in 17 matches for the US squad. He was first called up to the team in June of 2007 for a friendly against China after a solid showing with the Swedish club Hammarby.

WASHINGTON (AFP)

Tags: bob bradley, Charlie, China, coach bob, Costa Rica, early tuesday, fatal crash, federation officials, french club, landon donovan, Maryland, Neil Buethe, North American, park police, Phoenix, qualifying for the world cup, rfk stadium, Roberta, shocking news, small meeting room, soccer officials, South Africa, stable condition, suburban virginia, team officials, thoughts and prayers, U.S., us soccer federation, Virginia, Washington, washington suburb, world cup berth

John Terry playing a dangerous game

July 28, 2009

Has John Terry got a bit big for his boots by questioning whether Chelsea’s ambition matches his own?

The defender and club captain said that was the reason for the delay in him nailing his colours to the Chelsea mast in the wake of Manchester City’s reported 200,000 pounds per week offer to take him away from Stamford Bridge.

Nothing to do with money. Nothing to do either with the fact that he has peaked as a player and with injuries niggling away at his joints, the England skipper is likely to find it more and more difficult to excel at the highest levels of the game.

Fans of the club will take some convincing that Terry still has his heart fully at the club despite his words to the contrary.

They might also argue that losing Mr Chelsea for an enormous fee to a club not even in the Champions League would have been a good piece of business and not the disaster some predicted.

Terry is still a world class defender but is certainly replaceable. He is no Cristiano Ronaldo after all. He will be one of the first names on Carlo Ancelotti’s team sheet as the new season kicks off but City are unlikely to have been totally put off the scent.

Terry said he hoped to have a good season and then sit down and talk to the club about a new deal….any loss of form, however, and club owner Roman Abramovich might just decide that Mr Chelsea is expendable after all.

PHOTO: Chelsea’s John Terry keeps his eyes on the ball as he falls on the pitch during the second half of their 2009 World Football Challenge soccer match against AC Milan in Baltimore, Maryland, July 24, 2009. Chelsea won 2-1.REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang

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Tags: Baltimore, carlo ancelotti, CITY, club captain, club owner, cristiano ronaldo, dangerous game, England, england skipper, first names, football challenge, game fans, hyungwon kang, john terry, levels of the game, manchester city, Maryland, Milan, Mr Chelsea, new deal, owner roman abramovich, reuters, ronaldo, stamford bridge, world football

Real Madrid to tour United States

May 30, 2009

Spanish giants Real Madrid are scheduled to tour the United States of America as they prepare for the 2009-10 season.

Major League Soccer side DC United confirmed that they will be playing a match with Madrid at FedExField in Landover, Maryland on August 9. ‘Los Blancos’ are expected to face several other teams during their trip.

Madrid’s arch rivals FC Barcelona, who won the Champions League on Wednesday, will also travel to the USA this summer. The ‘Blaugrana’ are confirmed to face Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders in August.

Written by: Jonathan Roorda

Tags: arch rivals, Barcelona, blaugrana, champions league, dc united, fc barcelona, fedexfield, Galaxy, giants, Jonathan Roorda, LA Liga, landover maryland, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, los blancos, MADRID, Major League Soccer, Maryland, match, MLS, real madrid, Seattle, seattle sounders, states of america, trip madrid, United States, united states of america, USA

MLS teams seek out native CONCACAF talent to restock for new season

January 19, 2009

By Michael Lewis

ST. LOUIS – Major League Soccer clubs have mined Central America and the Caribbean for young talent since its early days. The latest crop will get its chance later this year.

Four players from CONCACAF countries were selected in Thursday’s MLS’ SuperDraft, including three in the first round.

D.C. United selected midfielder Rodney Wallace (Costa Rica) as the sixth overall pick, Real Salt Lake tabbed midfielder-forward Jean Alexandre (Haiti) as the 11th overall selection and the New England Revolution made midfielder Ryan Maxwell (Jamaica) as the 15th overall choice. The Kansas City Wizards picked midfielder Akeem Priestley (Jamaica) in the fourth and final round at the St. Louis convention center.

Here is a quick rundown of the four players:

Midfielder Rodney Wallace (Costa Rica)

Wallace played a key role for the University of Maryland in its march to U.S. college championship in December, scoring three goals and adding three assists. A Costa Rican native who has obtained a U.S. green card as a permanent resident, the 1.80-meter (5-foot-11), 70-kilogram (155-pound) Wallace forged his reputation for speed and vision on the flank. Wallace, 20, who has been a part of MLS’ Generation adidas development program, lives in Rockville, Maryland, north of Washington.

"We feel like he’s got a huge upside," United coach Tom Soehn said. "He’s athletic, he’s a good soccer player, and he’s a winner: he just won a national championship. The first thing you see in him is his composure and his pace. He does a great job as a left back getting forward and creating stuff from the defensive position. His desire and his consistency, I thought, was one thing you could always say about him."

Midfielder-forward Jean Alexandre (Haiti)

Without a scoring threat up front, Lynn University moved Alexandre from central midfield to striker in his senior year. It turned into a great move as Alexandre became one of the U.S. college’s top scorers with 23 goals. The 1.80-meter (5-11), 86-kilo (190-pound) Alexandre impressed Real Salt Lake last season, standing out in a friendly.

"The staff felt that Jean was one of the best athletes at the [MLS] Combine," RSL general manager Garth Lagerway said. "With us moving to a fast and wide field at Rio Tinto Stadium, we feel the need to bring in athletic and versatile players, and selecting Jean helps us accomplish those goals. We took a chance taking a kid from a smaller school, but (assistant coach) Jeff Cassar and I both have numerous contacts in South Florida from our Miami Fusion days that we contacted about Jean, so we felt very comfortable taking a chance with him at that pick."

Midfielder Ryan Maxwell (Jamaica)

Maxwell, 25, was a two-time pick to the U.S. National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s honorary All-South regional select team out of the University of Tampa. The Jamaica native is a former member of the Jamaican Under-20 national team. He played three seasons at Tampa after transferring from San Jacinto Junior College, where Jamaican international and New York Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards played — after his freshman year. In 55 career games at Tampa, the 1.75 (5-9), 75-kilo (165-pound) Maxwell scored 16 goals, including 10 as a senior, and added 14 assists. "I was surprised to go so early, to be honest," Maxwell told the Boston Globe.

“We’re very pleased with our selections today,” Revolution vice president of player personnel Michael Burns said. “We came into the draft with some areas we wanted to address and we believe we accomplished that with these selections. When we open our preseason camp on Feb. 2, we’re going to have some good competition for spots on the field, and we believe that the seven players we chose today will be a big part of that.”

Midfielder Akeem Priestley (Jamaica)

Priestley, an attacking midfielder, was chosen by the Wizards as the 50th overall selection. Priestley, 23, has been capped with the Jamaican national team and was a three-year standout at the University of Connecticut. In 2007, the 1.78-meter (5-10), 75-kilo (165-pound). Priestley recorded 13 assists to earn All-Big East Conference second team honors.

"I think it’s a great opportunity for me, and I’m going to make the best of it," Priestley said. "I want to thank the Kansas City Wizards for giving me this chance. I look forward to working hard to make the team and play in front of their fans."

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