Haiti to open Women’s U-17s against United States

February 4, 2010

Haiti, which was devastated by an earthquake last month, will open the CONCACAF Under-17 Women’s Championship against the defending champion United States, the start of the 16-game, 11-day event.

Despite the calamity which according to some estimates has killed 200,000 in the country, Haiti has confirmed its participation in the second biennial U-17 championship, the first time it has qualified for the CONCACAF finals of a women’s youth event since the 2002 U-19 tournament.

CONCACAF President Jack Warner visited Haiti on Sunday, committing support and offering encouragement to the Haitian Football Federation.

“Haiti’s participation in this tournament under the most difficult circumstances is a testament to the will and commitment of the Haitian Football Federation, their players and coaches and the Haitian people,” Warner said. “We applaud their perseverance and look forward to working together to rebuild their football program and country.”

The team already has arrived in Santo Domingo, where the Dominican Football Federation is providing lodging, training facilities and other assistance to help prepare the side for next month’s championship.

The tournament, to be played entirely at Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium – the home of Liga Deportiva Alajuelense – in Alajuela, Costa Rica, will open March 10, a day later than originally announced, and will conclude with the title and third-place matches on March 20.

Like the CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship in January, all matches from the U-17 event will be streamed live free of charge at CONCACAF.com. Each game will also be available on-demand shortly after its conclusion.

The CONCACAF event will qualify two teams, along with Under-17 Women’s World Cup host Trinidad & Tobago, for the world championship in September.

Immediately following the Haiti-United States match, host Costa Rica will play the Cayman Islands in the nightcap of the opening day, Group B doubleheader.

Group A will begin the following day, March 11, with Panama playing Mexico and Jamaica facing Canada.

Group play will continue on alternate days through March 15, with the semifinals set for March 18.

FULL SCHEDULE
(Kickoff times in U.S. Eastern; local times in parentheses)

FIRST ROUND
Group A
Cayman Islands
Costa Rica
Haiti
United States

Group B
Canada
Jamaica
Mexico
Panama

Wednesday, March 10
Haiti vs. United States, 6 p.m. (5 p.m.)
Costa Rica vs. Cayman Islands, 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m.)

Thursday, March 11
Panama vs. Mexico, 6 p.m. (5 p.m.)
Jamaica vs. Canada, 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m.)

Friday, March 12
United States vs. Cayman Islands, 6 p.m. (5 p.m.)
Costa Rica vs. Haiti, 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m.)

Saturday, March 13
Mexico vs. Jamaica, 6 p.m. (5 p.m.)
Panama vs. Canada, 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m.)

Sunday, March 14
Cayman Islands vs. Haiti, 1 p.m. (11 a.m.)
Costa Rica vs. United States, 3:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m.)

Monday, March 15
Jamaica vs. Panama, 7 p.m. (5 p.m.)
Canada vs. Mexico , 9:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m.)

SEMIFINALS
Thursday, March 18
(Order TBA)
Semifinal 1, 6 p.m. (4 p.m.)
Semifinal 2, 9 p.m. (7 p.m.)

FINALS
Saturday, March 20
Third-Place
Semifinal losers, 6 p.m. (4 p.m.)
Championship
Semifinal winners, 9 p.m. (7 p.m.)

NEW YORK

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Henry aiming to rediscover scoring touch

January 27, 2010

As a Barcelona striker you get plenty of opportunities to boost your goal tally but scoring seems to be a serious issue for Thierry Henry this season. The Frenchman has played good matches but only netted two goals in La Liga so far.

Henry has insisted that he is trying to rediscover his scoring touch and said that now that he feels better physically the goals will not be far away.

“I feel very well, much better than the beginning of the season but we all know that the goals are missing,” he told AS.

The 32-year-old only managed to score against Mallorca and Deportivo Xerez so far. “I’ve tried every way possible. I even tried to score with a bicycle-kick on Saturday but it didn’t worked,” said the critical Henry.

“I’m never satisfied with my efficiency, I’ve had that that since the beginning of my career.

“I know what I have to do and what the coach demands from me. I have to work hard to contribute to the team’s performance.”

Meanwhile, it is rumoured that Henry is set to join MLS club New York Red Bulls after his Barcelona spell.

Several media report that the former Arsenal forward said that ‘he was likely to sign with the club once his contract with Barcelona ends in the European summer of 2010.’

Tags: arsenal, Barcelona, beginning, bicycle kick, coach, Deportivo, efficiency, goal tally, Henry, Mallorca, mls club, New York, new york red bulls, performance, striker, thierry henry

Referee development officer planned for each CONCACAF country

January 6, 2010

CONCACAF will work with each national association to identify and install its own head of referee development, the main focus for the confederation’s officiating efforts in 2010.

A day-long meeting at CONCACAF’s New York headquarters on Tuesday reviewed the progress after 18 months of involvement in FIFA’s Referee Assistance Program (RAP), with plans to also continue with instructional seminars in the region.

“It was an eye-opener for me,” said CONCACAF President Jack Warner, who with General Secretary Chuck Blazer and Deputy General Secretary Ted Howard was on hand for the review. “I was very impressed.

“I saw for the first time the operations for referee development in CONCACAF. I am optimistic. I think we have a bright referee future.”

RAP is to assist in professionalizing and improving the standard of refereeing, unifying the application of the Laws of the Game. It pairs referee development officers with instructors from around the world.

Led by FIFA referee chief Fernando Tresaco, the review and planning session called for the establishment of Referee Development Officers (RDOs) in each of CONCACAF’s member associations. It also furthered planning for more Futuro III courses in Central America, North America and the Caribbean, referee instructional seminars in member associations, fitness tests for every country and elite referee courses for the Caribbean, Central America and a region-wide CONCACAF workshop.

Tresaco was joined by FIFA’s development head Jurg Nepfer and Gregory Englebrecht, the world body’s development officer for the CONCACAF region.

NEW YORK

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Tags: assistance program, associations fitness, blazer, Caribbean, Central America, Chuck Blazer, concacaf, confederation, deputy general, eye opener, Fernando Tresaco, fitness tests, general secretary, Gregory Englebrecht, instructional seminars, jack warner, Laws, laws of the game, member associations, New York, president jack, President Jack Warner, referee courses, referee development, refereeing, Secretary Ted Howard, ted howard, york headquarters

Five-year-old Brujas joins Champions League field

December 30, 2009

Brujas FC has won its first Costa Rican league title in its five-year existence and will join the CONCACAF Champions League field next season.

It prevailed over Puntarenas on penalties 5-4 after a 1-1 draw in Monday’s second leg of the Costa Rican Invierno finals, becoming the 11th team in the 24-club field and guaranteeing itself a place in the Preliminary Round.

Brujas, which replaced the folded Guanacasteca in the Costa Rican first division 2004, has qualified for the domestic league playoffs in eight of the 11 seasons since its founding, and every season since the playoffs were expanded to eight teams.

After a 0-0 draw in the first leg on Wednesday, Puntarenas went ahead Tuesday with a 14th-minute goal by Luis Lara. Daniel Jimenez equalized in the opening minute of the second half, a goal which eventually forced extra time and penalties.

The qualification of Brujas fills nearly half of the field for the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League, joining Real Salt Lake, the Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders from the United States’ Major League Soccer, Monterey and Cruz Azul from Mexico, FAS of El Salvador, Municipal of Guatemala, Marathon from Honduras and Arabe Unido of Panama.

Walter Ferreti put itself in position to claim Nicaragua’s lone berth by beating Real Esteli 4-1 on Sunday and claiming the Central American league’s Apertura title 4-2 on aggregate. The team with the best overall record between the Apertura and Clausura champion will earn Nicaragua’s place in the Preliminary Round.

The 2009-2010 CONCACAF Champions League resumes with the first leg of the quarterfinals on March 9 when the Crew hosts Toluca.

NEW YORK

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Tags: aggregate, apertura, Arabe, arabe unido, berth, Central American, columbus crew, concacaf champions league, cruz azul, Daniel Jimenez, extra time, Galaxy, Guatemala, Honduras, league playoffs, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Luis Lara, Major League Soccer, Mexico, minute goal, monterey, New York, Nicaragua, Panama, puntarenas, quarterfinals, real esteli, real salt lake, Seattle, seattle sounders, Toluca, United States, Walter Ferreti

FAS, Municipal clinch Champions League berths

December 21, 2009

CD FAS won a record 17th El Salvadoran league title to earn a place in next season’s CONCACAF Champions League, outlasting long-time rival Aguila in extra time to claim the country’s Apertura championship.

On own-goal by Arturo Albarran in the 95th minute and an eventual winner by Juan Carlos Moscoso two minutes later gave FAS a 3-2 victory in the title match Sunday, overcoming a pair of goals by Aguila’s Nicholas Addlery.

FAS enters the Champions League field along with Municipal, which drew 0-0 with Comunicaciones on Sunday to claim a record 27th Guatemalan league crown. The draw gave Municipal a 1-0 aggregate victory, having won the first leg of the Apertura final on Thursday, and returns the capital club to the Champions League after its appearance in the inaugural competition.

Both winners assured themselves of places in the knockout Preliminary Round while Municipal can advance to the Group Stage by finishing with the best overall record between the Apertura and Clausura.

The teams become the ninth and 10th clubs to clinch berths in the 2010-2011 Champions League, filling nearly half of the 24-team field. Teams that already have qualified are American sides Real Salt Lake, Columbus, Los Angeles and Seattle; Mexican clubs Monterrey and Cruz Azul; Honduran Apertura champion Marathon; and Arabe Unido of Panama.

FAS’ title was its first since the 2004-2005 Clausura, and gave it three more than Aguila, sending the annual confederation club championship next year to Santa Ana, El Salvador’s second largest city with a population of 275,000.

Municipal will try to improve on its first showing in the Champions League, when it won only one of six Group Stage matches and finished last behind Santos, the Puerto Rico Islanders and Tauro of Panama.

NEW YORK

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Tags: aggregate victory, aguila, albarran, Ana, apertura, arabe unido, Arturo Albarran, cd fas, COLUMBUS, concacaf, concacaf champions league, Cruz, cruz azul, El Salvador, extra time, group stage, guatemalan, inaugural competition, Juan Carlos, Juan Carlos Moscoso, league crown, Los Angeles, Monterrey, New York, nicholas addlery, Panama, panama new york, Puerto Rico, puerto rico islanders, real salt lake, santa ana el salvador, Santos, Seattle, tauro

Marathon returns to Champions League for third straight time

November 27, 2009

Two-time quarterfinalist Marathon will return to the CONCACAF Champions League for a third straight year next season, clinching at least a Preliminary Round berth with a 2-0 victory over Olimpia to win the Honduran Apertura title.

Pando Ramirez scored in the fifth minute and Jerry Palacios added a second-half goal for Marathon, whose victory Wednesday night overturned a first-leg deficit for a 2-1 aggregate triumph and gave the club its eight domestic title and third straight Apertura crown.

Marathon, which lost to the Puerto Rico Islanders in the quarterfinals of the Champions League last season, has been drawn to face Pumas of Mexico in March.

It is guaranteed at least a berth in the Preliminary Round, but could garner a place in the Group Stage if it wins the Clausura crown or finishes both seasons with the best overall record.

Marathon becomes the fifth team to clinch a place in the 2010-2011 Champions League, joining fellow quarterfinalist the Columbus Crew and fellow U.S. clubs Real Salt Lake, the MLS Cup champion, the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy.

NEW YORK

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Tags: berth, columbus crew, concacaf, concacaf champions league, fellow, group stage, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Mexico, MLS, mls cup champion, New York, olimpia, palacios, Puerto Rico, puerto rico islanders, pumas, quarterfinals, real salt lake, record marathon, seattle sounders, Sounders, straight time, triumph, U.S, victory, wednesday night

Columbus-Toluca to open CCL quarters on March 9

November 26, 2009

Columbus will host Toluca on Tuesday, March 9 to open the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, kicking off the tournament’s knockout stages.

Marathon will be home against Mexico’s Pumas in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, the following day in the first leg of their two-game series while Comunicaciones will host Pachuca of Mexico in Guatemala City later that night.

Panama’s Arabe Unido will be home against Cruz Azul on Thursday, March 11 to complete the first leg matches.

Pachuca will host the second leg against Comunicaciones in Hidalgo, Mexico, on Tuesday, March 16, the only game that day. Toluca will play Columbus and Arabe Unido will travel to Mexico City to take on Cruz Azul on Wednesday, March 17.

Pumas will complete the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 18.

The winners will advance to the semifinals March 30-April 1 and April 6-8 with the finals set for April 20-22 and April 27-29.

Quarterfinal Schedule
(Home teams listed first; times U.S. Eastern, local time in parentheses)
First Leg
Tuesday, March 9
Columbus (United States) vs. Toluca (Mexico), 8 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 10
Marathon (Honduras) vs. Pumas (Mexico), 8 p.m. (7 p.m.)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala) vs. Pachuca (Mexico), 10 p.m. (9 p.m.)

Thursday, March 11
Arabe Unido (Panama) vs. Cruz Azul (Mexico), 8 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Second Leg
Tuesday, March 16
Pachuca (Mexico) vs. Comunicaciones (Guatemala), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 17
Toluca (Mexico) vs. Columbus (United States), 8 p.m. (6 p.m.)
Cruz Azul (Mexico) vs. Arabe Unido (Panama), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

Thursday, March 18
Pumas (Mexico) vs. Marathon (Honduras), 10 p.m. (8 p.m.)

NEW YORK

Concacaf

Tags: april 1, Arabe, arabe unido, COLUMBUS, concacaf champions league, cruz azul, game series, Guatemala, guatemala city, hidalgo mexico, Honduras, knockout stages, m cruz, marathon, march 11, march 17, Mexico, mexico city, New York, pachuca mexico, parentheses, san pedro sula, san pedro sula honduras, toluca mexico, U.S, United States

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

Montero, Thornton win MLS honors

November 11, 2009

American goalkeeper Zach Thornton and Colombian forward Fredy Montero claimed Major League Soccer season awards on Tuesday, just days after their teams were ousted from the title chase.

Seattle Sounders striker Montero took MLS Newcomer of the Year honors while 36-year-old Thornton of Chivas USA captured the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award to join his MLS Goalkeeper of the Year trophy.

Montero, 22, led the first-year club in scoring with 12 goals, four of them game winners. He joined the Sounders after four seasons with Deportivo Cali in his homeland, including a season on loan to Atletico Huila.

Thornton, in his first full season as a starter since 2006, led Chivas to a mark of 13-11 with six drawn, posting a career-best 12 shutouts with a 0.87 goals-against average, the second best in MLS history.

After eight seasons as a starter for Chicago, Thornton was demoted to a reserve role in 2007 at Colorado and a bench-warmer last year at New York before a late-season trade to Chivas after Brad Guzan left for Aston Villa.

This year, Thornton led Chivas into the MLS playoffs for a fourth season in a row but the club was ousted by its city rival, the Los Angeles Galaxy, in the opening round.

The Galaxy will play host to Houston, which ousted Seattle in another first-round meeting, on Friday with the winner to face either Chicago or Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final.

Players, coaches, general managers and media all voted upon the awards.

NEW YORK (AFP)

Tags: american goalkeeper, aston villa, brad guzan, Cali, Chicago, chivas usa, Colorado, comeback player, eight seasons, fredy, game winners, general managers, goals against average, Houston, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, mls cup, mls playoffs, montero, New York, Real, real salt lake, season awards, title chase, zach thornton

Mexico again leads way into Champions League quarters

October 24, 2009

The Mexican clubs are back. So is one team from U.S. Major League Soccer. But there will be no teams from the Caribbean in this season’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.

Mexican teams won each of the four groups, further proving the Mexican Primera Division is the strongest league in the region.

Cruz Azul was the only team to complete the group stage undefeated following a 2-1 win against Saprissa in Costa Rica Tuesday. Ramon Nunez and Pablo Zeballos struck for second half goals for La Maquina, which finished 5-1-0 in Group C. A year ago, Cruz Azul lost to Atlante in the two-leg finals.

“I saw a determined Saprissa squad, with a strong will, but they never dominated the match,” Cruz Azul coach Enrique Meza said.

The victory, though, wasn’t without cost as Alejandro Vela fractured his fibula early in the match and will be lost for the remainder of the season.

Led by Ulises Mendivil, who leads all scorers in the Champions League with nine goals, Pachuca also won five of six matches to cruise to the quarterfinals as the Group A winner.

Pumas’ bid to go through undefeated was ruined Thursday night when Comunicaciones struck twice in the opening half for a 2-1 win in Guatemala City. But Pumas still finished atop Group D with 13 points to advance to the quarterfinals for a second straight year. That was the same total for Toluca, Group B winners, which finished the group stage with a 1-1 draw against D.C. United.

A year after just one Central American team advanced out of the group stage, the region sent three squads to the quarterfinals this time. Marathon returned to the knockout stage, clinching its berth on the final matchday. The Honduran side defeated San Juan Jabloteh 4-2 in Port-of-Spain on Thursday, ending D.C. United’s hopes of advancement.

It is joined by Arabe Unido, which finished second in Group A, also clinching its berth on the final day of the group stage. The Panamanians lost to Pachuca 2-0, but were aided by Metapan, which stopped the Houston Dynamo from a second straight quarterfinal bid with its first group stage victory.

The third Central American squad to qualify for the knockout stage is Comunicaciones, which needed a win against Pumas on Thursday night to advance.

Major League Soccer sends one team to the quarterfinals for a second straight year as the Columbus Crew claimed the second berth out of Group C with a 1-1 draw against the Puerto Rico Islanders Tuesday night in Bayamon.

“The Champions League is very important,” Columbus coach Robert Warzycha told MLSnet.com. “We are pleased that we are playing in the competition, but we’re happy all the games are out of the way and we can concentrate on the league. We accomplished our goal, which is to get to the next round.”

The quarterfinalists will learn their knockout round opponents on November 17 when the draw at the confederation’s New York headquarters will set the pairings for the final eight.

The group winners will be drawn against one of the four teams that finished in second place, with no team playing another that it faced in the Group Stage in the two-leg series.

The teams that finished second will host the first leg of the quarterfinals the week of March 9-11, with the group winners hosting the second leg the week of March 16-18.

By Dylan Butler