[SCOREBOARD] Two-time defending champion Germany and France are through to the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup. France humiliated Concacaf champion Canada, 4-0, while Germany edged African champion Nigeria, 1-0, in their Group A games on Thursday. For the complete schedule ...

Only once has 53-year-old Tommy Mulroy had a job that wasn't about soccer. His stint at a New York delicatessen, when he was a sophomore in high school, lasted six weeks. The owner wanted Mulroy to cover an absent stock boy's shift. But Mulroy was on the way to his soccer game 40 miles away at Farcher's Grove in Union, N.J.

Refs have feelings, and middle fingers tooSwiss referee Massimo Busacca, who officiated the 2009 UEFA Champions League final, was banned for three games for flipping the bird at Young Boys fans who jeered him. A clash and a crash Universidad Chile striker Juan Manuel Olivera had to be taken away by ambulance after a collision with O'Higgins goalkeeper Jorge Rivera. Olivera's arrival at the hospital was delayed for two hours because the ambulance crashed and the replacement vehicle was stuck in rush-hour traffic. Olivera reportedly took it "all with a dose of humor." …

One good result (a 4-1 win over Cameroon) couldn't make up for two horrendous performances (3-0 losses to Germany and South Korea), and the USA exited the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, marking the first time since 1987 that the Americans didn't make it out of the first round. Players like Dilly Duka and Tony Taylor, not previously part of the national youth team program, had their moments, as did Bryan Arguez and Jared Jeffrey, particularly in the game against a very weak Cameroon. Not much was expected of the '09 U-20s, who lacked a genuine star or …

DeMerit's extraordinary ascendancy in pro soccer has taken him into a prominent role with the national team.

Three years ago, Gordon Jago returned to his native England to meet Queen Elizabeth II at her palace. He was given specific instructions for the encounter: When she extends her right hand, that's the signal it's over. Shake her hand, back off four paces, bow, turn to your right, go off. Jago first came to the USA in 1967 to coach the Baltimore Bays in the new pro league that would become the NASL. He had a stint as coach of the U.S. national team, coached the Tampa Bay Rowdies - one of the great success …

If you've been wondering why tournament play has become such a major part of the youth soccer experience, follow the money.

A shaky start to the 2009 season under head coach Robert Warzycha caused some alarm among Crew fans, but a strong second half lifted Columbus atop the overall standings and into a prime position to repeat as league champion.

The team that qualifies for the World Cup isn't the same team that actually goes to the tournament, and there are slots to be filled and problems to be solved before the USA sets up camp in South Africa next year.

Pond-hopping Rae helps blaze new trail for ESPN

Fox Soccer Channel, now in its 13th year, is only one of many properties Fox is using to showcase European Champions League programming.

For a decade now, U.S. Soccer has put the nation's top young boy players into its U-17 Residency Program. For the last two years, they have been mentored by Colombian World Cup veteran Wilmer Cabrera, who takes them to the U-17 world championship in October.

Foreign players impressed and Sky Blue FC pulled off an amazing playoff run to lift the title, but low-scoring and modest crowds also featured in Year 1 of the women's league.

MLS teams may not have spent wildly on the summer transfer market, but they sure dealt wildly.

For the third time, the Dallas Texans are first in Soccer America's girls rankings.