U.S. U-23 national team coach Clive Charles has announced the 20-man roster for the squad's friendly against their German counterparts on Feb. 6. For the first time in U.S. Soccer history, the USA's top two men's teams -- the men's national team and U-23 national team -- will play a marquee doubleheader against their counterparts from Germany. The USA-Germany senior national team game will take place at Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium on Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. ET (live on ABC), followed by the U-23 match at 3:45 p.m. ET. Highlighting Charles' roster is D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen, the 1998 …

FEATURES U.S. Is Hooked On Bad Habit: Not Scoring By Jerry Trecker in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Brian McBride: 'A Chance For Redemption' Interview by Ridge Mahoney A Crucial Friendly For Germany By Mike Woitalla MLS Draft Preview By Ridge Mahoney American Soccer Is Still A Long Way Away By Paul Kennedy MLS: Front Offices Tackle Crowd Slump In '99 By Duncan Irving The Creation Of Suitable Soccer Venues By Doug Cress Hamm's Endorsement Collection Expanding By Marianne Bhonslay COLUMNS Soccer Talk -- Bora puts his stamp on Metros By Paul Gardner From the Field -- The key to pleasing U.S. …

CONCACAF (the governing body for soccer in North and Central America) has announced that the CONCACAF Champions' Cup will be played August, 1999, and in August of succeeding years, as part of the effort to establish a regular calendar of CONCACAF events within the complex international calendar. The winner of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup will then play in the inaugural FIFA World Club Championship in the year 2000. The date of the FIFA tournament will be set in March by the FIFA Executive Committee. General Secretaries of the FIFA Confederations met in Zurich on January 15 to discuss the difficulties …

FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, has announced the team of World Stars that will face the U.S. women's national team in the first-ever FIFA Women's World All-Star Game to be held Feb. 14 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif. The Women's World Cup Final Draw will be conducted at halftime on a stage constructed in one end of the stadium. The 16 nations will be placed into four groups of four teams each and the schedule for the tournament will be set as the countries find out in which stadiums and cities they will play. Both the …

Joe Cannon, a San Francisco Bay Area product and former Santa Clara University all-America who was one of the top goalkeepers in the A-League in 1998, will join the San Jose Clash after agreeing to a contract with MLS. Cannon, 24, was named Most Valuable Player for the A-League's San Diego Flash last season, as he led the club to the Western Conference regular-season title. He compiled a 21-7 record with a 0.80 goals-against average and 11 shutouts for the Flash. He also served as a backup to San Jose keeper David Kramer for a pair of MLS games while …

The U.S. men's U-17 national team departs for Buenos Aires on Jan. 28 to play their first and only scheduled 1999 friendlies before beginning CONCACAF qualifying for the 1999 U-17 World Cup in February. The squad, led by head coach John Ellinger, will play the Boca Juniors youth team on Feb. 1 before squaring off against Argentina's U-17 team on Feb. 5. The U.S. U-17s began their 10-month residency program on Jan. 17. They will be competing in CONCACAF qualifying in Montego Bay, Jamaica Feb. 20-March 1. The 1999 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be held in New Zealand in …

The U.S. men's U-20s downed Denmark 1-0 on Jan. 24 in their first international match of 1999. The game was each team's first in the Copa de Atlantico tournament being held in the Canary Islands. New England Revolution forward Jamar Beasley scored the contest's lone goal in the 24th minute off an assist from Nick Garcia. The U.S. faces Spain on Jan. 26 and will return home on Jan. 30. They will regroup Feb. 5 in Jacksonville, Fla. for a short training camp before heading to Spain for a two-week foreign tour Feb. 9-20. The U-20s will be competing in …

The U.S. men's national team played an entertaining, attacking brand of soccer, yet failed to crack the Bolivian goal as the teams played to a scoreless draw in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The match, which was the second for the U.S. under new head coach Bruce Arena, was the culmination of two weeks of training and competition for the squad. "This was a pretty good result for us, considering we were playing on foreign soil," said Arena. "We created a number of chances, and it was unfortunate that we didn't score a goal. Tactically, we played almost a perfect game." The …

Justin Lovich Pittsburgh FIFA President Sepp Blatter is considering a change in the World Cup format which would make the World Cup a biennial event. I understand that UEFA is not happy with the proposal, so much so that they are considering seceding from FIFA. Is UEFA's stance a true possibility, or just a threat? What are SA's thoughts on a biennial World Cup? Paul Kennedy: Will UEFA secede from FIFA? Unlikely. Just as unlikely as Blatter getting his proposal off the ground. The proposal to hold the World Cup every two years would devalue the European Championship (and other …

Bolivia vs. USA (International Friendly) Jan. 24 at Stadio de Tahuichi in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. (No U.S. Television.) HISTORY Bolivia has traditionally been one of the weakest countries in South America. It has qualified for only three World Cups (1930, '50 and '94). Its greatest feats came in 1963 when it hosted and won the Copa America for the first and only time and in 1993 when it beat Brazil 2-0, marking the first time Brazil lost a World Cup qualifier. Bolivia lost to Brazil in the final of the '97 Copa America in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, …

The 1999 MLS College Draft and the 1999 MLS Supplemental Draft will be held Feb. 7. Here is a look at the order for the two drafts. 1999 MLS College Draft FIRST ROUND 1. D.C. United (from New England) 2. Kansas City Wizards 3. San Jose Clash 4. Chicago Fire (from Tampa Bay) 5. Miami Fusion 6. Dallas Burn 7. MetroStars 8. Colorado Rapids 9. Columbus Crew 10. Los Angeles Galaxy 11. Chicago Fire (from D.C. United) 12. Chicago Fire SECOND ROUND 1. Los Angeles Galaxy (from New England) 2. Kansas City Wizards 3. San Jose Clash …

U.S. Soccer has announced that the U.S. Cup '99 will take place as doubleheaders on March 11 and 13 in Los Angeles and San Diego, respectively. The three teams joining the host United States to make up the four-team field are Bolivia, Guatemala and two-time defending champion Mexico. The U.S. national team will open the 1999 Nike U.S. Cup against first-time participant Guatemala at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, March 11 at 5:30 p.m. (PT), with Bolivia facing off against Mexico in the second match at 8 p.m. (PT). The USA-Guatemala match at 5:30 p.m. (PT) will be …

Freshman of the Year Taylor Twellman (Maryland) Twellman became the go-to-guy on the forward line for the Terrapins. His 40 points -- 16 goals (six gamewinners) and eight assists -- led the team by a large margin. The Terrapins would not have reached the final four in Richmond without Twellman. He scored the winning goals in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. Soccer America 1998 MenÆs All-Freshman Team Bole Acimovic (Jacksonville) forward Top freshman scorer in country with 56 points. Dan Califf (Maryland) defender One of three Terrapins to start and play in all 24 games. Chris …

Justi Baumgardt and Samantha Baggett are the first floaters to be brought into the U.S. womenÆs national team residency camp in Florida. Baggett, a former Duke defender, impressed U.S. coach Tony DiCicco during the U.S. U-21 camp that was held concurrently with the first few days of the womenÆs camp. Baumgardt, a one-time all-America midfielder at Portland, stood out with the U.S. amateur team in Orlando.

The American media's attitude to sports outside of U.S. borders reminds me of the old gag: Q: "What's the difference between ignorance and indifference? A: "We don't know and we don't care." The latest reminder came in the wake of Michael Jordan's retirement. That wonderful player deserves the paeans. But American sports pundits who try to put his career in a historical and global context only remind us how parochial our media remain. They called him the "most popular athlete of all time" and the "most important sports figure of this century, along with Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali." Glenn …