“People pay all over the world to see him. He has to deal with that. Sometimes he has to play, sometimes he is on the bench. He has that obligation to fulfill for the fans who are paying to bethere for him. He lives with that.” — Argentina coach Gerardo Martino on Lionel Messi, who […]
copa centenario
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Crowd Count: Mexico is top Copa Centenario draw
Not unexpectedly, Mexico was the top draw at the Copa Centenario for the group stage, averaging 70,202 fans a game. Even though Lionel Messi sat out the first game and only played in thesecond half of the next two, Argentina was second with an average of 56,367 fans for its three games. The USA (52,707) […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Video Pick: Copa golazo by Chile's Alexis Sanchez
Scorer of two goals of his own, Eduardo Vargas jukes a pair of Panama defenders before lofting a pass for Alexis Sanchez to volley magnificently past keeperJaime Pinedo in Chile’s 4-2 win in the Copa Centenario.
Posted inAround The Net in Soccer World Daily, Story
Dunga fired; replacement will head Olympic team
The Brazilian soccer federation has fired Coach Dunga following Brazil’s first-round Copa Centenario exit, which means his successor will lead Brazil’s team at this summer’sOlympic Games that Brazil is hosting. Dunga, who had coached Brazil in 2006-2010, started his second stint at the helm after Brazil’s exit from the 2014 World Cup with a a […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Copa Centenario: Results & schedule
The eighth and final berth in the Copa Centenario quarterfinals went to Chile, a 4-2 winner over Panama in Philadelphia. The defending champion trailed in the fifth minute but recovered to winon a pair of goals each by Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanchez. Note: All times ET. GROUP AJune 3 in Santa Clara, California USA […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Klinsmann: Soccer is 20 years behind NBA and NFL
U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann says soccer shouldn’t be handicapped by the lack of instant replay that prevented the refereeing crew from determining Raul Ruidiaz‘s goalshould have been disallowed for a handball in Sunday’s Brazil-Peru game. “For big decisions, like last night with the handball,” Klinsmann said of the goal that gave Peru a […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Copa Central: Venezuela's amazing Vinotinto
Venezuela beat 2015 Gold Cup runner-up Jamaica and Uruguay, the Copa America record-holder with 15 titles, and it came within 10 minutes of knocking off Mexico before settling for a 1-1 tie before67,319 fans in Houston. Mexico had a huge edge in play, but Jose Manuel Velazquez scored on a scissors volley to give La […]
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Video Pick: Houston, we've got two golazos
With both teams assured passage into the quarterfinals, Mexico and Venezuela met at Houston’s Reliant Stadium to determine Group C first place. They delivered a 1-1 tie and two of the CopaCentenario’s best goals so far: a scissor kick by Venezuela’s Jose Manuel Velazquez and the solo effort by Jesus Corona in which he evaded […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Berliner John Brooks takes charge of USA's defense
By Mike Woitalla Just three years ago, John Brooks, born and raised in Berlin but the son of a U.S. serviceman from Illinois, was still deciding whether torepresent Germany or the USA. Brooks was among a few hundred foreign-based players with eligibility to play for the USA identified by Thomas Rongen, who served as U.S. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Copa Central: Brazil cries foul, to no avail
Video replay cannot come soon enough for what happened Sunday night at the Copa Centenario in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Brazil exited the tournament in stunning fashion — well, not so stunning forthe team’s numerous critics — as it lost to Peru, 1-0, on a goal by Raul Ruidiaz in the 75th minute. Replays showed Ruidiaz batted the […]