Archive → May, 2011

DC United Ends Timbers

29 May, 23:53, by admin Tags: , , , ,

DC United won 3-2 at Portland on Sunday to end the first-year MLS club’s run of five home wins. Perry Kitchen put DC United ahead in the 13th minute and the visitors held that advantage until the 64th minute.

DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid twice saved spot-kicks—both taken by Kenny Cooper—but each time the referee ordered the kick be retaken, adjudging Hamid to have come too far off the goal line. Hamid confronted the referee and was booked before Jewsbury took over the duties from Cooper and converted at the third attempt.

Ten minutes later, United were awarded a penalty of their own and Chris Pontius made it 2-1 to the visitors. That became 3-1 in the 85th minute when Josh Wolff scored. Jorge Perlaza’s header cut the deficit to 3-2 to raise Portland’s hopes, but they ran out of time to find an equalizer.

Source: Yahoo

Luke Rodgers: The New York Red Bull’s Standout Player

20 May, 07:40, by admin Tags: ,

He might look exactly like Austin Power’s Mini-Me, but he has the energy and temper of someone of a much larger size—and that’s exactly what the New York Red Bulls like about forward Luke Rodgers. According to SoccerInferno sports toolbar, Rodgers stands only 5-foot-7, but he makes up for what he lacks in height with a rugged, all-out playing style that’s helped the Red Bulls secure more than a few wins. The 29-year-old Brit even made recent headlines when he dared to call out fan favorite Landon Donovan for shouting at linemen and cursing at referees. That doesn’t go to say that Rodgers himself brings a clean slate to the game, however; He has numerous charges in England for drunken bar fights and even one for accidentally wounding a teenage girl with fireworks. Despite his past, Rodgers’ teammates are more than happy to have him aboard.

“I love Luke Rodgers,” said Bouna Coundoul, goalkeeper for the Red Bulls, in an interview with ESPN. “He’s the type of guy who is going to fight from the beginning until the end. He can create chances out of nothing. There’s few forwards in this league who follow all the chances until the end [the way he does]. When he plays against you, he’s a headache, because he keeps knocking, knocking, knocking, until he gets something out of it. I love playing with him—a nice guy to have on your team.”

Barcelona Takes Home Third Spanish Title

14 May, 07:15, by admin Tags: ,

After a 1-1 draw at Levante, Barcelona sealed their third consecutive Spanish title on Wednesday night, thanks to Seydou Keita, who put the team ahead in the 28th minute after heading in Xavi Hernandez’ pass. Close to a win, but not close enough—Felipe Caicedo tied the score in the 40th minutes after Gerard Pique flubbed an attempted clearance. Still, Barcelona left with the title.

It was the team’s fifth time winning the Spanish league title in seven seasons, but because of the tie, Barcelona can no longer become the first team in Spain to reach 100 points.

“Each league title has been tough to win,” said Barcelona Coach pep Guardiola. “Now it’s time to enjoy it.” Visit SoccerInferno for more details about the game.

U.S. U-20 Drops Thomas Rongen as Coach

06 May, 13:37, by admin Tags: ,

According to ESPN and details from the SoccerInferno toolbar, Thomas Rongen was dismissed as the head coach of the under-20 U.S. Men’s National Team, after almost nine years of working with the group he led to several memorable wins.

Overall, Rongen’s records were good—but when it came to the World Cup, his successes weren’t so stable. He led the team to the quarterfinals in 2003 and 2007 and elimination in group play in 2009. The coach is also known for his eye for talent, having been credited with the discovery of several college players who went on to play for the senior national team, including Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Charlie Davies and Sacha Kljestan. He also brought in foreign-based players such as Zak Whitbread, Mikkel Diskerud, Omar Salgado and Conor Doyle.

“I think if the criteria are to win and go to the World Cup each and every time with all of our teams, then this is a logical step,” Rongen said in an interview with ESPN, regarding his dismissal. “I’ve been in this business long enough to understand that. It’s always a fine line of winning over development, or development over winning, but I do understand the decision and I respect it.”