Category → Major League Soccer

President Welcomes LA Galaxy, Beckham to White House

16 May, 08:28, by admin Tags: ,

Yesterday, President Barack Obama welcomed the full LA Galaxy roster to the White House to congratulate them on their victory over the Houston Dynamo to clench the title of MLS Cup Champions. Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena and American team member Landon Donovan presented the POTUS with a soccer ball and a Galaxy jersey with the president’s name printed on the back.

Obama proclaimed the Galaxy as the “Miami Heat of soccer,” and specifically called out the teams three biggest superstars: Donovan, David Beckham and Irish forward Robbie Keane.  The President congratulated Beckham, age 37, for defying age and having one of his most successful seasons since coming to the United States.

“[It’s a] rare man who can be that touch on the field and also have his own line of underwear,” the President joked.

Following the ceremony, the team joined First Lady Michelle Obama and young students from around the country on the White House’s South Lawn to teach a soccer clinic.

The Galaxy finished the 2011 regular season with 19 wins and a league-high 67 points. In the playoffs, Donovan led the team with three postseason goals, including the single goal scored in the championship game against Houston. It was the Galaxy’s third time winning the MLS cup.

MLS Expects Great Success

25 April, 11:10, by admin Tags: , ,

World Cup 2022 – Watch out, the MLS is expected to be among the world’s best soccer leagues as it gears up for the next World Cup.  The next World Cup will be played a decade from now (2022) in Qatar.  Commissioner Don Garber said, the goal is to make the MLS one of the world’s best leagues and that’s a realistic goal.

“Unfortunately, they thought it would be better to have it in Qatar and play those games at 120 degrees in the middle of the summer,” Garber said Tuesday on a visit to Denver for an MLS board of governors meeting. “I’m not convinced that those games will end up being played in the summer, but at the end of the day, they made a decision that did not derail us from our goal. The plan is to still try to create a league that can compete with the other soccer leagues around the world in four or five different ways.”

Passionate soccer fans support and cheer on the MLS. The average attendance per game ranks seventh in the world, passing France and Holland.  In fact, soccer is the second-most popular sport for age groups 12-24.

In cities such as, Seattle, Portland, Toronto, Salt Lake City and Kansas City, MLS is largely popular.

For updates on the World Cup 2022 and the World Cup 2014, SoccerInferno Toolbar is a great resources for recent news, player stats, and upcoming games. The toolbar will help you stay up to date so that you don’t miss a beat.

Adidas Plans Smart Soccer Match for MLS All-Star Team

11 April, 09:13, by admin Tags: ,

This summer, Adidas will partner with U.S. Major League Soccer to showcase some of the latest technology aimed at helping soccer players perform at their best. Adidas will unveil their new program, called “miCoach” at the MLS All-Star game held July 25. It’s rumored that the opponents for this ‘smart’ match will be Chelsea.

What exactly is miCoach? Similar to Nike’s Nike+, the program aggregates information taken from the players’ shoes and displays it on a tablet. Coaches will be able to access player stats in real-time including speed, acceleration and power output. Some opponents of similar software worry that access to such data could turn soccer from an instinct-based game into a numbers game and could push players beyond their capabilities.

The relationship between sports and technology has gotten stronger over the past several years. In February, Nike announced Nike+ Basketball, a service that includes a new line of sneakers with built-in smart chips that can relay how hard or fast a player is playing and how high a player is jumping. The data can be transmitted directly from the player to an iPhone application for tracking and recording.

On a broader level, the NFL utilized social media more than ever for this year’s Super Bowl XLVI. In Indianapolis, the site of the game, the NFL created a social media command center that could advise fans on everything from available parking spots to best sports bars.

Even though the MLS All-Star game isn’t for a couple more months, use the free SoccerInferno to keep track of what MLS players may be playing in the match and more fun stats and details. Download the Soccer Inferno toolbar today!

Donovan Heads to UK for MLS Offseason on Loan to Everton

22 December, 15:29, by admin Tags: , ,

Instead of sticking out the L.A. Galaxy’s off-season training session in the United States, Landon Donovan will be hopping the pond to play for the Everton team as part of a two-month loan deal. Galaxy fans shouldn’t worry though, the captain whose team recently became the MLS Cup champions, will play his last game for Everton on Feb. 25. He’ll be back in the states in time to join the Galaxy for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series in Toronto on March 7. The official MLS season will open three days later on March 10.

This isn’t the first time the American has played for Everton. He spent 10 months with the club prior to the 2010 season. Not only did he score two goals in his 13 games, but also won the club’s Player of the Month honor. Though he indicated during the latter part of the MLS season that he wasn’t planning on accepting a loan move, he did say that Everton was the only English club he would consider playing for during the MLS offseason. Negotiations with the club lasted less than a week before Donovan agreed.

“This is a great opportunity for Landon,” said Galaxy coach and GM Bruce Arena in a statement. “During the final months of the 2011 season, he was limited because of an ongoing injury, and he just started to get his legs back during the playoffs. Therefore, I think that this opportunity with Everton comes at a perfect time, as he is rested and ready to go.” Follow your favorite MLS players and see what they’re up to during the off season by tracking them using the SoccerInferno toolbar.

Soccer Inferno Asks: What Is Beckham’s Next Move?

02 November, 12:44, by admin Tags: ,

Famous Brit David Beckham has once again voiced his interest in being a member of the Great Britain men’s soccer team during next year’s Summer Olympics to be held in London. As his deal with American team Los Angeles Galaxy ends, there has speculation that the 36-year-old husband and father would retire from professional soccer. To that, Beckham responded, “Right now, I feel fit and still love playing, so I’m not finished yet. As long as I feel I can play at a high level, then I’ll continue.”

“People have been saying [I am too old] for the last 10 or 15 years,” he continued in an interview with BBC Sport, “And I’ve still continued to play for my country.”

Beckham also said that several Premier League clubs and Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain have expressed interest in having him play after his contract with in American expires. Of course, Beckham hasn’t ruled out signing another contract with L.A. Galaxy just yet. Teammate Landon Donavon expressed that the team hoped Beckham would return, saying, “We are all assuming that he is going to be back.”

It has also been said that the soccer pro would like to buy a Major League Soccer team once he has finished his playing career.

“I have the option and it’s something I probably will do,” he explained. “Obviously I have to wait until I finish playing. I want to be part of something that is growing to grow and I believe that this sport is going to grow.”

Speculation will continue to surround Beckham until he makes a final decision. Will he stay in the United States? Go back to Europe? Lead the UK team to victory in the Olympics?

“I haven’t even sat down and thought about what my options are yet,” he said.

FIFA – Live Your Goals

25 June, 08:32, by admin Tags: , , ,

FIFA, the international governing body of association football, launched a new campaign today in Berlin urging young women to “Live Your Goals” by inspiring women and girls around the world to participate in organized soccer. Launched with cooperation from players in this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, like Germany’s Kim Kulig and Canada’s Christine Sinclair, the initiative hopes to encourage the next generation of female soccer players.

Through “Live Your Goals,” FIFA plans to focus not only on increasing the popularity of this year’s women’s tournament, but to also raise awareness about future competitions. The campaign highlights the benefits provided to girls and young women by playing soccer: making friends, being physically active, coping with challenging situations and learning about teamwork. Each featured player shares her personal story, demonstrating the enthusiasm, dedication and determination it takes to reach the top level’s of women’s soccer.

Source: FIFA

US Women Beat Mexico

14 June, 12:04, by admin Tags: , ,

After 90-plus minutes of close shots and excellent saves from Ceci Santiago, Mexico’s 16-year-old goalkeeper, the US finally broke the scoreless game with Lauren Cheney’s superb injury time winner from distance. It was the final match before the Women’s World Cup in Germany and the Cheney’s goal was the icing to the cake.

It wasn’t a great performance for the US team but the US is still ranked No. 1 in the world. It was enough to avenge its CONCACAF semifinal loss to Mexico back in November, which supposedly was “the biggest upset ever.”

Source: Yahoo

Guatemala vs. Honduras

07 June, 11:49, by admin Tags: , ,

Guatemala held off Honduras in their Gold Cup (B Group) opener with finishing the game with nine men.

Defenders Gustavo Cabrera and Henry Medina were sent off near the end of the match for Guatemala. Guatemala goalkeeper, Ricardo Jerez, needed treatment on multiple occasions kept his team alive. “This tie feels like a win,” Jerez told reporters after he was named man-of-the-match.

Honduras will play Grenada in their second group match in Miami, FL on Friday.

Download the SoccerInferno toolbar to see the live updates and scores from the Honduras/Grenada game on Friday. Source: Fox

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

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.”

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