Latest Australia Soccer News

Australia will play Ghana in a soccer friendly in London on Nov. 14, Football Federation Australia said Friday. Australia, preparing for next year's Asian Cup finals, will play the 24th-ranked Ghanians at Loftus Road in west London, home of Queens Park Rangers. Ghana was the only African country to make the second round of the World Cup, beating the Czech Republic and the United States before being eliminated by Brazil in the second round. Australia, ranked 37th, also lost ...

Adelaide United coach John Kosmina will be banned from the sidelines for four matches following a weekend incident when he grabbed a Melbourne player by the throat during an A-League soccer match. Kosmina was expelled from the technical area _ where the coaching staff and reserve players sit _ immediately following the incident with Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat last Sunday. The Australian soccer league's disciplinary chief has extended the mandatory one-match ban for the expulsion from the ...

Substitute Michael Beauchamp's own goal in stoppage time Saturday cancelled out the goal that veteran Tony Popovic thought had given Australia a win over Paraguay in his last international. Popovic's header from a Mark Bresciano free kick in the 88th minute gave Australia a 1-0 lead after a long period of possession that produced five scoring chances. But Paraguay got a lucky equalizer three minutes into injury time to make it 1-1 in a friendly international billed partly ...

Newcastle United defender Craig Moore won't get a homecoming parade. A missed training session cost him a place in the international send off match for several of his Socceroos teammates and Paraguay captain Carlos Gamarra. Australia meets Paraguay on Saturday in a belated welcome home to most members of the squad that reached the World Cup second round, where a last-minute penalty resulted in a 1-0 loss to eventual champion ...

Newcastle United defender Craig Moore has been suspended from the Australian squad for missing scheduled training and public appearances ahead of Saturday's soccer friendly against Paraguay. With captain Mark Viduka unavailable, Moore had been a likely candidate to lead Australia against Paraguay in Brisbane and next week in an Asian Cup qualifier against Bahrain at Sydney. But he missed a flight from Sydney to Brisbane on Wednesday, missing training and ...

Former Brazilian World Cup star Romario will play four games with Australian team Adelaide United in this year's A-League soccer competition. Romario, a member of Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning team, will play for Adelaide in November and December, the team said Friday. His first game will be an away match Nov. 25 against the Central Coast Mariners. The 40-year-old Romario just completed a one-year contract with Miami FC, an expansion ...

Mark Viduka will keep playing for Australia's national soccer team _ just maybe not in every game. The 30-year-old striker, who plays for English Premier League team Middlesbrough, missed Australia's 2-0 loss at Kuwait in an Asian Cup qualifier on Thursday. He might miss the next Australia game, too, but said he told Australia coach Graham Arnold he didn't want to retire from international soccer. ``It is a big commitment ...

World Cup goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer of English Premier League side Middlesbrough was among 18 players named Thursday for Australia's Asian Cup qualifier in Kuwait City on Sept. 6. Schwarzer could captain the squad against Kuwait in the absence of Mark Viduka. Liverpool winger Harry Kewell, Everton's Tim Cahill and Blackburn defender Lucas Neill are other notable absentees from the squad. Australian coach Graham Arnold did not use any Europe-based players in the home win over Kuwait last month, but ...

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) _ Australian soccer hopes to use momentum gathered at this year's World Cup to boost its popularity among sports fans absorbed by oval-ball games when the national A-League begins its second season Saturday. Australia reached the second round at the World Cup in Germany in July, bringing joy to existing soccer supporters, who have often lived on Australian sport's periphery, and attracting new followers who have brought ...