USA Soccer News

WASHINGTON (AP) _ David Beckham emerged from the home baseball dugout at RFK Stadium in a Los Angeles Galaxy uniform, waved a few times to the crowd, then took his seat on the end of the bench _ with the rest of the substitutes. Beckham was among seven substitutes on the Galaxy's lineup sheet for Thursday night's game against D.C. United, giving the sellout crowd of more than 45,000 at least some optimism that the English midfielder ...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) _ The opening of the New York Red Bulls' US$140-million stadium has been pushed back two months until September 2008 because of delays in the cleanup of industrial waste and foundations at the stadium site. Any more delays in the completion of the Red Bull Park in Harrison would force the team to play its entire 2008 MLS season at Giants Stadium, managing director Marc de Grandpre said Monday. De Grandpre said that ...

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) _ Liverpool has linked up with a junior league in New York to promote the club and boost coaching in the United States. The record 18-time English champion announced the affiliation with Long Island Junior Soccer League, which has more than 70,000 participants, on Thursday. Although Liverpool's rival Arsenal formed a partnership with Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids in February, Liverpool is the first Premier League club ...

Quotes after David Beckham's announcement that he signed a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy and will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season: ``I've played now for two of the biggest clubs in the world and played at the highest level for 15 years and now I think that I need another challenge.'' _ Beckham. ``There are so many great sports in America. There are so ...

Bend this, TomKat and Brangelina: Becks `n' Posh are coming to Hollywood. And David Beckham didn't even have to audition to become the next American Idol. The most recognized soccer player on the planet _ fashion icon, tabloid fixture, marketing giant _ agreed to a five-year deal Thursday to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. ``David Beckham is a global sports icon who will transcend the sport of soccer in ...

People will read who's headed for Hollywood and assume they've seen this movie before. Not ``Bend It Like Beckham,'' of course, but the movie in which an aging soccer star relocates to America and tries to help the game take flight. Just because that one ended badly, all the soccer-haters want to believe this one will, too. Remember: 31-year-old David Beckham barely was born when the central events depicted in ...

David Beckham alone won't transform soccer in the United States. It will take an influx of other European stars to make a real impact. That's the view of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, one of the most successful coaches in the English Premier League. Beckham agreed to the biggest deal in soccer history Thursday and will join the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer after his current contract with Spanish ...

The 2007 MLS Cup will be played at RFK Stadium, bringing the title game to Washington for the third time, an official within the league told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the formal announcement will be made Thursday in a news conference at RFK. RFK also hosted the game in 1997 and 2000. The 1997 game drew one of the largest crowds ...

Freddy Adu was traded Monday from D.C. United to Real Salt Lake, ending a sometimes tumultuous three-year run in Washington for the highly touted teenager who clashed with his coach and was often frustrated by his role. The 17-year-old will move to a MLS city in need of a marketable star as it hopes to boost attendance and gain support for a new stadium. He will also get to be ...

Juergen Klinsmann withdrew Thursday from consideration as coach of the U.S. soccer team after several months of talks failed to lead to an agreement. U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati scheduled a telephone conference call with reporters Friday ``to make an important announcement on the search for the next head coach of the U.S. men's national team,'' a Federation statement said. Bob Bradley, the coach of Major League Soccer's Chivas ...

New York Red Bulls midfielder Mark Lisi retired Wednesday because of a hernia, ending a six-year career. Lisi, third all-time in Red Bulls history with 30 assists, was placed on the injury reserve list Aug. 24 after two hernia surgeries and a muscle strain. ``It was the most difficult decision I've ever made,'' said the 29-year-old Lisi. ``When you dedicate and make sacrifices to become a pro and then it ...

The New York Red Bulls traded former MVP Amado Guevara to Chivas USA on Monday for a designated player slot and a third-round draft pick. Guevara had eight goals and five assists this season. ``Amado is a tremendous player and his contribution to our team in the past has been undeniable,'' said Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena. ``However, in the long run, by acquiring a second designated player slot as ...

Mixed in with the heartbreak and anger, there also was pride after Canada lost 2-1 to the United States on a controversial penalty kick in the 30th minute of overtime Sunday in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup women's soccer tournament. Kristine Lilly calmly struck a ball that beat Canadian keeper Erin McLeod, giving the U.S. its third consecutive Gold Cup championship. Mexican referee Virginia Tovar signalled the penalty ...

It's one game to decide the best team in the Eastern Conference, and that suits D.C. United just fine. United host the New England Revolution at RFK Stadium on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the MLS Cup on Nov. 12 in Frisco, Texas. There, it will take on the winner of the Western Conference final later Sunday between the Houston Dynamo and Colorado Rapids. Houston features three Canadians including ...

Ante Razov and Francisco Palencia scored goals and Brad Guzan came up with a save on a late penalty kick to help Chivas USA beat Houston 2-1 in a Western Conference semifinal match on Sunday. Razov scored in the 45th minute while Palencia doubled Chivas lead in the 68th minute. Houston's Brian Ching scored in the 75th minute. Guzan, though, kept Houston from drawing level after stopping Toronto-native Dwayne De Rosario's penalty kick in the 86th minute. Chivas will ...

Stop thinking of Freddy Adu of the D.C. United as the youngest player in the MLS. That honour belongs to Jozy Altidore of the New York Red Bulls, the team that Adu and company will meet on Saturday in the opening leg of a home-and-home, first-round playoff series that will open at Giants Stadium. Altidore is one of the big reasons the Red Bulls staged a late-season comeback under former ...

D.C. United's Troy Perkins was honoured as MLS Goalkeeper of the Year on Thursday after his first full season starting for the club. Perkins led the league in wins (15), was selected to the all-star game, and had eight shutouts and a 1.13 goals-against average as United owned the best regular-season record in MLS. ``I'm a bit shocked by this announcement,'' Perkins said, ``but I'm really happy.'' New England's Matt ...

Landon Donovan scored two goals and Cobi Jones had a goal and three assists to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 5-2 victory over FC Dallas on Saturday night. Herculez Gomez added a goal and two assists for Los Angeles (11-15-6), which extended its home winning streak against FC Dallas (16-12-4) to 11 games over five years. Abe Thompson gave Dallas a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute with an 11-yard shot off Ronnie O'Brien's pass ...

Jacob Peterson scored from in close in the 88th minute Saturday night to give Colorado a 3-3 tie with the Houston Dynamo and clinch a playoff spot for the Rapids. Thiago Martins had two goals for Colorado, which finished the regular season with a 11-13-8 record to secure the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Craig Waibel had two goals and Paul Dalglish one for Houston. The tie gave Houston a 2-0-1 record in games against ...

Glenn Myernick, an assistant coach for the U.S. soccer team and a former head coach of Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids, died Monday after suffering a heart attack last week. He was 51. Myernick collapsed Thursday after his regular morning jog and never regained consciousness, Rapids spokesman Jurgen Mainka said. Myernick coached the Rapids from 1997-2001, taking them to the MLS Cup title game in his first year, and coached ...

Mehdi Ballouchy's goal in the second half gave Real Salt Lake a 1-1 tie Saturday night against the Houston Dynamo. Salt Lake remains two points behind the Colorado Rapids, who also earned a tie Saturday night. Salt Lake (10-18-8) will get into the playoffs only if it wins next week and the Rapids lose. Houston (11-8-12) already has clinched a playoff spot. Toronto's Dwayne De Rosario came in the 73rd minute as a substitute and committed one foul. Ballouchy ...

Kenny Cooper and Carlos Ruiz scored to lift FC Dallas to a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday night. FC Dallas (16-11-4) clinched the top seed in the Western Conference and could have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs _ including the MLS Cup Final, which is scheduled to be played at Pizza Hut Park on Nov. 12. The loss eliminated the defending MLS Cup Champion Galaxy (10-15-6) from the playoffs for the first time in ...

The FIFA World Cup trophy paraded through Boston's North End in tribute to Italy's championship, but there was one problem: It really wasn't the trophy. Mayor Thomas Menino kissed the trophy, and fans waited hours in line to have a $5 picture taken with the trophy when it was brought to the city's heavily Italian neighbourhood Tuesday. But the trophy, which Anheuser-Busch is touring around the country, is a gold-plated ...

Clint Dempsey was chosen the U.S. soccer player of the year Tuesday, honoured for his scoring prowess on the national team. He had four goals in nine games for the American team this year, including one in the World Cup, and finished tied for the team lead in goals. Dempsey, who made his debut with the national team at the end of 2004, has scored six goals in his 23 ...