MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
SEATTLE SOUNDERS vs. WHITECAPS FC
CASCADIA CUP
7:00 PM SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2015
CENTURYLINK FIELD, SEATTLE, WA.
Ousted keeps a second-half clean sheet for MLS All-Stars in 2-1 win over Spurs – Whitecaps FC
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC goalkeeper kept a second-half clean sheet to help the MLS All-Stars come away with a 2-1 win over Spurs on Wednesday night in Colorado.
MLS All-Stars 2, Tottenham Hotspur 1 | 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game Match Recap – MLS
Brazilian superstar Kaká spoke about how he dreamed of playing in an All-Star Game and he came to play on Wednesday night. The Orlando City SC Designated Player registered a goal and assist and took MVP honors as he captained the MLS All-Stars to a 2-1 win against English Premier League side Tottenham.
Kaka, Rimando’s strong first-half showings help MLS All-Stars edge Tottenham – SBI
The MLS All-Star Game is an opportunity to showcase the league’s best talent, and two of the newest superstars to make the jump from Europe combined for a pair of first-half goals in another victory.
Fans the winners on All-Star night – ESPN FC
Three quick thoughts after the MLS All-Stars rode first-half goals from World Cup winners Kaka and David Villa to beat English club Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on a perfect Wednesday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the league’s annual midsummer classic.
Fixing the All-Farce Game – 24th Minute
Do you have MLS All-Star Game fever? If so, you might be the only person who does. The annual mid-season game (it’s not a mid-season break as the players don’t get any time off) takes place tonight in Colorado as the league all-stars take on Tottenham Hotspur. The Europa League group stage meets the disinterested stars of MLS!
MLS Commissioner Don Garber says league is considering instant replay, All-Star format change – MLS
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber touched on a variety of topics during an interview with FOX Sports 1 at halftime of Wednesday’s AT&T MLS All-Star Game, expressing interest in using instant replay to assist in referee decisions and saying the league is considering an All-Star Game format change.
Defending the Cascadia Cup: ‘Caps need a point on Saturday to stay alive – Whitecaps FC
The Cascadia Cup could be awarded on Saturday night at CenturyLink Field (7 p.m. PT on TSN1) – but not if Vancouver Whitecaps FC have anything to do with it.
All 3 Canadian clubs in the playoff hunt in MLS – Sportsnet
Wednesday night’s Major League Soccer All-Star Game in Denver pitting the league’s best players vs. Tottenham marks the unofficial halfway point of the regular season.
Whitecaps will test Sam Adekugbe in a busy month – Vancouver Sun
Sam Adekugbe hadn’t been in front of the cameras, microphones and digital recorders after a Whitecaps training session in quite a while.
Ten things you need to know about the CONCACAF Champions League – Whitecaps FC
Exactly one week from Wednesday, Vancouver Whitecaps FC will kick off their 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League campaign at home against longtime rival Seattle Sounders FC, who they also happen to meet this weekend at CenturyLink Field.
Utter Mayhem: Wild scenes in Montreal as Impact fans mob Didier Drogba at the airport on arrival – MLS
As the big striker sauntered down the stairs, hundreds of supporters rushed the safety barriers. Except they weren’t barriers so much as nylon hurdles for onrushing fans to trample in their haste to catch a glipse of the man of the hour.
Didier Drogba greeted by soccer fan frenzy in Montreal – CBC
Montreal’s newest athlete, soccer superstar Didier Drogba, was greeted by loud cheers, chants and camera flashes as fans gathered at Trudeau Airport to welcome him to his new home.
LA Galaxy and Jaime Penedo mutually agree to part ways – LA Galaxy
The LA Galaxy and goalkeeper Jaime Penedo have agreed to mutually terminate the Panamanian’s contract.
Orlando City working on deal to send Donovan Ricketts to L.A. Galaxy – Orlando Sentinel
Orlando City is not done wheeling and dealing. The club is currently working on a deal that would send goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to the L.A. Galaxy, multiple sources told the Orlando Sentinel.
Swiss veteran Tranquillo Barnetta set to join Philadelphia Union – SI.com
Swiss international Tranquillo Barnetta has decided to join the Philadelphia Union on a free transfer, a source with knowledge of the situation tells SI.com.
The symbiotic relationship between ageing footballers and MLS transfers – The Guardian
Didier Drogba has joined Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in swapping a European superclub for MLS. That transition seems natural and sensible now but it’s easy to forget that David Beckham was mocked for leaving Europe in 2007.
The Aging Stars of Major League Soccer – The Atlantic
A flood of highly paid, past-their-prime European players are coming to the U.S., raising questions about whether their star power helps the American game or hurts it.
Kaká for MVP? ‘He’s a brilliant human being. You can’t fail to be impressed’ – The Guardian
Orlando’s Brazilian star has staked his claim to win the individual award – and he’s proving to be the most important designated player since David Beckham.
Marlins contract makes soccer next door a tougher game – Miami Today
Much as we might want a Major League Soccer stadium near Marlins Park, the clock is running out and obstacles loom, an unreported barrier being the Miami Marlins.
Atlanta United practice field deal with DeKalb revealed – AJC.com
A proposed deal for practice soccer fields and a corporate headquarters for Atlanta United FC would cost DeKalb County an estimated $12 million, 41 acres of government land and tax considerations, according to a pending agreement.
The day FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja took on drug lord Pablo Escobar – The Guardian
He’s a forward-thinking coach in MLS, but as a player, Oscar Pareja had a front-row seat in the days when Colombian soccer was dominated by drug cartels.
The Birth of a League – SI.com
A 10-team organization with zero soccer-specific stadiums at the start, Major League Soccer now has 20 franchises, 13 of them playing in homes of their own, with payrolls that have tripled. As the league plays its 20th season, key figures recall the kickoff campaign.
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BC SOCCER
Cops attend tense AGM of suspended Surrey Central City Breakers soccer club – The Province
Hundreds of parents whose kids play in a Surrey youth soccer club suspended over allegations of bylaw violations and financial impropriety have been shut out of the Central City Breakers’ annual general meeting.
Where’s the BC Semi-Pro League? – Maple Leaf Forever
Semi-professional soccer could be a success in British Columbia. The clubs, the players, and the fields already exist. Much of the province has a history second-to-none in North America and a local soccer culture with fans used to supporting their local amateurs.
Surrey youth soccer programs suspended – Surrey Leader
The Coastal City Football Club (CCFC) is claiming the suspension of both its boys’ and girls’ programs have been levied before the youth soccer group can answer the allegations against it.
Whitecaps make visit to Nanaimo for a cause – Nanaimo Daily News
The Vancouver Whitecaps were in the Harbour City on Wednesday as part of the fourth annual Hope and Health program. More than 400 Aboriginal children were at Beban Park fields for a day of soccer fun, which saw Whitcaps players Steven Beitashour, Pa-Modou Kah, Tim Parker and former captain Jay DeMerit all come out to provide some tips and insight.
FIFA 16 for Playstation 4 Arrives September 22! Pre-Order Now and Save.
WFC2 & USL
Have ball, will travel: Billy Schuler’s journey to Europe and back – Whitecaps FC
11,113 miles as the crow flies. That’s the distance Billy Schuler’s soccer career has gone, starting from his hometown in New Jersey to Vancouver – with stops in North Carolina, Stockholm and Northern California.
Quintessentially Canadian Power Rankings — Looking at the USL – the11.ca
Since we launched the Quintessential Canadian Power Rankings this spring, which catalogues the minutes played by Canadian players in MLS and NASL, there have been readers who’ve written in asking why we don’t also include USL numbers.
Milwaukee soccer group gets season ticket pledges for team that doesn’t exist…yet – WISports.com
James Moran isn’t necessarily casting his net out to try and catch a Major League Soccer franchise for Milwaukee, at least not for the next few years. His current target is one of the second or third-tier leagues, the North American Soccer League or the United Soccer League. It would not necessarily need a new stadium – perhaps using an existing venue in Milwaukee.
FIFA 16 for Xbox One is coming September 22! Pre-Order Now and Save.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Abby Wambach plans to play in 2016 Olympics – SBI
The all-time leading goal scorer in international soccer has revealed she has no plans to quit the national team before next summer. Abby Wambach, while speaking on a morning show in her hometown of Rochester, New York, said that she hopes to be a part of the U.S. Women’s National Team that competes in the 2016 Olympics.
Lloyd scores another winner; Dash leapfrog FCKC – The Equalizer
Carli Lloyd scored for the seventh straight match in all competitions to lift the Houston Dash past FC Kansas City, 3-2 on Wednesday at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.
Women’s FA Cup: Katie Chapman’s road to Wembley – BBC Sport
“My aim was to always play for England and one of the first games I went to watch was an England Women’s game against Germany when I was about 12. Looking back, it was going to that game that inspired me to make it in sport.”
Women’s FA Cup final: Laura Bassett eyes Notts County history – BBC Sport
Having said she would “prefer no-one to know my name” only a month ago, the Notts County captain concedes that becoming the first woman to lift the FA Cup trophy at Wembley on Saturday would be a seminal moment in time.
Women’s FA Cup: Mystery of missing trophy from first final – BBC Sport
A member of the Southampton team who won the first Women’s FA Cup in 1971 is hoping to find the missing trophy for the National Football Museum.
NASL
Forward Omar Salgado Joins Rowdies On Loan From Tigres UANL – Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Tampa Bay Rowdies have added forward Omar Salgado on loan from Mexico’s Tigres UANL for the remainder of the 2015 North American Soccer League season, the club announced Wednesday, pending ITC clearance.
Veteran Smith playing major role for Eddies in Fall Season – FC Edmonton
FC Edmonton signed defender Johann Smith prior to the start of the 2015 North American Soccer League (NASL) Spring Season. The 28-year-old veteran has brought invaluable overseas experience to the Eddies roster.
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WORLD OF SOCCER
Stalemate as Tigres held by River – FIFA
Mexican side Tigres’ hopes of claiming a first-leg advantage in the Copa Libertadores final were frustrated by River Plate on Wednesday in a 0-0 stalemate.
Mexico coach Miguel Herrera sorry for ‘painful incident’ that led to firing – The Guardian
Herrera admits ‘it is not the attitude that a coach for the Mexican team should take’ after TV reporter accuses ‘El Piojo’ of punching him at Philadelphia airport.
Rapid hold Ajax, Celtic, Basel, Salzburg win – UEFA
Basel, Celtic and Salzburg won their third qualifying round first legs on Wednesday but Rapid Wien came from two down to deny Ajax while HJK drew with Astana and Steaua held Partizan.
Serbian MPs propose ways to combat match-fixing, including club privatisation – Inside World Football
Serbian Members of Parliament (MPs) have been discussing measures to combat match-fixing which has plagued the top tier of the country’s league. Some of the proposals put forward by local politicians include the much-awaited privatisation of state-owned clubs, introducing stricter regulations, as well as suspending the league.
CONMEBOL publishes anti-corruption measures – Sportsnet
The CONMEBOL soccer body will begin publishing the salary of its president and executive council members after being plunged into crisis by the FIFA bribery scandal.
David Moyes: Money has ruined the Premier League – The Telegraph
David Moyes is talking about the tolerance level needed to be a football manager. “You have to take your poison,” he explains. “So whatever poison it is you will have a different level. I had a very good level at Everton. Some clubs you go to you have to take a bigger dose of it.”
Fifa: Chung Mong-joon wants to replace Sepp Blatter as president – BBC Sport
Chung is a former vice-president of world football’s governing body and the major shareholder of the industrial giant Hyundai.
Fifa exhibit to open at America’s national museum of organized crime – The Guardian
The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas announced on Monday the opening of The ‘Beautiful Game’ Turns Ugly, a permanent display on world soccer’s governing body and the corruption scandal that’s engulfed it.