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U.S. women’s soccer team out of Olympics after shootout loss

5:24 PM ETESPN.com news services

Alex Morgan and Christen Press missed penalties in a shootout and the United States women’s soccer team crashed out of the Olympics without a medal after losing to Sweden in the quarterfinals on Friday.Morgan’s 77th-minute goal had canceled out Stina Blackstenius’ opener for Sweden before the game went to penalties at 1-1, where Sweden won 4-3 and eliminated the three-time defending gold medalists.After the U.S. failed to medal for the first time since women’s soccer became an Olympic sport in 1996, goalkeeper Hope Solo criticized Sweden’s defensive style of play.”I thought that we played a courageous game,” Solo said. “I thought that we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down, I’m very proud of this team.”I also think we played a bunch of cowards. But, you know, the best team did not win today; I strongly, firmly believe that. I think you saw America’s heart. You saw us give everything that we had today. Unfortunately the better team didn’t win.”Told about Solo’s comments, Sweden coach Pia Sundhage said: “It’s OK to be a coward if you win.”The U.S. threatened three minutes into the game when Morgan’s header was cleared off the line, and Morgan Brian’s follow-up attempt was tipped over the bar by Sweden keeper Hedvig Lindahl.Morgan started another U.S. charge in the 27th minute when she carried the ball wide of the goal then cut back for Carli Lloyd, whose first-time shot was saved.The Americans’ best chance in the first half came just before the break when Mallory Pugh played through Lloyd, but Lindahl came off her line to make a good save.Lloyd came close again as the second half began, but her free kick sailed over the bar.Sweden, led by former U.S. Sundhage, took the lead in the 61st minute when Lisa Dahlkvist split the U.S. center-backs with a long through ball from within her own half. Substitute Blackstenius ran onto the ball, took one touch and sent a low shot past Solo inside the far post.The U.S. pushed for an equalizer and came close 10 minutes later when substitute Crystal Dunn squared the ball to a sliding Morgan, who could not keep a shot on target, and Lloyd’s follow-up went wide.With Sweden packing defenders into the box, Pugh’s shot went high, before Brian’s header drifted wide of the post.But the U.S. were back level in the 77th minute when Dunn flicked on a long pass with a header that caromed off the face of Sweden’s Jessica Samuelsson and fell to Morgan, who slotted home with her first touch from 10 yards.Lloyd nearly found a winner moments later, but her shot from just inside the box was sent wide with the slightest of deflections from a defender.With the game still level at the end of 90 minutes, the game went to extra time, where in the 101st minute Morgan tried to round the keeper, but again Lindahl was there to save a shot from a tight angle.Lloyd thought she had scored a winner in the closing stages, but her goal was ruled out for a foul before her header.And moments later the U.S. was lucky not be behind as Lotta Schelin’s goal for Sweden was controversially ruled offside after the U.S. defenders failed to clear a cross.The U.S. controlled the large majority of possession for the rest of the extra 30 minutes but could not find a winner, and the game went to penalties for the first time in Olympic history.Morgan opened the shootout but saw her penalty saved by a diving Lindahl, and Sweden was ahead until Solo tipped Linda Sembrant’s attempt over the bar in the third round.But Press fired her shot in the fifth and final round over the bar, and Dahlkvist fired past Solo as Sweden, ranked sixth in the world, advanced to the semifinals for the first time in its history.

Germany 1, China 0

Melanie Behringer scored to help Germany reach the semifinals with a tight win over China.China’s Wang Shanshan came on as a half-time substitute but was sent off for a second yellow card 12 minutes later, before Behringer hit a bouncing ball into the back of the net from 25 yards for the only goal in the 76th minute.China had a chance to level the score when Leonie Maier brought down Wang Shuang in the 83rd minute, but the striker hit the resulting penalty off the post.

Sweden moves on to semis after ousting U.S. women in penalty shootout

By Graham Hays | Aug 12, 2016espnW.com

BRASILIA, Brazil — The tour of Brazil is over. And Rio de Janeiro didn’t make the itinerary.For the first time since women’s soccer was added to the Olympics 20 years ago, the United States won’t play for a gold medal. It won’t play for any medal. The Americans are instead headed home after losing to Sweden after coming out on the wrong end of the first penalty shootout (4-3 in penalties) in Olympic women’s soccer history. That followed a 1-1 stalemate over 120 minutes against the resilient Swedes and former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage.Alex Morgan scored the goal that brought the United States level late in the second half, but her penalty kick to open the shootout was saved by Hedvig Lindahl, and U.S. teammate Christen Press put her attempt over the bar in the fifth round. After a lengthy delay before the final kick as goalkeeper Hope Solo changed her gloves, Sweden’s Lisa Dahlkvist went left when Solo guessed right. So ended the bid for a fourth consecutive gold medal by the United States.Perhaps Sweden is too experienced an international side — and Sundhage too good a coach — to call the result in Brasilia a stunning upset, but it is nonetheless shocking to see the reigning World Cup and Olympic champions, unbeaten in 2016, out before medals are at stake.More to come from Brasilia, but here are three observations at the final whistle.

1. Year of the counter

We saw it from Leicester City when that team stunned the soccer world by winning not a sprint of a tournament but the long marathon of the English Premier League season. We saw it from the Icelandic men’s team in the Euros. And we saw it with little more than an hour elapsed in Brasilia. If a team is organized, committed and precise, it doesn’t need much of the ball to win the game. It just needs to make the most of a chance. So while there will be plenty to dissect in the autopsy of a defeat, first give Sweden all the credit it is due.The plan was no surprise. U.S. coach Jill Ellis talked about it the day before the game. Sundhage made no secret of it, either. But whether level early, ahead or holding on for dear life and penalties late, Sweden looked nothing like the team that was outclassed earlier in this tournament.A lot of teams park the bus against the United States. Few do it so courageously.

2. For the love of technology

Two wrongs don’t make a right, but they can produce a penalty shootout. In quick succession in the waning minutes of overtime, both the United States and Sweden had goals waved off — incorrectly by every available replay — as a result of offside calls.Neither call looked close, the flag on the ball that sneaked between two U.S. defenders to Lotta Schelin particularly egregious. If the quality of officiating remains a question mark for the sport, and it does by most accounts, then wouldn’t it be a perfect place to welcome technology?

3. No chance to peak at the right time

The United States wasn’t exceptionally unlucky when it came to injuries during and leading up to the Olympics. It had its share of issues, but so does every team in a tournament like this.At the same time, it seemed obvious Friday that the slow trickle of issues it did have took a toll. The U.S. women weren’t sharp on set pieces for much of the game, making it easy to wonder what might have been different with a healthy Megan Rapinoe. Beaten on the run that produced the goal, Julie Johnston looked rusty at times after sitting out the past two games with a groin injury.It isn’t an excuse. The United States had chance after chance to win this game with the players it had on the field. But it also wasn’t a team peaking at the right time.Graham Hays covers college sports for espnW, including softball and soccer. Hays began with ESPN in 1999.

Sundhage’s Sweden hands USWNT earliest Olympics ouster ever

GRANT WAHL SI

BRASÍLIA, Brazil — The United States, the reigning Women’s World Cup champion and three-time defending Olympic gold medalist, was eliminated from the 2016 Olympics on Friday by Sweden in a tense penalty-kick shootout that Sweden won 4-3 in the fifth and final round following a 1-1 draw. The U.S.’s Christen Press launched her spot kick, and the USA’s fifth, over the bar, and Lisa Dahlkvist converted hers to finish the monster upset. Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl had saved Alex Morgan’s kick to open the shootout, while Hope Solo had done the same to Linda Sembrant on Sweden’s third try.The U.S. dominated possession in the game but failed to create many good scoring chances, and Sweden went up 1-0 on a brilliantly executed counter finished by Stina Blackstenius in the 61st minute. But Morgan equalized for the U.S. in the 76th, running onto a ball that had bounced off the head of Jessica Samuelsson into her path.The shocking finish sends the U.S. home in the quarterfinals, the earliest U.S. exit in women’s Olympic soccer history. The U.S. had had won four of the five Olympic gold medals and had never failed to reach the final.Here are three thoughts on the game:

Give Sweden and coach Pia Sundhage credit

The Swedes had played poorly in this Olympic tournament, losing 5-1 against Brazil and looking mediocre against China and South Africa. But the Swedes always seem to raise their game against the U.S., and the same was true again here. They defended deep and tried to strike on the counter, which worked for the go-ahead goal, and then Sweden kept its cool when the U.S. regained momentum with the equalizer.Sundhage’s squad simply had more composure than the U.S. in the penalty round, and it was somewhat surprising that the U.S. misses came from Morgan and Press, two forwards who usually are more precise with their shooting. (Press’s confidence has always been a concern, though.) Sundhage is a great coach, and in a tight game she made the better calls against her counterpart and former assistant Jill Ellis on Friday.

Not starting Crystal Dunn is a head-scratcher

If you know that your opponent is going to sit deep for the entire game, as everyone knew Sweden would do, then it makes little sense not to start Dunn instead of Allie Long. Dunn could play in the 3-person midfield with Carli Lloyd and Morgan Brian in those situations. Dunn did come on for Long in the 65th minute after Sweden had scored, and she made an instant impact, beating defenders on the dribble and creating problems for the Swedes.Long makes more sense as a starter against teams that won’t sit deep, as would’ve been likely for the rest of the Olympics, but starting her against Sweden was an awfully conservative move.Both the U.S. and Sweden had goals wrongly disallowed in extra time by New Zealand referee Anna-Marie Keighley and her sideline assistants. First, Lloyd had a header–reminiscent of her opening goal of the tournament against New Zealand–whistled off for an apparent offside call. Moments later on the other end, Lotta Schelin had a ball squeeze through the U.S. defense into her path from close range and she scored the would-be winner, only to be wrongly called for offside as well.In a sense the bad calls offset each other, but you can’t have that happen in the decisive moments of a major tournament knockout game.

Hope Solo: ‘The best team did not win today’

By Graham Hays | Aug 12, 2016ESPN Staff Writer

BRASILIA, Brazil — Hope Solo didn’t hold back in her criticism of the Swedish team that eliminated the United States from the Olympic women’s soccer tournament in a penalty shootout Friday.”I thought that we played a courageous game,” Solo said. “I thought that we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down; I’m very proud of this team.”I also think we played a bunch of cowards. But, you know, the best team did not win today; I strongly, firmly believe that. I think you saw America’s heart. You saw us give everything that we had today. Unfortunately the better team didn’t win.” As expected, the Swedish team that had finished third in its group during the tournament’s initial phase adopted a defensive strategy against the United States, which had won its group.The United States dominated possession and finished with 27 shots, but Sweden scored on a counterattack in regulation — one of only two shots on goal it had in the game.After playing to a 1-1 stalemate over 120 minutes, Sweden edged the U.S. 4-3 in the shootout.Asked to elaborate on what she meant by cowards, Solo referenced Pia Sundhage, the Swedish coach who formerly coached the United States and won two Olympic gold medals.”Sweden dropped off, didn’t want to open play,” Solo said. “They didn’t want to pass the ball around. They didn’t want to play great soccer, entertaining soccer. It was a combative game, a physical game. Exactly what they wanted and exactly what their game plan was. They dropped into a 50. They didn’t try and press, they didn’t want to open the game and they tried to counter with long balls. We had that style of play when Pia was our coach.”I don’t think they’re going to make it far in the tournament. I think it was very cowardly. But they won. They’re moving on, and we’re going home.”Told of Solo’s criticism and asked whether she felt her strategy was justified, Sundhage said only that she was content with it, and she did not address Solo specifically.undhage also said, “It’s OK to be a coward if you win.”Former USWNT star and current ESPN analyst Julie Foudy questioned Solo’s comments.”To call them cowards for playing a tactically smart game is ridiculous and classless and it really doesn’t represent the house that we built in the U.S. team,” she said.Graham Hays covers college sports for espnW, including softball and soccer. Hays began with ESPN in 1999.

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Despite 2-2 draw, U.S. women win Group G, advance to quarters

By Graham Hays | Aug 9, 2016espnW.com

MANAUS, Brazil — The United States played Germany and Japan en route to a World Cup title a year ago. It played France a few days ago in this tournament. But it was Colombia that handed the Americans their first deficit in a major tournament since a 2012 Olympic semifinal.The same Colombia that hadn’t scored a goal in any previous meeting with the United States.It wasn’t the likeliest opponent to force the United States to chase a game.It might have been the unlikeliest opponent to chase back after the Americans regained control. But chase back the Colombians did. A set piece goal in the 90th minute from Catalina Usme, her second of the game, earned the South American underdogs a stunning 2-2 draw against the reigning champions.

The United States controlled the game, both in possession and chances created. It won Group G despite the draw, while Colombia was eliminated despite the same. But this was Colombia’s night, a result in many ways as impressive as its shocking win against France in the World Cup. The United States won’t know its quarterfinal opponent until after Sweden and China play in Tuesday’s late round of games. The opponent in Brasilia could be whichever of those two teams finishes third in Group E (assuming Brazil finishes first), or Australia, the third-place finisher in Group F that clinched advancement with a win earlier Tuesday. Here are three more observations from Tuesday’s draw:

1. Credit the Colombians

Perhaps rare for a South American rival, Colombia had the full backing of the large crowd on hand to watch host Brazil play later in the evening. And while much of the talk entering the game was about a Colombian team in disarray — its coach said players like Lady Andrade wouldn’t even play Tuesday, only to reverse course and start her — it played a spirited, if imperfect, game throughout, and Usme made the most of two set pieces.There are vast swaths of the globe that women’s soccer needs to grow more competitive, but South America is clearly chief among them. This was a night the Colombians will remember.

2. Hope Solo again in the spotlight

The crowd in Manaus, which was considerably larger even at the start of the night’s first game than either of the crowds the United States played in front of for its first two games, didn’t even wait for Hope Solo to touch the ball to continue the taunts that began in Belo Horizonte. As Solo jogged to her position on the field before kickoff, the crowd launched into the now familiar “Zika” chants. Later, they added a new twist on a familiar chant that became “Ole, Ole, Ole, Zi-ka, Zi-ka.” It appears the chants will follow her wherever the United States travels in this tournament.

Solo heard the heckling in the game against France and turned in a quintessentially stellar performance in a game with enormous stakes. And while she generally draws rapturous cheers when playing for the national team in her own country, it’s not as if she is unfamiliar with hostile fans in other international and club settings. So let’s not get carried away in connecting dots to link the heckling on this night and the admittedly glaring error that allowed Usme’s free kick to slip under Solo and into the net. Solo has heard a lot of boos in her life; she hasn’t let in a lot of goals like that. It was undeniably a gaffe. It is debatable if it was crowd-aided.

3. Rapinoe’s return overshadowed

The unexpected scoreboard drama took precedence over the story that appeared likely to dominate the night beforehand. For the first time since last October, and the first time since suffering a torn ACL in December, Megan Rapinoe took the field as a starter for the United States. The midfielder played just 30 minutes, although her first-half substitution had every appearance of a planned change rather than any kind of forced move.It took Rapinoe only 90 seconds to put a cross into dangerous space in Colombia’s box. Perhaps as important, it took her only four minutes to go crashing to the turf after being fouled — and get back up to continue playing. And it took her not that much longer to wave her hand at the referee in frustration with a foul call (one that set up Colombia’s goal).She looked, in other words, like herself. And as long as her exit really was part of the plan, her short cameo all but justifies the decision to bring her to this tournament.

Long finally finds right fit with U.S. national team

Resilient U.S. women hold off France again

Solo keeps shining despite being constant lightning rod

U.S. women set sights on fourth straight gold

Wunderkind Pugh graduates to Rio Games

Graham Hays covers college sports for espnW, including softball and soccer. Hays began with ESPN in 1999.

U.S. soccer draws with Colombia, still makes Olympic quarters

playESPN.com news services

With time running out, Catalina Usme beat Hope Solo with a free kick from a tight angle to give Colombia a 2-2 draw against the United States on Tuesday at the Olympics.Usme also scored in the 26th minute, booting a free kick that went between Solo’s legs, to give the Colombians an early 1-0 lead. It was the team’s first-ever Olympic goal and first-ever goal against the United States.Despite the draw, the top-ranked Americans still finished atop Group F.Teenager Mallory Pugh became the youngest player to score for the United States in an Olympics with her goal in the 59th minute, giving the Americans a 2-1 lead. Crystal Dunn also scored for the defending champions.The U.S. women’s team, the reigning World Cup champions, is vying for its fourth straight Olympic gold medal.Pugh, just 18, came into the game as a first-half substitute for midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who played in her first match since having ACL surgery in December.In addition to Rapinoe, United States coach Jill Ellis made several other changes to her starting lineup, sitting regular starters Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath and Meghan Klingenberg. Julie Johnston, who sat out the second game with groin injury, was also on the bench.Morgan came in after the half for Carli Lloyd. Pugh, who hurt her ankle in the 2-0 opening win against New Zealand, went in when Rapinoe was pulled in the 33rd miute as temperatures hovered in the upper 80s.The match in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest was an announced sellout, with many fans awaiting the late game between host Brazil and South Africa. The crowd was on the side of the underdogs from the start and cheered wildly when Usme scored her first goal. The free kick bounced between Solo’s legs. The fans also taunted Solo by chanting “Zika! Zika!”The jeers have accompanied the U.S. goalkeeper throughout the Olympic tournament because of posts she made on social media about the virus that is spread by mosquitoes. It was just the fifth goal that Solo has allowed this year. The veteran goalkeeper has a record 102 shutouts in international play.Solo told NBC after the game that she would be able to move past Tuesday’s performance before the quarterfinals.”I personally gave up a goal I wish I could take back, but I’ve been around long enough to know these things happen,” Solo said. “So I’m going to choose to have short-term memory and move forward.”Dunn, playing in her first Olympics with the national team, tied the match with a rebound after Lloyd’s shot bounced back off the crossbar in the 41st minute. Pugh’s goal slid between numerous Colombia players before finding the back of the net in the second half.Colombia had already been eliminated with losses in its first two matches.On Monday, coach Fabian Taborda said Usme had an injured left knee, while Lady Andrade and Carolina Arias were suffering from “exhaustion.” But all three started. Colombia is considered one of South America’s top teams, along with neighboring Brazil. Las Cafeteras, as they’re known, surprised many when they advanced to the knockout round in the World Cup last year.

France 3, New Zealand 0

France finished second behind the U.S. in Group G to advance with a straightforward victory and set up a matchup with Canada in the quarterfinals.Eugenie Le Sommer put Les Bleues ahead in the first half before Louisa Cadamuro added a second goal with a header and a third from a penalty in the second half.New Zealand finished third in the group and were eliminated from the tournament. France will take on Canada in the quarterfinals.

Canada 2, Germany 1

Melissa Tancredi scored twice, and Canada completed a perfect run through Group F.The Germans took the lead in the 13th minute after Allysha Chapman brought down Mandy Islacker in the box, and Melanie Behringer converted the penalty.But Canada, the bronze medalists four years ago, equalized in the 25th minute when Germany gave the ball away deep in the own zone. Tancredi gathered the loose ball and beat German keeper Almuth Schult from the top of the box.And Tancredi put Canada ahead on the hour mark by heading home Rebecca Quinn’s cross from a set piece.Germany also advanced to the quarterfinals despite the defeat, though that was not certain until Australia’s result against Zimbabwe was confirmed.

Australia 6, Zimbabwe 1

Australia will face a mammoth quarterfinal showdown with Brazil after securing their pathway out of the Olympic group stages.The Matildas led 6-0 in the 66th minute and needed only to hit the back of the net once more to avoid a meeting with world No. 8 Brazil, which beat them 3-1 in a pre-Games friendly.Lisa De Vanna, Clare Polkinghorne and Alanna Kennedy all found the net for Australia in the first half, before Kyah Simon and substitute Michelle Heyman (two goals) extended their lead after the break.But a 91st-minute strike from Zimbabwe’s Emmaculate Msipa means Australia will go through as one of the top two third-place teams across the three groups and tread the more difficult road.

China 0, Sweden 0

China and Sweden both ensured their passage through to the quarterfinals with a 0-0 draw.Both nations had chances to win the match, with Linda Sembrant almost conceding an own goal in the first half.Sweden will face reigning champions the U.S. on Friday, while China will go head-to-head with Germany.

Brazil 0, South Africa 0

South Africa fought hard in front of a sellout crowd to hold hosts Brazil to a goalless draw in Manaus in the last match in Group E.Five-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Marta began the match as a substitute, and was brought on at halftime to try and break the deadlock, but could not find the back of the net.South Africa exit the tournament with the lone point, while Brazil will face Australia in the quarterfinals.

After rare game to forget, Hope Solo aiming to put mistakes behind her

Hope Solo was uncharacteristically bad against Colombia. For the USWNT to progress through the knockout rounds, it’s vital that she have a short memory. GRANT WAHLWednesday August 10th, 2016

MANAUS, Brazil — She is the best women’s goalkeeper in the world, a change agent who regularly influences the outcomes of games. Just last Saturday, Hope Solo had made the difference in the U.S.’s 1–0 victory against France, denying a point-blank shot by Marie-Laure Delie. With jeers raining down on Solo from the Brazilian fans all tournament, the result of a Zika-related social media post, it seemed like Solo was completely ignoring the catcalls.And so it was stunning to see Solo commit an outright howler on Tuesday against Colombia, letting Catalina Usme’s first-half free kick go through her hands and her legs on its way to the net. Usme scored on another free kick in the 90th minute, and while the late equalizer was hardly another howler by Solo, she could have done better on that play, too.• USWNT gets Olympic wake-up call in disappointing draw against Colombia

But give Solo some credit. The two-time Olympic gold medalist didn’t hide from the media after the game. Not at all, in fact. And she didn’t try to provide any spin or excuses, because she said there weren’t any.“It’s part of the position, and I don’t wish it on anybody,” Solo said in the mixed zone after the 2–2 tie, which still clinched first place in the group for the U.S. team. “Being a goalkeeper is extremely difficult mentally. But I’ve been around long enough to know that these things do happen. They’ve happened to me before. You just hope they happen few and far between.”The last time Solo had a significant gaffe in a major tournament was in the opening game of the 2007 World Cup, when she let a routine North Korean shot go through her hands and into the goal. That was nine years ago. Her mistakes in a U.S. uniform are so rare that when they do happen, you want to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not imagining things.“I have learned to have a short-term memory,” Solo said on Tuesday, “so I’m just going to put this game behind me and move on. Because I think there’s going to be some great football in the coming games, and I’m going to have to come up big and keep our team in it.”There’s a reason goalkeepers are different from the rest of us. The mental pressure they deal with is extraordinary. Howlers get no easier when you’re 35 than when you were 22. “It always stings,” Solo said. “Honestly, if I ever have kids they will not become a goalkeeper, I assure you that. I don’t wish it on anybody. I think it is the most unforgiving position in all of sports.”Soccer is a game of fine margins. On Saturday, Solo made the split-second save that gave the U.S. a chance to win a 1–0 game. There was a margin for error on Tuesday night, a margin that Solo helped earn. But now that the U.S. is in the knockout rounds—it will face Sweden and former U.S. coach Pia Sundhage in Brasília on Friday—there is no margin for error.When asked what she’ll say to Solo after Tuesday’s game, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said: “Respectfully, kind of: Crap happens. Move on. Sometimes when a field player makes a mistake it’s not going to cost you. But she’s so solid, she’s had a great tournament to date. I just think mentally she’s got to put it behind her and focus on the next game. Knowing Hope and her mental strength, I think she’ll return fine from that.”Sweden is an intriguing opponent. On the one hand, the Swedes have been less than impressive in this tournament and in last year’s World Cup. On the other hand, Sweden has given the U.S. fits in major tournaments, including a tie in last year’s World Cup and a Sweden win at World Cup 2011. If any opposing coach knows the U.S. well, it’s Sundhage.The U.S. players weren’t all gloom and doom after Tuesday’s tie, either. They knew the lineup had been shuffled, that players had been rested and that they will enter Friday’s quarterfinal with no suspensions and all 18 players available.“I would rather this happen now to maybe light some fire under us and motivate us even more,” said co-captain Carli Lloyd. “Every tournament is a different journey. In the World Cup we tied Sweden. In the 2008 Olympics we lost our first match. I’m not worried. I still think we’re going in the right direction.”“In every tournament I’ve played in, nothing has gone perfect,” said Solo. “In last year’s World cup, we won but we weren’t playing great every single game. In my first major tournament, the ball went through my hands. It happens. These things happen. And you have to get through them in order to hopefully stand on top of the podium.”

USWNT draws to win Olympic group but gets wake-up call from Colombia

The USWNT was given a scare in Manaus and settled for a draw after a pair of Hope Solo gaffes, but it managed to win its Olympic group anyway.

GRANT WAHLWednesday August 10th, 2016

MANAUS, Brazil — The U.S. women’s soccer team finished Olympic group play with a disappointing 2-2 tie against Colombia that featured two mistakes by the usually reliable Hope Solo in goal. But the point still gave the U.S. first place in Group G as the Americans advanced to the quarterfinals.Colombia’s Catalina Usme scored her second free kick of the night in the 90th minute to equalize when Solo tried to punch the left-footed blast and missed. It was the second mistake of the night by Solo, who let Usme’s 26th-minute free kick go between her hands and legs into the net..The U.S. had equalized 1-1 on Crystal Dunn’s 41st-minute follow on a rebound of Carli Lloyd’s shot. And the Americans thought they had sealed it when 18-year-old Mallory Pugh had put them ahead 2-1 in the 59th minute.The U.S. will play Sweden–coached by former U.S. manager Pia Sundhage–in the quarterfinals in Brasília on Friday at noon ET.Here are three thoughts on Tuesday’s game:

This was a strange game

Coach Jill Ellis left several prominent players on the bench to start—Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg and Pugh—and the U.S. still dominated possession. But there weren’t enough golden scoring chances given that dominance. Christen Press failed to convert two of the best opportunities, including a two-on-one break in which she and Pugh were alone on goal. Instead of shooting, Press tried to pass it to Pugh, who was offside.That allowed the U.S. to let an overmatched Colombia team that had lost its first two games hang around in the game. The U.S. will need to sharpen up things once the opponents get better in the knockout rounds.

Gut-check time for Solo

After two sterling performances in this tournament, especially against France, Solo had a night to forget in goal. The last time Solo had committed a howler on such a stage for the U.S. came in the 2007 World Cup opener against North Korea, which shows you how rare it is for her to make a big mistake. But Solo was at fault on both Colombia free-kick goals on Tuesday.

She wasn’t the only one: The U.S. committed bad fouls in the first place that led to those free kicks. But this U.S. team has to know moving forward that it can’t give away cheap set-piece opportunities, because that’s how superior teams can end up losing games. Until now, it didn’t seem like the jeering from Brazilian fans had affected Solo. Things seemed different in this game.

Mixed results in Rapinoe’s first action

Playing in her first game since tearing an ACL last December, Rapinoe got the start and lasted 33 minutes before coming off for Pugh (as planned by Ellis).Rapinoe had some decent crosss, but she also committed a bad foul that gave Colombia the free kick on which it scored.It remains to be seen whether Ellis will consider using Rapinoe as a starter in the knockout rounds, but it seems unlikely with Tobin Heath and either Pugh or Dunn ready to start on the wings. Most likely, Rapinoe will be a super-sub the rest of the way.

ESPN FC’s predicted Premier League table and writers’ picks

Our predicted Premier League table for the coming season.

ESPN FC’s editorial desk has made its choice for the 2016-17 season, with Manchester City our choice to top in the Premier League.But who do our writers think will win the title? Who will finish in the coveted Champions League spots? Who are the three clubs who will go down at the end of the season? And which players will finish as top scorer and Player of the Year, respectively?

Gab Marcotti:

Top four: 1. Arsenal 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea 4. Tottenham
Relegated: Hull, Burnley, Crystal Palace
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Mesut Ozil

Iain Macintosh:

Top four: 1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Arsenal 4. Chelsea
Relegated: Hull, Burnley, Bournemouth
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Paul Pogba

Nick Miller

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Tottenham 4. Liverpool
Relegated: Hull, Swansea, Burnley
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

Tony Evans

Top four: 1. Tottenham 2. Manchester City 3. Arsenal 4. Manchester United
Relegated: Hull, Burnley, Swansea
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Dele Alli

John Brewin

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Liverpool 4. Chelsea
Relegated: Hull, Sunderland, Middlesbrough
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Paul Pogba

Nick Ames

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea 4. Arsenal
Relegated: Swansea, Hull, Burnley
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Michael Cox

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Tottenham 3. Arsenal 4. Manchester United
Relegated: Hull, Burnley, Watford
Top scorer: Alexis Sanchez
Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

Miguel Delaney

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea, 4. Arsenal
Relegated: Sunderland, Burnley, Hull
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

Richard Jolly

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester United 4. Liverpool
Relegated: Bournemouth, Burnley, Hull
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

Raphael Honigstein

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea 4. Liverpool
Relegated: Hull, Burnley, Sunderland
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Sergio Aguero

Julien Laurens

Top four: 1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Chelsea 4. Liverpool
Relegated: Hull, Sunderland, Watford
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

Mattias Karen

Top four: 1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Arsenal 4. Chelsea
Relegated: Hull, Swansea, Burnley
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

Jonathan Smith

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea 4. Liverpool
Relegated: Hull, Bournemouth, Swansea
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Kevin De Bruyne

Arindam Rej

Top four: 1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Chelsea 4. Arsenal
Relegated: Watford, Burnley, Hull
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Liam Twomey

Top four: 1. Manchester United 2. Manchester City 3. Chelsea 4. Liverpool
Relegated: Hull, Swansea, Burnley
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero
Player of the Year: Eden Hazard

Glenn Price

Top four: 1. Manchester City 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester United 4. Liverpool
Relegated: Hull, Sunderland, Burnley
Top scorer: Harry Kane
Player of the Year: Alexis Sanchez

Dan Kilpatrick

Top four: 1. Tottenham 2. Manchester United 3. Chelsea 4. Manchester City
Relegated: Swansea, Burnley, Hull
Top scorer: Harry Kane
Player of the Year: Erik Lamela

Have your say in the comments section below and join the debate on ESPN FC.

The Premier League has never seen managerial talent like this before

Is it talent or is it scheme? Is winning simply a function of having better players than your opponent or does a great coach genuinely add value? It’s the perpetual debate in any team sport and odds are, you stake a position somewhere on that continuum between talent and coaching.The 2016-17 Premier League season may be remembered as the one where the biggest clubs decisively decided to throw their resources at the coaching end of the spectrum. In fact, the men managing England’s six biggest clubs are arguably as good as any half-dozen ever assembled in any single league at any point in history.Five of the six have won multiple league titles in major European leagues. (The one who hasn’t, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, finished second in the Premier League last year.) Four of the six have reached the Champions League final and, of course, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, who coach Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, have both won the biggest prize in club football more than once.That will likely be one of the defining qualities of the 2016-17 season: outsized personalities and storylines on the bench often eclipsing the guys who are actually on the pitch. In many ways, it’s the reverse of what has happened of late at Barcelona and Real Madrid, where the narrative focuses on the superstars.Guardiola, whose arrival in England was as telegraphed and as eagerly anticipated as any manager’s, outshines both his incumbent stars (Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany) and his bright young signings (Leroy Sane and John Stones above all). Across town, the same is true of Jose Mourinho even after the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba.Arsene Wenger, the ageless redwood in the North London forest, continues to dominate every sinew at Arsenal in part because his biggest stars (from Mesut Ozil to Alexis Sanchez) are more of the low-key variety. The same could be said in Liverpool: A club defined by outsized icons like Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Luis Suarez is now epitomized by Jurgen Klopp, the gangly, bespectacled coach, more than the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane.After their limp season last year, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas are edged out of the spotlight by their new, combustible drill sergeant, Antonio Conte. And at White Hart Lane, Dele Alli does have the stuff of superstars — maybe more so than the understated Harry Kane — but he doesn’t even turn 21 until April. So, for now, it really is all about Pochettino, the man who pulls the strings, Poch.It’s not just the big personalities on the bench. It’s the commitment they’ve received from the clubs and the expectations it has generated.Manchester United’s net spend in this transfer window is almost equal to what was spent under Louis Van Gaal (who wasn’t exactly thrifty) in the previous four. (It will come down, of course, provided the club can shift some assets as Mourinho hopes but it’s still a massive and necessary commitment.) The Special One said he wanted four signings and he got them: A one-man wrecking crew (Ibrahimovic), a subtle creator (Henrikh Mkhitaryan), an imposing center-back (Eric Bailly) and the world’s most expensive player (Pogba).City, having already been hard at work Guardiola-izing the club for the past few seasons, have spent more in net terms thus far this summer than ever before. With Stones on board, he has the ball-playing center-back his system demands while Ilkay Gundogan is the creative brain of the operation. Nolito is the unsung hero who gets Pep’s system; Sane and the South American boys (Gabriel Jesus and Marlos Moreno, who’ll start the year elsewhere but can be recalled) are the ones for the future.Liverpool’s net spend is in line with previous seasons but the big difference is the faith shown in Klopp, who was given a monster extension through 2022 less than eight months after arriving at Anfield. Critics point out that Liverpool will once again be too reliant on Daniel Sturrridge’s fitness, which has let him down time and again. But this is where you need the leap of faith. This is the team Klopp wants and these are the players he wants. And if he thinks that a raft of tricky midfielder-forward hybrids (Roberto Firmino, Coutinho, Mane) are what he needs as an alternative to Sturridge, you tend to believe him. At least, the club did with their six years extension.Chelsea’s net spend with Conte at the helm is roughly equal to what they spent in net terms over three seasons with Mourinho. N’Golo Kante stiffens up the midfield, Michy Bathshuayi is an exciting up-and-comer and you get a sense that their transfer business isn’t quite over: there’s a lot of ground to make up after the club’s worst league finish in 20 years.Tottenham are also ahead of previous campaigns in net spending. Pochettino got the dynamic midfielder he wanted (Victor Wanyama) and the legit center-forward to help out Kane (Vincent Janssen). And he got the peace of mind that comes with the huge extension through 2021 he signed in May.At Arsenal, Wenger again marches to the beat of his own drummer. Like last season, his business was both early and minimalist: he’s signed just one significant newcomer but like Petr Cech a year ago, it is a cast-iron starter in Granit Xhaka. That’s how he rolls and he usually finishes above most, though crucially not all, of his high-end peers. Even after two decades and with a one-year contract, you sometimes feel he’s more secure than any of his Premier League colleagues.What all this points to is a greater number of proven, hugely respected and sometimes hero-worshipped managers being given more of the tools to strut their stuff than at any point in recent history. We get to see some of the sharpest minds in the game bring their vision to life. And that’s new and different and to a certain type of fan, it’s more exciting.In some ways, all of this is curious. Because you look back just three months to last season and the team lifting the Premier League trophy, Leicester City, featured a manager who few would describe as visionary, fewer still would see as a long-term choice and possibly nobody at all would call “exciting.” And yet Claudio Ranieri tiptoed into the Leicester job, tweaked a few roles, kept everyone grounded and together and finished ahead of everyone, pulling off perhaps the greatest upset in the history of team sports.But hey, that was just a blip, a quirk of history, Richard III’s body under the parking lot and other supernatural hoodoo, right?Because titles are won, above all, by genius managers with clearly defined philosophies, plenty of “attention to detail” — quick thought: find me a top coach who isn’t described as “detail-oriented” in those familiar, fawning profiles — tons of charisma and, of course, that intangible quality we like to call “a winning mentality.” At least, that’s the thinking in the Premier League this season.We’ve got more of those than ever before. And it’s going to be one heck of a ride, the kind that might well bruise egos and burst reputations.Enjoy every minute.Gabriele Marcotti is a columnist for ESPN FC,

Riyad Mahrez to stay at Leicester but no contract agreement yet – sources

Leicester City have ruled out selling Riyad Mahrez this month but the Algeria international is yet to commit to a new contract, sources close to the club have told ESPN FC.Mahrez’s future at Leicester has been the subject of speculation this summer with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea linked with a move for last season’s PFA Player of the Year.Sources have told ESPN FC that Mahrez was open to a move away from Leicester this summer, but the club will not allow him to follow N’Golo Kante in leaving this summer.Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri told Sky Sports News on Wednesday: “Kante had a clause and Chelsea paid it, but Riyad does not have the clause and he will stay with us.”Mahrez has been offered a new long-term deal but the player has so far rejected the club’s advances, although the offer of a new four-year contract remains on the table.A source close to the player told ESPN FC that the 25-year-old attacker, who joined Leicester from Le Havre in 2014, could ask for a release clause to be inserted into his new contract if he is to put pen to paper.Mahrez is set to be in the starting lineup for Leicester’s opening game of the new Premier League season against Hull City this weekend.

Liverpool look to Coutinho, Sturridge, Firmino and Mane for inspiration

Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers last October and led Liverpool to the League Cup and Europa League final. However, Liverpool’s domestic form suffered, the club finishing a disappointing eighth. With no European football at Anfield, Klopp has fewer distractions this season. Here’s a look ahead to 2016-17.

At a glance

Improvement must be measured by the Reds’ league points total after two seasons of inadvertent focus on cup competitions.

Quick predictions

Premier League: 6th
FA Cup: Fifth round
League Cup: Quarterfinals

Transfer business

Klopp has brought in quite a lot of players and his public utterances certainly portray a man happy with the resources placed at his disposal. Injuries may affect that before Aug. 31, however.Big money has been spent on attack-minded players, an area where Liverpool seemed largely comfortable last season. Their Achilles’ Heel, defence, has been largely ignored and haggling over a quality left-back seems like a false economy.Supporters may feel slightly underwhelmed so far but there are three weeks left in this transfer window to change that. A small net spend in a time of plenty has antagonised some, especially when you see what some of the other clubs are doing and realise how far Liverpool have fallen behind them.A smaller squad for a smaller workload seems to be the club motto, ignoring all the injuries that have hampered Liverpool in recent seasons and those that have already disrupted their preseason plans. Fans still have faith in Klopp’s ability to make a little go a long way but perhaps feel the club might have gone a little stronger in adding quality despite the obvious cost.

Key questions

The physical effort that will be needed to fully implement Klopp’s infamous “gegenpress” is bound to have some physical impact on some of the players. While the reduction in workload that goes with a failure to qualify for Europe will certainly help, it seems as though a consistent first-choice eleven is not even remotely within Klopp’s reach yet.Flexibility is one thing; confusion and not knowing one’s own mind is quite another.There is little doubt about how good some of these players can be because they’ve shown their potential on numerous occasions. Consistency will be key. Too many of them are errant in their passing and also tend to disappear when the going gets tough.Players like Philippe Coutinho, Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane can be lethal on their day and if they can be given the right platform, they can perform to an extremely high standard. The everyday tasks of hard work, defensive organisation and solidity must come from the training ground and may be more indicative of how far Klopp has progressed.Fans will tend to be patient and accepting of tangible improvement. It’s important the team learns to walk before it can run and ill-considered ruminations on Liverpool’s part in the title race will only end in disappointment for those who indulge in them.

Potential pitfalls

Liverpool can be very good — as the 4-0 win against Barcelona amply demonstrated — but they can also be very poor. Consistency will be the main problem.Injury to key players, like the notoriously fragile Sturridge, might hamper any attempt to get a run of decent results going.Liverpool have another potentially sticky start to the season and dropping too many points early on will hamper their season overall, as it has done so many times before.Confusion over formation and where various attack-minded players will fit into it may result in Klopp trying too many things at once to stop any rot that sets in after poor results.Accepting your team probably won’t win the league is one thing. If they couldn’t even get over the lower bar they’ve been set then a refusal to fully invest in the squad will be raked over again and cause further consternation in the ranks.

One to watch

Emre Can has spoken about “leadership” on the pitch and at the beginning of his third season at Anfield many will want to see a promising talent deliver with actions rather than words.He’s been very flattering towards the manager and on how much he personally is learning but with Liverpool having so many attacking players the burden of midfield work rate will fall on him and perhaps Jordan Henderson.He was given a place in Germany’s Euro 2016 semifinal team against France but was disappointing and removed from the field after an hour. It was a sign of his potential that he was trusted with such a key role but that confidence wasn’t vindicated.If Klopp intends to place further responsibility on his countryman at club level it’s vital that Can meets the challenge. After selling Joe Allen and with rumours of Lucas Leiva leaving too, there aren’t many other options left.Steven Kelly is one of ESPN FC’s Liverpool bloggers. Follow him on Twitter@SteKelly198586.

Antonio Conte must restore Chelsea to Champions League after dire

Chelsea’s title defence in 2015-16 was the worst in Premier League history, the Blues eventually finishing 10th following a wretched season.Antonio Conte has been charged with getting them back on track. Here’s a look ahead to Chelsea’s 2016-17 campaign.

At a glance

Another season, another high-flying manager in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat trying to satisfy Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s unquenchable thirst for silverware.

Quick predictions

Premier League: 3rd
FA Cup: Winners
League Cup: Quarterfinals

Transfer business

The swift signing of Leicester City midfield dynamo N’Golo Kante for £30 million is one of the best pieces of transfer business done by any Premier League club this summer, but Chelsea’s failure to bolster their defence in time for the start of the new campaign could be a problem as Conte is forced to rely on a backline which underperformed badly last season.Since the Italian was appointed in April, there has been plenty of speculation specifically regarding centre-backs, but with long-term target John Stones signing for Manchester City and little progress made elsewhere, the Chelsea board’s hit-and-miss negotiating skills for targets are hamstringing their lofty ambitions.Further evidence of haphazardness and the Blues’ glaring inability to prioritise player requirements has come this summer in the form of comparatively unknown striker Michy Batshuayi. Spending £33m seemed a lot of money to pay for the 22-year-old Belgium international, who will be vying for a place up front with Diego Costa and Bertrand Traore. Of course, should he fire Chelsea to glory then Batshuayi could prove to be a shrewd acquisition, but there’s no guarantee — which goes some way to explaining the club’s ongoing pursuit of Romelu Lukaku.Lukaku’s return to the Bridge for an astronomical fee likely to be more than double the £28m received from Everton for his services two years ago would see critics pour scorn on the club’s transfer strategy (if indeed there is one) particularly if they fail to bring in a much-needed world class defender and Chelsea suffer as a result.

Key questions

The Premier League has never been as competitive. Last season, Leicester City and Tottenham broke the traditional top four mould which regularly comprised Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal. The Blues finished a calamitous 10th, and the key question is whether Conte can propel the club back up the table.Without hesitation the answer has to be yes — for the sake of job security he has to — but how far, and what is deemed acceptable, is open to conjecture. Champions League qualification as a minimum will be the primary objective, but it won’t be easy.The pressure to succeed will be intense. The Italian is clearly a passionate man with a temperament that could combust in the heat of the moment. Questionable refereeing decisions, a dressing room with a reputation for stroppiness when things aren’t going right and the close scrutiny of Abramovich could make for an incandescent cocktail — how will Conte cope with these potential challenges?The first three months of the season are going to be critical. A decent start will breed confidence and belief that Conte can restore Chelsea’s fortunes. Abramovich is clearly prepared to back his new manager in the transfer market, but time is getting tight before the summer window closes.At present, there is the real possibility the Blues will commence the campaign with the same backline of Cesar Azpilicueta, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry and Gary Cahill that was exposed time and again at the start of last season. How will they fare this time around? With quality defensive reinforcements nowhere in sight, it has to be a worry.

Potential pitfalls

The main obstacle Chelsea face is the same every season. Abramovich’s unbridled impatience and expectation of success has ensured the procession of managers he has hired since he bought the club in 2003 have had little time to get things right. If Conte endures a poor start, his reign as boss could be over in the blink of an eye.A lack of European competition could prove problematic. Historically, the group stage games have provided an even mix of feeble opposition, thereby providing the opportunity for the manager to rotate lineups and interchange tactics. Kurt Zouma is the primary recent example of a squad player whose path to Chelsea’s first team was expedited via sterling performances in the Champions League.

One to watch

Will 2016/17 finally be the campaign when a product of Chelsea’s academy breaks through to provide the first established, regular homegrown player since John Terry imposed himself on the first team? Earlier this year, opportunities came the way of midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek and striker Bertrand Traore and both players featured regularly in Conte’s early preseason lineups.With the Italian seemingly looking to convert Loftus-Cheek into a forward, the 20-year old will be in competition not only with Traore, also 20, but big money summer acquisition Batshuayi and possibly Diego Costa should he remain at the Bridge or indeed Lukaku should he return.Even playing with two up front, with a lack of European competition, game-time for the youngsters is likely to be limited, meaning the academy players’ dreams will remain frustratingly unfulfilled.Batshuayi, whose 17 Ligue 1 goals for Marseille last season propelled him into the limelight, has a couple of years’ experience over Loftus-Cheek and Traore and will undoubtedly benefit from playing in front of international teammate Eden Hazard.If Chelsea make a positive start to the campaign and Batshuayi finds the net regularly, it’s hard to see Conte chopping and changing his team — with the exception of injuries, there would be no reason to do so. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the Belgian, who appears to have settled in well and looks ideally suited both in temperament and physique to cope with the rigours of the Premier League.Mark Worrall is one of ESPN FC’s

Tottenham must balance Premier League with European commitments

It was a sour end to last season for Tottenham. A 5-1 humiliation at relegated Newcastle meant Spurs were overtaken for second by arch rivals Arsenal, but with a new season comes renewed optimism.It’s the final campaign at White Hart Lane and with Champions League football on the agenda, boss Mauricio Pochettino will have to balance matters in Europe with his side’s exploits in the Premier League.Here’s a look ahead to Spurs’ 2016-17 …

At a glance

Tottenham are back in the Champions League but must also aim to finish in the top four of the Premier League again to keep their seat at Europe’s top table — competition will be fierce.

Premier League: 4th
FA Cup: Fifth round
League Cup: Quarterfinals
Champions League: Quarterfinals

Transfer business

Sensible business has been done so far. The priority has been to strengthen the squad, securing quality cover for Harry Kane and Eric Dier and closing the gap between Tottenham’s strongest line-up and second-string side. Vincent Janssen and Victor Wanyama tick the boxes and have already shown enticing glimpses of what they can offer.The powerful Wanyama strode forward to win the ball in opposition territory and set up a goal for Erik Lamela in the friendly against Juventus, while Janssen found the net while also setting up Dele Alli’s strike in the 6-1 victory over Inter Milan.Spurs seemed set to complete a deal for Marseille winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou too, but that is on hold and it is unclear whether he would be much better than last summer’s recruit Clinton Njie.Mauricio Pochettino has stated he does not intend to replace the experienced but pedestrian centre-back Federico Fazio and while some may wonder what Alex Pritchard could have offered if he had ever been given a real chance before his move to Norwich, Tottenham have nonetheless banked £8 million for one of their academy products.

Key questions

Can Spurs maintain their progress in the Premier League and even replicate last season’s title challenge and also make the most of their Champions League adventure? Meanwhile, it also remains to be seen how much importance Pochettino will attach to the domestic cup competitions, which remain the club’s best chances of winning a trophy.How will their internationals react to what was, with the exception of Wales’ Ben Davies, a generally disappointing and even, in some cases, a painful Euro 2016? The answer looked positive in the 6-1 victory over Inter, when Kane struck twice and Alli was also on target.Squad rotation will also be more important than ever, and Spurs’ reserves — including some of last season’s signings — will need to consistently step up to the plate and prove they belong at a club with Tottenham’s status and ambitions.Can Son Heung-Min and Kieran Trippier be fully trusted and what can Njie offer? Can Ryan Mason silence his critics and does Tom Carroll have a part to play? Will there be a chance for more academy players to step up to the first team this season and, if so, who will be chosen?

Potential pitfalls

Last season, Tottenham took advantage of the fact that most of their Premier League rivals slipped up at the same time and endured disappointing campaigns. If they all get their acts together this time, Spurs’ task will be much tougher.The north Londoners must also start without the influential Mousa Dembele, who will miss the first four domestic games due a ban carried over from the end of last term; the Belgian has not played at all during preseason, either, so might be lacking match practise when he returns.Meanwhile, after waiting for five-and-a-half years to get back into the Champions League, Tottenham will play home games at Wembley instead of White Hart Lane, which may negate some of the benefits of “home” advantage. It would certainly be a shame if that factor undermines their ability to produce their best form and progress in the competition.Spurs now have cover for Kane and so are less reliant on him than they were last season, but the Golden Boot winner last season is still a key man and he has not had a full summer off for two years. He looked tired at Euro 2016 and fatigue may become a factor.

One to watch

Cameron Carter-Vickers was the only academy player to start the final preseason friendly against Inter and it seems the 18-year-old centre-back may get the chance to be Toby Alderweireld’s understudy. His first start could come in the third round of the League Cup in September.Meanwhile, Josh Onomah will hope for further opportunities after making 19 first-team appearances last season, while Harry Winks looks ready for a step up to senior level. There is a lot of excitement about 17-year-old attacking midfielder Marcus Edwards and 19-year-old striker Shayon Harrison scored against Inter just after coming on.

USMNT PLAYERS IN EUROPE 2016-17

AUGUST 8, 2016 By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 8, 2016) US Soccer Players – It’s time for the seasons to start in Europe. In the coming weeks, all of the major leagues return to action. In the mix in England and Germany are several high-profile American players. Coming off of the Copa Centenario run earlier this summer, some of those players are looking for time. Some are in new situations. All are looking to grab headlines over the next nine months. Whether it’s playing for silverware or avoiding relegation, there are opportunities for American soccer players.The number of Americans playing in the Premier League has fallen in recent years. Players opt to return or stay in Major League Soccer. The appeal of seasons under the glare of the EPL isn’t what it was. Credit the growth of MLS, the rise in salaries, and wanting to play in front of American fans. The choice is tougher now than it was for players with options. Meanwhile, the Bundesliga has turned into a major source of talent for the USMNT.With the start of another European club season upon us, here are five Americans to keep an eye on:

Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough – Premier League)

Aston Villa now plays in the Championship. Their goalkeeper for the last eight seasons isn’t making the drop with them. Guzan moved on. The 31-year-old goalkeeper was the US’s starter at the Copa Centenario. He had a phenomenal tournament, helping lead the Americans to a fourth-place finish.This season, Guzan gets a new start, but he’s not the starter. He’ll have to show manager Aitor Karanka that he’s the one who should get the job against real competition. Goalkeeper is a position where Middlesbrough has a lot of depth. Guzan will have to compete with former Barcelona ‘keeper Victor Valdes, last season’s starter Dimi Konstantopoulos, and Tomas Mejias.Middlesbrough loaded up on goalkeepers for their promotion season. They’ll spend the next few months trying to show the difference between fighting off relegation and slotting comfortably into the middle of the table.

John Brooks (Hertha BSC – Bundesliga)

The towering defender was a big reason why the US backline was so stingy at the recent Copa Centenario. He’s developed into one of the Bundesliga’s top defenders at 6-foot-4 also one of its more imposing. Last season, the center back played in 23 league games, scoring one goal.It’s easy to forget that Brooks is only 23. He’s proven that he can handle the pressure of big international tournaments, but he still needs to show that he can make an impact at the club level. Brooks’ Copa performance has drawn interest from other clubs. Hertha’s recent preliminary-round Europa League elimination is fueling speculation Brooks may get a transfer deal.

Matt Miazga (Chelsea – Premier League)

The former New York Red Bulls defender will play his first full season at Chelsea. His move to the London club last January was a sign that Major League Soccer is developing elite talent. While Chelsea had its troubles last season, the 21-year-old Miazga was able to play in two games under interim coach Guus Hiddink.This season, Chelsea has a new manager in Antonio Conte. Miazga will need to show him that he belongs on the roster. While Conte continues to assess which players he will start or bench, the former Italy coach has hinted that Miazga could be sent out on loan this season.

Julian Green (Bayern Munich – Bundesliga)

Once praised as the next American superstar, Greene, at 21, remains a work in progress. He is a member of Bayern Munich but has never played for them in a Bundesliga match. Instead, he has spent his time since 2014 either on loan with Hamburger SV or with Bayern’s second team.While Green regularly trains with the first team, he will need to get playing time if he wants to advance his career. His recent hat trick in the International Champions Cup against Inter Milan showed that Green can shine when he needs to. After all, he did score a goal for the United States at the 2014 World Cup against Belgium. Only time will tell if the promising striker gets some real minutes at Bayern or somewhere else this season.

Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund – Bundesliga)

Another highly touted American prospect, Pulisic is even younger than Green. Last season, Pulisic joined Dortmund’s first team. He scored two twice in nine games. His first goal came against Bayer Leverkusen (at age 17 and 212 days), making him the youngest non-German to score a Bundesliga goal.Pulisic has done a great job taking advantage of the players surrounding him. The midfielder earned a call-up to the USA’s Copa America roster, something that certainly helped him grow as a player. He also scored against Manchester City in the recent International Champions Cup. His hope is to be a bigger part of a bulked-up Dortmund team that wants to compete with Bayern Munich for the league title.Based in New York City, Clemente Lisi is a regular contributor to US Soccer Players.

Is Alejandro Bedoya “worth it?” Recent U.S. players’ moves to MLS suggest so

When Alejandro Bedoya signed with the Philadelphia Union last week, the reaction to the financial details was wide-ranging. Some viewed the $1 million transfer fee and $1 million annual salary as a steal for a two-way player who has become a U.S. national team mainstay. Others thought Philadelphia (and, by extension, the league) had paid too much for a 29-year-old midfielder who hasn’t been a prolific goal scorer during his career.Such difference of opinion is usually an indication that the deal was fair, but it also made for an interesting comparison to other U.S. internationals who have come to MLS after spending considerable time in Europe.Over the past three years, some of the biggest names on the U.S. national team have made precisely that move. Clint Dempsey opened the tap back in 2013 when he moved from Tottenham Hotspur to the Seattle Sounders. Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Jermaine Jones and Tim Howard have since signed with MLS teams, as have others. Along the way, MLS has shelled out some hefty sums for these players either in transfer fees, salaries or both.Back in 2013, the Dempsey deal involved a reported $9 million transfer fee, and while the salary numbers published by the MLS Players Union have some wiggle room, they do show that Dempsey has so far averaged over $5.2 million in annual compensation. Bradley has earned $6.5 million per year while garnering a transfer fee of $10m for his 2014 transfer from AS Roma.Lately, the cost required to bring U.S. players to MLS seems to be lessening, though each deal has its own unique set of circumstances, and those moving parts impact any assessment of value both on and off the field. There’s the age of the player and his position on the field, of course, as well as his off-field impact in terms of marketing, jersey sales and more. And does one consider just the player’s salary cap hit of $457,500 for Designated Players, or the total cash outlay instead?Out of the U.S. internationals to move to MLS in the past three years, Dempsey has provided the highest level of return. While the Sounders have failed to win an MLS Cup, they have claimed two trophies during his time there. And while reports surfaced that Dempsey had fallen out with now-former manager Sigi Schmid, the forward has done his part on the field, scoring 35 goals in 74 league and playoff appearances. He has also been at or near the top in terms of jersey sales for the past three seasons, thus adding to the club’s bottom line.A case can be made that Jones has provided good value as well, especially after seeing his salary reduced from $3.05m in 2015 to $650,000 this year. Though injuries have limited his playing time over nearly three MLS seasons, his presence on the field has proved immense; his teams have gone a combined 24-7-11 during that span.Jones’ Colorado teammate, Tim Howard, has been mostly impressive since arriving in July, but it’s still too early to tell if he’ll be able to justify his $2.57m salary. That said, his signing helped drive a three-year extension of Colorado’s jersey sponsorship agreement with Transamerica.Altidore, meanwhile, has yet to fully justify the cost of his 2015 transfer from Sunderland. Hamstring injuries have limited his time on the field, though he’s actually logged more minutes over the last two seasons than Jones. The difference is that Jones arrived on a free transfer while Altidore cost around $10m in a cash-plus-swap deal for Jermain Defoe. That said, when he’s been on the field, Altidore has been effective, tallying 15 goals in 37 appearances. His holdup play this year has been impressive as well. If Altidore can stay healthy, he may yet fulfill the high expectations that accompanied his move.Bradley’s value might be the toughest to quantify. Toronto FC have without question been better since his arrival, though Sebastian Giovinco’s presence has been a bigger factor. Bradley has also been more effective since adopting more of a deep-lying role earlier this year. But is $6.5m per year really what should be spent on a holding midfielder?The amount seems steep, though timing did play a part in the outlay; MLS had to overpay in order to entice him and Dempsey to return to North America. If TFC can make a deep playoff run with Bradley orchestrating things from deep, it’s doubtful any Toronto fans will begrudge him for his salary.That still leaves Dempsey atop the “value-meter” of returning U.S. internationals, yet there is an unheralded player, relatively speaking, who is challenging his position: New York Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan.When the former Anderlecht midfielder arrived prior to the 2015 campaign, he was looked upon as nothing more than a solid addition, even as his national team prospects evaporated. But Kljestan is in the midst of his second straight impressive season with the Red Bulls, with his five goals and a league-leading 13 assists seeing him creep into MVP conversations. Such performances stand in stark contrast to another midfielder playing in New York, NYC FC’s Mix Diskerud, whose career looks to be in limbo due in no small part to his annual salary of just over $750,000.While Kljestan’s transfer fee to Anderlecht remains undisclosed, his salary is costing the Red Bulls a relatively modest $687,500 per year. That counts as a fine bit of business by GM Ali Curtis.As for Bedoya, it remains to be seen precisely what role he’ll play in manager Jim Curtin’s lineup. But Union fans will gladly take anything approaching Kljestan’s numbers. If that’s the case, there will be no argument as to whether Bedoya has been worth the money.Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @JeffreyCarlisle.

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Earn your Degree While You Watch Your Kids Soccer Practice – ½ the time and cost of Traditional Schools

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com – Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com , Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

8/8/16 US Ladies Win + Advance Tues vs Col 6 pm NBCSN, Brazil must win Wed 9 pm, Indy 11 win moves to NASL Top, EPL kicks off Sat., EUFA Supercup Real Madrid vs Sevilla Tues 2:45 pm, TV games

August 8, 2016 gatorbest

The US Ladies and midfielder Carli Lloyd did it again as she Tobin Heath and the US Ladies as they squeezed past France 1-0 in their second group G stage game and secured advancement to the next round. GK Hope Solo however was really the story of the day as she faced a barrage of boos, Zica Calls, and of shots especially in the 1^st half as she made more than 3 incredible saves in the game – securing the US advancement. Look for the US to get some new players on the field in their 3^rd and final group stage match Tuesday night at 6 pm on NBCSN vs Columbia, including probably the coming off injury Midfielder Megan Rapino, as they have already secured 1^st place in the group. (See complete stories and Group Standings below). Quarterfinals start with US Friday at Noon on NBCSN. Hard to believe how bad the Brazilian men are playing with 2 0-0 ties in their first 2 games against not very good teams. Its do or die vs Denmark on Wed night 9 pm for Brazil on NBCSN before the Quarters this Sat.

The Indy 11 continue to find ways to win games late this time a Don Smart goal in the 93^rd minute at home at the Jake on Saturday night as over 7K looked on. The exciting 1-0 win over Ottowa swings the Eleven back to first overall in the NASL Standings. This Sat night the 11 host OKC at the Mike at 7:30 pm and TV8 – come on out for $11 tickets and Indy’s top team!!

The EPL got off to a roaring start with a great match between Man U and last season’s miracle winners Leciester City in the Community Shield Match Sun at Wembley. I thought both teams showed positives in what was a very even match. Leciester showed they probably aren’t going to be a 1 season wonder and Man U – showed they need a little more (see Pogba) but that they are going to make a legit run for the top 4. Can’t wait for the season to kick of this weekend with 6 or 7 legit contenders – Leceister City, Tottenham, Aresenal, Man City, Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea – new coaches in Conte, Mournho, Pep, Klopp – and all the new signings – this squares up to be one of the most competitive EPL season in years. Games start Sat with Leciester traveling to Hull City at 7:30 am on CNBC and Man City hosting Sunderland at 12:30 on CNBC. Sunday has Arsenal vs Liverpool at 11 am on NBCSN and the German supercup Bayern vs Dortmund at 2:30 pm on Fox Sports 1.

GAMES of the Week TV

See the Complete TV Schedule online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Tues Aug 9 Olympic Soccer – Women

2:45 pm Fox Sports 1 Real Madrid vs Sevilla UEFA Supercup

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Canada

6 pm NBCSN Colombia vs USA Women

9 pm NBC Sports Extra China vs Sweden

Wed Aug 10 Olympic Soccer – Men

12 pm Telemundo Argentina vs Honduras

9 pm NBCSN Denmark vs Brazil

Fri, Aug 12

Quarterfinals Olympic Women

12 pm NBCSN 1G vs 3E USA vs ???

3 pm MSNBC 2F vs 2F

6 pm CNBC 1F vs 2G

9 pm NBCSN 1 E vs 3F Brazil vs?

Sat, Aug 13 EPL Season Starts

Quarterfinals Olympic men 12, 3, 6, 9

Sun, Aug 14

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
11:00 a.m., NBCSN: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Bayern Munich –German Super Cup

See the Complete TV Schedule online www.theoleballcoach.com –

USA

US Ladies squeeze by France 1-0

Fans chant “Zika” at Hope Solo again, but Solo gets last word in shutout

US Lloyd Strikes Again – Solo taunted as US beats France

US Seizes Control of Group G with 1-0 win over France

US and Brazil advance with victories

Tobinya –is Tobin Heath really Brazilian?

Tobin Heath a Gif machine

Tobin on YouTube Again some Tobinya

Ladies Group Tables

Men’s Wrap-up

Group Tables – MEN

Nigeria writes Olympic Tale to Remember – SI – Grant Wahl

US probably will play Friday at 12 noon – on NBCSN.

INDY 11

3 things Indy 11 win over Ott

Indy 11 win 1-0

Indy 11 back on top of NASL with last second winner – full Recap of weekend

NASL Full Standings

EPL and WORLD

Premier League Previews – ESPN FC (see more EPL previews in last week’s write-up)

Community Shield no predictor of League Success- Gab Marcotti ESPNF

Pogba Arrives to Man U Finally

Man U needs Pogba – Ian Macintosh

Leciester Impress despite close loss

Pep faces biggest Challenge at Man City

Man city not Ready under Pep

Juve will be Fine without Pogba

UEFA Snubs Messi and Suarez for Player of Year Award

MLS

Dempsey turns hat trick in win at Orlando

Best of the Week MLS Week 22

Week 22 Hi Lights

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Tues Aug 9 Olympic Soccer – Women

2:45 pm Fox Sports 1 Real Madrid vs Sevilla UEFA Supercup

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Canada

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Australia vs Zimbabwe

6 pm NBCSN Colombia vs USA

6 pm New Zealand vs France

9 pm NBC Sports Extra South Africa vs Brazil

9 pm NBC Sports Extra China vs Sweden

Wed Aug 10 Olympic Soccer – Men

12 pm NBC Sports Extra Algeria vs Portugal

12 pm Telemundo Argentina vs Honduras

3 pm NBC Sports Extra Germany vs Fiji

3 pm NBC Sports Extra Korea Republic vs Mexico

6 pm NBC Sports Extra Japan vs Sweden

6 pm NBC Sports Extra Colombia vs Nigeria

9 pm NBCSN Denmark vs Brazil

9 pm NBC Sports Extra South Africa vs Iraq

Fri, Aug 12 France Legue 1 starts

2 pm beIn Sports Bastia vs PSG

Quarterfinals Olympic Women

12 pm NBCSN 1G vs 3E USA??

3 pm MSNBC 2F vs 2F

6 pm CNBC 1F vs 2G

9 pm NBCSN 1 E vs 3F

Sat, Aug 13 EPL Season Starts

Quarterfinals Olympic men 12, 3, 6, 9

7:30 pm Tv8+ESPN3 Indy 11 vs OKC

Sun, Aug 14

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
11:00 a.m., NBCSN: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Bayern Munich –German Super Cup

7 pm Fox Sport 1 Seattle Sounders hosts Real Salt Lake

Tues, Aug 16

12 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals Women (final 4)

3 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals Women (final 4)

Weds, Aug 17

12 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals Man (final 4)

3 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals men (final 4)

Fri, Aug 19

12 noon MSNBC Women’s Olympics 3^rd place game

2:30 pm USA Net Man United vs Southhampton

4:30 pm NBCSN Women’s Olympics Gold Medal Game

Sat, Aug 20

12:30 p.m., CNBC: Leciester City vs Arsenal

4:30 pm NBCSN Men’s Olympics Gold Medal Game

7:30 pm ESPN3 Indy 11 @ Carolina

Sun, Aug 21

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Sunderland vs Middlesborough
11:00 a.m., CNBC West Ham vs Bournemouth

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Bayern Munich –German Super Cup

9:30 pm Fox Sport 1 Seattle Sounders host Portland – CASCADIA CUP 2!

Fri, Aug 26 German Bundesliga Starts

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen

Sat, Aug 27

7:30 AM NBCSN Tottenham vs Liverpool

9:30 a.m., Fox Sports 2: Borussia Dortmund vs. Mainz
9:30 a.m., Fox Soccer Plus: Hamburg SV vs. Ingolstadt

12:30 pm NBC Hull City vs Man United
12:30 p.m., Fox Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Sun, Aug 28

9:30 a.m Fox Sport1 Hertha Berlin vs. Freiburg

11 am NBCSN Man City vs West Ham

2 pm ??? Ottawa vs Indy 11

7 pm Fox Sport 1 Orlando City vs NYCFC

German Bundesliga TV Schedule on Fox Soccer and Gol TV

Lloyd strikes again, Solo taunted again as U.S. advances to knockout round

joelagoyahoo Sat, Aug 6 3:20 PM PDT

RIO DE JANEIRO — Hope Solo keeps getting taunted by loud choruses of “Zika!” by grudge-holding Brazilians, Carli Lloyd can’t stop scoring and the United States Women’s National Team keeps winning soccer games.That familiar tale pretty much told the story of the top-ranked Americans’ 1-0 victory over No. 3 France in Saturday’s showdown at the Rio Olympics.The U.S. needed Lloyd’s 63rd-minute winner and Solo’s clutch goalkeeping for her 102nd career shutout to take over the top spot of Group G and lock up a spot in the knockout stage of the 12-team tournament by virtue of New Zealand’s 1-0 triumph over Colombia. The world champion Americans are now 16-0-1 on the year.Solo, making her 200th appearance in the U.S. national team shirt., was berated again and again by fans at Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for tweeting pictures of her bug repellent arsenal to remain Zika-free. But the 35-year-old star goalie did not let the Zika chants get to her, recording six saves including some big stops late as the French pushed for the tying goal.The U.S. plays Colombia in its final group game on Tuesday in Manaus, the same Amazonian city where the American men faced Portugal in a 2-2 draw during the 2014 World Cup group stage. American coach Jill Ellis will have the luxury of resting some players with her team facing its third game in nine days.Lloyd, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner as the best player in the women’s game, deservedly continues to get plenty of credit for the U.S.’s success. She scored again for her 11th goal of the season after getting the opener in a 2-0 win over New Zealand on Wednesday. But Lloyd has Tobin Heath to thank for the match winner.Heath blasted a shot at goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, who pushed the ball away but had it ricochet off the near post and right to Lloyd for the 1-0 USA lead.The U.S. boasted 52 percent of the possession at halftime, but the shots tally was a better indication of how the first half went. The French outshot the Americans 8-1, putting three on goal to the U.S.’s zero. Solo had three saves, the most important coming in the 41st minute.Marie-Laure Delie had Solo one-on-one after being played into the right side of the penalty area. However, Solo stopped the point-blank attempt by Delie to keep the game scoreless.olo was also lucky. In the 73rd minute, a ball into the box just missed defender Wendie Renard for a flick header and bounded dangerously past the far post. Then in the 78th, Delie had space to unleash a right-footed blast that Solo had trouble corralling. But no French player was close enough to pounce on the rebound.

Like many things, chants get better with practice. Especially coordinated chants. And, apparently, especially Brazilian chants taunting U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo.Brazilian fans booed Solo and hurled “Zika!” chants at her during the Americans’ opener against New Zealand. Those chants were amplified, more in tune and more consistent in the U.S. Women’s National Team’s second group game against France, a 1-0 win. Solo, who was making her 200th appearance for the U.S., had the last laugh though. She made multiple crucial saves in the U.S.’s 1-0 victory over France. The best came right before halftime, with the game at 0-0 and the French putting real pressure on the U.S. Even as she repelled shot after shot on Saturday, the chants continued, and were more noticeable than they were Wednesday. Every time Solo had time with the ball, or set up to take a goal kick, the fans began a crescendoing chorus of whistles and roars. And then at the exact moment Solo sent the ball upfield… “ZIIIIKAAAA!”The “Zika” chants take after a global soccer tradition of fans yelling insults at goalkeepers as they prepare to take goal kicks. Many Mexican fans, and other fans of Central and South American teams, infamously yell a gay slur, despite repeated calls for them to stop.These “Zika” chants seem a little more lighthearted. Solo is taking them in the right way too. ”I’m glad the fans had fun,” Solo said Thursday. ”And if they had fun at my expense, more power to them.”

Tobin Heath, USA’s GIF machine, is winning fans in soccer-mad Brazil

She hasn’t scored for USA yet, but Tobin Heath is gaining fans with her Olympic play reminiscent of Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho.

GRANT WAHLSunday August 7th, 2016

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — She is the most GIF-able player in U.S. women’s soccer history, and now her beloved second country, Brazil, is catching on. A revealing thing happened on Saturday as midfielder Tobin Heath did “Tobin Heath Things” during the second half of the U.S.’s 1–0 win over France. According to GoogleTrends, searches in Brazil for “Tobin Heath” spiked to 10 times their previous level after Heath put on a show starting in the 63rd minute.Not only did Heath break through to fire the shot that bounced off the post and led to Carli Lloyd’s game-winning goal, but the player whose teammates call her “Tobinha” also brought a little samba to the Estádio Mineirão turf in the final minutes of the victory.Deep in the corner and with two defenders advancing on her, Heath turned on the GIF machine, moving one way before flicking the ball behind her in the opposite direction and then dinking the ball back in the original direction over the defenders to teammate Meghan Klingenberg. It was a classic game of Brazilian keep-away, and it ran some time off the clock, too.

A familiar feeling as France tests USWNT, but Lloyd and Co. come through

The Brazilian crowd roared in delight. And as Brazilians at home typed into their search engines, the local journalists here were smitten. In the press conference afterward, a reporter from Globo Esportes said to U.S. coach Jill Ellis: “I want you to talk a little about Tobin Heath. Her way of play, it’s very similar to Brazilian players.”Ellis smiled. “I think Tobin has a desire to be a Brazilian,” she said. “I think she’s always loved this country, been infatuated with it. I remember as a young player she came down here, and I always remember her wearing Brazilian flip-flops when she was a youth player. She loves the ball, and she’s very talented on it as you saw tonight.”There was something appropriate about Heath’s exploits taking place at the Mineirão. Her favorite Brazilian player of all time, Ronaldinho, led Atlético Mineiro to its greatest moment in club history on this field on a night like this one almost exactly three years ago. Ronaldinho won the Copa Libertadores that night with his team, and Heath flashed a grin when told about it by a Brazilian journalist.“I was always inspired by Brazilian football growing up,” Heath said. “Those huge Nike campaigns, the Jogo Bonito campaigns that had Ronaldinho, that’s the beauty of the game that I love.”Growing up in Basking Ridge, N.J., Heath would always be noodling by herself on moves with the ball, in the same way that a promising guitarist would work on perfecting guitar licks. One of them was Ronaldinho’s famous elástico, which Heath turned into her own GIF on an assist against Mexico last year.“Ronaldinho is the best,” Heath said when asked by the Brazilian media on Saturday. “I just like the joy and the love he has when he plays, it just shines for everyone else to see. He always does something nobody expects him to do. I think that’s really cool, that creativity you don’t find anywhere else. I think he inspired not just me but your country as well and the style that you guys want to play. That’s why he’s my favorite.”There were plenty of reasons the U.S. turned things around in the second half on Saturday and overcame a French team that had dominated the first half. Goalkeeper Hope Solo made the most of her 200th cap and stonewalled Marie-Laure Delie when Delie was in alone on Solo late in the first half. Lloyd knew exactly where to be to score her second goal in as many games in this tournament. And Whitney Engen, who learned a few hours before gametime that she’d be making her first start in a major tournament, filled in admirably for the injured Julie Johnston.But Heath is the U.S. player who’s breaking out more than any other in these Olympics. She was terrific in the opener too, a 2–0 win over New Zealand, providing the assist on Lloyd’s goal in that game. To hear Heath say it, she feels extremely comfortable with the changes that have been made to the U.S. attack in the past year.“I’m enjoying playing with the team in the style that we’re playing,” said Heath, 28. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been given more responsibility. I think I’ve grown into that. Also I like the players I’m playing around. We’ve got a good connection and understanding. The philosophy of this team has changed a little bit too in the style of play that we’re trying to do. So now I think it suits me.”Now what would be really cool is if Heath got to meet up with Ronaldinho at some point during the Olympics. Who knows? He might have been one of all those Brazilians Googling her on Saturday night.

Lloyd, Marta lead USA, Brazil into last eight in Rio

Kieran Canning,AFP Sat, Aug 6 9:42 PM PDT United States kept their quest for fourth straight women’s football gold firmly on track when captain Carli Lloyd ensured a 1-0 victory over France to qualify for the quarter-finals.Brazil are also into the last eight as, inspired by a near 60,000 capacity crowd at the Rio Olympic Stadium and two goals from five-time world player of the year Marta, they thrashed Sweden 5-1.The United States are now unbeaten in 13 Olympic matches and, a year on from scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup final, Lloyd has once again been the United States’ inspiration in Brazil.After netting the US opener in a 2-0 win against New Zealand on Wednesday, she slotted home the only goal in Belo Horizonte after Tobin Heath’s initial effort came back off the post.The US team are assured of their place in the knockout rounds as at least one of the two best third-placed sides, but can secure top spot in Group H with just a point against Colombia on Tuesday.France had impressed in thrashing Colombia 4-0 in their opening game and had the better of the first 45 minutes.However, American keeper Hope Solo made a huge save to deny Marie Laure Delie on her 200th international appearance.The world champions improved after the break and were rewarded when Lloyd was characteristically in the right place at the right time to score her 90th international goal.New Zealand beat Colombia 1-0 in the other game in the Group to move level with France on three points.In contrast to their male counterparts, who stumbled 0-0 against South Africa under the pressure to deliver Brazil’s first Olympic football gold, the hosts’ women have been the most impressive side in the tournament.”Initially the pressure was all about performing well and promoting women’s football,” said Brazil coach Vadao.”Now we have played so well the pressure changes because people’s expectations rise, so we will face a different pressure now.”Fresh from brushing off China 3-0 in their opener, Brazil tore Sweden apart to go in 3-0 up at the break.Beatriz nipped in ahead of Sweden ‘keeper Hadvig Lindahl for the opener, before Cristiane extended her record as all-time top scorer in the Olympics with her 14th goal in her fourth Games.Marta played against the country where she has played club football for the past four years, just 24 hours after carrying the Olympic flag into the Maracana during the opening ceremony.However, she looked far from jaded as she converted Brazil’s third from the penalty spot before doubling her tally with a fantastic finish 10 minutes from time.Beatriz curled home her second six minutes later before Lotta Schelin netted a consolation goal for Sweden. Tan Ruyin scored with a sensational dipping drive from over 40 yards out as China moved into second in Group E with a 2-0 win over South Africa. Canada are also through to the knockout stages after sealing their second win in as many games against tournament debutants Zimbabwe 3-1 in Sao Paulo.Janine Beckie scored twice, whilst veteran striker Christine Sinclair scored her 163rd international goal from the penalty spot.Two-time world champions Germany came back from 2-0 down against Australia to move into second in Group F.The Matildas looked set to bounce back from their opening 2-0 defeat to Canada thanks to first-half goals from Samantha Kerr and Caitlin Foord.However, Sara Daebritz pulled a goal back immediately and Saskia Bartusiak snatched a point two minutes from time.

USA SEIZES CONTROL OF GROUP G WITH 1-0 WIN VS. FRANCE AT 2016 OLYMPICS

LLOYD SCORES 63RD MINUTE GAME-WINNER AS USA POSTS SECOND STRAIGHT OLYMPIC CLEAN SHEET; USA FINISHES GROUP G PLAY AT 2016 OLYMPICS ON AUG. 9 VS. COLOMBIA IN MANAUS WNT Aug 6, 2016

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (Aug. 6, 2016) – The U.S. Women’s National Team took control of Group G with a 1-0 defeat of France thanks to Carli Lloyd’s 63rd minute game-winning goal and another strong defensive performance at Mineirão Stadium in its second match of the 2016 Olympic Games. In a battle between the two favorites to advance from Group G, the USA edged France on Lloyd’s opportunistic goal that was a product of a nice bit of offensive play from the U.S. that culminated in Tobin Heath’s shot being saved and then rebounding off the left post into Lloyd’s path and the FIFA World Player of the Year made no mistake in putting the chance away to give the USA an important three points. Defensively, the USA was solid again as Whitney Engen made her Olympic debut in place of the injured Julie Johnston who was held out to protect a sore groin. Engen and the defense kept France from creating much from the run of play, but when Les Bleues did break through, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, who earned her 200th cap today, was on hand to make a range of crucial saves throughout the match. The USA now leads Group G (2-0-0; 6pts) with France (1-1-0; 3pts) in second place, although, New Zealand (0-1-0; 0pts) and Colombia (0-1-0; 0pts) play later tonight. The USA could qualify for the tournament Quarterfinals depending on the result of the day’s later game between New Zealand and Colombia. A New Zealand win or draw between the Football Ferns and Colombia would send the U.S. through to the next round. The U.S. will finish group play vs. Colombia on Tuesday at Amazônia Arena in Manaus (6 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo).

Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – Carli Lloyd (Tobin Heath), 63rd minute: Kelley O’Hara sent a long ball into the heart of the France defense that fell to the feet of Morgan Brian at the top of the penalty area. As defenders closed in, Brian passed to Heath who was making a run into the left side of the box. Heath’s initial left-footed shot from eight yards out was pushed onto the post by France goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, but the ball rebounded off the left post across the front of the unprotected goal, setting up perfectly for U.S. captain Carli Lloyd to tap the ball across the line for the game-winner. USA 1, FRA 0 (SEE GOAL) FINAL

Key Saves and Defensive Stops:
USA – Hope Solo, 16th minute: France won a free kick on the right wing 35 yards from goal that Louisa Cadamuro swung into the penalty area for France captain Wendie Renard to head a powerful shot on goal. The ball looked to be headed just beneath the woodwork until Solo tipped the shot onto the crossbar with a strong left handed save.

FRA – Sarah Bouhaddi, 30th minute: Carli Lloyd won the USA a free kick in excellent attacking position just outside the center of the France penalty area. Heath stepped up and curled the free kick over the France wall and toward the center of goal, but Bouhaddi made a leaping save to tip the shot over the bar and deny Heath.

USA – Hope Solo, 40th minute: Amedine Henry won the ball near the center stripe and charged into the USA’s defensive third, drawing defenders before playing a through ball to Marie Laure Delie, who held off her defender and snapped a shot on goal. However, Solo had read the play and charged out to cut down the angle and smother the shot from close range.

Next on the Schedule: The U.S. WNT finishes Group G play at the 2016 Olympic Games against Colombia at Amazônia Arena in Manaus on Aug. 9 (6 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo).

Additional Notes:

The USA improves to 16-0-1 in 2016. The team has scored 55 goals and tallied 15 shutouts while allowing just four goals.
The WNT is 17-1-2 all-time against France, outscoring Les Bleues 52-14 in 20 matches.
This is the second consecutive Olympics in which the U.S. and France have met with the USA winning the only previous Olympic meeting between the two nations 4-2 at London 2012.
Carli Lloyd’s goal was the 90th of her career and eighth Olympic goal for the USA, pushing her to second all-time behind Abby Wambach’s 10 Olympic tallies.
Lloyd has now hit double-figures in goals scored in 2016 (10 goals); it is the fourth calendar year – and third in a row – that she’s recorded 10 or more goals (2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016)
Hope Solo continued to earn accolades, making her 200th career international appearance for the USA. She is the only goalkeeper to ever reach that appearance mark in international play.
The game marks the first Olympic start for Crystal Dunn and Whitney Engen as well as their first at a senior level world championship tournament.
The defense of Solo, Kelley O’Hara, Becky Sauerbrunn, Engen and Meghan Klingenberg started together for the first time in 2016.
The USA has now kept a clean sheet in its first two Olympic matches for the third time in team history. It also did so at the 2000 and 2012 Olympic Games.
Lloyd earned her 226th cap and 14th in the Olympics, tied with Solo for the most Olympic appearances on the team. She is the most-capped player at the 2016 Olympic Football tournament.
Malory Pugh and Julie Johnston were held out of the match due to injury concerns; Pugh sustained a knock to her ankle in the USA’s match vs. Australia, while Johnston’s exclusion was precautionary due to groin soreness.

– U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report –

Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. France
Date: Aug. 6, 2016
Competition: 2016 Olympic Games; Group G
Venue: Mineirao; Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET (5 p.m. local)
Attendance: 11,782
Weather: 85 degrees, clear

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
FRA 0 0 0

USA – Carli Lloyd (Tobin Heath) 63rd minute

Lineups:
USA: 1-Hope Solo; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 6-Whitney Engen, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 7-Meghan Klingenberg (12-Christen Press, 90); 3-Allie Long, 14-Morgan Brian, 10-Carli Lloyd (capt.) (9-Lindsey Horan, 82); 16-Crystal Dunn (11-Ali Krieger, 70), 13-Alex Morgan, 17-Tobin Heath
Subs not used: 2-Mallory Pugh, 8-Julie Johnston, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 18-Alyssa Naeher
Head Coach: Jill Ellis

FRA: 16-Sarah Bouhaddi; 8-Jessica Houara, 3-Wendie Renard (capt.), 2-Griedge Mbock Bathy, 7-Amel Majri; 10-Camille Abily (17-Kheira Hamraoui, 83), 6-Amandine Henry, 15-Elise Bussaglia; 13-Kadidiatou Diani, 18-Marie-Laure Delie (11-Claire Lavogez, 86), 14-Louisa Cadamuro (12-Elodie Thomis, 70)
Subs not used: 1-Meline Gerard, 4-Sakina Karchaoui, 5-Sabrina Delannoy, 9-Eugenie Le Sommer
Head Coach: Philippe Bergeroo

Stats Summary: USA / FRA
Shots: 7 / 14
Shots on Goal: 3 / 5
Saves: 5 / 2
Corner Kicks: 3 / 8
Fouls: 8 / 18
Offside: 4 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Crystal Dunn (caution) 68th minute
FRA – Griedge Mbock Bathy (caution) 82

Officials:
Referee: Claudia Umpierrez (URU)
Assistant Referee 1: Loreta Toloza(CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Neuza Back (BRA)
Fourth Official: Maria Carvajal (CHI)

Budweiser Woman of the Match: Allie Long (SERIOUSLY – IT HAS TO BE HOPE SOLO!!)

TOBINHA-U.S. WNT MIDFIELDER TOBIN HEATH WASN’T BORN IN BRAZIL, BUT PART OF HER SOCCER SOUL RESIDES HERE. WNT Aug 5, 2016

‘Tobin Heath is secretly Brazilian.’ That’s what a hand-made poster, held high outside the team hotel in Belo Horizonte said. Amusing, yes, but if “being Brazilian” in the soccer world is generally defined as being remarkable with the ball at your feet, then perhaps the meaning was right on, if not the nationality.Heath is a huge fan of Brazilian soccer so it’s not so surprising that the way she plays the game and her relationship with the ball have often been compared to that of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho, whose incredible abilities have made him both a crowd-pleaser and a dangerous attacking weapon on the field.“Brazil is one of my favorite countries and a huge inspiration to me being a football player,” Heath said. “I drew so much from learning about the game from this country and from the players of this country. For me, this is a special place and I feel really lucky to have the Games here because Brazil is all about this sport. For us, it’s the Olympic Games but for soccer it’s huge to be in this country playing on this stage.”Heath has long dazzled fans with her incisive passing and dynamic dribbling, which at times has included a nutmeg or two (in fact, her second touch as a member of the full WNT was a nutmeg), and she creates excitement on whichever flank she happens to be patrolling. Rare is the player who is equally effective from both wings, but the left-footed Heath is one of them. She has caused many a nightmare for opposing defenders with her combination of speed, fitness, soccer savvy and sublime skill.With the Olympic tournaments being held in six cities across Brazil, a country that breathes and lives the game, Heath is in her element.“Obviously Ronaldinho was a huge icon during the time that I was growing up and Nike Football had promoted him in the Jogo Bonitostories and I loved watching all of his videos,” Heath said. “I would go on YouTube and I would watch everything about him. You just could see his passion for football was huge because he always played with a smile on his face and did the craziest things on the field. Every time he got the ball you’d never know what he would do because he was so unpredictable. The way he played football was so cool and made me say, ‘that’s the way I want to play football.’ For me he was a huge inspiration and even today I follow him and think he’s the best ever.”In the 2-0 win against New Zealand to open Olympic play on Aug. 3, Heath was a commanding presence in the midfield. In classic Heath fashion, she assisted on the USA’s first goal of the night, freezing several defenders with a nifty bit of skill before serving a perfect cross to Carli Lloyd for a head goal. It was Heath’s fifth assist of the year and her 120th appearance for the USA.At only 28 years old, Heath is playing in her third Olympic Games and fifth major senior level world championship. Since making her debut with the National Team in 2008, her role and impact on the U.S. team has only increased. She has matured on and off the field as her creativity has become increasingly magnified and important and her game-clinching goal in the 2015 Women’s World Cup Final will go down as one of the most memorable in U.S. history.In 2008, Heath was the youngest player on the 2008 Olympics gold medal team, seeing action in three games off the bench. Eight years later, her dribbling and jaw-dropping moves continue to captivate viewers and lovers of the beautiful game, while her calming and veteran presence on the pitch is something head coach Jill Ellis values.“Her individual play to break players down, her ability to combine with others, she just gives us such an attacking weapon,” said Ellis. “Her work rate is exceptional and I don’t think she gets enough credit for that. She’s a box-to-box wide player. She’s a threat with her passing game and individually. With Tobin, we get a player that’s been there before and can calm us down in the storm.”Heath’s abilities have certainly earned her many fans in the USA and around the world, and even in the workrooms of EA Sports. Just last year, Heath became one of two women, Brazil’s Marta being the other, to receive five-star skill moves in the popular videogame FIFA 16, a trait that allows access to all skills moves available in the game. She was the only American player, man or woman, to earn that recognition.Among some of the notable men that are five-star skillers? Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, and Brazil’s Neymar and Pelé, who was born in the city of Três Corações in the state of Minas Gerais – about 180 miles from Belo Horizonte, home of the WNT’s first two Olympics group games.A deep love for the game and a sincere appreciation for the Brazilian style of soccer make this trip a dream come true for Heath.“Each Olympics is different for me,” Heath said. “But being here in Brazil, I think it’s very special to play as a football player, and it’s really cool to be somewhere that has inspired me so much as a kid. Not much compares to this experience.”

THREE THINGS: #INDVOTT

Analysis of Indy’s late 1-0 win over Fury FCAug 8, 2016

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After every Indy Eleven game, IndyEleven.com’s Scott Stewart will give his three takeaways from the performance of the “Boys in Blue.” This week’s edition comes after Indiana’s Team beat Ottawa Fury FC 1-0 thanks to a late Don Smart goal.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE – ELEVEN LEAVE IT LATE

Anyone who has seen the Eleven perform this season should know one thing above all – they have a knack for late goals, and they aren’t picky about them. They have scored late consolation goals, like in Miami in a 2-1 loss, and late equalizers, like against Puerto Rico FC at the start of the Fall Season and against Fury FC in the Spring Season home opener. But most importantly, they score late winners… A lot of late winners.A pair of late goals sealed victory over the New York Cosmos in the spring, and the same happened against against Rayo OKC in the same half of the season. Last Saturday night, again the “Boys in Blue” pulled out all the stops as Don Smart got a late touch on a ball floating in to the back post to secure a stoppage time winner in a thriller at Carroll Stadium.However, this time there was a feeling in the air, an inkling that the match may play out level as both teams struggled to create quality opportunities in front of goal. Different, too, from the atmosphere against New York in the spring for example, in the sense that belief may have left some of the home support. Fitting then that one of the Indy Eleven OG‘s Don Smart was the one to find the winner and keep the spirit of victory alive inside “The Mike,” where the Eleven’s home unbeaten streak is extended for another week.RECAP | Indy Eleven 1 : 0 Ottawa Fury FC
FIRST LEAGUE START FOR YOULA

Souleymane Youla made his first league start under head coach Tim Hankinson and worked well alongside Eamon Zayed before being substituted in the 64th minute for winger-go-forward Omar Gordon. Though the striker only had 23 touches on the ball, he did not see as much of the ball as, say, Justin Braun likely would have in the same amount of minutes, but he did manage enough to warrant the selection. Completing 13/17 passes, Youla created two chances – both for Zayed – in his hour-plus start, and was clearly sharp enough to start over Jair Reinoso and his substitute Gordon in the eyes of Coach Hank. It’s unclear how long Youla will be in the starting line-up as Braun works his way back to 100% fitness, but at the very least the Guinean showed that he will make the most of the minutes he gets after netting one against Puerto Rico FC in the fall opener.TICKETS | Last chance to see Indiana’s Team in August
CLEAN SHEET NO. 4 OF THE FALL

As noteworthy as the attack has been compared to years past, the defense deserves a solid shout as well after keeping their fourth clean sheet of the fall on Saturday.Blanking Minnesota United FC, Fort Lauderdale, and FC Edmonton – all at home – Carroll Stadium has become a fortress for a defense often led by Colin Falvey and Greg Janicki, though Saturday saw the latter replaced by Cory Miller due to suspension. Credit also goes to fullbacks Nemanja Vukovic, Marco Franco, and Lovel Palmer, all of whom have stepped in and bolstered both attack and defense since the last half of the year began on July 2.In goal, Jon Busch has made ten saves in those four clean sheets, bringing his fall tally up to 20 total while conceding just four goals in the seven matches played as ‘keeper Keith Cardona featured against Miami FC. Busch, who has become a leader amongst a number of solid offseason additions, continues to display his class and ability week-in and week-out and will be crucial going into the final three months of the year.

AFTER THE WHISTLE | INDY PROVIDES LATE DRAMA ONCE MORE TO STAY ATOP FALL STANDINGS

FC Edmonton and Miami FC earned important road wins in Week 6 Matthew Levine (@NASLInsider} | Aug 8, 2016

Indy Eleven remained as the Fall Season leader (on goal differential over FC Edmonton), using another late goal to record a 1-0 win. The Eddies also secured an important road victory, while Miami FC sent notice to the rest of the league with a huge win in Minnesota.

Here are the key storylines from Week 6:

Indy Continues Late Show: Indy Eleven (5W-1D-2L, 16 points) scored a goal in the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time for the 10^th time in 2016 on Saturday night. The result was a 1-0 win over Ottawa Fury FC, snapping Ottawa’s three-game winning streak and keeping the Boys in Blue atop the Fall Season Standings. Don Smart used a one-touch finish to beat Ottawa (3-04, 9) goalkeeper Romuald Peiser after Dylan Mares whipped a cross towards the back post. It was Smart’s first goal of the year.

Rolling On The Road: Teams playing away from home had plenty of success in Week 6. FC Edmonton (5-1-1, 16) used a Tomi Ameobi header to hand Puerto Rico FC (1-3-4, 6) its first home loss and keep pace with Indy on points (16) as the pacesetters in the Fall Season. Rayo OKC (3-4-1, 11), in Gerard Nus’ coaching debut ended the New York Cosmos’ 10-game winning streak with a 1-1 draw. Georgios Samaras scored his second goal of the year, both coming against the Cosmos. The Carolina RailHawks (2-2-3, 8) also earned a point on the road with Omar Bravo scoring his second goal of the year in a 2-2 draw with Jacksonville Armada FC (1-2-5, 5).

Perhaps the most surprising result of the weekend was Miami FC (3-2-1, 11) quieting the Minnesota crowd in rapid-fire fashion. Miami scored three times in the opening half hour to send the Loons (3-2-2, 11) to their second home loss in 2016. Jonny Steele opened the scoring in the ninth minute and it was followed up by goals from Ariel Martinez and Kwadwo Poku to take a 3-0 lead into halftime. Aaron Dennis, who scored his first professional goal, completed the dominance at NSC Stadium to earn a 4-0 win for the visitors.

Cole Powers Rowdies Past Rival: English star Joe Cole has been a force in the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ midfield since his arrival and that continued against the club’s longstanding rival. Cole assisted Keith Savage’s opener, on the night Savage’s 100^th appearance for the club was being celebrated, when he lofted a ball to the back post. Savage slammed the ball past Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1-1-5, 4) goalkeeper Bruno. Cole then scored a goal of his own, which stood up as the game-winner after the Strikers mounted a late comeback. Rowdies shot-stopper Matt Pickens made two key saves, one on Adrianinho’s penalty kick and then on Jose Angulo’s acrobatic effort with time running out.

Fondy Finds Target In Jacksonville As Foe: Forward Matt Fondy spent the 2016 Spring Season with the Armada FC, but he was unable to find the back of the net in eight appearances with the club. On his first trip back to Community First Park, Fondy needed just seven minutes to score his third goal for the RailHawks. Drew Beckie played a square pass, leaving Fondy 1-v-1 with Jacksonville ‘keeper Sean Lewis before coolly placing his shot into the net.

Trending: Paul Pogba to have Man United medical, Mancini leaves Inter

Paul Pogba is close to returning to Manchester United, with a medical reportedly taking place.

Here are the latest stories from Monday.

MAN UNITED: Juventus star Paul Pogba has been given permissionto have a medical with Manchester United, both clubs have confirmed. The midfielder has arrived to complete his £89 million move.

– United manager Jose Mourinho says his team still needs to adapt to get the best out of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He also said that it is “amazing” that Paul Pogba is set to return to United, but added that the midfielder needs to work hard to come into the team.

– Manchester United should be proud they are going to break the world transfer record fee by signing Pogba, Mourinho added.

– Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has reiterated his desire to break into management and have his “own team,” but will not entertain thoughts of replacing Chris Coleman as Wales national team boss for now.

INTER MILAN: Frank de Boer is set to be named the new coach of Inter Milan after Roberto Mancini’s departure was confirmed on Monday morning.

JUVENTUS: Former Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna has said he believes “not much will change” for the club without Pogba. Ogbonna, who now plays for West Ham, was a teammate of France international Pogba at Juventus for two seasons from summer 2013.

PSG: Paris Saint-Germain have completed their fifth summer signing with Real Madrid winger Jese Rodriguez the latest player to arrive at Parc des Princes. The 23-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the French champions and joins for a fee reported to be around €25 million.

ARSENAL: Arsene Wenger says Gabriel Paulista is likely to miss the Premier League opener against Liverpool with an ankle sprain, leaving him “very short” on centre-backs for the start of the season.

– Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has said he will “definitely” be back on top form this season as he said he would be willing to accept a place on the right wing.

– Kelechi Iheanacho’s former boss claims he stopped the Nigeria striker from joining Arsenal and told him to join Manchester City instead.

LEICESTER CITY: Claudio Ranieri has insisted that Leicester City’s primary target is to reach 40 points in the 2016-17 Premier League season after losing to Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday.

MAN CITY: Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta says new manager Pep Guardiola has assured him of his place in the squad for next season, ending speculation about a possible move away from the Etihad.

– Pep Guardiola has cast doubt over the futures of Wilfried Bony and Eliaquim Mangala after saying they remain Manchester City players “at the moment.”

LIVERPOOL: Georginio Wijnaldum says the Liverpool squad have learn to deal with the expectations placed upon them ahead of the start of the Premier League season.

– Jurgen Klopp has said he is unsure whether striker Daniel Sturridge will be available for Sunday’s Premier League opener at Arsenal.

WEST HAM: West Ham have completed the signing of Olympiakos left-back Arthur Masuaku. Masuaku, 22, has signed a four-year deal, the Hammers confirmed in a statement.

REAL MADRID: Real Madrid’s 20-man squad for the European Super Cup final against Sevilla includes Zinedine Zidane’s son Luca. The 18-year-old goalkeeper is named in place of the injured Keylor Navas, but Kiko Casilla is likely to start.

BAYERN MUNICH: Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said the club paid less than the reported €38 million fee for Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels.

– Kingsley Coman has expressed a desire to turn his loan at Bayern Munich into a full-time move. Coman, 20, signed for Bayern from Juventus on a two-year loan deal last summer, and the Bundesliga champions have the option to make the move permanent.

DORTMUND: Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reiterated his desire to stay at the club. Aubameyang told a news conference: “I will definitely stay with BVB, and I won’t answer this question again.”

NIGERIA: After failing to land Paul Le Guen, the Nigerian Football Federation have chosen Gernot Rohr to take charge as manager of the senior men’s national team.

MEXICO: Star striker Oribe Peralta and promising youngster Rodolfo Pizarro will return to Mexico after picking up injuries on Sunday in El Tri’s 5-1 victory over Fiji in the second round of games in Group C of the Olympic men’s football tournament.

MLS: Former Newcastle defender Steven Taylor had a tough start to life in the United States, enduring a challenging debut for Portland Timbers reserves.

Community Shield is no predictor of league success, Pogba’s cost, more

The Community Shield occupies a strange berth in English football. When it’s convenient, we pretend it’s a trophy and a competitive match. When it’s not, we call it a glorified friendly.I’m tempted to lean towards the latter. Competitive games don’t feature 12 substitutions (six per team). Nor do they involve one manager — Claudio Ranieri, in this case — leaving out all his summer signings because he wanted to reward the guys who won him the title last season.All of this led to a pretty disjointed (albeit entertaining at times) affair that likely tells you little about how these two clubs will play this season. But if we’re only marginally wiser about what Leicester City and Manchester United will look like as a unit, we do have clues about individuals.Start with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It will take a little time for him to find the measure of his United teammates and for Jose Mourinho to get the best out of him. But even the Ibrahimovic seen yesterday, often not getting great service and being stuck between two guys his own size, can be deadly even at half-throttle. His winner was vintage Zlatan, finding the half-space away from his marker and powering the ball into the far corner. And while he missed an earlier opportunity with a tame and likely mistimed finish, the fact that he was in the right place to shoot is significant. For the first time in a while, United have a center-forward whose natural habitat is the penalty area.Wayne Rooney ran plenty but produced less than expected: That’s a conundrum Mourinho will need to solve. The Michael Carrick-Marouane Fellaini partnership in front of the back four doesn’t seem sustainable (not least because you can’t expect Carrick to play every game) and is painfully slow. (If only United were on the verge of signing a dynamic superstar to help out in that role…) You’d expect that when we see the “real” United Mourinho has drawn up in his head, there will be room for Henrikh Mkhitaryan and, when he’s fit again, Chris Smalling.Luke Shaw’s return to full fitness reminds you just how much United missed him when he was injured. Eric Bailly is a work-in-progress, but hugely promising and ready to play. And Jesse Lingard is greater than the sum of his parts. Most of all, though, there is a lot of truth in Mourinho’s words when he said he’s only had a month to change from Van Gaal’s philosophy to his way of playing. It’s not that Van Gaal’s approach was wrong; it’s just that it was different. It’s not quite like getting an aircraft carrier to do a U-turn, but it’s not entirely far off.For Leicester, the way Lingard rumbled through the middle of the park in the build-up to his goal reminded you that N’Golo Kante is no longer there. And that in a real game, he’d be stopped by fair means or foul. Jamie Vardy looked to have picked up where he left off last year and of the newcomers who are likely to see much playing time for the Foxes, you’d imagine Ahmed Musa might settle quicker than Nampalys Mendy, who seems more of a playmaker type than a Kante-style Energizer Bunny.Ranieri said that Leicester are at 60 percent right now. United probably are too. It makes far more sense to check in on these sides in a few weeks, when they’ll be closer to the real deal.

How much will Paul Pogba actually cost?

You will see a whole range of different numbers relating to how much Paul Pogba will cost Manchester United once he signs. Some will be as low as £89 million (€105m/$116m). Others will be as high as £123m (€145m/$160.7m).What gives? Why can’t we have a hard and fast number?If you’re into this sort of thing, read on. If you’re not, skip to the next item.There is a hard and fast number and that number exists in the FIFA TMS system. That number is the number that exists on the contract to transfer Pogba from Juventus to Manchester United. It includes both the money that shifts from one club to the other and the commissions paid to agents (Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola is the most notable but he’s not the only one involved) as part of the deal.For a player to be transferred, both clubs have to upload their versions of the contracts plus the transfer fee, agent commissions and other fees into the FIFA TMS system. Those numbers have to match otherwise the deal does not go through.The problem is simple: Nobody, apart from a handful of people associated with Juve and United, Raiola and maybe a couple agents and the good folks at FIFA TMS, has actually seen the number. Throw in clubs’ penchant for making themselves look clever or thrifty by giving you only part of the picture and it becomes tough to truly compare apples with apples.he most widely quoted figure — and my own reporting makes me pretty confident it’s accurate, albeit incomplete — is that Juventus will receive £93.3m (€110m/$121.9m) from United. However, that figure is gross and part of that amount, £4.25m (€5m/$5.5m), will go to pay various associated fees and commissions, including part of those owed to Raiola. So Juventus would end up banking around $89m, which may explain the genesis of that number.(The good news here is that Juventus is a publicly traded company. At some point, they’ll publish their accounts and the financial eggheads will tell us whether they did in factreceive €110m from United, just as they were able to verify similar large transfer amounts in the past.)Of course, that number doesn’t include commission or fees that the club paid on its end. And if you’re a United fan or a Glazer you might want to know how much the deal actually cost you all-in since you’ve probably heard all the rumors about Raiola somehow demanding 20 percent of the transfer fee.Now, I personally doubt that even Raiola could get away with demanding such a massive cut. And, contrary to what you might have read, he never had a legally binding entitlement to 20 percent of the transfer fee. Not only have multiple sources denied its existence, but it would be illegal under FIFA’s statutes governing third-party investment. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Raiola didn’t ask for 20 percent of the deal, as he’s entitled to do. Or that once Raiola’s cut was agreed (however much it was), part of the reason this move took so long is that Juventus and United had to agree who would pay which parts of his commission.What we do know is that Raiola got some level of commission paid to him by both clubs and that the amount ought to be added to the cost of the deal.I know what you’re thinking: That number is in the transfer contract and has been uploaded to FIFA TMS, right?The answer is… maybe. Once the Pogba deal goes through, Raiola will have three important clients at United, the other two being Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Mkhitaryan. Juventus are currently linked with another Raiola client, Blaise Matuidi. If there’s more commission to be paid, there’s nothing stopping them from spreading it over other deals for other players.Bottom line? Jose Mourinho was probably telling the truth when he said he “didn’t know” how much this deal was costing Manchester United. Most people, even those involved in the deal, probably don’t know. Very few people do.What we can all be sure of, though, is that it’s a world record. And what I am pretty sure of is that it was a good piece of business for the club.

Inter continue to make bad choices

Details are hazy for now but it appears that Roberto Mancini’s time as Inter manager is at an end, with Frank De Boer set to take over. We’ll get into this more once we know more, but there are two obvious immediate reactions.The first is that changing managers in August is simply grotesque. Inter were obviously preoccupied with the ownership transition as the Chinese group Suning acquired just over two-thirds of the club, but it doesn’t mean they couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Besides, Suning came in on June 6. They had two whole months to figure out what to do with Mancini and, clearly, they misread the situation entirely. In fact, they reportedly went so far as to offer him a contract extension.The other is that everything filtering out from Inter suggests some folks still don’t get it. This is a club operating under the restrictions of a settlement for breaching UEFA’s Financial Fair Play. They spent big last year mortgaging the future and this summer, Mancini’s targets included Yaya Toure and Thomas Vermaelen. Because those are exactly the sort of cheap, huge upside, long-term players you try to sign when you’re working on a shoestring.(Mancini’s other target was apparently Marco Reus – nothing wrong with him other than the fact that he’d cost an absolute fortune.)This club needs a serious wake-up call but right now, the fear is that we’ll get another wasted season instead.

Emery era at PSG begins in style

If Saturday night was a sign of things to come in the post-Zlatan era, things bode rather well for Paris St. Germain. Without Edison Cavani, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Blaise Matuidi, Marquinhos and Thiago Silva and with Marco Verratti still only half-fit, they demolished Lyon 4-1 on Saturday night in the French Super Cup.In many ways, it makes the transition more straightforward for new boss Unai Emery. Taking over with Ibrahimovic still around would likely have been trickier. Hitting the ground running in this way, without so many veteran stars, only makes things easier.

Don’t read into Guardiola’s tinkering

Last season, owing to injuries elsewhere, Pep Guardiola turned Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba into a viable center-back partnership for Bayern, even though one was a rookie midfielder and the other a left-back/occasional midfielder. That was in his third season with the Bavarians — when the rest of the side had metabolized his concepts — and even then it only lasted until Jerome Boateng’s return to full fitness.Guardiola may be daring and outside-the-box in his approach but we probably shouldn’t consider the Aleksandar Kolarov-Fernando center-back pairing, seen in Sunday’s friendly against Arsenal, as a sign of things to come. Manchester City obviously have specialist center backs due to return and, you’d expect, they’ll take another run at John Stones or a similar ball-playing central defender.Gabriele Marcotti is a columnist for ESPN FC,

Ibrahimovic earns Community Shield glory for Man United vs. Leicester

LONDON — Three thoughts on Manchester United’s 2-1 win vs. Leicester City in the FA Community Shield.

Ibrahimovic announces himself for Man United

He was never going to arrive quietly. Until the 83rd minute, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been virtually anonymous by his standards, shackled effectively by Leicester’s Wes Morgan and struggling to find space to exert his usual influence.But given his appetite for theatre, it was no huge surprise that the Swedish striker settled a tight, often scrappy Community Shield after Jesse Lingard and Jamie Vardy had traded goals. Manchester United will hope it provides some sort of springboard for brighter times over the next nine months.When the decisive moment arrived, it was straightforward enough. Antonio Valencia’s cross, stood up to the far post, brought about another of the contests Ibrahimovic had been losing for most of the afternoon. But this time, he won the header against Morgan and — with the Leicester captain possibly getting the final touch — nodded across Kasper Schmeichel and in off the far post.Lingard’s opener seemed a long time ago, but it was worth committing to memory. The 23-year-old has taken a liking to Wembley. It was his excellent FA Cup final winner against Crystal Palace that brought United to this game and within 32 minutes he had produced another moment of magic, albeit different in nature.United certainly needed something; they had laboured for the most part but, after Andy King had dived into and missed a tackle 10 yards inside the Leicester half, Lingard found himself in space. Past one challenge he went, then past another from a rash Morgan, and the winger found himself one-on-one with Schmeichel. He finished coolly and sparked a game that had badly needed such a show of initiative.It should have been the foundation for United to kick on and set down a marker. Instead, Marouane Fellaini provided an apt reminder of existing failings seven minutes after the break.The midfielder did well enough to track back and intercept a ball toward Vardy from substitute Ahmed Musa, but Fellaini’s subsequent contribution was to sell David De Gea short with a hopelessly underhit backpass, allowing Vardy to steal in and slot in the equaliser from an angle.It was Ibrahimovic who had the final say, though, as United stepped up the pressure late on. They have won the first silverware of the 2016-17 season, although this was not a curtain raiser to live particularly long in the memory.

United show why Pogba is needed

Watching this game, you could only think that Paul Pogba cannot arrive quickly enough. The midfielder only has to pass a medical for his drawn-out transfer to Man United finally to be confirmed and such was the lack of cohesion in his new club’s engine room that there is any number of jobs he could perform.United lined up at Wembley with Wayne Rooney in the No. 10 position Mourinho appears to have earmarked for him, plus Michael Carrick and Fellaini sitting behind in a 4-2-3-1 formation.The balance never looked right; Rooney, starved of meaningful possession early on despite a dominant start from United, found himself pulled backwards as the first half progressed, with King and Danny Drinkwater dominating in the centre for Leicester.There were no indications of a burgeoning relationship with Ibrahimovic, who was peripheral until his winner, and the only sign of any forward thrust from the middle came when Lingard, a wide player, foraged inside to such tremendous effect for his goal.It was sluggish, one-paced fare and a reminder of Mourinho’s pre-match concern that it will take time to evolve United’s game from the safe, possession-based approach of Louis van Gaal to one that seeks quick penetration between the lines.Henrikh Mkhitaryan, seen only in added time here, should also change that if used centrally and, as United probed with little direct threat, the abiding sense was that the midfielders Mourinho inherited have neither the speed of foot or thought to harbour hopes of a long-term future at Old Trafford.Rooney must be included in their number. He plugged away, slashing wildly over after Vardy’s equaliser and shooting at Schmeichel following a rare link-up with Ibrahimovic, but it is difficult to see where he is going to fit in unless Pogba’s power can somehow be used to spark him.Juan Mata might feel similarly. The Spaniard, introduced in the 63rd minute, was the man withdrawn for Mkhitaryan and must wonder about his own future. It was another reminder that, even if Pogba is almost back on English shores, there remain many issues to deal with at Old Trafford.

Leicester lose but can be pleased

Leicester can approach the new campaign with a sense of reassurance, regardless of their late disappointment here. There had been mild cause for preseason concern when they shipped eight goals against Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but the opposition had to be taken into account and they bore a decent resemblance to last season’s selves at Wembley.Lingard’s goal was cruelly timed; Claudio Ranieri’s side had wrestled control of the game after a cagey first 15 minutes and had almost taken the lead when Shinji Okazaki, having seen a shot deflected just wide, hit the crossbar with a header from the resulting corner.The one nagging doubt came in the build-up to United’s opener. The missed tackle from King that opened the door for Lingard summed up Leicester’s typically committed approach but it was impossible to swat away the thought that N’Golo Kante, whose place King he had taken, would have won the ball.Somehow, Kante’s contribution needs to be mitigated. Ranieri said before the game that they will “have to think different and close space quicker — but it will need to happen in more disciplined fashion than this if Leicester are not to appear loose. An encouraging performance from substitute Nampalys Mendy assuaged a few of those concerns.The speed of substitutes Musa and Demarai Gray, who almost equalised at the death, troubled United in the second half and Leicester will certainly have more strings to their attacking bow than last season. That extra depth will be crucial, as will quick elimination of the soft defending that led to both goals here.Any recriminations, though, will be few. “Champions of England, we know what we are,” was the Leicester fans’ refrain throughout the afternoon. They will be for a good few months yet, and there remains no good reason not to bask in the fact.Nick Ames is a football j

Premier League previews for 2016-17

The 2016-17 Premier League season is nearly upon us. Lots has happened already this summer, so our ESPN FC bloggers take a look at how their team will fare in the coming campaign.

RELEGATION CANDIDATES

BOURNEMOUTH: Bournemouth’s first ever appearance in the Premier League ended well, with the club finishing a respectable 16th in the table in 2015-16. The key now is to build on that. Read >> — Will Kent

BURNLEY: Burnley are back. Sean Dyche masterminded a quick return to the Premier League following relegation in 2014-15 but the Championship winners do not look equipped for Premier League survival without major investment. Read >> — Jamie Smith

CRYSTAL PALACE: Crystal Palace were challenging the top four in December last year but fell away in 2016 to eventually finish a disappointing 15th. A top half finish and another cup run would do the trick. Maybe even win it this time. Read >> — Jim Daly

HULL CITY: Hull City bounced back to the Premier League following victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship playoff final. But can they stay there? Read >> — Philip Buckingham

MIDDLESBROUGH: Aitor Karanka has masterminded Boro’s return to the big time after seven seasons in the Football League, but now he must keep them there. All eyes will be on a rejuvenated team who make their return to the Premier League looking much more primed for action than their promoted counterparts. Read >> — Catherine Wilson

SUNDERLAND: Sunderland staged another escape act last season, as they once again managed to survive in the Premier League. The challenge now is for new boss David Moyes to develop the club so late-season scrapes are a thing of the past. Read >> — Colin Randall

MID-TABLE FINISHERS

EVERTON: Coming Aug. 9. — Luke O’Farrell

SWANSEA: Coming Aug. 9. — Max Hicks

WATFORD: Coming Aug. 9. — Michael Moruzzi

WEST BROM: Coming Aug. 9. — Matthew Evans

RACE FOR EUROPE

STOKE: Coming Aug. 10. — James Whittaker

SOUTHAMPTON: Coming Aug. 10. — Alex Crook.

WEST HAM: Coming Aug. 10. — Peter Thorne

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CHASERS

CHELSEA: Coming Aug. 11. — Mark Worrall

LIVERPOOL: Coming Aug. 11. — Steven Kelly

TOTTENHAM: Coming Aug. 11. — Ben Pearce

TITLE CHALLENGERS

ARSENAL: Coming Aug. 12. — Tom Adams

LEICESTER: Coming Aug. 12 — Ben Jacobs

MAN CITY: Coming Aug. 12. — Simon Curtis

MAN UNITED: Coming Aug. 12. — Scott Patterson

LA Galaxy mount late comeback vs. NY Red Bulls while Giovinco nets hat trick

Week 22 of the Major League Soccer season saw a referee take the spotlight while Steven Gerrard’s LA Galaxy mounted a late comeback to draw 2-2 against the New York Red Bulls.As for in-form players in the MLS, Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco and Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey are right up there with the best.

The Toledo Show

At the final whistle in Portland, the scoreline read 3-0, giving the impression that the Timbers had dominated against visiting Sporting Kansas City. And yes, Caleb Porter’s team did grab the game by throat in the last half hour, putting away three excellent chances while smothering Sporting’s attack.But the star of the show wasn’t any of the goal scorers — Diego Valeri, Jack Jewsbury or Fanendo Adi. The man at the center of the events at Providence Park was referee Baldomero Toledo. Toledo heavily altered the proceedings by handing out two red cards in the first half that put each team down to 10 men for the majority of the match.It looked dire for the home team when Toledo dismissed midfield stalwart Diego Chara for putting his hands in the face of Benny Feilhaber behind the ball. Feilhaber sold the foul with additional theatrics, but Chara should know better than to give the ref an excuse to pull out a red card.With a pair of understudies at center-back, Portland dug in and kept the game scoreless long enough for Toledo to bring balance back into the game when he sent off Sporting midfielder Soni Mustivar in the 39th minute. Was Mustivar’s foul worthy of an ejection? The call was questionable at best, and leaves open the possibility that Toledo was looking for a way to level the numbers.Take nothing away from the Timbers on a day when a home win was important to staying in the conversation for the playoffs in the Western Conference. Valeri’s goal was stellar, and Darlington Nagbe’s assist for the second was a work of art. But as is too often the case in Major League Soccer, the referee took center stage and directly impacted the outcome of a game with doubt about the decisions made.

Seattle Surge

Whether fair or not, the revival of the Seattle Sounders looks to have come as a result of the firing of Sigi Schmid. Since the long-time manager’s dismissal after nearly eight years at the helm, the Sounders have taken a marked step forward in the level of their play. Last week against LA Galaxy, the team played well under interim boss Brian Schmetzer, but couldn’t finish enough of their excellent chances to secure three points.On Sunday evening, Seattle had no such trouble against Orlando City on the road in Florida. Jordan Morris starred as the provider, setting up two of Clint Dempsey’s hat trick of goals with perfectly timed runs and smart passes. Nicolas Lodeiro was good again in his second appearance with his new team. The defense held firm against the Lions after giving up an early goal.In general terms, so much about the Sounders was better than it had been for months that it’s difficult to pin down the cause. Maybe Schmid’s influence on the team had turned negative, or perhaps Sounders’ players were simply invigorated by the fresh start that his departure represented.Before the switch and the four points they earned over the last two weeks, Seattle was verging on becoming an afterthought in the Western Conference. The club’s long streak of playoff appearances — the Sounders have made the postseason every year of their MLS existence — remains in jeopardy, but it is still a bit premature to suggest that there’s no chance they can rise up the table and get themselves into one of the final spots.Lodeiro’s influence is key. The Argentine brings a creative edge Seattle lacked before, and he is already developing excellent chemistry with Morris.

Hairston Rising

This is MLS. With the restrictions on spending and level of difficulty for clubs to add players that can make a difference midseason, getting a boost from players who emerge from the reserves to make big contributions is a crucial in turning a good start into a good season.The Colorado Rapids have used a strong defensive posture and the influence of a few big time players to carve out a strong position near the top of the Western Conference standings. Keeping that momentum going was never a given, and with the club’s significant investment in Jermaine Jones and Tim Howard, finding a way to inject new energy into the team wasn’t going to be easy. At the close of the transfer window, the Rapids found a way to grab an experienced attacker in Sebastian LeToux via trade, and thanks to the emergence of 22-year old Marlon Hairston, there might be enough in the tank to carry them through the schedule.Hairston put in another excellent performance on Saturday in the Rapids’ 2-0 home win over Vancouver. The winger scored and collected an assist, adding a goal to a run that has seen him scored in three of Colorado’s last four games. Hairston is establishing himself as a first choice player in a team that hasn’t always presented much danger on the attacking end. The University of Louisville product’s speed and incisive runs are making a difference for Pablo Mastroeni’s team.

Lil Sebastian Rides Again

probably won’t replicate his astonishing 2015 output this season. Even so, he remains on the verge of another historic campaign in the league.On Sunday, Giovinco scored three times as Toronto FC romped past the Revolution at BMO Field. Giovinco was at his shooting best, scoring twice with incredible strikes and hitting the bar on two other occasions. Toronto is a better team than they were last year, and Giovinco is suddenly white hot. Pushing into the playoffs and getting beyond the opening round suddenly seems like a much better possibility.

Chaos in Carson

There’s no way to sum up the Galaxy’s 2-2 draw with the Red Bulls at the Stub Hub Center on Sunday night that will do the game justice.New York was forced to use all three of their substitution in the first 50 minutes thanks to injuries that could have big ramifications on their immediate future. Despite those setbacks, they got goals from Gonzalo Veron and Sean Davis to take a two-goal lead. The Galaxy sleep-walked through the first 80 minutes, only to turn it on with just enough time to make a comeback. In the process, goalkeeper Brian Rowe got away with what looked to be two stone-cold penalty fouls. Arguing the calls got Jesse Marsch sent off, and in the end, no one can be overly excited about the result.In other words, it was a perfect end to an insane MLS weekend..Jason Davis covers Major League Soccer

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

8/5/16 Olympics US Women Face France Sat 4pm, Indy 11 Back on Top vs OTT on Sat 7:30 pm, EPL Community Shield Sun 10 am, EPL Season Previews

August 5, 2016 gatorbest

So the Olympics are underway and the US Ladies looked fine in their initial 2-0 win with goals from veterans Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan and some pretty spectacular play from Tobin Heath and Julie Johnson. Interesting the Brazilians – all 1500 that were actually at the 45,000 seat arena booing Hope Solo after her comments on the Zica virus. The booing was ok but yelling Zica every time she kicked the ball? Classy those few Bralians who could actually afford the tickets. Now the big test for the US as they face top 5 foe France – a team many consider the top in Europe on Saturday at 4 pm on NBCSN. Not sure why this game isn’t on NBC but what the heck. On the men’s side Brazil was literally booed off the field after they settled for a 0-0 tie after South Africa went down a man early in the 2^nd half. It will be interesting to see if Brazil can recover to get to the finals this summer?

So the Indy 11 were back in the win column Wed night at the Mike – an impressive 5-0 stomping of Jacksonville pushing them back into 1^st place overall as they stand tied with the NY Cosmos. They host Ottawa this Saturday night, 8 pm at the MIKE – tickets just $11 or watch on TV8.

The EPL kicks off the season with the Community Shield match between last season’s Champions Leicester City and FA Cup Winners Man United on Sunday 10 am on FS1. The full season kicks off next weekend on NBCSN see season previews below. Tuesday 2:45 pm on FS1 has the EUFA Supercup as Champions League Winners Real Madrid (without the injured Renaldo) face EUFA Cup Winners and fellow La Liga side Sevilla. Locally congrats to all those players making their high school teams this past week as we prepare for both the high school and the Club season’s to kick-off soon, I know we had a number freshman boys and boatload of girls make the CHS teams including all 3 of our goalies and of course we have players from 9^th grade to varsity at Guerin, University and Westfield. Congrats to all and good luck this fall season!! Carmel High School Girls Soccer has a car wash tomorrow at Valero Gas Station 116 + Rangeline Varsity 9-11 am, JV blue 11-1 pm, JV Gold (9^th grade) 1-3 pm.

GAMES of the Week TV

See the Complete TV Schedule online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Sat, Aug 6

12 noon ESPN ICC Liverpool vs Barcelona – Wembley

4 p.m. (TV NBCSN) United States women vs France, Olympics group stage,

5pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Australia

7:30 pm Tv8+ESPN3 Indy 11 vs Ottawa

9pm NBC Sports Live Extra Brazil vs Sweden women

Sun, Aug 7

10 am Foxsports 1 Community Shield Leicester City vs Man United

4pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Sporting KC MLS

7pm Fox sports 1 Orlando City vs Seattle – battle of new coaches

9:30 pm Fox Sports 1 LA vs NY Red Bulls

Tues Aug 9 Olympic Soccer – Women

2:45 pm Fox Sports 1 Real Madrid vs Sevilla UEFA Supercup

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Canada

6 pm NBCSN Colombia vs USA Women

9 pm NBC Sports Extra China vs Sweden

Wed Aug 10 Olympic Soccer – Men

12 pm Telemundo Argentina vs Honduras

9 pm NBCSN Denmark vs Brazil

Fri, Aug 12

Quarterfinals Olympic Women

12 pm NBCSN 1G vs 3E

3 pm MSNBC 2F vs 2F

6 pm CNBC 1F vs 2G

9 pm NBCSN 1 E vs 3F

Sat, Aug 13 EPL Season Starts

Quarterfinals Olympic men 12, 3, 6, 9

Sun, Aug 14

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
11:00 a.m., NBCSN: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Bayern Munich –German Super Cup

See the Complete TV Schedule online www.theoleballcoach.com –

US Women

US Wins 2-0 over New Zealand

US Impressive in Win – Hays ESPNW

US Veterans spark US Victory – SI – Grant Wahl

Tobin Heath helps US to victory – Hays ESPNW

Hope Solo brushes off Boos and Zica Chants

Olympic Round Up

Getting to Know the US Women Defenders –Stars and Stripes

Getting to Know the US Forwards

the US midfielders

Brazil Men Tie 1^st Game get booed off

Men’s Olympic Soccer Preview – Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, Germany ?

Olympics TV Schedule for Soccer

US LADIES GROUP STAGE GAMES

August 3rd, 2016 – Olympics: WNT vs. New Zealand (Brazil), 6pm ET on NBCSN W 2-0

Sat Aug 6th, 2016 – Olympics: WNT vs. France (Brazil), 4pm ET on NBCSN

Tues Aug 9th, 2016 – Olympics: WNT vs. Colombia (Brazil), 6pm ET on NBCSN

Indy 11

5 Goals for 5 Years ! Bloody Shambles

Indy 11 win 5-2

NASL Weekend Preview

Tix on sale for 8/6 vs OTT and 8/13 vs OKC

EPL & World

Leicester City vs Man U Preview

Rooney says old Man U is back with Mourinho in charge

Seedings for Champions League Announced

Season Preview Arsenal – NBC Sports

Season Preview Liverpool – NBC Sports

Preview – Leicester City – NBC Sports

Preview Man United – NBC Sports

Preview Man City – NBC Sports

Preview Tottenham Hotspur – NBC Sports

Season Preview Chelsea –US Matt Miazga – NBC Sports

Season Preview Stoke City (US Geoff Cameron– NBC Sports

Season Preview Sunderland – US Yedlin??

Season Preview – Southhampton

Preview Everton – NBC Sports

Preivew Crystal Palace – NBC Sports

Preview Bournmouth

US MEN

Alejandro Bedoya leaves Nantes for MLS Philly Union

US Player Danny Williams eyes EPL Shot

Chelsea to Send US Matt Miazga on Loan?

MLS

MLS Weekend Preview

Sat, Aug 6

7:30 am Fox Soccer+ Rangers vs Hamilton Academical – Scotland PL

12 noon ESPN ICC Liverpool vs Barcelona – Wembley

2:45 pm beIn Sport PSG vs Olympique Lyonnais –France Super Cup

Olympic Soccer – Women

4 p.m. (TV NBCSN) United States women vs France, Olympics group stage,

5pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Australia

6pm NBC Sports Live Extra South Africa vs China

7pm NBC Sports Live Extra Colombia vs New Zealand

7:30 pm Tv8+ESPN3 Indy 11 vs Ottowa

7:30 pm beIN Sport Ft Lauderdale vs Tampa Bay Rowdies NASL

9pm NBC Sports Live Extra Brazil vs Sweden women

Sun, Aug 7

9 am CBS Sports Network Werder Bremen vs Chelsea (friendly)

10 am Foxsports 1 Community Shield Leicester City vs Man United

4pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Sporting KC MLS

7pm Fox sports 1 Orlando City vs Seattle – battle of new coaches

9:30 pm Fox Sports 1 LA vs NY Red Bulls

Olympic Soccer – Men

12 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Fiji vs Mexico

2 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Honduras vs Portugal

3 pm NBCSN Germany vs Korea Republic

5 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Argentina vs Algeria

6 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Sweden vs Nigeria

6 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Denmark vs South Africa

9 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Japan vs Colombia

9 pm NBCSN Brazil vs Iraq

Tues Aug 9 Olympic Soccer – Women

2:45 pm Fox Sports 1 Real Madrid vs Sevilla UEFA Supercup

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Canada

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Australia vs Zimbabwe

6 pm NBCSN Colombia vs USA

6 pm New Zealand vs France

9 pm NBC Sports Extra South Africa vs Brazil

9 pm NBC Sports Extra China vs Sweden

Wed Aug 10 Olympic Soccer – Men

12 pm NBC Sports Extra Algeria vs Portugal

12 pm Telemundo Argentina vs Honduras

3 pm NBC Sports Extra Germany vs Fiji

3 pm NBC Sports Extra Korea Republic vs Mexico

6 pm NBC Sports Extra Japan vs Sweden

6 pm NBC Sports Extra Colombia vs Nigeria

9 pm NBCSN Denmark vs Brazil

9 pm NBC Sports Extra South Africa vs Iraq

Fri, Aug 12 France Legue 1 starts

2 pm beIn Sports Bastia vs PSG

Quarterfinals Olympic Women

12 pm NBCSN 1G vs 3E

3 pm MSNBC 2F vs 2F

6 pm CNBC 1F vs 2G

9 pm NBCSN 1 E vs 3F

Sat, Aug 13 EPL Season Starts

Quarterfinals Olympic men 12, 3, 6, 9

7:30 pm Tv8+ESPN3 Indy 11 vs OKC

Sun, Aug 14

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
11:00 a.m., NBCSN: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Bayern Munich –German Super Cup

7 pm Fox Sport 1 Seattle Sounders hosts Real Salt Lake

Tues, Aug 16

12 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals Women (final 4)

3 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals Women (final 4)

Weds, Aug 17

12 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals Man (final 4)

3 pm NBCSN Semi-Finals men (final 4)

Fri, Aug 19

12 noon MSNBC Women’s Olympics 3^rd place game

2:30 pm USA Net Man United vs Southhampton

4:30 pm NBCSN Women’s Olympics Gold Medal Game

Sat, Aug 20

12:30 p.m., CNBC: Leciester City vs Arsenal

4:30 pm NBCSN Men’s Olympics Gold Medal Game

7:30 pm ESPN3 Indy 11 @ Carolina

Sun, Aug 21

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Sunderland vs Middlesborough
11:00 a.m., CNBC West Ham vs Bournemouth

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Bayern Munich –German Super Cup

9:30 pm Fox Sport 1 Seattle Sounders host Portland – CASCADIA CUP 2!

Fri, Aug 26 German Bundesliga Starts

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen

Sat, Aug 27

7:30 AM NBCSN Tottenham vs Liverpool

9:30 a.m., Fox Sports 2: Borussia Dortmund vs. Mainz
9:30 a.m., Fox Soccer Plus: Hamburg SV vs. Ingolstadt

12:30 pm NBC Hull City vs Man United
12:30 p.m., Fox Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Sun, Aug 28

9:30 a.m Fox Sport1 Hertha Berlin vs. Freiburg

11 am NBCSN Man City vs West Ham

2 pm ??? Ottawa vs Indy 11

7 pm Fox Sport 1 Orlando City vs NYCFC

German Bundesliga TV Schedule on Fox Soccer and Gol TV

Veteran stars spark U.S. women in Olympics-opening win over New Zealand

Grant Wahl,Sports Illustrated 14 hours ago

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — The U.S. women’s soccer team used goals from its two biggest stars, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan, to beat New Zealand 2-0 in their Olympic opener on Wednesday at the Estádio Mineirão.Seeking to become the first reigning Women’s World Cup champion to win the Olympic gold medal, the U.S. overcame a gritty New Zealand effort that made the Kiwis hard to play against, though they created few scoring chances in the U.S. end.The win means the Americans will have the maximum three points when they meet gold medal contender France in their second group stage game on Saturday here.

Here are my three thoughts on the game:

Lloyd and Morgan acted like they’ve been here before

The two big U.S. stars did what was necessary, getting on the scoresheet and preventing any drama, even though neither one had a truly standout game. It made me think of what Lloyd had said in an SI.com story earlier in the day: That the U.S.’s big-tournament mentality is a boost for the Americans and a hindrance for their opponents.

“I got this” is one of the main phrases that sticks out when you listen to the U.S. veterans and watch how they perform in environments like this one. This victory was more clinical than overpowering, but three points is three points. It’s worth noting that the U.S. back line has been here before, too, and posted another clean sheet.

Heath was the U.S.’s most unpredictable threat

Tobin Heath’s terrific technical and dribbling skills kept New Zealand unbalanced, causing the Kiwis to nearly cross the line on multiple occasions to scythe down Heath with dangerous tackles. Making her first U.S. start since June due to injury, Heath created the space for her cross to Lloyd for the first U.S. goal and beat her defenders several times on the ball.With Megan Rapinoe still getting back to 100% physically, Heath is the U.S. player most able to unbalance defenses with her unpredictability—and that matters in the big moments. Also, Ukrainian referee Kateryna Monzul should have protected Heath more on some of the New Zealand’s heaviest tackles. (She did hand out two yellow cards for them, but there should have been more.)Solo booed regularly by the Brazilian crowdWhen the stadium boos first started for Hope Solo, I thought the fans were just unhappy about a couple U.S. backpasses to the goalkeeper instead of pushing the ball up-field. But the more the boos got louder whenever Solo touched the ball, the more it became clear that the Brazilians were unhappy with Solo’s pre-tournament Twitter post of herself in an elaborate mosquito-net headgear to combat the Zika virus. (They even chanted “Zika” on her goal kicks late in the game.)Solo did apologize a few days ago, noting that mosquitoes had not been a problem at all here, but my guess is the boos will become a pattern during the tournament. In any case, it should stoke the U.S.-Brazil rivalry if the two teams wind up meeting at these Olympics.

Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan lead U.S. women in Olymcics opener

ByGraham Hays | Aug 3, 2016espnW.com

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — The final score might not have been historic, but it was sufficiently satisfying for a team trying to take the first step toward a historic gold medal in women’s soccer.The Americans beat New Zealand 2-0 on Wednesday. Carli Lloyd scored the opening goal in the ninth minute, while Alex Morgan added the second in the opening minute of the second half.There were uneven moments and lulls that left a crowd to figure out the minimum attendance required to successfully pull off the wave (when it wasn’t booing U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo with increasing delight every time she touched the ball). But in its sixth Olympics, the United States opened with a win for the fifth time.The United States remains in Belo Horizonte to play France on Saturday, a matchup of medal favorites and two of the top three teams in the world.More to come, but here are three observations from the Group G opener.

1. Injury questions answered

Well, mostly answered. Some deft juggling at halftime marked Megan Rapinoe’s only appearance on the field once the game began. U.S. coach Jill Ellis elected not to give the veteran her first minutes since suffering a torn ACL in Hawaii in December.But it didn’t take long to get a feel for the status of Morgan Brian and Tobin Heath, the other two health concerns entering the tournament. Both were in the starting lineup for the first time since June. And both, as Ellis suggested beforehand, looked ready for duty. That was particularly true of Heath, so easily overlooked but such a dynamic presence in wide spaces and on set-piece deliveries. She set up Lloyd’s opening goal and created several other chances.Squad rotation will be a common phrase here, but Heath looked indispensable enough to likely squeeze minutes from Crystal Dunn, Mallory Pugh or both.

2. Midfield questions remain

There is a difference between a problem and a question. And after one game, the composition of the midfield behind Lloyd remains squarely in the camp of the latter. But there are questions as to how things best fit together after Ellis elected to pair Morgan Brian and Allie Long in the starting lineup for just the third time. That arrangement pushes up Brian to the No. 8 role, while Long fills the No. 6 role that Brian played through much of the World Cup (although rarely ever before that). And the arrangement pushes Lindsey Horan to the bench.Brian was able to slip in the ball that Morgan converted for the second goal, although Brian wasn’t always a noticeable presence as the U.S. women went wide.Given that Ellis probably never intended to play Brian 90 minutes in her first start back, it made for an easy swap when Horan came on midway through the second half. And with the condensed schedule of this tournament, all three are going to play. Still, it leaves open the question of what happens against France? Ellis was pleased with the way her team played when those teams met earlier this year, and that was with Brian and Horan paired together to deny French possession.

3. Carli Lloyd is ageless

Lloyd is effectively the same age in this tournament as Abby Wambach was when the World Cup began a year ago. That was a farewell tour, a role and minutes that had to be delicately managed. Lloyd at 34? Just put her out there for 90 minutes and let her score. She might have more memorable highlights than a looping header to the opposite post, but she put the ball in the net for the fifth game in a row at a major tournament.Graham Hays covers college sports for espnW, including softball and soccer. Hays began with ESPN in 1999.

Tobin Heath sparks U.S. women to 2-0 opening victory

By Graham Hays | Aug 3, 2016espnW.com Alex Morgan puts USA up 2-0

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Tobin Heath was going to be healthy by Aug. 3.Fortunately, when the calendar reached the aforementioned date, it just so happened that she was healthy.When it comes to the Olympics, those two sentences don’t mean the same thing.Slowed by a hamstring injury in the build-up to the Rio Games, Heath knew she would be healthy enoughto play on Aug. 3, no matter what her hamstring suggested, because the U.S. women’s national team took the field for the first time on that date. But in this particular instance, it didn’t have to be a case of mind over matter. Her hamstring actually healed.”Fortunately for me, I do feel fully healthy,” Heath said the day before the game. “But I do think in terms of tournament modes, you always just want to feel good enough.”She was as good as her word. She was very good. Not coincidentally, the United States was good enough for a 2-0 win over New Zealand and a clean start in Group G ahead of Saturday’s high-stakes second game against fellow gold-medal hopeful France (4 p.m. ET).It was a night when the small crowd in Belo Horizonte took increasing delight heckling U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo, the consensus among local media and native Portuguese speakers being that what began as chants of a slur often directed at goalkeepers upon kicking the ball soon morphed into similar-sounding chants of “Zika” in response to Solo’s publicly expressed concerns about the virus.After the game, Solo played down the reception. If fans had fun at her expense, she suggested, so be it.Nor was it all that malicious in the scheme of things — if the interpretation of the changing chants was correct, the first should be far more troublesome than the second that merely needled a well-known player for public comments and social media posts. But in some sense it’s a shame that the whole audible sideshow took any focus off a player whose style should endear her to Brazilian soccer fans — a player for whom Brazil is practically a pilgrimage.”I think it’s a very speial place to play, as a football player,” Heath said of an Olympic career that has also taken her to some of the great soccer temples of English football.

She’s a phenomenal player. She’s soaring with confidence and a super, super important piece to this team.Carli Lloyd on U.S. teammate Tobin Heath

Asked about the chants, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said she hoped her team played a style the Brazilian fans could embrace.They do that better with Heath on the field than not.Consider the goal that put the Americans ahead in the ninth minute. Heath started the game on the left side, familiar space to her but also the real estate in which teenager Mallory Pugh has so often dazzled this year. On this sequence, Heath could have made a run for the end line to set up a cross. Instead, she cut back, avoided defenders and served a perfect cross toward the head of Carli Lloyd (or to improve the odds still more, Allie Long’s nearby head).Lloyd sent a header back to where the service came from and found an empty net.”It’s really my job to get in the box and get on the end of crosses,” Lloyd said. “There is really no excuse. I’ve been working on it. I can outleap people. It’s one of those things where, it’s kind of been the next step for me, just getting on the end of crosses. I knew she was going to whip in a good ball and had to somehow get up there, leap up there and find the back of the net.”The opening goal came quickly enough, but only after Heath had already served notice of her presence on the field with a free kick that gave Alex Morgan a clean header in front of the goal.Inside of 10 minutes, Heath set up the two players this team most needs to feed.As often as not, as in this instance, at least one of them is going to score.”I think that was the best way we could have started,” Heath said of Lloyd’s goal. “Obviously we came out with a lot of energy, with a lot of determination. I think in that regard, we kind of put our best foot forward and got that goal, and I think that helped propel us throughout the game.”Morgan scored the insurance goal early in the second half.It was yet another goal in a major tournament for Lloyd, who has scored in five such games in a row. The co-captain became one of 15 American women to play in at least three Olympics. It is her team now, and it is increasingly clear it follows her lead. But the list of players with at least three Olympics also now includes the player who set her up for the goal. Always popular but never quite one of the faces of the team, Heath has amassed 120 caps well before her 30th birthday. She has taken the field in the U.S. uniform more times than anyone on the active Olympic roster save Lloyd and Solo.”I think Tobin has grown so much as a player,” Lloyd said. “She has become such a two-way midfielder. Not to say that she didn’t work hard when she was a younger player, but I think she’s now got the discipline to track back and win balls, win second balls, tackle. She’s a phenomenal player. She’s soaring with confidence and a super, super important piece to this team.”

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Wunderkind Pugh graduates to Rio Games

Can Marta seize moment in Rio Games?

How Christen Press got that body

Ellis singled out many of those same traits — Heath’s value as an attacking player, the ability to take on opponents one-on-one and her ability to put the ball on the foot of teammates. She talked, too, about the work rate, the one that forced New Zealand player after New Zealand player to bring her to the ground, either in pursuit or after turning over the ball. Sure, Heath knows how to make the most of that contact, earning a sarcastic pat on the shoulder from Ria Percival after the latter received a yellow card for a tangling of feet. Great players do.But there is more that Heath offers, traits that Pugh, who left her Olympic debut with a minor right ankle issue, and Crystal Dunn don’t have at such early stages of such astoundingly promising careers.”The other thing we get with Tobin is a player that’s been there and someone who can calm us in the storm,” Ellis said. “There were moments in that game when momentum was building for them. And having players like this that are very comfortable on the ball helps take the steam out of your opponent.”If not the steam out of the crowd.Solo was the lightning rod this night, but as she so often does, Heath sparked a team to life.Graham Hays covers college sports for espnW, including softball and soccer. Hays began with ESPN in 1999.

USWNT’s Hope Solo brushes off boos, Zika chants from Brazilian fans

Leave a commentBy Joe Prince-Wright Aug 4, 2016, 1:20 PM EDT

Hope Solo isn’t bothered by Brazilian booing.U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Solo, 35, was booed heavily on Wednesday by local fans in Belo Horizonte.Every time the veteran USWNT goalkeeper touched the ball in their Rio 2016 opener she was heckled as chants of “ole, ole, ole, ole, Zika, Zika” were also directed at her from the fans in the stands.You can watch it all take place, here.Ahead of the USA’s opening game at the Rio 2016 Olympics — a 2-0 victory over New Zealand to open group play — Solo sent out a number of tweets regarding the current outbreak of the Zika virus in the nation.In the months leading up to the games she had also revealed her concerns about participating but the Associated Press has the following comment from Solo after the game. “I’m glad the fans had fun,” Solo said. “And if they had fun at my expense, more power to them.”

Solo had earlier apologized to the Brazilian public, some of whom were offended by messages she sent out on Twitter which showed her wearing a hat with mosquito netting and having copious amounts of insect repellent in her room at the Olympic village.The USWNT’s head coach, Jill Ellis, also brushed off the heckling.“That’s something hopefully they will put behind them and realize that Hope has apologized to the Brazilian people,” Ellis said. “Sometimes mistakes are made. We are used to getting booed in other countries, so that part of it is not foreign. I hope the Brazilian people appreciate what we are trying to do with the ball and move past that.”Solo and the USWNT are back in action this Saturday against France in Belo Horizonte in a mouth-watering match.Let’s see what kind of reception Solo and the rest of the U.S. squad get this weekend. I’m guessing it will be pretty similar.

Five Goals for Five Years! – Indy Eleven V Jacksonville Armada (8/3/2016)

Bloody Shambles — By: James Cormack

The Brickyard Battalion celebrated their fifth anniversary since the initial conception of the supporters group by singing the national anthem from the West End, and the players gave the fans the perfect birthday gift by notching a goal in the game for each of those years.amon Zayed scored his second hat-trick for Indy Eleven with three goals bringing his total goal tally for the club in competitive play to 12 goals, 11 of those scored in the NASL and now sits one goal behind Cristian Ramirez in the race for the golden boot.It did not take long for Indy to further increase the managerial headache currently being suffered by Tony Meola. Just Braun ended his goal scoring drought by opening the scoring for Indy Eleven in the 13th minute with his first league goal since the 4-2 win over Minnesota United earlier in Spring. It took Indy Eleven on three more minutes to double their lead, Éamon Zayed gathered a perfectly weighted cross from Don Smart on Indy’s right, controlled and drilled the ball home from about 16 yards out from goal. It was a well made goal, notable for the fact that Zayed actually started the move himself by robbing Jackonville’s Jérôme on the half way allowing Smart to pick up the ball.

Armada pulled one goal back through Alhassane Keita to give Jacksonville some hope in the 33rd minute, but those hopes faded fast as Nemanja Vukovic stepped up to score his third goal in an Indy Eleven shirt. An attack started by Don Smart on the right found the head of Zayed in the box who nodded down but Armada cleared but only to Nemanja some 25yrds out, Vukovic brought the ball down and drove a low curling shot into the right side of the Armada goal. Indy went into the break with a 3-1 lead.Jacksonville can consider themselves a little fortunate that Indy did not break any records last night. The scoring in both halves could have been much higher. The second half saw two more goals from Indy and a consolation for Jacksonville unfortunately scored by returning captain Colin Falvey.Zayed scored his second and third goals in the 58th and 65th minute. A ripping shot from Dylan Mares that cannoned off the post then deflected off of Justin Braun fell neatly to Zayed who poked home from close range to put Indy 4-1 up. Éamon has a knack of being in the right place at the right time, he also pounced on his third goal from close range after a ripping shot from Justin Braun was parried by Armada keeper Sean Lewis.Indy finished up the game 5-2, a late own goal from Colin Falvey was small consolation for what was a very bad night for them. Indy don’t let in too many goals and arguably the two we conceded were just unfortunate. Falvey did the right thing staying in front of the attacker in an attempt to clear the cross whipped in from Armada he just caught the ball late and it went in off his toe, outside of this Falvey was a rock at the back and as good as ever after returning from injury. Jacksonville’s first goal had a little luck in it to, an attempt to press the attacker from Don Smart led to the ball deflecting off of him and into the path of Keita. An unfortunate event late in the game saw the sending off of Greg Janicki and Alhassane Keita. Greg had been tracking Keita going towards our goal and had gained possession of the ball but Keita was pushing and pulling at Janicki’s back and was promptly dumped out of the playing area by Janicki, he pretty much deserved it. Keita spent some time rolling around on the turf pretending his face was hurt for some reason, just blatant acting and a lack of professionalism. The end result was both players being red carded. The timing of the return of Colin Falvey is fortunate and we will likely see him partner Cory Miller on Saturday against Ottawa.

It was a great performance and one that we should see more often, we can play like this against any team, the fact that Jacksonville are struggling this year does not detract from how well we played.Don Smart was a big difference maker, I have been calling for him to start for two weeks now. He gives so much to our game from the wing that we don’t normally have, he had some kind of involvement in almost every attack of the game, whether making an early touch in a buildup or supplying the final pass in front of goal. Smart connected with 26 of 33 passes, had a 100% success rate on crosses and on tackles and duels. AND he got to play for 90 minutes.Don proved against Edmonton and Miami that he can be more influential than most in a short space of time, it was fitting he was rewarded with a start and proved without doubt he can provide the same vision, intelligence and creativity across 90 minutes. His head is always up, he is always looking for the killer pass and if he has one weakness at times it might be unselfishness, there are always those one or two times you just want to see him crack a shot at goal when the opportunity presents itself.

As well as the return of Colin Falvey who led the back line well, Jon Busch also returned and made several critical saves during the game to deny Jacksonville any further goals, not least his stop in the 2nd minute of the game to prevent Armada from opening the scoring. Jérôme unleashed a blistering shot from a free kick some 40 yards from goal which Busch parried out for a throw in. (see video below).The overall team performance and work ethic was outstanding, our forward line was hungry and clinical, our creativity from the width was ample enough to create more than enough goal scoring chances, hopefully Indy can bring this momentum forward into the next two home games and secure another six points. The three goal deficit from this game was enough to lift Indy Eleven back into the number one spot in the fall standings.

As always Bloody Shambles and Permanent Relegation are supporting Playworks Indiana children’s charity with our #EamonZayedRule initiative. We are donating money for every goal Éamon Zayed scores this year and you can choose to play along or just make a one off donation to help us reach our target of $2000. Click Here for More Information.Éamon’s 12 goals this year have now raised $402 from pledges alone. Well done Éamon!Also if you enjoy our #NASLMap catch up with @SoccerBits latest update of the standings across North America – CLICK HERE TO READ

RECAP – INDY ELEVEN 5 : 2 JACKSONSVILLE

Records fall at The Mike, paced by another Zayed hat trick

Records Fall in Indy Eleven’s 5-2 Win over Jacksonville Armada FC

Eamon Zayed Tallies Hat Trick to Claim Club’s Single-season and Career Goal Scoring Marks;Five-goal Outburst Marks Highest Output by “Boys in Blue” in NASL Regular Season Play
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, August 3, 2016) – Indy Eleven scored early and often in a thorough 5-2 victory over Jackonsville Armada FC in front of 8,017 fans tonight at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium, setting a club record for the most goals scored in an NASL regular season game in the process.That wasn’t the only record that fell on the evening as forward Eamon Zayed’s second hat trick of the season marked his ninth, tenth and eleventh goals in league play, breaking both the single-season and career goal-scoring records, previously held alongside Kleberson. The Brazilian World Cup champion initially claimed both records by scoring all eight of his goals in checkers during the club’s inaugural 2014 season.“The big discussion all week was not coming out of the locker room with a true commitment to engage in battle from the opening whistle [in previous games],” said Indy Eleven head coach Tim Hankinson. “So, we felt this was something we had to prove to ourselves tonight and come out and go straight to high pressure as a wakeup call and get on top of Jacksonville, and it worked out.”A rough opening 10 minutes for both sides was highlighted by Mechack Jerome’s rocketed free kick from 35 yards out in the third minute that was punched away by Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jon Busch. Indy Eleven’s sharpness would start to develop soon thereafter, and it showed in the 13^th minute when Justin Braun accepted Dylan Mares’ cutback pass from the endline, took a touch and shrugged off a tackle before slotting home from eight yards out to start the scoring onslaught.Three minutes later it was Zayed scoring his first of the night. After starting the play with a tackle in midfield, Zayed was rewarded for making a run on the counter when Don Smart whipped in an early cross that the Irishman finished 1-v-1 on Jacksonville ‘keeper Sean Lewis to double the early Indy lead.Jacksonville showed signs of life in attack after Indy’s second, but it was a gift by the Eleven backline on a failed clearance attempt that allowed Alhassane Keita to open the visitors’ account in the 33^rd minute. After collecting the ball just outside the area, the Guinean attacker was able to dribble inside and unleash a shot that beat Busch to the upper left corner, breathing life back into a match that was becoming one-sided.But the reprieve would be temporary, as a failed clearance of Armada FC’s would bite them just three minutes later. This time it was Indy Eleven left back Nemanja Vukovic doing the punishing, as the Montenegrin collected the ball 25 yards out and bounced a far post shot past Lewis to push things to 3-1, where the score would stay entering the halftime break.It was Zayed doing the goal-scoring damage for the home side in the second half, but he had plenty of help from his fellow Boys in Blue, starting in the 58^th minute when Mares’ shot to the near post beat Lewis but rang off the woodwork. A deflection off of Braun took the ball into the path of Zayed, who swept home from the doorstep for his 10^th of the season and a 4-1 advantage for the Eleven. It would take only seven more minutes for Zayed to finish his hat trick, this time bagging Braun’s rebounded shot to give “Indiana’s Team” a new high-water mark in regards to scoring in league affairs.“It was great, a whole team performance,” Zayed said of the win. “Especially after the Miami game, we wanted to go out and make a statement and we’ve done that tonight. It was emphatic. We’ll look forward to now Saturday’s game with confidence.”Zayed had two more golden chances for his fourth off cross by Smart in the second half, but the only other goal would be credited to the Armada, although it would be scored by in the 80^th minute on an own goal by Colin Falvey. The Indy captain, making his first start of the Fall Season after coming back from a right hamstring injury, accidently knocked in Matt Bahner’s cross from the left flank at the near post while sliding in to fight off Keita.Keita was also in the heart of the only other excitement down the stretch, a 89^th minute scuffle with Indy center back Greg Janicki that saw both players red carded – and both teams get involved in some pushing and shoving, although only Beto Navarro of Armada FC would be shown any further discipline by being cautioned.With the three points, Indy Eleven jumped back into first place on both the Combined Season (31 points, even with New York but ahead on goal differential) and the Fall Season (13 points, even with New York & FC Edmonton but, again, ahead in goal differntial) standings.The Eleven will not have long to celebrate the win, as the squad will return to action in the middle match of a three-game homestand this Saturday, Aug. 6, when it plays host to “Class of 2014” mate Ottawa Fury FC. Kickoff at Carroll Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on IndyFringe Night at “The Mike,” and tickets starting at just $11 can be purchased online at IndyEleven.com or over the phone at 317-685-1100 weekdays from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Fans that can’t make the match can watch live locally on WISH-TV or online via ESPN3.com and listen in on Exitos Radio 1590 AM and www.Exitos1590.com (Spanish).

NASL Fall Season
Indy Eleven 5 : 2 Jacksonville Armada FC Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 8,017

Indy Eleven:
Fall Season: 4W-1D-2L, 13 pts.
Overall Season: 8W-7D-2L, 31 pts.

Jacksonville Armada FC:
Fall Season: 1W-1D-5L, 4 pts.
Overall Season: 2W-5D-10L, 11 pts.

Scoring Summary:
IND – Justin Braun (Dylan Mares) 13’
IND – Eamon Zayed (Don Smart) 16’
JAX – Alhassane Keita (unassisted) 33’
IND – Nemanja Vukovic (unassisted) 36’
IND – Eamon Zayed (Justin Braun) 58’
IND – Eamon Zayed (unassisted) 65’
JAX – own goal (Colin Falvey) 80’

Discipline Summary:
IND – Colin Falvey (caution) 2’
JAX –Lucas Scaglia (caution) 40’
JAX – Alhassane Keita (ejection) 88’
IND – Greg Janicki (ejection) 89’
JAX – Beto Navarro (caution) 90’

Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2, L–>R): Jon Busch; Nemanja Vuković, Greg Janicki, Colin Falvey (capt), Lovel Palmer (Marco Franco 62’); Dylan Mares, Nicki Paterson, Brad Ring (Gerardo Torrado 63’), Don Smart; Eamon Zayed, Justin Braun (Souleymane Youla 69’)Indy Eleven bench: Keith Cardona (GK), Cory Miller, Duke Lacroix, Omar Gordon

Jacksonville Armada FC (3-5-2): Sean Lewis; Karl Ouimette, Beto Navarro, Tyler Ruthven (capt); Matt Bahner, Nicklas Maripuu, Lucas Scaglia (Danny Barrow 58’), Mechack Jerome, Jemal Johnson (Zach Steinberger 45’); Alexander Andersson (Charles Eloundou 65’), Alhassane Keita Armada FC bench: Miguel Gallardo, Anthony Wallace, Kevan George, Patrick Otte

Community Shield preview: Leicester City vs. Man United

By Joe Prince-Wright Aug 5, 2016, 1:01 PM EDT

The curtain-raiser for the 2016-17 English domestic season takes place on Sunday as Premier League champs Leicester City face FA Cup holders Manchester United in the FA Community Shield.A showpiece event which dishes out the first-pierce of silverware of the season, many often overlook the importance of this game at Wembley Stadium.Not this year.With Leicester looking to somehow repeat their incredible title-winning season, Claudio Ranieri‘s side will be up against it as they also prepare to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first-time ever this season.For Manchester United, a new era has begun under Jose Mourinho as three new players have arrived (Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic) and Paul Pogba’s world-record transfer is edging closer. The Red Devils are doing everything they can to be back among England and Europe’s elite after finishing fifth in the PL last season under former boss Louis Van Gaal.This game will be an intriguing clash to see where each side is at one week before the PL campaign kicks off. Leicester have taken some beatings against the likes of PSG and Barcelona during preseason, while United flew all the way to China for one game after the pitch debacle in Beijing.In team news Jamie Vardy should feature for Leicester who are at full strength, while United have no fresh injury concerns.ProSoccerTalk will have live coverage from Wembley Stadium on Sunday (kick off is 11 a.m. ET) plus reaction and analysis post-game.

Key stats (via Opta)

None of the last five Community Shield winners have gone on to win the Premier League title that season – the last team to do this were Manchester United in 2010/11
Manchester United have lost just one of their last 15 games in all competitions against Leicester, though this was a memorable 5-3 victory in September 2014 (W11 D3)
This will be Manchester United’s 30th appearance in the Community Shield. They’ve won the trophy on 20 previous occasions, a record figure (16 outright wins and four shared titles)
The only Wembley match between Leicester and Manchester United previously was the FA Cup Final in 1963, in which the Red Devils ran out 3-1 winners
This is Leicester City’s first appearance in the Community Shield since 1971/72, in which they beat Liverpool 1-0 at Filbert Street. The Foxes were winners of the second division the season before

What they’re saying

Ranieri on playing at Wembley: “All managers and players want to play at Wembley Stadium. It’s one of the most famous stadiums in the world. This is not a friendly. We will give the maximum and also Manchester United will too. Both teams want to win it.”Mourinho on United’s preseason: “The week of no work in China was really bad for us. So we need to train, we need to play, we need minutes for the players. Now we have no chance to train against other teams. We have Leicester before the Premier League and it is not a training session – it is a game.

Prediction

Both teams will take this seriously and will want the razzmatazz of winning a trophy at Wembley a few days before the PL season has begun. United, on paper, has the stronger squad but as Mourinho mentioned, they are struggling to get everyone up to speed. Leicester has been all over the planet during preseason and the Foxes have looked uncharacteristically ragged in defense. United to win, 2-1.

Get to know the 2016 USWNT Olympic roster: goalkeepers and defenders

By Stephanie Yang, Charles Olney, and Jessica Fletcher on Jul 18, 2016, 8:15a

Your guide to the USWNT Olympic squad, position by position

This is your guide to the USWNT 2016 Olympic roster, position by position. We’ll be posting this guide in parts all week so you can prepare yourself for kickoff on August 3.

GOALKEEPERS

Hope Solo
Age: 34 (35 by the time the tournament starts)
Height: 5’9″
Club: Seattle Reign
Caps: 197
First cap: April 5, 2000 | USA vs Iceland
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup, 2012 Olympics, 2011 World Cup, 2008 Olympics, 2007 World Cup

Considered an automatic selection at this point, Hope Solo enters Rio as the most decorated goalkeeper in US Soccer history. A two-time World Cup Golden Glove recipient, Solo is looking to do something that no goalkeeper in US history has done: win an Olympic gold medal the year after winning the World Cup. Having earned her 100th shutout in a match against South Africa, the milestone chase is out of the way right in time for Rio.Obviously known for her dynamic shot stopping and positioning, it will be Solo’s distribution and communication with her back line that will make a difference in Rio. Look for Solo to use her pinpoint drop kicks and quick roll outs to launch counter attacks and catch the opposing team off guard. If she is able to do this consistently, that’ll be a key to victory throughout the tournament.

Alyssa Naeher
Age: 28
Height: 5’9″
Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 6
First cap: December 18, 2014 | USA vs Argentina
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 Women’s World Cup

Alyssa Naeher has quietly worked her way up to become the WNT’s second goalkeeper. She, like her counterpart Ashlyn Harris, has spent years chugging away for clubs across Women’s Professional Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League, with a stint overseas in Europe. Unlike Harris, Naeher spent a couple of seasons being one of the few points of light for her club team with the Boston Breakers. But if Naeher was forced to face significantly more shots than other NWSL goalkeepers, that meant she also made significantly more saves, highlighting both her shotstopping and her positioning in the box at the expense of the Breakers’ standings. Despite Boston’s struggles, Naeher was named NWSL’s 2014 Goalkeeper of the Year.Combine this with Harris needing knee surgery in 2015, and Naeher was able to put some distance between herself and her closest competition for the #2 spot. She still hasn’t gotten much time to really prove herself for the WNT, but she remains a steady presence for her current club, the Chicago Red Stars. If history is any indication Solo will play every minute of every game in the Olympics, but Naeher is certainly a more-than-solid choice as a backup should it come to that.

DEFENDERS

Kelley O’Hara
Age: 27
Height: 5’5″
Club: Sky Blue FC
Caps: 81
First cap: March 28, 2010 | USA vs Mexico
Goals/assists: 2 goals/10 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup, 2012 Olympics, 2011 World Cup

Kelley O’Hara has followed a somewhat meandering path to her current position as the starting right back for the WNT. She was originally a forward, then converted to a defender by former head coach Pia Sundhage. It turned out to be a pretty brilliant stroke from Sundhage, whose experiments didn’t always turn out so hot. O’Hara is known for her endurance and speed, both qualities crucial to the style of wingback play desired from her. She just needed to strengthen herself on the defensive side of the ball – “just,” as though being a good defender isn’t as much about positioning and cerebral anticipation as it is about raw athleticism. O’Hara still isn’t quite as defensively sound as her predecessor, Ali Krieger; Ellis is hoping the tradeoff in offensive capability will make up for that.O’Hara will be expected to get deep and whip in some crosses, or possibly cut in herself from time to time. She’s also capable of being put in almost anywhere on the field; that versatility is a huge part of why Ellis included her on the roster. O’Hara can switch from right to left back, or she can go in at forward, or even midfield at a pinch.

Becky Sauerbrunn
Age: 31
Height: 5’7’
Club: FC Kansas City
Caps: 108
First cap: January 16, 2008 | USA vs Canada
Goals/assists: 0 goals/3 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup, 2012 Olympics, 2011 World Cup

While often passed over for the major awards at the international level, many regard Becky Sauerbrunn as perhaps the best defender in world soccer today. After a number of years playing primarily as a reserve, she cemented her status as first-choice center back after the 2012 Olympics. In the World Cup last summer, she was the rock around which the defense was organized, and helped lead the US to victory. She has since been named co-captain of the team, along with Carli Lloyd.Her style of play isn’t flashy, but is grounded in relentless and precise application of the fundamentals. Where other center backs make highlight reels with desperate last-second clearances, the trademark Sauerbrunn move is a simple tackle which squelches a dangerous move long before it can manifest. Her positioning is pinpoint and her ability to read the game is second to none. Those qualities have earned her three consecutive Defender of the Year Awards in the NWSL, where she has captaining FC Kansas to consecutive titles, and are crucial to the US chances for winning Gold in Rio this summer. On a squad with many stars, there is arguably no single player more important to the team’s chances this summer than Sauerbrunn.

Julie Johnston
Age: 24
Height: 5’7″
Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 38
First cap: February 9, 2013 | USA vs Scotland
Goals/assists: 8 goals/2 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup

Julie Johnston is one summer removed from her veritable skyrocket to stardom. A year and a half ago she was left off the World Cup qualifying roster and although she was later added after an injury, she did not see a minute in the tournament. After working with Carli Lloyd and her trainer, James Galanis, and a few key USWNT defensive injuries, Johnston suddenly solidified her role as preferred center back partner for Becky Sauerbrunn. A series of commanding performances in the World Cup made Johnston a household name.One year later Johnston’s World Cup performance can be put in perspective and in doing so it becomes clear she’s still got a lot to prove. If not for Hope Solo’s doctorate in mind games, we might be looking at Johnston’s conceded penalty in the semi-final as the straw that broke the camel’s back. Similarly if Carli Lloyd hadn’t ascended to another plane of existence during the final, we might remember that Johnston conceded an own goal during that match. Known for her crunching tackles and dangerous near post run on set pieces, Johnston will need to limit the crucial mistakes to capitalize on her effectiveness in the Olympics.

Meghan Klingenberg
Age: 27
Height: 5’2″
Club: Portland Thorns
Caps: 64
First cap: January 23, 2011 | USA vs Canada
Goals/assists: 3 goals/4 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup

Klingenberg’s ascendance to her starting spot on the left seems to have happened fairly quickly. She went from two caps in 2011, none in 2012, and four in 2013, to 18 in 2014. She played in every single WNT match in 2015 and was an integral part of that solid core of defenders in the World Cup that kept the United States in it through group stage. Some of that was the team transitioning from its previous left-sided fullback, Steph Cox, who had a natural left foot. Part of it was also that Crystal Dunn was still being tested as a defender a few years ago. Now that things have settled down a bit, Klingenberg is the designated left back, pushing as high as she can go along the flank to deliver service into the box. Sometimes that can mean she meanders a little bit, but she’s been getting better about learning to go or stay and not getting caught out too high. Plus, her strong connection to Tobin Heath, developed through club play in Portland, is a vital offensive tool on the left side of the field.

Whitney Engen
Age: 29
Height: 5’8″
Club: Boston Breakers
Caps: 36
First cap: March 4, 2011 | USA vs Norway
Goals/assists: 4 goals/1 assist
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup

Whitney Engen saw her minutes peak in 2014 and then gradually taper off through 2015. As third center back, Engen might have one of the most thankless jobs on a squad that will almost certainly field Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston for the great majority of the Olympics, if not all of it. Engen is expected to act as a reserve in case either Sauerbrunn or Johnston is unavailable or needs to be moved in the formation, and she must fit in as seamlessly as possible with a defense she rarely plays with outside of practice. Still, Engen has enough caps not to come undone in a big tournament, and should she be required to step in, will probably be a fairly steady presence.

Ali Krieger
Age: 31
Height: 5’6″
Club: Washington Spirit
Caps: 90
First cap: January 16, 2008 | USA vs Canada
Goals/assists: 1 goal/8 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup, 2011 World Cup

Krieger was, for a very long time, the acknowledged starting right back for the WNT. She was derailed before the 2012 Olympics with an ACL injury during qualifying, but worked her way back to full healthiness and returned to her starting spot with a minor adjustment period. In 2015, she was an absolutely crucial part of the back line at the World Cup and seemed to be a lock to once again start in the Olympics, but as Jill Ellis looks for more attacking from her fullbacks, she’s placed Krieger on the sub list.Krieger is more defensive-minded than her counterpart Kelley O’Hara but she does her fair share of overlapping runs as well, and is certainly capable of quick interchange to move the ball into the attacking third, where she can whip in a cross. Krieger is too valuable not to see some time during the Olympics and may even see a start here or there, especially as the high-energy game demanded of O’Hara will certainly require squad rotation.

USWNT 2016 Olympic roster guide: forwards

By Stephanie Yang, Charles Olney, and Jessica Fletcher on Jul 26, 2016, 11:00a 5

Four of the best forwards in the world and a lot of expectations

Our guide to the 2016 USWNT Olympic roster continues with the forwards. You catch up on goalkeepers and defenders here and the midfielders here.

Crystal Dunn
Age: 24
Height: 5’1″
Club: Washington Spirit
Caps: 33
First cap: February 13, 2013 | USA vs Scotland
Goals/assists: 13 goals/7 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: none

Crystal Dunn turned the ultimate heartbreak of being the last player left off of the 2015 World Cup roster into the best statistical season of her professional career. After being left off it’s like Dunn made it her personal mission to show Jill Ellis exactly what she was missing out on by leaving her at home. Ultimately the United States and Crystal Dunn were winners last summer as her Golden-Boot-winning NWSL season led to her recall to the national team. Since being brought back into the fold, Dunn hasn’t relinquished her hold on a roster spot.While last season she was more of a center forward for the Washington Spirit, she’s more likely to play as a wide attacking midfielder for the national team. Known for her speed and confidence to dribble and take on defenders, she’ll be expected to score goals cutting in from out wide as well as setting up goals for her teammates. It should also be a comfort to Ellis to know that Dunn is comfortable playing any field position which gives her extra flexibility to make tactical changes without burning subs. Dunn will be looking to prove that leaving her off of the roster last summer was a mistake so look for her to score goals this tournament when she’s given playing time.

Christen Press
Age: 27
Height: 5’7
Club: Chicago Red Stars
Caps: 68
First cap: February 9, 2013 | USA vs Scotland
Goals/assists: 33 goals/12 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup

Mercurial, inventive, and absolutely deadly in front of goal, Christen Press is one of the preeminent strikers in the game today. Since joining the national team in 2013, she has been a prolific goal-scorer (notching a tally just about once per 90 minutes), but nevertheless been followed by a tinge of disappointment. For all Press’s obvious talents, Jill Ellis has struggled to find a stable place for her in the team, often deploying her on the wings where she finds it difficult to assert herself. More recently, Press has been given some chances to play centrally as a withdrawn striker or attacking midfielder. It’s a position she’s also taken more regularly with her club team this year, to varying degrees of success.The common refrain about Press is ‘why can’t she replicate her club form?’ While her work with the national team hasn’t been terrible by any stretch, it is clearly true that she has had more success as the focal point of an attack. The problem is that her greatest strengths are her unconventionality and her creativity; she will make runs no one else would even consider, employ a Cruyff turn where anyone else would pass backward, and unleash shots from impossible angles. As the primary striking option, given space and attention in the center of the pitch, these qualities are a recipe for game-winning goals and flustered defenses.But pushed out to the wings, or dropped further back, Press’s best qualities are at least partially muted. It may be that the best usage of all the team’s resources demands playing her out of position in this way (and she is a surprisingly solid defender – a useful skill for a team that’s often susceptible to attacking fullbacks). That’s a topic that Jill Ellis will certainly be pondering a great deal over the next few weeks.

Mallory Pugh
Age: 18
Height: 5’4
Club: UCLA / Real Colorado
Caps: 13
First cap: January 23, 2016 | USA vs Ireland
Goals/assists: 2 goals/7 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: none

The youngest player in the squad, by a country mile, Mallory Pugh has burst onto the national team in 2016, moving from ‘experiment’ to ‘lock’ in the course of just a few months. This is the first of many tournaments at which she’ll be wearing the stars and stripes.

With pace to burn and a silky smooth touch, she has been one of the most effective offensive forces for the team this year, scoring a pair of goals and assisting on seven more. Her skill on the ball and passing ability probably means she’s destined for the #10 role eventually, but this summer at least she is far more likely to play on the sides, either as a winger or as a flanking striker. That position allows her to capitalize on that pace—running onto balls over the top or through balls down the lines, and quickly outflanking her opposition. It also helps to minimize her greatest weakness: an underdeveloped sense of defensive positioning. On the wings, her attacking prowess itself becomes a defensive asset, pinning opposing backs deep in their own territory to minimize the danger of being caught out.Pugh has started more than half of the US games so far this year, but the return of Megan Rapinoe might change that calculation. It’s clear that Jill Ellis trusts Pugh enormously, but it remains to be seen whether she’ll want to bench the likes of Dunn or Press in order to get Pugh on the pitch. It’s also worth noting that Pugh has shown a slight tendency to drift out of games a bit, when she’s been asked to go the full 90. Her best usage might then be as an impact sub, capable of ripping apart tired defenses and breaking open games on the counterattack.

Alex Morgan
Age: 27
Height: 5’7″
Club: Orlando Pride
Caps: 111
First cap: March 31, 2010 | USA vs Mexico
Goals/assists: 67 goals/35 assists
Previous major tourneys with WNT: 2015 World Cup, 2012 Olympics, 2011 World Cup

It’s been a long time since Alex Morgan was the “baby horse” on the team, the young prodigy banging in goal after goal. She’s a veteran now and very much a leader and will be expected to headline this corps of forwards. But after a banner 2012, when she broke into the 20/20 club (over 20 goals/20 assists in one calendar year; she had 28 goals and 21 assists) she also began struggling with some long-term injuries that just would. not. go. away. Coming back from those injuries was a laborious process that had some people questioning whether she’d simply peaked already.Perhaps she has peaked. Perhaps not, though years like her 2012 don’t come around very often. But as we’ve seen of late, Alex Morgan on the gentle downslope of her career is still a better forward than a hell of lot of others out there, and someone almost any national team would be glad to have on their roster. She still has speed to burn and the ability to split defenders. She can still pull defenders’ attention, opening up the field for a threat like Christen Press or Crystal Dunn. And she has an underrated first touch in front of goal, the kind of calm savvy born of experience and confidence that keeps her from panicking and helps her get off clean shots. She’ll most definitely be in some, if not all starting XIs this August, either as a lone striker in perhaps a 4-2-3-1 or paired up with someone like Press and asked to fluidly interchange as necessary.

Antonio Conte hints at loan for Chelsea defender Matt Miazga

Antonio Conte has hinted that defender Matt Miazga could leave Chelsea this summer in search of first-team football to aid his development.Miazga, 21, faces competition from John Terry, Gary Cahill, Kurt Zouma and Branislav Ivanovic for a place in the centre of Chelsea’s defence.Conte has said he is pleased with the U.S. international’s potential but suggested he could be set to leave the Blues on loan.”I think in this moment it is good if he plays to improve, to go and get experience to improve,” the Italian said. “You can improve only if you play.”You play every game or a lot of games during the season. But he is a good guy and I am very happy about him.”Miazga is a young player, he has a good technique and I think that he is working very well under the physical aspect, but the tactical aspect he can improve a lot and I think that he is improving with the work.”After joining from the New York Red Bulls for £3.5 million in January, Miazga has played twice in the Premier League.

Wayne Rooney says “old Manchester United” is back under Mourinho

1 CommentBy Joe Prince-Wright Aug 1, 2016, 8:55 AM EDT

Wayne Rooney is a little bit excited about the Jose Mourinho era at Manchester United.Rooney, 30, scored twice in United’s 5-2 friendly win against Galatasaray in Sweden on Saturday and with new signings settling in and Paul Pogba reportedly on his way, optimism levels at Old Trafford are rising ahead of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.This week is a big one for Rooney as Old Trafford hosts his testimonial on Wednesday against his former club Everton.United’s captain will then lead his team out at Wembley Stadium as they face reigning Premier League champions Leicester City in the Community Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser of English soccer’s domestic season, this Sunday.Speaking to the Daily Mail, Rooney believes this particular season promises plenty.

“We’re in a very good spot now, we think we can challenge for the Premier League,” Rooney said. “I think the players feel this is more like the old Manchester United.”

Rooney — who Mourinho claims will play up front instead of in midfield like he did in the latter stages of last season and during EURO 2016 — went on to reveal the kind of mentality Mourinho has brought with him through the door.“The way he speaks to individuals, the way he talks to the group, the way he makes players feel so confident. I’ve heard him talk to players, and you know that player will now be feeling on top of the world,” Rooney said. “He’s done it with me, he’s done it with all of us — that is one of his qualities. You know he will leave messages for you with the press — messages for other managers — he’s very clever with his words.”The Mourinho factor has taken a while to kick in but these kind of quotes from senior figures of United’s squad explain why United were so keen to get rid of Louis Van Gaal and replace him with “The Special One” as soon as they could.Mourinho, 53, is a born winner and multiple reports claim he’s already forced plenty of international players to train with the reserves ahead of a massive cull of players in the next months.Without a PL title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, United have spent big withDavid Moyes and LVG in charge but all they have to show for it are seventh, fourth and fifth place finishes in the PL plus an FA Cup trophy last season. Mourinho will be aiming to make the Red Devils competitive at the top of the table next season and he’s already said “he wants it all” and isn’t shying away from that.Zlatan Ibrahimovic, soon Pogba, and the likes of Henrik Mkhitaryan point to a new brash era beginning for England’s most successful ever club on the domestic scene with 20 league titles.He’s ruthless but as Rooney’s comments suggest, Mourinho is willing to do whatever it takes to make United successful again.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Arsenal

Leave a commentBy Joe Prince-Wright Aug 1, 2016, 10:42 AM EDT

In the eyes of Arsenal’s fans the 13-time champions of England have had a rough stretch the past decade, failing to add to the three Premier League titles Arsene Wengerdelivered in his first eight years in charge of the Gunners.One of the best supported teams in England, and worldwide, their glistening Emirates Stadium is a beacon of all that’s right about modern day soccer.Hampered with the cost of that stadium for so long, Arsenal were unable to give Wenger significant transfer funds and he had to sell key players over the past decade. That time has now passed with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and now Granit Xhaka arriving for big money but with more money spent comes bigger expectations and Arsenal’s fans are perhaps the most expectant fans in the land.Anything other than a title this season will be seen as a disappointment as their failure to overtake surprise champs Leicester City last season led to protests from fans against Wenger and the board even though they finished in second place and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the 19th-straight season. In the offseason Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis has reaffirmed the Gunners’ stance that they will not spend vasts sums of money to take on their PL rivals. That’s not what Arsenal’s fans will want to hear.

Why Arsenal will sweep all before them and win a first PL title since 2004: If Ozil runs the show and the likes of Olivier Giroud, Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott andAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain all stay fit then the Gunners can have a real go. They’ll also need Petr Cech to have the season of his life in goal and Laurent Koscielny to dominate the defense with Per Mertesacker out injured. Too much to ask?

But they’ll probably just finish fourth by the skin of their teeth: Because, well, this is Arsenal, and this is the most likely outcome. Most likely we will see a misfiring Giroud, then Sanchez will do down injured and their defense will fall apart away from home. We’ve been here so many times before. Kudos to Wenger for delivering top four finishes for 20-straight seasons but in all honesty finishing in the top four this campaign would be a huge achievement. Revamped Man City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool will all push them hard.

Best possible XI

—– Cech —–

— Bellerin — Mertesacker — Koscielny — Monreal —

—- Wilshere — Xhaka —-

— Ozil — Ramsey — Sanchez —

—– Giroud —–

Transfers In: Granit Xhaka ($39.5 million, Borussia Monchengladbach), Rob Holding ($2.6 million, Bolton Wanderers), Takuma Asano (Undisclosed, Sanfreece Hiroshima)

Transfers Out: Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky (All released), Issac Hayden ($3.1 million, Newcastle United), Wellington Silva (Undisclosed, Fluminense)

Last season: The Gunners did their usual. They looked capable of winning the title up until February but then crumbled before recovering to finish second behind Leicester.

Star player: Mesut Ozil – He tore apart the PL at times with 19 assists last season and after a good rest this summer he’ll aim to do the same. Penny has finally dropped for the playmaker in England. If it clicks again with Sanchez and Ramsey, those three could be devastating.

Coaches’ Corner: Arsene Wenger is still around but the longest-serving manager in the Premier League could be facing one of his toughest seasons to date. Fan unrest towards the end of the 2015-16 campaign proved he’s on a short leash and with just one year left on his contract the 66-year-old will have to exceed expectations this season (never easy at Arsenal) to get a bumper new deal. Sure, he will probably decide when he will leave Arsenal which is what upsets fans most, but just look at what’s happened to Manchester United and Chelsea in recent years with the constant chopping and changing of bosses. Be careful what you wish for, Arsenal fans.

PST predicts: A top four finish for Arsenal and they will be in the hunt for the title. The experience of last season will hold them in good stead and if Xhaka hits the ground running they finally have a midfield enforcer who can protect their back four and allow their silky playmakers to pour forward. Getting in a world-class striker remains the difference between Arsenal finishing in the top four and being clear favorites to win the title.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Liverpool

Leave a commentBy Joe Prince-Wright Aug 3, 2016, 9:00 AM EDT

Liverpool’s new era officially starts now and anything other than a top four finish in the Premier League will be seen as a failure.oming in midway through last season to rescue a rudderless ship left behind byBrendan Rodgers, it has taken new bossJurgen Klopp quite some time to make this “his team” but the signs in preseason are promising.Klopp has even said it himself and says that this team is his. The charismatic German coach has shipped out 11 players and the additions of Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum will add pace and power to their attacking midfield unit. After reaching the finals of both the Capital One Cup and Europa League last season, Klopp proved he can get his team to play as a unit and deliver his famous “full throttle” style of play.Now it’s all about delivering that consistently and having an entire preseason, plus time on the training ground during the season with just the PL games and domestic cups to worry about, means Klopp will be fully judged on this season.

Without European soccer, Liverpool will challenge for the title: This assertion is being made due to Liverpool making a title run the last time they were without the rigors of either the UEFA Europa League or Champions League. With so many teams in transition (Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United) Klopp actually has a head-start on all of the new managers arriving this summer.

Most likely it’ll be a top six finish and a slight push for the top four: Liverpool have a very, very tough start to the season. They face Arsenal, Leicester, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United in their first eight games. If they get off to a poor start, pressure will be on. New goalkeeper Loris Karius broke his hand in preseason, plus defensive issues haven’t really been addressed in the offseason which remains the biggest concern.

Best Possible XI

—– Mignolet —–

— Clyne — Lovren — Sakho — Moreno —

—– Henderson —–

Mane — Coutinho — Wijnaldum — Firmino

—– Sturridge —–

Transfers in: Sadio Mane ($45 million, Southampton), Georginio Wijnaldum ($30 million, Newcastle United), Joel Matip (Free, Schalke 04), Ragnar Klavan ($5.6 million, Augsburg), Loris Karius ($6.2 million, Mainz 05), Alex Manninger (Free, Augsburg)

Transfers out: Jordan Rossiter ($333,000, Glasgow Rangers), Kolo Toure (Free, Glasgow Celtic), Jose Enrqiue, Samed Yesil (Both released), Joao Carlos Teixeira ($330,000, FC Porto), Jerome Sinclair ($6 million, Watford), Jordon Ibe ($20 million, Bournemouth), Brad Smith ($8 million, Bournemouth), Martin Skrtel ($6.6 million, Fenerbache), Joe Allen($17.3 million, Stoke City), Sergi Canos ($3.3 million, Norwich City)

Last season: An eighth-place finish was disappointing but Liverpool did flirt, albeit briefly, with a top four finish. Klopp’s side lost in both the Europa League and Capital One Cup final but too many defensive mistakes cost them any chance of salvaging their season after Rodgers was fired in October. Liverpool were not boring to watch as they poured forward in search of goals but left plenty of space in defense.

Star player: Daniel Sturridge – When he’s fit and on his game there’s no other Liverpool player who possesses the same individual quality as Sturridge. A lethal finisher who comes up with big goals in big games, Sturridge must stay healthy if Liverpool are to challenge for a place in the top four this season. The England international has a huge role to play and is now entering his prime. The entire Liverpool team is set up to get the best out of him. This is his team.

Coach’s corner: Klopp’s project is ticking along nicely but he’s not entering a pivotal period in his tenure at Anfield. An expectant crowd gave him a pass for last season. He arrived in October and without being able to bring in his own players or barely having any time to work with the team on the training ground to implement his new methods, progress was slow. Handed a new long-term contract this summer, the Fenway Sports Group obviously believe in his abilities. He has galvanized the fans and players together and he brings the whole package as a media presence and a master tactician. Now he must deliver success where it matters most: on the pitch.

PST predicts: Without European soccer, Liverpool could push for the top four. If you look at the teams who finished above them last season, the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham will all be there or there abouts again. Leicester City, West Ham, Southampton all finished above Liverpool but could slip below them and then you have Chelsea, who surely won’t be as bad this season under Antonio Conte. Simply put: plenty of things will have to go right for Liverpool to finish in the top four and although they have the attacking players capable of achieving it, defensive frailties mean a top six finish is much more likely.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Leicester City

By Kyle Bonn Aug 2, 2016, 7:36 PM EDT

The dust has settled. Last season’s fairytale is now for the history books. It’s time to move on.Leicester City now faces a battle on multiple fronts, one that won’t be easy. With Champions League play to contend with, plus higher expectations for the Cup competitions, there will be many new challenges to face.In addition, the Foxes will be without their most important player from last year, N’Golo Kante, who made the choice to move to Stamford Bridge. Jamie Vardy, however, decided not to leave, a major boost to the squad. It remains to be seen what Riyad Mahrezchooses, caught between Leicester and the pull of Arsenal.They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but this year, it’s Claudio Raneiri’s job to make sure it does. Chances are they won’t win the title again, but supporters are moreso looking for steady growth and a strengthening of the club’s position in the long term. That’s most certainly in play for the Foxes.

Leicester City can remain among the Premier League powers if…the new signings prove to be adequate fill-ins. Nampalys Mendy will have the world’s weight on his shoulders looking to replace N’Golo Kante, and without him, the system will fall apart.Ahmed Musa will be vital, as failure to produce will put more shoulders on an otherwise thin and aging strike group split across four competitions. If the two – plus any additional talent brought in before the window closes – can produce, they can help turn this squad from Cinderella to perennial Premier League power, the next step in this club’s meteoric growth.

However, more likely Foxes will return to Earth. It’s pretty clear that Kante is somewhat irreplaceable to this squad, and his loss will show. In addition, Leicester probably could use a few more players to come in. Ranieri is big on squad cohesion, and will likely wish not to disrupt the chemistry too much with additional bodies, but another midfielder would be vital to stretch the club across all the fronts they’ll do battle. It might be too much to handle, especially at how they were hammered by PSG in preseason, although it’s hard to see them falling too drastically flat.

Best Possible XI

—– Schmeichel —–

— Simpson — Morgan — Huth — Fuchs —

Mahrez — Mendy — Drinkwater — Albrighton

— Vardy — Musa —

Transfers In: Ahmed Musa ($22m, CSKA Moscow), Nampalys Mendy ($17.5m, Nice),Ron-Robert Zieler ($4m, Hannover), Luis Hernandez (Free, Sporting Gijon).

Transfers Out: N’Golo Kante ($40m, Chelsea), Andrej Kramaric ($11m, Hoffenheim),Paul Konchesky (Free, Gillingham).

Last Season: You know all about last season. Leicester City was nearly relegated two seasons ago, some time passed, yada yada yada, they won the title. Yawn. Ok fine, it was awesome. A club that had fallen to League One not five years prior lifted the Premier League trophy. A fairytale story like none other, Leicester City will be remembered for a long time as soccer’s Little Engine That Could.

Star Player: Riyad Mahrez – The Algerian is still being wooed by Arsenal, but with every passing day it seems more and more likely he will stay. Should he remain at King Power Stadium, the Foxes will have much of the same firepower they did last year. Jamie Vardy is right there with him, but Mahrez is the magic man. The 25-year-old was an absolute workhorse, one of just 15 midfielders to top 3,000 minutes last season, and he missed just a single league match all year. To show for it, he pumped out 17 goals and 10 assists, a number which seems likely to be repeated.

Coach’s Corner: Claudio Ranieri was considered one of the better coaches in Europe never to win a trophy, and that came crashing down last season. He consistently kept his players grounded and focused during the midst of an improbable run, an incredibly difficult task with so much attention on the club. There’s no question that once Ranieri feels his work at Leicester City is complete, he will have plenty of offers coming his way. However, that does not seem to be anytime soon, and he will keep dreaming with the city of Leicester.

PST Predicts: People have been doubting this team for long enough that the noise about a one-hit-wonder won’t bother them. Unfortunately, that’s the realistic scenario here. European fixture congestion has taken down too many middle-tier teams to ignore. Last season, an unusually impeccable bill of health kept a thin squad from showing weaknesses in the depth department. This season, that won’t be the case. This club is too talented to be in the relegation picture, but a bottom half finish is likely, somewhere in the 10th-12th range.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Manchester United

9 CommentsBy Andy Edwards Aug 3, 2016, 3:04 PM EDT

First and foremost, there’s Wayne Rooney. The question: where does Mourinho play the 12-year servant and captain of Manchester United? The question to ask regarding Rooney isn’t “what’s his best position,” but instead “at what position is he actually Man United’s best player?” It’s not striker, where Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the man; it’s not in the hole just behind Zlatan, because Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a pure no. 10; it’s not wide left, because Rooney has never thrived in a wide role, and Anthony Martial is a burgeoning superstar on the left. It might just be in Mourinho’s best interest to drop Rooney to the bench. Mourinho has never been afraid to make the riskiest political move.Secondly, can Mourinho, long hailed a tactical genius for the way he organizes defenses, find the right formula among a central-defending quartet of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones,Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly? Too many times last season, Louis Van Gaalwas forced to play with two dedicated defensive midfielders in order to protect the mistake-prone carousel of characters, which only left the attacking stars disconnected and stranded without service. Outside of Bailly, a $40-million signing from Villarreal, Mourinho and Co. have done little to address the unit transfer-wise.United can improve four places from last season, and win the league, because…There’s practically nothing to separate the top five or six sides heading into the season. If one or two results go their way early on, they’ll be great front-runners under Mourinho.

Actually, United could miss out on Champions league qualification altogether, because… There’s practically nothing to separate the top five or six sides heading into the season. If one or two results go against them early on, they’ll be terrible chasers under Mourinho.

Best Possible XI

—– De Gea —–

— Darmian — Smalling — Jones — Shaw —

—– Schneiderlin — Herrera ——

— Mata — Mkhitaryan — Martial —

—– Ibrahimovic —–

Transfers in: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (free, Paris Saint-Germain), Henrikh Mkhitaryan ($34 million, Borussia Dortmund), Eric Bailly ($40 million, Villarreal)

Transfers out: Victor Valdes (released, Middlesbrough), Guillermo Varela (loan, Eintracht Frankfurt), Nick Powell (released, Wigan Athletic)

Last season: Van Gaal’s final season at the club saw the Red Devils finish fifth in the PL; crash out of the Champions League group stage, only to be knocked out of the Europa League by their rivals Liverpool; and cap off the roller-coaster ride by lifting the FA Cup. It was bad enough to see Van Gaal fired, paving the way for the inevitable: Mourinho at Old Trafford.

Star player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic — Finally the big Swede has made his way to the Premier League. Now comes what should be the easy part (for him, at least): delivering on the massive expectations he’ll face at Old Trafford. With any level of competent service, Zlatan will score anywhere between 14-18 goals this season, with a haul of 20 not out of reach if he remains healthy throughout and starts 35 league games. He turns 35 in October, which means his body could break down at any moment, but he showed few signs of slowing down last season, when he made 51 appearances for PSG, scoring 50 goals in the process.

Coach’s corner: Mourinho is the story of United’s season, which is the only way he’d have it. If United are successful, it will all be down to Mourinho’s genius. If they falter and miss out on Champions League qualification again, it’ll be because Mourinho ostracized the wrong players and lost the dressing room, as he infamously did at Real Madrid and Chelsea.

PST predicts: There’s enough attacking talent in this squad for the Red Devils to lead the league in goals scored, but it might all go to waste with Mourinho as manager. Where they’re (still) lacking, though, is in capable central defenders. In theory, Mourinho should aim at a thrilling attacking side that regularly outscores opponents 3-2; it’s what his team is best constructed to do. In practice, he’ll play for 1-0 victories, handicapping their ability to chase the game once they’ve conceded a silly goal, and end up finishing fifth for the second straight season.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Manchester City

4 Comments

Pep time has arriveduardiola is deemed to be the final piece in the jigsaw for Sheikh Mansour’s grand project at Manchester City. Regarded as the best coach in the world, Guardiola has succeeded at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, winning 21 trophies over seven seasons as a manager.The legendary Spanish coach will lock horns with Jose Mourinho in Manchester as their mouth-watering rivalry continues. Guardiola will have to adapt to English soccer but he’s already been given big money to spend this summer and his new-look City side is starting to gel. His main aim will be to succeed in Europe but he will also be tasked with bringing another PL title to the Etihad. Basically, City has to play in a stylish way and win every single trophy out there. No pressure, Pep…With Leroy Sane arriving and John Stones reportedly on the way, City will have a much younger feel to their team this season and Guardiola has already singled out individuals in preseason for not being fit enough as well as banning pizza and having everyone on a strict diet. He’s not messing around and his strict rules aren’t for everyone but it certainly gets results.

City will sweep all before them and win the title at a canter because… This is Guardiola and City will spend whatever to make sure he’s a success. They may not clean up this season but over the next few years Guardiola has the chance to build a dynasty at the Etihad. He’s a tremendous coach with a superb record of making young players better.

Actually, City will just struggle to finish in top four: It could take Guardiola some time to get used to the pace and power of the PL week in, week out. This will be a new challenge for him so let’s see how quickly the players take to his methods. This may be more difficult than most people think.

Best Possible XI

—– Hart —–

— Sagna — Kompany — Stones (?) — Clichy —

—– Fernandinho — Gundogan ——

— Sane — Silva — De Bruyne —

—– Aguero —–

Transfers in: Leroy Sane ($49 million, Schalke 04), Nolito ($18.4 million, Celta Vigo), Ilkay Gundogan ($26.7 million, Borussia Dortmund), Aaron Mooy (Free, Melbourne City FC),Oleksandr Zinchenko ($2.2 million, FC Ufa)

Transfers out: Martin Demichelis, Richard Wright (Both released)

Last season: City faded badly and finished in fourth place last season, just securing a spot in the UEFA Champions League playof round ahead of Manchester United. Manuel Pellegrini announced he was leaving in January and Guardiola’s appointment was also announced to add a sense of transition over the second half of the campaign. City still won the Capital One Cup and reached the UCL semifinals for the first-time in their history (losing to eventual winners Real Madrid 1-0 on aggregate) as Pellegrini left with his head held high.

Star player: Sergio Aguero – He is the main jewel in City’s glittering crown. Aguero has scored 102 PL goals in 150 PL games for City since arriving in 2012. The Argentina is a predator and with Kevin De Bruyne, Sane and David Silva feeding him chances, there’s every chance he will break through the 30-goal mark in the PL. At 28, he’s entering his prime. Now, he just needs a season without injuries to smash records.

Coach’s corner: Guardiola is the man who will take City to the next level. At least, that’s the plan. He has never finished outside of the top two of each domestic season he has managed and he has never not made at least the semifinals of the UCL. He has an imperious record at both Barca and Bayern but this is his biggest challenge yet. And he knows it. Guardiola’s fluid passing system and insistence on winning the ball back within six seconds from the opposition means this City squad must be fitter than any other team in the PL. That could take a while so patient will be needed from City’s loyal, but expectant, fans.

PST predicts: If John Stones arrives and Guardiola can mold him into the defensive lynchpin he’s had at previous clubs then that will make a huge difference for City. Going forward they have an embarrassment of riches and should score goals for fun. Question marks around Hart in goal and the fitness issues plaguing captain Vincent Kompany are the biggest concern for City but if Guardiola can get the balance right then there’s no reason why City can’t win the title. They have the players and now the manager to dominate the PL.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Hull City

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Leave a commentBy Kyle Bonn Aug 2, 2016, 3:21 PM EDT

It seems like years ago that Hull City won the playoff final at Wembley over Sheffield Wednesday.In the few months since that major victory, shooting the Tigers back into the Premier League after just a season in the Championship, things have spiraled down towards the ground like an out of control airplane.Manager Steve Bruce, with the club since 2012 and loved by the fans, quit after speculation for the England job seemed to unsettle him in his current position. Injuries have ravaged the squad before the season has even begun, with goalkeeper Allan McGregor and defenders Moses Odubajo, Alex Bruce, and Michael Dawson have all been ruled out for months. Despite this, the new uncertainty at the managerial position means the club hasn’t signed a single reinforcement this summer. For a club that has only seen Premier League action since 2007 and has never finished higher than 16th in the top flight, it will be more than an uphill battle much of the season.

Hull City can stay up if…they find a quality manager and he pulls in signings. The Tigers relied on a solid defensive structure last season, and with so many injuries at the back to open the season, they risk putting themselves in an unrecoverable situation straight out of the gates. They need players, and they need them yesterday.

More than likely though, they’ll be headed back down. Like Burnley, this is a team that has bounced back and forth in recent years, and they look more unstable than ever before coming into this season. There is some experience in the squad between Tom Huddlestone, Mohamed Diame, Robert Snodgrass, and Abel Hernandez, but that alone won’t be able to keep the ship afloat.

Best Possible XI

—– Jakupovic —–

— Ivanovic — Dawson — Davies — Robertson —

— Diame — Huddlestone —

— Elmohamady — Livermore — Snodgrass —

— Hernandez —

Transfers In: Will Mannion (Undisclosed, AFC Wimbledon).

Transfers Out: Sone Aluko (Free, Fulham), Ryan Taylor (Free, Unattached).

Last Season: The Tigers made their way to the Premier League via the playoff, but they were solid for much of the year and put out balanced numbers. Their defensive record was worthy of a place at the top of the table allowing just four more goals than defensive stalwarts Middlesbrough, and they scored just three goals less than the league leaders. Unfortunately, while this team is built well for the slog of the Championship, they – like Burnley – have little star power and may struggle to find rewards for their hard work in the top flight.

Star Player: Robert Snodgrass – A classy player who has been hurt for much of his Hull career, Snodgrass shot onto the scene with Norwich City in 2013 – his first shot at the Premier League – and has backed up that production since. He’s a chance creator more than a finisher, but he’ll score the occasional goal as well. Abel Hernandez is the star finisher on the squad, with 20 Championship goals last season, but Snodgrass is the player opposing managers will be most concerned about when game-planning for Hull.

Coach’s Corner: Steve Bruce was meant to lead Hull into the Premier League for the second time in three years, but after receiving a shot at the England job that Sam Allardyceultimately won, things went sour. Bruce resigned, and suddenly the squad is left not only thing but without a leader. They wanted Welsh boss Chris Coleman, but were turned down. The vacant managerial position is something Hull will want to sort out quickly, or else they risk an untenable situation just weeks into the new season.

PST Predicts: At this point in time, there’s only one place anyone can realistically see Hull after the season, and that’s back in the Championship. Sure, it’s a long season, and with the transfer window not closed yet, things can turn around. But if things remain as they are, and a manager isn’t found until after Opening Day, it could get ugly quick. They have a more talented squad than Burnley, and therefore can weather time without reinforcements better than their counterparts from the Championship in a similar situation, but a thin squad is deadly.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Everton

y Joe Prince-Wright Aug 2, 2016, 1:10 PM EDT

The winds of change have blown into Goodison Park and excitement is in the air with a new owner, manager and plenty of changes in the playing staff for the nine-time champions of England.British-Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri has promised to splash the cash to bring top players to Everton and even though they’ve so far failed to spend big this summer, new manager Ronald Koeman will be able to attract top quality players to Goodison Park.Finishing in the top four is always the aim for Everton but over the past two seasons they regressed under Roberto Martinez before he was fired last season. They are a stylish attacking unit but Koeman should add more substance in his debut season in charge of the Toffees. Big things are expected but plenty of pressure comes with the lofty ambitions of Everton’s fans.

A fast start to the season sees Everton challenging for the top four: This could really happen. If you look at Everton’s first seven games, the only game you say they shouldn’t win is against Tottenham at home on the opening day. That means Koeman could get off to a flier and we all know how important it is to have a good start, especially when you’re a new manager coming in. With so many other big clubs in transition, perhaps Everton can shock a few people and push hard for at least a top six finish and maybe more?

Without Stones and Lukaku, Everton in the bottom half and Koeman under pressure: Now, of course this is all hypothetical but with Stones edging towards a move to Man City and Chelsea’s interest in Romelu Lukaku intensifying, who knows how hard that will hit Everton. They have a month to figure this out but if both leave during the transfer window and Koeman is priced out of other options on the market, could Everton be in an even worse position than last season? It’s certainly not inconceivable and the pressure will be on, especially if Moshiri spends plenty of money on new players late on in the window.

Best Possible XI

—– Robles —–

— Coleman — Williams (?) — Funes Mori — Baines —

— Gueye — McCarthy —

— Deulofeu — Barkley — Mirallas —

—– Lukaku —–

Transfers In: Maarten Stekelenburg (Undisclosed, Fulham), Idrissa Gueye ($9.3 million, Aston Villa), Bassala Sambou (Free, Coventry City), Chris Renshaw (Free, Oldham Athletic), Joe Hilton (Free, Manchester City), Nathan Baxter (Free, Vitesse)

Transfers Out: Tim Howard (Free, Colorado Rapids), Aidan Graham, Tony Hibbert, Felipe Mattioni, Leon Osman, Steven Pienaar, Jindrich Stanek, Jordan Thorniley (All released)

Last season: A pretty awful season for Everton. Martinez was fired as manager before the final game of the season as Everton finished in 11th place. That might not sound bad but with so many poor defensive performances at home and two-straight seasons of finishing outside the top 10 (okay, 2014-15 saw them focus more on the Europa League, which is understandable) something had to give. Everton did reach the FA Cup and League Cup semifinals but lost to eventual winners Manchester City and Manchester United in both competitions.

Star player: Ross Barkley – It is time for the Everton academy product to take hold of his team and under Koeman he will be given the chance to thrive. Despite some good numbers, Barkley’s career stalled a little last season but let’s not forget that he’s one of the brightest attacking talents in the PL under the age of 23. He has bags of experience under his belt already but now it’s time to turn that into goals and assists for Everton.

Coach’s Corner: Ronald Koeman – There is plenty of expectation on Koeman’s shoulders after the marvelous job he did at Southampton over the past two seasons. Many were surprised when he quit Saints for Everton but given the huge sums of money said to be on offer from new owner Moshiri, Koeman believes he can have the Toffees challenging for a top four finish. He has plenty of work to do but an easy fixture list to start the season with will certainly elongate his honeymoon period. His solid defensive work coupled with a philosophy to keep the ball should please Evertonians.

PST predicts: A season of improvement for Everton but it will be tough to break into the top six with so many powerhouses strengthening and having new, talented managers of their own. Koeman should be happy if he guides Everton to a top 10 finish and goes far in both cup competitions. Steady progress will be key but with Stones and Lukaku’s future uncertain, this prediction could change by the end of August if any money coming in isn’t spent wisely on new players.

Premier League 2016-17 season preview: Crystal Palace

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By Joe Prince-Wright Aug 2, 2016, 9:42 AM EDT

The Eagles are on the rise but this season is huge in dictating how lofty their ascent will be in the next few years.Alan Pardew‘s side started off like an express train last season, hovering around the Premier League’s top six around the festive period but then dropping away drastically in the second half of the campaign as they became embroiled in a relegation battle. Granted, their run to the FA Cup final played a part in that, but there’s no doubting Palace need some reinforcements to turn them into a club challenging for a top six finish.With American investment providing funds to help renovate Selhurst Park, plus add more transfer funds to the kitty, Palace is entering a whole new era. Don’t forget, they were only promoted to the PL in 2013 but they’ve quickly cemented themselves as a solid PL outfit and are now looking to make that next step.

The Eagles will soar into the top six because… They have an experienced manager who knows the league inside out. Pardew sets his teams up to be difficult to beat and lets his wingers and full backs push on at every chance. If they can sort their home form out this season then Palace will threaten the big boys. There are few better atmospheres in the PL than the one generated down in south London.

Most likely they’ll sit in midtable and maybe push into the top 10: Our old friend pragmatism has arrived. With Connor Wickham and Fraizer Campbell around it is unlikely Palace will score loads of goals. Pardew needs a poacher and that was the main reason for Palace’s slump last season. In defense and in midfield he’s set. Palace are willing to spend big to get a 20-goal a season man. If they fail to find him then it’s a case of midtable mediocrity.

Best Possible XI

— Hennessey —

— Ward — Dann — Tomkins — Souare —

— Ledley — Cabaye —

—– Zaha —– Bolasie —– Townsend

— Wickham —

Transfers In: Steve Mandanda ($2 million, Marseille), James Tomkins ($13 million, West Ham United), Andros Townsend ($18 million, Newcastle United)

Transfers Out: Emmanuel Adebayor, Reise Allassani, Andreas Breimyr, Marouane Chamakh, Connor Dymond, Brede Hangeland, William Hoare, Chris Kettings, Adrian Mariappa, Paddy McCarthy, Oliver Pain, Christian Scales (All released), Dwight Gayle($13 million, Newcastle United), David Gregory (Free, Cambridge United), Jake Gray (Free, Luton Town), Alex McCarthy (Undisclosed, Southampton), Jerome Binnom-Williams (Free, Peterborough United)

Last Season: After winning just two PL games in 2016 Palace’s season ended poorly and they finished in 15th place. Pardew’s side reached the FA Cup final where they eventually lost to Manchester United 2-1 after extra time despite leading 1-0 with 12 minutes to go. A certain premature victory dance from Mr. Pardew will live long in the memory…

Star Player: Andros Townsend – This man had a sensational finish to the season with Newcastle United and did everything to try and keep the Magpies up following his January move from Tottenham Hotspur. A pure out-and-out winger, Townsend will cut in from the flank and fire shots at goal. Has the potential to be Palace’s leading scorer and will push Bolasie and Zaha all the way in the fight for the three attacking midfield positions. Yohan Cabaye, technically, is Palace’s most gifted player but injury and a severe loss of form hampered his impact last season.

Coach’s Corner: Pardew is back at home at Palace and the former Eagles player is now entering his second full season in charge of the club. He has cut the deadwood from his squad and brought in three experienced campaigners so far with Townsend and James Tomkins having plenty of PL nous. You know what you will get with a Pardew team. They’ll be committed, dangerous from set pieces and tight defensively. Palace will scrap for every point but if the Eagles have another season of failing to crack the top 10 then it could be quite delicate for Pardew at the end of this campaign. He really needs to sign a top-class finisher this summer.

PST Predicts: Best case scenario for Palace is finishing in 8-10 place in the table. They won’t challenge the big boys who have spent big this summer but they will dish out plenty of shocks along the way. Expect another good cup run and a big push for a top 10 finish under Pardiola.

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

8/2/16 US Women Start Olympic Quest 6 pm Wed, MLS Allstar Wrap-up, Indy 11 home Wed, Sat, Sat. ICC Wraps up Successful 2 Weeks

August 2, 2016August 3, 2016 gatorbest

The US Women’s National Team takes center stage this week at the Olympics, the US starts Wed at 6 pm on NBCSN looking for their 4^th straight Gold medal and looks to become the first team to win a World Cup and Olympic Gold back to back. See below for stories and the complete Women’s and Men’s Soccer Schedule.

I thought the MLS All-Star game vs Arsenal was entertaining and solid soccer – I thought the All-Stars outplayed Arsenal and the Gunners were lucky to get out with the 2-1 win. Obviously having the allstars play less than 30 minutes is frustrating for the fans – but honestly it keeps guys from getting hurt and I still think the format vs a recognizable team from overseas is better than east vs west and even the Foreign players vs US players that hockey does. So one of my favorite MLS Players Nat Borchers (THE BEARD) at Portland tore his achilles heel last Sat vs LA and is lost for the season – get well Timbers Nat! Portland hosts Sporting KC Sun 4 pm on ESPN as both fight for playoff spots, while Orlando hosts Seattle at 7 pm on FS1 in the battle of new coaches, and LA hosts NY Red Bulls in a battle of top 5 teams at 9:30 on FS1 and MLS Soccer Sunday.

Indy Eleven will return home for a three-game homestand that will start this Wednesday, August 3, against Jacksonville Armada FC. The 7:30 p.m. match will mark the first Indy Eleven broadcast on CBS Sports Network, and the match can also be heard live on Exitos Radio 1590 AM and www.Exitos1590.com (Spanish). Tickets for the contest are available starting at just $11 and can be purchased online at IndyEleven.com.

Finally –Carmel FC – Summer CFC Technical Training continues this week. Locally they are still taking signups for the Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only -GIRLS and BOYS- Run by CHS Boys team players – THIS THURS, Aug 4 (9:30 am till 12 noon) – CHS Practice Fields River Road and 126th Cost $35 to CHS –- First 100 players to sign up. Sign Up Here https://www.ticketracker.com/store/item?catalogItemId=8741 Email Shari if you have questions indyabbotts@hotmail.com.

GAMES OF the Week TV

See the Complete TV Schedule online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Wed, Aug 3

6:00 p.m. (TV NBCSN) US women vs. New Zealand Olympics group stage,
7:30 p.m. (ESPN2 Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, International Champions Cup

Thurs, Aug 4 Olympics MEN

4pm USA Net Mexico vs Germany

5 pm NBCSN Argentina vs Portugal

Sat, Aug 6

12 noon ESPN ICC Liverpool vs Barcelona – Wembley

7:30 pm Tv8+ESPN3 Indy 11 vs Ottowa

Sun, Aug 7

10 am Foxsports 1 Community Shield Leicester City vs Man United

4pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Sporting KC MLS

4 p.m. (TV NBCSN) United States women vs France, Olympics group stage,
7pm Fox sports 1 Orlando City vs Seattle – battle of new coaches

9:30 pm Fox Sports 1 LA vs NY Red Bulls

USA

Preview USA vs New Zealand

Olympics Soccer Preview – SI Brian Straus

Stars and Stripes soccer Olympics Preview

Carli Lloyd US Team is more Sophisticated

Rapino on things US

Crystal Dunn – Ready to Score for US Ladies =Grant Wahl SI

Breaking Down the US Squad – Straus SI

Kelly Ohare at home at Right Back

Rapino back with help – LA Times

Men’s Olympic Soccer Preview – Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, Germany ?

US LADIES GROUP STAGE GAMES

August 3rd, 2016 – Olympics: WNT vs. New Zealand (Brazil), 6pm ET on NBCSN

August 6th, 2016 – Olympics: WNT vs. France (Brazil), 4pm ET on NBCSN

August 9th, 2016 – Olympics: WNT vs. Colombia (Brazil), 6pm ET on NBCSN

Guzan Signs with EPL newcomer Middlesborough Stars and Stripes

Is this a good move for Guzan to Boro? SI – Avi Creditor

Expectations Not on Pulisic mind for Dortmund

American youngster Julian Green scores hat trick for Bayern in 1^st half of ICC

Anceloti- US Mid Julian Green to Stay with 1^st team at Bayern

Green Still has Work to do \

Olympics TV Schedule for Soccer

Indy 11

3 Things loss to Miami

Indy 11 lose 2-1 to Miami drop to 5^th

Tix on sale for 8/3 Wed game vs Jax and 8/6 vs OTT and 8/13 vs OKC

Networking Night 8/3 5:30 till 7:15 pm

MLS

MLS Audience on ESPN is up 32% in 2016

3 Thoughts on MLS All-Star Game

Lodeiro leaves mark in 1^st game for Seattle and More MLS

Week 21 Round Up

Seattle Signs Uraguayan mid Nicolas Lodeiro to DP

Zlatan turned down Beckham in Miami to go to Man United

Las Dos Santos wants 2^nd Chance on Mexican NT

Orlando’s KAKA – we can still make Playoffs

Chance for Jason Kraus to prove himself again at Orlando-SI

It was Time for Sigi to Leave Seattle

Top 10 Goals of the Season

Bendik Wins 2^nd MLS Save of the Week

World

Trending Around the World

How Mourinhos Man U tenure will unfold – Jon Wilson SI

How will Pep, Conte adapt to the EPL- Rich Jolly EPSNFC

5 things we learned from Arsenal Tour

Pep and City need to get a Move On

Klopp unsure of more Signings for Liverpool

5 things we learned from Leicester’s blowout loss to PSG

Wed, Aug 3

12:00 p.m. NBCSN Sweden women vs. South Africa women, Olympics group stage,

2:00 p.m. (ESPN2, ICC Barcelona vs. Leicester City, ICC

3:00 p.m. (USA Network                Brazil women vs. China women, Olympics group stage,
6:00 p.m. (TV NBCSN)        United States women vs. New Zealand women, Olympics group stage,
7:30 p.m. (ESPN2                                Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, International Champions Cup

7:30 pm CBS Sports Network Indy 11 host Jacksonville Armada at the Jake

9:00 p.m. (NBCSN, France women vs. Colombia women, Olympics group stage,
Chelsea vs. AC Milan, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Portland Timbers vs. CD Dragon, CONCACAF Champions League group stage, 10:00 p.m. (TV TBD)

Thurs, Aug 4 Olympics MEN

12 pm NBCSN Iraq vs Denmark

2pm USA Network Honduras vs Algeria

3 pm NBCSN Brazil vs South Africa

4 pm USA Network Mexico vs Germany

5 pm NBCSN Portugal vs Argentina

6 pm USA Network Sweden vs Colombia

9 pm NBCSN Nigeria vs Japan

Sat, Aug 6

7:30 am Fox Soccer+ Rangers vs Hamilton Academical – Scotland PL

12 noon ESPN ICC Liverpool vs Barcelona – Wembley

2:45 pm beIn Sport PSG vs Olympique Lyonnais –France Super Cup

Olympic Soccer – Women

4 p.m. (TV NBCSN) United States women vs France, Olympics group stage,

5pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Australia

6pm NBC Sports Live Extra South Africa vs China

7pm NBC Sports Live Extra Colombia vs New Zealand

7:30 pm Tv8+ESPN3 Indy 11 vs Ottowa

7:30 pm beIN Sport Ft Lauderdale vs Tampa Bay Rowdies NASL

9pm NBC Sports Live Extra Brazil vs Sweden

Sun, Aug 7

10 am Foxsports 1 Community Shield Leicester City vs Man United

4pm ESPN Portland Timbers vs Sporting KC MLS

7pm Fox sports 1 Orlando City vs Seattle – battle of new coaches

9:30 pm Fox Sports 1 LA vs NY Red Bulls

Olympic Soccer – Men

12 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Fiji vs Mexico

2 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Honduras vs Portugal

3 pm NBCSN Germany vs Korea Republic

5 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Argentina vs Algeria

6 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Sweden vs Nigeria

6 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Denmark vs South Africa

9 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Japan vs Colombia

9 pm NBCSN Brazil vs Iraq

Tues Aug 9 Olympic Soccer – Women

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Germany vs Canada

3 pm NBC Sports Live Extra Australia vs Zimbabwe

6 pm NBCSN Colombia vs USA

6 pm New Zealand vs France

9 pm NBC Sports Extra South Africa vs Brazil

9 pm NBC Sports Extra China vs Sweden

Wed Aug 10 Olympic Soccer – Men

12 pm NBC Sports Extra Algeria vs Portugal

12 pm Telemundo Argentina vs Honduras

3 pm NBC Sports Extra Germany vs Fiji

3 pm NBC Sports Extra Korea Republic vs Mexico

6 pm NBC Sports Extra Japan vs Sweden

6 pm NBC Sports Extra Colombia vs Nigeria

9 pm NBCSN Denmark vs Brazil

9 pm NBC Sports Extra South Africa vs Iraq

Fri, Aug 12 France Legue 1 starts

2 pm beIn Sports Bastia vs PSG

Quarterfinals Olympic Women

12 pm NBCSN 1G vs 3E

3 pm MSNBC 2F vs 2F

6 pm CNBC 1F vs 2G

9 pm NBCSN 1 E vs 3F

Sat, Aug 13 EPL Season Starts

Quarterfinals Olympic men 12, 3, 6, 9

Sun, Aug 14

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
11:00 a.m., NBCSN: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Dortmund vs Bayern Munich –German Super Cup

Fri, Aug 26 German Bundesliga Starts

2:30 pm Fox Sport1 Bayern Munich vs. Werder Bremen

Sat, Aug 27

9:30 a.m., Fox Sports 2:                 Borussia Dortmund vs. Mainz
9:30 a.m., Fox Soccer Plus:         Hamburg SV vs. Ingolstadt
12:30 p.m., Fox                                   Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Sun, Aug 28

9:30 a.m Fox Sport1 Hertha Berlin vs. Freiburg

German Bundesliga TV Schedule on Fox Soccer and Gol TV

Preview: USWNT opens 2016 Olympics with New Zealand

Leave a commentBy Kyle Bonn Aug 2, 2016, 10:17 PM EDT

As the United States women’s team opens its quest for a fifth Olympic gold medal when they take on New Zealand Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. ET.The team is fresh off a World Cup victory, and while the personnel is very similar to the squad that lifted the trophy, this team is still somehow very, very different. Arguably stronger.World Cup hero Carli Lloyd was a question mark a few weeks ago, but is now fully healthy. Alex Morgan is leading the front line along with Christen Press. And Hope Solo remains in goal.owever, there are some new additions, and some exciting ones at that. Young Mallory Pugh, just 18 years old, looks like a star in the making, and will be joining Morgan and Press up front looking to dazzle in Rio. Although not technically new to the national team fold, midfielder Allie Long joins from the Portland Thorns and is looking at a starting spot if Morgan Brian’s hamstrings continue to cause her problems.Gone are Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday and Shannon Boxx who all retired, opening places for younger newcomers. Also not present are Christie Rampone and Heather O’Reilly, with neither officially retired but having still succumbed to Father Time.It will be head coach Jill Ellis’s job to meld the old with the new, and with a solid warmup series in the books, Ellis hopes the opener against New Zealand will provide a launching pad for the gold medal favorites.Veteran striker Amber Hearn is the target up front, with 45 goals for her country, the most ever. She will be especially hungry after being held goalless at the most recent World Cup. Also featuring for New Zealand will be Hannah Wilkinson, a former Tennessee Volunteer who already has a whopping 73 caps for the national team at just 24 years old. Both those attackers scored in a 4-1 win over South Africa in their final tuneup at the end of July (their official website made sure to point out the US only beat South Africa 1-0 most recently), and an upset against the United States would be the perfect statement to start a tournament.The United States will have to be ready, and have to be together. It’s no surprise at all if Jill Ellis already has both boxes checked.

Women’s soccer preview: USA seeks unique World Cup-Olympic double

BRIAN STRAUSWednesday July 27th, 2016

The U.S. women’s national team won the trophy it really wanted last summer in Canada. This summer, the world champs will compete for a place in history.Since women’s soccer became an Olympic sport in 1996, no country has claimed the Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold medal in back-to-back years. The world champion Americans settled for silver in 2000, then rebounded from World Cup disappointment to claim gold in 2004, 2008 and 2012.ow a year removed from its triumph in Vancouver, the U.S. remains on a roll and is the prohibitive favorite to stand atop the podium in Rio de Janeiro. At only half the size (12 teams) of the Women’s World Cup and overshadowed by sports for which the Games are the biggest thing going, the Olympic soccer tournament has an anticlimactic feel. But it can provide consolation for countries that left Canada disappointed and for this U.S. team, it offers the chance to stake its claim as the best in the program’s illustrious history.U.S. coach Jill Ellis must balance the chase for gold with her plans for the 2019 World Cup cycle. Icons Abby Wambach and Shannon Boxx retired, Christie Rampone appears headed that way (at least internationally) and Heather O’Reilly failed to make the reduced 18-player roster (she is an injury alternate).In their places, up-and-coming stars like Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan and 18-year-old Mallory Pugh will get their first taste of the major tournament spotlight. “If we are about winning world championships, we can’t just have all our focus be on the Olympics. It has to be on looking at new players—looking at players to build for beyond,” Ellis said recently. “I think overall the team is excited to try to pursue something that has never been done. We have so many new faces. It’s a brand new feeling for them. That brings something special to the group.”Those new faes join team staples like Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Becky Sauerbrunn and a handful of others.Standing in the Americans’ way will be several teams that could pull off an upset. Brazil, an Olympic silver medalist in ’04 and ’08, will lean on supportive crowds and the offensive creativity of Marta and Christiane. The hosts never really have lived up to their potential—women’s soccer is far from a priority in Brazil—but they did beat the U.S. in Brasilia in a December 2014 friendly and earned a 1-1 draw last year in Seattle.Australia, which upset Brazil in the round-of-16 last summer, is considered a team on the rise. Meanwhile, France, which is anchored by players from the world’s best women’s club team, Olympique Lyon, is past due. Talented and dynamic, Les Bleues will be the Americans’ toughest group-stage foe (Aug. 6 in Belo Horizonte). France finished a disappointing fourth at the 2012 Olympics then fell to Germany on penalty kicks in last summer’s World Cup quarterfinals.Germany, the sport’s second-ranked team and a two-time world champion, has had rough luck against the U.S. over the past decade but remains formidable. • RIO OLYMPICS PREVIEWS: Men’s soccer |

Two notable Olympic absences are England and Japan. England was a surprising third-place finisher at last year’s World Cup, which should have qualified them for Rio. But there is no English Olympic team—England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland compete together as Great Britain—so the Three Lionesses were ineligible. And Japan, the 2011 World Cup winner and ’15 runner-up, was a stunning failure to qualify.

Players to Watch

Carli Lloyd, USA: She rocketed to fame with a hat trick in last year’s Women’s World Cup final, but the versatile New Jersey native had been anchoring the U.S. midfield for years. At 34, Lloyd now has 224 senior international appearances and a FIFA World Player of the Year award to her credit. She also will command the sort of attention—from observers and the opposition—that fell to teammates in the past. This is now Lloyd’s team. She will have to respond with start-to-finish consistency and composure if the U.S. is to triumph in what could be her final major tournament.

Dzsenifer Marozsán, Germany: Born in Budapest, the 24-year-old Marozsán already has been a pro for nine years and she’s now the key cog in Germany’s attack. An ankle injury limited her at last year’s World Cup, ensuring her motivation will be high in Brazil. Germany’s World Cup success hasn’t translated to the Olympics, where it has won just three bronze medals. Comfortable as a playmaker or a finisher, Marozsán has 29 goals in 60 games for Germany.

Marta, Brazil: Arguably the most technically skillful athlete in women’s soccer history, Marta is a five-time world player of the year and at 30 years of age, she’ll be eager to lead Brazil to a gold medal on home soil. Although As Canarinhas haven’t won a major global tournament, they’ve played in three finals (two Olympics, one World Cup) and trounced the U.S. in the ’07 Women’s World Cup semifinal behind Marta’s two goals. She also scored all three in Brazil’s 3-0 win in 2014. On a given day, she’s capable of the spectacular.

Louisa Nécib, France: Each of France’s Olympique Lyon stars bears watching, and it remains vexing that Les Bleues have failed to medal at a World Cup, Olympics or European Championship. Camille Abily, Élodie Thomis, Marie-Laure Delie and Eugénie Le Sommer all are world class (as is new Portland Thorns signing Amandine Henry), but Nécib may be the most unique. The 29-year-old has outstanding touch and the sort of poise and vision that produces jaw-dropping passes. She can unlock a defense from just about anywhere and will be key to France’s quest for overdue honors.

Christine Sinclair, Canada: The under-appreciated British Columbian is the second-leading goal scorer in the history of women’s international soccer with 162 (she trails Wambach by 22) and at 33, she’s on the downslope of her international career, although she said recently that she has no plans to retire. Sinclair was the leading scorer at the 2012 Olympics and proved she could get it done against the U.S. with a hat trick in their epic overtime semifinal. Once again, Canada’s hopes will rest on the veteran striker’s ability to dominate the opposition penalty area.

Groups

Group E: Brazil, China, Sweden, South Africa

Group F: Canada, Australia, Germany, Zimbabwe

Group G: USA, France, Colombia, New Zealand

Schedule

Group match days: Aug. 3, 6, 9

Quarterfinals: Aug. 12

Semifinals: Aug. 16

Bronze medal: Aug. 19 at Arena Corinthians, São Paulo

Gold medal: Aug. 19 at Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

After World Cup snub, USA’s Crystal Dunn braced for major Olympic role

GRANT WAHLMonday July 25th, 2016

For six weeks, from the Olympics opening ceremonies to the Paralympics closing, men and women represent their country with one common goal in mind: Gold. She was the last cut. And so, by the thinnest of margins, Crystal Dunn missed out. She missed being on the field last July when the U.S. women won the World Cup final before a domestic TV audience of 27 million, a record for a soccer game. She missed the chance to bathe in national glory, to have her own SI cover, to be honored in a New York City ticker-tape parade. At age 23, with a history of struggling with confidence, Dunn faced what felt like an existential crisis.“I could have fallen off the face of the earth and sunk into a shell,” Dunn says at a pre-Olympic camp in Chicago. “It’s hard to love this sport when you feel like it’s crushed your soul and broken your heart into a million pieces. But you have to find the positive in every situation. It’s those disappointments that make you realize there are going to be some great moments ahead.”One of those moments came on the day of that World Cup final. Dunn, along with teammates from the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, was watching on TV at a packed sports bar in the nation’s capital. As the U.S. blew away Japan with four early goals in a 5–2 victory, Dunn felt profoundly mixed emotions—Wow, this is incredible! And I could have been there! But then, after the trophy ceremony, striker Abby Wambach began thanking her teammates on the Fox Sports broadcast, mentioning “the players that didn’t make the last cut, like Crystal Dunn.”Dunn had by then left the bar, but her Twitter mentions started blowing up and she quickly caught on.“At that moment,” says Dunn, “I stopped feeling sorry for myself.”What she did after that became one of the most impressive feats in NWSL history. Moving to a more attacking role with the Spirit in 2015, she scored a league-high 15 goals and won the MVP award.She worked to improve the tactical deficiencies that kept her off the World Cup team as a fullback and earned her way back onto the roster late last year as a dynamic midfielder and forward. When the U.S. starts its campaign on Aug. 3 to become the first reigning Women’s World Cup champion to win Olympic gold, Dunn—with nine international goals and four assists in ’16—will be one of the team’s most dangerous threats.“She’s got such quickness and athleticism, and her ability to separate is special,” says U.S. coach Jill Ellis. “When [opponents] are very structured defensively, you need players who can suddenly elude that first defender and create an advantage. She can get to balls and play a cross, and her service is really good eight times out of 10. Now the linchpin for her is her confidence.”Three years after making her U.S. debut, Dunn looks back and shakes her head.“I was so on edge,” she says. “For two years, you’d lose me for 10 minutes if I gave the ball away. You can’t be that way. Mistakes are going to happen. What’s changed my game is knowing that I’m going to try things that may not work, and I need to be O.K. with that.”But when those things work? Look out. The 5′ 1″ Dunn displays a swashbuckling verve in the box, using sharp cuts and sudden acceleration to make defenders look as if they’re moving at half-speed. What’s more, no American player is more versatile: She has played every position for the U.S. except defensive midfielder, center back and goalkeeper.“I keep telling [goalkeeper] Hope Solo I’m coming for her!” jokes the constantly smiling Dunn, who actually did play center back for Ellis at the 2010 Under-20 World Cup. (At North Carolina, where Dunn was the ’12 national player of the year, she also became the first woman to win both the ACC’s offensive and defensive player of the year awards.)For all of Dunn’s two-way abilities, however, teammates marvel most at how she rebounded from her World Cup setback.“She used it in the most positive way possible,” says U.S. defender Julie Johnston, Dunn’s closest friend on the team. “She pushed herself further than she probably thought she could go.”tty ImagesWhen Crystal Dunn was 2 years old, a fortuitous thing happened for her soccer career. Her parents, Vincent and Rhonda—lifelong New Yorkers—decided to move their family from Queens to Rockville Centre, a quiet Long Island suburb. The reasons were simple enough, Vincent says: better schools and a safer environment in which to raise Crystal and her older brother, Henry (who would go on to play baseball for two years in the Cleveland Indians’ organization).“We had no idea that Rockville Centre was a women’s soccer powerhouse,” says Vincent, who’s now a partner at a Manhattan law firm. “If we’d stayed in Queens, there’s a very good chance she never would have touched a soccer ball.”Newly relocated, Crystal started playing at age 4—“everyone was doing it,” she says, “so I thought I might as well”—and hasn’t stopped since. She was faster than anyone else, and she scored so many goals that coaches would sometimes pull her, lest they appear to be running up the score. Vincent remembers one time, even before his daughter’s South Side High team won three of four state titles, that a parent said of 10-year-old Crystal: “When she goes to the Olympics in 2020, don’t forget to send me some tickets!” “I ran into [that woman] at the supermarket three months ago,” says Vincent, smiling, “and I reminded her.”As Dunn has risen to the top of the NWSL over the past three years, she has become friends with another D.C.-area resident, Briana Scurry, the retired goalkeeper who won the World Cup with the U.S. in 1999. Now the Spirit’s honorary captain, Scurry watched with fist-pumping enthusiasm last season as Dunn tore up the league.“She was amazing,” says Scurry, 44. “And if you watch training sessions, you see how she interacts with teammates: She has a pure joy and a contagious personality.”Scurry says she also feels a kinship with Dunn because both are rare women of color capped by the U.S. The only non-white starter on the 1999 Cup team, Scurry says she never would have expected that a lack of diversity would persist in 2016. And while this U.S. Olympic team does have a few minority players—Dunn, Mallory Pugh, Christen Press—Scurry wonders why group-stage opponent France, for example, has a lot more than the Americans do. Like Dunn, Scurry started playing soccer only when her family moved to the suburbs of her city (Minneapolis), and here she points to the two biggest obstacles to diversity in the U.S. soccer community: accessibility and cost.• Check out the jerseys the U.S. women will be wearing in Rio

“There needs to be more exposure to soccer in inner-city areas; those kids need to know soccer is an option for them,” Scurry says. Further, she points to absurd travel-team expenses as a hindrance. “I have friends who pay $3,000 a year for their kid to play—and she’s 13. That’s ridiculous. Coaches need to get paid, but there’s no way my parents could have afforded that kind of money.” Doug Andreassen, the Seattle-based chair of U.S. Soccer’s diversity task force, is blunt about the pay-to-play system (average cost: $3,000 per year) that dominates the higher levels of youth soccer.“It really is working just for the white kids,” he says. “For people of color in any city in America, it’s not working.”Soccer, the most democratic and accessible sport outside the U.S., remains a largely white, suburban sport when it comes to the organized ranks stateside. While the Dunns were able to pay for Crystal’s travel-team expenses, Vincent says, “The amount of money people spend on soccer [does not fit within] the disposable income that a lot of African-Americans have.”Meanwhile, grassroot groups are trying to address the issue. Andreassen has praised the work of former San Antonio mayor Ed Garza, whose Urban Soccer Leadership Academy is organizing teams at low cost for young players, largely Latino and black, from low-income families. Dunn, Scurry and several members of the current national team have worked for the U.S. Soccer Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is “providing a quality soccer program at no charge to kids ages six to 12 in low-income communities,” explains president and CEO Ed Foster-Simeon. The foundation’s Soccer for Success program, Foster-Simeon says, has grown from serving 8,000 kids five years ago to 32,000 this year, with a three-year goal of tripling that number. The foundation doesn’t cover pay-to-play or higher-level training, though, and while scholarships can help in those areas, they aren’t enough.Ellis sees progress but wants to make clear: It takes time.“If you were to look at a lot of our youth national teams, you’d see more diversity than ever before, and that’s wonderful, because this is a sport for everybody,” Ellis says, “but it does take longer to [impact the senior squad] because we’re such a seasoned team.” Still, Ellis echoes others’ frustrations with the existing pay-to-play system. “It’s so darn expensive that it does restrict a lot of people,” she says. “Then you’re just targeting certain economic groups, and that’s problematic.”For Dunn, the notion of inspiring young minority girls who are hoping to play on the national team is a complex one. She embraces that role, of course: In February, on Twitter, she thanked a student who wrote a report about her for Black History Month. (“So happy I have inspired you in any way.”) Yet she doesn’t want her race to be the only characteristic that defines her.“It’s such a hard question: Do I think about the color of my skin?” she says. “Yes, occasionally. But it’s not like when I step on the field, I feel I have to do this for all the black girls out there. I’ve always been taught to represent yourself and your family and friends. I just try to be the best role model, whether my fans are black girls or white girls.”Dunn is doing just fine with that role model thing these days. Earlier this month she came home to soccer-mad Rockville Centre, where she was feted in recognition of her inclusion on the Olympic team roster. In some ways, one could see the parade as signifying that she’d come full circle after missing out on the World Cup. But to Dunn the trip back was also the start of a new—and potentially golden—soccer journey.

Megan Rapinoe: On her injury, Olympics, future in broadcasting

GRANT WAHLWednesday July 6th, 2016

U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe has been in a race against time to make the Olympic team, which is expected to be announced next week. She tore her right ACL in a U.S. training session in Hawaii last December and is in camp but won’t play in Saturday’s pre-Olympic friendly against South Africa in Chicago (1 p.m. ET, FS1). Rapinoe turned 31 on Tuesday and recently joined Manchester United’s Juan Mata as a global ambassador for StreetFootballWorld, a non-profit supporting social change through soccer. Rapinoe caught up with SI.com for a chat on a number of topics:

SI.com: Megan, you’ve been out with a knee injury since December. The Olympics start on August 3, and you are with the U.S. team in this current camp. Where are you in your recovery?

Rapinoe: Pretty close, actually. I’ve just gone back into training with my club team, the Seattle Reign. I’m basically doing everything except contact. People can’t tackle me, which is how I prefer it anyway (laughs). So I’m trying to work back in, and I feel pretty comfortable on the ball and moving around. I think I might actually be faster than I was before! I feel really good. I’m just at the tail end of the rehabilitation of feeling comfortable jumping in. I’m about seven months out, so kind of that time you start to ask yourself: Am I comfortable? Am I strong and confident? And then it’s about working yourself back in in the smartest and safest way possible.GALLERY: USWNT, USMNT in 2016 in photos

SI.com: What has U.S. coach Jill Ellis said to you about your chances of making this Olympic team and what it’s going to take?

Rapinoe: I think, bottom line, I have to be good enough to make the team. I have to bring something in and beat somebody else out, especially with a smaller roster for the Olympics. That’s the first thing. I think she understands I won’t be coming being the starter I was and being a 90-minute player. But if there’s some capacity I can come in off the bench and help that way and be fit and good for maybe 30 minutes or a half, I think she’s willing to work with me on that and be open to that. I have some skills that are unique to me that I think she rates, and she thinks if I’m at a certain level I can help the team in some capacity. It’s not just coming back for a friendly, it’s coming back for a major tournament.

SI.com: You hurt your knee last December on a practice field in Hawaii that several U.S. players found unacceptable. It was the same weekend as the friendly that was canceled over poor field conditions. Is there any bitterness or anger toward the federation over what happened?

Rapinoe: No. I don’t feel that. I think that maybe it made them think a little harder about where they put us. I think right when it happened the fact everyone asked me if I thought it was the turf or not—that’s unacceptable for that question to need to be asked. I think in a lot of ways, unfortunately, the lesson had to be learned at the expense of me. But there were a lot of lessons learned. It was an eye-opener for a lot of people.I’m not bitter. I can’t say it was the only reason it happened. Maybe if I was on a perfect field it would have happened also. But maybe it wouldn’t. And that’s something we need to address going forward, and hopefully we won’t have to ask that question again.

SI.com: You’ve had this injury before, unfortunately. Has that helped with your recovery in any way?

Rapinoe: Tremendously, actually. This is the third time. It was my left knee kind of back-to-back in college. It’s helped me tremendously to know what to expect, to know what’s normal, what kind of pain is normal and what isn’t. To know what it’s like to be close to being back. Even from a mindset standpoint, it’s long. It takes forever, even with good medicine these days. The surgeons are so light with their touch, after two months you’re back walking around. For me to have that knowledge and the process being familiar to me, it’s enabled me to approach it in a more healthy way and keep myself sane. I can do my rehab and do some other things, have some creative outlets and take advantage of that and still know what I needed to do.

SI.com: When you look at this U.S. women’s national team since the World Cup, what are your impressions of what has changed and what’s similar?

Rapinoe: A lot of new faces, which is pretty cool to see. Obviously a lot of not only great players but big personalities aren’t with the team right now. I’m injured, Abby [Wambach] retired, Christie Rampone has been injured and not in camp. Shannon Boxx [retired], Lauren Holiday [retired], Amy Rodriguez [new mother], Sydney Leroux [pregnant]: Those are not only great players but big personalities.So it’s been cool to see these last six to eight months the new players come in. And now you can see—I was in camp in Denver—they’re growing into their roles and taking on new responsibilities. Even the kind of “middle-aged” players on the team like Tobin [Heath] and Kelley [O’Hara] are taking on more responsibility, which has been pretty cool. And the team has been doing fantastic and playing well and starting to click in all facets of the game heading to Rio.

SI.com: There’s a crazy thing that no team that has ever won the Women’s World Cup has won the Olympic gold medal the following year. Do you have any idea why not? And do you think this U.S. team is capable of ending that streak?

Rapinoe: I think we are very capable of ending that streak. And I think it’s very understandable why it hasn’t happened. Because it’s really exhausting when you win the World Cup. There’s a lot that happens. A lot of good stuff, but sometimes you need to be in New York and you live in Seattle and you have to fly to the good stuff. Then you fly to the good stuff in L.A. And then there’s a photo shoot somewhere else (Editor’s note: like SI!). So it’s hard. There’s a lot of attention, there’s a lot more to do, a lot of appearances. Just emotionally, as amazing as it is to win the World Cup, it’s emotionally draining in many ways. But having so many new players, that’s probably good for us not just to have more youth but just actually energy that a lot of us have spent this past year.

SI.com: The labor situation with U.S. Soccer continues. The complaint filed with the EEOC about wage discrimination compared to the men’s team got a ton of attention. It’s transcended soccer and even sports. You were one of the five players on that complaint. Where are we on that?

Rapinoe: Still in the thick of it, really. The EEOC, in terms of the complaint they handle it. And our contract, which is up at the end of the year, that still needs to be ironed out. So this recent court finding [that the CBA runs through the end of the year] can’t impact the Olympics, but it’s over in December, so we have to get a deal done. Those negotiations are still happening. Hopefully we can reach a deal that acceptable on both sides. We’d like to have it done sooner than later. It’s not optimal to have your contract run out for either side. Ideally, it would be best if we could come to an agreement soon.MORE: Morgan says “slim to no chances” new CBA gets done before Rio

SI.com: One thing we’ve seen in the Copa América and Euro 2016 TV coverage is more women being involved in the broadcasting of men’s soccer events, whether it’s Aly Wagner for Fox Sports or Kate Markgraf, Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy for ESPN. Would you be interested in doing that at some point?

Rapinoe: Hell yeah! I’m totally interested in it. I’ve always got opinions on everything. I really am interested. I think it’s very difficult and people don’t give enough credit to how hard it is to do in-game commentary. I’d have a lot of work to do, but I’d definitely be interested. I’m always interested in breaking down the game, and I’d love to see more females doing it. It’s amazing to see more companies like ESPN and Fox step out and have smart women doing this who can bring a lot to it.

SI.com: So tell me more about your global ambassador position with StreetFootballWorld. What’s it about?

Rapinoe: It’s a really cool organization that I’m psyched to work with. They’re an organization that essentially aims to make the world a better place through football, which oftentimes seems simple but isn’t. It tends to be very difficult. The cool thing they do is they work as a tool with local organizations that are already on the ground and already have intimate knowledge of the needs of the community and what really needs to happen. It’s often hard to just throw money at a problem when you don’t really know what the problem is.So that was interesting for me. They work with all these local organizations that can actually effect change in those areas. I’m one of their ambassadors. Juan Mata is my male counterpart in this. Hopefully we can help bring them some big sponsorships to their programs and try to help them that way. Ideally, I’d like to bring the business that my sister and I have into it. We run our own clinics, but for us a big-picture goal would be to take it international and use our platform and message to team up with a local organization through StreetFootballWorld to do a clinic or series of clinics in South America or other places around the world.

Carli Lloyd: U.S. women’s soccer team is ‘more sophisticated’

Updated: JULY 29, 2016 — 3:08 PM EDTby Jonathan Tannenwald, STAFF WRITER @jtannenwald

By now you’ve seen my story on Carli Lloyd previewing the Olympics that’s running in Sunday’s Inquirer.

There was a lot of good stuff from my conversation with Lloyd couldn’t fit into the print edition. Here’s the extended cut.We talked about the ramatic change in the U.S. women’s national team since last summer’s World Cup and previewed each of the Americans’ group stage opponents at the Olympics. Lloyd also reflected on how her life has changed now that she’s a superstar who transcends the soccer field.

On the U.S. women’s team’s infusion of new young talent:

They bring something unique. They’re great footballers – they’re good on the ball, they’re smart. They’ve been involved in the youth program with the national team. So they’re great in a sense that it’s good having good people around you that are good on the ball.The only thing that’s going to be a challenge, maybe, for them is not knowing what to expect. It’s a big tournament. There are some distractions that come along with the Olympics, but I think our team does a pretty good job of rallying around each other and helping one another out in order to be fully ready.I think it’s a good mix of veteran players – myself, Hope [Solo] and others who have been involved in an Olympics have to kind of set the tone and really encourage these players out on the field.

On the fast rise to prominence of 18-year-old midfielder Mallory Pugh:

She’s an interesting player. I’ve really gotten to know her and really respect her play and who she is on and off the field. She’s come in and done really well ever since Olympic qualifying.What’s crazy about what she’s done is she doesn’t seem to get rattled about anything. Nothing really stresses her out. She shows up to training every day, she works on getting better, she’s open to feedback. It’s great to have a player like that.It’s a very nerve-wracking environment to be in. It’s stressful. I deal with it on a daily basis even with over 200 caps. It’s crazy to me to look at her and think to myself that I don’t know if much rattles this player. It’s pretty crazy. But it’s something unique, and she’s definitely going to help us out on the pitch – and she has this year. She’s just got to keep going. She’s got a lot of talent.

On the inclusion of Megan Rapinoe in the Olympic squad even though she hasn’t fully recovered from the ACL tear in her right kne she suffered in December:

Pinoe’s just very positive and wasn’t stressing out. Of course she was very disappointed when she heard the news about tearing her ACL, but she just kept saying: “I’m going to work extra hard to get myself back in time.” She just didn’t seem really stressed out and believed she would make it back in time.And she’s a special player – there’s no player that’s like her. Of course, Jill [Ellis] said she’s not coming back to be a 90-minute player. But she has the opportunity to potentially come in and change the game. Whether she comes in and we get a couple of corner kicks and she’s doing her magic on that, there are so many different things that she can offer, which I think is great.

On Tobin Heath’s improvement since the World Cup, and how that has dovetailed with the overall improvement in the team’s playing style:

Tobin, I think has definitely been one of our top, consistent players over these last couple of years. She’s done really, really well and I think she’s just booming with confidence the more she plays.I’ve seen Tobin mature so much. I remember years ago, in prior events, we had to get on her about her defending and just being kind of diligent about that. She’s a workhorse. She gets up and down that flank, she helps out. It’s great to see.I think that like myself, the style of play has evolved. When I first got on the team with Greg Ryan, it was basically just long balls the whole time. There was no use of the center mids. Then when Pia [Sundhage] came on board, we started to use the center mids more, and started to play better soccer.I think with [Heath], it’s sort of the same thing. We used to just kind of get the ball out wide and whip it in for a cross, and Abby [Wambach] was there to meet it. Now we’re becoming more sophisticated. We’re combining on the flanks, we’re getting [to the] end line, all different things. I think it has helped evolve [Heath’s] game tremendously, and she’s going to be an important piece to winning this gold medal.

On the team’s evolution from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-2-3-1, and whether the team knew when the big switch happened for the World Cup semifinal against Germany that it had the potential to be a defining moment:

Not really. I was just focused on myself and what I needed to do, focused on winning a World Cup. It’s hard to look to the future and start to focus on that.But I knew the moment that Jill gave me the freedom to do what I needed to do on the field [before the quarterfinal against China], James [Galanis] told me: “Make sure she doesn’t regret this move. If you go out there and you don’t do well, she’s going to in a heartbeat think about changing it again.” So that was my focus.I know that I’m a natural attacking player. I love to attack, I love to play freely, I love to combine and play through balls. That’s the nature of my game. So for me, I wanted to make sure that I showed Jill and everybody that I wasn’t going to let them down, and I was going to help in any way possible and come through.Now here we are, and Jill still fancies me in that number 10 role. If needed I can play the number 8 [in central midfield], no problem. If needed I can even play the number 6 [a more defensive role]. It’s good to be able to perform in any role that is possible.

On the recent experiment of Christen Press at the number 10 and its effect on how she plays and what it does to the rest of the midfield:

Honestly, that’s my natural position, really. You can look at it one of two ways. It’s basically a box-to-box midfielder, which I’ve been doing for 10-some years on the team. I can do it. I think that I may be needed and may be called upon to do it depending on how things are going.There’s two days of rest in between [each game]. I know Jill has mentioned that to me. I’m totally open with it and I think the only thing is when you play with essentially two [midfielders] behind me and me as the attacking mid, obviously there’s a little bit less defensive responsibility and I’m higher up in the attack.I think it’s just going to be a game-to-game basis to see how things are going. I’ll be in the 8, I’ll be in the 10, whatever is called upon I’ll be ready to do it. It’s definitely going to be one of those things where we have to see what’s going on and how players are playing and what’s needed of me.

On playing New Zealand in the group stage opener:

They’re tough, they’re gritty, they work extremely hard, they’re physical, and it’s going to be a battle. I think every game that we’re playing in our group stage is going to be a battle. We just have to continue to focus on us, and obviously not peak too early. We want to peak come the later stages. But it’s going to be a tough match.

On whether France has improved its mental fortitude, long considered a key weakness that has held back the team from winning despite having players with nearly-unequaled individual skill:

Yeah, I think so. Look, I mean, if you don’t have it upstairs in the mind, your chances of making it very far are very slim. Everybody in the group stages is fresh, is ready to go. But once those later-stage games come, there’s a lot riding on it. You have to be mentally tough, and nothing can stand in your way.I think that we as a team need to come out with that approach. Because there’s not too many other teams that have that. But, you know, France is a great team, and just because we beat them four years ago in the 2012 Olympics [group stage, 4-2] – they’re a totally different team. So we’ve got to look it that way.

On Colombia and the importance of star Yoreli Rincón’s absence due to a fractured fibula suffered in early July:

Well, I thought they had a really great World Cup. Obviously, when we played them just recently in the U.S. in April [winning 7-0 and 3-0], they were a different squad, facing some pay issues and everything. It probably took a lot out of them.But I’m sure they’re going to be fired up and ready to go, because they want to continue to fight, and in order to continue to fight and get paid, you have to do well. So I would imagine that they’re going to be going out there and playing really hard, as they usually do.It’s a big disappointment without Yoreli. I spoke to her the day that [the injury] happened, and she’s just devastated and can’t believe it. But it’s one of those things where it happened and she’s just got to bounce back even stronger from it.

On going to Manaus:

I’ve actually heard that it’s not your typical jungle that everybody thinks it is. It’s a nice little town, and obviously the stadium is a little bit out there, but I’ve heard it’s great and it’s fine. It should be a great venue to play in.

On what it means for women’s soccer to have games at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracanã stadium:

It’s going to be amazing. We’ve sort of been spoiled, playing in some of these magnificent venues – the 2011 World Cup in Germany, the 2012 London Olympics. It’s just been awesome. Then to play in these stadiums [that hosted] the men’s World Cup [in 2014], now it’s just amazing. And it’s just creating memories for all of us, knowing that we’ve played in some big-time stadiums.

On becoming a star and a celebrity after wanting for so long to simply be the world’s greatest female soccer player:

Yeah, it’s been awesome. I think because I still have the approach of wanting to get better, and still remaining humble – I know how hard I’ve had to work to get to this point. I know that it hasn’t been an easy journey for me. I know that I want to continue to work hard for the rest of my career, and I have a lot of other things that I want to accomplish.But with all of that, it has been awesome. Everywhere I go, people recognize me. Big-time people are reaching out to me. Just the perks of everything – getting into free [events] here and there, getting hooked up with concert tickets or dinners. It’s awesome. But I never will take it for granted, because I know how hard I’ve had to work and I think that’s why I like to remain classy and humble about it.

On what it is about the national team that helps players so easily handle stardom, and on players’ increasing willingness to speak out about gender equity and other social issues:

I think it’s just the culture and demeanor of this team. There’s a respect factor that goes on in the culture of the women’s national team. It’s just been there for years, and the way that everyone has handled interviews and incidents, and just everything has been classy. I think that it’s just how it is.Men are very different than women, and tend to speak their minds and say whatever they want. Women are judged a little bit differently when they do that. I know Hope has been very outspoken on our team, but in all fairness, I think that without that, I’m not sure that we would have made so many strides.If you’re quiet and you don’t speak out, you’re never going to get anything accomplished. I think that has helped our team make some strides, and made more and more people feel comfortable about speaking up…The position that I’m in right now, if I speak up about these things [such as equal pay matters], I highly doubt that they would kick me off the team. So it’s just a matter of being in a position now to know that I’m in a comfortable situation to speak out, and as a veteran and co-captain of this team, it’s important for me to kind of help pay the way and help make others feel comfortable to speak out about these things.But the support has been great. It’s been overwhelming. And it’s just been, I think, awesome, the strides that we’re making and we continue to make. It’s going to be a tough battle to keep going, but we’re up for the challenge.

Morgan, Lloyd lead USA Olympic roster; Rapinoe makes final cut

AVI CREDITORTuesday July 12th, 2016

There was little surprise in the outcome after U.S. women’s national team manager Jill Ellis revealed the 18 players who will aim to win the USA’s fourth straight Olympic gold medal next month in Brazil.Veterans Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd and Hope Solo lead the charge, while impressive 18-year-old Mallory Pugh and NWSL standout Crystal Dunn lead the contingent of non-World Cup players to work their way into the squad. Megan Rapinoe, who has been recovering from a torn ACL, has made the cut, while veteran Heather O’Reilly, who won Olympic gold in 2004, 2008 and 2012, did not make the final roster in the one minor notable. Ellis’s squad features a balance of youth and veterans and a blend of experience and relative inexperience, but it surely enters Brazil as the favorite to win a fifth gold in six Olympic competitions.The U.S. will play New Zealand, France and Colombia in group play (on August, 3, 6, 9) with hopes of an extended stay in the host nation.

GOALKEEPERS: Hope Solo (Seattle Reign), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS: Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Meghan Klingenberg (Portland Thorns), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Whitney Engen (Boston Breakers)

MIDFIELDERS: Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns), Allie Long (Portland Thorns), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign)

FORWARDS: Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Mallory Pugh (Real Colorado/UCLA), Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit)

ALTERNATES: Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns), Heather O’Reilly (FC Kansas City), Samantha Mewis (Western New York Flash), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride)

Straightforward selection for Ellis

Remember when the Women’s World Cup ended last summer and we all wondered how difficult it’d be for Ellis to pare the player pool down to 18? Well. Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday, Shannon Boxx and Lori Chalupny retired. Amy Rodriguez and Sydney Leroux got pregnant (congratulations to Rodriguez on the birth of her son Luke!). Suddenly, Ellis didn’t have a surplus of sure things; in fact, she needed to seek players to fill roles. Everything worked itself out over the course of the World Cup Victory Tour, SheBelieves Cup and friendlies that ensued, and what Ellis was left with was a pretty established 18-player core. Pugh and Dunn proved their worth time and again. Long and Horan offer value in need areas in the midfield. The goalkeeping and defensive unit that was so valuable at the World Cup remains.And with that, there’s the squad.Yes, there are “snubs” as there are with any tournament roster, and it’s unfortunate for some tried and tested veterans that their time appears up, but Ellis has not made any egregious choices. These 18 are deserving and more than capable of winning it all.

Rapinoe, the super sub?

Megan Rapinoe hasn’t played a minute since tearing her ACL prior to the USA’s canceled friendly in Hawaii in December. She was in camp to be evaluated before last weekend’s friendly vs. South Africa and clearly proved in training and in her talks with medical staff that she’s good to go. There’s no denying Rapinoe’s ability when fit, but even she admits that “I won’t be coming being the starter I was and being a 90-minute player,” as she said to SI’s Grant Wahl.Rapinoe just presents too much game-changing potential and boasts too much experience to be left behind, even at less than full strength. If the U.S. is in a pinch late in games and needs an attacking spark, Rapinoe, even in 20 minutes, can provide that punch. Her set piece and crossing proficiency make her an invaluable weapon, and she is no stranger to coming through in the clutch, whether it was her cross to Wambach against Brazil in the 2011 World Cup, her two goals in the opening win over Australia in the 2015 World Cup and the number of moments in between and before.Rapinoe is a luxury add for an 18-player squad that is blessed with good wide play options (Heath, Pugh among them), but Ellis wouldn’t have taken her if she didn’t think she could play a role.

No doubt for Dunn

Crystal Dunn’s omission from the World Cup roster was a tough pill to swallow, as she detailed recently in The Players’ Tribune, and for any player, a moment like presents a fork in a career: Either you choose to respond positively, or you crumble. For Dunn, it’s been the former. And how.She’s been a force in the attack and should start regularly in Belo Horizonte and Manaus. Her nine goals in 2016 are second only to Morgan’s 11, and her four assists trail only Pugh (seven) and Lloyd (five). Whereas Ellis had the option not to call on her for the trip to Canada last summer, there was no denying Dunn’s determination, dynamism and production in 2016.

AT HOME AT RIGHT BACK

KELLEY O’HARA BRINGS ONE THING TO BRAZIL THAT SHE DIDN’T HAVE WHEN WINNING A GOLD MEDAL IN 2012: EXPERIENCE.WNT Jul 31, 2016

It was a grand experiment.What happens when you take an immensely talented attacking player with unique athletic gifts, but one who has played forward all her life, then give her a crash course in the intricacies of “outside back” just a few months before throwing her onto the world’s stage?That was the experiment undertaken four years ago in England, and the laboratory was the Olympics. Kelley O’Hara, one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the USA’s Youth National Teams (24 goals in 35 U-20 caps), a player who scored 57 goals with 32 assists at Stanford and who won the Hermann Trophy during her senior year in 2009 as college soccer’s best player while playing forward – would be starting at left back at the 2012 Olympics.We’re not sure how “fortune favors the bold” translates in Swedish, but no one ever accused former U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage of not taking risks. But with risk comes, well, risk, and it was not the easiest of transitions for O’Hara, who back in 2012 was just trying to find a way to work herself into an already stacked WNT lineup.The experiment began on Jan. 22, 2012, in a rout of Guatemala at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Vancouver, Canada, when O’Hara played outside back for the first time in her life. At any level. Her attacking talents from the positon were immediately evident as she picked up three assists. She then got the start in the semifinal match against Costa Rica and had an excellent game as the USA qualified for the Olympics.“The most uncomfortable part was that I’d never been on that particular patch of grass before facing that direction,” said O’Hara about her defender debut. “Over my entire soccer career, I was always getting the ball near half field, back to goal or running onto the ball in the attacking third, but not once in my life had I stood in that spot on the field and received a pass with the intention of getting the ball forward. And then there was the defending part.” Yes, that defending part.One of the reasons O’Hara was such an attractive prospect at outside back was a combination of her fitness, her well-known attacking qualities and the ability to tackle with a force and bite way beyond her size.But she would need to learn how to function on a back line, and Olympic Qualifying was a good place to dip her toe in the murky waters of defense. During that tournament, it did indeed seem like something special was brewing. She switched to left back in the 4-0 demolition of Canada in the championship game and her accelerated course load at Outside Back University was underway.O’Hara had an uncomfortable moment in the next game against New Zealand when a mistake led to a Kiwi goal, but it was all part of the learning process. Her confidence grew with every game. From there, with Amy LePeilbet staking a claim to the right back position (backed up by Heather Mitts), O’Hara made left back her own.She benefited from experiencing some top-class games at the Algarve Cup in Portugal, playing twice against Japan in Japan, another bout with the Japanese in a tournament in Sweden, as well as several pre-Olympic friendlies. Things started to click. When O’Hara – a quick study who graduated from Stanford with a degree in science, technology and society with a focus in environmental engineering – arrived at the Olympics, she was ready for her new role.It’s not like there weren’t a few bumps in the road during the Olympics, but O’Hara played spectacularly and was a massive factor in the USA’s Olympic success. She was on the field for every minute of all six wins as the USA earned the gold medal, even though she was the second youngest starter (behind Alex Morgan) after entering the Olympic games with just 19 caps. Fast forward to 2016 in Brazil, and the experience of four years ago has proven invaluable to her development as a world-class outside back. “I feel much different in 2016, and not just as an outside back, but also as a player on this team,” O’Hara said. “Right now I’m rooming with Mallory Pugh and she’s actually 10 years younger than me, which is hilarious but also awesome. Four years ago, I was very much in the mindset of ‘don’t mess it up for the older players’ and also it was focusing on myself and what I needed to do to make it through the tournament and help out the team. Now, I’m in a different position as far as leadership and helping out these younger players with advice or support or guidance if needed.” With four years and 57 caps under her belt since the end of the last Olympic games, not to mention an uber-dramatic and emotional first international goal against Germany in the semifinal of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, she’s excelling at her position on the right side with Meghan Klingenberg patrolling the left flank. And since she has played mostly in attacking roles in her professional club career, she’s still had the chance to enjoy some time in the final third, which is something she surely applies to her time as a defender for the WNT.In Brazil, she’ll be the only back line starter that returns from 2012, but she’s embracing a new and different role. “I did feel very comfortable going into the London Olympics because I felt we had a good understanding of each other on the back line, with Hope, Christie Rampone, Rachel Buehler and Amy LePeilbet,” said O’Hara. “It was a question of ‘am I ready?’ Now I have more caps and more experience and time with the team. After winning a gold and winning a World Cup, it’s quite a different place than going into your first Olympics.”O’Hara is not the first American attacking player to be the subject of a successful position switch experiment – see Rampone and Chastain – but she’s well on her way to being one of the best.

Men’s soccer preview: Neymar, host Brazil eye elusive gold medal

BRIAN STRAUSTuesday July 26th, 2016

Men’s Olympic soccer has always been played in a strange sort of sporting limbo. It’s usually the best-attended competition at a given Games, but it’s never quite established itself as a marquee event.Hindered by an amateurs-only policy at the beginning, Olympic soccer subsequently was overshadowed by the World Cup and then dominated for decades by state-sponsored players from Europe’s Eastern Bloc. In 1992 the men’s tournament became an age-restricted Under-23 event, and four years later in Atlanta, organizers agreed to add a bit of star power by inviting three older players per team.Olympic soccer affords fans outside the host city access to the Games, and it remains a great way to discover and celebrate new talent. But at the moment, an Olympic medal remains a secondary honor in the soccer world. Just ask Lionel Messi, who claimed gold with Argentina in 2008 but still felt as though he’d won nothing truly major for his country when he announced his international retirement following a loss in June’s Copa América Centenario final. Or ask Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. national team coach and technical director (and 1988 bronze medal winner) who kept his job after the Americans failed to even qualify for a second consecutive Olympiad.That being said, this summer’s tournament matters immensely to the hosts. For evidence, look no further than last month, when Brazil sacrificed any shot at the Copa América as part of its quest to win an Olympic title. At the senior level, Brazil is soccer’s most decorated nation. It has won the World Cup a record five times. But it still doesn’t have the full set. France is the only country that has won a World Cup, Confederations Cup, senior continental championship, Olympic gold medal, Under-20 World Cup and Under-17 World Cup. Brazil needs only the gold medal to join that exclusive club, and it’s so desperate to get it that officials left Neymar, the Barcelona forward who’s the country’s best player, off the Copa América team so he could fill one of the over-age spots on the Olympic squad.

PLANET FUTBOL

Brazil’s federation fosters unstable management, drop in world status

It’s practically unheard of t prioritize a U-23 event over a senior competition, but Brazil needs this. The humiliating 7-1 World Cup semifinal loss to Germany in Belo Horizonte still stings two years later (and will for years to come). Another home-soil failure may send a program that’s under considerable pressure (coach Dunga was fired following the Copa) into a tailspin. For Brazil, which lost the 2012 Olympic final to Mexico, these Games are serious business.The rest of the field is tough to handicap. Olympic tournaments often feature surprises, and countries that typically don’t challenge for World Cup honors—especially those from Africa and Asia—have fared far better at the U-23 level. Meanwhile, squads from Europe, home of the past three World Cup winners, have claimed only one of the last nine Olympic medals (Italy won bronze in ’04).There are few household names among the over-age players, thanks in part to this summer’s Copa América and European Championship tournaments and in part to the August kickoff to international club soccer’s preseason. A couple of exceptions will be playing for Mexico, which is taking its title defense seriously. Club América star Oribe Peralta, 33, will be leading the attack. He scored the gold medal-winning goal four years ago. He’ll be joined by UANL Tigres defender Jorge Torres Nilo, an El Tri mainstay.

Five players to watch

Julian Brandt, Germany: Next up on Germany’s turbo-powered talent conveyor belt is this 20-year-old attacker from Bayer Leverkusen, who’s already played once for the world champion senior side. Often deployed on the left flank, Brandt tallied 10 goals and three assists last season for Leverkusen, which finished an impressive third in the Bundesliga. He’ll be key to Germany’s hopes in its first Olympic appearance in 28 years.

Ángel Correa, Argentina: He scored four goals as Argentina claimed the South American youth championship last year then returned to Spain, where he made his senior debut with Atlético Madrid last August. He then parlayed his skill and nose for goal into eight goals during a 2015-16 campaign that included five Champions League appearances. Argentina advanced to the World Cup final in Brazil two years ago and is a threat once again thanks in part to Correa.

Gabriel Jesus, Brazil: Neymar is only 24 years old, but Gabriel Jesus already is the ‘New Neymar.’ The Palmeiras forward is coveted by several big European clubs and will hope to take some of the pressure off his famous and only slightly older countryman this summer. Gabriel Jesus, 19, was named the best newcomer in the Brazilian Serie A last year and helped Palmeiras to the Copa do Brasil title.

Neymar, Brazil: The Barcelona star will be the central figure at this Olympic tournament, seeing as how the pressure to win will be immense and he’s clearly the most capable player during this forlorn era of Brazilian soccer. Neymar was handling the spotlight well at the 2014 World Cup until he was injured in a brutal quarterfinal against Colombia, and he’ll have to do so again—but for longer—this time. He’s clearly capable. Neymar scored 31 goals for the Spanish champions last season.

Son Heung-min, South Korea: Korea’s senior team finished runner-up in last year’s Asian Cup and its Olympic team won bronze in 2012. There’s potential for a similar run in Brazil this summer if Son finds his form. The winger just turned 24, so he counts as an overage player, but he’s already accomplished quite a bit, including scoring 16 goals for the senior national team (including three at the Asian Cup) and becoming the most expensive Asian player ever when he transferred last summer from Leverkusen to Tottenham Hotspur for $34 million. Son scored eight times for Spurs last season.

Groups

Group A: Brazil, South Africa, Iraq, Denmark

Group B: Sweden, Colombia, Nigeria, Japan

Group C: Germany, Mexico, Fiji, South Korea

Group D: Portugal, Argentina, Honduras, Algeria

Schedule

Group match days: Aug. 4, 7, 10

Quarterfinals: Aug. 13

Semifinals: Aug. 17

Bronze medal: Aug. 20 at Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

Gold medal: Aug. 20 at Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

US GK Brad Guzan signs with Middlesbrough

By Rob Usry  @RobUsry on Jul 29, 2016, 5:50a 12

st when you thought he was out, they pulled him back in. Brad Guzan is back in the Premier League just a few months after suffering relegation with Aston Villa. Newly-promoted club Middlesbrough announced today that they’ve completed the signing of the United States No. 1 goalkeeper.Guzan signed a two year deal with the club. While not disclosed, it’s expected he joined on a free transfer as Aston Villa were looking to unload his salary from their books and didn’t demand a transfer fee.Boro have already signed former Barcelona legend Victor Valdes earlier this summer, so playing time will be hard to come by for the USMNT veteran.It will be very interesting to see how this move affects Guzan’s standing with the national team. If he’s stuck behind Valdes and is limited to cup matches, will it hurt his chances at keeping his USMNT job?He didn’t exactly lock up the spot at the Copa America. With Tim Howard guaranteed playing time in MLS and the younger guys such as Bill Hamid, Ethan Horvath, William Yarbrough, and even possibly Zack Steffen lurking behind, it’s a very unstable career move for him.

Good move? Pros and cons of Brad Guzan’s signing with Middlesbrough

AVI CREDITOR SI Friday July 29th, 2016

U.S. men’s national team starting goalkeeper Brad Guzan is off to Middlesbrough, signing a two-year deal with the newly promoted Premier League club after a free transfer and bringing an end to an eight-year stay at Aston Villa.The 31-year-old Guzan endured a brutal season in 2015-16, with Aston Villa being relegated and Guzan himself being relegated to the bench. Villa’s defense did him no favors, with the unit conceding a Premier League-worst two goals per game (76 goals in 38 league matches), yet he persevered to remain the USA’s No. 1 option for Copa America, beating Tim Howard to the punch for the starting job under Jurgen Klinsmann. “Over the last two years, he’s been very solid, very consistent with us …. I know him pretty well since five years. I know who he is. I know kind of strengths, weaknesses, all that stuff. Brad right now looks very confident, very balanced, and it seems like he left that year behind him,” Klinsmann said prior to Copa America.ow, Guzan must leave that year at Villa and a fourth-place finish at Copa America behind him and take stock of his opportunity at a new club.What does this move mean for his prospects going forward? Here are the pros and cons of Guzan’s big change:

PROS

For starters, Guzan escapes the Aston Villa stench. There’s nothing good about the club right now as it wades through some tough times, and spending another season there while in England’s second division and not the guaranteed starter was never going to be a promising option. So he’s off to a new environment and a new challenge. For Guzan, who was locked in battles at Villa for the No. 1 job throughout his tenure there, he’ll welcome the task.“For me, my confidence, I don’t think it’s ever wavered,” Guzan told SI’s Brian Straus prior to Copa America in regards to bouncing back from adversity. “I know I have confidence in myself. I know I can do the job. I’ve been over [in England]. I’ve been through a difficult season before. I’ve come back from mistakes that I’ve made and have performed well. That’s part of being a goalkeeper. You have to have thick skin, a short memory and you have to be able to dust yourself off and pick yourself back up again.”Middlesbrough has been a busy player in the transfer market, luring the likes of Alvaro Negredo on loan for the season from Valencia, and shouldn’t be a pushover as a newly promoted side. Boro, in theory, is a decent landing spot for Guzan, and it’ll surely please Klinsmann that he’s sticking it out abroad and in one of the world’s best leagues instead of potentially coming back to MLS.

CONS

Staying in the Premier League is a plus, but Guzan will have a constant fight on his hands for playing time. Victor Valdes, a Champions League, World Cup and European Championship winner with Barcelona and Spain, also joined Boro this summer, and he’ll be playing for countryman Aitor Karanka. It’s expected that Valdes is the incumbent, even though he has hardly played over the last two seasons. And it’s not just Valdes with whom Guzan will have to battle. 37-year-old Greek veteran Dimi Konstantopoulous, who helped steer Boro to the Premier League as the starter last season, remains with the club (for now), as does 27-year-old backup and Real Madrid product Tomas Mejias. This is a club with options at goalkeeper, not one looking to plug a hole with its latest signing.With Tim Howard starting and regaining his regular rhythm with the Colorado Rapids and Ethan Horvath entrenched for another season as the starter for Molde, Guzan can’t afford to spend large chunks of the season not playing without it having consequences internationally. World Cup qualifying resumes in September, the CONCACAF hexagonal begins in November and the road to Russia will develop quite quickly after that. Simply put: If he’s not playing at Boro, Guzan can’t expect to keep his No. 1 shirt with the U.S.. Moving to Boro is a calculated risk. He needed a change of scenery, badly, and he wouldn’t have signed with the club without reassurances that he could at least contend to be the starter.Will that risk pay off or backfire? Only time can tell.

Expectations not on Christian Pulisic’s mind

By Adam Whittaker Snavely  @Snaves on Jul 30, 2016, 6:45a +

When you have become the youngest ever foreigner to score in one of the top leagues in the world, not to mention the youngest scorer of multiple goals, for one of the most storied clubs ever, and make your full international debut (and score your first senior international goal, to boot) at the age of 17 years old, the hype might start to get to you. If you’re an American doing these things, you have an incredibly strange mix of rabid fanbase claiming you as their savior and media attention. These are the things Christian Pulisic has to deal with. Just don’t tell him that.In an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten, a German newspaper that commonly follows Dortmund, Pulisic reminisced on his stratospheric rise over the past twelve months, as well as the challenges that lay ahead with Dortmund. Throughout all, he remained cool, excited, and humble as a teenager can be when he suddenly finds out he could be a superstar in the making (via ESPN):

“The fact that I’m still very young caught the attention of many people. I am obviously aware of that. They put their hopes in me, but I also have high expectations. I’m not letting that get to my head or get carried away. I think that’s normal when a young player suddenly plays for the national team. I simply want to stay focused”

Just so we’re clear, here’s a list of all the things Pulisic is still legally not permitted to do:

Vote in the United States
Purchase cigarettes or lottery tickets in the United States
Purchase alcohol in the United States or Germany
Drive in Germany (seriously.His Dad still drives him to first team practice)
Serve in the military

All this to say: Christian Pulisic is still technically a child. He took a short break from the United States camp this summer to attend prom. Everyone would like to see him become a world-beating star, but all of that pressure can easily crush the livelihood of someone so young. As it stands, it seems Pulisic is handling all of this pressure admirably, and he credits his teammates, both within the USMNT and Borussia Dortmund’s first team, for supporting him.“Overall I’m very happy with my displays. I had to make great strides. But my teammates and coaches have supported me well and made it easy for me. Everyone had my back In Dortmund as well as in the national team”. And it seems like he means it, too. He just got back from China with Dortmund’s first team, notching a goal against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. He’s currently playing a starring role in Dortmund’s new youth movement; six (!) players who saw the field for Dortmund against Manchester United and/or Manchester City were teenagers: Pulisic, Felix Passlack (Germany), Ousmane Dembele (France), Emre Mor (Turkey), Jacob Bruun Larsen (Denmark), and Dzenis Burnic (Germany). Four of those players (Pulisic, Passlack, Dembele, and Mor) could quite conceivably play major roles for Dortmund this season, even with an attacking line of Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mario Gotze, Andre Schurrle, and Shinji Kagawa ahead of them. But don’t worry too much about Pulisic. He’s not letting it get to him.

Julian Green still has work to do to impress Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern Munich

By Phillip Quinn  @PhilMQuinn on Jul 31, 2016, 3:00p 3

With only a year remaining on his contract, many Bayern Munich supporters expected that Julian Green would leave the club. With either a full transfer or a loan, Green would want playing time, and he wouldn’t get any in Munich. So, why wouldn’t he want to leave?When news came out that Green and Bayern had agreed that his time plodding away in the fourth division with Bayern Munich II had come to end, it was seen as both admirable or stupid, depending on who you asked.

He’s going to give it his all to play for Bayern Munich’s first team this season.

Is he just giving up on playing this season? He’ll never play with Bayern Munich’s first team.

There was also the more nuanced take on the situation. It could be both brave and stupid. Why would a player risk not playing at all in order to potentially get seemingly impossible minutes?With the Audi Summer Tour 2016 approaching and Bayern’s participation in the International Champions Cup, Green knew he had an opportunity. With Robert Lewandowski given an extended break due to his participation in Euro 2016, Green would be the only forward on the roster until Bayern returns to Germany. This was his opportunity to prove to Carlo Ancelotti that he is good enough to be a part of Bayern’s first team.Having turned 21 years old on June 6, Green looks to have finally matured physically to the point where he can compete with other grown men in battles on the field. He’s proven that. Still, his weaknesses — not the best first touch, great finishing — have been there, as well. Nobody would mistake Green for Lewandowski. That’s not fair.When people talk about Green being “Lewandowski’s backup” at forward, there seems to be confusion, and that confusion is that people think Lewandowski is replaceable. Quite simply, he’s not. There are few, if any, players in the world that are good enough to be a straight player-for-player swap with Lewandowski.Being Lewandowski’s backup, in the case of Green, is not to step on the field and replace him against the Madrids and Barcelonas of the world. If Lewandowski is out against those teams, Thomas Müller will play up top by himself. For Green, replacing Lewandowski consists of being able to take the field against the lower level teams in the Bundesliga to give Lewandowski time off.So, it must be said how wonderful his performance against Inter Milan was on Saturday. Green scored a hat trick in the first 35 minutes against Inter’s first choice defense and goalkeeper. This wasn’t a performance against a Regionalliga team. Inter finished fourth in Serie A last season and will take part in this season’s Europa League. Green, at least, sounds like he has his head on straight and is keeping perspective.”It’s always important for me to score, but it’s one game,” Green said after the Inter game. “I scored three goals today and I’m very happy about it. Tomorrow is another day.”At the end of the day, yes, these are just friendlies. In friendlies, what matters are the little things, not the big things. Winning isn’t paramount. Development is. It’s still the preseason, so nobody is expected to be in top form.Ancelotti is looking for those little things. “He played well, really well. He scored three goals, and was right in the box,” the new coach said after the game. “It was a really good performance. The team had some good offensive play, and Julian was ready to finish.”Even then, one great performance doesn’t make a career. For this season, the first game that truly matters — against Carl Zeiss Jena in the DFB Pokal — is still two weeks away. Green still has time to impress his new boss.

ESPN’s MLS TV audiences up 32 percent in 2016

Updated: JULY 26, 2016 — 3:26 PM EDT

Although the Seattle Sounders have struggled on the field this season, they’re still one of Major League Soccer’s biggest television draws.by Jonathan Tannenwald, STAFF WRITER @jtannenwald

The American soccer community never runs out of things to complain about. Or at least that’s how it seems sometimes.One of the perennial favorites on the laundry list of grievances is often-underwhelming audiences for Major League Soccer’s national television broadcasts. Tuesday brought some news on that front, courtesy of ESPN:

Leading up to the 2016 MLS All-Star Game, this year’s Major League Soccer matches on ESPN and ESPN2 have delivered an average audience of 312,000 viewers (227,000 household impressions), an increase of 32 percent in viewers (235,000) and 44 percent in television homes (158,000) from the same period in 2015. On WatchESPN, the E1/E2 average minute audience to-date this season is 12,000, an increase of 127 percent increase over 5,000 in 2015.

ESPN Deportes is seeing a 44 percent audience increase with an average 46,000 Hispanic viewers year-to-date in 2016, compared to 32,000 in 2015. Spanish language telecasts on WatchESPN had an increase of 20 percent in average minute audience to-date this season vs 2015.

“As we enter the All Star break, we are delighted to see such substantial year over year gains in audience across ESPN platforms and in key demographics for Major League Soccer,” said Scott Guglielmino, ESPN Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions. “We look forward to continue working with Major League Soccer to keep up the momentum as we enter a very busy Fall sports calendar.”

ESPN noted the following demographic trends specifically:

– Viewership among 18-to-34-year-old men is up 22 percent this year.

– Viewership among 18-to-49 year old men is up 13 percent, and viewership among 18-to-49-year-old viewers across the board is up 18 percent this year.

– Viewership within the Hispanic demographic for games on ESPN and ESPN2 is up 14 percent compared to this point in 2015.

– Viewership among 18-to-34-year-old Hispanics for games on ESPN and ESPN2 is up eight percent compared to this point in 2015.

ESPN’s top three MLS audiences this year so far have been:

616,000 for Seattle Sounders vs. New York City FC on June 25
2.536,000 for Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy on July 9
3. 463,000 for Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers on May 22

Orlando’s hiring of Jason Kreis an odd but potentially rewarding decision

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Jason Kreis sat out the 2014 season, seemed mostly miserable in 2015 and has been out of a job since being fired by New York City FC last November. It shouldn’t come as a shock that he was eager to get back to work. The coach’s destination, however, seems slightly surprising at first glance.t was easier to imagine that Orlando City would look south or east for its new manager. The owner, CEO and captain are Brazilian, and the club has made several notable front office moves since joining MLS that indicate a preference for Portuguese. City’s lack of patience with former coach Adrian Heath (dismissed last week), along with its largesse (privately funded stadiums and Kaká don’t come cheap), ambition and foreign ownership suggest it has far more in common with NYCFC than Real Salt Lake, where Kreis made his managerial name.Yet there was Orlando owner Flávio Augusto da Silva in Tuesday’s press release announcingKreis’s hiring, referencing their meeting in Portugal and his belief that the 43-year-old American “can bring us to the next level of development as a club—a higher level.” Kreis is a good coach who simply had a bad year. Before taking a chance with an expansion team in New York, he guided modest RSL to an MLS title and then to within a whisker of a second. He nearly won the CONCACAF Champions League. There never was a question he’d get another job eventually.Still, Kreis and Orlando aren’t an obvious match. The former forward is a meticulous manager who desires considerable control. He’s about system and synergy, not star power. Coaches like Kreis need the promise of stability from those above and a rare combination of talent and deference from those below. Clearly that wasn’t available at Yankee Stadium. And before Tuesday, few would have gone searching for it in Central Florida.This is why, despite the potential pitfalls, Orlando makes sense for Kreis. As much as he must have wanted to return to the field, he easily could have prioritized his own security and waited for safer harbor. The Houston Dynamo haven’t appointed a permanent manager since Owen Coyle’s departure. Sigi Schmid may decide to head back to Los Angeles, either to coach or to retire, or the struggling Sounders may make the decision for him. That club is run by Kreis’s former RSL colleague and Duke University roommate, Garth Lagerwey. Philadelphia’s Jim Curtin and Colorado’s Pablo Mastroeni are safe for now, but churn in the coaching ranks is guaranteed. Five jobs have changed hands since the start of 2015.Instead, Kreis jumped at a risky yet potentially rewarding second chance. He’s nothing if not ambitious and has always yearned to reach the heights as a coach he failed to attain as a player (an MLS MVP who didn’t win a league title or play in a major tournament with the national team). Playing it safe will not help him get there. It would prove nothing. Orlando offers Kreis another chance to demonstrate that he can succeed in a pressure-packed environment. It offers an opportunity to answer any questions raised by his season at NYCFC.Upstairs, Kreis has a boss who wants to win now. Da Silva has global ambition and his own ideas about club identity. In the dressing room, Kreis will have to earn the respect of Kaká, Julio Baptista and the next big City signing. The team was the star in Salt Lake City, but that isn’t the case everywhere. Coaches who reach the pinnacle adapt to new cultures and strong personalities.“We are very excited that we have got our man. Jason is a progressive thinking and highly ambitious coach, who is very familiar with success in MLS,” Orlando City president Phil Rawlins said Tuesday. “Jason’s playing philosophy is the same attack-minded, possession-oriented style of soccer that we have built our club around. He is a winner who checks all the boxes for us.”Credit to Kreis for betting on himself in Orlando, and credit to the club for going with a coach who understands a league it has yet to master. Both sides have a lot riding on this decision. Kreis will be formally introduced at a Wednesday press conference. City (4-5-10), which is one point out of the sixth and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, visits the Columbus Crew on Saturday. Brian SI

THREE THINGS: #MIAVIND

Three things following Indy Eleven’s second loss of the 2016 season Aug 1, 2016

CONGRATULATIONS, EAMON ZAYED!

He’s a clever striker, the Irishman, and he’s used his skillset to rack up eight goals in an Indy Eleven shirt since joining the club in the offseason. After finding the back of the net at FIU Stadium on Saturday night, he is now the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, passing former Eleven midfielder Kleberson for the honor.His goals thus far for the club include:

Penalty and late winner vs. New York Cosmos (W 2-1 || 4.16.16) – 2
Opener vs. Minnesota United (W 4-2 || 5.21.16) – 3
Hat-trick vs. Carolina Railhawks to help seal spring title (W 4-1 || 6.11.16) – 6
Winner vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers (W 3-0 || 7.13.16) – 7
Late goal at Miami FC (L 2-1 || 7.30.16) – 8

So, congratulations to Eamon Zayed. Less than one year in and he’s already setting club records. Long may his goalscoring form continue.

ON THE ROAD AHEAD

July was a difficult month for head coach Tim Hankinson’s side with six fixtures in 28 days, yet his side were able to rip away 10 points from those six games though only one of those points was earned on the road. After the team’s unbeaten streak ended with a 2-0 loss at Minnesota United, the “Boys in Blue” bounced back to grind out a 1-0 win over FC Edmonton at home. Then came Saturday night, a disappointing performance that saw the visitors concede in the opening five minutes yielding a deficit they could not overcome. Now is not the time to wade in defeat, however, as the month of August is just as difficult.It’s a quick turnaround for the Eleven as Wednesday night’s home match against Jacksonville Armada FC marks the beginning of three games in eleven days, all at Carroll Stadium, before hitting the road for three straight weeks. It is crucial to maintain the same attitude and energy that propelled them to a Spring Season title as they move full force into August.

KEEP FIGHTING FOR FIRST

To put a comparatively difficult month behind is easier said then done, but when examining the Fall Season table, the push for first place is still very much on the cards for “Indiana’s Team.”Saturday’s loss saw them drop to fifth in the fall table, behind NYC, FCE, OKC & MNU. However, after splitting one and one with Minnesota and winning the first of two contests against FC Edmonton, they now have five games against the four teams above them and the opportunity to swing up on any dropped points assuming they can avoid defeat.Saturday night was a wake-up call of sorts for Indy as they suffered their second straight road loss, but they should by no means feel discouraged as things stay tight at the top.

Indy Eleven Falls to Third in NASL Fall Season Standings
2-1 Loss at Miami FC Sees “Indiana’s Team” Drop in Fall, Combined Standings
MIAMI (Saturday, July 30, 2016) – Indy Eleven fell to Miami FC on the road Saturday night after goals by Dario Cvitanich and substitute Ariel Pedro Martinez sealed a 2-1 win for the hosts.
The first half began with Argentine striker Cvitanich putting Miami FC in front after just four minutes following a headed pass by the defender Bernstein off a corner. Just six minutes later, the first chance of the game for the Eleven came after Marco Franco whipped in a cross towards winger Omar Gordon, who headed off the bar and saw a subsequent effort deflected and cleared off the line.
A second chance for Indy came when Nemanja Vukovic angled in a driven ball again towards the Jamaican Gordon, but the latter was unable to bring down his lobbed effort on goal. Perhaps the best chance of the first half came just after the half hour mark when again Nemanja Vukovic was again involved. The left-back marauded up the wing to swing in a lifted cross towards forward Justin Braun, but the American could not test opposition ‘keeper Vega with his header.Halftime saw Indy Eleven down 1-nil, but “Indiana’s Team” continued knocking on a door that just wouldn’t break. At the hour mark, the first substitution of the night saw head coach Tim Hankinson bring on midfielder Don Smart for Omar Gordon, and the former made an immediate impact winning multiple corners in successive minutes.n the 66th minute, Smart was on the end of a cross-come-shot by Nemanja Vukovic and chose to lift the ball over the top towards forward Eamon Zayed. Though in excellent position, the Irishman was unable to keep his header on frame as the match drew out. Fifteen minutes later, it was substitute Sinisa Ubiparipovic’s turn to test Miami FC ‘netminder Vega, but the opposition ‘keeper produced a great save that prevented the rebound from falling cleanly to forward Justin Braun.Not finished, the hosts would double their advantage in the 85th minute when substitute midfielder Ariel Martinez found the end of a Blake Smith pass to knock home past Eleven ‘keeper Keith Cardona. Despite the two goal deficit, Indy Eleven continued to push against the Miami FC defense and would eventually break through thanks to forward Eamon Zayed, who rifled home in the 89th minute to make the score 2-1.With seven minutes of added time, Nemanja Vukovic was in the middle of defense and attack as his sliding clearance prevented the hosts from going 3-1 up before sending a free kick just wide of Vega’s post on the other end of the pitch. In the end, Coach Hankinson’s side ultimately fell 2-1 despite a valiant effort at FIU Stadium. Indy Eleven will return home for a three-game homestand that will start on Wednesday, August 3, against Jacksonville Armada FC. The 7:30 p.m. match will mark the first Indy Eleven broadcast on CBS Sports Network, and the match can also be heard live on Exitos Radio 1590 AM and www.Exitos1590.com (Spanish). Tickets for the contest are available starting at just $11 and can be purchased online atIndyEleven.com or over the phone at 317-685-1100 weekdays from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

NASL Fall Season Miami FC 2 : 1 Indy Eleven
Saturday, July 30, 2016 FIU Stadium – Miami, FL

Indy Eleven:
Fall Season: 3W-1D-2L, 10 pts.
Overall Season: 7W-7D-2L, 28 pts.

Miami FC:
Fall Season: 2W-2D-1L, 8 pts.
Overall Season: 3W-6D-6L, 15 pts.

Scoring Summary:
IND – Eamon Zayed – 90′
MIA – Dario Cvitanich – 4′, Ariel Martinez 85′

Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2, L–>R): Keith Cardona; Nemanja Vuković, Greg Janicki (capt), Cory Miller, Marco Franco; Omar Gordon (Don Smart 61′), Gerardo Torrado (Jair Reinoso 80′), Brad Ring (Sinisa Ubiparipovic 74′), Dylan Mares; Eamon Zayed, Justin Braun
Indy Eleven bench: Jon Busch (GK), Lovel Palmer, Colin Falvey, Nicki Paterson

Miami FC (4-4-2): Mario Daniel Vega; Gabriel Farfan (Blake Smith 76′), Mason Trafford, Rhett Bernstein, Jonathon Borrajo (capt); Jonny Steele, Kwadwo Poku (Pablo Campos 90+7′), Wilson Palacios, Michael Lahoud; Dario Cvitanich (Ariel Pedro Martinez 65′), Jaime Chavez
Miami FC bench: Lionel Brown (GK), Adailton, Hugo Leroux, Conner Rezende

ATP_Gen_350x250

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7/27/16 MLS ALL-STAR Game vs Arsenal Thur Night 7:30 ESPN, Carmel FC New DOC Named, Indy 11 Back on Top, Carmel High Soccer Camp 8/4

July 27, 2016July 27, 2016 gatorbest

So we lead off with MLS this week as the Annual MLS All-Star game vs Arsenal live from San Jose will be played tomorrow night 7:30 pm on ESPN. The top players in MLS will battle with EPL 2^nd place finishers Arsenal in the match which should include young US prospect Gedion Zelalem. Excited to watch on Thursday night and see how both teams look. So my favorite boys in Green the Seattle Sounders have parted ways with coach Sigi Schmid – sorry to see it happen but the handwriting was on the wall for this one. Seattle being at the bottom of the West with all the resources and fan support they have is just not acceptable. This is like Chelsea being mid to lower table – with the money Seattle has that just can’t happen even without top player Martins. One of my favorite MLS Players Nat Borchers (THE BEARD) at Portland tore his achilles heel Sat vs LA and is lost for the season – get well Timbers Nat!

The Olympic Soccer run for a 4^th straight Gold Medal starts for the US Ladies next Wednesday night 6 pm on NBCSN – the full soccer schedule can be seen below. Also the ICC with European teams across the US gets hot and heavy on ESPN starting tonite on ESPN2 at 7:30 Real Madrid vs PSG, 9:30 pm Bayern Munich vs AC Milan and 11:30 on ESPN – Liverpool vs Chelsea. (see the complete schedule below)

The Indy 11 were back in the win column Sat night at the Mike – a 1-0 win over Edmonton pushing them back into 1^st place overall as they stand tied with the NY Cosmos. They travel to Miami this Saturday night, 8 pm on beIN Sports before returning for an important 3 game home stretch of games on Wed, Aug 3, Sat Aug 6 + 17 all at the Mike. The Wed night match will have no TV – so plan to get out to the Mike to see in person.

Proud to announce that Carmel FC has named a new Director of Coaching Matt Coyer. Coyer will begin Aug 8 and has more than 17 years of coaching experience. Coyer is returning home as he was a former Carmel Dad’s club player and member of the Carmel High School State Champ teams in 1985 and 1987 before playing at IU. Good luck to all those players trying out for Carmel High Soccer both boys and girls – next week and of course at the private schools around as well! Finally –Carmel FC – Summer CFC Technical Training continues this week. If you are a goalkeeper – I am continuing my personal Monday night GK trainings July 25, Aug 1 if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

Locally they are still taking signups for the Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only – Run by CHS Boys team players – Thurs, Aug 4 (9:30 am till 12 noon) – CHS Practice Fields River Road and 126th Cost $35 to CHS –- First 100 players to sign up. Sign Up Here https://www.ticketracker.com/store/item?catalogItemId=8741 Email Shari if you have questions indyabbotts@hotmail.com.

Full Olympic Men’s and Women’s Soccer Schedule Announced by NBC

Wed, July 27

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2        ICC Real Madrid vs. Paris Saint-Germain, Columbus, OH
9:30 p.m. (ESPN2,       ICC Bayern Munich vs. AC Milan, Chicago Soldier Field
11:30 p.m. (ESPN,       ICC Liverpool vs. Chelsea, Rose Bowl

Thur, July 28

7:30 a.m. ESPN3 ICC Borussia Dortmund vs Man City

(ESPN, UniMás) MLS All-Stars vs. Arsenal 7:30 p.m.

Sat, July 30

1:00 p.m. ESPN           ICC Barcelona vs. Celtic,
3:00 p.m. ESPN            ICC Chelsea vs. Real Madrid – Mich Stadium
5:00 p.m. (ESPNews                          ICC Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan,
10:00 p.m. ESPN2, ESPN Deportes) Liverpool vs. AC Milan,
(11:30 p.m., ESPN       ICC Paris Saint-Germain vs. Leicester City,

Indy 11@ Miami – 8 pm BeIn sports

Sun, July 31

1:00 p.m. Fox, Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers,
4:00 p.m. ESPN Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy,

Wed, Aug 3

ICC Barcelona vs. Leicester City, ICC 2:00 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
United States women vs. New Zealand, Olympics group stage, 6:00 p.m. (NBCSN)
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, International Champions Cup 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2
Chelsea vs. AC Milan, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Portland Timbers vs. CD Dragon, CONCACAF Champions League 10:00 p.m. (TV TBD)

Sat, Aug 6

12 noon ESPN ICC Liverpool vs Barcelona – Wembley

United States women vs. France women, Olympics group stage, 4:00 p.m. (NBCSN)

Sun, Aug 7

11 am ??? Community Shield Leicester City vs Man United

Tues, Aug 9

United States women vs. Columbia, Olympics group stage, 6:00 p.m. (NBCSN)

Sat, Aug 13 EPL Season Starts

7:30 a.m., CNBC:         Hull City vs. Leicester City
10:00 a.m. NBCSN    Everton vs. Tottenham, Middlesbrough vs. Stoke, Southampton vs. Watford
12:30 p.m., CNBC:     Manchester City vs. Sunderland

Sun, Aug 14

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
11:00 a.m., NBCSN: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Seattle Coach Sigi Schmid is Out – Matt Doyle MLS.com

Indy 11 Schedule

EPL TV Schedule

carmel soccer camp (1)

Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only

Run by CHS Boys team players – Thurs, Aug 4 (9:30 am till 12 noon) – CHS Practice Fields River Road and 126th . 2nd to 6th Graders only – Cost $35 to CHS –- First 100 players to sign up. Sign Up Here https://www.ticketracker.com/store/item?catalogItemId=8741 Email Shari if you have questions indyabbotts@hotmail.com.

MLS

Allstar Preview MLS vs Arsenal

USMNT youngster Zelalem in Arsenal squad for MLS Allstar Game

Arsenal Keeper Cech out to stop former Teammate Drogba

What to Know about Arsenal

Allstar Game Should keep the same format – Doug Mcintyre ESPNFC

Allstar Game needs a New Look – Jason Davis ESPN FC

MLS Power Rankings

NYCY Vieira slams Red Bulls Coach Jesse Marsch

Is Seattle Coach Sigi Schmidt in Trouble? Video

Saves of the Week – MLS

NWSL Save of Week

NWSL Goalie Scores Game Winning Header

INDY 11

3 things FCE

Indy 1 FCE 0 Game Recap

NASL Roundup – Indy 11 take 1^st

Tix on sale for 8/3 Wed game vs Jax and 8/6 vs OTT and 8/13 vs OKC

Networking Night 8/3 5:30 till 7:15 pm

USA

Soccer Schedule Announced by NBC

US Ladies Christen Press in ESPN Body Issue

US ladies cruise past Costa Rica 4-0

US Rookie Olympians ready for Golden Chance

US reveals New Olympic Jerseys

What happens to US Yedlin with Moyes in Charge at Sunderland?

Bayern’s Green happy with Growth in the US of soccer

US Players Yedlin and Vickers Play well for Tottenham in ICC

Dempsey Proud of US Effort in the COPA America

U.S. OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM –GROUP STAGE BROADCAST SCHEDULE

DATE	BROADCAST TIME (ET)	OPPONENT	NBC NETWORK
Aug. 3, 2016	7 p.m. local / 6 p.m. ET	New Zealand	NBCSN, Soccer Specialty Channel, NBC Universo, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports App
Aug. 6, 2016	5 p.m. local / 4 p.m. ET	France	NBCSN, Soccer Specialty Channel, NBC Universo, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports App
Aug. 9, 2016	6 p.m. local / 6 p.m. ET	Colombia	NBCSN, Soccer Specialty Channel, NBC Universo, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports App

World Leagues

What’s Trending in Europe

Man U put players on Chopping Block

Sunderland hire David Moyes to replace new England Manager Allardyce

Soccer Camps – Boys and Girls -Ages 6 – 14

Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only

==========================================================================

If you are a goalkeeper – I am doing my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25 + Aug 1.

U-9-U12 6 till 7 pm

U13 and above 7:00 – 8:15 pm

if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

==============================================

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MLS All-Stars vs. Arsenal FC | 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game Match Preview

MLS ALL-STARS vs. ARSENAL FC
July 28, 2016 • Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
7:30 pm ET (ESPN, UniMás, TSN, RDS)

The 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will pit the best of Major League Soccer against English Premier League giants Arsenal. The English club, participating in the MLS All-Star Game for the first time, will face off against the All-Stars at the home of the San Jose Earthquakes, Avaya Stadium, which opened in 2015.

Youthful All-Star Lineup

Sure, there are plenty of big, veteran names on the All-Star roster, but what marks this group may be the youth. With two young goalkeepers in Quakes stopper David Bingham and Philadelphia’s Andre Blake, and two rookie defenders in Blake’s Philadelphia teammate Keegan Rosenberry and Chicago’s Brandon Vincent, there are some up-and-comers getting a chance to shine, right now. Add in the likes of Columbus midfielder Wil Trapp and Orlando City striker Cyle Larin, and there is certainly an infusion of youth in this year’s group of MLS All-Stars.

Arsenal preparing for upcoming season

The North London side, which surged to a second-place finish in the Premier League last season, will certainly be in the reckoning for silverware again in 2016-17, between the league, the UEFA Champions League, where Arsenal routinely reach the knockout rounds, and the domestic cups, including the FA Cup, which they last won in 2014-15. With Arsene Wenger the club’s longest-tenured manager, at the helm for another season, and a group of talented players returning, the club will look to continue preparations for the season ahead with a clash against the MLS All-Stars.

Can the winning streak continue?

Given the parameters in play, with a group of players from various teams coming together for a couple days at most, it can be tough for the MLS All-Stars to get results against their visitors. But in fact, the MLS All-Stars have won the last two editions of the midseason classic, 2-1 to Arsenal’s biggest rivals Tottenham Hotspur last year, and 2-1 to German giants Bayern Munichin 2014. Can the MLS team make it three years in a row?

2016 AT&T MLS ALL-STAR GAME ROSTERS:

2016 AT&T MLS All-Stars:

Goalkeepers (2): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)

Defenders (7): Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Andrew Farrell(New England Revolution), Liam Ridgewell (Portland Timbers), Keegan Rosenberry(Philadelphia Union), Brandon Vincent (Chicago Fire), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Midfielders (9): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Mauro Diaz (FC Dallas), Giovani dos Santos(LA Galaxy), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Kaká (Orlando City), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Andrea Pirlo (New York City FC), Wil Trapp(Columbus Crew SC)

Forwards (7): Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Didier Drogba (Montreal Impact), Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC), Cyle Larin (Orlando City), Ignacio Piatti (Montreal Impact), David Villa(New York City FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

Arsenal FC:

Goalkeepers (3): Petr Cech, Emiliano Martinez, David Ospina

Defenders (7): Hector Bellerin, Krystian Bielik, Calum Chambers, Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs, Rob Holding, Nacho Monreal

Midfielders (9): Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Chris Willock, Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka, Gedion Zelalem

Forwards (4): huba Akpom, Joel Campbell, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott

USMNT youngster Zelalem in Arsenal squad for US tour

Gedion Zelalem, 19, is heading to the United States of America with Arsenal.On Monday Arsene Wenger and his squad — he named 23 players to the roster which included teenager Zelalem — flew to the U.S. ahead of their game against the MLS All-Stars in San Jose, Calif. on Wednesday.The Gunners will also play Chivas Guadalajara at StubHub Center, Carson, Calif. on Sunday to round off their two-game tour of the U.S.Wenger has named a strong squad for the tour, with the full list below.The only major absentees are players who made a deep run in major tournaments with their countries this summer.Arsenal’s French contingent who reached the final of EURO 2016 — Laurent Koscielnyand Olivier Giroud — aren’t in the squad, while Alexis Sanchez is omitted after winning Copa America Centenario with Chile and suffering an ankle injury plus Aaron Ramseyhasn’t been named in the squad after reaching the semifinals of the European Championships with Wales.

Mesut Ozil is also left out after reaching the final four of EURO 2016 with Germany but the likes of Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka, Santi Cazorla, Petr Cech, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla all make the trip.As for Zelalem, Arsenal boss Wenger thinks highly of the youngster who was born in Germany but spent his formative years in Maryland, hence why he was able to obtain U.S. citizenship and play for the U.S. national team. The fluid two-way midfielder has silky skills on the ball but is still young and his body is yet to develop into a powerful unit.That perhaps explains why Zelalem is yet to make his debut for Jurgen Klinsmann’s full national team but he did play a starring role in Tab Ramos’ U-20 side during the World Cup in 2015. His progress with the U-23 side has somewhat stalled in recent months after Zelalem was loaned out to Glasgow Rangers in the Scottish second-tier last season. After a good start to the campaign with Rangers he found minutes hard to come by in the second half of last season.ProSoccerTalk spoke to Wenger about Zelalem in the summer of 2015 and he said he will always give him, and other youngsters, a chance to impress in preseason before either including him in the first team squad of loaning him out.With Wilshere, Ramsey, Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny and Xhaka in front of him in the pecking order for a midfield spot, it seems likely that the young U.S. national team prospect will again spend time away from the Emirates Stadium in the upcoming season.A few strong performances in preseason could change that though.

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech: I don’t want Drogba to score fr MLS All-Stars

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech wants to make sure his old Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba doesn’t take the bragging rights when the Gunners take on the MLS All-Stars this week.Cech and Drogba, who both joined Chelsea in 2004 and won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League trophy together before the Ivory Coast striker ended his first stint with the club in 2012, will be reunited on opposite sides of the pitch for Thursday night’s game in San Jose, California.Drogba, 38, is now playing for the Montreal Impact, while Cech joined Arsenal last summer after losing his starting spot at Stamford Bridge to Thibaut Courtois.The pair remain good friends and Cech said he has extra incentive to keep a clean sheet in the game.”Obviously I hope that he [Drogba] doesn’t score because then for a whole year he would text me a picture of the goal,” Cech joked at a news conference.However, Drogba does have a great scoring record against Arsenal and has netted 15 goals in his first 15 appearances against the Gunners.Cech, who also played against Drogba when Galatasaray faced Chelsea in the Champions League in 2014, said he will enjoy another reunion.”I’m looking forward to playing against him here,” he added. “It’s been a very long time when I didn’t have this opportunity.”

Why the MLS All-Star Game format should remain unchanged

Every year around this time, as MLS’s annual All-Star Game approaches, out come the articles questioning whether the match needs a reboot, or if it is still worth playing at all.We get it. For a league that continues to insist that it must play on the same dates as some World Cup qualifiers because the calendar is just too crowded, scheduling a midseason exhibition match against an undermanned European squad preparing for its own campaign seems like an odd priority.Coaches certainly don’t love it.”We maybe have a different view from players,” admitted Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, who’ll be without Clint Dempsey in training this week because of Dempsey’s involvement in Thursday’s All-Star tilt against Arsenal (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN).”Players appreciate the All-Star game because they get bonus money and an opportunity to play against a big-name club. But for a team like us that has had three midweek games in a row, to have an important guy play in another one seems sort of terrifying.”It’s a valid beef, and it’s not the only one dissenters have. Here’s the thing, though: Despite being a glorified friendly match, MLS’s midsummer classic still matters on a number of levels.Mainly, there’s the exposure. Thursday’s match will be broadcast live in 166 countries, and playing Arsenal, which has been one of the world’s most popular clubs over the last two decades, guarantees that the MLS product will reach fans that normally wouldn’t give it a second look.All-Star week has also become a celebration of the growing North American game, and doubles as the de facto American soccer convention since MLS Cup stopped being held at a neutral site following the 2011 season. On the business and marketing side, it is can’t-miss, one-stop shopping for league and team executives, media and sponsors. More than anything else, though, the All-Star game matters because players on both sides actually try.Unlike the farcical Eastern Conference versus Western Conference games of the league’s early days — the six East-West contests between 1996 and 2004 averaged nine goals scored — the MLS-against-decorated-guest format has produced compelling, hard-fought soccer more often than not. When one thinks back to then-Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola refusing to shake hands with MLS boss Caleb Porter after the home side’s 2-1 win two years ago, it’s hard to argue with commissioner Don Garber’s oft-repeated claim that his league boasts “the most competitive All-Star Game in all of sports.”The win against Bayern wasn’t the league’s only success, either. The MLS All-Stars have also beaten Chelsea twice, including just months after the Blues won the 2012 Champions League title. Last year, goals from Kaka and David Villa were enough for MLS to defeat Tottenham Hotspur, whose lone strike came from Harry Kane, a team that went on to finish third in the Premier League.Those victories certainly don’t hurt the league’s credibility at home or abroad. And while there’s always a risk of embarrassment when a hodge-podge All-Star squad faces one of the planet’s richest and deepest clubs — Manchester United out-scored MLS 9-2 in back-to-back wins in 2010 and ’11 — it’s a gamble worth continuing.There’s also the novelty of it. Seeing a Thierry Henry turn back the clock against former France teammate Franck Ribery in 2014 was flat-out cool. So was watching Landon Donovan score against Manuel Neuer, or DeAndre Yedlin shut down fellow U.S. prospect Julian Green — his roommate at the World Cup in Brazil — in that game in Portland.Other U.S. national teamers, including ex-MLSers Yedlin, Carlos Bocanegra, Michael Bradley, Tim Howard and Brian McBride have all played for foreign teams against the hosts.”It’s something I always looked forward to as a fan,” said Philadelphia Union defender Keegan Rosenberry, who at 22 is the second youngest player on the MLS roster after Orlando City striker Cyle Larin.Now Rosenberry is looking forward to making a mark alongside living legends and fellow first-time All-Stars like Didier Drogba and Andrea Pirlo against an opponent he couldn’t have imagined facing this time last year, when he was still a college student.”It’s an honor for me, my family and my club to be part of it,” Philly keeper Andre Blake, another first-timer, told ESPN. “It’s an All-Star game, but it’s still something that at the end of the day you want to go and showcase what you can do.”If Garber gets his wish, and MLS one day becomes capable of competing for the sport’s best players while they are still in their primes, the All-Star game might become unnecessary. For now, though, it’s an entertaining diversion that participants take seriously and supporters enjoy.Long may it continue.Doug McIntyre is a staff writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @DougMacESPN.

Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game needs a new look

That Arsenal’s squad for this week’s MLS All-Star game is missing a host of key players gives further credence to the idea that, after 20 years, the league’s showpiece summer occasion has become little more than a distraction right in the middle of what is supposed to be the ramp-up to the most competitive portion of the season.A shift in format 11 years ago has robbed the game of any legitimate sort of competition, leaving behind nothing but a friendly featuring a visiting foreign club and there are multiple problems with the current MLS All-Stars vs. preseason mode European squad format.The first is the name power of the opposing squad; while this year it is Arsenal and its famous brand taking on the MLS team in San Jose on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN and WatchESPN), in years past the game has featured such “powerhouses” as Celtic, Fulham, and Everton. But even when some of the European continent’s bigger teams make the transatlantic voyage, their squads are often dominated by reserves, unknown youngsters and faded stars. That’s exactly the case this year with the Gunners.After a busy international summer, the list of players manager Arsene Wenger has at his disposal is woefully bereft of the team’s most famous names. Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny have all been rested, while Per Mertesacker pulled out on Monday with an injury.No offense to David Ospina, who was excellent in net for Colombia at Copa America Centenario, but it’s a commentary on the state of the Arsenal team for the All-Star Game when his name is highlighted in an MLS press release. Ospina isn’t even Arsenal’s first-choice keeper; that role is filled by Petr Cech (the first name mentioned in the release, and though he’s a big name, he’s still a goalkeeper).Other notable names listed for effect were the now-injured Mertesacker, as well as Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Gedion Zelalem, the last of whom makes the cut because he’s a young American prospect. None, though, can measure up to those who are missing. Indeed, none of the English players are even regular starters for Arsenal.There are two debates to be had around the All-Star Game: One is whether it should be played at all and the second concerns what format it should take.If the game is still needed to help boost the league’s profile, it might be time to take a hard look at the way it’s presented. Not only are visiting foreign teams often lacking their stars, but it is worth wondering if it’s wise for MLS to continue to set up its players as second billing in its own event.Fixing that particular problem wouldn’t be difficult. MLS could simply go back to the original format, pitting the Eastern Conference’s best against the best from the Western Conference. Such a game would put more of the growing talent of the league on display, even if it wouldn’t grab the attention of some Euro-focused American soccer fans.Alternatively, a previously used format could be also brought back, with a team of Americans facing off against a select side of foreign players.

A proposed starting XI of U.S. players for the 2016 All-Star Game.A proposed starting XI of foreign players for the 2016 All-Star Game.

Another possible wrinkle would be the “fantasy/playground” concept, where the captains or honorary coaches of each team pick a side from a group of selected all-stars. The NWSL has adopted the idea, after both the NHL and NFL chose to spice up their respective all-star contests with this intriguing process.As MLS continues to grow and improve, the juice of the All-Star Game in its current format becomes less and less worth the squeeze. Players no doubt appreciate the recognition, and many have contract bonuses based on their selection, but playing for pride against a famous club like Arsenal, no matter who lines up wearing their jersey, still fits the narrative of MLS as an up-and-coming league with something to prove.The negatives are getting ever closer to outweighing the positives. MLS coaches don’t like sending their best players away to play in a game that doesn’t matter, especially since it risks their health. If the league is going to let the All-Star Game undermine its competition, it at least needs to make it worth the effort.Jason Davis covers Major League Soccer and the United States national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @davisjsn.

Arsene and his men: 10 things to know about 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star opponents Arsenal

February 11, 201612:59PM ESTArielle CastilloSenior Editor

California will be teeming with Gooners come this summer.But what is it about Arsenal Football Club that has seen club win over legions of Gooner supporters around the globe? Here’s a short list of only some of those things with which all Arsenal fans identify.

1. It starts on the field

Take this Barclays Premier League season, for example, which has seen North London-based Arsenal bouncing around the top reaches of the table, sometimes in first place, sometimes in fourth. But they’re doing it in Gunner fashion … with style.And fan favorite Mesut Ozil, a German national team member and 2014 World Cup winner, has a lot to do with it. The latest in a long line of world-class players to don an Arsenal shirt, at the time of publishing he’s already racked up 16 assists this season in Premier League alone, a category in which the club leads the league.Ozil’s popularity has inspired this song among fans. (Yes, the tune may or may not have appeared previously among West Ham supporters, but before that, it was a thing among various other teams, going back to Celtic, too.)Anyways, Ozil’s he’s serving up all these assists to whom, exactly? Most of the time, it’s striker Olivier Giroud, known to some as “French Jesus.”It’s this combination that has Arsenal fans dreaming big for the stretch run in the race for the EPL title, and perhaps even in the UEFA Champions League where they face mighty FC Barcelona in the Round of 16.

2. Cannons, Gunners, and Gooners

Arsenal’s club crest famously features a cannon, which first appeared there in 1888. The back story? In a nutshell, the club, founded in 1886, was originally based in the borough of Woolwich, which had a strong military influence. Even when the club moved to Highbury, London, in 1913, they kept it.That’s where the team gets its nickname, the “Gunners.” Fans, meanwhile, go by a derivative of that—”Gooners.”

3. Gunnersaurus

All that explains the name of the team’s official mascot since 1994, Gunnersaurus. He’s an extremely tall green dinosaur with a penchant for pre-match handshakes.He’s got a cute back story, too. During the 1993-1994 season, the club ran a youth contest asking kids to design a new mascot. The winner? Young fan Peter Lovell, who submitted “Gunnersaurus Rex.” Vice Sports recently did this great interview with him about the genesis of Gunnersaurus.

4. Diverse from the early days

Not only is Arsenal friendly to oversize green reptiles, but it has welcomed a diverse cast of players and fans from the early days

Integration came late to the English top flight, with some teams not debuting their first black players until the 1980s. Arsenal was among the earlier teams to integrate, with Brendan Batson’s 1971 first-team debut.The club’s location in Highbury, meanwhile, borders on several neighborhoods of varying social class, making the team’s fan base one of the most diverse in the Premier League, too.

5. Media Firsts

Arsenal has made history a few times in popular culture, too. They and Sheffield United became the first English League teams to be broadcast live on the radio for their game on January 22, 1927. Then, on September 16, 1937, a friendly between Arsenal’s first and reserve team becamethe first soccer match in the world to be televised live.

6. St. Totteringham’s Day

Arsenal fans generally healthily distrust other London teams, like Premier League clubs Chelsea FC and West Ham United, as well as Championship club Fulham. But their absolute fiercest rivalry is with the other Premier League team in North London—Tottenham Hotspur. (Yup, they were the visiting opponents for the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.)The matches between the two are known as the North London Derby—but fans have invented a celebration that goes beyond that: St. Totteringham’s Day. Supporters first invented it on independent website Arseweb in 2002; the day falls on the first in which Arsenal have officially gathered enough points to finish ahead of Tottenham in the league table.

7. Wenger for the Win

In a high-pressure league that leaves little room for failure, Arsenal’s head coach, Arsene Wenger, stands out for pure longevity—he’s been the club’s gaffer since 1996. It was he who led the team’s so-called “Invicibles,” a star-studded lineup that took the team to a league triumph for the 2003-2004 season, without a single defeat.Off the field, Wenger’s also known for being ridiculously, ridiculously suave and cool. Just check this recent model-esque fashion photo shoot he did for French magazine L’Equipe Sport & Style. He even offered some meaningful words upon the passing of David Bowie. What a guy.

8. Celebrity Fans

Just like the everyday fan base, Arsenal’s celebrity supporters span a pretty wide range of professions and sensibilities. Media tycoon Piers Morgan is famous online for his impassioned Twitter play by plays, while sex symbol Idris Elba is also a longtime home supporter.So is author Nick Hornby, whose book Fever Pitch became an American movie about baseball, but actually centered around Arsenal fandom.Stateside, famous Gooners include Mr. Beyonce himself—titan Jay-Z. (For real—he said he was first taken by Thierry Henry.)That’s all just to name a tiny few, of course.

9. The Gooner Diaspora

Arsenal boasts one of the largest global fan bases worldwide, with an especially healthy and well-connected fan community in the US. Arsenal America, the official US supporters’ umbrella organization, currently lists some 66 regional clubs on its web site, from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. There are so many American Gooners, in fact, that they recently celebrated Gooner Gras, an unofficial annual gathering of hundreds of fans in New Orleans.Back in the UK, Arsenal are also one of the few teams to boast a truly internet-infamous supporters’ rock band, the Away Boyz. Their thing is tongue-in-cheek, Arsenal-themed parodies of ska, punk, and pop songs.

10. Trophies

None of this would matter if the team didn’t actually take home some silverware. Luckily, their trophy case is pretty full. In the last 30 years alone, domestically they’ve racked up five Premier League titles, seven FA Community Shield titles and seven FA Cup titles. In fact, they hold a record for most FA Cup wins ever, with 12 total, starting with their first in 1930.

Armchair Analyst: The bell tolls for Sigi Schmid as Sounders make a move

July 26, 20165:27PM EDTMatthew DoyleSenior Editor

Sigi Schmid did not get the Seattle Sounders to the promised land. He just took them everywhere else.Schmid’s tenure as head coach in Seattle came to a not unexpected end on Tuesday when the Sounders announced, via press release, that the club and the only man who’d guided it during the MLS era were parting ways. During Schmid’s tenure the Sounders won four US Open Cups and a Supporters’ Shield, competed in the CONCACAF Champions League multiple times, and sold players to teams in some of the biggest leagues in Europe.The one thing they did not do, however, was win MLS Cup. And as much as anything else, that’s why — for the first time in a decade — he’s looking for a job today.Schmid knows it, and didn’t shy away from it.”I’m proud of the success we’ve achieved in winning five major trophies in Seattle, qualifying for the postseason for seven straight seasons,” he said in a statement released by the team. “My only disappointment is that we were unable to bring home an MLS Cup to our tremendous fans, who have always been supportive through good times and bad.”The failure to win MLS Cup was the subtext of every story about the Sounders since roughly the middle of 2013, when they went from “consistent winner with big ambitions” to “high-spending SuperClub with guys like Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins on the roster.” A team that spends big should, it was reasoned, win big. And to be fair to both Schmid and the Sounders, they came oh-so-close to one of the best seasons in league history in 2014, when they won the Shield/USOC double, and nearly knocked out perpetual nemesis LA Galaxy in the Western Conference championship.It wasn’t to be, of course. And though 2015 started off well — few seem to remember how good the Sounders were in the spring before losing about half the team to international duty and injury — the regular season ended miserably. That misery has carried on and intensified in 2016, then came to a head this past weekend in alistless 3-0 loss at Sporting KC, a game in which they managed just one shot (which was off target, and in the 88th minute, and sounded like this).The biggest criticism of Schmid over the years, including at previous stops in Columbus and LA — he won a Shield/MLS Cup double in both spots, by the way — was that his teams were always too reliant upon their best player, and lacked a Plan B. It was Carlos Ruiz or bust in LA, and thenGuillermo Barros Schelotto or bust in Columbus. I don’t totally buy into that, but I don’t totally notbuy into that.However, it’d be unfair to reduce his Seattle tenure to that, since there were two distinctly successful runs under his guidance: One centered around Fredy Montero in the pre-Martins days, and then one centered around Dempsey and Martins starting in 2013.”Their gameplan,” one Western Conference front office-type said to me late last season, “is to just get the ball to those guys and let them do [expletive] that no one else in the league can do. When that happens, they’re good. If you can stop them from doing that, they’re not.”Thus, when Martins was sold to a team in the Chinese SuperLeague this offseason, the result was predictable:

Sounders with and without Martins starting 2013-16

With/Without	Goals/Game	Shots/Game	Points/Game	Win %
With	1.8	9.5	1.9	59.1%
Without	.9	8.7	1.1	30.6%
2016	1.0	12.75	1.0	30.0%

The arrival of Jordan Morris has cushioned the blow only marginally, as he’s bagged seven goals. But Morris and Dempsey have the on-field chemistry of two cats meeting each other for the first time, which means those thrilling 2-vs-5 forays that defined the Sounders from 2013 through 2015 are no longer part of the equation. Nor has there been any subsequent injection of creativity from the midfield (yet), which has stunted the team’s ability to turn possession into penetration.While “Plan B” and “tactics” are usually the first things mentioned by Schimd’s detractors, they must come to terms with this: The raft of new, veteran signings added last summer have proved to be more of a hindrance than a help. Roman Torres got hurt and has yet to play this season;Andreas Ivanschitz is a part-time starter who serves a nice dead ball, but has been a liability from open play; and while Nelson Valdez is by all accounts a great locker room presence for a team that needs much, much more of that, the 32-year-old DP forward has 1 goal and 1 assist in just over 1000 regular season minutes.Those guys were supposed to keep the window of opportunity open for the Dempsey/Martins core at least through 2015, a roll of the dice to give an aging core one last shot at glory. Instead, they helped slam 2016’s window shut before the season ever really got started.Schmid paid the price.

A few more scattered thoughts:

Seattle were lucky to have Sigi— stability in the world of sports is a gift, especially for expansion teams. Given Schmid’s ties to LA, I’m going to assume LAFC will be thinking about that very thing. And given Schmid’s ties toCarlos Bocanegra, who’s the technical director at Atlanta United and who played for Schmid at UCLA… well, I don’t think Sigi will be out of a job for long.He may not be the sexiest hire to make, but expansion teams need stability above all.
It’s never been clear to me who made the pushto sign Valdez, Ivanschitz and Torres last summer. Perhaps it was Schmid, or perhaps it was GM Garth Lagerwey, or perhaps even owner Adrian Hanauer. Seattle’s front office has always presented a united front on those types of moves.
You could make a decent argument that Schmid, at the very least, deserved a month or two of coaching imminent arrival Nicolas Lodeiro before making a final judgement on his continued employment:

I’ve maintained that Seattle are more “talented team missing one or two crucial creative pieces” than “bad team, no hope.” Lodeiro should provide a lot of answers for this team over the next half-decade no matter who’s coaching him.

Speaking of, Sounders assistant Brian Schmetzerwill be Schmid’s interim replacement.Schmetzer’s been a major presence in Seattle soccer for nearly four decades, and the team will be in good hands with the former USL coach of the year. Folks connected to the club, however, don’t expect him to become the fulltime boss.
Who, then, is on the shortlist for replacements?I can only offer rank speculation, so here goes:
You’d have to assume that Toronto FC assistant and former Chivas RIP head coachRobin Fraser will receive one of Lagerwey’s first calls
Former Red Bulls head coachMike Petke should put his name into the hat
Rio Grande Valley (USL) head coach Wilmer Cabrera, who also coached Chivas and spent time as an assistant underOscar Pareja in Colorado, is a name that will come up
Ezra Hendrickson, head coach of Seattle’s own USL team, deserves a look
Jeremy Gunn at Stanford could be an interesting darkhorse candidate, though his teams are a little too direct for my taste
My personal favorite is current New York Cosmos head coachGiovanni Savarese. He’s handled big stars and big egos, and also helped guide a nascent academy and shown confidence in younger players
Schelotto would be the perfect candidate if he wasn’t already at Boca Juniors, which is the best job in the Americas and a launching pad toward worldwide managerial superstardom

That said… this is Seattle, and it wouldn’t shock me if they still wanted to do something high profile. Marc Connolly, take it away…

he other option in the “high profile” category? USWNT head coach Jill Ellis, assuming her squad wins Olympic gold next month in Rio. At that point she’ll have won back-to-back World Cup/Gold, and there’s not much left to prove once you put those two together. There’s also no reason to think she couldn’t make a fair go of it in MLS.4

THREE THINGS: #INDVFCE

Three takeaways as the “Boys in Blue” take three points vs FCEJul 25, 2016

In our latest “Three Things,” the importance of bounce back ability, winning sloppy, and why next week’s match is more than just a building block for the rest of the Fall Season.

1) BOUNCE BACK ABILITY

Like in last week’s match against Minnesota United FC, the early goal set the tone for the hosts in Indy Eleven’s 1-0 win over FC Edmonton. Unlike the home side last week, however, the Eleven were unable to put a second on the board inside the opening quarter of an hour to put the match a little further out of reach for the Eddies.Perhaps the most important takeaway once the whistle blew after a hot and heavy 90 minutes is the bounce back ability this team showed. Riding a 12-game unbeaten streak that was snapped in the grasp of MNU on the road, it would have been easy for the team to return to Indianapolis with low spirits, or to build up a false sense of confidence and go into the match with big chests but not in the right mindset. Instead, head coach Tim Hankinson took the route of resilience, pushing his team back towards their focus.“We talked during the week about the old sports expression from hero to goat and back again. It’s a saga we live by in sports to get back on top. The most important word I have in my life as a sportsman and in my life is resilience. The ability to get knocked down and fight your way back into it. If you can apply resiliency it will go a long way for this team to getting back on top again,” said Coach Hank.The job is not done, though. Indy Eleven head to Miami FC next Saturday night, a match that did not do them any favors last time around in the Spring Season. The battle continues.

2) WINNING SLOPPY – THREE POINTS IS THREE POINTS

In the midst of 90+ degree heat, no amount of water breaks, respite, or breathers could have injected more energy into the match.

As the match wore on, passes were played into the wrong channels, to the wrong feet, and marking became an afterthought as Jon Busch was forced into making two of his three saves in the second half, and was saved by a last-gasp clearance by Brad Ring on opposition ‘keeper Matt Van Oekel’s header near the end of the match.Ring, who was a key central figure in the match, is a perfect example of a tale of two halves. Below is his first half passing hart – 19/24 – a pretty solid set of numbers.

The second half? A little different, with just a slight uptick in red.

Regardless, the three points shot Indy Eleven back to the top of both the Fall Season table and the combined table, a familiar site for the “Boys in Blue” in 2016.

3) MORE THAN A BUILDING BLOCK

The Sunshine State has not been kind to Indy Eleven this year. In the Spring Season, four trips south resulted in Coach Hankinson & co. returning with just four points. But the fall can be different, and this Saturday’s match may be the most important so far.Miami FC are a completely different side – a lot has changed for them already – but held Indy Eleven scoreless in the June 4 clash at FIU Stadium. This week has to be different for Indy.“Indiana’s Team” is embarking on their last match of July before the dog days of August see them play seven (!) games in 32 days, three consecutive at home before three straight on the road, the last of which is a trip to New York to face current holders of the second place spot, the Cosmos. Therefore, as Miami attempts to climb the table and take points at home, Indy will have to be on their toes and braced for the heat as this stretch is the longest of the year.

Indy Eleven Returns to Win Column, Top of NASL Standings

1-0 Victory over FC Edmonton Gives Indiana’s Team Leads on Fall, Combined Season TablesINDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 23, 2016) – In a clash of two of the NASL’s top teams, Indy Eleven emerged the winner from a hard fought 1-0 result over FC Edmonton in front of 8,119 fans at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. With its return to the win column following its first loss of 2016 a week prior, Indy Eleven also returned to the top of the NASL standings both for the Fall and Combined Seasons.“We talked during the week about the old sports expression ‘from hero to goat and back again,’” said Indy Eleven head coach Tim Hankinson. “The most important word I have in my life as a sportsman and in my life is resilience – the ability to get knocked down and fight your way back into it. If you can apply resiliency it will go a long way for this team to getting back on top again.”WATCH: “After the Whistle” reaction from Hankinson, Greg Janikci & Gerardo Torrado

After being victimized by two early goals last weekend in Minnesota, Indy Eleven (3W-1D-1L, 10 pts. in Fall Season; 7W-7D-1L, 28 pts. in Combined Season) came out and flipped the script via defender Greg Janicki’s third tally of the season just 13 minutes in. The chance was created when defender Nemanja Vukovic was tripped up 30 yards from goal to set up Dylan Mares’ perfect free kick service to Janicki, who headed home from eight yards to move the scoreboard for the home side.Edmonton striker Jake Keegan was unlucky not to even things up in the 22^nd minute as he ran onto a free ball just 10 yards from goal, but his rising shot just missed the upper right corner. Two minutes later Indy ‘keeper Jon Busch spilled Adam Eckersley’s well-served cross from the left side, and while Daryl Fordyce was there to pounce on the loose ball he couldn’t turn to shoot and the danger was eventually cleared by the Eleven backline.Mares almost played provider once again before the half hour mark when he gathered a turnover on the right flank and fired a far-post cross for Eamon Zayed, but Matt VanOekel came off his line and just got a piece of the service to stop a certain second for the “Boys in Blue.”Indy Eleven had two more chances to push the lead at the end of the first half, first on a long-distance chance by Zayed that VanOekel got two hands to and steered just wide. On the ensuing corner it was Vukovic steering a header on frame, but it fell right to a waiting VanOekel on his line.The first quality look of the second half came at the stroke of the 58^th minute when Eamon Zayed was played behind the backline, but VanOekel cut off the angle well at his left post, going low to block the shot wide. One minute later, the first starting appearance in NASL play for Indy Eleven midfielder Gerardo Torrado would come to a finish, the famed Mexican international exiting his central midfield spot for Nicki Paterson.A nice run to the endline by Edmonton striker Tomi Ameobi caused panic in the Indy six-yard box in the 62^ndminute, but his cutback pass would be overrun by a trio of Eleven defenders in addition to its intended target, winger Dustin Correa. The end-to-end action would continue with two more chances for the Eleven in quick succession, but forward Justin Braun’s open header off a Vukovic cross was sent right to VanOekel, who moments later got just enough of Mares’ far post shot to push it wide for a corner.Indy Eleven looked like it padded its lead in the 75^th minute when substitute Don Smart’s diagonal through ball sprung Braun behind the backline. While Braun’s square ball was finished off by Zayed into an open net, the offside flag went up to keep the visitors within striking distance. Two minutes from time it was Smart almost helping Indy find paydirt again when he sent a pinpoint cross to Zayed, whose header had VanOekel beat but fell just wide of the right post.Edmonton had two chances deep into stoppage time, first when Daryl Fordyce’s header at the near post was deflected out by Brad Ring for a corner. VanOekel would venture forward and get on the end of the ensuing set piece, but his header from 10 yards was also cleared out by Ring inside the six, securing the return to the win column for Indiana’s Team.Indy Eleven will return to action next Saturday, July 30, when it heads back to South Florida for a second meeting of the season against the Miami FC. Kickoff from Ocean Bank Field is set for 8:00 p.m. ET for a match that can be viewed live on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Espanol in addition to the channel’s online component, beIN SPORTS CONNECT.Indy Eleven will then return home for a three-game homestand that will start on Wednesday, August 3, against Jacksonville Armada FC. The 7:30 p.m. match will mark the first Indy Eleven broadcast on CBS Sports Network, and the match can also be heard live on Exitos Radio 1590 AM and www.Exitos1590.com(Spanish). Tickets for the contest are available starting at just $11 and can be purchased online atIndyEleven.com or over the phone at 317-685-1100 weekdays from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
NASL Fall Season
Indy Eleven 1 : 0 FC Edmonton
Saturday, July 23, 2016 Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 8,119

Indy Eleven:
Fall Season: 3W-1D-1L, 10 pts.
Overall Season: 7W-7D-1L, 28 pts.

FC Edmonton:
Fall Season: 2W-1D-1L, 7 pts.
Overall Season: 7W-3D-4L, 24 pts.
Scoring Summary:
IND – Greg Janicki (Dylan Mares) 13’

Discipline Summary:
IND – Brad Ring (caution) 59’
FCE – Nik Ledgerwood (caution) 78’
Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2, L–>R): Jon Busch; Nemanja Vuković, Greg Janicki (capt), Cory Miller, Marco Franco; Omar Gordon (Don Smart 68’), Gerardo Torrado (Nicki Paterson 60’), Brad Ring, Dylan Mares (Lovel Palmer 82’); Eamon Zayed, Justin BraunIndy Eleven bench: Keith Cardona (GK), Daniel Keller, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Souleymane Youla

FC Edmonton (4-2-3-1): Matt VanOekel; Adamn Eckersley, Karsten Smith, Shawn Nicklaw, Allan Zebie (Johann Smith 80’); Nik Ledgerwood (capt), Shamit Stone; Jake Keegan (Gustavo Salgueiro 76’), Daryl Fordyce, Dustin Correa (Sainey Nyassi 71’); Tomi Ameobi United FC bench: Tyson Farago (GK)

Clint Dempsey satisfied with U.S. performance at Copa America

Clint Dempsey called the performance of the United States at last month’s Copa America Centenario “a great experience, something I’ll be able to tell my kids and grandkids about.”The U.S. reached the semifinals of the tournament before falling in the third-place game against Colombia 1-0.Prior to that, the U.S. won its group thanks to wins over Costa Rica and Paraguay, and defeated Ecuador in the quarterfinals before being soundly beaten 4-0 by Argentina in the semifinals.That Argentina match notwithstanding, Dempsey thought there were positives to be taken away from the Copa.”I thought it was a good tournament for us, to progress to the semifinals of a major competition,” Dempsey said in an exclusive interview ahead of the MLS All-Star Game on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).”Copa America is always important. I’m happy with that. But still, after the tournament, we were left wanting a little bit more.”Maybe you think you could have gotten third place in that last game against Colombia. You would have liked to have gotten third and hang your hat on that, but [I’m] proud of the performance of the team. I thought we did well.”After the U.S. fell to Colombia 2-0 in the opening game of the tournament, the hosts’ disappointing display resulted in some calls for Dempsey to be removed from the lineup. But the U.S. forward answered with a team-high three goals, scoring in each of the U.S. victories.Dempsey said the calls for him to sit were simply part of the life of being a professional soccer player. “I think you’re always under fire, whether it’s from the media or from the coaches,” he said. “You always have to perform, and if you don’t perform you’re out. You always have to have that kind of mentality being in the hot seat and trying to keep pushing.”Sometimes you’re able to figure things out, and sometimes you maybe struggle a little bit, but you’ve got to keep pushing, keep fighting. I’ve always had that mentality.”The U.S. now must find a way to carry that momentum into the last two games of the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying, but Dempsey says the national team’s sole focus is on the upcoming games against St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sept. 2, as well as and Tobago four days later.”We’ve got to look at these next two games,” he said. “You have to get results in these next two games. You can’t look past it. We have to get the right results against St. Vincent, against Trinidad if you we want to get to the hex. September is what it’s all about.”Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team

USWNT cruises past Costa Rica in final pre-Olympic warm up

Matt Reed Jul 22, 2016, 11:08 PM EDT

The U.S. Women’s National Team wasn’t really lacking confidence heading into Friday night’s clash with Costa Rica, but the squad’s utter dominance certainly didn’t hurt things as Jill Ellis’ group gets ready to head to Brazil for next month’s Olympic Games.The USWNT captured a 4-0 win against Costa Rica in the side’s final send-off match before the Olympics, extending the no. 1 ranked team in the world’s unbeaten streak to 15 matches.It only took a quarter of an hour the USWNT to find the lead, but it always looked like it was coming for Jill Ellis’ group. Meghan Klingenburg made a great run deep into the Costa Rica area, and played a perfect square pass across the face of goal for Crystal Dunn to give the U.S. the lead in the 15th minute.Mallory Pugh got her name on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute after making a brilliant darting run forward and beating the Costa Rican goalkeeper at the near post.The U.S. pushed their advantage to 3-0 on the stroke of halftime when Becky Sauerbrunn’s free kick was headed home by Carli Lloyd in first-half stoppage time.With a number of chances in the second half that didn’t take the right bounce for the USWNT, Christen Press made no mistake from close range in the 79th minute and gave the home nation a four-goal lead.Dunn continues to impress on the international stage, and nearly gave the U.S. an advantage after just seven minutes. The 24-year-old gathered the ball inside the penalty box before unleashing a strong effort that struck the crossbar and stayed out.The U.S. found another dangerous opportunity three minutes later, when Carli Lloyd was brought down from behind on the edge of the penalty area. Costa Rica defender Katherine Alvarado was shown a yellow card for the rash tackle, but the USWNT couldn’t make anything of the ensuing free kick.While Costa Rica put in a valiant effort against their competition, the Ticas were no match for the Americans, and failed to muster up any shots on target throughout the night. The 29th ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings struggled to move the ball past midfield for most of the outing largely due to the USWNT’s constant press.

US Womens Team

OLYMPIC ROOKIES READY FOR GOLDEN CHANCE IN BRAZIL

WNT Jul 25, 2016

When head coach Jill Ellis named her roster for the 2016 Olympic Games, there were many familiar names. The team assembled to travel to Brazil is an exciting mix of veterans and up-and-coming talents, but one roster note stands out: of the 18 players named to the team, 11 will be competing in their first Olympic Games.The group of Olympic rookies, featuring players with more than 50 caps down to those with just a few, includes: Morgan Brian, Crystal Dunn, Whitney Engen, Lindsey Horan, Julie Johnston, Meghan Klingenberg, Ali Krieger, Allie Long, Alyssa Naeher, Christen Press and Mallory Pugh.“Certainly going into the World Cup, we recognized we had more of a senior roster,” Ellis said in discussing the Olympic Team selection. “Now, it’s not just having your eye on the Olympics this summer, it’s having your eye on what’s beyond that. Getting younger players experience in this world event will help down the line. I think that’s part of what you have to do in this position is always plan to continue winning world championships. It’s a great infusion of new players – a slightly different style in terms of different players and pieces and putting it all together – and that’s actually been good. It’s refreshing, as a staff, to work with different faces and try to blend them.”Brian, Engen, Johnston, Klingenberg, Krieger, Naeher and Press were all part of the World Cup championship team in 2015, while Dunn, Horan, Long and Pugh will experience their first world championship at the senior level, although the quartet have each have represented the USA in a youth World Cup.“Myself and other older players do have some experience from last year’s World Cup, even if this is our first Olympic Games, so we can bring that to the table,” Naeher said. “Those that have been at the Olympics before will give support to us first timers and we can reciprocate by bringing what we learned during the World Cup experience to those who are experiencing their first world championship.”Krieger, who started every game at the 2015 Women’s World Cup at right back, was an alternate for the 2008 Olympic Team and was almost certain to make the 2012 squad when a devastating ACL injury dashed her dreams. Four years later, soon-to-be 32-year-old Krieger became the oldest first-time U.S. Women’s Soccer Olympian – a fact she embraces.“After three tries, it’s finally happened,” Krieger said. “I’ve waited for this my entire life and I’ve trained for it my entire life. You play to be able to compete at the highest level and you dream of this when you’re young, so making it a reality is amazing. Add to that, we are playing for ourselves and for Team USA so it’s inspiring to see so many athletes be a part of this. There’s extra motivation and extra support.”Four years ago, Klingenberg and Press were still trying to break into the team when they were named alternates for the 2012 Olympic squad. Klingenberg had just two caps at the time and Press had yet to debut.Now, after starting every match at the 2015 Women’s World Cup and playing the most minutes (384 out of 450) of any U.S. player in the Olympic Qualifying tournament, Klingenberg is a key cog on the back line. Press has an impressive strike rate, having scored 34 goals in 70 caps since debuting at the beginning of the 2013, including her first World Cup goal that came against Australia in the tournament opener last summer.“When Jill called me she said, ‘this call is a bit different than four years ago,’ and it was one of the best things,” Klingenberg said. “I was happy and proud in 2012 as an alternate but I wanted to be on the team and win a medal with my teammates and win a medal for the USA. So to be able to go to Brazil is special and I’m humbled and honored to represent it with this group of people. We have a great team with incredible people.”Dunn, who was among the final 25 players vying for 2015 Women’s World Cup spots before the roster was trimmed to the 23 that represented the USA in Canada, has become a valuable part of the U.S. attack, scoring 10 goals in 2016, behind only Alex Morgan’s 11. Horan, who came back to the U.S. this year after playing professional soccer in France with Paris Saint-Germain for more than three years, has developed into a strong presence as a holding midfielder, while her club teammate and fellow midfielder Allie Long made a return to the WNT scene in April and played her way into a spot on the Olympic Team.As for Pugh, the 18-year-old forward became the second youngest women’s soccer Olympian in U.S. history. She will be about a month older than Cindy Parlow was at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The selection put an exclamation point on an incredible debut year for Pugh, who has played in 14 of the USA’s 15 games so far in 2016 and has recorded seven assists, a team-leading mark, as well as scored three goals. “When [Jill Ellis] called, a bunch of emotions were going through my mind,” recalled Pugh, who is also the captain of the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team that will compete in the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Papua New Guinea later this fall. “I was a bit in shock because I know I’ve worked hard and it’s because of my teammates on the National Team, on the U-20s and back at home that have pushed me. I appreciate that from them and I wouldn’t be in the position I am in today without them. I thought, did that really just happen? Am I going to go to the Olympics? I will not only be with amazing athletes on my team but also on Team USA. It will be so cool to see so many different athletes, find out their journeys and be inspired by them.”To win the gold, teams will have to slog through six games in 16 days, including three group games in the span of a week. Among several other strong contenders to win the tournament, the USA is poised to make a strong run, one in which several first-time Olympians will no doubt play major roles should the Americans once again step to the top of the podium.The U.S. WNT will kick off Group G play at the 2016 Olympic Games against New Zealand in Belo Horizonte on Aug. 3 (6 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo). The team then remains in Belo Horizonte to face France on Aug. 6 (4 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo) before taking off to Manaus for its final Group G game vs. Colombia (6 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NBC Universo).

Bayern’s Julian Green encouraged by football’s growth in United States

Julian Green believes football is on the rise in the United States as he looks to raise the profile of the game even further while on tour there with Bayern Munich.Green, 21, is part of Bayern’s squad for a preseason tour of the U.S. and the USMNT international has said how impressed he is with how the sport is developing in his home country.”[It’s developing] very well indeed,” he said on Bayern’s official website. “Everyone saw the enthusiasm for soccer at the 2014 World Cup. It was unbelievable! And I have the impression it’s still developing.”The tour is certainly very special for me personally. I was born in the USA, my father lives here, and I play for the U.S. national team. The USA is my home, just as Germany is. I’m delighted to be here with Bayern.”Although the aim of the tour is to prepare Bayern for the 2016-17 season, Green expects to enjoy his time in familiar company. “The people are so relaxed,” he said.”They’re very warm and they’ll give us a tremendous reception. It’s easy to feel at home in the USA, and we’ll enjoy the next few days. We have a packed schedule but I think it’ll be a good tour. It’s a great country and we’re visiting fantastic cities. Everyone at Bayern can look forward to our stay here.”Being back in the United States will also give Green the chance to keep up with some of his other passions without having to stay up late.”I’m a big fan of Hockey in general and especially of my hometown team, Tampa Bay Lightning,” he said. “I try and watch as many of their games as possible, although the difference in time zones makes it difficult. I also follow the NBA and play a bit of basketball in my free time.”

ATP_Gen_350x250

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

7/22/16 Indy 11 Return Home Sat Night, ICC Starts with Man U drubbing, MLS NY Darby Sun 12:30 Fox, MLS All-Star Game vs Arsenal Thurs 7:30 on ESPN

July 22, 2016July 25, 2016 gatorbest

Ok so maybe the Summer of Soccer is still here – as the International Champions Cup takes center stage starting this weekend in the US and around the world over the next 2 weeks. The games are on the ESPN networks which should provide plenty of coverage and games within driving distance: Real vs PSG at Columbus, Bayern vs AC Milan in Chicago, Real vs Chelsea in Mich Stadium have a certain appeal as well. Now I like this tourney but remember this is pre-season on a summer with the Euros and COPA which will keep most of the real stars on these teams limited to a ½, if they play at all. Oops forgot the. US ladies play Costa Rica tonite 9 pm ESPN

Our Indy 11 finally had their NASL tying 13 game unbeaten streak broken at Minn 2-0 after some questionable home calls did the 11 in. They return to the Jake for FC Edmonton this Sat, July 23 7:30 pm (TV8)- make plans to support your 11 by buying tickets for Family night for as little as $11. Its also College Nite with $9 tix with College ID. Turning to MLS – I watched Seattle/Portland on Sunday and what an atmosphere at the Rose Pad at PP– the MLS defending champs appear to be turning the corner here near the All-Star Break with the impressive 3-1 win. Man my other team Seattle is just self destructing. Neat story on Matt Hedges former Carmel High star at Dallas. Coming this weekend – the NY Darby as NYCFC faces the NY Red Bulls 12:30 pm on FOX on Sunday followed by KC hosting Seattle 3 pm on ESPN, while Sat has the LA Galaxy hosting Portland on ESPN at 3:30 following the ICC Celtic vs Leicester City match at 12:30. The MLS All Star Game vs Arsenal is just a week away (July 28 7:30 ESPN).

Locally they are still taking signups for Carmel High Asst and Carmel FC coach Carla Baker (a former Iowa coach and former Canadian National Team GK) and her sister Former Pittsburgh Head Coach Sue-Moy Chin’s annual Post2Post Soccer field player camp – July 25-28 —9 am to 3 pm just $195 @ Badger Field. Finally –Carmel FC – Summer CFC Technical Training returns this week . If you are a goalkeeper – I am continuing my personal Monday night GK trainings July 18, 25, Aug 1 if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only

Indy 11

Gameday Preview vs FC Edmonton

Dual Roles – nice story on Players with Families

Vukovic on Week 3 Team of Week

3 things Indy’s loss to Min United.

Family Nite at the Mike Sat Night just $11

Tough own goal for Min United GK Sammy NdJock

Min United Goalie Own Goal – funny video

International Champions Cup

Dortmund thrashes Man U 4-1 in China

Unique challenge for Man City vs Man U in ICC Mon

Schedule on ESPN

What to Watch For in ICC video

Tix still available for Real vs PGS at Columbus, Bayern vs AC Milan in Chicago, Real vs Chelsea in Mich Stadium

ICC Website

MLS

Power Rankings

MLS Allstar Roster Announced

Not the Perfect Match – Kries and Orlando FC – Jeff Carlisle

Check this Tifo from Portlands Providence Park Sunday

NY Darby – NYCFC vs NY Red Bulls

Around MLS – Seattle Slumps, NYCFC finally loses

Should US Youth Clubs be Compensated?– Jeff Carlisle ESPNFC

A Mom’s Text supports Dallas and US Defender Matt Hedges – former Carmel High star

USA

Brad Guzan to Middlesbrough?

USMNT Golden Generation Has Passed – ESPNFC Noah Davis

US youngsters light up pre-season

US Players Hot List

Christen Press Role on US Ladies

World Leagues

Only way is down for Leicester – ESPNFC Tony Evans

Conte’s 5 point plan to get Chelsea on track – ESPNFC

5 things Pep Must do at Man City

See the Complete TV Schedule online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Fri, July 22

9 pm – ESPN , US ladies vs Costa Rica – last Olympic Send off Game

Sat, July 23

5 am – ESPN2 ICC Melborne vs Juve

12:30 pm ESPN ICC Celtic vs Leicester City

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy

7:30 pm Wish TV 8 Indy 11 vs Edmonton – @ H The Jake

Sunday, July 24:

12:30 p.m. (Fox,) New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC,

3:00 p.m. (ESPN,) Sporting Kansas City vs. Seattle Sounders,

5 pm ESPN ICC Inter vs PSG

Monday, July 25

5 AM ESPN 2 ICC Man City vs Man United China

Tuesday, July 26

5 AM ESPN3+ESPN desportes ICC Juventus vs Tottenham

Wed, July 27

Thur, July 28

7:30 a.m. ESPN3 ICC Borussia Dortmund vs Man City

(ESPN, UniMás) MLS All-Stars vs. Arsenal 7:30 p.m.

Sat, July 30

Indy 11@ Miami – 8 pm BeIn sports

Sun, July 31

1:00 p.m. Fox, Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers,
4:00 p.m. ESPN Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy,

Wed, Aug 3

ICC Barcelona vs. Leicester City, ICC 2:00 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
United States women vs. New Zealand women, Olympics group stage, 6:00 p.m. (TV NBC?)
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, International Champions Cup 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Chelsea vs. AC Milan, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Portland Timbers vs. CD Dragon, CONCACAF Champions League group stage, 10:00 p.m. (TV TBD)

Sat, Aug 6

12 noon ESPN ICC Liverpool vs Barcelona – Wembley

Sun, Aug 7

11 am ??? Community Shield Leicester City vs Man United

Sat, Aug 13 EPL Season Starts

7:30 a.m., CNBC:         Hull City vs. Leicester City
10:00 a.m., NBCSN    Everton vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough vs. Stoke City, Southampton vs. Watford
12:30 p.m., CNBC:     Manchester City vs. Sunderland

Sun, Aug 14

8:30 a.m., NBCSN: Bournemouth vs. Manchester United
11:00 a.m., NBCSN: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

EPL TV Schedule

Soccer Camps – Boys and Girls -Ages 6 – 14

Post2Post Soccer Camp
Carmel High Asst and Carmel FC coach Carla Baker (a former Iowa coach and former Canadian National Team GK) and her sister Former Pittsburgh Head Coach Sue-Moy Chin run their annual field player camp for players of all abilities July 25-28 —9 am to 3 pm $195 each @ Badger

Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only

==========================================================================

If you are a goalkeeper – I am doing my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25 + Aug 1.

U-9-U12 6 till 7 pm

U13 and above 7:00 – 8:15 pm

if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

==========================================================================

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

Congrats to 2 Indiana Teams in the National Championship Finals in Oklahoma.

Boilers FC Gold (IN) only needed one early goal to claim the Under-16 Boys National Presidents Cup title 1-0 over FSC Force (NC). The goal came from Mohamed Ayad in the ninth minute. The U16G Fort Wayne Sport Club 00G Strikers claimed second place in the National tournament and won the Fair Play award. Karmen Koch was named Most Outstanding Player and Koch, Jorden Habiby, Cali Geiger and Kayla Amidon were named to the Best 16 Team. Congrats to both Indiana teams – from Indiana Soccer.

Indy Eleven Gameday & Match Preview
Indy Eleven vs FC Edmonton Saturday, July 23, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. ET Carroll Stadium –

Indy Eleven:
2W-1D-1L, 7 pts., 3^rd in NASL Fall Season
6W-7D-1L, 25 pts., 2^nd in Combined Season

FC Edmonton:
2W-1D-0L, 7 pts., 4^th in NASL Fall Season
7W-3D-3L, 24 pts., 3^rd in Combined Season

Watch Live: Local: WISH-TV National: None Online: ESPN3.com

Indy Eleven’s Last Time Out – Minnesota United FC 2 : 0 Indy Eleven In the words of Indy Eleven Public Relations director John Koluder, “all good things must… yadda yadda yadda.” After matching the best ever NASL unbeaten streak in their 3-0 win over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Carroll Stadium, Indy Eleven suffered their first loss since October 2015 and the first of their 2016 NASL campaign away to Minnesota United FC.Christian Ramirez got in the scoresheet inside the opening three minutes from the penalty spot after Greg Janicki was judged to have brought down Danny Cruz in the box. After seeing his attempt saved by Eleven ‘keeper Jon Busch last weekend, Ramirez made sure to bury his redemptive chance to put the Loons ahead early. Things went from bad to worse for “Indiana’s Team” just three minutes later when outside midfielder Stefano Pinho bounced a cross into the area that Ramirez was there to finish off, securing his brace and further his side’s lead to two after seven minutes of play.One of the positives to come from Saturday’s loss, however, was the NASL debut of Mexico legend Gerardo Torrado as he replaced Nicki Paterson to see the field in the second half of action. Making an immediate impact, Torrado began moving the ball around the park and was helpful in his team’s attempt to claw back into the match, but the Eleven were unable to capitalize on any chances as the opportunity to set the unbeaten record slipped through their hands.

FC Edmonton’s Last Time Out – FC Edmonton 1 : 0 Ottawa Fury FC Quite the fight took place last Sunday when FC Edmonton welcomed fellow Canadian side Ottawa Fury FC in a 1 : 0 result that featured a lot more than just the one goal. Limited first half chances for both sides saw things scoreless at the break, but the second half featured plenty of action from the get-go. Featuring in the NASL Team of the Week for his performance, Eddies ‘keeper Matt VanOekel put in an excellent shift saving two battered efforts at his net inside just before the hour mark, but things looked to turn for the worse immediately afterwards. After receiving a yellow card earlier in the match, a strong challenge from Pape Diakite saw him sent off with a half hour to play, leaving newest signing Kartsen Smith to help clean up the back.Momentum shifted back the way of the hosts in the 82nd minute, though, when second half sub Sainey Nyassi drove up the pitch to swing in a low cross into the path of midfielder Nikolas Ledgerwood, who tapped home the first and only goal of the game to secure three points for the Eddies.

Who to Watch, Indy Eleven edition: MF Gerardo Torrado

After putting in a solid second half against MNU last weekend, midfielder Gerardo Torrado will likely see more of the pitch this Saturday night against FC Edmonton.A hard-nosed player who runs the center of the park, Torrado will be useful in distributing the ball as well as holding down the area just in front of a back four who were beaten twice for the first time since Minnesota United’s last visit to Carroll Stadium – a 4-2 win for the “Boys in Blue.” Though head coach Tim Hankinson has had a number of players at his disposal in the midfielder, it seems as if Torrado has impressed in his time with the club so far and may have earned a consistent place in the rotation depending on how “Coach Hank” wants to attack the Eddies in their return to Carroll Stadium. If Torrado is fit and ready to fire, expect to see him for at least the same amount of time on Saturday night, if not more than he featured against the Loons.
Who to Watch, FC Edmonton edition: MF Jake Keegan

While FC Edmonton have had a number of different goalscorers in the fall season, one man has stuck out as a consistent chance creator in the side: midfielder Jake Keegan. This is Keegan’s first year in NASL action as he signed with the Canadian side following a stint in the Irish league, but the New York native has already impressed tallying up four goals and one assist in 13 appearances. An attacking threat that moves in waves behind the strikeforce, Keegan will look to disrupt the area just in front of the defense and create chances in limited space.In his last visit to “The Mike,” Keegan was on the scoresheet in a one-all draw that saw FC Edmonton steal a point away from home. All signs will point to him being heavily involved in the action when the two meet again in the hot heat of Indianapolis.

Match-up to Mark: FW Eamon Zayed vs. GK Matt VanOekel

Though on a bit of a dry spell, forward Eamon Zayed still sits near the top of the league scoring charts and is confident he can fire home this weekend as “Indiana’s Team” looks to bounce back from their first loss of the year. However, in his way stands Eddies ‘netminder Matt VanOekel, who has impressed in the fall season with two clean sheets in three matches.Zayed has been working closely with his strike partner Justin Braun on how they can continue to link up and exploit space, something the tandem proved excellent at in the Spring Season as the Eleven were crowned champions. Now the battle becomes how the pair can stay similar in mindset but variable in attacking threat with forwards Jair Reinoso and Souleymane Youla looking to put their name on the scoresheet given the chance.There is no doubt Zayed wants to be back firing, and told IndyEleven.com’s Scott Stewart that as chances would come, he would be sure to finish.”As soon as the match finished in Minnesota, I couldn’t wait to get back on the pitch and fight again. We’ve been working, training really hard still, and don’t believe that we’ve been set back by our first loss. The extra work on the training ground, the extra work put in watching film, it all paid off in the spring and will continue to as the fall goes on. We’re confident and we can’t wait for Saturday night.”

THREE THINGS AT MNU

Thoughts following Indy’s first taste of defeat in 2016

1) “All good things must …” yadda yadda yadda

It had to come eventually, right? After 13 games over a three-and-a-half month span, the “Boys in Blue” finally got their first taste of NASL defeat. The fact that it happened on the road against a very good Minnesota side might not have been all that surprising, however, the manner in which it came likely caught the team a little off guard.Coach Tim Hankinson spoke in the days before the match about how United FC would likely come out of the gates hellbent to take the game to the Eleven, so the approach to the start of Saturday’s game was expected. However, the result was not – it’s not often that teams are punished that harshly for two defensive mistakes that quickly in a game. That’s exactly what happened though, and before you know it the Loons are up 2-0 and showing no signs of slowing.To Indy’s credit, as they have all season, the guys played to the end. For awhile there in the second half I’m sure I wasn’t the only one thinking, “You know, if they can just get that first one on the board …” Alas, the sharpness wasn’t there, and that “first one” would never come, despite the Eleven grabbing a hold of the game in the second half.Perhaps it was the miles logged over a long week that finally caught up to them, perhaps it was just their time to lose. At the end of the day, the opportunity lost to gain the top spot in both the Combined and Fall Season standings is what the squad will rue more than the snapping of an unbeaten streak that had to come … eventually.

2) “Torrado Warning”

As mentioned above, Indy managed to turn the run of play in its favor after halftime, and part of that success came through the introduction of Gerardo Torrado. The El Tri legend finally made his NASL debut with a 45-minute shift that should have fans of the “Boys in Blue” downright giddy, and a look at the Opta Stats chalkboard bears out why:

1) Torrado finished with 26 of 29 passes completed on his 36 touches (passing chart to the right). Sure, maybe that level of precision is expected from a traditional “number 5” who’s entrusted to make the “smart pass,” except for the fact that …

2) 23 of his 29 passes were attempted in the attacking half of the field, including three “key passes” that contributed to his four chances created – IN JUST 45 MINUTES. Some of that (or maybe a lot of it) can be chalked up to the duel circumstances of the team being in a “goal-hunting” position on the scoreboard and Minnesota essentially conceding possession to the visitors, but the team was also in that position for the last 39 minutes of the first half as well, when only two key chances were created in comparison to 12 in the second half.

3) Torrado’s average position was roughly 15 yards more up the field than the man he replaced, Nicki Paterson, and another five past fellow central midfielder Brad Ring (don’t believe it … look below). While that likely won’t be the “new norm” for the Indy Eleven midfield (make no mistake, Torrado wasn’t brought in to be a traditional playmaker) it could provide a look into how Hankinson might – or at least can – use El Borrago when he’s inserted into the starting lineup, which one would expect to happen this Saturday against FC Edmonton.

3) Do the Loons Have Our Number? Not So Fast …

With Indiana’s Team taking the season series two wins to one it’s hard to say Minnesota indeed “has Indy’s number” … but the number two is indeed meaningful, as the Loons are the only team to score multiple goals on the “Boys in Blue” in 2016. Minnesota – which indeed possesses the highest-scoring attack in the NASL – twice in three meetings put two on the scoreboard against Indy Eleven, but only once was it enough to result in defeat.When it comes to who Indy Eleven might host in the playoffs, Minnesota could very well be high on that list … if they aren’t hosting a game themselves as the potential Fall Season champion, that is. What is for certain is that these two Midwestern (or close enough) squads have built up a certain amount of contempt for each other in three somewhat chippy games, and that might only get magnified should a meeting in the postseason come to pass.

So Where Does Indy Stand?

Fall Season: 2W-1D-1L, 7 pts., 3^rd place

With New York falling hard on the road at Rayo OKC, the “Boys in Blue” stayed within two points of the front-running Cosmos while falling just one place on the table, being lapped by Rayo, which has gone undefeated in its first four Fall affairs.

Combined Season: 6W-7D-1L, 25 pts., 2^nd place

Again, Indy Eleven sits just two points behind the first-place Cosmos, but no one stands between the “Boys in Blue” and New York on this table.

What’s On Tap?

A hard-charging FC Edmonton side (7-3-3, 24 pts. in Combined Season; 2-1-0, 7 pts. in Fall) comes to the Circle City this Saturday on Family Night, presented by McDonald’s (7:30 p.m. ET, live on WISH-TV, ESPN3.com & Exitos Radio 1590 AM). Edmonton currently sits just one point behind Indy Eleven in the Combined Season standings, making a return to the win column for Indy important in order to gain a little breathing room on another contender for the Fall Season (and therefore a threat to the #1 seed in The Championship).

MLS All-Stars will take on Arsenal at 7:30 PM ET Thur-July 28. ESPN, UniMás, TSN or RDS. More information

All-Star Team

#	GK	BINGHAM, David	San Jose Earthquakes
#	GK	BLAKE, Andre*	Philadelphia Union
#	D	BESLER, Matt*	Sporting KC
#	D	BIRNBAUM, Steve	D.C. United
#	D	CIMAN, Laurent*	Montreal Impact
#	D	FARRELL, Andrew	New England Revolution
#	D	RIDGEWELL, Liam	Portland Timbers
#	D	ROSENBERRY, Keegan*	Philadelphia Union
#	D	VINCENT, Brandon	Chicago Fire
#	D	WASTON, Kendall	Vancouver Whitecaps
#	M	BECKERMAN, Kyle**	Real Salt Lake
#	M	DIAZ, Mauro**	FC Dallas
#	M	DOS SANTOS, Giovani*	LA Galaxy
#	M	JONES, Jermaine	Colorado Rapids
#	M	KAKÁ*	Orlando City SC
#	M	KLJESTAN, Sacha	NY Red Bulls
#	M	NAGBE, Darlington*	Portland Timbers
#	M	PIRLO, Andrea*	New York City FC
#	M	TRAPP, Wil	Columbus Crew SC
#	F	DEMPSEY, Clint*	Seattle Sounders
#	F	DROGBA, Didier*	Montreal Impact
#	F	GIOVINCO, Sebastian*	Toronto FC
#	F	LARIN, Cyle	Orlando City SC
#	F	PIATTI, Ignacio	Montreal Impact
#	F	VILLA, David*	New York City FC
#	F	WONDOLOWSKI, Chris	San Jose Earthquakes

HEAD COACH: Dominic Kinnear (San Jose Earthquakes)

Colorado Rapids retake top spot in Power Rankings after Dallas slips up

Thanks to a big defeat for last week’s number one, the Colorado Rapids climb back to the top of the Power Rankings, while a pair of Eastern Conference teams make big jumps.

Colorado Rapids(+1)
The league’s longest unbeaten streak rolls on followingColorado’s 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City. It’s almost as if winning is a habit the Rapids have just fallen into, especially at home, where the Rapids have dropped just four points all year.
FC Dallas(-1)
Oscar Pareja chose to rest a number of key players in Seattle on Thursday and suffered a humiliating 5-0 loss. The weekendwin over Chicago helped salvage the week as the first team romped 3-1.
LA Galaxy(+1)
Back-to-back 1-0 wins are hardly attractive enough to make anyone take notice, but if L.A. strings together enough of them, everyone certainly will. That would suit Bruce Arena just fine.
Portland Timbers(+1)
The champs scored a blow in the great battle for Cascadian supremacy with a 3-1 win over Seattle on Sunday. More importantly, they got Diego Valeri back at his full powers, as evidenced by his two-goal outing.
New York City FC(+3)
The 3-1 loss in Kansas City a week ago proved to be nothing more than a blip. In Montreal on Sunday, the new three-headed monster of David Villa, Frank Lampard and Jack Harrison all scored again, with Harrison’s the pick of the bunch, in a 3-1 victory over the Impact.
Montreal Impact(-3)
Montreal’s loss to NYCFC was a hit to their standing in the East, but more pointedly, it was another reminder that — at least in recent months — they’ve been more productive withoutDidier Drogba in the lineup.
Philadelphia Union(+3)
The Union rose to the occasion with an excellent second half against the Red Bulls to salvage a 2-2 draw on Sunday, a trait that proves this is a different Philadelphia team than we’ve seen in recent years.
New York Red Bulls(-2)
They’ll be disappointed to draw after taking a lead in Philadelphia, but the Red Bulls do have another two goals from set pieces to add to their incredible total in 2016.
Sporting Kansas City(-2)
No one wins at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, so it’s tough to hold a road loss to the Rapids against Peter Vermes and his team. Still, a giving the ball away so close to goal is something good teams can’t — and don’t — do.
San Jose Earthquakes(+2)
The Quakes really were holding on for dear life after losing Anibal Godoy and Alberto Quintero when Simon Dawkins popped up with a winner in the 2-1 victory over Toronto. Goonies never say die.
Toronto FC(-2)
There are no excuses for a team to lose a game in which they held a two-man advantage. Manager Greg Vanney is going to spend the week facing some pretty uncomfortable questions.
Real Salt Lake(-1)
Real Salt Lake have just three points from the past five matches, and it’s starting to do damage to the club’s standing in the Western Conference. A flat attack isn’t helping.
Vancouver Whitecaps(no change)
The Whitecaps miss Kekuta Manneh, but it’s the defense that let them down at home in a 2-2 draw with Orlando City. The normally good David Ousted let in a soft goal that undid Vancouver.
New England Revolution(no change)
The way things are going for the Revs, a road point is a good result, even if it came with no goals. Defensive issues have plagued them, so perhaps they can build on the 0-0 draw in Salt Lake City.
D.C. United(+2)
D.C. benefited from a questionable red card and came out of Columbus with a 1-1 draw, though they’ll choose to focus on Fabian Espindola’s getting a goal and Lloyd Sam’s making his United debut.
Orlando City SC(-1)
Cyle Larin isn’t scoring at the blistering pace he did in 2015, but the Canadian striker is on the verge of double digit goals for a second straight year.
Seattle Sounders(+2)
There’s nothing like a decisive loss to a rival to undo any good feelings. The Sounders desperately needed the big 5-0 win over FC Dallas in midweek, but they also needed to back it up with a good performance against the Timbers — and they didn’t.
Houston Dynamo(-1)
With the season likely lost, the Dynamo can take positives from playing the Galaxy to statistical stalemate at the StubHub Center over 90 minutes despite being on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline.
Chicago Fire(-1)
Last weekend’s sign of life, a home win over Sporting KC, gave way to the reality of the Fire’s situation in the form of a 3-1 road loss to FC Dallas. That’s now 26 games without a road win for Chicago.
Columbus Crew SC(no change)
Ola Kamara scored, but Columbus couldn’t figure out a way to make it stand up for a win … again. Time is slipping away quickly from Gregg Berhalter and his team.Jason Davis

Jason Kreis taking over at Orlando City has makings of an imperfect marriage

Jason Kreis is back working in MLS, having been named as the new coach of Orlando City SC on Tuesday. The surroundings will no doubt look different from his previous stint with New York City FC. Orlando is a long way from New York in all manner of ways, from geography to the vibe of each city.But when it comes to Kreis’ new and old clubs, there are an uncomfortable number of similarities. It leads one to wonder whether he has exchanged one bad situation for another. Both organizations are headed by ambitious owners who want considerable sway over personnel decisions. That in and of itself is no crime. In fact, in many ways it’s a positive, so long as their philosophy matches that of the manager they hire.That certainly wasn’t the case for Kreis when he was in New York. Owners City Football Group opted for big, splashy signings like David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard, regardless of whether they happened to fit with what the team needed. Kreis wanted to duplicate the clearly proven blueprint that worked for him when he was in charge of Real Salt Lake. It was that clash of styles, in addition to the less-than-stellar results on the field, that led to Kreis’ firing at the conclusion of last season.That’s why this seems like such an imperfect marriage. The Lions have spent much of the past nine months thrashing about in a way that goes well beyond the performances on the field. Former GM Paul McDonough did a credible job building the roster for its expansion season, and Orlando came within five points of making the playoffs. Then owner Flavio Augusto da Silva decided to bring in former Benfica executive Armando Carneiro to oversee all things soccer. Since McDonough’s authority was fatally undermined, he resigned and popped up at Atlanta United. Then, in a stunning turn of events, Carneiro soon followed McDonough out the door, with founder and minority owner Phil Rawlins taking over the GM duties.Former coach Adrian Heath insisted during the preseason that the crisis had been averted, but the subsequent acquisitions were of the head-scratching variety. Antonio Nocerino was the most egregious example; he’s a savvy veteran, but he no longer possesses the mobility needed to be effective in MLS.Of course, when a season goes bad, there is always a question of who bears more of the responsibility: Is it the head coach or the GM? The coach will say, “I did the best I could with what was given me.” The GM insists, “I went out and got the players the coach wanted.” When the ship is sinking, there is usually just one life jacket to go around between those two individuals, with the GM, typically, having one hand on it already. It seemed a matter of time until Heath was finally cut loose, and while the timing of it was something of a surprise, the outcome wasn’t.It is into this organizational morass that Kreis is wading, and given the club’s penchant for big names like Kaka and Julio Baptista, it’s difficult to see how much his situation has changed for the better. Without question, Kreis is a smart coach whose experience in New York will serve him well. It’s certain he will have insisted on being given the requisite control that he lacked in his previous head-coaching job. But promises are one thing, reality is another. When a Nocerino is pushed on him, will management listen when he says no? Or will he once again be forced to make do with a roster not of his making?The onus isn’t just on Kreis. Orlando’s management will need to learn some lessons as well.Would Kreis have been better off waiting for a different opportunity? There are bound to be some positions opening up at the end of the season. Given the struggles that the Seattle Sounders are going through at the moment, it’s possible Kreis might have linked up with old boss Garth Lagerwey. But the number of MLS managerial opportunities remain few, and it’s impossible to predict when the perfect job will become available. Wait too long, and you run the risk of being forgotten.While Kreis was viewed largely as having been done wrong by New York City FC, his reputation still took a hit. He can’t afford to fail again.Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @JeffreyCarlisle.

Middlesbrough keen to sign Brad Guzan from Aston Villa – sources

Middlesbrough are in talks to sign U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan from Aston Villa, sources close to the North East club have told ESPN FC.Guzan’s future at Villa has been in doubt since the club’s relegation and the Championship club are willing to let him move on as they look to trim their wage bill.The 31-year-old came in for criticism from some fans last season as Villa struggled and he lost his place in the starting XI to Mark Bunn for the final few weeks of 2015-16.The recent arrival of goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini from Hellas Verona has raised further questions over Guzan’s future at Villa Park with the Italian expected to be No. 1 under Roberto Di Matteo next season.<Middlesbrough have already signed former Barcelona and Manchester United goalkeeper Victor Valdes this summer and they want to bring in Guzan to provide cover and competition for the Spaniard as they prepare for life back in the Premier League.Guzan was first-choice keeper for United States during this summer’s Copa America as they reached the semifinals and he is keen on staying in the Premier League.The shot-stopper, who joined Villa from Chivas in 2008, has made over 150 appearances for the club and Villa are prepared to let him leave on a free transfer to speed uphis departure with the player entering the final year of his contract.]

USMNT ‘golden generation’ with Donovan, Dempsey has already passed

Fans of the United States men’s national team spend a lot of time waiting for talent to arrive. There’s a sense that the American program should be better, that the skill level should improve over time — and it has. The first 35 athletes in the player pool are better overall than they were 20 years ago.While there are multiple, overlapping reasons for this improvement — including a focus on youth development, the growth of Major League Soccer, recruitment of dual nationals, and more money in the game — there’s no doubt that American soccer is growing stronger. What’s missing, however, is an evolutionary leap forward, an influx of talent that resets expectations rather than simply continuing the upward trajectory.What’s missing is the U.S.’s Golden Generation.Golden generations become legendary and secure their places in history; think of the Netherlands in the 1970s, with Johan Cruyff, Piet Keizer, Willem van Hanegem, Johnny Rep, Ruud Krol and Johan Neeskens. Or the potent Colombian crew from the late 1980s and early 1990s that featured Carlos Valderrama, Rene Higuita, Leonel Alvarez, Faustino Asprilla, Freddy Rincon and Adolfo Valencia.England had one in the 2000s with David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, as did Spain from 2008 to 2016: Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol. Belgium currently has one of its own with Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke and Vincent Kompany, among others.It appears that every country gets a golden generation eventually. So why not the U.S.?Well, the reality is that the U.S.’s time has already come and, mostly, gone.In the 18 months between Nov. 3, 1981, and March 9, 1983, Jermaine Jones, Landon Donovan, Kyle Beckerman, DaMarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey were born. That quintet includes arguably the best American player ever (Donovan) and the team’s most dangerous goal scorer (Dempsey), along with Beasley, the only American male to play in four World Cups. Beckerman, for his part, is a vital man in coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s mind with a decorated club career, while Jones is a midfield mainstay.Donovan and Dempsey are two of the U.S.’s all-time Best XI and Beasley is in the top 20. That’s a pretty good year-and-a-half period, significantly better than what we’ve seen elsewhere, especially if you add in auxiliary talent like Herculez Gomez, Oguchi Onyewu and Ricardo Clark, who was born one day after Dempsey.Consider a few alternatives. The closest comparison is probably the generation that precedes this group, which includes the likes of Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Bocanegra, Pablo Mastroeni and Josh Wolff, along with injury-prone Cory Gibbs and John O’Brien. These players achieved some success, but their individual accomplishments don’t rise to the level of Donovan or Dempsey. Additionally, Donovan and Beasley played major roles in the team’s biggest achievement, the 2002 World Cup run. The current generation — led by Michael Bradley, Alejandro Bedoya, Brad Guzan and Fabian Johnson — hasn’t gotten close, either.There are a few issues with this golden generation thesis. For one, Jones developed completely outside of the U.S. system in Germany and didn’t join the American squad until 2010. However, it is worth noting that it is not unusual for a player to grow up in one country and play for another in the current international soccer landscape; just because Jones came of age in Germany doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be counted as part of the American generation. The same goes for Johnson.Furthermore, Jones, Donovan, Beckerman, Beasley and Dempsey never played a major tournament together; Jones was injured and Beckerman was absent during the 2010 World Cup, while Donovan was left off the 2014 roster. While we’ll never know how (if at all) Donovan’s inclusion would have impacted the proceedings at the 2014 World Cup, it’s hard to argue that he wouldn’t have made a positive contribution, one that would have bolstered the legacy of his generation. Remember, too, that Jones was one of the U.S.’s best players in Brazil. Imagine what could have been if he recovered in time to reach South Africa.ESPN FC asked American soccer expert Brian Sciaretta about this theory. He didn’t agree.To me, a golden generation is one that is completely unparalleled and I don’t really think that Donovan, Beasley and Dempsey rise quite to that level,” he said. “That is also probably a good thing. You want a steady pipeline of players, not something that can come across as a fluke.”But that’s the point: The pipeline exists, but it’s failing to churn out better players. As good as the Bradley, Bedoya, Guzan and Johnson generation has been, it hasn’t touched the one that came before it. The following one has been worse.There’s a perception that the American soccer program, one of the richest in the world, should produce talents like Donovan and Dempsey with more regularity, churning out a steady flow of very good players. But the fact is that it doesn’t. This causes frustration for supporters, media and Klinsmann.”I’m not sure why it seems that some Americans with talent sometimes reach a certain level in soccer and then settle with that instead of pushing themselves to the next level,” the head coach said during an interview last week. He went further a bit later, saying: “You need talent but also to be extremely hungry and driven — driven by the people around you who keep pushing you — and it doesn’t help to be surrounded by people who compliment you every day and give you pats on the back.”There’s truth in Klinsmann’s comment. But at the same time, what if Donovan, Dempsey and Beasley led a generation that truly was an aberration, one that was the exception rather than the rule? It’s not a stretch to think that’s the case.If you accept that premise, you come to a disturbing conclusion: While we sat around waiting for the breakthrough, we were actually watching the revolution. And the next one might be further away than we expect.Noah Davis is a Brooklyn-based correspondent for ESPN FC and deputy editor at American Soccer Now.

U.S.’s Besler, Diskerud, Yedlin cooling down while young players impress

With Liga MX back in action as of last weekend and MLS rounding into midseason form, it’s time to bring back the U.S. national team Hot List.

Who cares if most European leagues are still weeks away from kicking off the 2016-17 campaign? With World Cup qualifying set to resume in September and a gaggle of youngsters hoping to break into Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad between now and Russia 2018, there’s plenty to talk about already. Here are nine players who are trending up or down during the dog days of summer.

Warming up

Kellyn Acosta, DF/MF, FC Dallas (MLS)

Why he’s here: After being in and out of Oscar Pareja’s lineup at the beginning of the season, Acosta has started seven of FCD’s last eight matches in central midfield, including the club’s four recent wins.

What this means: The versatile 20-year-old played left-back during his two U.S. appearances, both of which came earlier this year. But with veteran Kyle Beckerman’s decorated national team career ending, Acosta’s maturing game in central midfield could put him in contention for a holding role for the Americans.

Terrence Boyd, FW, RB Leipzig (Germany)

Why he’s here: Now finally recovered from the knee ligament injury he suffered in late 2014, the 25-year-old striker had a goal and an assist in his first match in 19 months, albeit a preseason friendly.

What this means: It’s early yet, but regular playing time in the Bundesliga — Leipzig clinched promotion from the second tier in Boyd’s absence — could quickly vault the German-American back into the national team picture.

Greg Garza, DF, Tijuana (Mexico)

Why he’s here: The hard-tackling left-back missed nine months following hip surgery, but he returned to the Xolos starting lineup for last week’s Apertura opener.

What this means: Garza played well in the 2-0 win against Morelia, and nearly scored on a long-range shot. With the left-back position wide open for the U.S., look for the Texan — still just 24 and already capped nine times by Klinsmann — to be recalled as soon as September if he continues to impress in Liga MX.

Julian Green, MF/FW, Bayern Munich (Germany)

Why he’s here: The 2014 World Cup veteran started in Bayern’s first game of the preseason and impressed, scoring once and setting up another goal.

What this means: After just one senior appearance for Bayern in 2015-16, a good first impression on new coach Carlo Ancelotti can’t hurt the 21-year-old’s chances of seeing more minutes — especially with Arjen Robben sidelined for the start of the season.

Perry Kitchen, MF, Heart of Midlothian (Scotland)

Why he’s here: Fresh off Copa America Centenario duty with the U.S., the former D.C. United destroyer jumped right into Europa League qualifying with Hearts.

What this means: If the half season he spent in Scotland raised his game, making Europe’s second-tier club competition would provide Kitchen, 24, with even more valuable experience and eventually help him assume a bigger role with the national team.

Keegan Rosenberry, DF, Philadelphia Union (MLS)

Why he’s here: The rookie right back was recently named an MLS All-Star starter following an impressive start to his professional career.

What this means: While there might be fewer depth issues at right-back than on the left, Rosenberry’s emergence has him on Klinsmann’s radar; he trained with the U.S. last month after the national team played a Copa match in Philly.

Cooling down

Matt Besler, DF, Sporting Kansas City (MLS)

Why he’s here: Besler started two games and played well en route to the Americans’ fourth place Copa finish and was also named an MLS All-Star. But the SKC captain has been an unused sub in two of his club’s last three games, including last week’s 1-0 loss at Colorado Rapids.

What this means: Strange as it was to see a healthy Besler on the bench,Sporting coach Peter Vermes insisted that he was merely sticking with a lineup that had played well in the vet’s absence. It will be interesting to see if the 29-year-old is back in central defense for Sunday’s contest against the Seattle Sounders (3 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Mix Diskerud, MF, New York City FC (MLS)

Why he’s here: Not only has Diskerud not played in NYCFC’s last six games, he hasn’t even been in uniform. The former U.S. regular’s most recent appearance was in a U.S. Open Cup loss to second-tier New York Cosmos on June 18.

What this means: It won’t be easy for Diskerud to break back into Patrick Vieira’s team, not with City sitting atop the Eastern Conference. But the Norwegian-American’s relatively high salary makes him difficult to trade. As such, don’t expect him to add to his 38 U.S. caps anytime soon.

DeAndre Yedlin, DF, Tottenham Hotspur (England)

Why he’s here: Yedlin is here through no fault of his own, really; his immediate future could hinge on whether or not Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce stays with the Black Cats or becomes England’s next manager instead.

What this means: Yedlin helped Sunderland avoid relegation while on loan from Spurs, but a permanent move north is less likely if Allardyce leaves. That said, the 23-year-old proved he can play in the Premier League last season, and other suitors will be on notice if he’s not going to be a regular with Tottenham. Doug McIntyre is a staff writer for ESPN T

DUAL ROLES-Indy 11

Trio of “Boys in Blue” touch on juggling pro career and fatherhood

Jul 20, 2016 By:Scott Stewart
Being a professional soccer player with Indy Eleven is no walk in the park. With training at least five days a week, gym workouts, and just taking great care of the body in general on top of a game – or two – every week, there is a lot on your plate.When you add fatherhood to the spectrum, things only pick up. But for defender Greg Janicki, midfielders Brad Ring and Nicki Paterson, and even head coach Tim Hankinson, it’s all part of the process.“When people used to talk about kids you kind of would shrug it off and say whatever, but then you have a kid of your own and the little things are so cool,” explained Janicki. “Everything is something new for them. It’s just awesome seeing them grow.”The 32-year-old defender now has two children – Adrian (two years and three months old) and Will (five months old), and feels the weight of fatherhood more than ever.“It’s a lot of work, don’t get me wrong. As a soccer player you need your rest and stuff and you don’t get that as much as you would like anymore. But, at the same time it helps take your mind off of things pretty easily if you have a bad day or a bad game or something like that,” remarked the recent birthday boy.Midfielder Brad Ring also joins Janicki in the column of two-time fathers. As a typical veteran might do on the field, Ring best explained the new challenges he and his wife are beginning to face with a pair of youngsters in the household tactically.“Two is definitely harder than one in my opinion. With one, you trade off shifts with your wife and share responsibility. With two, you are shifting the focus back to two vs. two and go ‘man-on-man’ as opposed to being able to tag team. We’re still in the hard newborn phase, but give it a couple of months and it will all pick up,” said Ring.While Paterson considers himself in the younger veteran category on the pitch, he’s a rookie as a father – but states that he couldn’t be happier to be alongside his wife on this journey.“Just seeing your son’s smile on his face when he sees you in the morning, or wakes up from a nap – it’s probably my favorite part. I have to give a huge shout out to my wife though, because moving to a different country we don’t have the support system that some of the other guys do and I know that can be difficult,” said Paterson.“She deserves so much credit, so when I’m able to I repay her however I can.”The sentiment of crediting their wives, while different for Janicki, was also echoed by the defender.“Some nights when she works at midnight and I have the kids to myself it can be difficult. But, she makes incredible sacrifices for me so I see that I do what I can to repay that. It’s all part of the process,” said Janicki.Unsurprisingly, it is no different for Brad Ring and his wife and fellow Indiana University alumna, Juli.

“One of the hardest things is the away games. You feel a bit guilty leaving your wife with more responsibility. You try and make up for it when you’re back which makes Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday harder, but it is what it is and you push through it. (Juli) deserves more than I can put into words,” said Ring.From a coaching standpoint, the demands are just the same if not increased. Head coach Tim Hankinson has been with his wife, Yvette, for years, enough to have five children between the two of them – but the price he paid was not a simple one. Days away became months away, but it’s a sacrifice he knew was necessary at this level.“It grounds me to be a father and husband. Coaching has taken me around the world, but a lot of the time you aren’t able to spend full-time with your family,” lamented Coach ‘Hank.” Going to India, I saw my sons for just a couple of weeks over a nine-month period. In Jamaica, I saw my family only one time for a long weekend.“These stints can take you away for periods at a time and you can’t uproot your family and turn their lives upside down, so you communicate with Skype and WhatsApp and remind yourself that you’re connected and you’ll be together soon.”With grown children, the difficulties that are present for Coach Hankinson are far different than the three of Janicki, Ring, and Paterson, who all have newborns to take care of.“Right now the challenges revolve around just waking up at night. In those first few months getting them to sleep through the night is tougher. He gets up around 3 AM and 6 AM and me and my wife switch off and do one shift every night, so that presents its challenges,” Janicki said. “You just have to plan your day around things and make sure he’s fed and got enough sleep so everyone is happy and the day goes easier.”“You can’t look too far into the future on the soccer front, but ‘Family Greg’ is just trying to keep the kids happy (laughs). We might have another one at some point – my wife wants four – but keeping everyone together and happy is a daily chore that I look forward to in the immediate,” said Janicki.

Nicki Paterson is on the same page.

“He’s a newborn and there’s a lot to take care of. When I have to practice for three or four hours a day, I want to give my wife a break when I come back. I won’t see there isn’t a lot to handle, though. He’s constantly growing and becoming more mobile, so I see a lot more time on the ground than I used to!”For fellow midfielder Brad Ring, logging mileage is already part of the process.“Before kids … you might get to go home and play video games, maybe watch a movie, or just kind of hang out and keep things low-key, but my two-year-old wants to go out and play soccer, he wants to go to the park and to splash zone or the pool. It’s just a lot more time on your feet playing entertainer,” said Ring.While sleep may be missed on a daily basis and road trips keep players away for stretches at a time, rather than dwell on those moments these Indy Eleven dads have gained a new perspective on how important it is to live in the here and now and enjoy every new moment for their families.“With soccer you never know how long you have in the game. I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity and was happy I was able to do so, but now I love ‘dad mode,’” beamed Ring. “Having my two-year-old experience everything is awesome – he talks about everything. After the last home game when the BYB guys set off some smoke, he wouldn’t stop talking about it. The entire car ride and even after we got home was just, “Lincoln score goal and they blew smoke!’ It’s great for me and it’s leaving a lasting impression as well.”

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7/15/16 COPA Better than Euros?, Indy 11 – 13 straight Unbeaten, US Lady Olympic Team Announced, Seattle vs Portland Sun 2:30 on Fox

July 15, 2016July 15, 2016 gatorbest

So the summer of Soccer with COPA America 100, and the EUROs is over. I for one would argue that the COPA America was actually a better and more entertaining tournament what are your thoughts? Maybe because it was in the US – and the games were on at night with US announcers doing the games – but in the end I enjoyed the COPA games better and honestly at least from the Elite 8 on – the better games were in the COPA. Now while I thought the COPA was better – lets not pretend that Fox Sports covers soccer or any sport better than ESPN. One can argue about the use of American vs English announcers and color commentators – but seriously ESPN’s coverage half a world away blew Fox Sports coverage away. From the live broadcast on site, to the live announcers doing the games, to the ridiculous decision by Fox that they wouldn’t show the US game vs Argentina or any other US soccer game on the main Fox Network. Seriously – despite the additions of some solid announcers and studio folks at Fox Sports – the folks in charge are still light years behind ESPN in production and presentation. I sure do hope they get their shit together as they are carrying the World Cup in 2 years.

As the summer of soccer winds down – MLS and NASL soccer take over the landscape. Our Indy 11 survived the stormy weather and a 3 hour delay Wednesday night and pasted a 3-0 beatdown on the Ft. Lauderdale strikers. On the way they tied the NASL record for 13 games without a lost. It is on to Minnesota United this Sat night on beIN sport before returning to the Jake for FC Edmonton on Sat, July 23 7:30 pm – make plans to support your 11 by buying tickets for Family night for as little as $11. Turning to MLS – huge feature game this Soccer Sunday – as the US Top soccer rivalries – THE CASCADIA CUP gets under way as defending MLS Champs Portland face the struggling Seattle Sounders Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm on FOX. Later that day 5 pm on ESPN – #3 Montreal faces NYCFC as former Chelsea stars Drogba and Frank Lampard meet for the 1^st time in the US. Locally there is still time to get your kid signed up for Carmel High Asst and Carmel FC coach Carla Baker (a former Iowa coach and former Canadian National Team GK) and her sister Former Pittsburgh Head Coach Sue-Moy Chin’s annual Post2Post Soccer field player camp – July 25-28 —9 am to 3 pm just $195 @ Badger Field. Finally –Carmel FC – Summer CFC Technical Training continues in July. If you are a goalkeeper – I am beginning my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18, 25, Aug 1 if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

Indy 11

Highlights of the Late Late Game

3 things Indy 11 win over Strikers

Indy 11 Tie Record – Indy Star

Indy 11 – Game Recap

Delays can’t stop the 11 – Flyergroup

MLS

Power Rankings MLS

Cascadia Cup Showdown Seattle at Portland

Dempsey to miss game with Red Card

Seattle v Portland vs Vancouver Facts

US LADIES

US Ladies Olympic Team Announced

What you Need to Know as ladies set for Olympics

Hope Solo 100^th Shutout Video

Cool US Women’s Video

US Ladies Beat South Africa 1-0

3 things we learned in US Win

USA Men

US Men rise to #25

Copa America – Post Mortem – US Players Ratings & Review

It could be USA vs Mexico Nov 1 in Columbus if US wins their Group

Dempsey Talks Youth Development in the US with Colin Cowerd

What Now – Darlington Nagbe

What Now – Graham Zusi

What Now Michael Bradley

What Now DeAndre Yedlin

COPA 100 vs EUROs

Ronaldo and Messi show national pride different results though

Euro 2016 Review – 24 thoughts Marcotti

Euro 2016 Best and Worst Moments ESPNFC

Euro 2016 Worse in Years – Chris Jones ESPNFC

Copa Highs and Lows

Copa America 100’s Legacy –the Goalkeeper

COPA 100 Pays off Bigtime for –the Goalkeeper

World Leagues

Daily Around the World of Football – ESPNFC

Chelsea after Leicesters Kante

Summer Preview how is your club doing?

Most Wanted Players

Why Leicester Should Have let Vardy Leave

Mourinho’s Squad delimas at United Richard Jolly ESPNFC

See the Complete TV Schedule online www.theoleballcoach.com –

Wednesday, July 13

Indy 11 vs Ft Lauderdale – @ H The Jake – 7:30 pm Wish TV 8, BeIn Sports

Saturday, July 16

Indy 11 @ Minn – 8 pm BeIn Sports

Sunday, July 17:

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders, 2:30 p.m. (Fox,)
Montréal Impact vs. New York City FC, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN,)
Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Fri, July 22

8 am – ESPN 3 Man U vs Borussia Dortmund

Sat, July 23

5 am – ?? ICC Melborne vs Juve

12:30 pm ESPN ICC Celtic vs Leicester City

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy,

7:30 pm Wish TV 8 Indy 11 vs Edmonton – @ H The Jake

Sunday, July 24:

12:30 p.m. (Fox,) New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC,

3:00 p.m. (ESPN,) Sporting Kansas City vs. Seattle Sounders,

5 pm ESPN ICC Inter vs PSG

Wed, July 27

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2        ICC Real Madrid vs. Paris Saint-Germain,
9:30 p.m. (ESPN2,       ICC Bayern Munich vs. AC Milan,
11:30 p.m. (ESPN,       ICC Liverpool vs. Chelsea,

Thur, July 28

(ESPN, UniMás) MLS All-Stars vs. Arsenal 7:30 p.m.

Sat, July 30

1:00 p.m. (ESPN Barcelona vs. Celtic,
3:00 p.m. (ESPN Chelsea vs. Real Madrid,
5:00 p.m. (ESPNews Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan,
(ESPN2, ESPN Deportes) Liverpool vs. AC Milan, 10:00 p.m.
(11:30 p.m., TV TBD) Paris Saint-Germain vs. Leicester City,

Indy 11@ Miami – 8 pm BeIn sports

Sun, July 31

1:00 p.m. Fox, Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers,
4:00 p.m. ESPN Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy,

Wed, Aug 3

Barcelona vs. Leicester City, ICC 2:00 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
United States women vs. New Zealand women, Olympics group stage, 6:00 p.m. (TV NBC?)
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, International Champions Cup 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Chelsea vs. AC Milan, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Portland Timbers vs. CD Dragon, CONCACAF Champions League group stage, 10:00 p.m. (TV TBD)

International Champions Cup – ICC – @ Chicago – Bayern Munich vs AC Milan Soldier Field Wed 7/27 @ 8 pm Tix still available $35 to $135

Soccer Camps – Boys and Girls -Ages 6 – 14

Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only

==========================================================================IIf you are a goalkeeper – I am doing my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25 + Aug 1.

U-9-U12 6 till 7 pm

U13 and above 7:00 – 8:15 pm

if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

==========================================================================

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

US Womens Team

Full USWNT squad Announced for 2016 Olympics

GOALKEEPERS (2): Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)

DEFENDERS (6): Whitney Engen (Boston Breakers), Julie Johnston (Chicago Red Stars), Meghan Klingenberg (Portland Thorns FC), Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit), Kelley O’Hara (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (FC Kansas City)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Morgan Brian (Houston Dash), Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Carli Lloyd (Houston Dash), Allie Long (Portland Thorns FC), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC)

FORWARDS (4): Crystal Dunn (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride), Christen Press (Chicago Red Stars), Mallory Pugh (Real Colorado) Alternates: Heather O’Reilly, Ashlyn Harris, Emily Sonnett and Samantha Mewis.

Paterson rounds into form as Indy Eleven tie NASL record

Phil Friend, phillip.friend@indystar.com3:54 p.m. EDT July 14, 2016

Coming into Wednesday night’s match against Fort Lauderdale, Indy Eleven midfielder Nicki Paterson’s season had been mostly quiet.Through 12 games, Paterson accounted for one goal and one assist, starting 10 matches while being substituted out in seven of them.But the Scotland native was anything but silent Wednesday in helping the Eleven put together their best 45 minutes of the season, tallying two assists in a first-half blitz and 3-0 victory over the visiting Strikers at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium.With the victory, the Eleven tied the North American Soccer League record at 13 straight games unbeaten. And the spring season champs can thank Paterson, who played a more advanced role Wednesday.The 31-year-old appears to be rounding into form at the right time. In July 2015, as a member of the Ottawa Fury, Paterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and missed a significant amount of time.Almost a year later, Paterson is finally at the point where he’s comfortable.”It took me a few games to get going,” Paterson said. “At the beginning of the season, we tried to focus on good defensive shape and protect the defense. I like to go box-to-box and get involved into the attack and, tonight, I had the opportunity to get a little bit more forward.”The game was delayed by more than three hours due to storms that swept across Central Indiana. That was of no matter to the Eleven.Indy got on the board in the 10th minute after a Paterson cross was misplayed by a Strikers defender and the ball fell right to Eamon Zayed, who smashed it home for a 1-0 lead.Eleven minutes later, Indy took a 2-0 lead with Zayed turning provider this time on Duke Lacroix’s goal. In the 26th minute, Paterson delivered another perfect pass, this time off a corner kick, finding captain Greg Janicki, who buried the header to make it 3-0.”I spoke to Greg before the game. I said, ‘Well, maybe tonight, you’ll get one,’ and he got one,” Paterson said. “I’ve been trying to put in good deliveries all year, and these guys are good in the air, so if I can put in a good ball, then we’ll get a chance of scoring.”The Eleven were on the attack constantly in the first half, and could’ve made it 4-0 or 5-0 as Justin Braun and Lacroix both hit the post a minute apart, with Paterson playing a vital role in the buildup to both.“It’s about time,” Indy manager Tim Hankinson said with a smile. “Nicki’s a great passer of the ball. That’s his quality. We want to see more of that. He’s still a year away from his ACL surgery. I feel like he’s starting to get to the point where he looks like the old Nicki that got us interested in bringing him here. His game is higher than it’s been all year and we hope that continues to go in that direction.”If it sounds like Fort Lauderdale didn’t want to be on the pitch, well, there may be something to that. After the weather delay, the team stalled the start of the match by another 10 minutes by not coming onto the field, and once they got there, the Eleven ran roughshod over them.”With the conditions, I could tell they didn’t want to be here,” Zayed said. “I knew they were there to be taken advantage of, and that’s what we’ve done. We did a professional job … played well and steamrolled them.”The 13-match unbeaten streak ties the record held by the Carolina RailHawks (2011) and New York Cosmos (2014-15).”We don’t talk about it very much, but the players understand it,” Hankinson said. “We’ve got a good game going right now. A lot of confidence, and very good at not beating ourselves.”

THREE THINGS – IND V FTL

Trio of takes from “Soccer After Dark” win vs. Strikers Jul 14, 2016

After every game, IndyEleven.com’s Scott Stewart will give his three takeaways from the latest performance of the “Boys in Blue.” Well, usually it’s Scott Stewart … however, this week John Koluder will take over the recapping spot, continuing with the “Soccer After Dark” special against Fort Lauderdale at “The Mike.”

1) Over before it Started

The “latest win in Indy Eleven history” might have ended at around 12:30 a.m., but judging from the ways the teams came out in the opening minutes it was really over before it began. Indy head coach Tim Hankinson mentioned in his post-game comments that the key adjustment from the last time out against Fort Lauderdale back in May would be to have the wing midfielders – this time around Dylan Mares and Duke Lacroix – pressure like crazy and as high up the field as necessary whenever the Strikers’ outside backs got the ball. The result, when combined with supporting pressure from central midfielders Brad Ring and Nicki Paterson and forwards Eamon Zayed and Justin Braun, was the creation of turnovers at will and shots raining down (if you will) on Diego Restrepo. While it might have seemed like the Strikers were unready for the opening whistle, the reality was it was Indy’s gameplan that put the visitors on their heels from the get-go, and resulted in the result being signed, sealed and delivered with Greg Janicki’s header 26 minutes in. The first half numbers bare that out: 12 shots, seven shots on goal, three goals – and perhaps four more clear-cut chances that would have been frustrating not to convert on other nights, but would only have served as proverbial “cherries on top” in this one.

2) Paterson Provides Service on a Platter

Heading into last night’s game, Nemanja Vukovic (aka “Mr. Team of the Week”) was the only member of the squad to have registered multiple assists, with all three of his helpers coming in the last three games (two vs. Carolina and one at Puerto Rico). However, with a couple of stellar services on Wednesday night, midfielder Nicki Paterson drew even in that department, first on a cheeky chip to Zayed for the opener and then on the above-mentioned corner kick delivery to Janicki’s noggin. On Paterson’s fine delivery on the evening, Hankinson joked “it’s about time” following the match. That said, the Indy gaffer stressed that ability to set up goals was one of the qualities that drew the club to seek out the Scotsman in the off-season, and it appears he’s finding his playmaking mojo more and more.Players coming back from an ACL injury like that one that cut short Paterson’s season last year always take time to build back their legs, then their minutes, then their touch and then their confidence. If last night is any indication, all those boxes appear to be checked.

3) Lucky Number 13

“Distractions” are a coach’s natural enemy, and they can come in many forms. One such form is a three-hour (rounding up here) storm delay pushing back your regularly-scheduled kickoff, but in reality that’s a neutral one as both teams involved have to deal with the same inconvenience.

However, only Indy Eleven had to manage the extra baggage that comes with extending an unbeaten streak to league-record proportions on Wednesday night. Coach Hankinson admitted that, while he didn’t talk about it with the players, they absolutely knew what a result in the game would mean. Judging from the way they came firing out of the gates, the “Boys in Blue” had anything but on their minds – unless their intent was to leave no doubt that the streak would reach a record-tying 13 games. So now that Indy Eleven has evened the undefeated runs of the Carolina RailHawks of 2011 and the New York Cosmos spanning the 2013-14 campaigns, well, now what? Is the pressure now even greater to take sole possession of the record … or is it lessoned now that the record book must be rewritten with Indy’s name included? Can it serve as extra motivation against a Minnesota side eager to knock the Eleven down a peg after two recent defeats to Indiana’s Team … or is last weekend’s prickly encounter with the Loons all the motivation the Eleven will need? Only one thing’s for sure – if those questions are answered it will provide perhaps the worst offense in the book of coaching distractions, providing the other teams with bulletin board material.

So Where Does Indy Stand?

Fall Season: 2W-1D-0L, 7 pts., 2^nd place

Indy kept pace with the front-running Cosmos (3-0-0, 9 pts.), who notched a 3-0 win of their own Wednesday night against Jacksonville

Combined Season: 6W-7D-0L, 25 pts., 2^nd place

See note above, just change Cosmos record (to 9-0-4, 27 pts.)

What’s On Tap?

Can Indy Eleven make it a perfect nine points in eight days? Do the Boys in Blue have the Loons’ number? Find out Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. ET … watch it go down wherever you are across the country on beIN SPORTS (or via their beIN SPORTS CONNECT online component if you have their channel on your cable/satellite package).

How About a Fun Fact?

Indy Eleven pulled even in its all-time series with Minnesota last weekend, the 1-0 win at “The Mike” putting the ledger at 4W-0D-4W for each side.

Commentary: Extra importance in Sunday’s Portland vs. Seattle clash

July 14, 20162:27PM EDTGreg LalasVP, Content

Sunday will see another edition of the biggest rivalry in MLS – Portland vs. Seattle – for the first time this season. And it will be televised nationally (3 pm ET on FOX, MLS LIVE in Canada), so there’s no excuse for anyone to miss it.This time, you definitely don’t want to miss it, because despite the fact that the game is simply a mid-season, midsummer meeting, the result matters even more. To both teams.Here’s a prediction: Whoever wins on Sunday will embark on a season-defining run that will pull them up from their lowly spots.Odds are it will be the hosts, Portland, though I wouldn’t put money on that.Right now, the Timbers are just outside the playoff spots, in seventh place in the Western Conference. Not a big deal, right? After all, they are the defending MLS Cup champs. They have lots of talent, from US national team player Darlington Nagbe to Nigerian goal beast Fanendo Adito the veteran redwoods in the back, Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgwell. And they still have 14 games to play.But let’s be honest: The Timbers have been less dominant in matches and they have a total of eight total draws, tied for second most in MLS.But if you look at things a little more, you see they aren’t in the dire straits it might seem they are. For one, they are awesome at Providence Park (6-2-2 record, 20 of 30 available points). And if you take a longer look at their recent record, you see they are riding an eight-game unbeaten streak(3W, 0L, 5D).Meanwhile, as any MLS observer will tell you, the Sounders possessed the statistically most anemic offense in the league. And yet it boosted them out of last place in the league on Wednesday night – a 5-0 whitewashing of league leaders FC Dallas.“It lifts the spirits a bit,” Sounders captain Brad Evans said. “Now we’ve got a taste of victory and hopefully we can start to get consecutive results and start to pick up some points and make up some ground.”But, as so often seems to be the case with Sounders on the field, there are caveats. Star strikerClint Dempsey will miss the Timbers match after receiving his first career MLS red card against FC Dallas.So, without Deuce, Seattle’s attacking burden falls squarely on the shoulders of rookieJordan Morris, who has seven goals on the season heading into his first Portland-Seattle match.What better time for Morris to stamp his name into Pacific Northwest soccer lore than against the Timbers on Sunday?

FC Dallas, Colorado Rapids hold their positions atop the Power Rankings

It’s as-you-were for the three spots in the rankings, but a couple of teams did make significant moves in Week 17.

FC Dallas(no change)

Maxi Urruti’s stunner was everything FC Dallas’ deserved, and more than enough to keep the club atop the power rankings for a second week — and it feels like it could be a long stay at the top.

Colorado Rapids(no change)

If there were any reasons to think that Tim Howard wasn’t still good enough to make a difference for the Rapids, he put them to rest in Vancouver with a remarkable, point-saving stop.

Montreal Impact(no change)

The Impact will hope Harry Shipp’s goal on Saturday was just the first of many, but especially now that he has had time to settle in after the shocking offseason trade from Chicago.

LA Galaxy(+3)

Gyasi Zardes is starting to round into the Galaxy’s most consistent chance creator. His cross to Robbie Keane for the lone goal against Seattle showed off his rapidly improving vision.

Portland Timbers(no change)

The Timbers have failed to score in their last two matches. On the plus side, they’ve gotten clean sheets in both, holding the Rapids and Red Bulls goalless.

New York Red Bulls(no change)

The silver lining for the Red Bulls in their goalless draw with Portland was the return of Damien Perrinelle. Unfortunately Perrinelle was forced on when Gideon Baah went off injured.

Sporting Kansas City(+1)

Matt Besler’s benching is a big story, but Sporting fans will be more focused on the encouraging, 2015 MVP finalist-level performance from Benny Feilhaber.

New York City FC(-4)

NYCFC’s win streak came to an end in Kansas City, but Frank Lampard scored his fourth goal in five games, reminding everyone that his knack for finding the net is one of the reasons the club signed him in the first place.

Toronto FC(+1)

Sebastian Giovinco looks like he understands that TFC’s season is going to hinge on what he can do for the Reds in the attack. With so many crucial pieces out, the margins are small in Ontario.

Philadelphia Union(+2)

Injuries and the loss of Vincent Nogueira will put extra pressure on the experience crop of midfielders the Union still have under contract. Ilsinho’s strong shift against United show those losses don’t mean Philly is destined to crash.

Real Salt Lake(-1)

On the good side of things, RSL fought back to equalizer after falling behind at home against Montreal. On the bad side, RSL drew at home in a game that felt important after a bad run a week ago.

San Jose Earthquakes(-1)

After starting strong and ranking among the league-leaders in goals, Chris Wondolowski has gone without scoring since late April. Some of that is down to his Copa America duty, but the Quakes need Wondo back on the scoresheet.

Vancouver Whitecaps(+1)

The ‘Caps dive right back into the fray on Wednesday against Real Salt Lake in yet another big match out west. Vancouver hasn’t beaten a Western Conference opponent since May 7.

New England Revolution(+4)

Kei Kamara’s contributions are more than the goals he scores, which is why New England made the trade to get him. Against Columbus Kamara did everything asked of a center forward.

Orlando City SC(-2)

A feckless performance against Houston on Friday night doesn’t bode well for the post-Adrian Heath era in Orlando, though it will be a couple of games before it will be fair to judge the move.

D.C. United(-1)

United got taken apart in Philadelphia in part thanks to conceding two first half penalties. Ben Olsen has to figure out his best lineup, especially now with Lloyd Sam in the mix.

Houston Dynamo(-1)

The plan on the road in Orlando for Wade Barrett’s team appeared to be to simply made it hard for the Lions. They accomplished that job, but with a chance at the playoffs slipping away, they’ll need to be more proactive.

Chicago Fire(-1)

The Fire took a step forward last week with a home win over San Jose, but was back on the losing side again this week. With the loss in Toronto, Chicago has gone two calendar years without a road win.

Seattle Sounders(no change)

The answers in Seattle aren’t apparent, and might not be found in the team as currently constructed. The pall over the team is palpable and Sigi Schmid is fending off questions about whether he should stay on.

Columbus Crew SC(-3)

When Columbus traded away Kei Kamara, the thought was they’d miss his goals. It turns out Ola Kamara is more than prolific enough, it’s just that Crew SC don’t win when he scores.Jason Davis is a writer from Virgi

US and Mexico jump in latest FIFA World Rankings, Canada falls

July 14, 20163:44PM EDTSam StejskalContributor

The US and Mexico both climbed in the latest edition of the FIFA World Rankings after their showings at this summer’s Copa America Centenario, with the US rising six spots to 25th after their appearance in the semifinals and Mexico moving up two spots to 14th after reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament.Canada fell seven spots to No. 100 in the ranking, good for 11th amongst CONCACAF countries.Argentina held the No. 1 spot despite losing the opa America Centenario final in a penalty shoootout to Chile, who remained in fifth. Euro 2016 champions Portugal climbed two spots to No. 6, while runners-up France moved up 10 spots from 17th to seventh. Belgium (No. 2), Colombia (No. 3), Germany (No. 4), Spain (No. 8), Brazil (No. 9) and Italy (No. 10) filled out the top-10.Euro darlings Iceland and Wales both made big jumps, with Iceland moving up 12 spots to No. 22 and Wales climbing 15 places to move to No. 11. Copa America surprises Venezuela and Peru also had significant rises, with Venezuela improving 31 places to move to 46th and Peru climbing 14 spots to place 34th.No. 27 Costa Rica is the third-ranked team in CONCACAF behind Mexico and the US, with Panama (No. 51), Jamaica (No. 55) and Trinidad and Tobago (No. 58) also claiming spots in the top-60. Haiti had a big fall after their rough showing at the Copa America, dropping 26 places to tie Canada in 100th.You can find the full July FIFA World Rankings here.

5 managers most likely to replace Jurgen Klinsmann if he leaves for England

By Rob Usry  @RobUsry on Jul 11, 2016, 6:19a 89

Remember back in March when the United States got embarrassed by Guatemala in World Cup qualifying, 2-0, away from home? Jurgen Klinsmann was supposedly on the “hot seat” after that match, so we decided to make a list of managers who “could” replace him if he was fired. Admittedly, that list was half-hearted at best. I never truly believed Klinsmann was in danger of losing his job, but ya know, stay topical and all that! Fast forward to the present and now there’s more talk about Klinsmann not being the USMNT manager anymore. His seat has cooled considerably thanks to a successful Copa America run. Now the threat of him leaving apparently comes from England and their vacant national team manager position. I’d still bet a heavy sum of money that Jurgen isn’t going anywhere and that these rumors are your typical English tabloid nonsense, but until either party denies it, we have to treat it as a possibility. Let’s imagine a scenario in which Klinsmann does in fact take the England job. What happens to the USMNT? CONCACAF World Cup qualifying resumes in 53 days with no friendlies in between. Sunil Gulati and the rest of the USSF board would need to find a replacement who could adapt to the team quickly and get them ready for their two important matches. Familiarity and logistics would be key and the role would likely be an interim one for the time being. Here are five managers that make sense:

Jason Kreis

When you look at resume, familiarity, and availability, no manager makes more sense than Jason Kreis. The former Real Salt Lake and New York City FC manager was last seen by Klinsmann’s side helping him during training sessions and scouting future opponents for the Copa America. While we don’t know the extent of Kreis’s role within the Klinsmann setup, he was certainly there and knows the player pool. He’s currently unattached and available to fill-in. Aside from his one season with NYCFC, Kreis has a great track record of success as a manager. His appointment would be relatively seamless with the players likely already familiar with him. He checks all the boxes and would seem the most obvious candidate at this point.

Imaginary SSFC Bookie Odds: 3/2

Tab Ramos

Cohesiveness within the federation is one thing Klinsmann has preached from day one. He’s always been a proponent of each level of the the system — from the senior team all the way to the youngest youth levels — being on the same page. Looking at in-house candidates within the USSF, the most logical promotion would be current U-20 head coach Tab Ramos. While Andi Herzog is the U-23 manager and Klinsmann’s assistant, he is a Klinsmann guy through and through. It’s hard to imagine him staying around without Jurgen staying. That leaves Ramos as the next guy on the depth chart. He guided the last crop of U-20’s to the 2015 World Cup quarterfinals and would likely be familiar with the senior team along with the rest of the player pool.

Imaginary SSFC Bookie Odds: 4/1

Guus Hiddink

So, your national team is in a pinch and needs a reliable manager to come in and save the day? There’s an app for that. That app would be called Guus Hiddink: International Manager Savior — The Dutch legend has managed several national teams in their time of need. Most notably, he led the South Korean team to a fourth-place finish at the 2002 World Cup. Four years later he took over Australia and got them to the knockout rounds for the first time ever. He is a international specialist that can adapt to any situation at any time.

It wouldn’t be the ideal scenario, but there’s no doubt that Hiddink could come in on short notice and do the job. He’s been out of work since leaving Chelsea at the end of last season and is just waiting by for the Guus signal to be flashed so he can come to the rescue once again.

Imaginary SSFC Bookie Odds: 8/1

Roberto Martinez

Ever since doing some analyst work for ESPN during the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, Roberto Martinez has been a fan favorite among American soccer supporters. Well, now seems like the perfect chance for the fans to get their man assuming Klinsmann leaves. Martinez was just fired from Everton at the end of last season and is currently waiting for the next opportunity to arise. If the USSF don’t want to wait to make a splash, you can’t go much bigger than Martinez.

While familiarity is thrown out of the window with this choice, it would likely please the majority of the fans and you’d have a long-term replacement while keeping that global recognition factor that came with Klinsmann. Is it the most logical move? No. But if Martinez to the USMNT is ever going to happen, it would seem this would be the best chance.

Imaginary SSFC Bookie Odds: 10/1

Sigi Schmid

Let’s say the USSF get desperate and need to try and poach a manager from their current team today. The Seattle Sounders seem to be the team in most need of a change at the top. Things just aren’t going well for them this season and talk around the league is that Sigi Schmid is on the hot seat. The USMNT could use a veteran with his track record of success to take over to at least get them to the new year. It’s hard to see Seattle putting up much of a fight in their current circumstances if the USSF came calling.

Imaginary SSFC Bookie Odds: 15/1

——-

While we’re putting odds on events likely to happen, it’s probably at 10,000/1 that anything actually materializes between Klinsmann and England. However, this is our Top 5 most logical short-term replacements for him if it does. Does our list make sense? Who would you add to the list?

US vs MEXICO In NOVEMBER IN COLUMBUS??

The draw for the hexagonal, the second phase of men’s World Cup Qualifying in CONCACAF, took place this morning. No team besides Mexico had qualified for the tournament when the draw took place. To many, this made the drawing mundane and boring, but to hardcore fans of El Tri, this was an opportunity to start speculating about future opponents and the road to the World Cup in Russia.Following the draw, many fans of both the United States and Mexico took to social media in an excited frenzy to talk about the fact that their favorite national teams could be facing off against one another during the first match day of the hexagonal qualification process. However, in order for the match to take place the United States would have to win their first round of qualifying group. They currently sit in second place behind Trinidad and Tobago and have Guatemala nipping at their heels in third place.Should the United States manage to win their group, a hotly contested match against Mexico in Columbus, Ohio on the first day of November is expected.

Clint Dempsey discusses US youth soccer development with Colin Cowherd

July 1, 20163:40PM EDTCharles BoehmContributor

y now most soccer watchers are familiar with Clint Dempsey‘s rise from humble origins in Nacogdoches, Texas to superstar status with the Seattle Sounders and the US national team.“Deuce” remains a crucial player for club and country at age 33, and his backstory makes him an authoritative voice on the topic of player identification and youth development, an area of ongoing debate in the United States.Dempsey offered up his opinion on this topic in a guest appearance on Colin Cowherd’s “The Herd” talk show on FS1 Thursday.Cowherd asked him whether it’s fair to say that the “pay-to-play” youth set-up prevents many kids from moving up through the ranks.“I think so. I think that’s fair. Especially if you’re trying to play club ball,” Dempsey said. “To some of the clubs’ credit, they do have scholarships, they have players they help in being able to deal with the fees. I was lucky enough to play for a club that helped me with that.“It’s difficult for kids to get that right type of coaching, get that development. And if you’re growing up in a small town, really all you have is the recreational league that you can play in, the high-school team that you can hopefully play for, play in men’s league, Hispanic leagues on the weekends, and hope that someone can see you there.”Dempsey pointed to the example of his fellow Texan and former USMNT teammate Jose “Gringo” Torres, who was offered a place in the youth system of Mexican club Pachuca as a high schooler and today plays for Tigres in Liga MX.“Some kids, like Jose Torres, he’s from Longview, Texas, he went to Mexico first, because he was spotted down there in some of the games that he was playing in Longview and he got that opportunity,” said Dempsey. “So there’s some kids from the States actually going to Mexico and playing there instead of in this league, because sometimes that’s an easier way to go, through the connections you have or the people you meet.”Discussing the USMNT’s unique mix of overseas-based dual-nationals and homegrown talent, Dempsey also noted the challenges posed by the country’s sprawling size and diversity.“We have a lot of different people from all different countries and everybody has kind of different styles – [we have to] kind of figure out what our style is as a country,” Dempsey said. “How do we want to play? Do we want to be a team that’s possessing the ball and being creative and creating chances, or are we going to be a counterattacking team? I think there’s a lot of questions you have to ask yourself. What’s going to be your country’s style of play?“But there are a lot of talented kids that are here in the United States that just play pickup or play men’s league or something, maybe don’t have the money to play club ball. They may just play for their high-school team or they’re maybe not on a big enough team to really get scouted by colleges, or be able to get picked up by some of these academies, or getting tryouts with an MLS team. It is something we’ve got to address and fix. At the same time, you can’t ignore the talent that’s outside the States and being developed elsewhere.”

USWNT: Reigning champs release roster for 2016 Olympics in Rio

Leave a commentBy Joe Prince-Wright Jul 12, 2016, 12:24 PM EDT

The U.S. women’s national team have released its roster for the Olympics in Rio de Janiero this summer.Head coach Jill Ellis has named 18 women to the squad with seven players who won Gold at London 2012 returning to represent Team USA.14 of the 18 squad members were also part of the U.S. side which won the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada, while Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath will all be playing in their third Olympics, plus Solo also attended the 2004 Olympics as an alternate.There are no real shocks in the roster but the fact that midfielder Megan Rapinoe has recovered so quickly from ACL surgery in December of last year to make this squad is quite remarkable.The U.S. is the big favorite heading into this tournament in Brazil and has won four out of five gold medals at the Olympics, failing to win Gold only at the 2000 games in Sydney where it won silver after falling to Norway in the final.Down in Brazil the U.S. have been placed in Group G and will face New Zealand on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET and France on Aug. 6 at 4 p.m. ET. Both of those opening group games will be in Belo Horizonte, while they finish group play against Colombia on Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. in the Amazonian city of Manaus.Below is the roster in full, including the four alternates Ellis has named.

Full USWNT squad for 2016 Olympics

GOALKEEPERS (2): Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars), Hope Solo (Seattle Reign FC)

US women’s national team set for Olympics: Here’s what you need to know

July 14, 20163:38PM EDTCharles BoehmContributor

On Tuesday afternoon head coach Jill Ellis released the final roster for the US women’s national team’s Olympic squad, signaling the home stretch in the run-up to their campaign for an unprecedented fifth gold medal at next month’s Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro and other venues across Brazil.Millions will tune in both at home and abroad as the most successful team in North American soccer history tries to better their own program’s brilliant past, a task that falls on the shoulders of the 18 players named on Tuesday (plus four alternates available in case of injury).With their Aug 3. opening Olympic match vs. New Zealand now exactly three weeks away, here’s what you should know about the USWNT and their latest gold-hunting expedition.

This team is (still) chasing history

The USWNT wrestled a rather large monkey off their collective back in Canada last summer whenthey marched to a world-record third Women’s World Cup championship. It ended a painful 16-year cup drought dating back to the sensational 1999 title won on home soil, and allowed several veterans like Abby Wambach – international soccer’s all-time leading scorer, man or woman – to ride into the sunset with satisfaction.The Olympics – where the women’s soccer tournament is a bigger deal than the men’s, for several reasons – have been a far more fruitful competition for the USWNT: They’ve won four out of the five gold medals on offer since the sport debuted at Atlanta 1996. But as so many successful teams do, the US women seem to have found a fresh source of motivation despite all that domination.In five chances, no team has ever won a Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold in back-to-back years. That’s the next target for a USWNT group that has grown accustomed to winning everything it takes part in, and it seems to have kept veteran stars like Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe (both of whom are recent returnees from injury), Hope Solo and Alex Morgan focused and hungry.“One of the things that I really looked into is, why has the repeat never been done? Is that a change in personnel? Is it complacency?” Ellis told reporters in an in-depth conference call after the roster release. “I actually had a lot of individual meetings in this last camp and that was one of the questions I posed to players: Are you as hungry? Do you feel as focused? And the resounding response was yes.“The players want to make history, want to try and be the first team to go back to back.”

Who’s standing in their way

The USWNT will likely be tested but not troubled by their group-stage opponents New Zealand, France and Colombia. A slick and skilled but unpredictable side, France are the toughest test on that list, and could well meet the US again in the knockout stages – which is where the real danger awaits for the defending champs.Germany are a perennial menace. Australia continue to improve. Canada – who narrowly lost to the US in an epic 4-3, extra-time semifinal slugfest at Old Trafford four years ago – are more eager than ever to knock off their “big sister” border rivals on a big stage. But the trickiest adversary may be the host nation. Brazil are desperate to host a successful Olympics and will be particularly eager for glory in their favorite sport, so expect the home fans to give the USWNT a not-so-hospitable welcome.

The USWNT didn’t rebuild – they reloaded

If you’re one of the fans of the US men’s national team who’ve expressed frustration at Jurgen Klinsmann’s continued reliance on many of the same 30-something players who starred at the 2014 World Cup, the measured youth movement led by Ellis should be inspiring.The US women’s game has seen the rise of a new generation of driven, technically adept talents who’ve grown up in a more advanced youth development environment than their predecessors. Even with the USWNT the No. 1-ranked team in the world, players like Morgan Brian, Lindsey Horan and Crystal Dunn have made powerful cases for important roles, pushing the veterans and making the squad younger, faster and better-rounded.“Once the World Cup was over, I had a call to our president, Sunil [Gulati],” said Ellis on Tuesday, “and I said that … if we are about winning world championships, we can’t just have all our focus be on the Olympics. It has to be on looking at new players, looking at players to build for beyond. And he agreed. We still want to win a gold medal, we still want to be competitive this summer, and that’s still a high, high priority. And I think we can do that. But we can also start to build players for the future.“We’ve got the best young players out there right now.”The program even has its own answer to Christian Pulisic: Mallory Pugh, who was brought into the USWNT at the tender age of 17 at the beginning of this year. But unlike the men’s team, this teenage phenom isn’t just on the roster: She’s a regular.A quick, aggressive attacker who can play out wide or up front, Pugh has started nine of the USWNT’s 14 matches thus far this year, and appeared in all but one of them. Having drawn comparisons to none other than the legendary Mia Hamm, she’s in the mix for a starting role in Brazil despite the wealth of veteran talent around her. Pugh is set to attend UCLA this fall, but nearly signed a pro contract with NWSL and US Soccer in January and could someday take a streamlined path to the pros, much like what MLS’ Generation adidas once did for young male players.

When, where, how to watch

The USWNT play group-stage games in Belo Horizonte vs. New Zealand and France on Aug. 3 and 6, respectively, then visit Manaus to face Colombia in the same Arena Amazonia that hosted the USMNT’s 2-2 World Cup with Portugal in 2014. Eight teams will advance to the knockout stage, with quarterfinals on Aug. 12, semifinals on Aug. 16 and the gold-medal match set for Aug. 19 at Rio’s Maracana Stadium.Though programming details have not yet been released, women’s soccer will be included in the NBC/Universal network’s 2,084 hours of Olympic coverage across 11 of its broadcast and cable channels, including NBC and Telemundo, and all 2016 Olympic events will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app for authenticated pay TV subscribers.

3 things we learned from the USA vs South Africa friendly

By Stephanie Yang  @thrace on Jul 10, 2016, 4:00p 5

the United States beat South Africa 1-0 on Saturday, a scoreline that doesn’t quite reflect the game’s imbalance. But for all that the US had the lion’s share of the attack, they still didn’t finish or get the ball into dangerous enough positions. Here’s a few things we learned from the game.

Jill Ellis seems to have a plan for non-ideal scenarios

Last night, Tobin Heath and Morgan Brian were both unavailable. Ellis started a central midfield of Lindsey Horan, Allie Long, and Christen Press, with Press free to move back and forth as needed in support of Alex Morgan. It almost paid early dividends from the very start, but for most of the game they were thwarted by South African pressure and their own bad passing.As for the wings, that’s where Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh came in, and they were both right as rain in their assigned roles.Even though the US couldn’t wring more than one goal out of this configuration, they certainly still managed to press into South Africa’s defensive third with it, making it a viable option in case of (knock on wood) injury or if Ellis just wants to rotate her roster.

Ellis prefers an overall attacking mindset as opposed to a more solid defensive line

Exhibit A: Kelley O’Hara starts over Ali Krieger.

Ellis wants her team to dig into games early, and that means lots of pushes up the flanks from both Meghan Klingenberg and Kelley O’Hara, overlapping with Dunn and Pugh (or Heath). Perhaps she feels she can do this because she has the security of anchors Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston staying at home, and to be fair, that’s one hell of a security system.This close to the Olympics, there’s no more whiff of experimentation about it. O’Hara will be the starting right back in Brazil, and the team will come out of the gate at a fairly high tempo against the likes of Colombia, New Zealand, and France. Especially for the two teams that aren’t France, a little early shock and awe could make a huge difference for the US, allowing them to keep teams on the back heel instead of settling into the game.

Mallory Pugh, Christen Press, and Crystal Dunn are the present and future of this team

Never mind that Press is often pushed out of position to play support to Alex Morgan or other strikers, she still manages to create threats around the box, especially with her good first touches and interesting movement to create space for herself. Give Press half a chance anywhere inside the box, and she’ll bring the ball down either for herself or able to lay it off for someone with a shot.Combine her with Dunn and Pugh, who are both so good at carrying the ball deep and then cutting in themselves or sending in service, and they paint a very exciting picture for the future of the USWNT front line. It’s not even that Pugh needs a little more seasoning (though surely she hasn’t peaked at all yet), she’s ready right now. And Dunn has been honing herself to a razor’s edge no doubt since last year’s World Cup roster disappointment, becoming not just a goalscorer herself but a creative attacking engine.They might have all been just a bit off in the game against South Africa, but they’re certainly capable of more fluid interchange, and all that matters is that they peak together at the right time in August.

Copa America Postmortem: Darlington Nagbe

By Rob Usry  @RobUsry on Jul 8, 2016, 7:15a 7

Hi, my name is Rob. This will be a Darlington Nagbe Copa America review without mentioning Jurgen Klinsmann. Starting…now.The Portland Timbers midfielder came into the Copa riding a mini wave of success. He had come off the bench in the final two warm-up friendlies against Ecuador and Bolivia to record a goal and assist between his appearances. It appeared as if Nagbe would play a big part for the United States in this tournament. Would he fulfill those expectations?Nagbe played in three of the six matches in the Copa, all as a substitute. Here are his numbers:

Games Played: 3

Minutes: 47

Shots: 1

Tackles: 1

Defensive Actions: 2

Positives

You may be thinking to yourselves right now, “Rob, why did you pick a guy who played 47 minutes over more important players?” — Well, that’s how the order of selection went. I apologize.When contemplating positive moments for Nagbe, it has to be a good sign that in the three matches the U.S. were down in, he was called on to make a difference. Even over the backup striker Chris Wondolowski. He wasn’t trusted to start in important situations, but when desperation kicked in, he was there. That’s better than not being used at all, I suppose. As for on the field, he didn’t hurt his chances at more playing time. He was confident with the ball in his few minutes and helped maintain possession just a little bit better when he came on.

Negatives

On the opposite side of the equation, it’s a puzzling thought that people keep referring to Nagbe as a young player. At 25, Nagbe has 171 caps in MLS and is already smack in the middle of his prime. He’s not getting younger and treating him as a green prospect is doing him a disservice.

In his measly 47 minutes he didn’t do much at all. The third-place match was his most effective outing, blowing past players and drawing a foul. His free kick attempt was the team’s last shot on goal of the tournament, so there’s that. But all-in-all he did very little. Is he to blame? Maybe. His role was to be an impact substitute and he didn’t deliver. Expecting Nagbe to be a dynamic sub in 15-20 minutes of action was never going to work out. He is and has always been a 90-minute player who takes over the match in spurts. His intricate and precise passing and movement over a full match is what makes him such a valuable player. He has never been and will never be a super-sub.

Copa Grade: Incomplete

Despite playing three matches, he barely got over a half of soccer under his belt in the entire tournament. It’s completely unfair to judge him based off that really small sample size, just like it’s unfair to think he should be starting based off two good friendly performances.

What’s Next

We can only speculate that Nagbe will continue on to play a role for the national team. His skill set and superb technical ability makes him a special player. He will likely continue being an important player for the Timbers. Only time will tell if he’ll be given the chance to do the same for the USMNT.

Copa America Postmortem: Michael Bradley

By Rob Usry  @RobUsry on Jun 30, 2016, 7:15a 49

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

In this Postmortem series we’ll be examining each player on the USA’s 23-man roster and how they performed during the Copa America and what’s next for them heading into the conclusion of World Cup qualifying.

Excitement and optimism surrounded Michael Bradley heading into the Copa America Centenario. Jurgen Klinsmann had finally given up on the ‘Bradley is a No. 10’ experiment and pushed him back to his more natural holding midfield role. Many people, including myself, lobbed pressure onto his shoulders by subscribing to the “As Bradley goes, so goes the national team” theory.

The USMNT captain started all six of the team’s matches in this tournament. Here’s a look at his stats:

Games Played: 6

Minutes Played: 529

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Yellow Cards: 1

Positives

Just as the manager gets credit/blame when things are going well/poorly, the captain of the team usually goes through the same roller coaster. There’s no denying that Bradley’s on-field performances as a whole were a letdown. However, the team showed great spirit in some of the matches. Most notably against Paraguay when they had to play 40 minutes down a man. The team banded together and prevented a goal from going in. That amazing show of teamwork eventually paid off immensely as the difference between a 1-0 win a 1-1 draw ended up winning the USA their group.

As much as it’s the new fad to pile onto Michael Bradley for the team’s overall struggles in losses, he deserves some of the credit for the vastly improved team spirit that they showed throughout the Copa America.

Negatives

Okay, now that’s out of the way, it’s time to take off the gloves. Of the 11 consistent starters for the U.S. in this tournament, it’s probably safe to say he was the most disappointing of the bunch. That pains me to say. I’m admittedly a big Michael Bradley fan. Yet, I pointed out after the opening match against Colombia that he had a real problem with handling pressure, both figuratively and literally. When the U.S. play against good teams that high press them in the midfield Bradley struggles mightily. Part of that could be his teammates failing to provide options, but the majority of the blame has to be put on him. In friendlies where teams allow the U.S. to play freely he looks like a world-class player and that’s where the inconsistencies in his play confuse a lot of people. He can look like a world-beater one match then look absolutely terrible in another. It’s an extremely frustrating trend.

We’ve noticed that in competitive tournaments that he’s leaned more towards the terrible side and I believe it still stems from the pressure issues. Against teams like Colombia or Argentina he’s expect to carry the midfield, but constantly loses the ball in tight spaces or misplaces passes. When he’s supposed to be the linchpin of the midfield that’s only going to increase the expectations of onlookers. Is Michael Bradley a bad player? I truly don’t think so. I honestly don’t think anyone in the U.S. national team player pool could step into his position and do a better job. Did Michael Bradley have a really bad tournament? Yes he did. ESPN even named him to their Worst XI of the tournament. Oof.

Copa Grade – D

Aside from a few of his patented long balls out to the flank to start an attack or some decent defensive plays in front of the defensive 18-yard box it was an extremely difficult tournament for Bradley. Some of his careless giveaways led to goals either directly or indirectly. His effectiveness in the passing game seemed a lot less noticeable than in previous tournaments. While he gets credit for being a leader on the field, his performances in several of the matches, including the most important ones, were detrimental to the team.

What’s Next

Bradley has already returned to Toronto FC and is reportedly on the mend from a knock picked up in the third-place match against Colombia. As much as USMNT supporters like to question Bradley’s position in the starting lineup, it’s hard to envision any drastic changes being made anytime soon. He’s the captain of the team and still, on paper, one of the best midfielders in the pool. I just can’t see Klinsmann dropping him ahead of two important World Cup qualifying matches. Perhaps his leash will be a little shorter than it was entering the Copa America, but he’s still one of the first names on the teamsheet, like it or not.

Copa America Postmortem: DeAndre Yedlin

By Rob Usry  @RobUsry on Jun 29, 2016, 8:30a 13

Reflecting Andre Yedlin concluded the Premier League season on a major high. His consistent play after winning the Sunderland’s starting right back spot back in February was a contributing factor to the club beating relegation once again.He came into the Copa America Centenario with the USMNT right back job on lockdown. Yedlin started in five of the team’s six matches. Here’s a look at his numbers:

Games Played: 5

Clean Sheets: 2

Red Cards: 1

Yellow Cards: 1

Minutes Played: 408

Positives

It’s been a long time since the United States men’s national team had a consistent back four. Klinsmann finally stuck with one during the Copa America and Yedlin played a big part of it. This tournament wasn’t exactly his showcase event, but he held his own defensively against some world-class players. His defensive awareness has improved tremendously. The amount of times he was caught out of position and had to rely on his pace to recover was drastically reduced from his previous showings with the national team.There are still growing pains with Yedlin, but he’s showing real promise as a full-time right back who is still adjusting to being a defense-first player instead of one that bombs forward without abandon.

Negatives

Okay, after all the nice things that were just said it’s time to get mean. There were several negatives to focus on for Yedlin during the Copa, but it’s important to preface it by stating that he’s still learning. This was his first chance in a major tournament to be ‘the guy’ at right back. In the first match against Colombia he was whistled for a handball. Some will argue that it was a poor moment and some will call it unlucky. Obviously you’re taught to keep your hands behind your back in a crossing situation, but it’s hard to blame him in this situation. It’s just rotten luck in my biased opinion. Other than the handball, he held up really well in both matches he played against the No. 3 team in the world. The next and far more egregious error was against Paraguay in the final group match. Needing just a draw to advance to the quarters, the U.S. had a 1-0 lead at halftime. Five minutes into the second half they were down a man after Yedlin was sent off for back-to-back bookable tackles in the span of a minute. It was immature and reckless and he paid for it dearly by missing the next round. There’s no defending this. It was just a silly decision by a young player. We can only hope he learns from the mistake and never does it again.

Copa Grade – B-

The two glaring mistakes aside it was a solid tournament for Yedlin. It could’ve been a lot better, but he showed his promise and why he’s got a great chance to secure the right back spot for a long time. His defense is steadily improving and his overlapping is still a threat on the flanks.

What’s Next

Yedlin returns to Spurs in the preseason with rumors abound about his next move. Sunderland are reportedly interested in bringing him back permanently, while other Premier League clubs have been sniffing around. It’s vital that he finds another situation that offers him the chance at winning steady playing time. If he can do that he shouldn’t have any competition for the USMNT right back job in the near future.

on the Copa América Centenario’s legacy

Updated: JUNE 27, 2016 — 3:48 PM EDT by Jonathan Tannenwald, STAFF WRITER @jtannenwald

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – As the last crescendo of Argentina’s stirring national anthem thundered across MetLife Stadium, the scene looked more like Buenos Aires than a sprawling American suburb.From fancy sideline seats to the highest nosebleeds, the stands were full of those legendary blue and white stripes. Albiceleste, to use the Spanish term for both the color scheme and the team’s nickname: on jerseys, flags, even balloons that soared into the sky as fans raised their voices.At the end of the night, the party moved across the Andes to Santiago. Though Chile’s red-clad fans were outnumbered, their cheers were loud and clear when La Roja lifted the Copa América Centenario trophy. The players joined in the fun, dancing in a big circle after the ceremony.But a moment’s glance away from the field reminded all 82,026 fans in attendance that they weren’t in Argentina or Chile. They were in the United States. That fact is worth celebrating too.This tournament truly was America’s Copa América. The nation’s melting pot of Hispanic immigrants turned out in droves to support every participating nation. Thousands of tourists came from abroad to electrify this country’s biggest cities and stadiums.Overall, nearly 1.5 million fans attended the 32 games nationwide. Millions more watched on television in English or Spanish – and often times both.The action was wildly entertaining, with an average of 2.84 goals scored per game.Can there be any doubt left that the Copa América Centenario lived up to the hype?

Almost all the stars who came here delivered. To name just a few: Chile’s Alexis Sánchez, the tournament’s most outstanding player; Colombia’s James Rodriguez; the United States’ Clint Dempsey; Mexico’s Jesus “Tecatito” Corona; and Brazil’s Philippe Coutinho.And of course, there was the star of all stars, Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Is he really done playing for the national team? Or were his stunning remarks a veiled threat to Argentina’s federation, which has treated him and other star players poorly?Messi’s millions of fans across the globe gasped in collective astonishment when the news broke in the late hours of Sunday night. He was surely haunted by his missed penalty kick in Sunday’s shootout. But before then, he led Argentina to the title game with five goals and four assists.Remember the hat trick against Panama in 18 minutes after he came into the game as a substitute? Or his free kick for the ages that sank the United States? Surely Messi’s brilliance is worth remembering just as much as his failure, if not more.

The same can be said for the Copa América Centenario as a whole.No, the tournament wasn’t perfect. Some stars didn’t play, the ticket prices were too high to attract casual fans, and too many games were marred by chants of a Spanish-language homophobic slur.But for three thrilling weeks, a joyous soccer spectacle was front and center on the American sports landscape.Fox Sports 1’s English-language broadcasts of United States games smashed the channel’s men’s soccer viewership records. Many other games drew audiences equal to or greater than ESPN’s coverage of the supposedly superior European Championship.Univision was an even bigger winner, as its broadcasts drew an average of nearly three million viewers per contest. On more than a few occasions, the network beat English-language networks head-to-head in prime time.Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Copa América Centenario’s success is this: It was planned and executed in just over eight months.

Yes, the tournament was originally announced a few years ago. But those original plans were full of bribes and kickbacks that put the event in the Department of Justice’s crosshairs. The indictments that came down last spring include many references to ill-gotten gains from the Copa.

Soon after Attorney General Loretta Lynch became a household name worldwide, the U.S. Soccer Federation demanded that if the corrupt contracts weren’t torn up, the tournament wouldn’t be allowed here.(It’s fair to wonder whether U.S. Soccer could have been more insistent in the first place. At this point, one can only say better late than never.)

The meetings where everything was ultimately cleaned up took place in September and October of last year.Only then could organizers pick the stadiums, set the game schedule, sell tickets and secure travel arrangements for participating teams. FIFA also had to be convinced to put the tournament on its official calendar, a requirement to get European club teams to allow their big stars to play.Venues were confirmed just before Thanksgiving. The draw was held just before Christmas. Tickets went on sale in February. One of the tournament’s marquee names, Mexico’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, confirmed he’d play in late April.All those things happened in a total of 224 days. World Cup hosts get six years to prepare.If that doesn’t prove to the world that the United States is ready to host soccer’s biggest spectacle for a second time, what will?You could say the Copa’s success is just another sign of soccer’s growth in the United States. Or that you aren’t surprised a Latin-flavored tournament was popular with Latino audiences. But something about this event felt like more than just another milepost on soccer’s journey to prominence here.Maybe it’s this: For the first time in a while, a big soccer event was genuinely fun.Yes, there was plenty of serious soccer played. Just ask Brazil coach Dunga, who was fired because the five-time World Cup champions didn’t make it out of the Copa group stage.But overall, the tournament was full of drama, creativity and excitement.Going forward, there will be much talk about the Copa’s legacy – and in particular, whether a combined tournament of the Americas can become a regular occurrence.There’s lots of interest, but also lots of questions. How can it fit in global soccer’s increasingly congested calendar? Should the United States always host it, or should it rotate around many nations? Can FIFA get the winner into the Confederations Cup?

Whatever happens in the future, here’s something to ponder about the present.Perhaps this summer’s spectacle can be a catalyst that finally turns this country’s soccer establishment toward what South America’s creative brilliance brings to the game, and away from Europe’s self-proclaimed moral superiority.Some of that superiority is earned, of course, especially in Spain and Germany. But what about England, whose soccer culture has been put on a pedestal by Americans for decades? Has the worship of everything with an English accent truly made this country’s soccer better?After watching the dynamism of Argentina, Chile, Colombia and others, you might conclude it hasn’t.

The change that’s required won’t be easy. It can’t be done in the time it takes you to drive your children to perfectly-manicured fields in gated suburban soccer complexes for rigidly-coached practices and tournaments.Indeed, that long-cherished routine is part of the problem.Messi, Sánchez and countless other South American greats first played soccer on hardscrabble courts and back-alley streets. They taught themselves the skill, savvy and relentless desire needed to become elite players.Just as importantly, their families didn’t pay thousands of dollars to youth teams and event organizers along the way. For many Hispanic-American and African-American children, it costs too much simply to play soccer in this country, never mind to attend a professional game.If America’s mainstream soccer culture continues to raise barriers to those and other groups, the national team program – men’s and women’s – will not fulfill its vast potential.Asking so much of one three-week soccer tournament may seem like a lot. But remember all the questions before the Copa América Centenario about whether it was a big deal?We have the answer now: It was indeed a big deal.Perhaps its legacy can be a big deal too.

Copa América Centenario bets pay off big for Univision, Fox Sports

Updated: JULY 1, 2016 — 11:23 AM EDT by Jonathan Tannenwald, STAFF WRITER @jtannenwald

Fox Sports 1’s broadcast of the U.S.-Argentina Copa América Centenario semifinal in Houston drew 3.290 million viewers, the channel’s largest ever men’s soccer audience.

Of all the entities that benefitted from the Copa América Centenario’s great success, few gained more than the two television networks that brought the tournament’s action into American homes.Both Fox and Univision drew massive audiences for their telecasts in English and Spanish, respectively. Fox’s rivaled and in many cases surpassed ESPN’s viewership for the European Championship, while Univision’s average viewership for the group stage was higher than its average viewership for the 2014 World Cup.Just because everything looks rosy now, though, doesn’t mean the industry always believed that would be the case. Indeed, as anyone who has followed the FIFA corruption scandal knows, for much of last year it seemed the tournament wouldn’t happen at all.Univision Sports president Juan Carlos Rodriguez was convinced – and he had more at stake than almost anyone. His network wrote a $60 million rights fee check as soon as the tournament was first announced in 2014.Twelve months later, Rodriguez was staring at a bust. But twelve months after that, he was staring at a smash hit.Rodriguez doesn’t like talking publicly about the key role he played in making the Copa América Centenario happen. But ask around the industry and you will find plenty of people who praise his specific role in the meetings last autumn that secured the event’s existence.I spoke with Rodriguez this week, and asked if he was willing to reflect on the work he did. He wasn’t quite ready.”I think we have to meet each other and have a lot of tequilas, and I’ll tell you the whole story,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a book, for sure.”

He did, however, drop a few hints.”I’m paid to generate value for the company, and soccer is a very profitable landscape for everyone involved,” he said. “Two years ago, we made the bet, and I think we delivered.”Rodriguez added that it was “an easy bet,” and it’s easy to see why. If you’re surprised about Univision’s viewership beating its World Cup average, remember that the Hispanic audience doesn’t care too much about most teams from Europe, Africa and Asia. Games between those nations bring a World Cup average down. Take them out, and you get what Univision got last month.There weren’t just big audiences for games involving Mexico, the United States, Brazil and Argentina. Every game of the tournament drew at least 1.2 million viewers on Univision networks, including those with smaller nations like Panama, Haiti and Bolivia.”People want to watch official soccer matches – I think that’s the game-changer that we are very proud of,” Rodriguez said. “We were able to deliver an event that was an official event where countries were battling for an official trophy, not just these friendlies that everyone is doing in the U.S. that are going nowhere. Our audience has matured enough so that they can decide what is for real and what is not for real.”A good chunk of that audience was bilingual, just like the tournament as a whole. Many fans watched one half of a game in English and the other in Spanish.Rodriguez is fine with that.”It matches with the way the country is growing,” he said. “This is not about a first-generation of Hispanics coming to the U.S., or Anglos following [English-speaking] people. I think today there is a combination of second generations and third generations that is growing.”

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Fox paid just $15 million for English-language Copa rights – a quarter of what Univision spent, and a relatively small sum by sports TV standards. More importantly, the deal wasn’t made official until this past January, well after all of the legal disputes around the tournament had been settled.It was well-known around the soccer community for some time before then that Fox was going to do the deal. But the symbolism of the timing wasn’t lost on anyone. Nor was the fact that if everything went right, Fox was sitting on a potential gold mine.”I had very high expectations for this tournament,” executive soccer producer David Neal told me. “Players like Messi, Chicharito [Javier Hernandez]; the Brazil, Argentina, Chile teams that have played often in the United States in friendlies or exhibitions but very rarely in the U.S. for matches that really had stakes attached to them.”There were definitely stakes. And as you saw during Fox’s broadcasts, the network’s on-air talent wasn’t afraid to raise them. It wasn’t just the soccer studio crew either. Big-name talkers such as Colin Cowherd turned the spotlight – and the pressure – up to the highest levels.”It’s absolutely important, and it grew organically,” Neal said. “That kind of commentary, not only does it attract attention but it raises awareness. It’s a wonderful things to us to see our corporate brothers and sister talking about the sport as well.”Cowherd’s presence in particular caught a lot of the “soccer bubble” community off guard. Most soccer-centric types in this country tune out most mainstream sports talking heads on the assumption that they all hate the sport. That’s not true in Cowherd’s case. He wasn’t forced by higher-ups in Fox’s to talk about soccer.”Soccer has been on his radar for quite some time,” Neal said. “He did a piece for us in the pregame show before the U.S. semifinal [against Argentina] about the growth of soccer, and the fact that it’s truly appearing on the mainstream more and more. He thinks soccer is on the brink of becoming one of the top four. He thinks it’s going to supplant hockey.”Nothing grows soccer in this country more than good performances by U.S. national teams, and Fox got that in the Americans’ run to the semifinals.After the U.S.-Colombia game came within a whisker of setting Fox Sports 1’s men’s soccer viewership record, every subsequent U.S. game set a new high mark – culminating with an audience of 3.290 million for the U.S.-Argentina semifinal.”The United States, after the first match, caught fire, and then things aligned in a way that exceeded expectations,” Neal said. “I thought it would be a significant event, and then it became a really significant event.”I asked Neal if the tournament would have been such a hit on his network if the U.S. hadn’t done well. This was his answer:

It was important, but it wasn’t crucial. Was it good news for us to see the U.S. make the semifinals? Absolutely, but it wasn’t something that we thought was crucial. We thought that having the marquee players and marquee teams from central and South America would be sufficiently attractive, and then the U.S. [run] was really a bonus.

One of the things that we’ve learned from our friends at ESPN is that the sophistication level of the American soccer watcher is at such a high level already that even as recently as the World Cup in 2014 when the U.S. went out in the round of 16, the audience continued to grow. We felt confident going in that it would be true [here].

It was indeed true. A prime time doubleheader of Chile-Bolivia and Argentina-Panama on Fox’s over-the-air network drew over a million viewers. So did the quarterfinal doubleheader on FX that included Chile’s 7-0 demolition

of Mexico and Argentina’s 4-1 rout of Venezuela. Chile’s semifinal win over Colombia drew nearly a million viewers despite an hours-long thunderstorm delay, and the Argentina-Chile final drew 2.9 million viewers.

Of course, Fox being Fox, there were plenty of critics among those millions of viewers. I asked Neal to address some of the loudest talking points that surfaced on social media. He was glad to.Let’s start with the most controversial addition to the network’s coverage, Fernando Fiore. Long a star of Univision’s sports coverage, Fiore made the jump from Spanish to English television last year. His role with Fox is part-host, part-analyst, part-raconteur.Fiore really wasn’t that controversial a hire, especially for anyone who ever watched him at Univision. Plenty of viewers liked his contributions a lot. But some people who didn’t know of him before the Copa were surprised by his outspoken personality.I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a fan of Fernando’s work. I’ve also crossed paths enough with him over the years to know him somewhat well. But this space isn’t about my view. Here’s Neal’s take:

He is a force of nature, and anyone who knew him from his work in Spanish on Univision was certainly not surprised to see the energy that he brought to us. One of the things that I love about Fernando as part of our on-air talent is that he’s very unabashed about saying I’m not an ex-player, I’m not an ex-coach, I’m a fan. I think that’s an important aspect of any telecast – you want to have the fan’s point of view as well. I thought Fernando’s wide range of emotions, his analysis from a fan’s point of view, his knowledge of history of the game – particularly of old south and central American soccer – he has proven to be encyclopedic.

Another subject I saw a lot of complaints about was in-game broadcast production. Things like replays, cuts to fans in the crowd and camera angles.All of those things were controlled by a central production crew run by Host Broadcasting Services, the firm that FIFA hires to produce its tournament broadcasts. Fox didn’t run the show, and indeed, many of HBS’ employees aren’t American. For example, the broadcast of the final was directed by Scotland native Grant Phillips. “It’s a fact of life in international soccer,” Neal said. “One director may vary from another in terms of how often they cut to cameras. That’s true of American directors and any others.” On the whole, Neal was satisfied with HBS’ work. Every game had a minimum of 26 cameras, he said, and the semifinals and final had between 30 and 40. But if he needed to have a word with the crew, he could do so.”We had a daily dialogue with the host broadcaster,” Neal said. “If we had concerns about close-ups and cutaways and those sorts of things, we were encouraged to give feedback. Especially during the semifinals and finals, I thought the level of coverage was extremely high.” Another subject Fox got criticized over was having a lot of games called off monitors instead of sending its broadcast crews to stadiums. The tournament was in the United States after all, so why not? Well, there were a few reasons. The biggest was that unlike for the World Cup, the Copa didn’t build press sections into seating bowls of stadiums. They all (at least as far as I know) used the existing press boxes and broadcast booths.On the print side of things, there was enough room for everyone. But on the television side, there wasn’t always. A lot of South American TV networks sent crews to the U.S., and by the letter of the law, they had just as much of a right to booth space as Fox.At Lincoln Financial Field, for example, not only were all the TV and radio booths occupied, but coaches’ boxes and production rooms were also turned into broadcast spaces.”Because there were so many rights-holders and there was only so much real estate in these stadiums – we always like toe be at as many venues as we can, it’s just logistics as far as how many spaces are available and how many broadcasters we have,” Neal said. “In group play we had 12 days of consecutive games and four teams. It was a lot of traveling and [sometimes it made more sense] to have them stay in L.A. for a day or two.”Fox’s decision was also a bit of a hedge on its bet on the tournament as a whole. Yes, Neal’s expectations were high, but a bet is still a bet. The network kept its talent roster to four broadcast crews, and kept its studio crew at home in Los Angeles through the tournament’s early stages.But as the tournament caught on with fans, Fox got the green light to spend more. So you saw the studio crews go to Seattle and Houston for the United States’ knockout round games.Lastly, let’s address a point that is always one of the big ones when it comes to Fox’s soccer coverage: its use of American play-by-play voices instead of Brits. Fox has a long, proud track record of developing American voices to call the world’s game, and that effort continued this summer.FC Dallas play-by-play voice Mark Followill got a big national stage at the Copa, after quietly getting Bundesliga and CONCACAF assignments in recent months. Justin Kutcher returned after debuting at last year’s Women’s World Cup. Mark Rogondino returned to the fold to call a few MLS games after the league’s Copa break ended.Critics are still out there, complaining that Americans can’t know the game as well as others. But the tide is changing, thanks in no small part to the emergence of John Strong. At this point, the 31-year-old Oregon native shares the top of Fox’s depth chart with the dean of American soccer broadcasting, J.P. Dellacamera. It’s one thing to have Americans call a tournament of the Americas. What will happen, though, when Fox airs the 2018 World Cup in Russia? That’s the most demanding audience in soccer, and it might just demand that Fox use its British brethren from Sky Sports instead – especially global superstar Martin Tyler. Fox also has a strong partnership with Sky Sports’ operations in Germany and Italy. Sky Deutschland helps to produce some of Fox’s Bundesliga features, and Sky Italia’s Massimo Marianella contributed to Fox’s coverage of the FIFA presidential election in February. Neal is well aware of the pressure that will be on him, and told me Fox is already starting to make plans.”Everything we do, whether the women’s World Cup or the Copa America now or the Confederations Cup next year and the qualifiers in between involving the U.S. national team and Mexican national team, there is a common characteristic that it is about building our team for 2018,” he said. “We have not filled all our spots [for 2018]. We had effectively four broadcast teams for the Copa America [and] need at least two more for the World Cup. We are not excluding anybody.”Ultimately, Neal said, “it’s impossible to predict [right now] what all of our voices are going to be.There is some time to settle that matter. A more immediate objective is to bring the momentum from the Copa América Centenario into coverage of Major League Soccer.It was impossible to miss the many ties between MLS and the Copa, not least because Soccer United Marketing ran much of the tournament’s commercial operations. But there is a greater philosophical question of whether the Copa can get the MLS community to pay more attention to South America, and to bring more South players into the league instead of aging Europeans.

Yes, this is the same subject I wrote about a few days ago. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that when I asked Neal and Rodriguez for their opinions, they said many of the same things that I did. But really, I barely had to ask them. They said it on their own.”The style of play that we saw in Copa América Centenario – and almost equally important, the level of passion from the fans, the thousands that filled stadiums and the millions who watched on television – the sport is the same [as in Europe], but the passion and excitement of soccer in the Americas, I think it’s something that has got enormous growth potential,” Neal said. “And I think this tournament, over three-plus weeks, showcased it very, very well.”It’s no surprise that Neal is very much in favor of having more combined tournaments of the Americas in the future. It’s even less of a surprise that Rodriguez is too.”Absolutely, the answer is yes,” Rodriguez said. “In a six-month period, everyone proved that things can happen. If we have four years to plan, it would only get better.”Making it happen will take a lot of heavy lifting by CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and FIFA officials. The U.S. government’s investigation into corruption in soccer across the Americas could also have an impact, especially relating to who gets to be at the negotiating table.

Rodriguez told me he believes that FIFA and CONCACAF are indeed committed to the reform packages they have approved. He has particularly strong faith in soccer governing officials in the United States. “I think that U.S. Soccer and MLS have never been engaged in any of that – I can assure that this part of the world has nothing to do with the holistic world story,” he said. “I cannot say more because I don’t know more, but I do know that the sport itself is trying to clean the governing part. There is a new president, there is a new general secretary [of FIFA], there is a new president of CONCACAF [Canada’s Victor Montagliani] that for sure has been – he went through all the required screenings.”

Let’s end this piece with some optimism. If you’ve read my past interviews with Rodriguez, you know he’s very bullish on what Univision can bring to Major League Soccer.Rodriguez had a lot to say on the subject this time too. Here are his words, unfiltered (as they often are), on where he thinks American soccer can go if it speaks a little more Spanish in the years to come:

I think everything is ready for soccer to explode in the U.S., and we’re all trying to find the fuel and the ignition that really makes this the beginning of an incredible growth… If we really take a look and dive in the numbers, we might presume that one of the biggest paths for soccer’s growth is the U.S. is Hispanics. It is all the Hispanics [and] Latinos. We really represent the possible growth of MLS.

So if the U.S. is eventually going to host the World Cup in 2026, I presume that there are a lot of things that we can all do together, and for this I can tell you that we work very close to MLS and SUM in the future of more investments and more things that make more sense to watch the growth of the sport. The thing I am most proud of is the growth of the sport in the U.S. We are really being part of it, and we’re very happy about that.

We have literally invested thousands, I would say almost millions of dollars, in the broadcast experience. So from a technology perspective, from a commentator’s perspective, from a data perspective, our experience of watching South American soccer – in our case, Mexican soccer – has grown a lot in the last four years…

It is important that we, the guys in the industry, understand that by having an enhanced experience, it’s a lot easier to compare it to the world-class events that we get to see on television. So we have put [our production] at least at the same level of the ultra-high-class events. Therefore it’s fun to watch. You are informed and entertained at the same time.

That’s one piece: it becomes more appealing. The second piece is: MLS has done an incredible job in, let’s call it, rejuvenating the image of the league in the U.S.

It’s not only old players coming to America to retire here. Today, it is a full league that is between the best 10 leagues in the world, I would say, in terms of investments, in terms of stadiums, in terms of organizations, in terms of players now, in terms of development.

So this is starting to become an appealing market for players to come to the U.S. Plus security issues, plus the good living there is in the U.S. Everything is starting to be in place for a better proposal.

Euro 2016 verdict: Our writers’ best, worst and most surprising moments

Now that Euro 2016 has come to an end, our writers reflect on the tournament’s highs and lows.

BEST GAME

Gab Marcotti: Italy vs. Germany. Plenty of drama, proper rivalry, proper managers and history made. What more could you want?

Iain Macintosh: Wales’ victory over Belgium will live long in the memory for so many reasons: It was unexpected, it was a triumph of team spirit and it made Welsh-blooded ESPN FC man Chris Jones crumple and sob openly into the back of my shirt. Which I can’t wear again.

Chris Jones: Wales 3-1 Belgium. Not just because it meant so much to me, but because it really was an objectively great football game. An unexpected winner, terrific tension and action and two of the tournament’s top goals. A magical night. (Sorry about the shirt, Iain. A fiver’s in the mail. Send back the change.)

Raf Honigstein: Germany vs. France. Of the handful of matches that delivered football of genuine quality, this was by far the best. The hosts were sharp and dangerous every time they ventured into Germany’s final third; the World Cup winners were at their controlled, fluid best in possession. The game was decided by two fluke goals, but that doesn’t detract from its brilliance.

Julien Laurens: Italy vs. Germany. I thought tactically it was a fascinating contest between two great managers and two very clever sets of players. The drama of the penalty shootout was something else as well.

John Brewin: The obvious answer is France vs. Germany but, of the matches I attended, Croatia’s 2-1 win against Spain in Bordeaux will be most remembered. Spain’s hold on the title was loosened by Ivan Perisic’s late winner; it meant they would have to face Italy next. It was a shame that Croatia froze in the round of 16 against Portugal.

Nick Ames: France’s semifinal win over Germany ended up being relatively comfortable but, for over an hour, it was the kind of toe-to-toe contest between two big hitters that this tournament generally lacked, and was fascinating for it.

Miguel Delaney: France’s semifinal win over Germany was really the only truly high-quality game of the tournament — bar maybe Croatia vs. Spain — and was elevated by the stakes and the intensity of the ending. It also made for what felt like the biggest event of Euro 2016, especially since France then lost in the final.

Graham Hunter: Wales 3-1 Belgium. This was an immense game, far better than France vs. Germany in that the better team won and did so despite falling behind. It was also won with two world-class goals in a cauldron atmosphere. And Wales, unlike France, won without the benefit of schoolboy errors — Hello, Germany! This was football in its pure state.

BEST GOAL

Marcotti: Xherdan Shaqiri vs. Poland. We can talk about the importance of goals all we like — and it was pretty important — but when you pull off something that improbable and spectacular, you ought to be rewarded.

Macintosh: Time was running out. Humiliation beckoned. And then Dimitri Payet stepped up and thundered an extinction-level event for France past Romania’s Ciprian Tatarusanu in the opener. And that’s how tournaments should begin.

Jones: Hal Robson-Kanu’s manufacture of a dream goal out of what seemed a blown chance. One of the best turns any of us has seen, followed by a perfect finish to give Wales a shocking lead over Belgium that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Honigstein: Shaqiri. The idea. The audacity. The execution. A flawless piece of football artistry.

Laurens: Shaqiri against Poland. His technique was perfect and it was such a difficult goal to score.

Brewin: I was lucky enough to witness Shaqiri’s bicycle kick for Switzerland against Poland but, for technical brilliance, I

cannot look beyond Cristiano Ronaldo’s header against Wales. His hang time was so long that the ball had hit the back of the net by the time he returned to earth.

Ames: Luka Modric’s volley for Croatia against Turkey was technically perfect. Don’t underestimate the skill it takes to run onto a ball coming down from that kind of height, make a clean contact and keep it down. It still baffles that Croatia exited at the round-of-16 stage.

Delaney: Radja Nainggolan’s strike against Wales had emphatic power, supreme precision and was just beautiful to watch.

Hunter: Robson-Kanu. By miles. No other contenders. Not even close.

BEST MOMENT

Marcotti: Iceland’s players celebrating with their fans. A whole nation bought into the tale of 23 men who, really, aren’t that different from them. It’s what sets international football apart.

Macintosh: Once the burning humiliation had passed, it was an honour to witness Iceland beat England so comprehensively in front of their incredible fans.

Jones: This might seem like a small moment, but I’ll never forget it: The look of abject terror on goalkeeper Michael

McGovern’s face 11 minutes into Northern Ireland’s match against Germany and his swallowing of it as he made save after save. Close second: When that giant moth landed on Cristiano Ronaldo’s face to feed on his tears.

Honigstein: Simone Zaza’s penalty miss will continue to delight for decades. What’s Schadenfreude in German?

Laurens: The “Uh!” clapping by the Iceland players and their incredible fans after their win against England. It was amazing.

Brewin: Perhaps it came in the very first match. I was in a Bordeaux bar full of Frenchmen cursing their team as Romania looked like holding the hosts to a 1-1 draw. Then came Dimitri Payet’s brilliant late winner and the whole place was jumping in renewed belief as beer was thrown everywhere.

Ames: Iceland’s win over England. It doesn’t matter that England were atrocious; this was a remarkable night with joyful scenes at the end and it should show teams everywhere that, with the right attitude and application, anything is possible.

Delaney: Almost the entire Portuguese squad running onto the pitch when Eder scored in the final. It was just pure, unfiltered joy and obviously filled with even more meaning because of what will become the tournament’s most famous moment: Ronaldo’s injury.

Hunter: The Ronaldo-Joao Moutinho interaction before Portugal’s penalty shootout vs. Poland and Ronaldo’s reactions to the stress. Their tournament swung right there, before a spot kick was even taken. It was stark evidence of team spirit, unity and a new “Cristiano the true leader” persona. Great theatre.

BEST PLAYER

Marcotti: Antoine Griezmann. Poor in the opening game and in the final, but outstanding in between. Without him, France would have watched the final on TV — simple as that.

Macintosh: A very tough call; there was no standout contender. But Pepe’s performance in the final might just nudge him into pole position.

Jones: He was a disappointment in the final, perhaps, but Griezmann’s run over the length of the tournament and his singular performance against Germany in particular, still earn him the nod.

Honigstein: Griezmann. It didn’t quite work out for him in the final, but his goals and consistently threatening performances marked him out in a competition defined by misfiring forwards.

Laurens: Griezmann. Considering he had already played 63 games this season before the Euros began, the guy is a superhero to have done what he did. No one has ever scored six goals in this competition apart from Michel Platini (and now Griezmann), and “GR7” deserves a lot of credit even if his final display was disappointing.

Brewin: Griezmann has been the star of the show but, for a player playing his position at a level higher than anyone else, it has to be Leonardo Bonucci. He reminded that nobody does defending better than the Italians.

Ames: This was not a tournament filled with moments of great attacking quality but there was plenty to admire in one of its centre-backs. Pepe gets plenty of negative press as a master of the dark arts but he was imperious this summer and, like Portugal, grew as Euro 2016 progressed. He was the rock on which their remarkable month was based.

Delaney: Pepe has a strong claim, because he ended up personifying this Portugal more than Ronaldo, but Griezmann ultimately did more for France than any other player in the tournament did for their team.

Hunter: Griezmann, though there were too few contenders in the end. Pepe played well, but Griezmann got people off their seats with his flair. Wales teammates Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are fighting for bronze.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Marcotti: Portugal winning the tournament despite Cristiano Ronaldo being either wasteful or sidelined for about half the matches. So much for the notion of the one-man team. In an era of superstars, this was a collective triumph.

Macintosh: Hands up if you genuinely expected Hal Robson-Kanu to execute a perfect Cruyff turn and put Belgium to the sword? Nope? That’s what I thought.

Jones: It has to be Iceland, right? Not just their win over England, but their hard-nosed play throughout the group stage, too. It’s ridiculous that they even qualified. Did anyone on earth have them playing in the quarters?

Honigstein: We had many tales of plucky underdogs having their day, while established powers contrived to go out in unexpected ways. Portugal’s win over France, France’s win over Germany and Germany’s win over Italy all went against the tide of history. The biggest surprise, however, was that England managed to hit a new low. For all their problems and psychological frailty, scraping a single win from matches against Russia, Wales, Slovakia and Iceland is still an “achievement” that beggars belief.

Laurens: Wales’ incredible run to the semifinals. They played with so much heart and faith and mixed the talent of Bale and Ramsey with the discipline of the others. They also offered two of the best performances of the tournament against Russia and Belgium. And their fans are amazing, as is Joe Ledley’s dancing!

Brewin: The positive critical reception handed to England for their performances in drawing 1-1 with Russia and 0-0 in Slovakia. Too many excuses were made for failing to beat poor opposition and what followed against Iceland cannot be regarded as a surprise.

Ames: Hungary’s tournament ended with a resounding judder against Belgium, but they were full of enterprise in the group stage despite being billed as stodgy no-hopers. Their win over Austria was perhaps a double shock — both for the quality of Hungary’s performance and the flatness of the opponents, a team that had been billed as a dark horse.

Delaney: Portugal having so much success after a group stage in which they looked so unconvincing. Credit goes to Fernando Santos for figuring it out.

Hunter: Wales. What they did was bigger than Iceland’s achievement and I think that, without the suspensions they suffered, Wales would have been finalists. We knew they had ability and thrived in a good system, but to handle a tournament, with all that pressure and tiredness, and to play so well following the gut punch of losing late to England, was impressive.

Marcotti: French manager Didier Deschamps in the semifinal and final. Yes, I know he beat Germany. Yay. But the scheme was wrong and France suffered a lot more than they needed to.

Macintosh: England. Bloody England. They always let you down.

Jones: Zlatan Ibrahimovic never whimpers, but his international career ended with one. Sweden managed a single shot on target in three dismal group-stage matches. That’s the worst kind of impossible.

Honigstein: Austria’s finishing fourth in one of the weakest groups was an unexpected sporting disaster considering the individual quality at their disposal.

Laurens: That most of the big stars, including Ibrahimovic, Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, Andres Iniesta, Cristiano

Ronaldo and Ivan Rakitic, didn’t really shine consistently and struggled to have a significant impact.

Brewin: I cannot help feeling we might have seen a better overall standard of entertainment if UEFA had not decided to follow the edicts of the 2014 World Cup by asking referees to be lax. Coaches and defenders got wise. Lewandowski, to take a leading example, took a great deal of punishment.

es: The lack of truly edge-of-the-seat, see-saw games, particularly in the group stage. It took a long time to reduce 24 teams to 16.

Delaney: The amount of defensive football, which I think is partially the consequence of the tournament’s featuring so many low-quality managers unable to come up with anything else. Once this approach was successful for a few of the so-called lesser teams, it just spread.

Hunter: Spain. They went out at a ludicrously early stage and with a whimper of a tournament they should have won.

Sorry, CR7, Portugal epitomised Euro 2016: cynical, unsporting, awful

This was the first European Championship to feature 24 teams. It won’t be the last, but it should be.It pains me to say that. Allowing more of Europe to participate in the continent’s grandest tournament seems like a good and inclusive thing at first glance, especially in divisive times like these. If we want to spread the joy of the game we love, we need to be the opposite of football’s dismissive snobs. We need to make room for more accents and more styles; we need to sow the seeds for bigger dreams.And if this tournament were a ranking of fans, the so-called minnows won every game they played. In the midst of terrorist fears and a French summer seemingly destined to be devoid of sun, they provided much-needed spirit in every city buoyed by their happy presence. The Irish and the Northern Irish? Fabulous. The Welsh? Lovely as always. The Icelandic? Maybe the best of the bunch.But the football? The actual tournament? The kindest adjective I can think of: forgettable. The least kind: dismal. I attended 15 matches. I really enjoyed four of them. Only two, Wales 3-1 Belgium and Italy 2-0 Spain, were beyond good. They were beautiful. (I wasn’t in the stands for Italy vs. Germany, which was also great.) Most of the rest were middling to bad; that’s in large part to this tournament’s expanded format and the play it encouraged.A group stage that eliminates only eight of 24 teams is, pretty obviously, ridiculous. Never mind the third-place weirdness that saw poor Albania having to wait around to find out they were done. Teams knew they had a decent chance of advancing if they managed a single win. In fact, the way the seeding broke down, winning sometimes hurt. Germany were rewarded for topping their group with knockout games against Italy and France. Any tournament structure that provides a built-in disincentive to win needs to be quickly dismantled.The group stage also made plain the disparity between the teams with real title hopes and those who were in France as a polite courtesy. The record books show that Ukraine participated, but I have no recollection of them. Russia and their Ultras were a stain on and off the pitch. (Can’t wait for that World Cup!) Northern Ireland didn’t belong on the same patch of grass as Germany; God love them, but they even had to park the bus against… Wales? The early stages of this Euro seemed like a merciless prolonging of the inevitable, the grind of endless preparations. It turned us all into sous chefs.The knockout rounds were meant to provide relief and reward. For the most part they didn’t, especially the Euros’ inaugural round of 16. That gave us three dirges, three lopsided matches, one shock result but not an especially great game and a single worthy contest, which occurred only because it featured two world powers meeting too early in the tournament.But by far the biggest condemnation of these Euros is the team that won it: Portugal.It’s time for me to get something off my chest.Portugal the side — not the country, not the people, but the 23 men who represented them — were awful. I don’t think I’ve ever loathed watching a football team as much as I do them. (You’re off the hook, Paraguay.) They were cynical and unsporting and suffocating and the flat-out bottom of international football. They were Greece in 2004 without the underdog’s spirit. Greece had to play the way they did. Portugal didn’t. Given a choice between beauty and brute tactics, between victory and doing just enough to get by, they chose the lesser option every single time.They advanced out of the groups after draws with Iceland, Austria, and Hungary, and the one against Hungary they barely managed. They had the easiest group, and they finished third in it. They finished 15th out of the 16 teams to advance and they only nipped Northern Ireland on goals scored. Portugal’s goal differential was fittingly, forebodingly, zero.Their round of 16 game against Croatia was, on paper, a premier match-up. It turned out to be the most punishing single match of the tournament. Neither team recorded a shot on target until the 117th minute. I thought Italy and Sweden’s near-stalemate in the group stage would be the dullest game I’d see. Not so, because I had to watch Portugal. I had to watch them again and again.They had to choke Poland into penalties in a quarterfinal that felt like being confined to a wet basement. They had a three-minute offensive burst against a depleted Wales in their semifinal, good enough — “Portugal: We’re Good Enough!” — for their single win in regulation. And in Sunday’s final, extra time was as inevitable as the descending night. If anybody bothers to remember that match, Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury will be the thing that sticks. It was a game when the giant moth on his face could steal the spotlight instead of being drawn to it.I still can’t believe you can win Euro by winning once in 90 minutes. I have a friend who somehow likes Portugal and said, “They didn’t lose, either.” But we did. So did football.My great fear is that other teams will see what Portugal did here and seek to emulate them, that their “style” of play will become as insidious as pollution. I’ve written before that one way to counter that tendency is to bring back the Golden Goal while also removing the coward’s out of penalties. Another way is to make tournaments harder, not softer. Yes, Greece did what Greece did but that tournament has always been considered an anomaly, an unfortunate fluke. Now, with a second such win in 12 years, it’s becoming more like the frightening norm.This tournament should give permanent pause to FIFA’s recent talk of a 40-team World Cup. (We’re already going to have Qatar playing three lucky somebodies in 2022.) And UEFA’s continent-wide iteration of its championship in 2020 should be the last of the 24-team Euros. Reversion is an ugly word with often ugly connotations, but it’s not nearly as ugly as football played at its watered-down, hopeless worst.Congratulations, Portugal. Enjoy your title. The rest of us will be over here, putting an asterisk next to it and doing everything we can to make sure it will never happen again.Chris Jones is a writer for ESPN FC.

Premier League 2016-17 preseason review: Your club’s summer so far

With Euro 2016 over, focus will quickly shift to the 2016-17 season, and what a campaign lies in store.How will Leicester fare as defending champions? Will there be fireworks in Manchester as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola do battle again? There are plenty of subplots ahead of the new campaign and clubs are busy at work trying to add to their squads before the big kickoff on Aug. 13.How is your side shaping up this summer? Our ESPN FC club bloggers give their verdict on their preseason so far.

ARSENAL: The early capture of Granit Xhaka started Arsenal off on the front foot but the failure to convince Jamie Vardy to leave Leicester and Arsene Wenger’s insistence that he will only buy “one or two” more players speaks to the lack of ambition which has taken hold at the club. Vast sums will be spent this summer by rivals and Arsenal need to keep pace. Unless you believe Olivier Giroud’s impressive form at Euro 2016 means a new striker is no longer a priority …
Rating: 5/10 — Tom Adams

BOURNEMOUTH: It’s been a slow but steady start to the summer for Eddie Howe and Bournemouth. Tying Callum Wilson down for a further four years will please fans after his promising start to Premier League life, but the departure of both Matt Ritchie and Tommy Elphick has left a lot of work to be done in the transfer market. The few signings the club have made so far, such as Nathan Ake from Chelsea on loan, have hinted at a promising start, but the Cherries still need to bring in a couple more established stars to push on from their 16th place finish last year.
Rating: 6/10 — Will Kent

BURNLEY: It’s good that Euro 2016 has been around to distract Burnley fans, as very little has happened at Turf Moor. Joey Barton’s decision to leave for Rangers was a blow and it looks like star defender Michael Keane may join Leicester City, and there have been no new first-team arrivals yet. Preseason is under way and high-class signings are needed fast if Burnley are to be competitive.
Rating: 3/10 — Jamie Smith

CHELSEA: The tactical discipline and team ethic exhibited by Antonio Conte’s Italy side at Euro 2016 was a hugely encouraging sight for everyone connected with Chelsea. The opportunistic signing of £33 million Michy Batshuayi from Marseille, ahead of interest from London rivals Tottenham, West Ham and Crystal Palace, has provided a further boost, though problem areas in midfield and defence still desperately need addressing.
Rating: 7/10 — Phil Lythell

CRYSTAL PALACE: For years Palace fans have been urging the club to get their transfer business concluded early, so three quality signings in the first week of the summer window should keep all Eagles supporters happy. Andros Townsend, Steve Mandanda and James Tomkins could even be joined by Christian Benteke if reports are true, leaving fans feeling like Christmas has come five months early.
Rating: 9/10 — Jim Daly

EVERTON: New manager Ronald Koeman has lifted supporters without actually doing all that much (yet) — imagine the uplift when real progress becomes noticeable. His decision to bring forward preseason training while pursuing several big name players signals intent and points to an exciting summer ahead. A backup goalkeeper is the first addition to a squad requiring careful attention.
Rating: 7/10 — Luke O’Farrell

HULL CITY: Almost six weeks after winning promotion in the Championship playoff final, excitement has been diluted by a summer of uncertainty. Steve Bruce has finally committed his future, but supporters crave clarity on a proposed takeover of the club. Fresh blood would not go amiss either. No new faces have yet arrived to boost the ranks.
Rating: 4/10 — Phil Buckingham

LEICESTER: The champions have already enjoyed a superb preseason. Last season’s top scorer Vardy has snubbed Arsenal and N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez still might stay, too, although the former is being hotly pursued by Chelsea. Claudio Ranieri has broken the club’s transfer record to bring in Nampalys Mendy, who plays very similarly to Kante. CSKA striker Ahmed Musa is also close to joining. As things stand, Leicester will start with a stronger and deeper squad than last season and there’s no reason to think they can’t get out of their Champions League group, especially if a couple more signings arrive.
Rating: 9/10 — Ben Jacobs

LIVERPOOL: “Underwhelming” best describes Liverpool’s summer so far. Sadio Mane has arrived for big money but his circa £32m arrival will be offset by the sale of Benteke. That looks to be a significant upgrade at least, but Liverpool still have glaring needs in midfield and at left-back. The emphasis seems to be on signing young players for Jurgen Klopp to develop as he did at Borussia Dortmund, so how successful this window is will only become clear in a year or two.
Rating: 5/10 — Dave Usher

MIDDLESBROUGH: Newly promoted Middlesbrough have been busy in the transfer market so far, with manager Aitor Karanka picking up four young European stars, including Ajax’s Viktor Fischer, Atalanta’s Marten de Roon and former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes. However, Boro’s biggest question surrounds who gets the role at No. 10. Could they secure the services of Gaston Ramirez after his heroics last season? Will Stewart Downing win back a position that he was so effective in at West Ham, or will it be someone new entirely? There’s a lot for the Teessiders to look forward to in 2016-17.
Rating: 8/10 — Catherine Wilson

MAN UNITED: It has been an extremely promising start, with Jose Mourinho not only making all of the right noises in his news conference but also moving swiftly in the transfer market to address the most glaring areas in the squad. That deals for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are concluded bodes very well for the rest of the preseason. Should Mourinho be able to add Paul Pogba to the mix, United will emerge as one of the title favourites.
Rating: 8/10 — Musa Okwonga

MAN CITY: The summer has started with an unprecedented bang. A new manager — and not just any manager, either — plus two quality additions to the squad in Ilkay Gundogan and Nolito. With the prospect of more fresh blood to come, the feelgood factor at the Etihad could scarcely be higher than it is right now.
Rating: 9/10 — Simon Curtis

SWANSEA: While rival clubs have been busy, Swansea have been slow to act so far. The addition of Leroy Fer has seemed inevitable since the Dutchman impressed on loan last season, while Mike van der Hoorn will simply replace loaned-out Kyle Bartley at the bottom of the defensive pecking order. Bafetimbi Gomis appears to be set for a season-long loan at Marseille, but where is his replacement? Hal Robson-Kanu would be a start, but bigger moves must be made — and soon.
Rating: 3/10 — Max Hicks

SOUTHAMPTON: It has been a summer of change for Southampton with Claude Puel taking over as manager following Ronald Koeman’s surprise departure to Everton. The Frenchman needs to move quickly to replace big-name departures Mane and Victor Wanyama to ensure he makes a smooth transition to the Premier League.
Rating: 4/10 — Alex Crook

SUNDERLAND: New or extended contracts for star striker Jermain Defoe, full-back Patrick van Aanholt and keeper Vito Mannone are encouraging, as is the departure of players with no future at Sunderland (Steven Fletcher, Danny Graham and Santiago Vergini will be followed by others). But talk of manager Sam Allardyce being favourite for the England job is a worrying distraction and progress on transfers has been slow. Roll on the first big signing. West Ham’s Diafra Sakho would be a great start.
Rating: 5/10 — Colin Randall

STOKE: It’s been a slow summer for Stoke fans, who are starting to become ever-so-slightly anxious at Mark Hughes’ lack of signings and the radio silence on Marko Arnautovic’s future at the club. Missing out on Nathan Redmond was a blow and a drawn-out chase for Saido Berahino and an unknown quantity from Egypt gives little encouragement that the necessary upgrades will be in place for the new season
Rating: 5/10 — James Whittaker

TOTTENHAM: Tottenham have prioritised the right areas and completed two important deals so far. The signing of Victor Wanyama should give Mauricio Pochettino the ability to rotate with more confidence in midfield — which will be important as the club prepare to re-enter the Champions League — and a new striker,Netherlands international Vincent Janssen, has finally arrived to ease the pressure on Harry Kane.
Rating: 7/10 — Ben Pearce

WEST BROM: It’s been a decent start, with long-serving James Morrison and exciting academy products, Sam Field and Jonathan Leko, signing new contracts. The signing of Matt Phillips from QPR should help solve some of West Brom’s attacking problems.
Rating: 7/10 — Matthew Evans

WEST HAM: Slaven Bilic moved quickly to secure the signings of Sofiane Feghouli and Harvard Nordtveit but the chase for a top class striker continues, and until that is satisfactorily concluded, there’s a sense of dangerously unfinished business. The names being touted are encouraging and there’s still plenty of time, but a swift resolution would put fans’ minds at rest.
Rating: 7/10 — Peter Thorne

WATFORD: Watford have held on to Troy Deeney, added a couple of strikers and a centre-back and rejected a remarkable £38m offer for Odion Ighalo. Walter Mazzarri will want his major business concluded during the next fortnight as preseason gets underway — a midfielder and some wing-backs remain the priorities.
Rating: 6/10 — Michael Moruzzi

==========================================================================

If you are a goalkeeper – I am doing my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25 + Aug 1.

Just $10 per session – or $20 for 3 sessions.

U12 6 till 7 pm

U13 and above 7:00 -8:15 pm

if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

7/12/16 Portugal Wins EURO Final w/o Renaldo, Undefeated Indy 11 Home tonite vs Ft. Lauderdale 7:30 pm TV 8

July 13, 2016 gatorbest

So wow what a Euro Final result! Who would have believed Portugal could pull the upset without Renaldo on the pitch – but somehow they did with team spirit, great defense and FANTASTIC Goal keeper play. Rui Patricio was fabulous between the pipes – as he saved at least 3 balls that absolutely should have been goals on his 8 save performance on the day. I was rooting for Renaldo to finally win a trophy – and his team did with him passionately firing them up from the sideline after leaving in the 25^th minute with a left knee injury. He got hurt in the 8^th minute in a collision with Payett and came on and off 2 times after having work done on his knee – the crying Renaldo being taken off on a stretcher in the 25^th minute looked to spell doom for the offensively challenged Portugal. But with some fantastic saves from Rui Patricio, a great defense led by Real Madrid teammate Pepe, and with Renaldo screaming, coaching and cajoling his team to victory – Portugal pulled off the improbable and Won it all for the first time ever!!

INDY 11

So I was at the Indy 11 game Sat Night – and can I just say this – Isn’t it AWESOME to have WINNING TEAM?!!? I mean seriously who would have thought Year #3 with a new coach, new GM, new Goalie and obviously more investment in better players would lead to a SPRING SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP and an undefeated season. This team just has heart and a belief that they aren’t going to lose. I mean the difference that new Goal Keeper extrodinaire Jon Busch has brought has been unbelievable –(this veteran of 10+ years in MLS might be THE Biggest difference certainly amongst the players). He organizes his defense, leads the team as captain and makes ALL of the SAVES – not the just tough ones or the easy ones but ALL of them!! The offense actually scores goals now with Braun (man bun) and Zayed working hard and being dangerous up front.

Huge kudos to Indy 11 Owner Ersal Ozdemir as after the trophy presentation he brought the trophy straight to the fans and walked it thru the Brickyard Battalion allowing pictures to be taken and fans to actually hold the trophy and touch it. I dare say I don’t think any Owner in Any Sport has ever done that. Congrats to our Indy 11 on the Spring Championship – now get out there and go to a game!! There is a Wednesday night special against Ft. Lauderdale at 7:30 pm (TV 8 and BeIn Sports) and another next Sat Night 7/23 vs Edmonton (TV 8). Carmel FC – Summer CFC Technical Training continues in July.

If you are a goalkeeper – I am beginning my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25, + Aug 1 if interested RE:or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

Wednesday, July 13

Indy 11 vs Ft Lauderdale – @ H The Jake – 7:30 pm Wish TV 8, BeIn Sports

Saturday, July 16

Indy 11 @ Minn – 8 pm BeIn Sports

Sunday, July 17:

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders, 2:30 p.m. (Fox, Fox Deportes)
Montréal Impact vs. New York City FC, 5:00 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes)

Fri, July 22

8 am – ESPN 3 Man U vs Borussia Dortmund

Sat, July 23

5 am – ?? ICC Melborne vs Juve

12:30 pm ESPN ICC Celtic vs Leicester City

3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy,

7:30 pm Wish TV 8 Indy 11 vs Edmonton – @ H The Jake

Sunday, July 24:

12:30 p.m. (Fox,) New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC,

3:00 p.m. (ESPN,) Sporting Kansas City vs. Seattle Sounders,

5 pm ESPN ICC Inter vs PSG

Wed, July 27

7:30 p.m. (ESPN2        ICC Real Madrid vs. Paris Saint-Germain,
9:30 p.m. (ESPN2,       ICC Bayern Munich vs. AC Milan,
11:30 p.m. (ESPN,       ICC Liverpool vs. Chelsea,

Thur, July 28

(ESPN, UniMás) MLS All-Stars vs. Arsenal 7:30 p.m.

Sat, July 30

Indy 11@ Miami – 8 pm BeIn sports

Sun, July 31

1:00 p.m. Fox, Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers,
4:00 p.m. ESPN Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles Galaxy,

Wed, Aug 3

Sweden women vs. South Africa women, Olympics group stage, 12:00 p.m. (TV TBD)
Barcelona vs. Leicester City, ICC 2:00 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Canada women vs. Australia women, Olympics group stage, 2:00 p.m. (TV TBD)
Brazil women vs. China women, Olympics group stage, 3:00 p.m. (TV TBD)
Zimbabwe women vs. Germany women, Olympics group stage, 5:00 p.m. (TV TBD)
United States women vs. New Zealand women, Olympics, 6:00 p.m. (TV NBC?)
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, International Champions Cup 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2,
France women vs. Colombia women, Olympics 9:00 p.m. (TV TBD)
Chelsea vs. AC Milan, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Portland Timbers vs. CD Dragon, CONCACAF Champions League 10:00 p.m. (TV TBD)

Sat, Aug 6

Liverpool vs. Barcelona, ICC 12:00 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)
Canada women vs. Zimbabwe women, Olympics , 2:00 p.m. (TV TBD)
United States women vs. France women, Olympics 4:00 p.m. (TV TBD)

International Champions Cup – ICC – @ Chicago – Bayern Munich vs AC Milan Soldier Field Wed 7/27 @ 8 pm Tix still available $35 to $135

Soccer Camps – Boys and Girls -Ages 6 – 14

Post2Post Soccer Camp
Former Pittsburgh Head Coach Sue-Moy Chin and Former Iowa Coach Carla Baker run their annual field player camp for players of all abilities July 25-28 — 9 am to 3 pm $195 each @ Badger

Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only

Euros

Portugal’s Team Spirit afterRenaldo injury drives the Win – Marcotti ESPN FC

Renaldo gave moving ½ time Speech

France’s Coach Deschamps to blame for tactical Naivety – Delaney ESPNFC

Renaldo could never have imagined Winning Euros like this – Macintosh EPSNFC

Renaldo told Eder he would score

Portugal Grinds Way to Win – SI Jon Wilson

France Laments Broken Dream in Loss – ESPNFC

Top 10 Goals of Euro’s 2016

Golden Boot Winner France’s Antoine Griezmann

Portugal domintes Best XI voting

UEFA TOP PLAYER Antoine Griezmann, France: 6 goals (2 assists, 555 minutes)

UEFA EURO 2016 adidas Golden Boot: Antoine Griezmann, France: 6 goals (2 assists, 555 minutes)
UEFA EURO 2016 adidas Silver Boot: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal: 3 goals (3 assists, 625 minutes)
UEFA EURO 2016 adidas Bronze Boot: Olivier Giroud, France: 3 goals (2 assists, 456 minutes)

Golden Glove – Rui Patrício (Portugal);

EUROs BEST XI

The team (4-2-3-1): Rui Patrício (Portugal); Joshua Kimmich (Germany), Jérôme Boateng (Germany), Pepe (Portugal), Raphaël Guerreiro (Portugal); Toni Kroos (Germany), Joe Allen (Wales); Antoine Griezmann (France), Aaron Ramsey (Wales), Dimitri Payet (France); Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).

INDY 11

3 things about the Win

Recap of the 1-0 win over Minnesota

Permanent Relegation Game Recap – Ft. Carroll – Aaron Gunyon

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools www.achievetestprep.com/shane

Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘unbelievable’ half-time speech inspired Portugal – Soares

Cristiano Ronaldo gave the Portuguese squad what has been described as an “unbelievable” half-time speech, telling his teammates he was “sure” they would beat France in their 1-0 Euro 2016 final victory despite having to go off injured after 25 minutes, Cedric Soares has revealed.The full-back also said that Portugal were “in shock” when their star captain had to be substituted but that, far from being dejected, a “fantastic” Ronaldo helped motivate the players.”It was a very tough moment,” Soares said. “I remember, for me and the team, everybody was a little bit in shock I think.”In half-time, Cristiano had fantastic words for us. He gave us a lot of confidence and said ‘listen people, I’m sure we will win, so stay together and fight for it.'”It was really unbelievable. I think all the team had a fantastic attitude. And we showed tonight when you fight as one you are much much stronger.”Asked whether Ronaldo was downbeat after having to go off, Soares said: “No, he was fantastic. His attitude was unbelievable. Always he helped a lot our teammates, he always had a lot of motivational words and all the team of course reacted to them, so it was very good.”Ronaldo spent much of the second half and extra-time acting as an effective assistant manager, giving instructions from the bench, and Soares praised this as beneficial to the players.”Yes, he had fantastic words for each player in each moment of the game … I’m really really happy to be part of this group and be champion.”Portugal won the game thanks to Eder’s 109th-minute long-range strike. After the game, as Soares spoke to ESPN FC, Ronaldo led a conga line through the mixed zone, although he interrupted his singing to hug any players who were talking to the media.Miguel Delaney is a London-based correspondent for ESPN FC

Portugal’s team spirit after Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury drives Euro 2016 win

SAINT-DENIS, France — Ederzito Antonio Macedo Lopes, aka Eder, is a 28-year-old Portuguese forward. In his eight seasons as a topflight footballer, he has scored 48 league goals for four different clubs in three different countries. Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, aka Cristiano, is a 31-year-old Portuguese forward who scored 48 league goals in a single season, just two years ago.On a muggy Sunday night in Paris, each was critical in helping Portugal win their first-ever major international trophy. And because football, like the bottomless coffee cup at your local diner, never runs out of surprises, it happened in the most unthinkable way.Ronaldo left the game in tears after just 25 minutes, taking with him (in the eyes of most observers) whatever residual chances Portugal might yet have harbored. Eder came on with 11 minutes to go in regular time. He had never scored in a competitive game for his country. Sending him on smacked of desperation, the choice you make when you have no alternative — a bit like Butch and Sundance deciding to burst out of their hut and take on the entire Bolivian Army.And yet it was Eder, big and lanky and unloved by the purists, who harpooned a loose ball and drove from left to right with 11 minutes left in extra time.You felt as if he was just going to run into somebody and maybe see if he could win a free kick. Laurent Koscielny approached but simply bounced off him, like the giant sponges at the drive-through car wash. Realizing he was in space, Eder then unspooled a low, nasty rocket that tucked inside Hugo Lloris’ near post.”He actually told me when I sent him on that he was going to score,” manager Fernando Santos said after the match. “I smiled. But then the ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan.”As Eder turned to celebrate, he was mobbed as the entire Portugal bench cleared and streamed onto the pitch. All of them, bar one.Ronaldo, who had re-emerged from the tunnel with his left leg heavily bandaged as the game wound into extra time. Spending the previous 20 minutes at the edge of the technical area — serving as part-cheerleader, part-assistant coach, part-uberfan but mostly big brother — he took a moment for himself. He wandered down the touchline, head in hands, sobbing with emotion, and then he celebrated with his brothers.On this night, he and Eder were equals, as were the other 21 Portugal players. So too were the staff, kit men, physios and everybody else in Santos’ village. Because that’s what it took.The Portugal boss would say as much in the wake of their win. “Cristiano was the definition of teamwork. They all were.” It was a stark contrast on Sunday night between a team that was far greater than the sum of its parts and dealt with misfortune, versus a collection of individuals that added up to less than the sum total.Didier Deschamps’ decision to keep the same setup we’d seen against Germany (and, before that, against Iceland) came back to haunt him. It was a statement by the manager, forcing Paul Pogba to reinvent himself as some kind of next-gen Claude Makelele, and it would come to impact the whole match.Just as they had done against Germany, France came out of the gates very quickly, buoyed by a ferociously partisan crowd. Eight minutes in gave us the early turning point, perhaps a result of France’s furious tempo. Dimitri Payet went in hard on Renato Sanches, with referee Mark Clattenburg waving play on. The Frenchman then zeroed in on Ronaldo, who was receiving the ball by the touchline. Payet’s left boot nicked the ball away but his right knee caught Ronaldo’s planted leg and the Real Madrid star crumpled to the ground. Clattenburg again waved play on. Ronaldo struggled to get up, tears welling in his eyes, face contorted in a grimace.France had an excellent chance minutes later but Antoine Griezmann’s flicked header was pawed away by the immense Rui Patricio. Another clash and Ronaldo was back on the ground, this time sobbing. Something landed on his face, first on his eyebrow, then on the arch of his nose. Maybe it was a butterfly, maybe a moth, one of the many that infested the Stade de France on the night. He did nothing to shoo it away, seemingly not feeling it at all. Maybe it was the pain or the adrenaline. Maybe it was the sorrow. Maybe it was all of the above. He left the pitch for treatment and, in his absence, a powerful run from Moussa Sissoko resulted in a venomous finish that Patricio tipped over his bar.Ronaldo returned but could go no further. He gave the captain’s armband to Nani and limped off the pitch, applause from both sets of fans raining down around him. On came Ricardo Quaresma and at that stage, Portugal were very much on the back foot, particularly when Sissoko, operating somewhere between a runaway locomotive and an Ironhead Harley, roared through the Portuguese lines. The half ended with Cedric catching Payet with a knee to the back. It smacked of a classic revenge foul, but fortunately for both teams, things did not escalate.Without Ronaldo, Portugal switched to a 4-5-1 and tightened up in central midfield and here you realized just how Deschamps’ scheme wasn’t helping. Stuck deep in midfield, Pogba struggled to contribute offensively. With Griezmann swallowed up in traffic and Payet’s contribution waning, France became predictable. Deschamps sent on the fresh wheels of Kingsley Coman and his cross found Griezmann, whose header was just high. Coman again set up a great chance when he played in Olivier Giroud (a rare appearance on an otherwise anonymous night) but again, Patricio was heroic in palming it away.With extra time (and maybe penalties) looming, both managers turned to their bench. Santos turned to Eder for Renato Sanches, while Deschamps called upon Andre-Pierre Gignac (for Giroud). As it would happen, both replacements would get a chance to win the game. Only one would take it.Ten minutes from time, a Portugal counter saw Nani’s cross/shot force Lloris to punch away straight to Quaresma, whose overhead kick was saved again by the Tottenham keeper. It would have been a Hollywood ending, but instead, we saw two more gilt-edged French opportunities. Sissoko, in full-on beast mode, unleashed a frightening strike that Patricio somehow deflected. And then, deep into injury time, Gignac received the ball with his back to goal, turned Pepe inside and out with an agility you just don’t expect from a man his size and fired a shot that clipped Patricio’s post.With Eder on the pitch, Portugal switched to a more linear 4-3-3 to mimic France and the game seemed destined for penalties. Raphael Guerreiro sent a free kick (awarded for an incorrect handball when Clattenburg appeared to get Eder and Koscielny confused) thundering off Lloris’ woodwork. You thought it was the highlight of the game; little did you know what would come next.The final minutes saw Ronaldo and Santos stalking the edge of the technical area, Master and Commander. “Cristiano was crucial,” Santos said. “He was so important to us, he didn’t think of his misfortune. He talked to everyone, he incentivized them, he made them believe that tonight was our night.”Man of the match honors went to Pepe, but they could have easily gone to Patricio or Guerreiro. Or heck, the entire 23, because this was all about them and the man who molded them. “We were innocent as doves but also wise as serpents,” Santos said. And he meant it.”Right now, I want to go home and kiss my mother, my wife, my children, I’d like to hug everyone, every last one,” Santos added, before turning to his faith. “But I want to thank above all my best friend and his mother for making me so humble, for having allowed me to illuminate his name, because all that I do is for his glory.”Pepe dedicated the victory to the Portuguese diaspora around the world, a set of emigrants that included Santos in his three separate stints in Greek football. But the last word went to Ronaldo who, like Ricardo Carvalho, was there in 2004, the only other time Portugal played in a final and an occasion that ended in heartbreak.”Since 2004 I’ve asked God for another chance, another opportunity to win something for my people,” Ronaldo said. “Today I was unlucky personally, but it turned out as one of the happiest days of my career. I always believed we could do it as a team. I just wasn’t sure it would happen this way.”The fact that it did might make it all the sweeter.Gabriele Marcotti is a columnist for ESPN FC, The Times and Corriere dello Sport. Follow him on Twitter @Marcotti.

France’s Euro 2016 final agony down to Didier Deschamps’ tactical naivety

SAINT-DENIS, France — After one of the biggest disappointments in French football history, a clearly deflated Didier Deschamps tried to put it down to “tiny details.””It was a close match,” the France manager said after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final. “We had chances, as did the Portuguese, but unfortunately they scored.”Or, more specifically, Eder scored. Fernando Santos’s decision to bring the striker on initially raised eyebrows, only for the player to then raise the roof with his 109th-minute long-range strike.It only reflected better on the Portuguese manager that Eder was supplied by another sub in Joao Moutinho. That in turn reflected badly on Deschamps. Santos’ subs did not just win this game; they also highlighted just how poor the French manager’s own decisions were.Deschamps’ attempts to put the defeat down to “tiny details” was understandable, but the reality was that France lost because he himself got too much wrong. That is what it boils down to.There is a lot of blame to go around with the hosts, but more must be placed at Deschamps’s feet than anyone else. He admitted afterwards that France “threw away a great chance to be European champions” but it looks even worse when you properly lay out why it was such a great opportunity.France had the fortune to play a final in their home stadium against a less talented team, whose biggest star had to go off after just 25 minutes.Everything was going the hosts’ way, but Deschamps got almost nothing right. He squandered it all, in a piece of mismanagement to rival Marc Wilmots’s poor work with Belgium.It was not just that Deschamps failed to maximise those ample advantages. It was really about how much his decisions actually minimised the effectiveness of his players. He made such talent look less than the sum of their parts.A distinctive feature of France’s entire tournament has been Deschamps getting his starting lineups wrong, only to fix it halfway through to see his side through. It happened in four of their six matches before the final, but was most notable in the round-of-16 game against Ireland, when he finally moved Antoine Griezmann into the centre.That initially seemed a sign of Deschamps’s impressively proactive approach, and decisiveness, his willingness to make necessary changes. Instead, it now just looks more like he was getting lucky, and never had a clear idea. He clearly couldn’t fix his problems when it mattered most. He had run out of ideas.The most damning thing was so much of what could be fixed seemed obvious. From the start of the tournament, it has been clear that Deschamps was struggling to find a balance in midfield given the type of players available to him. He still persisted, however, with some hugely puzzling configurations that were proven to not work in previous games.The final, illustrated that most; it seemed as if the midfield trio was set up to get the best out of the worst player in it, while also subduing the performances of the better ones.This is not to say that Moussa Sissoko is not a quality player, but he clearly hasn’t had the career or talent of Blaise Matuidi or — especially — Paul Pogba. While those two toiled, however, it was Sissoko who was released to express himself.That is utterly bizarre when you just stop and think about Pogba’s best qualities. The 23-year-old has been widely criticised for not doing more with his ability throughout the tournament, but Deschamps should take the blame for it, rather than the player himself.Pogba was only rarely used in the role best suited to him, when he could get forward and fully utilise that awesome power and inventive range of passing and shooting. We saw some of it in the second half of the semifinal against Germany, after N’Golo Kante had been brought on.Despite that, Deschamps inexplicably reverted in the final and even, arguably, regressed. Pogba was placed in a holding midfield role and often seemed as if he had been instructed to stay as close to the centre circle as possible. That meant Sissoko was off doing the things that the Juventus midfielder usually excels at. What could Pogba have done had he been in the same shooting positions as Sissoko?And what must Anthony Martial have be thinking? He was ludicrously underused in this tournament, and that only served to ask even more questions of Deschamps’ tactics.If the manager’s decisions in midfield were confusing, his decisions in attack were just confounding. Right from the start of the tournament, there has been argument that Martial should be starting every single game up front even if he is more a winger than a striker, because his sleek running would just better fit the type of angled passes players like Griezmann were regularly trying.Olivier Giroud’s aerial qualities and lay-offs meant there was still some logic in Deschamps’s decision to persist with the Arsenal striker, despite some of his misses and the comedy of his slow running against Germany, but there was absolutely no logic in only ever replacing him with Andre-Pierre Gignac.This was once again a move that had been proven to be ineffective, but Deschamps still persisted with.It arguably cost him more than anything in the final, with two big moments. Gignac might have done well at the end of normal time to leave Pepe on the ground with a turn, but the better decision was probably to just play the ball back out to the on-running teammate in a much better shooting position.Having eschewed that, Gignac still should have scored with his shot. He hit the post, but was at least someway sharp in that moment. That was not the case with his second moment.A few minutes into extra time, Griezmann had the ball on the left and looked to play it into the box, only for Gignac to be beaten to it in a way that suggested he did not expect it to come to him. By contrast, Martial is supreme at sensing those opportunities and suddenly acting on them.Gignac’s selection, however, illustrates how long-running some of Deschamps mismanagement has been. It is not just that the striker should not be in the team. It is that he should not be in the squad. It simply remains remarkable that Gignac was picked ahead of Kevin Gameiro, let alone Martial.From all these criticisms, the French manager could justifiably point out that the team still created enough chances to win the game, and it all would have been so different had Griezmann scored that second-half header.The key point, however, is that France should not have needed to rely on such margins. The gap in quality between themselves and Portugal was too big, but Deschamps’s work served to narrow it.He never came close to finding a formation that just fit the players available to him. It was almost always so disjointed, so stilted.”I can’t hold anything against my players,” Deschamps said afterwards. “They gave everything tonight.”Some of them would be justified in holding it against him, because the French manager got almost nothing right.Miguel Delaney is a London-based

Cristiano Ronaldo could never have imagined winning Euro 2016 like this

SAINT-DENIS, France — Cristiano Ronaldo will have dreamed of this moment for years. He has won almost everything there is to win for his clubs, but he had never won anything for his nation. Even in his strangest dreams, he could never have imagined that it would happen for him this way.This is not how Ronaldo usually wins. Ronaldo usually wins with well-struck shots or sublime subtlety like that back-heel against Hungary. He wins when he endures the sort of pressure that crushes ordinary men like tin cans. But he had never won from the technical area, arms aloft, directing his players through the last stages of a lung-busting cup final prior to Sunday.A glimpse into the future? Ronaldo the manager? Probably not. He will need neither the money nor the stress. But here he was, injured and exhausted, channelling every thing he had, every last ounce of personality and celebrity, all in the hope that it might make some kind of difference on the pitch. And perhaps it did.Asked afterward if he felt that this was the high point of his career, he agreed. “I always say I win everything in terms of clubs, then as individual, but I always say I never win something for Portugal,” he said. “But I win tonight. I’m so happy, it’s a moment I cannot describe.”I’m so glad, it’s something unbelievable in my career, something that I deserve. Today I had bad luck because I had a small injury, but my colleagues do it. They run, they fight, we played against everyone, we played against 70,000 people in the stadium, nobody believed, but we won.”It would have been a profound shame had Ronaldo’s tournament ended, as it seemed it might, with the sight of him being carried from the pitch, his knee beyond immediate repair, his face streaked with tears. For all that he can rile and annoy people, he is one of the greatest footballers of his generation. He will be 33 when the next World Cup rolls around, 35 for the next European Championship. This really was it.If he had failed out on the turf, that would be fine. That would be football. But to be neutralised by a crunching challenge before he’d even had a chance to impose himself on the game, that just felt like cruel fortune. He didn’t want to go. He tried twice to continue, even as the French fans jeered and howled. But eventually even he had to relent. His race was run. On the pitch, at least.”It was tough because we lost our main man,” Pepe said. “We had all our hopes in him because he’s a player who can at any minute score a goal, because we know his abilities, but when he said he couldn’t go on, I tried to tell my teammates that we have to win it for him, that we were going to win it for him, that we were going to fight for him.”Ronaldo, knee strapped and training top on, reemerged at full-time as his teammates slumped, drained and depleted on the turf. He strode through their ranks like a king before a battle, a quiet word here, a pat on the shoulder there. He did it again after the first period of extra time, looking measured and composed.But when Eder slammed home his 109th-minute winner, that composure evaporated. Ronaldo celebrated alone on the sidelines, his hands over his face as the entire bench raced onto the pitch to mob the goal scorer. The tears flowed freely, the adrenaline coursing through the Real Madrid man’s veins. He couldn’t sit down. He couldn’t take his place with the other players. He had to be there, on the touchline, making an impact. Any kind of impact.One member of the coaching staff tried to urge him back to the bench, but with limited success. Like the moths that surrounded the Stade de France floodlights in their thousands, Ronaldo was irresistibly drawn to the action. In the end, the coaches left him alone, happy to let him shuffle up and down the touchline, bellowing instructions at players who were probably too tired to listen. And the clock ticked down.Pepe, named man of the match, laughed when a journalist asked him how he felt about his new “assistant manager,” but he was diplomatic about it.”The gaffer is our leader,” he said. “On the pitch, we’re all managers, because the gaffer lays down the tactics and on the pitch we do our best, but in fact the older players are there to incentivise and help younger ones.”Seconds before the final whistle, Ronaldo grabbed coach Fernando Santos and shook him vigorously. Santos looked awkward and uncertain. Managers do not celebrate until everything is confirmed. But then referee Mark Clattenburg blew his whistle and there was nothing left to worry about.”Our skipper, he had an immense effort,” Santos said later. “We had amazing team spirit, he had amazing team spirit. Twice he tried as much as he could to get back on the pitch, but he couldn’t do it. But being there in the locker room, on the bench it was very important to us, the way he reached the lads, incentivised them, he believed, like I believed, that tonight was our night.”Again, the bench ran to the pitch to celebrate. Again, Ronaldo stood alone for a moment, eyes wide and flushed in the face. He hugged a coach and they fell to the floor, Ronaldo’s shoulders heaving. And then he was back on his feet. He limped out to the pitch, congratulated his teammates one by one and because, even in the strangest dreams, some variables will always remain the same, he peeled off his shirt.This is the victory Ronaldo had craved for so long. The international success that moves him, permanently if his retirement holds, ahead of Lionel Messi: one medal to none. It is the culmination of a life spent in constant pursuit of excellence. No, this is not how he would have imagined it happening, but as he lifted the trophy above his head and

roared with delight, you suspect that he wasn’t even remotely concerned.Iain Macintosh is a writer for ESPN FC.

Cristiano Ronaldo told me I’d score Portugal’s winning goal – Eder

Portugal’s Euro 2016 final hero Eder says Cristiano Ronaldo told him he’d score the winning goal against France, and hailed his country’s triumph as “an amazing moment” after their historic 1-0 defeat of the hosts at the Stade de France on Sunday.The 28-year-old forward came on in the 79th minute for midfielder Renato Sanches and made his presence felt with a thunderous strike past France’s Hugo Lloris in the 109th minute to give Portugal their first major tournament title.Speaking after the match, the Lille man revealed the Real Madrid superstar,who was forced off with a knee injury in the 25th minute, predicted his decisive goal ahead of time.”Cristiano told me I would be scoring the winning goal. He and all my teammates,” Eder said. “He gave me strength and positive energy. And that goal was really important.”A lot of hard work went into it. We worked hard from the first minute and right from the beginning of the Euro. We were spectacular. The Portuguese people deserve this.”Eder had played just 13 minutes at the European Championship before coming on in the final, but said he’d always believed his moment to make an impact would come.”Since the first day [I thought my opportunity would come]. Ever since Fernando Santos called me up. He knows what my capabilities are and so does our group,” Eder said.”They trust me and I have worked hard to contribute and today it was possible. I’m very happy about what we’ve achieved.”He added: “It was an amazing moment. Our team worked really hard. We knew that the Portuguese people were behind us.”We fought with immense strength, we were amazing. I think we deserve this title due to the work we put in, all the players and the staff. Portugal had been wanting this title for so long.”This is fantastic and well deserved. Congratulations to every single one of us.”Defender Pepe highlighted Portugal’s difficult road to European glory after captain Ronaldo limped out of the match early.”This was tough as we lost our main man and we had all our hopes on him because he can score a goal at any moment. When he couldn’t go on I tried to tell our teammates that we had to win it for him,” the Real Madrid star said.”The coach set us up very well, the subs came on at the right time too. We poured our blood, sweat and tears into this. We’ve written a brilliant page in the book of Portuguese football history.”Speaking to RTP after the match, Paris-born full-back Raphael Guerreiro said the triumph was the pinnacle of his career.”It’s not really sunk in yet,” Guerreiro said. “I play for Lorient usually, and winning this title at the end of the season sounds incredible for me. And it’s in France too, so it’s even more special. It’s spectacular, and I hope we’ll perform well in the next tournaments too.”We didn’t pay much attention to the critics, as we were winning our games. We concentrated on each game as it came. The goal was to win the tournament, and in the end we won it, thanks to the whole team.We worked hard on and off the pitch, and we deserve it. It’s a very good reward. At the moment it’s the best moment of my career.”

Portugal grinds its way to Euro 2016 title, overcoming Ronaldo injury

Portugal beats France 1-0 in extra time to win Euro 2016 title

Even without Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal pulled out a win against France in the Euro 2016 Final.

BY JONATHAN WILSONADD FAVORITETwitter EmailPosted: Sun Jul. 10, 2016

PARIS – Portugal won a single game at this European Championship in normal time. It got through the group stage as a best third-place team. It has played grim, attritional football throughout the knockout phase. But, for the first time, it has a European trophy. When the ends are glory, nobody in Portugal will mind much to quibble about the methods after a 1-0 triumph in extra time over France on Sunday.Portugal won the Euros because of its defense. After the shambles of the 3-3 draw against Hungary to finish the group stage, manager Fernando Santos retreated into the utmost pragmatism and created a unit that conceded a single goal in 420 minutes of knockout play. Scoring goals, the message seemed to be, would look after itself. And so it proved. Even without Cristiano Ronaldo, forced off after 25 minutes with a knee injury, Portugal found a 109th-minute winner, hammered home from about 30 yards by Lille striker Eder–an unlikely source for a unlikely victory.Until then, the game had been largely representative of the tournament. There have been flashes of quality and flare, but for the most part the play has been drab and cautious, blanket defenses overwhelming inadequate attacks. Much was sideways, much was backward, much was predictable and France, faced with the obduracy of Portugal’s defending, looked short of ideas and inspiration.This was never going to follow the pattern of the Germany game, of France being forced back and striking on the break. Portugal’s method since the end of the group stage has been to absorb pressure, using the energy of its midfield, along with the enormous presence of William Carvalho, all clanking movement and octopoid limbs, to stifle the opposition. So it proved again, France being allowed to dominate possession as Portugal hastened to fill gaps.WATCH: Ronaldo runs through all emotions, lifts trophy for Portugal

Portugal’s attacking threat, restricted throughout the tournament, was diminished further by an early challenge by Dimitri Payet on Ronaldo. No foul was given but, as Payet won the ball with his left foot, his right knee banged into Ronaldo’s left. The Real Madrid forward collapsed in obvious distress, weeping, but struggled on with heavy strapping before finally accepting the damage was too serious and going off for Ricardo Quaresma. A Cedric foul on Payet 10 minutes later seemed a fairly clear attempt at gaining retribution.As against Germany, there was an early French surge, but although an Antoine Griezmann header drew a fine save from Rui Patricio after Pepe’s slip had given Payet time to float a ball into the box, it produced no breakthrough.The singing of La Marseillaise prior to the match had been notably poor, one half of the stadium getting a syllable or two ahead of the other half–perhaps the inevitable result of France’s fans spending too much time dabbling with the Iceland thunder clap rather than practicing what they’re good at–and that served as a metaphor for a disjointed France display. Perhaps the stoppages for Ronaldo to receive treatment upset the rhythm, perhaps his disappearance affected its concentration, perhaps Portugal held the ball rather better after Ronaldo had gone off rather than repeatedly trying to feed him quickly, but there was little fluency in France’s attack, little sense that a breakthrough might come. There was one smart turn and shot from Moussa Sissoko, preferred on the flank as Deschamps stuck to his 4-2-3-1, but that was a rare moment of incisiveness in a largely drab first half.It didn’t improve much after halftime.Portugal did what it set out to do and made the game one of grim attrition. Payet, France’s hero in the group stage, was removed just before the hour for Kingsley Coman, the thinking presumably being that his pace might help penetrate the Portuguese ranks. He did land a cross on Griezmann’s head midway through the half–but the Atletico Madrid forward put the chance over–and then created a chance for Giroud that was well-saved by Rui Patricio.The Portugal goalkeeper also made a full-length diving save to keep out a long-range blast from Sissoko, while Nani almost caught out Hugo Lloris with a deft chip. And then, quite unexpectedly, from nothing, substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac turned Pepe in injury time and rolled a shot past Rui Patricio and saw it bounce back off the post. A sudden smattering of chances could disguise the fact that there was little pattern to the game, little quality. As Portugal vs. France clashes go, this was far more World Cup 2006 than Euro 84.Quite suddenly, just after halftime in extra time, there came a furry of chances in a Portuguese rally. Raphael Guerreiro hit the bar with a free kick and then, within a minute, Eder drifted in from the left and struck a fearsome shot past Hugo Lloris. It was a goal whose quality was utterly out of keeping with the game and, in truth, the tournament.But nobody in Portugal will care about that.

UEFA European Championship top scorers; 1996–2008: from final tournament group stage)
2016: Antoine Griezmann (France) 6
2012: Fernando Torres (Spain) 3
2008: David Villa (Spain) 4
2004: Milan Baroš (Czech Republic) 5
2000: Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands), Savo Milošević (Yugoslavia) 5
1996: Alan Shearer (England) 5

UEFA European Championship final tournament overall top scorers
9: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
9: Michel Platini (France)
7: Alan Shearer (England)
6: Antoine Griezmann (France)
6: Wayne Rooney (England)
6: Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden)
6: Thierry Henry (France)
6: Patrick Kluivert (Netherlands)
6: Nuno Gomes (Portugal)
6: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands)

THREE THINGS – IND VS MNU

Trio of takeaways from latest game in Eleven’s 12-game undefeated streak

Jul 10, 2016

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Three Things: Eleven vs. Minnesota
Takeaways from tricky three-point result vs. the Loons

After every game, IndyEleven.com’s Scott Stewart will give his three takeaways from the latest performance of the “Boys in Blue.” Well, usually it’s Scott Stewart … however, this week John Koluder will take over the recapping spot, starting with what was a tricky three-point result against Minnesota United FC at Carroll Stadium.
1) “Zero” Chance

Scott Stewart (along with several of the other bloggers that cover Indy Eleven) correctly pointed out inFriday’s preview that goalkeeper Jon Busch would likely have some extra work to do with the Loons’ high-flying attack coming to town. Little could he have known, however, that the game’s pivotal moment would indeed come down to “Buschy” going mano y mano against the NASL’s Golden Boot race leader and “fresh-off-a-hat-trick” scorer Christian Ramirez in the 38^th minute.

After ditching his much-needed hat, Busch would recall his PK homework during the week (he gave a hat tip to assistant coach TIm Regan for his weekly PK video reel), guessing correctly to his left to beat Ramirez’s spot kick to the post. Just moments later Busch would be on the spot at that same post to corral J.C. Banks’ half-chance that turned out to be a full one, headed towards the upper corner.

Up to that point Minnesota was building some momentum in attack, but that clearly changed as Indy gave up just two shots from distance in the 50 minutes that followed. In a season where Busch had been called upon to step up largely on the road, this was the veteran’s night to shine at “The Mike,” and that one moment flipped the course of the match. The team’s defensive display overall led to a fourth shutout, now the 11th time in 12 games in which the Boys in Blue have allowed just one goal or less. Goals are nice, but that’s what gets you to the top of the table.
2) More from Mares

After either coming off the bench or not appearing at all in four of Indy’s first five games, Dylan Mares dangerous abilities eventually could not be denied. While the third-year pro was rewarded by head coach Tim Hankinson with starting nods in the team’s previous eight competitive matches leading up to Saturday against Minnesota, last year’s co-leading scorer hadn’t cracked the scoresheet, but with 18 shots (good for third on the team heading into last night) it certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort.

A game-changing moment in the 78^th minute changed all that, and it could very well open the flood gates for the “Eleven Original.” Mares has Loons’ midfielder Lance Laing partially to thank for a pass right to his feet 30 yards from goal, but from there it was all Mares, who confessed after the game that he didn’t notice netminder Sammy Ndjock off his line before unleashing his lash into the upper right 90 – he just felt like having a go from 25 yards felt right. And boy was it.Mares wasn’t done there, as he would make a play that was just as big in the Indy goal with regulation time winding down. The one shot Busch couldn’t get to on the evening, Ramirez’s close-range header in the 90^th minute, could have been a gut-wrenching equalizer, but the alertness of Mares – who drifted from his corner kick duty on the post when he saw Busch step off his line – allowed him to head away the chance right on the line, preserving the result for Indy.While those two moments are obvious standout ones, what might have gone unnoticed was Mares’ steadiness throughout, as he completed 36 of his 40 passes on the night (as you can see to the right). With Indy fans knowing full well what the 24-year-old midfielder is capable of its not fair to deem Saturday a “breakout performance” for Mares, but it was certainly his best one of the season and could instill him with more confidence – and therefore make Indy even more unpredictable in attack.
3) Better Late Than Ever … or “Winning Time”

8 out of 17 … as in eight of Indy Eleven’s 17 goals scored in its 12 regular season games have been scored beyond the 75^th minute. It doesn’t matter what level you play at, the ability to be that clutch in “winning time” will keep you in contention for trophies, which in this case has been borne out by the fact that those goals have resulted in 11 of the squad’s 22 standings points earned.While Indy Eleven’s ability to score late has been well-documented, what perhaps has gone unnoticed is the lack of scoring by the opposition in that crucial final quarter-hour. No, not the minimal damage done, but the COMPLETE LACK OF GOALS CONCEDED. That’s right, Indy Eleven has outscored the opposition 8-0 in the last 15 minutes of games. That, my friends, is the stuff of champions.
So Where Does Indy Stand?

Fall Season: 1W-1D-0L, 4 pts., 4^th place (but really T-2^nd with 3 other teams, with everyone sitting on a +1 goal differential)

Combined Season: 5W-7D-0L, 22 pts., 2^nd place (2 points behind New York, which pulled one out at the death Saturday at Miami)
What’s On Tap?

The meat of a 3-games-in-8-days sandwich, this Wednesday’s home contest against Fort Lauderdale (7:30 p.m. kickoff, as always, at “The Mike).
How About a Fun Fact?

Indy could tie the NASL modern era’s longest regular season undefeated streak of 13 games, set originally by Carolina in 2011 and equaled by the Cosmos across the 2013-14 seasons. Ottawa twice was on the cusp of equaling the mark last year, so you can bet that Nicki Paterson, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Colin Falvey will do what it takes to get Indy across that line this time around.

Penalty Kick Save and More Late-game Heroics Lift Indy Eleven to 1-0 Victory over Minnesota

Win Keeps “Boys in Blue” Undefeated in 12 Straight Games to Start 2016 Campaign

INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, July 9, 2016) – Dylan Mares provided the latest set of late-game dramatics for Indy Eleven, scoring his first goal of the season with 12 minutes remaining and heading a ball off the line in the 89^th minute to give the “Boys in Blue” a 1-0 victory over Minnesota United FC in front of 8,066 spectators at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. Indy Eleven goalkeeper Jon Busch earned a fourth clean sheet on the season for Indy by saving four shots, including a penalty kick stop on the league’s leading scorer, Christian Ramirez, late in the first half. The result kept Indy Eleven undefeated through 12 games to start the 2016 season, and was preceded by the team lifting the league’s Spring Season trophy in front of its appreciative fans.

STATS: Visit the Opta MatchCenter for full stats from #INDvMNU

Both sides’ best chances within the first 20 minutes were finished – but they were also both nullified for offside, Eamon Zayed giving the Brickyard Battalion false hope just 50 seconds in, while J.C. Banks’ header of Christian Ramirez’s half-bike towards goal in the 18^th minute fell to the same fate.Minnesota would take control of the better chances after the half hour mark, starting when Stefano Pinho’s cross found the head of a darting Banks, but the Loons’ central playmaker saw his 10-yard shot flash just wide of the right post.In the 37^th minute it was Pinho creating a penalty kick opportunity when he fell over the foot of Indy midfielder Dylan Mares just a step inside the box. However, Busch would deny Ramirez on the ensuing spot kick, diving low and to his left to bat the shot wide. Banks had a half chance off the ensuing corner when he hooked in a shot from 15 yards, but Busch jumped to his upper left 90 to pick the ball out.The first chance of the second half fell to Minnesota left back Justin Davis, whose heavy shot from 30 yards was corralled by Busch on his line with a slight leap.The game increasingly looked like it would be a stalemate until the 78^th minute, when Mares made Minnesota’s Lance Laing pay for a turnover in the final third. The Loons’ midfielder tried to play out of his end but instead put the ball right on Mares’ feet 30 yards out, from where he floated a ball that caught Ndjock off his line. The goal was Indy’s eighth of the year past the 75^th minute,Minnesota had two good chances to equalize in the final minutes, first in the 88^th minute as the ball popped to Daniel Mendes at the top of the area, but the substitute midfielder’s poke was deflected just wide of the right post. Off the ensuing corner Ramirez headed a ball that beat Busch but not Mares, who headed the ball himself off the line to keep Indy ahead into and through the five minutes of stoppage time.Tonight marks the first game of a three-game week for Indy Eleven, which will turn around and host the Fort Lauderdale Strikers this Wednesday, July 13 (7:30 p.m. ET, live on WISH-TV, beIN SPORTS & beIN SPORTS CONNECT). Tickets for “Networking Night” at Carroll Stadium remain available starting at just $11 and can be purchased online at IndyEleven.com or by calling 317-685-1100 (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).Indy Eleven and Minnesota will renew acquaintances in one week’s time, this time Minnesota playing host to the “Boys in Blue” at the NSC Stadium in Blaine, MN, in a match that can also be viewed live on beIN SPORTS and online via their beIN SPORTS CONNECT viewer.

NASL Fall Season Indy Eleven 1 : 0 Minnesota United FC
Saturday, July 9, 2016 Michael A. Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, IN Attendance: 8,066

Indy Eleven:
Fall Season: 1W-1D-0L, 4 pts.
Overall Season: 5W-7D-0L, 22 pts.

Minnesota United FC:
Fall Season: 1W-0D-1L, 3 pts.
Overall Season: 6W-1D-5L, 19 pts.

Scoring Summary:
IND – Dylan Mares (unassisted) 78’

Discipline Summary:
MNU –Aaron Pitchkolan (caution) 29’
IND – Justin Braun (caution) 75’
IND – Greg Janicki (caution) 89’
IND – Lovel Palmer (red card) – post-game
MNU – Tiago Calvano (red card) – post-game

Indy Eleven line-up (4-4-2, L–>R): Jon Busch; Nemanja Vuković, Greg Janicki (capt), Cory Miller, Lovel Palmer; Omar Gordon (Duke Lacroix 63’), Brad Ring, Nicki Paterson (Souleymane Youla 73’), Dylan Mares; Eamon Zayed, Justin Braun (Marco Franco 84’) Indy Eleven bench: Keith Cardona (GK), Daniel Keller, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Don Smart

Minnesota United FC (4-2-3-1): Sammy Ndjock; Justin Davis, Tiago Calvano, Brent Kallman, Kevin Venegas; Aaron Pitchkolan (capt) (Daniel Mendes 83’), Juliano Vicentini; Stefano Pinho, J.C. Banks (Damion Lowe 79’), Danny Cruz (Lance Laing 69’); Christian Ramirez United FC bench: Steward Ceus (GK), Jamie Watson, Jack Blake, Ismalia Jome

WELCOME TO FT CARROLL – Permanent Relegation Game Recap

From the first time Tim Hankinson spoke to the fans in Indianapolis, he had said he was looking for warriors. It’s not an uncommon philosophy in sports, but it is one easier said than done. He’s found them! And they defend Carroll Stadium with a grit that would inspire General Lew Wallace and his hipster beard. The Eleven held the Fort on Saturday night and battled hard against the visiting Minnesota United FC. The 1-0 scoreline will not tell the full story but the Indy Eleven were once again victorious at home. The banks of the mighty White River are still safe and the checkered banners still hang proudly around the stadium. The Mike has become a fortress.

Indy Eleven are undefeated on the season due to technicalities and definitions, but there is no denying the Indy Eleven’s stats when playing for the Brickyard Battalion at home. This team really likes red and blue smoke.

13 goals during 6 home games in NASL competition.
4 wins and 2 draws in NASL competition.
6 wins and 2 draws including USOC and a mid-season friendly
5 game home win streak (Including wins against both the best of the USL and Liga MX)

The boys in monochromatic blue (At Home) are the most dangerous team in North America right now. This team is both inspiring and inspired when playing in blue socks, shorts and shirts. Jon Busch is the only exception because he plays 10 feet tall wearing sweatpants and a dad hat. Jon Busch is 39 but still managed to unlock gamebreaker mode in the 37th minute. He guessed correctly and denied a penalty attempt from from Christian Ramirez who happens to lead the NASL in goals. Busch had it the whole way in a classic “ball never lies” scenario. That save kept a 0-0 score heading into the halftime break and and was what paved the way for Dylan Mares’ second half performance.

There are three players remaining from Indy Eleven’s original 2014 roster. Mares is one of them and proved why on Saturday night. Mares stole the show and Man of the Match with not one but two game changing plays. Luck is what happens when practice meets preparation. Mares converted from distance with a perfectly weighted ball in the 78th minute. He intercepted Lance Laing and punished Minnesota by himself while simultaneously forcing goalkeeper Sammy Ndjock to question everything he knows about physics. And Mares was the hero again. This time it was in the 90th minute. Every one of the Eleven were beaten on a corner except for the native Hoosier patrolling the goal line. He was in a perfect position and he headed the ball clear in the end. After the game Mares was asked about his positioning during that play. His response was simpe and mater of fact. He didn’t seem too impressed with his game winning save. “I am always on the front post.” The score held after 5 minutes of stoppage time. Celebrations and congratulations among the players showed just how truly devoted to each other and the result they were. This game meant something. The team was yelling and embracing as if they had just achieved glory in an ancient battle.

Even with a guaranteed home match in the playoffs, the Eleven are pursuing greatness and hope to claim more victories in the process. Winning the NASL Spring Season has allowed them the chance to rest, but they aren’t taking it. The team knows how important home field advantage is to them and the The Brickyard Battalion. This team has stated goals of going undefeated and raising more hardware like they did on Saturday. An idea that sounded crazy three months ago seems surprisingly attainable today. The spring trophy was shared but it will be put away as a reminder. Although it is a beautiful sight to behold, as a fan of this team, it is not the ultimate goal. The warriors will keep grinding out points through sheer acts of will, heroism, and guts and we will love them for it. The next few days will once again test the inner strength of this team. Moments of heart and brilliance may be called upon with an upcoming home match on Wednesday and the Minnesota rematch only three days later. A poor man’s home and home fixture will be sandwiched with a visit from Ft Lauderdale Strikers. It’s going to be one of those things where we have just got to come in mentally tough. We have 3 games in one week and we have just got to stay focused. Everyone has to be ready.” -Dylan Mares

The advantage in the Wednesday match will surely go to the Eleven as they are hosting and with one more day of rest. The strikers will be road weary having traveled to Edmonton on the Sunday before. It will be tough as the Strikers are on a bit of a run themselves, but I think the real challenge will be in not looking too far ahead to the looming trip north. The dying moments at Ft. Carroll got more than a bit chippy on Saturday. Minnesota will have 6 days to stew and to study. Their gameplan wasn’t really that far off and the offside trap was very effective against Indy. The Eleven will be thinking and preparing for one game at a time. Indy having bested and embarrassed a team with championship ambitions will provide more than enough fuel for the Loons to bring everything they have, but Indy Head Coach Tim Hankinson will have something up his sleeve for sure. His substitutions and changes on Saturday earned Indy 3 points.

=====================================================================

If you are a goalkeeper – I am beginning my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25 + Aug 1.

U12 6 till 7 pm

U13 and above 7:00 -8:15 pm

if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

=====================================================================

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools

Check out The Ole Ballcoach online www.theoleballcoach.com – Proud Member of the Brick Yard Battalion – http://www.brickyardbattalion.com ,

Sam’s Army- http://www.sams-army.com , American Outlaws http://www.facebook.com/IndyAOUnite

7/8/16 EUROPEAN CUP FINALS Sun 3 pm ESPN, Indy 11 return home Sat to get Champ Trophy, US Ladies in Chicago Sat 1 pm FS1

July 8, 2016July 9, 2016 gatorbest

So we are down to the final in the European Cup – so I next week I will go through comparing the COPA American Cup to the European Cup and why I think the COPAs were better. But for now lets enjoy this SUMMER OF SOCCER Finale as the European cup will bring us the Host Nation – FRANCE fresh off an opportunistic win over the World Champions Germany at home on Thursday. Though Germany were better in the 1^st half – the unfortunate hand ball on the German captain turned the tide just before half. And I thought France really outplayed them overall in the 2^nd half though Germany did the post twice in extra time and made the French Keeper Loris make one hell of a save in the 92^nd minute. I said before I thought the winner of France and defending World Champs Germany would lift the trophy on Sunday afternoon – I really actually hope that Portugal both gives them a game and maybe even takes it to extra time where anything could happen. Renaldo has come alive for his country when called upon here the last few games and has Portugal on the brink – 12 years after his last appearance in a final. At 31 this could be Renaldo’s last real chance to lift a trophy for his country – I for wouldn’t mind seeing that. Anyway coverage starts at 2 pm for the 3 pm final on Sunday on ESPN.

US Ladies Play at Chicago Soldier Field on Sat 1 pm

Not sure why this isn’t getting any local play or even any really soccer play – but the US ladies play just 2 more tune-ups before departing for a shot at another Gold Medal in the Olympics. The team which has some new names and new players will take the field Saturday at 1 pm on Fox Sports 1 (12 noon Chicago time) Tickets are still available! Hope Solo could collect her World Record 100 shutout.

INDY TO GET CHAMP TROPHY SAT NIGHT

So our Indy 11 return home this Saturday night at 7:30 pm at the MIKE and on Wish TV 8 vs Minnesota United. The 11 will receive their 2016 Spring League Championship Trophy before the game – so arrive early to take in all the festivities. The 11 came from behind once again this past Sat night at NASL league newcomer Puerto Rico as new player Souleymane Youla scored in extra time to secure the 1-1 tie and keep the Indy 11 as still the Only NASL undefeated team in 2016. This game will mark the 1^st game in league play for new signee Torrado – that should be fun to see. MLS heats up this weekend at Seattle returns Clint Dempsey to the lineup for a home matchup with the LA Galaxy Sat at 3 pm on ESPN.

Carmel FC – Also Summer CFC Technical Training continues in July.

If you are a goalkeeper – I am beginning my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25 if interested RE:or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

EUROPEAN FINALS

Tale of the Tape in the Final ESPN FC

Renaldo on the Brink of History with Win

Brace yourself for the Final – SI

Griezmann becomes Frances Leader Ian Macintosh ESPNFC

France Sieze the moment in Win over Germany-Marcotti ESPNFC

Germany the Better Team says dejected German coach Low – ESPNFC – bullshit

That Kind of Game for Unlucky Germany ESPNFC – Honigstein

Ian Darke and Taylor Twelman – A Tale of 2 Strikers video

French Keeper Lloris fantastic save

Portugal Renaldo has Dreamed of Making a Final Again

CR7 Steals the Show for Portugal

Portugal performs when they have to – Marcotti ESPN FC

Portugal Manager Santos is Happy

Wales loss to Portugal hurts by Euro Run Never forgotten ESPNFC

Bale disappointed but Proud after lost to Portugal

Euro to Stick with 24 Teams

Ladies begin Equal Play Equal Pay Campaign this Sat

Hope Solo set to break Century Mark for saves for US

5 things to Know about South Africa for Sat’s 1 pm Game in Chicago on FS1

Tickets Still Available for Soldier Field Game

Klinnsman says US foundation is disconnected

US could face Mexico at home in 1^st Game of Hex

Dempsey open to Super Sub Role for 2018 World Cup

Bobby Wood a Huge Positive in COPAs for US

INDY 11

Blood Shambles Preview of Min game

Indy 11 to Receive Spring Season Trophy at Sat Nights Game!

GAmeday Preview

Indy 11 3 Things in Indy’s 91^st Min Goal saving Tie @ Puerto Rico

Indy 11 July 9 game – Bring School Supplies to Donate

Vukavic on team of the week

MLS

MLS Talking points on weekend Games

Bragging Rights on line Seattle host LA Galaxy Sat 3 pm ESPN VIDEO

Duece is Back to Right the Ship for Seattle vs LA Sat

Orlando City coach Adrian Heath out

Save of the Week MLS

Sunday, July 10
EUROPEAN CUP France vs Portugal — Saint-Denis PARIS (9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Saturday, July 9:

United States women vs. South Africa, friendly, 1:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) in Chicago
Seattle vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)

Indy 11 vs Minn @ the Jake 7:30 pm TV 8, BeIn Sports

New York Red Bulls vs. Portland Timbers, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN2,

Sporting Kansas City vs. New York City FC, 8:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

Wednesday, July 13

Indy 11 vs Ft Lauderdale – @ H The Jake – 7:30 pm Wish TV 8, BeIn Sports

Saturday, July 16

Indy 11 @ Minn – 8 pm BeIn Sports

Sunday, July 17:

Sat, July 23

Indy 11 vs Edmonton – @ H The Jake – 7:30 pm Wish TV 8

Sat, July 30

Indy 11@ Miami – 8 pm BeIn sports

International Champions Cup – ICC – @ Chicago – Bayern Munich vs AC Milan Soldier Field Wed 7/27 @ 8 pm Tix still available $35 to $135

Soccer Camps – Boys and Girls -Ages 6 – 14

Kick in the Grass – 3 v 3 Soccer Tour at Badger Field July 9^th

Goal2Gol Soccer Camp
CHS Men’s Head Coach Shane Schmidt, a former U-20 US National Team player, runs his annual camp from 9 am to 2 pm July 11-15. $175 @ River Road Fields.

Carmel High Boys – Youth Soccer Camp –2nd to 6th Graders only

If you are a goalkeeper – I am beginning my personal Monday night GK trainings July 11, 18 + 25 if interested RE: or email shanebestsoccer@gmail.com

ATP_Gen_350x250

Earn Your Accredited College Degree at ½ the Cost and Time of Traditional Schools www.achievetestprep.com/shane

Portugal vs. France: Euro 2016 final tale of the tape

The ESPN crew debate who will reign supreme in the final: France or Portugal?

The final of the 2016 European Championship is set, with Portugal and France out to battle for continental honours. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of how the teams will fare on the field on Sunday.

GOALKEEPER

Portugal’s Rui Patricio is a good, competent goalkeeper and his fine penalty shootout save to deny Jacob Blaszczykowski proved crucial in the quarterfinal against Poland. It’s no surprise that Everton, flush with cash now, are reported to be interested in his services. But for all his strengths, he is not Hugo Lloris.The French goalkeeper is indubitably one of the world’s best now. It’s not just that he’s agile and brave, nor that he has the reactions of someone who cracked the Matrix some time ago; he does the less spectacular things well, too. He deals well with crosses, distributes well and exudes confidence.

VERDICT: Portugal have a good goalkeeper. France have a nearly perfect one.

DEFENCE

It’s no coincidence that Portugal have looked far more resilient since the introduction of Jose Fonte in the knockout stages. Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe and Bruno Alves are all established centre-backs, but all are approaching the end of their careers. Fonte is 32, so no spring chicken himself, but age has not yet wearied him. He’s more mobile, aware and cautious than the others. And he needs to be. Right-back Cedric Soares’ inexplicable switch-off against Poland which resulted in Robert Lewandowski’s goal could have seen his team eliminated. Fonte’s calming influence is needed more than ever.

What a month it’s been for Samuel Umtiti. First he signs with Barcelona, then he breaks into the national team at just the right moment and ensures that no one at club or country has cause to regret their faith in him. Alongside Laurent Koscielny, who has been solid throughout the summer, they make a formidable pair. The only concern is the physical state of Patrice Evra and Bacary Sagna on the flanks. So much depends on their ability to get up and down the wings. But neither of them are young and with so little recovery time after the semifinal, can they cope with the Portuguese threat?

VERDICT: Both defences are vulnerable, but you’d trust the French back line more. Just.

MIDFIELD

Renato Sanches is pivotal to this Portugal midfield. Whereas it looked slow and cumbersome in the early games, since his arrival it has looked dynamic and aggressive. Sanches can drive attacks forward, fearlessly running at players with the ball at his feet, but he also knows when to fall back into line and help defend. William Carvalho, suspended for the Wales game, will be important too, holding the back of the midfield together against those surging Paul Pogba runs.

And how Pogba can run. This has been a mixed tournament for the man tipped to soon be the most expensive in world football. He has not been a failure, as some have suggested, nor has he been consistent. But he can break any team, given the chance. Blaise Matuidi, on the other hand, has been excellent; mobile, intelligent and blessed with a well-rounded skill set that makes him good at everything. The biggest surprise has been Moussa Sissoko, miserable for Newcastle United in England but increasingly useful to France head coach Didier Deschamps. And then there’s Dimitri Payet, the saviour in the group stage, but waning in the knockout rounds. Has he got anything left in the tank?

VERDICT: Portugal have improved, but France should dominate the middle.

ATTACK

What can you do about Cristiano Ronaldo? Not very much. If you hope to battle him on the ground, he’s quick and brilliant. If you hope to battle him in the air, he’s strong, brave and quite possibly in possession of anti-gravity boots. You can try to frustrate him by tripping, clipping and elbowing him, but that just makes him angry, and you won’t like him when he’s angry. And, of course, if you double-team him, you leave room for Nani. On his best days, Nani is half the player that Ronaldo is, but half a Ronaldo is still more than enough to turn a game. Nani is quick and, when he doesn’t overthink things, he can be deadly. Portugal have their weaknesses, but not in this department.

Poor old Olivier Giroud. A target man in more ways than one — both for crosses into the box and howls of abuse whenever anything goes wrong. He is not in the class of Ronaldo or even in the class of his sidelined compatriot Karim Benzema. But he does have his uses. If he wins the ball in the air, he can release the whippet-like Antoine Griezmann. Theirs is the old-fashioned but highly effective “big man, little man” partnership, and it’s been enough to take them to the final. Whether it will be enough to win the European Championship remains to be seen.

VERDICT: Ronaldo is the trump card, but France certainly have goals in them.

MANAGER

Portugal boss Fernando Santos has had a good tournament, proving himself brave enough to make sweeping changes when necessary and communicating with honesty and integrity when he has to explain them. He knows the weaknesses of this team and he has learned how to hide them. Portugal haven’t quite clicked this summer, but they’ve made it all the way to the final anyway.Deschamps is another manager who has been forced to react in almost every game, discovering that his intricately laid plans don’t work quite as well as his improvised ones. But he has held himself well throughout the tournament, rarely betraying the stress he must be under, praising his players where he can. He’s nearly there.VERDICT: A dead heat. Two good managers, doing their best with the resources available.Iain Macintosh is a writer for ESPN FC.

Cristiano Ronaldo winning Euro would give him special place in history

PARIS — Yup, this would be a game-changer. For all the silverware Cristiano Ronaldo has won at club level, helping Portugal become European champions would be something different.It’s not simply about the old argument over whether you can be in the conversation about being the greatest of all time (GOAT) if you never win the sport’s biggest prizes. That’s a popular, if silly, equation which infects other sports as well: Just ask Barry Sanders or Dan Marino, Elgin Baylor or Allen Iverson. Indeed, it’s often used to refute the GOAT claims of his archrival Lionel Messi. He’s been in four major finals for Argentina and lost every last one, most recently last month’s Copa America final.You can rationalize away that argument in many different ways, most persuasively the fact that football is a team sport and whether or not you win titles is often down to other factors, like the talent around you.But winning a major tournament at the international level is a wholly distinct experience. And if Ronaldo did it with Portugal, who were not among the pre-Euro favorites, it would be entirely new.Since 2003, when Ronaldo joined Manchester United, and through his years at Real Madrid, he’s generally been the best player on the best team (or close to it). Most of the time he stepped on the pitch, he was the favorite on the heavy favorites and, perhaps, an instant turnoff to the kind of neutrals who instinctively cheer on the underdog.There’s nothing underdog about Ronaldo. Not in the way he plays. Not in the way he talks. Not in the way he looks. Not in the way he dresses. That’s fine. He doesn’t pretend otherwise. In fact, he embraces it.But this Portugal side is different. This is a classic side in transition, a blend of veterans on the slide or close to it (Pepe, Nani, Bruno Alves, Joao Moutinho, Ricardo Carvalho) and inexperienced guys who have yet to hit their prime (Raphael Guerreiro, Joao Mario, William Carvalho, Renato Sanches, Danilo, Andre Gomes). It’s not a coincidence that going into the semifinal against Wales, Ronaldo had 42 more caps on his own than the rest of Portugal’s outfield players combined, minus Bruno Alves and Nani.What’s more, before the victory over Wales, they hadn’t actually won a game in regular time of 90 minutes, drawing all three group stage matches, going deep into extra time against Croatia and beating Poland on penalty kicks. They alternated periods where they created plenty but finished poorly with moments when they seemed content to defend and do little more. Ronaldo, Nani and the keeper, Rui Patricio, are the only players to have started every game and, especially in midfield, we’ve seen manager Fernando Santos continually tweak his personnel in search of the right fit.On the flip side, Portugal have defended extremely well in most matches (Hungary being the exception), worked tirelessly — though not always effectively — in midfield and displayed a level of unity and team spirit we rarely see from top sides.In short, they scrapped and clawed and bruised their way this far. Don’t take it from me. Ask Ronaldo.”We are a team, a unit,” he said after the Wales game. “I’ve done my best to work hard and help out, not just by scoring goals but by fighting and scrapping. We’ve all done it together.”That’s the quality of Ronaldo we don’t usually see, the fighting and scrapping part. Not because he’s lazy — he isn’t — but because most of the time the teams he’s played for don’t need to fight and scrap to the degree we’ve seen from Portugal in this tournament.This is a blue-collar, hard-hat team. That makes it different from the usual canvas on which Ronaldo works, but also distinct from the others in the GOAT conversation. Consider the other obvious parallel, the one with Diego Maradona’s performance at the 1986 World Cup. That, too, was a scrappy, humble team with a resident superstar. The difference is that Maradona carried the side through the knockout stages. Ronaldo hasn’t done it to the same degree. While his goal against Wales was as immense as it was important, for most of the knockout phase he hasn’t had his scoring boots on right. He’s been crucial, and without him they may not be here, but he hasn’t been the one-man juggernaut that Maradona was on a comparably talent-challenged side in 1986.But that doesn’t diminish Ronaldo. On the contrary, it shows a maturity and willingness to sacrifice his role and find other ways to make himself useful while he waits for the finishing mojo to kick back in.People often comment on his diva tendencies. In the right context — say, Real Madrid, the self-described Harlem Globetrotters of football — it’s not a problem. A little extra showbiz does no harm. But here, at least until the likes of Joao Mario and Renato Sanches become the players their agents say they will become, Portugal don’t need a diva. They need a big brother, someone to take responsibility, give reassurances, chase away the fears and be the first into battle.Ronaldo has embraced that role, even when he hasn’t been at his best.This is uncharted territory for him, an entirely different habitat.Winning the Euros would mark not just his first major trophy with his national team, but his country’s. It would mean succeeding where the Portuguese legends — Eusebio and Mario Coluna to Luis Figo and Paulo Futre — have come up short. It would mean doing it while proudly carrying the underdog label, unlike 2004, his only other appearance in a major tournament final, when Portugal were heavy favorites against Greece.It won’t have much of an impact on the GOAT debate, because opinions are highly fossilized and unlikely to change. But if Ronaldo’s team becomes the champions of Europe on Sunday, it will shift the needle in another way. He will have done it without a top-drawer supporting cast, while enduring a finishing slump and donning a hard hat and work boots.That, for a guy in the GOAT conversation, may well be a first.Possibly, it may also end up being more satisfying than the solar system of league titles, Champions League trophies and Ballon d’Or honors he has piled up.Gabriele Marcotti is a columnist for ESPN

Griezmann, Ronaldo take center stage in France vs. Portugal Euro 2016 final

Euro 2016 host country France defeated Germany 2-0 on Thursday and will now face Portugal in the final.

BY BEN LYTTLETONADD FAVORITETwitter EmailPosted: Thu Jul. 7, 2016Updated: Fri Jul. 8, 2016

The 1984 European Championship. The 1998 World Cup. The 2016 European Championship? France is closing in on a third straight major tournament win on home soil after beating world champion Germany 2-0 in a compelling, captivating, stunning semifinal at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille. It will now play Portugal in Sunday’s final in at the Stade de France in Paris.Portugal may have preferred to face Germany, given its record against France. Portugal has not beaten France in 10 games, and it’s lost two semifinals, at Euro 2000 and the 2006 World Cup (both decided on controversial penalties). There were also two recent defeats in friendlies. This tournament has seen teams break lengthy hexes in the last two rounds, though, with Germany overcoming Italy for the first time in competitive play and France beating Germany for the first time in a tournament since 1958.Here are a few opening thoughts ahead of an intriguing final clash:

This final is about the two Madrid-based stars

If Portugal’s run to the final is credited to one player, Cristiano Ronaldo, the impact of France’s main man has been greater.Antoine Griezmann scored both goals against Germany and has now got six in the tournament, three ahead of anyone else (and that includes Ronaldo and Dmitri Payet). All of France will want Griezmann to score again in the final: Les Bleus have never lost when the Atletico Madrid striker has scored. His latest brace means France has now won eight games and drawn two when he has found the back of the net.Athletico could be responsible for the smartest transfer business all summer by extending his contract (and increasing the buyout clause) before things got underway in France. More than Paul Pogba, more than Gareth Bale (even more than Hal Robson-Kanu!), Griezmann is the one player who is closing the gap on Lionel Messi and Ronaldo atop the world’s individual hierarchy.Perhaps Sunday, he can bridge it even further and draw some revenge for the Champions League final, where Atletico fell to Ronaldo’s Real. Griezmann missed a penalty in regulation, and both converted in the PK shootout–where Ronaldo’s spot kick clinched the victory.WILSON: Portugal rides its defense, Ronaldo’s heroics into Euro final

Portugal’s selection dilemma

Portugal coach Fernando Santos was without the suspended William Carvalho against Wales and has a selection dilemma on his hands: to keep Danilo, who is more consistent and was excellent in the semifinal, or restore the Sporting youngster. He has also reworked his center back pairing, with Pepe injured and Bruno Alves joining the faultless Jose Fonte. Pepe may return if he recovers in time, but Ricardo Carvalho, who started Portugal’s first game, has slipped out of the reckoning.This is why Santos, after the Wales game, spoke of Portugal’s squad depth.”We’re not the best team in the world, but we know that we are not pushovers, either,” he said. “We work hard. And above all, we are a team. A team of 23, plus all the fans too.”Santos has made Portugal so hard to beat. In his 13 competitive matches in charge, Portugal has won nine and drawn four. He has quietly rotated his team throughout the tournament, but kept the same 4-4-2 shape with the unlikely strike partnership of Ronaldo and Nani at the top. Both have scored three goals (Ronaldo has added three assists, Nani one), and Nani says he has taken on a surprising mentor role.“We try to pass our experience because we have been through a lot of the things which are new to the younger ones,” he said.

A worthy champion will be crowned

Cynics have claimed that the draw clearly favored the host nation, and this was its biggest test. Beating Germany, which in the first half played some of the best football we have seen this summer, shows that it would be a worthy European champion.Can we say the same for Portugal? Why not? Even though it was a third-place finisher in its group, it has had a tougher run to the final, beating Croatia (in extra time), Poland (on penalties) and Wales (in normal time) compared to France (Ireland, Iceland, Germany). It has proven to be tough side to break down, even if it lacks the obvious flair of its opponent Sunday.A thrilling final awaits.

France seize the moment against a dominant Germany to reach Euro final

Antoine Griezmann scored a brace to put the hosts into the final against Portugal on Sunday.

MARSEILLE, France — Sometimes, all it takes is for your opponent to scratch on the eight ball.France’s 2-0 defeat of Germany at Euro 2016 wasn’t undeserved; it was simply a reflection of the nature of this sport. Whether you dominate or are dominated, sometimes winning or losing rests on other factors, such as luck or individual brilliance. If it goes your way, it doesn’t mean you’re undeserving. It just means you were there to seize the moment when the gods smiled on you.Now France have a chance to win their fourth major tournament and their third on home soil after Euro 1984 and the 1998 World Cup.”It was a very tough game. Germany really made us suffer,” France manager Didier Deschamps said. “But we never gave up. And we suffered together — the players on the pitch, the fans in the stands and watching at home. And that saw us through.”We made history tonight. We don’t have the power to solve all the problems of the French people, but we can generate happiness and confidence. And that’s important.”Deschamps stuck with the starting XI that pummeled Iceland, a strategy that was somewhere between bold and foolhardy. It’s one thing to leave Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba on their own in midfield when you know your opponent is physically exhausted and likely to sit deep in their own half. It’s quite another to do it against manager Jogi Low’s Germany, a team predicated on committing waves of moving bodies forward intent on passing through your lines. An extra holding midfielder comes in handy in those situations.That said, Low had his own decisions to make. With Mats Hummels suspended and both Mario Gomez and Sami Khedira injured, Low switched from the 3-5-2 employed against Italy to the more familiar 4-2-3-1. Emre Can joined Bastian Schweinsteiger, an injury doubt until 24 hours earlier, in front of the back four, with Toni Kroos in the hole. Thomas Muller was up front, with Mesut Ozil and Julian Draxler wide.Perhaps fueled by a rousing rendition of their anthem — nowhere is it more appropriate for “La Marseillaise” to be sung than here — Les Bleus came out of the gate on the front foot. Seven minutes in, we saw perhaps the best move of the tournament: Antoine Griezmann and Matuidi combined on a stunning series of first-time passes (including a back-heel) that resulted in Griezmann firing on goal, only for Germany keeper Manuel Neuer to palm the shot away.It was the sort of move that jacks up the decibel count. But Germany — in case you had not realized it by now — are not easily fazed or intimidated. Schweinsteiger and Kroos wove their spidery webs increasingly closer to France keeper Hugo Lloris’ goal. Can thundered his way through the middle, sometimes becoming a de facto adjunct striker. Muller fired an uncoordinated effort wide. Lloris had to make a tremendous strong-handed stop from Can’s deflected snap shot, which bounced on the way in. And Schweinsteiger fired high.All Germany lacked, perhaps, was a bit of precision in the final third, but it was as sustained a spell of dominance as you’re likely to see against a top side.Still, this is a low-scoring sport and things can turn in an instant. Two such situations went France’s way late in the half. First, Olivier Giroud caught Jerome Boateng in possession and trundled through with a clear path at Neuer’s goal. It may have been an optical illusion, but the Frenchman seemed to slow down even as he ought to have been accelerating. Nor did he hear — or heed — the desperate Griezmann steaming through on Giroud’s right. Instead, Giroud’s run was brought to an end by an outstanding tackle from the unheralded Benedikt Howedes. As the ball trickled out of play, Giroud got up slowly, incredulously, while Howedes clenched his fists and let out an earthy scream.It seemed that the way things were going, this was the only opportunity France would have. Instead, just before half-time, they got another — this one out of the blue.Schweinsteiger led with his arm in contesting a corner kick that was headed toward Patrice Evra and deflected the ball away with his hand. Referee Nicola Rizzoli, after advice from the official behind the goal, who had a clearer view, pointed to the spot. It was a baffling mental error, eerily reminiscent of the penalty that Boateng gave away in similar circumstances against Italy, which nearly cost them the game.Griezmann buried it from the spot, and for the first time in 525 minutes of Euro 2016 football, Germany were in the hole. It was entirely against the run of play.”The goal was a shock, because until that point France had not really created anything,” said Low. “I had to calm my players down in the dressing room, because it makes no sense to waste energy with anger. But it changed everything.”There’s obviously some Didier fairy dust doing the rounds because, almost straight after the restart, France had another sterling opportunity. A delightful long-range daisy cutter from Pogba found a wide-open Giroud who — again — hesitated and lost the moment. His finish was blocked, a clear-cut chance evaporated.At this stage, you got the sense that Germany might take over. Their dominance had been sterile thus far, but that old cliche — screw up an opportunity at one end (and it was two for Giroud) and get punished at the other — would kick in. Except more misfortune was on the way for Germany. Boateng went down with a muscle injury at the hour mark and Low sent on Shkodran Mustafi.Germany were patient, perhaps too patient — Low would later say the French counterattack was a concern, especially Pogba and Griezmann — and the minutes ticked by without the one-sidedness of the first half.Low waited until minute 68 to send on Mario Gotze for Can, and Deschamps countered, finally, with N’Golo Kante. Barely a minute passed and it was 2-0. Germany tried to play the ball out of the back after a restart. Pogba, growing as the game went on, led the press and stuck a big boot between Mustafi and Joshua Kimmich to steal the ball. A quick look up and an early ball for Giroud, and Neuer’s punch cleared the ball, but only as far as Griezmann, who sent it straight back in, past the Germany keeper.”That was great work from Paul,” Griezmann said. “I sort of waited around to see if the ball might come out to me, and it did.” Low was rather less pleased.”We try to play from the back, yes, but in that situation, when it’s three against three in our own area, you just have to get the ball away because it’s too dangerous,” he said. “We didn’t do that.”Everything was turning a deep, French blue.Germany sounded the charge. Minutes after conceding the second goal, Kimmich found the post from distance. Draxler’s free kick came close. Kroos, metronomic as ever, found Howedes, whose close-range header was a smidgeon high. Then, in injury time, Lloris pulled off the save of the match when he kept out Kimmich’s header.The crowd roared, the players and the fans did the borrowed “huh” hand clap, and Deschamps beamed like a child with a gold star.Low, as ever, was coldly analytical. When asked what Germany did wrong, he simply said: “Nothing.””I have to compliment my players,” he said. “We were the better team. It was just bad luck that we conceded. We still created the best chances. We didn’t have the luck we needed.”At the World Cup in 2010 and at the Euros in 2012, we were eliminated in the semifinals by opponents [Spain and Italy, respectively] who were better than us,” he added. “Today, that wasn’t the case. We were better than the French.”You may or may not agree with him. Certainly, to Deschamps and to the French, it matters little. Sometimes it’s not just about being better throughout the match. It’s about being better in the blinks of the eye that decide it.Gabriele Marcotti is a columnist for ESPN

Antoine Griezmann overcomes slow Euro 2016 start to be France’s leader

MARSEILLE, France — Didier Deschamps may be a bit of a romantic at heart. As the last seconds of France’s semifinal victory over Germany ebbed away, he chose to withdraw Antoine Griezmann from the fray and allowed the 25-year-old to stride off the pitch to a thunderous ovation from a delighted Velodrome. He deserved every last ripple of the applause.This is a man who was reduced to tears by Germany’s victory over France in 2014. A man who missed a penalty in the Champions League Final just six weeks ago, yet still had the courage to take another when his country needed him. A man who started the tournament so indifferently that he was dropped for the second game and didn’t score his second of six goals until the knockout rounds began. And he is the man who, with two more goals to his collection, has sent France to the final in Paris. But afterward, he was keen to share the credit.”It’s a whole crew behind us,” Griezmann said. “A load of work done by the physios, the staff and the players that haven’t played any minutes but still work like crazy. It’s a group effort. We’re so thrilled to get to the final and we’ll make the most of it tonight. I missed my penalty in the Champions League final and I wanted to make sure that hit the back of the net.”Griezmann is rapidly emerging as the man of the tournament, growing in confidence with every game. He skitters around the final third, little thrusts of pace pushing him into positions where he might find sustenance — like a header down from Olivier Giroud, or a long ball over the top from Blaise Matuidi. He’s always moving, always searching — like a fox in your backyard after a particularly enthusiastic barbecue, convinced that there’s a bit of sausage out there in the grass somewhere. On six occasions now, he has been proven right.It’s a far cry from the Griezmann we saw in the first game against Romania, nervously swinging at the ball, radiating anxiety at every turn. Deschamps might be a romantic, but knew he couldn’t risk another performance like that in the second game against Albania. Griezmann was duly replaced by Antony Martial. He returned again for the meaningless third group game against Switzerland and did enough to retain his place for the first round of 16 against Ireland. And that’s when his tournament burst into life.Giroud will be mocked for aspects of his performance in Marseille, but it was back in Lyon versus the Irish that he helped unlock Griezmann’s brilliance and set him on his way. Giroud’s tireless work in the air, smashing into Shane Duffy and Richard Keogh and winning the knockdowns, gave his younger teammate the chance to run into space. Griezmann had already brought France back from a goal down with his own powerful header. Three minutes later, Giroud put him through and France were in front.Their relationship began to flourish. “He’s a little man who gives us a little bit extra,” said Giroud in Marseille, before correcting himself. “A lot extra.”Giroud, of course, is not favoured by a comparison to the Atletico Madrid man, looking somehow even more glacial than usual. When Jerome Boateng inexplicably mistimed a header on the halfway line, the comparison looked even harsher. Griezmann would have been in the penalty area in seconds, looking to loft the ball over Manuel Neuer’s head. Instead, as Giroud trundled into life, empires rose and fell, stars burst into their glorious death throes far away in the night sky, and Giroud plodded on like spaghetti sliding slowly down a kitchen wall. When the next opportunity like that emerges, all of France will pray it falls to Griezmann.And now France return to Paris in search of victory and, perhaps, some degree of catharsis. Last November, while her brother was playing for France against Germany at the Stade de France, Griezmann’s sister was caught up in the Paris terror attacks. Maud Griezmann escaped the Bataclan Theatre unharmed but 89 people were killed. Eight months later, memories and emotions surrounding that awful night will continue to be revisited. Griezmann, though, will seek to maintain the focus he has shown throughout.”Just before the Romania match, the President came to talk to us about the security measures in and around the stadium and we were pretty calm. It was our duty to win the matches to entertain the French people and go all the way. That’s what we needed to do as the French national side.”And now they are just a single step away from glory. One win against a Portugal side that, whatever its strengths or weaknesses, is certainly a less foreboding prospect than Germany.”We’re like kids,” grinned Griezmann. “There’s a whole country behind us and we have to give 100 percent for them.”Now we have to win the final.”Iain Macintosh is a writer for ESPN FC.

Germany coach Joachim Low: We were the ‘better team’ against France

Germany coach Joachim Low believes his side were the “better team” in their Euro 2016 semifinal loss, though he conceded that France are worthy finalists.Didier Deschamps’ France side spent the large majority of the game on the back foot, with Germany ending the game having had 65 percent possession.However, despite having the majority of the ball, Low’s team struggled to create many goal-scoring opportunities and they eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat.And Low, who guided Germany to World Cup success two years ago in Brazil, couldn’t pick a major fault in his side’s performance and put the result down to bad luck.”We were the better team,” Low said. “We put in a lot of effort, showed good body language, got forward and were good in one on ones.”We were unfortunate to concede a penalty a minute before half-time, that was bad luck. We had our chances but didn’t score.”Today we didn’t have the luck we needed; in 2010 and 2012 when we went out, the sides were better than us. Today we were better than the French but for the goals and result.”But despite his opinion of his own team’s performance against France, Low said he thought Les Bleus would go on to win the final against Portugal.”France have succeeded in getting to the final — if you win 2-0 you deserve it,” he said. “I think France will win against Portugal — Portugal haven’t convinced me that much so far.”France have a very good side but we were the better team today.”

Germany had 65 percent possession and 17 shots on goal, but only six were on target.

Germany were playing without Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez, who were both injured in the quarterfinal win against Italy, and the suspended Mats Hummels, while Bastian Schweinsteiger and Emre Can made their first starts of the tournament.Jerome Boateng also left the semifinal on the hour mark with an injury, and Low said Germany were not the same side without the missing players.”There were injured players, Khedira and Gomez, Hummels was suspended and Boateng went off injured — they’re hard players to replace,” Low said.”The side did everything I told them, showed a lot of courage so there’s nothing to reproach them for.”Antoine Griezmann’s penalty put France ahead against the run of play before half-time before adding a second goal by poking home a loose ball.Low said the 72nd-minute strike was a momentarily lapse in an otherwise good defensive effort.”We didn’t get the ball away from a dangerous position — we did that quite well throughout the game,” he said. “We dominated France, most of all in midfield, but for this goal we didn’t.”We created pressure in the second half but there was always the danger on the counter — we invested everything and we tried everything, and we had our chances.”It was an abrupt end to the tournament for the reigning World Cup champions, but Low said he looked ahead with optimism.”This was a good tournament for us. We have great energy in this side, they showed great effort — also in training in Evian — and in the games they’ve proved their great team spirit.”It was impressive how players who didn’t play helped the side, so there’s going to be a short analysis but I haven’t seen too many errors in this tournament from us. Overall, we have a great side.

Germany suffer “that kind of game” as France triumph in Euro 2016 semifinal

MARSEILLE, France — Here, at last, almost at the end of the competition, was a match that truly delivered. Germany vs. France — the World Cup winners against the European champions-elect, in the country’s finest stadium — served up a classic battle between contrasting styles. It was 90 breathless minutes full of drama, incident and an overall quality of football that lived up to its “final before the final” billing.However, for the dejected players of the losing German side who mostly shuffled through the Stade Velodrome mixed zone with drooped shoulders, all the excitement and sense of occasion was long gone an hour after the final whistle, dissolved into the wet, heavy Marseille air along with their hopes for a second consecutive trophy triumph.In their tired minds, the big night had already shrunk to resemble a sad but rather mundane event, the kind of game that everyone who’s ever played or watched football at any level has witnessed a hundred times, the kind of game where you play well enough to win but contrive to lose anyway, the kind of game that stubbornly refuses to go the way of cheers and hugs and only ever ends in sighs and shrugs. Because that, too, is football.And it was that kind of game. “This one is relatively easy to explain,” said Germany’s Toni Kroos with a wry, philosophical smile. “France played the way we expected and we found the solutions we had hoped to find. But then we conceded a second penalty [after the one against Italy] in a way that you simply cannot prepare for. You have to deal with that. And we dealt with it, quite sensibly. We had chances, we had France running [after the ball]. But we didn’t score the goals.”That was the crux of the matter on Thursday night. Germany manager Joachim Low believed his team was “the better side,” dominating possession and pushing the hosts deep into their own half. “If we had played at home like [France played], the crowd would have booed us,” said keeper Manuel Neuer of France’s, but it all counted for nothing on the scoreboard. Football is like that, and you can’t even say it’s unfair. That’s just the way it is.Who would know that better than a German national team that for decades have been specialists at grinding results against the run of play? France turned the tables on them. After losing two World Cup semifinals against the bogey team on their Eastern border, despite having the better team, France managed to win from a position of relative weakness.To put it differently, the Germans left the competition feeling that they had beaten themselves.Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger’s instinctive, fatal handball just before half-time put Germany on course for defeat even though they had, for 30 minutes at least, “played the best football at the Euros,” as Kroos said. “It was a reflex,” the inconsolable Schweinsteiger explained. “It’s always difficult when you mark zonally, there’s so much movement.” Nobody blamed referee Nicola Rizzoli for the call.”I understand why he gave it,” said Neuer, “but from my keeper’s point of view, I can tell you: I would have saved that ball anyway.” Sadly, the laws of the game don’t concern themselves with such subtleties.A series of needless mistakes at the back — a risky pass, a bad first touch, a keeper making the rash decision to come out and tip away the cross instead of staying put — gifted Antoine Griezmann, who converted the penalty kick after the handball, a second goal 18 minutes before the end. By this time Germany must have realized it wasn’t going to be their night. They created three or four more decent opportunities but couldn’t score. It was that kind of game, an everyday occurrence at the worst possible time.Never a player to admit guilt easily, Neuer maintained that it was “better to lose this way” than to go out in the semifinal as the inferior team, as they had done in 2008 and 2010 (both vs. Spain) and in 2012 (vs. Italy). “We’ve done well on the whole; there’s a good mix for the future, as well,” said the Bayern goalie.General manager Oliver Bierhoff was less able to see the positives, on the other hand. “It’s frustrating, it’s unnecessary,” he said. “You don’t have to go out that way.”Two lapses of concentration were simply two too many at this stage of the competition, and against a side that had in Griezmann precisely what Germany were missing: a striker in a rich vein of form, so hot that he can burn a path to the final in France all by himself.Asked for a quick word on his goal-less Euros, Thomas Muller, the man who was supposed to be Germany’s Griezmann, answered with an expletive. It wasn’t meant as a curse, more as a descriptive noun. “My game was tonight typical of our team on a whole; we worked hard but got nothing in return,” said the Bayern forward, with deep disappointment evident in his voice.Muller, 26, mustered only a couple of scuffed half-chances before the break and even fewer in the second half. He looked utterly überspielt: “played out,” mentally drained, without energy and ideas. Without the injured Mario Gomez and Marco Reus, who once again pulled out on the eve of the tournament, Low’s squad lacked cutting edge. All the fine possession play and crosses from useful positions could never make up for that deficit.New players could emerge in time for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, just as Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Julian Weigl and Leroy Sané have emerged since the World Cup in Brazil. With a bit of luck, one of them will either be a striker or will be very good at doing a striker’s job.Muller will still be there, too, even if Schweinsteiger will probably call it a day. In the aftermath of elimination, he felt too raw to make the decision to resign: “I haven’t yet had the time to think about [it],” said the Manchester United midfielder. He had naturally envisaged a different ending; there was no sense pretending that Germany could be content with going out at the penultimate hurdle.”When you’re together for six weeks, all that matters is the title,” said Bierhoff.If there was any solace, though, it could be found in the fact that this was ultimately only that kind of game for Germany. It’s neither a one-off nor a historic chance missed, but the sort of bad result that can happen only if you play well to begin with. They’ll get a chance to do better in two years’ time.Raphael Honigstein is ESPN FC’s German football expert

Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal have ‘dreamed’ of making Euro 2016 final

Cristiano Ronaldo said Portugal have “dreamed” of making the final of Euro 2016 “since the very beginning.”Portugal progressed to the tournament’s final after beating Wales 2-0 and Ronaldo opened the scoring himself with a superb headed goal in the 50th minute.But despite his own individual performance, he preferred to focus on the entire team right down to medical staff.”It’s what we have dreamed of since the beginning,” Ronaldo said. “We knew it would be a long road and we’re still in the tournament.”We have believed right from the start. We had difficult moments, but it’s like I always say: It’s better to start poorly and have a positive ending.”The players deserve it, the coach deserves it. The entire medical staff as well. They have been doing an excellent job with the players’ fitness.”We haven’t won anything yet as I said a few days ago, but the dream is still alive.”The Portugal captain hailed the team’s togetherness throughout the tournament, and said he always believed they would advance to the latter stages of the competition.”Of course we are a team. The national team are a unit. That’s how we’ve been acting since the start. I’ve tried to help out, not just by scoring goals but by fighting, scrapping,” Ronaldo told UEFA. “To get to the final you have to have all 23 players in the squad fighting.”I’m very happy. I believed in my heart that we’d go far. Maybe it didn’t start as we wanted to but this is not a 100-metre race. This is a marathon.”He added: “Portugal are not just about Cristiano Ronaldo, we are a team. But I was able to score today and I’ve helped the team get to the final by scoring a goal.”Teammate Cedric Soares was also full of praise for his nation’s performance, and said they will prepare the best they possibly can for Sunday’s game.”This is all about winning and that’s why we’re going to Paris,” said Soares, whose team will face either France or Germany in the final on Sunday. “France and Germany are both amazing teams, but we’ll prepare the best we can for the final.”It’s amazing. Incredible to be in the final, it defies description but we’ve earned this, we deserved the congratulations.”We were united, focused, but we have to congratulate Wales too, it was the first time they reached the semis, we knew they were a good team but we came out on top.”Ronaldo and Portugal were stunned on home soil in the final of Euro 2004 by unlikely champions Greece in the former Manchester United star’s first taste of the tournament. “Euro 2004 was special, I was just 18 and it was my first tournament. Now we are in the final again and we hope we will win it,” Ronaldo said.”I didn’t think many people thought we would make the final but we have and that makes me very proud.”Portugal forward Nani, who scored the second against Wales on Wednesday, admitted his goal came as a surprise and said the victory was cause for celebration.”It’s a weird feeling [to have scored],” Nani said. “It was a surprise goal; it was instinct.”I didn’t even have time to prepare my celebration. I just wanted to celebrate and dedicate the goal to my family who were there in the stands.”I’m very happy to play my part and help our national team. It’s an honour to represent our country — this amazing national team that’s doing an excellent job.”At this moment we have to celebrate, because it’s an amazing moment. It’s a historic moment for our country. And we have to celebrate.”Follow ESPN FC across social media o

Ronaldo, Portugal accept manager’s challenge to reach Euro 2016 final

Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock shortly after halftime and Portugal march on to the final on Sunday.

LYON, France — On Oct. 11, 2014, Portugal coach Fernando Santos took charge of a battered side — they had just lost a home European qualifier against Albania — for the first time in a friendly against France. The game ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Portuguese, but far more important than the result was a challenge laid down by the new manager.

“I called my players together in the bowels of the Stade de France and told them that our goal was to be right back here two years later for the final of Euro 2016,” he said after Wednesday’s 2-0 semifinal win against Wales. “And now we have done it. Now we have a final to play. And I don’t just want to play it. I want to win it.”With his dark eyes and often dark demanour, Fernando Santos doesn’t often give way to emotion, beyond a certain melancholy orneriness. But after this win on Wednesday, he was positively beaming. His men had upheld the oath they made that day.”We’re not the best team in the world, but we know that we are not pushovers, either,” he said. “We work hard. And above all, we are a team. A team of 23, plus all the fans too.”The gods of football protocol move in mysterious ways, which might explain how we ended up with both teams in their second strip and, in both cases, green: dark for the Welsh; minty fresh for Portugal.Both sides also ended up without two projected starters. For Wales, it was the suspended Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies, replaced by Andy King and James Collins. Portugal were without the banned William Carvalho, who was ably spelled by Danilo. And they also lost Pepe after he failed a late fitness test; in came Bruno Alves.Portugal did not win because of the absentees, but they did serve as a reminder that the difference between medium-sized nations and smaller ones is often measured in depth beyond the first XI.King, as natural a replacement for Ramsey as you’re likely to find, did everything the Arsenal man normally does, but he simply didn’t do it as well or with as much quality. Collins, a big, bruising center-half, was asked to play on the edge of a back three in a role usually filled by Davies, whose day job is left-back and an attacking one at that.Contrast this with Portugal. There is a drop-off from Pepe to Bruno Alves, but we’re still talking experienced, veteran and uncompromising center-backs. And Danilo, if anything, was a better match than Carvalho in a game like this.More important was the fact that Fernando Santos was able to welcome back Raphael Guerreiro, perhaps the best left-back in the tournament when fit, and he also seemed to have found the right midfield balance ahead of Danilo, with Renato Sanches and Adrien Silva joining Joao Mario.And yet the first half felt as if the contest could have gone either way. Ten minutes in, Ronaldo tumbled to the ground and complained energetically; replays showed Collins had him in something between a headlock and a sleeper hold when Cedric Soares’ crossed into the Welsh box.Meanwhile, a Hal Robson-Kanu cross found King cutting in ahead of Jose Fonte to head just over the bar. It was the kind of chance that left you wondering whether Ramsey might have had more luck.As for the two marquee names, Ronaldo was often frustrated in the first 45 minutes, though just before the break, he did well to get on the end of an Adrien Silva cross. His timing, however, wasn’t as good, and the chance went over the bar.Bale was often driven wide by Danilo’s presence, though he had a decent whack from 12 yards after a set-piece corner routine caught Portugal entirely unprepared. The Welsh star also unearthed at least one of his mighty gallops that wreaked havoc in the Portuguese lines and ended with a shot at Rui Patricio.As the teams filed back out after half-time, you felt each had a path to victory. For Wales, it meant keeping Portugal in areas where they could not inflict damage and were waiting for either the moment of individual brilliance or an opposition mistake.

For Portugal, it was also about those two factors, but they had a third weapon on their side: Their passing and movement simply meant they had a wider range of solutions and, in football, that often equals creating more situations where you can make your individuals count AND force errors.Both came together in minute 50. Portugal played a short corner and, from Raphael Guerreiro’s subsequent cross, Ronaldo cleverly lost his marker. James Chester tried to pick him up as the ball came in, but he was no match as the man from Madeira rose into the sky and powered the ball under the bar.When you see Ronaldo take to the air like that — part kangaroo, part levitating holy man — you’re reminded that if the rest of his skill set was entirely mediocre, he could still make a living as a one-trick pony target man on a mid-table side.”That first goal was going to be crucial,” Wales manager Chris Coleman said later. “We lost our concentration for five minutes, and when you’re up against the quality of a team like Portugal, then they’ll capitalize on it.”Wales were still absorbing the shock and regrouping when Ronaldo struck again, pouncing on a short clearance and unleashing a shot from the edge of the box. He may or may not have mishit it but, either way, it flashed into the area where Nani, who had shaken off Collins, deflected it past Wayne Hennessey. (Renato Sanches appeared offside and that might have thrown the Welsh defense but, in any case, he was not interfering with play.)It was a kick to the gut and a further swing of momentum, which was already going Portugal’s way. Ronaldo sent a scary free kick — perhaps the best one he’s taken for a long time in a national team shirt — whistling over Hennessey’s bar.Ronaldo’s reaction — mouth open, jaw locked, fists clenched, eyes wide — told the whole story: He was close to berserk mode. A few minutes passed before Portugal were on the verge of the knockout blow again. A nasty Nani shot was parried away by Hennessy, and Joao Mario tucked the rebound just wide.By this point, Coleman had called up whatever artillery he had left and on came Simon Church, Sam Vokes and Jonny Williams. But Portugal were unfazed. They could smell it. Bale stormed around the pitch, but all he could muster were two long-range efforts, with not quite enough Welsh mustard to beat Rui Patricio.At the final whistle, both teams saluted their supporters. The Welsh put on red shirts, which they then threw into the stands. And their fans? They stood as one, as they’ve done throughout this tournament. And they sang what has become their Euro 2016 anthem: “Don’t take me home … Please don’t take me … I just don’t want to go to work …”They’ll have to now; it’s over. At least in some ways. But not in others.”I told my players that this tournament may have ended, but it’s not the end for them,” Coleman said. “They’ll be here when I’m long gone. Tonight was simply a challenge too far.”Indeed it was. On the night when it all come together for Portugal, the Dragon was slain. Just as it was in 1958. Back then, it was a man named Pele who scored the winner as a Welsh legend named John Charles was forced to watch from the stands. On Wednesday, it was a man named Ronaldo, perhaps on the way to legend status himself, and Ramsey was the forced absentee.Portugal can look ahead to a match against Germany or France. Ronaldo, the only man to have been to the final before, back in 2004, was philosophical:”I was just 18 back then; it was my first final,” he said. “Now, we’re one step away from being European champions. Dreaming is free, so let’s keep dreaming.”Gabriele Marcotti is a columnist for ESPN FC, The Times and Corriere dello Sport. Follow him on Twitter @Marcotti.

Cristiano Ronaldo steals headlines from man-of-the-match Adrien

Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock shortly after halftime and Portugal march on to the final on Sunday.A controlled and dominant display by Portugal on Wednesday resulted in a 2-0 victory over Wales to book a place in the Euro 2016 final on Sunday in Paris. Portugal will face the winner of Thursday’s semifinal between hosts France and reigning World Cup champions Germany.Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani scored goals any centre-forward would be proud of, further justifying coach Fernando Santos’ decision to play the two wingers as strikers in this tournament. Each has notched three goals in Portugal’s six matches so far.Ronaldo, the captain who scored and provided the assist for Nani’s goal, will inevitably hog the headlines, but midfield dynamo Adrien did the most to make Portugal tick Wednesday, with a forceful and skilful display in the centre of the pitch

Player ratings (1-10; 10=best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):

GK, Rui Patricio, 7/10 — Did not have a whole lot to do, but did his job when called upon, especially when diving to repel a wicked swerving shot from Gareth Bale in the 80th minute that could have put Wales back into the match.

DF, Cedric Soares, 8/10 — After watching Vieirinha play the group matches, Soares has taken his chance with both hands in the knockout stages. Competent both in his defensive duties and when lending a hand in attack, he produced one brilliant robbery of the ball followed by a dangerous cross into the Wales box in the 25th minute. Not afraid to try his luck from range.

DF, Jose Fonte, 7/10 — Fonte’s participation in this tournament is a neat metaphor for his whole career. The Southampton captain had to work hard for years as he steadily made his way to the top of the game. Initially not a starter at Euro 2016, Fonte patiently waited for his chance. He has played the past three games, has not put a foot wrong, and looks odds-on to start the final on Sunday.

DF, Bruno Alves, 7/10 — A surprise selection after Pepe’s injury, the big centre-back let nobody down, using his strong aerial game to good effect to help nullify Wales’ threat from set pieces.

DF, Raphael Guerreiro, 7/10 — His fourth game for Portugal at Euro 2016, his fourth highly positive performance. Composure, invention, incisiveness all rolled into one. Fans of A Selecao will be praying he remains fit for the final.

MF, Joao Mario, 7/10 — Much more involved than against Croatia and Poland, Mario showed flashes of what he is capable of with some excellent combination play, particularly with club colleague Adrien, and generally kept the ball well. Will be disappointed not to have scored when he followed up Nani’s effort in the 66th minute.

MF, Danilo, 7/10 — A sound display in his usual style, keeping things simple and using his height and muscle to good effect. Almost capped the night with a goal: Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey just managed to keep out Danilo’s shot after a strong run into the box.

MF, Adrien, 8/10 — Man-of-the-match performance from the Sporting Clube de Portugal captain, bossing the centre of the pitch with a typical all-action display. Combined tenacious tackling and tracking with swift passing and clever combinations. Another player, like Fonte and Cedric, who did not feature in the group phase but who is now surely a certainty to line up in the final.

MF, Renato Sanches, 6/10 — The 18-year-old sensation showed his rawness with a series of errant and rushed passes, especially in the first half when he looked ill at ease wide on the right. Improved significantly in the second half, and he will have an important role to play in Paris, for sure.

FW, Nani, 8/10 — It’s remarkable to think that Nani was probably the most contested starter among Portugal fans in the lead-up to Euro 2016. He has been a revelation in his new centre-forward position. The news that he has signed for Valencia will only further boost his confidence. Scored his third goal of the tournament with an opportunist strike and threatened to add to that tally. Reborn.

FW, Cristiano Ronaldo, 8/10 — For the second match running, Ronaldo was denied a clear penalty as James Collins somehow got away with a headlock more in keeping with a wrestling ring than a football pitch. Ronaldo’s thumping header broke the deadlock, his mishit shot led to Portugal’s second, and he twice came close to scoring again, once after rounding the keeper but running out of angle, and from a free kick that just cleared the bar.

Substitutes:

MF, Andre Gomes, N/R — Kept Portugal in the ascendency when he replaced Sanches, and on one excellent break set up a great chance for Ronaldo late on.

MF, Joao Moutinho, N/R — Replaced an exhausted Adrien for the last 10 minutes. Steady as ever.

FW, Ricardo Quaresma, N/R — Given five minutes, it was time enough to win a dangerous free kick on the edge of the box.

Women’s socer team to wear shirts, temporary tattoos in protest

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 7/7/16

US women’s soccer team members wear Equal Play for Equal Pay shirts. Hope Solo on Twitter

The US Women’s national soccer team is preparing to get as vocal as possible about their mission to receive equal pay and treatment as the Men’s national team.According to the New York Times, ahead of their game Saturday against South Africa in Chicago, theUSWNT plans to wear T-shirts endorsing an “Equal Play Equal Pay” message. The players union is also creating temporary tattoos with the same slogan for the players to wear on the field during their matches.Due to the terms of their collective bargaining agreement with the US Soccer Federation, the team is not allowed to strike. But they will have a chance to renegotiate terms when the current agreement ends after the year. The Olympics also frown upon athletes using the Games as an opportunity to make social and political commentary, but the women are looking to use their platform leading up to Rio to their advantage.Among the complaints from the women’s team — led by Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo and Becky Sauerbrunn — is that their travel conditions, field conditions, and pay are all significantly worse than what the men receive. While it’s true that in the past the men received more in TV money and brought in more fans/ratings and higher ticket prices, the opposite has occurred lately due to the recent success and explosion in popularity of the women’s team.

SOLO POISED TO HIT CENTURY MARK FOR SHUTOUTS

WITH ONE MORE SHUTOUT, HOPE SOLO WILL ADD ANOTHER MILESTONE TO HER LEGENDARY CAREER

WNT Jul 8, 2016

Hope Solo’s first shutout did not come like many that would follow under bright stadium lights in front of a massive, screaming and adoring crowd. It came more than 16 years ago during an 8-0 win at a closed-door international – the U.S. played those back then – against Iceland in Davidson, North Carolina. There was only a smattering of people in the stands.It was a modest debut for what would grow into a spectacular career, perhaps the best for an international goalkeeper. And against South Africa on July 9 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Solo has a chance to achieve a milestone never before reached when she goes for her 100th shutout.Should she hit the century mark in the next match, the shutout would come in her 197th cap, giving her a clean sheet in just under every second match she has played for the USA. It’s a remarkable achievement, especially considering the amount of important matches she has played in World Cups, Olympics, and qualifying for those tournaments. And despite the increasing competitiveness of the women’s game internationally, the wins and shutouts have continued to accrue at the same rate.

She’s earned shutouts on dusty fields on the southern coast of Portugal, in ultra-modern stadiums built for a World Cup in South Korea, in massive multi-purpose stadiums in China, in the soccer-specific stadiums of the USA and in some of Europe’s green cathedrals. Playing behind a strong U.S. team for her entire career, Solo has had her share of matches in which she was not called upon to make many saves, but during her tenure there has been a much more common scenario. These are matches that feature several dangerous moments, ones that happen in a flash, where she has stepped up to keep an opponent off the board with a brilliant save or a brave punch in goal area traffic, bringing crowds to their feet, impacting games tremendously, and yes, enabling her to earn a bushels of shutouts.“She has the ability to remain totally focused for 90 minutes, whether it’s making saves in the 20th, 45th or the 92nd minutes,” said U.S. goalkeeper coach Graeme Abel. “That focus and efficiency in her performances allows her to remain in control at all times, and it’s a huge positive for any team to have a player like that in goal.”

Solo’s athleticism has always been world class, and when you add her in prodigious kicking game, her physical abilities are perhaps peerless to any goalkeeper who has ever represented her country. But it is her mental game and her tremendous competitive focus that has pushed her into the realm of the best-ever at her position.Her mentality and ability to lock in and focus on the job at hand while directing the defense and owning her penalty box are legendary.They say you practice like you play, and anyone who has ever played with and against Solo in practice knows of her tremendous training ethic.“Hope’s attention to detail both on and off the training field and her drive for perfection while evaluating video is a key factor in transferring performances from practice to match days,” said Abel. “Those qualities are main reasons that she’s had so much longevity in a position that continually evolves.”Another impressive stat is where she has earned those shutouts, with more coming in difficult environments abroad (53) than on U.S. soil (46). Of her 99 shutouts, almost a third have come in FIFA or CONCACAF tournaments, earning 16 in World Cup and Olympic play, and another 15 in World Cup or Olympic Qualifying.Her shutouts have come against 28 different countries, with 10 each against CONCACAF rivals Canada and Mexico. A total of 37 of her shutouts have come against European teams and 52 against the likes of world powers like Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, England, France, Japan, Nigeria, Norway and Sweden.In 2016, Solo has earned nine shutouts in her 10 wins so far, including seven in a row, tying her own record for most consecutive games played with clean sheets (she had seven in a row back in 2005). One must think, considering the way the U.S. team is playing so far this year, she has a good shot to break her personal record of 13 shutouts in a calendar year, set in another Olympic year in 2008.Of course, Solo and the U.S. team famously earned five consecutive shutouts in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, allowing a goal against Australia in the first match and two to Japan in the World Cup Final, but in between the USA completely smothered opposing attacks.It was the match against Australia where Solo made two other-worldly saves, and several more that would qualify as tremendous if it wasn’t for her two stops in the first half that perhaps changed the course of the World Cup.In just the fifth minute of the match with the scored tied 0-0, Australian attacker Emily van Egmond unleashed a blast from just 16 yards out that was headed into the upper right corner before Solo threw her body to her left and with a brilliant reaction save, pushed the ball off the crossbar with both hands.That set the stage for Megan Rapinoe to put the USA up 1-0 in the 12th minute. Just a minute later, Solo amazingly topped the first save with another lighting reaction to push away Sam Kerr’s point-blank volley with her left hand.But perhaps one of her most important “saves” of the World Cup came when she didn’t even touch the ball.In the 59th minute of a tight Women’s World Cup semifinal match against Germany, Julie Johnston was whistled for a penalty kick for pulling down massive striker Alexandra Popp. Up stepped Celia Sasic, one of the best penalty kick takers in the world. Solo played the mental game with Sasic and won it, making her wait about three minutes before the kick was taken. The German star missed just wide left to keep the score at 0-0.No German player — man or woman — had ever missed a penalty kick in a World Cup. That miss set the stage for Carli Lloyd’s heroics when she converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute, and for a Kelley O’Hara goal that finished off the game near the end to send the USA back to the World Cup Final.It was just another example of how Solo impacts games, which she does with her voice, her presence and her soccer savvy, helping her defense defuse chances before they come to fruition. These are all factors that have been keys to her earning so many shutouts as well.Those were just a few moments of many, albeit under the brightest of lights, that spotlight the impact Solo has on matches. Whether she gets the shutout or not (and her 99 so far shows that she often does), what has been abundantly clear is that whenever she’s in goal, it’s highly likely the U.S. will get the win.“To be able to set records and reach milestones such as these at any level is a great achievement,” added Abel. “But to do it on the world’s stage is just a phenomenal feat.”

Jurgen Klinsmann hails U.S. advances but calls foundation ‘fragile’

United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann has told CNN he believes the foundation for soccer in the United States is “fragile and disconnected” in comparison to some of the systems in place for world football powers such as England, Germany, Spain and France.Klinsmann, 51, said that the growth of the sport in America has been remarkable and believes soccer has truly arrived in the nation.However, the California-based coach called the challenges facing the U.S. a complicated puzzle compared to other countries and one that’s “not perfect yet” in a wide-ranging interview.”The foundation in the United States is still fragile and disconnected compared to other countries,” Klinsmann said. “The youth leagues do their own thing, the professional system is not really connected to the amateur system, and that’s not really connected to the college system.”So there are holes in the system, like in a Swiss cheese, and there’s a loss of quality. We’re working on connecting those pieces, on connecting player development, and on continuing to build a pyramid in this amazing country.”Klinsmann led the national team to the country’s best-ever finish in a Copa America at the competition’s 100th anniversary edition, which was hosted in the U.S. last month.The fourth-place finish came after winning a challenging group and advancing to the semifinals, before being outclassed 4-0 by Lionel Messi and Argentina and then losing to Colombia in the third-place playoff.”It’s a bigger puzzle in the United States than in other countries, and it’s not perfect yet. That’s what makes it so exciting; we’re building something great here,” Klinsmann said. “We don’t have a system in place like France or Germany or even South American countries.”If you look at the FA in England, it’s more than 100 years old and they already have their infrastructure, scouting, coaches’ education, national training center, and the pyramid is connected.”There’s relatively little infrastructure work to do in England because it’s all there. Here in the United States, building that infrastructure is still important. That’s what’s so fascinating and rewarding about this.”Klinsmann said he understands the frustrations of U.S. fans who want to compete at the highest level with the world’s top teams, but the Germans urged patience by saying there’s “no gain without pain.”He added: “The transition is happening step by step. We’re playing against the bigger nations, we’re attacking those bigger nations and holding our own against them.”There’s no growth without taking risks. And there’s no growth without failure along the way. We’re getting out of our comfort zone, and we’re making some big strides forward.”The next step is to become one of the best soccer nations in the world. The USMNT has become an important engine for growth in the United States. We’re trying to do everything we can to make the national team as successful as possible in the World Cup, which is the benchmark for everyone around the world.”

Clint Dempsey open to super-sub role for United States at 2018 World Cup

Clint Dempsey said he would be open to a super-sub role off the bench for the United States at the 2018 World Cup if that’s what the team asked of him.Dempsey, 33, was back to his best for the U.S. at the Copa America Centenario, scoring three goals for the Americans as the team reached the semifinals only to lose to Argentina and then Colombia in the third-placed match to finish fourth.By the time the World Cup in Russia rolls around, though, Dempsey will be 35, and he admits he would be willing — and possibly forced — to be used as a substitute.”Yeah, I could do that,” Dempsey told Colin Cowherd on FS1. “It would be tough, but at the same time you have to look at it in the right way.”You have to say, ‘All right, if I do play, am I fit enough that I can go 90 minutes nonstop?'” Dempsey said. “Or is it, ‘Do I put in a 60-minute shift, 70-minute shift and get subbed? Or do you come on maybe later in the game when everybody’s tired and try to get goals?”So being a goalscorer, that does appeal to me, that I could come on in a game and change it. I would be open to it.Dempsey added that it was an honour to represent his country in any capacity, having done so 131 times, scoring 52 goals, just five behind the all-time mark for the U.S. set by Landon Donovan.”[I’ve] been able to play in three different World Cups,” Dempsey said. “That would be nice to be able to say that you were in a fourth. Not a lot of people can say that.”The one-time U.S. captain also talked about youth development and player identification, underscoring some of the challenges and opportunities that exist for up-and-coming soccer players in the States.Asked if “pay-to-play” scenarios for youths was a detriment to kids whose families couldn’t afford expensive travelling teams, Dempsey said: “I think so. I think that’s fair. Especially if you’re trying to play club ball.”To some of the clubs’ credit, they do have scholarships, they have players they help in being able to deal with the fees. I was lucky enough to play for a club that helped me with that.”It’s difficult for kids to get that right type of coaching, get that development. And if you’re growing up in a small town, really all you have is the recreational league that you can play in, the high-school team that you can hopefully play for, play in men’s league, Hispanic leagues on the weekends, and hope that someone can see you there.”

Indy Eleven Gameday & Match Preview
Indy Eleven vs Minnesota United FC
Saturday, July 9, 2016 – 7:30 p.m. ET Carroll Stadium – Indy Eleven

Team Records:

Indy Eleven: 0W-1D-0L, 0 pts, 5^th in NASL Fall Season
Minnesota United F: 1W-0D-0L, 3pts, 1st in NASL Fall Season
Click here for the complete NASL Fall Season standings

Watch Live:

Local: WISH-TV
National: beIN Sports

Last Time Out – Puerto Rico 1 : 1 Indy Eleven

Indy Eleven began their 2016 Fall Season trek away from home at Puerto Rico FC in a one-all draw with the expansion side. A first half that featured plenty of action, PRFC began the match on the forefront and looked likely to be first on the scoresheet. Kicking their way through the opening 45 minutes, the physicality was upped a notch as the match matured though neither team were able to capitalize on a limited number of chances in a scoreless first half.After a flurry of chances for the “Boys in Blue,” the hosts did eventually end up opening the scoring as forward Hector Ramos nicked in a cross from Kyle Culbertson in the 74th minute to swing momentum back in their favor. Continuing to battle back, though, “Indiana’s Team” pushed against the grain to create a few chances in the final 15 minutes and right at the death, they got the goal they were looking for. Defender Nemanja Vukovic swung in a lifted cross off a set piece, and there to meet it on his NASL debut was forward Souleymane Youla. The Turk nodded the delivery across the line and Indy Eleven ended up stealing an important point away from home.

Last Time Out – Minnesota United FC 5 : 1 Carolina Railhawks

Minnesota United FC made quite the statement in the opening game of the fall slate with a 5-1 thrashing of Railhawks FC at home last Saturday night. Two goals from Christian Ramirez, both within five minutes of each other, got things off right for the hosts, and the midfielder also bagged an assist on Stefano Pinho’s finish in the first minute of added time to make it 3-0 at the end of the half. In the 47th minute, Tiago Calvano added a fourth goal to fully boost the rout, and Christian Ramirez completed his hat-trick in the 75th minute on the back end of a cross from midfielder Danny Cruz.The consolation goal for Railhawks FC came in the 90th minute from Matt Watson, but it was hardly enough to put a dent on Minnesota United FC’s party as they highly impressed in the fall opener.-> TICKETS | Craft Beer Night – Indy Eleven vs. Minnesota United FC <-

Eleven on Revenge Watch

Though the 4-2 win over Minnesota United FC on May 21 in the Spring Season was as sweet as the club had seen in history, the problem with every big win is the return – and there is none bigger than Saturday for the Loons. As Indy Eleven hoist the Spring Season trophy pregame, no doubt the former spring champions will look on with a glimmer of revenge in their eyes ahead of one of the biggest clashes of talent in the Fall Season.Despite being just 1/22 of the way through the second portion of the year, this match has a lot of promise. Firstly, it features the two top goalscorers in the league in Christian Ramirez and Eamon Zayed. The former jumped to the top of the charts with his first week hat-trick, while Zayed sits solely in second after his hat-trick to end the spring against Carolina. From a team standpoint, the game also features two of the best defenses in the league as the Eleven have conceded just nine goals in eleven matches to the Loons’ 13 goals in the same frame. With Saturday night’s contest being the fall home opener and against one of the fall’s strongest sides, “Indiana’s Team” can circle this match on the calendar as a must win.
Spring Season Champs Means Little in Fall

It would be all too easy for Coach Hankinson’s side to sit back and coast through the fall – after all, winning the spring means automatic placement into the four-team playoff in November – but that isn’t the mindset. Hunger is the mindset, and the desire to push forward and keep their place as the team to beat in the NASL.Champions, unbeaten, etc. it’s all great. But when the Loons travel to Indianapolis for the first of two meetings between the sides in one week, the “Boys in Blue” have the challenging task of putting it all at the back of their mind. Knowing that this week is the first of a few where the team is in action multiple times in a seven day span, the Spring Season feat must serve only as a motivational reminder of where this team has been, but also where they can go moving forward.Indy Eleven OG’s: How Brad Ring, Don Smart, and Dylan Mares keep riding the Eleven wave
Who to Watch, Indy Eleven edition: GK Jon Busch

He’s one of, if not the, best ‘keepers in the league with one of the best defenses in front of him, but Saturday’s task at hand for Jon Busch may be his toughest in an Indy Eleven uniform so far.The Loons are red hot right now and have plenty of attacking options at their disposal, while Indy Eleven will be missing their stalwart and captain Colin Falvey in the center of defense due to injury. While Cory Miller has proven an incredibly effective replacement, it’s likely that “Buschy” will be facing a few shots on goal Saturday night – just as he could have been had Falvey been fit. Regardless, the 18-year MLS vet will have a big test on his hands (and feet) on Saturday night.
Who to Watch, Minnesota United FC edition: FW Christian Ramirez

An easy pick for Player of the Week, Minnesota United FC forward Christian Ramirez was the star of the show on Saturday in his video game-like performance that featured three goals and one assist in their 5-1 win. amirez, who now leads the league in goals (8), is capable of scoring from any angle and has proven to be more than your typical bundle of a forward. His first goal against Carolina was a dipping volley that Railhawks FC ‘netminder Akira Fitzgerald had no shot to save, while his second goal was a simple capitalization on a defensive error that allowed him to slot home. Before completing his hat-trick, Ramirez laid off for midfielder Stefano Pinho for the team’s third goal of the game, and he finished off the day by tapping home from two yards out for the last of the Loons’ five goals.With a lethal combination of pace, skill, and finishing ability, Ramirez is the one to watch Saturday night.
Match-up to Mark: FW Eamon Zayed/Justin Braun vs. GK Sammy Ndjock

While plenty has been said about Minnesota’s attacking threat, it’s Indy Eleven forwards Eamon Zayed and Justin Braun who present an equally tough-to-handle tandem. Two of the top scorers in the league, Zayed and Braun bring different assets to the game that bring plenty of problems to the opposing defense and ‘keeper. ayed is tall, strong, and physical, but also possesses the innate ability to slip in behind a defender like a true poacher. Meanwhile, Braun is quick, but also physical, and has an intelligence element in his game that makes him tough to mark, and tough to follow. Loons ‘netminder Sammy Ndjock has been excellent this year and proved as much in last week’s win over Railhawks FC, but if Zayed and Braun get plenty of touches on the ball Saturday night, he may have as much to deal with as he did in the 4-2 Eleven win in May.

Bring Us Your Best – Indy Eleven v Minnesota United PREVIEW 7/9/2016

Midfield choices, who starts and who doesn’t? (Nicki Paterson and Gerardo Torrado pictured)

By: James Cormack

The one thing you can probably be sure of, tomorrow’s match between Indy Eleven and Minnesota United is unlikely to be a dull encounter. These two sides have never been involved in a draw, in seven previous encounters Indy Eleven have won three and Minnesota has won four. All three of Indy Eleven’s victories have been at Carroll Stadium.

This match will also see the leagues two highest scoring players face off against each other, Éamon Zayed and Christian Ramirez. Goals are something that has never been lacking when these two meet, in all seven meetings a total of 28 goals have been scored, an average of four goals per game.

The teams last met on May 21st in Indianapolis with the result going 4-2 in Indy Eleven’s favor. Since that match both teams have won 6pts in NASL League play, Indy with a win and three draws and Minnesota with two wins and two losses. Indy Eleven opened the fall with a lackluster draw in Puerto Rico while Minnesota started with a bang defeating Carolina Railhawks 5-1 at home.

Danny Cruz and Omar Gordon

Both sides progressed from their opening matches in the US Open Cup against USL opposition and both teams exited at the hands of MLS opposition. During the season break both teams played in exhibition play against Liga MX opposition. Indy Eleven defeated Mexican champions FC Pachuca 1-0 while Minnesota fell to León 4-2.

Coming into the last game Minnesota United were on a hot streak with five wins and a draw in six games, the defeat to Indy Eleven saw a mini slump which ultimately was responsible in some part for the Loons missing out on the Spring Championship. Minnesota ended the Spring with the 3-1 win over Miami and put five goals past Carolina in their fall home opener. Despite some key injuries within their roster they are finding their feet again and are scoring for fun.

Christian Ramirez emulated Éamon Zayed’s heroics of scoring a hat trick against the Railhawks by scoring one of his own against the same team last weekend, also grabbing the golden boot top spot from Zayed. Since the final game of Spring Indy Eleven have scored three goals in three games against Chicago Fire, CF Pachuca and Puerto Rico FC.

It is fair to say both teams have been struggling with various injuries over the course of Spring, despite still being undefeated Indy Eleven have had their share of dropped points and sub par games. This game is going to be a close contest, maybe we’ll see the first ever draw, who knows? Minnesota will be keen to make up for the previous encounter and as ever Indy Eleven will try to keep up their record of raising their level in the toughest games.

So can we expect many changes…?

As far as Minnesota goes it seems like they have found a good formula in their last couple of games, despite missing key players such as Ben Speas they have found a good midfield combination that has complimented their defense and are allowing less goals. Main problem is they can’t start the same line up as last week because Jeb Brovsky picked up a red card and is suspended.

To me it always seems weird to see a Minnesota lineup without the versatile Vicentini in it so he would be the obvious choice to slot in alongside Pitchkolan. Otherwise I doubt there will be any other changes to their starting XI.

Indy Eleven may elect to start the same lineup this week as they did last. It is unlikely Colin Falvey will feature and will be given as much time as possible to recover from his groin injury, we have the comfort of knowing we have a post season to look forward to so there is no point in bring players back prematurely and risking further complications.

Jair Reinoso also is unlikely to be ready and although Don Smart may feature in the 18 man roster the likelihood of him getting a lot of time on the field is slim, may not yet suit up. One of the big question marks is who will start in the midfield.

Siniša Ubiparipović is a threat!

Gerardo Torrado is now eligible to play, although he was given time off to return home to tie up personal affairs it is not clear how long he has been back or if he has been in training (did not see him in the trophy presentation rehearsal) my gut feeling is he will be in the 18 man roster but may not start the game, possibly used in the second half to tighten the screw if required.

I would see it as logical for Tim Hankinson, while not wanting to make too many changes, to use the fact we have qualified for post season as an opportunity to take advantage and implement some player rotation so that key players are getting adequate competitive field time. Considering that if there are any changes to the lineup this week I expect Lovel Palmer will start in place of Franco, and possibly Souleymane Youla in place of Justin Braun.

I have been impressed with Youla so far but I feel he needs more game time and experience in this league, and Braun with his pace and physicality would be a menace to bring on later when the game has slowed and legs are tired.

That one is a big ‘if’ though but not unlikely, Zayed and Braun together caused the Minnesota defense and Sammy N’Djock to have nightmares at the Carroll, but I think Braun coming on later could also cause the same difficulties. So we have options and no harm in using them.

Wild Card lineup: Given that we know Tim Hankinson can sometimes pull surprises from the bag, I am not ruling out the possibility in a change of formation and Indy could start with a 4-2-3-1 and elect to bring in a part of the roster we often forget.. Siniša Ubiparipović could be that pivot behind a lone forward that could help find a way to the Minnesota goal, he is also a player more than capable of striking from anywhere inside the final third? A triangle of passing between Ubi, Ring and Paterson could put both wings and the center forward into dangerous positions.

Potential Starting XI: Busch, Palmer, Miller, Janicki, Vukovic, Mares, Ring, Paterson, Gordon, Youla, Zayed. Subs: Cardona, Franco, Braun, Torrado, Keller, Ubiparipović, Lacroix.

We don’t need to ask if we can win, we know we can…..

I think the key to pulling of a win in this game will be not only how we deal with Minnesota’s midfield coming forward, but also how we find a way of playing through them in attack. It will certainly be more difficult than the last game. There is nothing to say the Loons defense or goalkeeper won’t be as shaky as they were last time, but getting to the point of pressuring them may be the difficult task.

The Minnesota defense and midfield will be much more connected and the rout to goal will be more difficult. Indy will need to look upon every set piece and corner as gold dust and make sure that they take full advantage of them.

We may see some route one football although I hope not too much, we have physical players up front that have the ability to win balls in the air and take full advantage of them. With Vicentini and Pitchkolan in the mix in front of the back four that may prove a lot more difficult.

Quick accurate passing and taking advantage of space when it is available will be the key to getting to and behind the Minnesota defense and finding goals, a far as us defending we will have to press hard in midfield and break down any Minnesota attack as early as possible, I know the way we setup we some times like to let the other team come to us, that could prove costly against this Minnesota team in current form.

Who to watch…?

This may come as a surprise, but if I had to put a bet on a player being MVP this week I am going to pickJon Busch, in the absence of captain Colin Falvey he provides a lot of experience and communication at the back. Minnesota are going to go for the throat, and I have a feeling Busch, with a big performance, could be the Adams Apple that frustrates Minnesota all night.

MLS Talking Points: Players face former clubs, Galaxy and Sounders renew rivalry

Goal.com 1 hour 14 minutes ago

This weekend marks the beginning of the second half of the 2016 Major League Soccer season, and the Week 18 slate features rivalries, reunions and familiar faces in new places.LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena and Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid will renew acquaintances as the two most successful coaches in MLS history square off in a battle of Western Conference underachievers. FC Dallas looks to maintain its hold on first place in the Western Conference with a win against a San Jose Earthquakes side that has yet to lose a match at home this season.In the East, Kei Kamara’s first match against the Columbus Crew since being traded will grab plenty of headlines, while former New York Red Bulls winger Lloyd Sam is expected to make his D.C. United debut this weekend, as DCU takes on the Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium.The post-Adrian Heath era begins at Orlando City, with the Lions playing their first match since the club parted ways with the popular coach. Perhaps it is fitting that Orlando City’s first match without Heath will come against the other team in MLS to undergo a coaching change this year, the Houston Dynamo.Here is Goal’s guide to the major stories to watch for in MLS Week 18…

IT’S A BIG WEEKEND FOR … REUNIONS

Kei Kamara’s departure from the Columbus Crew was one of the must surprising developments of the season, and this weekend Kamara will get his first chance to exact revenge against the team that traded him just months after they were in the MLS Cup final. Kamara’s trade to New England hasn’t really worked out for either team so far, as the Revs and Crew are both currently outside the playoff places in the Eastern Conference.Chris Pontius will also have a chance to face his former team this weekend, as the Philadelphia Union winger faces off against D.C. United in a battle of Eastern Conference rivals. Pontius has enjoyed a career renaissance with the Union, who have enjoyed a surprisingly strong first half of the season. He already faced D.C. United once this season, in a 1-0 Union victory in May, but will look to have more of an impact on the result this time around.

DON’T MISS … LA GALAXY vs. SEATTLE SOUNDERS

The LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders have traditionally squared off as Western Conference leaders, but this time around they will face off as underachieving teams in desperate need of points.The Sounders are tied for last place in the West, with just one win in seven matches. With Clint Dempsey back from international duty and the club expected to add reinforcements in the now-open MLS transfer window, a reversal of fortunes is expected. That turnaround can start at home on Saturday against a Galaxy side mired in its own slump.The Galaxy enjoyed a 2-0 win against Vancouver last Monday, snapping a seven-match winless slide. With Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes back from international duty, a Galaxy surge could very well be in the cards. Saturday’s trip to Seattle should show us just how close the Galaxy are to hitting their stride.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH

If you’re a fan of seeing top center backs taking on the best forwards in MLS, then this weekend’s slate of individual battles is for you. Here are the top 10 individual matchups to watch this weekend in MLS:

Matt Besler vs. David Villa.NYCFC is on a roll right now, and Villa is the key to the club’s attack. Sporting KC has the central defenders to contain Villa, led by Besler, who should be ready to make his first post-Copa America start.
Michael Parkhurst vs. Kei Kamara. The former Crew teammates face off for the first time since Kamara was traded, and you can rest assured Kamara will be desperate to score a goal or two.
Osvaldo Alonso vs. Steven Gerrard. If the Sounders are going to stop the Galaxy attack, then Alonso needs to keep Gerrard under wraps. The English midfielder is coming off a two-assist game against Vancouver.
Dax McCarty vs. Darlington Nagbe. This matchup should be fun to watch, as the Red Bulls and Timbers face off in a battle of two of the league’s best midfields.
Chad Marshall vs. Robbie Keane. Containing the ever-dangerous Keane is never really a one-man job, so look for the Sounders to give Marshall some help to try and stop the Irish star.
Matias Laba vs. Jermaine Jones. The Rapids failed to score in their last match, and they will need Jones to shake free of the tenacious Laba if they’re going to find goals in Vancouver.
Matt Hedges vs. Chris Wondolowski. Whether it’s Hedges or the in-form Walker Zimmerman, FC Dallas must contain Wondolowski to have any chance of pulling off a road win in San Jose.
DaMarcus Beasley vs. Kevin Molino. Beasley has quietly put together a stellar season, and the Dynamo will need him at his best to slow down the dangerous Molino.
Marcelo Sarvas vs. Roland Alberg. Sarvas has been one of the keys to keeping D.C. United in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and he will need to lock down the red-hot Alberg if D.C. is going to win in Chester on Saturday.
Sacha Kljestan vs. Diego Chara. If the Timbers are going to grab a road win at Red Bull Arena, Chara will need to keep Kljestan from having too much room to operate.

Sounders welcome Dempsey back for LA visit, first in “series of big games”

July 7, 20168:52PM EDTAri LiljenwallContributor

TUKWILA, Wash. – Crunch time may have arrived earlier than usual for the Seattle Sounders.Ahead of their home matchup with the LA Galaxy at CenturyLink Field on Saturday (3 pm ET, ESPN), the Sounders sport a 5-9-2 record, a mark that leaves them tied with the Houston Dynamo for last place in the Western Conference with 17 points.The MLS season is still less than halfway through, and Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid stopped short of using the term “must-win” while speaking with reporters after his team’s practice on Thursday. But given their current position on the table, Seattle’s upcoming slate of games has suddenly become much more high-stakes than your typical July fixtures.“We’ve got a series of big games [coming up],” Schmid said. “I know they were in different competitions but we’ve had three positive results in our last three outings. So we’re going to be ready to play [on Saturday] and put our stamp on the game and compete.”The Sounders have netted an MLS-low 14 goals in 16 games thus far in 2016, leading to some speculation that Schmid might consider tinkering with the new 4-3-3 formation Seattle implemented before the start of the season – a change that has yet to pay consistent dividends.But if he has any plans to make any sort of notable tactical adjustments, Schmid didn’t divulge them on Thursday.“We’re committed to getting the best players onto the field,” Schmid said. “I’ve always said formations are a reflection of players’ tendencies. You can play what you call a 4-2-3-1 and sometimes it’ll look more like a 4-4-2.“That’s something [the media] likes to talk about more than me…I know everyone loves to talk about that because it’s simple. There’s no explanation needed, just numbers.”As they try to reassert themselves into the Western Conference playoff picture, the Sounders hope the return of Clint Dempsey can provide a remedy to those attacking struggles. The star forward hasn’t started a game for Seattle since May 21 while on US national team duty at this summer’sCopa America Centenario, but will be available on Saturday.Schmid also said on Thursday that defender Chad Marshall passed the MLS concussion protocol and has been cleared after he exited last weekend’s match against Toronto with a migraine. Panamanian center back Roman Torres, however, is still a few weeks away from his return to the lineup as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered last season.

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7/5/16 European Cup Semi Finals Wed/Thur 3 pm ESPN, Indy 11 return home Sat to get Champ Trophy, US Ladies at Chicago Sun

July 5, 2016July 5, 2016 gatorbest

So we are down to the final 4 in the European Cup – as 2 of the games were blowouts and 2 came down to PKs in Extra Time. Sad to see Iceland’s miracle run come to an end but we knew the home French would just be too strong, especially with the home crowd behind them. My Italy and GK Gigi Buffon lost on PKs in heartbreaking fashion to Germany as it went to 9PKs. Germany were the better squad on the day but not by much. I am looking forward to the Germany vs France A list game on Thursday 3 pm on ESPN – a battle of true heavyweights of European soccer. Wales vs Portugal Wed 3 pm is also intriguing – though I think the winner of France and defending World Champs Germany will lift the trophy on Sunday afternoon.

For those of you with daughter’s its not too late to get tickets and check out the US Women’s National Team as they prepare for the Olympics with a game this Sunday USA vs South Africa at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The game is also on TV 1 pm Fox Sports 1.

Finally, another fun day at the July 4th CarmelFest Parade as Carmel FC had a parade float and lots of folks walking See the pics below – thanks to all who organized and helped! Also don’t forget summer CFC Technical Training has begun.

CFC2016parade — Carmel FC players Prepare for the July 4th parade!

EUROPEAN CUP SEMI-FINALS

Top 10 Goals of Euros

Top 10 Saves Euros

Who will win the Golden Boot?

Predicting Who will Advance to Euro finals – ESPNFC

Euro Semis – Who will Advance

SPI Predicts France vs Portugal Final

Yellow Card Suspensions Are Cruel Punishment for Stars –Marcotti – ESPNFC

Why Wales are in the Finals –

How can Wales Deal without suspended Aaron Ramsey and others?

Wales not worrying about Renaldo – eSPNFC

Renaldo – last Real Good Chance to Win one?

Muller Not Worried about Goal Drought

Klinnsman not the Right Guy for England – ESPN FC Noah Davis

Why are England the laughing stock> Ian Darke – ESPNFC

Wenger Better off at Arsenal than England – ESPNFC

Spain Coach Del Bosque Steps down

Iceland return to Hero’s Welcome

Renaldo – hurts to see Messi in Tears

Top 10 Saves Copa America

INDY 11

Indy 11 to Receive Spring Season Trophy at Sat Nights Game!

Indy 11 3 Things in Indy’s 91^st Min Goal saving Tie @ Puerto Rico

Indy 11 – Review PR1 Indy 1

Bloody Shambles Review of 1-1 game @ Puerto Rico

Zayed Wins NASL Player of Month Award

Indy 11 July 9 game – Bring School Supplies to Donate

Permanent Relegation @prpodcastshow

Tonight-Tues 7/5- Make your way to @FishersChatham and join us as we welcome @SUbiparipovic28 & Vuko to the show! Starts at 7pm!

USA

US Ladies name 24 woman roster for South Africa game at Chicago

Tickets Still Available for Soldier Field Game

MLS

Tim Howard Opens for league leader Colorado Rapids with a Clean Sheet in Win

Power Rankings NYFC Move up

NYFC Finally break the Trend vs NY Red Bulls in NY Darby

MLS – Not the Same as when Howard left it –EPSN FC Jason Davis

America’s Champions League – Midfield Press

Wednesday, July 6
Portugal vs Wales- Lyon (9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Euro Semifinals

Thursday, July 7
Germany vs. France — Marseille (9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Saturday, July 9:

United States women vs. South Africa, international friendly, 1:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1) in Chicago
Seattle vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, 3:00 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN Deportes)

Indy 11 vs Minn @ the Jake 7:30 pm TV 8, BeIn Sports

Final

Sunday, July 10
EUROPEAN CUP W49 vs. W50 — Saint-Denis (9 p.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, ESPN)

New York Red Bulls vs. Portland Timbers, 6:00 p.m. (ESPN2, tape-delayed on ESPN Deportes)
Sporting Kansas City vs. New York City FC, 8:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes)

Wednesday, July 13

Indy 11 vs Ft Lauderdale – @ H The Jake – 7:30 pm Wish TV 8, BeIn Sports

Saturday, July 16

Indy 11 @ Minn – 8 pm BeIn Sports

Sunday, July 17:

Sat, July 23

Indy 11 vs Edmonton – @ H The Jake – 7:30 pm Wish TV 8

Sat, July 30

Indy 11@ Miami – 8 pm BeIn sports