Champions League Finals Sat, Women’s World Cup Starts, Indy 11 Fire Coaches, Carmel FC Teams to Regionals, US Men, Blatter Resigns + Games of the Week on TV
Wow so what a busy week of Soccer – off the field – The Indy 11 release head coach Juergen Sommer and place Ast Coach Tim Regan in charge – while FIFA’s embattled president Sepp Blatter was finally forced to resign amid a huge scandal. On the pitch – the Champions League Finals wrap up Saturday afternoon, June 6 @ 2 pm on Fox with Juventus and Barcelona matching up in a winner take all for the best club team in Europe. (more people worldwide will see this game than the Superbowl, World Series and NBA Finals combined). It’s the world’s top player Messi with Suarez (the biter), and Neymar up front against the wonderful defense of Juve with Goalkeeper extraordinaire Gigi Buffon, defender Chiellini, midfielders Pirlo and Progba and forwards Tevez and Morrato.
The Women’s World Cup kicks off the month long tourney in Canada on Saturday with games across the Fox Networks – the US starts its march on Monday at 7:30. Meanwhile the US men are in Europe for friendlies against the Netherlands – Fri 2:30 pm on ESPN and Germany Wed 2:30 pm Fox Sports 1, while the US U20’s are still alive in the U-20 World Cup (Fox Sports 1).
Congratulations to the Carmel FC U13 Girls for winning the Indiana Presidents Cup Finals at Grand Park last weekend. The girls are headed to St. Louis for Regional Finals in 2 weeks.
1st Row (L to R) Audrey Kaul, Lily McAndrews, Chloe Ipsen, Abby Dickerson, Caroline Benton, Martha Hunter, Libbi Miller
2nd Row (L to R) Madelyn Baxter, Sam Montgomery, Grace Evans, Sydney Haines, Abby Dalton, Megan Prince, Emma Antoine
3rd Row (L to R) Assistant Coach Andy Dalton, Head Coach Baco Benton and Assistant Coach Joel Kaul
U14 Carmel FC Gold Team advances to Regional Finals in St. Louis in 2 weeks after winning the Indiana President’s Cup this past weekend at Grand Park in Westfield.
LOWER (L to R) Lexie Hayes, Sophia Leonard, Selin Oh, Halle Von Ah, Elizabeth Lewis, Nicole Langston, Tatyana Gilliam
MIDDLE (L to R) Olivia Krall, Lucy Snyder, Lily Snyder, Elizabeth Langeman, Anna Springer, Lauren Burke, Head Coach Cecilia Lacerda
TOP (L to R) Ast Coach Mike Langeman, Claire Bruns, Sophie Bair, Lila Smith, Rachael Miller, Taylor Carlson, Cara Sajdyk, Ast Coach John Leonard
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Tryouts for Carmel FC – Carmel’s Only Travel Soccer Program – are June 8 + 9 – 5:30 till 8:30 pm at Badger Field in Carmel. River Road Fields for U15-U18 teams 7 till 8:30 pm – visit http://www.cdccarmelfc.com for more info and to pre-register.
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UPCOMING US GAMES
DATE:OPPONENT:RESULT/TV:
Fri June 5 : US U-20s vs Ukraine 3 AM U-20 World Cup – Fox Sports 1
Friday, Jun 5: USMNT vs Netherlands 2:30 PM ESPN, UniMas, UDN
Mon, Jun 8 US Women vs Australia – 7:30 pm WORLD CUP – Fox Sports
Wednesday, Jun 10: USMNT vs Germany 2:45 PM Fox Sports 1, UDN
Thurs, June 11 US U-20s vs ???? Round of 16 U-20 World Cup 3:30 AM Fox Sports 1
Fri, Jun 12 US Women vs Sweden – 8 pm WORLD CUP – Fox
Tues, Jun 16 US Women vs Nigeria – 8 pm WORLD CUP – Fox
Friday, Jul 3: USMNT vs Guatemala 6:30 PM Fox Sports 1, UDN
Tuesday, Jul 7: USMNT vs Honduras 9:30 PM Gold Cup Frisco, Texas Fox Sports 1,
Friday, Jul 10: USMNT vs Haiti 8:30 PM Gold Cup Foxborough Fox Sports 1,
Monday, Jul 13: USMNT vs Panama9:30 PM Gold Cup Kansas City Fox Sports 1,
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALS
Juve vs Barca Preview – Graham Hunter and Pablo Menicucci
Goalies Take Center Stage – eSPN FC Delaney
Gigi Buffon expands on his Juve Teammates
Juve vs Barcelona throughout history – SBNation – Andy Thomas
Key Battles in Champs League Finals – ESPN FC Michael Cox
Juve and Barca Past Finals Victories
Xavi Plays his Last Game for Barca – Explore the Greatness that is Xabi
WOMENS WORLD CUP
Just how good is the US Ladies Team?
Women’s US Team – WE BELIEVE Campaign
Women’s World Cup Best Players
Women’s World Cup – Preview and Group Cheatsheet – Mashable –
Can Alex Morgan (Knee injury) be ready for World Cup? Grant Wahl SI
World Cup Previews All 24 Teams
US MENS SOCCER
US-U20s lose to Ukraine 3-0 still advance as #2 in Group
US/Netherlands Previw Brian Straus – SI
5 questions US vs Dutch ESPN FC
US Mens Roster Set for Dutch and German Friendlies this week
U-20 World Cup Team – Advances
Zelalem Shines for U20s at World Cup (includes rebona)
US back Yedlin sets sights on Tottenham starting spot
MLS + Indy 11
Indy 11 Fire Coaches – Indy Star
Report has Juve’s Andrea Pirlo headed to NYCFC after Champions League Final
EPL and WORLD LEAGUES
Euro Clubs Barca, Arsenal, PSG and Wolfsburg Win Domestic Cups
http://www.espnfc.com/english-premier-league/story/2467693/position-power-ranks-top-10-forwards Top World Forwards
http://www.espnfc.com/barclays-premier-league/23/blog/post/2436552/premier-league-season-in-a-sentence EPL Season in 1 sentence
FIFA SCANDAL – BLATTER RESIGNS
Would Revote of 2022 go to US?
Soccer Camps – Boys and Girls -Ages 6 – 14
Ok so its Summer Camp time – below are some nice options for Soccer Camps this summer
Indy 11 Soccer Camp June 8-11 — 9 am till 12 noon Ages 5-14 $135 @ Badger Fields
3 v 3 Kick in the Grass National Tour Sat – July 11 8 am – All Day Badger Field 4 games minimum – 3 v 3 soccer U-6 to High School
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 27-30 — 9 am to 3 pm $190 each @ Badger
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 13-17. $150 before 6/30 @ River Road Fields.
GAMES ON TV
Friday, June 5
International friendly 2:30 pm, ESPN: Netherlands vs. United States men
Saturday, June 6
UEFA Champions League (FINALS)
2:45 p.m., Fox : Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
6 pm, Fox Sports 1 Women’s World Cup – Canada vs China
9 pm, Fox Sports 1 Women’s World Cup – New Zealand vs Netherlands
7:30 pm ESPN3 Indy 11 vs Ft. Lauderdale
Sunday, June 7 (Men)
8 am ESPN 2 Ireland vs England
1 pm Fox Norway vs Thailand WWC
4 pm Fox Germany vs South Africa WWC
4 pm ESPN3 Brazil vs Mexico
5 pm ESPN2 MLS – Real Salt Lake vs Colorado Rapids
7 pm Fox Sports 1 San Jose vs Dallas
Monday 08 June
4:00 PM – Sweden v. Nigeria (Group D, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX
7:00 PM – Cameroon v. Ecuador (Group C, BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 2
7:30 PM – USA v. Australia (Group D, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX Sports 1
10:00 PM – Japan v. Switzerland (Group C, Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1
Tuesday 09 June
1:00 PM – France v. England (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX
4:00 PM – Spain v. Costa Rica (Group E, Olympic Stadium -Montreal) – FOX
4:00 PM – Colombia v. Mexico (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – Brazil v. Korea Republic (Group E, Olympic Stadium -Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
Wednesday, June 10
International friendly
Time 2:30 pm Fox Sports 1 and UniMás: Germany vs. United States men (at Cologne, Germany)
Thursday 11 June
3:30 AM Fox Sports 1 US U-20s vs ???? Round of 16 U-20 World Cup
4:00 PM – Germany v. Norway (Group B, Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX Sports 1
6:00 PM – China PR v. Netherlands (Group A, Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 2
7:00 PM – Côte d’Ivoire v. Thailand (Group B, Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX Sports 1
9:00 PM – Canada v. New Zealand (Group A, Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1
Friday 12 June
5:00 PM – Australia v. Nigeria (Group D, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – Switzerland v. Ecuador (Group C, BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1
8:00 PM – USA v. Sweden (Group D, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX
10:00 PM – Japan v. Cameroon (Group C, BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX Sports 1
Saturday 13 June
1:00 PM – France v. Colombia (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX
4:00 PM – Brazil v. Spain (Group E, Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
4:00 PM – England v. Mexico (Group F, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX
7:00 PM – Korea Republic v. Costa Rica (Group E, Montreal) – FOX Sports 2
Monday 15 June
4:00 PM – Thailand v. Germany (Group B, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX
4:00 PM – Côte d’Ivoire v. Norway (Group B, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX Sports 1
7:30 PM – Netherlands v. Canada (Group A, Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
7:30 PM – China PR v. New Zealand (Group A, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX Sports 2
Tuesday 16 June
5:00 PM – Ecuador v. Japan (Group C, Winnipeg Stadium – Winnipeg) – FOX Sports 1
5:00 PM – Switzerland v. Cameroon (Group C, Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 2
8:00 PM – Nigeria v. USA (Group D, BC Place Stadium – Vancouver) – FOX
8:00 PM – Australia v. Sweden (Group D, Commonwealth Stadium – Edmonton) – FOX Sports 1
Wednesday 17 June
4:00 PM – Mexico v. France (Group F, Lansdowne Stadium – Ottawa) – FOX
4:00 PM – England v. Colombia (Group F, Olympic Stadium – Montreal) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – Costa Rica v. Brazil (Group E, Moncton Stadium – Moncton) – FOX Sports 1
7:00 PM – Korea Republic v. Spain (Group E, Ottawa) – FOX Sports 2
Friday, July 3
International friendly
6:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1 and UniMás: United States men vs. Guatemala (at LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.)
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TV SCHEDULE ON FOX
ARCHIVES
https://theoleballcoach.wordpress.com
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Don’t Forget tryout’s for Carmel FC U11-U18 Tryouts are June 8 + 9. Visit CFC Tryouts for more details and to register.
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Indy Eleven fires coach Juergen Sommer
Taken from Indy Star — Matthew Glenesk and Blake Schuster,5:08 p.m. EDT June 2, 2015
Juergen Sommer, the only head coach the Indy Eleven have ever known, was relieved of his duties on Tuesday.The Eleven have struggled mightily in their second season, sitting in last place with just one win in the team’s first eight league games this season.Indy also crashed out of the U.S. Open Cup, losing to third-tier expansion side Louisville City FC.”This is a very difficult day in Indy Eleven history, but a necessary day,” team president Peter Wilt said. “Juergen is Indiana soccer and he worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week to see this team be successful. We determined if Indy Eleven was going to go forward and get the best out of the players we have we needed to go in a different direction.”Assistant coach and former Major League soccer defender Tim Regan will take over on an interim basis. Kleberson, the team’s injured star, will serve as an assistant while he rehabs his Achilles injury the rest of the season.”Over time you’ll see a slightly different look,” Regan said. “But everybody has more to offer.”In naming him coach, Wilt cited Regan’s time playing for Bob Bradley — who Wilt considers the best American soccer coach — and using his philosophies as a key to the promotion.While Wilt said Regan will have every opportunity to become the permanent head coach, he noted this is a time for the team to explore new options as it moves forward.The firing of Sommer, which Wilt said was his decision, didn’t boil down to a single event. Over the past few weeks Sommer and Wilt had been communicating about the direction and progress of the team. Wilt felt with the additions to the roster this season there shouldn’t be a lack of production on the field — especially at home. Ultimately, it cost Sommer his job.A former U.S. national team goalkeeper and former Indiana University standout, Sommer played a key role in Carmel’s youth soccer setup before joining the Eleven. However, under his stead, Indy compiled an 8-17-13 overall record in all competitions.”It wasn’t quite good enough,” Regan said. “We have to make it better.”This year, goals have been hard to come by as the team copes without Kleberson pulling the strings in the midfield. The Brazilian World Cup winner has missed the entire season and remains out indefinitely.”This is a tough day for Indy Eleven,” team owner Ersal Ozdemir said in a press release. “I will continue to have a great amount of respect and support for Juergen, as nothing less is deserved following the contributions he made to the organization and the local soccer community that he cares about so deeply over these last two years.”The Eleven travel to Fort Lauderdale to face the Strikers on Saturday.
US Men’s Team Roster Set for June Friendlies vs Dutch and Germans
Goalkeepers:
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
Defenders:
Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders:
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading)
Forwards:
Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
The U.S. will play the Netherlands on June 5, in Amsterdam (2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/WatchESPN); the second match is set for June 10, in Cologne (2:45 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1).
United States roster for June friendlies a mix of proven vets, rising stars
Jurgen Klinsmann says the U.S. national team’s experimental post-World Cup transition period is ending, and that’s bad news for three starters from the squad that reached the round of 16 in Brazil in 2014.Klinsmann left Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and Graham Zusi off the 22-man roster he named Sunday for friendlies at the Netherlands on June 5 (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN) and five days later in Germany against the defending world champs.Fellow veterans Jozy Altidore (hamstring) and Alejandro Bedoya (knee) are also missing, as is captain Clint Dempsey, who is expecting his fourth child next month. Other regulars (Geoff Cameron, Greg Garza) were excused so they could look after minor injuries.But central defenders Besler and Gonzalez and midfielder Zusi each played in their most-recent game at club level, and a U.S. Soccer spokesman confirmed their absences came down to a coaching decision.With several of the 13 new players that Klinsmann has auditioned in the 10 games since the Americans were eliminated in the Round of 16 last summer now entrenched, it seems that the trio, who started nine games between them in Brazil, are on the outside looking in ahead of July’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.Eight players on the roster have 10 caps or fewer, including promising young center-backs Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks.
USMNT prospects blog: Stock reports for American U-20s, U-23s
Doug McIntyre is a staff writer for ESPN It’s not often that the U.S. U-20 and U-23 national teams are simultaneously involved in different tournaments on separate, far-flung continents. So if you’ve been too busy following the shenanigans at FIFA to catch the games (because what else would a normal person be doing at 3 a.m. during the week?) and can’t identify the top American players, don’t fret. We’ve got you covered.With wins against Myanmar and New Zealand, the U-20s are heading to the second round of a World Cup for the first time since 2007. (They’ll meet Ukraine in the Group A finale early Friday ET.) And while the heavily shorthanded U-23s struggled while going 2-2 in group-stage play at the Toulon Tournament, they did manage an impressive victory over the Netherlands and, thanks to France’s 4-0 win over the Dutch, miraculously advanced to the third-place playoff on Sunday. For both squads, there were several notable individual performances. Here’s the rundown:
U-20s at World Cup
Tab Ramos’ team took its opener against Myanmar, but wasn’t particularly sharp in the 2-1, comeback victory. So Ramos made four changes to his lineup before facing the hosts — one by necessity, after forward Maki Tall broke a toe, ruling him out of the rest of the competition. All of the moves paid off in the 4-0 win. LA Galaxy striker Bradford Jamieson replaced Tall up front and opened the scoring for the Yanks. After coming on as a substitute and showing flashes of his vast potential against Myanmar, ballyhooed Arsenal prospect Gedion Zelalem made his first U.S. start and quickly showed what all the fuss is about. Zelalem set up the Americans’ third goal, which was scored, emphatically, by another lineup newcomer in Paul Arriola, who has made more than 30 first-team appearances for Liga MX club Tijuana. And Dutch-based Desevio Payne, who appeared in two Eredivisie games for Groningen last season, showed solid technical ability and tactical awareness after spelling Shaq Moore (who picked up a yellow card in the first match) at full-back.As well as the replacements fared in the rout, Emerson Hyndman and Rubio Rubin have been the U-20s best players through two matches. One might have expected as much: In addition to being the two most experienced players on the squad (Hyndman played in nine games for Fulham in 2014-15, while Rubin made 21 league starts for Utrecht), they’re also the only ones boasting senior team caps. Hyndman was the lone American to score in both games and was generally everywhere. The clever Texan’s box-to-box game is similar to a young Michael Bradley’s, even if the diminutive Hyndman is less of a physical presence. His late runs into the box are very Bradleyesque, though, and his silky first touch probably makes him more naturally gifted going forward.
Rubin, meantime, set up Hyndman’s winner against Myanmar, then scored himself against New Zealand. Production aside, Rubin looked like a man against boys at times. He’s strong, good at holding the ball up and bringing teammates into the play, and an excellent passer. (If there’s one knock against him, it might be that he’s not quite selfish enough.) Those aren’t qualities often seen in American strikers.
Zelalem really does looks like the real deal so far, and not because of the audacious nutmeg or Rabona kick he pulled off against the Kiwis, fun to watch as those were. No, the thing that stands out most about Zelalem’s game is his ability to relieve pressure and get his team out of trouble when necessary. Zelalem makes it look easy. His calmness on the ball in tight spaces has drawn comparisons to former American World Cup captain Claudio Reyna, and it gives this U.S. team a dimension few at any level have had in the past. Zelalem can also play the killer final pass. He’s only going to get better as his comfort with his new teammates improves.
Tottenham prospect Cameron Carter-Vickers has been the MVP of the back line. The 17-year-old man-child’s positioning has been nearly flawless through two games, and he’s been unbeatable in the air. (He also picked up an assist on Tall’s tally in the opener.) Matt Miazga, Carter-Vickers’ partner in central defense, has also been dominant. But the 6-foot-3 New York Red Bulls starter has occasionally allowed his emotions to get the better of him after being whistled for fouls, and he’s sitting on a yellow heading into the group-stage finale.
U-23s at Toulon Tournament
For the U-23s, senior team regulars Julian Green and Jordan Morris have been the standouts on a squad that is far from full strength. Club commitments prevented coach Andi Herzog from securing the release of more than a dozen players, meaning the ones he did get hadn’t been playing much heading into the tournament. The rust was obvious during last week’s forgettable first half against France, in which Les Bleus jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Morris clawed one back later on, but it wasn’t a good showing. The Yanks rebounded well against the Netherlands but couldn’t build on it, rounding out their group schedule with a loss to CONCACAF rival Costa Rica and a narrow win versus Qatar. Luckily the Americans received a big assist from France, whose win over the Netherlands kept the U.S. alive.
Morris, one of just two college players on the roster, continues to grow. The fast, physical Stanford man has been a handful for opposing defenders throughout the tournament and looked sharp and confident in every match. His consistency also has been impressive, even as he’s jumped back and forth between the senior team and the U-23s over the last three months. It was no surprise then that Morris was added to the senior squad’s roster for Friday’s marquee friendly against the Netherlands (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN). He remains very much in contention for a Gold Cup spot. Green won’t join Morris in Amsterdam, but Toulon has been valuable for the German-American, too. The 19-year-old, who, like Morris, has already scored at senior level, hasn’t played one first-team minute for club or country this calendar year. So getting four starts in France (he was the only American in Herzog’s XI for all four group games) has been huge. Green struggled against France, but he got better as the tournament went on, scoring the winner against Qatar off a spectacular first-half volley. That can’t hurt his confidence going into next season, whatever club he ends up with following his one-season loan to Hamburg.Herzog’s squad in Toulon will likely bear little resemblance to the one that will try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics later this year. That may have been the case anyway given the number of key players who were unavailable (including World Cup veterans John Brooks and DeAndre Yedlin), but it’s almost guaranteed now after several Yanks have so far failed to help themselves in France. Goalkeeper Cody Cropper has struggled mightily, losing his place over the last two games. Shane O’Neill, Will Packwood and Marc Pelosi have underwhelmed, too, although Packwood, who had a shocker versus France, redeemed himself somewhat with a well-taken goal against the Dutch.Two players who have boosted their stock are Fatai Alashe and Jerome Kiesewetter. San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Alashe has showed off his versatility by filling in on the backline, while German-American Kiesewetter, who made his Bundesliga debut for Stuttgart last season, scored an unstoppable goal against the Netherlands.Doug McIntyre is a staff writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN FC.
Coach Shane Best
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