The greatest surprise in this season's Champions League is that among the eight quarterfinalists there are no English sides, something quite unheard of over the last few years. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are of course there, followed by the surprise Spanish side, Malaga. Two very strong German teams, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are there, as are Juventus, Galatasaray and Paris St.
A team making the group stage of the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League will receive a minimum of €8.6
million before collecting their share of marketing money, European soccer's governing body
announced on Friday. A group stage win is worth €1m with €500k for a draw. Advancing to the
knockout stage earns a team a €3.
In what I am sure is the least shocking upset of a #1 seed in recent memory, the LA Galaxy knocked the San Jose Earthquakes out of the MLS playoffs in the quarterfinal round. It is a little more surprising how they did it. The Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy 1-0 in the first leg at the Home Depot Center with a 94th minute direct free kick goal by Victor Bernardez of Honduras.
Below are collated results for the knockout stage of the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League. Ties are two-leg series, aggregate goals, away goals rule in effect unless the tie goes to extra time in the second leg. Winners of each round are highlighted in bold red lettering. First leg host is listed first, and first leg host's score is given first for both legs.
Though they had already booked their place in the quarterfinals before Thursday, the Los Angeles Galaxy's 3-2 victory against Isidro Metapan helped them secure the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals as the match-ups for the knockout round were set after Thursday night's results.
The Houston Dynamo found out their opponent for the next phase of the 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League - none other than defending Liga MX champion Santos Laguna.
Santos won Group 1 easily, winning all four games while outscoring opponents 13-1. The Dynamo played well throughout the group stage and won Group 3 with 8 points (2-0-2), outscoring opponents 9-3.
The group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League finished Thursday night, and the bracket for the knockout stage was finalized. Three teams from Mexico, three from the United States, one from Costa Rica and one from Guatemala won their groups [...]
The post CCL Quarterfinals Feature MLS-Liga MX Matchups appeared first on Soccer Perspectives.
In the days leading up to last night's FAS/Olimpia match, there were several fairly ridiculous possibilities concerning what it would take for the Dynamo to advance to the knockout round of the CCL. Most of those were contingent on the likelihood that Olimpia would beat FAS and thus CONCACAF's tiebreaker rules would kick in.
The Los Angeles Galaxy received a big assist from the team that knocked them out of the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League in 2010.
The Puerto Rico Islanders of the lower-division NASL stunned Metapán 3-0 on Thursday night. The result ensures the Galaxy will win Group 5 in the Champions League.
The Dynamo's return to the CONCACAF Champions League begins tonight with their first group stage
match against C.D. FAS. It's the Dynamo's third match ever in El Salvador (0-1-1) and their second
match at the Estadio Cuscatlán ( a1-1 draw vs. Luis Angel Firpo in the 2008-09 CCL).
Just in case you aren't familiar the CCL, here's the basics.
This is Sara Daebritz. She scored, too, by the way.
Well. Like me, you may have been preparing for the second edition of penalty shots in the U-17 Women's World Cup quarterfinal round (France put away Nigeria yesterday, courtesy of this Most Cruel Way to Lose a Game Ever), but no--Rebecca Knaack made certain there would be none of that, Knaack-ing one past the Brazilian keeper to ensure the Germans onward progression into the semis, where the North Koreans await (Canada cries again and again) their match next Tuesday, 9 October.
Via US Soccer Despite dropping its final Group D match in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
with a 3-0 loss to defending champion Germany, the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team advanced to the
quarterfinals of the tournament. Video highlights can be seen below.
In Monday's other Group D match, China PR defeated Ghana 1-0 to finish the group stage with four
points alongside the USA.
Can Team USA stop these girls? Oh, I don't think so.What a beautiful goal by Christine Exeter,
right? And then a defensive meltdown to allow the tie (and by meltdown, I mean retreat and watch,
with only one challenge that came too late), and then the foul in the box, which booked Team
Canada's plane ride home.
This once-over comes courtesy of the German keeper in blue.
And it turns out I'm right about picking the young Germans, led by Maren Meinert and Bettina
Wiegmann and Silke Rottenberg, all of whom, unbeknownst to us all, strategize with their hands
on their chins. Like Team USA had any answer to this.
Crystal Dunn looks to choot as VDB and Chioma Ubogagu try to close
After having Saturday off, the U.S. U-20 WNT hit the field on Sunday for its final training
before facing Germany in its Group D finale on Monday, Aug. 27 (ESPN2 & ESPN3 at 2:50 a.m. ET).
The Miyagi prefecture has been much cooler than the USA's stay in Hiroshima -- until today -- when
the heat was turned up and the Americans once again trained in hot, humid and sticky weather.
The USA unfurled a banner after the China match to thank the people of Hiroshima who were so
kind and helpful during the team's stay
The U.S. WNT drew 1-1 with China in its second Group D match at the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World
Cup on Aug. 23 which was not the result the young Americans wanted, but it still put the team in
prime position to advance to the quarterfinals.
Welcome to episode #48 of the IMSoccer News North American Soccer League Podcast. This week Gerry Wittmann, Jay (Yankiboy) Long, and yours truly, Brian Quarstad, have a lively discussion about the most recent activities in the NASL. You can find all past episodes of the North American Soccer League Podcast here and the RSS Feed [.
Minnesota Stars FC could not have picked a better time to get their first win in Puerto Rico.
The Stars upset the Puerto Rico Islanders, 2-1, in their NASL quarterfinals clash at Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel on Sunday to grab their first victory in Puerto Rico in three years.
Carson, CALIF. — The Los Angeles Galaxy were paying attention to an important game last night, but it wasn't one they were playing in. The Puerto Rico Islanders defeated Metapan 3-0 in their CONCACAF Champions League group stage match.
Just days after falling to the German club 3-0 in the group stage of the tournament, the United
States shocked Germany 1-0 on Saturday to win the U-20 World Cup in Tokyo, Japan. Kealia Ohai
scored her second goal of the tournament late in the first half, which proved to be the
game-winning goal.
The kickoff of the UEFA Europa League playoff round has a distinct U.S. Men's National Team
flavor as several members of MNT hope to see their clubs start the first leg of the playoffs on a
positive note. Among the U.S. internationals that could see action today, a red-hot Jozy Altidore
and Terrence Boyd, fresh off his game-winning assist in Mexico, will hope to continue their run of
good form.
ST. JOHN'S, ANTIGUA – David Bulow's lone goal earned the Richmond Kickers a 1-0 victory over
Antigua Barracuda FC, punching the team's ticket to the postseason Friday night.
Purchase Tickets: Richmond Kickers vs Wilmington Hammerheads - USL PRO Quarterfinals
Keeping Richmond's hopes of finishing second in the USL PRO standings alive, Bulow and Nozomi
Hiroyama teamed up for the decisive play, four minutes after entering the match.
Honduras may be leaving the Olympics today after their 3-2 loss to Brazil in the quarterfinals of
the soccer tournament, but they'll leave with their heads high, especially Roger Espinoza. Espinoza
had an amazing game and earned himself a standing ovation from the neutral crowd at St. James' Park
after he got sent off for his second yellow card in second half stoppage time.
Tokyo, the host for the semifinals, third-place match and championship game (as well as two
group games and two quarterfinals) of the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, is also one of thre
finalists to for the 2020 Olympic Games along with Madrid, Spain and Istanbul, Turkey.
If the excellent organization of this tournament, which was staged on short notice after the
competition was moved by FIFA from Uzbekistan, and the great fans, are any indication, Tokyo would
host a fantastic Olympic Games.
Former Sweden captain and MLS Designated Player Freddie Ljungberg has called it a career.
Ljungberg, who played for the Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire after a decorated career in
Europe, retired Friday, capping a career that began in 1994.
Great Britain football team's 1-0 win over Uruguay has given their confidence a major boost and
they now seem determined to finish at least on the podium, if not as the gold medal winners.
They enter the knockout stage as the winners of Group A and their first opponents in the sudden
death round are South Korea, with whom they will clash at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Great Britain football team's 1-0 win over Uruguay has given their confidence a major boost and
they now seem determined to finish at least on the podium, if not as the gold medal winners.
They enter the knockout stage as the winners of Group A and their first opponents in the sudden
death round are South Korea, with whom they will clash at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
The U.S. U-20 WNT had Tuesday off after defeating Ghana 4-0 on a boiling late Monday afternoon in
Hiroshima. The team returned to the pitch on Wednesday and had a short training as the squad has
settled into a tournament rhrythm that is more focused on rest and regeneration in hopes of being
able to play six games in 20 days.
Maya Hayes does her best Sydney Leroux after scoring against Ghana
There's is still much soccer to be played in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, but the USA got
off to a great start on searing Monday afternoon at the Hiroshima Big Arch Stadium, defeating Ghana
4-0 with three goals from forward Maya Hayes and an own goal that was earned when Morgan Brian
smashed a header off the crossbar off a corner kick from Vanessa DiBernardo.
If Mexico is to capture Olympic gold, it will have to do so without attacking star Giovani Dos
Santos.
Dos Santos has been ruled out of the final with a muscle injury, leaving El Tri without one of
its most lethal options in a game that features two of the more explosive teams in the Olympic
field.
The U.S. Women's National Team is one step away from a Gold Medal game against Japan in a
rematch of last year's World Cup Final, but to get to that game the Americans will have to beat a
familiar foe in Canada (2:45pm, NBC Sports).
The Americans are a perfect 4-0 in Olympic play, having posted three straight shutouts.
With a 2-1 win against Angola, Cape Verde produced the highlight of the Africa Cup of Nations so far by advancing to the quarterfinals. It was their first ever win in the tournament (after opening with two draws) as this is also the first time they've qualified for it. Their manager, Lucio Antunes, who is an air traffic controller when he's not shocking the world, ran around the pitch with the archipelago's flag after the final whistle (pictured below) and broke into song during his post-match press conference.
The 2012 Minnesota State High School Soccer Tournament picks up again today after all the quarterfinals were completed last week at four locations around the state. 30 teams competed in 15 game to whittle the field down to 16 in Boys and Girls A and 2A. Normally it would be 32 teams competing in 16 [.
For those fans who made their way out to BBVA Compass Stadium (announced attendance 19,462), they definitely got their money worth. The most important fact of the night is this - with the 1-1 draw against Olimpia, the Dynamo have advanced to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
The less important facts were the entertaining part.
The US Women's U-20 World Cup squad dropped their final Group D match this morning, 3-0 to
Germany, who finish atop the group. Despite the loss, the US moves into knockout competition after
qualifying by goal differential. "There is no greater, more exciting or prestigious duel than us
against the USA, who have always set [.
If ending a season on a penalty shootout loss is tough to swallow, the UConn Huskies were surely
more than demoralized last year. After all, their penalty kick defeat to Charlotte in the
quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament marked the third straight season in which UConn had their
hopes of winning a national championship dashed in such a manner.
This is the kind of match that only pro Soccer can host. A team representing one of the largest,
most modern metro areas in the world, Los Angeles, takes on a team coming from a second-world
country of a town of 19,000 people. Metapan of El Salvador would seem like a huge underdog, but
they're not.
Metapan (is 30 miles outside of Santa Ana-which has a population of more than 200,000 and their own
Soccer team) is a significant underdog, especially playing as a visiting team at the Home Depot
Center in Los Angeles on Thursday night, starting at 10pm Eastern on Fox Soccer.
Shannon Smyth (Mequon/Milwaukee DSHA) helped her Norwegian club make history
last week.
Amazon Grimstad beat host Sandviken 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the NM Cupen on Tuesday in
Bergen and advanced to the semifinals of the cup competition for the first time in its 14-year
history.
