December 2, 2011

Jerseys feature fans’ faces – fantastic!

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Hat-tip to Dirty Tackle

If you have always wanted to have a small picture of your face on the back of your favorite soccer player’s jersey, now is your chance. Sevilla is offering a very unique opportunity for their fans, for just $33.35 you can purchase a small square within each player’s number on the back of their jerseys. You can even select which player you want to wear your face and the exact spot on the number to appear for the entire season.

This is a fantastic opportunity for any opposing fans or Sevilla haters to team up and purchase a large section. Sure, each square is only 2x2mm, but with their powers combined surely they could find a way to sneak some profanity or dirty pictures onto the numbers!

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December 2, 2011

College Cup is here!

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The day has finally come, the bracket has been played out and it has made it’s way from 64 teams to just 4: Florida State, Stanford, Duke, and Wake Forest. All being #1 seeds, there is star power aplenty; here’s a quick look at some of the stats leaders that you will see tonight (per NCAA.com):

  • Goals: Lindsay Taylor (Stanford) – 20, Katie Stengel (Wake Forest) – 19, Tiffany McCarty (Florida State) – 18.
  • Assists: Teresa Noyola (Stanford) – 14, Mollie Pathman (Duke) – 11.
  • Game winning goals: Katie Stengel (Wake Forest) – 8, Lindsay Taylor (Stanford) – 7, Kelly Cobb (Duke) – 6, Kaitlyn Kerr (Duke) – 6.
  • Save Pct: Emily Oliver (Stanford) – .919, Tara Campbell (Duke) – .870

 

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December 1, 2011

U.S. Men’s Soccer opens 2012 with Venezuela

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The U.S. soccer team will start its 2012 schedule with an exhibition Jan. 21 against Venezuela in Glendale, Ariz., then play in Panama four days later. The games announced Thursday are not on FIFA fixture dates, meaning the U.S. will field players from Major League Soccer and Scandinavian clubs on winter break. The team will prepare with a training camp, most likely in Arizona and Carson, Calif.

The U.S. will host a camp to bring in different players to fine-tune their skills and play together; the match at the end of camp will put an end to the training. The United States has not fared so well during the first few matches under manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure, however with the start of the new year, perhaps that will be different. Here’s what Klinsmann had to say:

“It’s very important that we start the year off in the right way with a good training camp and two challenging games,” said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “We are going to continue to increase the demands on the players and have them develop a better understanding of how we want to play. Venezuela has done well to start World Cup qualifying and they earned a big victory against Argentina. Panama is a team the players know well from the Gold Cup, and we think traveling to Central America before qualifying is important to give them a taste of what the environment will be like there.”

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December 1, 2011

University of Michigan Coach resigns

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A press release from the University of Michigan has announced that the men’s head soccer coach will hang up his whistle, and not continue his tenure with the school.

via MGoBlue.com

University of Michigan men’s soccer coach Steve Burns announced (Wednesday, Nov. 30) his resignation after 12 seasons as varsity head coach. Burns compiled a 122-98-22 overall record and a 27-38-8 mark in Big Ten Conference play during his tenure.

“We appreciate Steve’s efforts on behalf of the University of Michigan,” said athletic director Dave Brandon. “Steve has been a valuable member of the men’s soccer program since its inception and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

“As a Michigan alum, I’m proud of everything we’ve been able to accomplish within the soccer program,” said Burns. “I will forever cherish the relationships that I have developed over the past 12 years with players, assistant coaches, support staff and fellow coaches within the department. However, it’s time for a new direction in my life and leadership for Michigan soccer.”

His 2011 team finished the year with a 5-14-1 record and a 1-5 mark in conference play. They were eliminated in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

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November 30, 2011

U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team prepares for France

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Later today the United States U-17 Men’s National Team will begin their Nike International Friendlies with France. In the meantime, here are a couple of videos that should get you up to speed about what the team has been up to. Above is a video of the players beginning to train, and the Development Academy Winter Showcase beginning to be constructed (literally).

Below, head coach Wilmer Cabrera talks about his team’s progress as they train in Bradenton, Fla., and the upcoming opening match of the 2011 Nike International Friendlies against France at 5 p.m. ET, the match will be shown live on FOX Soccer as we reported earlier.

Although it would be nice to speculate on how the U-17 team will perform in the upcoming friendlies, it’s hard to say how good they will actually be. For many of the players, this is the their first time playing under this kind of pressure and scrutiny. However, I can say with certainty it is reasonable to expect a good effort from the team, and the tournament will be a lot of fun to watch.

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November 29, 2011

Thanks for nothing, New Mexico!

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As many of you know, I previously picked the University of New Mexico to make it to the College Cup. However, after losing to the University of South Florida on Sunday, they have been eliminated from the NCAA Men’s College Cup. Above are some highlights from New Mexico’s YouTube channel.

The Lobos did not go down without a fight though; they played to a 0-0 draw during regulation and overtime, only to eventually lose 6-5 on PK’s. New Mexico left me with nothing; except for a ghost of a prediction that I hope haunts them until next year. I hate to be wrong, but when I am, I’ll admit it. 91st Minute fans, I was wrong. To user/commenter USFSoccer37, my prediction didn’t work out, and I will formulate a new College Cup, but trust me, I will not put USF in it. (And yes, it is out of spite)

Could you blame me for picking the Lobos though? No. 1 in our polls for the last few weeks of the year, playing great soccer throughout the year, and they had a goal differential of 47-11! I can’t say I’m upset with Coach Fishbein, and the team, just disappointed. But, c’mon man! Did you read the blog, see my predictions, and get nervous? What happened?

**Side-Note** I heard there was a brawl at the end of the game. Does anyone have any video, or know anything additional about this?

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November 29, 2011

Real Madrid fans’ massive banner, could College Soccer use more tifos?

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Before Saturday’s Madrid derby, Real supporters unfurled a giant tifo display depicting a cigar-smoking gambler sitting at a roulette table and flanked by two lady friends with a caption reading “all on white.” The image was reminiscent of the artwork for Grand Theft Auto III (and Vice City/San Andreas for that matter). It proved to be a good bet too, since Real beat Atletico 4-1.

This got me to thinking, could College Soccer use more tifo’s? Hmm, let’s think… the answer is a resounding, YES! Could you imagine going to a college match, and witnessing one of these monsters unravel from the student section? It would be, dare I say it? Legen **wait for it** DARY! Here’s a link if you don’t understand that reference, and if you had to click on it, I feel bad for you now.

The only concern I have is that people would half a** it, and make a stupid/lame sign like the one you see below, it’s terribly uncreative!

Have you seen an awesome tifo at College Soccer game? Send it my way, info@the91stminute.com. The video below gives a great idea of how big Real Madrid’s fans banners really were:



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November 28, 2011

Soccer Walking at LSU

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Soccer Walking is a combination of soccer freestyle, soccer tricks and soccer juggling while exploring a city. Soccer Walking LSU was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the campus of Louisiana State University.

Forget the soccer juggling, the best part about this video is the 1980s tech music that sounds like it was from the “Revenge of the Nerds” scene where they finally beat the jocks. How? By jamming to some electro-violin and techno beats during the talent portion of Greek Week.



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November 28, 2011

UCLA’s Chandler Hoffman is on fire

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Chandler Hoffman may as well be staring at the Grand Canyon when he is looking at the goal lately, because this guy has been unstoppable. Hoffman and the rest of his UCLA teammates sit just one win away from the College Cup.

Hoffman tallied two goals, making his total in the College Cup three, as UCLA defeated Rutgers, 3-0, at Drake Stadium in the NCAA Round of 16 on Sunday night. Hoffman scored his first 44 seconds into the match, helping the Bruins extend a seven-game winning streak.

Hoffman scored 15 regular season goals, and 3 since the tournament has started. By any stretch of the imagination, this has been a special year for him. His shooting percentage is 34…best marks in College Soccer. He’s near the top of every statistical category, plus his conference is one of the toughest in the nation. Hoffman is in the zone this year, he also holds a few UCLA school season records, which is no easy task considering their history. He has scored 4 multi goal games this year, which ties a UCLA record, and according to a colleague he could break UCLA’s single season goals scored mark.

UCLA will take on Louisville next, a team that bounced the Bruins from the tournament last year, and beat them in the first match to open this year. If UCLA wins, the College Cup is held in Hoover, Ala., a mere 10 miles south of Hoffman’s hometown of Birmingham. Talk about a Hollywood ending.

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November 28, 2011

The fastest red card in history

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When playing soccer, or any sport for that matter, an athlete is always striving to break records and be the best. Which is why when you see such an achievement it is hard not to be in awe, or smile in amazement.

Lee Jung-Ho, who plays for Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, recently set a new record, he’s “the best” at getting red carded quickly of anything and he is the new record holder for fastest red card in the league. About 90 seconds after entering a 1-1 match against Al Raed as a substitute in the 88th minute, Lee decided to give an opponent an elbow to the ribs.

Lee lifted up his shirt to try and show where he was grabbed first, but a solid acting job by Lee’s opponent helped seal the deal, and Lee was sent off. Congratulations on your record, Lee Jung-Ho! You’re the best (at getting red cards), just don’t let this go to your head, there’s always room for improvement.

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