May 21, 2013

Mestalla turns 90

Written by Rudy Madrigal

On May 20, Mestalla Stadium, home of Valencia C.F., turned 90 years-old. While the stadium may not be one of the most well known or glamorous, it is nonetheless an important one. First opened in 1923, the original capacity was 17,000, but quickly expanded to 25,000. Today, the stadium holds 55,000, is the fifth-largest in Spain and is considered to have one of the most feared stadium atmospheres in all of Europe. With the steep and towering seats, there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Being 90 years-old, the stadium has a long and storied history, having been through the Spanish Civil War and the flood of 1957, among other things. It hosted all of Spain’s games during the 1982 World Cup (used to be the national team’s home stadium) and the Copa del Rey final in 2011.

Read about the atmosphere and see more pics after the jump

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April 25, 2013

Neymar staying with Santos through World Cup

Neymar

After constant crowd speculation of the 21-year-old leaving to Europe for Barcelona, Neymar made it known that he will be dazzling Santos fans at least until his contract is up after the 2014 Cup.

Neymar’s father revealed the following:

“He can choose some club in Europe, but we want him to see out his contract and if he happens to leave before that, it won’t be our choice. It will be Santos.”

And honestly, that doesn’t seem likely to happen as Santos and fans seem to be completely satisfied with their young goal scorer.

In the Brazil-Chile friendly, Neymar scored the tying goal in the newly renovated Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte. The game was a disappointment to most Brazilians, but Neymar continues to look on the bright side, defending the crowd and his country.

“One day you’re booed, the next you’re praised, football’s like that.”

[Soccer365]

 

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April 24, 2013

Rio’s Maracana Stadium ready for test event

Written by Rudy Madrigal

Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Brazil’s cathedral of soccer stadiums, Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, is set for its first test event ahead of the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup. The stadium will host the final of the world’s biggest single sport tournament next year and the opening ceremony of the Olympics two years later in 2016. Amid fears from FIFA that the country would not be able to finish the stadium in time, it appears that they’re actually a tad bit behind schedule.

The first test event will be a friends of Ronaldo verus friends of Bebeto exhibition match that is closed to the public. At only 10% capacity, those in attendance will be the construction workers and their families, the press and Brazil president Dilma Rousseff. Following a couple more test events, the first event open to the public will be an exhibition match on June 2nd against England, which the fans are more than excited for.

Having personally witnessed a match in Maracana before the renovations (which began more than two years ago) I am personally excited to see an updated, new and improved Maracana Stadium. It’s a stadium that is not only important to Brazil and Rio, but to the world of soccer.

 

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April 1, 2013

6 people injured during soccer ticket sale in Brazil, soccer completely out of control

Written by The 91st

Brazil

A wild scene took place in Northern Brazil this past weekend when overzealous fans tried to purchase tickets for an inaugural match at Arena Fonte Nova, one of the venues for next year’s World Cup.

Police were forced to use pepper spray and tear gas and six people were injured as the crowd did not react well to the news that: HEY, WE’RE SOLD OUT!
In other recent soccer news, Argentinean fans had their own incident when they decided that storming the field would be more entertaining than just watching, and policemen with hoses disagreed.

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March 28, 2013

President Obama’s visit with Galaxy shows soccer being taken seriously

With all the controversy/discussion on which U.S. player will emerge in the qualifiers, who will be the next Messi and the young quick scoring stars of Barcelona, we should look no further than the White House.

President Obama showed his support for the world’s most famous sport while commemorating Landon Donovan and the rest of the L.A. Galaxy earlier this week. Not only does this help boost soccer in the U.S., but between one small header by our Commander in Chief, Kerry’s attempt at soccer in Kabul, and our result versus Mexico it just might spark an interest and pull in some bandwagon fans for the remainder of the WC qualifiers.

The clip from Washington already shows that this country is beginning to take the sport a little more seriously, and our men’s national team might also ignite a little more hope. It’s about time we started to catch up on our Nielsen ratings.

 

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March 25, 2013

US, Finland prove that March Madness also applies to soccer

Finland

As we all know this year’s college basketball tournament has been filled with incredible upsets, especially the Cinderella story of Florida Gulf Coast.

But not to be forgotten was the incredibly snow white game between the US National Team and Costa Rica. It’s a reminder that the madness does not only happen in basketball and the in the U.S.

This weekend Finland managed to pull off something incredible in its own right in the qualifier for the World Cup against Spain. They tied Spain 1-1 away, something not many teams in the world have been able to accomplish the last six years. This month of the year is truly filled with madness, and one can only wait to see what else is to come in the last remaining days before April.

 

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March 13, 2013

Heather Mitts retires from soccer

Written by The 91st

Mitts

Former Florida standout and USWNT staple Heather Mitts has retired from professional soccer. Mitts made the announcement today via her Facebook page.

The 34-year-old Mitts is a three-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the true pioneers of women’s soccer. You’ll be missed young lady, congratulations on a stellar career!

You can read her announcement in its entirety HERE.

 

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March 6, 2013

US U17 player Bradford Jamieson says he’d choose pro over college in 1v1 interview

Written by Zev Taublieb

Jamieson

Meet Chivas USA youth academy star Bradford Jamieson (top right). Jamieson is a standout for the U16 group that has been called in to play for the US U17 National Team. In the following interview you’ll learn why playing against Mexico is the ultimate test and why Jamieson loves bacon and Mila Kunis.

Special thanks to Barry Ritson, the Executive Head Director of coaching at LA Premier, for his help in putting these interviews together.

 

Where are you from?

BJ: I was Born in Los Angeles, California with four siblings – all brothers.

 

What is your favorite food?        

BJ: My favorite food without a doubt is bacon. Pretty much the best thing on Earth.

 

If you could be in two teams at once besides playing at Chivas USA what other club team would your clone play for?         

BJ: Lets see … my clone would definitely play for the real Arsenal FC, not the one in California.

 

Do you have a pre-game ritual?

BJ: Yes, I do. Before any game I play I do a short prayer and listen to three songs on my phone: (The Girl from Ipanema, Falcao by MV Bill, and Mas Que Nada)

 

When/if you score this coming season what will your celebration be?

BJ: Well, for any goal celebration I kiss the badge, but on occasion one or two of my teammates and I will make a celebration. Group celebration tend to only happen at big games for me.

Jamieson talks pro vs. college after the jump

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March 5, 2013

Russia’s Oleg Salenko faints on television but doesn’t flop

Written by Dill Pickle

Oleg Salenko once scored five goals in a 1994 World Cup match. So imagine our surprise when he buckled under the pressure of a television camera. Maybe he had a light breakfast that morning, or maybe he was so star struck by the unknown broadcaster next to him that he just hit the deck.

Whatever the explanation is, I respect that fact that he didn’t overdo the faint. He didn’t go flailing to the ground and yell out “SIR!”. He just dropped it to the floor and popped right back up. Now that’s a real footballer for you.

[Off the Post]

 

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February 18, 2013

U20 MNT begins qualifying effort

Written by The 91st

After more than a year of preparation, the U.S. U20 MNT is set to begin its CONCACAF qualifying tournament on Monday (6:30 pm EST, Fox Soccer Channel) against Haiti.

It’s been a long build up for head coach Tab Ramos, who has evaluated more than 70 players in eight camps that have been held in different corners of the world.

Last time out, the U20s failed to make the World Cup, but Ramos doesn’t think that is adding pressure to his group this time around.

Make sure you’ve read up on our complete preview along with five alternates for the final roster we would’ve taken instead.

 

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