USA & North America Football

[zudomiriku]

This is the purple ATV Seattle gave Keller as a retirement gift



Former U.S. and Spurs goalkeeper Kasey Keller played his final regular-season home game for the Seattle Sounders in front of 64,140 fans on Saturday. And after Seattle scored twice in the final 10 minutes to beat San Jose 2-1, the club held a ceremony for Keller that included the presentation of a few parting gifts.

From the Seattle Times:

The organization presented him with a pair of bronzed goalkeeper gloves mounted on an inscribed plaque, a KTM 500 EXC motorcycle, and a Honda TRX420 Rancher off-road vehicle. Former U.S. National Team teammates Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna also attended.

The motorcycle came in white with a Sounders theme to it and Kasey's No. 18 on the side, while the Rancher, ridden in by the team's part-owner and "Price is Right" host Drew Carey, sports a pink and purple design. He also got a custom helmet in a slightly tougher looking design...



Here's the tribute video Seattle put together for Keller:

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bbqcG

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Klinsmann dan AS Bakal Jajal Slovenia

Bola.net - Untuk melakoni pertandingan ulang seperti pada Piala Dunia tahun lalu, Amerika Serikat akan berkunjung ke Slovenia untuk melakukan laga persahabatan pada 15 November di Ljubljana, demikian pengumuman dari Federasi Sepak Bola AS, Selasa (18/10).

Pertandingan itu akan berlangsung empat hari setelah Amerika melawan Prancis di Paris pada pertandingan internasional, sehingga Jurgen Klinsmann dengan rekor 1-3 dan satu seri sejak menangani tim AS Juli, kelihatannya akan menurunkan tim penuh.

"Pertandingan mendatang merupakan kesempatan bagi pemain kami untuk memperagakan kekuatan yang sudah diusahakan dibangun dalam beberapa bulan ini," katanya.

Slovenia, tersingkir pada babak penyisihan Euro 2012, berada di urutan ketiga setelah Serbia dan tim yang mengejutkan, Slovenia.

Sejak laga pertama mereka sebagai negara independen pada 1992, Slovenia baru maju ke Piala Dunia pada 2002 dan 2010.

"Slovenia adalah negara kecil dengan pencapaian besar," kata Klinsmann.

"Tim yang sudan maju ke dua Piala Dunia dalam waktu singkat, merupakan pencapaian luar biasa. Saya menyaksikan mereka bermain di babak penyisihan dan pada Piala Dunia terakhir dan saya amat terkesan," katanya.

Slovenia imbang 2-2 lawan Amerika pada Juni lalu di Ellis Park di Johannesburg, ketika tim Eropa itu unggul dua gol tetapi disamakan Amerika pada babak kedua. (ant/lex)

Source : http://www.bola.net

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Gugatan Mantan The Rising Star Kepada Red Bull



Bola.net - Apakah Anda mengingat Charlie Davies? Dua tahun yang lalu dirinya adalah salah satu pemain bintang yang bersinar di skuad Timnas Amerika Serikat. Namun kecelakaan maut yang hampir merenggut nyawanya membuat perjalanan karirnya harus terhenti sejenak. Kini setelah pulih dan bisa merumput kembali, dirinya menggugat pihak klub dan perusahaan yang dianggapnya bersalah atas kecelakaan tersebut.

The Rising Stars
Pemain kelahiran Manchester, New Hampshire ini memulai debutnya di Timnas Senior Amerika Serikat pada tanggal 2 Juni 2007 sebagai pemain pengganti di pertandingan persahabatan melawan China yang dimenangkan Amerika Serikat 4–1 di San Jose, California. Setelah itu dirinya bergabung dalam skuad yang dibawa ke Copa América 2007 di Venezuela. 15 Oktober 2008, Davies berhasil mencetak gol pertamanya pada pertandingan yang dimenangkan Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 di putaran ketiga kualifikasi wilayah CONCACAF Piala Dunia FIFA 2010. Ia kembali menjadi pahlawan Amerika Serikat setelah mencetak gol keduanya saat mengalahkan Mesir di Piala Konfederasi tahun 2009. Pada pertandingan selanjutnya melawan Spanyol, Davies ikut andil atas lahirnya gol pembuka yang dicetak partnernya Jozy Altidore. 12 Agustus 2009, Davies menjadi pemain Amerika Serikat ke empat yang berhasil mencetak gol di Azteca Stadium, kandang Meksiko.

Malapetaka
Di kala karirnya tengah meroket, sebuah malapetaka terjadi pada tanggal 13 October 2009. Davies mengalami kecelakaan parah, mobil SUV yang dikendarainya tidak terkontrol saat melintas George Washington Parkway sehingga menabrak pagar besi yang menyebabkan mobilrusak parah. Kecelakaan itu menyebabkan Davies menderita cedera sangat parah dan salah satu penumpang lainnya meninggal. Kecelakaan itu merenggut nyawa seorang wanita muda yang berada satu mobil bersama Davies, sementara Davies sendiri menderita luka parah, kandung kemihnya robek, patah tulang paha kanan dan tibia, siku retak, patah tulang wajah ganda, dan perdarahan pada otak.

Kecelakaan itu menyebabkan Davies harus dirawat cukup lama, hingga pada tanggal 25 Januari 2010, ESPNsoccernet melaporkan Davies telah berlatih jogging dan berharap bisa kembali memperkuat klubnya Sochaux, Perancis di bulan April. Davies kembali ke Perancis untuk menyelesaikan rehabilitasi bersama klubnya pada tanggal 17 Februari 2010. Davies akhirnya bisa melakukan latihan ringan di bulan Maret namun pelatih Bob Bradley tidak memasukkan nama Davies ke dalam skuad Amerika Serikat yang akan dibawa ke Afrika Selatan karena laporan medis Sochaux yang menyebutkan Davies belum sepenuhnya sembuh.

Saat ini Davies bermain untuk D.C. United di MLS musim 2011 dengan status pinjaman dan sejauh ini telah mencetak 11 gol dari 22 kali penampilan.

Menggugat 20 Juta US Dollar
Tidak mudah bagi Charlie Davies untuk mengembalikan semua kesempatan yang telah terbuang saat menjalani masa pemulihan. Untuk itu dirinya telah mengajukan gugatan sebesar 20 juta US Dollar kepada pemilik sebuah klub malam dan perusahaan yang menyelenggarakan pesta yang dihadirinya sebelum kecelakaan maut menimpa dirinya. Charlie menuding klub malam dan perusahaan itu telah bersalah karena menyajikan alkohol kepada pengemudi yang bertanggung jawab atas kecelakaan mobil yang menyebabkan dirinya terluka parah dan tewasnya penumpang lainnya.

Gugatan itu diajukan ke Pengadilan Tinggi DC pekan lalu atas nama Das Enterprises, yang mengelola Shadow Room dan Red Bull Amerika Utara, tuan rumah dari acara private pada 12 Oktober 2009 silam.

Gugatan itu juga mengklaim beberapa luka Davies yang mengakibatkan cacat permanen dalam bentuk beberapa bekas luka dan ia akan terus menanggung biaya medis yang besar. Selain itu tuntutan tersebut juga menyebutkan Davies menderita trauma, ia menderita sakit di tubuh serta pikiran. Akibat kecelakaan itu Davies harus melupakan impiannya untuk memperkuat tim nasional AS di Piala Dunia 2010 di Afrika Selatan.

Meskipun ia akhirnya bisa kembali bisa melanjutkan karir pro-nya, namun Davies harus kehilangan beberapa kesempatan untuk menandatangani kontrak besar dengan klub-klub Eropa yang meminati dirinya.

"Tidak ada yang bisa mengembalikan kesempatan yang hilang untuk Charlie Davies mewakili Amerika Serikat di Piala Dunia," kata Jon Pels perwakilan pengacara Davies. "Ini adalah bukti untuk kekuatan dan jiwa atletisnya sehingga ia dapat bermain sepak bola lagi."

"Ini adalah satu contoh bagaimana mabuk saat mengemudi dapat membunuh dan melukai. Bar harus bertanggung jawab untuk mengawasi acara seperti ini."

Swaptak Das, presiden dan kepala eksekutif dari Das Enterprises dan juru bicara Red Bull Amerika Utara di California belum bersedia menanggapi gugatan ini. (wash/jef)

Source : http://www.bola.net

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USA, negara super power tapi dalam hal sepakbola masih tertinggal dari Eropa ..

AS Tunjuk Caleb Poter Sebagai Pelatih Tim Olimpiade

Bola.net - Caleb Porter, seorang pelatih sepak bola yang berusia 36 tahun dan berhasil mengantar Universitas Akron meraih gelar juara perguruan tinggi AS tahun lalu, baru-baru ini ditunjuk untuk melatih tim bawah usia-23 (U-23) AS yang tengah berusaha keras mencapai Olimpiade London 2012.

Federasi Sepak Bola AS juga menunjuk mantan pemain Piala Dunia AS tiga-kali Tab Ramos sebagai pelatih dari tim nasional di bawah usia-20 tahun.

Porter akan tetap dalam perannya di perguruan tinggi dan dia juga berusaha keras untuk meloloskan tim Amerika ke Olimpiade itu untuk kelima kalinya sejak 1992 pada pertandingan kualifikasi regional CONCACAF, Maret 2012 nanti.

Penampilan terbaik tim putra Amerika di Olimpiade terjadi pada tahun 2000 ketika mereka kalah dari Spanyol dalam pertandingan perebutan medali perunggu. (ant/lex)

Source : http://www.bola.net

[zudomiriku]

Official regrets hiring Jurgen Klinsmann

FRANKFURT, Germany -- The president of soccer club Bayern Munich has dismissed Jurgen Klinsmann's time as coach of the German powerhouse as an expensive mistake.

Klinsmann, who took over as coach of the United States national team in July, coached Bayern from July 2008 to April 2009, when he was fired.

Bayern president Uli Hoeness told Thursday's edition of the Donaukurier newspaper that the club "bought computers for thousands of (dollars)" because Klinsmann used powerpoint presentations to explain game plans to the players.

Bayern's current coach, Jupp Heynckes, needs five color markers and a flip chart to do the same, Hoeness said.

"With Heynckes, we win games for ($17.26), while we spent a lot of money under Klinsmann and had little success," Hoeness said.

Under Heynckes, Bayern has been dominating the Bundesliga this season. It leads the standings by five points after nine games, and is also on top of its Champions League group.

Heynckes was appointed to take over in the summer after the club decided to part ways with Dutchman Louis van Gaal, whose coaching abilities Hoeness praised, if not his people skills.

"That he (Van Gaal) was a catastrophe in human relations is another story," Hoeness said. "As expert, he was top. That's why he wasn't a mistake. Klinsmann was."

In his first coaching job, without any club experience, Klinsmann led Germany to a third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup.

A former striker who helped West Germany win the 1990 World Cup, Klinsmann's playing career included a stint with Bayern. Since replacing Bob Bradley as U.S. coach in late July, the Americans are 1-3-1.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bbyT6

[Andi Istiabudi]

New England Pecat Steve Nicol



Bola.net - Mantan pemain nasional Skotlandia dan Liverpool Steve Nicol telah putus hubungan kerja dengan klub Major League Soccer (MLS) New England Revolution setelah 10 tahun bersama klub tersebut.

Revolution, yang gagal mencapai play-off pada dua musim terakhir, Senin, mengatakan, kedua pihak sepakat memutuskan hubungan kerja, yang mengakhiri masa jabatan kepelatihan terlama dalam liga di Amerika Utara tersebut.

"Kami semua setuju diperlukan perubahan arah untuk membalik kecenderungan pada beberapa tahun terakhir," kata Jonathan Kraft, investor The Revolution, dalam pernyataannya.

"Stevie adalah pelatih kepala yang berhasil dan duta yang hebat bagi Revolution selama satu dekade terakhir dan menyiapkan standar tinggi untuk sukses," bunyi pernyataan itu.

Nicol memimpin Revolution menuju penentuan gelar Piala MLS empat kali, pada tahun 2002, 2005, 2006 dan 2007. Tetapi mereka kalah pada masing-masing kesempatan tersebut.

Pelatih asal Skotlandia itu bermain bagi Liverpool pada 1981 hingga 1995 dan menjadi bagian dari tim yang memenangkan lima kejuaraan Inggris dan Piala Eropa 1984.

"Saya sangat berterima kasih kepada Krafts karena memberi saya kesempatan untuk menjadi pelatih kepala mereka," kata Nicol.

"Saya mengalami masa-masa hebat dan terlibat dengan beberapa pemain besar serta orang hebat. Keluarga saya akan selalu menjadi bagian dari keluarga Kraft." (ant/mac)

Source : http://www.bola.net

[Andi Istiabudi]

New England Pecat Steve Nicol



Bola.net - Mantan pemain nasional Skotlandia dan Liverpool Steve Nicol telah putus hubungan kerja dengan klub Major League Soccer (MLS) New England Revolution setelah 10 tahun bersama klub tersebut.

Revolution, yang gagal mencapai play-off pada dua musim terakhir, Senin, mengatakan, kedua pihak sepakat memutuskan hubungan kerja, yang mengakhiri masa jabatan kepelatihan terlama dalam liga di Amerika Utara tersebut.

"Kami semua setuju diperlukan perubahan arah untuk membalik kecenderungan pada beberapa tahun terakhir," kata Jonathan Kraft, investor The Revolution, dalam pernyataannya.

"Stevie adalah pelatih kepala yang berhasil dan duta yang hebat bagi Revolution selama satu dekade terakhir dan menyiapkan standar tinggi untuk sukses," bunyi pernyataan itu.

Nicol memimpin Revolution menuju penentuan gelar Piala MLS empat kali, pada tahun 2002, 2005, 2006 dan 2007. Tetapi mereka kalah pada masing-masing kesempatan tersebut.

Pelatih asal Skotlandia itu bermain bagi Liverpool pada 1981 hingga 1995 dan menjadi bagian dari tim yang memenangkan lima kejuaraan Inggris dan Piala Eropa 1984.

"Saya sangat berterima kasih kepada Krafts karena memberi saya kesempatan untuk menjadi pelatih kepala mereka," kata Nicol.

"Saya mengalami masa-masa hebat dan terlibat dengan beberapa pemain besar serta orang hebat. Keluarga saya akan selalu menjadi bagian dari keluarga Kraft." (ant/mac)

Source : http://www.bola.net

[zudomiriku]

Fox Outbid ESPN for Rights to 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup, so What Now?



The American soccer community was abuzz Friday morning with news that ESPN was out-bid for a package that includes the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. The winning bid, per reports, came from Fox.

Fox has covered major soccer events in America for some time, most notably their current deal in televising the UEFA Champions League, so it's not surprise that Fox was interested in getting the World Cup. What is surprising is that they were about to pry it away from ESPN and John Skipper, who seemingly reveres the World Cup as much as former NBC Sports headman Dick Ebersol loves the Olympics, a big part of why the real news is not that Fox won the bid, but that ESPN lost it.

There are two underlying questions coming from this. First, will Fox step up its national soccer coverage and stop watering down the sport for a general audience? ESPN received rave reviews during the 2010 World Cup for a professional and dedicated approach, not dumbing-down its coverage for a potentially larger audience to absorb. People within ESPN have told me there was a concerted effort by both on-air talent and producers to not talk down to soccer fans in America, targeting a more sophisticated audience with their coverage while hoping the new fans that follow an event like the World Cup will be able to keep up with the dialog and analysis.


While the coverage on Fox Soccer Channel has been more geared toward a savvier brand of soccer fan, the few live matches that have appeared on Fox have been surrounded by incredibly underwhelming studio coverage. If Fox is going to have as much success in growing the game – read: getting good ratings – as ESPN has done, they'll have to realize the audience doesn't want to be treated like we're just learning the game, which means putting people in studio and in the booth that don't sound like they're just learning the game, too.

Fox has anchored their Champions League coverage with Curt Menefee, who also anchors the NFL on Fox. He's a solid and extremely likeable personality, but his presence on those matches made it feel like Soccer: 101. After being universally panned for his work on the show, word got out that Menefee is really "a soccer guy" which was either spin from Fox to try and justify their choice of anchors or spin from Menefee to distance himself from the one-note style of coverage in an effort to let the public know he's more knowledgeable about the sport than his network made him look. If I had to go with my gut, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and blame the format.

Either way, Fox has seven years to figure out who to anchor their coverage, which is more than enough time to lure someone like Bob Ley or Chris Fowler away from ESPN or someone like Josh Elliott away from ABC. If Fox has out-bid ESPN for rights, they certainly have the money to bring in better soccer voices.


That goes for the booth, too. Fox Soccer picks up the feed for most matches from its partners in England, but they will likely have to find their own high-quality announcers to call matches exclusively for them when the World Cup begins. The fact is, it won't be hard. ESPN hired a group of fantastic British announcers for its coverage, keeping several on board for MLS, US Soccer and Women's World Cup coverage after South Africa.

Jokes aside, and I know seven years is a long time, but I do not see Fox sending the likes of Joe Buck or Gus Johnson to Russia to call matches. Buck may be their lead guy and soccer fans may want to experience Johnson calling a match, but the World Cup isn't the place for either of them. Then again, seven years is a long time…

The second question that comes out of this news is how ESPN will treat soccer after the 2014 World Cup. Will ESPN still have interest in promoting EPL, MLS and other leagues without the ultimate payoff of World Cup ratings? Will ESPN take the freed up capitol and use it to become more focused on their existing properties or try to acquire more?

Here's the statement from ESPN:

“We made a disciplined bid that would have been both valuable to FIFA and profitable for our company, while continuing to grow our unprecedented coverage of the World Cup and Women’s World Cup events. We were aggressive while remaining prudent from a business perspective.

“ESPN remains committed to presenting the sport of soccer at the highest level across our platforms with coverage of the UEFA European Football Championship, English Premier League, La Liga, MLS and other top leagues and tournaments, including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.”

Every word in a statement like that can be scrutinized, but the phrase "disciplined bid" is the real takeaway from ESPN's comment. Does that mean ESPN doesn't think the World Cup is as valuable as Fox does (or as perhaps as valuable as we all assumed ESPN did)? Does it mean Fox over-paid for the rights like NBC has done for the Olympics? Or does this mean that the checkbook is unlimited for football, but not so much for futbol?

There's a lot obviously up in the air, but what we do know is that ESPN is still producing the next World Cup in Brazil and it's going to be the gold standard of soccer coverage in America for Fox to have to follow. The rest is seven years away.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/904662-fox-out-bid-espn-for-rights-to-2018-and-2022-fifa-world-cup-what-now

[zudomiriku]

MLS: Top 5 Consequences of a Potential Beckham Departure



It seems like it was just yesterday David Beckham graced our American television screens for the first time in an MLS uniform, injecting astronomical amounts of hope into the bloodstream of a somewhat small US Soccer fan base.

And yet today, the MLS must finally accept the fact that the Beckham experiment is almost over and that the revolutionary legend could be out of the US sooner than any of us may like. With interest from European clubs such as Tottenham, PSG, and Leicester City, the odds of Beckham extending his MLS contract are looking slimmer every day.

But how painful would the departure of Beckham be to the league that has invested so much into his presence? Here are the Top Five Consequences the MLS would face if such a departure occurred. Enjoy!

The Loss of the Beckham Brand
As silly as it sounds, the MLS might miss the verbal privilege to say “Bend it like Beckham” just as much his physical curling capabilities on the field. The league and its television partners use every chance they get to mention big names like Beckham in promos and other advertising opportunities, and losing one of those names could significantly affect the casual fan’s desire to view a MLS game of the week.

No Beckham means no putting his face on billboards, commercials, or magazines and that could be detrimental to the casual fan’s interest in the developing league.

Weakens the Galaxy
While the loss of Beckham may not physically affect 17 teams in the MLS, it certainly will affect possibly the most important team in the entire league, the LA Galaxy.

Heading into the knockout rounds of the CONCACAF Champios League, the Galaxy cannot afford to lose such a key distributor and presence if they have a chance at making history. The team has an excellent opportunity to become the first MLS team to win the tournament, but that won’t get any easier with the departure of one of the best assist-men in the league.

The loss of Beckham could delay the MLS’ rise to the top of CONCACAF a little bit longer.

Loss of Jersey Sales
Of course the loss of Beckham would hurt the MLS’ economy as well, as Becks has been in the top three in jersey sales every year since his arrival. I’ve seen non-soccer fans even spend the cash to get a Beckham jersey, just for the thrill of having his name across their back. No matter how hard the league may look, they may never find a more recognizable figure that can sell jerseys as well as Becks.

Loss of Foreign Interest
Although Beckham is a few years past his English International prime, the man still does receive a fair amount of attention by former fans across the Atlantic. Teams and fans are still interested in how the English legend is performing these days, and that interest has resulted in the MLS receiving international media attention it wouldn’t have otherwise received.

Less foreign interest in Beckham’s Galaxy means less interest in the MLS, and that certainly is not what the league wants right now.

Loss of the "Big Name"
Beckham was the instigator of this "Foreign Superstar to MLS" revolution and if he leaves, will those who were considering the move be less inclined? Will they ponder why Beckham chose to not extend his contract and be turned off by the league’s lack of attractability?

No one knows the answer, but these controversial questions don’t even need to be asked if Beckham chooses to stay in the MLS for another year.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/909696-mls-top-five-consequences-of-a-potential-beckham-departure#/articles/909696-mls-top-five-consequences-of-a-potential-beckham-departure

kl Beckham gak perpanjang kontrak, Galaxy bakal kehilangan banyak pemasukan neh, bakal gak 'terkenal' kayak dulu lagi. tinggal Donovan yg pemain big name disana

[zudomiriku]

This Guy Has Designed A New Crest He Wants The USSF To Use

For many countries, the national soccer team is the most tangible and compelling representation of a nation’s identity. The symbols of those teams become iconic: England’s “three lions” crest, the blue and white stripes of the Argentine National team, the 10 on the back of the Brazil shirt, these all carry instantly recognized meaning. Now there’s an American who wants his nation’s symbolism to reach those same heights.

Omaha, Nebraska-based graphic artist Nicholas Burroughs is evidently one of the many American fans underwhelmed by the current U.S. Soccer Federation crest (used since 1995, with some color variation over time) :



Although it’s an improvement on older logos, which scream either “generic American thing” or “laziest stylized 90s crap possible…”



… many American fans remain unconvinced, and a large number are partial to the “Don’t Tread” logo used on Nike’s U.S. soccer merch. Which, being a registered trademark, will never get signed over to the USSF.



With that in mind Burroughs created a new logo. A little heavy on the gold, and not nearly enough red and blue for our tastes, but not a bad effort at all.



Crest designed for use by the United States Soccer Federation. Taking a much more European approach to it and taking inspiration from the KNVB (Dutch Football Association), this identity utilizes a strong symbol of the United States in the bald eagle. Fifty stars also represent fifty states in what is a more bold and strong approach than the previous identity.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/bbJQ0

keren juga desain logo barunya, pake kepala elang sesuai lambang negara USA, simpel tp elegan IMO. yg pake logo ular mah ngak banget