Landon Donovan has trash thrown on him at Azteco Stadium in 2009. (Getty Images)MEXICO CITY A soccer experience cheerfully described as “hell” awaits for the United States on Tuesday, with a task of devilish difficulty providing the latest obstacle to the men’s national team’s desire of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca ranks high on any list of the most hostile away venues in the world, and the third game of the U.S.’s 10-part battle to reach Brazil next year will be its most testing challenge, regardless of the result. It is not just the prospect of facing the strongest opposition in the CONCACAF region that makes playing Mexico on its own soil so tough, but instead a unique brand of physiological torture that medical science suggests can never be fully prepared for.

A combination of the arena’s 7,200-foot altitude and its smoggy air will greet the Americans and surely forms a large part of the reason why only one team, Costa Rica in 2001, has ever won a World Cup qualifier at the Azteca.

“The first 20 minutes is always the worst,” said the U.S.’s DaMarcus Beasley, who plays his club soccer with Mexican side Puebla. “You can’t breathe, you get the dry feeling in the throat, you get congestion in the chest.”

Preparing for such conditions with the limitations of the international soccer calendar is extraordinarily tough. Jamaica had the luxury of 11 days preparation at altitude before securing a 0-0 tie here last month, but the club commitments of the American players made a similar scenario impossible. Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. squad arrived in Mexico late Sunday night, having secured a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica near Denver on Friday a desperately needed victory that elevated it to second place in the six-team pool.

[Related: Costa Rica to protest World Cup qualifying loss to U.S.]

Joe Corona, one of three Mexican-Americans on the U.S. squad and who plays in the Mexican league for Club Tijuana, has plenty of experience dealing with the capital’s conditions.

Fans watch Mexico’s 2-1 win over the U.S. during a World Cup qualifying match in 2009. (Getty Images)”You feel like you need oxygen all the time,” he said. “I always try to die during warm up so that you need air, then when you go back to locker room you get a second air and that means you are getting used to it. But yeah, kill yourself in warm up.”

Dramatic descriptions are nothing new when it comes to Americans and the Azteca. National team legend Eric Wynalda first described the venue as “hell,” and was backed up by ex-national team captain Marcelo Balboa.

Despite a 1-0 friendly victory last year, the U.S. has had no luck here in competitive games, going a combined 0-13-1 in World Cup qualifiers in Mexico, with the only point coming in a 1997 0-0 tie that featured both Wynalda and Balboa. Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, the Americans lost 2-1 in a game that kicked off in the heat of the day and during which Yahoo! Sports witnessed one incident where a fan swilled beer into his mouth, stuck his fingers down his throat, deliberately puked the contents into his cup and then hurled it in the direction of Landon Donovan.

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Next stop on U.S. journey to 2014 World Cup : Hell

The United States gave El Tri a tougher test that many expected in the final on Sunday, but Mexico lifted the CONCACAF U-20 Championship to continue its roll of success at youth level.

It is mission accomplished, U-20 coach Sergio Almaguer said in the postgame press conference after his side overcame the US 3-1 after extra time. We have in front of us a great generation of soccer players that could be among the best, if not the best.

High praise indeed from Almaguer and, although the United States takes a lot of credit for a battling performance, it was El Tri who won the trophy and thats important when it comes to the culture of success that Mexico has been fomenting in recent years.

No, it wasnt a vintage performance from El Tri on the night and in many ways it was a reminder that, unlike prior to the 2011 U-17 World Cup, Mexico is now a world power at youth level and a scalp there for the taking. Certainly that was the word coming out of the U.S. camp, and no opposition is going to take El Tri lightly when it comes to the World Cup in Turkey.

Its what we always want, said captain Antonio Briseno of having the tag as one of the favorites for the World Cup. Everyday we are fighting to win ourselves a spot and give our best.

Its the positive, winning mentality that is going to give the full national team coach selection problems for years to come.

Overall in the CONCACAF U-20 tournament, Mexico was dominant, at times embarrassingly so. El Tri conceded only one goal in five games this tournament, scored 15 goals and controlled all the games except the final against the United States.

After the semifinal, El Salvador U-20 coach Mauricio Alfaro said that the U-20 El Tri is far superior to any other team in the tournament.

Against the U.S., there were times when that was in doubt. What separated the teams was Julio Gomezs magical bicycle kick, which took the game away from the U.S. It seems Gomez has that natural knack of popping up at crucial moments, as he did in the U-17 World Cup. The bicycle ended up being the decisive blow to the tiring Yanks, although Jorge Espericueta added a late penalty.

But while the U.S. game showed the winning mentality now associated with El Tri youth teams, it also highlighted that there are still areas to work on.

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Tom Marshall: World Cup favorites tag inspires Mexico's U-20s

I love world football.

But I don’t live in England, Germany, Spain or the United States; I live in Australia, where world football is not our national sport or constantly displayed on televisions.

I live in a country that is significantly ahead of the rest of the world in time differences, meaning that football games are cast at 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. To watch a regular weekend of the English Premier League, I’d have to stay up from 11:45 p.m. and carry that all the way through until around 6 a.m., when the last of the Saturday matches is complete and English folk can go to bed.

And yet, despite this and the myriad sports I follow and cover throughout the year, I remain absolutely in love with football.

I just can’t get enough of it.

And so the notion of an all-star gamea chance for football to pit the best players it has against one another in a celebration of the sportmakes perfect sense to me.

Not just for the sake of more football to watch, either. It makes sense to showcase the best of the sport for all to see.

The NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB all have all-star games (they have entire weekends, really), and despite reports every year emerging about how supposedly tacky they’ve become and how boring they’ve been, people still flock to the events in record numbers.

Take the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest as an example. Despite people frequently discussing how boring the competition was, the event still posted incredible viewing numbers for the entire duration, and Twitter was abuzz throughout.

There’s just something about an all-star game that people love.

View post:
Why World Football Should Have an All-Star Game

It was one of the funnier goal celebrations that you will see in this World Cup qualifying campaign, but for the United States its defeat in Honduras on Wednesday was no laughing matter.

The hosts secured a 2-1 triumph in San Pedro Sula thanks to a second-half winner from Jerry Bengston, which prompted virtually the entire Honduras team to sink to their hands and knees and make a train towards the corner flag.

For Jurgen Klinsmann’s Americans, it was the worst possible way to begin the final phase of qualifying in the CONCACAF region and piles on pressure ahead of its next two matches against traditional rivals Costa Rica and Mexico.

U.S. players react after a 2-1 loss to Honduras. (AP)Honduras was never going to be an easy place to visit, with a passionate and vocal home crowd filling the Stadio Olimpico, and the contest being deliberately staged during the hottest part of the day.

Yet the way Klinsmann’s defensive line failed to cope with the Honduran attack will create serious concerns moving forward and indicated that the USA’s route to Brazil next summer may not be as straightforward as many predicted.

Klinsmann, the coach who took his native Germany to the World Cup semifinals in 2006, was brought in during 2011 as it was felt he could take the team deeper on the biggest stage than his predecessor Bob Bradley. But right now, such thoughts are replaced by concerns over whether the USA can assert its authority on the region and avoid a nervous dogfight for qualification.

Things had started well, with Clint Dempsey having put the U.S. side ahead after 36 minutes via a well-taken volley from Jermaine Jones’ delicate chip over the defense.

However, defensive errors rarely go unpunished at international level as Honduras, still buoyed by an excellent Olympic Games campaign that saw it reach the quarterfinals in London over the summer, never lost belief.

USA newcomer Timmy Chandler, who plays his club soccer in the German Bundesliga one of the finest competitions in the world found the pace of the game tough as early as the end of the first half and did little to suggest he is the long-term answer at the right-back position.

Likewise, Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzalez seemed shaky at times in the center of defense, lacking the no-nonsense tenacity of Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit, the previous incumbents at this stage of the World Cup process four years ago.

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USA's World Cup qualification off to a rocky start after disappointment in Honduras

Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 12:01 a.m.

A warm breeze rippled the nets, elevated by rusty posts. One team wore the green of Marathon, a local club, the other Real Madrid’s rich blue. Parents watched from beneath a line of trees. A stray dog frolicked.

The tranquil scene belied the blue storm that will descend the next afternoon on a cement structure a few hundred feet away. Beyond a fence topped by barbed wire and patrolled by a security guard with a shotgun balanced on his shoulder, Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano stands in wait.

Here the U.S. men’s national soccer team will continue its quest for a berth in the 2014 World Cup — a meeting with Honduras in the first of 10 final-round qualifiers.

There are more difficult places to play in CONCACAF, the region encompassing North and Central America and the Caribbean. Azteca in Mexico City and Saprissa in Costa Rica have been inhospitable destinations. But for an opener — against a team that qualified for the previous World Cup — this poses an immense challenge.

“Now is what all the work has been for, and it starts tomorrow,” forward Jozy Altidore said before practice Tuesday. “It’s important for us to get off to a good start. In these competitions, you don’t want to start off with zero points. It’s a huge mental edge to begin with a win.”

The United States and Mexico are the favorites in what is known as the hexagonal, or hex, because six finalists play one another home and away over the next 81/2 months. Three teams will punch tickets to Brazil, the fourth will head to a playoff against the Oceania region winner (probably New Zealand) in the fall.

Honduras, known as the Catrachos, will have the support of up to 40,000 fans. To augment home-field advantage, the national federation scheduled a 3 p.m. kickoff (1 p.m. PST), when the temperature will settle in the eighties and the humidity above 70 percent. The government declared a holiday, allowing locals to attend.

Although several U.S. players have been competing for their clubs in the English and German winters, the climate shift is taken in stride after previous odysseys into Latin America. The squad gathered Sunday in Miami to begin acclimation before arriving in San Pedro Sula on Monday evening.

There was a light practice session Monday and a tactical workout Tuesday — the most preparation U.S. coach Juergen Klinsmann could squeeze into the small qualifying window.

More:
U.S. meets Honduras in World Cup qualifier

The road to the World Cup begins in earnest for the United States on Wednesday in an environment that, at least on paper, could scarcely be more hostile.

According to the U.S. State Department and reports from humanitarian groups, San Pedro Sula, the second biggest city in Honduras, is the most violent place on earth. The conclusion is derived from data that shows a homicide rate of 159 deaths per 100,000 citizens, with widespread thievery, drug-related violence and social unrest rife just four years removed from a bloody military coup.

The U.S. will rely heavily on Michael Bradley in its quest to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. (AP)Such a setting is a simple reality for the USA, for whom the good fortune of being in a relatively weak section of soccers global map brings an enhanced chance of reaching the World Cup in Brazil next year, yet also a series of tourist trials along the way.

Teams in the CONCACAF region that encompasses North and Central America and the Caribbean are no strangers to various forms of perfectly authorized skullduggery, plus annoyances such as erratic refereeing and less than pristine playing conditions. For example, head coach Jurgen Klinsmanns players will know that their road games will be patronized by crowds fully prepared to hurl verbal hostility, often in venues and at kickoff times designed to provide maximum discomfort for the visitors.

Wednesdays clash has been switched to mid-afternoon local time to ensure the temperature is at its highest, an advantage for the Honduran locals, with most of the Americans plying their trade in the chillier climes of Europe.

A presidentially decreed national day will ensure a packed crowd clad in Honduras light-blue colors, interspersed with a tiny pocket of hardy and loyal USA supporters.

The road has to start somewhere, though, and despite San Pedro Sula’s nefarious reputation, things wont get any easier as the U.S.’s campaign progresses throughout this year.

Visits to the lions den of Mexico City, to notoriously difficult Costa Rica and its awful playing surfaces, and to Panama, follow. A trip to Jamaica won’t be all palm trees and cocktails either, with the Americans having been defeated there in the preliminary qualifying round that had little meaning and served only to cull a bunch of weaker teams from contention.

[Related: Europol suspects 680 soccer matches fixed worldwide]

“Every continent has its tricky parts and difficult environments and San Pedro Sula definitely has its own difficult environment, but those are challenges that players need,” Klinsmann told reporters. “They need to go through those games, they need to prove themselves and they need to find ways to get the job done.

Read more:
USA begins its World Cup quest in the most violent city in the world

Jurgen Klinsmann has named his 24-player roster for the United States men’s national team World Cup Qualifier against Honduras on Feb. 6. The roster is a mix between Major League Soccer veterans and European-based stars and yes, U.S. fans, Timothy Chandler is on the list.

The German-born player has held out of previous qualifiers, with rumors circulating that he was holding out for a chance to play with Germany. Now on the U.S. roster, if Chandler plays against Honduras, he will be cap-tied to the Stars and Stripes. Other than Chandler’s inclusion, Brad Davis, Edgar Castillo, Omar Gonzalez and Brad Evans could make their first appearances in a World Cup qualifier. Klinsmann believes that he has selected the right mix of players for a tough road match at the San Pedro Sula.

We want to have a sense of urgency right from the start of the Final Round,” said Klinsmann. We have a lot of respect for Honduras, but our message to the team is that we are going there to get three points. One thing we learned from the Semifinal Round is that you have to bring the right mentality to play in the tough games on the road, and Im confident we are ready to do that.

Here is the U.S. roster with World Cup qualifier appearances and goals next to each player:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa – 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton 22/9 SO), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire 0/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City 0/0), Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander 31/5), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City 5/0), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana 0/0), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg 0/0), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders 0/0), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy 0/0), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim 3/0), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Michael Bradley (Roma 19/5), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo – 0/0), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor 9/0), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 5/0), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht 12/0), Jose Torres (Tigres 9/0), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim 4/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City 3/0)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar 17/6), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur 26/10), Herculez Gomez (Santos 6/2), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders 11/10)

Follow Alex Labidou on Twitter

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United States reveals roster for Honduras World Cup qualifier

German Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg won Wednesday’s women’s World Cup giant slalom at Are, ending a four-race winning streak by Slovenian star Tina Maze.

Rebensburg won in 2min 28.94sec to see off Austria’s Anna Fenninger by 0.62 sec with overall season standings leader Maze, who stood second after the opening run, only able to manage third place at 0.91sec.

The German star as good as wrapped up the win with an imperious opening run which saw her outspeed Maze by 1.12sec, though she came very close to falling on her second run and ultimately did enough to see off her rivals.

Rebensburg has had a poor season overall to date – the Vancouver Games champion could only manage 15th in a weekend giant slalom at Courchevel, but on Wednesday she showed she is back in the groove.

“I am proud to win this after such a blow at Courchevel (where) things just didn’t come together,” said the German.

“That’s why I stayed calm and just tried to ski well – I am relieved it went so well. I feel just great,” said the 23-year-old after her first World Cup win in the discipline since last March, since when she has been struggling to adapt to new and longer skis.

Maze, who won the silver medal in Vancouver, thus saw her winning run come to an end after successes at Courchevel, Saint-Moritz, Aspen and Soelden.

Even so, her third place ensures she still comfortably sits atop the overall rankings with 859 points, 351 ahead of Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch, sixth on Wednesday.

US legend Lindsey Vonn decided to miss the race in order to return home for the holiday period to the United States.

The 28-year-old four-time World Cup overall champion has had an up and down season, being hospitalised with a painful intestinal ailment and then bouncing back to win all three races at the Lake Louise meeting to become the first skier to win three World Cup races at the same venue in two different seasons.

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Rebensburg ends Maze winning streak

Sporting Kansas City made perhaps the biggest move of the MLS offseason so far on Tuesday, landing World Cup veteran midfielder Benny Feilhaber from the struggling New England Revolution in exchange for allocation money, Sporting KCs natural first-round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and natural second-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.

Feilhaber, 27, was out of contract with the Revs following the 2012 season and now finds himself in the midfield for one of the preeminent teams in the league since their 2011 rebirth. SKC posted the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference each of the past two seasons before they were bounced from the postseason by the Houston Dynamo, but Feilhaber should add some offensive punch to a midfield that already boasts US national team regular Graham Zusi.

I am really excited to come to Sporting Kansas City, Feilhaber said in a statement. It is a top-class organization and team in Major League Soccer. My goal is to help the team however I can. I cannot wait to play in the best stadium in the league and in front of a great fan base. I am already hyped for the first home game.

Feilhaber showed mixed results for the Revs since retuning stateside in 2011 from Danish side AGF Aarhus via the allocation process, appearing in 52 total games and posting five goals and nine assists. But the Revs failed to even flirt with the postseason each season and decided not to bring Feilhaber back for next season, instead opting to plan for the future with draft picks in 2014 and 2015 and money to spend during the offseason.

We’ve been working on several options with Benny for a few months and we feel this trade with Kansas City is the most beneficial outcome for the Revs, Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said in a statement. This move allows us greater roster flexibility in both 2013 and beyond.

Feilhabers addition comes at a crucial time for Sporting Kansas City, who let veteran midfielder Jlio Csar go after the season and appear to be on the verge of losing Roger Espinoza to a career in England.

Benny is an excellent two-way, box-to-box midfielder who has tremendous ability, especially with the final pass, Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said in a statement. His experience with the US national team programs and playing overseas will serve him well in our system.

Feilhaber has made 39 appearances for the USMNT, debuting in 2007 and recording an assist and game-winning goal in his third cap at the international level. He went on to start four of his five appearances at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including the championship match against Mexico.

He continued to be a key contributor for the United States on the national teams biggest stages and was the only player to appear in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Most recently, Feilhaber took the field for the United States alongside current Sporting Kansas City teammates Teal Bunbury, C.J. Sapong and Graham Zusi in a 1-0 victory over Venezuela this past January. He also played previously with Jacob Peterson and Bobby Convey for the United States at the international level.

View post:
Sporting Kansas City deal for World Cup vet Feilhaber

Katie Uhlaender didn’t have a great time her first run, putting her in sixth place.

Mark Goldman/Icon SMI

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Katie Uhlaender of the United States had a bad first run in the opening race of the World Cup skeleton season on Thursday, then reverted to the form that made her a world champion last year.

She produced the second-fastest time on the second run and was sixth, 0.70 off the lead shared by Canadians Sarah Reid and Mellisa Hollingsworth after two heats.

Uhlaender didn’t hesitate when asked about who was the biggest threat on Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid.

“Me!” she said.

Reid had a combined time of 1 minute, 51.72 seconds, just 0.02 ahead of her teammate, while Marion Thees of Germany was third, 0.30 behind.

“The field is so strong, ridiculously strong,” said Hollingsworth, who finished second behind Uhlaender at worlds. “You look at the top 10 and any given day any one of those girls can be on top of this podium. I definitely don’t take it for granted that we’re going into tomorrow with a little bit of a lead.”

The race is a three-heat event, and only the top 10 sleds qualify for the final heat. American Kimber Gabryszak missed the cut at 13th after a mistake-filled first run.

“Ironically, it’s almost a relief,” Gabryszak said. “The competition here is extremely intense. I’m just glad to be here. I had a really rough first run, but the second run was good, so I’m happy with that.

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Uhlaender 6th at skeleton World Cup

St. Louis (KSDK) – Having an Olympic gold medal placed around your neck is something most of us can only dream about. And apparently even if it happens, it feels more like a dream.

“Having that medal, it’s unbelievable,” Becky Sauerbrunn, a defender for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team says.

But it wasn’t that many years ago that Sauerbrunn was just like these young soccer players.

“I really was one of those kids out there just practicing in the rain, in the cold,” Sauerbrunn pointed out.

That’s why when she gets the chance she comes home to not only share her story, but to encourage kids to be good teammates and good students.

“It never goes unnoticed if you’re working hard, if you’re nice and you care for your teammates,” Sauerbrunn said to a group of more than 100 kids.

Of course, these days her return results in slightly more screams and signing countless autographs.

“It’s nice to be able to show the girls that no matter where you’re from you can make it all it takes is a lot of hard work,” Sauerbrunn added.

So Becky Sauerbrunn might be a gold medal athlete, but if you ask any of the girls who came out to see her, it’s all about her heart.

“She just plays with her whole heart,” Annie Miskovic said.

View original post here:
Olympic soccer player comes home to offer advice

ROCKTON Madison Dunker of Rockton has been selected for the United States Youth Soccer Region II Girls Olympic Development Program Pool Team in her age group.

Regional and national coaches scouted her at a regional camp in DeKalb where the top 18 players from each of the 14 Midwestern states competed for selection to the Pool Team.

According to Ellie Singer, Region II administrator for the Olympic Development Program, “being selected to the regional pool is a major accomplishment. Singer elaborated, Madison will be observed now and in the future for possible selection to a United States National Team. Some of these players have gone on to win Olympic Gold Medals in 1996 and are represented on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2008 and 2012 Olympic and National Teams.”

Dunker, who is the daughter of Christine and Darren Dunker, is a junior at Hononegah Community High School where she is on the soccer team. She also plays club soccer for Sockers FC based in Palatine.

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Madison Dunker in Region II pool team for soccer

Somewhere in Canada, a nine-year-old girl decided that Christine Sinclair needed help.

So the young supporter wrote a letter to the star captain of the national womens team and offered to donate Tooth Fairy money to help cover a $3,500 fine assessed by soccers world governing body for Sinclairs comments and actions following Canadas controversial loss to the United States in a London Olympic Games semifinal.

Its just incredible, Sinclair said Wednesday. John (Herdman), our head coach, says he has never seen so much attention given to a FIFA ruling ever.

Sinclair scored three times in that Aug. 6 semifinal, each time giving Canada a one-goal advantage, but a disputed six-second violation called on goalkeeper Erin McLeod by Norwegian referee Christina Pederson led to a handball call and the final tying goal for the U.S., which then collected the winner from Alex Morgan in extra time.

Afterward, Sinclair said it was a shame that, in such an important match, the ref decided the result before it started.

That, however, apparently wasnt what earned the 29-year-old native of Burnaby, B.C., the $3,500 fine and a four-game suspension. In a ruling announced earlier this month, a FIFA disciplinary panel cited unsporting behaviour toward officials.

Sinclair said she accepted the penalties. The Canadian Soccer Association said it would pay the fine, and she is expected to miss a January tournament in China and possibly, depending on the number of contests Canada plays there, in the Cyprus Cup in March.

Back to London, though, where Sinclair and her teammates somehow regrouped after that devastating defeat and held off France long enough for Diana Mathesons late goal to produce a 1-0 victory and a bronze medal.

It was Canadas first Olympic medal in a traditional team sport since mens basketball in 1936, and it sparked waves of admiration for the soccer team from sea to sea.

Myself, and as a team, we were very surprised by the reaction back home to our success in London, Sinclair said. I dont think any of us expected it. As a result, our team, as individuals, were enjoying that.

See the article here:
Soccer star Sinclair says national team must build on momentum

MIAMI, Oct 16 (Reuters) – Results and standings after the

final round of matches in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying

for the 2014 World Cup finals.

The top two teams from each group advanced to the final

round of qualifying next year.

Group A

United States 3 Guatemala 1

Jamaica 4 Antigua and Barbuda 1

Standings:

P W D L F A Pts

View post:
Soccer-CONCACAF World Cup qualifying results and standings

(10-17 11:24)

Tottenham striker Clint Dempsey scored two goals to lead the United States over visiting Guatemala 3-1 Tuesday and into next year’s North American final round of 2014 World Cup qualifying. English Premier League striker Dempsey broke a 1-1 deadlock with a goal in the 18th minute and added another in the 36th for the Americans while Jamaica beat Antigua and Barbuda 4-1 to advance at the expense of Guatemala, AFP reports. “Credit my teammates. They were putting good balls in. I was lucky enough to get them to go in,” Dempsey said. “A little pressure on us but it’s behind us now. We want to go to the World Cup. This is the first step to getting there.” Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico rounded out next year’s six-team World Cup final round qualifying lineup from the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Panama moved through with a 1-1 draw at winless Cuba and Costa Rica blanked winless Guyana 7-0 to advance on the concluding night of the 12-nation penultimate qualifying round. Three CONCACAF teams will advance to the 2014 global football showdown in Brazil, with Dempsey saying the US squad needs to improve away from home in order to avoid pushing qualifying fights to the final match.

Read more:
(World Cup qualifiers) US, Jamaica advance

BELLEVUE, WA–(Marketwire – Oct 15, 2012) – Expedia, the world’s leading online travel agency, today revealed the results of a study of American attitudes towards college football. The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Expedia.com, among 2,334 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The study confirmed what many suspected: men and women in the American South love college football more than residents of any other region. 63% of Americans in the South watch college football, narrowly edging residents of the Midwest (62%). Residents of the South and Midwest were both found to be significantly more likely to watch college football than those in the West (51%) or Northeast (47%). 70% of American men follow the sport, versus 43% of women.

“In some regions of the country, college football fanhood begins at birth. In other regions, it starts on the first day of freshman year. But it’s the sort of passion that lasts a lifetime,” said Joe Megibow, vice president and general manager, Expedia.com. “College football fans travel. Sports travel is a growing trend in general. So Expedia commissioned this study to make sure that we have every resource available for college football fans when they decide to follow their passion.”

Expedia’s college football survey also found:

Expedia also partnered with StubHub to identify college football ticket trends. Data from StubHub suggests:

Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Expedia from August 23-27, 2012 among 2,334 adults age 18+. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Dave McNamee at dmcnamee@hlgrp.com.

About Expedia.com Expedia.com is the world’s leading online travel site, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com/,1-800-EXPEDIA) aims to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of vacation packages, flights, hotels, rental cars, resorts, cruises and in-destination activities, attractions, services and travel apps. With the Expedia Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com customers can get the best rates available online for all types of travel.Whether you want to relax in Cape Cod, sail in Lake Tahoe or swim in Tahiti, we know every trip and every traveler is unique and we want to help you Find Yours.

Expedia, Expedia.com and the Airplane logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. 2012 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST # 2029030-50

SOURCE: Expedia, Inc. Web site: http://www.expedia.com/

About StubHub StubHub is the world’s largest ticket marketplace, enabling fans to buy and sell tickets to tens of thousands of sports, concert, theater and other live entertainment events. StubHub reinvented the ticket resale market in 2000 and continues to lead it through innovation. The company’s unique online marketplace, dedicated solely to tickets, provides all fans the choice to buy or sell their tickets in a safe, convenient and highly reliable environment.All transactions are processed and delivered by StubHub and backed by the company’s FanProtect Guarantee.Company partners include the San Francisco Giants and University of Texas, along with over 60 teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NCAA, complemented with companies such as ESPN, Tickets.com, and Paciolan.

Link:
Whoa Nelly: Residents of American South Are Nation's Most Passionate College Football Fans, According to Expedia Study

SOCCER/FOOTBALL URBAN LEGEND: Pele was paid to tie his shoelaces in the 1970 World Cup Final.

Nowadays, the idea of athletes endorsing sneakers is well ingrained in the public consciousness. Seemingly every draft class in the NBA has at least one player sign an endorsement deal with one of the major sneaker companies in the United States (for instance, Anthony Davis, the first pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, has already signed with Nike).

However, in the early days of the so-called “sneaker wars” between rival shoe companies Adidas and Puma, athlete endorsements were seen as a much bigger risk. As sneakers became a bigger part of the world of athletics in the years following World War II, which athletes wore Adidas and which wore Puma became a major part of the advertising arm of each of the two companies. As time went by, athletes were beginning to play the two companies against each other and the results were financially damaging. In addition, the companies began to spend too much time trying to one up each other.

This was especially evident during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City where Adidas actually had Puma sneakers confiscated by custom officials! Things had gotten so crazy that in the lead up to the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, the two companies actually decided to come to a sort of “peace treaty” and to avoid the dealings that had marked their relationship for most of the 1960s.

The most notable result of their interactions was the so-called “Pele Pact,” where both companies agreed NOT to sign a deal with Pele, the greatest football player in the world at the time. Their feeling was that they would both end up spending so much money on a bidding war that it would not be worth it in the end.

Led by Pele, Brazil’s 1970 national team was one of the greatest World Cup teams in the history of the tournament. They played Italy in the final match of the tournament. It was one of the most highly anticipated football matches in years. Right before the opening whistle, Pele asked the referee for a moment to tie his sneakers. All eyes were on Pele as he bent over to tie his sneakers….Puma sneakers. What happened to the “Pele Pact”?

1970 was the last of the four World Cups that Pele played in and the third title that Brazil won in those four tournaments (Pele was injured during both the 1962 and 1966 tournaments. Luckily for Brazil, Pele’s teammate Garrincha led the team to a title in Pele’s absence). Pele was clearly the most famous football player in the world headed into the 1970 World Cup, so he was mystified by something…why didn’t he have an endorsement deal with either Adidas or Puma? Pele instead had to settle for a deal with the small English shoe company Stylo.

Obviously, Pele did not know about the “Pele Pact,” but things became interesting when Puma sent a representative to the Brazil team named Hans Henningsen. Henningsen was a reporter who had become quite friendly with the Brazilian team. Pele and Henningsen spent some time together and Pele was irked that Henningsen, who spent time trying to sign all the other Brazilian team members, never tried to sign him. Finally, Henningsen decided that enough was enough and he made a bold decision. He worked out a deal with Pele without approval from Puma!

He offered Pele $25,000 for the 1970 World Cup and $100,000 for the next four years (plus a cut of the sales of Pele brand sneakers). Henningsen brought the offer to Armin Dassler, the head of Puma and Dassler decided that the deal was just too good to pass up. So he agreed to the offer and he and Henningsen delivered the money to Pele. Part of their deal involved Pele intentionally asking for time before the opening of the final match, so that the cameras would all pan down to him tying his Puma brand sneakers. As you might imagine, Adidas was furious and the sneaker wars began again in earnest.

Nowadays, in the United States, companies such as Nike and Reebok have taken the lead in the sneaker wars, but Puma and Adidas continue to be dominant forces in the international shoe market.

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Was Pele paid to tie his shoes during the 1970 World Cup final?

Oct 14 (Reuters) – Three members of Cuba’s national soccer team defected before a 2014 World Cup qualifying tournament in Canada this week, world soccer’s governing body FIFA said on Sunday.

Three players had gone missing on Thursday in Toronto prior to their team’s match against Canada a day later which the hosts won 3-0.

“FIFA can confirm that three players defected already last Thursday, leaving the Cuban team with 11 players in the squad for the qualifier against Canada,” FIFA said in a statement.

There is a history of Cuban athletes defecting to pursue a potentially lucrative professional career outside communist-run Cuba. Seven members of Cuba’s Olympic soccer team defected in Florida in 2008 after a game against the United States.

In March, a Cuban soccer player left his team while they were in Tennessee for an Olympic qualifying tournament. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann in Berlin; Editing by Clare Fallon)

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Soccer-Three Cubans defect before World Cup qualifier in Canada

A struggling United States team is among eight sides scrambling to avoid elimination in Tuesdays last North American semi-final round of 2014 World Cup qualifying matches.

Unbeaten Mexico has already secured one of six available berths for the 2013 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) finals. Winless Cuba, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda cannot advance.

A tension-packed last matchday will see the US host Guatemala, Canada visit Honduras, Jamaica host Antigua and Barbuda, Mexico entertain El Salvador, Guyana visit Costa Rica and Panama travel to Cuba.

Ten years after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals, and 15 months after German star Jurgen Klinsmann took over as US coach, the Americans must at least draw 81st-ranked Guatemala at Kansas City or risk being ousted.

Coming off a 2-1 triumph at Antigua in which Eddie Johnson scored the winner in the 90th minute, US players know they must improve their performance and sense of urgency after having left their advancement hopes to the last minute.

At the end of the day, you dont want to be a part of a team that didnt qualify for a World Cup, Johnson said. That was playing through everyones mind on the field.

Johnson joined the squad after all-time US scoring leader Landon Donovan was ruled out with a knee injury and Klinsmann elected not to invite Jozy Altidore despite his strong start to the Dutch league season with AZ Alkmaar.

Do we have to play better? Absolutely. We are not happy with what we saw, Klinsmann said. There are a couple of things that we will discuss internally that we need to do much better in Kansas City.

The key against Guatemala will simply be finding a way to win to ensure a berth in next years fight to book a date in Brazil.

Well be the first ones to look at ourselves and say that there are a lot of things that need to be better, US midfielder Michael Bradley said. But at the end of the day a result is what counts.

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Struggling U.S. face World Cup moment of truth

Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair has been suspended for four games and hit with a fine for an undisclosed incident at the London Olympics.

FIFA, the sports governing body, opened an investigation in August, after Canada lost a heated semifinal match against the United States, a 4-3 defeat marked by questionable decisions made by Norwegian referee Christiana Pedersen. Several of those decisions enraged Canadian players, including Sinclair.

According to a release distributed Friday by the Canadian Soccer Association, Sinclair was being punished by FIFA for displaying unsporting behaviour towards match officials after the match.

It still remains unclear whether that behaviour refers to comments made to reporters after the game, or a different incident away from the notebooks and tape recorders. Sinclair was not the only Canadian player to give voice to the teams displeasure, especially after Pedersen issued a rarely seen delay of game against goalkeeper Erin McLeod that led to a tying goal.

Its a shame in a game like that that was so important, the ref decided the result before it started, Sinclair told to reporters that night. Teammate Melissa Tancredi said she told the referee: I hope you can sleep tonight and put on your American jersey because thats who you played for today.

Sinclair did not immediately return a voicemail message left Friday. FIFAs disciplinary committee heard her case on Oct. 5.

The amount of her fine was also unclear. A source close to the team suggested it was in the range of around $3,500, though another source suggested it was 3,000 Swiss francs, which would place it around $3,100.

Peter Montopoli, general secretary of the CSA, politely declined comment when reached by phone on Friday. It was not known if Sinclair or the CSA planned to appeal the ruling, or if that option was even available.

No further information will be available from the Canadian Soccer Association or media interviews granted on this decision until such time as those reasons for judgment are received and reviewed by the Canadian Soccer Association, the release stated.

FIFA allowed Sinclair to continue playing in the tournament while its investigation was still in its early stages. The 29-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., had scored all three Canadian goals against the United States, delivering what was inarguably the single greatest performance by a Canadian player on the worlds stage.

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Olympic soccer hero Christine Sinclair suspended over referee outburst after controversial loss