Dave Clark / Sounder At Heart 14 hours ago 
USL changes leadership, prepares for MLS labor woe
Longtime USL executive Tim Holt steps down ahead of one of USL's most important seasons. A few years ago the USL lost key clubs when a few were elevated to MLS and others left for the NASL. Abandoning it's two pro-tier system to become just USL PRO, now former USL President Tim Holt oversaw a shrinking league. In the last two years through partnership with MLS, Holt saw interest in the league explode and targeted a lofty goal of obtaining D2 sanctioning. Holt is stepping aside shortly after the rebrand of the pro division. He leaves USL in the hands of new President Jake Edwards. "Jake...
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Seattle Post-Intelligencer 23 hours ago
Egypt names Cuper from Argentina to lead its soccer team
Cuper takes over a squad that won the African Nations' Cup a record seven times but failed to qualify for the last three editions of the biannual tournament. Egyptian soccer suffered a massive setback when more than 70 soccer fans were killed in post-match violence in 2012.
Tacoma News-Tribune Mar 1, 2015
Sounders’ preseason draws to a close with a tie against Kansas City
Team said ready for opener next weekend, but labor issues cast a shadow.
Sounders Insider | Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 28, 2015
Schmid talks game, preseason, real season
Here’s some of what coach Sigi Schmid had to say tonight after the Sounders ended their preseason with a 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City: On this game: I thought we started the game slowly. We weren’t really as sharp as I wanted us to be. As the game went on, we obviously gave up a goal, but I thought from about the 25-minute mark on, I thought we picked up our game and played better. I thought we were playing better at the start of the second half, and then we got some good energy from Andy Rose and … Read more »
Sounders Insider | Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 28, 2015
Countdown to 4 PT: Sounders-SKC in Tuscon
The Sounders will end this Desert Diamond Cup run in a consolation match against Sporting Kansas City at 4 p.m. PT. The Sounders come in 1-2 in the tournament, including a 3-2 loss to Sporting one week ago. We’ll have updates before, during and after, maybe starting with the Seattle lineup, which should be very much like the first 11 coach Sigi Schmid plans for the season opener a week from tomorrow. Here’s our preview story from today’s paper.
Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 27, 2015
Sounders midfielder Micheal Azira ‘helped himself with good camp’
Azira among five players Schmid cites as preseason nears its close.
Sounders Insider | Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 27, 2015
Sounders down to one practice game before the real thing
The Sounders went through their final training in Tucson this morning. Now they’re down to a concluding Desert Diamond Cup match at 4 p.m. PT Saturday against Sporting Kansas City. Then it’s back to the Northwest on Sunday and game-week preparations for the scheduled season opener March 8 against the New England Revolution. Here’s some of what coach Sigi Schmid had to say about tomorrow’s rematch match. “If we would have won the New England game we would have been playing in the finals against Salt Lake, and that would have been good to play somebody that we haven’t played … ...
Sounders Insider | Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 27, 2015
RSL owner fined for CBA comments
The expected fine dropped today on RSL’s Dell Loy Hansen for his comments this week that the MLS players union’s quest for free is a waste of time. I tried to get a player’s perspective/update from Sounders’ union rep Brad Evans today, but he declined. Here’s the release from the league: Major League Soccer (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber announced today that Real Salt Lake investor-operator Dell Loy Hansen has been fined an undisclosed amount for comments made during a radio interview and that were subsequently published earlier this week. “The comments made by Mr. Hansen are not...
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Feb 27, 2015
A look at some discriminatory incidents in Russian football
A look at some of the incidents highlighted in the report from the Moscow-based SOVA Center and the Fare network, which helps to prosecute racism cases for European football's governing body UEFA. London-based Fare says Russian football is plagued by a racist and far-right extremist fan culture that threatens the safety of visitors to the 2018 World Cup. Far-right Zenit St. Petersburg fans' group attacked anti-fascist fans and took away banners. At Rubin Kazan, Lokomotiv Moscow fans marched on the stadium performing Nazi salutes. Neo-Nazi group in cooperation with Zenit ultras conducted...
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Feb 27, 2015
Russian soccer stadiums a throwback to 1980s England
Animosity between local police and traveling fans from the visiting team occasionally boils over into running battles in the stands or infringements of fans' rights, such as in August, when police in the World Cup host city of Kazan forced visiting female fans of Spartak Moscow to strip naked for searches conducted in the presence of male officers. With the World Cup in mind, the Russian Football Union and its Premier League have backed a scheme to replace police gradually with trained stewards, often drawn from the ranks of the home team's fans.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Feb 27, 2015
Scale of racism in World Cup host Russia exposed by study
LONDON (AP) — Russian football is plagued by a racist and far-right extremist fan culture that threatens the safety of visitors to the 2018 World Cup, a report provided to The Associated Press reveals. Researchers from the Moscow-based SOVA Center and the Fare network, which helps to prosecute racism cases for European football's governing body UEFA, highlighted more than 200 cases of discriminatory behavior linked to Russian football over two seasons. Without referencing the report's existence, a post on Blatter's Twitter account said on Friday: "In December, FIFA's (anti-discrimination)...
Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 26, 2015
Charlie Lyon, Seattle Sounders’ third keeper, could have higher profile
The Marquette rookie could provide depth for the MLS team and start for USL team.
Sounders Insider | Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 26, 2015
Keller, Henderson, Razov among HoF nominees
Sounders sporting director Chris Henderson, assistant coach Ante Razov and former goalkeeper Kasey Keller are among 31 nominees on the ballot for the National Soccer Hall of Fame. This is Keller’s first year of eligibility. Here is the news from U.S. Soccer: Ballots have been finalized for the National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2015 elections, and voting will begin immediately for the Player, Veteran Player and Builder categories. Voting will continue through Friday, March 20, and the election results will be announced shortly after. Induction ceremony details for the Class of 2015 will...
Sounders Insider | Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 26, 2015
Schmid notes players who have had good camp
The Sounders went through a very loose training session this morning in Tucson. It was mostly a regeneration day after their Desert Diamond Cup match Wednesday night. However, the players added on some soccer-tennis and a competition to see who could kick a ball into a distant trash can. The Sounders will train again Friday, then conclude Cup play with a 4 p.m. Saturday match against Sporting Kansas City and then will head home for game-week preparations leading to their MLS opener March 8 against the New England Revolution. With camp winding down, coach Sigi Schmid was asked what players...
Sounders Insider | Tacoma News-Tribune Feb 26, 2015
Schmid discusses first S2 signings
Sounders 2 announced its first two signings today: Gambian midfielder Amadou Sanyang and former Sounders FC Academy midfielder Duncan McCormick. Here’s what first-team coach Sigi Schmid had to say about the signings, and about how much input he has on S2 personnel: We talk all the time. Ezra watches our games, they send us videos of their games and we watch their games as well, so I saw their game against Washington and their intersquads or against the Academy as well. Those were guys we talked about Sangyang is a guy who is obviously familiar with Seattle. He’s been … Read more...
