Rossi could have been the star of the USMNT.
“Much to the disappointment of U.S. fans, New Jersey-born soccer stud Giuseppe Rossi will be wearing the Italian colors this summer in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Looking at Rossi’s childhood and achievements so far, ESPN The Magazine writer Jeff Bradley tells the story of how the soccer phenom became a member of the Azzurri in “The One Who Got Away” in the new issue on newsstands today.”
Dan Gaspar, a member of the Portugal National Team coaching staff, will be providing exclusive content for International Soccer Network. Gaspar will provide an insider’s perspective into the World Cup in South Africa. Gaspar is one of the premier coaching talents in the United States. He possesses four coaching licenses and is a Hall of Fame Inductee for the Connecticut State Soccer Association, University of Hartford (CT), and New England Soccer Coaches. Currently, he serves as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach for the
Top-flight soccer in Cleveland has had some bad luck as of late. First, news of the collapse of the City Stars became public. Then we heard no mention of a Cleveland franchise in the new USSF Division 2 league. Now we hear the worst news of all: Cleveland is no longer being considered as a host city for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup bid. We are not alone in our sorrow as Chicago, the home of U.S. Soccer and President
Tuesday’s Outside the Lines (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) will feature a live report from Jeremy Schaap in Cape Town, a match-fixing discussion, and Landon Donovan live in the studio. Sunday’s telecast of La Liga’s Clasico live on ESPN Deportes was the highest-rated and most-watched European soccer telecast in Spanishlanguage cable television history.
The U.S. has qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup thanks to a 3-2 victory over Honduras on Saturday. The coming months will be full of exciting moments and lots of decisions for Bob Bradley. It will be interesting to see who is named to the final World Cup roster. Bradley has looked at a lot of players since his hiring and there will be plenty of talent to go around. It was a busy night as we added pieces to the World
Congratulations to Frankie Hejduk of the Columbus Crew, who was named to the U.S. roster for the qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica. Hejduk is the heart and soul of the Crew and can provide a similar presence for the National Team. Frankie will provide veteran experience to a squad that is a few small steps from qualification for the 2010 World Cup.
The Mexican soccer federation announced that it would no longer be pursuing the opportunity to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup. The lack of resources and a challenging global economy were key factors in the decision.
ESPN continues to expand its coverage of international soccer. The coming days will show us a whopping 14 live matches, including the debut of Spain’s La Liga. The first weekend of La Liga will be covered by multiple platforms in the ESPN family of programs, including ESPN, ESPN360.com, and ESPN Deportes. Spain’s top division includes some of the world’s biggest stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Rafael Marquez, and Sergio Aguerro. ESPN’s coverage doesn’t stop there. La Liga coverage is joined by the Barclays Premier
The U.S. Men’s National Team will face Haiti Saturday to determine first place in Group B. The U.S. can win the group with either a victory or a tie. The game will be televised lived on Fox Soccer Channel, Telefutura, and the Futbol de Primera Radio Network. The U.S. squad will have a homefield advantage as the game will take place at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The MNT will be without Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber, who left the team to begin