Courier Journal

I ran across a really cool article today from the Louisville Courier Journal about Waggener High School Team. Great story, you should check it out.

High School Soccer Playoffs

With the knockout stage beginning this week, there is a bunch on the line. You can follow your teams progress by visiting the KHSAA site.

Also, I've seen a bunch of online video and audio coverage this fall, which is great for all of these players and teams. If your team is lucky enough to receive that coverage, congrats. I would anticpate that that the State Tournament will be covered, just a hunch.

UK Womens Game to Televised

The following information came across my email this morning. Sounds like great exposure for womens soccer here in Kentucky.

Kentucky fans will get an opportunity to see the UK women’s soccer team a little more this season as two of the Wildcats’ regular season matches have been picked up for television broadcast.

Originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 12, Kentucky’s match at perennial power West Virginia has been rescheduled for Thursday, Sept. 11 at 8:00 p.m. as part of the Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) and National Soccer Coaches Association of America College Soccer Game of the Week.

In addition, UK’s October 5 match-up against Florida, in Lexington, will be televised by Fox Sports Net (FSN). That match is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. (ET) start.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to give our fans across the nation a chance to watch UK soccer,” said head coach Warren Lipka. “And what better matches than West Virginia and Florida, two of the premier teams in the country, to showcase.”

The Wildcats, will resume pre-season workouts in preparation for their home and season opener on Thursday, Aug. 28 against the eighth ranked Texas Longhorns.

Javanon vs Lower Merion

Lower Merion scored early on in the second minute to take an early meeting. Will Vitalis equalized in the 26th minute to tie the game at 1-1.

The game just went to halftime. Hopefully the boys can come through in the second half to get their first win.

Brycen Howard puts Javanon ahead in the 71st minute. Weather is overcast today, and most likely the coolest day of the tournament. That saying a bunch since the current temperature is 95.

The game just went final. Javanon 2, Lower Merion 1. Reports say an outstanding effort was made today by Johnny Cantrell, who stepped between the pipes today in place of Taylor Hafling's, who was red carded yesterday.

Well done guys, you represented Kentucky well.

National Championships

Even though Javanon has not fared too well so far, just getting to the National Championships is a great feet. To get a full recap of the yesterday's mornings play, go here. To get more info on the evening matches, go here. Of course, if you visit this site, there is tons of information, videos, blogs, etc.

2nd Day in Little Rock

Javanon drew the early time slot this morning, but didn't get off to the start they had hoped for. YMS Xplosion from Eastern Pennsylvania got on the board early with a goal in the 18th minute. Still plenty of time left.

Report from Little Rock is the YMS scored on an own goal.

Game is at halftime and compared to yesterday, the weather is much cooler. YMS Explosion 1, Javanon 0. 40 minutes to go.

No goals in the second half, so Javanon loses 1-0. Unfortunately, more bad news, Taylor Hafling received a red card in the final minutes, so he will miss tommorrow's game.

Tommorrow's game is at 11:30 am against Lower Merion from Eastern Penn. Hopefully they can go out on a high note.

First Round of Play Complete

Scores, stats, video and more at official web site http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org

Register as a Championships Insider to receive daily updates from the championships

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (July 23, 2008) - Games kicked off early this morning for the 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships at Burns Park Soccer Complex, in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Excitement filled the air as teams made their first push of the week towards a national title. Play started off with nerves and a lot of energy. Over 1,000 players will step on to the fields today and see if they have what it takes to be a national champion.

Tab Ramos, one of the most decorated players in U.S. soccer history, made his debut at the national championships as the head coach of the Under-14 Boys NJSA Gunners (NJ). Gunners took on Grand Rapids Crew Juniors (MI) where the New Jersey boys were successful 2:1.

There are four defending US Youth Soccer National Champions here this week. Among them, is Andromeda 90 (NTX) Under-18 Boys. This year adds an interesting dynamic to their strategy, since they are now defending a title rather than fighting for their first.

Team captain Anthony Gerhart said, “It’s just another game. We say we’re at nationals and we came this far, but when the whistle blows, it’s just a normal game like any other. We know that they know a little bit about us, but we come out thinking they are better than us, and we play like that.”

In their first game of the tournament, they faced Shattuck-St. Mary’s (MN). Shattuck started out with two goals early in the game, but there was still time for Andromeda to make their presence known after Shattuck’s second goal in the 47th minute by Samuel Asante.

Zachary Funk started the Andromeda come back with a goal in the 53rd minute. Down 2:1, Andromeda stayed in the game with strong defensive and offensive measures, but relief didn’t come until the 92nd minute.

“I knew that we needed it and I set up at the box when the corner kick was put in and I had a feeling it was coming to me. When it came my way, I just drove through it. I was sitting on the bench before I came in thinking, ‘I want to be the hero and save us.’ So, it was exciting to make the goal,” said Eric Frazier who scored the game-tying goal. “This year it’s a little bit different. I think the pressure is on because we’re the defending champs and we have that target on our back and everybody wants to come out and beat us.”

The second defending champion, Under-15 Boys Baltimore Casa Mia Bays (MD), not only won the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships but also qualified for nationals by placing as the top team from the inaugural US Youth Soccer National League. The new league sends two teams to nationals in the Under-15 and Under-16 age groups. Today they went up against the Boston Blast (MA) in a repeat of the 2008 US Youth Soccer Region I Championships and again came out on top (5:0). For the Bays, experience has proven itself.

The two defending girls champions weren’t as successful in their first day result. The Under-19 Girls Force Football Club (MI) faced off against the Slammers FC (CA-S) in a repeat of last year’s national championship final. The Slammers were determined to make up for last year’s loss and won today 3:2.

It was déjà vu for the Under-16 Girls So Cal Blues as they also relived their 2007 national championship final against the PDA Fire (NJ). The target on So Cal Blues was visible as Mary Gibson Wagner scored early (9:00) to put PDA on the board and the defense held with the keeper making eight saves.

Play resumes tonight at 7 p.m. Updated game results, stories and video are available throughout the day at http://Championships.USYouthSoccer.org. Teams are seeking a positive result through the round robin play which concludes on Friday. Teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss. The top two teams will advance to play for the national championship over the weekend.

On Saturday, August 9, The US Youth Soccer National Championships Highlight Show, presented by adidas, will air on the Fox Soccer Channel, US Youth Soccer's official television partner, at 1 p.m. ET. The two-hour show will highlight the national championships providing feature stories, interviews, game highlights and much, much more.

For complete statistic, please go to http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org.

Javanon vs Real So Cal

We will provide scoring udpates as we get them from Little Rock.

Javanon goes up 1-0 in the 24th minute. Goal by Tyler Riggs.

Javnon scores another in the 35th minute. Goal by Goblirsch.

Game is at halftime with Javanon up 2-0. Report from Little Rock is the weather is hot and humid.

Real So Cal scored in the 43 minute. Javanon still leads 2-1.

Real So Cal equalizes in the 54 minute. Game now tied at 2-2.

Real So Cal scores two quick ones and now leads 4-2 with just minutes remaining in the game.

Game just went final. Real So Cal 4, Javanon 2. The reports is that the weather was a big impact in the second half. Javanon will look to rebound tommorrow morning at 7:30.

Player Luncheon Kicks Off 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships

The 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championships officially began today with the 56 teams competing for national crowns, in Under-14 through Under-19 age categories, gathering for the Player Luncheon held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Over 1,200 players, coaches, referees, officials and administrators shared the afternoon honoring each other's accomplishments and commitment to soccer.

US Youth Soccer President Larry Monaco said, ""There were over 10,000 teams that began the journey in the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series and today we have the final 56 here representing the best teams in the country. We are looking forward to a great championship and crowning the national champions.""

""It is impossible to overstate the value of a tournament like this to our community. For one, the economic impact and two, in terms of its marketing impact," said Daniel O'Byrne, CEO of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. ""There are players and families from all of the country. We are really honored by their presence and the commitment they put in. We hope to reflect well on the values they bring to our community; we are going to be better off for their being here this week.""

The highlight of the afternoon for the players was the 2008 US Youth Soccer Regional Championship final highlight video. As the intro music began the players began clapping and bobbing their heads to the sights and sounds. Seeing their past successes during the second leg of the Series spurs them forward to beat the heat and humidity and emerge as the national champions this coming weekend.

Another highlight of the week is U.S. National Team standout Brian Ching. Ching will be at the Fox Soccer Channel booth at Burns Park Soccer Complex tomorrow from noon until 1 p.m. signing autographs. Ching plays for the Houston Dynamos, who are two-time MLS Cup champions.

The 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, providing over 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 state associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play.

The US Youth Soccer National Championship trophies were paraded into the banquet hall by honored referees. The players were able to take pictures in front of the displayed trophies during the luncheon, but only a select 12 teams will be able to raise their trophy in victory after this weekend's finals. These 12 trophies hold a rich history of great soccer and will again be on display for the championship finals over the weekend.

Annually the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation's top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. In 2008, over 600 coaches attended the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships including the majority of the top 25 men's and women's programs based on the final 2008 NSCAA/adidas National Rankings for NCAA Division I schools.

On Saturday, August 9 at 1 p.m. Eastern, The US Youth Soccer National Championships Highlight Show, Presented by adidas, will air on the Fox Soccer Channel, US Youth Soccer's official television partner. The show will highlight the national championships providing feature stories, interviews, game highlights and more.

For more information please visit http://Championship.USYouthSoccer.org.

National Championships

The National Championships are finally here, and from everything that I've read and heard, the boys are ready to go. We are going to do our best to keep everyone updated on the coming and goings in Little Rock. The early reports in the weather is downright miserable, but its not like it exaclty been cold here in Kentucky. Check out the long range forecst here.

For an inside look from the official team blog, you can go here. Between the two of us, you should get a good picture of what going on in Little Rock.

To get the whole lowdown on the their upcoming game schedule, US Youth Soccer's got it taken care of.

Olympic Team

This afternoon, the United States announced its Olympic Squad. Check it out.

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Chris Seitz (RSL).

DEFENDERS: Michael Parkhurst (New England), Patrick Ianni (Houston), Marvell Wynne (Toronto), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Nathan Sturgis (RSL).

MIDFIELDERS: Maurice Edu (Toronto), Stuart Holden (Houston), Freddy Adu (Benfica), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen), Danny Szetela (Brescia), Benny Feilhaber (Derby).

FORWARDS: Brian McBride (No Contract), Charlie Davies (Hammarby), Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Robbie Rogers (Columbus).

Women's Professional Soccer

It seems like the return of professional womens soccer is on its way. See press release below with more information on the announcement of rosters.

SAN FRANCISCO (July 8, 2008) –Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) announced today the details of its player selection process leading into the kickoff of its inaugural season in April 2009. WPS teams will build their rosters through an allocation of U.S. Women’s National Team stars, a draft of international players, combines, additional League drafts and local team tryouts.

WPS will begin securing domestic talent with the post-Olympics allocation of the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) and U.S. WNT Player Pool in mid-September, to be immediately followed with a draft of the top international players. In October, WPS will conduct a general draft for both domestic and international players, followed by east and west coast combines in December and a post-combine draft in January. WPS Teams for the inaugural 2009 season – Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. – will then complete their rosters via local tryouts.

“The player allocation and draft process has been the top priority for the League office and Team owners since first announcing the League’s formation last September,” said Tonya Antonucci, WPS Commissioner. “WPS will be the ultimate showcase for the world’s best female soccer talent and, for those athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics, the next stage in their careers. As a North American league, our first priority is the U.S. Women’s National Team players, whose skills will be complemented by the world’s top players, as well as the domestic players who have the talent and dedication required of professional athletes.”

“This is an exciting time for the National Team players as the Olympics are right around the corner and then a few weeks after we come home from Beijing we’ll be allocated to WPS teams,” said U.S. National Team star Abby Wambach. “I’m eager to learn which team I’ll be playing for and to connect with the fans in that market.”
“From a team roster perspective, we are being very thorough in the player scouting and draft process,” said Jeff Cooper, chairman of the St. Louis WPS franchise. “The end-goal is to create a cohesive team ripe with talent and personality, and poised to win, of course.”

On a local level, teams are already rallying community support around their soon-to-be players, thanks to a Marketing Services Agreement (MSA) with the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA). The MSA allows members of the U.S. WNT / U.S. WNT Player Pool to appear at community events and media functions, as well as participate in photo and video shoots on behalf of the League and teams now through next February. The power of this agreement was on display last month in Portland, Maine, when U.S. WNT forward Abby Wambach was the guest of WPS at the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships Opening Ceremony. There she reminded the tournament’s more than 5,000 participants that anything – including playing professional soccer – is possible with determination and hard work. Multiple WPS-related appearances – including charity/community events, media functions, and promotional clinics – by members of the U.S. WNT are slated for later this year and early next and will be announced by the League and individual teams as details are confirmed.

“All of the WPS markets have a rich soccer tradition, and WPS will be unique because our players will be some of the most fan-accessible professional athletes in the country,” said Thomas Hofstetter, CEO of Sky Blue Soccer (New Jersey/New York WPS). “That’s important to our fans, who will be cheering the players from the stands and avidly following them off the field, as well.”

U.S. Olympic Women's Soccer Team

Looks like US Soccer has named its Olympic squad for the upcoming tournament in Beijing. To check out the full release, go here.

GOALKEEPERS: Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.), Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.).

DEFENDERS: Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.), Stephanie Cox (Elk Grove, Calif.), Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio), Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.).

MIDFIELDERS: Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Angela Hucles (Virginia Beach, Va.), Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.), Heather O'Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.), Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.), Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.).

FORWARDS: Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii), Amy Rodriguez (Lake Forest, Calif.), Abby Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.).

Alternates: Scurry, defender Ali Krieger, midfielder Kacey White and forward Lauren Cheney.

UK Soccer: Two TV Games Announced

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For the first time in school-history, the Kentucky men’s soccer team will have two of its 2008 games televised, including road contests at SMU and at the University of California at Santa Barbara, UK Head Coach Ian Collins announced Tuesday.
As part of a two-game California road trip, Kentucky will face UC-Santa Barbara on the Fox Soccer Channel, marking its first ever appearance on FSC. The game with UCSB will be on Friday September 5 in Santa Barbara, Calif., with a 11 p.m. ET start time.

Kentucky will then face SMU in its final road game of the season, on Sunday, November 2 in Dallas. The game will be televised on CBS College Sports - formerly known as CSTV - the third consecutive year the Wildcats and the Mustangs have tangled on CSTV. Two years ago SMU defeated UK 2-0 in the C-USA Tournament final and last year, SMU entered the UK game ranked No. 1, before Kentucky posted a 2-1 come-from-behind win at the UK Soccer Complex.

“We are very excited to have two games on television in 2008,” Collins said. “This will mark our first ever appearance on the Fox Soccer Channel. We are looking forward to competing with UC-Santa Barbara and SMU in two great College Soccer environments.”

Adrian Talks Tryouts

No matter how you conduct your soccer try-outs somebody will find a flaw, somebody will be unhappy, even if you opt to keep every player that attends the try-outs. The reason being is that it comes down to opinions and the inability to please everyone.

You can ask the parents or the players what their definition is of a good effective coach and again you will get many different opinions. So trying to educate people to understand the different shades or gray can sometimes be a difficult task. Are you all about winning or does player development play a huge role in your way of thinking?

Clubs and organizations can make their lives easier by portraying their expectations from day one and sticking to it. Gagging fine balance of developing players and swinging the axe to cut players from teams is something that needs to be measured depending on what the club wants to achieve. However if they are to be successful both need to take place.

The approach of keeping as many players at the youngest age group in an academy format seems to be a good avenue to take. However it is probably important to learn from the mistakes which in my opinion are being made be the European clubs. Instead of naming the few elite, you should try to keep all the players involved with the program. We may not be able to find a perfect answer for the definition of a coach but one of the roles and responsibilities is to develop and educate the players.

The mistake that is being made by many of the professional clubs in Europe is that they take the elite few for the younger age groups, but many of them fail to go on and make the grade at the top level. So the process of keeping a bigger pool so that you can develop and mold more players in to the clubs style can take place. This would not mean naming players in to first, second and third teams but to keep players training and playing together so that the club can develop more savvy soccer players.

Eventually the process of cutting and naming of A and B teams has to occur, because clubs have to start separating the elite, not for purposing of winning games but simply because the same caliber of players have to train and play against each other. However there should always be the opportunity for movement to take place between the two levels.

Of course this can cause problems if the process is not clear from the begging to those who are being selected. To keep yourself from the emotional turmoil that parents and players can drag you through during this process, you can keep it clean and simple if you follow some the guidelines below.

1. Put your philosophy across early and stick to it, therefore if you cut players say you are going to and why.
2. Collect as much data on the players during the try-outs and keep the players continuously involved.
3. Have neutral coaches come in and assist you.
4. If the club is going to form a second team, explain that movement can take place in between the teams from season to season. Club directors of coaching should encourage as much communication between the coaches of the two teams.
5. When posting or naming the teams inform the players and parents that if they have not been selected and would like some feedback, that it is the players responsibility to contact you. We recently did this with the Kentucky Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Program and received zero phone calls from parents but several from players showing their true maturity request information on how they can improve.
6. Stick to your decisions but be fair.

There is no perfect answer to what can be volatile situation but if you remain strong to your ideas and keep avenues and lines of communication open you will gain respect from the people that really matter, the players.

Women’s Soccer Releases 2008 Schedule

The Kentucky women’s soccer team has announced its 2008 schedule which includes matches against perennial powers Duke, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.

The Wildcats open the season on Thursday, August 28 when they host the Texas Longhorns. Texas finished the 2007 season ranked 11th (Soccerbuzz) in the country and is an annual contender for the NCAA Championship.

Additionally, UK will participate in the Nike/Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill where they will battle 25th ranked Duke and sixth ranked North Carolina.

Following the trip to Chapel Hill, Kentucky then travels to Morgantown, W.Va. to take on seventh ranked West Virginia.

In addition to the season opening match against Texas, the Wildcats will host eight home contests including six conference schools, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

UK will also host non-conference matches against Oakland and Cleveland State.

For the sixth straight season, the SEC will hold its postseason tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama. The Wildcats will look to become the only school in conference history to make an appearance in all 15 conference tournaments.

Teen hopes to play soccer in Paralympics

For those of you in Lexington, you may have heard the story of Alex Dornbusch, who in 2004 was injured riding his bike. Well, he's recovering nicely and still has dreams of competiting on the soccer field at the highest level.

Check out this story as he tries to fulfill his dreams.

UK MEN'S SOCCER LEADS C-USA IN ATTENDANCE

For all you Wildcats fans, the information below just rolled across my desk.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -For the second time in its three years as a member, the Kentucky men’s soccer team has paced Conference USA in attendance, averaging 888 fans per game in 2007.

The UK men’s soccer team, a member of C-USA for just three years, has led the league in attendance for two of its three years. In 2005, its first year as a member, the Wildcats totaled 969 fans per game with nine home games. In 2006, UK ranked third to South Carolina (1,156) and UAB (954), with an average of 742. UK’s 888 average in 2007, leads the league, with UAB ranking second with an average of 747 fans per game.

“We have great fans,” Kentucky head coach Ian Collins said. “Our students always turn out in force and throughout the State people have always been behind us. In one of the top conferences in college soccer it is imperative that we have excellent fan support, and the attendance numbers over the past three years backs that up. For us to lead the league for the second time in just our third year in C-USA, speaks volumes about the program and the type of fans we have throughout Big Blue Nation. We have a great home schedule in 2008 including South Carolina, Michigan, Memphis and FIU and the players and coaches are looking forward to giving all of the fans something to be excited about in 2008.”

Kentucky capped of its 2007 season with a 5-3 conference record, including the first win over a No. 1-ranked team in program history, a thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 win over SMU. UK returns several key cogs of that team in 2008, including C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Barry Rice, goalkeeper Dan Williams, as well as midfielders Masumi Turnbull, Jason Griffiths and strikers Tim Crone and C.J. Tappel. This along with some outstanding newcomers should give UK a platform for success in 2008.

EKU Women's Soccer Schedule

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer schedule for 2008 is highlighted by non-conference dates at Fresno State and San Francisco, along with in-state rival Western Kentucky visiting EKU Soccer Field for the first time in the series’ history.

“By diversifying our schedule, we’re going to see a lot of different teams and a lot of different styles,” head coach Lindsay Basalyga said. “And I think that will prepare us well for a very competitive conference slate this season.”

The soccer Colonels will host Western Kentucky on August 24, their first regular season match of the year. A week later, they will travel to play Tennessee-Chattanooga before flying to California for early-September matchups with the Fresno State Bulldogs and the San Francisco Dons.

Click here to check out the rest.

Derby Cup

Thoroughbreds Soccer Club got some great press in the Louisville Courier Journal this morning. Check out what they had to say.

Free Kicks

As part of Adrian's coaches newsletter, the video above will take you through some of the best free kicks around. All we can say is WOW. Enjoy.

Field of Dreams

We've talked before about what the city of Elizabethtown is planning. It would be great for the players of Kentucky to get another great place to play and train. Looks like there might be some adjustments to the orginial plan. Check out what is being said.

5 Cuban Players Missing

Five members of the Cuban Under-23 national soccer team left their hotel Tuesday night and and then Wednesday night two more players left the team, raising the possibility they all may be trying to defect.

The initial players were discovered to have left the team hotel hours after earning a 1-1 draw with the United States in the Pre-Olympic tournament.

I guess this is not a suprising story knowing the political background in Cuba.

To check out ESPN story, jump here.

US Youth Soccer ODP

Over the weekend, US Youth Soccer hosted the ODP National Championship in Frisco, Texas. Other than a small delay due to Snow in Texas, everything went really well. Unfortunately, Kentucky did not send a team this year, but there is always hope in 2009. To check out the stories, pictures, and more, please click here.

US Soccer Blog's

Wanted to share a few links this morning to a few blogs out there you might be interested in checking out if you have time. All of theses are postings from ussoccer.com and have great inside information on the three national teams (Men's, Women's, and Youth). Check them out.

Men's National Team
Women's National Team
Youth National Team

U-23 National Team

U.S. U-23 men's national team coach Peter Nowak named the 20-player roster for 2008 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying. The U.S. faces Cuba first on March 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

"We have seen many strong players over the past few months, and had some difficult decisions to make," said Nowak. "We feel that the group of players that will compete in the qualifying tournament represent the team that gives us the best chance of going through a difficult stretch of games to advance to the Olympic Games in Beijing."

After playing Cuba, the U.S. will face Panama on March 13 at 8 p.m. ET and then finish Group A play against Honduras on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET. All three U.S. matches will be the second match of three doubleheaders played at Raymond James Stadium and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN Deportes.

Group B features Canada, Guatemala, Haiti and Mexico facing off at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The top two teams from Group A and B will move on to the semifinals on March 20 in Nashville, Tenn., where the winners will earn berths to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Georgetown College Hires Coach

Derek Willis accepted the Men's Soccer Coach at Georgetown College. Derek has been working as the Central Hardin High School boys head coach for the last five years. In addition to working at Central Hardin, Derek also worked with Javanon and is the assistant coach for the 1993 Boys ODP team.

To read more about this, check out the Elizabethtown News-Enterprise story.

Player of the Year Signs with Western Kentucky

2007 Eurosport Player of the Year, Kaylyn Pratt signed a letter of intent with Western Kentucky last week. You can read the rest of the article from the Richmond Register.

Congratulations Kaylyn.

WKU Discontinues Soccer

Some bad news came down the pipe on Friday when Western Kentucky decided to discontinue its mens soccer program, effective immeditately. Check on the official release here. 15 returning players, and 6 recruits will now have to decide whether to transfer or give up the game they came to love. Good luck to those players and we all wish that decisions like this could be avoided.

New Mens National Team Jersey's

Well, well, well, looks like Nike and Federation have come out with the newest national team kit. My first thought have it looking like a t-shirt or polo that I would buy at Old Navy. BUT...its a clean and cool look. I'll be interested to see what the away uniform looks like.

If your interested in buying, go here.

Javanon finally gets a home

Derek Poore of the Lousiville Courier Journal talks about Javanon's new home. Congrats to Javanon.