http://www.nj.com/metrostars/ledger/...?/base/sports-
Soccer: New Jersey stars shooting for Hall
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
BY FRANK GIASE
Star-Ledger Staff
This is going to make a lot of soccer fans in New Jersey feel pretty old.
Tab Ramos, John Harkes and Peter Vermes, who began their legendary careers as New Jersey high school stars, have been retired for three years and are on the National Soccer Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
The three are among 52 players -- 44 men and eight women -- eligible this year. The voting ended yesterday and an announcement of the winners is expected in mid-April.
Though retired, the three are not expecting AARP to call anytime soon. Ramos and Vermes are 38 years old and Harkes turns 38 next week.
Two players who receive a minimum 50 percent of the vote will be elected. A third can get in if he is on 80 percent of the ballots.
Media can vote for a maximum of 10 players. The vote here went to Ramos, Harkes, Vermes, Marcelo Balboa, Bruce Murray and Thomas Dooley.
THE LEGEND KEEPS GROWING
Diego Maradona always had a bit of a gut when he was in his prime, but severe health issues brought on by years of drug abuse have left the 44-year-old Argentine nearly unrecognizable.
Maradona's weight has gotten so out of control that there were rumors his recent trip to Colombia was for drastic weight-reduction surgery, a report he denied.
Still, his road back to health has to begin with his weight problem. And hey, if Anna Nicole Smith can drop a cool 100, you have to believe Maradona can, too.
A DUTCH U-20 DRAW
The draw for the World Youth (Under-20) Championships will be held Sunday in the Netherlands.
Former Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid is the United States' U-20 coach. He also coached the team at the 1999 championships when the United States, led by Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Bocanegra and Taylor Twellman, reached the second round before losing to Spain.
Two years ago, Bobby Convey, Freddy Adu, Ricardo Clark and Eddie Johnson led the Americans to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Argentina in overtime.
MARCH-ING TO PORTUGAL
If it's March, it must be Algarve Cup time.
The U.S. women's national team, under interim coach Greg Ryan, leaves for Portugal today to prepare to defend its title at the 12th annual tournament.
The Americans open Group B play March 9 against France, then play Finland March 11 and Denmark March 13.
A NATIONAL DISASTER?
If you're a fan of the English national team, you can't like what's going on in the Premier League.
The top three teams -- Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United -- have imported so many foreign players that a good number of quality English players have lost their starting jobs.
And when fewer home-based players play, the national team's talent pool takes a big hit.
In Arsenal's case, it can't get any worse than what happened two weeks ago. With English regulars Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell out and several backup English players injured or on loan, coach Arsene Wenger's starting 11 and all five bench players were foreigners.
The breakdown was six Frenchmen, three Spaniards, two Dutchmen and one player each from Cameroon, Germany, the Ivory Coast, Brazil and Switzerland.
According to reports, it was the first time in the history of English soccer that the entire starting 11 and five players on the bench were all foreign.
"I didn't know about that until I was told about it," Wenger said. "I don't look at the passport of people, I look at their quality and their attitude."
Players union leader Gordon Taylor wasn't happy.
"This is a worrying pattern for English football," Taylor said. "Are our stars of the future getting the opportunities they need?"
Considering that England has not won the World Cup since 1966 (when it served as host of the tournament) and has reached the semifinals only once in its last six major tournaments -- the 1996 European Championships (of which it was the host) -- you have to wonder where the future talent will have a chance to develop.
RADIO DAYS
"World Soccer Weekly," the Monday night radio show that has grown in popularity, will become "World Soccer Daily" beginning next Monday.
The program can be heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sirius Satellite Radio as well as a number of Web sites.
WORLD NOTES
Tim Howard was back in the Manchester United starting lineup Saturday and played well in a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth.
The move wasn't unexpected since starter Roy Carroll has given up way too many bad goals lately. The latest came Wednesday in a Champions League quarterfinal against AC Milan at Old Trafford. Carroll failed to hold a hard shot hit right at him and Milan's Hernan Crespo scored on the rebound for a 1-0 victory.
Speaking of AC Milan, after the game, team doctor Armando Gozzini was arrested for allegedly exposing himself to a Manchester United female staff member at a hotel the night before....
Ajax coach Ronald Koeman resigned Friday, a day after the team was eliminated from the UEFA Cup. He had been coach for three years. ... Valencia fired coach Claudio Ranieri after the UEFA Cup ouster by Steaua Bucharest. Valencia, under coach Rafael Benitez, won the UEFA Cup and the Spanish League title last season but is a distant fourth in the league this year since Benitez's departure for Liverpool in the off-season....
U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan did well as a substitute in Bayer Leverkusen's 3-1 Champions League loss to Liverpool. "Donovan brought a lot of speed and aggression into the game, which we all know he's very capable of," Leverkusen coach Klaus Augenthaler said....
AC Milan ended Inter Milan's 25-game unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory Sunday. ... Porto and Benfica played to a 1-1 draw yesterday while Sporting Lisbon beat Estoril, 4-0. The results left Portugal's big three tied at the top of the league with 42 points apiece....
Chelsea gave up a goal in the first minute but rallied to beat Liverpool, 3-2, in overtime Sunday to win the English League Cup. An own goal by Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard tied the match in the 78th minute. Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman scored in OT for Chelsea....
Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate, acquired from Newcastle for $30.3 million last August, has yet to play for the club due to a left thigh injury. Last week, team officials ruled Woodgate out for the rest of the season and his debut may not be until the summer. ... Pierre Littbarski, a member of Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning team who had been coaching in Japan, signed to coach Sydney FC in Australia....
Oldham coach Brian Talbot has left the club by mutual consent. ... Veteran midfielder Eyal Berkovic has left England and returned home to play club ball in Israel. ... El Salvador president Tony Saca announced his plan to start a soccer academy with 200 junior players to help his country become a World Cup qualifying contender again....
Borussia Dortmund, which won the Champions League in 1997 and the Bundesliga title in 2002, reported a $35 million operating loss in the second half of last year. Team officials nearly filed for bankruptcy, but last week they reached an agreement with creditors to stabilize the finances and keep the club in the top flight. But that's only part of the problem. Germany's 36 clubs reported a combined debt of $921 million....
China's Super League has delayed the start of the season by a month as teams seek to replace sponsors who left because of plummeting fan support. ... Spain, which recently won the world futsal (indoor) championship, beat Russia, 2-1, for the European championship.
:
American 'Soccer'
:
Linear Mode
