Steve Crooks Manager - 'the garret'

I have never been a big soccer (futbol) fan, but when Gary called and told me that it looked as though the USA was about to defeat Spain I had to turn on the TV. I only caught the last few minutes but, wow, it was some fantastic last few minutes. What a victory for team USA!

The FIFA Confederations Cup final match between the USA vs. Brazil is scheduled for 11:00 AM our time. I won’t pretend to understand most of the rules, I know we don’t want a red card, or what these game have to do with the 2010 World Cup, but go USA!

Sunday, June 28th
FIFA Confederations Cup championship: 11:00 AM
U.S. vs. Brazil on ESPN 38
KDTV – Univision channel 14 and digital subchannel 66.2

‘the garret’ is the place to watch the match and enjoy some great food.
Great Pizza and Sandwiches
1777 S. Bascom Ave.
Campbell, Ca 95006
408-559-7930

FIFA Laws of the Game

Quick drive-by post: According to a Goal.com article, the San Jose Sharks are geared up to own 10-15 percent of the San Jose Earthquakes. That means both teams will be cross-promoting each other and share the database with fans.

This deal makes total sense to me. After all, hockey is essentially soccer played on a colder field.

FC Gold Pride players Barnhart, Buehler and Hamm

Women’s professional soccer returns to the Bay Area this spring. A return of women’s soccer since the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women’s United Soccer Association.

Los Altos residents Brian and Nancy NeSmith are the owners of the Bay Area’s team in the new Women’s Professional Soccer league.

Suzanne’s post covers the introduction of the team’s name, FC Gold Pride. Some think Golden Pride would be a more appropriate name.

The NeSmith’s believe a fun, family friendly league will be more successful than the WUSA. the league will stress keeping costs down.

Los Altos native Albertin Montoya will be the Pride’s coach and some of the Pride’s players attended Stanford, Santa Clara University, and UC Berkeley.

Montoya, an assistant coach for the Stanford University women’s team and previously an assistant coach at Santa Clara University, began his collegiate playing career (a midfielder) at North Carolina State and was an Atlantic Coast Conference First Team selection in 1994. He later transferred to Santa Clara and received player of the year awards with the Broncos.

Players from local universities include Nicole “Barnie” Barnhart (goalkeeper), Rachel Buehler (defender), Tracy Hamm (defender), and Leslie “Ozzy” Osborne (midfielder). Ms. Barnhart and Ms. Buehler are 2008 Olympic gold medalist.

The Pride will play their home games beginning April 2009 at 10,300-seat Buck Shaw Stadium. The other teams in the league’s inaugural season are Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Chicago, Boston, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. With Dallas, Atlanta and Philadelphia scheduled to join the league in 2010.

The name, the colors and the logo of the new Bay Area Women’s Professional Soccer team has been unleashed this afternoon. And once again, neither the Merc’s nor the Chron’s coverage was as good as Center Line Soccer’s (or as funny as Melissa at The Offsides).

Quick rundown: The name FC Gold Pride comes from a swirl of influences. FC (short for Football Club) is common throughout Europe, Gold is a reference to California’s Golden State and the gold at the Olympics, and Pride is both a group of lions and that odd feeling in your heart that swells when you win something. The team’s owners are hoping more for the latter to be present at the games.

The team won’t play until the beginning of April, but they will for sure be sharing Buck Shaw Stadium at Santa Clara University.

And a truckload of audio interviews from people like Brandi Chastain, head coach Albertin Montoya, the owners and players like Nicole Barnhart, Rachel Buehler, and Tracy Hamm, are all here.