As reported by Center Line Soccer, a mere two months after winning the championship of the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league, San Jose’s FC Gold Pride will cease operations for financial reasons. The team’s private owners had sought a buyer for the club, but were unable to find anyone willing to support likely million-dollar-per-year losses. The team apparently lost about $5 million in the two years it played. The WPS is expected to announce the league will continue in the 2011 season, despite the loss of its top team.

Keep an eye on Center Line Soccer for further details about the fate of the team and its players.

From the better late than never file, here’s a few photos from the World Cup championship game showing downtown on Sunday. A pretty impressive crowd filled South First Street, just south of San Carlos, where the Jumbotron was set up:

The Dutch fans were the champions, at least in the Funny Hats competition:

But it was Spain’s fans who got to cheer in the 116th minute:

Final score, Netherlands 0, Spain 1, and Spain will be world champions for the next four years.

A small but friendly crowd for World Cup action at O'Flaherty's.

The USA is out of the World Cup competition, but today’s games bring us down to the semi-finals. The games to be played over the next two week-ends will be among the most-watched sporting events in the world for the next four years, and probably some of the most skilled soccer that’s going to be on American TV screens too.

Not having cable (or even ABC broadcast) TV at home, I’ve been watching the games at a variety of places around town. One combination that’s worked well, especially for late morning games, is to head for Japantown and watch the first half of a game at Roy’s Station with a cup of coffee, then head down the street to the Hukilau restaurant to get a beer and a burger for the second half. Neither place was over-crowded, but Roy’s probably had more people getting into the game. When USA made a last minute goal to defeat Algeria and make it through to the second round, the Roy’s Station crowd were all part of the game.

Also in Japantown, Jack’s Bar on Taylor Street had the most intense crowd I’ve seen, at least when USA was in a game. Fans wore red, white, and blue, and broke into spontaneous song during one match when I dropped in. There were so many fans packed in to the tiny place that reaching the bar to get a drink seemed like an impossibility, though, so I moved on to Roy’s and enjoyed an iced mocha instead of a beer with that day’s match.

For today’s Spain-Paraguay matchup, I headed downtown and found myself at O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub in San Pedro Square. Again the crowd wasn’t huge, but they were all watching the game, and the brick and dark paneling old world pub atmosphere made for a cozy viewing experience. If I’d wanted to watch with a bigger crowd, I probably would have gone around the corner to The Brit.

Remaining matches:

• Uruguay faces Netherlands, July 6 at 11:30 am.
• Germany vs. Spain, July 7, 11:30 am.
• Consolation match, July 10, 11:30 am.
• Final match, for the world championship, July 11, 11:30 am

Leave us a comment and let us know where’s the best place in town to see these games.

Were you like me this week, too lazy to go to the gym? Or maybe you’re already dreaming of Father’s Day BBQ’s? Well tonight you have the chance to ride with the rest of the city (projected attendance is between 3500 and 5000 cyclists) and get some good exercise.

San Jose Bike Party takes to the streets every third friday of the month, with a different theme every time. This month is all about The World Cup, so come out sportin’ your team spirit, be it in jerseys, face paint or waving your flag on a 26+ mile victory lap around San Jose. SJBP and SJMB likes to remind you to ride safe (helmets, lights, stop at traffic lights) and ride fun (‘bike party!’). You never know who you’ll be riding next to, somebody you’ve never met before or your best friend from high school. Come out with families and get together with friends! And you don’t have to worry about going hungry, there will be vendors at the pit stops and of course, before the ride starts. Just make sure you recycle and throw away your waste!

The excitement started a bit ago at 6pm, downtown at Shorty Fatz for an open house, followed by the first ever Hooligan Havoc Fixed Gear Trick Comp.

You still have time to make it to the ride ’cause the wheels don’t hit the street until 8pm!

San Jose Bike Party – World Cup Ride

The ride starts at 401 E.Taylor Street and ends at the fountain at SJSU, but you can always break off with your own groups. Like it on Facebook and let everybody know what’s up!

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.