Galaxy Can’t Hold Lead

Pasadena City College product Yura Movsisyan getting an assist in his Real Salt Lake debut against the Galaxy Wednesday, UEFA Champions League results and news of drama at Chelsea is here.

Torrance’s World Cup Fern

Torrance’s Simone Carmicheal (Ferrara), who overcame an Achilles tendon rupture to make New Zealand’s squad, played the last eight minutes of the Ferns’ World Cup-ending 2-0 loss to China this morning.

I’ll have a preview on Friday of the U.S. Women’s quarterfinal Saturday against England including a pre-game analysis from one of the top women’s soccer coaches in the world, Ajax America’s Brian Boswell.

School Is In

College beat writer Chris Jackson riffs on the prospects for local college programs including LMU and Cal State Dominguez Hills here.

The LMU women look to extend their two-game winning streak with a pair of matches this week. First, LMU seeks revenge for last year’s NCAA first round loss against Cal State Fullerton at 7 o’clock tonight at Titan Stadium. Sullivan Field is the site for the first match of a five-game home stand against Fresno State at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The CSUDH men ran their win streak to seven Wednesday beating UC San Diego 3-0 at Toro Stadium. The Toros (7-1, 5-0 CCAA) continue their homestand Friday with a 4:30 p.m,. game against cross-town rival and Far West Finalist Cal State L.A.

Freshman keeper Alyssa Congdon (South Torrance High) tallied 10 saves the as the Cal State Dominguez Hills women drew 0-0 with UC San Diego in double overtime Wednesday at Toro Stadium. CSUDH plays at 7p.m. Friday against Cal State L.A.

The sixth-ranked UCLA women’s soccer team (3-1-1) has a pair of matches this week, traveling to Pepperdine (1-4-1) for a 3 p.m. Friday game and hosting Hawaii (5-0-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday. UCLA boasts a 10-match winning streak over Pepperdine.

Long Beach State (4-3-0) participate in the Oklahoma Sooner Classic this weekend playing Middle Tennessee (3-2-1) Friday and North Texas (6-0-0) on Sunday.

U.S. Head to 2010 World Cup Hosts in November

The U.S. Soccer press release:

The U.S. Mens National Team will make their first-ever trip to South Africa when they take on the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts on Nov. 17 in Johannesburg as part of the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup. Kick off at Ellis Park Stadium, which will host one World Cup semifinal match in 2010, is set for 7 a.m. PT, with the television schedule yet to be determined. Fans can follow the match live on ussoccer.coms MatchTracker.

The Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup, an annual one-off event typically hosted in South Africa, began in 1994 and has seen South Africa face opponents like Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Nigeria and a host of others.

It is a great honor to be invited to participate in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup, said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. South Africa has always had a talented team, and the match represents an excellent opportunity for our players to travel and play in South Africa.

The United States will make a rare trip to Africa, playing on the continent for just the third time in their long history. Their last visit came eight years to the day before the November match, a 1-2 loss to Morocco on Nov. 17, 1999 in Marrakech. The only other trip to Africa was also against Morocco in 1992, when the U.S. suffered a 3-1 loss in Casablanca. As the 2007 Gold Cup Champions, the U.S. will represent CONCACAF in the 2009 Confederations Cup to be held in South Africa one year prior the World Cup.

In the only prior meeting between the two sides, the U.S. beat South Africa, 4-0, on June 3, 2000, in Washington, D.C. Cobi Jones tallied twice that day, with Earnie Stewart and Claudio Reyna rounding out the scoring as Kasey Keller earned the shutout.

Under the leadership of Bradley, the United States has posted an impressive 10-5-1 record in 2007. Bradley, who took the reigns in December of 2006, became the first coach in U.S. history to record victories in his first three games with wins against Denmark, Mexico and Ecuador. Leading the charge on the field has been two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Landon Donovan, who has already amassed nine goals in 12 games played this year. With his strike in the Gold Cup final, the 25-year-old moved into a tie for first place on the USAs all-time leading goal-scoring chart with 34 goals.

Eight days after the Nov. 17 match, South Africa will host the Preliminary Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The event, held in Durban, will determine the qualifying schedule for 156 countries spanning five confederations. The South American qualifying competition begins Oct. 13 with all ten teams in action.

Updated 2 p.m.

China out, Carlos Ruiz in against Mexico in LA?

Soccer United Marketing announced today that Guatemala will replace China as Mexico’s fifth and final opponent of the year on U.S. soil Oct. 17 at the Coliseum. No reason was given for the switch.

Tickets, starting at $25, go on sale Friday.

The (edited) press release:

The game will mark the Los Angeles debut of Hugo Snchez as head coach of el Tri, closing out Mexicos 2007 U.S. Tour.

Three of the four matches so far have been played in front of sold-out crowds across the country, from San Diego to Oakland to Boston.

The last time the Mexican National Team played in Southern California was May 2006, when Mexico defeated Venezuela in front of more than 50,000 fans at Pasadenas Rose Bowl. Guatemala drew large crowds in Los Angeles during the recent 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup including a sold-out match day at the Home Depot Center when the Central American national faced its rival El Salvador on June 9th.

The match in Los ngeles will be the first meeting between both sides since 2006 World Cup qualifying when Mxico beat Guatemala in San Lus Potos, Mxico 5-2 on October 8, 2005. In its history, Mexico has a record of 17-3-6 against the Central American country.

Futbol Fiesta, a pre-game fan interactive zone that spans more than 100,000 square feet at every game that includes live music and thousands of promotional items, will be part of the event.

Youth Is Served in Carson

From U.S. Soccer:

“The U.S. Under-14 and Under-15 Girls National Teams are participating in the second annual Womens Nike Friendlies, which began Wednesday evening and run through Sunday at Home Depot Center.

The Under-14 squad, all born in 1993, will match up against the top Under-16 club teams from all over the country, while the Under-15 team will be pitted against the nations best Under-17 clubs.

Under-15 head coach Tad Bobak named a 23-player roster for the friendlies last week, and will also be watching the U-14 GNT in their first-ever competitive matches to get an early start on picking next years player pool.

Southern Californians on the roster include: (for the U.S. U-15 team) goalkeeper Makenna Henry (Fountain Valley); defender Mia Bruno (Rancho Palos Verdes); midfielders Michelle Cruz (Thousand Oaks) and Natalia Ledezma (La Mirada).

(For the U.S. U-14 team): midfielders Jennifer Gonzalez (Alta Loma), Loeau LaBonta (Rancho Cucamonga), Vania Robles (Arcadia), Haley Rosen (Palos Verdes).

Here’s a game schedule.