U.S. Soccer is making a statement with Pride Crest during World Cup in Qatar
There are many reasons to criticize FIFA for the way theyโve handled the Menโs World Cup that is about to begin in Qatar, and at the top of that list is that they chose to have it in a nation with egregious human rights violations.
Will the U.S. men blow their chance for a World Cup spot, like they did for the 2018 event?
Nearly five years after the United States menโs national soccer team famously blew a spot in the 2018 World Cup by losing to a vastly inferior Trinidad and Tobago squad in October of 2017 in the final game of qualifying, the moment of redemption has finally arrived for the Americans.
AFC Ann Arbor, local organizations launch new community youth program in Ypsilanti
Association Football Club Ann Arbor and Washtenaw My Brotherโs Keeper, in partnership with the Hart & Tay Train Foundation, the Rob Murphy Foundation and the Mighty Oak Project, have launched a new community youth program called CLR Academy.
AFC Ann Arbor withdraws menโs season for second year due to pandemic
ANN ARBOR โ AFC Ann Arbor officials announced on Tuesday that its menโs team will not participate in this yearโs USL League Two season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The club is currently consulting with the United Womenโs Soccer divisionโs leadership to determine whether or not the womenโs team will compete this year. โFrom the beginning of the pandemic, we have been precautious about our return to play and have followed the guidance and advice of our stateโs top medical expert, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun,โ Bilal Saeed, Chair of AFC Ann Arbor said in a statement. โUnder these guidelines and current state restrictions, we cannot in good conscience bring players in for a league season,โ the club said in a statement. โWe understand AFC Ann Arborโs decision to withdraw from participation in the 2021 League Two season,โ USL Vice President Joel Nash said in a statement.
University of Michigan womenโs soccer team prepares for first competition in more than a year
ANN ARBOR, Mich. โ In a usual February, the University of Michigan Womenโs Soccer season would be over and done with but because of COVID-19, itโs just beginning. The team spoke with Local 4 about last year and their layoff from game competition. READ: COVID pandemic leads to shortage of referees for Michigan high school sportsThey ended last year on a high note. They had a Big 10 final appearance and they made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. They want to win the Big 10 and make it farther in the NCAA Tournament than they did last year.
Michigan health department issues Interim Guidance for Athletics
LANSING, Mich. โ The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued Interim Guidance for Athletics following its epidemic order announced last week to allow contact sports to resume starting Monday. If masks cannot be worn, participants must be regularly tested for COVID-19 consistent with guidelines issued by MDHHS. Sports organizers are encouraged to administer a testing program even if it is not required. Even when not required, we urge teams to implement a testing program to protect athletes, coaches and their families.โAdIt is recommended that spectators are limited to two per athlete. Additional recommendations included in the MDHHS guidance include:
Detroit City FC menโs side claims NISA fall championship
DETROIT โ In its first professional season, the Detroit City FC menโs side defeated the Oakland Roots, 2-1, to claim the Fall National Independent Soccer Association title under the lights at Keyworth Stadium on Friday night. City got off to a slow-paced start as Oakland was able to hold on to large amounts of possession in the first half hour. Le Rouge created a few opportunities as a Kevin Venegas cross whipped across the box in the 15th minute but missed the foot of three separate DCFC players. Le Rouge entered the final 45 minutes once again needing a spark. Carroll played every minute over the five matches in the 12-day span for Le Rouge.
MLS makes history with first female referee to work a final game
In Tuesdays MLS is Back Tournament Final matchup between the Portland Timbers and Orlando City SC assistant referee Kathryn Nesbitt made history as the first female official to work the final of a MLS competition. Nesbitt becomes the first woman to officiate an MLS final, after serving as the reserve assistant referee for the 2018 MLS Cup Final. She has also worked as an assistant referee and AVAR throughout the MLS is Back Tournament, with this assignment taking her game tally for the competition into double figures. Not only is she a soccer referee but she also has a PhD. She has been a soccer referee since 2002.
Detroit City FC Womens team concludes its first season
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. The Detroit City FC womens team will conclude its inaugural season Sunday with the United Womens Soccer Keyworth Showcase in Hamtramck. In the American soccer world, Detroit City FC is famous for its crowds and its party-like community atmosphere. When it was announced they were launching a womens team, they expected the new team to play for a packed house. READ: How a passion beyond soccer drives Detroit City FCs fierce supportersWhile Keyworth Stadium sat empty, fans still made their support known. Even though this was kind of a good get your feet wet season one.
The Latest: Madrid forward Vincius to repeat virus test
All rights reserved)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says forward Vincius Jnior will need to have another coronavirus test after an initial test result came out wrong.Zidane says the doctor informed me that the test had come out wrong and we were going to repeat it.Zidane says the Brazilian's test was not positive. It wasnt negative or positive.Spanish league players have undergone regular testing since the competition resumed last month. Some players and staff members at Valencia and Alavs tested positive in March. No player has tested positive since the competition resumed in empty stadiums. Madrid leads the Spanish league with four games left.
Big Ten announces conference-only schedules if fall sports are played this season
DETROIT The Big Ten announced Thursday that fall sports teams, including football, will only play against conference opponents this year if there is a season. Fall sports affected by this announcement include football, mens and womens soccer, womens volleyball, field hockey and mens and womens cross country. Big Ten officials said this decision was made based on the advice of medical experts amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Michigan was scheduled to play at Washington and host Ball State and Arkansas State in its three out-of-conference games this season. Michigan State was scheduled to visit BYU and host Toledo and Miami (Florida) in nonconference games.
The Latest: Man City allowed to play Liverpool at home
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Manchester City has been given permission to host Liverpool in the Premier League on July 2 at Etihad Stadium. The Man City-Liverpool match had been one of five games the police asked to be held at a neutral venue to keep away fans because of safety concerns. But Manchester City Councils safety advisory group says there are no objections to the match at Citys home stadium. The safety advisory group included representatives from the city council, Greater Manchester Police, fire and rescue services, and supporters groups. ___The rugby final of the postponed European Champions Cup has been set for Oct. 17 and the final of the second-tier Challenge Cup will be the day before.
Virus cases at Djokovic's event put sports under scrutiny
Grigor Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist from Bulgaria, said Sunday he tested positive for the virus. Borna Coric played Dimitrov on Saturday in Zadar and said Monday he has also tested positive for the virus. In a separate incident, Serbian soccer club Red Star Belgrade said five of its players had tested positive for the virus. There has also been an increase in virus cases among soccer players in other countries, notably Russia. Djokovics decision to fly home to Serbia before being tested has also attracted scrutiny.
Russian court hands prison terms to youth group members
Yuliy Boyarshinov, right, and Viktor Filinkov, members of a left-wing group Set (Network) listen a court verdict from inside a glass cage in the Western regional military court in St.Petersburg, Russia, Monday, June 22, 2020. Members of the left-wing youth group Set (Network) were accused of terrorism, in a case human rights advocates believe to be fabricated and based on testimony elicited by torture. (AP Photo/David Frenkel)ST. PETERSBURG A Russian military court convicted two members of a left-wing youth group of terrorism Monday in a case that human rights groups called fabricated and based on coerced testimony. A three-judge panel in the court in St. Petersburg found Victor Filinkov, 25, and Yuly Boyarshinov, 28, guilty of membership in a terrorist organization. Both were said to belong to the Set (Network) group, seven members of which were convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms earlier this year in Penza, a city 500 kilometres (310 miles) southeast of Moscow.
Mallorca hopes trailblazing tourists kickstart economy
But Spains Balearic Islands are betting that their Mediterranean blue waters, warm sun and sandy beaches are enough to lure back the tourists that their residents' livelihoods depend on. The beach is empty, German tourist Martin Hofmann said Wednesday while walking along the beach of Palma, Mallorca's main city. In Spains Balearic and Canary Islands, however, the dependence on tourism jumps to over 30% of their economies. The Balearic Islands economy is on course for a very deep recession, said Carmen Planas, the president of the business group. But until then, the Balearic Islands are off-limits for visitors, even for Spaniards from the mainland, except for the trial run of German tourists.
Minneapolis reform plan would require insurance for officers
Alondra Cano, a City Council member, speaks during "The Path Forward" meeting at Powderhorn Park on Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Minneapolis. The focus of the meeting was the defunding of the Minneapolis Police Department. Under the list of recommendations, officers would be required to carry their own professional liability insurance, an idea that aims to hike out-of-pocket insurance rates for officers who engage in high-risk conduct. They have no further excuses.The groups' recommendations came a day after nine of the 12 members on the Minneapolis City Council said they back disbanding the department. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Heres how 25 sports have been divided into high, moderate, low COVID-19 risk categories
DETROIT Will it be safe for children, high schoolers or anybody to play sports amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic? Experts have divided 25 popular sports into three categories: high, moderate and low risk. The National Federation of State High School Associations released their list, which is based on the amount of close, sustained contact, along with other factors. Oklahoma recently rejected a plan that would have required social distancing and allowed all high school sports to resume without restrictions. One idea being considered by many states would change the calendar to shift lower risk sports to fall and move higher risk ones to the spring.
The Latest: Postponed Belgian Cup final now set for Aug. 1
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The postponed Belgian Cup final has been rescheduled for Aug. 1. That is one week before the start of the leagues next season. Belgian soccer authorities say the match between Club Brugge and Antwerp will take place in an empty King Baudouin Stadium. Club Brugge has the opportunity to secure a league-cup double after it was awarded its 16th Belgian title this month following a decision to end the current season prematurely because of the coronavirus pandemic. The new season is set to start on Aug. 7.
SPOTLIGHT: Shrine Catholic Soccer Player Scores a Fall Fan Choice Award
Plays basketballPlays soccerRuns trackShrine Catholic High School โ It was formally announced on Local 4 News that Ben Plunkey was the favorite junior on his soccer team for the 4Frenzy Fall Fan Choice Awards. The 16-year-old told us why he believes he earned the award, โI get along with everyone and am a good teammate on the field as well.โBen says that he started playing soccer around the age of six. โWe have good chemistry and my teammates are fun to be around every day at practice or in games,โ he says. Shrine Catholic's Soccer team (2019)Along with his passion for soccer, his skills on the field have grown as well, allowing him to win many other acknowledgments and accolades. To wrap things up, we asked Ben one final question: What advice would you want to share with aspiring high school soccer players?
SPOTLIGHT: Shrine Catholicโs Favorite Sophomore Nets a Fan Choice Award
Straight-A studentOwns two dogsPlayed every position in soccerAlso plays baseballShrine Catholic High School โ For this yearโs Local 4 Fall Fan Choice Awards, Kevin Wright is the winner for Favorite Sophomore. The Outside mid player believes that the reason he was chosen for the awards is that heโs a great friend and teammate. โI was also the highest scoring sophomore on the team this year.โOne of Wrightโs biggest inspiration is Robert Lewandowski. Wright says Lewandowski is his favorite player because he admires the way he plays. โIโm not sure if I will continue playing competitively in college, but I know Iโll always continue playing soccer for fun,โ he says.
FIFA unveils emblem for 2022 World Cup
(CNN) - Soccer fans can officially get excited about the 2022 World Cup. FIFA says the World Cup emblem is meant to embody the vision of "an event that connects and engages the entire world," while also reflecting the culture in which the sporting event is taking place. Culturally, the symbol resembles a woolen shawl that is typically worn by the citizens of Arab and Gulf countries in winter, which is when the 2022 World Cup will take place, according to FIFA. The World Cup is normally held during the summer months. The US men's national team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.