In 1999, a U.S. team led by Landon Donovan got to the semifinals of the Fifa Under 17 Championship, in New Zealand. The young Americans played Australia to a 2-2 draw but lost the shootout 7-6 when Kenny Cutler missed his penalty and Oz’s Joshua Kennedy converted. Brazil won the tournament and the Yanks finished […]
Entries Tagged as 'Rio Olympics'
U.S. Soccer and an Age-Group Success?
May 26th, 2017 · No Comments · Arsenal, Fifa, Football, France, Italy, London 2012, Rio Olympics, soccer, Spain, UAE
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Marathon Effort Comes with Too Much Help
May 9th, 2017 · No Comments · Rio Olympics
Last week, on the 63rd anniversary of Roger Bannister‘s breakthrough “sub-four-minute mile”, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge ran the fastest marathon in history. Kipchoge covered 26.2 miles in two hours, 25 seconds, falling 26 seconds short of cracking the increasingly less awe-inspiring “two-hour barrier”. The Rio 2016 Olympic gold-medalist’s run came as part of a Nike-sponsored effort […]
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Hope Solo and Punishment That Does Not Fit the ‘Crime’
August 24th, 2016 · 1 Comment · Football, Olympics, Rio Olympics, soccer, World Cup
After the U.S. women’s national soccer team lost a Rio 2016 shootout to Sweden, a game that ended 1-1 in regulation, goalkeeper Hope Solo was not in a diplomatic mood. She rarely is after losing, God bless her. The Swedes got an early lead, then sat back and absorbed pressure, and when they conceded the […]
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The Olympics and a Chance to ‘Get Inspired’
August 22nd, 2016 · No Comments · Olympics, Rio Olympics
The BBC’s coverage of Rio 2016 came with nightly references to a particular area of the network’s website: The “get inspired” feature. If you watched the Olympics and decided you would like to emulate Team Great Britain’s athletes … the BBC has advice on how to get started. I was thinking about how silly it […]
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Today’s List: Ten Thoughts on Rio 2016
August 21st, 2016 · No Comments · Lists, Olympics, Rio Olympics
The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics wrapped up today. The final few medals handed out, the typical Closing Ceremonies chaos the great migration to the airport in the morning … Here are 10 topics about these Games, the future Games, and the people involved in it all.
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Track and Field, Sleep Deprivation and Rio 2016
August 20th, 2016 · No Comments · Olympics, Rio Olympics
What will I stay up all night to watch on TV? Not much. Not the NFL. Not the NBA. Not even Major League Baseball. The World Cup? Maybe the Super Bowl. The Summer Olympics? As it turns out … absolutely … if the track meet is going on.
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U.S. Track Relay Teams and that Slippery Baton
August 19th, 2016 · 1 Comment · Beijing Olympics, Olympics, Rio Olympics
Apparently, USA Track and Field doesn’t care that it cannot come up with sprint-relay teams who can get a baton around a track. Any time the U.S. has a quartet of sprinters — male or female — running in a major event, American fans who have been paying attention know they may soon need to […]
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Oh, Wait: The U.S. Men Are in Bigger Trouble
August 19th, 2016 · No Comments · Basketball, NBA, Olympics, Rio Olympics
I was critical of the U.S. women’s basketball team yesterday. It underwhelmed me in a semifinal victory over France. Then I saw the men play Spain tonight … And they were just as ragged as were the women … while playing significantly more competent opposition. Which means they are in a much more dangerous situation. […]
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U.S. Women’s Basketball Team: Ripe for an Upset
August 18th, 2016 · No Comments · Basketball, Olympics, Rio Olympics
I have seen more than a little women’s basketball. I covered WNBA games. I traveled to Arizona to sit down with Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury. I reported on women’s college basketball games and more than a few girls prep basketball games. I covered the U.S. women’s team in an Olympics or three. But […]
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Olympic Shock: Britain Up, China Down
August 15th, 2016 · No Comments · Olympics, Rio Olympics
The greatest upset at Rio 2016, so far? As we head into Day 12 of the Summer Games, Great Britain is second in the medals table — at least, the table ordered by gold-medals-won — and ahead of China. There it is: United States, 26 gold medals; Great Britain, second with 16 gold medals; China […]
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