Football: Island Bay stun Miramar Rangers

Capital Premier League side Island Bay United turned over four-time ASB Chatham Cup champions Miramar Rangers yesterday. Photo / File.

Capital Premier League side Island Bay United turned over four-time ASB Chatham Cup champions Miramar Rangers on Saturday as seven of the eight quarter-final berths were decided in the New Zealand national knockout cup competition.

Playing under lights at Wakefield Park on Saturday night, Island Bay - who sit seventh in the Capital Premier League competition, a division below Central League leaders Miramar - recovered from going a goal behind to earn a 3-2 victory.

Henry Fa'arodo put the visitors ahead after 13 minutes but Island Bay fought back to hold an unlikely 2-1 halftime lead thanks to goals from Facundo Barbero and Callum Holmes.

Miramar's Patrick Fleming restored parity at 2-2 in the 59th minute but the home side hit the front for good when Luciano Colucci struck 19 minutes from time to seal a massive upset win in front of the raucous Island Bay supporters.

On Sunday, Napier City Rovers' run continued as the visitors earned a comparatively simple 4-2 win over Tawa AFC at Redwood Park.

After enduring two extra time thrillers in earlier rounds, Napier progressed with three first half goals from Chris Greatholder, Andy Bevin and Miles John while a second half penalty from Angus Kilkolly completed the scoring.

In Auckland, five times winners Central United FC again did it the hard way before booking their quarter-final berth.

After earning their fourth round place with a fightback from 3-0 down with 10 men against Birkenhead, Central - playing at Kiwitea Street - claimed a 3-1 victory over fellow Northern Premier League outfit Glenfield Rovers, scoring twice late on despite playing the final 30 minutes down a man.

The visitors opened the scoring after just five minutes as Richard Beard gave Glenfield a flying start but Central recovered and restored parity three minutes before halftime through Emiliano Tade.

Junior All Whites defender Adam Mitchell earned an early shower with half an hour to go for a challenge on the edge of the Central penalty area but, despite the numerical disadvantage, the home side edged ahead in the 86th minute as Tade's deflected strike left All Whites goalkeeper Tamati Williams - who had earlier saved a Central spot kick - with no chance.

James Hoyt sealed the result with Central's third of the day four minutes into stoppage time.

On Sunday, Onehunga Sports returned from their trip to Tauranga City United with a 2-0 win, the visitors striking twice in the second half through Josh Ming and Sean Lovemore to advance while Melville United ended the cup run of Waikato Bay of Plenty Federation 1 League side Ngongotaha; Jevon Williams and Leon Newell scoring at Stembridge Road to see off the home side who got back to 1-1 three minutes into the second half through Dayne Willemsen.

Meanwhile, Hamilton Wanderers booked a fourth round trip to Bay Olympic next weekend after recovering from a 1-0 deficit to claim a 3-1 away win over North Shore United at Allen Hill Stadium on Sunday.

Edward Sillars gave the Northern Regional Division 1 side the lead in the rescheduled third round clash but a Mark Jones hat-trick turned things around for the Premier League outfit.

In the Southern Region, defending 2013 ASB Chatham Cup champions Cashmere Technical progressed to the last eight with a 1-0 win over Coastal Spirit at Linfield Park.

The victory was earned from the penalty spot in the 78th minute as Tom Schwarz struck the decisive blow.

Further south, Dunedin Technical - winners in 1999 - sealed their berth with an identical victory; substitute David Hayman settling the tie, also with a 78th minute winner, at the Caledonian Ground.

Source : http://www.nzherald.co.nz/spor...

Today News: Miklasz: Native St. Louisan Flynn is key to US soccer program's rise

Dan Flynn played for a soccer state champion during his high school days at SLUH. The young defender was recruited by St. Louis University and started for the 1973 Billikens team that won the 10th NCAA championship in program history.

So Flynn knows all about the thrill of success on the soccer pitch.

But as the CEO and Secretary General of U.S. Soccer since 2000, Flynn has played a key leadership role in the rise of the men’s national team. More than that, the former Anheuser-Busch executive has been at the forefront of the movement, working at all levels to increase the quality and popularity of American soccer.

Stationed in Brazil for the World Cup since June 8, a busy Flynn paused on Saturday morning to chat for a few minutes. You could say he’s catching his breath after holding it during the USA’s tense matches against Ghana, Portugal and Germany in surviving the imposing “Group of Death.”

As much as Flynn enjoyed winning big games as player, it’s been even more satisfying to see the U.S. advance to the round of 16 in consecutive World Cups for the first time.

“Given the ‘Group of Death’ and the framework that we were operating under, it’s been just an almost indescribable feeling,” Flynn said in a phone conversation. “And I think the biggest part of that has been our fan base. The fans that had traveled to Brazil, and seeing their passion. It’s just been well beyond any level of expectation that I even had as a player. And I never played at a national team level. It’s just been almost indescribable.”

Teams representing 32 nations or republics have participated in the World Cup. The largest delegation of visiting fans comes from the U.S., with Americans providing boisterous and highly visible support for the Team USA.

Moreover, the U.S. also is responsible for the most substantial television-rights fees paid for 2014 World Cup broadcasts. We can interpret both signs of evidence that reaffirm the sport’s growing prestige in the U.S.

Ah, but there’s no time to rest — not for Flynn and U.S. soccer’s administration, and certainly not for coach Jurgen Klinsmann and the USA squad that faces Belgium in a knockout-stage match Tuesday that could catapult it into the World Cup quarterfinals.

“We’ve got to carry on with our business,” Flynn said. “It’s about producing results. The attitude has gotten us to this point, and we’re looking forward to the next game.

“We’re super excited to be here, but I think Jurgen summed it up (after the game against) Germany. He said ‘Look, the tournament is essentially beginning for us.’ It’s not three (matches) and out, or maybe three and just make it to the fourth game. We can go deeper here, and I think he’s changed the mindset. It’s all made it incredibly exciting. It’s a great feeling.”

When the World Cup rolls around every four years, the event usually leads to a flurry of commentaries and analyses on the state of U.S. soccer. The World Cup is portrayed as a flash phenomenon that can boost the sport in the states and magically lift soccer to previously unimagined heights of popularity.

The premise always has been off base and unrealistic. The World Cup doesn’t cast a spell on an entire nation in a way that alters the paradigm and pushes soccer ahead of the NFL or Major League Baseball.

It’s not that simple — or easy.

Soccer is gaining ground, however. It’s the result of hard work and a master plan including a coordinated structure in place that encompasses business, marketing, soccer facilities, instruction and a system of player development. And it helps much to have true soccer believers such as Flynn making sure there’s enough funding to recruit and then develop young players and coaches through standardized soccer academies and national-team youth programs.

The model also includes syncing with Major League Soccer so that athletes and fans know they have a league that provides the opportunity to support soccer, and play soccer, at a respectable professional level.

Until the MLS took shape following the 1994 World Cup staged in the U.S., there was a huge void. Pro outdoor soccer disappeared when the old North American Soccer League went down.

With no professional base, how do you motivate talented young American athletes to stick with soccer instead of switching to other sports? And how can you cultivate fans when there is no professional outlet for their enthusiasm and loyalty?

With the U.S. Soccer Federation and the MLS sharing a future vision and working closely together to develop players and fans, soccer’s U.S. infrastructure has never been stronger. American players not only are thriving professionally in the U.S., but they’re being coveted in increasing numbers by some of the most prestigious soccer leagues in Europe.

Soccer is gaining prominence in America. Any momentum generated by the World Cup is just part of the overall movement now. The World Cup gives American players something to aspire to, but they can have other goals, such as getting paid to play in the MLS or in Europe. And as the players mature and improve, the U.S. national team becomes more of a threat in the World Cup competition.

That’s what we’re seeing now. The brilliant Klinsmann is an icon of German soccer who began spending offseasons in Southern California in 1998, ultimately settling in Huntington Beach.

Hardly a coaching mercenary, Klinsmann has installed a top-down system to establish standards for how the game should be taught, played, and organized at each level. Think of it as the equivalent of baseball Cardinals’ historically successful approach to player instruction and development.

“It started when we hired Jurgen Klinsmann,” Flynn said. “He’s defined how he wants to play, and what our mentality is. That’s taking nothing away from our other (former) coaches, but Jurgen has clearly set the stage. It’s put us in a different zone, in a very positive way. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, but I think the outlook is very bright.”

The U.S. team no longer is an accidental tourist at these World Cups.

Source : http://www.stltoday.com/sports...