Stunning US Soccer Upset Matches 'Miracle on Ice'

Charlie Davies sustains multiple fractures, another passenger dead

(NEWSER) - Charlie Davies, a starting forward on the US national soccer team, broke several bones and sustained a lacerated bladder in a car crash yesterday that killed another passenger. The driver, who was not identified, swerved into a guardrail outside of Washington, leaving the car "pretty much split in half," according to a police spokesman. Davies is hospitalized with two fractures in his right leg, plus facial and elbow fractures. He will almost certainly not play in next summer's World Cup, which the US qualified for last weekend. More»

Critics hushed by successful Confederations Cup

(NEWSER) - With the just-completed Confederations Cup a success, South Africa has passed its dress rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup, Nicolas Brulliard writes for GlobalPost. The African nation faced more scrutiny than any previous host, but that now appears overblown. Enthusiastic fans turned up despite the winter chill, and the nation’s high crime rate didn’t affect the games. The main drawback was Johannesburg’s poor public transportation. More»

(NEWSER) - In an upset of enormous proportions in the soccer world, the US knocked off mighty Spain today to reach the finals of the Confederations Cup, reports the BBC. Top-ranked Spain hadn’t lost a game since November 2006, the AP adds. The 2-0 victory moves the US men’s team into its first-ever finals in a FIFA tournament, where it will face Brazil or host South Africa on Sunday. More»

Japan's victory over the US hit 7,196 tweets per second

(NEWSER) - No matter how you regard the pace of soccer, there's no denying that tweeting about it can be fast and furious. The all-time record for number of tweets per second was set at the end of yesterday's Women's World Cup final—taking the top spot from the last, somewhat unexpected Twitter mega-event: the 6,939 tweets per second that came as Japan rang in 2011. At the end of the final game between the US and Japan, tweeters cranked out a record 7,196 tweets per second. More»

Different styles have evaporated; everybody looks like Brazil

(NEWSER) - In World Cups of yore, each country had its own style, and each game was like a clash of cultures. The Italians had a punishing defense, and the English could be relied on to chuck bombs down the pitch. But tune into any game in South Africa, and you'll see a whole lot of teams playing the same way, laments Jonathan Clegg of the Wall Street Journal . They all, basically, look like Brazil. More»