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A coach might think his team deserved better after losing at home to a last-minute corner.

But when UCLA men’s soccer (0-2) conceded in the final minute against California (2-0) on Sunday night to register its second consecutive opening-season loss, coach Ryan Jorden said he thought his team got exactly what they deserved.

“We were better than them in the first half, but you have to score goals when you’re better than the opponent. We didn’t,” he said. “We put ourselves in that position.”

The Bruins had a strong start at Wallis Annenberg Stadium, outshooting California 4-2 in the first half, with three of those shots coming from sophomore midfielder Tamir Ratoviz. The team pressed high, with Jorden repeatedly instructing his frontline, including junior defender-turned-midfielder Philip Naef, to push farther up the pitch.

However, after a half-time presentation celebrating Westwood’s 1985 national championship-winning team, the Golden Bears were able to nullify the Bruins’ attack, and the latter registered no second-half shots or corners.

“Towards the second half, they kind of figured out a way to stop us, and we didn’t really have a solution for it,” said senior midfielder Tarun Karumanchi.

The team might be lacking fluency because of the difficulty in incorporating the 18 new players that joined the squad this season, Jorden said. Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack started the game, while freshman midfielders Zach Mastrodimos and Dylan Cantafio – who stand at 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-7, respectively – debuted off the bench.

“We got a lot of new bodies,” Jorden said. “The reality is, okay, how do we try to get those guys integrated and onto the same page so we can do the things that we want to do?”

The Bears also played their way into the game in attack, forcing two strong saves from Tiltack in the 74th and 84th minutes, respectively. Both attempts came from inside the Bruins’ 18-yard box and were among the Bears’ 12 second-half shots.

[Related: Roster reset: UCLA men’s soccer shows promising lineup of new transfers, freshmen]

As the game wore on, the Bears increasingly focused on putting long balls into the box, a task aided by the Bruins’ ten second-half fouls. Then, with 18 seconds to go, California’s 6-foot-3 striker Luka Lukic – who was taller than any of UCLA’s players on the pitch – headed an inswinging corner.

Tiltack clawed at thin air. The ball hit the back of the net. Lukic ran towards the crowd. The Bears goalkeeper slid to the ground in celebration a hundred yards away. And the California parents to the north of the main stands erupted in cheers.

“Their guy jumped better than our guys did,” Jorden said. “They put a ball right on him, and he ends up heading the ball in.”

Sunday also marked a victorious return to Westwood for California senior midfielder Cam Wilkerson, who played 75 minutes of the game. Wilkerson transferred north this summer after playing in 14 of UCLA’s 19 games last season, starting seven.

While the Bruins’ performance was an improvement on their 2-0 loss at UC Irvine on Thursday, the team still feels there is work to do to get the squad to the level they want to be playing at.

“The performance itself was definitely better than the last game, which is a positive,” Tiltack said. “But you know, we’ve got to just go out next week and just do better, perform better. Our standards are so much higher.”

Contributing reports by Sam Mulick, Daily Bruin senior staff.

Source: https://dailybruin.com/2025/08/26/we-put-ourselves-in-that-position-ucla-mens-soccer-loses-second-opening-season-game/

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CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) – Parents don’t have to pay a penny this season for their students to play soccer in a program featured at certain Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Around 45 students at Ecoff Elementary School are a part of an after-school program ran by local soccer club First Touch Sports. It predominantly serves kids who are not able to pay the high costs of playing soccer.

“To know that we could provide this for families who have never been in an organized soccer program, it didn’t take a lot, it took no time, to agree to the program,” Brian Campos, the principal at Ecoff Elementary School, said.

Campos said a good portion of the students at Ecoff fall below the poverty line, deeming it a Title One school.

The need for something like this is there, he says.

This season is special. All the players at Ecoff, as well as 30 additional players at Elizabeth Scott Elementary School, will be playing soccer for free.

First Touch Sports received a grant called “Get On the Bus.”

“We are breaking down two barriers” Tim Ryerson, the Director of Chapter Management for the program, said.

The first one, Ryerson explained, is the pay-to-play model used across the country.

Receiving US Soccer funding, the grant provides each child with brand new cleats and shin guards, as well as a jersey and ball. It also offers tutoring for students, as needed.

“It works perfectly for a community that has financial needs and really at times is living pay check to pay check and has to keep a balanced budget,” Campos said.

The second barrier is the transportation to and from soccer.

“The school is the hub and then basically the school buses drive to the school, pick up the kids, and bring them to the fields so they can participate on the weekends,” Ryerson said.

How transportation will work at Ecoff and Elizabeth Scott is still being worked out.

All students will meet at Bensley Park on Saturday mornings for a fall season full of games.

“Soccer is just the vehicle for these kids to have opportunity,” Ryerson said.

The “Get on the Bus” program’s goal is to have 10,000 additional kids playing soccer by the 2026 World Cup.

Copyright 2025 WWBT. All rights reserved.

Source: https://www.12onyourside.com/2025/08/26/students-chesterfield-playing-soccer-free-this-season-given-free-gear/

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Photo by Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images

Source: https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/local/orlando-pirates/abdeslam-ouaddou-critical-of-orlando-pirates-win

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A 16-year-old boy was attacked in the port city of Thessaloniki in what police described as a serious incident of fan violence.

The teenager was walking on Ethnikis Antistaseos Street Tuesday afternoon wearing a local soccer team’s shirt when more than 10 youths on motorcycles surrounded him.

Witnesses told state broadcaster ERT the attackers, some also minors, beat him with fists, metal rods and helmets in an attempt to steal his shirt before fleeing.

The victim was treated at a hospital and later released. A prosecutor ordered a forensic examination as police review video to identify suspects.

Source: https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1279070/teen-beaten-in-thessaloniki-soccer-fan-attack/

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Arsenal have unquestionably been one of the main players of the summer transfer window, recruiting a number of players in their attempt to improve on three consecutive second place finishes in the Premier League.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Nørgaard, Martín Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres, Cristhian Mosquera and Eberechi Eze have all landed at Emirates Stadium on permanent transfers this summer.

The club are currently working on a deal to sign Ecuador international Piero Hincapié. If a deal were to be struck for the Bayer Leverkusen man, Arsenal could possibly eclipse the £300 million ($404.4 million) mark spent on transfer fees this summer.

With no marquee outgoing transfers to balance the heavy spend, the Gunners could run into some trouble. According to The Athletic, Arsenal aren’t in danger of breaching the Premier League’s PSR, they are “sailing ever closer to the wind on UEFA’s squad cost rule.“

To avoid any issues with UEFA, Arsenal must concentrate on offloading some of their deadwood. Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Reiss Nelson are all considered expendable and work is being done to facilitate their exits.

However, the answer to avoid Arsenal’s potential Financial Fair Play breaches might be found in their academy. The Gunners could benefit from loaning or outright selling Hale End talents in the final week of the window.

Three candidates The Athletic pointed towards are 19-year-old Maldini Kacurri, 21-year-old Charles Sagoe Jr. and 19-year-old Ismeal Kabia. Without a clear path to opportunities with the first-team, these youngsters could be in line to exit the club.

It’s anyone’s guess what the final days of the window will bring forth for Arsenal. But it’s clear new sporting director Andrea Berta will be very busy until the dying minutes of deadline day.

READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE

Source: https://www.si.com/soccer/arsenal-plot-three-surprise-deals-avoid-uefa-squad-cost-rule

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The South African top-tier continues to take shape as teams work towards the set targets for the 2025/26 season.

Source: https://www.goal.com/en-za/lists/premier-soccer-league-wrap/blt30dfd9d02787c51c

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