BLAINE, Minn. (May 15, 2010) – Johnny Menyongar scored his first goal of the season in the 55th minute Saturday night, but the NSC Minnesota Stars couldn’t hold the lead and settled for a 1-1 draw with Miami FC. Paulo Araujo Jr. scored Miami’s only goal in the 73rd minute.

Goalkeeping was the theme of the night for both teams. Joe Warren saved his third penalty kick in three games, and the Stars peppered Miami’s goal with 11 shots, eight of which were on goal. Unfortunately for the home team, Miami goalkeeper Caleb Patterson made seven saves, including three from close range, to keep the Stars from earning all three points.

The Stars began the game brightly, with plenty of possession in Miami’s defensive end. Two-Boys Gumede, starting at defense instead of his usual outside midfield position, dazzled the crowd early with some fancy footwork. Despite the quality possession, it took 20 minutes for the Stars to get a shot on goal.

When the chance came, though, the Stars nearly found themselves up 1-0. Brian Cvilikas intercepted a poorly hit back pass to Patterson, but his touch around the Miami goalkeeper took him away from the goal. By the time he could turn his body to shoot, Miami’s defense had recovered to clear the ball off the goal line.

Cvilikas was involved in the Stars next good scoring chance. The 6-foot-3 forward got onto the end of a Chris Clements cross at the back post, nodding the ball back across goal. The ball landed at Daniel Wasson’s feet, but Patterson blocked both his point-blank shot and his follow-up attempt.

Miami regrouped at halftime and started the second half with more threatening possession than in the first. Abe Thompson tried his luck in the 51st minute from the top of the penalty area, but Brian Kallman slid in front of his shot at the last minute to prevent it from getting to Warren.

“The defense I love is the defense we played tonight, where they don’t even let the shots reach me,” Warren said after the game.

For the full story visit the NSC Stars page:

http://www.nscminnesota.org/home/429607.html

All season we’ve been asking amateur photographers from across the country to help us celebrate the game’s unsung heroes by capturing the nation’s goalkeepers and their ‘Life between the Sticks’. Below you’ll find a selection of amateur photos alongside a range of images taken by top sport and lifestyle photographers. The best will be part of an exhibition at the Getty Images Gallery from 4 May until 15 May.

Would you like a preview of the winning entries? We’ve included a selection of the best images as well as some of the top professional shots from the exhibition. To see the full selection, visit the Getty Images Gallery in London between 4 May – 15 May.

Running for two weeks in the lead up to The FA Cup Final in May, renowned photojournalist, Tom Stoddart, will headline an exhibition depicting the life of a goalkeeper at the Getty Images Gallery.

To see the images visit:

http://www.eongreatsaves.com/Keepers-corner/Life-Between-the-Sticks/%28o...

Two quick goals midway through the first half led the Rochester Rhinos past the NSC Minnesota Stars Wednesday night at NSC Stadium.

Tino Nunez helped create former Minnesota Thunder midfielder Rich Costanzo’s opening goal before getting behind the Minnesota defense for two goals of his own as Rochester moved to 2-1-1 on the season. The Stars fell to 2-3 in the USSF D-2 Pro League this season.

“Tonight’s just one of those nights where as a team we just didn’t play at the level needed to win the game,” Stars head coach Manny Lagos said after the match.

For the full story visit:

http://www.nscminnesota.org/home/424533.html

Oliver Kahn requires few words by way of introduction. The German footballing legend is a well-known and popular figure around the world. In the course of an illustrious goalkeeping career, the man nicknamed Titan achieved almost all there is to achieve. His honours collection includes medals as a FIFA World Cup™ runner-up, European champion, German champion, German cup winner, UEFA Champions League winner and Toyota Intercontinental Cup winner, to name but the most prestigious.

Kahn also received a welter of individual honours, including Best Player and Goalkeeper at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, World Goalkeeper of the Year (1999, 2001, 2002) and European Goalkeeper of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002), all testimony to his towering stature within the game.

After a 21-year career at the highest level, Kahn finally hung up his gloves in May 2008. Two years earlier, in the third-place play-off at the 2006 FIFA World Cup on home soil, the Titan had brought down the curtain on an international career for Germany spanning 86 matches, 49 of which he played as captain.

FIFA.com spoke exclusively to the former custodian about his new role as a TV studio expert, this summer’s FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa, and issues currently affecting the German team.

For the full interview visit fifa.com:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1196156.html