Soccer Watch

AMSA Day is on the way! The Austin Men's Soccer Association will host a preseason outreach event Sunday, Feb. 13, 10am-noon, at Onion Creek Soccer Complex, 5600 E. William Cannon. Come play a friendly game, and meet the players and captains.

Both U.S. national teams saw their first international action of the new year. The Men drew, 1-1, in a friendly against Chile. There's not much to take from this concerning the full teams – 13 of the 17 players coach Bob Bradley used were in their first or second game in a U.S. jersey, and Chile fielded a very young squad as well – but it's good to see some young talent on the team. Some of these guys (Tim Ream, Juan Agudelo, Omar Gonzalez, goal-scorer Teal Bunbury) will likely play major roles by the time the 2014 World Cup rolls around. Meanwhile, the top-ranked U.S. Women had an up-and-down time at the prestigious Four Nations Tournament in China, kicking off their run-up to the World Cup in June in Germany with a 2-1 opening loss to Sweden, followed by wins over Canada and China, and their seventh tournament title.

Italian power Roma is about to become the latest Europe­an club to be bought up by American investors, according to Italian press reports Wednesday. The lead investor is said to be Boston's Thomas Di Benedetto, a partner in New England Sports Ventures, parent company of Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox.