Monthly Archives: January 2007

For Iraqis, soccer provides a much-needed respite from the ravages of their daily reality. Nowhere was this more in evidence than at the 2006 Asian Games, where the Iraqi soccer team finished in second place, narrowly losing out, 1-0, to Qatar in the final. En route to the Dec. 15 final, the Iraqis defeated somoe […]

If Real Salt Lake does indeed get the go-ahead to build its soccer stadium outside Salt Lake City, kudos will have to be handed out to RSL’s management and Tom Dolan, the mayor of Sandy, where the proposed stadium would be built. Dolan most recently met with local representative Greg Curtis R-Sandy to see if […]

ESPN Soccernet’s Kristian Dyer talks with American soccer legend Alexi Lalas about his event-filled 2006. From the sale of the MetroStars early in the year to Red Bull, the energy drink maker, to the move west to takeover as GM for the defending champ LA Galaxy. All in all, it was an up and mostly […]

It’s a strange fate for D.C. United, the most successful club in the history of Major League Soccer, but the giant Anschutz Entertainment Group has now sold the MLS club to a group investors, who include several former Duke University basketball stars, of all people. The investors, who include a San Francisco real estate mogul […]

It was seen as a major coup when Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson secured the services of former Sweden, Celtic and Barcelona star Henrik Larsson in an offseason loan deal late last year, but the BBC reports that Helsingborg, the player’s Swedish employer, may be willing to extend the 35-year old striker’s deal past […]

Owen Slot of the Times of London has written a three-part piece on the state of youth development in England, and U.S. fans will note some striking similarities to the problems facing player development in the United States. In England, as in the U.S., a premium has been placed on size and athleticism instead of […]

Ronaldinho and Frank Rijkaard are at odds again after the Brazilian showed up late from Christmas break, missing Barcelona’s first two training sessions. His late arrival, of course has sparked all kinds of rumors that AC Milan is planning a summer swoop for the former World Player of the Year. The latest and freshest speculation […]

The four-year journey that should ultimately culminate in a World Cup berth for South Africa 2010 began yesterday, with interim coach Bob Bradley at the helm. Between now and then, says Grahaeme L. Jones of the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. now has 3.5 years to rebuild and refocus it’s men’s national team, which will […]

Today, it’s all about the game’s future, the youth. As we know, MLS signed a new initiative in November requiring each of its teams to have a youth system in place starting next season. Each season, the league will allow teams to sign two players from their development system, though the first group of players […]

Marc Connolly of MLSnet points out that it’s been great couple of weeks for several former MLS standouts. DaMarcus Beasley scored a crucial late winner for Manchester City last weekend with a stunning midfield run and an accurate right-foot finish. Later that day, fellow Chicago Fire alumnus Carlos Bocanegra, grabbed a shocking late equalizer against […]