Monthly Archives: March 2008

MLS’s Seattle expansion team will invite fans to vote online for the name of the new team. Names will be announced on Tuesday and voting will take place at www.mlsinseattle.com. The three  naming  options were chosen through fan focus groups, internal committees and fan suggestions. Sounders — the name of the long-time NASL and USL […]

FIFA will not to seek any further sanctions against Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor over his tackle that left Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva with a broken leg and out of the European Championship. FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said a FIFA news statement that FIFA would discuss the Taylor case with the English FA was […]

David Beckham has been called up for England’s friendly against France at the Stade de France next Wednesday, putting him on track to earn his 100th England cap. New England coach Fabio Capello did not call up Beckham for England’s first friendly of the year against Switzerland in February, but Capello’s assistant Franco Baldini watched […]

The Guardian’s Sid Lowe asks, who wants to win “the worst La Liga in history?” Certainly not Real Madrid or Barcelona. The league leader lost again on Saturday, suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Deportivo La Coruna, where Real hasn’t won in 17 years. It would have been one thing to overturn that kind of […]

Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle today, in a bid to stop persistent inflammation in his ankle joint, the club announced on its Web site. Reports in Spain claim the Dutch striker could miss the rest of the Spanish league season, although he’s expected to be available […]

Soccer By Ives reveals that the New York Red Bulls-Barcelona friendly hinted at several weeks ago “is definitely happening.” The Bulls will face Barca on Aug. 7 at Giant’s Stadium, moving the NY club’s league match against D.C. United on Aug. 9 to Aug. 10 to accommodate the friendly. New York’s match against the New […]

Toronto FC supporters and officials complained last season about an MLS rule that counted U.S. players as internationals, putting the Canadian club at a disadvantage compared to other teams that could sign as many Americans as they could afford. TFC may have had the ability to sign Canadian-born players, but the Toronto Sun points out […]

During a press conference earlier this week, MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis touched on a multitude of topics facing MLS as the league expands, including international competition, stadiums, schedules, designated players and the expected influx of foreigners in MLS. Overall, Gazidis said the league was in “very healthy condition” with new investors, partnerships and franchises, […]

The David Beckham show may put butts in seats, but Chivas USA has become the more successful franchise on the field. Over the past two seasons, while the L.A. Galaxy was missing out on the playoffs and pointing fingers, Chivas quietly improved from a third- to first-place finish in the Western Conference last season. But […]

Honduran midfielder Amado Guevara looks set to return to Major League Soccer with Toronto FC, league sources tell Ives Galarcep of ESPN Soccernet. Guevara spent the last year playing with Honduran club CD Motagua, on a loan deal from Chivas USA, his former club. In order to sign with Toronto, Guevara and MLS would have […]

Coach Peter Nowak has been widely criticized for the way the US U-23s have played so far in Olympic qualifying. A poor 1-1 draw with Cuba was followed by a decent 1-0 victory over Panama. Resting several starters, Nowak’s men were lucky to beat Honduras, 1-0, on a 95th-minute penalty. Nevertheless, the U-23s are now […]

Despite calls for his resignation from the Mexican press, Hugo Sanchez said he would not resign as coach of Mexico’s senior and U-23 national teams, after arriving in Mexico City following the team’s failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. “I’ve said it already, I’m not resigning,” Sanchez told a news conference at the Mexico […]

The seven players who defected from Cuba’s Olympic qualifying team hope to follow in the footsteps of Chivas USA star Maykel Galindo, who defected to the U.S. in the summer of 2005, before joining the MLS club in January 2007. “He not only influenced me but influenced all of us who made the decision,” goalkeeper […]