Monthly Archives: February 2009

[OFF THE POST] Fans of German club Schalke 04, fed up with the poor play of former German international Kevin Kuranyi, rejoiced when the club reported on its Web site next week that his contract had been terminated and he had been released. The story proved to be false when the club announced that a computer hacker had broken into the Web site and posted the phony story.

[COSTA RICA] Adrian Castro, president of Costa Rican First Division club, was gunned down Tuesday by gunmen on a motorcycle while driving his car on the Interamericana Norte freeway.<

[USL-1] Just eight days before they begin their Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal series, the Puerto Rico Islanders have signed Coach Colin Clarke to a three-year contract extension.

[MAKING A LIST] FC Gold Pride has acquired Japanese national team striker Eriko Arakawa and Brazilian U-20 midfielder Adriane, while the expected signing of former WUSA star Kelly Smith (Boston) and the Chelsea Ladies duo of Emi Aluko (St. Louis) and Anita Asante (Sky Blue FC) brings to five the number of Englishwomen joining Women’s Professional Soccer.

[MLS] FC Dallas upped its preseason record to 2-1-1 by beating Colorado, 1-0, Tuesday during its training camp in Sunrise, Fla.

[PAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP] Opening without David Beckham and Landon Donovan and serving as host rather than as Hawaiian guest, the Los Angeles Galaxy begins its 2009 season Wednesday with semifinal play in the second Pan-Pacific Championship at Home Depot Center.

[SIGN OF THE TIMES] According to Finans, a Russian business magazine, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has lost almost $10 billion in the economic collapse, but such have been the losses of Russia’s oligarchs that Abramovich is still second on the list of Russia’s most wealthy individuals with assets valued at $13.9 billion.

[OFF THE POST] Players from Spanish third division club Galactico Pegaso used its match against Real Madrid farm team Real Madrid C to protest that they had not been paid for three months. In warmups, they wore tee-shirts that read “Con el culo al aire” (“With our buttocks in the arm”). After Galactico Pegaso’s two forwards kicked off and knocked the ball deep into the Real Madrid C half, they joined their teammates on the edge of their penalty area, and they all dropped their pants.

[USL-1] Former MLS coach Fernando Clavijo has been named the director of soccer of Traffic Sports USA, the owner of USL First Division club Miami FC.

[ENGLAND] After 358 days on the sidelines with a broken leg and ankle, Eduardo played his first game with Arsenal and celebrated with two goals in a 4-0 win over Cardiff City in their FA Cup fourth-round replay, prompting Gunners manager Arsene Wenger to proclaim that the Brazilian-born Croatian international could jumpstart the Gunners’ season.

[WPS] An agreement was reached between Women’s Professional Soccer and U.S. national team players on the terms of the standard contract players will sign with the new league, which will kick off on March 29. Players will earn an average of around $32,000 in 2009 for a seven-month playing contract.

[MLS] Months of haggling and negotiations have ended with goalkeeper Joe Cannon signing a new deal with San Jose that gives him less money and more security.

D.C. United rolled out a few political backers and ambitious plans for a 24,000-seat stadium in Prince George’s County, Md., at a press conference on Monday. But given the on-again, off-again nature of United’s efforts to secure a stadium of its own, president Kevin Payne admitted, “I’m knocking on wood a lot.”