Monthly Archives: April 2009

Palmeiras of Brazil and Mexican club Chivas of Guadalajara got thrilling results Wednesday to join the growing list of teams qualified for the knockout round of the Copa Libertadores. Palmeiras scored a last-minute goal to beat Colo Colo of Chile in Santiago and claim second spot in Group 1, while Chivas held on for a […]

Nineteen of the 20 Serie A clubs have voted to form their own governing body and break away from the Lega Calcio, which also runs Serie B, ending the 63-year union between the two leagues. Similar to the formation of the English Premier League in 1992, the move would mean that an autonomous Lega Serie […]

Arsene Wenger boldly predicted Arsenal would make Manchester United regret not turning their superiority into more goals on Wednesday, suggesting that United would see a different Arsenal on Tuesday when the clubs meet again at Arsenal's home Emirates Stadium. "It was a difficult game for us and when you look at the number of clear-cut […]

AC Milan believes it can pull off mission impossible and overhaul Serie A leader Inter Milan to win the league. "While it is mathematically possible, we have to believe," AC Milan playmaker Kaka said earlier this week. Last month, Inter looked a lock for their fourth straight league title. But AC Milan has made up […]

When former World Cup star Juergen Klinsmann first settled in Southern California he lived in almost blissful anonymity. Many of his neighbors considered him a German tourist or businessman. At 39, the retired striker played "undercover" for local club Orange County Blue Star under the psuedonym of Jay Goppingen (his birthplace in Germany), scoring a […]

In Chivas USA’s first seven matches this season, Coach Preki has used seven different starting lineups as his team compiled the league’s best record (5-1-1). Whether because of injury, national team duty, or suspension, the Red-and-White has had a different look every time its played. The rotating lineup hasn’t hampered Chivas USA’s success, as the […]

The top players in Major League Soccer will face English Premier League team Everton in the July 29 MLS All-Star game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City. Everton, whose goalkeeper is American Tim Howard, recently advanced to the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 30 and is in sixth place in the […]

AC Milan will go in search of an emerging coach rather than an established name if Carlo Ancelotti leaves at the end of the season, club owner Silvio Berlusconi, who is also Italy's Prime Minister, said on Wednesday. Berlusconi, who still thinks Ancelotti may stay, has fond memories of the success of inexperienced coaches at […]

Romania appointed Razvan Lucescu as national team coach on Wednesday, replacing Victor Piturca, whose contract was mutually terminated after poor results in 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Lucescu, 40, a former goalkeeper, coached Rapid Bucharest for three years, winning two Romanian Cups and reaching the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup. Local media said Lucescu’s father, Mircea, […]

FIFA set out its plans Tuesday for drug-testing top-level soccer players in 2009 in a program agreed to with the World Anti-Doping Agency. FIFA declared the program a "soccer-specific" one, more "efficient" than previous efforts. Tests will target players classed in three high-risk categories: those sidelined for long periods through injury or suspension, players with […]

A study by a professor at the University of Barcelona published last week showed the combined debt of the 20 clubs in Spain’s top league rose by more than 650 million euros to at least 3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) in the year through June 2008. The author of the study, Jose Maria Gay, has warned […]