Author Archives: Soccer America

[TRANSFER TALK] Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari appears to be headed to Italian champion Inter Milan in a move that effectively puts an end to talk of England midfielder Frank Lampard rejoining his former Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho, at Inter.

[TRANSFER TALK] West Ham United, which faces the MLS All-Stars Thursday in Toronto, made its first major signing of the summer when it signed Swiss international Valon Behrami.

[OFF THE POST] Swedish fast food chain Max bit off a bit more than it could chew when it decided to stand up to UEFA and its corporate sponsor McDonald’s.

[OFF THE POST] In Saturday’s Russian league derby between Lokomotiv Moscow and Spartak Moscow, the referee was forced to stop play in the 74th minute when a shirtless man ran onto the field. Stadium officials were slow to react, so Spartak defender Radoslav Kovac jumped into action.

[TRANSFER TALK] Claude Makelele, one of the world’s best defensive midfielders for a decade, has joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, fulfilling his desire to end his playing career in France. The 35-year-old Makelele joins the Parisian club after spending five years at Chelsea where he won two league titles.

[TRANSFER TALK] What initially seemed to be nothing more than a PR stunt is now a story with some legitimacy. Samuel Eto’o arrived in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to discuss a proposed move to Kuruvchi, the current leader of the Uzbek League.

[TRANSFER TALK] Despite Ronaldinho‘s much-publicized problems with weight, partying and missed training sessions, most pundits seem to agree that Milan has gotten the better end of the deal that has sent the Brazilian from Barcelona.

[TRANSFER TALK] Real Madrid winger Robinho is frustrated with his role as a pawn in the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga. If Ronaldo joins the Spanish giants, Robinho will be sold to recoup part of the expected world record transfer fee. If Ronaldo stays with Manchester United, then Robinho will be welcomed back to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for another year.

[TRANSFER TALK] Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov nearly moved from Tottenham Hotspur last summer after he scored 23 goals in his first season with the London club. After another season with 23 goals, Berbatov has made it clear that he wants to play in the Champions League and he could be headed to Manchester United in a deal approaching $60 million.

[OFF THE POST] Luiz Felipe Scolari may have recently claimed that Didier Drogba is “200 percent” part of his plans but that hasn’t stopped Marseille fans from raising enough money to buy themselves 6 percent of the player.

[TRANSFER TALK] Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has cash that’s burning a hole in his pocket. Peter Crouch‘s $22 million departure to Portsmouth, John Arne Riise‘s $8 million move to Roma, and Xabi Alonso‘s rumored $30 million switch to Juventus, have all left Benitez eager to make a splash in the summer transfer market.

[TRANSFER TALK] England national team player Frank Lampard is stuck in a tug-of-war between Inter Milan and Chelsea. The 30-year-old midfielder has one year left on his Chelsea contract, but Chelsea rejected a $16 million bid from Inter Milan for Lampard. New boss Jose Mourinho, who left Chelsea by mutual consent in September of last year, is hoping to be reunited with Lampard, whom he once called “the best player in the world.”

[TRANSFER TALK] Spanish forward Daniel Guiza has joined Turkish club Fenerbahce in a move that reunites him with Coach Luis Aragones, who guided Spain to its Euro 2008 victory. Fenerbahce has not disclosed the transfer fee but Spanish press estimated the move to be worth $27 million.

[TRANSFER TALK] Australian national team captain Harry Kewell has completed a move to Turkish champions Galatasaray, signing a two-year deal with the Istanbul club.

[TRANSFER TALK] Brazilian Jo may be in the doghouse of Brazilian national team coach Dunga, but he’s certainly a hot commodity on the international transfer market, as reflected by the $36 million it’s believed Manchester City paid CSKA Moscow to acquire the 21-year-old striker.

[TRANFSER TALK] Barcelona is set to unveil its newest signing, Brazilian right back Daniel Alves. The defender, who can also play in midfield, joins the Catalan side from La Liga rival Sevilla in a transfer deal valued at $46 million, the third-highest in club history.

[OFF THE POST] Manchester City of the English Premier League will travel to the Faroe Islands to play EB/Streymur in the first round of UEFA Cup qualifying. EB/Streymur, Faroese Cup champion for the past two years, is based in the tiny village town Streymnes, which boasts a population of 199. But let’s not forget the other half of the island. With the residents of sister village Hvalvik added to the equation, the population balloons to nearly 400.

[TRANSFER TALK] Portuguese midfielder Deco is making his way from Barcelona to Chelsea in a $16 million move. The Brazilian-born playmaker made the switch after new Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola informed him his services were no longer needed at the Camp Nou.

[EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP] During the final weekend of Euro 2008, the 53 member nations of UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, unanimously agreed to expand the European Championship by eight teams, taking the total number of participating countries to 24.

[TRANSFER TALK] Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor appears to have more than one foot in Italy, as his agent, Vincenzo Morabito, has claimed that his proposed move to AC Milan is “70-80 percent done.”

[REF WATCH] The English Premier League will feature a collection of new faces when the 2008/2009 season begins in August. At age 25, Stuart Attwell is set to be the youngest referee in the history of the league.

[EURO 2008] The second semifinal in Euro 2008 (ESPN2, 2:30 pm ET) offers an intriguing rematch between two teams that met in group play 16 days ago. In that clash, David Villa scored the tournament’s only hat trick as Spain defeated the Russians, 4-1. But Russia bounced back in a big way, thanks much to the return of its star playmaker.