Author Archives: Soccer America

Asian champion Iraqs face suspension from FIFA after the Iraqi government dissolved the country’s soccer federation. The Asian Football Confederation demanded the body’s immediate reinstatement, while AFC president Mohamed bin Hamman said Iraq’s government had no right to dismiss democratically elected officials, and that the AFC would recognize no other body.   Iraq is set […]

On Thursday, Glasgow Celtic won the Scottish Premier League title for the third successive year, and as usual its only serious competitor was Glasgow Rangers. Third-place Motherwell was 26 points adrift of the top two, and no team besides Celtic or Rangers has lifted the Scottish title since 1985.   That’s why the presence of […]

It’s not just last year’s league MVP Luciano Emilio who’s struggling to recapture the form of his MLS debut season. New York’s Juan Pablo Angel, who ran Emilio close for the MVP award, has also tallied just one goal in 2008, while fighting off injuries and coping with a change in coaching philosophy.   “I […]

Almost every MLS team has exploited the new rule allowing an increased number of senior international players on rosters by quickly signing up numerous seasoned South and Central Americans. So far the results have been mixed. Meanwhile, the New England Revolution bucked the trend by taking in two young Gambians, yielding quick returns from the […]

After missing the Major League Soccer playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the Columbus Crew is happy to be on the receiving end of scathing attacks from opposition coaches. It means that it’s finally being taken seriously again.   After last weekend’s scoreless tie at Toronto FC, the TFC coach John Carver said that Columbus came […]

Barely a day goes by without CONCACAF president Jack Warner being involved in a dispute — either on the political front in his native Trinidad & Tobago, or on the international soccer scene. His latest fracas manages to involve both local politics and international soccer, and as usual, there’s money involved.   Earlier this year, […]

U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley was set for a transfer from Heerenveen to English side Birmingham City until the team were relegated from the Premier League last week. The newspaper reports that Bradley, along with Swiss international Valon Behrami, were “all set to” join Birmingham, but only if the team maintained its top-flight status.   Bradley […]

Wednesday night’s sole Major League Soccer game was by no means a classic, but Toronto FC’s narrow home victory (1-0) over bottom-placed D.C. United proved one thing for the Canadian franchise, says Cathal Kelly: “We’re not afraid of you, or anyone, any more.”   Toronto’s new attitude was embodied by striker Danny Dichio standing up […]

Despite his 21 years of unparalleled success as manager of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson has contended with the criticism that his side has been relatively unsuccessful in Europe. There was victory in the now defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991, and the famous last-gasp Champions League win over Bayern Munich eight years later, […]

There are two schools of thought when it comes to concluding a match by penalty shootout. The majority opinion says that it’s an unsatisfactory way to decide a game, especially one as big as the Champions League final. The other school says that taking penalties is an art requiring both soccer skill and mental stamina, […]

Speaking of Mr. Arena, he went on the record at the weekend about his tenure at New York, saying that Red Bull had been “essentially an expansion team” when he took over, and that it had lacked the experience to succeed. “I probably was surrounded by too many young and inexperienced people,” he told Frank […]