Author Archives: Soccer America

The L.A. Times’ Graehme L. Jones spoke with MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis about the controversy that erupted after the MLS Players Union released the salaries of all 359 of the players in MLS. Gazidis called it “a little bit disingenuous for the union to disclaim ownership of those figures” after the union collectively bargained […]

For those able to travel to the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Tuesday night, the knockout bout between the L.A. Galaxy and New York Red Bulls in the (unbroadcasted) Lamar Hunt Open Cup was an eventful affair. According to MLSNet, the Bulls absolutely dominated the qualifying match but fell, 3-1, in overtime. Strikers Jozy […]

It looks like DaMarcus Beasley will return to Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven after Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce made it clear he’ll be clearing house in the offseason. The on-loan American midfielder is likely to join a long list of players who failed to earn a permanent stay in Pearce’s revolving-door clubhouse. Last year’s temps, […]

By any account, it’s been a bad year for Andriy Shevchenko. One of the highest-rated players in the world less than a year ago, Sheva arrived at Chelsea last summer with huge expectations on his $60 million shoulders. Indeed, it must be hard after such a poor season to be constantly reminded of one’s astronomical […]

BBC Sport takes an in-depth look at the complicated and controversial ruling by the English Premier League over West Ham United’s breach of rules in signing Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from a group of third-party investors. Incidentally, there is nothing explicitly illegal about signing a pair of players whose economic rights are owned by […]

Jorge Valdano, a legend with Real Madrid and Argentina, has launched a scathing attack directed at Liverpool’s Rafael Benitez and Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho, who are “ruining” soccer in his opinion. In a column appearing in the Madrid daily La Marca, the former World Cup winner accuses both managers of mistrusting talent because of their own […]

“Time’s up Mr. Gulati!” exclaims Paul Gardner in his latest New York Sun column. And he’s right: it’s May already, the month when U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said he would make a decision as to who will coach the U.S. national team-presumably through South Africa 2010. It’s a decision that “has been delayed […]

The English Premier League, the most prominent and powerful league in world soccer, headed a list of plaintiffs that filed suit against Google’s YouTube last Friday for copyright infringement. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the EPL and music publisher Bourne Co. jointly sued the online video provider, […]

ESPN Soccernet’s Norman Hubbard compiles a list of the top 10 worst transfers in the English Premier League this season. It betrays little suspense to cut right to the chase: Hubbard rates Chelsea’s Andriy Shevchenko the worst transfer of the 2006-2007 season. It’s true, four goals and six assists for $60 million is a terrible […]

Do rising tides lift all boats? It depends: if you’re talking about Major League Soccer and the mean rise in player salaries, this has been brought on by a handful of players signed under the new designated player rule, most notably David Beckham, who’s base annual salary is $5.5 million for the five years he’s […]