Author Archives: Soccer America

UEFA has confirmed that it has received an appeal from Manchester United against Darren Fletcher's red-card suspension and will meet on Monday to decide whether or not to overturn the decision to suspend Fletcher from the Champions League final. Had the incident occurred in a domestic match, the Football Association would have watched replays and […]

U.S. national team captain Carlos Bocanegra and his club Rennes are set to take on Ligue 2 Guingamp in the Coupe de France final this weekend. The defender says he won't take the game lightly, but instead enjoys the pressure of one of the biggest games of his club career. "Obviously a Ligue 1 team […]

Asian soccer chief Mohamed Bin Hammam narrowly fought off a vicious challenge to his seat on the FIFA executive board on Friday after one of the most vitriolic political battles the region's soccer world has known. The Qatari, who has held the seat unopposed since 1996, beat off the challenge of Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin […]

The MLS’s newest expansion team, Philadelphia, has picked a moniker and an emblem that will be officially unveiled on Monday. The Union, which the Philadelphia Inquirer reports as the club’s selection, is a name that harkens to the city’s colonial past and to the area’s historic role in the American labor movement. The team will […]

Zourab Tsiskaridze Jr., just called Zee by his Miami FC teammates, has taken a meandering and unique path to professional soccer in South Florida. The 22-year-old has lived on five continents and speaks five languages. ''I'm really lucky that I've had all of these opportunities,'' he said. "A lot of people my age are coming […]

“The lack of British-Asians in football is still a big issue and one very much on our radar,” said Danny Lynch, media officer at the Kick It Out campaign against racism in football. “The number of British Asians playing at the top level is completely disproportionate to the thousands across the country playing at grassroots […]

FC Barcelona, one of the world's most popular and successful clubs, will return this summer for its third U.S. tour in four years. Barcelona will tour the West Coast, taking on the LA Galaxy Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (11:00 p.m. ET), and the Seattle Sounders on Aug. 5 at Qwest […]

Considering the harsh reality of a slumping real estate market, the San Jose City Council unanimously agreed to cut $43 million from a land deal in hopes of keeping alive plans for the construction of a new soccer stadium for the San Jose Earthquakes. Under the new agreement, team owner Lew Wolff and his partners […]

After out for more than a month with a hamstring strain, Frankie Hejduk returned to action as the Columbus Crew defeated Ohio State in the eighth annual Connor Senn Memorial Game, 3-1. Hejduk, who had not played a game since the United States' 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifying on April […]

Playing their third match in eight days and using a young lineup, D.C. United drew with host the Kansas City Wizards 1-1 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, a result that inched it one point ahead of the Eastern Conference pack and next Saturday's foe, second-place Toronto FC. United managed the draw while resting former league MVPs Christian […]

In the midst of a stretch of nine games in 36 days, Toronto FC relied on its reserve players in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championships. Two reserves made special contributions. Nana Nana Attakora-Gyan played a strong 90 minutes at center back in his first start of the season, and […]

Chelsea manager Gus Hiddink should consider the hypocrisy of his suggestions that Barcelona’s victory on Wednesday marked a conspiracy to end Chelsea’s bid for Champions League title, says Carlo Garganese of Goal.com. At the 2002 World Cup, Hiddink found himself at the other end of accusations, after South Korea’s miraculous wins over Italy and Spain […]

Manchester United have asked UEFA to over turn Darren Fletcher’s late red card against Arsenal on compassionate grounds. The Scotland international was dismissed in Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal win over Arsenal for a foul on Cesc Fabregas in the penalty box. Replays showed the harsh nature of the call, as Fletcher played the ball before […]

"The eyewitnesses, the person who just missed in front and the person right behind us couldn't believe it. They were touching us. They were like 'We can't believe you are alive. How did you make it?'" Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo recalls a near-tragic car accident while driving his family to the April 23 Wizards […]

While South Africa has witnessed a spectacular demand for tickets to next summer’s World Cup, the country hopes demand will increase for next month’s Confederations Cup. Around 340,000 of the 640,000 tickets for the competition have been sold. FIFA and South Africa’s Local Organizing Committee hope that selling tickets more directly to the South African […]

Marco Van Basten has resigned as coach of Ajax Amsterdam after the club failed to qualify for next season’s European Champions League. Van Basten announced his resignation after a stunning 4-0 loss to Sparta of Rotterdam, a result that knocked Ajax out of European contention. “How in god’s name is it possible that we cannot […]

On Tuesday Newcastle suspended Joey Barton "until further notice" in a move that portends an end to the midfielder’s career at the club. The announcement followed reports of a locker-room confrontation with interim head coach Alan Shearer in the wake of Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield. Shearer had publicly accused Barton of letting […]