Author Archives: Soccer America

"I consider England to be the strongest team in our group, but we also have very good players. We need not be afraid of the names on the back of the English team jerseys. The biggest mistake would be to play defensive soccer. We won't have any chances even for a draw should we make […]

"It really doesn't matter to me what any of you say because nobody who is here has ever played soccer. You are all happy when things aren't going well with the national team. You never support us when the team is doing well. But I'm not the only who says that. And when everyone says […]

"My contract will be done, and I will leave happy because I have great teammates. It's a decision I made. I'm going to look for other options. I want to return to Mexico or see offers (in MLS) from another team, but this is my last year with the Fire. I think I've made an […]

Riding high after Monday's 2-1 win over Bolivia in Buenos Aires, the U.S. under-17 boys national team was brought back down to terra firma with a tough 5-1 loss to a supremely talented Argentina team in which the Americans "struggled to come up with answers to the Latin Americans' trickery and all too often landed […]

What does one do when he inherits the head job at a team that won the league championship last year? For Crew coach Robert Warzycha, the answer appears to be “not much,” which so far seems to suit a team built on a returning cast of contributors that are coming off last November’s convincing 3-1 […]

After a ninth ankle operation left him only able to limp along rather than actually run, somehow D.C. United veteran Ben Olsen staved off retirement and is back wearing his black and white No. 14 jersey for his 12th MLS season. "I think we were all kind of waiting to see what I had to […]

It’s been 10 years since D.C. United solidified itself as the first (and still only?) true dynasty in MLS history, but MLSnet.com’s Jeff Bradley remembers it like it was yesterday, with Jaime Moreno and Marco Etcheverry still in full uniform more than two hours after their 2-0 win over L.A. in the 1999 MLS Cup, […]

"I've never been happier than I am at the moment throughout my career. I'm playing in a top team, I'm playing with world-class players and I believe in the manager that, going forward, we can be successful … I've got two years left on my contract and if there was a chance to extend that, […]

"These reactions are stupid and do not make a difference. When the crowd whistles Karim [Benzema] or coach [Raymond] Domenech, they must know that it's the whole French team that they are hissing." French playmaker Franck Ribery, commenting on the recent reaction from home fans during a 2-0 loss to Argentina. But in reference to […]

"A formal retraction from Pele will be requested, if what he said was not misinterpreted by the media that published it. And if Pele does not come forward, he will have to deal with his very unfortunate comment in court. Robinho is upset and disappointed at Pele, who seems to have forgotten the great idol […]

"I believe they will. But listen, Toronto has set the stage. Their fans are incredibly passionate. Toronto FC fans have proven to the MLS family that you can create a dynamic, exciting environment in your stadium for a home game and it's what soccer ought to be. We didn't necessarily have that in many of […]

Although it admittedly took him a little while to settle in with the pace and physicality of the English game, especially after not playing in a league match since November with former team and 2008 UEFA Cup champs Zenit St. Petersburg, Arsenal's expensive transfer toy Andrei Arshavin is producing instant dividends upon earning a starting […]

If people within the American soccer world were looking for older brother Kevin Payne and younger brother Tom Payne to be “going at each other’s throats or trying to get some kind of edge on each other” surrounding last week’s MLS opener between the teams each represents – D.C. United and L.A. Galaxy, respectively – […]

Although not quite fit enough to go a full 90 minutes, Swedish international Freddie Ljungberg is set to make his MLS debut on Saturday when the Sounders host Real Salt Lake, meaning fans could be treated to the first episode of the exciting new “Fredy and Freddie Show” that has the potential to upstage “Grey’s […]

Once considered one of the stronger Central American teams, El Salvador has earned a spot in the Concacaf World Cup Qualifying Hexagonal for the first time since 1997, but it wasn’t easy getting back among the region’s top tier of teams, as Mexican coach Carlos de los Cobos “has been faced with constant bickering from […]

"I still have hope because I am a bit crazy. Realistically, we will not win the league, but it doesn't matter what our chances are – we have to give everything to go as close as possible to the top teams. [Manchester] United still have the quality to finish it off, but they had a […]

"There's no letdown. I'm not bitter. I really had a good time there, but I'm also very excited to be here. I'm passionate about this team. It drives me crazy that we haven't been in the playoffs for three years and it's really frustrating. I see a different attitude that Bruce [Arena] has brought to […]

Aston Villa’s appeal of a red card that was given to U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel in Saturday’s 5-0 shellacking from Liverpool was successful today, meaning the 37-year-old English Premier League vet will have the chance to be in the nets for the team’s next match, vs. Manchester United on April 5. That means Friedel will […]