Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Although the Seattle Sounders FC could only muster a 0-0 tie against the Houston Dynamo on Thursday, the atmosphere at Qwest Field didn’t disappoint in Seattle’s inaugural appearance in the MLS playoffs: 35,807 fans packed into the stadium for the largest ever crowd at an MLS conference semifinal game.   The passion spilled over to […]

Four members of the New York MetroStars coaching fraternity could have jobs heading various national teams at next summer’s World Cup. Bob Bradley, in charge at the Meadowlands from 2003-05, led the U.S. national team to first place in its CONCACAF qualifying group. Bradley was the MetroStars’ seventh head coach; the third was Carlos Alberto […]

Midfielder Andy Williams, 32, has spent much of this season on the bench for Real Salt Lake. Through the first two thirds of the season, Williams made just two starts in addition to a dozen or so brief appearances as a substitute.  But Williams has been a crucial offensive sparkplug during Salt Lake’s run to […]

In the Industrial town of Manchester in Northwest England, the soccer debate has reached a new fervor this season. Friends and even family, like Kevin and Tony Parker, are split into two camps: Red and Blue. “This year, Manchester has accomplished something remarkable for a city of its modest size and stature,” writes Dave Kansas […]

The Guardian rehashes six of the most memorable clashes between Tottenham and Arsenal, two North London sides that face off this weekend. Over the years, these two teams have bucked the trend of local rivalries to produce gritty and low-scoring affronts to the beautiful game. They have produced lots of goals, many strange and dramatic. […]

Mexico star Cuauhtemoc Blanco announced on his website that he will leave the Chicago Fire at the end of the season to return home to rejoin second-division club Veracruz in January. Of Blanco’s decision, Fire technical director Frank Klopas said: “We respect his desire to continue playing in Mexico during the MLS offseason and continue […]

Seattle Sounders FC, a team with an attacking reputation, knows that advancing in the playoffs requires some defensive discipline. Facing a defensive-minded Houston Dynamo team, Seattle is preparing for a scrappy series. “It’s going to be tight defensively,” said Seattle defender James Riley, who competed in the playoffs with the New England Revolution. “In the […]

Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy, two rivals that kick off the playoff SuperClasico Sunday afternoon, possess more ties than their locality. Chivas USA currently has several players on its roster that have played for the Galaxy, including Ante Jazic, Marcelo Saragosa and Paulo Nagamura. These three players know both teams well, and can't […]

Hull City chairman Paul Duffen resigned on Thursday amid the club's poor start to the English Premier League. Winning just three of its past 32 Premier League matches, Hull lies 18 th in the 20-team league. "Football is a results business and in the same way that I enjoyed the successes of the previous two […]

FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency are working together to produce a new anti-doping program that resembles the program used to test international cyclists. "We think this is exciting," Fahey said of the partnership with FIFA. "If it brings the results that many scientists believe it can, it will ultimately help all sports. We also […]

The Vancouver Whitecaps will join Major League Soccer in 2011. But the team still doesn't know which league it will play in next season. The Whitecaps' membership in the USL-1 league looks less likely every day. In an interview with Montreal radio station CKAC Wednesday, USL CEO Alec Papadakis suggested both Canadian teams – the […]

MLS has changed the date of the first-leg playoff clash between the New England Revolution and the Chicago Fire. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass., and will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Espanol.

Newcastle is no longer for sale as owner Mike Ashley has taken the club off the market. Ashley failed to find a buyer at his asking price, around $131 million for a club that he bought for $220 million two years ago. Ashley now says that he will provide over $30 million to help fund […]

Jeff Cunningham‘s 2009 season had a bittersweet flavor. Cunningham struggled at the start, benched by FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman. He didn’t score his first goal until May 31 at Chicago in his club’s 11th game of the season. After strike partner Kenny Cooper left for Germany, however, Cunningham found his scoring touch. He finished […]

Jack Bell conducted an interview with Sunil Gulati, the president of the United States Soccer Federation, on the New York Times' Goal.com blog. Gulati, an economics professor at Columbia University, speaks about the World Cup seeding process, the U.S. chances in the World Cup, and whether there's a U.S. inferiority complex. Gulati on the mystery […]

Erik Stover, who took over as the managing director of the Red Bulls in 2008, has some big decisions to make in the club's offseason, possibly the most crucial winter in franchise history. This winter, as the league unveils a new collective bargaining agreement in January, and as the league revamps roster rules, the Red […]

Third division club Alcorcon did more than surprise Spanish giants Real Madrid in Tuesday's Copa del Rey match. Alcorcon thrashed Madrid 4-0, dominating much of play. The loss adds pressure to Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini, who has overseen a string of bad results recently, including a home defeat to AC Milan and a goalless draw […]

The Premier League has slapped a transfer embargo on Portsmouth for the club's outstanding debts to other clubs. The club, currently last place in the league, cannot sign new players until those debts have been paid. Portsmouth incurred the debts as part of an ongoing financial crisis. Last month the club failed to pay its […]

Rob Hughes, writing for the New York Times, takes issue with the Premier League’s image as the most competitive league on earth. “In truth,” writes Hughes, “the gulf between the elite and the struggling clubs is getting so wide that it is no longer one league, but two.” As evidence, Hughes looks at Chelsea’s clinical […]

Hull City manager Phil Brown is trying to impress some standards on young American striker Jozy Altidore. Brown axed Altidore from the Hull City match-day squad when Altidore arrived just 50 minutes before kickoff, instead 90 minutes. Altidore then issued a public apology via Twitter that only angered Brown further. Brown says Altidore will need […]

Chelsea says it is unconcerned with the recent surge of fears over swine flu spreading around the Premier League. Blackburn, which lost 5-0 to Chelsea on Saturday, confirmed three ill players after the match. Bolton has also revealed that four of their players have recovered from the virus. Chelsea's expressed viewpoint represents that of many […]

Stuart Holden is trying to help the Houston Dynamo win its third MLS championship in four years. MLSnet.com provides a quirky interview with the U.S. national team midfielder that gives a few facts you might not know about the rising American star. Among other things, Holden reveals his fear of snakes, his current favorite song […]

After Toronto FC failed to make the playoffs, the team has dismissed interim head coach Chris Cummins. Toronto finished with a 10-11-9 record. Cummins, who took over in the second month of the season for John Carver, oversaw an 8-9-7 record in 24 matches. TFC’s director of soccer Mo Johnston says the team hopes to […]

Anticipation is building around the playoff edition of the SuperClasico between Southern California's two MLS teams, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA. The two tenants of the Home Depot Center "literally pass each other in the hallways every day," writes Larry Morgan for MLSnet.com. The professional relationship should be put to the test during […]

The Chicago Fire and New England Revolution meet again this MLS postseason. It will mark their eighth postseason matchup. It might be fair to say that no two MLS teams know one another better. In the playoff history between these two teams, New England has won four of seven. In their first-ever playoff match-up in […]