Category: Section 2 Around the Net

U.S. fans itching for Jermaine Jones' debut with the national team may have to wait longer than expected. The midfielder "may need another surgery to address the shin fracture he had surgery for this summer," reports Ives Galarcep. Jones attempted to train with Schalke 04 in recent weeks, but nagging pain in his leg has […]

Estudiantedes snatched a 2-1 win over Independiente in the Argentine league. Mauro Boselli notched his third goal in four games and Juan Manuel Diaz grabbed a late winner in the 88th minute. The victory lifted Copa Libertadores champion Estudiantes to second in the Primera Division table. Meanwhile, River Plate continued its uninspired play with a […]

Attempting to limit distractions during England's hopeful World Cup, England coach Fabio Capello declared that he will allow players' partners to visit the squad for only one day per week, after each game at next year's World Cup. Capello aims to avoid a repeat of the 2006 World Cup, which defender Rio Ferdinand called the […]

Toronto FC will introduce Canadian national team star Julian De Guzman as the club’s first Designated Player at a press conference today . The multi-million dollar signing is expected to help TFC make a serious push toward playoff contention. The club failed to reach the MLS playoffs in its first two seasons. De Guzman, 28, […]

Honduran midfielder Martin Chavez is scheduled to make his debut with FC Dallas when the club takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Home Depot Center (Saturday, 10:30 pm ET, Direct Kick). Chavez decided to turn down a call-up to the Honduras national team for its latest qualifiers to get acquainted with his new […]

Just 10 days after winning the U.S. Open Cup 2-1, the Seattle Sounders travel to D.C. United’s RFK stadium again, this time for a league game. (Saturday, Direct Kick, 7:30 pm). The teams’ meetings have been tense affairs. The U.S. Open Cup saw United goalkeeper Josh Wicks ejected for stomping on Seattle striker Fredy Montero. […]

The league’s two best teams face off on Sunday as Western Conference leading Houston Dynamo travels Northeast to take on the Columbus Crew, leaders of the Eastern Conference (Sunday, 5 pm ET, Direct Kick). The two teams account for the last three MLS Cup titles, with Columbus winning last year and Houston winning both years […]

Last week, Mexico's Guillermo Franco was all set to sign for Estudiantes de La Plata in Brazil. Not anymore. Multiple sources have reported that the Mexican striker, who professed his desire to remain in Europe, is on the verge of signing a contract with English Premier League club West Ham United. Franco's contract with Villarreal […]

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has a problem with FIFA's plan to ban the transfer of players under the age of 18. A staunch believer in developing young talent, as opposed to making big money signings, Wenger believes FIFA's new plan will stunt the growth of the best players. "If your players cannot move to the […]

Ismail Abdullatif scored Bahrain's second equalizer of the match in stoppage time to draw 2-2 at Saudi Arabia. The result qualifies Bahrain for a two-leg playoff against New Zealand, the Oceania champion, for the right to advance to next year's World Cup. Bahrain qualified thanks to its away-goal tally after holding the Saudis to a […]

After Argentina’s fourth loss in its last five qualifying games, a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay, Coach Diego Maradona promised to fight on for his country. “As long as I have a drop of blood left, I will fight to get Argentina qualified,” said Maradona, captain of the country’s 1986 World Cup-winning team. “We’re not out […]

Spain and England joined the Netherlands in qualification for the World Cup. Maintaining perfect records in their respective groups, Spain beat Estonia 3-0 and the English looked impressive with a 5-1 victory over Croatia. England’s win came almost two years after Slaven Bilic‘s Croatian team won at Wembley Stadium to prevent England from qualifying for […]

Scotland finished another disappointing qualifying campaign with a 1-0 loss to the Netherlands at Hampden Park. The loss put Scotland in third place in Group Nine and out of contention for a place at South Africa 2010. The Scottish FA’s president, George Peat, will meet next week with Scottish manager George Burley to decide the […]

A few months ago Mexico looked as if it might miss out on World Cup qualification. Now El Tri is back on track to qualify while looking the best team in the group. Cuauhtemoc Blanco converted a penalty kick in the 75th minute en route to a 1-0 win over Honduras that moved Mexico into […]

Germany has won four European Women’s Championships in a row, a run that England will try to end when the two teams meet in Helsinki on Thursday. The game marks England’s first final since the inaugural tournament in 1984, when England lost to Sweden. England hasn’t beaten Germany, World Cup winner and six-time European champions, […]

Danny Dichio, the beloved Toronto FC striker known for scoring the club's first-ever goal, announced his retirement from soccer on Wednesday. "It's a sad day for me because I'm retiring and I'll never put on the boots again," Dichio told reporters at a news conference at BMO Field. "But at the same time, it's a […]

Brian McBride, who underwent surgery on his shoulder in July, is back in full contact training with the Chicago Fire. The striker could see action as soon as this Saturday against Real Salt Lake. “He’s in full go,” Fire coach Denis Hamlett said Wednesday. “He’s looking good. We are still being cautious, and working on […]

Houston's Reliant Stadium, which holds more than 70,000, will host the 2010 MLS All-Star Game. The Houston Dynamo, Lone Star Sports and Entertainment, and MLS agreed on the venue. "It's a real honor for us to be able to bring MLS players and the opponent into a building like this, which has seen great, great […]

Hungary and Portugal face off today in a match that is pivotal for both team's World Cup qualification chances. Hungary, currently four points behind Denmark in Group 1, lost to Sweden 2-1 over the weekend. Portugal is fourth in the group with 10 points from seven games, three behind Hungary and seven off leaders Denmark, […]

Sometimes you wonder if Bob Bradley is “a sort of soccer version of Rain Man,” writes Grant Wahl after an extended talk with the U.S. coach. Wahl marvels at Bradley’s precise recall of games – not just the goals, but “the entire sequences of small plays that led up to those strikes.” In an interview […]

Maurice Edu vaulted into onr of ther world's most intense soccer rivalries last season when he moved from Toronto FC to Scotland's Rangers. He predicted abuse, but couldn't predict the intensity of it. "My first game with the team was at Celtic Park," Edu said. "I remember just warming up on the sidelines and you […]

The Kansas City Wizards’ long-sought new stadium might not be in Kansas City. OnGoal LLC, the owner of the Kansas City Wizards, has prepared a new plan to develop the new stadium as part of a complex at the Kansas Speedway, located in the Village West retail district as part of Wyandotte county. The new […]

On the eve of the women's Euro 2009 final, which pits England against Germany in Helsinki, The Guardian's Will Buckley offers a look back at one of the most successful women's teams in history, the Dick, Kerr and Co., ladies team of Preston. During World War I, the women workers of the Dick, Kerr and […]

The New England Revolution gifted a goal to the Kansas City Wizards in the third minute of their game on Saturday. A miscue by Darrius Barnes allowed Kansas City forward Josh Wolff to get behind the defense and cross to an unmarked Claudio Lopez, who finished easily. The goal snapped a 426-minute scoreless streak for […]

On Saturday, Slovakia came within minutes of qualifying for the World Cup. Instead, a 2-2 draw with former compatriots Czech Republic means that Slovakia will have to wait for the next game, Wednesday's match against Northern Ireland, to try again. The rivalry between Slovakia and the Czech Republic is good-natured, but always emotional. "Obviously, every […]