Category: Section 2 Around the Net

The L.A. Galaxy’s recently trade-available striker Carlos Ruiz may not be leaving the club after all, despite recent speculation. “Our intention is to keep Carlos,” said the team’s Director of Soccer Paul Bravo Tuesday when asked about the status of trade talks after Ruiz came on as a late substitute for the team against Chivas […]

Ronaldinho is as relieved as the rest of us that his transfer saga is over.

More competition for Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson as West Ham United striker Bobby Zamora heads for Craven Cottage.

Brent Latham catches up with Carlsbad, Calif., native Ryan Guy at St. Patrick’s Athletic in Ireland.

An editorial at the excellent U.K. webzine twohundredpercent analyzes an article in last Saturday’s Guardian by comedian David Mitchell. Although Mitchell’s anti-soccer piece displayed a typical lack of understanding of the game, it ought to strike chord with soccer fans who are sick of the year-round blanket media coverage that no longer even allows us […]

Slavery in soccer has little to do with Cristiano Ronaldo, but plenty to do with the exploitation of young players from Africa looking to make a career for themselves in Europe. The danger comes not just from exploitative clubs, but from fraudsters claiming that they can set up trials with clubs, then pocket a fee […]

It’s not been a brilliant season so far for the Kansas City Wizards, but it might have been even worse had the team not signed Argentine veteran Claudio Lopez, 34 this week. The forward has missed only 14 minutes of league action so far, is tied for the team lead with three assists, and is […]

Soccer at the Beijing Olympics is threatening to become a showcase for Barcelona’s biggest names, albeit some of whom seem to be heading for the Nou Camp exit, writes Jack Bell. First Lionel Messi was called up by Argentina, then Ronaldinho was picked by Brazil, and now Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o has said he thinks […]

How important is soccer in the greater scheme of things? Sometimes external events cause both players and fans to adopt a more rational perspective on the relative importance of the game, a transitory state that usually lasts until the next kick-off. New England Revolution defender Chase Hilgenbrinck, however, has taken a more long-term view and […]

The “latest buzz in U.S. soccer circles” (wherever they may be) is that New England’s Michael Parkhurst will be in Peter Nowak’s Olympic squad, to be announced Thursday.

Still awake out there? Don’t raise your hopes, but the Ronaldinho transfer saga may come to an end within the next 72 hours. If he sticks to his promise to make a decision.

After a four-year freeze (presumably not the same one that has affected the team’s trophy cabinet), Arsenal has raised ticket prices to keep pace with “the substantial inflation in football.” The cheapest season ticket now costs a mere $1,850.

Real Salt Lake tops the MLS Western Conference for the first time in its short history after beating Columbus, 2-0, on Saturday. Sulaiman Folarin believes credit is due to Coach Jason Kreis, and to the team for the gamble it took by appointing a virgin coach last year when “there was a lack of focus […]

The issue of field turf in U.S. soccer came up again twice over the weekend. First, Toronto FC Director of Soccer Mo Johnston admitted that former Norwich City striker Darren Huckerby has signed for the San Jose Quakes ahead of TFC because “Darren had a slight problem with the turf and was concerned about aggravating […]

Media attention was focused on Abby Wambach in the U.S. women’s exhibition match-up with Brazil in Commerce City, Colo., on Sunday as she strived to score her 100th international goal. But despite a number of early chances, Wambach instead turned provider to set up the game’s only goal for second half substitute Amy Rodriguez, who […]

It’s been a bloodless coup unseen by most, but the world’s soccer governing body FIFA has taken over South Africa and ousted the ruling African National Congress, writes Rodney Hartman. “FIFA is an organization that wields far greater influence than the United Nations and, more importantly, has far greater muscle,” he writes. “It can, and […]

The promise of an MLS team returning to Miami has always outpaced the reality, writes a scathing Jeff Rusnak. “The most recent example,” he says, “is Mayor Manny Diaz’s inability to lure a big-time investor to field a team there as early as 2011, despite offering $50 million in public funds to build a stadium […]

South Africa’s foremost soccer pundit, the former Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey, fears that violence and crime threaten the 2010 World Cup, and that now is the time to take action.

City of London Police has submitted a file on corruption in the English game to the Crown Prosecution Service and awaits a decision on possible charges against seven men, including Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp.

Ever the optimist, David Beckham reveals that he is “sure that things are going to go well” for England under coach Fabio Capello.

Negotiations to bring Brian McBride to the Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer by way of Toronto FC have stalled, writes Greg Lalas, quoting “a source with close knowledge of the situation” who doubts whether the deal will take place at all. Chicago does not want to gut the nucleus of its young side, and […]

Chivas USA and U.S. national team goalkeeper Brad Guzan may have made his last save in MLS for a while. “The 23-year-old reportedly is on the verge of signing a contract in Europe,” writes Graham L. Jones, “most likely with Aston Villa of the English Premier League, although sources said Celtic of the Scottish Premier […]

Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis is clearly unfazed by MLS suspensions for criticizing game officials. Earlier this season he sat out a one-game ban for venting about referees. On Thursday, MLS doubled the punishment for remarks Kreis made about the officials following last weekend’s 0-0 tie with Houston. MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis has […]

On Thursday, FIFA President Sepp Blatter belched out one of his periodically idiotic opinions when he said that he thought Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently earns around $240,000 a week, was a modern-day slave. Now, in what Ian Herbert calls “an utterance as remarkable as any he has issued this summer,” Ronaldo has agreed, […]

Exaggeration and hyperbole serve sports commentators well around the world, but few have so profoundly embraced the language of over-excited incredulity as British soccer pundits, writes Harry Pearson. Where “you or I see a footballer striking the 3,758th best shot we have ever witnessed, Andy Townsend and Ally McCoist see the equivalent of a yeti […]