Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Remember when people were talking about Rochester as a viable location for a Major League Soccer franchise? This year has seen the United Soccer Leagues Division One team experience insolvency, the loss of its stadium to the city and a rebirth with a shortened name. On Tuesday, the Rhinos barely edged past an amateur team […]

There were seven red cards in three Major League Soccer games last Saturday, but were they all necessary? Andrew Hush picks up on the “innocuous” spat between D.C. United’s Marcelo Gallardo and Chicago’s Brandon Prideaux as an example of at  least two cards that could have been avoided with a little common sense.   “Television […]

The spectacle of the Netherlands against Italy helped most soccer fans forget the dire 0-0 draw between France and Romania that preceded it. It also meant the question of what was wrong with the lackluster French was either avoided or overlooked. According to Paul Doyle, the Romanians played for the single point by stifling Franck […]

It’s a shame that post-game discussion of one of the great European Championship encounters of all time has been dominated by a goal that too many people wrongly thought was offside. But if you look through the English-language press for an analytical appreciation of the Netherlands’ 3-0 victory over Italy Monday, you’ll be disappointed to […]

The huge crowd at the Meadowlands Sunday for the USA’s 0-0 tie with Argentina had Frank Giase contemplating all the great soccer occasions the stadium has hosted as its demolition date nears. “Giants Stadium has been a Mecca of soccer for the past three decades,” he writes, and says that to the people of New […]

All soccer reporters know that cheering in the press box is considered bad protocol, but that’s not to say it doesn’t happen. Reporting from the European Championships in Vienna, John Doyle found that when Croatia scored against Austria Sunday, “the reporter to my left just leapt into the air and did a little dance, fists […]

The Global Game is one of the internet’s most interesting soccer sites, and specializes in the kind of full-length features that other outlets rarely bother with in the fast-moving online world of quick quotes and one-sentence paragraphs. But you should take the time to read John Turnbull’s latest piece about the Ukrainian soccer Diaspora in […]

After four years of hype and varying levels of achievement, Freddy Adu’s performances against Spain and Argentina have prompted Brian Lewis to wonder if this has been the week when “Adu began to realize his vast potential.”   “The 19-year-old midfielder always showed flashes before,” writes Lewis. “Little hints and clues as to what he […]

After all the publicity surrounding the behavior of fan groups at the Columbus Crew’s northeast corner, and Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber’s statement last week that the throwing of streamers and confetti will be “kept under review,” Bob Hunter spent an evening with the Hudson Street Hooligans, Crew Union and La Turbina supporters’ groups. […]

At the other end of the fan behavior spectrum, there were 157 arrests in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt over the weekend as Germany met Poland in the first round of the European Nations’ Cup. Reporting from the city, Jason Burt blames the liberal availability of alcohol.   He writes that many more would have […]

Manchester City is persisting in its bid to sign Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho with an offer that would bring his salary close to $400,000 per week, making him the best-paid player in the world.   “Extensive talks over the weekend concluded with Ronaldinho mulling over a contract,” reports The Guardian. The rumored salary “would smash City’s […]

The seven inaugural teams in Women’s Professional Soccer, set to launch next year, will next month each be allocated three U.S. national team players, according to WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci.   “It is not a draft,” writes Steven Goff at his Washington Post soccer blog, “rather the players have selected their preferences and the league […]

The USA heads from the frying pan into the fire. After losses at England (2-0) and Spain (1-0), the USA returns home to face Argentina Sunday at Giants Stadium (TV: ESPN Classic, Galavision, live, 7:30 pm ET). The Argentines are ranked No. 1 in the latest FIFA rankings and are coming off a 4-1 victory […]

On the orders of Portugal Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t talking about his future plans, but Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores Aveiro, expects him to stay at Manchester United for now. “He’s fine where he is,” she told Portuguese TV station TV1. “Only God knows the future, but what is certain is that he’ll stay […]

Italy’s Marco Materazzi, best known for his insult that provoked France’s Zinedine Zidane to head-butt him in the chest at the 2006 World Cup final, can’t escape his critics. The 34-year-old defender evoked the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy in taking a swipe at those who questioned his character. “I think it was Kennedy […]

The European Championship, which kicks off on Saturday, will generate a record income of $2 billion — an increase of 50 percent from 2004 revenues. “The sums from TV rights and sponsors are much bigger than the sums generated from ticketing,” said UEFA general secretary David Taylor. “Considerable sums are now also being generated by […]

The Houston Dynamo’s trip to Washington wasn’t a complete loss. A day after its game against D.C. United was washed out, the Dynamo players and staff visited the White House. For the second year in a row, President George Bush honored the Dynamo as MLS champion. “It is the coolest honor I can think of […]

While the European Championship kicks off this weekend, World Cup 2010 qualifying continues in Asia, where Iraq and Iran play critical matches. Iraq faces Australia in Dubai, while Iran — without a competitive victory in almost a year  — travels to Al Ain to play the Group 5 leader United Arab Emirates. New Iran coach […]

Everyone knows Jorge Flores as Sueno. Now he’s a budding MLS star. Only a year after winning the “Sueno MLS,” beating out thousands of young players for the right to try out with Chivas USA, Flores has broken into the first team and scored goals in his last three games — all wins for Chivas […]

With newly hired coach Sven-Goran Eriksson watching from a luxury box, Mexico was embarrassed by Argentina, 4-1,  on Wednesday before a record soccer crowd of  68,498 fans at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. El Tri was booed off the field at halftime after Argentina scored three goals. Lionel Messi scored one goal and helped set up […]

There’s a fight brewing between the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County in Washington’s Maryland suburbs to build a home for Major League Soccer’s D.C. United, and the Prince George’s folks speculate that D.C. was spurred in action after seeing a model of a soccer stadium as part of a town center developer Petrie […]

What was for many years an event seen by only a handful of Americans on pay-per-view television will be available in its entirety on the ESPN family of networks. As part of its expanded commitment to soccer, the ESPN networks will broadcast all 31 European Championship matches, beginning Saturday and going through June 29 when […]

Major League Soccer has seen an influx of talent from around the world over the past couple of years, with most of the media attention focused on the signing of established names. Less celebrated than the Designated Players, but no less important, is the “new breed of Bad Boys,” argues Pat Walsh.   “Looking at […]

Mainz 05’s highly rated American, Neven Subotic, 19, could be headed for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, reports the German sports weekly Kicker. Subotic’s coach at Mainz this past season, Juergen Klopp, has just made the same move, and wants the central defender to follow him north.   Last season Mainz’s second division campaign ended with […]

Uncapped before the 2006 World Cup, Franck Ribery has stepped up in just two years to become the heir to Zinedine Zidane, writes David Hytner. After an “explosive” debut season at Bayern Munich, and after winning the German Player of the Year award, the midfielder is carrying the hopes of his country as its “leader […]