Category: Section 2 Around the Net

L.A. Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit had serious questions to ask of his more experienced players following Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls. Gullit didn’t name names, but David Beckham and Landon Donovan were both conspicuous by their lack of influence. Poor individual performances notwithstanding, what the Galaxy was missing, Gullit said, was […]

Amazingly, the day after Fulham pulled off a relegation escape of epic proportions, it emerged that the Cottagers might now be in line for a spot in Europe thanks to their performance in the so-called European Fair Play League. England has already secured an extra UEFA Cup slot thanks to their position in this table, […]

Inter Milan will have thrown away the Italian Scudetto in spectacular fashion if Roma wins and the Nerazzurri draw or lose in the decisive final round of Serie A matches next Sunday. All Inter needed was a win against lowly Siena to secure a third successive league title, but it wasn’t meant to be: Roberto […]

Soccer blogger Ives Galarcep addresses a few rumors swirling around lately. Despite recent comments to the contrary, Fire defender Wilman Conde is not happy and wants to leave Chicago as soon as possible. Galarcep says the Colombian didn’t even dress for Thursday night’s 2-0 win over D.C. United at RFK, nor did he step foot […]

A disappointed Kevin Payne spoke with Steven Goff of the Washington Post about his underachieving D.C. United side following Thursday night’s 2-0 loss to Chicago at RFK Stadium.  “We have a personal accountability issue on the field,” the DCU president fumed. “I hope that the players know; some of them probably don’t, actually. There are […]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was not happy to hear that Bolton players have been out celebrating after securing their place in the Premiership with a 2-0 home win against Sunderland last weekend. On Sunday, Bolton plays Chelsea in what will be an effectively meaningless match for Bolton. Similarly, United’s opponent Wigan Athletic will […]

Relegation is an unspeakably bitter pill for any fan to swallow, but the Guardian’s Steve Wilson tackles the issue from the neutral or non-fan’s perspective, offering five reasons why the EPL wouldn’t miss relegation-threatened Reading and Fulham, home to seven current or former American internationals.   Reading manager Steve Coppell is the first reason the […]

Various reports are linking Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson with a return to Benfica, home of American teenage sensation Freddy Adu. A statement from the Portuguese club confirmed that talks had taken place. Eriksson, who has been told by Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra that his job will be terminated at the end of […]

The Washington Post’s Steven Goff profiles the long and winding road taken by Denis Hamlett to become Head Coach of the Chicago Fire. Hamlett came to the U.S. from Costa Rica when he was just 10, eventually moving to the D.C. Metro area. Hamlett played college soccer at George Mason University. After college, he spent […]

Texas Southern University wants to join forces with MLS champ Houston Dynamo to build a $105 million 22,000 capacity stadium just east of the city’s downtown area, TSU athletic director Charles McClelland told the Houston Chronicle. The facility would be the joint-home of both the TSU Tigers and the Dynamo. McClelland alerted the city of […]

For the first time since 2002, the French Ligue 1 is too close to call with two games remaining. Olympique Lyon, the incumbent now for six years running, maintains a slender two-point lead over second-place Bordeaux. Among the other intriguing storylines: Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc has a shot at the title in his first year; […]

Headlines across Spain ridiculed FC Barcelona’s players for lying down and letting Spanish champion Real Madrid walk all over them at the Santiago Bernabeu Wednesday night. The day after the 4-1 thrashing, Sport, a Barcelona-area daily, led with a black front cover that read: “You have dishonored the Barcelona shirt”. El Mundo Deportivo, another Barcelona […]

In a conversation with Washington Post blogger Steven Goff, MLS Commissioner Don Garber pledges to ease the crowded MLS fixture list for clubs that qualify for next season’s Concacaf Champions League. “But don’t read too much into it,” Goff says, because both legs of the quarterfinal (February and early March) and the first leg of […]

Marcelo Gallardo, who played 44 times for Argentina and scored 14 goals, is one of the most accomplished players to play for D.C. United. Earning a guaranteed $1.9 million this season, he is the highest paid player in team history by some margin, which means the burden of expectation weighs heavily on his shoulders. “So […]

The Liverpool Echo reports that Everton manager David Moyes has been eyeing U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley. According to the paper, Moyes has had a long-standing interest in the player,and sent over a scouting delegation to watch him play in Heerenveen’s Champions league playoff clash against Ajax. Unfortunately, the U.S. international was sent off after just […]

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is once again calling for a quota system to limit the number of foreign players on each club team. His decision comes as a response to the Champions League dominance of the English Premier League over the past two seasons, during which time three of the competition’s four semifinalists have come […]

It may be very early days in the 2008 MLS season, but the Newark Star Ledger’s Frank Giase points out that never before has the balance of power been so heavily concentrated in one conference. As it stands, the league’s top five teams are in the East, with Columbus (5-1-0) in first place with 15 […]

Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan believes the English Premier League “is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world,” because “the top four next year will be the same top four as this year.” The former England manager added that Newcastle is “a million miles away from challenging […]

By now you’ve probably heard the unfortunate story of three-time former World Player of the Year Ronaldo. Last week, the AC Milan striker invited three prostitutes back to a hotel only to find out once he got to the hotel room that they were transvestites. The media, of course, has delighted in the Brazilian legend’s […]

In an interview with The New York Times’ Jack Bell, Landon Donovan reflects on “Beckhamania” and his burgeoning partnership with the world’s most recognizable soccer star. “It was, believe it or not, as incredible an experience to be a part of as it seemed at the time,” the L.A. Galaxy striker said. “This year, I […]

Real Salt Lake Coach Jason Kreis on Monday chastised Major League Soccer’s referees for a series of poor decisions that have cost his team valuable points. “I have a team doing their best to reward fans through a frustrating time and a frustrating few years. I feel the players are doing what they need to, […]

As the Columbus Crew continues its rise to the top of MLS, D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo, two of the league’s traditional powerhouses, continue their astonishing fall from grace. The Washington Post’s Steven Goff takes a closer look at United’s latest defeat, a 2-0 loss away to the Colorado Rapids, calling the team’s display […]

The ankle injury that has kept D.C. United veteran Ben Olsen’s on the sidelines this season may end his career, The Washington Post’s Steven Goff reports. “It’s not great,” Olsen told Goff’s Insider blog. “It’s a situation where we are going to wait another couple months, see if there is any relief, and if not, […]

The millions of fans who saw Oscar De La Hoya fight Steve Forbes this weekend will have noticed that the self-described “Golden Boy” was wearing an unusual color combination: orange gloves and orange-striped black shorts with a small emblem embedded on the right leg — the colors of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. It was […]

Stoke City will return to the English Premiership next season as a result of sewing up second place in the Coca Cola Championship. As the London Times reports, promotion to the English Premiership is a guaranteed windfall of about $120 million, regardless of how well Stoke performs in the top flight next season. Thanks mainly […]