Category: Section 2 Around the Net

It wasn’t particularly surprising that D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo failed to advance to the Champions Cup final, given the huge hole these teams dug for themselves in their first-leg matches, but “at least United can rightly claim to have made a game of it,” says ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle. Indeed, it was a little […]

The U.S. national team moved up seven spots in FIFA's World Rankings to 21, thanks to that impressive 3-0 win over Poland in Krakow last month. The loss set the Poles back four places to No. 28. This is the highest the U.S. men have been ranked since coming in at No. 20 last December. […]

Despite being soundly beaten, 3-0, on aggregate over two legs, AS Roma coach Luciano Spalletti believes that Manchester United was superior to his team only in its finishing. “I didn’t see United create much more than we did over the two legs,” Spalletti told reporters of Roma’s Champions League quarterfinal defeat, adding that overall, Roma […]

There’s something oddly familiar about this year’s Champions League semifinal lineup: it looks a lot like last year’s. Three of four teams are English, the same three teams that featured at this stage last year. One of the matchups is exactly the same, and has been now for three of the last four years. UEFA […]

Millions may be pouring into Major League Soccer’s coffers through expansion clubs, but the players aren’t likely to receive raises anytime soon. That may seem unfair, but MLS Commissioner Don Garber reminds us that, “The league is doing better, but don’t forget that there has been massive amounts of money invested in this league to get to this point,” Garber tells Luis Bueno of the Press Enterprise. “One good year does not a future make. We’ve got to ensure that we’ve got a good year this year and ensure that some of the teams we have that have struggled at the gate are able to pick it up.”

The U.S. Soccer Federation still hasn’t decided whether to bid on the 2018 World Cup, President Sunil Gulati reveals, although a decision is expected by June 1 or shortly thereafter.

"There are the good Anfield European nights, there are the great ones and then, like this one, there are those remarkable occasions which fall into a different category altogether," says the Independent's Sam Wallace, and last night's 4-2 thriller at Anfield certainly falls into the latter category. In a night of "joyously chaoti" soccer Liverpool's […]

If you don't subscribe to Setanta Sports, then do yourself a favor and do a YouTube search for "I'm on Setanta Sports," a parody show hosted by a puppet personifying former Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho. "The Special One", as he refers to himself, has regular in-studio "guests," such as Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson […]

Inter Milan teenager Mario Balotelli announced his arrival on the global stage with a fantastic individual performance during the Nerazzurri’s 2-0 victory away to Atalanta over the weekend. So good was the 17-year-old that Inter legend Mario Corso was moved to declare him the best talent he’s ever seen. “After so many years it is […]

Here’s a good question MLS needs to ask itself: should a league that describes itself as not being dependent on the international transfer market be selling young stars like Jozy Altidore instead of building a foundation and marketing campaign around them?

If Week 2 of the 2008 MLS season taught us anything, it’s to take over-hasty pronouncements of a team’s flight or failure after the first game of the season with a grain of salt, says ESPN’s Steve Davis. There are two glaring cases, in particular: New England, lauded as an instant title favorite following the […]

The on again, off again transfer saga of former Metrostars standout Amado Guevara to Toronto FC appears to be on again — for good, according to Soccer By Ives. Honduran newspaper La Tribuna reported on Monday that Guevara has played his last game for Motagua and appears ready to return to MLS. “I don’t know […]

With a torn leg muscle ruling him idle, two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho might have his feet up, but his brother and agent Roberto De Assis can’t keep still. First he was spotted meeting with AC Milan GM Adriano Galliani in Italy last week, then come reports from England that Manchester City […]

Arsenal has struggled to eke out important results since posting an historic 2-0 victory at the San Siro last month, losing 2-1 away to Chelsea and then drawing 1-1 at home against Liverpool twice in the span of four days. Nevertheless, Coach Arsene Wenger believes the Gunners can still win both the English Premier League […]

Cardiff City fans are still rejoicing following the Welsh club’s 1-0 FA Cup semifinal win over Barnsley on Sunday. The Bluebirds have become the third Welsh club in competition history to reach the FA Cup final, and the first to do so in 81 years. Cardiff City last reached the final in 1925, when it […]

The Kansas City Star’s Bob Luder points out that the Wizards may have added a new dimension to their attack, as two of the team’s three goals against Colorado on Saturday came from set pieces, which had been a glaring hole on the team stat sheet in 2007. Perhaps even rarer was the fact that […]

After being blasted by New England in their MLS opener, drawing 0-0 at home to Costa Rican club Saprissa in the Champions Cup semifinals, and staring at a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas in their home opener, the Houston Dynamo fans, reminded of last year’s slow start, must have been thinking: “here we go again.” […]

Italian paper La Gazzetta dello Sport has been reporting for several weeks now that American billionaire George Soros is inching closer to a takeover of Serie A giant AS Roma. Regardless, the paper points out that the club’s parent company, Italpetroli, has accumulated debts in the region of $555 million and looks likely to sell. […]

For the past several days, speculation has been mounting that France World Cup winner Thierry Henry will join MLS expansion club Seattle for its inaugural 2009 season.

The MLS Player’s Union on Thursday once again released information about how much money each of its players make. To no one’s surprise, David Beckham tops that list, earning a guaranteed $6.5 million per year. Behind him is the Chicago Fire’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco, $2.67 million, while D.C. United newcomer Marcelo Gallardo is third, earning $1.87 […]

It’s a sad day for Barcelona fans, as Ronaldinho has more than likely played his last match for the club, a 2-1 loss to Villarreal at the Camp Nou. According to a statement on the club’s Web site, the Brazilian World Cup winner tore muscle in training on Thursday and will now miss the rest […]

Some are already calling it the greatest FA Cup competition in history. Why, because Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea — which comprise half of this year’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal list — have failed to reach the semifinals for the first time in what seems like all of FA Cup history. And for those […]

Reigning MLS Defender of the Year Michael Parkhurst was the first to hold up his hands and say “my bad” after the Chicago Fire took the New England Revolution defense apart on Thursday night, winning 4-0 at Toyota Park. “I was awful, I let the team down on the first two goals,” Parkhurst told the […]

FIFA on Thursday dismissed a report on insurance fears over the 2010 World Cup, saying that both FIFA and the World Cup’s Local Organizing Committee have insurance in case South Africa fails to pull off the event. British paper the Guardian had reported that FIFA was forced to build a contingency fund worth $800 million […]

FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka makes more money per year playing soccer than any other player on the planet, according to a list of the game’s top 50 earners that’s been circulating the Internet. The list, which has no source, represents players’ annual wages from playing soccer only and does not include endorsements. […]