Category: Section 2 Around the Net

The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson agrees with Croatia’s newspapers that without Eduardo Croatia do not stand a chance of winning Euro 2008. After ending England’s bid to qualify for the finals in Austria and Switzerland, Croatia had become everyone’s favorite dark horse to pull off the unthinkable — just as Greece did in Portugal four years […]

The Associated Press reports of serious infighting at Chelsea Football Club following the English Premier League giant’s loss to Tottenham in the Carling Cup final last weekend. According to the report, the Blues squad was split by “jealousies and unhappiness” over the coaching staff’s preparations for the final, which ended in a 2-1 defeat. Several […]

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says that goal difference could be crucial in determining the fate of the EPL title. Good thing the Red Devils thumped Newcastle 5-1 this weekend, a result that moved them four goals ahead of league leader Arsenal on goal differential. “We’re scoring a lot of goals and, you never […]

Brad Guzan returned to the U.S. a disappointed but not necessarily dejected goalkeeper on the day he was denied a work permit that allow him to complete a $4 million transfer from Chivas USA of MLS to Aston Villa of the English Premier League. “I remember sitting on the plane on the way back thinking […]

Big Apple Soccer does the math following the departures of Dema Kovalenko and Francis Doe, figuring that the New York Red Bulls now have at least $800,000 of cap room to fill, as seven players have left the team since the end of last season. However, the figure doesn’t include new money for players like […]

Suddenly, we have a Serie A title race on our hands — maybe. AS Roma cut Inter Milan’s lead to nine points on Sunday, beating Fiorentina 1-0 as the Nerazzurri escaped with a 1-1 draw against Sampdoria. The two-point recovery could prove crucial if the Romans manage to come away with three points when they […]

Another lackluster performance, another loss for Real Madrid, although this one came in rather extraordinary circumstances, it must be said. Getafe won with a single goal that came as the Spanish champions were celebrating a goal that had been called offside. While most of the team was saluting supporters in the stands, Getafe restarted play […]

“Never in recent memory has the Carling Cup made a group of supporters so absurdly happy as it did Tottenham’s yesterday,” writes Sam Wallace of the Independent. Why, because Tottenham supporters have reason to believe that yesterday’s 2-1 triumph against Chelsea is the sign of many things to come from Juande Ramos, the former Sevilla […]

The New York Red Bulls made some significant changes to their roster on Thursday, trading midfielder Dema Kovalenko to Real Salt Lake and waiving Liberian forward Francis Doe. The moves clear up around $250,000 in cap room for the Bulls, who are still looking to add a central defender, a left-winger and an attacking midfielder. […]

The English Premier League’s proposal to add to its schedule a 39th game that would be played in international arenas across the globe received its latest, and possibly last, blow on Thursday after the Football Association declared the scheme “unsustainable.” Following a five-hour meeting, the FA board told league CEO Richard Scudamore the matter needed […]

AC Milan striker Ronaldo admitted that he does not know whether he will be able to play again after undergoing major knee surgery for the third time in his career. “I have the will to carry on playing, this is what my heart is telling me to do. But my body is giving me signs […]

The first major trophy of the English season is up for grabs this Sunday, as Chelsea takes on Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup final at Wembley Stadium (Setanta Sports USA: 9:30 am EST). Chelsea is the competition’s holder, beating Arsenal in last year’s final, while Spurs has not won a major title since winning […]

SI.com’s Jonah Freedman reports that the only thing standing between Benny Feilhaber and a move to MLS is … Benny Feilhaber. According to one of Freedman’s sources, Feilhaber (or Feilhaber’s agent, Henner Janzen) is demanding “designated-player like money” to return to the U.S., where he has never played professional soccer. The only way that would […]

Several news outlets are reporting that Philadelphia next Thursday will be unveiled as the 16th Major League Soccer franchise in a live news conference from Chester, Pa., site of a proposed 18,500-seat stadium to be built beside the Delaware River. The Philadelphia Inquirer broke the news, citing sources close to both MLS Commissioner Don Garber […]

Ruud Gullit’s Los Angeles Galaxy was thoroughly outplayed by Gamba Osaka in Honolulu last night, losing by a 1-0 scoreline that flattered the MLS club. But things couldn’t have gone more differently for Dominic Kinnear’s Houston Dynamo, which strolled to a 3-0 win against Sydney FC. David Beckham went 90 minutes but forwards Landon Donovan […]

Barcelona played fantastic, free-flowing soccer in its 3-2 come-from-behind win at Celtic Park last night. The Hoops scored two goals from two chances, while the Blaugrana peppered the Celtic goal all night. It would have been a bigger scoreline but for some heroic goalkeeping from Artur Boruc. Celtic manager Gordon Strachan summed it up at […]

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, who’s fallen to third choice behind Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba in the Stamford Bridge pecking order, was spotted on the AC Milan bus following the Rossoneri’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday. Shevchenko attended the game and then left on the Italian team’s bus, prompting further […]

The Los Angeles Galaxy and other MLS teams have until March 3 to be salary cap-compliant, but thanks in large part to the designated player salaries (which count $400,000 against the cap) of David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz, the Galaxy is long way away. Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas has publicly admitted as much, […]

Sources tell Soccer By Ives that the New York Red Bulls included 2007 Rookie of the Year runner-up Dane Richards in a proposed trade for Chicago Fire defender Wilman Conde, a move that the Fire subsequently turned down. The package included Richards, a first round draft pick, cash and either Jeff Parke or Carlos Mendes […]

The Guardian translates the headlines in Italy following Inter Milan's 2-0 Champions League defeat against Liverpool at Anfield. Notwithstanding the harsh sending off of Marco Materazzi after 30 minutes, the assessments of Inter's play were rather damning. "Bitter but fair," said Alberto Cerruti of the Gazzetta dello Sport. "Clinging to the alibi of the numerical […]

FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s foreigner restriction rule proposal, which would reduce the maximum number of foreigners in a club’s starting lineup to five, was dealt a near death blow on Monday when the European Commission ruled that the change goes against European Union law. “The Commission is not considering any change to allow Fifa to […]

Police in London revealed that Chelsea coach Avram Grant received anti-Semitic death threats in a package containing a mysterious powder at the club’s training ground in Surrey. A member of the club’s staff opened the package to find the powder and a note containing ethnic slurs and threats on both Grant’s life and that of […]

AC Milan striker Kaka, FIFA’s reigning World Player of the Year, believes his team will be extra motivated for Wednesday’s first-leg, second round game against Arsenal in the Champions League, because the prestigious European trophy is the last competition Milan has a chance of winning this season. “We are too far behind in Serie A, […]

Rafael Benitez was forced to defend his record to reporters amid suggestions that his team’s Champions League round of 16 series with Inter Milan could represent his last stand as Liverpool manager. “I am surprised I am being asked a question about winning the Champions League to save my job,” said Benitez, who guided Liverpool […]

Major League Soccer would tell you that the traffic in and out of the league is flowing healthily in both directions, with as many or more players coming in than are going out. “That might be true in quantity,” says ESPN’s Andrew Hush, “but the quality certainly leaves something to be desired.” The MLS plan […]