Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Fabio Capello’s first day on the job as England coach was met with derision by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who told BBC: “I would say it is a little surprising that the motherland of football has ignored a sacrosanct law or belief that the national team manager should be from the same country as the […]

It is both a blessing and a curse that Europe has now taken notice of Major League Soccer, says the Toronto Star’s Cathal Kelly. On the surface, importing the likes of David Beckham while exporting the likes of Clint Dempsey looks like a transaction that clearly benefits both sides. However, Beckham, Kelly says, “is a […]

Yet another astonishing death rocked the soccer world last Saturday as Motherwell midfielder Phil O’Donnell collapsed from heart failure during his club’s match against Dundee United. O’Donnell joins the lamentably growing list of players who’ve collapsed and died on the field while playing in the prime of their lives. Antonio Puerta of Spanish club Sevilla […]

Four days into the January transfer window, USSoccerPlayers’ J Hutcherson again takes a look at the situation at Derby County, where the futures of U.S. national teamers Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber hang in the balance. Coach Paul Jewell, on the job now for less than a month, has repeatedly and publicly stated his desire […]

Fourteen months have passed since Major League Soccer’s mandate that teams develop talent through league-sanctioned youth programs, but Chivas USA, the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United were already ahead of the curve. The three teams have had operational programs for more than two years, which now makes them eligible to sign players developed […]

When will Liverpool overcome its title slump? Certainly not this year, says the Guardian’s Scott Murray. Rafael Benitez’s men sit an alarming 12 points behind league leader Arsenal, a gap that’s never been surmounted by a Premiership title winner at the same point in the season.   Despite Manchester United’s dominance of the 1990s and […]

It looks like New England Revolution midfielder Andy Dorman is on his way to St. Mirren of the Scottish Premier League, according to the Boston Globe’s Frank Dell’Apa, who says there are positives and negatives to be drawn from the move. Remember that the 25-year-old Dorman ended the 2007 season on New England’s bench, indicating […]

World Soccer columnist Paul Gardner recounts the year in Beckhamania, a feature article that also appears on SI.com. Looking back at the year that belonged to David Beckham might best be described by the question, “When is a fiasco not a fiasco?” because 2007 was and was not a disaster for Becks. Indeed, Beckham the […]

2007 was a good year for American soccer players. In particular, Heerenveen’s Michael Bradley and Fulham’s Clint Dempsey had great years, establishing themselves at their respective clubs, while earning starting spots with the national team. Back home, the media blast may have been all about David Beckham, but U.S. national team regulars Taylor Twellman and […]

Just before the New Year, U.S. defender Jonathan Spector went 90 minutes as West Ham United beat Manchester United — again — at Upton Park. And what an eventful 90 minutes it was for the 21-year-old American, who played three positions during the match. He also gave away a penalty kick that looked certain to […]

Three matches stood out in particular following the UEFA Champions League draw in Nyon on Friday. Liverpool drew two-time Italian champion Inter Milan, Spanish champ Real Madrid was paired with Italian giant Roma, and EPL leader Arsenal will square off against World and European club champion AC Milan. The other second round matches are as […]

Fulham, English Premier league employer of Americans Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Kasey Keller, on Friday fired Manager Lawrie Sanchez, placing assistants Ray Wellington and Billy McKinlay in charge of the club until a new manager is appointed. Sanchez lasted just eight months on the job after replacing Chris Coleman in April. Fulham […]

Mexico’s Nery Castillo set the international stage alight this summer with a series of fantastic performances at both the Gold Cup and Copa America, but the 23-year-old’s club career has been spent in “relative obscurity” at clubs like Olympiakos in Greece and now, Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. Having only just signed with the Ukrainian giant […]

Bundesliga club Hamburg signed Preston Zimmerman to a full professional contract that would keep the young American at the German club until 2009. Zimmerman’s agent told Yanks Abroad that the 19-year-old, who currently plays for Hamburg II, could be given the opportunity for first-team action early next year, as Hamburg loses several first-team players to […]

The London Telegraph interviews L.A. Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit about his views regarding the recent appointment of Fabio Capello as England head coach. Gullit actually played for Capello in the great AC Milan side of the early 1990s. The Dutchman offered this advice for the Italian coach: pick David Beckham, not Alan Shearer. In his […]

Poland captain Maciej Zurawski is being urged by national team coach Leo Beenhaker to leave Celtic for the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 31-year-old Hoops striker captained Poland to a successful Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, but has received little playing time at Parkhead so far this season. “I think if Maciej were to accept a move […]

Soccer columnist Steve Davis says the latest MLS rule change is all about upholding the standard of play as the league expands. Earlier this week, the league announced that teams could now have a total of eight international players on their roster instead of seven. More significantly, these slots can now be traded, which raises […]

Liverpool striker Peter Crouch was dismissed Wednesday night as Rafa’s Reds lost their second straight, 2-0, to Chelsea in the Carling Cup quarterfinals. The Liverpool striker was sent off almost immediately after Frank Lampard’s deflected shot put Chelsea ahead, his uncharacteristic two-footed lunge drawing a straight red card from referee Martin Atkinson. Crouch leapt at […]

Public officials in Miami want Major League Soccer to return to the area. On Tuesday, Miami Dade County officials backed a massive redevelopment project in the city’s downtown area that would include the building of a soccer specific stadium and new baseball park. The city is prepared to sink $50 million into the stadium. “Mayor […]

Almost a forgotten man at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack was set to make his long-awaited return Wednesday against Liverpool in the English League Cup following an eight-month injury layoff. In an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit, the Germany captain reveals the ankle injury almost ended his playing career. “Sometimes I thought: ‘Man, […]

Major League Soccer has changed its rules again, increasing the number of foreigners allowed per team from seven to eight and allowing them to trade for as many foreign player slots as they can accumulate. The move means that an MLS club could, in theory, field a team composed entirely of foreigners. To be sure, […]

As the “what’s wrong with English players debate” rages on, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas makes an interesting observation: unlike players from other European countries, the English don’t tend to expand their horizons by playing abroad. “It looks like [English players] are comfortable where they are and that is it,” the 20-year-old says in an interview […]

Reuters has interesting story on the tribulations of Brazilian coaches, who can see their plans for the season evaporate in an instant once the international transfer window opens. According to the Brazilian Soccer Federation (CBF), the country exported a record 1,085 professionals in 2007. Brazilians are in-demand in leagues across the globe, from the big […]

He’s only just turned 20, but striker Karim Benzema has already developed into the main attacking threat at French champion Lyon. The France striker has been a revelation this year, topping the Ligue 1 scoring charts with 12 goals in 18 matches. Recently, Benzema notched two goals and an assist in the 3-0 thrashing Lyon […]

Who needs Juan Sebastian Veron? Certainly not D.C. United, says Yahoo Sports’ Martin Rogers. Veron was a bust in the Premiership and a bust in his return to Italy, so there are no guarantees he wouldn’t be a bust in MLS, too. In fact, so big a bust was Veron at Manchester United that his […]