Category: Section 2 Around the Net

What has happened to European Champion AC Milan? The Rossoneri have yet to win a home game in Serie A this season and have failed to score a single goal at the San Siro since September. Saturday’s match vs. Juventus was yet another 0-0 draw, leaving Milan fans bemused as to how a side with […]

Sure, Major League Soccer is coming off its best-ever year, but how would an economic recession impact the league’s fortunes? MLS Commissioner Don Garber insists there’s no direct correlation between the country’s economic performance and consumer spending on sporting events and merchandise. USSoccerPlayers’ J Hutcherson is not so sure. Some people look at American sports […]

Greece can’t seem to qualify for a World Cup, but the reigning European Champion absolutely cruised through Euro 2008 qualifying, and could be considered a favorite to retain that title in Austria and Switzerland next summer. The AP points out that Otto Rehhagel’s men achieved their impressive qualifying run with many of the same players […]

USSoccerPlayers’ J Hutcherson talks about the significance of Red Bull wanting to build Major League Soccer’s first “real” soccer-specific stadium. Several MLS teams have their own stadiums, but these are leased out for concerts and other events. According to managing director Marc de Grandpre, Red Bull wanted to move away from the multi-use approach championed […]

David Beckham’s successful crossover to MLS could pave the way for the arrival of more stars — like Ronaldinho or Thierry Henry, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said yesterday at the Reuters Media Summit. Garber described Beckham as “a home run for us,” but was quick to point out that MLS needs to attract more talent […]

According to Goal.com, Juan Sebastian Veron is on the cusp of sealing a move to D.C. United. Coach Tom Soehn and Technical Director Dave Kasper are reportedly in Buenos Aires right now, finalizing the deal. The Argentine playmaker has been linked with a move to the MLS club for months now, although Veron initially rebuffed […]

It’s been over a year since ground was broken on Red Bull Park in Harrison, N.J. Since then, design and construction delays have severely hampered the stadium’s progress, leaving the project pretty much where it started 14 months ago. However, Frank Giase of the Newark Star Ledger says the official word from Camp Red Bull […]

There’s already a (bad) joke circulating in Britain about Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp’s arrest on Wednesday night. Harry Redknapp got off the plane after watching a Champions League match in Germany and was told he was wanted. “By England?” he asked. No, in the end, it was the British authorities who wanted him to question […]

You do a double-take when Sir Alex Ferguson says that Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player the Manchester United legend has ever had. Why? Because here we have Europe’s longest-serving manager for a big club, a man who’s won more domestic titles than any other coach of his era, so when he speaks, he speaks […]

It looks like David Beckham will make his $250 million, after all. When the British tabloids splashed that figure around following Beckham’s landmark announcement to join MLS, the U.S. soccer press was quick to point out that Becks could earn up to $250 million over five years, depending on certain incentives. Despite making just five […]

Major League Soccer’s salary cap might be all about keeping close tabs on the books, but soccer columnist Frank Dell’Apa reminds us that the cap has nothing to do with coaches salaries. In the last few months, New York and L.A. have underscored that point by spending big money on coaches — although in NY’s […]

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has issued a “come and get me” call to the English Football Association as it searches for a new coach to replace Steve McClaren, who was sacked six days ago. In an interview with British tabloid The Sun, Mourinho suggested he would be interested in an offer from the FA […]

When FIFA announced plans to scrap its continental rotation system, the move was widely interpreted as bad news for the USA’s plans to host the 2018 World Cup, as North America was next in line to host the event after South America in 2014, which would have made the USA, Mexico and possibly, Canada, the […]

Chicago’s Juan Carlos Osorio is still top of the list, but the L.A. Times says that Red Bull has also contacted Chivas USA’s Preki about the possibility of crossing over to New York. The former MLS star was named MLS Coach of the Year last season, leading Chivas to first place in the West and […]

FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, tried to downplay the significance of a stadium collapse in Brazil over the weekend, but the incident left the world’s press wondering about the country’s suitability for hosting the World Cup in 2014. At the very least, the collapse, which killed seven and injured 40, is an indication of the […]

Major League Soccer wants Anschutz Entertainment Group to sell the Houston Dynamo because the sports and entertainment conglomerate also owns the Los Angeles Galaxy, the league’s most recognizable team. According to the Houston Chronicle, a group including the Olympic boxing gold medalist Oscar de la Hoya is interested in acquiring the two-time MLS champ, although […]

Major League Soccer Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis surprised the world on Tuesday by saying that the “real” story of the year in MLS was the league’s broadening ties with Latin America — and not the heralded arrival of former Real Madrid star David Beckham. “The actual story has been looking to South America and importing […]

The rumors are heating up about Real Madrid’s interest in New York Red Bulls striker Jozy Altidore. In a Goal.com report, Altidore’s agent, Richard Motzkin, confirmed that the Spanish champion has sent representatives to meet with the youngster, who became eligible for a move to Europe when he turned 18 earlier this month. Just last […]

We have yet to see the best from Thierry Henry at Barcelona, although if you ask the former World Cup and European Championship winner, he would tell you that eight goals from 15 games isn’t all that bad. He’s right, you know, it’s a record most strikers would be proud of — but perhaps we’ve […]

It looks like the sun has finally set on Britain’s soccer empire: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland all failed to qualify for this summer’s European Championships in Austria and Switzerland. And with their collective failure, “British influence within soccer has dwindled to the point where it has become a national embarrassment,” says soccer […]

UEFA President Michel Platini, “the highest ranking critic of the game,” lives in an entirely different world from the reality of European soccer, says USSoccerPlayers’ J. Hutcherson. Long gone are the days when soccer teams were small businesses that barely made money. Soccer today is a global business, which makes many of Platini’s proposals to […]

It was an interesting study in contrasts as Liverpool visited Newcastle on Saturday. On the one hand, Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is loathed by fans but enjoys the support of the team’s management. On the other, Liverpool’s Rafael Benitez is nearly at war with the team’s American owners, but is loved by the Reds faithful. […]

Goal.com’s Kyle McCarthy ponders the implications of Major League Soccer’s decision to allow Landon Donovan and other so-called “grandfathered” players to remain with their clubs. Because their high-paying contracts were drafted before the Designated Player Rule, MLS enabled Donovan, Eddie Johnson and Carlos Ruiz to play the 2007 season without commanding a DP slot. Now, […]

The glitzy World Cup draw in Durban went off without a hitch — at least, that’s what organizers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa would tell you. However, the weekend was blighted by the murder of a former Austrian soccer player at a golf course outside the city, underscoring the safety concerns hanging […]

The Los Angeles Galaxy’s tour of Australia and New Zealand isn’t just another bunch of friendlies, writes Andrea Canales of ESPN Soccernet. The two-game tour happens to be the debut of new coach Ruud Gullit, which adds intrigue to the team’s performances against Sydney FC on Wednesday and Wellington three days later. Gullit, who returned […]