Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Can the golden age of English soccer off the field be matched by success on it? England has the most lucrative soccer league in the world, some of the world’s best stadiums, most ardent fans, and most recognizable players, and yet, England and English teams haven’t won much of anything when it comes to international […]

Freddy Adu’s $2 million move to Benfica was a good piece of business for everyone involved: MLS, the Portuguese giant and the player. As SI.com’s Grant Wahl says, it was always unlikely that an MLS team would be willing to drop $750K (his new salary per a two-year contract extension with the league) and a […]

The Carlos Tevez saga is over: West Ham will be paid $4 million by Tevez’s representatives, nullifying the player’s contract with the West End club and allowing Kia Joorabchian and Media Sport Investment, which still own the player’s economic rights, to bring the Argentine striker to Manchester United. The settlement was cleared by the English […]

Friday’s transfer news is longer on rumors than actual deals. The tussle over Arjen Robben’s signature continues; Chelsea may not have pleased the Dutch winger with its contract extension offer but it appears that the Stamford Bridge outfit won’t let him leave to Madrid for less than $40 million. Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon says […]

British clubs drew particularly tricky opponents during the UEFA Champions League second phase draw on Thursday. Liverpool is set to face third-place Ligue 1 finisher Toulouse while Arsenal drew Sparta Prague of the Czech First Division. Glasgow Celtic was dealt the most difficult opponent by far in Russian giant Spartak Moscow. By any account, Toulouse […]

David Beckham notwithstanding, the Salt Lake Tribune has this as the Year of the South American in MLS. Colombians Juan Pablo Angel and Juan Toja, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Carlos Marinelli of Argentina and Brazilians Luciano Emilio and Fred have all stamped their influence on the league this season-and now Real Salt Lake wants a […]

Lots to catch up on in the transfer market this week: once again, Manchester City’s Sven Goran-Eriksson has been the busiest manager in the EPL, splashing down an estimated $34 million on three new players: Croatian international Vedran Corluka, Spaniard Javier Garrido and Brazilian Copa America star Elano. Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov is also rumored […]

Brazilian soccer federation (CBF) President Ricardo Teixeira on Wednesday accused certain national team players of heavy drinking during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Teixeira said the group, coached at the time by Carlos Alberto Parreira, lacked discipline: “There were players who arrived between 4 and 6 in the morning, drunk,” he told reporters from […]

The SFA, Scotland’s soccer association, has become the first federation in world penalize players who dive or fake injury in games by using video evidence. Players caught cheating after the fact will be handed yellow cards. Similarly, wrongfully issued cards could be retracted after the fact. SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smith called simulation “one unhealthy […]

The David Beckham tidal wave is making Major League Soccer look like a good investment for entrepreneurs, according to Bloomberg. As one measure of its rising success, the 13-team league tripled its franchise fee this year to $30 million. The league plans to add three teams in the next three years, and is already generating […]

Not to be outdone by its global rivals, Manchester United this week recruited 9-year-old Australian Rhain Davis after viewing a highlight DVD of him playing for Brisbane youth club Redlands United. Earlier this summer, Bayern Munich added 13-year-old Peruvian Pier Laurrari to its youth squad. The video, which was sent in by his grandfather, has […]

Here’s an interesting contrast: Mark Ziegler of the San Diego Union-Tribune points out that MLS teams went a woeful 3-5 against other American soccer teams in the U.S. Open Cup third round, while Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald commends the league’s four SuperLiga participants for finishing 3-1-4 against Mexican powerhouses Pachuca, Chivas, Morelia and Club America.
 
It’s a bizarre showing of inconsistency: next week’s Open Cup quarterfinals feature five USL teams, two of which come from the league’s Second Division. On the one hand, USL COO Tim Holt says, “the gap between the various divisions of professional soccer in this country is not as great as is typically believed by the average fan.” On the other, Ziegler points out that MLS clubs don’t often take the competition seriously. Indeed, they often agree to play on the road — where they went 1-5 in the third round — so as not to lose money on a small home crowd.
 
Meanwhile, Galarcep says the L.A. Galaxy, FC Dallas, D.C. United and Houston Dynamo have more than held their own against Mexico’s top teams in the SuperLiga, proving worthy hosts of a tournament that continues to surprise most pundits. And somewhat ironically, perhaps, the best game by far was Tuesday night’s clash Dallas and L.A., which the Galaxy won, 6-5, to qualify for the semis.

Steve Davis of ESPN Soccernet points out that July was a month to savor for MLS — and not just because of David Beckham’s arrival, which has yet to have any tangible affect on the league. Davis points out that now is not typically a stressful time for MLS clubs: those comfortably positioned for the […]

American winger DaMarcus Beasley watched from the sidelines as his new club Glasgow Rangers’ struggled to beat tiny FK Zeta, 2-0, at Ibrox last night, in the first of a two-leg qualifier for this season’s UEFA Champions League. (If Rangers beats the tiny Montenegrin club, it moves into the third and round of qualifying for […]

After enduring four difficult, lesson-filled years in MLS, Freddy Adu is off to Portuguese giant Benfica. The New York Times’ Jack Bell reflects on the 18-year-old’s time in MLS with league deputy commission Ivan Gazidis, who concedes that the expectations heaped on the 14-year-old when he joined D.C. United were “unrealistic.” Few would argue that […]

The Toronto Star has an interesting story about the difficulties Toronto FC faces as a Canadian team in MLS. Following the news that TFC keeper Greg Sutton had not sufficiently recovered from a concussion sustained during last month’s Gold Cup, Coach Mo Johnston vetted his frustration to the Star about how he can’t find a […]

The voting for the U.S. Honda Player of the Year Award has concluded, and the Newark Star-Ledger’s Frank Giase says there should be little argument over Landon Donovan winning his fourth award in the last six years. The 25-year-old Donovan, who swept the honor for three straight years (2002-2004), has scored nine goals in 11 […]

As expected, the Brazilian Soccer Federation (CBF) has submitted a bid to host the 2014 World Cup in the form of a massive 900-page dossier handed over to FIFA on Monday by CBF President Ricardo Teixeira. The South American giant last hosted the World Cup in 1950 and is the only country bidding to host […]

Boca Juniors, Argentina’s most famous club and the current South American champion, is looking at the possibility of establishing a satellite franchise in MLS as soon as next season. Apparently, Boca’s board is excited by the idea, and (surprise, surprise) favored son Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who currently plays with the Columbus Crew, is expected to […]

Manchester United’s Italian-American striker Giuseppe Rossi will play in La Liga next season, joining Spanish giant Villarreal in a transfer deal for approximately $13.7 million, according to various media reports. The 20-year-old Rossi spent all of last season on loan, first with Newcastle United of the EPL, where he received little playing time, and then […]

Surprisingly well-received by fans, and surprising (perhaps) for the success MLS teams are enjoying, the SuperLiga is (rightly) garnering all the attention in American soccer recently. However, after all is said and done, David Beckham’s left ankle should be just about healed, and the attention surrounding MLS will inevitably revert back to the question that […]

Pele, the Brazilian widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, has fired a warning to the L.A. Galaxy’s David Beckham, warning him that achieving glory in MLS will be far tougher than many think. Beckham has repeatedly stated that his intention in coming to America is to raise the profile of soccer in […]

Opponents to foreign ownership in English soccer are a frustrated bunch these days. In all, nine EPL clubs have been taken over by foreign investors; Americans own three of them, and soon, perhaps, four, if Colorado Rapids owner Stan Kroenke can buy his way further into Arsenal and gain control. Opponents to the trend argue […]

Newcastle United, for one, hasn’t endured the happiest of takeovers. Englishman Mike Ashley took control of the club about a month ago, purchasing 90 percent of Newcastle’s shares. But Manager Sam Allardyce is already at odds with the new owners, who “know very little about the football side” of running a club. With opening day […]

Notwithstanding (perhaps) the No. 23 shirt worn by David Beckham of the L.A. Galaxy, Mexican-American soccer fans across the country are far more likely to pick up a Club America or Chivas de Guadalajara jersey from their local sporting goods store than say, a Houston Dynamo jersey. Indeed, most Latino soccer fans are as loyal […]