Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated has written what has to be the de facto David Beckham Coming to America story. A few of the particulars are already familiar to us: his Galaxy contract guarantees up to $250 million over five years; he and wife Victoria have bought a $22 million mansion in the Hollywood Hills […]

It’s a fact not lost on the British press: David Beckham isn’t just joining a lesser league; he’s also joining one of that league’s worst teams in the L.A. Galaxy. This point was painfully driven home Tuesday night as Becks’ new teammates crashed out of the Lamar Hunt Open Cup at the hands of second-division […]

As Coach Thomas Rongen said, it took “grandes, grandes cojones,” for the U.S. U-20s to beat Uruguay, 2-1, in their second-round match Wednesday night (extended video highlights). Conceding a goal with about 15 minutes to go, the Americans did not lie down and roll over, rather, they stuck to their guns, focusing instead on what […]

For the second game in a row, the coach of the opposing team bested by Argentina has been forced to admit: “We tried but the opponents were superior.” So said Mexico’s Hugo Sanchez Wednesday after his men were handily beaten 3-0 in the Copa America semifinal. And there can be little doubt that this Argentina, […]

The David Beckham stories are coming fast and furious again, as MLS, ESPN, adidas and everyone else with a vested interest in American soccer prepare for his official unveiling tomorrow. Behind the glitz, glam and buzz lies the question of how Becks will fit in soccer-wise to the struggling L.A. Galaxy team. The 32-year-old tells […]

David Beckham is worried about unrealistic expectations on the eve of his arrival in MLS with the L.A. Galaxy. “People probably do think they’re going to see me turn out, and we’ll win our first game 10-0. That’s one thing I’m worried about,” he said, adding, “I’m not a player who will run past 10 […]

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster revealed that the club has signed Argentine striker Javier Saviola on a free transfer from Barcelona. In an interview with Spanish radio, Schuster said, “He is young, can score goals and can give us a lot more. These are small details that are also good for us. The fans and […]

Things tend to get complicated when Carlos Tevez and his owners are involved, a lesson Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United are learning now that the English Premier League has stepped in to block the player’s transfer from West Ham United. The story goes like this: Manchester United refused to pay West Ham a transfer […]

“It’s mostly chaos in L.A.,” new New York Red Bulls midfielder Santino Quaranta says in an interview with the Newark Star Ledger’s Frank Giase. And he would know: Quaranta had been at the Galaxy 11 months before he was traded to the Red Bulls two weeks ago.   Quaranta arrived in L.A. last August, right […]

ESPN Soccernet’s Jeff Carlisle offers his take on the U.S. in Venezuela, expressing his disappointment that the 2007 Copa America turned into an experiment. In an interview with the Associated Press, CONMEBOL (the South American soccer federation) general secretary Eduardo Deluca also said he was displeased with the weak roster (although he said nothing about […]

The Salt Lake Tribune fears that Freddy Adu’s spectacular performances at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup could hasten his departure from Real Salt Lake. Freddy has been one of the tournament’s best performers, recording three goals and an assist in three games. And while he did not score in the Americans’ 2-1 victory against Brazil, […]

The pending arrival of Carlos Tevez at Old Trafford looks to have sparked a bidding war across Italy for Manchester United’s young Italian-American striker Giuseppe Rossi. The 19-year-old, loaned out to Serie A’s Parma in January, played integral part in the Italian club’s campaign to stave off relegation, scoring nine goals in 19 appearances. Parma […]

Associated Press columnist Tim Dahlberg serves up a humorous (if short-sighted) denigration of David Beckham’s Great American Adventure. Here’s the gist: Beckham is more celebrity than soccer star, and while the American public will no doubt be transfixed by the arrival of Becks and his celebrity wife to the Hollywood Hills, but they will not […]

Ken Pendleton of USSoccerPlayers offers up a frank assessment of the Americans’ performance at the Copa America, and the overall national team effort over the last month, which he rates as “a huge success.” There can be no question that the Venezuela experiment turned out to be an “anticlimactic conclusion to a rather busy month,” […]

When the United States beat Brazil 2-1 in the Under-20 World Cup on Friday, the most encouraging takeaway was that this win was no miracle. Brazil might have had more possession and created more chances, but its defense had absolutely no answer for the one-two punch of New York Red Bulls striker Josmer Altidore and […]

As expected, Spanish champion Real Madrid on Monday named former Getafe coach Bernd Schuster as the club’s new head coach. Schuster’s appointment paves the way for an influx of new signings at the Bernabeu, which will likely be headed by the arrival of Chelsea’s Arjen Robben and, maybe, AC Milan’s Kaka. Schuster’s succession of former […]

Hugo Sanchez’s men on Sunday showed that Mexico’s 2-0 victory over defending Copa America champ Brazil in its opening game was no fluke with a 6-0 demolition of Paraguay — a team regarded by many as the third-best in South America. Indeed, a comprehensive series of performances at this year’s championship has left sportswriters across […]

Each of the Copa America semi-finalists won their quarterfinal with ease, and while Argentina may not won by the greatest margin, its 4-0 second half flattening of Peru solidified the Albiocelestes’ standing as tournament favorites. The scary thing, as Peru coach Julio Cesar Uribe said after the match, is that Peru didn’t play badly, unlike […]

According to the Associated Press, Carlos Tevez will undergo a medical in Venezuela as English champion Manchester United closes in on a two-year loan move for the West Ham United striker. The Argentine is currently playing in the Copa America in Venezuela with the national team. A joint announcement is expected later on Friday from […]

“Houston, We Have a Problem,” came the post-game headline from Big Apple Soccer after the New York Red Bulls were thrashed, 4-0, by resurgent MLS champ Houston Dynamo. Once again, the Bulls were all over the place at the back, as the Dynamo repeatedly carved its way through midfield, playing balls in behind the Bulls’ […]

It’s a nice feeling to say that the U.S. has a good chance against Brazil Friday night. And yes, we are talking about soccer — a World Cup, in fact. Following the U-20 national team’s 6-1 drubbing of Poland in Group D on Tuesday, the U.S. has suddenly become something of a dark horse to […]

CONMEBOL, the South American soccer federation, expressed its displeasure with the third-string team the United States sent to the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela. U.S. coach Bob Bradley clearly used the tournament as an opportunity to blood new talent for the national team, bringing in just seven players from the squad that lifted the CONCACAF […]

The arrival of David Beckham means many things to the L.A. Galaxy. One of them is a new look, which was supposed to be kept under wraps until David’s arrival in Los Angeles next week. However, the new uniforms are now available for public viewing after adidas (accidentally) posted the item for sale on its […]

According to various reports across the Web, sought-after West Ham striker Carlos Tevez is on the verge of joining Manchester United. The fee has been pegged at around $40 million, although neither West Ham nor United is commenting on the speculation. The Argentine international has said he won’t make a decision about his future until […]

Getafe coach Bernd Schuster is expected to be unveiled next week as the new coach of Real Madrid, Merengues President Ramon Calderon told Spanish radio on Thursday. “I think he [Schuster] has sorted out his contract and has to pay compensation, but the logical thing is that he will be the next coach of Real […]