Category: Section 2 Around the Net

It may be that the British soccer press has little to talk about now that the domestic and international seasons have ended, but speculation has it that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is already fed up with American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks for not getting it done on the financial end. The Times says […]

On Wednesday in Buenos Aires, the Copa Libertadores final begins. It’s a competition that’s often described as South America’s UEFA Champions League. Usually a showcase for the region’s up-and-coming stars, this year’s final is punctuated by the appearance of a two key veterans on one of the competition’s most storied teams. Indeed, the final is […]

Mexico was on the receiving end of the biggest shock at the 2007 Gold Cup so far, when Honduras stole a deserved last-minute win from the Tricolores at Giants Stadium on Sunday. Hugo Sanchez’s men now travel to Houston needing a win against tricky Panama to ensure safe passage to the next round and the […]

As New York Sun columnist Paul Gardner points out, everything about the David Beckham signing has been positive for Major League Soccer-so far. The global publicity was “much more than we’d ever dreamed of,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said. Even better has been Becks’ return to the first team at both Real Madrid and […]

If you’re the kind that’s easily spooked, stay away-stay far away-from what’s happening with David Beckham and Real Madrid in Spain. After Real Madrid’s improbable last-gasp draw in Zaragoza was mirrored by an equally improbable last-gasp draw in Barcelona, you might have got the feeling that someone else is calling the shots out there. Even […]

Strange forces may be pulling Real Madrid and David Beckham toward the La Liga title, but nothing will pull the reborn England international away from his five-year commitment to Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy. Despite claims to the contrary from Real President Ramon Calderon in comments following the Zaragoza game on Saturday, […]

As usual, it’s absolutely killing a British sports writer-Nick Harris of the Independent-to concede that Major League Soccer has 1) good players and 2) serious prospects for growth. He starts by equating the standard of play in MLS to a mid-table Coca-Cola Championship (English second division) team, or a slightly better than average Scottish Premier […]

Ben Olsen isn’t the kind of guy who’s supposed to bag impressive hat-tricks like he did against the New York Red Bulls at RFK on Saturday. Older now (30), a more “feisty,” “disruptive,” “blue-collar” Olsen is expected to put in sensible, gritty performances-nothing too flashy, never leaving United exposed defensively. But for a team that […]

By any standard, last Saturday’s heated Scandinavian derby between Denmark and Sweden was an ugly affair, but the manner in which the match was abandoned was especially shocking considering the countries’ proud history for having peaceful fans. Nevertheless, it was Denmark that imploded. With the match tied 3-3 in the 89th minute, FC Sevilla defender […]

David Beckham’s return to form for both Real Madrid and England is perhaps the most remarkable story of the player’s career. It’s been a captivating turnaround, especially when you consider that in January Beckham was forced into the stands by his club after making the decision to join Major League Soccer — making an England […]

No one in the American soccer press was overly impressed by the red white and blue’s 1-0 Gold Cup opener against Guatemala on Thursday. If anything, the match was punctuated by physical play, encapsulated best by the unnecessary challenge made by Oguchi Onyewu on Guatemala’s Rodriguez that earned him a second yellow card and a […]

But what exactly is the point of these partnerships, asks Ian Plenderleith of USSoccerPlayers.com? Atletico Paraenense and Atletico Mineiro are hardly renowned global powerhouses, so there’s no cross-marketing appeal for the MLS clubs. However, Plenderleith opines that the appeal for Dallas and United is all about youth development, which is precisely what makes these savvy […]

The world press is in accord that it was David Beckham’s brave performance that made the difference for England Wednesday against Estonia. Becks carried on after twisting his ankle minutes into the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier and went on to supply Peter Crouch and Michael Owen with a pair of sublime crosses for England’s second […]

Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times reports on the importance of the national team for a country like Haiti, which began its Gold Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Guadeloupe Wednesday in Miami. The story of soccer in Haiti, like so many other impoverished nations, is one of community. “For the Haitian people, […]

With the 2006 World Cup receding into a distant (and bad) memory, the U.S. national team now has to successfully defend its 2005 Gold Cup title in order to reassert itself on the international stage, says Luis Bueno of L.A. Soccer News. The Gold Cup is perhaps the only tournament in which the U.S. should […]

Juan Pablo Angel had been quiet for most of the game, coming to life on only a few set pieces as the New York Red Bulls took on Toronto FC at BMO Field Wednesday night. But as soon as the Bulls were awarded a free kick (from the kind of distance now known internationally as […]

Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich, which had a poor season by its standards in finishing fourth, has made its second significant capture of a busy offseason in acquiring France midfielder Franck Ribery from Olympique Marseille, the France club confirmed on Thursday. “We have helped Franck to get where he is today and we are not really […]

Now the dress rehearsal really is over for the Bob Bradley administration, as the U.S. national team Thursday begins its title defense of the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Guatemala, a team it tied 0-0 three months ago. As Steve Goff of the Washington Post points out, Bradley still has a lot to prove despite recently […]

As far as individual performances go, Eddie Johnson of Kansas City has been (and rightly so) grabbing all the headlines with his back-to- back hat tricks, but the New York Red Bulls’ Juan Pablo Angel has been equally as important to his club, notching four goals and two assists in just four games in the […]

As the David Beckham gravy train in Spain continues on to what many believe is its inexorable conclusion — if Real Madrid manages to beat Zaragoza this weekend, the La Liga will surely head to the Bernabeu — the former England captain’s future employer, the L.A. Galaxy, appears to be moving at the same rate […]

Lo and behold, the ethos at Chelsea Football club has finally changed, says Norman Hubbard of ESPN Soccernet. Gone are the heady spending days of old when Manager Jose Mourinho could simply buy whatever the player at whatever the price. After three years of massive losses and sky-high wage bills, the Blues board, like any […]

The summer transfer season is certainly underway. Fresh speculation is in the air, as players, coaches and agents alike all make suggestions about their futures and the futures of their clients and teammates. The most interesting U.S.-related news of the day was Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele’s suggestion that MLS could be in his future. “The […]

FIFA.com has an interview with AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf, the only man to have won the UEFA Champions League with three different teams. He’s won the prestigious competition four times, first with Ajax Amsterdam in 1995, then Real Madrid in 1998 and now twice with AC Milan, in 2003 and 2007. Club teammate Paolo […]

A year ago, the Soca Warriors of Trinidad & Tobago were heroes. After snubbing Sweden with a 0-0 draw and nearly achieving the same result against England, the tiny Caribbean nation-the smallest ever to qualify for the World Cup-stamped itself on the world soccer map. A hero’s welcome awaited the players as they returned from […]

Mo Johnston had big things in mind when he drafted Marvell Wynne to the then-MetroStars as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He thought: this is a guy you could build your defense around. Wynne, too, was excited — but then several things happened. First, the MetroStars were bought by Red […]