Category: Section 2 Around the Net

When Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano arrived at West Ham United last fall, both were full of hope and expectation, Tevez tells The Guardian. But Tevez recounts how very un-easy the first five months of life at Upton Park proved to be. While Tevez at least saw first-team action (but no goals), Mascherano, stuck in […]

Brazilian soccer legend Pele says David Beckham’s pending arrival in America is not unlike his own some 22 years ago with the New York Cosmos of the NASL. “I remember when we played at San Jose, we lost 2 to 1,” Pele recalled. “I said, ‘My God, what am I going to do here?’” But […]

In protest of the Spanish soccer federation’s system for revising referee decisions on appeal, referees in Spain’s La Liga refused to detail why players were issued yellow cards in their match reports last weekend. Instead, they wrote “unsporting behavior” for each offense. As a result, 13 La Liga players will avoid suspension and compete in […]

Chivas USA on Thursday became the fifth MLS team to have a company name adorning the front of its jersey. For an undisclosed fee, Mexican paint manufacturer Comex purchased the right to have its logo splashed across the front of the club’s red and white striped jersey. Real Salt Lake (Xango), Toronto FC (BMO), the […]

It’s all eyes on England this weekend for the so-called “dream” FA Cup final between Premier League champion Manchester United and Chelsea, the team it dethroned. For many industry pundits, the FA Cup final has been a competition on the wane over the last several years, as bigger clubs tend to focus their attention elsewhere […]

ESPN Soccernet columnist Jeff Carlisle takes the contrarian view in the permanent appointment of Bob Bradley as U.S. national team coach. Nothing to celebrate here, he says: “While this development will be praised in many quarters, the only good news I can make out of it is that this sad, tortured process has now reached […]

It was some final at Hampden Park Wedenesday night, as La Liga pretender FC Sevilla overcame Espanyol of Barcelona, 3-1, on penalties to lift its second successive UEFA Cup. Sevilla controlled the play in an open, attack-minded game as the 10 men from Espanyol defended doggedly, twice battling back to draw the match level. Following […]

Toronto FC Wednesday night won its second in a row, beating 2006 MLS champ Houston, 1-0, at BMO Field. Most important, TFC coach Mo Johnston said, was the team’s first shutout of the year. “We had the clearer chances, but I’m more pleased at not giving up any goals, because we’ve worked hard, very hard, […]

As was expected, Oguchi Onyewu has been released by Newcastle and will return to former club Standard Liege as part of the summer shakeout directed by Sam Allardyce, the Magpies new boss. Titus Bramble, Craig Moore, Pavel Srnicek and Olivier Bernard were also released, with Celestine Babayaro, Antoine Sibierski, Stephen Carr and Charles N’Zogbia expected […]

The second leg of Thursday’s Coppa Italia final at the San Siro was always a formality after Roma thumped Serie A champ Inter Milan 6-2 in the first leg last week. Indeed, a 2-1 loss in Milan was more than enough for the Giallorossi to lift its first Italian Cup in 16 years, winning 7-4 […]

Looks like we may finally have a long-term stadium location for Major League Soccer’s reigning champion, and it’s a nice one, too. Anschutz Entertainment Group, the Dynamo’s parent with the deep pockets, is set to enter into “an exclusive negotiating period” with Houston to develop a 21,000-22,000-capacity stadium near the city’s downtown, team president Oliver […]

They say New York’s a soccer city. But that’s hard to believe when just 7,802 fans show up to watch the New York Red Bulls, one of the best looking teams in MLS so far this season, play the Colorado Rapids. The Bulls lost the match, 1-0, putting in what easily their worst performance of […]

SI.com’s Grant Wahl digs into U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati for the way he’s handled the Bob Bradley situation. Bradley, “a man who deserved better,” was forced to wait 160 days while Gulati mulled over his European options. In the end, Gulati couldn’t get his man (or men), and now, after all the waiting, Bradley […]

When Toronto FC hosts the Houston Dynamo Wednesday night, it will mark the first time that Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad have played on home soil in a long time. Both players arrived in Toronto on Tuesday, in awe of the imposing new BMO Field, where an expected crowd of 20,000 Canadian fans will […]

As Real Madrid captain Raul conceded after his side scored three unanswered goals to beat Espanyol at the Bernabeu Stadium, “Six months ago, we’d have lost that.” Indeed, as recently as three months ago, the whole world thought Barcelona, with the return of Leo Messi and Samuel Eto’o, was starting to hit its stride en […]

After rotting on the bench at Newcastle United for the first four and half months of the season, Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi admits that he wasn’t expecting much from his January loan move to relegation-threatened Parma of Serie A, but the Italian-American has played a pivotal role in the Italian club’s bid to avoid […]

The London Times has an interview with former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona, one of the game’s all-time great players who never had a chance to shine on the international stage. Cantona is a curious figure; he talks like a philosopher of uncompromising conviction, but there can be no denying his artistry on the field: […]

Soccer columnist Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch recounts his enthusiasm as he sat in traffic waiting for the inaugural game of Argentine legend Guillermo Barros Schelotto at Crew Stadium: “Wow, I thought. This is unbelievable. Guillermo-mania. Columbus really is going to turn out to see the home debut of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the Crew’s […]

The Deseret Morning News has a report on the new Jason Kreis administration at Real Salt Lake, where MLS’s all-time leading scorer has only been in charge now for two games. To some extent, the first-time coach has been secretive about the policies he’s implemented as RSL’s new coach. One thing we do know, is […]

Separate to any legal challenges launched by English Premier League clubs over the controversial West Ham United-Carlos Tevez ruling, FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Tuesday said the world governing body would conduct its own investigation of the matter. “We will look at this, and not only if we are asked. We will do it anyway,” […]

The New York Red Bulls “were very poor,” Coach Bruce Arena said following Sunday’s 1-0 loss at home to the Colorado Rapids — the team’s first of the season. The defeat exposed just how much the Bulls have relied on general Claudio Reyna, who was out with a leg strain, to control midfield. The term […]

After the L.A. Galaxy fell, 3-2, at home to the New England Revolution on Saturday, it became evident that the Galaxicos need to bolster their squad before David Beckham arrives in July. Grahame L. Jones of the Los Angeles Times says he’s heard whisperings that former Portugal international defender Abel Xavier, who’s now out of […]

Despite avoiding relegation on the final day of the season, Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan is still leading the call for legal action against the English Premiership over its decision not to deduct points from West Ham United for the illegal registration of Carlos Tevez at the beginning of the season. According to the Guardian, […]

Once again, it absolutely had to be Carlos Tevez. Why? Because the controversy swirling around his ability to play for West Ham United as he single-handedly saved the club from relegation is the only story that could overshadow Manchester United’s Premiership title celebrations. And how it did: Tevez on Sunday produced a heroic, mesmerizing performance […]

Three months ago, you would have never believed Real Madrid’s ascension to the top of La Liga possible, but since then the fates have conspired to bestow poor finishing and dressing room divisions on Barcelona, while infusing enough of a crisis of confidence on FC Sevilla to keep the Andalucian team from ever taking a […]