Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Having not been together in three months' time (almost an eternity in international soccer scheduling), the U.S. men's national team's "2½-hour flight from Miami to Costa Rica marks the beginning of a summer-long world tour that will feature 14 matches on three continents and in four time zones," writes writer Wayne Dreh in the first […]

The season-long MLS success story that is Seattle Sounders FC still soldiers on, with substantial crowds still filing into Qwest Field despite a recent drop in play, and it’s in large part thanks to presence of superstar Freddie Ljungberg, whom Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley calls “the perfect player, the perfect personality, exactly the right […]

As further proof of the extent of the global financial crisis, the Aug. 14 opening of the Argentine First Division's Apertura season has been suspended indefinitely by the Argentine soccer federation (AFA) as it seeks "a solution to clubs' massive debts," according to Reuters. "The executive committee of the AFA resolved unanimously tonight (Tuesday) that […]

The club vs. academy argument being had in youth soccer circles from the D.C. and northern Virginia area is, at least for now, being won by the side backed by the U.S. Soccer, as D.C. United's Under-17 team recently won its second SUM Cup in three years and made the U.S. Soccer Development Academy finals. […]

An old, but curious conversation has come out of Salt Lake City following the 2009 MLS All-Star Game and its climactic/anti-climactic (depending on who you ask, of course) penalty-kick shootout. According to the Deseret News, Real Salt Lake boss Dave Checketts "said he enjoyed the penalty-kick shootout so much in last week's MLS All-Star Game […]

There’s some serious talk being talked out of England today, and for his sake, Robinho better hope his expensive new teammates can walk the walk. Perhaps feeling like the spotlight had been stolen yet again by Xabi Alonso‘s signing on board at Real Madrid from Liverpool, the Brazilian forward boasted that with its own new […]

An overmatched defense, a veritable firing range of opposing shots, and a lopsided 4-0 loss in front of a soldout crowd cheering on FC Barcelona? Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller had been there, done that. "I had my ass kicked once 5-1 at Camp Nou (Barcelona's 97,000-seat home stadium), so I've seen it before," admitted Keller, […]

In an effort to temper the hysteria (and no doubt, tremendous relief) that the Mexican national team felt after finally snapping a winless streak on U.S. soil, head coach Javier Aguirre has come out to contain the renewed country-wide enthusiasm in El Tri. "In Mexico we're prone to throw ourselves on the floor after a […]

The tradition at FC Barcelona is “the sort of tale that historians love, the sort that spans centuries and weaves together past, present and future,” dotes the LA Times’ Grahame Jones, as the European champion is midway through its U.S. tour and meets the Seattle Sounders FC tonight at 10:30 pm ET on ESPN. Jones […]

Although there are still changes within the club to be made, it appears today’s official signing of extraordinary Liverpool talent Xabi Alonso has wrappedup Real Madrid’s runaway Summer spending spree. The addition of the Spanish international represents “a change in focus for Los Blancos, who will now turn their attention to trimming the squad rather […]

When is what’s good for the goose not good for the gander? Apparently, when it comes to the expenditure of putting player-preferred grass down rather than enduring artificial turf at marquee MLS events, suggests Goal.com’s Andrea Canales. For a pair of this Summer’s “meaningless exhibition matches, MLS has ponied up the money to replace the […]

The USA isn’t the only country out there actively and aggressively lobbying for attention to their bid for a World Cup that is almost 13 years away. “Far, far in the western-most corner of Asia, a tiny country is putting its nose up at the football establishment with a bid for the 2022 World Cup […]

You can train at altitude and in poor air conditions for weeks on end, you can pump your body full of supplements, and you can pipe in a recreation of the crowd noise to get used to the din, but when you step on the field at Azteca with the sun at its highest point […]

Nobody around Concacaf is looking for Mexico to rest on its laurels after serving up a humiliating 5-0 defeat to the USA in the Gold Cup final. While much of that squad was rewarded with call-ups for the Aug. 12 match at Azteca, captain Gerardo Torrado says they still know that they have a lot […]

Hoping to avoid the unfortunate scene this past March when all-night boozing at the team hotel followed by obscene gestures by Allan McGregor and Barry Ferguson from the bench during a defeat to the Netherlands resulted in lifetime bans for the veteran Scotland national team midfielders, officials have declared a ban on all alcohol surrounding […]

Amid all the hype and hysteria surrounding this summer's FC Barcelona tour, amid the countless fans screaming for Lionel Messi, amid the persistent journalists pleading for a few words from new addition Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is a lesser-known story about a certain French forward named Thierry Henry who is quite keen on playing in MLS. And […]

Now 15 years removed from the first ever World Cup in the USA, we can look back and see that with its massive stadiums full of soldout crowds, USA 1994 changed what the tournament could be from an attendance and financial windfall. But SI.com's Tim Vickery goes one step further regarding the '94 World Cup's […]

UEFA General Secretary David Taylor has come out to denounce the lavish spending of European clubs such as Manchester City and Real Madrid for fear that they're risking "serious difficulties" if they continue to over-extend themselves by paying huge sums in the transfer market. "I would say in this financial climate, it is surprising, a […]

In a sign of the times and what also a prescient sign of the things to come (although we kind of hope it's not, for the sake of our already over-informed society), a prominent off-the-field figure from a popular sports franchise has taken to Twitter to voice his frustration about the performance of the team. […]

With an almost endless string of incoming and outgoing players in L.A. over the past four years, whether it be signings as big as Beckham or players such as Ante Jazic and Alecko Eskandarian merely being moved down the hall to HDC roommate Chivas, the Galaxy has hardly been what you'd call a solid "team." […]

There are overbearing sports parents, those who unconditionally criticize and blindly claim that their son/daughter isn't being utilized or valued enough, and there are sports parents who played the sport and might actually know what they're talking about. Whether former FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper has the former or latter is up for debate after […]

This time last season, the Columbus Crew were just "America's Hardest Working Team," always pretty good but hardly ever great. But after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Houston on Aug. 2, 2008 left its injured/absent/suspended squad seemingly down for the count and a long shot for the playoffs, "America's Most Resilient Team" rallied […]

The biggest American soccer crowd in 15 years, a brilliant bender from David Beckham, and a spirited effort from Lionel Messi and his star-studded supporting cast had everything coming up roses for the Aug. 1 match between L.A. and FC Barcelona in Pasadena.   But while it’s easy for MLS Commish Don Garber to call […]

How bad have things become for one-time wunderkind Freddy Adu?  Bad. Why bad?  Well, according to goal.com, he was recently told by Benfica coach Jorge Jesus that he’s “no longer needed at the club.”  The curt dismissal is yet another sobering blow to the once white-hot future of the 20-year-old American forward, who was flush […]

In what was “supposed to be an article about how (Zak) Ibsen, a 37-year-old guy, represented the United States as it attempted to qualify for this autumn’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai,” the New York Times’ Jack Bell ends up chronicling the journeyman’s surprising story about “how crystal meth helped end his M.L.S […]