Category: Section 2 Around the Net

It’s time to remove “interim” from Bob Bradley’s title as coach of the U.S. national team, says Kent McDill of the Chicago Daily Herald. Based on the strength of U.S. performances against Denmark, in which a makeshift squad came from behind to beat another makeshift squad, 3-1, and Mexico, in which an experienced squad labored […]

Following the sellout success that marked the University of Phoenix’s hosting of the U.S.- Mexico friendly last Wednesday, it emerged that a local group of investors are interested in bringing Major League Soccer to Arizona. The Arizona Republic reports that a group led by a former MLS executive that includes Grand Canyon University coach Petar […]

There’s no question American billionaire Stanley Kroenke, whose Colorado Rapids announced a strategic partnership with Arsenal of the English Premier League on Friday, could buy an EPL club if he wanted to. The 59-year old is a real estate owner/sports magnate whose personal fortune amounts to more than $2 billion. Along with his wife, Ann, […]

The USA-Mexico game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., was distinguished by a Mexican presence that dwarfed that of the home side, writes Ives Galarcep of the North Jersey Herald. Little more than 100 miles from the border, Mexican fans, many of them U.S. immigrants, swarmed the stadium, outnumbering the support for […]

Yet more big news for Major League Soccer: the Colorado Rapids have today announced a strategic partnership with English Premier League giant Arsenal. The deal is designed more to bolster the MLS club’s image and to help develop its young players. It could also open up a player exchange between the two clubs. Said Arsenal […]

Now that the Real Salt Lake stadium story has reached its conclusion, paving the way for a $110 million stadium to be built in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, you wonder what role the public ultimately played in the state’s decision to grant RSL the $35 million it needed to build its new […]

Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has recalled David Beckham to the first team. It’s anyone’s guess as to why. For the past month, in which Beckham has been watching games from a box in the stands, both Capello and the Real management have insisted time and again that the former England captain’s days in a […]

Aston Villa’s American chairman Randy Lerner is worried for Steve McClaren’s job. Not that he personally has a vested interest in the performance of McClaren’s England; rather, Lerner is worried that England’s run of poor results could lead to the departure of his team’s manager, Martin O’Neill. On Thursday, the Aston Villa manager reassured his […]

Here’s the latest in the Real Salt Lake stadium saga: as ever, nothing has been finalized, but the Utah State Senate approved legislation in a 20-8 vote that would divert $35 million in hotel taxes to buy land and help build a $110 million soccer stadium in Sandy, the only stadium destination club officials said […]

It’s only natural that many of us have become adopted Fulham fans-or interested in the team at least-now that three of our Americans play an important role at the English Premier League club. Unlike some Brits, who refuse to accept that Americans can play, Fulham manager Chris Coleman has demonstrated his belief that MLS players […]

In Rio de Janeiro these days, more kids playing soccer on the streets wear jerseys sporting the logos of European clubs than those of teams in the Brazilian league, writes SI.com columnist Tim Vickery. What do you pin that on, the game’s globalization or the failure of Brazilian soccer? Vickery, who spends a great deal […]

Defending champion Houston Dynamo, like other MLS clubs, is on the prowl for a suitable location on which to build a new practice facility. The Houston Chronicle reports that team officials are interested in renovating Gus Wortham Park, a public golf course situated in a heavily Latino area, into the grounds for a new soccer-oriented […]

Italians love a good strike, so it might come as a surprise to some that Italian Serie A clubs have unanimously agreed to a court of arbitration ruling that will see the majority shut their doors to fans until new safety conditions have been met. In many cases these conditions are structural and will take […]

Success is the best way of promoting U.S. soccer, says federation president Sunil Gulati, and tonight’s match against Mexico in Arizona is a good place to start. It’s about promotion, he says, and there’s no better promotion than good results. “Most of the promotion is centered around two things: specific games and the buildup to […]

Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti on Wednesday expressed his concern about whether Champions League matches would be open to fans at the San Siro if the special cabinet that’s convened to assess the safety of Italian stadiums deems the Milan stadium unsafe. “We will see, we will have to face one problem at a time,” […]

If his sports record is any indication, co-owner Tom Hicks could prove to be a bad omen for Liverpool FC, says Dave Hannigan of The Guardian. Apart from two American League Western Division titles in his first two seasons, Hicks has had little success with MLB’s Texas Rangers, the team he bought from a George […]

BBC Sport on Wednesday issued a special report on the finances of English soccer clubs relative to their Italian and Spanish counterparts, bringing in the question of foreign ownership. For starters, they say the margins for owning a big soccer club have traditionally been small. So why are foreign investors clamoring to take over English […]

Mexico is taking Wednesday night’s friendly at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., very seriously, says Grahame L. Jones of the Los Angeles Times, reporting from Mexico’s training camp. Why? Because for the past six or seven years, the U.S. national team has had the Tricolores’ number, and they know it. As veteran […]

L.A. Soccer News conducts an interview with Frank Yallop, the man who may soon become the most famous coach in Major League Soccer, once David Beckham arrives, that is. This week the Los Angeles Galaxy began its preseason camp without three players on duty with the U.S. national team and of course, without Beckham, who’s […]

n the wake of riots that led to the death of one police officer and injuries to more than 70 people, Italian soccer and government officials agreed to implement strict new anti-hooliganism measures that would effectively close down the stadiums of at least five Serie A teams. The stadiums of Ascoli, Atalanta, Catania, Chievo Verona […]

David Beckham, who hasn’t kicked a ball for Real Madrid since announcing his decision to move to MLS and the Los Angeles Galaxy once his contract expires this summer, continues to be the central figure of internal politics at the Madrid club. Spanish league pundits, former coach Vicente Del Bosque and Real Madrid’s own players […]

American sports tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks look certain to complete a takeover of Liverpool FC for an estimated $340 million (seeking additional investment for a new stadium and player acquisitions), after the cub’s board approved the move on Tuesday. Pending shareholder approval, the pair will become the seventh foreign and third American owner […]

Soccer is a global game, but its brand is English, says Simon Kuper of the Financial Times. Indeed, the country that has produced few of the world’s great soccer players contains the prototype league for the world’s game-even though English clubs have won two European Cups in the last 20 years. So why do many […]

In an interview with Reuters’ Erik Kirschbaum, Juergen Klinsmann did not rule out ever coaching the U.S. national team. Speaking from his home in Huntington Beach, Calif., Klinsmann revealed that he was disappointed negotiations between he and U.S. Soccer broke down. “That was truly unfortunate. We were really quite far along in the talks, but […]

During the European transfer window, which ended last Wednesday, Major League Soccer rejected the advances of two European soccer clubs on New England Revolution players Shalrie Joseph and Taylor Twellman. It was perhaps most surprising that Celtic’s well-documented pursuit of Shalrie Joseph ended in stalemate despite the Scottish club doubling its initial $1 million offer. […]