Category: Section 2 Around the Net

This year’s Major League Soccer Cup final was overshadowed by two pieces of news, writes Gabriele Marcotti of the London Times. While the Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution battled it out for the right to be called MLS champion, the rest of the world wondered about Freddy Adu’s mysterious two-week training session with […]

As expected, Major League Soccer announced that next season it will formerly adopt the “designated-player rule,” which has also been referred to as the “Beckham Rule.” This means that teams can sign any high-profile player it can afford, and have only a portion of that player’s salary count against its $2 million salary cap. Under […]

Clint Dempsey got to play in the MLS Cup final, and he played well in the hour or so of action he was given, but it wasn’t enough to keep the fighting New England Revolution from going down in penalties. Things might have been different for the Revs had Steve Nicol given U.S. Soccer’s 2006 […]

It was yet another shootout that decided the final game of this year’s MLS Cup: the Houston Dynamo played the New England Revolution to 90 scoreless minutes, before each team scored in a thrilling overtime period that brought the tie game to a penalty shootout that Houston won 4-3. Brian Ching, who tied the game […]

It may have only been an early-round Copa del Rey match, and it may have only been a Third Division Spanish team (Ecija), but David Beckham last night signaled to Real Madrid’s fans and Coach Fabio Capello that he isn’t going down without a fight. Becks scored one and made another as Real swept aside […]

This weekend is full of standout clashes in Europe. In England, it’s Arsenal at home to Liverpool. This is an interesting because both teams badly need a win. Arsenal has looked inept in front of goal in its last three games in all competitions; the Gunners can’t afford to drop any more points if they […]

It looks likes American teenager Freddy Adu will be on his way to Old Trafford to train with Manchester United for a few weeks after all. The Red Devils issued a statement yesterday denying that the D.C. United forward/midfielder would not be on his way to Manchester, but Manager Sir Alex Ferguson came out today […]

Deservedly, Christian Gomez was named Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player at a ceremony in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday. Gomez led United, which had the best record in MLS, to the Eastern Conference final where it lost 1-0 to the New England Revolution. After a barnstorming first half of season, D.C. United grew complacent with […]

When your father is someone like Scotsman Kenny Dalgish, one of the greatest players in the history of the English league soccer, you’ve got a tough act to follow if you want to be a soccer player. Jordi Cruyff, the son of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff and something of a journeyman in his varied soccer […]

English Premier League leader Manchester United has categorically denied that Major League Soccer’s Freddy Adu will be heading to the English giant for a two-week training session, as was previously reported in the Washington Post. The report suggested that the 17-year old D.C. United player would be fulfilling his lifetime goal of training with the […]

Expect to see more of the following: rich investors like American Randy Lerner walking into clubs like Aston Villa with the dream of turning the club into the next Manchester United or Chelsea. Lerner recently succeeded in his bid for the Birmingham club, and now the ownership of several other Premiership clubs, including West Ham […]

Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle makes the case for hometown hero Dwayne De Rosario to win Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player award. Fallas calls De Rosario “the only player in Major League Soccer capable of delivering a Ronaldinho-like impact.” Christian Gomez of D.C. United might beg to differ, but De Rosario is certainly […]

The New England Revolution received a boost Thursday ahead of the MLS championship game on Sunday as Clint Dempsey returned to training for the first time since spraining his ankle against Chicago in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Oct. 22. “I feel confident and if I feel confident [on Sunday] I’ll […]

It’s almost inevitable that David Beckham will make the crossover to Major League Soccer, writes Grant Wahl of SI.com, but what’s now changed is the timetable for his possible arrival, and MLS should pounce on the opportunity, he says. No more two-year wait, as Beckham has alluded to in the past. He could become available […]

As was widely expected, Colin Clarke’s days as coach of FC Dallas are over. Said Michael Hitchcock, the club’s general manager: “At the end of the day, this team, which I felt was, if not the most talented team, one of the most talented teams in the league, underachieved.” The Hoops, as the club is […]

The same day West Ham United chairman Terry Brown granted Icelandic Eggert Magnsusson permission to look at the club’s financials so he could prepare a takeover bid, an unnamed American businessman announced his interest in acquiring the East London club. No more details about the bid were presented, however. Meanwhile, Magnusson’s advisors will report back […]

Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello says David Beckham has not been the same on the field since Steve McClaren’s decided to drop him from the England team. “He has had bad times after being left out of England’s national team,” Capello told Sky TV. “Those are moments which produce psychological difficulties.” Nevertheless, the Italian coach […]

While soccer in the U.S. has become incrementally more popular with each passing World Cup, the game is steadily on the decline in Canada. The U.S.’s northern neighbor has now failed to qualify for five straight World Cups; the USA, Mexico and Costa Rica have been the beneficiaries of its failure. It’s this record of […]

In a recent interview at an international soccer conference, Danny Bahar, the head of Red Bull GmbH, said the anticipated arrival of players like David Beckham, Ronaldo and Luis Figo in Major League Soccer will make soccer “one of the major four sports in the U.S.” in the next 5-10 years. He said that Red […]

Think you got what it takes to play in Major League Soccer? Well, if you live near Toronto, Ontario, Canada all you need is 115 Canadian dollars ($102) for your chance to prove it. MLS expansion team Toronto FC is holding an open tryout for players 14 and over Dec. 18-22 at the Ontario Soccer […]

The departure of Leonel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to Europe has left the world wondering who will be the next great export from Argentina. Well, you can wonder no more: Boca Juniors forward Rodrigo Palacio, one of the few young players based in Argentina to feature at this summer’s World Cup, has staked […]

In their post-match conferences, English coaches are attacking referees in a more contemptuous manner than ever, writes Paul Gardner of the New York Sun. He blames the television programs that carry English soccer for encouraging their childish actions by always focusing on the managers’ reactions, rather than the players. The reason they do this is […]

Maybe the television success of the World Cup this summer portends things to come? An opinion piece published by the Associated Press tells Europe and the rest of the world to beware: “The Americans are coming after your stars again.” If the U.S. manages to hire Juergen Klinsmann as head coach of the national team, […]

David Beckham is a public relation wiz: the former England captain and Real Madrid player has always had a penchant for opening his mouth at the right time just as the speculation swirling about him starts to bubble over. But now is not the time; there are still seven weeks before MLS’s January transfer market […]

What happened to all that German nationalism? After the triumphant success that was Germany’s 2006 World Cup campaign, comes the shocking reminder that domestically, German soccer has sunk, as evidenced by the latest UEFA rankings. The Bundesliga now sits fifth on UEFA’s all-important country ranking, which determines the number of clubs that can enter its […]