Category: Section 2 Around the Net

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is starting to sound like Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho, spouting conspiracy theories about referees fixing matches against them. Ancelotti said the mistakes match-officials have been making against his side were “no coincidence” during a press conference after Milan feel, 2-0, to Atalanta. Ancelotti said his club was on the wrong side […]

Brazilian Ronaldo, a two-time World Cup winner and a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, has reiterated that he might finish his career in Major League soccer, after the Real Madrid striker told Spain’s ABC newspaper he was depressed starting every game on the bench. Ronaldo is scoreless this season but he has only […]

It was a bizarre weekend in Europe, as many of its big clubs lost, which we all know happens individually from time to time, but seldom in bunches. In England, Chelsea, Bolton, Portsmouth, Arsenal and Everton, holding positions 2-6 in the Premier League standings before the weekend started, each lost; Manchester United and Liverpool were […]

It was a déjà vu performance from the New England Revolution, writes Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe, as the Revs held on for 86 minutes after taking a 4th-minute lead against D.C. United, just as they did against the Chicago Fire last year en route to the MLS Cup. Of course, things didn’t pan […]

“If any club is overdue a win against Chelsea, it’s Tottenham,” says the Associated Press. And how. It’s been 16 years since Spurs last managed to beat the Sky Blues in the league. In that game, England legend Gary Lineker, now a sports pundit with the BBC, scored for Tottenham in a 2-1 victory at […]

Sir Alex Ferguson will pass another impressive milestone in his storied career as the manager of Manchester United on Monday as he reaches his 20th anniversary of being in charge of the club. Since replacing Ron Atkinson in 1986, Ferguson has won 25 trophies with Man Utd, including eight Premiership titles, five FA Cups, two […]

Should Liverpool prevail on Saturday, it would be the Reds fourth home win in 11 days in three different competitions, which would cap an impressive comeback for a team that looked like hitting rock bottom after a gutless performance against Manchester United at Old Trafford a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, the Reds still find themselves […]

One thing is for sure, whichever team wins the Western Conference Championship will be the sentimental favorite to take MLS Cup ’06, writes Marc Connolly of MLSnet.com. Both the Houston Dynamo and the Colorado Rapids look like underdogs when paired with either the New England Revolution or D.C. United. However, Colorado is the pluckiest underdog […]

It’s been a tough year for Revolution forward Pat Noonan. After suffering a hamstring strain in February, things just haven’t been the same for him, writes Andrew Hush of MLSNet.com. But Noonan, who at this time last year was regularly being called up for the U.S. national team, got his chance last Saturday, coming on […]

It’s nice to see that D.C. United has become a (relatively) big deal in the nation’s capital. It’s one of the most successful sports franchises in the city’s sports history, and RFK Stadium, the place United calls home, is certainly one of the toughest places for any Major League Soccer team to play. The gets […]

Arsenal plays a beautiful, even mesmerizing brand of soccer, but it became obvious after last night’s 0-0 draw at home to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, that one thing this team really lacks is a natural goalscorer. Thierry Henry once again reminded us that for all his ability, a natural goal scorer he is […]

Now to the UEFA Cup. Rob Smyth of the Guardian asks does anybody care about Europe’s B-list competition? It was once prestigious, like in 1989 when Diego Maradona and Napoli had to beat Bayern Munich and then Juventus to lift the title, but following the expansion of the Champions League four years ago, that competition […]

UEFA President Lennart Johansson is facing competition for his post from former France and Juventus great Michel Platini, and one of the key battlegrounds in their fight for the presidency is over the future format of the UEFA Champions League, the organization’s most lucrative competition. Johansson oversaw the replacement of the old European Cup with […]

Up until last night, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has rejected any ides from the European Union on how to address the growing problems of corruption, player salaries and ownership in European soccer. Amid growing hostility between Europe’s politicians and soccer’s world governing body, Blatter announced an agreement yesterday with FIFPro, the world player’s union, which […]

Barcelona played well but was unable to beat Chelsea in a thrilling Champions League game at the Nou Camp Tuesday night that finished 2-2. A last-gasp goal from Chelsea forward Didier Drogba doubled the trouble for Barcelona, as the draw leaves last year’s European champion in third place in Group A with two games remaining. […]

France and Juventus legend Michel Platini believes Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon deserves to be the title of European Player of the Year. At the very least, the Frenchman believes one of the seven members of Italy’s World Cup winning squad should take home the honor, though he backs the Juventus goalkeeper as his No. 1 […]

Here is yet another column about the David Beckham crossroads. Now that he’s out of favor with England and Real Madrid, pundits across Europe are pronouncing the soccer career of one the world’s most recognizable people as being just about over. Martin Samuel says Beckham is rapidly turning into a “ceremonial footballer,” which means that […]

Why did Bruce Arena take the job with the New York Red Bulls? Because he believes in dynasties, he says. The specter of the New York Cosmos looms large over Major League Soccer’s New York franchise, and many feel the lack of a strong team in the country’s biggest soccer market is one of the […]

To be sure, Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Barcelona-Chelsea didn’t hold the significance of previous meetings-well, for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea, anyway. But it was actually a must-not-lose for Barcelona, which only had four points from its first three games. A loss at home would put the Catalans in the position of having to fight […]

It’s unavoidable in the press these days: what’s going to happen to David Beckham? Will he or won’t he leave Real Madrid during the January transfer window? If he doesn’t, will he definitely be leaving this summer? Fact is, the former England captain can’t be too happy about his season so far: banished from the […]

Roberto Gotta of ESPN Soccernet says the outcome of last week’s arbitrato, which was the final decision handed down to the clubs involved in the protracted Calciopoli scandal, represents the kind of “debatable justice” Italians have become used to over time. Disgraced ringleader Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina all got further discounts-for the second time, each. […]

A new study aims to prove an old suspicion that referees’ favor the home team. Research covering 2,500 matches in England’s Premiership says that statistically, referees are more likely to show yellow and red cards to players on the away team. The study, conducted by the University of Bath in England, also attempts to show […]

U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati and Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber addressed the media yesterday in a joint conference call. Nick Green of the Torrance (Calif.) Daily Breeze found the information both pleasing and vexing. For the first time since 1995, the USA has accepted an invitation to play in next year’s Copa […]

Saturday’s Milan derby was an instant classic. Never mind that Inter Milan still doesn’t look like it can comfortably hold on to a lead, or that AC Milan’s title hopes are all but dashed after falling a further three points behind its bitter rival, which sits on top of Serie A with 21 points to […]

You knew this headline was coming: Wayne Rooney is back. His hat trick against Bolton Wanderers put the exclamation point on a fantastic performance from Manchester United to resume its place at the top of the English Premier League table. But Rooney’s expected return to form isn’t the real story for the Red Devils. “There […]