Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Owen Hargreaves is keen on a possible move to Manchester United, after it was revealed that the Old Trafford club made him an offer. Hargreaves, who has been vocal about his desire to play in the Premier League, called the offer “fantastic,” but Uli Hoeness, Bayern’s general manager, countered by saying the subject was not […]

A Beckham-less England side swept away European Champion Greece 4-0 at Old Trafford this afternoon on goals from new captain John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Peter Crouch (2). It’s a successful start to Steve McClaren’s England managerial career, which began last week in controversy as the former assistant to Sven Goran Eriksson dropped David Beckham […]

Liverpool is moving ever closer to signing Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt. The Feyenoord man has made it clear now that he intends to move to Anfield, where the Dutch club will either have to accept a deal involving Jan Kromkamp or staggered payments if they stick steadfastly to their $19 million asking price. The Liverpool […]

Former U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena makes his MLS debut tomorrow night as New York Red Bulls coach against D.C. United, the club he guided to two successive MLS Cup titles in 1996-97. Regardless of how the Red Bulls perform from here on in, it’s important for the team and the league that they’ve […]

Manchester United duo Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes have been handed three-match bans following their dismissals in a preseason tournament in Amsterdam earlier this month. Fergie was convinced the pair would be free from suspension once the club’s appeal was heard by an independent disciplinary committee. Not so. The loss of two probable starters coupled […]

Ronaldo broke his silence over the speculation surrounding his future at Real Madrid, saying he wishes to stay at the club despite confirmed interest from AC Milan. “Milan wants him, and that’s certain,” Madrid President Ramon Calderon told Spanish paper La Marca. “From the people close to him I know he wants to stay although […]

Jose Antonio Reyes has made the boldest proclamation yet of his wish to leave Arsenal for Real Madrid. The Spanish international winger said Tuesday that he doesn’t even wish to return to training with Arsenal. That’s bold considering Real Madrid is still locked in negotiations with his current employer. The striker may want out and […]

Andriy Shevchenko has been heavily criticized in Italy for kissing his Chelsea jersey after scoring his first goal for the club in Sunday’s Community Shield. However, it’s still unclear whether the former Milan striker did it or not, but the “controversy” was enough to enough to incite a phone call from Italian sports paper the […]

U.S. billionaire Randy Lerner’s on-again, off-again takeover of Aston Villa is now on-againpermanently. This morning Villa announced on the London Stock Exchange that shareholders accepted a bid from the Cleveland Browns owner to take over the club for approximately $120 million. That ends the 20-plus year reign of 82-year old Villa chairman Doug Ellis. A […]

English champion Chelsea continued its uncomfortable preseason with a 2-1 loss in the FA Community Shield to Liverpool. After the two-time defending champions added two more of the world’s best players to its lineup you’d be forgiven for thinking a third straight Premier League title would be a foregone conclusion for Jose Mourinho’s men. But […]

After a heavy summer of spending, Inter owner Massimo Moratti reveals that the time has come for the club to offload a few of the assets deemed surplus to requirements the upcoming season. Inter has already added Patrick Vieira, Fabio Grosso, and strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hernan Crespo. With six strikers up front, the likes […]

American soccer came crashing back down to earth after Real Madrid and Barcelona recorded comprehensive victories over mediocre-looking MLS opposition this weekend. Madrid comfortably took down Real Salt Lake 2-0 in Salt Lake City on Friday before FC Barcelona dismantled the New York Red Bulls 4-1 in Bruce Arena’s first game in charge. Yet more […]

After spending another massive amount of money on his team this offseasson, expect the specter of Real Madrid’s failed galactico strategy to loom large over Roman Abramovich and Chelsea this season if the team fails to win a major title. In fact, anything less than a third Premier League title and the European Champions League […]

Olympique Marseille’s highly-rated midfielder Franck Ribery is starting to remind one of Arsenal’s Jose Reyes with his on-again, off-again stance about staying with the French club. Ribery yesterday played for OM during a UEFA Cup qualifying match against Young Boys Berne of Switzerland, which effectively Cup-tied him from playing in Europe with another club this […]

Speaking of Real Madrid’s surplus of strikers, AC Milan is now reportedly eyeing a bid for Brazilian legend Ronaldo, who has yet to report to new coach Fabio Capello after undergoing surgery after the World Cup. Milan feels they lost out to cross-town rivals Inter for both Hernan Crespo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s signatures, and has […]

Real Madrid, with its glut of striking options, is reportedly ready to offer Julio Baptista and cash to Arsenal in exchange for wantaway left-winger Jose Antonio Reyes. Fabio Capello, Real’s new coach, is desperate to add the speedy left-winger as part of his revolution at the Bernabeu. Real also knows that the Gunners came close […]

As Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho downplays the significance of signing Ashley Cole for the club’s vacant spot at left-back, The Guardian says sources close to club owner Roman Abramovich say the big boss tells them the move will be completed in the next 24 hours. This news runs counter to statements made by Chelsea and […]

England boss Steve McClaren has dropped former captain David Beckham from the 25-man England squad set to play Greece next Wednesday. He, Wayne Rooney, who is suspended for the first two Euro 2008 qualifiers, Joe Cole and Michael Owen (both injured) are the only players from England’s World Cup starting 11 not in the squad. […]

Prior to yesterday’s featured clash in Houston between FC Barcelona of Spain and Club America of Mexico, Cheslea-beater Dwayne De Rosario and the Houston Dynamo took on the LA Galaxy in front of a near sold-out home crowd. De Rosario, whose 23-yarder was enough to see the MLS All-Stars beat Chelsea in Chicago last weekend, […]

MLS is certainly up to the challenge this year. First, the MLS All-Stars outplayed a tired and lumbering Chelsea during their 1-0 victory in Chicago; then MLS leaders D.C. United outplayed the Galacticos of Real Madrid in 1-1 draw last night in Seattle. The Washington Post said United’s goal was “the stuff of European excellence: […]

Zlatan Ibrahimovic finally got his wish: he will be transferred from relegation-hit Juventus to Inter Milan for approximately $31.95 million less than half of Juve’s original asking price, which was at one point thought to be in the neighborhood of $70 million. However, it’s still the most expensive move of the offseason in Italy. The […]

After a World Cup filled with flashes of brilliance and being blamed by the English for influencing the sending-off of Wayne Rooney against Portugal in the quarterfinals, Cristiano Ronaldo knows exactly what to expect from England’s club supporters in the Premier League this season: boos, whistling, ridicule, the occasional projectile. England’s new scapegoat got a […]

Following the massive international media play that was the 2006 World Cup, basketball star Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers wonders what could have been had he and other athletes in the NBA decided to play soccer growing up. “If myself, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James had a soccer ball at our feet instead […]

The Washington Post has a great story detailing the ins and outs of coordinating the massive pan-global public relations event that is Real Madrid visiting America. Tonight’s game between D.C. United and Real (in Seattle of all places) was put together so last minute that the event’s planners worried they would embarrass one of the […]

Arsenal captain Thierry Henry spoke out publicly for the first time about the likely exit of left back Ashley Cole, saying it would be a “massive” blow if the England international were to trade Ashburton Grove for Stamford Bridge. ‘I don’t know anything about the situation with Chelsea but if he goes there it will […]