Category: Section 2 Around the Net

After last weekend’s 2-1 loss at San Jose, Real Salt Lake’s record now stands at 3-6-2. So much for the preseason optimism that the 5-year-old club would finally have a good start to a season. “Real Salt Lake’s rugged start is quite distressing. After all, things were supposed to be different this year. Following a […]

Salvadoran fans intend to wear protective face-masks to Cuscatlán stadium on Saturday when Mexico plays their national team to mock the Mexicans about the swine-flu outbreak that was centered in Mexico. “I do not care how they come out, if they make fun of us or not,” said Chicago Fire striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who was […]

2002 World Cup winner Denilson, who had a short stint in MLS in 2007 (eight games for FC Dallas) is set to debut for mid-standings Vietnamese league club Hai Phong Cement FC on Saturday. “He is the most famous international player recruited until now by a Vietnamese soccer club,” said Hai Phong coach Vuong Tien […]

England's Premier League clubs have run up a debt of 3.1 billion pounds ($5.01 billion), and the big four Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal — are responsible for about two thirds of it. The figures come from Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance, which suggested the big four, despite all having qualified for the […]

Steven Goff reports from San Jose, Costa Rica that, "A few hundred U.S. backers, mostly young and mostly dressed in colorful, patriotic garb, made their way into the steep upper deck and seemed to mix nicely with their hosts." But the U.S. fans weren't rewarded for the efforts to make the trip to Saprissa stadium. […]

AC Milan star Kaka's future remained unresolved Wednesday amid reports that he could be on his way to Real Madrid in a $92 million deal. After four hours of meetings between Milan vice president Adriano Galliani, Kaka's father-agent Bosco Leite, and Madrid president Florentino Perez, a deal was reached under which Kaka would get $13.5 […]

Despite the U.S. national team's terrible history in Costa Rica – one draw and six losses in qualifying matches – Costa Rican journalists have a lot of respect for the visiting Americans (TV: Wednesday, ESPN2, Galavision, 10 p.m. ET). "We have to make sure we respect the United States because the U.S. is the better […]

Two years ago, Benny Feilhaber was on the cusp of stardom with the U.S. national team. After starring in youth teams, he scored a game-winning volley against Mexico in the 2007 Gold Cup, heroics he followed with a bright performance in Copa America. But Feilhaber dropped suddenly off the radar in 2008, when injuries and […]

Real Madrid has added a preseason friendly in Canada to its North American tour this summer. On Wednesday, the club announced on its web site that it will play Toronto FC on Aug. 7 at BMO Field – two days before the previously announced game in Washington against DC United at Fedex Field. Real Madrid […]

Birmingham City has completed the signing of striker Christian Benitez from Santos Laguna for a club record fee. The Ecuador international signed a three-year deal at St Andrews ahead of next season's test in the Premier League. Although the club has yet to reveal the fee, it is set to surpass the $10m paid for […]

Manchester United confirmed today that it secured the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal in soccer. The club signed a four-year deal with American insurance giants Aon that promises to net the club $32.5m per-season. United has been scouring the globe for a new sponsorship deal since its current sponsor, AIG, announced that it wouldn’t renew […]

Gonzalo Segares didn't follow the typical route to the Costa Rican national team. Instead of playing for a first division club in his native land, Segares attended college in the United States and turned professional with the Chicago Fire. Today, he finds himself as a vital member of his MLS team and with his country's […]

"Tropical flora, exotic fauna and fake grass will greet the United States when it plays Costa Rica on Wednesday [ESPN, Galavision, 10 p.m. ET] in a World Cup qualifying match at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá in San José," writes Jack Bell of the New York Times. FIFA only recently approved the use of artificial turf […]

Russell Latapy took over for Francisco "Pacho" Maturana in April as the head coach of Trinidad & Tobago. After scoring a crucial goal against the USA to see the Soca Warriors through to the final round of qualifying, Latapy will try to impact the next round of qualifying from off the field. Latapy on the […]

One day after losing the Clausura 2009 league final, Pachuca coach Enrique "Ojitos" Meza announced his departure from the club. "I am saying goodbye to my friends, of a great club that gave me the opportunity to work, where I had many wonderful moments, thanks to everyone, to everyone that supported me, to the squad […]

Manchester City is hopeful of completing the signing of Gareth Barry today after Aston Villa accepted its $20 million bid for the England international. With a medical appointment scheduled for this afternoon, the transfer could go through as early as tonight, leaving Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, with the bitter disappointment of missing out on […]

U.S. and Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu is in the process of suing Anderlecht player Jelle Van Damme for racial abuse allegedly uttered during the Belgian Jupiler playoff last month that crowned Standard Liege champion for the second straight season. Onyewu claims Van Damme, 25, called him a "dirty monkey" during their playoff final in […]

European soccer officials will reportedly abstain if a vote is taken by the sport's worldwide body this week to restrict teams to a maximum of five foreign players in starting lineups, a ruling that would drastically change the makeup of many of the world's elite clubs. The European Union has declared that such a rule […]

The dubious financial future of current Manchester United sponsors AIG has spurred the club to look at other sponsor options, reports the Sunday Mirror. An “insider” told the Mirror that “it is 90 percent certain” that insurance giants Aon will grace the fronts of United’s jerseys next season. The sponsorship deal could fetch United an […]

On Sunday, FC Dallas won its first game since topping Toronto FC on April 19. Its second win of the season came against the second-best team in the MLS, the previously unbeaten Chicago Fire. “The ball hasn’t bounced right for us this year. Today it did,” FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. “Our first 10 […]

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard is poised to ease the pain of the FA Cup final defeat against Chelsea by signing a new five-year deal with Everton. The 30-year-old is at an advanced stage in talks and is expected to join defenders Phil Jagielka and Joseph Yobo in committing his future to the club. Howard joined […]

European Champion Spain named its Confederations Cup roster on Monday. Packed with world stars, it includes Barcelona duo Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique, despite the club's concerns over their injuries. "We listen to everyone: the players, the coaches and the clubs," Spain coach Vincente del Bosque told a news conference after naming his 23-man squad. […]

Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini looks set to take over at Real Madrid. Villarreal general manager Jose Manuel Llaneza told the national news agency Efe on Monday that an agreement had been reached between the two clubs. A spokeswoman at Villarreal club said there had been contacts with Madrid but insisted there was no official confirmation […]

Goalkeeper Tim Howard thinks an FA Cup final win with Everton on Saturday would feel even better than the one he enjoyed with Manchester United five years ago. Howard became the first American to win the FA Cup when his United team routed lower-league Millwall 3-0 in the 2004 final. But that was just one […]

D.C. United announced Thursday that it will play a friendly match against Real Madrid on Aug. 9 at FedEx Field in Maryland. The match represents a rematch for the two squads, who played out a compelling 1-1 draw at Qwest Field in Seattle three years ago, entertaining a record-breaking crowd of 66,830. “A capacity crowd […]