Category: Section 2 Around the Net

"We were one of the lucky families. Our children came home to us that night and obviously we are eternally grateful for that, but that doesn't mean to say we don't have a great deal of sympathy for those who were not as fortunate as us. I always feel for anyone who was there and […]

There’s no arguing that three of the biggest stories in American soccer this year (the overnight success of the Seattle Sounders, the acceptance of expansion bids in Portland and Vancouver, and the improbable run of the Puerto Rico Islanders through CONCACAF) have all come courtesy of the United Soccer Leagues’ First Division, so it’s no […]

No Blanco? No problema.  Or so it’s been thus far in Season 14 for the Chicago Fire, which hasn’t much missed the not-fully-fit Mexican international Cuauhtemoc Blanco thanks to the inspired and energetic play of second-year Guatemalan midfielder Marco Pappa.   Praised by Coach Denis Hamlett as “very skillful on the ball” and “always looking […]

It’s not every day that a high-profile athlete that is still in the prime of his career and makes millions of dollars a year for a top quality team just walks away from the game on account of personal reasons, but that’s what troubled Brazilian striker Adriano did on Thursday, declaring that “at least temporarily” […]

With the group stage of the 2009 Copa Libertadores coming to a close, and famed club Boca Juniors looking like the only team capable of doing some damage in the 32-team intercontinental tournament, SI.com’s Gregory Sica wondered if Argentine soccer is only a “one-team show.”  As of Thursday, when Estudiantes posted a forceful 4-0 win, […]

In order for retirement to sit well with 67-year-old Sir Alex Ferguson, he needs to have collected a little more hardware from continental competition to finish up his three-decade tenure at Manchester United, saying to CNN, “if we could win a couple more European trophies, I then would definitely quit.” As successful as ManU has […]

“Clearly in this moment they’ve passed us. They’re very confident and feeling good about where they’re at. I’ve watched probably all but a few minutes of all their games, and they’re getting a little bit of luck right now and also playing well.  You combine those and that means you usually win games.” Galaxy captain […]

“Inter have done everything to help Adriano before I arrived and with me, as a coach and human being, so have the president and his team mates. We’ll see. The important thing is that he’s happy. If he’s happy like this, if you lose the player but the man is happy, perfect. But for the […]

“If Red Star can’t at least give me money for a roof over my head, never mind what the club owes me in wages, I will have no choice but to go back to Slovenia and stay with my parents. I can’t believe a club of Red Star’s stature has allowed this to happen, it’s […]

“Nothing. I did not learn anything from [Arsenal manager Arsene] Wenger. He just taught me to doubt everything. The relationship I had with him was not good.  You cannot understand the whole world. I respect the way you train, but I learned more with [former Chelsea manager Jose] Mourinho. Mourinho taught me to fight. I […]

Having Zinedine Zidane in your camp makes it all but automatic to get elected to a Presidential position within soccer, but especially is he’s considering being your running mate.  And so things are looking locked up for candidate Florentino Perez in his bid to return to the top spot at Real Madrid, a post he […]

Things went from bad to worse to abysmal for Juergen Klinsmann and Co. on Wednesday, and all in a matter of just minutes. Allowing four goals to Barcelona in a first half was just part of what led German legend Franz Beckenbauer to call the lopsided loss “without a doubt the worst football Bayern have […]

“I would love to.  As I always expressed in the past, I am very thankful to this country. It’s the country that gave me the opportunity to go to school, to get my education through a scholarship. Now if one day I am considered, that would be an honor. My kids were born here. We […]

“I think when I break my career up into segments, it’s almost perfect for me to go D.C., then Chicago, and then Chivas.  In D.C., I was a rookie and I came in off the bench and I was learning what it was about to be a pro. Then came Chicago and I was on […]

“Everything is still up for grabs, even though we are behind in the league.  This performance [against Liverpool] just sets the tone for the rest of the season and who knows what can happen in the league and FA Cup now. It’s just important we keep the standard we showed against Liverpool. When people see […]

Fans around the league might be surprised to see Chivas USA atop the Western Conference (and the league, for that matter) with a perfect 3-0-0 record, but the real surprise is that they’ve been able to stay undefeated without a select few of players “that many assumed would make all the difference for the Red-and-White […]

Mexico’s national team might be a mess at the moment, but the quality of their professional league remains mostly unmatched in the region, as Cruz Azul and Atlante used home-field advantage in the semifinals’ second leg to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League final, making it “yet another all-Mexican showpiece, the third in the last […]

If the UEFA Champions League was ever in a so-called slump after previous years have produced somewhat predictable all-English finals, after “two breathtaking nights and four captivating games have been played out between eight fearless and talented teams,” writes Goal.com’s Sulmann Ahmad, all is back to being right in the world of European soccer elite. […]

With regular Rangers midfielders Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor serving a two-week suspension after a pair of controversial off-field incidents (a drunk/disorderly bout followed by obscene gesture from the bench) while representing the Scotland national team last week, it looks like it’s time for young Maurice Edu to step into a starting role once occupied […]

Tempted by offers to play overseas, Toronto FC goalkeeper Greg Sutton is the rare pro athlete that decided to follow the road less traveled, choosing family and country over potential fame and fortune to remain in North America, where he has carved out a solid career and without which he wouldn’t have met his wife. […]

When the Seattle lost the Supersonics but gained the Sounders FC, fortunately for the city’s sports fans one thing remained in place: the well-practiced pipes of play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabaro, who is “as much an icon in the Seattle area as majestic Mount Rainier,” writes goal.com’s John Zielonka. Not wanting to follow the NBA franchise […]

If the world’s best female soccer player scores two goals in the tiny township of Bridgewater, N.J. (population: approximately 45,000/game attendance: 6,053), does anybody hear it?  That’s more or less the question put forth by Goal.com’s Andrea Canales, who wonders whether WPS, despite featuring a player like Marta that “legitimizes WPS as the highest echelon […]

“Absolutely false. As most of them are, I might add.” An always chipper Bruce Arena, putting the kibosh on a recent report connecting 35-year-old Italian international Christian Vieri with the L.A. Galaxy and undoubtedly trying to avoid more unnecessary drama involving a high-profile player with Italian ties.

“I am very determined to go the extra step this year and win the trophy.  That burning [disappointment] I suffered last year will live with me forever.   The one way I can make that pain ease a little bit is to win this trophy. I can do that with the manager we have in charge […]

“You have to think the last goal was one we could not afford to lose. It was a terrible goal to give away when you are 2-1 up and seeing the game out.  It is a difficult job now, not made any easier when they tell you no British team has won in Porto.  But […]