Category: Section 2 Around the Net

If and when Jose Mourinho is successful in his apparent wish to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm of Manchester United, he might lose his best player in the process, suggests The Daily Mirror. Giving credence to a suggested feud between Cristiano Ronaldo and the current Inter Milan coach, the 2008 World Player of […]

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That was perhaps one of the lessons learned by D.C. United and head coach Tom Soehn in last season’s “nightmare” campaign, where “injuries, underachievement and simple bad luck conspired to produce one of the most trying years in the club’s existence,” writes MLSnet.com’s Charles Boehm. So for 2009, […]

FIFA handed down a tough four-game suspension and $4,200 fine to Trinidad & Tobago captain Dwight Yorke in response to a red card tirade following his country’s 2-2 draw with El Salvador on Feb. 11. Having already earned a yellow card in the run of play, Yorke was given a second yellow after making an […]

In an AP report out of Baghdad, an Iraqi player was apparently shot dead during a soccer match between amateur clubs Buhairat and Sinjar on  Sunday. According to Police Major Muthanna Khalid, a Buhairat striker was on a breakaway with just the keeper to beat in the last minute of a game Sinjar was leading, […]

Both England and Australia submitted their official bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Monday, just under the wire of the FIFA deadline and joining individual bids by Indonesia and South Korea that were filed this weekend. With the inclusion of those four nations, there are 11 total bids that FIFA will select […]

“I feel a bit like a child. Today I’m celebrating an event that fills me with pride. Three hundred goals is really a lot. I didn’t have time to prepare any celebrations. I’ve scored five goals in two weeks that I didn’t expect.” Italian mainstay Filippo Inzaghi, after scoring two goals in AC Milan’s 5-1 […]

“I believe Liverpool have been the best team in Europe for the last five years. We have beaten Real Madrid and Manchester United in the same week — if we can beat them, we can beat anybody.” Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, feeling confident (as he should be) after decisive win and four-goal outputs against La […]

Not wanting a replay of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in which Costa Rica had three players ejected in a hotly contested match against Mexico, officials from the Costa Rican soccer federation (Fedefutbol) are up in arms over the appointment of U.S. referee Terry Vaughn for the upcoming World Cup qualifier on March 28 in […]

Versatility continues to be key for the success and career longevity of New England defender Jay Heaps, who enters his 10th MLS season (and 7th with the Revolution) as he always has, filling whatever role his team needs. "You can ask him to do anything," says Revs coach Steve Nicol, of the veteran that can […]

“I’m sure there will be a certain amount of criticism because people won’t understand why I want to stay here, but we will have to see. Real football people will say ‘He’s passionate about playing for his country and knows what he needs to do to have the chance of playing in the World Cup.’” […]

“You’re talking to a 5-foot, 5-inch coach, so I don’t have a lot of bias toward size. But there were a lot of coaches at the combine that I think literally saw a shorter guy out there and crossed him off their list. But with us, we really felt there’s so much soccer in him.” […]

Man U’s helped hype Saturday’s Wayne Rooney EPL crunch game with Liverpool (TV: Setanta USA, 8:40 am ET): “I’m very excited about the game because I grew up as an Everton fan hating Liverpool and that hasn’t changed,” he told MUTV about the rival of his boyhood and first pro team, Everton. But two hours […]

In yet another example of “don’t bite the hand that feeds,” Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri put striker David Trezeguet in his place, countering the French forward’s complaints about being substituted out of Wednesday’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Chelsea by comparing him to a “spoiled child.” “His declarations really bothered me. We try and always […]

According to ESPN Soccernet, West Ham United has reportedly agreed to pay some $12 million to Sheffield United over the next five years in order to settle the 2-year-old case of the ineligibility of striker Carlos Tevez. Sheffield had originally claimed that Tevez was not eligible to compete in the last few games of the […]

"Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo but yes, I think he just might be. He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly he gives the players around him confidence and belief. You can’t learn that. Players like […]

"I'm realistic about it and I do not think it can be done. All we can do at the moment is to keep playing the way we are playing and to take each game as it comes along, then see where it takes us." ManU coach Alex Ferguson, on his team's chances of winning a […]

FIFA President Sepp Blatter had some choice words on a number of topics related to American soccer on Wednesday, reminding MLS that its March-November schedule is “not in the right season” compared to most other leagues around the world and stating that the “basic problem with MLS” is that “the best American players are playing […]

After a six-hour hearing on Wednesday, Portland expansion bid leader Merritt Paulson, with dozens of Portland Timbers scarf-wearing fans in attendance to provide their support, watched city officials vote 3-2 in favor of a deal that could bring an MLS expansion team to the city in 2011 based on renovations of downtown’s PGE Park and […]

The ownership group looking to bring an MLS franchise to St. Louis received a lift on Wednesday when officials from local giant Anheuser-Busch announced that it would sign over their Soccer Park complex in suburban Fenton, Mo., as a potential stadium site. Despite having already reached a deal for a proposed stadium and youth soccer […]

Not to be left out of all the MLS expansion talk and recent developments in other bid cities, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk made a rare appearance at City Hall on Wednesday to remind city officials of his experience in establishing a healthy NHL franchise and basically guarantee that an MLS team would be successful […]

Marking the first time in seven years that Italy has not placed a team in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, all three Serie A representatives were eliminated this week, and all at the hands of superior English Premier League teams. Coupled with the ousting of AC Milan and Sampdoria in the UEFA Cup […]

"One of the building blocks of our team is now here. I think it's absolutely critical to have Landon and his quality. This time around, we expect him not only to do what he does on the field, but we're asking him to do a little bit more. He needs to be the leader of […]

“I believe this was very important for us because as everyone knows we had not been scoring or getting results. It was also good to see players move when they were away from the ball. They ran a lot. They always tried to be on top of the opponent, which is something we did very […]

"I think we prepared the game better than them. The boss was brilliant in explaining how to play against them. The plan before the game was to play with intensity and with a high-tempo. Spanish soccer has quality but it is slower, so we knew it would be difficult for them if we played with […]

"If he becomes the Ronaldo of old, why not? He has the will to become the great player that he once was. He feels pleasure playing soccer." Current Brazil coach and former World Cup teammate Dunga, speaking to Cultura TV about the chance of 32-year-old to play for his country again.