Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Defending champions Zenit St. Petersburg, current Bundesliga leaders Hamburger SV and Italian enforcers AC Milan are among the teams that will compete in the second leg of the Round of 32 of the 2009 UEFA Cup on Thursday. In the first leg of the series last week, six of the 16 games ended in draws, […]

"You haven’t lost your Drogba, he was just not playing. Being judged when you are playing is much easier, and to the contrary, when you are not playing you can be criticized. At the moment I feel good when I’m on the field and I make the most of those priceless moments. The truth is […]

“I am having fun, but I believe that it is time to make room for youngsters. They deserve to play. Perhaps you think I am still young, but I am 37 and I feel it’s truly the right time to quit. I just want to give my all in these remaining three months and hopefully […]

Speaking to the AP yesterday, Spanish striker Raul stated that he’s considering, retiring, at least momentarily, in 2011 after two more seasons with Real Madrid, where he recently surpassed legend Alfredo di Stefano as the team’s all-time goalscorer. "It is a difficult situation because you always want to go out when you are at the […]

While the Galaxy continue to hog the L.A. soccer spotlight, much like the Lakers cast their long Staples Center shadow on the Clippers, with speculation of who will be in uniform this season and who won’t, down the hall Chivas USA is quietly prepping its core players to build on three consecutive postseason appearances. The […]

As part of an effort to help bring one of the two available MLS expansion teams to Portland in 2010, Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson was in Salem on Tuesday to speak to the Oregon Legislature about a bill that would “divert state income taxes generated by players’ salaries toward the proposed renovation of PGE […]

Saying that the Chinese federation puts its coaching candidates through the paces could be the understatement of the day, as Reuters reports that four top candidates for its national team coach position “have been sent to a closed training base where each will have give a 15-minute presentation and undergo a three-hour written test on […]

Twenty-three-year-old Marta Vieira da Silva might’ve grown up in playing soccer in the “sandy river bottoms” of remote Brazilian town Dois Riachos, writes LA Times’ Grahame Jones, but her superior skills have since taken her all over the world. Her latest stop is in sunny Los Angeles, where she is set to lead the Sol, […]

"We're not going to announce to the world the sort of feedback we've had from FIFA. But what I'm going to say is that in our travels within Asia and the [soccer] world more broadly, we believe there's a lot of support for Australia to host the World Cup. We are as confident today as […]

“This is a new beginning for Canada.” New head coach and Italian legend Carolina Morace on taking the helm of the “under-achieving” Canadians, where she’s employing an all-female staff, phased out veteran Charmaine Hooper, is “eager to refine” their physical and aggressive reputation, and put the team in the hands of leading scorer and captain […]

Perhaps the biggest storyline arching over this knockout phase of UEFA Champions League competition is the battle between England and Italy, as three of the final round pairings see the EPL’s best against their counterparts from Serie A. The first two of those take place on Tuesday, with Arsenal hosting Roma at Emirates Stadium and […]

CONCACAF’s own Champions League has plenty of storylines as the first leg games of the quarterfinal round kick off Tuesday night with lone MLS representative Houston Dynamo hosting Mexican First Division team Atlante. Perhaps the best story of the continental competition so far is the surprise run of the Montreal Impact and Puerto Rico Islanders, […]

While players and fans from MLS’s only Canadian outpost will be watching from afar in Toronto, USL titleholders the Montreal Impact will be watched by a sea of blue (shirts) that could number 50,000 when they host Mexican club Santos Laguna at the indoor Olympic Stadium in the first leg of its CONCACAF Champions league […]

An epic tale dating back some 80 years and interwoven first with family success and then bitter brotherly betrayal, the story behind Adidas reads more like a Greek tragedy or daytime soap opera than the making of one of the world’s biggest brands. ESPN Soccernet’s Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger writes about Barbara Smit’s book “Sneaker Wars,” which […]

The Chicago Fire are smartly taking advantage of Mexican star Cuauhtemoc Blanco‘s connections at former team Club America by organizing a two-game home-and-away series that will kick off with the Fire playing host at Toyota Park on April 29 and a game at the famed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City at a date yet to […]

“Nothing is impossible if you truly believe in something,” said David Beckham, regarding the possible transfer that would keep him in Milan, where he attended an Adidas show unveiling on Monday, according to Tuttomercatoweb. “Most times these things can happen, so we shall see how we go.”

After years as one of the key players in the formation and every day operations of Major League Soccer, former MLS Deputy Commisioner Ivan Gazidis now finds himself across the Atlantic at Arsenal, where he wears the title of CEO along with his red Gunners scarf. “It’s very different being a league executive and being […]

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho made a multitude of strong statements ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with EPL leaders Manchester United, according to the Daily Mirror. The most simple? “United is not better than us. We will beat them.” While it might seem like unnecessary chalkboard material that could provide ManU players added motivation, […]

Recent reports out of Spain have FC Barcelona reevaluating their bid to operate one of the next MLS expansion teams in Miami due to the worldwide economic downturn. According to SI.com, Barcelona General Director Joan Olive told Spanish daily newspaper Sport that they are still interested in joining the league, “but not at the cost […]

With three losses in their last four matches, their top striker out injured, and a defense that has already given up more goals in the 2008-09 campaign than all of last season, Bayern Munich’s future is looking a bit barren heading into Wednesday’s Champions League match at Sporting Lisbon. With Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Cologne, […]

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed to Denmark’s TV2 that he chose club over country with regard to his budding coaching career, turning down top job for the Norwegian soccer federation to remain manager of the ManU reserve squad. While it was “difficult to say no to the NFF” and he acknowledged that […]

Famed Turkish team Galatasaray have hired former team captain Bulent Korkmaz to take over as coach from Michael Skibbe, who was fired following an embarrassing 5-2 home loss to lowly Kocaelispor on Sunday. The defending and 17-time Turkish League champs are in an unfamiliar fifth in the league, even with rival Fenerbache and eight points […]

“If he can play in the Premier League and the FA Cup, why not be qualified for us in the Champions League? He has played for a team that cannot play any more in the Champions League and who now plays in the UEFA Cup. It’s the rule so I guess we cannot complain too […]

Former Mexican national team coach Manual Lapuente was let go by Tigres UANL on Sunday after a 3-2 home letdown against Club America on Saturday and just six points from seven Group Three games in the championship of the Mexican Clausura. Lapuente, who guided Mexico to the Round of 16 of the1998 FIFA World Cup, […]

I’m sure there have been less important protests in the world, but perhaps not many. According to the Daily Mail, groups of Russian fans have taken to the streets of Moscow in recent days to oppose Guus Hiddink‘s double duty as Chelsea coach in fears that it will adversely affect his main role as director […]