Category: Section 2 Around the Net

When Chelsea’s Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou celebrated scoring against Middlesbrough on Wednesday, his post-goal choreography in tandem with compatriot Didier Drogba could, it seems, be interpreted in one of two ways. Either he was showing his admiration for WWE wrestler John Cena, or he was making a statement in support of the Ivory Coast political […]

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill will be pleased that so many people still underestimate his side’s chances of winning the Premier League title this season, writes Kevin McCarra. In fact Villa’s ambitions “are so often overlooked that the team are clandestine contenders,” he says.   But Villa is only a point behind Liverpool and Chelsea, […]

Well worth reading in full, Kaveh Solhekol‘s entertaining guide to the worst aspects of the modern game includes a rant about modern squad numbers: “Remember the days when the best player was No 10 and goalkeepers were No 1? Not any more. Thanks to someone at the Premier League watching an American football game, players […]

The Cyprus Football Association says that talks with the breakaway Turkish Cypriots to unify soccer on the ethnically divided island have collapsed. The CFA said Friday it considers the matter “over” after the Cyprus Turkish Football Association turned down a FIFA- and UEFA-brokered deal on ending its decades-old exclusion from international  soccer.

“A very rare find. As organized as youth soccer is now, we might not see that again.” Houston Dynamo Director of Youth Development James Clarkson on the team’s 18-year-old generation adidas signing Felix Garcia, who grew up playing soccer in the streets and parks of Laredo, with the benefit of avoiding soccer clubs and their […]

“It’s definitely more relaxed than last year. It helps to have had the kind of season we had last year. That’s not being slack, I don’t think, but I have no doubt once we get closer to the start of the season, things will be a bit more serious.” Columbus Crew’s “gritty, grinning Scotsman” Adam […]

“His [David Beckham‘s] agent is here in Milan. He will first speak with him and then we will meet him ourselves. The good feeling between our club and David is absolute but you all know the situation.” AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani reports on the latest installment of the L.A. Galaxy midfielder’s seemingly inevitable […]

“I thought about it a lot, and it was the right amount of money and security [with United]. Another thing is, I have a good situation here. I think a lot of guys go from team to team looking for a good situation, for things like playing time, enjoying where they’re living. I’ve obviously had […]

“My knees cannot cope with the fact that I play for Aston Villa and for the national team. In this situation, the only real solution is to be available for the club.” Danish defender Martin Laursen quits international soccer to concentrate on playing for his club.

Some of Landon Donovan‘s L.A. Galaxy teammates are in no doubt about his wishes to extend his loan period at Bayern Munich into a permanent transfer, writes Andrea Canales. “He’s desperate to prove it,” Eddie Lewis told her. “I think not only to himself, but perhaps some of his critics as well, that he can […]

Newcastle United’s already troubled season hit more problems Wednesday when Michael Owen and Joey Barton both suffered serious injuries in the team’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, while manager Joe Kinnear said that the club’s owner, Mike Ashley, was suffering hard from the economic downturn and might be struggling to pay the players. Meanwhile, goalkeeper […]

The “hunch” that Washington Post reporter Steven Goff nurtured a couple of days ago that Marcelo Gallardo will return to Argentina and be replaced by his compatriot Christian Gomez as D.C. United’s playmaker looks a step closer to realization. Gallardo is trying to negotiate a contract settlement that will free him to join River Plate, […]

English referee Mark Clattenburg, 33, “was widely regarded as the brightest young talent in English football refereeing…who soared through the ranks in record time and looked destined for fame on the greatest stages,” writes Nick Harris. But all that came to an end Wednesday when he was sacked as a Premier League referee following an […]

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Wednesday that it will allow Brazil to stage the 2014 World Cup in 12 cities rather than 10. Soccer’s world governing body had initially said it wanted the tournament staged in 10 cities to minimize logistical problems.   “This country is not a country, it’s a sub-continent, five-times world champions, […]

“We think Jeff [Parke] is a tremendous player, and that’s why we were willing to risk selecting him in the expansion draft. We will continue to keep in close contact. We continue to hold his MLS rights and we’re hopeful that he will some day play for Seattle Sounders FC.” Seattle Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer […]

“The market is horrendous. The English league is killing everything. Everybody wants to go to England. And you can’t get anyone to leave there. I think what will happen eventually is that it will implode and it will get back to reality.” Glasgow Celtic manager Gordon Strachan predicts a collapse in wage demands and transfer […]

“Criticism should not be expressed in public. That’s why he’s getting fined. We’ve accepted his apology, and that’s the end of the matter.” Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel on the fine imposed on goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, 39, following a TV interview he gave directly after its 1-5 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the German FA […]

Back on the West Coast, Anschutz Entertainment Group Chief Executive Tim Leiweke insisted that David Beckham “loves” Los Angeles, and that his move to MLS has been a success. He said that the player will be returning to the team, despite MLS Commissioner Don Garber saying Tuesday that the league would talk about a permanent […]

Central defender Chase Mikkelsen has made it to the list of 10 finalists for a roster spot on the Seattle Sounders FC roster, and the winner from the team’s talent search, which looked at more than 600 regional players, will be decided this weekend. If he wins, he will become the league’s first Native American […]

Ann Killion brings attention to the “six-story-tall Earthquakes jersey” that was visible in front of the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, on Tuesday. “The Earthquakes,” she writes, “want to make sure no one missed their big news: They have a corporate sponsor. In this economy, for a team in a minor sports league, that’s news worth […]

Tottenham Hotspur has offered Liverpool either Aaron Lennon or Jermaine Jenas, plus cash, in exchange for striker Robbie Keane, report Sam Wallace and Ian Herbert. Keane went north from Tottenham to Liverpool just last summer for $29 million.   They describe it as potentially “one of the most remarkable transfers in recent history,” but there […]

“He strenuously denies any allegation of wrongdoing or criminality, and is happy to cooperate with the police if required further.” A spokesman for Manchester City’s Brazilian striker Robinho following his arrest, and release “pending further inquiries,” in connection with an alleged sexual assault in a Leeds nightclub on January 14.

“That’s ‘Cirque du Soleil,’ and I didn’t like it one bit.” Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness was not at all amused by Franck Ribery‘s attempt to chip Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann from the penalty spot during his side’s 5-1 road victory in the German FA Cup round of 16 game Tuesday. With Bayern leading […]

“I have to say Manchester City’s behavior was absolutely disgusting. If they had not come in a week last Friday and unsettled the boy [Wilson Palacios], he would have signed a contract for us. He was wobbling and wasn’t sure about going to London [to Tottenham Hotspur]. We had offered him a contract and he […]

“For a semifinal, a spectacle for our national game, to be played on such an appalling playing field was very disappointing. It wasn’t conducive to the type of football that we try to play.” Falkirk defender Steven Pressley criticizes the playing surface at Scotland’s national stadium, Hampden Park, after his team’s 3-0 loss to Glasgow […]