Category: Section 2 Around the Net

In the light of reports that Manchester City has offered AC Milan $133 million for Brazilian playmaker Kaka, Kaveh Solhekol offers the EPL team some alternative ways to spend such a huge amount. City manager Mark Hughes also “needs a goalkeeper, some defenders, a couple of midfield players and a target man,” he says, before […]

Comparing the arrival of Marta in Los Angeles with the coming of David Beckham two years ago is too difficult for Martin Rogers to resist, as “one of the world’s highest-profile players moves from a European league to Los Angeles in an attempt to ignite interest in American soccer.” The importance of her signing to […]

There has been a tide of appreciative articles in the UK sporting press since Ryan Giggs. 35, engineered Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Chelsea at the weekend from the center of midfield. According to Rob Bagchi, the former left-winger “thrillingly rolled back the years against Chelsea in a performance that made the true football romantic […]

“We can dominate. Manchester [United] has a lot of young players — myself included — so the future for the club looks good. I want to be here, to be a part of the success that I believe lies ahead. For me, it’s great to be a part of this fantastic club and my motivation […]

“An unexpected playoff run and a trip to MLS Cup can mask a lot of problems, but the fact is the [New York] Red Bulls are in the same place they were a year ago at draft time,” writes Frank Giase. When coach Juan Carlos Osorio was hired a year ago, he said the team […]

“I didn’t see Chelsea. I saw people from Chelsea before the match, at half-time and after the match. But I didn’t see Chelsea on the pitch. I only saw Manchester United.” Inter Milan and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho snipes at his former club after watching it lose 3-0 to Manchester United at the weekend.

“I saw Manchester United win without Tevez. This isn’t good for him. Certain episodes are certainly bringing closer his exit. Italy and Inter in particular would be excellent solutions. What’s more, his contract is running out, which makes it easier to change team.” Argentina national team coach Diego Maradona advises striker Carlos Tevez, 24, to […]

Eleven people, including four teenagers, have been charged with “indecent chanting” following an inquiry into suspected abuse aimed at Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell during a game against Tottenham Hotspur Sept. 28. The English Football Association has said it will impose life bans on any fans proven to have been chanting abuse.

“[Manchester] United are the champions right now, they are the favorites. They have shown in the last few years that they’re a very strong side. Look at the great players they have, and they have played two matches fewer, so they could catch up and even go top.” Liverpool’s Spanish striker Fernando Torres tries to […]

[WPS] A-Rod could be headed to Boston. Yankee fans, don’t fret. Alex Rodriguez isn’t about the join the Red Sox. U.S. Olympic gold-medalist Amy Rodriguez of USC is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer college draft, which will take place Friday at the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis. There is much intrigue surrounding Rodriguez’s expected selection as the No. 1 pick. There’s speculation of a possible trade with her hometown Los Angeles Sol, coached by her former youth coach Abner Rogers. Rodriguez talks with Soccer America about  Boston and Los Angeles and hopes for WPS …

“A few of them let out a big scream, which is a bit embarrassing because it is a man’s game.” Bolton Wanderers striker Kevin Davies criticizes Arsenal’s players for overreacting to tackles in an attempt to con referees into giving yellow cards. Arsenal beat Bolton, 1-0, on Saturday.

[MLS] There’s time enough to get serious before the season starts, even though January in MLS is much like the summer everywhere else, the so-called “silly season,” when groundless rumors and “done deals” that aren’t (done) dominate cyberspace. This January, though, is a bit sad, because one of the truly good guys has called it quits, a man whose love of the game always shone on his face and gleamed in his smile, a player who could look clumsy and graceful and labored and smooth all at the same time, a fierce fighter on the field and a genial giant off it.

[FIFA AWARDS] Cristiano Ronaldo, the 23-year-old Portuguese Manchester United star who scored 42 goals in all competitions as his club won 2007-08 English Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles, won the 2008 FIFA Men’s World Player. Marta, who dazzled for Brazil as it won the 2008 Olympic Silver medal, won her third straight FIFA Women’s World Player award. The USA, despite winning Olympic gold, did not place a woman among the top 5.

[FIFA AWARDS] The FIFA World Player Gala 2008 that unveiled last year’s top players also included the awarding of the inaugural Development Award, the Fair Play Award and the Presidential Award, which U.S. national team forward Heather O’Reilly accepted  on behalf of the “women’s game.”

[FIFA AWARDS] Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo is the first English Premier League player to win FIFA Men’s World Player award since its inception in 1991. Brazil’s Marta is the second player to win three straight FIFA Women’s World Player awards. For past winners.

[WPS] The The Los Angeles Sol signed the one player Women’s Professional Soccer needed to achieve international credibility when it  reached an agreement with three-time FIFA World Female Player of the Year Marta. The Brazilian had played for Swedish powerhouse Umea since 2004, and her signing is a signal that WPS has the clout to compete with Europe’s major women’s leagues that have grown in prominence since the days of the WUSA.

“We are in a relegation scrap. We need some men and some characters who want to get us out of it.” Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp wants to start getting ugly to help his team retain Premier League status.

“Although I won’t be able to perform on the field this season, it is my intention to do everything I can off the field to help the Red Stars succeed.” Chicago Red Stars defender Kate Markgraf, 32, announces she will miss the opening Women’s Professional Soccer season as she is pregnant with her second child.

Former U.S. national team star Tab Ramos is among the coaches who have been named NSCAA/adidas Regional Coaches of the Year. Ramos was named the East Region Boys Coach of the Year for his efforts with the NJSA 04 Gunners, the 2008 U.S. Youth Soccer under-14 national champions. For all the boys and girls regional winners …

Evansville (Ind.) Memorial High School had both its coaches — girls coach Angie Lensing and boys coach Bill Vieth — earn NSCAA/adidas Regional Coach of the Year honors in the High School Private/Parochial division. For all finalists for the National Coach of the Year awards …

Sacramento youth clubs are rallying in support of the Sierra Soccer Club’s Cassy Rowe, a 16-year-old midfielder who was paralyzed in a freak accident during a game last summer.

MLS’s Red Bull New York is among the clubs that will enter teams in the first of U.S. Club Soccer’s regional leagues, the Northeast Pre-Academy League for U-14 and U-15 boys set to kick off in February.

Boca Raton (Fla.) boys and Aliso Niguel (Calif.) girls are ranked No. 1 in the first NSCAA/adidas High School National Rankings of the winter season. For all the rankings …

“I think it was a necessary move for me to come away from the States and fulfill a dream to play in Europe. At the same time, having to adjust, it’s easier and better for you as a professional if you can do it at a younger age. To get into the whole atmosphere and […]

“One thing’s clear: there’s not much to negotiate. We want an eight-figure sum. But I have to say, Cologne has moved towards that again. It looks good. I’m confident it will come off.” Bayern Munich President Karl-Heinz Rummenigge thinks that agreement on Lukas Podolski‘s transfer to FC Cologne is close to completion.