Category: Section 2 Around the Net

On Saturday the Houston Dynamo clinched a playoff birth for the fourth consecutive season with a 1-1 tie against the Kansas City Wizards. Despite its success, some warning signs are emerging for the Dynamo late in the season. For the sixth time in eight games, including the past four, a Dynamo player picked up a […]

At 21, Jose Francisco Torres has made a number of tough decisions between loyalty to America and Mexico. But those decisions have paid off, as Torres successfully navigates his soccer career between the two countries. At 15, Torres left his family and Longview, Texas, for the Mexican mining town of Pachuca. Torres now starts for […]

David Beckham says that his inflamed right Achilles' tendon won't prevent him from taking the field Friday night when his Los Angeles Galaxy hosts the Chicago Fire. "I'll be ready," Beckham said after Thursday's practice. "I don't see why not. I've trained every day this week and I've worked on fitness this week so it's […]

An independent arbitration panel has ruled that Newcastle United pay former manager Kevin Keegan over $3 million for Keegan's "constructive dismissal" from the club in September 2008. After promising Keegan control over the club's transfer policy, Newcastle undermined Keegan's contract by handing transfer power to former director of soccer, Dennis Wise. Keegan states that he […]

Portsmouth is having a tough time in the Premier League this season, losing its first seven league games. Now, The Portsmouth News reports that the club has failed to pay some of its players. Peter Storrie, the club's Chief Executive, examined the situation to tell ESPNsoccernet that the club's money has run out. "All the […]

Emmanuel Adebayor has been handed an additional "suspended two-match ban" for his provocative goal celebration during Manchester City's 4-2 win over Arsenal. The additional ban will be activated only if Adebayor commits a similar breach of FA rules before December 2010. Adebayor received the additional suspension after admitting to a charge of improper conduct to […]

The saga between Texas-based entrepreneur Tim Barton and Serie A club Bari is not over yet. Although the current owners of the club, the Matarrese family, rejected Barton's delay in the takeover process, Barton says he is still interested in buying Bari after this season. "Due to time limitations for completing the due diligence, we […]

Chilean club Universidad Chile beat Internacional 1-0 to knock the defending champion out of the Copa Sudamericana. Universidad managed a 1-1 away draw in the first leg of the competition to provide a slight edge in its home game against the Brazilian club. In the secind leg, Universidad broke through after extended first-half pressure when […]

Texan businessman Tim Barton‘s bid to buy Serie A club Bari has collapsed after Barton tried to delay payments for the club. Bari CEO Salvatore Matarrese claims that Barton, owner of the real-estate company JMJ Holding, asked for a 60-day delay on Wednesday to complete his payments. “After attentive analysis, it was not considered reasonable […]

Harvard University's publication, The Crimson, is releasing a series of columns that examine, as author Maruicio A. Cruz says, "the current climate of college soccer – its role in the development of the sport in America, its drawbacks and limitations, and the future of the game amidst a growing trend towards youth professional development." In […]

At the Cotton Bowl in Dallas in front of 51,012 fans, Colombia downed Mexico 2-1 in a friendly match. The loss was Mexico's first in 13 games since Javier Aguirre returned as head coach of the national team in June. Colombia's Giovanni Moreno scored on a header during first-half stoppage time, and Darwin Quintero made […]

Medical tests on Bayern Munich midfielder Arjen Robben have confirmed that he suffered a ligament tear in his knee during Bayern's 0-0 draw with Juventus. The injury should sideline the Dutch playmaker for up to four weeks. The injury is less severe than Bayern coach Luis Van Gaal originally feared, but it comes at the […]

A Michael Owen injury tempered Manchester United's 2-1 comeback victory over an ambitious Wolfsburg side. Owen withdrew 19 minutes into the game that had brought England coach Fabio Capello to Old Trafford to judge whether the striker deserved a place in the country's squad for upcoming games against Ukraine and Belarus. Owen had been troubled […]

Beau Dure, of USA Today, gives a synopsis of Landon Donovan's career and the player's maturity on and off the field. This year, Donovan has drawn more media attention than ever. Much of the attention comes because of his performance. Donovan has helped push the U.S. national team to the brink of qualification for the […]

Despite the country's political turmoil, Honduras will host the World Cup qualifier against the USA on Oct. 10 in San Pedro Sula, says FIFA. FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says that the country's current safety concerns are not great enough to move the match. But Valcke also said that FIFA's stance could change if the […]

Giovani Dos Santos has been one of Mexico's most electrifying players over the summer, playing a crucial role in the country's turnaround in its World Cup qualifying campaign. But Dos Santos will miss Mexico's final two qualifying games against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago. An ankle injury that Dos Santos sustained while playing for […]

Liverpool co-owners George Gillett Jr. and Tom Hicks have announced that they are seeking outside investors to help reduce the club's $390 million debt and fund a new 60,000-seat stadium, a project halted in August 2008 because of the global economic downturn. "The owners have jointly retained Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Rothschild to […]

TFC owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment has proposed a $5.5 million project to replace BMO Field's much-maligned artificial turf with grass. This week the Toronto city council is expected to approve the proposal. "We're confident that it's going to go through," MLSE executive Bob Hunter said of the plan. "It would be pretty tough […]

Philadelphia Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz and Coach Peter Nowak announced a partnership with YSC Academy, a youth soccer academy based in Wayne, Pa. Sakiewicz and YSC Academy founder Richie Graham conveyed a plan akin to one used by many top club teams in Europe. As opposed to other American programs, this program plans to be […]

On Saturday, Juan Pablo Angel became the New York Red Bulls' all-time leading scorer with his 46th goal for the club in a 1-1 tie with Chivas USA. "It's an honor to be part of the history of this franchise,'' Angel said. Angel broke Clint Mathis' record of 45 goals in 32 fewer games (78 […]

News keeps getting worse for D.C. United. On Sunday, goalkeeper Josh Wicks dislocated his left shoulder while attempting to punch away a corner against San Jose. In addition, an MRI revealed that Wicks injured his knee on the play, spraining his medical collateral ligament. The injuries will sideline Wicks four to six weeks, or the […]

A French soccer fan died from injuries suffered in a Belgrade bar ahead of a Europa League match between Partizan Belgrade and Toulouse on September 17. Brice Taton received numerous head and chest injuries administered from a 30-strong group armed with iron bars and baseball bats, Reuters reported. The death comes amid a surge of […]

Honduras’ political crisis will not derail Thursday’s Cooncacaf Champions League match between CD Marathon and Mexican club Toluca, reports the website Soccer by Ives. This news comes after reports from Mexico that the match would be canceled. The match is slated for San Pedro Sula, where the USA is scheduled to play Honduras in a […]

The Mexico soccer federation (FMF) has pulled out of the running to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. The FMF declared that economic constraints and a lack of resources forced the decision. “The decision is based on two premises: the global economic environment and the required infusion of funds towards infrastructure,” the FMF […]

Real Madrid’s record breaking spending spree has helped the club to a hot start. Five wins in five league games have put Real Madrid atop La Liga with Barcelona, which also hasn’t lost. On Wednesday, Madrid hopes to follow up its 5-2 victory at FC Zurich with another Group C victory over Marseille, this time […]