Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Former New England Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst, 24, thinks that now is the ideal time for a move to Europe, writes Monique Walker ahead of Tuesday’s expected announcement that the player has joined FC Nordsjaelland of Denmark. "I just felt like with me being the age I am, and being out of contract, that if […]

The San Jose Quakes and Joe Cannon are in contract talks after the team declined to pick up the goalkeeper’s contract option for the 2009 season, writes Elliott Almond. Cannon, 33, said he’s cautiously optimistic about the negotiations. "My heart has always been in San Jose no matter where I’ve played," he said. "It’s a […]

The stronger dollar could be good news for any MLS team planning to import players from Europe, writes Greg Lalas. At the same time, it may make European clubs think twice about importing U.S. talent. Jozy Altidore cost Villarreal $10 million when it bought the striker from RB New York this past summer, which at […]

AC Milan Chief Executive Adriano Galliani has said he hopes L.A. Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will fall in love with the Serie A club during his loan spell and decide to stay longer. “Let’s hope he falls in love, the problem is that he has lots of advertising contracts,” Galliani said. “Let’s hope feelings prevail, […]

Spanish giant Barcelona and its President Joan Laporta are tough competitors, writes Andrea Canales, but that doesn't mean they'll know how to succeed in Major League Soccer should they land the Miami franchise. "It's nothing new for foreigners to bluster into MLS full of confidence and flush with capital and success elsewhere," she writes. "That […]

Sao Paulo won the Brazilian championship for the third year running and for the sixth time overall with a 1-0 road win at Goias in the season's final game at the weekend. Striker Borges scored the first-half winner for Sao Paulo as it finished three points clear of Gremio. Figueirense and former South American champion […]

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is worried that long-standing problems with the team's medical department is depriving him of key players as the west London team gears up to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League titles. "The Brazilian coach has been surprised and frustrated by the number of injuries suffered by his squad […]

Picking up the Ballon d'Or he won last week, Manchester United and Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo said at the weekend he is happy with United, despite the summer's thwarted transfer move to Real Madrid. "It's not the time to talk about other clubs at the moment," Ronaldo said. "I'm happy here [at Manchester United] and […]

"Leaving aside Chelsea's fate — and let's be honest, having to beat CFR Cluj at home to qualify is not exactly the stuff of cliffhangers — this is the drabbest conclusion yet to a group stage that, results-wise, has been as easy to predict as a North Korean general election." Sam Wallace fails to feverishly […]

"To the big clubs who may miss out I would say tough luck. This is a sporting competition and there is no guarantee of success." UEFA General Secretary David Taylor backs new qualification rules which mean that a fourth-place English Premier League team could meet a team from Spain or Italy in the qualifying rounds […]

"We are looking for targets to balance the team. There are a lot of players out there who people are getting very excited about — some huge stars — but maybe not in the positions we are looking to strengthen." Manchester City manager Mark Hughes refuses to name any specific players that his cash-rich club […]

"Another week, another club for sale. Having denied for several months that he is looking to sell up, Portsmouth's owner Alexandre Gaydamak has finally announced that he is looking for a buyer." But if no one wants to buy teams like Newcastle, Liverpool or West Ham, who would want to purchase Portsmouth?    

"It's nonsense. I have no interest whatsoever in returning to England at the moment." Relief for Sunderland fans as Twente Enschede and former England manager Steve McClaren, the man with all the charisma of a plate of mashed potato, denies he is interested in succeeding Roy Keane.    

"I like the loose jackets, because I'm fat. I love the colors. We want to stand out, not be like the other teams." Comedian and Seattle Sounders FC minority owner Drew Carey models the team's new colors.    

"I was within an inch of [joining Arsenal]. I have a lot of respect for [manager Arsene] Wenger, he is a very clever man." Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo reveals how destiny almost took him to north London.    

Real Madrid youth coach Michel has resigned and criticized the club for failing to look after its young homegrown prospects. The former Spanish international told Spanish radio that club President Ramon Calderon, who this week said Barcelona had been more successful at developing youth players, "knows absolutely nothing about what goes on" at the club's […]

Toronto FC goalkeeper Greg Sutton has joined Canadian national team colleagues Jim Brennan and Dwayne De Rosario in criticizing the way that Canadian soccer runs its men's national team program, and demanded change after Canada's failure to make the Concacaf final qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup. Sutton told Neil Davidson that the Canadian […]

This year's Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, has been another success at providing life skills for recovering addicts and changing public attitudes toward homeless people, writes James Smith. Even the annual criticism that the $1.5 million spent organizing the events could have been better spent on other projects for the homeless has been muted. […]

Auckland Regional Council is so keen to fill the 32,000-capacity Mount Smart Stadium for the L.A. Galaxy's game against the Oceania All-Stars this weekend that it's offering two tickets for the price of one, local radio reported. So far only 15,000 tickets have been sold. Last year David Beckham and his team sold out the […]

U.S. soccer is so desperate for the game to get positive publicity that we generally welcome it when a Drew Carey or a Steve Nash declares himself a soccer fan. It’s different in the more skeptical U.K., where The Times newspaper has come up with a highly entertaining Top 50 list of the worst celebrity […]

A taped conversation implies that FIFA and UEFA Vice President and President of the Royal Spanish Football Association, Angel Maria Villar, was aware of match fixing in La Liga, writes Stine Alvad. The conversation, between the captain (Inaki Descarga) and President (Julio Romero) of Levante, relates to an allegedly fixed match on the final day […]

Out of contract Columbus Crew Coach Sigi Schmid was on the West Coast Thursday for talks with Seattle Sounders FC GM Adrian Hanauer, with talks about the head coaching position "expected to continue" Friday, reports José Miguel Romero.    

"Based on the information gathered as a result of detailed enquiries, there is no evidence to suggest any irregularities around the progress or result of the game." The English FA clears Derby County and Norwich City of any involvement after allegations that their game earlier this season was rigged at the behest of Far East […]

Hard times have fallen upon Chinese soccer, writes Liu Zhen. "Failure for the national and Olympic teams has combined with continuing violence, protests, crime and allegations of corruption on the domestic front to confound the efforts of officials and clubs to arrest the decline of the game in China," he writes. What he describes as […]

But it's not all bad news — the Uruguayan season, suspended a fortnight ago after a full-scale fan riot following a game between Nacional and Danubio, resumed Wednesday. But even the re-start was surrounded by controversy. Wednesday's game was a rescheduled game from August between Nacional and Villa Espanola, which had been awarded to the […]