Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Europe’s soccer governing body UEFA has ordered La Liga’s Atletico Madrid to play its next two home Champions League games at least 300 kilometres (186 miles) outside Madrid because of racist chanting from spectators at the team’s home game with French club Olympique Marseille earlier this month. In a sign that it’s finally getting tough […]

FC Dallas suffered an average loss of over 2,000 spectators per game at home this season compared with 2007, reports Diego Aparicio. The team drew an average of 13,023 fans to its 20,500-seat stadium in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, compared with last year’s average of 15,145. Dallas ranks 13th in average attendance in MLS, […]

Most soccer fans will have seen by now Scotland debutant Chris Iwelumo's notorious miss against Norway in Glasgow Saturday, when the striker fluffed a chance from two yards out with nobody to beat six minutes after coming into the 0-0 game as a substitute. Suffering fans in the stadium were not spared either. Despite having […]

“David Beckham is not ready to leave the stage,” writes an admiring Kevin McCarra of the midfielder’s England international career. “No critic of his attention-seeking behavior runs short of material. Still, Beckham does show a surprising tenacity and has had to suppress some self-regard merely to cling to the national team.” Beckham is now content […]

“We feel like we owe them [San Jose] one. I think there is a little chip on our shoulder with the way we feel disrespected with not getting to keep our accomplishments from San Jose. We’re really looking forward to showing them who won the two championships there and who won the two here.” The […]

“Now practically everyone expects the CSA [Canadian Soccer Association] to fire national team coach Dale Mitchell, who wasn’t everyone’s first choice but a convenient replacement for Frank Yallop.” Columnist Kent Gilchrist exhorts the CSA to get Canada’s national team program back on track in time for the 2014 World Cup qualifying cycle.

“Let’s be honest, was there ever really any doubt that the U.S. wasn’t going to get to the next [World Cup qualifying] round? And, aside from the required platitudes, is there really any doubt in anyone’s mind that the U.S. will qualify for 2010?” Greg Lalas can’t get too excited about the U.S. World Cup […]

“The quality of the lighting is our biggest fear.” ESPN soccer producer Tom McNeely tells Jack Bell about the logistics of covering U.S. national team games abroad.

“It makes things a lot more complicated, tougher. Before this game we were right in the middle of everything, in a very good position but with this loss … it definitely makes the last two games must-win. We need some luck.” Colorado Rapids’ Ugo Ihemelu, who scored an own goal in his side’s 3-2 defeat […]

“Well, we live for another day. Ours is a simple formula — we have to win games. I’ve said all along I’ve not concerned myself with standings and points, because for us, we have win games.” L.A. Galaxy coach Bruce Arena is fully aware of the task at hand.

Officials at Robertson Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo, have banned “indefinitely” a fan who aimed a racist slur at D.C. United goalkeeper Louis Crayton after the United’s 0-0 tie in Texas Sunday. “I am saying hi to the fans,” Crayton told Steven Goff, “and he walked up to me and told me, ‘Hey, you’re […]

New England Revolution forward Steve Ralston will miss 6-8 weeks after breaking his right fibula (calf bone) in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at the Kansas City Wizards, reports Monique Walker. The earliest possible return would be the MLS Cup final November 23, assuming the Revs progress that far. The injury was caused by a late tackle […]

The Cuban national team’s visit to Washington D.C. for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier yielded two player defections, one of them described in dramatic detail by forward Reinier Alcantara, 26, to Steven Goff. Alcantara had received permission Thursday evening to hang out in the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Arlington, where the Cuban […]

The Italian soccer federation (FIGC) has banned its own fans from road games indefinitely following trouble at the weekend during the country’s 0-0 tie in Bulgaria. A section of the Italian support threw bottles at the Bulgarian fans, made fascist salutes and chanted fascist slogans, while three arrests were made by police after a Bulgarian […]

Richard Williams describes England’s 5-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Kazakhstan in London at the weekend as “surely the least creditable 5-1 victory in England’s history.” And the problem once again was the inability of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to gel in the midfield. Deprived of the injured Joe Cole, England manager Fabio Capello […]

“I’m really annoyed. The lads are devastated in there because they deserved to win the game. We should have been sitting here with three points in the bag. That decision at the end … takes three points away from you and kills you.” Toronto FC coach John Carver begs to disagree that FC Dallas should […]

“I ripped into them. All season long, we’ve been a team that didn’t take shortcuts. In the first half, we did take shortcuts. That was maybe our wake-up call.” Columbus Crew coach Sigi Schmid allowed for no complacency as his team trailed 1-0 in Chicago at the break. The final 2-2 result gave the Crew […]

“He [Chicago Fire coach Denis Hamlett] told me to stop trying to beat the whole team and just be a target player. It was made very clear to me, and, thankfully, he pulled me aside and said it. Today [Sunday] was much better.” Brian McBride after scoring twice in the Fire’s 2-2 home draw with […]

No such pessimism from Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts, who is understandably buoyant in a week when his club opened its soccer specific stadium in the Salt Lake suburb of Sandy. He is also forecasting a bright future for Major League Soccer, and told John Mantia that in five to 10 years he expects […]

Houston Dynamo midfielder Dwayne De Rosario was “sent to work under a tight deadline” against Panamanian club San Francisco FC in Tuesday’s Concacaf Champions League game, writes Bernardo Fallas. But it was time enough to score a spectacular winning goal and give a Major League Soccer team its first win in this year’s competition at […]

U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley was brought up the way most soccer-crazy kids can only dream about — by hanging out with the pros. At the age of nine, writes Steven Goff, he would spend his summers watching and then knocking the ball around with John Harkes and Marco Etcheverry. It helped that his dad, current […]

“There’s a big desire to make sure we make the playoffs and unfortunately we have to sacrifice some of the tournament. But, at no point are we giving up — if we have to act as spoilers, that’s what we’ll accomplish, but our guys will continue to show heart and desire and continue to fight […]

Jonah Freedman in Australia tracks down former Major League Soccer players now plying their trade in the A-League. You mean you don’t remember Michael Enfield and Tony Lochhead?

“Not all of our supporters are pulling in the right direction and they give the media it [bad publicity] on a plate.” Glasgow Rangers’ Chairman David Murray wants the club to get rid of a bigoted minority of fans spouting sectarian “bile” in stadiums and on the Internet.

“Our debt is not external, we don’t owe it to a bank or an insurance company, we owe it to the owner of the club who is a committed investor in the club.” Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck denies that the club’s estimated $1.27 billion debt could jeopardize its future, citing CFC’s “unique ownership model.”