Category: Section 2 Around the Net

Preparing for the stretch run of the season, Chivas USA has made crucial moves to bolster its defense. Last week, Chivas acquired veteran goalkeeper Jon Conway from New York for a fourth-round draft pick in 2011. Conway will join Lance Parker as backup for Zach Thorton, Conway's former teammate in New York, who leads MLS […]

For the first time in its history, MLS will not play league games during the two-week group phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group phase, which includes 48 of the tournament's 64 games, begins on June 11 and runs until June 25. MLS also doesn't plan to schedule any games on the days […]

After Inter Milan's 0-0 draw with Barcelona in the group stages of the Champions League, Inter coach Jose Mourinho was up to his usual creative responses. Looking bored at the postgame conference, Mourinho grabbed a stat sheet of the game and made this pronouncement: "This game has a point I think is significant. Inter committed […]

It's a never ending-debate. Which country boasts the best domestic league, Spain or England? Many believe that the events of the last four months have tipped the scales toward Spain. Barcelona won the Champions League, and arguably strengthened its squad over the summer by adding Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich. And Real Madrid, reunited with former […]

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has accepted a three-match ban for his violent stamp on Arsenal's Robin van Persie during City's 4-2 home win last Saturday. The suspension means Adebayor will miss Sunday's derby against Manchester United. He will also miss a League Cup game against Fulham and a league match at home to West […]

After the departure of Robert Kenyon from the office of chief executive, Chelsea has appointed Ron Gourlay as Kenyon’s successor. Gourlay, 46, has been with the west London club for five years in a variety of roles and was previously chief operating officer. “Ron was the outstanding candidate for the job,” Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck […]

Striker Lee Nguyen, a 22-year old Texas product, is going to test his skills at Arsenal. "I'm just going over there to train with Arsenal right now for two or three weeks and then maybe going elsewhere after that to another club," Nguyen told the website Yanks Abroad. Nguyen spent last season with Vietnam club […]

A day after firing Rodrigo Kenton, Costa Rica has appointed Brazilian coach Rene Simoes to head Los Ticos for the final two World Cup qualifying games. Kenton was dismissed after three straight losses, which dropped the team from first to fourth in the Concacaf group. Simoes recently resigned from second division Portuguesa in Brazil when […]

D.C. United’s 1-0 win over San Juan Jabloteh in Port of Spain on Tuesday kept United alive in Group B of the Concacaf Champions League. “We’re still in it,” midfielder Clyde Simms said. “We knew if we got a win here, we definitely have a chance. We need to take care of business at home […]

San Jose Earthquakes English midfielder Darren Huckerby has probably finished his soccer career. He recently underwent surgery to repair a shredded hip joint that hampered his performance this season. “I’ve got to give it chance to see how it is but I’m 99 percent sure that I am done,” said Huckerby. “The second part of […]

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon will vacate his full-time post with the club on Oct. 31, the club said Wednesday. But Kenton will remain at Stamford Bridge as a non-executive director to represent Chelsea on UEFA and European Clubs' Association Committees. Kenyon moved to Chelsea from Manchester United after Roman Abramovich took over the London […]

Wolfsburg striker Grafite hopes he can parlay his three-goal output in his Champions League debut to an appearance for Brazil's national team. "That's my goal and that's what I am working for,'' Grafite said after scoring all of Wolfsburg's goals in a 3-1 victory over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. Grafite led the Bundesliga last season […]

Ian Trow, 43, of Milton Keynes and a 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named, were both convicted for shouting homophobic abuse at former Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell during a match at Fratton Park on Sept. 28 last year. But both cases have been overturned after the pair launched a successful appeal, heard Monday at Portsmouth […]

More and more Americans have found employment as soccer players in Europe. But few coaches can say the same. Dan Gaspar, however, has managed a few successful stints coaching European teams, working as a goalkeeper coach with both FC Porto and Benfica in Portugal. Now, Gaspar is managing to work double-duty as coach of the […]

Uruguyan striker Diego Forlan never achieved the form at Manchester United predicted for him. He took 27 games to score his first goal for the club. But Forlan says one incident in particular enraged manager Alex Ferguson enough to end his time with the club. "Ferguson wanted me to play with high studs, the interchangeable […]

“The suggestion might seem counterintuitive, but on a weekend when the Galaxy allowed a franchise-record six goals in a 6-3 loss to Dallas and Chivas USA shut out New England 2-0, it was the attacking deficiencies of both Carson-based teams that caught the eye,” writes Nick Green of the Los Angeles Daily News. Both teams […]

The English FA has charged Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor on dual counts of misconduct during Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal. First, Adebayor's alleged stomp on Robin van Persie left the Arsenal striker with a cut on his face. "Under the fast-track disciplinary process, Adebayor has been charged with violent conduct following an incident […]

Goal celebrations have long been a colorful and contentious part of soccer. Robbie Fowler pretended to sniff the coke as he bent over the touchline. Paul Gascoigne mimicked pouring booze down his throat. Celebrations often take on political tones. Paolo Di Canio marked a goal he scored for Lazio with a fascist salute. Scottish club […]

UEFA, European soccer's governing body, approved UEFA president Michel Platini's plan for "financial fair play" on Tuesday. The plan aims to force clubs to live within their means, to ban clubs from spending more than their revenue. "That (living within your means) is the basis of accounting but it hasn't been the basis of soccer […]

The Scottish FA has decided to keep George Burley as Scotland manager. "We have today given our full backing to George as Scotland national coach," SFA chief executive Gordon Smith said in a statement. The 53-year-old Burley's position had been in doubt since Scotland's 1-0 loss to Netherlands last Wednesday, a result that ended Scotland's […]

Texas-based entrepreneur Tim Barton, who bought Italian Serie A club Bari in August for $35.8 million, has already experienced the passionate relationship between Italian fans and club. Landing in Bari last month to finalize the deal, Barton witnessed 1,500 fans surge past security to greet him on the tarmac outside the airport. The melee temporarily […]

Emmanuel Adebayor, who transferred from Arsenal to Manchester City over the summer for $41.6 million, let his emotions get the better of him a few times during a clash with his former team. First, Adebayor lashed out at his former teammate Robin Van Persie after a rash challenge from the Dutchman. Adebayor's studs slashed Van […]

The Columbus Crew have grabbed the edge in the race for this season’s Supporter’s Shield, which goes to the MLS team with the best regular-season record. The Crew’s Eddie Gaven scored a stoppage-time penalty kick to give the Crew a dramatic victory over the West-leading Houston Dynamo. Veteran Frankie Hejduk opened the scoring for the […]

A pair of youngsters scored second-half goals to give Tornonto FC a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids and stay in the hunt for a playoff birth with only five games remaining. "We know if we lost, that might have been our season," said rookie striker O'Brian White, who scored in the 71st minute to […]

"The Seattle Sounders employ a forward who can change an MLS match in an instant. D.C. United does not," writes Steven Goff of the Washington Post after Seattle won its second consecutive 2-1 decision against D.C. United in RFK Stadium on Saturday. Goff points to the sparkling play and opportunism of the Sounders' Colombian striker […]