Category: Section 2 Around the Net

A young Manchester United player whose career was ended by a leg-breaking tackle was awarded a record $8.6 million in damages by the U.K. High Court Monday.   Ben Collett, now 23, had joined United’s youth academy aged nine, and at 18 was a member of the club’s 2003 FA Youth Cup-winning team. United manager […]

New York is targeting striker and “Panamanian prodigy” Gabriel Torres, reports Brian Lewis.

Danish club Aarhus is “very serious” about signing Derby County’s U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber, writes Steven Goff.

After being outclassed by Barcelona in midweek, and finding his team 1-0 down at home to perennially dominant rivals D.C. United Sunday, New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio might have been forgiven for a more pessimistic thought than, “We’ll see what we are made of.” For once, though, his team delivered, showing what Osorio called […]

It’s reassuring that when the New England Revolution returns to Major League Soccer action after a month’s break, nothing has changed. All it takes is defeat to prompt Coach Steve Nicol into expressing a forthright opinion on the referee, and now the habit is spreading to the rest of the team.   The Revs lost […]

After England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, many in the game lamented the lack of quality young players coming through the ranks. But the Manchester United youth academy, and the philosophy behind it, contradicts the generally pessimistic view that the country is lagging behind the more technically gifted nations, writes Henry Winter.   The […]

Paul Wilson takes issue with English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore’s view that the league and the game are in great health. Even allowing for the fact that Scudamore is a “paid optimist,” few could pretend that the EPL has any surprises in store this coming season.   Wilson talked to a Tottenham Hotspur […]

A former Manchester City trainee goalkeeper faces jail time after pleading guilty to a blackmail charge. Ashley Timms, 22, threatened to publish sexually explicit photographs of an unnamed “Premiership star.”   Prosecutor David Friesner “did not outline the facts of the case but told the court the blackmail victim, referred to as Witness A, had […]

In the wake of the war that has broken out between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia, Ireland has asked FIFA to move its World Cup qualifying tie in Tbilisi next month to a neutral venue.

Clint Mathis could be back again, this time returning to Real Salt Lake, writes Steven Goff.

The always entertaining Jimmy Conrad spills the beans on being a team-mate of the L.A. Galaxy midfielder during the All-Star weekend.

FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper is on a hot streak that’s taken him to the top of the Major League Soccer goal-scoring chart. Clubs in Europe are suddenly interested, and his side has already turned down offers from Rosenborg Trondheim in Norway and Cardiff City in Wales in favor of negotiating a new contract. But […]

Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s plain-speaking but articulate interview with a Portuguese newspaper announcing that he would stay at Manchester United, for now at least, Ian Herbert doubts the sincerity of a player whose “summer romance with Real Madrid will be best remembered for the way he batted his eyelids only at the Spanish press corps during […]

The international transfer window closes in a week, and Colorado Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo has said that U.S. national team players Eddie Lewis, Benny Feilhaber and Cory Gibbs are all considering moves to MLS, reports Brian Forbes.   The Rapids “have a good seat at the table,” Forbes writes, being second in line behind the […]

Benny Feilhaber, however, appears to be in no hurry to decide his future as long as he’s taking part in the Olympics with the U.S. team. “[I] will make my decision [later] this month about next season,” he told Kevin Leyland.   Feilhaber remains under contract at Derby County, but the club has given him […]

John Ashdown looks at the prospects for teams in England’s second tier, which kicks off Saturday.

Everything’s above board for once, as Chelsea announces on its official website that the team is putting in an offer for Madrid’s Brazilian striker.

The United States’ forthcoming World Cup opponents Guatemala routed Bolivia, 3-0, in an exhibition game in Washington D.C. Wednesday, serving notice that they will be no pushover in a group that also contains Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago. And the star of the evening was a former MLS player no one can remember.   Mario […]

What happens when one of the best teams in the world plays one of the worst teams in Major League Soccer? The winning coach is bemused at how easy it was, while the losing coach becomes irritated when asked why his team was so outclassed.   “It’s a little bit strange,” said Barcelona coach Josep […]

Columbus Crew coach Sigi Schmid thinks that his team got a good deal by signing Pat Noonan, 28, from Aalesund of Norway, by way of New England, in exchange for a first-round pick in next year’s draft. “I don’t think we’re going to get a player as good as Noonan in the first round,” he […]

Manchester United played Portsmouth in a friendly in Nigeria last week, attracting 35,000 fans to a stadium that holds 60,000. Of those, 10,000 crashed into the stadium without paying, writes Lawrence Donegan. Despite this, the game is being touted as an example of the potential future success of the Premier League’s proposed global winter break […]

David Beckham was “very close” to joining AC Milan instead of the L.A. Galaxy, he said in an interview with the U.K.-based soccer monthly. But although he “thought the opportunity through seriously…things took a different course.”   Any other revelations? The player reiterated that he is not in California because of Hollywood, and that he […]

Referee Mark Clattenburg has been dropped from officiating this weekend’s Community Shield game between Manchester United and Portsmouth at Wembley “pending inquiries into reports of the official’s alleged debts.”

Andy, meet Ed. More competition up front for Eddie Johnson and Clint Dempsey at Fulham, as the west London side follows up the signing of forward Bobby Zamora with England striker Andy Johnson from Everton.

Tottenham Hotspur has been Europe’s biggest spender this summer, reckons Gavin Hamilton, having spent “a small fortune” on the likes of David Bentley, Giovani dos Santos, Luka Modric and Heurelho Gomes. And it’s not out of love for the beautiful game. Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy looks like he is “banking on spending his way into […]