Category: Story

Some of Landon Donovan‘s L.A. Galaxy teammates are in no doubt about his wishes to extend his loan period at Bayern Munich into a permanent transfer, writes Andrea Canales. “He’s desperate to prove it,” Eddie Lewis told her. “I think not only to himself, but perhaps some of his critics as well, that he can […]

Newcastle United’s already troubled season hit more problems Wednesday when Michael Owen and Joey Barton both suffered serious injuries in the team’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, while manager Joe Kinnear said that the club’s owner, Mike Ashley, was suffering hard from the economic downturn and might be struggling to pay the players. Meanwhile, goalkeeper […]

The “hunch” that Washington Post reporter Steven Goff nurtured a couple of days ago that Marcelo Gallardo will return to Argentina and be replaced by his compatriot Christian Gomez as D.C. United’s playmaker looks a step closer to realization. Gallardo is trying to negotiate a contract settlement that will free him to join River Plate, […]

English referee Mark Clattenburg, 33, “was widely regarded as the brightest young talent in English football refereeing…who soared through the ranks in record time and looked destined for fame on the greatest stages,” writes Nick Harris. But all that came to an end Wednesday when he was sacked as a Premier League referee following an […]

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Wednesday that it will allow Brazil to stage the 2014 World Cup in 12 cities rather than 10. Soccer’s world governing body had initially said it wanted the tournament staged in 10 cities to minimize logistical problems.   “This country is not a country, it’s a sub-continent, five-times world champions, […]

“That’s ‘Cirque du Soleil,’ and I didn’t like it one bit.” Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness was not at all amused by Franck Ribery‘s attempt to chip Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann from the penalty spot during his side’s 5-1 road victory in the German FA Cup round of 16 game Tuesday. With Bayern leading […]

“I have to say Manchester City’s behavior was absolutely disgusting. If they had not come in a week last Friday and unsettled the boy [Wilson Palacios], he would have signed a contract for us. He was wobbling and wasn’t sure about going to London [to Tottenham Hotspur]. We had offered him a contract and he […]

“For a semifinal, a spectacle for our national game, to be played on such an appalling playing field was very disappointing. It wasn’t conducive to the type of football that we try to play.” Falkirk defender Steven Pressley criticizes the playing surface at Scotland’s national stadium, Hampden Park, after his team’s 3-0 loss to Glasgow […]

L.A. Galaxy midfielder David Beckham has admitted that he’s enjoying his loan spell at AC Milan even more than he’d expected, and has compared European soccer unfavorably with Major League Soccer, whose games he called “a bit frustrating.”   Beckham, 33, was quoted in Italian daily Corriere Della Sera as saying: “Playing here [in Milan] […]

Back on the West Coast, Anschutz Entertainment Group Chief Executive Tim Leiweke insisted that David Beckham “loves” Los Angeles, and that his move to MLS has been a success. He said that the player will be returning to the team, despite MLS Commissioner Don Garber saying Tuesday that the league would talk about a permanent […]

Central defender Chase Mikkelsen has made it to the list of 10 finalists for a roster spot on the Seattle Sounders FC roster, and the winner from the team’s talent search, which looked at more than 600 regional players, will be decided this weekend. If he wins, he will become the league’s first Native American […]

Ann Killion brings attention to the “six-story-tall Earthquakes jersey” that was visible in front of the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, on Tuesday. “The Earthquakes,” she writes, “want to make sure no one missed their big news: They have a corporate sponsor. In this economy, for a team in a minor sports league, that’s news worth […]

Tottenham Hotspur has offered Liverpool either Aaron Lennon or Jermaine Jenas, plus cash, in exchange for striker Robbie Keane, report Sam Wallace and Ian Herbert. Keane went north from Tottenham to Liverpool just last summer for $29 million.   They describe it as potentially “one of the most remarkable transfers in recent history,” but there […]

“He strenuously denies any allegation of wrongdoing or criminality, and is happy to cooperate with the police if required further.” A spokesman for Manchester City’s Brazilian striker Robinho following his arrest, and release “pending further inquiries,” in connection with an alleged sexual assault in a Leeds nightclub on January 14.