Is Manchester United really such a thriving company? David Conn lays out the amount of debt that the two English teams will be carrying into Wednesday’s final. He says that the accounts of Chelsea Limited show that the club owes £736 million ($1.472 billion) to its creditors, while United’s recently filed accounts show total creditors […]
Category: Story
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The Bundesliga’s Village Team
This week’s soccer headlines in Germany have been dominated by the southwestern village of Hoffenheim (population: 3,200), bankrolled by its hometown billionaire Dietmar Hopp, and newly promoted to the Bundesliga after a 5-0 home win over Greuther Fuerth on the last day of the season. Heading the other way are Heath Pearce’s Hansa Rostock, the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
The Question Marks Over Bradley’s Roster
The size of Bob Bradley’s 33-man roster for the upcoming US men’s team friendlies against England, Spain and Argentina has got Ives Galarcep wondering who will step up for the U.S. on the road to qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Although he calls the pool “the deepest collection of talent” a U.S. coach has […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Short Off-Season For Onyewu
Just because you’ve won the championship in one of Europe’s stronger leagues doesn’t mean you get to relax for the summer. U.S. and Standard Liege central defender Oguchi Onyewu has only allowed himself a week’s rest after lifting the Belgian title before focusing on his next two priorities — the three national team friendlies, and […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
UEFA Cup finalist Krieger to join U.S. camp
[OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN] U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage called in 27 players to a two-week training camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., starting Monday to prepare for the 2008 Peace Queen Cup June 15-21 in Suwon, South Korea.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
American de Bontin takes charge at Monaco
[AMERICANS ABROAD] After more than 30 years of involvement in American soccer, as a player, coach, referee and most recently as an influential figure in U.S. Soccer and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Jerome de Bontin, the new president of French club AS Monaco, promises to bring an American touch to one of the most prestigious names in European soccer, a club that has struggled in recent years.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Impact opens Stade Saputo in pouring rain
[USL] The Montreal Impact opened its new Stade Saputo on Monday, and the game drew a sellout crowd of more than 8,000 despite pouring rain. The Impact tied the Vancouver Whitecaps, 0-0, in a battle of the league’s two Canadian franchises.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Robbie Rogers comes of age to spark Crew
Can the formula for success be as simple as shut out Robbie Rogers, and you shut out the Crew?
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Santos with Castillo advances to Mexico semifinals
[AMERICANS ABROAD/VIDEO] Santos’ 21-year-old Edgar Castillo was credited for playing a key role in stifling Necaxa’s attacks and came close to scoring during a 1-1 tie in the second leg of the quarterfinals that sent Santos through to the Mexican league semifinals, 3-2, on aggregate. MLS veteran Daniel Hernandez was one of four Chiapas players red-carded in stoppage time of its 2-1 loss to Cruz Azul, which advanced because of a better regular-season record after the quarterfinal series ended tied, 2-2, on aggregate.
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‘Forget the cleats, take my car’
[OFF THE POST] James McPike, a 20-year-old apprentice at Birmingham City whose duties included polishing the cleats of star midfielder Olivier Kapo, is the proud owner of a $59,000 Mercedes. Kapo, after McPike asked him for his old cleats as a souvenir, instead threw him the keys to his car as a season-end gift.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
U.S. refs picked for Olympic Games
[REF WATCH] A total of six American referees have been assigned to officiate the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments at this Summer’s Olympic Games in China.
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Inter’s Third The One That Counts
Inter Milan may have won its third successive Serie A title Sunday, but for many of its fans this was the first one to truly count. Two years ago, it was awarded the scudetto by default after Juventus was stripped of its title in the wake of the match-fixing scandal. Last year Inter won while […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
‘Welcome Baby, Welcome’
FC Dallas fans on Sunday watched history repeated as farce when, for the second season running, their team fell behind by four first-half goals to the LA Galaxy. Last year in the SuperLiga they turned things around to a face-saving 6-5 defeat, but this time the home side failed to launch a comeback and ended […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Two Cultures Clash In Canada
The setting was neutral Canada, and although the game was between Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew, Saturday’s game ended up being all about two old adversaries on the international soccer stage — England and Argentina. It was not so much a Falklands-style war (thankfully), but a cultural difference in approach to the concept of […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
FA Cup Final Emotional, If Not Epic
Saturday’s English FA Cup Final was probably not a great cup final, but it was an emotional one, writes Paul Wilson. After last year’s “bore-fest” between Chelsea and Manchester United, it was refreshing just to see two sets of fans who actually wanted to be there as the Premier League’s Portsmouth edged second-tier Cardiff City […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Keegan’s Right, The EPL’s Dull
While Cardiff and Portsmouth slugged it out at Wembley, and just one week after Manchester United were crowned Premier League champions (again), England’s biggest teams are already splashing out the money in time for next season. “Chelsea have already acquired £16.1 million [approximately $32 million] of defender in Jose Bosingwa,” writes Nick Townsend. “United […]
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story
Soccer on TV
Midweek matches include the European Champions League final, the second legs of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals and the start of the Toulon International tournament. In MLS’s Thursday night game, San Jose hosts Houston.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
L.A. teams rebound; D.C. doesn’t
This isn’t yet another diatribe in what is fast becoming a weekly recurrence: to dump on D.C. United. But in yet two more ways D.C. deflated its fans and embarrassed its crest yet again last Saturday by squandering a 1-0 lead and losing, 3-1, to Chivas USA at Home Depot Center.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Lyon makes it seven in a row
[CHAMPIONS] Lyon added to its legend when it won its seventh straight French league title, beating Auxerre, 3-1, on Saturday to finish four points ahead of Bordeaux, which tied, 2-2, at Lens. No other team from a big five European league has won six straight titles, let alone seven.
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Ibrahimovic rescues Inter
[CHAMPIONS] Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to action for the first time since March 29 and scored both goals to give Inter Milan a 2-0 win at Parma on the final day of the Italian season that clinched its third straight Serie A title and 16th overall.
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Bravo Pupi!
Inter Milan, as usual making things just about as difficult as possible, captured the scudetto, the Italian league title, yesterday. It should have made sure last weekend, but that customary brewer of trouble, Marco Materazzi, pushed his way, quite literally, into the action — shoving his teammates out of the way as he insisted on taking a crucial penalty kick, the one that should have given Inter a win over Siena, and decided the title.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Fiorentina edges AC Milan for Champions League spot
[EUROPEAN LEAGUES] League play has concluded in Europe’s big five leagues. On the final day of play, Fiorentina claimed the final UEFA Champions League spot in Italy ahead of AC Milan thanks to a 1-0 win on a spectacular volley by Pablo Osvaldo. In France, a tense relegation battle ended with Lens going down on the final day of the season and its fans rioting. In Germany, tiny 1899 Hoffenheim, whose stadium holds 5,000 fans, gained promotion after its first season ever in the Second Division. For season-end wrapups of Europe’s “Big Five” leagues …
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Redknapp has Portsmouth job for as long as he wants
[ENGLISH FA CUP] Embattled manager Harry Redknapp received the biggest cheer Sunday when Portsmouth paraded the English FA Cup trophy in an open-top bus through the southern English city a day after it won the FA Cup for the first time since 1939 with a 1-0 win over Cardiff City at Wembley Stadium. The trophy was the first of Redknapp’s career and qualified Pompey for Europe for the first time.
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USL First Division Results
Charleston moved into first place in the USL First Division with 1-0 wins over Montreal and Rochester. Former UNC Greensboro star Randi Patterson, who played briefly for the U.S. U-20 national team and now plays for Trinidad & Tobago, had the goals in both games. For all the weekend results and goalscorers …
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Cherundolo sets up three goals
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Bundesliga veteran Steve Cherundolo set up three goals in Hannover 96’s 4-0 win over Energie Cottbus on the last day of German First Division play. Cherundolo’s American teammate, 21-year-old Sal Zizzo, was a halftime sub, marking his second appearance for Hannover 96, which he joined this season. Hannover finished eighth. Defender Heath Pearce made his 19th appearance of the season for Hansa Rostock and notched an assist in a 2-1 win over VfL Bochum, but Rostock is relegated to the Second Division along with FC Nuremberg and MSV Duisburg.