Category: What They’re Saying

“In the Olympic Games, it was a hard decision. I was born in the U.S., and I have lived in Mexico for five years now. My career, I made it in Mexico, but I talked it over with my family, and they told me whatever decision I make, they have my back.”

— Jose Francisco Torres, a 20-year-old Texas native whose father is a Mexican immigrant, on accepting a call-up from the U.S. national team after declining an invitation from the U.S. U-23 team while being courted by Mexico, where he plays for Pachuca. (Dallas Morning News)

“The one thing I may have going for me that is hard to quantify is that I’ve been a Seattle Sounder since I was 17 years old. The pride that I have in that fact gives them another guarantee that it’s not just a job for me. It’s who I am.”

— Brian Schmetzer, who played on the NASL’s Seattle Sounders, coached the USL-1’s Sounders and is among the candidates for the MLS Sounders FC head coaching job. other candidates are reported to be Columbus Crew coach Sigi Schmid, New England Revolution assistant Paul Mariner and Kansas City technical director Peter Vermes. (Seattle Press-Intelligencer)

“Soccer players are simple fools. They only learn by being dropped or fined. They all eat crap — so now they lose the weight or they lose their money. End of story.”
— Renato Portaluppi, coach of Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, who has threatened six players he deems overweight with $150 fines if their don’t shed some pounds.

“I got two matches for calling a referee ‘Coco the Clown.'”

— Joe Kinnear, who signed a contract to coach Newcastle for six games, on why he is suspended for the first two games: a sideline ban from when as Nottingham Forest coach he insulted a ref four years ago. (Telegraph)

“He has stepped over his dog on the stairs and his ankle just gave way and he went over on it. The initial scan has shown no break but we have sent him back for another X-ray to make sure.”

— Stoke City coach Tony Pulis explains why midfielder Liam Lawrence may miss the team’s game against Portsmouth on Sunday. (The Guardian)

“If you had been flies on the wall in the dressing room at halftime, it would have been interesting, the paint was stripping off. It’s probably the most violent, animated I’d ever been because I was so disappointed.”

— Toronto coach John Carver, whose suspension after being ejected last weekend didn’t prevent him from giving his players a halftime talk that inspired them to a 1-1 tie at home against Houston. (Canadian Press)

“It’s the first time in my life I’ve been sent off for clapping. I’ve been sent off for dangerous tackles, and various other things, but never for clapping my hands.”

— Toronto FC coach John Carver, who is suspended for Saturday’s game against Houston after receiving a red card last weekend for sarcastically applauding a penalty-kick call by referee Referee Baldomero Toledo. (MLSNet.com)

“We have asked Calabria to clear up this particular investment. The region has until the 29th of this month to reply.”

— A European Commission spokesman on the use of $2.6 million of development aid by one of Italy’s poorest regions to sponsor the Italian national team. Calabria officials, who must prove the legitimacy of using European Union funds earmarked to alleviate poverty going to one of the world’s richest soccer federations, claim it’s to promote tourism to its region. (Reuters)

“There are days when nothing goes right and you break a finger picking your nose. This was one of those days.”

— Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer after the Juergen Klinsmann-coached team fell, 5-2, to Werder Bremen last weekend. The loss, in which Werder took a 5-0 lead, was Bayern’s worst league defeat since it fell, 7-0, to Schalke 32 years ago. (Berliner Kurier)

“I’m not surprised there were so many yellow cards. The referee is there for this. If players don’t respect him they should get a yellow or red. Not only for Manchester United-Chelsea, Liverpool, any club if they don’t respect the referee.”

— Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari after referee Mike Riley showed eight yellow cards during Sunday’s Chelsea-Manchester United 1-1 draw. Seven of the cards went to Man U players. (AP)

“It appears an error has been made and it will be reviewed by us. Nobody likes making errors and if it is a serious error, which we have got to review, then obviously he’ll regret it. … From his position and angle it appeared the ball had crossed the line for a goal. He has made a human error.”

— Paul Rejer, England’s assistant referees’ manager for Professional Game Match Officials, on the farcical incident on Saturday when linesman Nigel Bannister ruled a goal for Reading on a ball that was cleared at least two yards wide of the goal. (AFP)

“I know that everyone who shoots up fast, must also come down with a hard bang. I am only 19 years old and no exception to that rule.”

— American defender Neven Subotic keeps things in perspective after scoring three crucial goals – including two gamewinners – in Borussia Dortmund’s first four games of the Bundesliga season. Subotic, who played for the USA at the 2005 U-17 World Cup, was born in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina and immigrated to Germany when he was 2. He moved to the USA in 1999. The German soccer federation hopes to prove him eligible to play for its national team. (AFP)

“I think only in England this would happen. In other countries, the referee is the God.”

— Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari on the English Football Association’s decision to overturn Chelsea captain John Terry‘s red card against Manchester City — which will allow Terry to play against Manchester United on Sunday instead of begin serving a three-game suspension. (Sky Sports)

“If hockey is a sure bet in [Canada], the next best bet in the next 10 to 15 years is soccer.”

— Cyril Leede, chief operating officer of the Ottawa Senators on Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, whose Senators Sports and Entertainment group unveiled plans to bid for an Ottawa MLS team in 2011 and build a new stadium that would seat up to 30,000. (Ottawa Citizen)

“From a sports point of view, for me it is a disappointment because Robinho had everything here to triumph. But you have to respect his dream to be a good player in a mediocre club in England.”

— Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster on Brazil international Robinho’s move from the Spanish champions to Manchester City at the transfer deadline. (AFP)

“I would say I was rational. A couple good words and a few bad words. They understood the message. We came back and it’s a credit to them. We played a really good second half.”

— New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio on his halftime speech as his team was trailing at home, 1-0, to Real Salt Lake. Juan Pablo Angel and Dave van den Bergh scored in the second half to earn the Bulls a 2-1 win. (New York Post)

“Becks told me to be a bit more greedy in the box, then afterwards he said I was probably too greedy!”

— Theo Walcott, 19, who started on the right flank for England against Croatia in place of David Backham and responded with a hat trick in a 4-1 win. Beckham was a late sub and earned his 105th cap. (AFP)

“I’m happy the guillotine does no longer exist, otherwise some of you would have been delighted to send me there. I didn’t kill anybody. Maybe if I had, I would have benefited from mitigating circumstances.”

— France coach Raymond Domenech, highly criticized following a 3-1 loss to Austria last weekend in the first game of France’s World Cup qualifying campaign, which it continues on Wedneday against Serbia. (Reuters)

“I’m sad because I left my teammates with 10 players again. In the first incident, the referee could have sent me off. They were two senseless tackles, a rush of blood to the head which has made me miss another important Argentina game.”

— Argentina’s Carlos Tevez offers a mea culpa for receiving his second red card in three games in World Cup qualifying. The Manchester United forward was sent off in the 31st minute of Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Paraguay. (Reuters)

“I would publicly like to apologize to the president. I think that he also owes all Brazilians an apology as well. In my opinion, I think he went a little too far. I was a little harsh on him, but I was upset.”

— Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar apologizes to Brazilian President Lula for saying he should resign as president and move to Argentina. Julio Cesar’s commits came after Lula said Argentine Lionel Messi is the world’s best player that Brazilian players don’t try as hard. (Xinhua)

“There wasn’t much soccer played in either game. Just a lot of kicking balls.”

— U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra on the USA’s first two games of the semifinal round of 2010 World Cup qualifying: Saturday’s 1-0 win at Cuba and a victory by the same score Aug. 20 at Guatemala.

“He should go and live in Argentina, become an Argentine citizen, resign as president and maybe Brazil will improve in some way or another.”

— Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar after Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sparked controversy on Friday after praising the fighting spirit of Argentina’s players, especially forward Lionel Messi. Brazil soccer has come under attack after Brazil failed to score in its last three games and dropped to a modest fifth in the South American World Cup qualifying group. Brazil also fell to archrival Argentina at the Olympics.

“It’s win or win.”

— Cuba forward Jaime Colome on what his team must do Saturday when it faces the USA in World Cup 2010 qualifying. A second loss in two games at home would all but knock the Cubans out of contention. (AP)

“We offered 10,000-1 as he [Barack Obama] is probably more concerned with winning a slightly higher-profile job for himself at the moment. But if he loses out on that one and the position is still up for grabs, you never know.”

— Spokesperson Graham Sharpe on the 10,000-1 odds British bookmaker William Hill gave after a London-based businessman bet 10 pounds ($17.80) that Obama will replace Alan Curbishley as West Ham United manager. Obama has been a fan of the Hammers since visiting Britain five years ago. (AP)

“The last three months, we’ve played every four days with a roster of 18. You’re traveling, that’s what you get, you get a team that’s getting no juice. So we’ll maybe manage a training session or two in the next couple of weeks and get some strength back and get on with MLS.”

— New England coach Steve Nicol, not sounding too disappointed after a 4-0 loss to Trinidad & Tobago’s Joe Public eliminated the Revs from the Concacaf Champions League. (Boston Globe)