Soccer America Archives

For the English Football Association, one of the main problems with the bungs inquiry is that many of the agents in question don’t actually fall under its jurisdiction. Many of the world’s biggest stars have agents who come from places like France and Israel. How do you reign in a problem when you have no […]

On Jan.1, the Glazers, the American family that owns Manchester United, bestows upon Sir Alex Ferguson the team’s annual spending budget, which reports say will be $49 million plus one superstar of Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo stature at a price also believed to be $49 million, subject to the family’s approval. Not bad, you […]

We are a little more than a week away from the transfer market reopening, and Real Madrid, which lost, 3-0, to Recreativo Huelva on Wednesday, has already made two signings that cast David Beckham’s future at the club in doubt. Thirty-one year-old Becks has struggled to hold down a place in Real Madrid’s first team. […]

Grahame L. Jones of the LA Times pays homage to two the greats in American soccer who died a day apart last week: Lamar Hunt, a great champion and patron of the sport for more than 30 years, and Ahmet Ertegun, the music mogul-turned soccer investor who along with his brother Nesuhi and Steve Ross […]

The Houston Dynamo, Major League Soccer’s 2006 champion, will send three players largely untested at the international to the U.S. training camp. Interim coach Bob Bradley’s initial roster includes Brian Mullan (2 caps), Ricardo Clark (1) and Eddie Robinson (0). Houston coach Dominic Kinnear, himself a former U.S. international, said, “I think it is well-deserved […]

Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United fans are expecting big things from Henrik Larsson, who begins his loan deal at Old Trafford on Jan. 2. United”s tiring front-line consists of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-when he’s fit. As Solskjaer returns from injury, Larsson’s arrival could prove to be a crucial addition after […]

While most reports in the press claim that Premier League managers have been taken off the hook by the bungs report prepared by investigator Lord Stevens, the Telegraph’s Henry Winter says all the talk about a big cover-up is “hogwash.” This year’s January transfer window will be “the most transparent ever,” he says. “Only a […]

Reuters publishes yet another skeptical report about the superstar viability of Major League Soccer teenager Freddy Adu. Since his training session with Manchester United in late November-which some in the press suggested was a Nike PR stunt-most of the press surrounding the 17-year old has been negative. A few weeks after his return from Manchester, […]

FC Sevilla ended 2005 in triumphant style by blitzing Deportivo La Coruna 4-0 at home, extending its lead atop the La Liga to four points. Second-place FC Barcelona has two games in hand, the first of which was to played Thursday against Atletico Madrid. Goals from league leading scorer Freddy Kanoute (2), Luis Fabiano and […]

Real Salt Lake isn’t the only Major League Soccer club depending on local government to help raise money for a new stadium: A proposed cigarette tax by Ohio’s Summit County to fund a new $170 million soccer stadium was rejected Tuesday by the Ohio General Assembly without consulting outside officials or county residents, placing the […]

This is kind of fun and to a certain extent, holiday-oriented: BBC Sport has published a list of the English Premiership 10 best new chants of 2006, including two that go to the tune of “Winter Wonderland.” They come from Wigan Athletic and Manchester United, respectively: “There’s only one Emile Heskey, one Emile Heskey, he […]

Despite a terrible tragedy, the Spanish league match between Real Madrid and Recreativo Huelva is underway. Earlier in the day, a terrible crash between a large truck and a bus carrying Huelva reporters left four dead and more than 35 injured. The Spanish soccer association said in a statement that the match would proceed as […]

It’s funny how most non-Chelsea fans want to see the Sky Blues go down. The club is after all the reigning two-time EPL champion, but more than that, the fact that multi-billionaire owner Roman Abramovich can buy whomever he pleases adds to the ire opposing fans feel for his team. And yet, most fans want […]