The Barcelona tour returned to the United States, where the Spanish club was scheduled to play three friendlies in early August. Interest in the tour, part of its long-term agreement with Major League Soccer, increased when high-scoring Barca swept the 2009 UEFA Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey.
Tag: spain
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The new Galacticos
North American fans were to get a sneak preview of the new-look Real Madrid with superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka when the Spanish club faced MLS clubs Toronto FC and D.C. United in early August.
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Real crushes slumping Barcelona
[SPAIN] What better way to celebrate your title than to pound your archrival. That’s what Real Madrid did in crushing Barcelona, 4-1, at the Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday.
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Joy in Wales; woes in Barcelona
[WINNERS & LOSERS] “I cannot overestimate how much Cardiff City’s appearance at the FA Cup final on 17 May is going to mean to Wales and Cardiff’s profile all over the world,” said Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister of Wales after the finalists in the world’s oldest soccer competition were set last weekend.
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Three-team man busted
[OFF THE POST] Portuguese club Belenenses has been penalized six points for using Cameroon international Albert Meyong in a 2-1 win over Naval in January because he had already played for two other teams this season.
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Real gaffe against Getafe [VIDEO]
[OFF THE POST] Real Madrid’s grasp on the Spanish La Liga lead loosened with Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Getafe, which scored while Real Madrid players celebrated what they thought was a goal of their own. “They have scored a goal against us like in a match for 4-year-olds,” Real midfielder Guti said. “We can’t afford to lose games in this way.”
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The Ronaldinho soap opera continues
[WEEKEND HEADLINERS/TV] Amid speculation that Ronaldinho is unhappy and wants to move after starting the last two games on the bench, Barcelona played up the Brazilian’s value to the team. Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic played down talk of Inter Milan walking away with another Italian league title. Embattled Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce hopes the Magpies can build upon Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with English Premier League leader Arsenal. In Germany, leader Bayern Munich is considering its winter moves with the mid-season break only two weeks away.
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International Year in Review
It was a year for triumph and tragedy. Champions were crowned on three continents, and a new generation of stars dominated the international club scene. But 2007 was also marked by tragedy as Italian soccer descended into violence.
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American is leading scorer in Spain’s La Liga
New Jersey product, Giuseppe Rossi, who went abroad at age 13 and has played for Italy’s youth national teams, scored after running onto a through ball and lobbing the Atletico Madrid’s keeper in Villarreal’s 4-3 win on Sunday, and he scored from the penalty spot in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Levante. The 19-year-old now has seven goals and shares the La Liga scoring lead with three players. Villarreal is in third place, one point behind leader Real Madrid.
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WEEKEND PREVIEW: International Soccer Headliners
The recent form of Arsenal and Manchester United has fans salivating about Saturday’s clash of EPL co-leaders at the Emirates Stadium. Tensions are high in Italy, where Juventus and Inter Milan meet Sunday for the first time since Juventus was relegated in 2006 and Inter was awarded Juve’s league title in the aftermath of the Calciopoli scandal. In Spain, Sevilla hosts La Liga leader Real Madrid in Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez‘s third tough test in a week since taking over as for Juande Ramos. In Germany, young Dutch star Rafael van der Vaart should be back in the lineup for Hamburg against Hertha Berlin amid renewed speculation of a move to Spanish club Valencia.
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WEEKEND WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
Despite the 1-1 tie at Liverpool that snapped Arsenal’s 12-game winning streak, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is convinced that his young team can achieve greatness this season. Valencia dumped its coach, Quique Sanchez Flores, after its 3-0 loss to Sevilla. Club America won Mexico’s Superclasico with a 2-1 win over Guadalajara, while goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni moved Sao Paulo one step closer to the Brazilian championship title.
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Stoitchkov picks win to say goodbye to Celta
Less than six months after quitting as Bulgaria’s national team coach to charge of Spanish club Celta, Hristo Stoitchkov has left the Vigo club.
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New Jersey product among La Liga’s leading scorers
[AMERICAN IN SPAIN] New Jersey product Giuseppe Rossi of Villarreal scored his fifth goal of the Spanish La Liga season in a 3-2 loss at Osasuna. The 20-year-old Rossi, born in Teaneck, N.J., and raised in Clifton, N.J., left home at age 13 to join Italian club Parma’s youth program. He then played for Manchester United and Newcastle in the EPL and Parma in Italy’s Serie A, before joining Villarreal this season.
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Chelsea rises to occasion, Liverpool sinks at home
[CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REACTION/VIDEO] The results for English powerhouses Chelsea and Liverpool were exactly the opposite what you would have predicted when they took to the field Wednesday on Day 2 of the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea, which has yet to win an EPL game under new manager Avram Grant and was coming off a 1-1 tie at home to Rosenborg in its Champions League opener, won, 2-1, at Valencia, which took a seven-game winning streak into the game. Unbeaten in its first 11 games of the season, Liverpool lost, 1-0, at home to Marseille, which had won just one of its first nine French league game.
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Chelsea’s captain courageous wants to play
[MARQUEE MATCHUP] Chelsea captain John Terry hopes to play against Valencia Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League with a protective face mask just three days after undergoing surgery for an elbow he suffered Saturday when he took an forearm from American Clint Dempsey in Chelsea’s 0-0 tie with Fulham.
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OFF THE POST: Homeland Security snares Real Madrid president
Real Madrid president Juan Ramon Calderon Ramos flew to New York last week to catch the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” But Calderon, 56, only caught the last part of the performance because he had been detained at JFK Airport by authorities. According the Spanish daily Diario As, they confused him with a 26-year-old suspected criminal with a similar name, Jose Ramos. Calderon was released after a call to Spain’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed his true identity.
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European Market Frenzy
Spending on the European summer transfer market reached $2 billion in 2007. What's behind the spending boom? And who spent wisely and who spent foolishly? Spending on the European summer transfer market – the two-month window during which European teams stock up on players for the new season – reached $2 billion in 2007. […]
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How Barcelona Spawns Stars
Barcelona can buy any player it wants, but maintains an ambitious and successful youth program. There's a large crowd of people in the plaza area surrounding Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium, many of them are wearing jerseys with Ronaldinho, Messi and Eto'o on the back. But there's no game today. It's a Thursday afternoon, the team […]
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WEEKEND WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
More trouble for Chelsea, which failed to score for the fourth straight game and lost England captain John Terry, who suffered a depressed fracture of his cheekbone after being elbowed by American Clint Dempsey. Sven-Goran Eriksson, meanwhile, is leading a revival at Manchester City. In Italy, Inter Milan regained the league in Serie A, while Thierry Henry broke out with a hat trick for Barcelona.
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MIDWEEK WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
Maltese Michael Mifsud led Coventry City past Manchester United in an English League Cup upset that left Sir Alex Ferguson “flabbergasted.” Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez still wasn’t convinced that Fernando Torres should be an automatic choice in the Reds’ lineup even after Torres’ hat trick against Reading. Argentine Lionel Messi scored two goals in the first 11 minutes to lead Barcelona past Real Zaragoza. AC Milan’s troubles in Serie A continued when it fell at Palermo.
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MIDWEEK PREVIEW: International Soccer Headliners
There’s midweek league action in Germany, Italy and Spain and League Cup action in England and France. Roma and Real Madrid look to hold on to their leads in Italy and Spain, respectively, while Bundesliga leader Bayern faces Energie Cottbus, which has made a coaching change. In France, the derby du Nord between Lens and Lille highlights League Cup play.
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WEEKEND WRAPUP: International Soccer Headliners
[VIDEO]Manchester United downed Chelsea, 2-0, in Avram Grant‘s first game as the Blues’ new manager. With Ronaldinho sidelined, Argentine Leo Messi starred for Barcelona in its win against Sevilla. Unfancied Nancy remained the leader in France’s Ligue 1, while former Mexican national team captain Tomas Boy took charge at struggling Atlas.
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TV PREVIEW: International weekend headliners
Deuce is on the loose: Clint Dempsey goes for goals in four straight games when Fulham hosts Manchester City. Two early-season clashes with big implications are Barcelona-Sevilla in Spain and Roma-Juventus in Italy. But the match of the week is Manchester United-Chelsea at Old Trafford, where all the attention will be on Israeli Avram Grant, who makes his debut as interim Chelsea manager in place of Jose Mourinho.
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Rijkaard praises much-needed Barcelona goalfest
[CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REACTION] Barcelona took some of the pressure off its coach, Frank Rijkaard, with a thoroughly deserved 3-0 win over Lyon in their UEFA Champions League opener on Wednesday night at the Nou Camp Stadium. Rijkaard had a lot to be pleased about, beginning with Thierry Henry‘s first goal since joining Barcelona from Arsenal. Rijkaard tried to downplay the substitution of Ronaldinho, who had another quiet game for Barcelona.