Abeasher

England manager Roy Hodgson is the ideal person to root for. After being unable to break into the Crystal Palace first team from 1965-66, Hodgson played non-league soccer with Tonbridge Angels before moving on to Gravesend & Northfleet. At age 23, he completed his training to become a fully qualified coach. He continued to play […]

It’s always wise to point a camera at Jose Mourinho. Train a camera on the man, and he’ll pay you back with some remarkable scenes. Such was the case on Sunday as a revived Fernando Torres pounced on a cataclysmic piece of defending from Manchester City and their beleaguered goalkeeper Joe Hart to score and […]

Portland Timbers have clinched their first-ever Major League Soccer playoff game, which — for Timbers supporters — is a euphoric and monumental achievement. What makes their November 7 playoff match even more enticing is the possibility that if Seattle Sounders beats Colorado Rapids tonight, the Timbers will host the Seattle Sounders in a super-sized reincarnation […]

You know the story by now. As the seconds drained away in Costa Rica and Panama, Mexico had completed their final and ultimate capitulation: Needing just a point to seal a playoff berth, El Tri — under their third manager in three months — were losing 2-1 in the rain against a Costa Rica side with […]

We’re getting right down to it. We’re under two months away from the FIFA World Cup draw in Brazil, and during these next two months, the field for the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet will be finalized. For some countries, these last World Cup qualifying group games will be blissfully academic. For some, the […]

Clint Dempsey's penalty miss in the dying moments of the United States National Team's 2-0 victory over Mexico Tuesday night carried an overwhelming sense of poetry and fate. A conversion from Dempsey would have made the final score 3-0. Three-nil is a thumping in soccer — a thorough, convincing, deserved scoreline. Three-zero is a blowout. […]

After the thrills of two narrow 1-0 victories for Arsenal and Liverpool against Spurs and Manchester United this past weekend, and the mayhem of transfer deadline day, a crucial international break awaits. With World Cup qualifying winding down, countries can punch their tickets to the FIFA World Cup, or fall out of the running as […]

As the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup drew to a close Sunday night in the famous Maracana, Luiz Felipe Scolari raged. He ranted and gesticulated, looking more like a wildly animated cartoon character than the coach who had just masterminded the shellacking of a Spanish team that is arguably the best footballing side ever […]

On top of the Hex, and looking a sure bet for a place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it may seem like this isn’t time for the United States men's national team to make changes to their soccer team. Things are finally starting to click after two rocky years under Jurgen Klinsmann – […]

All the great managers learn. They evolve and adapt. Failure doesn’t give them blind, reckless motivation to win; it teaches them, directs them, and makes them better. When Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May, it was impossible to finger a tactical legacy, because the manager’s style evolved consistently over time. Jose Mourinho certainly fancies himself […]

Landon Donovan’s stoppage time goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup was fateful in many, many ways. One of the most tangible consequences? It kickstarted the Ian Darke phenomenon. In 2010, Darke was one of UK’s lead soccer and boxing announcers. After ESPN’s commentary debacle in the 2006 World Cup, featuring Dave O’Brien – […]

Now that the 2012-13 Premier League season is over, it's time to grade the performances this season by the Premier League managers. Like a regular school report card, if a manager receives a grade worse than a C-, then that manager should be sacked. Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United: Alex Ferguson’s last campaign was a […]

On Wednesday, Chelsea won the Europa League Final, beating Benfica in the Amsterdam Arena for a second European crown in two years. In itself, that feat is outstanding, and the final was thrilling, but when you consider that Chelsea had to go through Sparta Prague, Steaua Bucharesti, Rubin Kazan, and FC Basel to reach the […]

I’d like to be one of many, many people to thank Sir Alex Ferguson today. When I first started following the Premier League five years ago, it was Ferguson more than any other man who hooked me. The man was a legend – indomitable, scary, mythical, and yet down-to-earth, old-fashioned and charitable. He was the […]

On Saturday, Wigan will contest their first ever FA Cup Final at Wembley. The game will provide a pleasant distraction from the club’s increasingly dire fight against relegation – a fight which Wigan has won the last three years by placing the club’s Premier League life into the flames, then pulling it out at the […]