Karl Sears

The major qualm with Jurgen Klinsmann when he was hired by the United States became embodied in Philipp Lahm’s autobiography, where the Bayern legend and former German international portrayed Joachim Loew as the real tactical mind behind the 2006 Nationalmannschaft. Klinsmann dwelled on fitness, never talked about tactics, and left the players to figure out […]

“The club wants to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support.” That sentence, the first of Chelsea FC’s statement in support of Jose Mourinho, should quiet doubts instead of inspiring them. But that’s not how momentum works, and at this moment – with Chelsea off to their worst start since 1978; […]

Brendan Rodgers' time as Liverpool manager, of late, was a symptom of bigger problems: ideas, but not answers; potential, but no certainty; journeys, but no arrivals. The final chapter of his reign had taken on the same feeling of Roy Hodgson’s short, ill-fated stay with Liverpool, where you knew a good coach roamed Anfield’s technical […]

He is still in pursuit of Raúl atop Real Madrid's all-time scoring chart, but on his way to that inevitable record, Cristiano Ronaldo has passed another milestone. With today's goal in Sweden against Malmo in UEFA Champions League, the 30-year-old icon notched his 500th competitive goal, reaching the landmark in only 753 career appearances. Cristiano Ronaldo […]

Count Gary Neville among the people who were keeping an open mind about Anthony Martial, the Monaco attacker Manchester United made the most expensive teenager of all time in the last transfer window. But having seen the 19-year-old in person three times, and focusing specifically on him this weekend at Old Trafford, the Sky Sports […]

Had Iker Casillas written his own script, his vindication would have been Lisbon, a year-and-half-ago, when he wore the captain’s armband as Real Madrid claimed their 10th European crown. But it’s been a some time since San Iker could author his own fairytales. Over the past five years, a player that was once considered among […]

Early success in Europe could have former U.S. men's national team head coach Bob Bradley on the brink of a prestigious move, if today's reports out of Norway are correct. The current Stabæk boss and former head coach of the Chicago Fire, New York/New Jersey Metro Stars, Chivas USA and the Egyptian national team is reportedly on […]

Holders Chelsea will visit Stoke City while Arsenal and Manchester United drew Championship opposition in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup. The draw for the competition's round of 16 took place late Wednesday night, with Premier League-leading Manchester City given one of the round's tougher matchups with a visit from Crystal Palace. Arsenal, coming […]

Pep Guardiola thought he could get by without his best forward, starting Robert Lewandowski on the bench as a quick turnaround from weekend action saw Wolfsburg, last season's Bundesliga runner ups, visit Bayern Munich in the league's sixth round. However, fortunate to go into halftime trailing only 1-0, the Bayern boss didn't hesitate to bring the […]

Two days into this season's Champions League, and we may already have our goal of the tournament, with the crowd at Rome's Stadio Olimpico left in momentary raptures after a 50-yard shot from Roma fullback Alessandro Florenzi went off Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen's post and in, completing one of the more remarkable long distance […]

They’re just preliminary rosters — far from the final teams that Jurgen Klinsmann and Ricardo Ferretti will select for Oct. 10’s playoff at the Rose Bowl — but the possibilities for the United States and Mexico are now narrowed to 35 and 32 players per side – the players who were named to the teams’ […]

The National Women's Soccer League will expand to Orlando next season, according to a report today in the Guardian. The franchise would be the 10th in the United States' women's professional league and the circuit's first foray into the U.S. southeast. The franchise would be a notable addition in what will be a landmark year […]

Wayne Rooney will be unavailable for Manchester United during Saturday's visit from Liverpool, according to late Friday night reports out of Manchester. England's new all-time leading scorer will be sidelined by a hamstring injury, with Marouane Fellaini expected to get his first start of the season. Rooney scored his 49th and 50th career international goals while […]

Four teams — two from the Premier League, two from Major League Soccer — meeting in a mid-summer, trans-Atlantic, trans-federation battle. And we're not just talking about random teams that volunteer for the task. No, we're talking about a partnership between MLS and the EPL, one that would see each circuit's league and cup winners […]

Don't know TV Azteca? For most of the U.S., there's a good reason for that. The Mexican broadcaster is a player in the FMF soccer world and will be broadcasting Oct. 10's Confederations Cup playoff between the United States and Mexico, but unless you're a Spanish speaker or a Liga MX diehard, you've probably never ventured […]