News - Page 3169

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/ 6093 days ago

Major League Soccer Talk #109: Ben Rycroft and Brian Quarstad

Ben Rycroft of the Metro News joins us to discuss TFC, and other matters related to Canadian Soccer including Julian DeGuzman's current predicament without a club side. We also speak to Brian Quarstad about the sale of USL to NuRock and the breakdown in the relationship with the USL-1 owners association which we have reported […]

News

/ 6093 days ago

Diving: A Cardinal Sin?

Much has been said about Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva's dive against Celtic during last Wednesday's 2nd leg of the Champions League pre-qualifier. One split-second incident has led to questions about Michael Platini's proposed system of 5 referees, TV technology, retrospective charges and just exactly what is it that constitutes a dive. Ultimately the player […]

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/ 6093 days ago

Heitinga Transfers to Everton

Dutch international right back, Johnny Heitinga, has accepted a transfer from Atletico Madrid to Everton, completing a physical just under the transfer window deadline which closed at 5pm yesterday. It's a loss for Atleti and a serious loss for the Champions League competition (Everton competes in the Europa League but Heitinga is cup-tied for even […]

News

/ 6093 days ago

Nielsen Ratings For Chelsea v Burnley ESPN2 Game

Nielsen have revealed the TV ratings for last Saturday's broadcast of the Chelsea against Burnley game which was televised by ESPN2. The early Saturday morning kickoff generated a 0.2 rating and was watched in 197,856 households across the United States. The total viewing audience for that game was 253,934. How does that compare to ESPN2's […]

News

/ 6093 days ago

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: A Mixed Bag in Barcelona's 3-0 Victory over Sporting Gijón

Writer's Note: Unfortunately, WordPress does not recognize the "c" with an accent mark, so Bojan Krkic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's names will not include an accent mark above the " c." It is easy to overreact and overanalyze after one match and assume that whatever happens in that match will become a trend throughout the season; […]

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/ 6093 days ago

Will AS Bari Stay Up?

Introducing the Fearsome Chickens of AS Bari. Promoted side Associazione Sportivo Bari are not too attractive. But you could have said that about Hull, or Stoke, for that matter. In each case, the Premiership club became more attractive with exposure. Despite the horror fashion-mistake of the kit, Bari took two points from Inter last week. […]

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/ 6094 days ago

USL At A Crossroads Part III: Negotiations Breakdown

Yesterday, Simon Evans of Reuters confirmed that the disaffected TOA clubs are seriously contemplating forming a breakaway league. We also learned of the Ottawa Fury's application to move from the PDL to USL-1. Inside Minnesota Soccer and Major League Soccer Talk continue to provide the background that brought us to this point in time. —– As […]

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/ 6094 days ago

Mutu's Multi-Million Dollar Question

Sacked former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu is on the verge of bankruptcy and retirement from football after the well-documented verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The disgraced darling of Romanian football, currently plying his trade at Serie A club Fiorentina, has been ordered to pay $23.7 million (£14.7 million) to the West […]

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/ 6094 days ago

Mr Wenger's One-man Fight Against Anti-Football

I found myself pondering Arsene Wenger's accusations of Sir Alex and United employing "Anti-Football". I've always been bemused by that term. Here are my (somewhat wandering) thoughts on the matter. What is this "Anti-Football"? Is it the opposite of the legendary Dutch concept of Total Football? Can we establish a spectrum where Anti-Football is at […]

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/ 6094 days ago

Ottawa Fury Applies for a USL-1 Franchise

Here's a link to the press release. I know, this is MLS Talk, not USL Talk. But given recent events, this is newsworthy. This has been rumored for awhile, not always the Fury, but that a party in Ottawa was interested in entering the USL First Division. But they picked a really strange time to […]

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/ 6094 days ago

Serie A – Week 2

Milan vs. Inter Could the Derby della Madonnina, the first big derby of the 09-10 season in any European league, live up to the hype? Inter came into the game favorites to win the scudetto after mostly adding to the squad that has won the Serie A four years running. AC Milan did not add […]

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/ 6094 days ago

RSL Surges: Borchers and Olave Lead the Way

Since John Ellinger was replaced by Jason Kreis two and a half seasons ago, RSL has been anything but predictable. This season the Utah club was being tipped by many to win the Western Conference, but instead have been fighting to stay relevant in the grueling MLS playoff race throughout the summer. Staying consistent in […]

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/ 6094 days ago

Questions Please For The Guardian's Barney Ronay

Barney Ronay will be a future guest on the EPL Talk Podcast. Best known to readers as a writer for The Guardian as well as a regular guest on The Guardian's Football Weekly Podcast, Ronay has written a new book entitled "The Manager." The book takes the reader beyond the well-worn anecdotes, deeper into the stories […]

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/ 6094 days ago

MLS TV Ratings Are Doomed Because Of Euro Football

TV ratings for Major League Soccer in the United States are doomed. Why? Because most soccer fans such as ourselves have been programmed to watch European football. Let me explain. On a typical weekend or weekday, European football matches kick off in the morning or mid-afternoon. So, with our DVRs programmed to record the Champions […]

News

/ 6094 days ago

USL at a Crossroads: Part II, The Struggle for Power

Yesterday, Major League Soccer Talk in conjunction with Inside Minnesota Soccer 's Brian Quarstad released the first of a three part series on the United Soccer Leagues. Where the league has come from, where it might be going, as well as some of the behind-the-scene events that have taken place over the last several years […]