Why an English ref boss doesn't suit U.S. soccer
Posted by Paul Gardner on Mar. 20, 2:04 a.m.
Peter Walton. A pleasant man, soft-spoken, quick to smile, alert and intelligent. A nice guy. But the wrong guy.
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With Messi on the prowl, nothing's sure in soccer
Posted by Paul Gardner on Mar. 15, 12:45 a.m.
Quite a week -- with the European Champions League providing most of the excitement and the fun.
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Nice soccer from the U-20s -- but don't mention the Latinos
Posted by Paul Gardner on Mar. 12, 12:44 a.m.
Tut, tut, Alexi Lalas, naughty, naughty. On a recent ESPN telecast Lalas had the bad taste, or the attention-seeking gall -- or was it simply the courage? -- to bring up what has evidently become a thorny subject these days: the place of Latino players in American soccer.
» 38 Comments
Timbers-Red Bulls deliver the thrills MLS needs
Posted by Paul Gardner on Mar. 6, 1:24 a.m.
Well, here we go again. The trusty Red Bulls get off to a flying start in Portland, storming into a 3-1 halftime lead. Then, you'll never guess what ... it all went wrong in the second half and those predictably fallible Bulls ended up hanging on for dear life to salvage a 3-3 tie.
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Nani red card reveals Fox TV experts are 17 years behind the times
Posted by Paul Gardner on Mar. 5, 11:13 p.m.
So it's the referee's fault again. A Turkish referee, Cuneyt Cakir, had the gall to red-card Manchester United's Nani --- at Old Trafford, no less -- and Real Madrid won the game. And a torrent of abuse has gathered about Cakir's head.
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The Problem with Soccer by the Numbers
Posted by Paul Gardner on Feb. 27, 3:48 p.m.
Spurs coach Andre Villas-Boas was no doubt overstating things when he recently condemned soccer statistics as "useless." But his opinion is refreshing, to say the least.
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Klinsmann and the Gurus: Weird is the Word
Posted by Paul Gardner on Feb. 25, 2:43 p.m.
Jurgen Klinsmann's coaching methods have always struck me as having a rather weird fringe to them. Remember the fitness gurus and the team chants with the German national team? Then the curious case of the Buddha statues at Bayern?
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The Decline -- and is it to be the Fall? -- of Arsene Wenger
Posted by Paul Gardner on Feb. 20, 9:02 p.m.
Sadness -- though the rather lovelier French word tristesse seems more fitting -- haunts me when I consider what is happening to Arsene Wenger.
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GLT still a blurry area for FIFA
Posted by Paul Gardner on Feb. 19, 5:20 p.m.
The GLT -- goal line technology -- saga has been going on for well over a decade now, with FIFA adopting a ludicrous chameleon mode, dithering between a flat-out no, a coy maybe, and a reluctant yes -- with many a backtrack along the way.
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Truths of the Modern Game Revealed
Posted by Paul Gardner on Feb. 13, 6:09 p.m.
An intriguing game, the Celtic-Juventus Champions League clash. Intriguing and revealing. Because it did reveal some oft-obscured truths about the modern game: Truths About ...
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Euro police gambling probe lacks crucial details
Posted by Paul Gardner on Feb. 8, 1:14 a.m.
Europol forced itself into the news last week -- the soccer news, that is -- with a quasi-apocalyptic announcement that was not actually news at all.
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On making it difficult to Americanize soccer
Posted by Paul Gardner on Jan. 29, 5:22 p.m.
American soccer's long-standing habit of truckling to things English flourishes yet.
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Red Bulls name Petke: A step in the right direction
Posted by Paul Gardner on Jan. 25, 1:08 a.m.
Well, now, here's a surprise. Mike Petke as the coach of the Red Bulls. Then again, maybe not.
» 6 Comments
Time to clamp down on studs-up
Posted by Paul Gardner on Jan. 15, 12:50 a.m.
Two recent incidents in English Premier League games have -- as was drearily predictable -- produced yet another shriek of outrage from those who want soccer to be a sport in which kicking opponents is all part of the fun.
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MLS Changes: A big loss and a puzzling addition
Posted by Paul Gardner on Jan. 9, 5:49 p.m.
Entrances and exits. It's that time of the year for MLS. Players and coaches coming and going.
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