By Paul Gardner Brazil will have to play its Olympic quarterfinal against Honduras without Alex Sandro. The defender, who plays for FC Porto, has to sit this one out,thanks to a referee decision in the 76th minute of the game against New Zealand. The referee — Bakary Gassama from Gambia — decided that Santos had […]
SoccerTalk with Paul Gardner
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Cahill won't solve Red Bulls' style problem
By Paul Gardner It surely cannot be too long before the attraction wears off these tedious and astonishingly over-priced summer exhibition games. I’ve just finishedwatching Tottenham beat the Red Bulls, 2-1, a thoroughly insipid game that was supposed to — well, I’m not sure what it was supposed to do, apart from make money for […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Spain sinks, GB plods, Mexico stutters — as Neymar steals the Olympic show
By Paul Gardner Brazil — the Olympic version — is turning out to be all that one could hope for. At least at the sharp end of the team, which is where we expect trueBrazilian soccer to flourish. Six goals in two games, all of them good goals, a couple of them exceptional. This has […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Diving calls and other biases
By Paul Gardner A look at three recent episodes that starkly reveal the problems created by pre-judgment. Which is a fancy word for bias. * June16, 2012: Euro 2012, Greece 1 Russia 0, 62nd minute. Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson doles out a yellow card to Greek captain Giorgos Karagounis for diving. A terrible decision. The […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Brazil can light up Britain's Olympics
By Paul Gardner The Brits, evidently, are not greatly impressed with the idea of Olympic soccer. Last week the Olympic Games organizers announced that they werewithdrawing 500,000 soccer tickets. Half a million tickets taken off the market — because they’re not selling in this soccer-devoted country. The move also involved a massive downsizing of thestadiums […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
John Terry's asterisks put FA in a bind
By Paul Gardner John Terry, who has captained England in the past, has now been found not guilty of racially abusing the Queens Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand.Found not guilty, it needs stressing, by a court of criminal law … by the full majesty of the English legal system, if you like. Which, barring an […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
MLS Secrecy Creates Suspicions
By Paul Gardner I fear that the hyperactive MLS Disciplinary Committee may be heading for a fall. I would regret that, because its aims are obviously well-intentioned.But its methods and, in particular, its constant pronouncements are beginning to irritate. The weekly press releases announcing extra punishment for this or that player cannot help butraise thoughts […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The MLS All-Star — and nearly All-White — First XI
By Paul Gardner I see that Real Salt Lake’s Costa Rican Alvaro Saborio has just been voted MLS Player of the Week. I also note the announcement of the First XI forthe MLS All-Stars, which does not include Saborio, which is no doubt justifiable. But the XI does not include any Hispanic players at all, […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The Best Ever MLS Game?
As the blinding brilliance of Spain flashed out from the Ukraine on Sunday, it had one unfortunate consequence — it cast into the shadows a slice of superb soccer that had occurred on Saturdayevening, right here in the USA. As a soccer game, as a 90-minute event, the San Jose-Los Angeles Galaxy battle really […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Spain's brilliant message. Will it be heard in the USA?
By Paul Gardner Not for a long time — not since the days, going back three decades, when Brazil was at its best — have we seen soccer presented in more glitteringgarb than the version presented by Spain in the Euro 2012 final. This was wonderful to watch, delightful to see, almost too good to […]