AC Milan’s troubles continued when it was held to a 0-0 tie at home by Belgian champion Anderlecht in the opening game of the UEFA Champions League. The San Siro was two-thirds empty, and the fansin the crowd of 28,000 who stayed until the end jeered the Rossoneri off the field. “I think the team […]
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Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Anderlecht aims to end Italian jinx at troubled Milan
Anderlecht’s return to the UEFA Champions League group stage after a six-year absence could not begin with a more difficult trip. The Belgian champions, featuring American Sacha Kljestan in midfield, have never won in 14 games in Italy dating back to 1964, and they open at AC Milan, a team desperate to get on the […]
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Palermo kicks off Italian coaching carousel
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini needed only three games to fire Coach Giuseppe Sannino, making him the firstcoaching casualty of the 2012-13 Serie A season. But that’s a lot slower than last season when Zamparini fired Stefano Pioli in preseason. Palermohired Gian Piero Gasperini as its new coach. He has been out of coaching since being […]
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Roma's Zeman takes on Italian establishment
Veteran Czech coach Zdenek Zeman is stirring things up in Italy. Roma, one of 12 clubs he’s coached in a coaching career that dates back 30 years, is off toa promising start in Serie A, having won at Inter Milan, 3-1, in its second game of the season. The outspoken Zeman has made no friends […]
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Juventus turns attention to January targets
Juventus failed in its bid to land a big-time striker during the summer transfer market, but the Italian champion is not giving up all hope. “We are continuing to monitorinteresting players and we’ll decide whether to make any moves in January,” said Juve director general Beppe Marotta. Juventus failedland Robin Van Persie (signed by Manchester […]
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AC Milan needed 'generational change'
AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri says the Italian club had no choice but to make wholesale changes in its team, selling Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris St. Germain and letting many veterans go. “We needed a generational change,”Allegri told La Stampa. “It might not be nice, but that is how life goes. Carlo […]
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Del Piero is headed to Australian league
One of the players courted by MLS has instead opted for soccer down under. Sydney FC officials will fly to Italy to conclude the signing of the former international striker Alessandro del Piero, who left Juventus last May after 19 seasons.
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No Conte no problem for Juventus
[SERIE A PREVIEW] Juventus started the 2011-12 Serie A season with a new coach, Antonio Conte, and a new stadium andended it having never lost. It begins the 2012-13 season without Conte, suspended for 10 months in the latest game-fixing scandal. But such are the problems of Juve’s rivals that the loss of Conteshould pose […]
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Sweden-Brazil, a farewell in more ways than one?
[INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES] There are 50-odd international friendlies on tap for Wednesday. Here’s a look at some of the big games … SWEDEN-BRAZIL. The Sweden-Brazil match is the farewell to Stockholm’s Rasunda Stadium, where Brazil beat Sweden, 5-2, to win the 1958 World Cup. It could also be thefarewell for embattled Brazil coach Mano Menezes, whose […]
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Montreal's Di Viao cleared to continue MLS adventure
The Montreal Impact can breathe a sigh of relief. Italian forward Marco Di Vaio was one of six players acquitted Friday of charges stemming from theScommessopoli scandal that resulted in bans for dozens of players. He tweeted in English, “Finally! I’m so happy! Now back with so much enthusiasm to my new adventure with my […]