Photo by ISIphotos.com Chris Wondolowski has been scoring goals at an amazing clip this season, and on Saturday night he bagged another three to help San Jose stay in the lead for the MLS Supporters' Shield. Wondolowski broke San Jose's franchise record for goals in a season with his three tallies and the Earthquakes defeated the Colorado Rapids, 4-1, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Quakes got off to a fast start, with Marvin Chavez scoring the opening goal less than two minutes into the match. Wondolowski doubled San Jose's lead nine minutes later after Rafael Baca took the ball... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By JOEY SAMUEL CHESTER, Pa. -- Both the Philadelphia Union and the New England Revolution are already out of playoff contention in 2012. One of those teams is ending its season in style, though, while the other is ending it in disaster. Jack McInerney latched onto a Keon Daniel cross in the 73rd minute and headed in a goal for the Union, who then held on despite a sloppy final portion of the match to top New England, 1-0, at PPL Park on Saturday night. In a game with no playoff implications at all, both teams showed... Continue reading

Continue reading

By JOEY SAMUEL Juventus are currently tied atop the Serie A as they look to defend their championship from 2011-12, and on Friday, the club received news that even further bolsters what has been an excellent start to the season. An Italian sports arbitration court reduced coach Antonio Conte's ban from 10 months to only four months, meaning the Juventus manager will be back on the sidelines as early as December. Conte was found guilty of failing to report match-fixing back in August and was handed a hefty 10-month ban. The incident that caused him to be suspended took place... Continue reading

Continue reading

Following tonight's game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, NBC Sports Network will air the latest episode of MLS36, which gives viewers a look into what Major League Soccer players do for the 36 hours leading into a match. Here's a sneak peek at tonight's episode, which will air at 11:30 pm Eastern time and features Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman: Continue reading

In a game with massive playoff implications, the New York Red Bulls will host the Chicago Fire today in a nationally-televised match. With the two teams tied for second place in the Eastern Conference, a playoff preview could be in store at Red Bull Arena this afternoon. One of the clubs could clinch a postseason berth today, as the winner of the match can seal its spot based on results in other games around MLS later on. On the West Coast, a tasty matchup sees the Los Angeles Galaxy host Real Salt Lake at the Home Depot Center. The game... Continue reading

By JOEY SAMUEL Coming into this weekend, New Mexico was considered one of the top teams in the nation in college soccer. But after Friday night, that status is seriously in danger. With six minutes remaining in overtime of a scoreless stalemate, Air Force's Caleb Downey pounced on a loose ball in the box and buried a shot past New Mexico's goalkeeper to break the deadlock and give the Falcons a dramatic 1-0 upset win. The Lobos, who entered the weekend at No. 5 in SBI's rankings, struggled mightily on offense and they paid for it in the overtime period.... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com Manchester City have started the English Premier League season undefeated, winning three and drawing three in the first six games of the campaign, but they still find themselves four points away from league leaders Chelsea, who are off to an unbeaten start of their own. On Saturday, City will have a chance to narrow that gap as both clubs are in action. City host Sunderland in the first match of the day, and the Citizens will be looking to rebound from a draw with Borussia Dortmund at home in the Champions League during the week. Chelsea, meanwhile,... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com A hugely important London Derby headlines a full slate of matches on Saturday as English Premier League leaders Chelsea take on fierce rivals Arsenal in an early-morning showdown. The Blues enter Saturday atop the EPL table with four wins and a draw in their first five games, but they face a massive test in the Gunners, who despite sitting in fifth place are also unbeaten themselves. Chelsea have been helped out by the news that captain John Terry's four-match ban will not take effect quite yet, meaning he is available for this morning's clash with Arsenal. Another... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By JOEY SAMUEL CHESTER, Pa. -- Freddy Adu hasn't always lived up to the hype during his time in Philadelphia, but on Sunday, he delivered one of his best performances in a Union uniform as he led the club to victory. The mercurial midfielder scored after an impressive individual effort in the 28th minute before converting a second-half penalty kick and the Union went on to defeat the Houston Dynamo, 3-1, at PPL Park. After Oscar Boniek Garcia answered Adu's opener with his own tally in the 44th minute, the teams entered the locker room tied at... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By JOEY SAMUEL Many soccer fans and pundits expect the United States to bid to host the 2026 World Cup, but that won't be the only CONCACAF nation looking to earn the honor. The Mexican football federation announced on Friday that it will also enter the field of countries looking to host the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup. Federation president Justino Compean revealed his country's intentions in an interview with Mexican media outlets. Mexico previously bid to host either the 2018 or the 2022 World Cup, but the federation removed themselves before the voting process... Continue reading

The Major League Soccer regular season is in its stretch run, and a number of games today hold massive playoff implications. In today's early game, the Montreal Impact look to continue their excellent form at home when they host Sporting Kansas City. The Impact currently sit seven points out of the playoffs with just four games to play, so today's game is a must-win. Sporting Kansas City, on the other hand, is three points behind San Jose in the race for the Supporters' Shield and is also in need of a win if they hope to finish the year with... Continue reading

Bayern Munich have gotten off to a perfect start in the 2012-13 edition of the Bundesliga, winning each of their first three games. On Saturday, though, they face a difficult test as they travel to Gelsenkirchen to take on Schalke 04. In what is probably the day's best matchup not just in Germany but all throughout Europe, a Bayern team that has won its first five games across three competitions faces a Schalke side that will feature American international Jermaine Jones. Schalke, like Bayern, enter the match on a high having won in the Champions League this past week, and... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By JOEY SAMUEL CHESTER, Pa. -- Nineteen points back with only seven games remaining, the playoffs are out of reach for the Philadelphia Union. But that doesn't mean they have nothing left to play for in 2012. With what is likely to be an active offseason just around the corner, every player on the Union is feeling the pressure to solidify a spot on next year's edition of the franchise. That's a pressure felt not only by some of the less experienced players on the team. It's also being felt by the seasoned veterans, and that includes... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By JOEY SAMUEL Wells Thompson has seen his playing time dwindle in a big way this season, and now he's looking to move on to greener pastures. The Colorado Rapids announced on Sunday that the midfielder has requested to be traded to another team in Major League Soccer. Thompson has appeared in only 17 of the Rapids' 28 games this year, and only five of those appearances have come as starts. Last season, as the Rapids looked to defend their 2010 MLS Cup championship, Thompson started in a career-high 22 games, notching three goals and three assists,... Continue reading

Three matches unfold across Major League Soccer tonight, each with its own playoff implications as the regular season's stretch run continues. In the Eastern Conference, a matchup between two teams currently occupying playoff spots sees the Chicago Fire host the Houston Dynamo with just one point separating the two teams. Both clubs will be missing a creative presence in the midfield, as Marco Pappa has now left the Fire for Europe, while Brad Davis will miss tonight's game with an illness. Meanwhile, FC Dallas hosts the Seattle Sounders in what is essentially a must-win game for the home team. Dallas... Continue reading

Photo by ISIphotos.com By JOEY SAMUEL Last night, the Los Angeles Galaxy continued their climb up the Western Conference standings with a win over Vancouver. And as they push to qualify for the playoffs, they could be ready to add yet another veteran to the fold. Head coach Bruce Arena confirmed after Saturday's win that veteran Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson is currently on trial with the club. Wilhelmsson had been seen in training on Friday morning, but Arena had originally denied that it was in fact the Swede. Wilhelmsson is currently a free agent, which allows the Galaxy to potentially... Continue reading

Continue reading

Sporting Kansas City preserved their top spot in the East on Saturday, but they were made to work for it by the team at the bottom of the conference. Newly-acquired Oriol Rosell scored an 87th-minute winner as Kansas City topped Toronto FC, 2-1, at Livestrong Sporting Park. Rosell's goal capped a come-from-behind win started by a Paulo Nagamura equalizer in the 60th minute. Despite controlling more than 70 percent of the possession throughout the game, Kansas City went down a goal when Ryan Johnson collected a Robert Eckersley cross and calmly slotted it past Jimmy Nielsen just before halftime. Kansas... Continue reading

After two weeks Arsenal are yet to record a win or even score a goal in Premier League play this season, but they will look to change that today as they face Liverpool. A re-tooled Liverpool side loaned away striker Adam Carroll before the transfer deadline, while picking up Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin. Now, the Reds take on an Arsenal team that is desperate to earn all three points after drawing its first two games. Elsewhere in Europe, a big slate of games in La Liga is headlined by a matchup between Barcelona and Valencia. In Italy, Inter Milan hosts... Continue reading

A Premier League showdown between Liverpool and Manchester City headlines another action-packed Sunday of soccer across Europe as all five major leagues are now underway. Defending champions City pulled off an impressive comeback victory last week over Southampton, but they suddenly find themselves six points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, who have won their first three games. Liverpool, on the other hand, are looking to rebound after a disappointing opening-day loss to West Brom. Elsewhere in England, Arsenal look to pick up their first win of the campaign when they travel to take on Stoke City. American international Geoff Cameron... Continue reading

By JOEY SAMUEL With the MLS playoff race heating up, both the Philadelphia Union and Real Salt Lake could have used a win on Friday night. But in a game where chances were few and far between, each team was forced to settle for a single point. Philadelphia and Real Salt Lake struggled mightily to create chances for the entirety of the match, and the clubs ended up tying, 0-0, in front of 18,441 fans at PPL Park in what could only be described as a bore draw. Danny Cruz missed a sitter in his first home game as a... Continue reading

By JOEY SAMUEL It may not have been the way they envisioned it, but Manchester City earned an impressive win in their first game of the season as they opened their defense of the Premier League title in dramatic style. City came back from a goal down to defeat newly promoted Southampton, 3-2, at Etihad Stadium with goals from Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko, and Samir Nasri. After David Silva missed a penalty in the 17th minute, Manchester City still managed to go a goal up when Nasri found Tevez in the 40th minute. The Argentinian scored with a low shot... Continue reading

Continue reading