By CALEB SONNELAND You figure it had to happen sooner or later. Robin van Persie has reportedly caught the attention of big spenders, Manchester City. Manager Roberto Mancini told the press that he was keen on the Dutchman, who is enjoying the best season of his career at Arsenal with 32 goals in all competitions. Mancini was quick to point out that essentially every good team in Europe is "interested" in the striker and thinks he "will remain at Arsenal." Still, the London club has be known to be somewhat strapped for cash in the past and an exorbitant offer... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Goals from Kenny Cooper and Thierry Henry lifted the New York Red Bulls over the Los Angeles Galaxy Wednesday night in a 2-1 win, but it wasn't enough to see the team into the final of the Desert Diamond Cup, as the Galaxy marched to the title game by virtue of goal difference. A free kick from L.A.'s Marcelo Sarvas gave the Galaxy the goal they needed in the 78th minute, when his low, curling freekick found the bottom left corner of Ryan Meara's goal. Cooper had opened scoring in the 31st minute, when he cooly slotted... Continue reading

Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com By CALEB SONNELAND In a prelude to their season-opening match that is less than a month away, Sporting Kansas City topped D.C. United, 2-1, in Casa Grande, Ariz., Saturday on the strength of goals from Graham Zusi and Soony Saad. Zusi scored on a 34th-minute free kick, and Saad finished off a feed from newly acquired Jacob Peterson in the 62nd minute to account for the goals for the defending Eastern Conference regular season champions. United did pull a goal back late through former Kansas City player and current guest player Jose Burciaga Jr., who finished... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND & JOHN BOSCHINI Stuart Pearce will take on the seemingly poisoned chalice that is the English national team job — for now. Following the resignation of former manager Fabio Capello, the country has gone into a frenzy as the Football Association begins its search for a new coach. Until then, however, U-21 boss Pearce will take the reins and manage the team for its upcoming match with Holland on February 29th. Pearce has been in control of the U-21's since 2007. Several names have been touted to succeed Capello as the England manager, with Harry Redknapp seeming... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Citing "personal reasons," FC Dallas has temporarily lost Jackson Gonçalves, as the club loaned the 23-year-old back to Cruzeiro in his native land of Brazil. Though the midfielder proved to be a large factor last season for FC Dallas, coach Schellas Hyndman believes the situation can be "mutually beneficial." Hyndman went on to say that Jackson would be playing with "a very good team in an excellent league." Jackson featured heavily for the Hoops last season, making 22 starts and 28 appearances and grabbing eight goals and three assists in all competitions along the way. Those numbers... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Robbie Keane, it would seem, has already sealed his switch to Aston Villa. The Irishman, reported to be on the brink of a loan move to the Premier League club, is already training with Villa, as seen on a video on the club website. Contracted to MLS and playing with the LA Galaxy, Keane is looking, like many others, to find playing time abroad during the MLS off-season. Villa boss Alex McLeish has been hotly pursuing the 31-year-old, and it seems that the short-term loan deal has finally come to fruition. Should the deal be made final... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Omar Gonzalez, fresh off the plane and training with Nürnberg, was given a Bundesliga welcome by compatriot, and now teammate, Timmy Chandler in a crunching tackle — one that left the former with an injured knee. Though the extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed by the club, Gonzalez is seen pictured on the pitch in pain as a club physio examines his left knee. After months of USMNT fans calling for Gonzalez to be thrown into the January camp, the defender was finally called up by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, only for Gonzalez withdraw to... Continue reading

Common sense has prevailed. The Dutch football federation has rescinded the red card given to AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado in the aftermath of Wednesday's pitch invasion during a cup game against Ajax. The goalkeeper was the target of a fan who ran onto the field right at the player in the 36th minute of the match. Acting in defense, Alvarado got the assailant to the ground before continuing to kick him until he was restrained. While the FIFA Laws of the Game stipulate that referee Bas Nijhuis was in his right to give Alvarado a red card for violent... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND David Beckham isn't going anywhere — for now. Despite rumors that the LA Galaxy's Beckham was present at Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 clash with Lille on Sunday, reports have emerged to squash any notion of that kind. With a reported move to PSG imminent, Beckham was thought to be in France to finalize an 18-month deal to the newly-rich club. However, a spokesperson for the English midfielder claims that a deal has not been completed, and Beckham isn't even in France. With his current contract with the MLS champions set to expire at the end of the... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND When the French Football Association announced its men's and women's Ballon d'Or finalists for 2011, the usual suspects were all accounted for — with one American in the mix. The La Liga trio of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to contend for the men's award, while Marta, Homare Sawa and Abby Wambach will vie for the women's prize. Messi, who will be going for his third straight award, already has 27 goals and 11 assists so far in all competitions for Barcelona, while his teammate Xavi has five goals and five assists in the... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND The loss of life in the sports world always runs deep within the game, and to lose a player like Gary Speed saw shockwaves sent throughout soccer on Sunday. The Wales manager was discovered at his home Sunday morning with the news spreading to every corner of the Britain within the hour that he had taken his own life. Speed had the most outfield appearances out of any player in the Premier League in the 10 years after its inception and was recognized as one of the most recognized soccer personalities across the nation. In his senior... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND With his contract set to expire at the turn of the year, David Beckham is allegedly in talks with Ligue 1's Paris Saint-Germain, according to the clubs sporting director Leonardo. The 36-year-old was a staple in the LA Galaxy midfield this year and played a massive part in the team's successful campaign toward a MLS Cup. Beckham's head has been turned over the past five years by European club, however in those cases the moves were only on loan to keep the player's fitness at a peak. With the end of his contract within touching distance, the... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND With his contract at the LA Galaxy set to expire at the end of December, it's still unsure whether or not David Beckham will be playing in MLS for the 2012 season. After the former England international helped his side to its third MLS Cup (the last coming in 2005), Beckham was quizzed about his well-publicized future in the game. He was, however, was non-committal, and it appears only he knows what lies in store in coming months. Many thought that the result of last night's game could determine his decision going forward, but the Englishman was... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Former Arsenal captain and long-time fan favorite Cesc Fabregas issued a statement of caution to current captain Robin van Persie. Van Persie, now 28, has 18 months left on his current contract with the London club, but hasn't seemed to be in a rush to put pen to paper. Fabregas, who left in a much-publicized move over the summer to Barcelona, claimed that the upcoming summer may be the Dutch striker's last chance to move away from the Emirates or will otherwise stay and retire at Arsenal. Van Persie is in the midst of a great year... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Fourth-seeded Indiana booked its place in the semifinals of the Big Ten conference tournament after topping No. 5 Michigan State with a 2-1 win with goals on either side of halftime on Wednesday. Sophomore Nikita Kotlov opened up scoring with his seventh goal of the season in the 38th minute, and senior Alec Purdie doubled the advantage just a minute after the restart with his eighth of the year. The win means that the Hoosiers, ranked No. 8 in the latest Fox Soccer Top 25, now must face top-seeded Northwestern in the first of Friday's semifinal games.... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Despite ousting Real Salt Lake at the Home Depot Center on Sunday night, setting up a clash with Houston in the final, the Galaxy stars are already being eyed up abroad. Ligue 1 big-spender Paris Saint-Germain has confirmed the idea that it will indeed attempt to bring David Beckham back to Europe as the former International looks to reclaim his place for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Since its takeover in the summer by Qatari Sports Investment, PSG has signed on the likes of Javier Pastore and Kevin Gameiro, and Beckham is being lined up to... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Chelsea may not be bolting from Stamford Bridge for a new home after all. The club came up short in its attempt to convince the necessary majority of the Chelsea Pitch Owners to sell back the stadium land that the club sold to the supporter-spearheaded group, and as a result, the club can't regain ownership of the entire grounds. According to The Telegraph (UK), Chelsea won't move from Stamford Bridge unless it can make a profit from the current grounds going forward, and as long as the club does not control the ownership rights to the entire... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND It seems there is a little bit of silver lining for Manchester United fans following their club's 1-6 defeat to local rivals Manchester City — Javier Hernandez is at Old Trafford to stay. Just a day after getting thrashed by the Blues, Mexican striker Chicharito put pen to paper on a five-year United contract which runs until 2016. Since arriving at United, Chicharito became an instant fan favorite, netting on his debut against the 2010 MLS All Stars and finishing the Premier League season with 13 goals and 20 in all competitions. Real Madrid was thought to... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND In the world of sports, guaranteeing a win can be a risky move, but to Luke Rodgers, the New York Red Bulls can achieve exactly that tonight. "I'm quite positive we're going to win the game." In a make-or-break match in the Eastern Conference, the Red Bulls takes on the Philadelphia Union which will have a major impact on which team will make the MLS post-season. Union manager Peter Nowak feels equally confident of his side's ability, claiming that they are going to "take care of business" and book their place in the playoffs. New York is... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Despite the fact that there's still a full month until the January transfer window opens, the possibility of LA Galaxy star David Beckham linking up with Paris St. Germain has the team talking. Players Kevin Gameiro, Sylvain Armand and Christophe Jallet all voiced their support for the seasoned veteran signing on, and with the financial clout of PSG might be enough to land Beckham at the club. Beckham's contract expires at the end of the MLS season in November and PSG is said to be sniffing around the player along with the likes of Manchester United and... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Just under two months after shocking the soccer world and signing for Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, Samuel Eto'o is being linked with a return to Inter Milan — on loan. Eto'o left the Italian giants in late August, but when the Russian Premier League season takes a break in January and February, meaning Eto'o could potentially return to Inter for a Serie A as well as Champions League fixtures. Eto'o scored 37 goals in all competitions last year for Inter, and the club has found it hard to replace the Cameroonian as it finds itself enduring its... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND All is not well in London — more specifically, at Arsenal. The club confirmed today that long-time regular right back Bacary Sagna suffered a broken leg in Arsenal's 1-2 defeat at the hands of Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday. The Frenchman is said to be out about three months with the injury, according to the French Football Federation, leaving coach Arsene Wenger with a whole new set of problems to solve at right back. The injury occurred in the 68th minute when Sagna clashed with Benoît Assou-Ekotto, breaking his right fibula. Sagna was replaced... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND It isn't getting any easier for Carlos Tevez, especially after FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce revealed that the disgruntled striker could face a sanction from soccer's governing body. Boyce himself claims that Tevez should be banned "from taking an active part in soccer" if he did indeed refuse to come on in Manchester City's 0-2 loss to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the Champions League. The Argentine has been the subject of transfer speculation for ages, and his latest incident could be the nail in the striker's Manchester City career. Boyce was quick to assert that he would... Continue reading

By CALEB SONNELAND Is Robin Van Persie the next big-name finding its way out of the Emirates? Despite voicing that, for now, he's happy with his current situation, he refused to give any insight as to what he will do once his contract expires in 18 months. "We will have to look," said Van Persie. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said last week that he wanted to get around to getting the Dutch striker a new deal. The player didn't rule out a new contract by any means, insisting that he'd rather focus on the play of the team and getting... Continue reading