From the Spot of the Foul

Don Garber's Pipe Dream

Mark Ogden's Sunday article at Telegraph.co.uk explores Don Garber's efforts at bringing the 2018 World Cup to America as well as his long-term goal: to make Major League Soccer (MLS) one of the top soccer leagues in the world. Mr. Garber's dream raises lots of questions rather than delivering methods.

The waste land

Thierry Henry's arrival in New York City this past week evoked a lot of memories. It also made me think of the state of Major League Soccer, and T. S. Eliot.

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Nigeria's wasted wealth

Nigeria should be the greatest footballing nation on the African continent, but it is not. It boils down to the fact that this nation of 150 million people wastes its resources: natural, financial, and human.

Death by exhaustion

After Wednesday's semi-final match with Spain, Germany's coach Joachim Löw indicated that his team was physically exhausted because they spent 90+ minutes chasing the ball. It made me think of coyotes and the game of squash.

One man's cheat is another man's strategist: the case of Arjen Robben and Luis Suarez

In soccer, what constitutes cheating?

That entirely depends on your point of view, perhaps influenced by your cultural upbringing, perhaps influenced by your coach and fellow players, perhaps some other set of circumstances. Cheating is not as black and white as some would like to think, which is why, as we move toward the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, we're consumed with the recent performances of Luis Suarez of Uruguay and Arjen Robben of Holland that had profound influences on their respective teams advancing out of the quarter-final round.

Can Jonathan be Nigerian football's goodluck charm?

A country’s president has dissolved its own football federation come the hell or high water that could be delivered as punishment by FIFA, the world’s governing body of soccer. The next few days, or perhaps even only hours, may determine the short-term and long-term fate of the once-proud Nigerian Super Eagles, one way or another.

FIFA's intransigence in the world's spotlight

Is this what it will take to implement goal-line technology?

The tower of song, the power of blog

A football chant meets its match

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of soccer, especially in England, and that is not replicated in any other American sport, is chanting. We Americans have the traditional chants at our football games, a famous one being: "Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar, all for [insert your team] stand up and holler." And other such mild stuff.

But what I'm referring to is football chanting that is really full-throated singing, some of which that can go on and on for several minutes. I'm not talking about school songs, fight marches, and sentimental alma mater tunes. I'm talking about the singing of songs completely created by fans, spontaneously changed for the moment, that range from the touching and funny to the deplorably vile and racist.

What's in a name?

The Coolest Name in Sport

Today it was announced that a player, recently released by Celtic, signed with Hull City of the England Premier League.

But not just any player.

The league of nations

This weekend has been a celebration of the English Premier Leagues's opening fixtures. One reason some of us love this league is how the list of its players span the globe - the world nature of the world's game is well-represented indeed.

A dark underbelly of European football

And out of the swamp crawls...

English Premier League on ESPN2 this season?!?!

I have died and gone to heaven.

Worth a thousand words

I love great photographs of sporting events.

Let the self-loathing begin

England loses their second under-age European Championship in 34 days. So is this glass half empty or half full?

Let’s face it - the Scottish Premier League isn’t good enough

Glasgow Rangers' Boss Walter Smith is in favor of Summer Football in Scotland. Celtic Skipper Tony Mowbray is not. Would it make any difference?

Consciously designed icons come to America

One of the interesting aspects of engaging in a hobby of watching something from thousands of miles away is that very little of it is seen in the flesh. A virtual activity if you will.

Match fixing?

Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets my attention in the world of sport like a good match fixing story. 

There is something dark about the human personality that is attracted to destruction wreaked on mankind by a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or tsunami. Why do you think we slow down at the scene of an automobile accident? It's more than just making sure we don't drive over broken glass. 

So when I saw this story on my newsreader this week, the scroll bar came to a screeching halt and I rubbernecked my way into the details.

I have a dream...

Overt racism at matches - one of the things about world soccer that really took me aback when I realized how alive and well it still is.

Is 5 > 3?

The Europa League gets underway next week, but when the competition moves into its Group Stage on Sept17, it will be more than just a new league – it will be the venue for the continuation of an officiating experiment: the use of two additional referee’s assistants.

The demise of Setanta

  

Toward the end of the 2008-09 European football season, Setanta’s financial situation was quickly deteriorating. Shareholders had failed to raise enough funds to give it a viable future. Setanta reportedly held talks with private equity firms that were thought to have offered an injection of millions, but British Sky Broadcasting rejected a request for a £50m interest free loan on a deal that would have seen Sky wholesale Setanta to its own subscribers.

The European sports programming network?

The Associated Press reported today that ESPN, a unit of the Walt Disney Co., will start sharing U.S. television rights to Spain's La Liga with GolTV. ESPN2 will televise about 20 matches per season, and ESPN Deportes two or three per weekend of league play for a total of at least 95. At least 114 matches per season will be available online on ESPN360. ESPN's networks will also share rights to Spain's Copa del Rey. The league's most-watched games, the two El Classico matchups between Barcelona and Real Madrid, likely will be simulcast by GolTV and ESPN.