soccer Page 209 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Americans' Favorite Soccer Clubs, As Determined By <i>FIFA 12</i> Plays
ESPN FC had a neat piece this week on the ties between soccer video games and soccer fandom, and the idea that even in the days of satellite television, nothing's done more to grow the sport in the United States than gaming. Here's the money quote, from social scientist Rich Luker:...


Watch This Soccer Team Use Their Trainer To Cheat, But Not In The Usual Way
Tired of pretending to mend pretend injuries in the pursuit of ill-gotten timeouts and yellow cards, the trainer for Brazil's Coxim Atlético Clube decided he finally wanted to contribute to his team's success in a more conscionable way. With Coxim up 1-0, the trainer—while pacing the sidelines wit...

Manchester United Fans Chanted "Murderers" At Liverpool In The First Match At Anfield After The Hillsborough Report
Yesterday's match, a controversial 2-1 loss to United, was Liverpool's first time back at Anfield since the release of the Hillsborough Independent Panel's findings. The report absolved Reds supporters of any blame in the 1989 stampede that killed 96 fans, and the day was sure to be an emotional o...

Soccer Ref Gets Trucked At The Point Of Convergence Between Two Sliding Premier Leaguers
This is from today's Premier League game between Fulham FC and Wigan. Fulham won, the ref, Lee Probert, jokingly gave himself and red card, and Metro called it "the most exciting thing to happen in the opening 15 minutes of the match." Flopper....

With Ink Like This, Who Needs A Shirt?
We mentioned last month that it seems the soccer fans who shouldn't go shirtless are the ones who always do. I wouldn't ascribe that rule to this gentleman, though whatever his physical fitness I'd hate to think he spent all that money on what appears to be Cubist design principals in tattoo form a...

One-Legged Soccer Player Scores Incredible Goal Off Corner Kick
This is Nicolai Calabria, a senior at Concord-Carlisle Regional H.S. in Concord, Massachusetts, with one of the coolest goals you've ever going to see in a soccer match. Straight off the arching corner kick, Calabria bangs it in by pivoting off his crutches from a backward position and slamming th...

Yep, Someone Threw A Live Explosive On The Pitch During A Soccer Match
Last night saw an Asian Champions League quarterfinal match between Sepahan FC (Iran) and Al-Ahli SC (Saudi Arabia, in Sepahan's home city of Isfahan. A Sepahan player, who will wake up every morning for the rest of his life being thankful for having two arms, tossed what he thought was a piece of...

New York Red Bulls Fans Struggle With Spelling
New York Red Bulls suffered a painful 2-0 loss at home to Sporting KC last night in a match played with little fire in front of few fans. A few supporters showed up, however, and they brought a massive banner using the most tired expression about Kansas since "Bleeding." (Yes, Sporting KC plays in ...

This Is The Worst Own Goal Ever
It's from last week's Circiuma-America tilt in Brazil's second division. Circiuma keeper Michel Alves makes a pretty nifty save before getting overwhelmed by all sorts of derp. Only thing better might be the announcer's manufactured excitement....

Goalie Can't Make Save, Can Dive Face First Into Goal Post
New York Red Bulls teammates Thierry Henry and Dax McCarty hooked up for a nice goal off an Henry corner kick in the Red Bulls 3-1 win over the Columbus Crew. Poor Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum made a hell of an effort to stop it, but he came up short....

The U.S. Avenged Its Jamaica Loss Before A Raucous Columbus Crowd, And Clint Dempsey Made A Bitchface For The Ages
Desperately needing a win after dropping the ball in Jamaica last week, the U.S. Men's National Team rode the wave of a rowdy crowd in Columbus to eke out a 1-0 World Cup qualifier win last night, though not without a bit of struggling....

Mini-Soccer Balls Can Now Be Grown From The Cells Of Pig Bladders
Pig bladders have a long and illustrious history in sports, having made up the inflated innards of the earliest footballs and rugby balls. Now, a scientist named John O'Shea has taken the pig bladder element to a new level, creating what he has dubbed the world's "first bio-engineered football." (He...

Only A Soccer Match Could Send Noel Gallagher Through Such A Roller Coaster Of Emotions
Few fans of Manchester City are more fervent than of Noel Gallagher, formerly of Oasis. Unfortunately, he couldn't be in the UK when Man City made its incredible injury-time comeback against Queens Park Rangers to clinch its first Premier League title in 44 years. But a camera crew was there when ...

On Eve Of World Cup Qualifier Against Canada, Panama Holds Street Party Outside Canadian Team's Hotel
This is the second day in a row and Panamanians continue undaunted. Megaphones, loud music and fireworks are all part of the madness as Canada tries to sleep the night before the qualifier on Tuesday....

Libya-Algeria Soccer Brawl Featured A Perfect Flying Kick To The Head
It's qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations, and yesterday Algeria met Libya in neutral Morocco (since Libya's still not one of the more stable countries.) An Algerian strike in the 88th minute broke a scoreless draw and gave the Desert Foxes an all-important "away" goal. As the whistle blew on fu...

Look At This Asshole Yelling In Some Guy's Face Because He Wouldn't Sit Down At A Soccer Game
Apparently at Seattle Sounders games some people stand up the entire time as a show of support. That's cool, I guess. I'd prefer to sit in the seat for which I've paid, but to each his own. Some find it annoying because of the whole "better door than window" thing. I am also capable of understandi...

<em>Sports Illustrated</em> Senior Writer Calls ESPN A "Cesspool," Unethical
Well, surprise, surprise. ESPN finds itself in yet-another dust-up with its journalistic practices....

20-Year-Old Soccer Player Gets Pulled From Stands, Suits Up For Scottish National Team, Scores Dramatic Game-Tying Goal
You hear about improbable debuts in sports all the time, but anybody else's story would be hard-pressed to top that of Sarah Crilly. Last week, the 20-year-old university student, who plays for club team Hamilton Academical, was sitting in the stands watching Scotland's national team play an exhibit...