 |
| [ PHOTO: THE TIMES OF ISRAEL ] |
A lawmaker in Iran on Sunday slammed the local sports federation for allowing star soccer player Masoud Shojaei to return to the international squad despite appearing against an Israeli team last year, AFP reported. Shojaei, the 33-year-old national team captain, and teammate Ehsan Haji Safi were criticized in Iran after they appeared for their Greek club…
 |
| [ PHOTO: FOX SPORTS ] |
Leaders of North America's joint bid for the 2026 World Cup said Monday they have seen no evidence of anti-American sentiment as they enter the home stretch of the campaign. The joint US-Canada-Mexico bid has long been viewed as the favourite to stage the most prestigious tournament in football, which will expand to 48 teams for the 2026 finals.
 |
| [ PHOTO: NEW YORK POST ] |
Estranged United States women's national team goalkeeper Hope Solo announced on Thursday her candidacy for president of the U.S. Soccer Federation in a personal Facebook post. Solo was given a six-month suspension from the U.S. national team for comments she made during the Rio Olympics.
 |
| [ PHOTO: CHANNEL NEWSASIA ] |
First they dug up the bones and defused the bombs. Then Russia erected a light-as-air stadium for the 2018 World Cup that rises from the ground around which two million people died over 200 days in the Battle of Stalingrad -- the tragic turning point of World War II.
 |
| [ PHOTO: NEW JERSEY HERALD ] |
The Chinese FA said Sunday that its under-20 team will return home from Germany after indefinitely suspending its tour over protests by activists who unfurled Tibetan flags at a game. The youth team had been scheduled to play a series of friendlies against German fourth-tier sides until May, aimed at improving China's chances at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
 |
| [ PHOTO: CHANNEL NEWSASIA ] |
Qatar on Sunday unveiled the design for what it claims is the World Cup's first 'reusable' stadium, the seventh of eight expected venues that will stage games during the 2022 tournament. Ras Abu Aboud is a 40,000 stadium that will be built on Doha's southern waterfront and host matches up to the quarter-final stage.
 |
| [ PHOTO: DAILY MAIL ] |
The China under-20 team's controversial tour of Germany has been suspended at least until the winter break following a row over the display of Tibetan flags, the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Friday.
 |
| [ PHOTO: HONG KONG FREE PRESS ] |
China called for "mutual respect" on Monday as it lashed out at the appearance of Tibetan flags during the Chinese Under-20 team's friendly football game in Germany. The Chinese players stormed off the pitch in Mainz on Saturday after a group of six spectators displayed the flags during the first in a series of friendlies against…
 |
| [ PHOTO: CHANNEL NEWSASIA ] |
Terror and cyber-security threats to major global sporting events, including football's World Cup and the Olympics, are growing, Interpol's secretary general warned on Wednesday. Speaking on the fringes of a security conference in Doha, where the 2022 World Cup will be held, Jurgen Stock said "a spectrum" of threats, which also included hooliganism, now existed for…
 |
| [ PHOTO: EXPRESS ] |
Russia says it will take extraordinary measures to combat any terrorist threat when it hosts the World Cup next year, as its military campaign in Syria makes the country a prime target for jihadists. A bombing on the metro in Saint Petersburg in April that left 15 people dead was among the recent high-profile terror attacks…
 |
| [ PHOTO: THE OREGONIAN ] |
PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Houston Dynamo used two perfectly hit shots to take out the Portland Timbers on Sunday at Providence Park. Defender Dylan Remick gave the Dynamo a leg late in the first half and forward Mauro Manotas scored from distance in the second half as Houston advanced to the Western Conference final with a…
 |
| [ PHOTO: CINCINNATI ENQUIRER ] |
NEW YORK -- David Villa scored on a first-half penalty and Andraz Strunaz added a deflected goal in the second half, but Columbus Crew SC advanced to the Eastern Conference final despite a 2-0 loss to New York City FC in the second leg of a semifinal series on Sunday evening. Columbus won the first leg…
 |
| [ PHOTO: THE OREGONIAN ] |
TORONTO -- Toronto FC survived a wild 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Sunday at BMO Field to advance to the MLS Eastern Conference finals. The result left the two-legged series tied at two goals piece, with TFC winning due to the away-goals tiebreaker. The Reds collected a 2-1 result over New York…
 |
| [ PHOTO: YAKIMA HERALD REPUBLIC ] |
SEATTLE -- Clint Dempsey scored two second-half goals as the Seattle Sounders beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 in the second and deciding game of a Major League Soccer Western Conference semifinal series Thursday night.
 |
| [ PHOTO: NEW YORK POST ] |
HARRISON, N.J. -- Sebastian Giovinco demonstrated his free-kick mastery again with the go-ahead goal in the 72nd-minute, and Toronto FC took control of its Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in the first leg Monday night. It was Giovinco's seventh free-kick goal of the year in all competitions,…
 |
| [ PHOTO: THE SEATTLE TIMES ] |
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders played a 0-0 draw Sunday in the first leg of their Major League Soccer Western Conference semifinal series. Vancouver goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic and Seattle counterpart Stefan Frei recorded shutouts as the clubs kept scoring chances to a minimum.
 |
| [ PHOTO: THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER ] |
The defending MLS Cup champs will have to wait for their ticket to this year's postseason. The Philadelphia Union scored early and held off a Seattle offense that came alive in the last 40 minutes, beating the Sounders 2-0 on Sunday at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa. The Sounders (12-9-11) could have clinched a playoff…
 |
| [ PHOTO: EMPIRE OF SOCCER ] |
Visiting New York City FC kept the Chicago Fire from closing in on their second-place perch as the teams played to a 1-1 deadlock on Saturday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. Chicago (15-10-7, 52 points) and New York (16-8-8, 56 points) each collected a first-half goal but couldn't add on in the second. Fire forward…
 |
| [ PHOTO: THE TORONTO STAR ] |
TORONTO -- Victor Vazquez made no mistake. As a result, Toronto FC made history on Saturday night. Vazquez scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in the 79th minute as Toronto clinched first place in Major League Soccer with a 4-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls. Once a league laughingstock, Toronto FC (19-5-8)…
 |
| [ PHOTO: NEWSDAY ] |
Sporting Kansas City scored a goal in each half to defeat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Wednesday night at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. It was the fourth U.S. Open Cup championship for Sporting KC. Sporting was founded as the Kansas City Wizards, one…
