Amid Cup Fervor, Revisiting Pain Of Apartheid
by William C. Rhoden (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 17)
My introduction to Hugh Masekela came in 1968. Amid great turbulence, assassinations and riots, Masekela’s hit single “Grazing in the Grass” became the breezy anthem of a hot summer. more details | go to article

Walt Daggatt, Founder Of Original Sounders, Dies At 91
by Greg Johns (Profile/Interview | Seattle Post Intelligencer - May 16)
Daggatt was part of the ownership group of the Sounders club that joined the North American Soccer League in 1974 and he was managing general partner of the team that ignited interest in the sport in Seattle through that decade. more details | go to article

Footballer As Life Coach (The Imaginary Kind)
by A.O. Scott (Commentary | New York Times - May 14)
There are two Erics in “Looking for Eric.” One is Eric Bishop (Steve Evets), a middle-aged Manchester, England, postal worker whose existence has been a chronicle of hardship and disappointment, much of it self-inflicted. more details | go to article

Where Would The USA Be Without. . . The Netherlands?
by Andrea Canales (Analysis | Goal.com - March 3)
The small country has had an outsize influence in the sport of soccer in general, and on the USA in particular. more details | go to article

Europe's Unbeaten Clubs
by No Author Listed (Analysis | Soccer America - March 2)
ayer Leverkusen set a German Bundesliga record for most games without a loss to start the season Saturday when it tied Cologne, 0-0, and extended its unbeaten streak to 24 games. It's bidding to become the first German teams to go unbeaten in modern history. Here are the team who have gone unbeaten in Europe's major leagues over the last 50 years. more details | go to article

Miracles Happen To Those Who Play Well
by Andrea Canales (Commentary | Goal.com - February 27)
If others lean on the 'A nation stands behind us' mantra, where exactly does that leave the United States in sports that aren't the most popular in the country? Andrea Canales argues that it leaves players standing on their own feats. more details | go to article

Goalie, 90, Recalls Upset Loss To US In 1950 WCup
by Robert Millward (Profile/Interview | Yahoo - February 25)
England’s World Cup match against United States in June will bring back memories Bert Williams would rather forget. more details | go to article

Pele Says World Cup Games Should Have 5 Officials
by Martha Mendoza (Profile/Interview | Yahoo - February 22)
Pele says FIFA should field a match official behind each goal to assist the referee at the World Cup and avoid scandals like Diego Maradona’s infamous handball at the 1986 tournament. more details | go to article

UEFA To Honor Portuguese Legend Eusebio
by Associated Press (Profile/Interview | Yahoo - February 22)
UEFA will honor Portuguese legend Eusebio for his contributions to European football at a ceremony Tuesday in Lisbon. more details | go to article

Soccer Greats Talk World Cup
by Michael Lewis (Analysis | US National Soccer Players Association - February 19)
The training is better. The players are better. There is much more money and prestige on the line. So, does that mean the World Cup better? Michael Lewis puts the questions to Zico, Edgar Davids and Eusebio. more details | go to article

A Brazil Legend's Lasting Legacy
by Tim Vickery (Profile/Interview | Sports Illustrated - February 16)
Brazilian football lost one of its all-time greats last week when Orlando Peçanha died at the age of 74. more details | go to article

The Miracle Of Belo Horizonte
by No Author Listed (Commentary | FIFA - February 3)
England arrived at their first FIFA World Cup™ in 1950 oozing confidence, tipped by many to ride the dazzling wing-play of Stanley Matthews to win the first finals following the end of World War II. The USA, on the other hand, made a long boat trip south to Brazil with a hopeful smattering of part-timers and were expected to do little more than make up the numbers. more details | go to article

How A ‘Band Of No-Hopers’ Forged U.S. Soccer’s Finest Day
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - December 10)
Walter Bahr taught junior high in Philadelphia when he made the United States soccer team for the 1950 World Cup, playing a vital role in one of the sport’s greatest upsets. Team duty paid $100 a week. more details | go to article