Will Soccer Heed Doctor's Orders?
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - May 28)
Just over a week ago I was talking of the refereeing clampdowns that invariably accompany each World Cup, wondering what would be clamped down on this time. more details | go to article

Beware Of Youth Soccer Orthodoxy
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - May 26)
I get a lot of enjoyment out of looking at the Cal South Magazine -- it tells me quite a lot about the youth situation in one of our most important regions, and anyway, there are plenty of photos of smiling kids, and that’s always fun. more details | go to article

Ballack Injury Raises Referee Worries
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - May 21)
I guess it had to happen. Someone had to get injured at the last minute, injured so badly that he would miss the World Cup. Well, not just someone -- it would be a big star. more details | go to article

A Dubious History Of Pre-World Cup Clampdowns
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - May 19)
Every four years, as the World Cup rolls into sight, we get the news that the rules of the game are not quite as good as they ought to be. And so we learn that a minor change is necessary for the tournament to be played properly. Either that, or the referees are told that they need to be particularly diligent in enforcing a rule that is already in existence. more details | go to article

Goals Galore? Think Again
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - March 3)
I would have thought that it was by now blindingly obvious that goals are, in the soccer sense, an endangered species. They occur much less frequently than they have ever done in the 150-year history of the sport, and the chances of there being a sudden surge in scoring I can confidently predict at absolute zero. more details | go to article

To Strike Or Not To Strike: The Players' No-Win Option
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - February 24)
The negotiations -- if that’s what they are -- going on between MLS and the players union are, of course, a mess. I’m afraid that’s the way it’s always been with this owners-players confrontation in American soccer. more details | go to article

Working On Your Crosses? Don't Bother
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - February 22)
When David Beckham was flying high with Manchester United 10 years ago, he presented his admirers with something of a problem. Even they could recognize that he was far from being the best player in the world, he wasn’t that fast, his heading and tackling were nothing to write home about and he couldn’t dribble worth a damn either. more details | go to article

Gulati On Diversity, Development And Dollars
by Paul Gardner (Profile/Interview | Soccer America - February 18)
In the second part of Paul Gardner's discussion with Sunil Gulati, the recently re-elected U.S. Soccer President, Gulati answers questions about key issues facing American soccer as he begins his second four-year term. more details | go to article

Gulati: 2010 Very, Very Important For American Soccer
by Paul Gardner (Profile/Interview | Soccer America - February 17)
The election of Sunil Gulati as President of the United States Soccer Federation four years ago was unquestionably one of the most important events in the history of the sport in this country. more details | go to article

Can Nowak Repeat Success Of Bradley And Schmid?
by Paul Gardner (Analysis | Soccer America - February 12)
When Bob Bradley led the Chicago Fire to the 1998 MLS championship he set down a marker for first-year expansion clubs in the league: they didn't have to be doormats. more details | go to article

The Atrocious Treatment Of Togo
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - February 1)
Just over two weeks ago, writing about the decision of the Togo government to withdraw its team from the African Nations Cup (this after its bus had been shot up by insurgents), I had this to say: “Technically, it might be possible for FIFA or CAF to fine and suspend Togo for dropping out — but would they dare?” more details | go to article

Lust For Goals Propels USA Into Semifinals
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - June 22)
Stunning is the word, I think, for the USA’s rebirth at the Confederations Cup. Did I think the USA could beat Egypt? Maybe, but certainly not by 3-0. more details | go to article

USL Reaches For Big Apple
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - April 2)
Professional soccer in New York City? Now there’s an idea. I’ll buy that. And that’s what the United Soccer Leagues, the USL - which likes to define itself as an “alternative league” to MLS - is promising us. more details | go to article

A Triumph For The Snow White Formation
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - March 30)
Three years back, in the lead up to the 2006 World Cup, Julio Grondona — that’s Don Julio, the man who runs Argentine soccer — had some scornful things to say about some of his own players. It had been pointed out that the Argentine roster might well include a quartet of highly skilled attacking players — Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Javier Saviola and Sergio Aguero — all of whom were decidedly on the short side, with an average height of around 5-foot-6. more details | go to article

Refs On A Witch Hunt
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - March 19)
Blackburn Rovers coach Sam Allardyce has had a second shot at the refs, and this time he’s absolutely smack on target. He says that the refs have it in their power to banish diving. Reading that headline, I thought at once that Allardyce was calling for even more draconian punishment for the divers — because that’s all we ever hear. But this was different. more details | go to article