Soccer Topics

Valencia, PSV fall to defeats

Sep 20, 2013

Valencia, PSV fall to defeats

Valencia and PSV Eindhoven slumped to humiliating home losses as the Europa League threw up some early surprises in the opening round of group-stage matches on Thursday. Languishing near the bottom of the Spanish League, Valencia’s woes deepened by losing 3-0 to Swansea in ...

Sep 19, 2013

Europe backing 2022 winter switch

Europe’s 54 soccer nations are prepared to support moving the 2022 Qatar World Cup from the summer heat to playing in January. European soccer leaders told AP they gave UEFA president Michel Platini a mandate on Wednesday for change, which FIFA president Sepp Blatter ...

Messi magical again in Barca win; Chelsea stunned by Basel

Sep 19, 2013

Messi magical again in Barca win; Chelsea stunned by Basel

Lionel Messi had a hat trick and Barcelona opened its Champions League campaign with a 4-0 victory over Ajax on Wednesday night. It was a different story for Jose Mourinho as Chelsea lost when Basel came from behind to win 2-1 in London and ...

Sep 18, 2013

J. League approves two-stage format

The J. League’s board of directors on Tuesday formally approved a new two-stage format that will be implemented from 2015. The J. League moved to its existing single-stage championship in 2005. Until then, the season was decided by the winners of two stages. The ...

Sep 17, 2013

J. League adopts two-stage format

The J. League’s board of directors on Tuesday formally approved a new two-stage format that will be implemented from 2015. The J. League moved to its existing single-stage championship in 2005. Until then, the season was decided by the winners of two stages. The ...

Tokyo sinks Urawa with late Hirayama header

Sep 14, 2013

Tokyo sinks Urawa with late Hirayama header

Former Japan international Sota Hirayama denied Urawa Reds the chance to stay within one point of leaders Yokohama F. Marinos by scoring a last-gasp winner in FC Tokyo’s 3-2 victory on Saturday. Hirayama, who came off the bench in the 73rd minute, buried a ...

Maeda at the double as Jubilo stun Reysol

Sep 13, 2013

Maeda at the double as Jubilo stun Reysol

Japan striker Ryoichi Maeda scored twice as struggling Jubilo Iwata boosted their top-flight survival hopes with a stunning 3-1 win at Kashiwa Reysol in the J. League on Friday night. Iwata came into the match second-from-bottom of the table and nine points adrift of ...

| Sep 13, 2013

England sweating on World Cup slot

by Christopher Davies

England is top of its group with two home matches to play as qualification for Brazil 2014 approaches what Sir Alex Ferguson would call “squeaky bum time.” They are the third-highest scorers in the European qualifying section and only two countries have conceded fewer. ...

Fujita hat-trick sends Marinos through

Sep 11, 2013

Fujita hat-trick sends Marinos through

Yoshihito Fujita bagged a second-half hat-trick as J. League first division leaders Yokohama F. Marinos cruised past Vanraure Hachinohe 5-1 in the Emperor’s Cup second round on Wednesday. Shingo Hyodo and Manabu Saito also struck for Marinos in the rout of the Tohoku corporate ...

Sep 11, 2013

J. League to adopt two-stage format

The J. League will adopt a two-stage format with postseason play to determine the league champion starting in 2015, multiple sources said Tuesday. The postseason will consist of each stage champion playing off against the runnerup from the other stage. The winners would then ...