The capacity of Allianz Arena in Munich is 66,000. It is where Bayern Munich will host TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Friday in a showdown for first place in the famed Bundesliga soccer league as the season approaches its midpoint.
That's Bayern Munich, Germany's largest, wealthiest, most popular and most successful club.
U.S. playing it cool in choosing venue vs. Mexico: Buried on Page 25 of U.S. Soccer's 44-page annual federal tax return is a one-sentence explanation of the federation's “primary exempt purpose” for not paying taxes as a nonprofit organization. It reads:
Nervous Real Madrid creeping toward last 16: The most successful club in the 53-year history of European football's most prestigious competition, Real Madrid is making hard work of reaching the last 16 of the Champions League and the pressure continues to build on coach Bernd Schuster.
CARSON, Nov. 23 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Red Bulls defying odds in MLS Cup: First they fired Bruce Arena, the most successful American soccer coach in history. Then forward Jozy Altidore, the league's best young player, was sold to Spain's Villarreal. Then midfielder Claudio Reyna, their most experienced player, retired at midseason.
CARSON, California, 4:49 p.m. Nov. 23 (AP)
Crew beats Red Bulls 3-1 in MLS Cup: Argentina's Guillermo Barros Schelotto set up all three Columbus goals as the Crew downed the New York Red Bulls 3-1 to win the MLS Cup Final on Sunday.
Nov. 19 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Schmid's career comes full circle in MLS Cup: Sigi Schmid was fired as coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy in August 2004 over lunch. He had won three trophies in his four seasons with the Galaxy and the club was in first place in Major League Soccer's Western Conference at the time, but then-General Manager Doug Hamilton explained that “fans deserve a more entertaining and attractive product on the field.”
CHICAGO, 12:58 p.m. Nov. 21 (AP) U.S. soccer team to open 2009 schedule vs Sweden: The U.S. soccer team will open its 2009 schedule with an exhibition game against Sweden on Jan. 24 at Carson, Calif.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 8:16 a.m. Nov. 21 (AP) 2010 WCup organizers concerned about meltdown: South African organizers of the 2010 World Cup expressed concern Friday about the effect the global financial crisis will have on the tournament, which is already running well over budget.
MUNICH, Germany, 12:11 p.m. Nov. 20 (AP) Bayern interested in dealing for Donovan: Bayern Munich is hoping to sign United States forward Landon Donovan on a loan deal similar to the one David Beckham has reached with AC Milan, and possibly longer.
GLASGOW, Scotland, 12:52 a.m. Nov. 20 (AP) Maradona puts debut victory in perspective: Diego Maradona acknowledged there are things in life far more important than football – even as he enjoyed the fulfillment of his long-held dream of coaching Argentina.
MILAN, Italy, 3:21 a.m. Nov. 19 (AP) Ronaldo remains unsure of future: Ronaldo is still unsure whether he will return to professional football, and his 22-minute appearance in a charity match this week hasn't helped him decide.
GLASGOW, Scotland, 9:59 a.m. Nov. 18 (AP)
Maradona says he feels no pressure with Argentina: Diego Maradona showed the confidence and impudence he has long been known for when he insisted Tuesday that he felt no pressure as he tried to reinvent himself as a world-class coach with Argentina.
GLASGOW, Scotland, 10:50 a.m. Nov. 18 (AP) Maradona tells English to let 'Hand of God' drop: Diego Maradona thinks it's time the English stopped complaining about the handball goal he scored against their team at the 1986 World Cup. After all, it's not as though England hasn't benefited from controversial decisions by a referee.
Nov. 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
USD women lose to UCLA on late goal:
The USD women's soccer team failed to advance from an NCAA Tournament regional at UCLA for the seventh time, and it is now 1-15-3 all-time against the Bruins.
LONDON, 1:43 p.m. Nov. 15 (AP)
Beckham out, Bent in for England against Germany: England has dropped David Beckham from the squad to face Germany in next Wednesday's friendly in Berlin because he's not playing competitive football and recalled Darren Bent for his goals in Tottenham's revival.
Nov. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
USD women advance to face UCLA:USD women's soccer coach Ada Greenwood saw his team's draw in the NCAA Tournament, saw it would have to go through mighty UCLA once again, and had this reaction:
“I'll play anybody. I feel we're good enough.”
Nov. 14 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Tritons eke out NCAA soccer win: Shelby Wong's goal with 6:44 left in the second overtime lifted the No. 3-seeded UCSD women's soccer team past No. 6 BYU-Hawaii 1-0 in the first round of the NCAA West Regional last night at Seattle Pacific.
MUNICH, Germany, 10:29 a.m. Nov. 13 (AP) Donovan says he's ready for Europe: Landon Donovan may get his wish to play in Europe again, and this time it could be at Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich.
LONDON, 7:52 a.m. Nov. 13 (AP) Capello says he changed England players' poor diet: England coach Fabio Capello told his players to stop eating fried food and ketchup as part of his efforts to lift the team following its failure to qualify for the European Championship.
PHOENIX, Nov. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Mood in Mexico decidedly different toward El Tri: The last time Sven-Goran Eriksson was in the United States with the Mexico national team was September, for a friendly against Chile at the Los Angeles Coliseum. He charmed Mexican media by conducting a news conference in Spanish, slipping up only when someone asked him if he eats chiles and he gave an answer about the cuisine of Chile, the country.
ZURICH, Switzerland, 1:46 a.m. Nov. 12 (AP) Spain tops world rankings, Germany up to 2nd: European champion Spain continued its reign as world's top-ranked national team in the latest FIFA rankings published Wednesday.
BASEL, Switzerland, 4:25 a.m. Nov. 6 (AP)
26 Swiss hooligans sentenced for 'Shame of Basel': A Swiss court imposed fines and prison sentences on 26 hooligans involved in a violent pitch invasion after FC Zurich beat FC Basel in injury time of a championship-deciding match.
Nov. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Certifiably controversial, Maradona is the man: He scored a goal in a World Cup semifinal with his hand and was kicked out of another World Cup for a positive drug test. He has battled longtime cocaine and weight problems. He's been linked to the Mafia and allegedly still owes millions of dollars in back taxes in Italy.
CARSON, Oct. 29 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Nearing 40, Suarez still a wonder in defense: He raised a trophy over his head while waving his right hand as he basked in the adulation of the cheering crowd.
Oct. 23 Same old story for Palomar in shutout loss: SAN MARCOS - Andres “Argi” Robles pulled the bottom of his soccer jersey into his mouth. Robles decided to gnaw on some cloth before throwing his head back to stare at the sky Wednesday.
Oct. 22 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
USD soccer always reflects fiery McFadden: Seamus McFadden, the only men's soccer coach the University of San Diego has ever had, grew up in Ireland on a soccer field where cows kept the grass short. “Little Wembley” they called it.
WARSAW, Poland, 7:32 a.m. Oct. 22 (AP) Police detain former Poland coach Wojcik: Polish police have detained former national team coach Janusz Wojcik in connection with an ongoing football corruption investigation.
LONDON, 7:15 a.m. Oct. 22 (AP) Milan move: So long U.S for Posh 'n Becks?: David Beckham's proposed loan move to AC Milan could be more than just a temporary deal and might mean “arrivederci” for good to the Posh 'n Becks show in America.
MANCHESTER, England, 10:20 a.m. Oct. 20 (AP)
Man Utd seeks win over Celtic in Champions League: The memories of Manchester United's defeat to Celtic are still fresh for Alex Ferguson. As the two sides prepare to meet Tuesday in the Champions League, the United manager can't help looking back at the 1-0 group stage loss to Celtic in 2006 that followed a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford
Oct. 15 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Dalby enjoying MLS after European odyssey: Give Greg Dalby this much: The unknown doesn't spook him. He graduated from Poway High as a junior so he could enter college a year early, and he went to Notre Dame because he wanted, in his words, “to get out of my comfort zone” and “play where people don't know me and I have to prove myself.”
Oct. 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Aztecs get big win, shut out Stanford:
The San Diego State men's soccer team, playing without starting midfielders Daniel Steres, a freshman, and Jamel Wallace (Oceanside High), a redshirt junior – both of whom had red cards against UCLA last Sunday – pulled out a 1-0 win over Pac-10 rival Stanford last night in Palo Alto.
Oct. 11 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Aztecs get big win, shut out Stanford:
The San Diego State men's soccer team, playing without starting midfielders Daniel Steres, a freshman, and Jamel Wallace (Oceanside High), a redshirt junior – both of whom had red cards against UCLA last Sunday – pulled out a 1-0 win over Pac-10 rival Stanford last night in Palo Alto.
Oct. 8 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Arena's unenviable task: fix team-in-a-fix Galaxy: Bruce Arena has been in this position before, essentially starting from scratch with a Major League Soccer franchise and trying to sculpt it into a winner. He was head coach of D.C. United in 1996 when MLS came into being.
So far, Eriksson living high life as Mexico coach: He lives in a swank penthouse apartment in Mexico City, with 30 stories below him and a helipad above him, with 11,000 square feet of floor space, with monthly rent payments of $12,000. The skyscraper was designed by famed architect Cesar Pelli and is in the exclusive Polanco neighborhood, a stunning cylindrical glass and metal tower.
Sept. 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Edwards becoming Earl of Futbol's U-17: Earl Edwards has a picture on his cell phone of him colliding with a youth player from Brazil. The Brazilian has his cleat on Edwards' chest.
Sept. 10 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Status of women's team in San Diego in limbo: There it was, on the official Women's Professional Soccer Web site, a link for those interested in investing in a San Diego franchise for the inaugural 2009 season.
Sept. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
League says it plans to resurrect Sockers: The Sockers might be back. Again. The Professional Arena Soccer League announced yesterday that the indoor Sockers are to join for the 2009-10 season “upon the completion of their new arena.” The league's press release did not specify the location of the arena, but it is believed to be a 4,000-seat facility at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Sept. 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)
Collegiate help from afar and even farther: Khadim Diouf first went from his native Senegal to Connecticut for high school and then moved across the country to San Diego State with the desire to play his childhood sport of soccer and matriculate in a land of a new opportunity.
Argentina
Brazil
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Mexico
Holland
Norway
Portugal
Scotland
Spain
The MLS is the only FIFA-sanctioned men's pro outdoor U.S. soccer league.
