After a two-month layoff, the UEFA Champions League returns to action today with the first two of eight round of 16 first round ties.
One of the more highly anticipated matches of the round sees AC Milan host Manchester United, while Olympique Lyonnais welcomes Real Madrid to the Stade de Gerland.
The return leg of both ties [...]

Patience is a virtue, or so they say.  With World Qualifying finished and less than a year until South Africa 2010, it may seem as most of the waiting is over.  But for the U.S. men’s national soccer team and its supporters there is more to wait for now than in the past three years.
Waiting [...]

When juxtaposed, UEFA Champions League Groups C and D show us the best and worst about the competition’s group phase, with neither group having a monopoly on the good qualities.
The difference in the groups’ depth highlights the problem Champions League accepts with four-team groups. When a tournament spreads its teams into many small groups, [...]

It was not as big an upset as Tuesday’s result at Camp Nou, but Milan’s late goal at the Santiago Bernabéu – handing Real Madrid their first home loss of the Galactícos 2.0 era – was enough of a shock to knock Rubin Kazan out of the headlines, earning the Italians a 3-2 win.
Perhaps as [...]

Between them, Real Madrid and AC Milan have 16 European titles, finishing second another seven times. In the 54-year history of the European Cup and Champions League, roughly two-fifths of the finals have featured one of these clubs. Milan’s presence has been slightly less frequent, having made eleven finals appearances (winning seven), but [...]

You’re going to hear a lot about FC Zürich over the next two days (and rightfully so), but they were not the only little-club-that-could on Wednesday. They were just the most successful. Today, two other clubs that would not have been in this competition last season almost made a name for themselves.
In Bordeaux, [...]

Group A is the only group that does not feature a team from England or Spain, part of the reason why it is quickly becoming the UEFA Champions League’s most interesting quartet. There is no clear favorite. Your expert of choice could be backing any of Bayern Munich, Juventus, or Bordeaux. It [...]

What a difference three days made for Milan.
In that time, Leonardo revitalized the squad that only managed a scoreless draw Saturday at newly-promoted Livorno. Today, thanks to two goals from Pippo Inzaghi, Leonardo’s Champions League coaching debut ended with a 2-1 over Marseille and the Vélodrome.
This could be a crushing loss for Marseille and [...]

As a key member of our soccer-loving community, Kartik Krishnaiyer is one of the first people you would go to for an opinion on Major League Soccer, CONCACAF football, or the sport at large. In Episode 4 of World Soccer Reader Radio, Kartik joined host Richard Farley to talk Gold Cup, the U.S. National [...]

The Argentinean’s future has been the source of much speculation over the past few months, but it has now been decided: he will not don the red of Manchester United next season.