Mike Barnard
The Archive
CRAZY DI CANIO CAN DO
February 1, 2001 | 5:00amLONDON - Paolo Di Canio is not just a maverick, he's an absolute fruitcake..And for that, most of English soccer is grateful, because the Italian striker and his trademark sideburns...
REAL MADRID ENJOYING REIGN IN SPAIN
January 25, 2001 | 5:00amLONDON - Already crowned "Campeon de Invierno," the winter champion, things are looking good for Real Madrid in Spain. Only once since 1994 has the leader at the halfway point...
A-ROMA OF FEAR LINGERING IN AIR
January 23, 2001 | 5:00amLONDON - Accumulating points while steadily setting the pace has come fairly easy so far for Roma, longtime leader of Italy's Series A. But from here on the championship takes...
HOAX IS ON ENGLAND COACH
January 18, 2001 | 5:00amLONDON - Now that he has begun his new job as England coach, Sven-Goran Eriksson will have to get used to a few things. Having his every decision analyzed on...
ROLLING THE DICE ON AGING ROMARIO
January 2, 2001 | 5:00amLONDON - There's no doubting Romario's fine record over the years as a striker, with his outstanding World Cup performances and 73 goals in 74 games with his current club...
FULHAM KEEPS MARCHING ON
December 28, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - The uniformed doorman at Harrods, in London's well-to-do Knightsbridge area, checks out all customers who enter through its doors. Those carrying backpacks or wearing scruffy sportsgear can expect...
THERE'S NO REST FOR THE WEARY
December 26, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - Who'd be a British-based player at holiday time? While their children tore the wrappings from countless silver scooters and brand-new Play Stations yesterday, the peculiar tradition that makes...
FAVORITES START TO RISE
December 20, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - With most European leagues more or less halfway through their seasons and a few about to close down for a winter break, it's time to assess how the...
LONG-TERM STRATEGY TAKES ON NEW MEANING
December 14, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - Winning a soccer match is no longer the straight forward notion of putting the ball in the other guys' net that it used to be. Nowadays, long-term strategy...
FIFA PLAYS SOLOMON IN PELE-DIEGO DEBATE
December 12, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - If you believe that Diego Maradona is Player of the 20th Century, chances are you're some years younger than the fan who thinks only Pele could ever deserve...
URUGUAY'S TOP CLUBS NEED BAIL BONDSMAN
November 30, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - This has to be the ultimate in sin bin punishment: a total of nine players from rival Uruguayan clubs Penarol and Nacional are likely to be missing from...
LAZIO FANS WON'T MISS ERIKSSON
November 28, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. But now that he's lost the winning habit at Lazio, Swedish professor Sven-Goran Eriksson's arrangement to take the...
BOCA HAS INTERCONTINENTAL EDGE
November 23, 2000 | 5:00amLONDON - The age-old debate over whether South American or European clubs produce the superior soccer has resumed with the approach of the annual Intercontinental Cup, a matchup between the...
ZIDANE OUT OF CONTROL
October 26, 2000 | 4:00amLONDON - Genius more often than not is flawed, and such is the case with Zinedine Zidane, the artistic and inspirational French midfielder blessed with God-given skills but cursed with...
SEX & DRUGS BOOT GERMAN COACH
October 24, 2000 | 4:00amLONDON - Accused by an old rival of being a drug-taking degenerate earlier this month, Germany coach-designate Christoph Daum reacted with total outrage and offered to take a drug test...
FISTS, NOT FEET, RUN FOUL ON BBC
October 17, 2000 | 4:00amLONDON - For a soccer highlights show, Scotland's BBC TV "Match of the Day" was packed with more punch than usual in its most recent edition this past weekend. Yes,...
CURTAIN FALLS AT WEMBLEY
October 10, 2000 | 4:00amLONDON - In deepening gloom amid an all-day downpour, England last week brought down the curtain to mark the end of two eras, as the last match ever to be...
ROMA FANS DRIVEN INTO CAR-TRASHING FRENZY
September 26, 2000 | 4:00amLONDON - The actual season has yet to get under way in Italy, but Roma's fans have already decided they don't like the way their club is shaping up. Driven...
VIALLI IN CHELSEA MOURNING
September 14, 2000 | 4:00amLONDON - Instant gratification is required at most major clubs with any kind of ambition these days, and even though Gianluca Vialli got off to a mediocre start in England's...
OLISADEBE AN UNLIKELY POLISH STAR
September 6, 2000 | 4:00amLONDON - Just because a soccer player was born in one country doesn't mean he can't represent another in international competition. The U.S., naturally, has celebrated the achievements of many...