Freddy Adu Heads to Portugal

El Salvador scores last-minute goal to knock out U-23 team

(NEWSER) - The US won't be competing in men's soccer at the Olympics, thanks to a heartbreaking goal that came literally at the last minute. El Salvador battled the US to a 3-3 draw last night, the AP reports; the US, which had been heavily favored to win its group in CONCACAF qualifying, needed a win after being upset by Canada 2-0. It was a back-and-forth affair, with the US scoring in the first minute, then falling behind, and finally coming back to lead 3-2. More»

Turns down millions more to play in Europe

(NEWSER) - David Beckham will be an Angeleno for at least another couple years: The English soccer star has signed a new two-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy, turning down an offer from a French club in order to return to Major League Soccer. That deal, from Paris-St. Germain, was for 18 months and worth $18.7 million. His deal with the Galaxy is reportedly worth just $15 million, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

By half time, the shirts are 2.5 times heavier

(NEWSER) - Nike is selling a ton of its new specially-designed Barcelona kits (that’s uniforms for the Americans in the audience), but there’s one big problem: The team hates them. Why? Because the eco-friendly shirts, which are supposed to improve performance somehow, actually get so dang sweaty that the players feel weighed down by them, the Guardian reports. Players came back from their preseason US tour complaining the shirts “weighed a ton” and “stuck to the body like a limpet.” More»

Viewership is soaring ahead of all-star game

(NEWSER) - After years of intermittent sniffling, Americans may finally be catching soccer fever, the Wall Street Journal reports: Some 4 million watched the US men’s team almost beat Brazil last month; some 2 million are likely to attend games featuring top European teams this summer; Seattle’s Major League Soccer team pulls in more attendees on average than its baseball team. More»

(NEWSER) - David Beckham's return to Major League Soccer was booed by sections of the crowd in Giants Stadium as the Galaxy demolished the New York Red Bulls last night, the Los Angeles Times reports. Beckham, under fire for criticizing the US game during his time on loan to AC Milan, failed to score, but played a solid role in midfield and appeared to take the boos in stride. More»