The U.S. Soccer Federation has suspended Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco from U.S. Open Cup play for at least two years. The organization’s disciplinary panel banned Blanco after he punched United midfielder Clyde Simms in the stomach and poked him in the eye July 8 during an Open Cup quarterfinal game against D.C.
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World soccer’s governing bodyFIFA has offered an interim deal to the Turkish Cypriot FootballAssociation that could allow the disputed northern territory tostage friendly international matches.
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Poland’s Legia Warsaw recoveredfrom a poor first-leg display to reach the UEFA Cup secondqualifying round on a night with bags of goals and no realshocks on Thursday.
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Javi Garcia said Thursday that he is returning to Spanish champions Real Madrid after one season at Osasuna as a much improved player.
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Valencia vice-president Fernando Gomez said Thursday that the financially troubled Spanish club would do everything it can to keep their star players David Villa and David Silva.
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Manchester City reached the second qualifying round of this season's UEFA Cup with a 2-0 win over part-timers EB/Streymur from the Faroe Islands that gave the Premier League side a 4-0 aggregate victory.
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Real Madrid's Portuguese defender Pepe said Thursday that he has been inspired by reading seven-time tour de France winner Lance Armstrong's best-selling book on his struggles with cancer.
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Chris Rolfe and Tomasz Frankowski each scored goals to lead the Fire to a 2-0 win over Everton in an international friendly Wednesday night. The win against the English Premier League team came on the same day the Fire announced it acquired former Fulham striker Brian McBride from Toronto FC for Chad Barrett, a first-round pick in the 2009 draft, and future considerations.
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German veteran keeper Jens Lehmann conceded three second half goals as former club Arsenal beat his new side Stuttgart in a pre-season friendly late Wednesday.
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Russia's reigning champions Zenit St Petersburg have made French top flight side Marseille an 18-million-euro offer for their midfielder Mathieu Valbuena, local press reported Thursday.
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