With most soccer leagues in Europe either finished or within a few games of finishing, the future is becoming even more clear for the contingent of Americans playing overseas.
With the dust continuing to settle after the United States Under-20 national team's failure to qualify for this summer's World Cup, one silver lining still holds true after the mammoth collective disappointment.
LONDON -- At a time when player conduct seems constantly to be under scrutiny, only the most eagle-eyed drivers would have spotted Jonathan Spector's SUV pulling up at West Ham's community facility beside the A13 flyover in east London on a gray Tuesday. The club hosted a coaching clinic for adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues, and the event rounded off with a kickabout with Spector and his manager, Avram Grant, before a Q&A in the clubhouse. Afterward Spector posed for photos and signed mementos for a queue that backed out the door. It only took an hour or so out of his afternoon, but he made the guests' day.
Manchester United moved five points clear in the English Premier League after snatching a 1-0 win against Bolton on Saturday despite having a player sent off.
West Ham moved off the bottom of the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over Liverpool at Upton Park Sunday.
Wayne Rooney's stunning overhead kick was enough to give Manchester United a 2-1 win over arch rivals Manchester City in the English Premier League on Saturday.
The stadium at the heart of the 2012 London Olympics is set to be transformed into a football ground once the Games have finished, after English Premier League side West Ham were named as the preferred future residents of the venue on Friday.
In a banner week for Americans in England, the one player who scored two goals might have turned in the third-most notable performance.
Liverpool secured their first win under returning manager Kenny Dalglish while north-west rivals Manchester United cemented their place at the top in English Premier League action Saturday.
Ten-man West Ham relieved the pressure on manager Avram Grant with a 2-1 victory at home to Birmingham in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals on Tuesday night.
The winter transfer season is in full swing, and plenty of Americans have had their names tossed around in the daily rumor mill in one form or another, for better or for worse.
West Ham moved off the bottom of the English Premier League with a 3-1 win at Fulham on Sunday to ease the pressure on manager Avram Grant.
Five things we learned from Sunday's action in the Premier League:
Christmas is a time for sharing, a time for caring and a time for firing your manager before the yawning jaws of relegation snap shut. Since the weather put paid to seven of the weekend's nine fixtures, let's have a look at who's in the danger zone:
Jonathan Spector had watched from the sideline for more than three months, unable to crack West Ham's lineup in any competition.
Sunderland beat West Ham 1-0 at the Stadium of Light on Sunday as the Hammers slipped back to the bottom of the English Premier League.
English League Cup holders Manchester United crashed out in the quarterfinals of this year's competition as they were thrashed 4-0 at struggling West Ham on Tuesday night.
This Premier League season is almost 10 games old, the first point at which it is really permissible to scan the table and suck your teeth as you read the names at the bottom. The last one you'll reach is West Ham United, which has taken six points from the first 27 available.
Upon returning from international duty, only a handful of Americans had successful transitions back into their clubs.
Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford by West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Clint Dempsey didn't need any assistance from Robert Green this time around.
West Ham manager Avram Grant will miss his team's English Premier League contest with Stoke City on Saturday to observe the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
After all the hype and speculation surrounding a major transfer for Michael Bradley in the aftermath of the World Cup, the 23-year-old New Jersey native stayed put at Borussia Monchengladbach, and the Bundesliga club couldn't be happier to have him.
Israeli coach Avram Grant has been appointed manager of English Premier League club West Ham United.
Italian manager Gianfranco Zola has been sacked by English Premier League club West Ham, while former England boss Steve McLaren has joined German side Wolfsburg.
With a week left on the Premier League clock, thoughts are starting to turn to the wheeling and dealing that the coming months will bring. Fernando Torres' scowl from the stands at Anfield on Sunday, as he watched his teammates surrender to Chelsea's endeavor, suggested his agent's phone would be buzzing before the weekend was up. The order in which the top six or seven teams finish -- not to mention the World Cup -- will help shape this summer's wish lists, so for now let's consider how the last year's signings have made an impact -- or not.
Liverpool kept their faint hopes of a Champions League place alive with a comfortable 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened West Ham at Anfield.
Arsenal climbed to the top of the English Premier League with a 2-0 victory over London rivals West Ham despite playing half of Saturday's clash with only 10 men.
AMSTERDAM -- On a U.S. soccer team that has several versatile players, Jonathan Spector might be the most extreme example. The 24-year-old Chicago-area native is a natural right back, but he has played on the left side for England's West Ham United this season, while for the Yanks he has split time between the right side and (in the team's last two European friendlies) the center.
South Africa striker Benni McCarthy has been given the chance to win back his international place ahead of this year's World Cup after joining English club West Ham on a comparatively quiet final day of football's January transfer window.
With Portsmouth failing to avert an upcoming court appearance over millions in unpaid taxes, and West Ham's new owners claiming their acquisition made "no commercial sense," the plight of the two English clubs highlights the dire economic times that world football faces.
Chelsea missed the chance to open up a six-point lead at the top of the English Premier League as they were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling West Ham at Upton Park on Sunday.
Argentine striker Carlos Tevez scored twice against his former club as Manchester City beat West Ham 3-1 on Monday to move up to fifth place in the English Premier League table.
West Ham and Millwall have both been charged by the Football Association following the crowd trouble that disrupted their Carling Cup tie at Upton Park on August 25.
updated: Tue Sep 01 2009 14:29:00
CNN's Alex Thomas updates what's been happening as the English football transfer window closes.
Jonathan Spector laughs when asked about the father of one of his close friends, who also happens to coach the U.S. national team.
A man was stabbed in the chest and 13 people were arrested after violence marred an English League Cup tie between Premier League side West Ham and east London neighbors Millwall.
West Ham United defender Calum Davenport and his mother have been stabbed in an attack at their home, the English Premier League club have revealed.
West Ham United's long-term future was secured on Monday when the Premier League club was sold to a company owned by Iceland's largest investment bank in a deal reportedly worth around $162million.
Veteran Manchester United defender Gary Neville has received a surprise England recall for the World Cup tie against Kazakhstan and Andorra next month.
Unheralded Stoke look set to be playing in the Prremier League next season after a 1-0 home win over Blackburn Rovers which leaves Sam Allardyce's men still deep in relegation trouble.
The long-running Carlos Tevez affair was finally brought to a close on Monday as West Ham and Sheffield United reached an out-of-court settlement.
Goals from Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov saw Manchester United come from behind to win 2-1 at Newcastle, a result that restores their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
England midfielder Stewart Downing turned in an inspired display as Middlesbrough shook off their relegation fears to book their place in the FA Cup quarterfinals for the fourth successive year with a 2-0 home win over West Ham.
Jermain Defoe scored his first goal since returning to Tottenham from Portsmouth to deny his former club victory in a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane, a result that lifts Harry Redknapp's side off the bottom of the Premier League.
West Ham United could face further action in the Carlos Tevez affair after the English FA and Premier League launched another inquiry into events during the Argentine star's time at Upton Park.
The transfer window opened on Thursday with West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury admitting that the Premier League club are open to offers for every member of their squad.
The turmoil at Newcastle and West Ham in the past month is a good indication of how far the balance of power has swung among those who actually run English Premier League clubs.
West Ham have confirmed that former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola has agreed a three-year deal to take over as the English Premier League club's new manager.
Ladies and gentlemen, raise the curtain and welcome Manchester City Football Club onto the world stage.
Robin van Persie scored twice as Arsenal eased to a 3-0 home win over Newcastle and moved up to second place in the English Premier League table.
Does the soccer world care if the MLS can run its winning record against foreign opposition in the All-Star Game to 5-0?
Premier League West Ham have completed the £5 million ($10m) signing of Switzerland international Valon Behrami from Lazio.
West Ham striker Dean Ashton has signed a new five-year contract to keep him at the Premier League club until 2013.
Manchester United took a massive step towards retaining the English Premier League title, crushing West Ham 4-1 on Saturday despite having Nani sent off in the first half.
Alan Curbishley has hired Italian Gianluca Nani as West Ham's first technical director after admitting he needs help finding his way in the global transfer market.
Two late goals ended West Ham's three-match losing run, as substitutes Nolberto Solano and Luis Boa Morte changed the course of the game to give the London side a 3-1 Premier League home victory over Sunderland.
West Ham United's Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson is to become more involved in the day-to-day running of the club, with Eggert Magnusson stepping down as executive chairman.
Sheffield United say they are going to sue West Ham United over the cost of their relegation from the Premier League last season.
Kieron Dyer has concluded his on-off move from Newcastle to West Ham after the two Premier League teams finally agreed a deal for his transfer.
David Beckham's not the only Englishman who can stir a storm Stateside. Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for your hosts for the next six minutes and 43 seconds: Here's Team Limey!
West Ham have confirmed the signing of rising French international Julien Faubert from Bordeaux.
Carlos T�vez started and ended his West Ham season at the center of controversy over the circumstances of his transfer from Corinthians last August. But no one could question his ultimate impact out on the pitch. World Soccer's Keir Radnedge recently sat down with the Argentine star.
Whether or not West Ham United are successful in their current $30m pursuit of England international striker Darren Bent, it is fair to say that the profile and status of the East London club has risen inexorably over the last 10 months -- so much so that many experts believe the Hammers are set become a real force in the English game.
Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun has extended his stay at West Ham by signing a new five-year contract.
West Ham striker Dean Ashton will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on the ankle injury that has kept him out of action since August.
The English Premier League have charged West Ham with breaching ownership rules in buying Argentine players Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano last August.
Earlier this week I spoke to a veteran agent, a guy with a number of high-profile clients. He made no secret of the fact that the January transfer window is not his favorite time of year.
Liverpool gave West Ham a lesson in finishing as brilliant goals from Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch gave them a 2-1 victory at Upton Park.
In a week in which Dirk Benedict and Jermaine Jackson crossed the pond for UK Celebrity Big Brother, there was only one way in which Blighty could return the favor: coming at you faster than The Mayflower following an uplifting prayer, here's The Limey.
West Ham and Manchester City both appealed against the red cards shown to their players in Saturday's Premier League matches.
West Ham manager Alan Pardew was sacked on Monday after a string of poor results which have left the east London club in the Premier League relegation zone.
Everton left West Ham deep in relegation trouble with a 2-0 win over the east London club at Goodison on Sunday.
West Ham United have ended months of speculation by agreeing an £85 million ($161.3 million) takeover from a consortium led by Icelandic Football Association president and UEFA member Eggert Magnusson.
Premier League strugglers West Ham United were knocked out of the League Cup 2-1 by third division Chesterfield in a third round shock on Tuesday.
Icelandic businessman and UEFA executive committee member Eggert Magnusson confirmed on Thursday that he is involved in "initial discussions" about a takeover of Premier League West Ham.
West Ham striker Bobby Zamora has signed a new contract that will keep him at the English Premier League club until 2011.
Argentina coach Alfio Basile believes that internationals Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano should quit struggling English side West Ham to save their careers.
Tottenham Hotspur took a narrow one goal lead back to London after beating Czech club Slavia Prague in their first leg first round UEFA Cup match on Thursday.
Argentine Carlos Tevez made his eagerly awaited debut for West Ham when he came on as a 61st minute substitute in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
Argentina's Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano will take West Ham United to a new level, manager Alan Pardew said when he welcomed his new signings to Upton Park on Tuesday.
World body FIFA will force individuals trying to take over clubs to reveal their identities as part of a drive to increase transparency in the sport, it was reported Sunday.
Liverpool scored twice in four minutes before the interval to come from behind and beat West Ham 2-1 in the English Premier League.
West Ham United have signed England international goalkeeper Robert Green from Norwich City on a four-year deal.
A superb late strike by Marlon Harewood gave West Ham United a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Sunday and a place in next month's FA Cup final against Liverpool.
Anton Ferdinand matched big brother Rio with a superb goal in West Ham's 2-1 Premier League win over London rivals Fulham at Upton Park on Monday.
West Ham United have agreed to sign Israel striker Yaniv Katan from Maccabi Haifa on a three and a half year deal.
Striker Marlon Harewood scored a hat-trick to inspire West Ham to a 4-0 home win over Aston Villa in the English Premier League.
Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun has joined newly-promoted English Premier League side West Ham from Racing Santander.
West Ham United have signed former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll.
West Ham won promotion to the English Premier League by beating Preston 1-0 in the championship playoff final - the world's richest club match.
Mateja Kezman finally broke his scoring duck as Chelsea beat West Ham United 1-0 in the League Cup London derby at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Ukrainian striker Serhiy Rebrov joined West Ham on a free transfer on Tuesday, finally ending his troubled four-year relationship with Tottenham.
Tottenham have signed England Under-21 striker Jermain Defoe from Division One side West Ham for seven million pounds plus Spurs forward Bobby Zamora.
Loading weather data ...
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|