Sean O'Conor

Football News & Commentary
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Based in London, Sean O'Conor covered the US team at the 2002 World Cup and the 2003 Confederations Cup in France for Soccerphile. Sean is following the European World Cup qualifiers with an eye on the British teams hoping to make it to Germany in 2006 and also writes regularly on US and British Soccer.

Adios Sanchez

Hugo Sanchez: The ex-Real Madrid legend's last game in charge of the Mexican national team was the 2-1 win over Ghana in a friendly at Fulham.

Premiership's Overseas Move

Writer Alex Fynn discusses the EPL's proposal to stage games overseas.

England v Switzerland

England's beat Switzerland 2-1 at Wembley in Fabio Capello's first match in charge.

Fabio Capello's Inconvenient Truth

Fabio Capello has more to fix than England's perceived lack of fighting spirit.

England look to Capello

England's new coach is Fabio Capello - as the FA look for an Italian job to cure the national team's woes.

England out of Euro 2008

England lose to Croatia and fail to qualify.

Brazil World Cup 2014

FIFA awarded Brazil World Cup 2014 but the country has much to do to win over the sceptics and stage a successful tournament.

Soccer Has Lessons To Learn

Assocciation Football has much to learn from its cousins rugby and gridiron.

Euro 2008: Russia v England

Russia beat England Euro 2008 qualifing match reaction.

Euro 2008: England v Estonia

England defeated Estonia 3-0 in their Euro 2008 qualifing match at New Wembley Stadium and now face a showdown with Russia in Moscow to decide which of the two teams will qualify for Euro 2008.

Euro 2008: England v Russia

England beat Russia 3-0 in a Euro 2008 qualifing match at New Wembley Stadium.

New Wembley

New Wembley Stadium, a foreign field forever England.

Beckham Feels The Strain

David Beckham played two games in two days - both defeats as the England and LA Galaxy midfielder begins to feel the strain.

Beckham Bandwagon

Beckham Bandwagon - so far so good for Goldenballs in LA.

Interview with Duncan Hamilton

Duncan Hamilton talks about his book Provided You Don't Kiss Me - a biography of Brian Clough, the enigmatic manager and man he knew for 20 years.

Champions League Final 2007

2007 Champions League Final Review - AC Miilan gain a measure of revenge for their 2005 final defeat with a 2-1 win over Liverpool in Athens in a match marred by ticket chaos.

Euro 2012

Italy lose out to Ukraine and Poland in the vote to host Euro 2012.

Brian Clough

Duncan Hamilton's book on Brian Clough Provided You Don't Kiss Me.

USA World Cup 2018

The USA is preparing a bid to stage World Cup 2018.

Glen Little

Glen Little on Reading's first season in the Premier League.

Korea 1:0 Greece

Korea edged Greece in a close encounter at Craven Cottage.

Klinsmann Says No

Jurgen Klinsmann turns down the offer to coach the US national side.

Premiership Sales

England's Premier League intends to sever its already frayed ties with the Football Association next season.

Iain Dowie

Charlton Athletic's coach Iain Dowie is the first managerial casualty of the 2006-7 Premiership season.

Freddy Adu

Freddy Adu comes on trial to Manchester United. Would Premier League clubs do better to look at Clint Dempsey?

Jurgen Klinsmann

Jurgen Klinsmann is keeping everyone waiting as he considers becoming the next coach of the US national soccer team.

Juan Pablo Angel

Juan Pablo Angel talks about the recent good times at Aston Villa.

England's Glory

England's national football team can look forward to more failure under Steve McClaren.

Serie A Scandal

In the wake of Serie A's biggest scandal Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio are sent down to Serie B.

Watford & Reading

The quayside of the Premiership seems an ever more lonely place for those new arrivals off the Championship boat but Watford and Reading are set to impress the big boys with their unique playing styles.

Once in a Lifetime

Once in a Lifetime: the Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos - recalls the brief candle that was football in New York in the late 1970s when a team unlike any other created before, the New York Cosmos, exploded in a media supernova of soccer superstars and unprecedented fame that vanished almost as soon as they appeared.

Calcio

John Foot talks about his book Calcio - a history of the game in Italy from its 19th Century roots to the modern day via legends like Silvio Piola, Roberto Baggio and the great Torino team who perished at Superga.

Highbury Goodbye

Goodbye Highbury - We bid a fond farewell to Arsenal's classic Highbury Stadium.

US Soccer - MLS 2006 Season Preview

MLS 2006 Season Preview - US Major League soccer enters its second decade, is the league stable or just stagnating?

Germany v USA Friendly, March 2006

German coach Jurgen Klinsmann probably felt better after the recent Germany v USA friendly in Dortmund, but the vultures continue to circle overhead.

The Wembley Saga

A look at the continuing saga of the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium, which has been plagued by cost overruns, labour disputes and delays.

Is Football The World's Most Exciting Sport?

According to new research from America, the answer is "Yes". We look at the reasons why.

World Cup Qualifying - Play-Offs

Australia v Uruguay - Guus Hiddink accesses Australia's chances against Uruguay.

World Cup Qualifying Zone - Round-up

World Cup Qualifying Play Offs - A preview of the final play-offs for World Cup 2006 qualification. Australia v Uruguay, Bahrain v Trinidad & Tobago, Spain v Slovakia ...

Interview With Andy Lyons

Andy Lyons co-founder and editor of When Saturday Comes, widely regarded as the most intelligent football magazine in the world.

Woking 3:2 Nottingham Forest

Woking met former European champions Nottingham Forest at Kingfield in the LDV Vans Trophy.

Australia 5:0 Jamaica

Australia swept aside Jamaica with ease at Craven Cottage in their final game before their do or die World Cup play-off in November.

GOAL! The Movie

Goal! The Movie The story like the game itself is simple enough to appeal to everyone: A well-worn rags to riches tale of having a dream and overcoming all the obstacles along the way to fulfilling it.

Ghana v Senegal and the Unveiling of Michael Essien

The Ghana v Senegal international friendly held in Brentford, West London saw Chelsea's new signing Michael Essien in the media spotlight.

Interview with Paolo Hewitt

Exclusive with fashion journalist Paolo Hewitt - Paolo Hewitt is a well-known music and style journalist who has written for several publications and an author of ten books, including biographies of iconic English bands the Jam and Oasis as well as a heartfelt autobiography ‘The Looked-After Kid‘. But he is also a big football fan and penned a book about the mercurial ‘70s footballer Robin Friday, “The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw”, with former Oasis drummer Paul McGuigan.

Return To Heysel - Liverpool v Juventus

Return To Heysel - Liverpool v Juventus - A look back 20 years to the tragic events of the 1985 European Cup Final at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, as Liverpool meet Juventus in the Champions League for the first time since 39 Juve fans lost their lives that sad night in Belgium.

US Soccer - MLS 2005 Season Preview

MLS 2005 Season Preview - US Major League soccer enters its tenth year, here's what to expect for the new season.

World Cup Qualifying Zone - Wales v Austria

Wales v Austria - Wales slipped to defeat at home to Austria and look set to miss out on World Cup 2006.

World Cup Qualifying Zone - Round-up

World Cup Qualifying Zone - Round-up - A review of all the action in Europe - March 2005 games.

Football Chairmen

Football Chairmen - Roman Abramovich, Alan Sugar, Robert Maxwell, Peter Ridsdale, Delia Smith, Ken Bates, Jesus Gil, Silvio Berlusconi et al.

Garrincha

Garrincha - Garrincha scored a whopping 232 league goals from the wing and as well as being perhaps the greatest dribbler in soccer history is credited with being the first practitioner of the banana kick.

Arsenal In Europe

Arsenal in Europe - Arsene Wenger looked ashen-faced after the match. Arsenal had just been outplayed 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League second round tie and knew it.

John Toshack & Wales

Wales‚ new coach John Toshack sets out to disprove two old adages; one that you never get a second chance in life and two that you should never go back.

Morbo - The Story of Spanish Football

Sean O'Conor takes a look at Phil Ball's classic book on el futbol: Morbo - The Story of Spanish Football.

Premiership Match Report

Charlton v Fulham - The last Premiership game before Christmas saw Charlton top Fulham 2-1 in a London derby played on a bitterly cold night at the Valley.
The star of the show was Jerome Thomas. His pace and skill caused the Cottagers problems all evening and he set the Addicks on their way with a goal in the 27th minute. [+]

Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp - Harry Redknapp‚s fighting talk last week on announcing he was joining Southampton after leaving local arch-rivals Portsmouth was spoken from the heart. The cockney coach is an old-style a manager as they come: Arrogant, strong-minded and unquestionably the boss. [+]

MLS Final 2004

DC United 3:2 Kansas City Wizards - DC United, the winner of three of the first four MLS titles, recaptured 'their' crown after an entertaining conclusion to the professional US season.
On the field this season, there has been little outstanding in terms of play although the league ticked nicely along for another year, which for football in America is in itself a kind of triumph. [+]

Race Row In Spain

Wednesday’s Spain v England match was supposed to be a meaningless friendly international but has turned out to be anything but.
England’s teenage tyro Wayne Rooney threw a childish tantrum to further tarnish the national optimism attached to his precocious talent. Far more disturbing were the persistent and booming monkey noises aimed by large sections of the Bernabeu crowd at England’s black players. [+]

David Beckham In Spain

David Beckham - Attention on the England captain’s transfer to Real Madrid in 2003 focused on his celebrity and the number of Asian girls who would exchange their red Man U shirts for white Real ones (the alleged reason ‘ugly’ Ronaldinho was passed over). But little coverage in England mentioned the fact Spain is a nation where politics and football are intertwined and where Real Madrid has attained a mythological symbolism for a nation that has undergone seismic changes in the twentieth century. [+]

Non-League Football

Non-League Football - If you have yet to savour the delights of English lower league football, then what sublime pleasures and delights await you: For here beats the true heart of English football with its die-hard fans who wouldn’t swap it for the Premiership any day. [+]

USA 6 Panama 0

USA 6 Panama 0 - On Wednesday the 13th of October the USA thumped Panama 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier in the capital, Washington DC.
That decisive result alone propelled the States into the six team final group from whom three teams will qualify and a fourth will play–off against an Asian team for a place in the Finals in Germany. [+]

Chivas Enter MLS

Chivas in the US - Jose Vergara, the flamboyant Mexican millionaire and owner of Chivas of Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s top sides, has agreed to enter a Chivas USA side in MLS next season, run unashamedly by and for America’s Spanish speakers. [+]

The Game Of Their Lives

The Game Of Their Lives - The USA’s famous win over England is soon to hit the cinemas. When we at last get to see this film called “The Game of Their Lives” after the famous Belo Horizonte legend, it should be a night to remember.
Due for release later this year, the movie, based on the book by Geoffrey Douglas, will give belated cinematic recognition to one of sport’s greatest upsets. [+]

Brian Clough: 1935 - 2004: England's Greatest

Brian Clough - Such a sad day I wished would never come. Said by many to have been the best coach England, the home of football, has ever produced, Brian Clough was a phenomenal goalscorer (251 goals in 274 games), prolific club manager and legendary personality who inspired a generation of fans like myself to be enthralled by football. His death from stomach cancer also sounds a profound death knell for the old English game as we know it. [+]

Wales v Northern Ireland - World Cup 2006 Qualifier

Wales v Northern Ireland - Europe was ablaze with World Cup qualifiers last week and I was lucky to go the one with the biggest crowd and most fiery atmosphere.
On a normal day a game between the 57th and 109th ranked nations in the world would attract a modest gathering but 63,500 had turned up in Cardiff for this ‘Celtic derby’. [+]

Freddy Adu

Freddy Adu: "I see myself in a World Cup final for the U.S.A., playing against a top-notch team everyone picks to win…and we just come out and blast them. One day when I’m holding that trophy, someone’s gonna take a picture. Oh, man. That is going to be huge." [+]

Confederations Cup 2003

Confederations Cup France 2003 - That the tournament is intrinsically ridiculous goes without saying. How many Europeans even knew it was on until Foé died? How many of us knew there had been three already (won by Brazil, Mexico and France by the way)? And what is it for? We already have the World Cup to pit nations from around the globe against each other. [+]

USA Soccer - MLS Season Preview 2004

MLS Season 2004 The most important fact about the start of Major League Soccer's ninth season is that football continues to strengthen its bridgehead in its last unconquered land.
US soccer might still not be getting the international attention a quarter-final finish at the last World Cup merits, but in America it seems increasingly here to stay. [+]

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