Soccer News

LONDON (AFP) - England winger Stewart Downing on Thursday joined Premier League Aston Villa from relegated Middlesbrough for 12 million pounds (19.7 million dollars).

MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - New Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia brushed off comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday and insisted life in the north-west of England suited him just fine.

SUNDERLAND, England (AFP) - England striker Peter Crouch arrived in the north-east on Thursday to discuss a 12-million-pound (19.7-million-dollar) switch to Sunderland from Portsmouth.

LONDON (AFP) - Captain John Terry has joined Chelsea for their pre-season tour of the USA, but midfielder Joe Cole has been ruled out following knee surgery, the Premier League club confirmed on Thursday.

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo is on the verge of a move to the English Premier League, most likely to Tottenham, radio Cadena SER reported Tuesday.

ROME (AFP) - AC Milan will have to make an improved offer for Brazil forward Luis Fabiano if they are to prise him away from Sevilla, the player's agent said on Thursday.

ROME (AFP) - Bayern Munich's Brazilian international defender Lucio's proposed move to Serie A champions Inter Milan has not been completed, the Italians said on Thursday.

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wants to bring forward the club's matches, which are usually played at night, to the afternoon to boost its international television audience, especially in Asia, sports daily AS reported Thursday.

PARIS (AFP) - French first division side Sochaux have signed US international striker Charlie Davies from Swedish side Hammarby, the club said on Thursday.

VIENNA (AFP) - The Austrian professional football league on Thursday imposed a stadium ban on the long plastic trumpet, the vuvuzela, which made such a noisy impression in last month's Confederations Cup in South Africa.

BAGHDAD - Iraq played its first game in Baghdad since before the invasion, beating Palestine 4-0 on Monday and triggering wild celebrations among Iraqis unable to watch their national sports teams during years of war.

HOUSTON - Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching has been fined $500 by Major League Soccer for criticizing the officiating in a recent game through his Twitter account.

CARSON, Calif. - Edson Buddle scored a first-half goal to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-0 win over Chivas USA on Saturday night as David Beckham watched from a suite alongside Zinedine Zidane.

REDMOND, Wash. - Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Freddie Ljungberg says he has no intention of leaving MLS before the end of his contract.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Chad Barrett had two goals and assisted on the go-ahead score to lead Toronto FC to a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.

LONDON - ESPN and Sky will show Scottish Premier League soccer live in Britain and Ireland for the next three seasons, with an option for an additional two.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The United States had just two minutes left to avoid its first loss ever in CONCACAF Gold Cup group play.

SEOUL, South Korea - Manchester United has a not-so-secret weapon to win over fans in its preseason tour of Asia — the continent's star, Park Ji-sung.