Bored? Tired? Pissed off because the DP you bought blew out his knee before playing a single game, limiting himself to the bench for 6-12 months?

Well, I can't preform invasive surgery on Jose Adolfo Valencia, but I sure can give you a wonderful way to waste your time until March. Meet rated90.

Joe Paterno wasn't one of us. He was a football coach, and damn good one a that, but an outsider to the world of soccer. He may have won 409 games with Penn State and made himself one of the most storied characters in the history of collegiate football, but he definitely wouldn't have known Kyle Beckerman from David Beckham.

This article was sent in by reader/writer/ Fire fan Daniel Casey. Feel free to follow Daniel's example; send in any articles you like! We love to hear what you have to say, and could always use the help.

The pre-season for any sport is an exciting time, full of anxiety and hope.

Video: FA Cup: Everton/Fulham

And so it was. In the English matchup of American titans Everton bested Fulhman 2-1, led by the efforts of a Man of the Match-worthy Landon Donovan, who assisted on both goals for his side. Clint Dempsey may have found success where Donovan never could, but in this match, at least, Donovan hushed his frequent teammate.

Ahh. I've finished my exams. I can say it's been a very long week, and I'll be getting my grades back tomorrow. Fingers crossed, people.

But, beside talking about me, I want to point out that this was an immensely significant week for American soccer, and one that really gives us a glimpse into where it'll be going in the near future.

Yes, I know I missed the Superdraft. I have midterms this week so, yeah, I've been more than a little busy.

Yes, I know you forgive me.

I'll be back by next week. Promise.

I mean, come on though. What "analysis and opinion" can we give about the Draft? They picked players, and we won't see them in action until March.

It's been a week of news for America's soccer league, but, as fate would have it, most of it has taken place in the UK. With Henry making waves, Donovan about to face off against Dempsey, and Ream possibly about to make a move, the Combine has been more than overshadowed by MLS's action in Britain.

See what I did there?

Today, an American scored for Everton. And it wasn't Landon Donovan, despite his having played well in the first match of his loan across the pond. It was veteran keeper Tim Howard who notched the goal, sending a surprise lob past an unprepared Bolton side. Check it out here:

Of course, we all remember in 2008 when Danny Cepero became MLS's first keeper to put one in, having made a similarly sinister lob against Columbus.

The picture here is my interpretation of the logo of Liechtenstein's national soccer federation. Just sayin'.

Now for MLS:

As far back as November, rumors swirled about David Beckham's next move. Under the surface of the MLS blogsphere, a small media circus simmered near a boil regarding whether Becks would stay, or move on to Paris.

After a week of vacation, I returned to my post here at the MLS Offside to find absolutely terrible news: MLS Rumors has closed. This website needed no introduction: MLS-Rumors.net was, bar none, the spiciest, edgiest, and, often, most accurate source for anything pertaining to Major League Soccer.

While nothing continues to go on in MLS per se, there remains a bit of an offseason shuffle for loans and trades. There's been talk of some pretty huge names going across the pond, be it for a trade or a loan, and regardless of whether the rumors have any actual merit. That said, we could see some big moves in the near future.

I guess that one advantage of having a schedule that doesn't match any other league's in the world is that, while MLS teams take a brake over the winter, competitions in Europe are just starting to heat up. And just as even the most faithful husband can't help but notice a pretty girl, it definitely isn't treason (or Eurosnobbery, for that matter) for an MLS fan to enjoy a match between European teams.

What do most MLS fans and Snoop Dogg have in common? They both probably don't care at tall about the 2011 MLS Re- Entry Draft, which will take place tomorrow. Added in the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players' union and the league as a way to ensure job security, the Draft is now it its second year.

So now we enter into that long, dark, cold, lonely time that the more cavalier among us call the "offseason". Basically, we won't be seeing any real MLS action until March. Granted, there's the Superdraft and some other small events in between, but for the most part we're now adrift in an MLS-less winter.

Sorry this took so long. This week had a lot of unexpected turns, and, as always, I could really use some help here. Still, let's begin.

Winning the Cup last week did a number of things for the Galaxy, including topping off a magnificent season and giving David Beckham serious reason to consider staying.