The MLS Generation adidas squad completed an unbeaten tour of Spain on Wednesday by beating Atletico Madrid's reserves, 4-1, on the strength of two goals from Kansas City striker Teal Bunbury.

Just a day after beating Rayo Vallecano in a rain-soaked game, the Generation adidas squad rolled to its easiest win of the trip.

By Chris Wright

Bit of an iffy source on this one, but word on Pies Street is that Arsenal have taken goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to one side and told him that he will be free to leave the club in the January transfer window.

Almunia's current deal expires in the summer of 2012, but Arsenal are reportedly willing to offload the 33-year-old for a bit of cash (approx £1-1.

Europa League champions Atletico Madrid announced the capture of Corinthians star Elias for a reported €7m. The 25 year old has agreed a 4 and a half year contract and should be presented to fans tomorrow after completing a medical. Elias is regarded as one of Brazil's brightest futures and prior to the transfer, a move to Portuguese champions Benfica was imminent.

According to the London Evening Standard, Arsenal are prepared to sell goalkeeper Manual Almunia for around £1.5million next month. It is reported that Malaga and Atletico Madrid are both interested.

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Brazilian midfielder Elias Mendes will be signing with Atletico Madrid, confirmed the Spanish club earlier today. Following his medical, Mendes is expected to pen his deal with Madrid and will hope to be a boost in their attacking game.

Mostly known for his strength and physique, Elias Mendes can definitely be helpful for Atletico as they look to climb higher in the rankings.

Mario Balotelli has not made a lot of friends since leaving Inter Milan for Manchester City this summer. His comments after being named the best young player in Europe will do nothing to add to his reputation as the most egotistical player in football.

Balotelli was named the Golden Boy winner, which is organised by Italian newspaper Tuttosport and voted for by journalists across Europe to recognise the most talented player Under 21.

Liverpool have joined Tottenham in the race for Atletico Madrid winger Jose Antonio Reyes, according to fichajes.com.
Although he had problems adapting to life in the Premiership with Arsenal, there is no denying Reyes' talent.
When on song, he can do just about everything - shoot dribble, pass or cross - although his decision making has room for improvement.

Isn't genetics great? If Diego Maradona is your grandad and Sergio Aguero is you dad, the odds of you being a decent footballer are stacked pretty heavily in your favour. Then again there is also the chance that you will become a coke fiend. At less than two years old Benjamin Aguero seems to be [...

Atletico Madrid 2-3 Aris Salonika ( Diego Forlan, Sergio Aguero/ Koke*2, Lazaridis ) Aris Salonika boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League as they stunned Atletico Madrid 3-2 at Vicente Calderon. Aris are now level on points with Atletico in the points table and only one of the two teams will [.

By IAN HOLLIDAY

The good news for Liverpool's Europa League campaign is that the club is undefeated in group play and has qualified for the knockout stage. The bad news for the Reds is that they've managed only two wins to go with three draws against less-than-stellar competition in Group K.

Madrid might boast one more club in La Primera than Barcelona, but at the moment is is the Catalans who are coming out on top. The thrashing of Real Madrid at the Camp Nou on Monday evening was hugely impressive and, coupled with Espanyol's win over Atletico Madrid at the weekend, gave the capital clubs plenty of thinking to do heading into the next round.

Madrid might boast one more club in La Primera than Barcelona, but at the moment is is the Catalans who are coming out on top. The thrashing of Real Madrid at the Camp Nou on Monday evening was hugely impressive and, coupled with Espanyol's win over Atletico Madrid at the weekend, gave the capital clubs plenty of thinking to do heading into the next round.

Not even a wildcat strike by Spanish air traffic controllers could slow Lionel Messi and Barcelona this weekend.

Barcelona traveled by train and bus to Pamplona, and despite arriving just before kickoff, they still managed to beat Osasuna 3-0. The late arrival seemed to upset the La Liga leaders who took longer than usual to settle.

No big deal, but you can start referring to your favorite Philly soccer blog as your favorite award-winning Philly soccer blog from now on. PhillySoccerPage beat off competition from Philly Soccer Firm and Manchester United (even Nani's dive in the box didn't influence the judges) to win a 700 Award for Soccer Contribution to the Community.

The Houston Dynamo unveiled a new jersey sponsor and a new-look uniform on Tuesday, announcing a five-year deal with Houston-based Greenstar Recycling.

The deal, reported to be worth $12.7 million, includes exclusive jersey naming rights and will make Greenstar Recycling the first founding partner in Houston's new stadium.

Man, it's getting friggin boring here in RBNY Land. Massive holiday season traffic, bitter cold and, worst of all, hardly anything RBNY related going on right now. That so-called Re-Entry Draft, which took place this past Tuesday was a massive non-event, but there are still a few items of interest to discuss.

By Chris Wright

Just a quickie to confirm that the slightly spurious gossip we brought you last week may have had a nugget of truth to it after all.

The agent of out-of-favour Arsenal 'keeper Manuel Almunia has confirmed that he and his client are busy engineering a return to Spain, with Atletico Madrid and Osasuna both thought to be vying for the 31-year-old's services:

Joseba Diaz told the Daily Mirror:

"We have not finished negotiations, but it is clear that Manuel wants to return to Spain.

According to ESPN Soccernet, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea admitted that he would be open to playing for Manchester United. De Gea said,

"I know Sir Alex Ferguson has already looked at me ... My contract runs until mid-2013.

Manchester United has a few important decisions to make in the next six months regarding replacements for ancient stars of the club. Keeper Edwin van der Sarr and midfielder Paul Scholes are more than likely playing their last seasons in the EPL respectively and both men have been staples for the club for the last decade.

Atlético Madrid and Manchester City intend to finalise a strategic partnership at the end of the current Liga and Premier League campaigns

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Deportivo La Coruna ( Sergio Aguero*2) Sergio Aguero's brace allowed Atletico Madrid to down Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 in La Liga on Saturday, December 10, 2010. Aguero's double ensured that Atletico were not made to rue a penalty miss from the Argentine's strike partner Diego Forlan.

Atletico Madrid 2-0 Deportivo La Coruna ( Sergio Aguero*2) Sergio Aguero's brace allowed Atletico Madrid to down Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 in La Liga on Saturday, December 10, 2010. Aguero's double ensured that Atletico were not made to rue a penalty miss from the Argentine's strike partner Diego Forlan.

Update: Did you follow all of that on the MLS Re-Entry Draft:

Captain Conrad....with his infamous bobblehead.

Round 1

• D.C. United: Josh Wolff
• Chivas USA: Jimmy Conrad
• New England Revolution: Ryan Cochrane
• LA Galaxy: Juan Pablo Angel
• Chicago Fire: Cory Gibbs
• Sporting KC: Frankie Hejduk
• Seattle Sounders: Chris Seitz
• Columbus Crew: Jeff Cunningham
• LA Galaxy: Luke Sassano
• Colorado Rapids: Tyrone Marshall

Round 2

• New England Revolution: Fred

• Juan Pablo Angel to Los Angeles.

The Europa League is on GolTV with Bayer Leverkusen - Atletico Madrid at 1pm and Napoli - Steau Bucharest at 3pm. All Times Eastern

Bruno Labbadia Makes An Instant Impact As Stuttgart Coach.

Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart capped off their Europa League group stage fixtures with fine results that lifted them to first-placed finishes in their respective groups. Leverkusen managed to knock holders Atletico Madrid out of the tournament with a well-fought 1–1 draw, while Stuttgart, under new management, thumped Odense by a score of 5–1.

La Sagrada Familia, the famous unfinished work of Antoni Gaudí, has become the symbol of the city of Barcelona.

Back from personal vacation, this weekend's round of matches is the last one of the 2010 calendar year before the players go on their own vacations during the La Liga winter break.

World Soccer magazine has announced its World Player of the Year for 2010, one of many which will do so, and while that in and of itself may not be tremendously significant, its recent history tells us it may be a hint of what's to unfold with the big trophy coming up shortly.

What a cold one here in RBNY Land! But nevermind the cold - I'm already getting RBNY withdrawal symptoms. In about a month, we'll be getting into high gear for the coming season. In the meantime, there are a few tidbits, from this past week, worth discussing.
First off, the stage two of the Re-Entry Draft took place yesterday.

White Arsenal

As the white snow descended layer upon layer on the Grove, Arsenal fans like myself have to live up the fact that it will be another 8 days before we see our beloved team in action again. Referee Lee Mason decided that the conditions did not allow for a football game to be played.

Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, the two most successful teams in the history of the Copa del Rey, will meet Tuesday in the round of 16 in a repeat of the 2009 final.

Bilbao will play the first leg away at Camp Nou stadium after having won its past two games, but will be without injured star striker Fernando Llorente.

Atletico Madrid has signed Brazilian midfielder Elias Mendes to a a 4 1/2-year contract. Elias helped Corinthians to a third-place finish in the Brazilian league this season.

A statement on the Atletico Madrid web site said:

"Elias Mendes will arrive in Madrid on Monday December 20 for a medial under the supervision of Atletico Madrid's medical staff.

Copa del Rey 2010

The Round of 16 (Octavos) of the 2010-11 Copa del Rey (official name: Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad El Rey Don Juan Carlos I, i.e., "Championship of Spain – His Majesty King Juan Carlos I's Cup") begins today. Two attractive matchups will be televised in the US this afternoon, with two more to follow tomorrow afternoon.

Lots of Ligue 1 this afternoon, with Carlos Bocanegra's St Etienne at Lille on Fox Soccer Channel at 1pm. FSC also has Bordeaux - Lens at 3pm. Lyon - Auxerre is on Fox Soccer Plus at 1pm. This is the last match day for the French topflight before their winter break that runs to mid-January. Copa del Rey on Gol TV: Atletico Madrid - Espanyol at 2pm and Real Madrid - Levante at 4pm.

Atletico Madrid said goodbye to 2010 in La Liga last night, with a comfortable 3-0 victory over struggling Malaga.

2010 started with the Madrid side in fear of relegation and peaked in the summer with the victories in the Europa League Final and the UEFA Super Cup, over Fulham and Internazionale.

Atletico Madrid said goodbye to 2010 in La Liga last night, with a comfortable 3-0 victory over struggling Malaga.

2010 started with the Madrid side in fear of relegation and peaked in the summer with the victories in the Europa League Final and the UEFA Super Cup, over Fulham and Internazionale.

Mario Balotelli has not made a lot of friends since leaving Inter Milan for Manchester City this summer. His comments after being named the best young player in Europe will do nothing to add to his reputation as the most egotistical player in football.

Balotelli was named the Golden Boy winner, which is organised by Italian newspaper Tuttosport and voted for by journalists across Europe to recognise the most talented player Under 21.

Bolton are in debt. £90m in debt to be exact. We know this. Despite this, the club are determined to not lose Gary Cahill, Johan Elmander, or Ali Al-Habsi this upcoming transfer window and are instead looking to buy. The mighty Whites have been linked with a number of different names to purchase in January.

Care to comment on this habberdashery of colour that exploded at Maxi Rodriguez's house on Christmas Day? Image: Sergio Aguero's Twitter.

How was the start to your holidays, Kickettes? Ours were gluttonous, to say the least, but how did other footy stars spend their holidays? Hope you enjoy catching up with our short list of gift-giving guys and gals during our momentary jolt of motivation.

A star in the making, young Benjamin Agüero is set to fill big shoes. With Maradona as his grandfather and Atletico Madrid's Kun Agüero as his father, this kid won the lottery in the footballing genetic pool. Showing off his powerful kick and brilliant control at his miniature status, he's got all the makings of [.

Isn't genetics great? If Diego Maradona is your grandad and Sergio Aguero is you dad, the odds of you being a decent footballer are stacked pretty heavily in your favour. Then again there is also the chance that you will become a coke fiend. At less than two years old Benjamin Aguero seems to be [...