In last week's Sports Illustrated, Tom Verducci argued that baseball fans need to back off and give 18-year old phenom Bryce Harper room to make mistakes and grow.

When Freddy Adu was 18, he was already the highest paid player in MLS and agitating for playing time. His coach, Peter Nowak, famously responded, "nobody is above this team.

Get excited, US-based Kickettes: Robbie Keane is bringing his Irish boners to your neck of the woods! Yes, the Spurs goal poacher has signed a £3.5 million five year deal with Los Angeles Galaxy, his ninth club in a pro career spanning fourteen years, and we can look forward to see him rubbing shoulders with the likes of Landon Donovan and David Beckham shortly.

Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed he wasn't concerned about the potential of facing David Beckham this weekend, after our former player joined the London club for training.

"I didn't expect David Beckham to be playing on Sunday," said Ferguson. "You cannot all of a sudden come in to train for a few days and expect to play in the Premier League, even less so against Manchester United.

By Ollie Irish

David Beckham waves to fans and the media (there was more of the latter) as he leaves Tottenham Hotspur's training ground in Essex. Becks had a medical this morning, and was given the green light to train – not play – with Spurs over the next four weeks.

1. As you know, I'm a huge supporter of MLS fan clubs (with a special affinity for Chicago's Section 8). Here's a great article from ESPN on the rise of the MLS fan clubs. I've also updated the fan club links on the main page.
2. Tell me if this sounds familiar, MLS based US defensive midfielder loses head, acts out, gets sent off and puts team in bad position.

3PM Extra: Mourinho's piggy-back celebration, Casillas' card trick and Becks wins the MLS Cup

Presenting quality football videos from the interweb, daily at 3pm. Here's today's collection: 1) In the week when his former assistant and eventual successor as Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is looking under pressure at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho proved he is still the master of celebrations with this piggy-back effort after Real Madrid's win against Valencia on Saturday.

The biggest United fan who actually got to live the dream and play for the club has finally called it a day. It was only a matter of time and the only thing surprising about the announcement was that it happened suddenly out of the blue right at the end of January as opposed to waiting till the end of the season.

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeYou may recall our story about David Beckham selling his Porsche 911 Turbo. Becks is using part of the $217,100 garnered from the sale of the Porsche for a new 2011 Chevrolet Camaro.
The V-8 powered Camaro SS, which in the spec Beckham ordered retails for about $55,000, is finished in a matte gray paint scheme and has been fitted with glossy black wheels and tinted windows and lights.

As usual, by Monday mid-day SI.com's teeming soccer site will include my comprehensive MLS review. There, you'll get the scoop and skinny on Week 19, complete with updated Power Rankings.

Here's a supplemental attachment, if you will, with a couple of important points you won't find in the SI.

I wasn't always anti-All-Star Game.
I remember the first one, and how exciting it was. I seem to remember the first half being much better than the second half, but it was a large crowd at Giants Stadium and I thought it was awesome seeing all the league's stars come together for a game. And you had big stars then like Marco Etcheverry, Carlos Valderrama and Jorge Campos as well as guys like Eddie Pope and seeing all of them play on a team was cool.

Fox news is reporting that Robbie Keane is leaving Tottenham to join the LA Galaxy!! The $8M move will require the Galaxy to transfer one of their 3 current DPs. I have it from a reliable source that our supposed angel who never fulfilled our wish will be shuffling off the Galaxy coil for our HDC neighbors.

Image via WikipediaDavid Beckham said he was honoured that ambitious Paris Saint Germain boss Leonardo -he coached him at AC Milan- wants him to play for the French club, but insisted he will not make a decision on his future until the end of the season.

By Chris Wright

Becks and his Los Angeles-based galaxy of lesser stars are in Indonesia at the moment on an off-season trolley dash around the Pacific Rim, though the whole damn lot of 'em were shown up on arrival by this Indonesian fan who donned his hand-made and ridiculously dapper 'football wizard robe' (complete with 'football wizard staff') specially for the occasion.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp has claimed that David Beckham wants to join his club on loan in January.

Despite repeatedly claiming he is a Manchester United fan and would never play for another English club, Becks has been in talks with Spurs over a potential loan move.

"I think David fancies it," said Redknapp.

Harry Redknapp expects Beckham to introduce some class to this Spurs side

David Beckham is set to return to the Premiership after almost seven years. A short term loan move to Spurs is in the works. From the looks of it Harry Redknapp expects him to suit up to play in the FA Cup tie against Charlton Athletic as soon as next weekend.

As the sun rises on our new year, we are already well into the MLS offseason. Players are moving, rumors are flying, and the league is moving forward. So, instead of simply recapping the events of 2010, we at the MLS Offside now give you our predictions, expectations, and hopes for the new year.

Do Spurs need to be a part of Brand Beckham? But it's David Beckham... and we are Spurs.... so of course I would want us to sign him The above quote is not from one of the bastions of our game, but instead my brother. But matter not, it highlights my point perfectly. David Beckham, [...]

Alexis Sanchez whom we've supposedly been tracking for a while now will stay at Udinese at least until the end of this season. After that, it's fair game and while he's supposedly best suited to play out on the ring wing, it's safe to say that we've got that position covered sufficiently well between Nani and Valencia.

After claiming the only club he would play for in England was Manchester United, David Beckham entered talks with Tottenham Hotspurs, amongst others, a fortnight later. It now looks as though he will join Spurs on loan this weekend.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been asked what he makes of Beckham's return to the Premiership, but our manager doesn't seem very excited about the impact the former United man could make on the league.

Let's catch us both up on some happenings from the past two days:

• Anyone got a pretzel?

Brat-City!

Multiple reports have Edson Buddle en route to Germany to sign a deal with Bundesliga 2 side FC Ingolstadt. Quite an American contingent has recently traipsed through the Bavarian side.

Throwing up the new American Soccer Show a little early here, just in case you need something to close out your weekend.
Jared DuBois (follow the guy on Twitter, you won't be disapppointed) fills in for The Ginge. We hit the USMNT January camp, Americans moving and being pushed down the depth chart abroad, MLS combine thoughts with Travis Clark of MLSsoccer.

Becks and his beard were doing the rounds in Chigwell today he's taken a fitness test at Tottenham and is expected to train with Spurs until February. He's looking more fertile than usual, no?

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Stan Bowles QPR Debut: Enlarged Photo
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For QPR and Football Latest Updates and perspectives throughout the day, visit the QPR Report Messageboard. All QPR and football perspectives welcome...Also Follow: QPR REPORT ON TWITTER
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PEOPLE/Dean Jones - Football News David Beckham all set for a friendly 'debut' at Tottenham
- DAVID BECKHAM is in line for a surprise appearance for Tottenham this week in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

Becks hooker allegations go to court David Beckham has hit-back at claims that he slept with a prostitute in a five-page court document, according to the News of the World. It is five months since £3,000-a-night call girl Irma Nici hit the papers claiming she had bedded the ex-England skipper. In the documents, Beckham claims [.

Dutch amateur football teams have their moments.

[101gg]

• The trail blazer. (IBWM)
• Avram and stealth ninjas. (The DA)
• The best of Wikipedia. (The Spoiler)
• Becks as Christ isn't for everybody. (Dirty Tackle)
• Get that man his accessory. (The Onion Bag)
• Who wants sherbert?

The light of heaven shined upon us today and the Galaxy twitterverse burst forth with joy. We have been sent our Angel.

The Galaxy announced today that they have signed Juan Pablo Angel to a multi-year contract as the team's third DP (Becks and Landycakes being the other two). The big question now is whether our Angel can earn his wings.

The Rapids' Kosuke Kimura is big in Japan. Which is kinda fitting since is from there and all. I have no idea what they're saying about him because I am an ignorant, English-only American but I did hear the word "Beckham" in there towards the beginning. So I'm going to assume they were talking about Colorado trading Kimura to LA for Becks because that's the only logical reason his name would be brought up*.

One anonymous bidder has snapped up the black 911 Convertible Turbo driven by David Beckham for the past two years, Fox News report. Bidding for the Porsche began at $100,000 and finished on $217,000 after 45 offers on eBay.
The price was $71,000 more than the L.A. Galaxy midfielder paid for the German supercar when he purchased it new from Beverly Hills Porsche.

First of all, I thank you, the readers, for your saintly patience. Mid terms are now over, and I will try to go back to semi-regular updates in the near future.

That being said, one of the biggest events from the time I was gone was Juan Pablo Ángel's official signing as LA's third DP behind Becks and Landon Donovan.

- Playing for the youth team in 1993
- In the background of the celebrations for United's Premiership title win in 1994.
- Taking a throw against Villa at Old Trafford in our 1-0 win during the 94-95 season.
- Against Wimbledon during the opening week of the 95-96 season (you know, the year we weren't going to win anything with kids)
- Holding on to Premiership trophy with brother Phil at the end of the 95-96 season.

David Beckham has sung the praises of best mate and former team mate, Gary Neville, after he announced he retirement yesterday.

"Not only is Gary a great person, he is one of the best defenders ever to have played the game," said Beckham. "It was an honour to play with him at United and for England.

There was a time when you couldn't keep David Beckham out of the news, but with the stadium issues and transfer window dominating the headlines at Spurs last month, it's been easy to forget that Becks has been spending the last few weeks at Spurs Lodge.

Beckham is due to return to L A Galaxy shortly, but Harry Redknapp has been talking about the possibillity of him returning.

David Beckham yesterday showed he too could do something for others when he helped a stricken driver.
Becks has been training with Tottenham Hotspur and living at his luxurious home -Beckingham Palace- in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. On his way to Tottenham's training ground in Chigwell, Essex yesterday, the soccer star saw that a Nissan Primera had broken down on a busy roundabout.

Last month, David Beckham took his son Romeo, who donned an Arsenal scarf, to the Emirates.

He took all three of his sons to the Manchester derby today but Romeo and Cruz were more appropriately dressed, sporting Manchester United bobble hats. That's better.

Becks went for dinner with Gary Neville at Rio's restaurant, Rosso, last night.

Proof-Jason Davis
Somewhat unintentionally, Jared and I turned Episode 61 into a Twitteriffic show. The microblogging service popped up several times throughout the week, leading to a theme we couldn't get away from.
We start, however, by meeting Jared's alter ego, Reginald Merriweather.

On this show, Jason gets the episode number wrong. Then Jason and Jared cover the MLS schedule unveiling, the genius of #MLSscheduleIsLateBecause, the LA teams (and Becks) with soccer writer Luis Bueno, Andy Najar being a kid, listener emails, Charlie Davies, second division sanctioning, and more.

Strikers Billboard is up! If you are headed Northbound on I-95 be on the look out for this new Fort Lauderdale Strikers sign pictures captured by Miami Ultra Pabony Rivera and Flight 19 member Derek Reese. It's between Sunrise and Oakland Park.
The good news we hear is that the Strikers front office is selling season tickets like hotcakes!

Like Angel, Gonzalez, and Ricketts, Nathan is suffering through an injury today, so post game duties fall to me.

Somewhere in a penthouse in Vegas there is a guy snorting lines and rolling in hookers because he put $100 down on Mike Magee starting for the Galaxy in their opening match. Don't know how far down your probability depth chart that was, but I'm still diving to find it on mine.

So they're going to put a picture of Becks on the captain's armband?
(sigh)
For the future reference of the good folks at Sports Illustrated...

So they're going to put a picture of Becks on the captain's armband?
(sigh)
For the future reference of the good folks at Sports Illustrated...