So the soon-to-be MLS season is, believe it or not, fast approaching. Seems like just yesterday we were watching Landon and Becks engage in an epic bro-embrace. Wistful days, those. But upon is the longest MLS season ever undertaken, a startling five weeks hence. As somebody who still considers soccer a cold-weather sport, there's not a lot about 100+ degree mid-July games that entices me, but

By Chris Wright

"Carling or Becks? Carling...or Becks? Budweiser!"

FIFA, eh? Watching over us all with ever-loving grace. Fighting the good fight. Tackling the real issues that threaten to undermine our beloved game with feverish haste and ruthless efficiency.

Launching his new underwear range for H&M, David Beckham said that his sons' reaction on glimpsing their dad in his latest unclad ad campaign was: "'Oh my GOD Daddy - not again. They were like: 'that's really good, but everyone's gonna see you in your pants." The underwear line goes on sale in 1800 H&M stores around the world on February 2.

Today I looked at my calendar and realized that MLS First Kick is only hours away. I also realized, though, that I hadn't written any sort of "preview" for the season. My bad. So, with today being a professional day at school, I figured I'd catch up on the 2012 prediction curve and look at what could happen in the coming season.

WikipediaDavid Beckham believes that Harry Redknapp would be a great addition to England if the Tottenham Hotspur coach is appointed as manager. Becks is well aware of Redknapp's coaching style as he trained with his side during the Major League Soccer off-season.
"Harry is a great man, a great manager.

David Beckham and the LA Galaxy, have competed in the Desert Diamond Cup in Tucson at Kino Stadium February 22 and 25, against the New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution and Real Salt Lake. In the finals Los Angeles Galaxy will be playing the New England Revolution on Saturday, March 3 at 6 p.

David Beckham's first appearance in England in more than two years could be at the Riverside, Middlesbrough, this summer in a friendly for Team GB ahead of the London Olympics.
The Riverside Stadium has been identified as a potential venue for the games that the British Olympic Association and the Football Association, who are running the British sides at 2012, are planning, which will give valuable experience for the Olympic competition.

As a Wimbledon fan, it's not easy to recall the opening day of the 1996/97 season, when I sat slumped in disbelief as Davey Becks put away Manchester Utd's third goal of the afternoon from his own half. In the Spanish second league division tie between Elche and Almeria, unpronounceable midfielder Xumetra pulled a Beckham of his own with a tremendous long-range lob over the Almeria keeper.

Every time David Beckham kicked a corner at Toronto's Rogers Centre on Wednesday night he was showered in red and white streamers. And while it looked like playful obstruction during the L.A. Galaxy's draw with Toronto FC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League, Becks was not happy as he lifted armfuls of the stuff away from the ball.

This happened in the LA Galaxy vs Toronto FC match CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals 1st Leg. But Becks has the last laugh on the bunch of yahoos doing all the instigating. Not cool, folks.

That corner led to the equalizer as Toronto squandered a 2 goal advantage. By the way, Mike Magee has been a rock solid performer for the Galaxy over the years and his contribution to that team can never be understated.

We're baaaaaack For the first time since November, the Grinder is up and running. Feels pretty good, donnit? Listen to the eponymous song from the 300 soundtrack at right on repeat as you read this. MLS suddenly takes on an Odyssean quality, I find. If you'll remember, the Grinder trudged off into its cave for winter hibernation after watching Donovan and Becks engage in a bro-hug for the

We're not daydreaming here at all. Well, maybe a little but we're looking ahead at the potential Galaxy-Santos matchup and, well, we like what we see.
That's not to say a Galaxy/Toronto-Seattle series wouldn't be grand. It would mean a lot to MLS to have another Champions League finalist, but the possible series between the Galaxy and Santos Laguna is brimming with storylines, possibly the grandest storylines of any potential matchup anywhere down the road in this tournament.

This has to go down as one of the most pathetic expositions of defending. The Galaxy could have propped up cardboard cutouts of AJ DeLaGarza, Sean Franklin, Andrew Boyens, and Todd Dunivant to do a better job. For a number of seasons defending was the Galaxy's achilles heel and one of the reasons for last year's success was their water tight back four.

"Handsome Man" David Beckham has sold a lot of things in his day on either side of the Atlantic, watches, fancy-pants underwear, fast cars, but these new Burger King smoothies are something we might actually be able to afford.
Given his benching by Bruce Arena this weekend put money on Becks sipping on one of these on the sidelines if he's there again this week.

It has been far too long since we have looked at the Critical Mention website for references to MLS. Over the last year or so, we have discussed MLS' efforts to measure the value of its television exposure through various local and national broadcasts. Through the website criticalmention.com, MLS tries to alert media to the "value" of its presence on various television programs.

There are lots of markets available for people to bet on football and millions of pounds are spent this way every week. But never before has the betting market on whether a 37-year-old man will represent a scratch international football team in a competition that isn't particularly valued at the upper echelons of the game [.

Image: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GettyImages.

"He is tough, it's a rare man who can be that tough on the field and also have his own line of underwear."

The fact that the President of the United States is compelled to think about David Beckham's pants when he meets him makes us feel a little better about our own response towards those ads.