I was a little shocked in Paul Gardner's post-match analysis of the friendly between the United States and Argentina. Not because he bashed Bob Bradley and the US team, but because of how much he was off the plot in his analysis.
Gardner's points:
* Frustration in the US relying in their goalkeeper against the top world powers - my guess is that any team up against the likes of Messi and Di Maria would need to have solid goalkeeping to get a result.

Ok. Let us recap for the thousandth time. Barcelona won the Champions League Final 2010-2011 against Manchester United by hammering them 3-1. All hail Barcelona's brilliance and one Goal.com editor goes as far as, that we should all thank Barcelona for giving us the performance of the decade. What sort of a ridiculous demand is [.

From arrogant Swedes to bratty Brazilians, there are many players who will have a big spotlight on them in the upcoming season. While some of these players are about to make the biggest move of their career, others will need to solidify their position they hold at their current club. For some, this season could be the last one which they're considered worth looking at.

Everything was going so well. Sure, a few harsh and untimely challenges from both clubs, but it will always be an element of this bitter rivalry. For ninety minutes (plus the ninety from the first leg on Sunday), Real Madrid and Barcelona wowed the masses with a display of football that puts both clubs light years ahead of the rest of the competition.

As disappointing as the end result was, especially after a cracking first half that saw Liverpool take the game to Sunderland, there were still positives to take away from Saturday's opening day draw at Anfield. Luis Suarez may have quite obviously tired in the second half, but it was his first game back and from a fitness standpoint served the same purpose as the early preseason games in China did for most of the squad, and before he did run out of gas he showed the same deadly form that he brought to Liverpool throughout the second half of last season and to Uruguay when he was named player of the tournament for leading his country to Copa America glory.

Wayne Rooney scored one of the goals of the season Saturday to defeat Manchester City in the hotly contested Manchester derby. In a drab game that had several uneventful spells mixed with possession-football by both sides, chances were few and far between.

So it took a moment of brilliance from Rooney to score an absolute peach of a goal past Joe Hart and to give all three points to United.

I think Cesc Fabregas' time at Arsenal is nearing it's end. He has been a great servant since joining the club at age 16, but it may now be time to collect the fat check from Barcelona, allow Cesc to go where he wants, and use the money to move forward and improve the team as a whole. Sources say that Arsenal are looking for a fee of 35-40 million pounds for the captain, and if Barcelona, or any other club, meet that asking price, does anyone NOT think it would be in our best interest to take that kind of cash?

Having a new coach for the upcoming season surely gives a newfound spirit for Chelsea players, however according to their defender, Branislav Ivanovic, in order to get better result it will take more than Andre Villas-Boas' tactics.

According to Ivanovic, he and his teammates must also improve their showing especially in the middle through front line since last season, those areas are not as strong as the London team's back line.

Guardiola awkwardly watches Sergio Busquets and Mourinho
nuzzle noses in a memorable moment of the match
After my makeshift preview of El Clasico, things turned out exactly as I didn't think they would. While I was expecting an exciting battle between two sides wanting to crush each other, it turned out to be a fairly tiring affair to watch, especially the first half.

Player ratings for the United States for their win over Canada last night.

(GK) Tim Howard: 8
If not for Howard's brilliance late in the game you wonder if this would have been a different result. For all of the hard work the USA put in this game they still needed Howard to ensure three points.

A late goal by Danny Welbeck earned England a 1-1 draw on the first day of Group B action in Herning.

Spain dominated possession throughout the game and took the lead through Ander Herrera in the 14th minute. It looked like Spain were going to pick up all three points, but Welbeck denied them with his equaliser in the 88 minute.

Sidelined for almost the whole season in favour of Heurhelo Gomes, the 37 year-old veteran keeper has arguably gone beyond the call of duty when asked to stand in for Heurhelo Gomes for two brief periods during the season when the No. 1 was hit firstly with a match ban and then more recently was ruled out with a back injury.

The final piece of four wrapping up the season, delayed by a few mishaps but here finally

So let's pull this all together. I've looked back at the players, the team and the manager. It's been a positive season with unforgettably cracking football and the blazing thrill of the Champions League tainted by the frustration of what might have been.

"Get away from me Jermaine, you're still a bit of a nothing player", Kaboul probably said. Way back in August at the start of the season, TBFWHL drew up a little wishlist for the impending year. Now that everything is done and dusted, it's the perfect time to take a look at that list and see whether or not any of those desires were granted.

Some transfer rumours are pure fabrication, some are speculation and a very few have genuine substance having said that, it is unwise to dismiss all the current stories surrounding Arsenal players when they stall over signing new contracts and are a year away from leaving on a free.

Make no mistake, Cesc wants to go to Barca and Clichy and Nasri are looking elsewhere for big money (and possibly the notion that they may be more likely to win trophies).

THe LA Galaxy were given a lesson in finishing last night as Real Madrid opened their pre-season with an impressive 4-1 victory over the LA Galaxy.

Real Madrid is one of the best teams in the world, and even with a strong line-up, the Galaxy could not hang with the Spanish giants. Madrid won 63% of the tackles in the game, had 60% of the possession and had 20 shots on goal to LA's 8.

Though it's merely a friendly, Pablo Hernandez has an early submission for the best goal in the general vicinity of the 2011-2012 football season.

Very classy of him not to do the running-knee-slide-to-the-empty-stands as well, as anyone would understand after such brilliance.

[101gg]

Tears of joy from the masses

It's easy to predict Liverpool running all over Arsenal, what with all the Reds' new signings and the Gunners' injuries, suspensions, and defections. Both teams will be cautious as they try to gel and avoid slipping further behind Manchester Red and Manchester Blue.

MLSSoccer.com put together some amazing videos this week. I thought we'd re-post them for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy
Long Range Brilliance
Goals of the Year: Past to Present
90+ World Football Challenge

By DAVID MOSSE
Ronaldinho confirmed his good form by scoring a goal and helping set up another, but Flamengo was held to a 2-2 draw by Internacional on Sunday thanks to the brilliance of Leandro Damiao. The Internacional hitman is one of the rising stars of Brazilian soccer and was recently called up to the national team along with Ronaldinho for the upcoming friendly against Ghana in London.

Brilliance from Bendtner, misery for Mertesacker & heartbreak for Benayoun how the Premier League's newest signings performed on international...

A number of players involved in late deals turned out for their respective national teams over the past few days and Goal.

Liverpool 1 Man United 3, January 30, 1960

You've got to love the Scousers. When Liverpool were drawn at home to Manchester United in the 4th round of the FA Cup in January 1960 it was immediately declared an all-ticket match, naturally enough as United had already attracted the two largest league attendances of the season, despite being in the bottom half of the table.

There are a couple of good stories on the Chicago Fire, Section 8, and everything Chicago soccer that should not be missed. Let's start with Guillermo Rivera of Fire Confidential with some quotes from Frank Klopas. On the players taking part in the MLS SuperDraft Combine right now, Klopas had this to say:

These players have been off for a few months so it's tough to judge guys on these games, we've seen most of them before now so we're looking for the best fit based on who's available when we pick.

He's off to terrorise turntables
from Munich to Berlin.

After the summer entertainment that was Ryan Babel hopping in a helicopter and buzzing off to all four corners of the British Isles in an attempt to find a new home only for nothing to happen, a transfer deal for the enigmatic attacker has finally been done, as he'll be heading off to the Bundesliga to join TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

Remember when we were top of the table with a healthy lead over our closest competitors and threatening to run away with the title? That seems like such a distant memory now after back to back losses against our heated rivals. After going through the first half of the season entertaining thoughts of finishing the season undefeated, we now find ourselves with 3 losses out of our last 5 league games.

Remember when I said that it was MLS Cup or bust for New York this year? Well folks, that sentiment should be felt now more than ever. Erik Soler made a huge splash this afternoon in anticipation to their clash with Houston by trading away Tony Tchani, Danleigh Borman, and a first round draft pick in 2012 for five-time MLS Best XI midfielder Dwayne De Rosario.

Down, yes. But out? Certainly not.

A game of inches

In re-watching the match last night, I was reminded of Al Pacino's memorable halftime speech from the movie Any Given Sunday. Inches, he said, were the difference between winning and losing. Between living and dying.

By the end of the 68th minute of the Philadelphia Union's 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls, Roger Torres was a Philly hero. The 19-year-old Colombian entered the game and scored less than 30 seconds later, ending up netting the game winner.

With only a touch, Torres put the Union into the talk of soccer heads throughout the country.

After a humiliating 8-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich last weekend, FC St. Pauli's drop to the second tier of German football was confirmed. A horrid run of ten games has seen the club gain only a single point, and any hopes of a miracle escape were crushed by the rampant Bavarians.

Eying to celebrate a special European glory on their home soil, disappointment is the only outcome that Manchester United achieved in Wembley after they were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in the Champions League final.

Goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa can only get one reply from Wayne Rooney, in a game that was mostly dominated by the Spanish side, who are looking very menacing indeed despite playing in English territory.

Justin Mapp has shown flashes of attacking brilliance throughout his MLS career, but on Saturday he put together what may have been his best performance as a pro. The Philadelphia Union midfielder scored a pair of goals and contributed to three other Union goals in the Union's 6-2 thrashing of Toronto FC.

So, due to logistical issues, the book launch has been pushed back. Circle your calendars and get ready for... t/b/a. Hopefully. This is my first time "producing" a book, so my rosy and naive expectations have slowly given way to a slightly paranoid and pessimistic perspective. I just may become a Liverpool fan because of it.

On a typically rain soaked and slickened field at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, the Minnesota Stars put on an outstanding 2nd half performance to come from behind and get an important 1-1 draw with the Islanders.

Nicholas Addlery tees off his shot that slipped past Stars goalkeeper Joe Warren

The Stars started in their typical 4-4-2 lineup but with a few different faces in the starting lineup.

Fredy Guarin, Porto

From the Guardian Despite the brilliance of Mattie Burrows's back heel volley for Glentoran and Wayne Rooney's Twitter campaign, the winner of the 2010-11 European Goal of the Season was this effort by Fredy Guarin for Porto v Maritimo, which came in with 47.2% of the vote (79,903 votes in total).

The Philadelphia Independence rolled into Rochester, New York to become the first team to defeat the Flash all season. A 90th minute goal by Danesha Adams was a moment of brilliance in a sloppy game, void of many chances.

Paul Riley continued to tinker with his starting XI, putting out an offensive line up to challenge New York, who were without some key contributors to their victory in Philadelphia just two weeks ago.

Yes, I know there was Sunday slack on that TV Top 5 list I owe. I just never quite woke up from being up 'til 5-something for the USMNT game. Or maybe it was the USMNT game. Regardless, that drops tomorrow, scout's honor...You've seen Hassli's brilliance, now check out Shea's drive and Zusi's shark with a frikken laser beam on its head in this week's MLS Goal of the Week nominees.

The kit

This seems like the best place to start.

The away kit has been released, and I'm sure will divide opinion. Me, I like it somehow, although I'd like to see it played in before I make it concrete opinion. Whether by design or coincidence, the new design is strikingly similar to the Valencia kit of the late 70s.

Sometimes it is tough finding things to write about, especially on a deathly quiet Glastonbury Sunday.

Is Wimbledon more interesting than an news-shy Arsenal newsnow? Not since the Crazy Gang has Wimbledon held any interest to the football lover.

Those were the days the George Graham era.

By THOMAS FLOYD

WASHINGTON - For D.C. United, how new acquisitions Dwayne De Rosario and Brandon McDonald would fare in their debuts was the storyline entering Saturday's meeting with the Philadelphia Union. But for the second straight week, the team's inability to hold onto a late lead at home will steal the postgame headlines.

It's amazing what happens when you have a midfielder like Sanna Nyassi who barely gets anything in sixteen games, yet when a certain side comes to visit Dick's Sporting Goods Park it looks like that they would make you look like a world class player. That's what the Gambian did to the New York Red Bulls as he put on a clinic and showed his speed.