The past couple of weeks have filled Fire fans heads with visions of sugar plums dancing around (or in this case world class players running around and scoring goals in Fire red). I have to admit, the Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack rumors got me excited. Most sane fans (including myself) knew these rumors were extremely far-fetched at best and a product of extremely shoddy journalism at worst.

By DAVID GUBALA

The Chicago Fire are now a good two weeks into their first phase of preseason camp and have been making all of the necessary adjustments as the start of the new 2012 campaign nears. Part of the preseason activity, though, has included shooting down rumors of a superstar Designated Player acquisition.

3pm ET, live in the US on espn2
Last four head-to-head:
0-4 Tottenham (a) 09.18.11
0-2 Tottenham (h) 05.15.11
1-2 Tottenham (a) 11.28.10
2-0 Liverpool (h) 01.20.10
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 3-0 Wolves (a); 2-1 United (h); 2-2 City (h)
Spurs: 3-1 Wigan (h); 1-0 Watford (a); 2-3 City (a)
Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Bellamy 6; Suarez 5; Carroll 3; Adam, Gerrard, Maxi, Skrtel 2; Henderson, Johnson, Kuyt 1
Spurs: Bale 10; Adebayor 9; Defoe 8; van der Vaart 7; Lennon, Modric 3; Assou-Ekotto, Kaboul, Walker 1
Referee: Michael Oliver
Guess at a line-up:
Reina
Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique
Gerrard Spearing
Kuyt Henderson Bellamy
Carroll
With six days since the last match, there seems little need for drastic changes from the side which beat Wolves three-nil.

With Arsenal currently sitting 7th in the Premier League Table, it's now truly inevitable that Robin van Persie will choose a new club come summertime, barring some miracle. Because it seems so predestined, the notion doesn't trigger anxiety levels of Fabregas proportions in summers past, where you just really didn't know what was going to happen.

Muslimovic was joined at the Rangers training HQ today by American youngster Jamael Cox, who will spend a week training McCoist's men. Cox, a 19-year-old midfielder currently plays for Seattle Sounders, whose MLS season has ended

Rangers in talks with Bosnian targetman Zlatan Muslimovic as midfielder Jamael Cox arrives on trial - The Daily Record

Great find by @GoSounders.

"I never knew that music like that was possible!"

After watching the second half of yesterday's Clasico, I'm beginning to see Mourinho as Salieri to Guardiola's Mozart. When a team of Madrid's caliber gets schooled and forced into errant passes and frantic individual dribbles on offense and desperate tackles on defense, huffing shadow-chasing and hapless outreached hands pleading for offside calls that won't come, the opposition must be touched by the divine; the divine stringing of passes, la pelota always kept just a fleeting inch away from Madrid's lunging cleats, and importantly, the divine total defense, which at one point saw Özil attempting to dribble into the box only to be surrounded by seven (7!

Now that preseason has begun for the New England Revolution, it's time to take stock of what the team has and where it needs to improve. In that vein, I've decided to do a quick "if the season began tomorrow" examination of the optimal starting XI (and game day 18) on the roster right now.

I have taken a few liberties.

There is one thing you have give to the Philadelphia Union, so far during this and the previous off season they've had needs on the team and pretty much filled them up. After the inaugural season it was painfully obvious to anyone that wasn't Helen Keller that Chris Seitz was not going to be the answer at Goalkeeper.

The draw for the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League is complete. The Chels popped out of that giant serving bowl very early on.

Who'd we get, then? Fucking Napoli.

Dangerous

I think we all agreed prior to the draw that all of our potential opponents in the first knockout stage of this competition represented tricky ties to navigate.

One of the main focuses of every Development Academy event is referee training and development. From seminars to on-field training from professional referees, the Academy games are used to identify promising referees and put them on the track to reaching the elite levels.

Referees use the Center to relax, rehydrate and exchange ideas during the Showcase.

The dust of MLS Cup and the Expansion Draft has settled and there is still one topic currently making the rounds in MLS circles: the selection of Brian Ching by the Montreal Impact.
Jesse Marsch likely made few friends in Houston with his selection of Brian Ching in the expansion draft. Really though, Houston have no one to be mad at but themselves.

It's tough seeing my club embroiled in such poor results. Looking back:

• ManU 3-1
  This one was an amazing game, Manchester edged it but there was so much to take away from our performance that the season looked bright.
• QPR 1-0
  The surprise.

With the announcement of the twelve players protected from selection in the Montreal Impact's expansion draft there are a few players that could be labeled as "key" to the strong 2011 who were left available for selection. The protected list is heavy on players up the spine was well as wide midfielders but leaves three fullbacks available as neither of the left backs (Tyson Wahl or Leo Gonzalez) nor iron man James Riley are protected.

David Beckham has always been known as a fierce competitor and for his ability to return from the injury that cost him a chance at the World Cup, he was awarded with the 2011 MLS Comeback Player of the year.

The 36-year-old midfielder has enjoyed an MVP-caliber season, battling back from a potentially career-ending Achilles injury that cost Beckham a spot on England's 2010 World Cup spot and caused him to miss six months of the 2010 MLS season.

There were plenty of standout defenders in MLS this year, and several who could make cases for being the top defender in the league, but it is tough to argue that there was a better defender in 2011 than Omar Gonzalez.

The LA Galaxy centerback was the leader and foundation for the best defense in MLS, improving his game in every facet and going from being an All-Star caliber defender to a dominant force who was key to LA winning the Supporters Shield and reaching the MLS Cup Final.

By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Nov 3, 2011) US Soccer Players -- In the ‘regular-season wrap up' edition, Tony asks about various MLS statistical leaders, which team management is at least willing to ask questions about caliber of play, and finds a National Team alum thriving in the NASL. What players led MLS in games played this year?

US National Team and FC Dallas forward Brek Shea will spend a month following the November National Team friendlies training with English Premier League club Arsenal, Dallas announced on Thursday. "We want to give Brek every opportunity to grow and develop his skills as a player," FC Dallas President and CEO Doug Quinn said.

Via a really well written Jason Quick piece. I wish he would write Timbers more often. In addition to this stuff, there's some quality stuff on Paulson himself. Great article. Juicy article.

There has been some fairly scary (to me, anyway) financial talk in the past, but Paulson sounds really ambitious in this article:

"We are already looking at three to four guys who will be big, big additions in this offseason.

Mauro Rosales could make his long-awaited return to the field on Saturday when the Seattle Sounders take on the San Jose Earthquakes. Coach Sigi Schmid announced on Friday that Rosales would at least be in the gameday 18. But it wasn't all good news as he also noted that defender Jeff Parke has not yet been cleared after suffering a concussion last week.

By Justin Shaffer - SEATTLE, WA (Oct 14, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Since the 1990 rebirth of the United States National Team, the squad has consistently been blessed with World Cup caliber goalkeepers. On Saturday, the Seattle Sounders final regular season home game (10pm ET - Fox Soccer) is the beginning of the end for Kasey Keller's decorated career as a professional soccer player.

By Chris Wright

Hands up, I got tired of waiting around for the (massively delayed) verdict last night but, as you may be aware by now, UEFA came down hard on Wayne Rooney and issued him with a three-match Euro 2012 ban for his little indiscretion in Podgorica last Friday evening sadly, the letter didn't work.

Former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has said that he has 'a strong will to remain in England' and that he would love to manage in the Premier League again. But Ancelotti is not looking to manage Blackburn. He wants a top-six caliber team like Arsenal, Spurs or Liverpool:

"It's evident that Wenger's bench is wobbling and that in several months' time, an English coach will be appointed to replace Capello in the national team, which will free up a place in a club," Ancelotti explained.

At this point in the season, pride is the only thing remaining for the New England Revolution to fight for. Sitting last in the Eastern Conference with just five games remaining, the Revolution turn their attention to the Chicago Fire against whom they will do battle Sunday afternoon at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL.

-Ben McCormick
One of the most common questions any US Soccer fan asks is who is going to replace Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey when they retire. They have held the attack together for the past few years and fast approaching is a time when the US will have to rely on someone other than "Deuce" or "'Cakes" for a goal when they need it.

Photo courtesy of University of North Carolina

By JOHN BOSCHINI

For all the success enjoyed by the University of North Carolina last season, there was one player who found it hard to enjoy.

Redshirt junior forward Billy Schuler was one of the most potent attacking threats the Tar Heels possessed during his first two years in Chapel Hill and was set to be a focal point last season.

Are you familiar enough with FC Dallas yet? If not, here's some more info about who they are and how they will play as they enter Fortress Starfire and attempt to make history. These two sides have met in the US Open Cup before with the USL Seattle Sounders being the team that came up short, but that match was at then Qwest Field.

Brad Davis is once again shunned despite leading MLS with 13 assists and having an MVP caliber season. What does this guy have to do to get a national team call-up?

Dynamo Press Release

Four Houston Dynamo players have been called up by their respective national teams for international matches Sept.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a difficult season on and off the diamond. But don't blame Clayton Kershaw. The 23-year-old hurler has had a Cy Young caliber season. On Thursday, the Dodgers ace proved his worthiness once again against the Milwaukee Brewers.

In eight inning of work, Kershaw gave up five hits walking none and striking out six.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that Barcelona's deal for Cesc Fabregas wasn't ideal, pointing out that the fee is cheap for a player of the Spaniard's caliber. Wenger went on to say that he had no choice but to prolong the transfer saga as it's his duty to stand up for the club's rights in the transfer market.

Today, Josh Mayers at the Seattle Times tweeted that the Sounders would not take advantage of the summer international transfer window. We all know that it's not for lack of trying. Adrian Hanauer has stated publicly that he was "working frantically" trying to bring in a top-talent target forward but that he wouldn't bring in a player that was too expensive or a poor fit for the team.

Today, Josh Mayers at the Seattle Times tweeted that the Sounders would not take advantage of the summer international transfer window. We all know that it's not for lack of trying. Adrian Hanauer has stated publicly that he was "working frantically" trying to bring in a top-talent target forward but that he wouldn't bring in a player that was too expensive or a poor fit for the team.

Today, Josh Mayers at the Seattle Times tweeted that the Sounders would not take advantage of the summer international transfer window. We all know that it's not for lack of trying. Adrian Hanauer has stated publicly that he was "working frantically" trying to bring in a top-talent target forward but that he wouldn't bring in a player that was too expensive or a poor fit for the team.

Don't ask me why, but, for some reason, there's simply been no news regarding the Timbers this week so far. There are rumors that a player signing is coming by Wednesday, but I can't independently confirm if that's true or not. There have been hints we could see him at the BBQ tonight but I wouldn't place a bet on that if I were you.

In front of another record setting crowd, Barcelona was stunned as Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara beat Barca 4-1.

It all started great for Barca when David Villa scored in the third minute. Gerard Pique sent a long pass to an open Villa, who fired a shot past Chivas goalkeeper Luis Michel.

We have several recently turned 20 year-olds from our first ever boys team that have true professional-level quality. Years ago, I predicted with 100% certainty that one kid in particular would go all the way. I actually have standing bets with people on this (most notable are $500 on one, and a lobster dinner every month for a whole year with another).

It seems the bidding war has come down to its final hours, with both CFC and PSG in frame to secure the young Argentine's signature. More after the jump:

Kicking into gear shortly?

Welp, color me surprised. This isn't exactly coming out of left-field mind you, but it does somewhat surprise me that we're actually in line to sign a legitimate budding superstar, and an Argentine at that.

Uruguay have done it and have won Copa America. It may not have come as much of a shock the way the tournament unfolded, with Argentina and Brazil nowhere near the final, but Uruguay still were third-choice at best to win this tournament before it began.
Now that los Charruas have won glory, where does this put them in terms of world rankings?

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Heading in a crucial stretch where points are at a premium, the struggling New England Revolution are looking to build on the positives from Wednesday night's 4-1 exhibition loss against Manchester United as they look to turn their season around.

Franco Coria should get the start at center back on Sunday.

Written by Double98

Arsène Wenger has so far built 3 distinct teams.

The first team 96-00 was built on the rubble left by George Graham. At the time he got great credit for rehabilitating and actually improving the side but then revisionists like Myles Palmer started to justify their own agendas by questioning his achievement declaring it to be a George Graham Built Side that won the double in ‘98.

The Colorado Rapids returned home to Dick's Sporting Goods Park badly needing a victory after suffering a pair of blowout defeats, but the home team's hopes for three points were thwarted by Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall.

The Dynamo netminder made six saves, including several highlight-reel caliber stops, to help Houston salvage a 0-0 tie on Sunday night.