Hair band to be back in style at Arsenal?

This is the one story which won't go away and has been reported to be done but nothing is confirmed yet. Gervinho is apparently the player Arsene Wenger wants to bolster his attacking options. He is a wide attacker cum striker who is currently contracted to Lille, the Ligue 1 champions.

Former Wizards defender, Uche Okafor was found dead in his home on Thursday morning. The death is currently being investigated as a suicide as Okafor was found hanged in his home. A sad end to see for a player who was the anchor on the back line for the Wiz/Wizards with Sean Bowers in their first few years of existence.

With the United States preparing for the January 22nd friendly against Chile, it was announced on Wednesday that two players have been excused for medical reasons. FC Dallas defender Ugo Ihemelu has a nagging hip injury and has been released back to his club. Chivas USA's Justin Braun required stitches to close a cut on his ankle on Tuesday.

UPDATE III: Alvaro Fernandez will not be called up to the Uruguay national team, after all. On Monday, Fernandez confirmed speculation that the injury he suffered in last week's Western Conference semifinal would make it impossible for him to play in his country's World Cup qualifier against Chile on Nov.

We're not quite sure of our French, but this picture looks as if the U.S. WNT goalkeepers are on some sort of a prisoner transfer for a chain gang. No, we just we caught them right after a tough drill. Nicole Barnhart (left) has 31 caps for the USA while Ashlyn Harris has yet to be capped at the full international level.

Hans Backe's club is still showing they have a ways to go here. (Getty Images)

While last week's WWL post didn't make it due to the holiday, this week's is here. The Gold Cup may be stealing most of the headlines, but Major League Soccer still roars on here. But week 12 in MLS was one that most probably will forget, or will likely have already forgotten.

When Eric Hassli flicked the ball up and promptly volleyed it into the far top corner of Seattle's goal, I was amazed. In two touches, Hassli made the difference, salvaging the Caps from a loss. While this season the Frenchman has been decent, scoring penalties without problems but also getting red cards, finally we've seen his magical touch truly save Vancouver's ass.

All of a sudden, Spurs are being linked with a choice of defensive midfielders and after the Jack Rodwell rumours of earlier this week, stories are emerging of the club's interest in Ajax's Dutch international Vurnon Anita.

Anita was a product of the famous Ajax academy and made his first full appearance for the club while still only 16.

Rumors abound that Wanderers have an interest in wayward striker Robbie Keane but it seems that as soon as talk surfaced, fans and media alike said "absolutely not!" Keane hasn't enjoyed the form that earned him a sale to Liverpool a few years back in the last couple of seasons so it is easy to see where the fans are coming from and let's not forget the fact tat his wage demands are simply exorbitant.

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images(Bleacher Report) England is the birthplace of the world's greatest game. Not only does it have the title of home of the beautiful game, but it is also home to many legendary players in the sport.
Men like Peter Shilton, who holds the record for the most caps in the English National Team at 125, and Manchester United immortal, Sir Bobby Charlton.

Even with the recent change in FIFA regulations regarding the change of associations, it's exceedingly rare to find a player who has represented two different countries at the full international level. And if those two different countries happen to be the greatest of rivals, you are talking about long odds indeed.

The Daily Mail almost gleefully links some of our best players with moves away from the club but today they have reversed that trend and suggested that Real Madrid frontman Gonzalo Higuain could be coming to Spurs in a deal worth around £16m.

Higuan has been at Real since 2007 after joining from River Plate and throughout his club career he has averaged over a goal every other game.

A battle of the flowing locks of hair. Will Beckerman be able to shut down Chiumiento?
After my winding rant regarding Teitur's dismissal, I've decided to try and look at things with a bit of optimism. There is no point in moaning about the past or what should've been done, I think it's time to start preparing for the future.

When SoundersFC.com says that a trialist is not just in camp but going to play in a Reserve Match (7pm, Starfire, Free) it leaves the land of rumor. Matt Gaschk introduces Myron Samuel of St. Vincent and Grenadines not just Cillian Sheridan of the earlier post here. Samuel is 18 and already has a handful of CAPs for the small island's national team.

The Vancouver Whitecaps blew another lead on Saturday, and this one hurt the most.

The 'Caps couldn't make Camilo Sanvezzo's brilliant free kick in the 21st minute stand up as Toronto FC completed a second-half comeback to win 2-1 at BMO Field (and the aggregate-goal series, 3-2), securing the Nutrilite Canadian Championship for a third consecutive year.

The best photo from a blurry batch of cell-phone pictures. I'm glad to say that I was lucky enough to be able to go to Empire Field's last Vancouver Whitecaps game against the Seattle Sounders. When I go see matches live, I'm usually too engrossed in the action and swept up by the atmosphere to be able to properly focus on what I'm going to write later in the match report.

Kenny Cooper has received his fair share of criticisms this year for under performing based on expectations from fans from when he was an FC Dallas striker. Admittedly it was probably a little unfair for many of us (myself included) to expect a repeat performance of his 2008 self with a brand new team.

Harry Redknapp told us over the weekend not to expect any transfer activity at the Lane this winter but that was never going to stop the rumour mills from continuing to turn.

However, it may be as a result of the exit rumours concerning Vedran Corluka that Portuguese right back Joao Pereira has now been linked with a January move to the club.

When the Seattle Sounders lost James Riley in the expansion draft there was some real concern about how Seattle would fill the void let by the dependable veteran's departure.

The Sounders have reached an agreement with Swedish right back Adam Johansson, according to the club website of Johannson's current club, IFK Goteborg.

Alexi Lalas is a former U.S. National Team defender (96 caps), appearing in two World Cups and was U.S. Soccer's Male Player of the Year in 1995. Lalas was the first American to play in Italy in the modern-era and then returned to the United States to be a part of the group of high profile American soccer players to launch Major League Soccer.

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

Jermaine Jones needed to escape the doghouse at Schalke 04 quickly, and now he's heading to a place where he will be able to play as well as work on his English.

Jones has had his loan move to Premier League side Blackburn go through, meaning he will join fellow U.

Giuseppe Rossi has agreed an improved contract with Villarreal which ties him to the Spanish team until 2016.

Rossi, who joined Villarreal from Manchester United in 2007 has become he club's all-time top scorer in La Liga with 44 goals. His 11 goals in 19 La Liga appearances this season have helped the third-placed Yellow Submarine to their best ever start.

Champions, again.The United States Women's Nation Team took full honors at the Four Nations Tournament with a 2-0 defeat of the hosts in Chongquing, China. The USWNT suffered an early set up, losing 2-1 to Sweden, but then successive wins against Canada and China sealed the tournament win. It was their seventh title in eight trips to the tournament.

Michael Bradley has joined Aston Villa on loan following the completion of a medical exam. The 23-year-old midfielder, who has 50 caps and eight goals for the U.S. Men's National Team, will be with Villa until the end of the 2010-11 campaign. He is the third U.S. international on the books at Aston Villa, joining Brad Friedel and Eric Lichaj.

As the Houston Dynamo broke ground on their new downtown stadium this weekend, word was spreading that a Jamaican central defender named Jermaine Taylor would be joining the team on trail this week. Jesus Ortiz at the Chronicle seemed convinced that unless Taylor falls flat in his trial, he's all but guaranteed to get a contract offer from the team.

There is news today that both Liverpool and Newcastle have set their sights on 23 year-old Lille striker Gervinho, according to reports coming out of France. Gervinho Newcastle target in the summer This is not the first time Newcastle have been linked with the Ivory Coast International (19 caps, 5 goals), and he was [.

Whitefish Bay's Kate Markgraf, a former U.S. women's national team defender who retired last year, will serve as an analyst for ESPN's television coverage of this summer's Women's World Cup.

Markgraf, 34, earned 201 career caps – she's one of only seven players to reach 200 – played in three Women's World Cups, three Olympics and in the Women's United Soccer Association and Women's Professional Soccer.

I was lucky enough to attend the Vancouver Whitecaps FC first night match against the New England Revolution. It was my first MLS match and I truly couldn't wait to watch the Caps take on the Revolution, hoping for three points. While the experience at the stadium was fantastic, the match was a strange one.

BERLIN, Germany — Germany star Bastian Schweinsteiger will play no part in a friendly against Uruguay on May 29 or in two Euro 2012 qualifiers next month because of injury, the German football federation (DFB) said Friday. The 26-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder, one of the stars of Germany's strong 2010 World Cup performance, broke a [.

Take this with the ample helping of salt, but according to a report out of Poland, the Seattle Sounders have made an offer to 38-year-old goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. The translated version of the story is less than authoritative, as it suggests Dudek might not even be aware of the opportunity, but it would make some sense if true.

Chivas USA looks to find consistency in their play against Vancouver. (Getty Images)

Here we go, another week of games as we roll into the month of June. Hopefully this afternoon I can get into a post that looks at the first third (or so) of the season. If not that may come towards the end of the week or even next week.

U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage has named Kelley O'Hara to the Women's World Cup squad, replacing the injured Lindsay Tarpley, who underwent successful ACL surgery yesterday.
The 22-year-old O'Hara, a talented and tenacious flank midfielder, won the 2009 Hermann Trophy as college soccer's top player after her senior season at Stanford University.

By JONATHAN VERA

CARSON, Calif -- Nick LaBrocca scored the opening goal for the Rojiblancos in the first minute of the second half. Moments later, Camilo and the visiting Whitecaps answered back for the equalizer that sent this second half showcase into a 1-1 draw at the Home Depot Center.

After playing the second 45 minutes against Mexico today with no issues, U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage confirmed that defender Heather Mitts has earned a spot on the final 21-player Women's World cup roster. Today's match was just the second of 2011 for Mitts, who played in the opening game of the year against Sweden, but then struggled with hamstring injuries for most of the next few months.

The latest defender to be linked with a move to White Hart Lane is German International Serdar Tasci.

It's been suggested that Harry has previously made an enquiry about the 24 year old and he has been watched ever since.

Tasci has been with Stuttgart for his entire career to date and after making his full debut in 2006, he was awarded his first cap in 2008.

Liverpool are weighing up a move for left backs Nacho Monreal, 25, of Osasuna or Lyon's Aly Cissokho, 23, each at £9million.
Monreal has four Spain caps while Cissokho has played once for France.
Liverpool is already well advanced with deals for Sunderland's Jordan Henderson, Connor Wickham of Ipswich and also want Blackpool's Charlie Adam.

With Liverpool splashing out near enough 16 million pounds for Jordon Henderson, I was thinking how much more does an English club have to pay for a British player.

Andy Carroll was bought for what has been said 35 million. He is 22 years old couple of caps for England but at the time of his move had only played limited time in the Premier League.

Several of us had suspected that Spurs' transfer dealings involving goalkeepers weren't quite over and there are rumours today linking two separate stoppers to the club.

Polish International Artur Boruc spent 5 years at Celtic before heading to Serie A with Fiorentina. The keeper was originally battling with Sebastien Frey for the number one shirt but stepped in after Frey's injury and made over 20 appearances.

Santi Cazorla could be one of the influx of transfers at Liverpool, after Pepe Reina apparently recommended him to Kenny Dalglish.
The Reds are focusing most of their efforts on acquiring British stars this summer, but are willing to look overseas if players of the right quality become available.

Santi Cazorla could be one of the influx of transfers at Liverpool, after Pepe Reina apparently recommended him to Kenny Dalglish.
The Reds are focusing most of their efforts on acquiring British stars this summer, but are willing to look overseas if players of the right quality become available.