The offseason is now kicking into gear as training camp is open and the Seattle Sounders' first cuts should be announced shortly. In this week's episode of Nos Audietis, we discuss the Sounders' new partnership with the Tacoma Tide and their subsequent rebranding as Sounders U-23. The team will play in the PDL and give Sounders Academy products an opportunity to stay close to come during the offseason.

Another milestone was achieved this past weekend for women's professional soccer in the United States, as the U.S. women's national team qualified for the Olympics.

Unfortunately for the players, they might not have a domestic season in which to prepare for the Summer Games.

The owners of the five-team Women's Professional Soccer have voted to suspend the 2012 season, citing the costs associated with the legal wranglings involving magicJack owner Dan Borislow as the primary culprit. A formal announcement is set for Monday at 1pm ET.

In a league issued e-mail that was sent to the players on Monday morning, the owners attempted to find a way to circumvent costs of the lawsuit, but ultimately, could not find a way.

It's been a little while coming, apologies for the delay, but the reprint of So Paddy Got Up is now available to purchase.

Click here to go to the new Arseblog store and buy the book.

For more information about the book (including feedback and reviews) click here – and remember, it's also available in digital format from the following locations:

Amazon Kindle

iTunes

Kobo

Any questions or problems just drop me an email through the contact form or to thearseblog at arseblog dot com

Very interesting revelations are emerging from the Harry Redknapp tax evasion court proceedings. On Thursday, the Southwark Crown Court heard some very amusing statements from the Tottenham Hotspurs manager.

Apparently, Redknapp is illiterate. He cannot read or write. In a tape recording played to the court, Redknapp said that he did not know what an email was and that he had never sent a text or fax in his life.

A Wii exaggeration Harry Redknapp's tex evasion trial heard yesterday that the Tottenham manager is hopeless when it comes to technology. The court was played police recordings of Redknapp saying: "I can't work a computer, I don't know what an email is, I can't, I have never sent a fax and I've never even sent [.

And that's his defence An unexpected upshot of Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp's tax evasion trial is his claims that he is a near-illiterate, disorganised technophobe who cannot even fill in a team sheet. Southwark Crown Court heard that Redknapp writes "like a two-year-old" and "can't spell".

On Sunday night IMS reported that the Soccer USA stores in the Twin Cities and Austin, Texas had the appearance of a failed business. The store had evidently shut down Sunday evening, January 15th after its Sunday shift. On Monday afternoon, Soccer USA released a statement via email, concerning their Burnsville and Blaine stores.

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Don't normally get all political here (unless it involves public financing of private sporting ventures), but today some* of you may have noticed the black bar over Google's logo today. Or Wikipedia going 'dark'.

That's because today is an U.S.-wide initiative to oppose SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and its sister legislation, PIPA.

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Ricardo Quaresma is sort of the quintessential flashy footballer. The type of gent whose game translates better to YouTube and the video game of your choice rather than a pitch of appropriate measure. Turns out his lifestyle is equally as flashy. He was the victim of an armed robbery this morning, of things which were on his person.

The "Henry comeback" Leeds defeat in the FA Cup at Arsenal is obviously the main point of this weeks show.
But not to undermine our Championship players full credit and plaudits are also broadcast to them. Especially to our young kids in defense! Manager and player interviews and fan at the game reports about the Arsenal game and listener email comments too!

Brazil has announced a massive US Tour for this summer in which they will play the USA, Mexico and Argentina between May 30 and June.

With no World Cup qualifying for Brazil, they are the host nation in 2014, these three games will be important matches for Brazil as they get ready for the Confederations Cup in 2013.

UPDATE: There were 230 orders placed during the pre-order phase. Thanks to everyone who placed an order. We Will still have about 100 left to sell, but they are now $20. Thanks for the support. Details should be finalized soon on the March 14 away-viewing party.

NOTE: As a point of clarification, the pre-order price of $15 is good until Jan.

The Brotherly Game is proud to introduce the first ever official shirt based upon the site itself (as seen above). The shirt was expertly designed by the talented folks at Live Breathe Futbol, a friend of the Brotherly Game and one of the rising brands in American soccer culture.

Pricing:

• The base price of the shirts is $20.

Anfield Rd: Give Kevin Williams his inquest

KEVIN WILLIAMS died in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and his mother Ann is still trying to get justice for her son. The official ruling was that all the victims were dead or brain dead by 3.15pm due to "traumatic asphyxia" a- but Ann has evidence that Kevin was still alive at 4pm, that he was seen breathing and with a pulse and that he even cried out to a woman police officer for his mum after the 3.

The FA recently condemned Liverpool's Luis Suarez to a life of being labelled a racist, but when it comes to their own employees, they shy away from taking any kind of action. Case in point: In September 2011, FA Council member Peter Brown sent a racist email to his brother from a dedicated FA email account.

Last night the site moved to a new server. Most of the move went smoothly, but at this time the comment system is unable to send out e-mails to verify newly registered users. Currently registered users can still post comments.

Readers will note this is the third server move in roughly the last 18 months.

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Well, I promised it and here it IS A MERRY CHRISTMAS SHOW for all my listeners!!! Just some LUFC gossip and updates and a much happier part two, for this week's broadcasts! Interviews with the manager (who hasn't been sacked since the first part of this show), about the loan window and Howson's injury.

A regular NSC email-writer just jokingly asked me how long it took to research the assists portion of today's Running The Numbers edition of Postcard From Europe, kindly suggesting I may have some treatable psycho-soccer disorder.A: Best I can recall/estimate, somewhere between nine and a dozen hours.

Remember how yesterday we wrote about our friend that we're aiming to initiate into the cult of football? (No? Read this real quick.)

Well, we emailed that link to him not only did he read the post, when we asked if he clicked through and read the three links we posted (one each for Messi, Balotelli, Dempsey) he replied via email (and gave us permission to blockquote):

i just read them all.

This isn't the big name signing that Seattle Sounders fans have been hoping for, but it sure looks like they are close to signing Trinidad & Tobago teenager Cordell Cato, a forward/midfielder who has played for his country's U-20 team. The Trinidad Express says the deal is basically done, but Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer was more cautious when asked for comment.

Oliver Sparrow and Eric Beard had the pleasure of spending an hour with esteemed author and journalist Jonathan Wilson on the AFR Podcast. Jonathan writes for The Guardian, The Independent, Sports Illustrated, World Soccer, and FourFourTwo. He is also the editor of a quarterly publication called The Blizzard, which is filled with content from some of the biggest names in football journalism.

While still a ways off from being able to announce a new signing, Seattle Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer confirmed reports that the team is pursuing Costa Rican international Heiner Mora. Hanauer also said the team would be looking at the 27-year-old as a right back, although Mora has played several positions during his 18 appearances with the national team.

Assou-Ekotto. Coolest Mo-Fo In Football Right Spurs fans. This has gone on long enough. Benny has been with us for over 5 years now. Sure, he had a bit of a mixed start, but now he's one of, it not the best left back in the league. The partnership he's formed with Bale on the left wing, arguably also gives us one of, if not the best left wing in the league.

Hi everyone,
I'm starting this blog just purely out of interest. The main subjects concerning this blog will be the main headlines in football and most importantly controversy surround the world of football. I will be giving my impartial view, meaning that I will not be taking sides.
I am a Level 5 football referee, looking to progress further up the ladder only being 17 years of age.

Morning all. Have you ever wandered across these humble pages and thought 'Y'know what, this is an alright website and all that but what I'd really like to see is the chance to win some free stuff - a competition, perhaps'? You have! Well, that's frighteningly convenient as The Boys From White Hart Lane has joined forces with the wonderfully creative gang at Philosophy Football and guess what?

Wales manager and Premier League legend Gary Speed died today after taking his own life at age 42 years old. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Email this via Gmail Email this ... Continue reading →

adidas is all in and why you should be too - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

We may be going into 2012 but with PR agencies it still feels like 2006 at times.

I started Soccerlens.com way back in April 2006 and one of the lasting memories of the last five and a half years has been the treatment of football bloggers by PR agencies promoting their clients.

adidas is all in and why you should be too - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

We may be going into 2012 but with PR agencies it still feels like 2006 at times.

I started Soccerlens.com way back in April 2006 and one of the lasting memories of the last five and a half years has been the treatment of football bloggers by PR agencies promoting their clients.

Highlights from the U19s 3-0 romp over Ajax at Villa Park with the inimitable Gary Gardner grabbing all three goals and the match ball.

[Email subscribers can find the video here if it doesn't appear]

By Alan Duffy

Won Jae Yang wants to be Bath City manager, and he wants it bad. The 17-year-old Korean student has bombarded the Blue Square Premier League strugglers with in excess of 100 emails highlighting how the club can improve and how he's the man/boy to replace current manager Adie Britton and lead them to glory.

Arseblog has teamed up with Thomas Cook Sport, official travel partner of Arsenal, to provide two pairs of tickets for this Saturday's game against Fulham.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:

Which current Fulham midfielder started his football career at Arsenal?

We continue our new series on the Free Beer Movement. It's called "Brews and Views" and we pose a question or topic to various prominent soccer persons and, well, they give us their view on it.
We've got loads of get people that have already responded to our call for essay submissions and each week we'll feature a unique perspective on the current topic/question at hand.

All U.S. Soccer fans are invited to come watch the U.S. Women's National Team public training session Friday, Nov. 18 from 11-12:30 p.m. at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Admission is free and open to the public. Parking lots are free of charge. Fans should enter through Gate 3 on the southeast corner of the stadium which opens at 10:30 a.

UPDATE (16 Nov): Formal press release sent out today. It lists capacity as 2200. Tickets go on sale on Thursday the 17th.

In an email sent to various email lists the Seattle Sounders announced that the little triangle of metal bleachers rising above the North End Faithful (known as the Hawks Nest for Seahawks Games) will be open for all 2012 regular season matches at CenturyLink Field.

I recently received an email from a Houston Dynamo fan, who informed me of a little predicament regarding partial owner Oscar De La Hoya. I recommend you read this one for yourself:

"Backstory:
As the MLS Cup approaches, there remains a large segment of dedicated Dynamo supporters who have worked hard over the season to support the team but are not able to cover travel expenses to LA.

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