So let's change the subject.

That's right. Today, we're not going to talk about how secretive the Philadelphia Union regime is, what the real numbers are on the books against the salary budget, how the club is going to score goals without Sebastien Le Toux, or the various things in life that the ever nebulous allocation money cannot buy you.

A few weeks ago while watching the MLS Player Combine I was struck by a strange realization; what happens in the Seattle Sounders FO is a spectator sport and that for me it is one of my favorite aspects of the game.

The internet broadcasts for the Combine were sponsored by a video game called Football Manager 2012 by Sega.

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

But if you see me walking by,
And the tears are in my eyes,
Look away, baby, look away.
If we meet on the streets someday,
And I don't know what to say,
Look away, baby, look away.
Don't look at me;
I don't want you to see me this way.

The Pitch Invasion podcast, presented by Peter Wilt and Tom Dunmore, is now available on iTunes, so please take a second and leave a rating there if you enjoy the show!

If you haven't listened to it, the inaugural episode was released last week, and featured Wilt discussing how to start an MLS club with Montreal Impact Jesse Marsch, along with Dunmore interviewing former Supporters Direct chief executive Dave Boyle about UK and US fan culture.

The Pitch Invasion Podcast Episode 1

Can't wait to take a listen to this:

"Peter Wilt and Tom Dunmore host the inaugural Pitch Invasion podcast, exploring soccer culture around the world from the American Midwest. In the first show, Peter and Tom talk first to Montreal Impact head coach Jesse Marsch about the challenges of starting a soccer club, putting together a team from scratch, and fan culture in MLS.

L'Impact Montréal, we love you and your Muppets

Over in Quebec (and the whole of North America), the Montréal Impact are starting to create a steady buzz in the football community as they get ready to join MLS. I wrote a piece for The Football Ramble on the unique challenges facing L'Impact.

Download Preface Download Contents

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The aim of the award-winning international soccer blog Pitch Invasion has been to publish thoughtful, long-form writing that digs well below the headlines, and explores the culture of sport, the engagement of fans with the spectacle of world soccer and the game's forgotten history.

The end to an arduous 22-year campaign for truth surrounding the Hillsborough disaster could at last be in sight as the UK government has confirmed it will release all contemporary documents relating to the day in question.

After a 139,000-strong online petition and a moving parliamentary debate led Home Secretary Theresa May to announce up to 300,000 files will be released.

In February 2008, Philadelphia was officially awarded a MLS franchise. Only a few months earlier, the Philadelphia Eagles had finished at the bottom of their division. The Phillies were still licking their wounds after being unceremoniously swept out of the MLB playoffs by a surging Rockies team that would make it to the World Series before crumbling.

The Study of English Football [Part I]: How social and cultural aspects impact the English game is a post from: Just Football

Introducing Part I of a special report on Just Football. Over the coming days our newest contributor Andreas Vou presents a comprehensive four-part study into the state of English football and the national team, encompassing society and culture, the media, youth football and the English approach to playing abroad.

The Basics
SG Name: Section 8 Chicago, the Independent Supporters Association (ISA) for the Chicago Fire Soccer Club
MLS Club: Chicago Fire Soccer Club
Stadium: Toyota Park
Year SG Founded: The ISA convened officially in 2003, but there are several Fire SGs that predate the ISA.

The PSP is happy to share with you a photo essay of the Sons of Ben trip to DC United to support the Union, photographed by Garrett Field. You can check out more of Garrett's work at www.fieldofphotography.com. The pictures are by Garrett, the captions by the PSP. Enjoy!

Loading up: a successful campaign is all about the logistics Let's get this Doop on the road Rally, ho!

Mariners Create A "Supporters Section" For Active Fans

Maybe the Mariners have learned something from their neighbors across the street about how to foster a fan culture. With the hydroplane races and Jumbo-tron coordinated noisemaking, a Mariners game is about as antiseptic a fan experience as you can imagine.

Faroe Play Fulham kick off season 2011-12 is a post from: Just Football

It's 7pm on June 30th, precisely one month after Swansea's play-off final triumph over Reading heralded the close of the season. Hoards of football fans flow out of Putney Bridge station, some adorned with white shirts, some carrying beers, but all looking distinctly out of season.

Last week, MLSsoccer.com announced the formation of a new Fans section. The welcome letter to fans describes this initiative here's an excerpt:

Over the last decade, you have embraced Major League Soccer and created the most unique fan experience in North America. Each week, you unfurl your tifo displays, you sing your love songs to the players, you organize and attend watch parties, and you launch a thousand discussions at the watercooler, on the web, and just about anywhere people are talking social media.

Football on the moon is a post from: Just Football

My season ticket just went up
And Blatter's on the moon.
£250 for the European Cup
and Blatter's on the moon.

My best friends had to give it up
The FA's on the moon.
Loftus Road you're charging what?
The FA's on the moon.

Last tango in Paris (Saint-Germain) is a post from: Just Football

by Chris Woolfrey

On Saturday 30 April 2011 I watched my first game of live football in another country. Paris Saint-Germain, whose squad includes the talented Nenê but in terms of "tourism-football" boasts veteran French midfielders Ludovic Giuly and Claude Makélelé, beat mid-table Valenciennes comfortably, keeping up their tradition of being good-for-their-league-but-not-really-good-enough, keeping up a slim (at the time of writing Ed) chance of winning the title in Ligue 1.

When Saturday Comes is 25 this year, so let's all sing Happy Birthday. After three, with me. One, two... Actually forget that, it'll take too long.
To celebrate the milestone, the magazine has been running a series of retrospectives exploring the changes that have taken place during the period.

With Bundesliga football continuing to grow in popularity worldwide, it becomes more and more important to help newly won-over fans learn about the league's clubs and their fan culture. Like this teacher, who makes sure Nigerian school kids don't just know how to read and write, so they can arrange complicated money transactions via E-Mail, but that they are also perfectly prepared to become Hertha fans and join the East Curve of Berlin's Olympiastadion to sing and dance along.

Hibernian 0-4 Heart of Midlothian, April 2006 Your boys took one hell of a beating is a post from: Just Football

by Joel Sked

Sometimes, just sometimes supporting your team can be exhilarating, enjoyable, everything you ever wanted rolled into one. In a word. Perfect.

Sunday the 2nd of April 2006 was one of those days.

Nottingham Forest 2-5 Yeovil Town, May 2007 Your boys took one hell of a beating is a post from: Just Football

by Ben Barrett

The story you are about to read is not one out of a story book; it was not plucked from a comic or magazine nor is it a case of a wild imagination.

Leicester City 4-0 Leeds United, September 2003 Your boys took one hell of a beating is a post from: Just Football

'Your boys took one hell of a beating...' is a new series on Just Football looking at famous football thrashings past. Click here if you would like to contribute with a memorable beating involving your own team.

Norwich City 4-1 Ipswich Town, November 2010: Ipswich Your boys took one hell of a beating is a post from: Just Football

Time for the start of a new series on Just Football 'Your boys took one hell of a beating' in which memorable derby beatings are revisited by fans who experienced it most passionately.

Your Boys Took One Hell of a Beating... is a post from: Just Football

Introducing a new feature on Just Football, Your Boys took One Hell of a Beating...

The idea is to ask writers to send in their favourite or most memorable thrashing or big result to occur in a game against a rival.

Weekend Six Pack Come on the B's is a post from: Just Football

Each week Rob Hartnett from 188BET.com will bring you six of the best football betting opportunities from the weekend action. Rob is the public face of leading the leading In Play betting specialists and appears regularly on the Bolton, Wigan, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Everton websites doing betting previews.

Rebecca Wilson didn't mention the Asia Cup once during the tournament, now she fires up all passionate and concerned about the dire states of our A-League Club finances.
Peter FitzSimons is all over the Australian World Cup Bid, dead interested in football he is, nearly filled his whole page with football (finances that is) fair enough perhaps but he hardly gave 100 words of wisdom in the two years of the bid, not even in his boring repeated Xmas columns.

Violence in football on and off the field is not acceptable, and I love my Old Firms Derbies, just not the violence that surrounds it - Of course in AFL, League or Union the more violence the better but that's another story.
But I'm not interested in which set of fans are more violent, we know in Australia it will be football, its flares and fans that will come under the most biased scrutiny from the media.

Weekend Six Pack Wednesday woe and the Mainz attraction is a post from: Just Football

After a fabulous week of Champion's League fare when Arsenal came from behind at In Play odds of 40.0 to beat Barcelona and Spurs secured their away win in Milan after touching In Play odds of 8.0, we are back to more local battles this weekend, with action from the FA Cup, the Barclay's Premier League, the Bundesliga and the SPL.

Pushing New Boundaries: UEFA Champions League trophy heads to Asia is a post from: Just Football

The power of the UEFA Champions League is unequivocal. "It is the ultimate competition in Europe," says FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. "A competition that puts you to the test at the highest level with the best teams.

T-shirts are an essential part of establishing the identity of any Union supporters group, let alone any Union supporter. Bark Tees is a local company that has become an essential part of the local Union supporters scene. Founded by Mark Concannon and Ben Lee in 2009, the company specializes in very cool, very unofficial Philly sports team shirts, the kind of shirts that make you say "That's awesome, why didn't I think of that," and then, "Where can I get one?

Photo: Courtesy of the IllegitimateS

Last week the PSP ran a series called "The other supporters groups." The series had that name for the simple reason that, when it comes to Union supporters groups, the Sons of Ben define the scene.

Why this is so is plainly obvious: they are extremely good at doing the hard work that needs to be done to be a successful supporters group.

Written by CarlitoII

On the eve of THE rematch, I wanted to share my experience of living in the beautiful city of Barcelona. I moved there (permanently in my mind) 3 days after 9/11. I fell in love with the City, Las Ramblas, the fantastic area of Gracia where we lived, and the relaxed and welcoming Spanish/ Catalan lifestyle.

Previously in our series on the other supporters groups we talked two groups immediately located on either side of the River End and one within the River End. Today we talk to Benjamin Bedard of the Bridge Crew, a group located in the opposite end of PPL Park in sections 120 and 121. Location is everything when it comes to what is or is not generally acceptable in how fans can demonstrate their support for the Union.

In today's look at the other supporter's groups, the PSP talks to Damian Cusumano, founder of the Corner Creeps. Where as the Tammany Saints and the IllegitimateS are located in the corner on either side of the River End, the Corner Creeps are one of several section-based groups—among them are the Elders, Union Local 135, the Snake Pit—that have come together in the River End, as well as elsewhere in PPL Park, to help organize communication among ticket holders in a given section throughout the season and offseason.

Our series on alternative Union supporters groups continues with the IllegitimateS. Members of the IllegitimateS are mainly located in section 133 in the northeast corner of PPL Park, the section of the park otherwise reserved for away supporters. And that's the point—the IllegitimateS exist to ensure that away supporters never get away with taking over the Corner and out-chanting the Union faithful.

Our series on alternative Union supporters groups begins with the Tammany Saints. Members of the Tammany Saints are mainly located in section 101 in the southeast corner of PPL Park. The Tammany Saints were founded in late 2009 by Armando Rios—"I guess you could say founder, but I don't want to sound too formal"— founded the Tammany Saints in late 2009.

Beginning on Tuesday, the PSP will run a series of interviews with some of the growing number of alternative Union supporters groups. Here's a quick preview of what to expect.

Before there was the Union, there was the Sons of Ben.

Before the Union had a staff, let alone a name or players on the pitch, the Sons of Ben were making the case for an MLS franchise in Philadelphia—and a name for themselves.

The Saturday Skills #9 starring Flamengo new boy Ronaldinho is a post from: Just Football

We can't keep this man out of the Saturday Skills. This week's edition features Flamengo new boy Ronaldinho playing around in training with his new club. The Brazilian superstar shows his new teammates what to expect with some customary flicks and tricks performed with consummate ease.

So, I was poking around the MLS site on Tuesday morning and decided to take a look at the Union shop at MLS Gear.com to see if there is any new swag available. I clicked on the link to the jerseys and nearly jumped out of my seat.

Holy Christmas, is that the third kit that I'm looking at?

After frantically making a copy of the image I started searching around the Internet for the notice that I've obviously missed about the release of the design.

The Saturday Skills #8 starring Josep Ilicic and Jody Lukoki is a post from: Just Football

Last week on The Saturday Skills we brought you a round-the-world tour from football freestyler Palle. This week two bits of reader-submitted skills you might have missed. The first is from Italy, where Palermo's Josep Ilicic dazzled his opponent with this wonderful trick against Chievo:

Thanks to Tom Shaw for the tip on that.