By FRANCO PANIZO

Luis Suarez's spell on the sidelines has come to a close.

Having served his eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra and a one-game suspension for a gesture to Fulham fans, Suarez is set to return for Liverpool on Monday in its game against Tottenham.

Philadelphia Union and Faryd Mondragon confirmed Monday that the veteran goalkeeper will leave to sign with Colombian club Deportivo Cali.

Mondragon, 40, will return to his hometown to play for the team he made his professional debut for more than 20 years ago.

"For family reasons, I have requested the club to allow me the opportunity to finish my career where it started," Mondragon said in a statement released Monday afternoon by the Union.

Yes, that is Oguchi Onyewu's nickname with Sporting CP fans and the local media - even though he neither captains them nor the USMNT. And this is how one supporter artistically views our man Gooch today...- Greg Seltzer

Carlos Tevez is not headed to Milan.

Talks between Manchester City and AC Milan suddenly broke down after Alexander Pato refused a move to Paris-St. Germain. Milan needed the 20-25 million pound transfer fee from the Brazilian international's move to have any chance of raising the necessary cash.

In the spirit of honesty, I can let you know that I've been writing the same Revolution-focused blog post for well over a week. It's a long winding tale of where the team stands and what you might do differently from a business and marketing perspective. Goodness knows, I didn't have the heart to also tackle on-field possibilities in the same post.

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft is set to take place January 12, 2012 in Kansas City, MS and one local player has garnered a lot of attention from potential MLS suitors.
Herbert Mejia-Flores of Manassas, VA has recently helped the U.S. U-17 MNT win the Nike International Friendlies in December:
U.

Indonesia Premier League
PSMS v Persebaya 1-2Persiraja v Persija (!) 3-3
Other games were scheduled but never happened. Arema flew all the way to Papua to play Persipura...but last year's champions had already withdrawn from the league and were playing n the Inter Island Cup. Who the hell allowed them to fly when they had no opponent?

This is our first Thanksgiving here at Stumptown Footy and, hot damn, it's been a pretty wild ride! Despite each of our fairly hectic schedules between school, work, other sites we might write for, and generally needing to socialize every now and then, we've managed to put together some halfway decent content on the site for you guys.

Before we delve into the MLS off season, here are some business notes from MLS Cup and the entire soccer weekend. We'll start with the MLS Cup overnight rating, which was reported by SBJ on Twitter as a .8. To put that number in perspective, the .8 is double the 2010 rating but slightly less than the 2009 rating.

CARSON, Calif -- I really do like Bruce Arena.

I mean, I like and appreciate him the way I like and appreciate a really mean dog in my neighborhood. I respect that dog. And over time, I think that dog has come to respect me. Why? Becuase I know what I'm doing around dogs. And I don't take any shit from that dog.

Let's start with the obvious... soccer bloggers, including (maybe especially) those that track the New England Revolution, love a controversy.

Better yet, a conspiracy.

I do what I can not to jump on most of the conspiracy theory bandwagons. Really, I try.

I'll admit it though, some are hard to avoid.

Who doesn't love Chilean football right now? After Marcelo Bielsa revolutionized the national side, it's a hotbed for good viewing and high-quality scouting. And now, apparently for putting too much stock in one game. Almost literally.

Universidad de Chile beat Flamengo on Wednesday in the Copa Sudamericana the South American equivalent of the Europa League.

Well, talk about unexpected. The Philadelphia Union and CBS Radio property SportsRadio WIP have announced a major deal that will see 17 select home and away Union matches broadcast on local radio starting next year, in addition to a weekly hour-long show dedicated to soccer, also starting next year that will run through the end of the MLS season in November.

Luis Suárez upset by allegations he racially abused Patrice Evra

• Evra claims Suárez abused him during game at Anfield • 'I have always respected and respect everybody' Suárez Luis Suárez has said he is upset by accusations of racism following Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Saturday.

Just 10 games into the season the cull of managerial staff across the Championship has already begun.
But, is it too early?
Steve McClaren's resignation has come as no shock bearing in mind the state Nottingham Forest find themselves in at the moment. But ask a Forest fan how they feel about his exit and they will likely tell you the same thing my Forest fan friend @ibrahimmustapha: 'His heart's not been it for weeks so it was the right thing for him to go, but the problem runs much deeper than just needing a new manager'.

Some time back in June, on some golden and mystical night, benevolent fairies sprinkled magic soccer dust over greater Kansas City, which was wondrously and instantly transformed into a fantastic soccer market.

Previously, clearly, it had been a wasteland for our sport. There was precious little love for the Major League Soccer team there, and until the last couple of years, rarely a day went by when suggestions weren't floated that soccer in this country would be far better off with Kansas City erased from the MLS map.

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. men's national team hit the practice field on Tuesday morning to begin preparations for its upcoming friendly against Honduras, and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann picked things up where he left off in September.

Follow the money.

It's a solid rule in sport, whether in prognosticating, betting or choosing one's career path. It also remains true for intriguing storylines.

Anzhi's got some money. They've got some story lines, too like the fact they just named Roberto Carlos player-coach. (In the interim, anyway.

Jurgen Klinsmann is often described as an "ideas man," someone who is eager to instill his own unique vision on the soccer field.
The Orange County, Calif., resident sat down with local media members on Monday and further outlined his visions for the US national team.
Whether it was discussing the development an "open-minded and risk-taking" identity or simply opening select training sessions to the public—as the team will do on Wednesday—Klinsmann touched on a number of his chief goals for his tenure.

Outside of doing lines off a hooker's tender parts presumably is Adrian Mutu really a bad boy, or just an idiot? Both are probably on the scale, but the weight seems to shift towards the latter. His latest "drug ban" was for weight-loss supplements, after all.

It's not like he rock-star smashed up his hotel or anything, but rather consumed some adult beverages a couple of nights before a game.

A day of many distractions with the country apparently up in arms and rioting for, erm, well, no particular reason that any of the ill-educated scrotes who've been asked can articulate and for Forest fans certainly the circus of the Wesley Verhoek transfer. Despite the attempts by the local media this wasn't 'Derby day' it was, for me at least, a banana skin fixture that for local peace of mind at least we could really do with not losing [.

USWNT

Abby Wambach says the US is ready to face Japan.

The USA v France Women's World Cup semifinal was the fourth most watched USWNT match ever. An average of 3.35 million people watched the match on ESPN, another 450,000 on ESPN3. Philly was not one of the top-five markets for that or any of the games.

Think media coverage of Major League Soccer in your area is poor? Try being a second division team. The Austin Aztex played in the FBM's backyard last season (before chasing the almighty dollar to Orlando) and local media coverage of the team was scant to say the least.
So kudos to North American Soccer League's NSC Minnesota Stars for taking it upon themselves to produce and promote a series that takes a behind-the-scenes look that the team and the players.

(0703 CR M08)CHINA-RUSSIA COOP ON HIGH-SPEED RAIL DATELINE: July 3, 2011 LENGTH: 00:01:20 PKG INTRO Russia is expanding its railway network, which may offer China greater potentials in cooperation with Moscow, especially in the field of high-speed rail projects. Top official with state-run Russian Railways company shows his confidence in the cooperation.

Marc Narducci's column for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philly.com has brought outrage and hatred from Philadelphia Union fans, especially the Sons of Ben.

The Union beat reporter wrote a somewhat nonsensical piece for the Inky that criticized the Union fanbase for booing the team and for using organized chants that are laced with profanity.

Local media in Argentina may still be caught up in the historic relegation of River Plate, a side that until a few days ago had never in its long and illustrious history found itself out of the Argentinean Primera, but for the rest of the world the bigger story in South America is the 2011 Copa America that kicks off on Friday at 9:45PM local time (8:45PM EST & 1:45AM in the wee hours of Saturday GMT), when the hosts face Bolivia in Group A action.

Photo by kchurch05

On Saturday evening DC United will attempt to extend their five game unbeaten run against the San Jose Earthquakes in the first match between these two sides this season. The Earthquakes are themselves on a seven game unbeaten run so this match will feature two inform teams looking to keep their momentum heading into the middle of the season.

Maurice Edu takes a shot during training.
Last night the U.S. took to the temporary grass installed inside Ford Field for a 45-minute training session; the only on the field prior to opening the Gold Cup. After a warm-up, the team got into formation to review some tactics and then also worked on corner kicks before doing some positional drills and finishing.

Think media coverage of Major League Soccer in your area is poor? Try being a second division team. The Austin Aztex played in the FBM's backyard last season (before chasing the almighty dollar to Orlando) and local media coverage of the team was scant to say the least.
So kudos to North American Soccer League's NSC Minnesota Stars for taking it upon themselves to produce and promote a series that takes a behind-the-scenes look that the team and the players.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Diego Maradona has told an Argentine newspaper he will take legal action against Argentine football federation president Julio Grondona over perceived criticism of the World Cup-winner's drug problems. Maradona reacted angrily to comments the 80-year-old Grondona made to local media this week that have been interpreted as a veiled reference to [.

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.

The transfer window opens in June but already clubs are carrying out the dreaded 'evaluasi' or evaluation of the season, and their players, so far.
And instead of being carried out in house club officials are quick to run to the local media giving updates of who could be staying and who could be going.

Perhaps Luis Fabiano is a not quite Darius Vassell. Perhaps Brazil is a tiny bit football mad. Perhaps Sao Paulo has reason to celebrate.

But "tens of thousands"? For Luis Fabiano? A very, very good player, but he's not quite the creme de la creme of the footballing crop. Not Ronaldinho, not Ronaldo, not really.

Little late with this but Jorg Steinbrunner has been sacked from his position as coach of Medan Chiefs in the Liga Primer Indonesia. And that's with his team being fourth in the debut season. It's pretty reasonable to expect some departures come the transfer window as probably half the team is there because of him.

Highly rated Slovenian prospect Luka Kranjc could be on his way to England this summer according to reports in the local media.
Liverpool and Chelsea head a list of potential suitors for the promising central defender whose situation is also being closely monitored by Serie A giants Juventus.
La Republicca is reporting that the 15-year-old NK Maribor academy graduate will likely move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, after it emerged that Chelsea made a formal collaboration agreement with the club before Christmas.

Photo by Ben Keller/D.C. United

By AVI CREDITOR

WASHINGTON - After every demotion to the FC Sochaux reserves, Charlie Davies' patience was wearing thinner and thinner.

Despite regaining health in a relatively miraculous period of time considering the severity of his injuries, Davies' light at the end of Sochaux's tunnel wasn't getting any brighter.

With so many teams at or near the relegation zone in La Liga this year, teams are started to get worried about relegation, and that usually means managers getting fired as teams hit the panic buttonn. That is what we are seeing in Spain at the moment with Osasuna the latest team to have sacked their coach.

France v Brazil? Portugal v Argentina? Germany v Italy? Bosh. The big game of the international friendly week was found far off in the corner of Antalya, Turkey, where Bulgaria and Estonia scrapped it out to a 2-2 draw. Not your typical marquee friendly, but this wasn't your typical game.

There were pregame rumblings that the fix was in, and the fact that all four goals came via penalties did nothing to quiet the whispers.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan Miroslav Beranek, who guided his native Czech Republic to a surprise European Under-21 title triumph in 2002, was named Kazakhstan coach on Monday. Beranek, 53, takes charge of a Kazakh team who are rooted to the bottom of Euro 2012 qualifying Group A. The Kazakhstan job had been vacant since October following [.

Head Counsellor at "Camp Wannafooty"
Dispatches from camp always have to be taken with a grain of salt. The campers often have a wide variety of emotions from good to bad and send the strangest messages to their loved ones waiting for news. TFC camp isn't all that different - lots of wide-eyed youngsters, surly camp veterans and wily counsellors make for an adventurous few weeks where anything seems possible.