What started as a rumor on the ECS message board can now be confirmed: Brad Evans has been called into the United States national team camp as they prepare for games against Venezuela and Panama later this month. The source was of the confidential variety, but I can assure you that it's highly reliable and is someone who is in position to know.

The Syracuse Silver Knights have officially announced that they have signed the teams first player in the history of the new MISL franshise:

photo property of USLSoccer.com
Syracuse Silver Knights Sign former league MVP Jonny Steele
That must come as great news for fans of the new franshise, especially after rumors thet the newly named Chicago Kick may not be starting play this season (even though the team is included in the 2011-2012 MISL schedule).

The big news of the day is that Ashley Young has left Aston Villa for Manchester United for the hearty sum of £15-17M. The English winger has signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford in a move that had been expected over recent days.

What shocked me most about the move of Young, who scored just nine goals in 39 appearances this past season for Villa, was the lacking of anger and bitterness from Villa fans.

Dave Clark set-up a group for ESPN FC Manager for Sounder-at-Heart readers and it was tempting enough for me to try my hand at fantasy sports for the first time. A number of teams that I have players on had double games for the week which made for an excellent opportunity to recoup some points I lost at the start of the season.