Editor's Note: This piece filed last week by Eric Giardini. The editors at TSG idiotically missed it floating in inbox ether...

Pirlo, the LL Cool J of Serie A...Reader's choice: "Don't Call It Comeback" or "Doing it and doing it and doing it...well."

If there is any weekend to pick-up your Serie A match watching, this is the one.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

After turning in a dynamic year for the U.S. men's national team, Clint Dempsey being named U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year should come as a surprise to nobody.

Dempsey turned in perhaps his finest year as a professional for both club and country.

This is our last installment in a series of post setting out the top business stories in American soccer from 2011. We have looked at Portland and Kansas City while also discussing NBC's entry as a soccer broadcaster and FOX's big play for World Cup television rights. We will set up a vote to select the top story early next week.

Payoff! It took five years, but AEG head honcho Tim Leiweke and the Galaxy finally got their money's worth from David Beckham in 2011 (AP Photo).

MLS Cup 2011 at Carson's sold out Home Depot Center between the Galaxy and Houston Dynamo is now just seven days away.

*David Beckham's 15 assists and the Galaxy's 10-1-3 record with him in the lineup earned him the nod today as the MLS Comeback Player of the Year after missing six months and all but seven games last year with a torn Achilles tendon.

The season may not have gone as planned for the San Jose Earthquakes, or even for Chris Wondolowski. Still, despite his teams troubles, Wondo remains at the top of the charts in scoring. Currently he is tied with Dwayne De Rosario of DC United, each with 15 goals apiece. With one game left for the Earthquakes, San Jose fans are wondering if their striker will retain the Golden Boot honor for a second consecutive year.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

For the second consecutive year, the Carolina Railhawks scored four goals in the return leg against the NSC Minnesota Stars. Only this time, it wasn't enough.

Minnesota advanced to the NASL championship series on penalty kicks despite losing a wild 4-3 game in Cary on Saturday.

Ahead of the MLS All-Star Game, Bobby Convey spoke with MLS Reserves. Convey was selected to the All-Star roster for the second consecutive year. He's been consistently effective for the San Jose Earthquakes as both a left back and a midfielder. San Jose has only lost twice in its last 13 matches and Convey's efforts have played a huge role in that.

Happy Independence Day.

Another Fourth of July in Southern California and another Galaxy game followed by the traditional fireworks show that is usually among the region's biggest. Expect, as usual, a correspondingly large crowd to the game and the area surrounding Home Depot Center as many residents set up deckchairs and barbecues in nearby parks and await the free show.

Jere Longman of the New York Times offers a behind the scenes look at La Masia, the home of Barcelona's youth soccer academy.
BARCELONA, Spain — The stone farmhouse, built in the 18th century as a country estate, is now surrounded by modern stadiums, high-rise buildings and hotels in a leafy and upscale neighborhood here, but it continues to produce a bountiful harvest.

After a Slow Start, the Goals are Flowing for TH14The most hyped match of the still-young 2011 MLS season mostly lived up to its billing. For a second consecutive year the Red Bulls made the long road trip to the Home Depot Center and gave a good account of themselves. It was the kind of game the league sorely needed after several weeks that have seen the focus more on nasty tackles than quality soccer.

GoalkeeperColin Burns says he is settling in nicely with Norwegian 1. Division club Sandefjord and expects to be part of a promotion race for the second consecutive year.

UEFA Champions League

The tie of the round begins at the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal Stadium according to UEFA) as Arsenal and FC Barcelona meet in the knockout phase of the Champions League for the second consecutive year. When Arsenal failed to win their group, the Gunners always knew that there would be a chance that they would get Barcelona in the Round of 16 draw, and the fates heeded such a matchup between two of the best footballing sides in Europe.

With all of the anticipation over the 2011 MLS schedule, I was almost expecting to read about white smoke escaping from MLS headquarters on Fifth Avenue. But finally, after much delay, the entities around Major League Soccer - league officials, teams, and television - saw fit to release the regular season schedule.

Williamsburg, Va. - After a stellar four-year career at William and Mary, Tribe senior Alan Koger was taken in the third round (54th pick) of the 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft by the New England Revolution. With his selection, Koger becomes the ninth player in program history to be drafted in to the MLS.

More photos » Bob Levey - Getty Images

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Dynamo Press Release

Davis, Brad's Brigade among finalists for Jefferson Award for Public Service
Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis was announced as one of All Stars Helping Kids' 10 Dream Team For Public Service finalists from 36 nominees selected for the prestigious Jefferson Awards for Public Service.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

For the second-consecutive year, Lionel Messi has been voted the best player in the world.

Messi, 23, beat out Barcelona teammates Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta to take home FIFA's inagural Ballon d'Or award. FIFA merged its World Player of the Year award with France's Ballon d'Or award last year with Messi winning both awards in 2009.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

For the second-consecutive year, the Hermann Trophy is in the hands of a Zip and a Cardinal.

Akron junior forward Darlington Nagbe was voted the best Division I player by the National Soccer Coaches of America (NSCAA), beating out fellow forwards Will Bruin of Indiana and Colin Rolfe of Louisville.

This weekend we get a break from the Premier League, for what I consider to be the best cup tournament in the world; the FA Cup. The third round is always interesting as the clubs in the Premier League and Championship come in and play teams from the lower divisions. It is here that we get those remarkable upsets that the FA Cup is famous for.

This weekend we get a break from the Premier League, for what I consider to be the best cup tournament in the world; the FA Cup. The third round is always interesting as the clubs in the Premier League and Championship come in and play teams from the lower divisions. It is here that we get those remarkable upsets that the FA Cup is famous for.