I had so much fun writing this.

We start today with the very bad news that our favorite Brazilian, Andre Santos, will be out for at least 3 months due to required surgery on his right ankle. As you all know, he suffered this injury during our CL dead-rubber against Olympiakos- an unfortunate injury that could have been prevented.

From the Comets
The Comets once again faced an expansion team making their home debut. Once again, they relished playing the role of spoiler as they control play from the start and go home with a 13-4 win. Ryan Junge led the team with 5 points on two goals, Vahid Assadpour chipped in two of his own, Leo Gibson and newly signed Cristiano each had one as well.

Kyle Helton and Mjondalen hope to play spoiler to Honefoss in their push to promotion while Jonathan Borrajo could return from injury to give Ham-Kam a push in their own quest to reach the Tippeligaen.

RSL is playing to not be a wild card team this weekend. (Getty Images)

It has been a long season and we have come down to this, one final weekend of games. The New York Red Bulls kind of took some of the sting out of the weekend with their 1-0 win last night over the Philadelphia Union.

Still there are some games with meaning this weekend.

Gratis bum shot via The Spoiler.

Alcohol is not merely a constituent of a good party. Rather, it's the party's host.

Shay Given knows this, which is why he issued a call to the Republic of Ireland fans before last night's Euro 2012 qualifier vs. Armenia to hit the booze. Shay apparently felt that a wee dram or ten might help the faithful blow the roof off the stadium and simultaneously propel the team to victory.

Tonight, the New England Revolution will take on the Seattle Sounders in a match where the Revs are battling for postseason relevance. Mathematically, anyway. Realistically, they're trying to play spoiler and get a couple of good performances at home in the books to close the door on what has been a most disappointing and dismal season to date.

Sorry this is coming out so late, but next week we should be on a much tighter schedule as we've signed up an engineer (@danoseattle) who we hope will help make the show better and keep us publishing a little faster. Aaaaaaannnnnnyyyyyway, we have a show and we think it's a good one.

We talk a lot about the Cascadia Cup and even have ECS Travel Director Aaron Reed (@ECSTravelMonkey) on for a rather lengthy discussion about the trip and away support in general.

Sorry this is coming out so late, but next week we should be on a much tighter schedule as we've signed up an engineer (@danoseattle) who we hope will help make the show better and keep us publishing a little faster. Aaaaaaannnnnnyyyyyway, we have a show and we think it's a good one.

We talk a lot about the Cascadia Cup and even have ECS Travel Director Aaron Reed (@ECSTravelMonkey) on for a rather lengthy discussion about the trip and away support in general.

Toronto FC finally put it all together against the Columbus Crew.

TFC put an end to its Trillium Cup nightmare by posting a 4-2 victory over the Crew for its first win in the rivalry series in 13 matches (1-5-7) and a performance worthy of SBI's MLS Team of the Week honors.

Philadelphia hosts rivals New England tonight. (Getty Images)

I will try to keep this one fairly brief. Both the New England Revolution and the Philadelphia Union come into tonight's midweek clash a bit on the downside. Neither club has come into this match on a hot streak of any kind.

But here we are, with at least the Union in playoff contention at the moment.

Spoiler alert: Exactly what's going to happen in the 2011-12 Championship season is a post from: Just Football

The Football League season's eight-day head start on the Premier League provides a rare chance for clubs in the second tier and below to bask in the limelight.

The national media will respond to the nation's collective anticipation of the new season by lavishing attention on the Championship, League One and League Two for a weekend, before their heads are quickly turned back to the big boys.

I know disparate opinions exist on mid-season friendlies that match MLS sides against the fancy-pants sides from Europe and Mexico. I'm on record as saying, essentially, they once held great value as MLS established its brand, they still hold some value ... but that the value will gradually diminish.

1. Bob Bradley's lineup will look a lot like the one we saw against Panama, with a couple of exceptions. While it would be ideal to start Clint Dempsey up top, the decision is really between Juan Agudelo and Sacha Kljestan. Since Sacha had a fairly bad game against Panama, we're going to say Juan gets the nod.

1. Bob Bradley's lineup will look a lot like the one we saw against Panama, with a couple of exceptions. While it would be ideal to start Clint Dempsey up top, the decision is really between Juan Agudelo and Sacha Kljestan.

This is rather excellent.

• The blunt approach. (IBWM)
• Dynamo Kiev might be onto something. (The Spoiler)
• Guatemalan crests. (The Best Eleven)
• The goal trajectory. (SoccerLens)
• Back in the day... (AFR)
• Stealing ideas. And people. (Serie Aaaargh!

Liedson does kung-fu.

• Champions League's best goals. (The Spoiler)
• The Polish vortex. (Back Page Football)
• The season's end email. (Avoiding The Drop)
• Welcome to the machine. (Futfanatico)
• Prolific South Americans in Europe. (The Best Eleven)
• Appreciating architecture.

The first national team born after the Rwandan genocide in '94 gets a documentary.

• Football. (IBWM)
• Fauxjectification. (SB Nation)
• A charity funeral. (The Spoiler)
• Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole. (EFW)
• 2010-11 review, perhaps slightly premature. (Guardian)
• Reasons to hate.

E:60 spot on the keeper who doesn't like to keep 'em.

• Not rollin'. (Left Back In The Changing Room)
• The other part of Venice. (EFW)
• Qatar beat them at their own currency. (Dirty Tackle)
• Ronaldo scores. You knew that. (La Liga Loca)
• Barca spends money.

Clint Dempsey will try to add to his record breaking goal-scoring pace today when Fulham takes on Liverpool today (2:55pm, ESPN2).

Liverpool enters the match still trying to catch Manchester City for the final Champions League place in England, but Fulham will look to play spoiler as Dempsey returns from a slight injury that kept him out of Fulham's last match.

You can laugh.

[101gg]

• Media pressure and the manager. (twofootedtackle)
• Estonian crests. (The Best Eleven)
• El Clasico, not so classic anymore. (The Spoiler)
• When bad things happen to good kits. (Football Fashion)
• Hot tub time machine.

Elano either has an ankle injury or is practicing diving. Equally likely.

[101gg]

• Slinging money around to the little guys. (Avoiding The Drop)
• And again. (The Spoiler)
• And again. (Dirty Tackle)
• Life at the end. (The French Connection)
• Star Wars strip.

You've probably seen it and you probably should see it again.

• Aaron Lennon: good wit English. (The Spoiler)
• Capitulating from within. (Back Page Football)
• People like Messi. (Dirty Tackle)
• A subjective XI. (Football Fairground)
• How it all began.

There is absolutely nothing they won't brand in football. Nothing. Including the time board.

Yes, that's a condom, which The Spoiler tells us....

The idea is to promote the Performa sheath – a rubber that helps you last longer in bed by numbing you kn*b.

The Evening News reports on the fan being sued by Manchester United.

5 Added Minutes has a statistical analysis on how United cope with pressure.

Football Fix has a very interesting interview with The Guardian's Daniel Taylor about being a journalist in Manchester.

Portugoal.net reports on Nani's claim he is not obsessed with being the best.

Zidane embarrasses, makes apologies to a young goalie.

• Supporters in lands often unseen. (The Best Eleven)
• Eliminating MOTD. (Football Fairground)
• Mario Balotelli's inspiration, savior. (The Spoiler)
• Yes. (IBWM)
• Delicious possibilities here RoBu 2020.

Christian Camacho and Sfintul Gheorghe will aim to play spoiler this weekend when they pay a visit to 10-time defending Moldovan Divizia Nationala champions Sheriff.

Shirt adult cinema.

[Football Fashion]

• Five years gone. (IBWM)
• The French future. (The French Connection)
• Arsene's calling the kettle... (The Spoiler)
• Gareth Bale, animated. (Dirty Tackle)
• Spurs throwing an appropriate celebration. (The DA)
• Barca on the chalkboard.

This is what a boffo impending suspension looks like.

• Life with Union Berlin. (EFW)
• Unsurprisingly surprising stat. (The Spoiler)
• Croatians abroad. (The Best Eleven)
• Swedish footballer exits the closet. (Yahoo)
• Arsene tumbles. (La Liga Loca)
• The Gold Cup as requirement.

Despite being one of the world's greatest ever, Ronaldo's twilight was neither graceful nor particularly easy. From the weight to the injuries to the tranny surprise to an eventual retirement expediated by an unforeseen Copa exit, his best memories are long gone and getting further away by the day.

"Suck it Toronto Transit Commission"

Before we get to our usual Monday silliness, we just want to thank our readers, both new and old, who helped us crack the 50,000 hit mark. Hope you enjoy the site as much as we enjoy creating it - thanks for being a Yorkie too! Now, if we were MLSE we would sell a range of "We Hit 50K" scarves (damn, that's a good idea) but unlike Toronto FC's owners we don't have that cross-promotional clout.

This guy has a career firing t-shirts into a crowd when he's done with football.

[101gg]

• Cracking the top ten. (Back Page Football)
• Why wasn't this caught on video? (Dirty Tackle)
• Rough day at the office. (The Spoiler)
• Waving goodbye to the Antilles.

Rough day at the office.

[101gg]

• Defending football. (Left Back In The Changing Room)
• Russia and racism. (IBWM)
• A Leipzig derby. (EFW)
• talkSPORT gets the gruesome twosome. (The Spoiler)
• Is the future three across? (Jonathan Wilson)
• Commercials abroad.

A series on famous former McDonald's employees includes the captain of the Portuguese national women's team.

• Friends in high places. (Jonathan Wilson)
• Atdhe shut down raises questions. (Ars Technica)
• Unheard before news: CR's an ass. (The Spoiler)
• Cartoons may not mirror real life.

The San Siro posts will not be receiving a Christmas card from Zlatan.

• Fernando Torres' wheels will be safe this weekend. (The DA)
• Vietnamese crests. (The Best Eleven)
• January in review. (The Spoiler)
• Less to review in La Liga. (La Liga Loca)
• Finding the wispy line.

The big 30 for the Fox in the Box Would anyone go to the expense of placing a spoof 30th birthday advert for Francis Jeffers? If not then his fall from grace is well and truly complete. From backpage hero to the hatches, matches and dispatches column! Spotted on The Fiver via The Spoiler

Several levels of failure.

[The Spoiler]

• Blame it on the post, man. (Fisted Away)
• Crossing the pond. (Left Back In The Changing Room)
• Women and Polish football. (IBWM)
• Pondering the insanity. (The DA)
• Good, sound lesson. (WSC)
• Game over.

Maradona & Valderrama do 5 v 5.

• Ruud goes to Chechnya. (Guardian)
• European-based Asian Cup players. (The Best Eleven)
• Things to do in Russia in January. (Never Mind the Bolsheviks)
• So long, Hell. (BBC)
• BBC presenter has slight faux pas. (Off The Post)
• La Furia Roja as The Simpsons.

Dutch amateur football teams have their moments.

[101gg]

• The trail blazer. (IBWM)
• Avram and stealth ninjas. (The DA)
• The best of Wikipedia. (The Spoiler)
• Becks as Christ isn't for everybody. (Dirty Tackle)
• Get that man his accessory. (The Onion Bag)
• Who wants sherbert?

Our latest loan signing sees friend of OTP, former editor of The Spoiler and current editor of menshealth.co.uk Ryan Bailey putting the transfer window to rights. With Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool and a not-rubbish England cricket team lording it over the colonies, it would be be easy to assume you might have gunned it back [.

That Zlatan...he's alright.

• Asian Cup awards. (The Ball Is Round)
• The man who killed football. (Back Page Football)
• Not-quite-subtle truths here. (Studs Up)
• Employment, but backasswards. (Scouting Romania)
• The misery ten. (The Spoiler)
• Raul lets you in on Raul.