Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson believes that playing at Old Trafford tomorrow afternoon could actually prove beneficial for the Reds, who have not been at their best at home this season.

Despite using the Kop to their advantage to knock Manchester City out of the Carling Cup and Manchester United out of the FA Cup, Liverpool's league form at Anfield has been nothing to rave about.

So much for the new number 9.

Less than a week after the Revolution announced the signing of Colombian striker Jose "Pepe" Moreno their biggest offseason signing so far - it appears that the 30-year-old has cold feet about coming to MLS.

Citing his desire to play alongside recent Once Caldas signing Dayro Moreno and displaying a renewed sense of appreciation for the Manizales-based side, the 6-0 striker has reportedly reneged on playing in Foxboro, at least for the time being.

I posed some statements to the other writers of Stumptown Footy and asked them to buy or sell the statement with a brief explanation. Here are our answers:

Kris Boyd will score 10+ goals this season. Andrew:

Sell. I've held this opinion close to my chest. I want to believe that Boyd is going to be the goalscorer the Timbers organization has cast their lot in, but to me there are still just a few too many questions.

Man City's official YouTube channel has provided a lot of unexpected entertainment over its relatively short existence and has already become a model for other clubs to follow. It does, however, go off the rails from time to time (City kitman Les Chapman's "nature watch" segment where he tracks down a ginger kid in his underpants).

As we showed on Sunday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made the transition from kicking teammates to slapping opponents. And to prove his new hobby, Zlatan has allegedly done it again already. After the final whistle in Juventus' 2-1 win over Milan in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal, Ibra argued with Juve keeper Marco Storari and, according to Juve defender Giorgio Chiellini, Ibra also gave him a slap.

Brian Ching, the man who built BBVA Compass Stadium, is set to see his former Dynamo teammates today for the first time since the Montreal Impact picked him in the expansion draft last November. The Dynamo and Impact will play today at a practice field at Home Depot Center. I was in contact with Ching [.

Here's a depressing statistics for Chelsea fans: based on his strike rate with the Blues, it would take Fernando Torres around 20 years to score 100 goals. Potential transfer target Neymar, on the other hand, yesterday completed a career century on his 20th birthday, five games into his fourth top-flight season.

What a strange season. Newcastle is winning... a lot, they have international teammates Cisse and Ba playing together up top and scoring with regularity (well, Cisse scored in his debut yesterday), and Aston Villa has to rely on ex-Spur Robbie "I'm too old for this sh.." Keane to put one on the board.

By Chris Wright

Here's a depressing fact for you: Neymar, who turned 20 yesterday, scored his 100th career goal in Sao Paulo's 2-1 defeat to Palmeiras over the weekend. That's 100 goals (82 for Santos, eight for Brazil, nine for the Brazil U20s and one for the U17s) in 186 appearances for the wee Cockatoo.

Having mastered the art of kicking teammates, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now moved on to slapping opponents. Zlatan was sent off in the 64th minute of Milan's 0-0 draw against Napoli for reaching around teammate Antonio Nocerino to slap Salvatore Aronica in the face. If the slap is ruled to be a violent gesture, then Ibra will have to serve a three-match ban.

Two goals from Didier Drogba and a fine free kick from Yaya Toure gave Ivory Coast a comfortable 3-0 win over Co-host Equatorial Guinea to send the Elephants through to the Semi final where they will face either Gabon or Mali.

In the day's earlier match Zambia beat 10 man Sudan with a scoreline to make it through to the semis for the first time since 1996.

Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton has revealed who he thinks the best player in the world is and it's not a former United great. While many Manchester United fans still name Cristiano Ronaldo as the best and most complete player in the world, Charlton has hailed the qualities of Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

Fresh off a transfer from the struggling Bolton Wanderers, defender Gary Cahill is reportedly already unhappy at Stamford Bridge. Cahill found himself on the bench for Chelsea's recent match against Swansea City, as he was hoping to fill in for the injured John Terry.

Goal.com is reporting that an inside source close to the Chelsea training camp noted that Cahill looked as if "his head has gone," but noted that Cahill has not filed any official complaint with manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Sebastien Le Toux and Kyle Nakazawa were seen as the two major free kick takers on the Philadelphia Union through the team's first two seasons of existence.

For Le Toux it was because of his massive number of free kicks, coupled with a perceived high failure rate on them. Nakazawa's status as a free kick taker came from a mystique that he developed among the Union's fan base from great technique.

Though Ronaldinho hasn't been paid in months, a new deal has been reached to ensure he gets what he's owed, he's still training with Flamengo and still focused on getting results for the club. And as Flamengo head into the second leg of their Copa Libertadores tie trailing Real Potosi (who share a ground with Nacional Potosi, of recent scorpion kick fame) 2-1, Ronaldinho was uncharacteristically serious in training on Tuesday.

By Chris Wright

Whereas I'm pretty sure it would have still gone in on the other side of Joe Hart's goal, Darron Gibson's heavily deflected winner against Man City last night saw his old club Manchester United go level on points with their rivals at the summit of the Premier League pretty much making his goal last night the best thing he ever did for United, indeed they were chanting his name 30 miles away at Old Trafford when the news broke.

Arsenal's newest midfielder Thomas Eisfeld has made it known that he is proud to be chosen as a Gunner, particularly as he aims to strike a partnership with Tomas Rosicky a man he grew up watching at Borussia Dortmund.

The 19-year old Eisfeld arrived from Dortmund yesterday to complete his move to North London ahead of the transfer deadline and after being unveiled, the youngster pledged to make both his current and former club proud.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

The Philadelphia Union announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have completed the transfer of Roger Torres for an undisclosed sum.

The 19-year-old midfielder, whose loan spell with the Union was about to end, had been on loan from Colombian first division club America de Cali for the 2010 and 2011 season.

Peyton Hillis has had a very interesting couple seasons with the Cleveland Browns. In 2010, Hillis took the league by storm and was one of the best running backs in the league. Heading into the 2011 campaign, big things were expected out of him. However, he struggled mightily on the field and clashed with teammates off the field.

Over the weekend, fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins were scared by news that Sidney Crosby has a neck injury. However, it appears as if the neck injury isn't serious. Why do I say that? I say that because Sidney Crosby was back on the ice on Monday and skated with some teammates during a short workout.

Before coming into the league, Dwight Howard built himself up as a very religious man who wanted to make a mark on the league by being a great human. As it turns out, Dwight Howard is a loser.

Even though the Orlando Magic have helped him make it to the NBA Finals, Howard isn't happy in Florida and has instead demanded a trade.

Faryd Mondragon is officially no longer a Philadelphia Union player. The goalkeeper will return to the team that he began his career with, Deportivo Cali, as soon as the player and his family can move to Colombia.

"It has been an absolute honor and a privilege to be part of the Union family," said Mondragón told PhiladelphiaUnion.

While Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba is sequestered away with his teammates in a luxury hotel for the African Cup of Nations, his mother, Clotilde is preparing traditional west African meals in an outdoor kitchen for a group of 60 fans who traveled to Equatorial Guinea for the tournament.

When Jorge Perlaza first joined the Portland Timbers, he was very much alone. Being the only member of the team who did not have a basic understanding of English, it was an intimidating experience. If you take language out of the equation, he says, you can adapt to just about anything anywhere. But not being able to understand what people are saying makes every aspect of life more difficult.

A common belief is that US youth soccer players suffer from over coaching, and in many cases that is true. But in our helicopter parent society where kids rarely can just go 'play in the park', coaches are in a situation where they have to provide SOME instruction and opportunity to develop. How do you create a fun practice where the kids push themselves vs go through the motions while also correcting mistakes and allowing for self discovery of soccer skill?

Following a tweet from player agent Richard Motzkin that announced Danny Mwanga would be training with Aston Villa for ten days, the Philadelphia Union confirmed that the striker will miss the team's first preseason session.

According to the Union, Mwanga "will join his teammates in Orlando on February 6, in time for the start of the Union's second leg of preseason.

The three best American soccer players in the world will be on the field together in a club match for the first time ever as Tim Howard and Landon Donovan lead Everton against Clint Dempsey and Fulham (3pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Today's FA Cup Fourth Round showdown is being billed as a battle between Dempsey and Donovan, long-time USA teammates and two great players who draw different reactions from different fans.

Tonight I was watching Metro Sports Zone on Metro Sports, watching a feature that was being done on Kyle Miller and Matt Kuhn and their attempts to become the 5th and 6th local players on Sporting KC's current roster. It struck a thought in my head that I'd been thinking about yesterday after an announcement from the Seattle Sounders.

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is already feeling at home with his new teammates, describing the squad as an 'entertaining' group following the club's short training camp in Mallorca.

The Blues returned home earlier today and after spending most of the time in Mallorca training together in the warm weather, Cahill feels that the bonding within the squad got stronger by the day.

Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry has sent a strong message to the club's doubters, asserting that for all the criticism over their massive spending spree and unproven title credentials, the Citizens have delivered on the promises made to him.

Speaking ahead of the decisive leg of City's Carling Cup semifinal against Liverpool tonight, Barry revealed that he strongly considered moving to Anfield in 2009 before choosing the Eastlands based largely on a commitment to build for the future.

Having already confirmed to miss out the whole season due to a serious knee injury, Lucas Leiva decided to return back in England for his rehabilitation process, leaving Brazil where he previously received treatment.

Lucas revealed that his recovery process is right on schedule and getting back to Liverpool would be much better for him since he can stay close with his teammates and also fans, who have been very supportive during his tough times.

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has insisted that, although he trusts his teammates, he can't wait to get back playing again after seeing the Reds slump to a 3-1 defeat to Bolton.
The Uruguayan, who is currently serving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra, watched on as Kenny Dalglish's side were well beaten at the Reebok Stadium but the 24-year-old is adamant he is still very much behind his teammates.

Eclipse Select Communications
CHICAGO -- Eclipse Select Soccer Club forward Paige Jarsombeck has announced her commitment to play for Creighton University's women's soccer team. The Tinley Park, Ill., native and Andrew High School junior will join head coach Bruce Erickson's Bluejays in 2013.

There's nothing like coming home! Just ask Lucas Leiva, who showed up to his first day of recuperation at Liverpool's Melwood training ground yesterday after spending six weeks back home in Brasil. The midfielder received a warm welcome from the club's staff and of course teammates Dirk Kuyt and Pepe Reina were also around to show their support.

Iker Casillas played down divisions between the Spanish and Portuguese players in the Real Madrid team after Sunday's win against Athletic Bilbao saying:

"We can't start losing our minds and pointing the finger at each other. Whistles are really aimed at all of us. We must all be united, team and fans alike.

In an interview, David Beckham recounted a humorous story about his son. At a recent get together with his LA Galaxy teammates, Brooklyn made and American to British English faux pas. Apparently, Brooklyn was doodling and asked his father for sone rubbers. Beckham's teammates were very puzzled by the child's request for condoms.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes that the club's 8-2 defeat away to Manchester United five months ago will have no impact on their preparation for this Sunday's rematch at the Emirates while skipper Robin van Persie strongly feels otherwise.

Speaking to the club's website ahead of United's trip to North London, Wenger explained that no matter what, his side cannot reverse the disaster that occurred in Manchester last August and hence, they must look at Sunday's match as a new opportunity altogether.

When approached to declare this blog as an ally for basic human rights, it was not a question of whether or not I would support the cause, but rather when I had the time to give the occasion a proper write up.

The ability to utilize one's inherent and unique version of humanity is something that the Brotherly Game strongly supports.

By: Peter Espinosa
Thirteen hours is the time it takes for the bus to leave Hartman Arena on its way to US Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Wings have made three of their scheduled four trips to play the Milwaukee Wave this season and before they venture into the champions house again, the Wave will play in Wichita three times in one week.

Veljko Paunovic released an open letter to Philadelphia Union fans through Twitter. The Brotherly Game asked the now retired player if the letter could be republished here, upon the site. With Paunovic's blessing, here's the full text of his letter:

I want to thank the great Union family for welcoming me from the very first day that I came here.