Liverpool ended 2010-11 in fantastic form, perhaps even convincing those most hopeful that with a tweak here and a winger there a legitimate run at the title wasn't entirely beyond the realm of possibility. With summer signalling that Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish were more interested in rebuilding than refining, though, that hope faced up to growing fears about all the that could go wrong with a largely new starting eleven as the season began.

I guess that one advantage of having a schedule that doesn't match any other league's in the world is that, while MLS teams take a brake over the winter, competitions in Europe are just starting to heat up. And just as even the most faithful husband can't help but notice a pretty girl, it definitely isn't treason (or Eurosnobbery, for that matter) for an MLS fan to enjoy a match between European teams.