Looks like Ledley King is done as a player. Inevitable, but sad.

Those Chelsea acquisitions are nuts. Reload!

This weekend and the following week (until Friday) is pretty dead for soccer, right? Pretty much just friendlies? June 8 starts the Euro's and is the USMNT's first WCQ, correct? I notice Mexico is playing Brazil on Sunday, it's on an OTA Univision channel. Might be interesting for the comparison.

I'd like to see a ref stand his ground against that 'mob of 10 guys in his face', then flop on the ground when one brushes up against him.

This weekend and the following week (until Friday) is pretty dead for soccer, right?

Which is good, because I have finals until Wednesday :p

This weekend and the following week (until Friday) is pretty dead for soccer, right?

England-Beligum tomorrow should be reasonably interesting, I hope.

This weekend and the following week (until Friday) is pretty dead for soccer, right?

USA vs Canada on Sunday. Try to contain your excitement.

You've got South American qualifying this weekend, which may be the best tournament in the world. CAF has qualifiers, too, but none of the games look interesting if they're even on tv. The second leg of the Serie B playoffs are on. And a very little domestic soccer, too. The Asian WC qualifiers look like snoozers, too.

#1457: Is any of that stuff on tv? Well, the CONMEBOL qualfiers, anyway?

I'm not expecting much out of US-Canada w/the qualifier two days later. Actually, I'm hoping for not much out of US-Canada--I assume the main guys will be resting.

Is any of that stuff on tv? Well, the CONMEBOL qualfiers, anyway?

Mexico vs Brazil friendly is on Univision on Sunday. That appears to be it.

Serie B will definitely be streamed by the usual illegal streaming outfits. Not sure about CONMEBOL. Seems like they should be somewhere but I haven't amde any effort yet to figure it out. One advantage of the Qataris buying everything soccer-related is that maybe they can create a one-stop shopping destination for soccer so you wouldn't have to rely on illegal streams and spend half a work day figuring out which outlet is carrying what.

One advantage of the Qataris buying everything soccer-related

Oh no, they have competition, the Chinese have bought the right to host the Spanish Super Cup in Beijing from next year. Cost a cool 40 million euros.

Michael Ballack reportedly to sign with... Montreal.

Heh -- the rumor earlier was Del Piero going to Montreal. Maybe it'll change over the summer window, but I'm a bit disappointed that teams aren't utilizing the new young DP rules. I want to say Portland inked one, but the player got hurt almost immediately and was ruled out for the season. Can't think of any others...

Exclusive Footage of Chelsea's Newest Signing!

Lavezzi to PSG for €26m.

May I be the first to say: Boooooooooooooooooo!

It has been pretty well telegraphed already, but Paul Lambert is officially the new Villa manager now.

Better than could be hoped. I wouldn't mind if he brought Grant Holt with him.

Paul Lambert is officially the new Villa manager now.

And may I also be the first to say to this: Boooooooooooooooo!

Villa. Where my heroes go to die.

Heh -- the rumor earlier was Del Piero going to Montreal. Maybe it'll change over the summer window, but I'm a bit disappointed that teams aren't utilizing the new young DP rules.

Fabian Castillo might be counted as one; I'm guessing it depends on how the team or league wanted to work the accounting for his transfer fee.

The rule's kind of tough to use. You'd have to have scouted out a 20 yr or younger player who you're confident will cut it, while at the same time not demand a big transfer fee (which MLS teams are loathe to pay).

And then there's the accounting. If you manage your roster well, $350,000 (regular DP) is not a huge cap hit. Whereas $180,000 (young DP hit) is still a lot to spend on a guy who can't contribute, so you need the young player to be able to do something right away. Then the club is making up the difference that the league doesn't pay...it's "only" $170,000, but that's probably still a decent chunk of change for most MLS clubs.

One advantage of the Qataris buying everything soccer-related is that maybe they can create a one-stop shopping destination for soccer so you wouldn't have to rely on illegal streams and spend half a work day figuring out which outlet is carrying what.

At least eventually...I selfishly worry about the limbo phase as new networks are created and then they go through that dance of trying to get carriers to add them, and add them to the more accessible tiers.

It probably doesn't matter much to people here, but Univision spun off Univision Deportes in the spring and took the rights to most of the interesting Mexican teams with them (Santos, Monterrey, Pachuca, Toluca, etc.), and Dish was the only carrier. About half the playoff games were on the network as well.

The rule's kind of tough to use. You'd have to have scouted out a 20 yr or younger player who you're confident will cut it, while at the same time not demand a big transfer fee (which MLS teams are loathe to pay).

Yup. The two 20 or so year old DPs got to MLS via loans, not coincidentally they're both Colombian, there's been a tremendous influx of Colombians to MLS recently.

Happy to see Lambert arrive. I'm still not convinced that he is all that and a bag of chips, but I can certainly see the promise. Between him and Solsjkaer, it seems clear in this hiring cycle that Randy Lerner has learned a bit from his past mistakes.

I wouldn't mind if he brought Grant Holt with him.

Holt would cost more than he is worth at this point. Villa may not be poverty stricken, but the finances still demand efficient spending. Better for Lambert to unearth another Holt from lesser leagues.

there's been a tremendous influx of Colombians to MLS recently.

Did you see the MLS salary figures? I didn't check on other teams, but naturally was curious about newcomers to the Rapids (my local team). Not that their Colombian players have been stars, but they have a reasonable starting central mid and starting leftback for $68K and $68K, and a backup/possible starting d-mid for $44K. They also picked up a 22-yr old a-mid from 2nd div Argentina for $50K.

I can see why MLS teams have turned their attention in that direction.

to go OT in an OT thread: how do rugby league and union fans take rugby sevens? Is it seen as an acceptable form of the game or some sort of decadence? I like that it will be tried in the Olympics...too bad they didn't introduce it for London, though. That seems like it would have been perfect.

A drab start, but Diego Forlan with some lovely footwork (and woeful Venezuelan defending) makes it 1-0 in one of the few "real" games offered today. That Uruguayan side is formidable.

Did you see the MLS salary figures?

I have, and I'm not quite sure what the uproar was when they got released, the MLS players union has done it for years.

Colombians are generally good and cheap, and when you get a few players from any country, integration is easier for everyone. We're seeing MLS start to become a league where non-Americans want to play, it's great. Say what you want about Colombia but you have to walk before you can run.

Puck - I don't much care for it myself, but you're talking to a front rower here. It's definitely seen as rugby lite and the atmosphere st sevens tournaments is generally party-oriented. Players who excel at sevens generally don't play as well at fifteens - a legend like Waisale Serevi (who is still playing fifteens for Old Puget Sound Beach in Seattle at 42) never quite made it in fifteens despite being the best sevens player ever.

It's fun to play and watch, and the format and style of the game leads to upsets that you basically never see in fifteens. We've gotten to some semifinals in sevens tournaments and the Eagles will never get to a semifinal in fifteens rugby in my lifetime.

Now most of the rugby community supported sevens at the Olympics, but we're seeing a few of the pitfalls - NOCs are only choosing to fund sevens and sometimes only one sex. For example, the Dutch NOC has decided they might win a medal in women's sevens, so the women are pros and train six days a week while the men get virtually nothing, and neither fifteens program Is funded.

I have, and I'm not quite sure what the uproar was when they got released, the MLS players union has done it for years.

There was an uproar? You're right, they've done it for years, and Americans who follow other US pro leagues would hardly be surprised.

Flynn--thanks, that's interesting. I don't know much of any of the versions, but from what I've seen, Sevens seems like quite a different game with all the extra space for players to run.

Yeah, there is relatively little overlap between the two and many sevens stars are average, at best, rugby players. I am trying to think of a comparison - indoor soccer, maybe?

The soccer writers I follow on Twitter spent the better part of a day talking about it and came across fairly naive about it (to me). On the upside, it helped draw attention to the salary gap between MLS and other leagues.

Uruguay just can't beat us.

Rondon's goal

It may not be a big deal for you Anglos, but I really like having a tall striker who can get in between the centrebacks and score with headers. Venezuela hasn't had many of those.

In dead threads, nobody can hear you scream...

The less dead thread.

You do realize that you helped revive this thread, do you?

Every time I see one of these Rugby Sevens matches on the NBC Sports channel it seems that a certain "Faosiliva" is trampling and outrunning everyone like the Samoan version of Walter Payton. So the ACTUAL Samoan rugby team is all people better than he is?

You do realize that you helped revive this thread, do you?

It's okay! No need to panic! I'm a necromancer.