Friday linkpost

• Liverpool/Chelsea this weekend. While this almost always means a lackluster game, it always means managerial sniping. Which was fun a few years ago, but guys, seriously. Just kiss already. You know you want to. That said, though, "Abramovich has done a really good job"? BURN.


• England squad named for Germany friendly. Calling up injured players because you don't want to try new things? It's like 2006 all over again! And seriously, did Scott Parker run over someone's puppy?


• Speaking of stories we've been seeing for years, Michael Owen is almost fit again. Until he actually plays a game, that is. He used to be one of my favorites, but man. It's been a long time.


• David Beckham scored, and no one was there. Except 17,000 for a midweek game, especially a non-league one, isn't that bad. Especially when no one thought he was going to play, let alone start, let alone score. Ooops. I know the backlash has begun in earnest, but is anyone pretending that most fans 1) know or 2) care what the Superliga is? Because, no.


• And finally today, another American goes to a doomed Premiership team. I like Benny Feilhaber -- yeah, that's not a secret -- but I still don't think Derby has a chance. Maybe he can commiserate with the three Americans at Fulham.

What about Graeme Souness?

Apparently Rafa's a trendsetter.

I'm surprised they're even giving odds on Torres growing a mustache. Skinny thing that he is, I sort of doubt he can grow stubble, let alone a full-on goatee.

He's still better than Dave O'Brien

So, if soccer is on ESPN, I'll pretty much watch it. For most of the good stuff (at least until the Champions League starts), you have to go to FSC or Univision, but I want to encourage ESPN to show soccer, so I watch the random internationals and MLS games.

It's all good, but I've decided my favorite part is the halftime "other soccer news" report that ESPN News does. The value of this isn't really in the news they deliver -- it's usually stuff I already know. The amusement value comes from two things: 1) trying to guess how they'll shoehorn David Beckham in, and 2) waiting for the mispronunciations to begin. In the last two games I've watched (Galaxy/United and US/New Zealand), the poor ESPN newsguy has mispronounced:

• Feilhaber
• Derby
• Hleb
• Birmingham
• Ballack

Somehow he got "Szetela" and "Essien" right, though, both of which I would have thought were more difficult than, you know. Derby. I feel there's a drinking game in the making here, but it needs a little more thought.

In other news, Kristine Lilly continues to be absolutely badass.

Friday linkpost

• Some guy named Beckham came on as a sub for the Galaxy last night. Apparently he's kind of a big deal? I watched this game, and it was ... a typical MLS game, really. Except for the part with the opposing fans taking pictures of the Galaxy subs warming up. And the Beckham-cam.


• The season starts tomorrow, and Xabi Alonso is happy with the squad. Right now, I am too, but another opening-day away draw and I may change my story.


• Another summer, another interminable Tevez transfer story. At least this one's finally over. And I'm also happy the deal didn't go through yesterday, so I could buy Tevez for my fantasy team (Your Mom FC) without breaking my "no United, Chelsea, or Everton players" rule. God love technicalities, and it seems fitting with this story, right?


• And finally, Football Weekly is back, and I couldn't be happier. My bizarre crush on Sean Ingle grows.

Pre-season preview

Once again, Sven asks the questions, I answer them. Including where I would get a Liverpool tattoo, for all you pervs reading.

And so there's actual content here, I'm not sure Rafa's goatee is the answer to all Liverpool's problems. I think it's mostly a fairly harmless midlife crisis.

Fight test

It's supposed to be a friendly, boys. Not a fight.

I shouldn't be this amused, but I am. I kinda love my dirty little team.