The countdown to the Champions League final has commenced. Check out UEFA.com for some features as Wednesday draws near.
Man U played better football for 120 minutes, but Arsenal won the FA Cup on PKs Saturday. Tough luck for the Red Devils, who definitely need to work on their finishing in the offseason.
The Glazers are set to start their "charm offensive" aimed towards disgruntled Man U supporters, says the London Times. Meanwhile, the Independent speculates about a potential "Man USA."
Dramatically, Celtic lost its final match of the season to Motherwell. This handed the SPL title to Rangers, which has to sting like a f&^$er. Martin O'Neill is also rumored to be on his way out of Glasgow.
Lyon's midfield dynamo Michael Essien won France's Player of the Year award, which is decided by the country's National Union of Professional Footballers. Like last year's winner, Didier Drogba, I expect Essien to be in England next season. Not necessarily at Chelsea, though.
In upcoming-friendlies-in-the-US news: 1) the England roster has been substantially revised; 2) Intriguingly, David Beckham picked up a card this weekend that will rule him out for Real Madrid's last game of the season. Some thought this might free him up to play in Chicago, but Eriksson has since ruled that out; 3) The US squad has undergone a shake-up as well, with Zavagnin and Pope set to take the place of Mastroeni and Onyewu; 4) Colombia's roster for the England game at Giants Stadium has been announced.
Look who's back from the dead: Diego Forlan. I can hear Man U fans grinding their teeth at the news that he's second in goals in La Liga with 23, just behind Eto'o.
Another one back from the dead is John O'Brien, the former Ajax player and US international. Marc Connolly sat down for an interview with him.
I didn't pay much attention to MLS this weekend. Here's the usual round-up and pointy observations from Footballs Are Round!
US Soccer UK relays a couple of disparate items, including news that San Antonio's city council has given the thumbs up on $2.9M to improve the Alamodome for MLS. This prompted a positive, but nonetheless lukewarm response from Doug Garber, who stated, "The improvements should help make the venue more attractive for future events, whether or not an MLS team becomes a primary tenant." Check the link for other news about US players here and abroad.
Looks like Mike Petke's going from DCU to the Rapids in a deal that will probably also include the Crew. This follows on last week's move by the Rapids that sent Mark Chung to San Jose.
