We are nearing the end of the week, but there is plenty to talk about today! Lots of news — both good and bad — out of Bolton, John Terry could be sidelined for a while and Mario Balotelli involved in a car accident. Plus a crazy cool LEGO model in Kansas City! All that and more, here’s your Daily Kick Around.

English Premier League

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first, shall we? Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle said today that U.S. midfielder Stu Holden won’t be seeing any game play for the rest of the EPL season. While it is not a huge surprise, considering the severity of Holden’s injury and the setbacks he has encountered, it is still a blow for any Bolton fans hoping to have the dynamic player back. Bolton is on the verge of relegation and could use all the help they can get to stay in the EPL.

On to the good news: Fabrice Muamba has taken his first steps, just three weeks after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch. Coyle said that Muamba has done some short periods of walking down the hospital corridor, and has a big smile on his face. Considering Muamba was technically dead for 78 minutes, any progress is amazing; the fact that he’s doing it all with a giant smile makes it that much better.

And of course, we can’t forget about the other American import at Bolton, Tim Ream. While Ream may have fallen out of favor with many USMNT fans, he has made a lasting impression on Coyle. Since arriving at Bolton, Ream quickly worked his way into the starting lineup, and has done well as a center back and occasionally as a midfielder for the Wanderers. Grant Wahl caught up with him, and gives great insight into his time with Bolton so far here.

 Chelsea captain John Terry could be sidelined with two cracked ribs, which is bad news for the Blues. They have a stretch of eight games in 26 days, including EPL, FA Cup and Champions League matches.

Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli was involved in a minor car accident today, but escaped unhurt. How is this man always in the headlines? It’s somewhat impressive.

Major League Soccer

In case you missed the drama in Torreon last night, Santos Laguna knocked Toronto FC out of the CCL tournament, ending the MLS squad’s surprising and impressive run. For you USMNT fans, Herculez Gomez scored. Twice. A call-up is inevitable if he maintains this form.

Ever wondered what MLS stadium would be the first to have an official LEGO model of it? Here’s your answer!

When Bolton player Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch at Tottenham Saturday, the entire soccer world suddenly united as one. For the last two days, it hasn’t mattered what team you cheer for: we all came together to support Muamba and his family, friends and teammates. After a few terrifying minutes, followed by days of worry, we have a positive update for you on his condition. Despite the somber mood of the soccer world this weekend, there were some amazing moments throughout MLS, and I’ll highlight those for you as well. Here’s your Daily Kick Around.

Fabrice Muamba

If you were like me, you spent the past couple of days scouring the news and Twitter for updates on Fabrice Muamba’s condition. News broke today that his condition is slowly but steadily improving, as his heart is now beating without medication, and he is moving his arms and legs.

Within the past hour, the Associate Press reported that Muamba is now speaking again. A friend of his said Muamba has spoken minimal words, in both English and French. Incredibly uplifting news. We at Aerys Soccer wish him all the best in his recovery.

Another piece to add to this developing story, a sports cardiologist that was supposed to test one or two Tottenham players today for potential heart defects has said he will now be testing the entire Spurs squad.  He said the players demanded to to all have a cardiac screening today. The players who saw Muamba collapse  Saturday taking a good precautionary measure, and honestly, I don’t see why every player doesn’t get a screening like this.

Major League Soccer

It was a great weekend of action in MLS, and if you missed any of it, our own Trista Lutgring has a recap for you here. Now that the games are over, it’s time to vote! There are some fantastic goals up for Goal of the Week. Check them out and vote here. In my opinion, it’s Ryan Johnson’s to lose. What. A. Goal.

Not only were there some fantastic goals, there were great celebrations. The best of the weekend had to be Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong doing an Irish jig.

Finally, the LA Galaxy received their MLS Cup Championship rings before they beat DC United 3-1 Sunday afternoon. And my goodness, are they pretty.

It’s a pretty somber day today in the footy world. With the news of Bolton’s Muamba, there has been little else taking the forefront, which only proves that when something as tragic as this happens, teams and fans also come together in support. We do have a few headlines from the EPL for you today, in case you missed the match ups, and what’s happened in MLS. Here’s your Saturday Daily Kick Around.

FA Cup

If you haven’t heard about the tragic collapse of Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba during the FA Cup game again Tottenham, our own Dana Wagner has been keeping an eye on the story with great updates. So far the news is that he is in critical condition after collapsing during today’s match. The ladies of Aerys Soccer send our thoughts and prayers to him and his family and hope he fights through this unfortunate event.

English Premier League

Welp, both Manchester teams are not only out of the Champion’s League, but they are out of the Europa competition as well. As everyone begins the question the strength of English teams in world competition, Manchester United and City know that their one redeeming chance this year is the Premier League title.

Speaking of City, with the arrival of Carlos Tevez back in the ranks, everyone is wondering what will happen now with the Argentinian. Former City striker Rodney Marsh’s suggestion is to keep Tevez out of the first team line up.

“I wouldn’t bring him back because he is so volatile, because there are so many negatives around him which reflect on the football club and the team.”

If you missed the two matches held today in the EPL, Swansea City had a killer match against Fulham, notching three goals and keeping a clean sheet for the win. Wigan and West Brom also faced off, but ended the match in a tie.

Major League Soccer

Expansion team Montreal Impact had something to prove today as they hosted their home opener against Chicago Fire today. It was a record crowd, drawing out more than 58,000 fans for the game. It was pretty heated and definitely worth it for the fans that attended, but the Fire were able to hold the new team to a 1-1 tie. I have to say, I’m loving the fact that these opening games for MLS 2012 are getting record numbers. Always great to see the game grow in the US!

There are still matches carrying on right now, and even more tomorrow. If you want to catch the late night games, at 10 p.m. ET, Real Salt Lake and our Midweek Muscles pick Chris Wingert will take on New York  and Seattle and Toronto FC will face off. Even later, at 10:30 ET, you can watch Chivas USA and Vancouver take to the pitch. Tomorrow’s game schedule can be viewed here, and keep with Aerys Soccer for your round up of the MLS weekend!

The quarterfinal FA Cup match between Bolton and Tottenham was abandoned just before the end of the first half, after Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the field in the 40th minute, with the match tied at 1-1.  FOX Soccer reported via Twitter that Muamba suffered a “cardiac incident” and it was reported by ESPN that he was not breathing. The 23 year old midfielder was attended to with CPR for 10 minutes on the field, as players from both teams crowded around and prayed. Muamba was was carted off the field by medics and taken to the London Chest Hospital.

Fans at White Hart Lane watch as Bolton's Fabrice Muamba was carted off the field following a heart attack.

Words of support and prayers for Muamba and his family poured in from fans, players and clubs all over the world as we awaited the news of his condition. To the great relief of everyone, within two hours of the incident Sky Sports News reported via Twitter that Muamba was in “stable condition.” They have since reported that he is in critical condition:

Bolton have confirmed that Muamba suffered a heart attack on the field of play and is currently being cared for by specialists.

“Bolton Wanderers can confirm that Fabrice Muamba has been admitted to the heart attack centre at London Chest hospital where he is currently in a critically ill condition in intensive care,” read a statement on the club’s official website.

“No further information will be issued at this stage. The club has requested the media to respect his family’s privacy at this time.”

The Telegraph tells how the scene unfolded:

Around a minute before the incident, he had attempted to play a sideways pass to Martin Petrov on the edge of the Tottenham area that had been intercepted by Kyle Walker. Shortly after 6.10pm, in the 41st minute of the game, Tottenham were on the attack. Muamba, some way behind the play, appeared to be jogging back into his own half. Around 45 yards from goal, he suddenly dropped to the turf.

There was no simpler way to describe it. His legs appeared to crumple underneath him and he fell face first to the pitch. For a few seconds after he hit the ground, his right ankle appeared to convulse slightly.

If you’re not familiar with Muamba and his journey from growing up in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to escaping war and finding his way in the EPL, I suggest reading this article from last year in the Guardian.

The game will be resumed at a later date. Our prayers are with Muamba and his family, and we hope for a speedy recovery. Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for updates as we continue to follow this story.

Bolton have been on a hot streak lately and were feeling confident going into today’s match against Arsenal.  The Wanderers have gone unbeaten in their last four games, including a shocking win over Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend.

In contrast, Arsenal has had three premiership losses in a row, but did make a remarkable come-from-behind win last weekend in the FA Cup tournament. The Gunners are struggling to gain points in a race to finish in the top four.  A win for them today would end their losing streak, give them a boost in confidence and propel them upwards in the standings.

To their advantage, Arsenal have finally regained most of their early season starting eleven.  Mikel Arteta returned to midfield and Bacary Sagna, absent after a serious ankle injury, has finally returned, strengthening the Arsenal defense. This should have made a difference in the squad’s performance, but unfortunately, it did not.

As the game began, Arsenal dictated the pace but also managed to dominated the number of missed opportunities between both squads.

The most inconceivable miss came via Theo Walcott in the 26th minute. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain passed the ball to the winger, finding him wide open 20 yards outside the box. Walcott, now one-on-one with the keeper, should have been able to open up the scoring with ease.  Instead he tapped the ball wide of goal.  It was shocking really.

Bolton’s best first half effort challenged Arsenal’s keeper.  Laurent Koscielny, who has shown good form this season, was having trouble defending a quick and dominating David Ngog.  In this instance, the striker bested Koscielny again and nabbed a cheeky back-flick from Marcos Alonso.  Ngog’s first attempt was stopped in spectacular fashion by the Arsenal keeper.  The ball deflected onto the keeper onto Ngog’s shoulder but the ball went wide.

The first half ended with both teams keeping a clean sheet.

Again in the second half, Arsenal set the pace, dominating both possession and shots taken early.  The Gunners had a ten minute run where they opened up Bolton’s defense and pummeled balls towards the goal. Robin van Persie, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Koscielny and Walcott all had opportunities yet failed to convert.

Towards the end of the match, it was Bolton’s turn to challenge the Gunners.  The Wanderers got off a few shots and in the 88th minute, Kevin Davies had the best chance of the half.  Arsenal defenders pulled on Davies’ shirt as he ran into the box.  Goalkeeper Szczesny came out, made a slide tackle, and sent the ball out of bounds.  A penalty could have been awarded, but there was no call.

In the final minutes of extra time, both teams shifted to panic mode and scrambled for a goal.  No goals came for either side and the game ended in a scoreless draw.

Bolton takes a point and extends their unbeaten record to five matches.  They sit just above the relegation zone in 17th place.

A draw wasn’t enough for Arsenal today, but at least they ended their three game losing streak.  The Gunners remain one point behind Liverpool and seven points back from Chelsea, who currently occupy the coveted fourth place position.

Stay with Aerys Soccer for all your EPL news!

Welcome to Thursday, footy fans! We’re on the downhill slope of the week and it’s been a good one! We’ve got a slightly Yanks centric DKA today, from the USMNT getting their third win in a row last night, to Bolton signing Tim Ream to the rivalry between FC Dallas and Houston heating up, there’s plenty of news for you this morning! Here’s your Thursday edition of the Daily Kick Around!

U.S. Men’s National Team

Some U.S. fans might not believe it, but I hope we’re all smiling today after the third win in a row for Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad. The boys in red, white and blue took on Panama last night in their first international friendly with the country. And they came away with a victory! Check out my game notes here, along with Graham Zusi’s first international goal!

English Premier League

We’ve all pretty much known it was going to happen, but it was officially announced this morning that the New York Red Bulls and the Bolton Wanderers had reached an agreement for defender Tim Ream. The 24-year-old American had recently trained with the Wanderers, as well as West Brom and Arsenal. Congrats to Tim and good luck in England!

Speaking of Yanks in Europe, USMNT player Jonathan Spector says he’s ready to be back in the EPL with his current team, Birmingham FC. Despite many changes in the squad and the front office staff, Spector says the Blues are doing well and are coming together as a team to fight their way back out of regulation.

Are you a big Clint Dempsey fans? The ladies here at Aerys Soccer are; that’s why we were pretty interested in a tweet from footie news site, Goal. They tweeted this morning to be on the look out for the premier of a Clint Dempsey diary segment Friday. We’re definitely excited.

From Americans to Russians: after Arsenal’s loss to Manchester United this weekend – in which some put some of the blame of the loss on Andrei Arshavin – coupled with what seems to be an exodus of Russian players from the league, one has to wonder if EPL is favorable for Russian players as of late?

Major League Soccer

Did anyone else notice the fan at Camp Nou wearing the MLS Cup beanie during the CDR game between Real Madrid and Barcelona? We sure did.

So, not only did Geoff Cameron’s red card last night probably fuel the fires between USMNT and Panama, it’s also heated up the Texas MLS rivalry as well. Cameron, who plays for Houston Dynamo, was sent off with a straight red during the match after fouling Blas Perez, who was just signed by FC Dallas. The debate has been ongoing about this card and Cameron has even fired back, claiming Perez dived to draw the card. What do you guys think? Diving or fouling a player with clear goal scoring opportunity? Check out the highlights and you tell us!

La Liga

Barca may have beaten league rivals Real Madrid recently in the Colpa del Rey, but that victory didn’t come without a price. It seems the Catalans will have to face Villareal this weekend without Alex Sancehz and Andres Iniesta. Iniesta suffered a muscle tear and will be out for at least three week.

So, Manchester United v. Bolton. At Old Trafford. After Manchester’s lackluster and rather disappointing last shows in the EPL, fans were hoping for a little reprieve today in the form of a solid win. Bolton, being in the bottom three of the table, wanted to be the next miracle team to beat up on the Red Devils.

Manchester United's Paul Scholes celebrates after scoring his first goal back with the Red Devils.

Surely by now, you know Manchester United won 3-0. And you probably have heard about Paul Scholes’ first goal in his return to the Red Devils (during the dying minutes of the first half, by the way), the wacky goal from Danny Welbeck off a Wayne Rooney stumbling pass and Michael Carrick’s sweet skipping shot into goal, so I’m going to try a little something different here. I’m calling it “Keep This, Fix That.” Instead of telling you what you probably already have read on ESPN about the game’s outcome, here are my thoughts on what worked for both teams and what they probably need to look at.

Manchester United, Keep This: That amazing, glorious, wonderful, awe-inspiring passing in the first half. Seriously.

Example: Third minute – Michael Carrick lifted in a beautiful pass from midfield to a waiting Danny Welbeck who only had Bolton’s keeper Adam Bogdan to beat. It didn’t result in a goal, but the pass, just gorgeous.

And that was just in the third minute. It didn’t stop from there. Passes from United within the first 10 minutes were absolutely gorgeous. From Rooney to Nani, Carrick to Welbeck, the movement off the ball in the midfield to push up to goal were encouraging signs from the Red Devils and great to watch.

And it just continued through the first half. Beautiful, fluid passes to players who were coming up to meet the ball and stay with it to run on goal. Even Paul Scholes got a chance to fire off one of his famous cracking shots from at least 20 yards out (didn’t result in a goal, though. Scholesy return goal came from a scramble in the box during the last minute of extra time in the first half. He was completely unmarked when Rooney’s pass landed at his feet and he notched it in the back effortlessly).

It’s the type of passing you want to always see from your team, through a whole 90 minutes.

Bolton, Keep This: Adam Bogdan. I don’t know what you’re feeding your keeper, but damn, whatever you’re doing, keep it up.

This man was on his game all 90 minutes.

When his back line was out in God knows where, Bogdan was there to clean it up. He came up big when Rooney stepped up for a penalty in the first half, not only reading the striker perfectly, but confidently punching out the shot.

You could see Bogdan’s confidence build through the game. From the first, big save where he came way out of his box a little timidly to the massive blocks he stacked up against Rooney and Welbeck’s shots, Bogdan stepped up for Bolton today. It’s hard for a keeper to be tested like that again and again and keep his line, but Bolton fans can praise their keeper.

Yes, Manchester United got three goals into the back of his net, but that really shouldn’t take away from the great performance this keeper put in. On his A game, with a solid defense backing him up, Bolton could shake up the EPL a bit. Yes, that’s how strong Bogdan looked between the posts.

So, don’t look at the score line and think Bolton’s keeper didn’t do well, because that is quite the opposite. Bogdan actually saved the Wanderers quite a few times today.

Manchester United, Fix That: Stay concentrated on the game in the second half (oh, and finish on goal too). I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this happen to United. They come out to start a match strong; strong passing, great midfield, pushing against the opposing back line. Then the second half comes along and it’s like they all look at each other and go, “Eh. We’ll just sit back on this one.”

This is not a good strategy. I don’t know what you have to do to fix it, I don’t know how to get it in their heads, but something has to be done. Yes, I know. They won 3-nil, with two goals in the second half, but that’s not really the point, is it? Compared to the first half, the second was scrapy. To be successful, to be a strong, solid team, you have to have two strong, solid halves in a match. And one thing that has been following United like a bad plague this season is the fact they rarely have an entire 90 minutes worth being excited about.

(Oh, and finish in the final third! Please, please, be on target and get that ball in the back of the net!)

Bolton, Fix That: The back line. Yes, three goals were let in, but that was by chance of God and keeper Bogdan. It could have very well been five or six.

I understand the need to push up and help the midfield when the situation is dire, but too often than not, when Manchester made runs toward Bolton’s goal, the defense was sprinting to get back to defend against the attack. There were even times that Mark Davies, a midfielder, came back to make some defensive moves for Bolton.

You have got to get a solid back line to keep on guys like Nani, Rooney and Welbeck. Giving them space to make passes like they were will hurt you in the end, as Bolton found out with the three goals leveled against them. A keeper can only do so much, and Bogdan more than did his job today. Defense needs to help him out.

All in all, it was a decent match to watch. Manchester United were solid enough and Bolton could have done worse (they had a few great, heart-stopping runs in the second half that made things interesting). While the match doesn’t help Bolton in any way out of the bottom part of the table, the three points will definitely bolster United as they continue their quest against City for the top of the table.

Saturday EPL Results:

Aston Villa 1 – Everton 1
Blackburn 3 – Fulham 1: This is a surprising resulting, considering Blackburn were down a man after
Yakubu Aiyegbeni received a red card in the 23rd minute.

Tottenham 1 – Wolves 1
Chelsea 1 – Sunderland 1
Liverpool 0 – Stoke 0
West Brom 1- Norwich City 2

The first week of the New Year is nearly over and what a week it’s been! From the fiasco of rumors claiming Rooney was leaving United, to Clint Dempsey joining twitter, footy fans have had their worth of news. Here’s your Daily Kick Around!

English Premier League

It seems that every time Wayne Rooney isn’t in the starting line up for Manchester United, the tabloids like to claim he’s leaving United. The rumors reached a fever pitch yesterday after United’s poor performance during the week and Twitter rumblings of a article from The Independent that claimed Roon was out. The club and player took action though, releasing this statement late yesterday reaffirming fans that club and player are committed to each other. Whew.

More Americans in the EPL? It’s good news if you ask me! Amid various rumors about Robbie Rogers, Brek Shea and Juan Agudelo, it’s now coming to light the Bolton Wanderers would like to add another Yank to their ranks in the former of NY Red Bulls defender Tim Ream.

La Liga

News is a little slow in La Liga this week. What we did find for you for today is a little article from Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets. In the interview, the midfielder talks about how the Spanish giants are not happy with always keeping things the same and are always looking to improve their style of play.

Major League Soccer

It was a rough week for L.A. Galaxy’s defender Omar Gonzalez. After finally getting a call up from USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, Gonzalez opted out in favor of a two-month loan with German side Nuremberg. But his first day of training ended horribly after a collision with fellow US International Timmy Chandler resulted in a torn ACL. Gonzalez was flown back to the US for surgery, ending the hopes of the loan. Here’s hoping for a quick recovery for Omar!

MLS SuperDraft is coming! Is this your first SuperDraft or do you need a little clue into what to expect this year? SB Nation has an in-depth look of what you can really expect to come out of the MLS draft this year.

U.S. Men’s National Team

In what some USMNT fans are calling the best news of the week, fan-favorite Clint Dempsey has finally caved – even after he said he wouldn’t – and made himself a Twitter account. In sight we’ve had so far? Clint has a nickname for EVERYONE, he really does love to fish and his children are so adorable. Check it out and follow him at @clint_dempsey!

Make your hump-day a little easier to endure with the latest soccer news.  Want to know how much David Beckham’s transfer could earn him (you will not believe it!) or maybe what’s in store for John Terry and Luis Suarez considering the FA’s no tolerance policy on racial abuse? Read on for all the juicy details and so much more ….

Major League Soccer

Most newspapers report David Beckham’s move to PSG is a done deal, but David’s camp is still denying anything final.  Should the superstar make the move, he is expected to earn $1.05 million a month!  If poor Becks is lucky, that might put a dent in Victoria’s monthly Paris couture purchases.

English Premier League

The Crown Prosecution Service has just announced that John Terry will officially be charged with racially abusing QPR player Anton Ferdinand.  Our own Trista Lutgring has a blurb here! The Chelsea captain claims he has never made a racist remark to anyone and will work to get his name cleared as quickly as possible.  I have to refrain from giving my own comments here…

The London Underground is set to go on strike soon, questioning the likelihood of Boxing Day matches throughout London. Stay tuned to Aerys Soccer for the latest on the strike and schedule.

Liverpool’s leading goalscorer, Luis Suarez, has been charged with racial abuse and suspended for eight games along with a £40,000 fine. Suarez has 14 days to file an appeal. Should he choose to remain silent, the suspension will go into effect in two weeks.  Not what Kenny Dalglish wanted to hear!

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas admits he has his eye on the 26-year-old, Gary Cahill.  Should the defender make a move to the Blues come January, he will leave Bolton for £7 million.

What will happen to Carlos Tevez?  City manager Roberto Mancini wants to rid himself permanently of the spoiled striker, but has refused Milan’s offer to take Tevez on loan.  The Italian club has responded that they have no denaro for a purchase. Uh no!

U.S. Women’s National Team

It wasn’t surprising that The Associated Press chose Abby Wambach as the U.S. Female Athlete of the Year for 2011.  Her outstanding performance in the World Cup topped off her year, leaving no one in her wake.  She received 64 of 214 votes, with Hope Solo a distance behind receiving 38 votes.

La Liga

Madrid made it look easy as they strolled into the remaining 16 of the Copa del Rey by crushing third tier Ponferradina 5-1.  More Copa del Rey highlights and results can be found here.

 Serie A

AC Milan returns to the top of the league after a 2-0 win over Cagliari, who had control the majority of the match.

Stay tuned to Aerys for all your footy headlines and match recaps!