There is a line in J.R.R Tolkein’s “Return of the King” that goes a little something like this. “There was never much hope. Just a fool’s hope.”

When U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named the 23-man roster for tonight’s game against big rivals Mexico, IN Mexico, I believe something similar to that Tolkein quote was going through a lot of USMNT fans’ minds. We had never beaten Mexico in the famed Azteca Stadium.

Hell, no one has really beaten Mexico at home. Out of the 119 games that have been played in the stadium before tonight, only eight of them have ended in defeat for the Mexican NT. EIGHT out of 119!

Klinsmann headed to Mexico City with a team most would probably call scrappy – we only had a few regular starters; a very, very inexperienced back line, and, well, a fool’s hope of coming away with a draw, much a less a win. Especially since we’ve NEVER won in Mexico City.

Well, get out your history books, kids. Because tonight, Jurgen Klinsmann’s scrappy USMNT changed what you know about the rivalry between the USMNT and Mexico.

It really wasn’t one of those exciting games; for me it was one where I was desperately trying not to panic. I felt that our players had the same vibe as well. And while things were not perfect for the U.S. boys, there were a few things that worked in our favor.

1.) The combination of Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu in the back line. Yes, you read that correctly. Cameron, who I have always been iffy about, was given the go-ahead for the center back spot. And Edu, usually a great holding midfielder for the red, white and blue, took up along side him. Klinsmann’s mission for these two? Stay tight and do not let Javier Hernandez behind you.

This was a huge task to set before them, but let me just say, they went above and beyond the call of duty. Especially Geoff Cameron. Boy, you kicked some ass. He played as if he had something to prove and really, he did. And I am very happy to say that he proved me wrong. Cameron was excellent at tracking back and shutting down when needed. Staying tight in the center proved to make our backline more solid than, say, when it spreads out. So touche, Herr Klinsmann. You called it right with those two.

2.) Tim Howard. This really is no surprise to anyone, and if it is, then you haven’t watched Howard play much. I will explain no further, except to mention that amazing save he made in the dying minutes of the game. I thought it was in. The whole stadium thought it was in. But Howard slapped it away and it was hustled out by the back line.

When I get video of it, it’s going up here. Because I still can’t believe he saved that. He had the most touches on the ball for the night than any other USMNT player. He was incredible and amazing. Enough said.

3.) Perseverance.  The USMNT have always been known for their “never give in or quit” attitude. Some times it feels like the team just hangs on by a few threads to get to the end of the 90. But tonight was different. The perseverance from the team to hold on was very solid. I was worried a few times there would be a slip and Hernandez would get that ball in the back of the net, but there never seemed to be anything frantic about the back line. Did they scramble a bit and have to make quick decisions? Well yes, but they weren’t entirely as frightening as I’m use to seeing from them.

There were only two times that I was really frightened our backline would slip; right at the beginning of the second half, and in the dying minutes of the game. At both points, Mexico was desperate to prove a point. Their fans were silent and they were frustrated. And through all that, the USMNT stayed strong. Our possession wasn’t great and it seemed like we really didn’t have a midfield at all tonight (just one more indication that Michael Bradley is an integral part of the team there). But once things settle in the second half, the USMNT started to show some pressure against the Mexican defense. All we needed was the right sub in ….

4.) Brek Shea. Okay I know what you’re going to say because really, after the dismal season the young FC Dallas striker has had, it’s no wonder he was even called up in the first place. But Shea can come through once he gets out of his head, and his emergence in tonight’s game was clutch. After only minutes of being on the field, Shea created the opportunity in the box and chipped a ball in front of the Mexican goal. With a little wrangling from Terrence Boyd, Michael Orozco Fiscal was able to score. It was part luck, but it was also part having players in the right spot and creating chances. Shea did that.

http://youtu.be/7OoFSyqTjkc

5.) Mexico’s turnovers. So, the USMNT possession wasn’t spectacular. But if you look back at the last half hour of the game, Mexico’s wasn’t that grand either. I’m not sure what happened with them; maybe they got frustrated, maybe they were tired, maybe they just couldn’t figure out our back line. Whatever the case, they started giving up the ball a bit more. And we started moving it through the midfield a bit more and suddenly, their keeper had to wake himself up a bit.

Some times all you need is a few mistakes from the other team to build your confidence and give you the opportunities you need to finish. Mexico actually gave up some to us and it was something that boosted the USMNT.

There was all this talk from the commentators about some silly gap between Mexican soccer and U.S. Soccer. I don’t know what they were going on about, whether it actually had to do with talent and ability or cultural significance. But there is one thing I do know. Mexico were on a high thanks to their U-23s team Gold medal win in the Olympics. They were probably feeling pretty good going into this match and they would have been right too.

But there is change happening in American soccer. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Klinsmann is doing things with this team. There are a few things I wish he would let go, but not all change is bad. He’s finding the combo we need and he’s driving a new style into these players’ heads. A style of fierce and fast attack and strong, tight back lines. Was it a bit of luck and Tim Howard that saved their asses tonight? Yes. But in the end, after watching this game, I think the USMNT can say they came to win, they worked hard and they got a historic result.

Just a fool’s hope turned out to be pretty damn good for us this time.

Do you love Saturdays as much as I do? Sleeping in, getting some brunch, and then a full slate of MLS and international friendlies to kick back and watch. Right now I’m watching Red Bulls-Union, with the big headline being Sebastian Le Toux’s first match against his old club. MLSSoccer.com has the story on how Union players feel about their old teammate playing for their biggest Eastern Conference rival.

It may be taking the influx of international clubs and national teams on U.S. soil for summer friendlies, but the media’s ears are finally starting to perk up and realize that soccer is actually pretty popular on this side of the pond and bringing in profits. More news on that from NBC’s ProSoccer Talk below.

Plus, more on Brek Shea’s troubles, and why keeping Shea off the field right now might be the best thing for his future.

International Friendlies

From the World Football Challenge to international friendlies on U.S. soil between top clubs abroad and even national teams “the high season of highly profitable friendlies is upon us,” writes NBC’s Pro Soccer Talk, and the media is – finally – all over it.

As a case-study in the increasing media interest in these games, tonight’s passing and trapping from Toyota Park will be live-blogged, and how about that?

A few years ago, a team like Aston Villa could have come over to the United States, and the only media mention would be the maddeningly cliché “Fans like them some soccer” story in the local paper.

Washington Post’s Soccer Insider has a list of all of this summer’s friendlies on North American soil.

Major League Soccer

Sebastian Le Toux takes the field for the Red Bulls this afternoon for the first time against his former club, Philadelphia Union. And his old teammates say that Le Toux’s presence on their Eastern Conference rival’s squad will add even greater motivation to win.

“I think it will be a little more intense,” center back Amobi Okugo said. “I know some fans are still upset with the way he left and everything. But we forgot about that. And now that he’s a New York Red Bull, we’re not going to play him lightly or anything just because he’s our old friend.”

The Red Bulls aren’t done wheeling and dealing since the Le Toux trade. Today they traded forward Quincy Amarikwa to Toronto for a conditional draft pick.

Le Toux’s not the only Frenchman switching clubs:

Toronto FC have acquired French forward Eric Hassli from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft and an international roster slot, the clubs announced Friday.

“Adding a player of Eric’s ability gives an immediate improvement to our club,” said Toronto FC head coach and director of soccer operations Paul Mariner in conference call. “He has had a lot of success in this league and we are pleased to bring him to Toronto.”

With the addition of Scottish DP forward Kenny Miller and the emergence of rookie Darren Mattocks, Hassli found himself increasingly relegated to the bench in Vancouver, though Whitecaps head coach Martin Rennie admitted the decision to trade the player was not an easy one.

Yesterday we reported on Brek Shea’s recent struggles, and it looks even more like Shea may need some more time away from the field before he can control his emotional outbursts. ProSoccerTalk reported this morning that Shea was dismissed from practice on Friday and could be held out of Dallas’s match with Portland this evening. Manager Schellas Hyndman is no stranger to this type of situation, having dealt with a similar issue with now New York Red Bull Dax McCarty a few years back:

McCarty was benched for his attitude and for general grousing about. Hyndman was still new as FC Dallas’ manager, and he was giving minutes to players who were clearly lesser talented.

The coach was taking a lot of public criticism for it, too. People wondered if the longtime college coach simply didn’t recognize the kind of talent it took to perform professionally.

But Hyndman told me privately at the time that McCarty’s attitude was awful. The coach told me that he could “deal with the problem right now, or that he’d be dealing with it later.”

Long story short, McCarty shaped up, and look at that guy now; he’s having a sensational season for the Red Bulls. McCarty has told me since that he was young and being a brat and needed to be benched.

English Premier League

The rumors about Clint Dempsey to Liverpool continue to heat up, as the Daily Mail today reported that Liverpool could be looking to sweeten the pot for Fulham with midfielder Charlie Adam in exchange for Dempsey’s services. Think we’ll see Dempsey in a Liverpool kit back in the States this summer?

Follow @AerysSoccer on Twitter for more commentary on this weekend’s MLS matchups, international friendlies, and of course, transfer rumors!

Hey footy fans! It’s been a crazy Friday and if you’re like us, you’re catching up on the headlines for calling it a night or going out to party. Luckily for you, we’ve got all your big headlines of the day right here! It’s your Friday late night Daily Kick Around!

MLS

If you follow MLS, then you probably know that Brek Shea hasn’t had such a good season. That’s an understatement. Last year, people were saying that Shea was the next big thing in American soccer. What has happened since? Maybe there was too many high expectations for him. The fact that he’s missed 76 training sessions this year doesn’t help. One thing that might help is a change of scenery. Looking on twitter, it seems there is a lot of  fans who would like to see Shea go to LA Galaxy, including myself.

New York Red Bulls will be missing key players on Saturday against Philadelphia Union.  Heath Pearce, Rafa Marquez, and Ryan Meara will all miss tomorrow’s games due to injuries.

Vancouver Whitecaps have traded Eric Hassli to Toronto FC in exchange for a first round pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. Vancouver will also have a spot open for a DP and for an international roster spot.

La Liga

Last year, Sergio Canales went on loan to Valencia from Real Madrid. It looks like Valencia has decided to buy Canales for this upcoming season. Joining him will be Fernando Gago, a Real Madrid player who was on loan with Roma last season.

EPL

The Robin Van Persie transfer drama continues.  I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t wait for all this to be over. Three clubs are after him- Manchester City, Manchester United, and Juventus. I’d rather see him go to Juventus, I don’t think City needs him and I don’t want to see him joining United.

Euo 2012

UEFA has fined Italy’s Antonio Cassano for using what they consider a slur during a press conference during the Euro games this past June.

Ever wondered which is the most valuable franchise in all of sports?  I’ll give you one guess–odds are you got it right.  Find out for sure in today’s Daily Kick Around!

Major League Soccer

Even the most ardent fans of FC Dallas winger and US international Brek Shea have to admit he seems to have hit, if not a wall, then at least a bump in the road.  The Shin Guardian featured a piece from a blogger who thinks he may have some answers.  Warning for the mathematically challenged: there are lots of stats.

The MLS All-Star game against Chelsea is almost upon us.  While there have been criticisms in the past about this particular game format, with a well-oiled machine taking on what is essentially a makeshift team pulled together from the best parts of several other teams, this article makes an argument for why this year’s All-Stars just might have a shot at beating the reigning Champions League victors.

International Soccer

In an announcement that will surprise absolutely no one, Forbes magazine revealed that Manchester United is sports’ most valuable franchise at $2.23 billion, according to their annual survey.  The Red Devils are followed on the list by Real Madrid, with the New York Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys tied for third.

Sweden’s Euro 2012 star Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the latest major signing for Ligue 1′s Paris St. Germain.  This club has been particularly active in the off-season, also signing Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

FIFA

As we all know, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has had his share of foot-in-mouth moments (I mean, REALLY bad moments).  Even worse, there have been accusations of corruption levied at him from more than one quarter.  This football heavy weight, for one, does not want to see Blatter return after his fourth term ends in 2015.

Image courtesy of theshinguardian.com

Robin van Persie says arrivederci to Arsenal

Happy Soccer Saturday! Check out today’s headlines from the sport!

English Premier League

After announcing that he will not resign with Arsenal, Robin van Persie’s next destination has been the subject of much speculation. Per a report from FOX Soccer today, Serie A’s Juventus appears to be in the lead for the Dutch forward, though the two Manchester clubs are also in the running:

Both City and United are set to offer him the chance to remain in England, should he leave the Emirates, but Juve are pushing hard with Italian sources claiming their offer would make him one of the highest players in Europe.

Van Persie has made it clear that silverware is the most important thing to him at this point – although all three clubs would be well in contention next season to challenge for every honor.

ESPN’s James Martin weighs in with three thoughts on the latest episode of the Arsenal soap opera, and what Van Persie’s departure means for the Gunners’ future.

Serie A

With the Michael Bradley move to Roma nearly complete, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle writes that it’s “a risk well worth taking” for Bradley:

The temptation is to think that Bradley will slide seamlessly into the starting XI, but that was the thinking when he moved to Villa. Rather, it amounts to a difficult, but by no means impossible, assignment for the American midfielder. U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann has stated more than once the importance of players getting steady time with their clubs. But he’s also challenged them to play at the highest possible level, and this move will certainly do that.

U.S. Women’s National Team

If you missed the U.S. win over Canada in the Olympic sendoff match last weekend, Equalizer Soccer has a gorgeous photo essay from all the action, courtesy of photographer Patti Giobetti.

Major League Soccer

After rattling off a 7-game unbeaten streak, Real Salt Lake has now gone winless in their last four. What’s gone wrong, and what does RSL have to do to get back on track against Portland without Fabián Espíndola? Stop making excuses and just finish, writes MLSSoccer.com’s Michael Black.

Breaking News: F.C. Dallas’s Brek Shea has been officially confirmed to be adorable. Check out this video of the goofy midfielder’s pop-n-lock moves during post-production of an MLS Out of Focus interview. 

Will you be watching tonight’s MLS matches? Comment and let us know who you’re rooting for!

Hey everyone! Today is a busy day for footy news and boy do we have a bunch to talk about! We have everything from Brek Shea’s interesting blog post, RVP winning the PFA award & Roberto Mancini’s future with Manchester City. All in this Tuesday’s edition of DKA!

 Major League Soccer

This might be old news, but I came across FC Dallas player Brek Shea’s blog on Goal.com talking about how he could play and succeed in La Liga. Now, as the primary Liga writer for Aerys, I found this interesting. First off, Brek is rooting for Real Madrid AND a Chelsea victory in the CL (major kudos!) but the major issue addressed in Shea’s blog was the ever-so-controversial topic of Messi vs Ronaldo:

A lot of people ask who is better between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t think they should be compared. Just because they are the best two players in the game, I don’t think it’s that easy to compare the two because they don’t play the same position and they have completely different styles. I think the one edge I’d give to Ronaldo is that he has put up big numbers in both England and Spain. Messi has had the comfort of playing with the same players his entire career. 

I agree 100% and as for playing in Spain, it’ll be difficult but I’d welcome you with open arms!

La Liga

Bad news for Villarreal and Italy fans, Giuseppe Rossi is to be sidelined for another 10 months due to his ligament tear in his knee in training a couple weeks ago. It will require two surgeries to repare damage, the first was on Friday in the US. He then updated his twitter saying ‘Operation went well. Thank God.’

As you know, Real Madrid finally defeated Barcelona Saturday at the Nou Camp, but what you might not know, is that a Barcelona fan punched a Real Madrid fan. And it was all caught on camera. Umm….Hala Madrid?

UEFA Champions League

Barcelona hosted Chelsea FC at home today in their second leg matchup in the CL semi-finals. Before the match, midfielder Xavi believed the Barça fans would be a key role in the Catalan’s comeback and advancement. Barcelona lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week. To advance, Barcelona needed to score two goals and concede none.

Unfortunately for the Catalans, and to the DISBELIEF of most of the footballing world, a 10-man Chelsea tied Barca 2-2 and advanced to the final. It’s crazy! Not only did they win, but Fernando Torres scored the through-goal! The Blues are now waiting to see who they will face, Bayren or Madrid. And they will be doing it without John Terry, Raul Meireles AND  Branislav Ivanovic.

English Premier League

Looks like Roberto Mancini will keep his job as Manchester City manager for another season. Man City owner Sheikh Mansour has stated he is satisfied with the performance of the players & staff while hinting that Mancini would stay as manager, even if City doesn’t lift the trophy this season.

Great Britain football coach, Hope Powell, sees no reason why a female can’t run a premier league club. Powell has coached GB’s female football team for 14 years, being one of the most respected figures in women’s football, thinks a woman crossing into a male dominated world would be a good thing for the sport.

“I don’t see why it couldn’t happen. The job is the same. It is about dealing with personalities and high-profile players, about the coaching and the psychology behind the game. That wouldn’t be an issue. It is about people who own and run clubs feeling strongly and passionately enough, and believing that a female can do it.

I for one agree, where can I sign up to replace Arsene Wenger?

Speaking of Arsenal, Robin van Persie was awarded the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year) award! The dutchman has scored 27 goals for the Gunners this season, the most he’s scored with the club, and he owes it all to his teammates at Emirates:

”Without them I could not have achieved it. For example Theo Walcott, he has given me more than 12 assists and I do really appreciate that.”

Happy Wednesday! I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely need a little pick-me up today after this week so far! The games have been crazy and the rumors crazier, as always. Thank God for Midweek Muscles! If you follow us on twitter (we’re at @AerysSoccer by the way), you’ve probably seen us mention that we’re going to do a “Best of Midweek Muscles” post soon. I’m pretty excited about it, so I hope you are too! To kick this off, I thought I would do a little kick back edition of MWM, to refresh all of your memories of the hotness that has adorn the Aerys Soccer page since we started this lovely segment in October.

So, are you partial to Landon Donovan? Maybe Cristiano Ronaldo or David Beckham? And who could forget the amazing pics of Alex Morgan and Lance Parker? They’re all here for your viewing pleasure this evening, with links to all the MWM posts! And hey, let us know you’re favorites! We’d love to hear what guy or gal had you seeing hearts in your eyes!

1.) Benny Feilhaber

2.) Robbie Rogers

3.) Landon Donovan

4.) Taylor Twellman

5.) Carlos Bocanegra

6.) Brian Ching

7.) Omar Gonzalez 

8.) Sergio Ramos

9.) Heath Pearce

10.) Tim Howard

11.) Chris Pontius

12.) Stuart Holden

13.) Thierry Henry

14.) Clint Dempsey

15.) Sydney Leroux

16.) Alex Morgan

17.) Daniele De Rossi

18.) David Beckham

19.) Euan Holden

20.) Cristiano Ronaldo

21.) Chris Wingert

22.) Brek Shea

23.) Herculez Gomez

24.) Chris Wondolowski

25.) Lance Parker

Whew! That’s a lot of hotties! Don’t forget to leave a comment here or shoot us a tweet telling us about your favorite soccer hotties, or even leave us a suggestion for our next installment of Midweek Muscles!

Happy Thursday! Can you believe it’s almost the weekend? We’ve got a bunch of headlines for you today, from how the 2014 WC is already plugging into social media, to EPL results, an MLS player back in training after a huge injury and Olympic qualifiers tonight! It’s your Daily Kick Around!

World Cup 2014

So, World Cup won’t be kicking off for at least two more years (yeah, we are a little anxious too), but that hasn’t stopped FIFA from going ahead and starting the hype early on the Internet. The soccer governing body announced yesterday the WC will have it’s own Youtube channel for highlights and clips, and last week, Brazil’s national tourism board released a mobile phone game app to help those visiting the country become familiar with the 12 host cities. Have to say, that’s a pretty awesome idea.

English Premier League

Carlos Tevez is back, in case you weren’t aware. The … ahem… troublesome Argentinian striker was subbed on yesterday in City’s match against Chelsea. He bagged an assist and helped MCFC come back from a goal deficit. I’m sure City fans are excited, but one has to wonder how long the peace will last…

Speaking of troublesome City players, club manager Roberto Mancini had no problem admitting to why he pulled striker Mario Balotelli off at half time yesterday:

“I didn’t like how he played, so I made a tactical sub.”

Can say I blame him – the first half of that game was boring at best, and Balotelli missed a great goal opportunity from a gifted mistake from Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.

If you missed the Arsenal game yesterday, in which the Gunners defeated Everton and moved up into third place in the league, our own Toni Stone has a great look at the game for you! 

Wednesday EPL results

Manchester City 2 – Chelsea 1
Tottenham 1 – Stoke City 1
Everton 0 – Arsenal 1
QPR 3 – Liverpool 2

Fabrice Muamba

Doctors yesterday released startling info that Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba was dead for 78 minutes before being revived.

Mohiddin admitted Muamba’s progress had been extraordinary since he suffered a cardiac arrest at Tottenham on Saturday evening that meant he effectively died for 78 minutes after his heart stopped beating.

With news like that, it really is a miracle Fabrice is alive and making a great recovery. We wish you all the best, Fabrice, and we’ll continue to keep you all updated on his progress.

Major League Soccer

MLS on NBC had another great broadcast week last weekend as teams continued to host their home opening matches, with 145,000 fans watching Philly and Colorado. Fans and hopeful analysts alike are expecting the trend to continue. I certainly hope it does as well!

Tottenham Hotspurs announced today they would be going on a U.S. tour this summer. The EPL side will take on L.A. Galaxy July 24 and the New York Red Bulls on July 31.

Whether you are a fan or not, here is some good news: Colorado Rapids player Conor Casey trained with the team for the first time after he suffered a bad Achilles injury. Reports were that he looked pretty aggressive, but still needed work to get up to match fitness. Congrats, Conor!

USMNT

In case you weren’t aware, the USMNT U-23s will take on Cuba tonight in the first of their summer Olympic qualifying matches in Nashville. Personally, I’m expecting a great run out of the young team, with notables like Freddy Adu and Brek Shea heading up head coach Caleb Porter’s squad.

Speaking of Brek Shea, he was our pick for Midweek Muslces yesterday. Check it out!

Not everything has been smooth for the U-23s has they prepare for the qualifying run. Injuries and players being recalled to their clubs have left Porter and his staff scrambling for replacements. The last minute move to call up the likes of Union defender Sheanon Williams has left a bad taste in coach Peter Nowak’s mouth.

La Liga

Did you think Real Madrid had the La Liga title locked up? Well, you might want to rethink that. Real dropped two points last weekend to Villarreal and with Barca’s commanding finish against Granada, Real might need to start thinking about digging their heels in more to keep their lead.

Serie A

Juventus winger Milos Krasic will be looking to bow out of the Italian side this summer, as he admitted recently he regretted not leaving Juve in the January transfer window. He’s only made four starts for the Italians this season. In January, Tottenham and Zenit made bids for Krasic, but he turned them down he said, hoping to get another chance at his club.

Hey there footy fans! It’s Wednesday and you know what that means! Midweek Muscles! Sure, we’ve been off track the past couple weeks, but with the start of MLS, the EPL title race getting tight and all the Champion’s League news, we’ve just been running around like crazy! Things are settling, if only for a bit, however, and we decided with the Olympic qualifiers kicking off tomorrow, we would showcase one of the up and coming USMNT stars. Ladies (and 10% of men), here is Brek Shea.

This 6-foot-3, 22-year-old Texas boy’s full name is Dane Brekken Shea, and he’s a winger for F.C. Dallas. He’s been quite amazing for the team the past couple of seasons and has recently made quite the mark on Jurgen Klinsmann’s senior USMNT squad. However this week, he’ll be with the U-23s in Nashville to qualify for the summer Olympic games in London.

Okay, we understand Brek might not be everyone’s cup of tea, per say. However, we offer you a few reasons why you should at least give him a few glances. One, Brek is not only a talented soccer player, but he is also a very talented painter. You can check out his work at http://www.leftfootstudio.com/

Two: He has the cutest dog, Kirra (also seen above), who he has a twitter for – @KirraShea.

Three: He likes to try different hairstyles, most of which aren’t exactly in the norm. But what’s more attractive than a guy confident enough to mess with his hair the way Brek does?

Four: He’s pretty good at ping pong.

And finally, of course, he is quite fit.

So Brek, we aren’t shy about admitting our little crush for you. In fact, keep rockin’ the hair and painting in nothing but board shorts. We’re totally okay with it!

Make sure to watch Brek and the USMNT boys take on Cuba in Nasvhille tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET! Also, you can follow Brek on Twitter at @BrekShea! And as always, follow the ladies of Aerys Soccer on Twitter at @AerysSoccer, Pinterest and Tumblr!

The 2012 LA Galaxy Season Ticket Holder booklet

Nothing brightens up a Monday like the delivery of a freshly printed booklet of soccer season tickets. My LA Galaxy 2012 season tickets arrived today, and throughout the Twitterverse, I saw posts about many other MLS teams shipping out their tickets too. The 2012 MLS season is just around the corner! Aside from the excitement of a new season, we’ve got lots of soccer news from around the globe. The USMNT players are dropping like flies, Kristine Lilly is up for a major honor, and lots of headlines out of the EPL. Here’s your Daily Kick Around!

Major League Soccer

The anticipation for the new season of MLS is mounting, as promos are rolling out and tickets are being delivered. We are now less than two weeks away from the first match, and if you somehow aren’t pumped for this season, watch this. I bet you will be after.

Houston Dynamo fans were hit with huge news today as MLS has banned Dynamo fan groups from bringing items such as flags, banners, confetti and drums to away matches. It seems the decision stems from some antics of supporters groups during the 2011 MLS Cup final against L.A. Galaxy.

US Men’s National Team

With four players now scratched from the roster for the USMNT game against Italy this week, a couple of guys were called in to replace them. Jermaine Jones, José Torres, Timmy Chandler and Landon Donovan are out, and Brek Shea and Sacha Kljestan are in. SI’s Grant Wahl is in Genoa ahead of the match, and has a few must-read thoughts on the team here.

USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has suddenly resurrected his Twitter account, and since arriving in Italy a few days ago, has been tweeting like crazy. Today, he send out a link to a podcast he recorded. It’s about 15 minutes long and definitely worth a listen if you’re a dedicated USMNT fan. Interesting insights into how Klinsmann and his coaching staff scout players, and how he keeps guys like Clint Dempsey motivated to achieve at higher levels.

US Women’s National Team

As a young girl playing soccer, I idolized Kristine Lilly. She was — and still is — my hero in women’s soccer. I was even lucky enough to take a soccer clinic with her at the helm when I was in high school. Her incredible 21-year-career is arguably the greatest in US women’s soccer history. Now, number 13 is a finalist for the US Olympic Hall of Fame, the only nominee representing soccer. Check out how to vote her into the US Olympic Hall of Fame here!

English Premier League

During Aston Villa’s EPL draw with Wigan this weekend, top goal-scorer Darren Bent ruptured ankle ligaments, and has been ruled out for up to three months. This is a huge blow not only for Villa, but also the England National Team who will be playing in the Euro 2012 starting in early June. Awful news all around.

Carlos Tevez is set to make his return at Manchester City — well, sort of. The striker is expected to make an appearance in the reserve league on Tuesday. This means he could be making an EPL comeback as early as next week, when City takes on Swansea.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra has been signed by Fulham until the end of the season, with the possibility of extension for another year. Diarra has been a free agent since last summer, and hopes to restart his career in the EPL.