We’re going to do a quickie, MLS heavy DKA today.  There’s been tons going on! For a new signing for the Crew, New York Red Bulls negotiating and more! And don’t worry, we’ve got some EPL news for you too. Here’s your Daily Kick Around!

Major League Soccer

Chris Birchall is back in MLS! After the L.A. Galaxy released the Trinidad and Tobago international, his future in the league was very uncertain and he even moved back to England as he waited out the lull. But it was announced yesterday he would be back and in a Columbus Crew jersey! As a Crew fan, I have to say I’m very excited about this signing! Chris is strong in the midfield and can create great plays up front! Can’t wait to see you in that black and gold, Chris!

The work of MLS’ disciplinary committee continues. This time it’s suspending Seattle player Leo González one game and fining him for a stepping on the leg of Philly Union defender Sheanon Williams.  Other recent action taken included granting an appeal to New England Revolution’s Fernando Cardenas’s red-card suspension.

Twitter exploded a bit this morning with the news that representatives from New York Red Bulls were in Milan to discuss bringing Zambrotta and Nesta to MLS. There hasn’t been anything officially released from the Red Bulls, but we’ll keep our eyes out!

English Premier League

Liverpool got a little revenge today for the loss in the FA Cup this weekend. They whooped Chelsea 4-1 today at Anfield.

I hate to hear about teams getting regulated. Maybe I’m just a soft-hearted person, but I feel for all the Blackburn players and fans after their loss this weekend regulated the team from the Premier League. And letters leaked from the club owners suggest they were worried about such an event back in December. One such letter from the club’s deputy chief executive Paul Hunt stated:

“Publicly I have been asked to support the manager and I always have as I personally like Steve. I have supported him from the start and have been desperate for him to do well. However, I am now of the opinion that it isn’t working and he is ready to go. He has lost the crowd and as a result of this evening’s game has lost the dressing room as well – the players no longer want to play for him. It is a shame and disappointing but we must act now to save the club. The board should be asked their opinion in who should be the new manager.”

The weekend is almost here! I hope you guys are excited as I am! We’ve got European leagues winding down and heating up and some great MLS match ups headed into the weekend. Today’s news covers the Real Madrid stomping of Atletico Madrid, Chelsea coming to the US, past Midweek Muscles cutie Chris Wondolowski in the Golden Boot shootout and USMNT’s Jozy Altidore special appearance. Get caught up with today’s Daily Kick Around!

La Liga

It didn’t seem too long ago when Real Madrid were dominating La Liga, sitting ten points clear of Barcelona. Oh my how the tables have turned. With only a point – a POINT – separating them and Barca, they took on local rivals Atletico Madrid in a do-or-die game. Luckily, Cristiano Ronaldo kept his spectacular form and notched a stunning hat trick and lead RM to a 4-1 win. They have the lead again, but with Barca nipping their heels, Real will have to be on top of each game from here on out.

Oh Andre Villas-Boas. You kind of have to feel for him. Since his sacking at Chelsea, the Blues have gotten a bit better, holding on to spots in the FA Cup, the Champion’s League and fairly decent in the EPL standings. So where is an ex-Chelsea coach to go? Apparently La Liga.

English Premier League

There is always debate on which league in the world is the best, but I think if you’re going to talk about excitement, EPL definitely takes the cake. The title race heated up this week as Manchester United fell to a regulation-bound Wigan. United were out played and out classed, while title and cross-city rivals Manchester City showed a strong dominance over West Brom, 4-0. United are still at the top, but like Real Madrid, need to mind their p’s and q’s to keep it for their 20th title.

Most of the time when you hear a coach talk ill of a player, you can assume that player will sit on the bench a whole lot or not even appear on the pitch for his squad. Not at Manchester City. If Roberto Mancini says you won’t be missing games, no sweat! You’ll probably be in the next match. Take the recent comments about striker Mario Balotelli. Mancini said the Italian wouldn’t see the pitch for the rest of the season, yetttttttttt he’s now saying Mario will be playing during the Manchester derby later this month. Sound like another Carlos Tevez act anyone?

Liverpool are desperate to make changes – it was announced today director of football Damien Comolli would be leaving the club, a decision that was apparently made by mutual consent.

Major League Soccer

Can you believe it? We’re already talking abut the MLS All Star game! I don’t know about you, but this event seems to get bigger and better every year. This year will be no exception. It was announced yesterday that EPL team Chelsea would be the opponents for the All-Stars in July at Philly. Sounds like it’s going to be a great game, especially with the addition of Adidas’ miCoach data tracker on each players’ uniform. This will provide real time data about each player, making this the first “smart” soccer match. I can’t wait to see the results of all this!

Retro banning seems to be catching like wildfire in MLS these days. After receiving a yellow card last week during the Revs match against FC Dallas, Revs midfielder Shalrie Joseph was given a retro ban by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. His sentence – a one-match ban and undisclosed fee. What do you guys think of this trend? Should a committee be allowed to go back and review tackles to issue out more punishment?

It seems a bit too early to talk about Golden Boot winners in MLS, but we’re already picking our favorites. This week Chris Wondolowski, a strong, strong contender for the honor, and the San Jose Earthquakes will take on two Golden Boot contenders, Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper, as they face off with New York Red Bulls. Both teams have been on fire thus far in the season, so the game is expected to be one to watch!

U.S. Men’s National Team

Ah, the lovely FIFA world rankings. Do you guys wait around to see what crazy teams are in what places? We know we do! But seriously, how much stalk is in these rankings? I personally don’t pay much attention to them, but if you care, the April rankings are out – Spain is still No. 1, the USMNT dropped to 29 and Mexico sits in the 20th spot. Ick.

USMNT international Fabian Johnson had a sick goal yesterday – you need to watch it here!

Finally today, USMNT forward Jozy Altidore has been on fire lately, with 17 goals so far in all competitions this season. But recently he shared a different kind of honor, pictured with a newly wedded couple!