It’s the first Monday of 2012, and we’ve got tons to talk about today! Rumors are swirling that Eto’o could come to MLS, Wayne Rooney is set to return to the pitch Wednesday after being left off Sunday, and we’ve got the coolest foosball table you’ll ever see. All that and more, here’s your Daily Kick Around!

Major League Soccer

The LA Galaxy rumor mill is churning hard and fast as the MLS Champions try to figure out who will fill their third DP spot should David Beckham sign elsewhere. Names like Frank Lampard have been thrown around, but the newest to be added to the mix: Samuel Eto’o. No, seriously.

The MLS Moment of the Year for 2011 — as voted on by fans — was a fitting one. Kasey Keller’s tribute game in Seattle, that drew a crowd of more than 64,000 fans. Keller retired after 23 years on the soccer pitch. He had an incredible career and will certainly be missed on the soccer pitch.

As NBC Sports Network gets ready for its launch, they have been pumping out MLS promos. Their latest one has me giddy with excitement for their coverage of the upcoming season. Is it March yet?

English Premier League

After a weekend of shocking results, the EPL action continued today with a whole slew of matches. A round-up of all the action can be found here!

One of the shock results of the weekend was Manchester United falling to Blackburn at Old Trafford, a game in which Wayne Rooney didn’t even dress. The English media reported that Rooney was sidelined because of a night out, which resulted in lethargic training the next morning. And Sir Alex isn’t a fan of lethargic training. Despite the setback, Rooney is set to return to the team on Wednesday.

Serie A

Roma forward Marco Borriello is set to go on loan to Juventus for the rest of the season, as long as he passes a medical exam. Juventus will pay Roma $650k to keep the striker until the season ends, with an option to buy his contract outright for $9.7 million after the season is over.

La Liga

Jose Mourihno has made it clear that he doesn’t want any of his Real Madrid players to go on loan during the January transfer window. He hasn’t asked for any signings, and wants to start and finish the season with the same team of players. So far, Real has had a pretty fantastic season, so I can certainly understand his sentiments.

 World Soccer

And finally, what I know you’ve all been waiting for: the most kick-ass foosball table I have ever seen. This thing is on another level.

World Soccer

Over the weekend, former Welsh national team player and current head coach Gary Speed was found dead of an apparent suicide. The 42-year old former soccer star and manager was beloved by the soccer community, and tributes have been pouring in ever since the news of his death.

English Premier League

In the Manchester City-Liverpool match yesterday, the always controversial Mario Balotelli was sent off after accumulating two yellow cards within 18 minutes of subbing on. Now, City manager Roberto Mancini is saying that Liverpool players are to blame for Balotelli’s second yellow.

Aside from the antics of Balotelli, City has also been dealing with striker Carlos Tevez, who is still somewhere in Argentina, refusing to come back to the English club. It is expected that Tevez will leave City in January during the transfer window, but some teams — like Juventus — have been saying, “No thanks” 

Midfielder Zoltan Gera’s return to West Brom has been cut short, at least for now. Gera suffered a serious knee injury during this weekend’s match against Tottenham, and will be out for the foreseeable future. Bad news for the Baggies!

Major League Soccer

A new sports network is set to hit our televisions in 2012: Versus will be re-branded as NBC Sports Network. Promos are already popping up, like this one featuring several LA Galaxy players. This is great news for MLS fans, as it can only mean more soccer televised nationally.

DC United has released their new 2012 home and away kits. Check them out here!

Serie A

On Sunday, AC Milan took apart Chievo with a 4-0 victory. But the exciting headline was that Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his 100th Serie A goal, quite the accomplishment!

USMNT

Carlos Bocanegra, aka Captain America, could be sidelined for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury that he picked up playing for his club Rangers F.C. Hopefully the USMNT fearless leader will be back in action soon!