We've got The Other Hoops invading Denver, a badly-botched goal celebration on Planet LA, a confirmed Beckham sighting in New York and The Bruce gives us a great idea for a wager involving Becks and Claudio Reyna.
While I'd love to sit here all day and debate whether the American Idol judges have gotten meaner or not, let's get to the stuff that really matters:
THE NEWS: The 2007 All-Star Game is awarded to the Colorado Rapids' Dick's Sporting Goods Park, where an MLS All-Star squad will face Celtic.
TCS SAYS: I love these games and bringing over Celtic, or The Other Hoops, is a great fit for many reasons.
For one, they have some seriously stellar players that you may not have heard of but are wonderful to watch. Or you may know names like Shunsuke Nakamura (guy hits a decent dead ball) and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink from their successful exploits in the UEFA Champions League this season.
The Dutchman makes me want to change my byline to Tino Palace of Minnesota.
But if you are into the whole Al Gore save the world environmental thing, you are going to love that stadium on July 19, because it's going to be seriously green.
Celtic has one of the most rabid fan bases of any team, both in Scotland and around the world, and very much so here in the States.
And I have the feeling one or two of 'em will find their way into some tickets for that one.
Now while the Celtic supporters will be singing away, how exactly should the MLS fans in the ground show their support?
You can always do the old standby: wait and see who knocks them out of the Champions League and show up to the game wearing that team's jersey. Always a nice touch.
I'd say wear a Rangers kit, but that might not be the brightest thought. Then again, Celtic is so many miles past their beloved Glasgow neighbors in the Scottish Premier League standings that they might just not care this year.
And speaking of The Other Hoops, for you Fire fans to think about before Peyton Manning crushes your Bears: your lying, cheating team has its eyes on Celtic's Maciej "Magic" Zurawski, according to The Chicago Tribune.
THE NEWS: Bob Bradley debuts as interim Yanks manager with a win against those pesky Danes at The Home Depot Center.
TCS SAYS: First of all, this past Saturday almost saw your old pal Tino commit parental suicide, as I narrowly avoided a move that would have surely sentenced the 11-month-old Prince of the Palace to years of therapy.
Because of a prior commitment, I was not going to be able to make it to the game Saturday.
But then I had no choice.
You see, late last week I was sitting around with the Queen going over the details of a little European sojourn she and I and the Prince are taking in March. You know, because apparently there aren't enough places in Beverly Hills for her to spend our money.
Thanks to some fortunate scheduling, on one of the days of our trip that we will be in Paris, the French national team has a home friendly against Austria, so that clearly is a must-see if we are in town.
Hey, I talked the Queen into seeing two games (a Sporting Lisbon match in Portugal and an AC Milan match at the San Siro) on our honeymoon, so this was relatively an easy sell.
Anyway, as I was wondering if the Prince would understand "Allez Les Bleus" at his young age, I came to a realization that made my face turn ghostly white - even for a Minnesotan - and I froze in panic.
It dawned on me that while the Prince has seen MLS games live, he has never seen a national team game. And as of now, the first game he would see would not feature our U.S. of A., but rather it would be France.
Over my dead body.
Needless to say, I moved heaven and Earth to get to The Home Depot Center Saturday and averted disaster. One day the Prince will thank me.
And speaking of the game, it was well worth it. Was still strange in the stadium club before the game seeing Alexi Lalas and Preki in there, realizing it was a GM and a coach, not a couple of veteran players.
As for the game, Bob Bradley teams will always be organized, and this was no exception.
It was fun to see the kids get out and play, and once Ricardo Clark and Pablo Mastroeni stopped turning the ball over for sport, the Yanks settled in and looked great.
They got a huge break on the penalty, as Ricardo was clearly outside of the box, but you're supposed to get those calls at home.
And while Justin Mapp's work on the second goal was almost comical it was so good, unfortunately he was upstaged by Kenny Cooper.
Not Cooper's goal, and definitely not his yellow-card-earning post-goal celebration, but rather by his line after the game about all of the above.
"I got so excited trying to take my shirt off, I really only wanted to kiss the badge," Cooper said. "But I couldn't get it off my back, then it was inside out, then I just started waving it. Then I got the card."
Let's work on that for next time, OK?
THE NEWS: Beckhamania continues to run wild.
TCS SAYS: Hot scoop! TCS can confirm Becks has arrived in the U.S. My sources say he and the missus were spotted visiting Madame Tussaud's in New York this week. My spies are a little concerned about Beckham's fitness, though, as he apparently looked a little stiff.
And the Hollywood stuff starts already: read that the Galaxy and Becks' training academy out here will be featured in Beckham's appearance in the third movie in the "Goal" trilogy.
And with Beckhammania will come the inevitable backlash, and I don't mind a few comedic, well-placed shots as we wait for Posh and her man to take Planet LA by storm.
But when Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler took a shot last weekend, I couldn't help but ask one question: that show is still on the air?
THE NEWS: Claudio Reyna comes home to play for The Bruce at Red Bull.
TCS SAYS: Here's why this is a great move: Claudio Reyna, if healthy, helps a team win games. That helps sell tickets. And remember, the Red Bulls still have another slot for more firepower.
And don't compare this to Beckham. This is a great move on its own. Lovely that he's a local guy and all that, great storylines.
But Claudio is the kind of player than can settle a game on his own, exactly what The Bruce needs as he builds his team.
My only beef with The Bruce comes from a line he had to the media after Reyna's signing, comparing his new midfielder to the Galaxy's.
"Beckham will certainly score more goals I think given his ability on free kicks and those type of things," Arena said.
Hmmm ... I'm not sure that's the case over the course of a full season.
Sounds like the makings of a pretty good wager, doesn't it?
You know ... if I was into that sort of thing.
During the season, The Clean Sheet runs each week on MLSnet. Views and opinions expressed in this column views and opinions are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com. Send any questions and comments to tcsresponses@yahoo.com
