Megan Rapinoe

For a glimpse of what fans of one of the Union’s Axis of Evil are thinking about the new squad, check out this piece in a DC United blog.

More on our fair city’s hosting of the USA v Turkey friendly on May 29 and 2018/2022 World Cup hopes from the Inquirer.

The US will play the Czech Republic in another friendly ahead of the World Cup at a yet to be determined location on May 25.

Update on Clint Dempsey’s recovery from knee injury.

More opinion on the meaningfulness of Landon Donovan at Everton from Sports Illustrated.

U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage replaces midfielder Tobin Heath with Megan Rapinoe for 2010 Algarve Cup squad. The tournament kicks off on February 24 in Portugal.

Rutgers new head coach Dan Donigan adds two new assistants to his staff.

New MLS website news, Benitez, shopping incident, and soccer-related-violence-not associated-with-hooliganism-news update after the jump.

MLS adds Greg Lalas as editor in chief and Jonah Freedman as managing editor to oversee editorial staff ahead of the launch of their new website, scheduled for early March.

Rafael Benitez on proposed playoff system in the Premier League for last Champions League spot: “We have too many games and injuries as it is.” In other Liverpool news, the team face Romanian team Unirea Urziceni in the Champions League Europa League today. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk, in London ahead of Europa Cup match against Fulham, are refused entry into world famous department store Harrods. The kicker: Harrods is owned by the same guy who owns Fulham.

In soccer-related-violence-not associated-with-hooliganism-news, a woman has been charged with manslaughter for supplying the heroin used by former Australian international Ian Gray’s fatal overdose. On a happier note, Paraguay international Salvador Cabanas, shot in the head last month, is out of the hospital.