Greg Seltzer claims the USMNT will be in Genoa February 29th for a friendly against Italy.

The Union are up for 4 postseason awards: 1) Faryd Mondragon for Goalkeeper of the Year, 2) Michael Farfan for Rookie of the Year, 3) Sebastien Le Toux for individual Fair Play, and 4) the Philadelphia Union for team Fair Play. Le Toux is a favorite in his category but the other three look less likely. CJ Sapong is the critics pick for ROY and Kasey Keller will likely get GOY, and not undeservingly.

Some big names will be available on free transfer from La Liga this offseason. Anyone look like a good fit for the hometown U (coughcoughVanNistelrooycough)?

The Colorado Rapids have parted ways with head coach Gary Smith. Someone else will have to draw up plans to pump long balls in to Conor Casey next year.

American Marc Pelosi has signed on with Liverpool. The 17-year old captained the US U-17 squad in last summer’s World Cup.

SBNation’s Jeremiah Oshan lays out all the dates a MLS fan needs to be aware of this offseason:

Tuesday: 2011-12 CCL quarterfinals draw. Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders will discover their quarterfinal opponents.

Nov. 21: Teams submit finalized list of protected players for Expansion Draft. Each team can protect up to 11 players, exempting Generation Adidas and Homegrown players.

Nov. 23: Expansion Draft held. Montreal Impact select 10 players, with no more than 1 coming from each team.

Nov. 23: Waiver Draft held. Players released by teams can be selected by other teams with the order determined by the reverse order of the standings.

Dec. 5: Re-Entry Draft, Stage 1. Players can choose to enter this draft if they fail to come to contract terms with their current teams and meet certain experience requirements. Selecting teams are bound by various contractual obligations to the players. (explanation here)

Dec. 12: Re-Entry Draft, Stage 2. Players that go unselected in Stage 1 are eligible here, the difference being that selecting teams can negotiate new contracts.

Jan. 1: The first of the international transfer windows open.

Jan. 12: MLS SuperDraft. Two rounds long.

Jan. 17: MLS Supplemental Draft. Four rounds long.

Jan. 21-April 15: MLS transfer window opens. Players under contract in other leagues can be brought into MLS during this time.

March 6-8: First leg of CCL quarterfinals.

March 8-10: Rumored date of MLS First Kick.

The Philadelphia Independence are always busy. Kia McNeill, Lauren Barnes, and Leigh Ann Robinson are all coaching this offseason.

Landon Donovan will not travel to Paris to join the USMNT for a friendly against France. The US international will stay in LA to prepare for the MLS Cup final.

Yanks Abroad makes a convincing argument that Michael Parkhurst deserves Jurgen Klinnsman’s eye. Parkhurst and Omar Gonzalez are the two most notable absentees from Klinnsman’s defensive plans thus far.

Teal Bunbury and Luis Gil were the final two call-ups for the U-23 squad training camp in Germany. Bunbury the a physical striker with speed, aka everything Jozy Altidore hasn’t been on the international stage, while Gil put together an impressive MLS campaign at age 17.

A Football Report hands out MLS awards.

The Shin Guardian argues that MLS should be wary of adopting any aspects of the EPL model that eliminate parity.

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he suffered a broken rib when he and Oguchi Onyewu fought during training last year.

Qatar’s World Cup architects are saying that air conditioning is a flawed plan for keeping the 2018 World Cup cool. Somehow… unsurprising.

Partially Obstructed View offers up a pretty impressive recap of the two MLS semifinal games.