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So the National Football League went across the pond this weekend. All the way to Wembley, England to play a regular season game. Football met futbol. I wasn’t surprised when the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins played to a sluggish and ugly 13-10 Giants win because the players and coaches had complained about the game preceding it. What I was surprised to see was more than 81,000 fans attend the game.

Remember, these are the Giants and Dolphins. Not the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts or Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins were 0-7 entering the game, the Giants have now won six straight, but don’t exactly excite you. It was the equivalent of the Premier League sending Derby County and Everton to the United States for a game. And would that ever happen? No, because the Premier League would want to showcase its best talent. It would send over a member of the Big Four. There is no way the Premier League would risk showing a marginal product on the pitch as soccer tries to grow in the U.S. Also, the logistics of playing a regular game overseas and messing with a team’s home and away schedule is also puzzling.

So why would the NFL send two non-premier teams to England and why would fans still show up? I know the NFL is trying to expand its brand globally like the NBA has done so successfully, but American football is a much different and more difficult sport to export. It’s almost a grass-roots effort to get it going in Europe. The NFL has to set up its own programs and get the sport developed in other countries because it is not an Olympic sport. It is truly and purely an American pastime.

And that is why I will be keeping a close eye on how the NFL and football begins to expand around the globe, notably in soccer-driven nations. With the resources of the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Major League Soccer, the beautiful game should be able to be developed in the U.S. I believe most U.S. soccer fans know that the game is played at a higher level in Europe and that it will help soccer if top teams come and play games in the U.S. It can show just how great soccer is to the casual fans. The fight for soccer in the U.S. seems to feel like it will always be an uphill battle, but there are the resources available to make it happen.

The NFL and the Premier League are both kings of their sports, economically and competitively; it will be interesting to see which one expands its empire into the other’s kingdom first.

Perhaps the worst kept secret in the world of soccer was announced yesterday when Tottenham Hotspur Manager Martin Jol was sacked by the club. Ever since the Spurs lost on opening day to newly promoted Sunderland, Jol’s job had been in jeopardy. For a squad that had consecutive fifth-place finishes the past two seasons, sitting in the relegation zone with seven points in 10 games is unacceptable. In fact most managers would struggle to hold on to their jobs with a start like that. Tottenham’s loss to Getafe on Thursday in the UEFA Cup only sealed Jol’s fate.

Big things were expected of the Spurs this season. They appeared the most ready of any Premiership side to break into the Big Four and add a little spice to the title race. In fact the Spurs had a chance two years ago, but lost to West Ham United while bitter rival Arsenal defeated Wigan Athletic on the final day of the season to snare fourth place by two points.

It was hard not to root for Tottenham the past two seasons. They have some fantastic players and it would have been nice to see a little variety at the top of the table. But the results never materialized. After coming so close in the 2005/06 season, Spurs finished eight points back of a Champions League spot in 2006/07. Still they were a popular pick to break in this year even as reports of the board meeting with Sevilla boss Juande Ramos surfaced.

Whether or not Spurs horrid start to the campaign can be chalked up to Jol is debatable. He was not exactly given the best reinforcements this summer. Signing fullback Gareth Bale was a coup, but Spurs should have also invested in a central defender in case injuries again hit Ledley King or Michael Dawson. Tottenham should have also brought in a top-notch center midfielder to run the show. No offense to Didier Zokora, Jermaine Jenas, Teemu Tainio, Hossam Ghaly, and Kevin-Prince Boateng but they are not going to be capturing a Premier League crown. Aaron Lennon is a dynamic young player, but injuries and inconsistency to often stifle him. Instead Spurs’ big summer splash came in the form of the talented, but unnecessary Darren Bent. With Robbie Keane, Jermaine Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov already in the fold, Spurs did not need another striker. The $32 million spent on Dent easily could have bolstered the midfield.

Still in the face of adversity, Jol and Spurs crumbled so it seemed like the only plausible scenario for him to go. The blame game can now begin, but in reality it should all be shared equally because failure has plagued Spurs at every level this season.

With the English Premier League nearing the end of its first trimester, it’s time to take a look at the biggest early season surprises. These can be newcomers to the league or players making unexpected impacts for their longtime clubs. Whatever they’re doing it has certainly stood out. Without further ado, our starting XI.

Starting from the back, is Manchester City goalie Kasper Schmeichel. The son of former Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel, the 20-year-old has performed beyond his years and entrenched himself as the No. 1 choice for City. He has played seven of 10 games and made 41 saves.

In defense we have lined up Joleon Lescott, Bacary Sagna and Micah Richards. All three are relatively young with Lescott being the oldest at 25. Speaking of Lescott, he has scored three goals this year and earned a call-up to the England national team. While he performed well last season, Lescott has made quite a jump this year. Sagna, 24, has again shown Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger is an adept scout. Sagna has seamlessly fit into Arsenal’s defense and established himself as a mainstay in just nine games. Richards, 19, has shown strength and power beyond his years. He has worked himself into the English national team and proven a powerful foil for Premiership attackers.

Leading our midfield is Cesc Fabregas. The precocious Spaniard did not sneak up on anybody, but the way he has elevated his game this season is amazing. He has already picked up five assists, but it’s his four goals in league play that stand out. With the departure of Thierry Henry, Fabregas has helped pick up the scoring load and his marauding runs into the box and powerful shots from distance have shown that he can be a scoring force from midfield in the Frank Lampard mode. City have yet another appearance in Blumer Elano. After Fabregas, Elano has been the most important player for his team. Four goals and five assists in 10 games are a big reason why City sits in third place right now. Fulham’s Clint Dempsey has shown he has adjusted to the Premier League just fine. He has arguably been Fulham’s most important player and has three goals and an assist in 10 games. The last midfield spot belongs to Arsenal’s Aleksander Hleb. In his third season in England, Hleb is beginning to show the form that made him so attractive to Wenger. Great on the ball, Hleb has improved his distribution and also become more of a scoring threat and give Arsenal the type of winger it has needed. […]

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A 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire ended the Los Angeles Galaxy’s season and its’ improbable push for a playoff spot. The loss also ended David Beckham’s first season in Major League Soccer. Although calling five games played, 252 minutes on the field, two assists and zero goals a season is a bit of a stretch.

Yes he suffered injuries and he appeared pained that he was not performing and playing, especially when capacity crowds showed up on account of him scheduled to be performing. And yes it was a performance. The entire show of his announcement to his arrival to the endless coverage of his bum ankle grabbed more attention than anything he did on the field. When he sprained his knee Aug. 29 it forced him to miss 11 games and the show was cut short.

Now the off-season begins and Beckham needs to get healthy and rested for what will be his true first season in MLS next year. It’s great that he brought fame and attention to the league and his jersey sold like crazy, but now there needs to be results on the field. All the talk and hype needs to be backed up.

So I don’t care if I hear another word about Beckham until the 2008 MLS season rolls around. With the playoffs starting the focus of the league needs to be on the soccer being played. The league’s biggest icon can still make an impact; that’s why he was signed to a five-year contract. For now it’s time for a rest.

A healthy David Beckham isn’t just good for the Galaxy, it’s what MLS has to have.

With it beginning to look and feel more like fall is passing and winter is approaching every day, thinking about staying in soccer shape during the colder months can often be overlooked. Right now most teams and players focus on stretch runs in their leagues or competitive seasons, but leave a little time to consider what you will be doing after the season.

More and more opportunities for winter soccer are available nowadays with specifically designed indoor facilities and leagues. Some of the most fun I’ve had on a soccer field the past few years has come indoors. Playing at least once a week during the off-season not only helps you keep in shape, but it will make you a sharper player when your spring team begins preparing.

For most, indoor soccer is just a different experience overall. The field is smaller, the play is faster, the ball has to stay on the ground and scoring dramatically increases. To improve you have to play and playing indoors forces you to improve your on-ball and passing skills. You’re not going to lose the ability to boot the ball down the field during the winter, but playing closely-confined games will help improve decision making and force you to pick up your speed of play.

In Brazil, young players are not even allowed to play outside on a field. They play futsal indoors to build players’ individual and technical skills up before moving on to the team phase. No wonder no country’s players, save for Argentina, can touch the level of on-ball skills held by Brazilian players. Just check out Ronaldinho indoors as a kid.

So when the ground freezes in a month and the temperature dips into the single digits, don’t hang up your cleats. Toss on a pair of indoor soccer shoes and get playing.

What in the world is going on with FIFA? That’s all I can think after seeing the short list for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. The 30 player list is full of laughable omissions. But first, lets take a look at the list: Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Petr Cech, Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Samuel Eto’o, Gennaro Gattuso, Steven Gerrard, Thierry Henry, Juninho, Kaka, Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Frank Lampard, Rafael Marquez, Lionel Messi, Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Franck Ribery, Juan Roman Riquelme, Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Carlos Tevez, Lilian Thuram, Fernando Torres, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Patrick Vieira.

So who should have been nominated instead? The most startling omission might be Francesco Totti. The Roma captain not only led Serie A in scoring last season, he also won the European Golden Boot. If Totti is not considered one of the top 30 players in the world, how much credibility does this award lend itself?

Other notable players left off were Cesc Fabregas, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luca Toni and David Villa. This trio could easily replace a number of jokes on the current list. As good as Cannavaro was during the 2006 World Cup, he was in poor form for Real Madrid last season and was not even the best defender on his team. Thierry Henry, while a fantastic player was injured for half of the season with Arsenal, so how can he merit a spot?  Fellow Frenchmen Vieria, who missed much of last season injured, and Thuram were also questionable calls.

Even though Kaka seems to be the favorite for the award, FIFA did itself no favors with this list. When some of the best players in the world the past year have been left off, it makes one wonder if FIFA is paying attention to the games being played.

The news of admitted steroid use by sprinter Marion Jones got me thinking about performance enhancing drugs in the world of soccer. Even in such a skeptical world soccer has seemingly escaped the magnifying glass. While baseball, football, cycling and track and field draw the most scrutiny, suspicions of soccer players does not run as high.

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been instances of banned substances being used. There have been some high profile drug run-ins, like Jaap Stam and Edgar Davids in 2001 for taking nandrolene. Also, in 2007 defender Sergei Sokolov was suspended for 18 months for corticosteroid and SL Benfica midfielder Nuno Assis and AC Milan striker Marco Borriello failed doping tests.

Still none of these players are as big in their sport as a Jones or Barry Bonds.

That doesn’t mean performance enhancers aren’t used in soccer. While there is testing, the cheaters always figure out a way to get by. But I still find it hard to figure out way steroids or HGH would be used in soccer. The sport has never been about being the biggest or even the fastest. While physical talents obviously can impact a game, soccer is a sport where technical skill can overcome physical prowess. Now some performance enhancers can help a player’s endurance and recovery, something that is very vital to the game, soccer players do not need the endurance of say a cyclist. A cyclist travels hundreds of miles on consecutive days, while a soccer player may run seven or more miles in a game and then have a few days off.

But in a sports world where everyone is looking to get ahead in any possible way, performance-enhancing drugs cannot be ruled out of soccer. So the same rules apply as they do to every other sport: Be cautious but until the big scandal comes there is no need to be a cynic.

Is there one soccer player in the world who is peerless? One who stands apart from the rest of the sublimely talented group playing the beautiful game? That’s what we want to know. After magazine FourFourTwo put together a Top 100 list of the best players in the world, we decided our soccer-crazed selves should delve. While we didn’t do 100 players, seven of us put together our own personal top fives and the results were very out of the ordinary. Selectors could base their picks on any reasoning and gave detailed explanations for why some players were selected and how hard it was to leave others off. Current form seemed to be a very influential factor in the lists, with former top five shoe-in Thierry Henry unable to make a single list. Compared with FourFourTwo, Cesc Fabregas’ start to the season had him in four lists, including making the cut at No. 1 after being tagged at No. 32 by the magazine. The only consistent force was Brazilian maestro Kaka, who made every list and was voted No. 1 two times, No. 2 four times and No. 3 once. All of the varying opinions resulted in five different players being named No. 1 in the world by our panel.

So what players made the lists? A total of 19 different players were picked in the 35 slots (there was one tie) allotted and all of them were deserving in one way or another.

After Kaka ran away with the competition, Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi all tallied four votes. Ronaldo was named No. 1 twice and Fabregas received a solitary top vote. Voters noted that even though Ronaldo was off to a bit of a slow start, his play from last year was the culmination of his amazing talent. Messi meanwhile picked up two votes at No. 3 and No. 5. It seemed like voters wanted to put the young Argentine higher after his start to the domestic campaign with Barcelona. Next came teammate Ronaldinho with three total votes. The former World Player of the Year picked up a No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 vote, despite being a bit off form right now. […]

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