As if that perhaps unparalleled success weren’t enough, the great Sir Alex Ferdinand of Manchester United has some high praise for the mere 1.7 meter man.

Said Ferdinand: “Critics have always questioned whether players like Pele from the 50s could play today. The answer to that is great players would play in any generation. Lionel Messi could play in the 1950s and the present day, as could Di Stefano, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff because they are all great players.

“Lionel Messi without question fits into that category.”

Teammate and fellow candidate for player of the year Xavi also had kind words for the electric Messi.

“He’s still young, only 24, and I think he’s going to break all the records that exist in this sport,” said Xavi. “He’s going to be one of the best footballers in the history of the sport.”

On pace for another monster season for Barca, which surprisingly stands in second place behind super rivals Real Madrid in La Liga standings, there’s really no reason to expect Messi won’t be a finalist for a shocking fourth consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Or come season’s end, should he be able to avoid any major injury on the pitch.

That may be in part because Messi knows not only what to do on the pitch, but what to say off it. He had some kind words for his teammate Xavi after accepting the award.

“I want to share this award specially with my friend Xavi,” said Messi. “This is the fourth time that we are are together at this ceremony and it is a pleasure for me to be with him on the pitch. This Ballon d’Or is also yours. Without your help I would not be here.”

It seems his great goal scorer also knows when to drop an assist.

After a report in The Independent suggested that Rooney could be on the move during this month’s transfer period thanks to a rocky relationship with Sir Alex, the team put forth a statement denying such a plot.

Rooney called Sir Alex “the greatest manager of all time” in affirming his desire to maintain his spot playing in front of 76,000 at Old Trafford.

“If I could finish my career playing under Sir Alex then I won’t have gone far wrong,” he added. “As I said before he is, in my eyes, the best ever. His success and his trophies speak for themselves. He’s an incredible manager and has done so much for football and so much for my game as well.

“His everyday commitment to his job is what makes him stand out. He’s in before the players every morning and leaves after you. His commitment, his desire to win and his dedication is incredible.”

Well, then, I guess we know Rooney likes this Sir Alex guy, eh? That’s great news for Man U fans, who don’t want to see another superstar leave their turf just as the great Cristiano Ronaldo did after six year at Old Trafford. What’s more, rumors have even begun to surface of a possible return of the offensive force from Portugal, giving Man U fans even more reason to be cheerful in early January.

Not a bad week indeed.

In Europe and South America, possession and aggressive passing are the basis of every team’s character. In America, packing the back line and booting the ball to a talented playmaker or two is how players grow up. It’s no surprise then that once the talent starts to even out as players age, only exceptional playermakers can cut through tighter and tighter spaces. America has never produced a Lionel Messi, so instead, the style must change. Germany is the perfect model for the Americans.

The US squad has size, and moderate speed and skill. With that package, a disciplined attack relying on effective crosses and owning the aerial attack is likely to produce the best results. If there’s one team that traditionally has played in that manner, it’s Klinsmann’s homeland. So, sending youngsters such as the vertically blessed Breck Shea over to European club teams (and others specifically to German clubs) is a perfect way to improve both the talent level and the style of play. Klinsmann has also brought over new German players with enough American heritage to play for Uncle Sam. Together, these two moves should pay off in the long term, although the results have thus far been scanty.

After World War II, the US realized that without a strong Europe, there would be no one to buy its goods, so the Marshall Plan was instigated. Klinsmann appears to be building his own plan, only instead of bringing the American free market across the Atlantic, he’s taking the German style of play to the sleeping giant of soccer.

With that in mind, and the realization that there’s a long, long way to go before he could ever be considered a star, 16-year-old Diego Fagundez is a player to remember. The native Uruguayan was born in the Southern Hemisphere but moved to America with his family as a four-year-old. Since then soccer has been his life, and he’s now the youngest player in MLS, working his way into the lineup for the New England Revolution. He’s small, young, and talented. Just the type of player the American program should be helping grow. Unfortunately, Diego, despite growing up in central Massachusetts, is not officially an American citizen. The talented scorer is eligible to don the Uruguayan jersey, but not Uncle Sam’s.

If US soccer wants to change its fortunes, Fagundez might be a good place to start. Get the kid and his family the forms they need to officially become Americans. Bring him into the national team fold. And make a habit of it, because this isn’t the first time America has potentially lost a standout scorer to another nation, despite its deep ties to the player. Italian striker Guiseppe Rossi was born in New Jersey. He lived there until age 12, when his parents took him back to their native Italy. Rossi then played an important role in Italy’s 2009 Confederations Cup squad, but ultimately failed to make the 2010 World Cup roster. He would have not only made the American team, but likely starred.

This lesson should not be lost on the Americans this time. Diego Fagundez may not turn into much more than an adequate international player in his prime, but there’s no sense watching it happen for another nation.

Five years later, Beckham finally won his first MLS Cup, in a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo Nov. 20. It’s a Hollywood ending, but there were more C-list actors on the screen during Sunday night’s contest than superstars playing at the peak of their game.

American soccer lacks skill and marketability; thus, bringing in a player of Beckham’s considerable (although very specific) skill set and brand recognition made sense for America’s black sheep sports league. The problem, however, lies not with Beckham, who played adequately during his injury-plagued run with the Galaxy, but with the lack of compelling talent surrounding the big names the league does have, most of whom play for LA. The game is slow, the players lack foot skills, speed, and finishing touch. In large part, the championship game looked like a high school soccer game in the New England–sloggy, slow, and slippery.

Signing Beckham wasn’t so much a bad idea as much as a short-term gain that won’t continue without a follow-up act. Lionel Messi certainly isn’t going to come to America, but bringing back other American stars such as netminder Tim Howard and striker Jozy Altidore shouldn’t be ruled out. It’s good for the national team to have players filling rosters in Europe, but it might be even better for American soccer in the long run to have the nation’s best playing in front of devoted fans in Seattle, Portland, Houston, and yes, LA, instead of in Britain or Turkey.

Beckham’s Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan made that return voyage from Europe. Perhaps the US captain’s vision, always a plus at midfield, is just as discerning off the pitch.

Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore both scored goals, assisted by American star Landon Donovan. Altidore’s came in the 58th minute to tie the game, and then Dempsey’s won the game with a goal in the 75th minute.

The American team will begin their trip to South Africa on Sunday. They will play a match against the Australians on June 5th, which comes one week before their first World Cup outing against England. The United States team was coming off a 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic in Connecticut. This match was played in front of 55,000 fans in Philadelphia at the Lincoln Financial Field.

In other pre-World Cup matches Japan fell to England 2-1. After taking a quick lead, in the 7th minute from Marcus Tanaka, the Japanese gave England two own goals for the win. Tanaka headed a cross shot from Joe Cross in the 72nd minute and then Yjui Nakazawa deflected a cross by Ashley Cole in the 83rd minute. This match was played in Austria. Spain knocked off Saudi Arabia in injury time, and Serbia upset New Zealand over the weekend. There will be warm-up affairs daily until the World Cup gets started on June 11th. Paraguay and the Ivory Coast, while countries such as France, Nigeria, Mexico and South Korea get going in some pre-World Cup action.

While the hosts and Mexico kick-off the tournament, day 1 also provides Uruguay and France will go at it as well. Day 2 (June 12) will see three games, starting with group B – Argentina taking on Nigeria, while South Korea will battle Greece. Group C will see one match played on Day 2 as well, as the United States will start their action against England. Day 3 (June 13) will feature Algeria and Slovenia, to finish up group C. Group D will play both their first round games as Germany and Australia collide, along with Serbia and Ghana. Day 4 (June 14) will see Group E play their two games: Netherlands vs. Denmark and Japan vs. Cameroon. The final game of day 4 will be played between Italy and Paraguay. Day 5 (June 15) features New Zealand and Slovokia, as well as Brazil/North Korea and Ivory Coast and Portugal. The final two games of the initial round features Spain against Switzerland and Honduras against Chile on Day 6 (June 16).

Also on June 16th, the hosts South Africa will take on Uruguay. Day 7 (June 17) sees Argentina vs. South Korea, Greece vs. Nigeria and France vs. Mexico. Day 8 (June 18) has Germany and Serbia, Solvenia and the United States and finally England and Algeria. Day 9 (June 19) the Netherlands against Japan, Ghana vs. Australia and Cameroon against Denmark. Day 10 (June 20) sees Slovakia against Paraguay, Italy against New Zealand and Brazil against the Ivory Coast. Day 11 (June 21): Portugal vs. North Korea, Chile vs. Switzerland and Spain against Honduras. Day 12 (June 22): Mexico/Uruguay, France/South Africa, Greece/Argentina and Nigeria/South Korea.

Day 13 (June 23) features Solvenia and England, USA and Algeria, and Australia against Serbia. Day 14 (June 24): Slovakia/Italy, Paraguay/New Zealand, Cameroon against Netherlands and Denmark against Japan. June 25thfinishes the group stage with North Korea against Ivory Coast, Portugal vs. Brazil, Switzerland vs. Honduras and Chile against Spain.

The second round will take place between June 26th and June 29th. The Quarterfinals are played July 2nd and 3rd. The Semi-Finals games are July 6 th and 7th. Third place game will be played on July 10th and the title game on July 11th, for a full month of World Cup soccer!

The goaltenders that are going to lead the United States in the 2010 South African World Cup include: Brad Guzan of Aston Villa, Marcus Hahnemann of Wolverhampton and Tim Howard of Everton.

The defenders that will carry the load of shutting down opponents include: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hanover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodman (IK Start), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan) and Jonathan Spector (West Ham).

The midfielders include: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton) and Jose Torres (Pachuca).

Lastly, the forwards for the United States will be: Jozy Altidore (Hull), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Robbie Finley (Salt Lake) and Herculez Gomez (Puebla).

Donovan is the highlight of the team, scoring 42 goals in 121 appearances. One of the most surprising snubs for the team was Donovan’s teammate Brian Ching. Ching, who made the 2006 roster but never made an appearance, turned 32 recently, so most likely was his final shot. Ching missed over a month after hurting his hamstring in early April. He made his return to the team (Houston) on May 13th. Other notables that were cut from the 2010 World Cup team for the United States include: Chad Marshall, Heath Pearce, Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan and Robbie Rogers.

The youngest player on the roster is Jozy Altidore, who is 20 years old. The oldest is goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, who will be 38 in June. Players on the team played a little tight recently when they played their final exhibition game against the Czech Republic. The United States lost that match 4-2 in the first of three games before the first World Cup game on June 12th.

In other soccer news, Inter Milan’s Champions League match drew a 1.1 overnight rating and a 3 from FOX. The 2-0 win over Bayern Munich received just a slightly higher rating than the 2009 match between Barcelona and Manchester United, which also ended in a 2-0 final. The big wigs at FOX were a bit disappointed with the ratings, hoping the match would receive at least a 2.0, and possibly even a 2.5.

In World Cup news, just a couple weeks before the start of the tournament, Argentina blasted Canada in exhibition action. Maxi Rodriguez scored twice, while Angel Di Maria, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero added one a piece. This was the final exhibition game for Argentina before their World Cup opener on June 12th against Nigeria. Argentina will also face Greece and South Korea in the “B”Group.

In other exhibition action, the hosts South Africa played in a 1-1 tie with Bulgaria. Siyabonga Sengweni scored in the 20th minute off a header from Siphiwe Tshabalala. Bulgaria tied the game in the 31st minute when Valeri Bojinov slid one past the South African goaltender. The South African Olympic team will play again on Thursday, this time against Colombia.

Lastly, on Monday England downed Mexico in an exhibition game. The English team is preparing to start their World Cup action on June 12th against the United States. In the exhibition game, Ledley King, Glen Johnson and Peter Crouch all scored for England. England played the game without four players from Chelsea: John Terry, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Ashley Cole. Also, Portsmouth goaltender David James did not play. All of these players are expected to be re-accessed this week, and a decision on whether they will play in the final exhibition game against Japan on Sunday will be made late in the week. Mexico’s next exhibition action comes on Wednesday against the Netherlands.

Columbus struck first in the 35th minute when Eddie Gaven scored his second goal of the season, assisted by Frankie Hejduk. The Crew stayed on attack, scoring just four minutes later – Andy Iro placed his second into the net, Gaven. New York scored their first goal in the 81st minute to cut the lead in half. Tony Tchani scored his first of the season, with an assist from Carlos Mendes. Just two minutes later Emilio Renteria scored his first of the season to seal the deal for Columbus.

The Crew have just played seven games this season, winning five and tying in two of them. The Red Bulls have played nine games, winning five and losing four. The Crew will turn around Sunday in Kansas City. New York is now off until Saturday May 29th, when they play in New England, against the Revolution.( rosacea pictures )

The Galaxy of Los Angeles needed just a Mike Magee goal in the 17th minute of the game to win the game. The goal came with assists from Tristan Bowen and Chris Klein. Both teams finished the game with seven shots, and 3 on goal. The Galaxy continue to have the top goal scorer and assist leader in the MLS. Edson Buddle leads the entire league in goals scored, with 9, while Landon Donovan has 9 assists – for the lead.

Los Angeles leads the Western Conference with their 8-0-2 record and 26 points. The second place team in Houston, with just 13 points. Los Angeles has scored 16 goals on the season, while their defense has allowed just two on the season.( acid reflux symptoms )

The Galaxy will now wait until Saturday May 29th to play again. Los Angeles will take on the Crew in Columbus in a battle of the two conference leaders. The Crew are averaging just over 13,000 fans in their four home games this season, while Los Angeles draws one of the best in the MLS – with over 16,000 fans in attendance during their road games.