Tickle v. Tackle 12

Tickle

• Simek stays an Owl. Maybe he could have tested the waters in the Prem, maybe he could have taken the money and run, maybe a move would have been better for his national team career. But when an American international is playing in my old position for a club I've supported for nearly two decades, I'm going to look on his re-signing with Wednesday as possibly more satisfying than Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle (aarrrgghhh, get it out of the Flavor Graveyard you dirty hippies!)
• DC United is starting to get healthy and back on track with the sweet, sweet possession futbol. Now, if only the boys in black could find some of their missing finishing mojo!
• Oh, the Beck-manity! Watching MLS HQ and front offices league-wide scramble like the last rats off the boat in the wake of the iceberg that is Beckham's injured ankle sure is fun for the whole family. Well, maybe not the whole family, but to this jaded old hack at the very least.
• SuperLiga's website. Sure it's a tiny little window to watch the games through. But as someone without the benefit of Telefutura in my life, getting to watch the games in better quality than I normally get MLS highlights in over the tubes, and without the constant buffering to boot, makes me a happy little camper.
• Marc Burch has been en fuego for DC United of late, stepping out of the shadowy world of the reserves and into the spotlight without a hitch. Solid in defense, strong in the tackle, and he can get forward and hit a cross to boot! Josh Gros, are you paying attention? Who'd have thunk we might have been sitting on the answer at left back all along? Now, if only we could dip our ladle in the reserve stew and come up with a right-sided winger.
  

Tackle

• So Freddy's finally jumped ship on MLS and embarked on his great Euro adventure, but did MLS get enough for him? Prior to the U-20's I would have said that they made out like bandits, but he was clearly one of the most influential and technically gifted players in the tournament, and he's only just turned 18. Despite MLS's probable dropping of the ball, I'll look forward to seeing what Freddy can do in a Portuguese league that has proven to be a fairly regular supplier of quality attacking talent to the "big 4" Euro leagues.
• Rumors are swirling of big shakeups at the top for Red Bull, but the denials are flying thick and fast as well. I'd debated putting this as a "tickle" in the spirit of the Beckham "Anklegate", but the truth is, MLS could really use a decent franchise in NY and a success story to wave under the noses of future investors in the mold of Red Bull. Investment in the league trumps rivalry for now. Give it a decade or so though and that may change with guaranteed stability.
• DC United still hasn't made any moves on the transfer front. While there are signs of improvement in the team, this doesn't look like a championship squad yet and vague promises of "big-name" South American signings just don't cut it.
• Are Manchester City trying to up the ante on Chelsea? We'll see your Russian oil-mafia kingpin billionaire and raise you our Thai ex-dictator exiled from his own country and under investigation for alleged human rights violations (amongst other charges). And talk about spending sprees...