In Episode 21 of the podcast, Martin Rogers talks about the new MLS season, current EPL title race, the greatness of Lionel Messi, and USA U-23′s failure to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. You can view Martin’s articles for Yahoo Sports at http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/expertsarchive?author=Martin+Rogers, listen to his Mon-Fri podcast World Football Daily at http://www.worldfootballdaily.com/, and follow him on twitter @mrogersyahoo

The 90th Minute Podcast – Episode 21 Featuring Martin Rogers

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Specific details such as match times or television details have will be announced later. Tottenham’s Chairman Daniel Levy had the following comments on the upcoming tour.

“We are delighted to be heading back to the USA ahead of the 2012-13 season. We enjoyed a successful tour in 2010 and are looking forward to the opportunity to play against the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls, two of the leading franchises in MLS.

“The Club is proud of its reputation for playing entertaining football and we believe this attacking style is responsible for the significant rise in the number of fans across the USA in recent years. This tour presents us with a great opportunity to give something back to those fans and also introduce new supporters to the Spurs way of playing football.”

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, who actually could have taken England job by this time, shared his thoughts.

“The facilities will be first class and the opposition will provide a great test for the squad.  We know how good the MLS sides are from two summers ago when we faced San Jose Earthquakes and New York Red Bulls.  We can expect another tough encounter when we face the Red Bulls again this time.

“Playing the winners of the MLS Cup in LA Galaxy will provide a real challenge too – any team that includes proven international performers like Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and David Beckham are sure to be top drawer.”

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In today’s top stories, there is news on the future of UEFA club competitions, Tottenham’s pre-season plans, more details on what happened to Fabrice Muamba, and various news from around the world. Links for all stories below will open in a new window.

FIFA and UEFA sign an agreement to continue the Europe/Champions League until 2018 (ESPNSoccernet)

Tottenham Hotspur Announce Details For Their Pre-season Trip To The USA (TottenhamHotspur.com)

Fabrice Muamba Was “Dead” For 78 Minutes, More Details Emerge (BBC Sport)

Mancini Sings The Praises of Tevez In Come From Behind Win Against Chelsea (The Guardian)

A Looks At How Recent Results Show La Liga As The Strongest League (Sports Illustrated)

A Preview Of The USA’s U-23 Olympic Team As It Starts Qualifying (ESPN)

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger Believes The Gunners Confidence Is Showing (Sky Sports)

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In Episode 17 of the podcast, ESPN.com’s Jeff Carlisle talks about the upcoming MLS season and the USA National Team. First, Jeff gives his thoughts on the LA Galaxy’s chances heading into the 2012 season. After that, he talks about the US Men’s National Team with a detailed look at the possible roster for the 2014 World Cup. You can follow him on Twitter @jeffreycarlisle and or read his articles here.

The 90th Minute Podcast – Episode 17 Featuring Jeff Carlislek

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PSG Director of Football, Leonardo, told press the following about Beckham’s decision to remain in Los Angeles.

“David was very interested in coming to Paris. But the welfare of his family in Los Angeles, the wish not to change everything in his life, weighed heavily.”

Nasser al-Khelaifi, PSG president, echoed Leonardo’s comments that Beckham won’t be coming to Paris. He also cleared up reports that new manager Carlo Ancelotti changed focus from bringing in Beckham to Real Madrid’s Kaka.

“David Beckham is in Los Angeles, and he is going to stay there. He will not come [to PSG], that is clear.”

“It was not the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti that changed everything.”

As I wrote in 2011, I’m not surprised by this decision and I put his family as a major reason he’d likely stay. While the reports do state that the decision was for family reasons, the full reasons might never become clear. It could have been a combination of reasons but Beckham will likely finish his career with the Galaxy.

The Daily Mirror in England is reporting that Beckham will sign a new deal with the Galaxy sometime this week.

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As soon as the 2011 Major League Soccer season finished, the speculation of David Beckham’s future began to run rampant. The French press have falsely stated he’s already signed with Paris Saint-Germain and was supposed to be in Paris last weekend. Beckham’s management team has responded to these reports stating that a decision has not been made.

The only certainty for now is that Beckham will be playing for PSG or the LA Galaxy. After a rocky start to his time in LA, Beckham has settle in during the last few seasons and finished the 2011 season by winning MLS Cup. He’s recovered from injuries and backlash from Galaxy supporters (decision to go on loan to AC Milan) to being one of the top midfielders in MLS.

It seems that most think Beckham is more likely to sign with PSG but the Galaxy have made an offer. Below I’ve outlined the reasons for Beckham signing for either side.

Paris Saint-Germain

• Money - It’s clear that PSG Will offer more money than the Galaxy. The reports have the deal at $18 million for 18 months. Beckham makes more off the pitch than on it but there’s no denying that money always plays some role.
• Champions League - Another reason for Beckham to play in Paris would be the chance of returning to the UEFA Champions League. PSG are currently at the top of the French Ligue 1 table and are a strong bet to finish in the top 3. This would be Beckham’s last good chance to play in a top European league and he could cap his career by playing in the top club competition in the world.
• 2012 Olympics - Beckham would improve his chances to play for the Great Britain team if he’s a regular contributor in a top league. While MLS is improving, it’s still not considered the level of Ligue 1. If Beckham is successful at PSG, it would make his inclusion in the GB Olympic roster extremely likely.

LA Galaxy

• 2012 Olympics - This is a reason for the Galaxy as he could stay match fit leading up to the tournament. The MLS season runs from March-November where as in France the season would end in May. The Olympic tournament begins in late July so staying in MLS could give him an extra month or so of matches to get fit. Also, the Galaxy would not have any issue letting Beckham leave for the time to play in the Olympics where this would coincide with the start of the Ligue 1 season in France.
• Family - Beckham and his family has settled in Los Angeles. Going overseas to play for PSG would likely mean uprooting all that and starting over in Paris for 18 months. If the decision was purely based on his family, you would think that the Galaxy would have the edge over Paris.
• Future After Playing - Beckham has talked about his interest in becoming an owner after his playing days are over. Staying with the Galaxy would make it a seamless transition into the front office of a new MLS franchise. It’s also possible that he could stay with the Galaxy and move towards being a coach/manager or General Manager type position. As with the reason above, staying in Los Angeles makes all this a lot easier than moving back and forth between Paris in an 18 month span.

One thing is for sure and that is that reports shouldn’t be trusted until it’s confirmed by Beckham.

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Donovan, who is now 29, has won just about every team and individual award in Major League Soccer. He’s become the face of US Soccer and makes roughly $2 million a year at the LA Galaxy. The question still remains if Donovan will ever move overseas for more than a loan.

Now, I don’t think that this will happen but I do believe that it would be the best thing for his career.

Donovan has achieved just about everything in MLS including championships and individual accolades. Nobody would fault him for wanting to move overseas and prove he can play for several years in the English Premier League. Here are a few reasons why I think he should make the loan move to Everton a permanent one.

• Good For Both Sides - The move would be good for both Donovan and Everton. It could also prove to be a valuable move for the Galaxy who could use the transfer fee (could be more than $10 million) to rebuild their team. Donovan is in the prime of his career and probably only has 3-4 season where he could be a solid contributor for Everton. The Toffees are not a deep side and saw their form rise when Donovan joined the side in 2010. The Galaxy will be losing their best player but they would get compensated and could go after someone like Didier Drogba or Frank Lampard.
• Donovan Could Increase MLS/EPL Popularity - Some will argue that Donovan leaving hurts MLS but it could actually do the opposite. Clint Dempsey, who started in MLS before moving to Fulham, Donovan having success in the EPL would show that there are quality players in MLS. It would also increase American interest in the Premier League just as Dempsey has done. For example, a Fulham v Everton match could draw very good ratings in the USA because of Donovan and Dempsey.
• Donovan Needs To Prove He Can Make It Europe - While Donovan did shut up some critics with his 2010 loan with Everton, there are still some questions. He has yet to play a full season in Europe and doing that with Everton would cement his place as one of the best American players. In his short time in 2010, Donovan quickly became a fan favorite and he could possibly become a legend at Goodison Park if he were to have a productive 3-4 seasons. He would also put to rest all the missed opportunities and bad memories of his failed stints in Germany.

As I said before, I doubt that Donovan will stay any longer than expected (late February). Everton are unlikely to have the money necessary for a transfer and the Galaxy probably won’t accept a transfer. You can never say never but the chances of Donovan staying at Everton long-term are probably 5% of less. Of course, there will probably be speculation with reports of Chelsea to bid 20 million pounds for Everton’s Jack Rodwell. In theory, they could use part of that to bid for Donovan but the recent history shows that Everton are more likely to keep that money than spend it on transfers.

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Los Angeles Galaxy captain Landon Donovan will once again return to England for a loan spell. Donovan, who had struggled to make his mark in Europe, became a fan favorite when he arrived at Everton in January 2010. The American quickly showed he could play in the EPL as he helped Everton to a draw with Arsenal as well as wins against Manchester United and Chelsea.

Donovan said the following on twitter after the loan deal was announced.

Once a Toffee, always a Toffee

Everton manager David Moyes had the following comments.

“I am delighted that we have managed to get Landon back. He will give us some good experience over January and February. 

“He did well for us when he was over two years ago and hopefully will return with those same qualities.

“His season has just finished and like last time we need him to hit the ground running because the games come thick and fast at this time of year.”

Donovan, since returning in 2010 to MLS, spoke about his eagerness to return to Goodison Park.

“The opportunity to return to Everton and play for such a well-respected club and a manager that I hold in such high regard was something that was simply too good to pass up.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Everton in 2010 and I’m hopeful that we can experience similar success this time around.

“I want to thank David Moyes and Bruce Arena, as well as executives from both clubs and Major League Soccer for allowing me this unique and special opportunity.”

The deal will start on January 4th (EPL match against Bolton) and conclude on February 25th (Merseyside derby versus Liverpool). It’s very unlikely this loan will be extended for the rest of the season or to a permanent move. The Galaxy have set a high price tag on Donovan and Everton have limited financial resources.

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In Episode 10 of our podcast, we talk with ESPN.com writer Jeff Carlisle who gives his thoughts on the MLS Cup Final and the future of David Beckham. Jeff (@jeffreycarlisle on twitter) also discusses the USA National Team and Olympic tournament at London 2012. You can listen to the episode at the embedded player below as well as past episodes are at http://the90thminute.libsyn.com

The 90th Minute Podcast – Episode 10 Featuring Jeff Carlisle

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In Episode 9 of our podcast, we talk with Yahoo! Sports Martin Rogers to preview the MLS Cup Final between the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo. Martin (@mrogersyahoo on twitter) also gives his thoughts on David Beckham’s future and whether he’ll return to MLS or play in Europe. You can listen to the episode at the embedded player below as well as past episodes are at http://the90thminute.libsyn.com

The 90th Minute Podcast – Episode 9 Featuring Martin Rogers

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