Ahhh, spring...

That time of year when a young girl's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of...new soccer gear. Right now I'm browsing longingly through the Adidas website and trying to convince myself that I don't really need a new pair of boots. Although I did just notice yesterday that the stitching around the laces on the ones I have now is coming apart. And look how shiny!

Other stuff occupying space in my brain this week:

• The United-Chelsea game: I haven't actually seen it yet, and it's probably not worth watching unless you're interested in the reserves kicking the crap out of each other for 90 minutes. Mostly I wish there were more pictures of John Terry's kicked-puppy-dog face, because that gives me an unholy amount of glee.
  
  
• Speaking of Chelsea, I am kind of bemused by the story that Michael Ballack brought home a piece of bone in a jar to prove that he really did need an ankle operation and wasn't just undergoing surgery to piss off Mourinho or because he's got a thing for anesthesia or whatever. It also makes me wonder what Andriy Shevchenko is going to bring in for Stamford Bridge show-and-tell after his operation.
  
  
• The ongoing saga of Michael Owen and Newcastle. The latest episode involves a reported ₤9 million escape clause in his contract and this quote from Freddy Shepherd:
  

  "I'm telling Michael he has two choices. He either comes out and tells our fans, who have taken him to their hearts, that he is happy here or I tell him that not one of the big four clubs, Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool, are interested in him."

  
  Feel the love. He's basically taken a page from The Abusive Boyfriend Handbook: "No, you can't leave me! And nobody else would want you either! *backhands across face*"
  
  Personally, I would love to see him back at Anfield again, but sadly I'm not sure that Rafa wants him. I know there's still a lot of uncertainty about his fitness, but on the other hand, if he is fit, he could be just the type of player that they need: Bellamy's pace and Fowler's instinctive finishing, all wrapped up in one convenient little package.
  
  
• While we're on the topic of prodigal Liverpool strikers, it's official: Sunday will be Robbie Fowler's last game at Anfield in a Liverpool shirt. It's sad, but it's the right decision. And I suppose this means those MLS rumours are going to start up again.
  
  
• And (look at that segue!) in MLS news, Toronto FC may not have managed to score yet, but they're winning big when it comes to merchandise sales. They've already sold out of replica shirts, which is way ahead of any other MLS club. I expect to see a lot of people in team jerseys at the match against Chicago on Saturday. If we're lucky, we may even see a goal for the home team.
  
  
• It's a very soccer-intensive week for me (even more so than usual, I mean), because I'm going tonight to see the Canada v. Argentina U20 match. Should be an interesting preview of the U20 World Cup this summer. I'm going to have a proper write-up of that up here eventually, but in the meantime, check out this blog, by the Canadian U20 team manager, Dave Nutt, which is a pretty good read.