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MLS is everywhere these days. Would you rather be the Revs and Galaxy going to Bermuda for the preseason, or Chicago who is headed to Spain to work out with Recreativo Huelva? One is a workout, the other a vacation; no bets being taken on which is which. The Rapids are changing their name to Arsenal (if the backlash doesn’t stop it), while San Jose felt the first rumbling of a reinstated Earthquakes. But the MLS prize this week has to go to the worst named team since the Colorado Arsenal. Real Salt Lake could leave the greatest snow on earth if a stadium plan can’t be finalized. County Mayor Peter Corroon admitted the groundbreaking ceremony from once upon a time that included none other than Prince Charming digging in was “premature.” Brilliant!

The rest of this week’s radiance (and a Saturday Morning Extra) is are after the jump…

Onyewu could return to U.S. televisions as early as tomorrow when he gets to Newcastle on loan from Standard Leige and faces Fulham’s American arsenal. The loan is for the rest of the season with an option to make it permanent. But why Newcastle?

The US WNT won their tune-up tourney and is beginning to look like a World Cup favorite.

Andrea Canales reports on the MLS stigma. Wait, MLS is a lesser league? What a scoop! I love Andrea’s passion, but I think her work would improve if she didn’t pump it out so fast. I know people want daily soccer news, but why force a feature that isn’t there or has been done a hundred times?

The quality not quantity Piece Of The Week award goes to Jeff Carlisle, who does his usual no-stone-unturned job thinking about the American youth bypassing MLS and going straight to Europe. While he admits the “ramifications of such defections on MLS remain unclear,” he also wonders, “at what point will the MLS feel compelled to act?” Or maybe more appropriately, when the salaries will be in line with the worldwide marketplace. After all, MLS rookie salaries can be topped by even lesser leagues in Europe, as Chicago Fire GM explained.

Take Claudio Reyna as an example. Gone to Europe before there ever was MLS, Reyna, who many a U.S. fan has not stopped deriding since his unfortunate exit from international competition (which I remember not for his failure on the field, but the failure of his injury-plagued body that gave us that horrid lasting memory), would still be able to make more money in Europe, farewell tour or not.

As Ives Galarcep reported, “Reyna could have stayed in England earning much more than the previous MLS maximum salary of $300,000, but the new “Beckham Exception” allowed the Red Bulls to offer Reyna a salary that could persuade him to come home as many as two years earlier than he might have under normal circumstances.”

As always, no need to read all the drivel. Head over to du Nord for every last drop of news without all the work.

Saturday Morning Extra:

I found this report about Super Bowl Sunday in Mexico by the AP. Interesting stuff.