Capital One Festival of Goal Insanity, Serie A, USA Women = New Gaffer

Hello. La Gripe has invaded the SSN Headquarters so we'll try to be brief. Did you watch the League Cup match between Reading and Arsenal yesterday? We had it on in the background whilst taking care of other business. And we're pleased as punch that we did. Suffice to say, it was INSANE. Highlights are here. The score? Look up. It would appear that Arsenal won the first set.

Paul Doyle was at the Madejski Stadium.  So was Jack Pitt-Brooke.

The match was so weird that Francis Coquelin and Olivier Giroud threw their shirts to the traveling Arsenal fans because it was 4-4 at the end of regulation and they thought they'd earned a replay. But there are no replays at this stage of the competition. So they had to ask for them back...

Today brings the potential for another entertaining fixture as Chelsea and Manchester United clash again at Stamford Bridge. How many cards will this one produce? Security has been beefed ahead of the game. Here's a preview. You've also got Norwich/Tottenham and Liverpool/Swansea. Not bad for a League Cup Wednesday. Not bad at all.

You want more of the Clattenburg crap? Sure you do. Here. Sam Wallace says Chelsea face a referee backlash if the accusations against Mark Clattenburg are baseless. Daniel Taylor says Chelsea can't afford to be wrong with this one. No shit.

The United States' women's team has a new gaffer. His name is Tom Sermanni. Jeff Carlisle says he's a fine choice. Well, then. Fine.

Problems in the Premier League? Not when foreign cash keeps flooding in. The BBC's David Bond looks at all the money (Thanks, NBC!) being paid to show the game across the globe.

Major League Soccer playoffs begin tonight in Chicago. Grant Wahl wants to make some predictions, including KC to win the whole shebang.

There are domestic cup competitions going on in Spain and Germany, but we don't have the time to worry about that. Barcelona won their match, OK? Iniesta scored. Great. However, in Italy, there is Serie A midweek action. Yesterday, AC Milan went down by two goals to Palermo before scraping to a draw. Here's a report. Everyone else plays today. Here's a preview.

Right!

Onward!!

-SSN