Dunga's Back, Sid On James, Alternative Juventus Guide, No Russia 2018?, Man City Racial Abuse, Euro Clubs Stateside

Soon to be seen hugging Robert Huth, Glen Whelan, Charlie Adam, Ryan Shawcross, and Jonathan Walters...

You know, we figured we'd close SSN Headquarters for another day and enjoy the quiet of the summer, but for some reason, we couldn't stay away. It's not that there's anything really happening out there (there's not), it's just that we need to get our fix. And what better way to do that than with the honorable Sid Lowe? Real Madrid purchased everyone's favorite Colombian World Cup darling James Rodríguez the other day and El Sid is curious as to whether the new galáctico will fit into Real Madrid masterplan. Have a look.

Manchester City Under-21s? Yep. Playing a friendly in Croatia. Racially abused? Yep.

Here's something a bit more light: Man City's kit man has retired after 22 years and he's got some interesting anecdotes.

The World Cup. Remember Brazil? How awesome was it to see Big Phil and Co. get their asses handed to them by Germany? It was fabulous. We loved it. Schadenfreude, indeed. Anyway, the powers that be in the Brazilian FA have decided to right the ship by bringing back the man in the shirt, Dunga. Best of luck, Old Boy. Fernando Duarte is not impressed. He thinks Brazil is taking a step backward with this appointment. Tim Vickery isn't so sure he can handle it, either.

Speaking of the World Cup, the next one is in Russia. Good, Lord. They've got some challenges to face, to say the least. The sane among us (thank you, Germany) don't think they should be able to host the thing. Let's hope that argument gains momentum.

We should probably take a look at Major League Soccer. Here are some Power Rankings.

The Mill. Plus One. Plus Plus One.

A slew of major European clubs are currently Stateside attempting to get ready for the season and enhance their brands. Want to watch them in action? Here are all the TV listings. Things get going tonight with Toronto vs. Spurs, Sporting KC vs. Man City, Liverpool vs. Roma, and LA assGalaxy vs. Manchester United.

The Gentleman Ultra is back. For this installment of his series of Alternative Serie A Guides, he provides us with Juventus. Grazie mille!

And finally...Bojan Krkic. Remember that guy? The Bojan was supposed to be "the next Messi" and lead Barcelona into the future. He now belongs to Stoke.

Onward!!

-SSN