After a midweek tease, the MLS slate is full this weekend with all but two teams playing on Saturday.  For those looking forward to a little Friday night soccer, there will be none so you’ll just have to wait for Saturday night’s glamorous TV lineup, which includes the renewal of the U.S. leg of the Cascadia Cup rivalry.

Now for the other stories catching our attention this week:

• Marcos Mondaini received a four game suspension and a $1,500 fine for his aggressive tackle on Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales.  The suspension is much less than Brian Mullan’s, but the league deemed the tackle as one to prevent a scoring chance, while Mullan’s “showed utter disregard for his opponent’s safety.”
• The Washington Post ran a front page story this morning on DC United’s situation at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.  There were no great surprises to MLS or DCU fans, but the prominent placement may help the team in its efforts to build a new home.
• Speaking of DCU, Steven Goff of the Post broke the news that Bob Bradley will be in attendance at the DC-Colorado match tomorrow night.  While there are other American nationals like Dax McCarty and Anthony Wallace there, this is likely Charlie Davies casting call for a Gold Cup spot.
• Speaking of Bob Bradley, over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the USA v. Spain friendly at Gillette Stadium on June 4, and organizers expect a record crowd for the region.
• Our parent site announced the news a few days ago that possible FA Cup champion Manchester  City will extend their U.S. tour to play the LA Galaxy July 24 at Home Depot Center.
• The Colorado Rapids injury list grows, as the team announced that Omar Cummings will be out 2-4 weeks with “an ankle”.  Caleb Folan is also out this weekend, but Conor Casey is expected to return.
• MLS in Minnesota?  Don Garber’s considering it (sorry Miami/Cosmos/Las Vegas/San Antonio fans).
• If you like fan bases tweaking each other and stirring up regional rivalries like I do, this billboard in Dallas will make you laugh.

Because of the number of games played during the week, this weekend’s schedule is evenly distributed between Saturday and Sunday.  The Saturday evening spotlight match is DC United visiting BMO Field and Toronto FC, as seen on Fox Soccer Channel.  The Sunday game on Telefutura is Chicago hosting the Beckham- and Donovan-less Los Angeles Galaxy.  Although there isn’t that BIG match this weekend (that was Wednesday’s lineup) there are some intriguing match-ups that will make for some good matches.

Now for what else happened this week:

• The Washington Post broke the story that the New York Red Bulls have been invited to participate in the Emirates Cup, one of Europe’s best pre-season tournaments.  The Emirates Cup is hosted by Arsenal and, last season, saw the Gunners participate with AC Milan, Lyon, and Celtic.  Obviously the reason for the invitation is Thierry Henry, but not one wants to confirm the invitation.  Still, if it is true and happens, this would be the first time a non-European team participated in the tournament and would pit the Red Bulls against some very good opponents.
• Speaking of international friendlies, Manchester City have been confirmed as the next participant in the World Football Challenge and will play Vancouver on July 18.  More matches are soon to be announced.
• Portland signed their first designated player this week, nabbing Colombian midfielder Diego Chara.  The twenty-five year old midfielder is a threat on offensive but can drop back and serve as a holding midfielder.  He had played at Deportes Tolima in Columbia and was a teammate of current Timber Jorge Perlaza.
• More information has come out about Landon Donovan’s injury: it’s a knee.  He is recovering from a knee inflammation and will likely miss this weekend’s match against Chicago.  Meanwhile, his teammate David Beckham is going increasingly public in his complaints against MLS referees.  In an interview, Beckham complained about the officials making themselves the center of the action and ruining the players’ preparation for games.  ”I’ll probably get in trouble, but it’s gone on too long,” he said.  ”We want that consistency to be there, and we want to keep our players on the field.”  While the officials have been poor recently in MLS, and while Beckham has been the target of some aggressive fouls, he’s also been fortunate to have not been red carded a couple of times this season.
• For your entertainment and in honor of Portland’s first home game last night, the video above is the Portland promotional video for their season.  It’s… different.

As winter settles in and the MLS offseason is in full swing, it is not too soon to plan those warm weather summer tours where international teams play MLS squads.  The advantages to both sides are obvious – MLS teams can show they can compete with their international colleagues while the international team can entertain their American fans.  And both sides usually benefit financially from the games.  Last season, the following English teams made the trip across the pond – Bolton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, and (gulp) Portsmouth.

And one club has already begun to plan a 2011 summer tour – EPL Talk reported Manchester United has already begun planning a visit.  Rumor has it that one of the matches will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, which not-so-coincidentally is the headquarters city of Man U sponsor Aon.  No other details have been announced, but on the heels of a successful visit last year you can expect the team to be in high demand.

Here are five other English clubs I’d like to see visit the U.S. this summer, with a recommended location and opponent.  Below is a poll where you can vote on which clubs you would like to see this summer.  Over the coming weeks I will post polls for other leagues and nations, so stay tuned.

Arsenal – Rumor has it that Arsene Wenger does not want to tour the U.S. and finds more value in the club’s training in Austria and occasionally Asia.  No team however would benefit more from a visit to the U.S. than the Gunners.  They have a huge U.S. fanbase, many of whom have never seen the club in person, and would be guaranteed to sell out their matches.  In addition, their majority owner is an American, so a U.S. tour makes perfect sense.  Dream match – Arsenal v. Colorado Rapids (same majority owners) at Invesco Field, Denver.

Chelsea – The defending EPL champions visited the U.S. in 2009 and played in the World Football Challenge against, among others, AC Milan.  This is another club with a huge American following that skipped last year, making their reappearance good for ticket sales.  If they win the league this season, it would make their matches even more marketable.  Dream match – MLS All Stars v. Chelsea.  Because Man U did it, so should Chelsea.

Everton – Really there is one reason, possibly two, why an Everton tour would make sense: Tim Howard and, if he makes an England move, Landon Donovan.  American soccer fans who want to follow an EPL team naturally have to consider the club because of the American national team keeper and Donovan’s time with the club.  Everton should take advantage of having Howard and schedule a tour while America he’s still on the club.  Dream match – Everton v. New York Red Bulls at New Meadowlands, NJ.  A homecoming for Tim Howard.

Liverpool – Despite having a down season, the club is still one of the most popular in the world.  And now is the perfect time for them to come over as they were recently purchased by John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox, and he could show off his nice new purchase to his American supporters.  In fact, this dream match-up is a no-brainer: Liverpool v. Revolution in Fenway Park.

Tottenham Hotspur – The club’s recent resurgence has attracted a lot of attention from casual soccer fans and attracted some American fans looking to attach themselves to an EPL team.  The emergence of Gareth Bale gives them a marketable young star, and the other big names on the team make them a compelling matchup for any American club.  Dream match – Tottenham v. Seattle Sounders in Seattle.

The last time many of us saw DaMarcus Beasley, his miss on a corner launched a Brazilian counter-attack that led to the eventual trouncing of the US in the group phase of the Confederations Cup.  It was the culmination of a number of mediocre and lackluster performances from him in the national team shirt, which was the only shirt he was wearing due to his lack of play at his club Rangers in Scotland.

Fast forward to this December which sees Beasley inserted back in to the starting line up and producing. In five games he’s given Rangers 2 goals and 4 assists, which has many of us US supporters wondering if this play is sustained thru the season, does he merit a call up for next summers World Cup in South Africa.

In my opinion yes. For the simple fact that he solves some of the tactical problems Bob Bradley has due to the loss of Charlie Davies.

We are all wondering if Jeff Cunningham or Robbie Findley can be a suitable replacement for Davies, in reality the perfect replacement for him would be Landon Donovan.  In the current setup moving Donovan up top would leave a hole on the left side of midfield, a hole that Beasley can and has filled in the past.  He has pace to match Donovan and he has a fine tuned understanding of Donovan and Clint Dempsey’s play. It is also gives us a true left footed midfielder, one who can ease the burden of set pieces off Donovan.  Beasley is also easily the most experienced American player who has played in Europe. With a resume that includes  playing in the PSV/Ajax derby, in a Champions League semi-final, the Manchester City/ Manchester United derby, and in 2 World Cups.

With the US getting their most favorable draw ever in a World Cup and desperately needing to get rid of the bad taste of the 2006 World Cup out of everyone ‘s mouth, this summer Bob Bradley has to send an all hands on deck call to all players who can help them progress out of their group. Now this is all contingent on Beasley maintaining his current level of play, if that is done, then not only does Bob Bradley have an extra tactical option, but we all have a greater sense of hope as we head to South Africa.