ProSoccerTalk’s daily soccer re-set

Soccer birthdays:

It’s a barren day for soccer birthdays. A rotten day – or at least a very bad day for our research team into soccer birthdays.  I’m sure someone will let me know if our research staff checked out early Monday night and missed one. Otherwise, Bo Derek, American all-that pin-up girl of another day, turns 56.

That’s all we got.

Well, that and David Beckham. His birthday is May 2. Just sayin’.

Big Important Stories of the Day:

David. Beckham. … Need we say more?

Elsewhere, it’s European Champions League, Match Day 5, to be exact. (It’s a slightly unstable element of the world’s best club competition, but “Match Day” in this case actually extends over two days. Those crazy Europeans!)

FC Porto, Málaga CF and Manchester United FC have already qualified for the tournament’s knockout stage, and a bunch of clubs can join them with the right result over the next two days.

RASNoD (Random American Soccer Name of the Day:  Chris Albright

*Ahead on the blog today:

We’ll discuss a certain handsome, well-groomed Englishman. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Some call him Becks. He’s leaving.

Leaving what, though? The Galaxy? MLS? A playing career, now bound for corner office ownership? All good questions … which is why we’ll talk about it.

Plus, there will be further discussion on the final two survivors in the chase for MLS Cup 2012. We’ll have plenty of Champions League talk, and a word of caution about a term we keep hearing: “Dynamo Dynasty.”

Twitter daps:

What you should watch on TV today:

Plenty of live Champions League across the Fox Soccer platforms starting at noon ET. Barcelona needs a rebound performance when it travels to Russia to face Spartak Moscow. That’s at noon on Fox Soccer Channel. Immediately after, the blue men of Chelsea need to arrest their recent spiral, and a trip into Juventus won’t be the easiest of places to do it. Coverage of that one begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on FSC.

Background noise while blogging today:

Mash-ups of David Beckham goals? Perhaps rediscovering the magic of that initial Becks news conference back in ’07? Beckham video from the summer’s London Games opening ceremonies? (No kidding, it’s still on my DVR.) At least until those Champions League matches pop on today, and some normalcy is restored.

We’ll leave you with this:

I cannot help but wonder if, secretly, Galaxy manager Bruce Arena is hap-hap-happy as a kid on a sugar high that dealing with Beckham and all the related distractions will soon be things of the past? Clearly, the man has been a wonderful and useful performer for most of his days and nights in L.A. Galaxy Valley. But there’s always something extra to deal with. It’s that “something extra” that I suspect Arena will not miss. Not. One. Bit.

*Always subject to change; you know how it is