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Reddit decided to come up with some of the best worst names of the Cascadia Cup to come in the future. My personal favorite? "Cascadia Cup presented by New York Cosmos"

Some stunning statistics here. 10% of Americans are avid soccer fans first and foremost (NFL: 25%, NBA: 14.4%, MLB: 19.9%). The researcher projects global soccer to grow 3-4 times bigger than it is now, and MLS's fanbase to triple, all within a generation. Most importantly? Soccer is the second biggest sport among kids. The future is bright.

This week's The Designated Player, from Graham Parker, is a fantastic look at new general manager of the Professional Referees Association, Peter Walton. I definitely recommend the read, if North American refereeing is a topic of interest for you, especially if you enjoy witty digs at Ricardo Salazar.

This featured article gets into the nitty gritty of WiFi and Cellular connections at sports stadiums around the country. Stadiums are working to keep cell phones online and WiFi available, but they might not be able to keep up with the demand. Gillette stadium offers an app to those in premium seats that gives streaming video from multiple camera angles of the on-field action and access to NFL Red Zone. The SF Giants have a "race" that is powered by fans shaking their phones (??). There's also plenty of technical information for geeks who are interested. As more people live-tweet/blog games, and legends like #SonarFeed are born, will data prove to be a great compliment to the on-field action, or will it be a great distraction?

An interesting look on what a neutral friendly is like at the grand old Yankee Stadium. The writer finds the American "obsession" with kits to be strange (especially ones for teams that have nothing to do with the game), calls it the "Mexican wave" (AHEM) as it apparently is known outside of the US, and talks about how Hazard disappeared during the game while PSG impressed.

Yes, they do actually play soccer in China. Yes, it is almost as exciting as it is here. Aging euro-stars that aren't performing up to expectations? Check. Fierce rivalries complete with epic trolling? Check. All-Star team at the bottom of the table? Check. Interestingly enough, they may actually have a hooligan problem. Drogba hasn't started playing yet, but it is only going to up the ante when he does.

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A fantastic inside look at how Eddie's time with the Sounders has gone--what motivates him and has kept him in the starting 11. Having had the pleasure of meeting EJ, I can say that Brian Straus's take is same is mine: The EJ7 you think you knew from all the media before is not the same as the one the Sounders have now. And if you needed a higher endorsement here's what Brad Evans had to say: "He put his head down and worked form day one. Extra fitness with (fitness coach Dave Tenney), extra everything. He really wanted to battle and earn his place in the lineup. He had the right state of mind and still does."