By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

Somehow after enduring a frenetic finish by Manchester City triumphing in the literal final seconds of the last match of the season, Didier Drogba and Chelsea’s dramatic victory in the Champions League final and the bombast of Olympic soccer, I am not worn out at all from the greatest game in the world. The amount of chicanery and tomfoolery that has taken place before the 2012-13 Premier League has had a chance to even start yet is dumbfounding, and as the season prepares to kickoff on Saturday, I’ve got five things on my mind.

1. Does Champions League success transfer to Premier League destiny? Somehow, a club that always makes headline-worthy signings, (which they did) won Europe’s biggest competition (Champions League trophy) and come into a new season with lofty expectations (title or bust) have flown under the radar in stellar fashion. Such is life for Roberto di Matteo and Chelsea.

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By Eduardo Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

For FOX Deportes

Things have turned quiet for the US Men’s National Team in the last month, as a win and a draw in the first two games of 2014 World Cup Qualifications have came and went with America’s side still searching for consistency from their top players. USA tumbled from 28 to 36 in FIFA’s latest world ranking table. Jurgen Klinsmann’s still trying to sort out the hand that Bob Bradley left him before getting up from the poker game.

You’ve got to love where US Soccer is in the summer of 2012. Insert sarcasm here.

What’s more interesting is that we’re less than four weeks away from the USMNT taking their talents across the Rio Grande to Estadio Azteca to face Mexico (No. 18 ranking in FIFA) on August 15th. Mexico’s most recent big win was an impressive 4-2 triumph over Brazil, and its officially put the world on notice that El Tri is ready to make major strides for the 2014 World Cup. The biggest question for Klinsmann and the US side is a simple one…can they keep up?

Two players who will factor in the decision are stars Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey. One has officially found himself on a new team, while the other continues to be the feature in a rumor mill that seemingly will never end. Let’s look at this one at a time.

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By Jose M. Romero /@RomeroJoseM

For FOX Deportes

In a soccer tournament with three groups of four teams, each team has only six games – two against each of the rest of the teams in the group – to gather enough points to move on the next round.

In other words, Mexico and the United States, the two top teams in the CONCACAF region, have to keep racking up points from wins or draws so as to move on from the group qualifying stage to the final stage, from which the World Cup 2014 teams will come. The top two teams from the three groups advance to a final stage of six teams.

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By Jose M. Romero / @RomeroJoseM

For Fox Deportes

The World Cup is two years away, but the journey to Brazil 2014 officially begins Friday throughout the soccer world.

In our region, CONCACAF, the two traditional powers should be there when it’s all said and done, those being Mexico and the U.S. These things are never a given, of course, but Mexico enters qualifying a very confident bunch and as the clear No. 1 team in North America.

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