The blog will take a short break as we make our way to Munich today; tune in tomorrow for reactions to Soccer 101 and suggestions from readers on more new fans should know. Such as what those cards all mean. D'oh!

Today, the hot topic in the blogosphere is Der Spiegel's interview with Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the eve of the World cup's kickoff June 9.

Why? Well, Amadinejad is a big football fan, and the propect of him visiting the nation has folks in a tizzy. Some EU lawmakers have suggested that Iran be kicked out of the Cup; a German Jewish group is already planning a protest and there are certain to be more, perhaps even inside the Iranian team itself.

With Europe and Germany already having an uncomfortable relationship with the large numbers of Muslim immigrants who have entered the EU over the last decade, could a visit kick off what most observers already agree is a powder-keg?

Keep an eye on this story.

Also burning today are the increasing questions about how Italy's far-ranging football scandal will affect the team's preparations for the World Cup. Implicated in the scandal are national team keeper Gianluigi Buffon, the staffs of Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio, and most people think that the furor is having a measurable effect on the team.

In England, worries continue over Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, with the latter being removed from practice Monday for an MRI. The clever Sarah Lyall notes in the Times that England is stuck between fear and loathing, though it is surprising to see that she doesn't know that shillings are still in use as 5p pieces.

And here in the States, questions remain over the USA's team, with defense, John O'Brien, Claudio Reyna and the general lack of a forward all chewing up space. A fellow blogger and I sat down in Times Square the other day over a beer next to the gloriously seedy PlayLand (drinks and ladies promised free, though I seriously doubt that is the case), and neither of us could figure out just what Brian Ching is doing on the roster.

However, we did agree that, boy, beer sure tastes good when it's 90

We haven't forgotten about you. It's just that if we don't post something here, it's on the front page. We're still in blog roll-out, so do check there for all the other goodies. For example: http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/usa

... just take a peek at African football. From the BBC today: Just when football fans in Cameroon thought things could not get any worse, somehow they do. Two first division matches were called off on Sunday after the man in charge of the stadium refused to release the goal nets and a corner post. Fans had turned up to watch a double header featuring Kadji SA against Sahel FC Maroua and Les Astres Douala against FC Yaounde but unexpectedly, what they saw was a farce. The chaos at the Douala Reunification Stadium was triggered by the stadium director who locked up the essential items in his office. Glebert Mandjeck was apparently acting on the orders of the sports minister, Philippe Mbarga Mboa.

Only 5,173 showed to see RBNY play Bayern Munich. Just atrocious. Though I bet parking was easy.