One of the first things to go when the FIFA crisis hit last year after the arrests of seven FIFA officials and Sepp Blatter's decision to step down was the World Cup 2026 hosting bid process, which was put on hold. One of the first things new FIFA president Gianni Infantino plans to do is relaunch that process.Embed from Getty Images

The Europa League-pairing up of Liverpool and Manchester United will draw the most attention in many pockets of England, but along with the stunning success of Leicester City, the job performed by Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham since taking over in May 2014, is a developing story that each week grows in relevance. Spurs, tied for second in the Premier League, has been handed a stern test by being paired with Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16.

Currently second, Tottenham hasn't been named champion of England since 1961, with media darling Leicester City monopolizing the role of underdog while the heavyweights at Arsenal and Manchester City hog headlines, the youngest team in the Premier League continues to fly under the radar, even though Spurs title chances are as robust as any.

If one has just a little skepticism about the effect of the proposed FIFA reforms and election of a new president at FIFA's Extraordinary Congress in Zurich, it's because we've seen what happened at the Concacaf level.

The FIFA presidential election has not yet taken place, and the contest is already in the courts, or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the high court for sports disputes.

At the end of the day, there aren't a whole lot of issues that will decide Friday's election for FIFA president. It isn't like the telephones at federations around the world are ringing off the hook from players and coaches and referees and administrators weighing in on who to vote for.

Premier League team Aston Villa is the latest storied club to face a foreboding future triggered by relegation from the Premier League,

Eden Hazard's inexplicably awful season at Stamford Bridge has mirrored that of his club, and the fact the Belgian star has never been a more valuable commodity -- even though England's reigning Player of the Year hasn't scored a league goal for Chelsea since May -- reflects the absurd nature of soccer's transfer market.

In nine days, we will know who the next FIFA president is, and given the reputation of soccer's world governing body, doubts about the integrity of the election are running high. If you were wondering, the election for FIFA president will be conducted by secret vote.

If you've never used or seen Periscope, it's a live video streaming platform Twitter created. It's easy to use and can be used anywhere, to film your kid's soccer game, say, or your afternoon at the beach. It can also be used to do Q&A sessions, like Alexi Lalas does. Or then there's the chit-chat that blew up into Auriergate.

A triple-header involving all four of the top teams along with the troubled tale of Liverpool is a banquet for U.S. fans.

As Paris Saint-Germain prepares for Tuesday's resumption of its Champions League rivalry with Chelsea, having just broken Ligue 1's consecutive games unbeaten record and extended coach Laurent Blanc's contract, the club appears primed for another spending spree, so why the negativity?

Fenway Sports Group announced on Wednesday that it was backing down from its plans to increase ticket prices at Liverpool next season. It apologized for its plans that prompted 10,000 fans to walked out on the Reds' EPL match against Sunderland in the 77th minute on Saturday. All we can say is our friends who are Boston Red Sox fans should be so lucky.

FIFA elections are democracy at their finest, or worst, depending on how you look at it. One federation, one vote. All by secret ballot.

As the U.S. women's national team prepares for Olympic qualifying, which begins on Wednesday, and U.S. Soccer and the Players Association wrangle in Federal court over whether when its collective bargaining agreement expires -- before or after the Olympics -- doubt has been cast on the organization of the Rio Games themselves.