Should there be any lingering doubts about the total domination that Europe now has over the global game they have surely been put to flight by the announcement of the short list of candidates for the most prestigious individual awards in men's soccer in 2014: the Ballon d'Or (best player), and the FIFA World Coach of the Year.

It seemed like a good idea -- to compare and contrast Sunday's big games. Two clasicos really: From Spain, Real Madrid-Barcelona, and right here the Seattle Sounders-Los Angeles Galaxy. Maybe it's stretching things a bit to dub the MLS game a clasico, if only because clasicos surely need a history. The American rivalry dates back only to 2009, a feeble six years compared to the Spanish version, which had its beginning 1902, since when 260 games have been played.

That MLS Commissioner Don Garber should be upset by Jurgen Klinsmann's thoughtless and really rather peevish comments on Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey is understandable. By coming back to the USA to play in MLS, Dempsey and Bradley are -- according to Klinsmann -- lowering their standards. Because MLS is an inferior league.

So Landon Donovan has had his special day ... and I cannot think of anyone involved in soccer in this country who more deserves to be honored in this way.

One of the stranger things about soccer is that it is rarely, if ever, considered as a whole. There are, of course, endless discussions of its myriad details, from tactics to head dress, from simulation to offside calls ... but when was the last time you heard of a serious seminar on The State of the Game? The whole game, that is, all of it.

LONDON -- Change -- important, fundamental change -- seems to be arriving at last in English soccer. Slowly and reluctantly, of course. I'm tempted to say this is going to take time, but that overlooks the fact that the change I'm talking about has already taken up an enormous amount of time. About a hundred years, roughly speaking.