Friday cannon fodder: Arsene Wenger’s brother!

Ben’s still off lawyerizin’, so once again, I’m here to help you fulfill your link-based needs for the morning.

Did you know Arsene Wenger had a brother? Well, now you do!

In news that will sadden probably about zero people in England, and many people in the US, Jurgen Klinsmann says he’s not interested in the England job.

In the wake of what nobody is calling Allardycegate, Vanity Fair asks if the Telegraph went too far to get Allardyce to do the vaguely ungood things he did.

A former agent says there have been corruption problems in the game for years.

As you go down the pyramid, and as money available to managers becomes scarcer, it becomes much more tempting to go the Allardyce route or do some other bad thing in order to make a little side income.

In far more interesting news, NPR interviewed Carli Lloyd on the occasion of the release of her autobiography/memoir.

Where’s Danago when you need him?

It’s getting towards the business end of The MLS Soccer League season. One of the things about MLS as opposed to the European leagues is that, as a salary capped league, MLS is very interested in parity. That shows in the standings, as, particularly in the Western Conference, there are about five teams with a shot at the last couple playoff places.

One of the other quirks of MLS’ obsession with parity? There is a very real chance that neither of last year’s MLS Cup Final participants will make the playoffs this year. Columbus is all but dead, and Seattle holds the first tiebreaker on Portland in case the teams finish level, which means Portland basically has to win out and hope Seattle, who have been a powerhouse since firing Sigi Schmid and signing Nicolas Lodiero over the summer, stumble. Of note: Portland has two of its last three games on the road. Also of note: Portland have yet to win on the road in the league this season.