Monday Backpasses: It is what it is

We told a fib a little earlier. We were not observing any sort of bank holiday. Instead we decided to have a meetup, in Denver. Talk about bad timing. Unfortunately, one of us brought his hunting rifle, and things went downhill quickly

Away from the jokes, on to the links

Lukas Podolski, whose last name I constantly mishear, got the _____: treatment from Belgium [Bild]
Newsweek reporter correctly identifies US' problem at the Olympics [Newsweek]
The biggest blunderer from Beijing may be joining Adu at Monaco [American Soccer Reader]


TFC's stadium was/is hamstrung by stupid politicking [London Free Press]
NPR story on 100k crowd in Baghdad, to watch a soccer final [NPR] (link for audio)

And, finally:
Maurice Edu got his work permit. His likely first match--the Old Firm derby. How can I make it so both teams lose? [Soccer 365]